THE .HISTORY OF AMERICA.- BY THOMAS F. QORDON. VOLUMES FIRST AND SECOND, CONTAINING THE HISTORY OF THE SPANISH DISCOVERIES PRIOR TO 1520. VOLUME II. CAREY & LEA CHESTNUT STREET. 1831. Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1831 by THOMAS F. GORDON, in the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. STEREOTYPED BY J. HOWE. CONTEXTS OF VOL. II. CHAPTER I. SECT. I. Rights of Ferdinand, on the death of Isabella Page 8 II. Condition of Hispaniola 9 III. Administration of Ovando 10 IV. Policy of Ferdinand in Hispaniola 11 V. Introduction of slaves from the Lucayan Islands 12 VI. Circumnavigation of Cuba 14 VII. Adjudication of the claims of Don Diego Columbus .... 15 VIII. D. Columbus proceeds to Hispaniola as Governor 16 IX. Repartimientos of Indians by Diego Columbus 17 X. Pearl Fishery at Cubagua 17 XI. Colonization of Jamaica 19 XII. Reduction of Cuba by Velasquez 20 XIII. Discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon 24 XIV. Search for the island of Bimini and the fountain of Re juvenescence 24 XV. Intrigues against Diego Columbus He resolves to re turn to Spain Distribution of the Indians by Alber- querque 26 XVI. Efforts of the Dominicans in favour of the Indians 28 XVII. The king confirms the repartimientos, and gives instruc tions for the treatment of the Indians 29 XVIII. Las Casas becomes the advocate of the Indians His ef forts in Spain for their relief 31 XIX. Cardinal Ximenes establishes a commission for the gov ernment of American affairs 32 XX. Proceeding of the Commissioners 33 XXI. They confirm the Repartimientos 34 XXII. Dissatisfaction of Las Casas 35 XXIII. Procures the reconsideration of the Indian question 35 XXIV. Introduction of Negro-slavery into the West Indies .. . 36 XXV. Remarks on the conduct of Las Casas 38 XXVI. Las Casas proposes the emigration of labourers and husbandmen 39 XXVII. He proposes to establish a colony on Terra Firma, un der ecclesiastical jurisdiction 40 XXVIII. Reception of his scheme by the king s ministers 42 XXIX. Caution of the king 42 XXX. Discussion of the Indian question before him 43 XXXI. Scheme of Las Casas approved by the king 44 XXXII. Impediments to its execution 44 XXXIII. Experiment of Figueroa on the capacity of the natives 46 XXXIV. Unfortunate result of Las Casas s attempt at coloniza tion 47*" XXXV. Return of Diego Columbus to Spain Reception by the king 48 XXXVI. Restored to his honours by Charles V 49 XXXVII. State of Hispaniola Revolt of the African slaves 50 XXXVIII. Revolt of the Cacique Henriquex 51 XXXIX. Serrano empowered to colonize the Caribbee islands . . 57 CHAPTER II. SECT. I. Efforts for the exploration of the American continent 60 II. Voyage of Solis and Pinzon Gl III. Terms of grants made to Ojeda and Nicuesa 61 IV. Singular instructions given to Ojeda and Nicuesa. ... 63 V. Unfortunate attempt of Ojeda at Carthagena 65 VI. Relieved by Nicuesa, and proceeds to the Gulf of Uraba 66 VII. Misfortunes of Ojeda there 67 VIII. Ojeda returns to Hispaniola for aid His death 68 IX. Nicuesa proceeds to Veragua, and is deserted by his lieutenant ^ 70 X. Loses his vessel His great sufferings 70 IT CONTENTS. XI. Settles at Nombre de Dios 72 XII. Sufferings of the colonists there 72 XIII. Proceedings of the colony of Ojeda 73 XIV. Establishment of thecolony of Santa Maria del Darien Balboa chosen Alcade Fate of Nicuesa 74 XV. Balboa expels Enciso 76 XVI. Engagement of Pizarro with the natives 76 XVII. Balboa invades the territories, and conquers the Ca cique of Careta 77 XVIII. Visits the district of Comagre, and receives informa tion of the South Sea 78 XIX. Preparations of Balboa for visiting the South Sea. ... 79 XX. Subjugates the country around Darien 80 XXI. Dispatches agents to Spain 81 XXII. Disturbances in the colony 82 XXIII. Balboa resolves to cross to the South Sea 82 XXIV. Reaches the South Sea 83 XXV. Discoveries on the coast 85 XXVI. Balboa returns to Darien 86 XXVII. Disposition of the Spanish court towards Balboa 88 XXVIII. Ferdinand resolves to send succours to Darien, under Pedrarias Davila 88 XXIX. Further expeditions of Balboa 89 XXX. Arrival of Pedrarias at Darien 90 XXXI. The colony is distressed by famine and pestilence 90 XXXII. Expeditions under the officers of Pedrarias 91 XXXIII. Dissensions between Pedrarias and Balboa 93 XXXIV. Expedition of Morales to the South Sea 94 XXXV. Manner of the Pearl Fishery at Panama 96 XXXVI. Confederacy of Indians against Morales 96 XXXVII. Expedition of Gusmaa to Panama 97 XXXVIII. Unfortunate expedition of Vallejo 98 XXXIX. Destruction of a party of Spaniards under Bazarra. . . 99 XL. Panic state of the colony 100 XLI. Expedition of Badajos 100 XLII. Badajos defeated by the Cacique Paris 101 XLIII. Expedition of Pedrarias in search of Bazarra 102 XLIV. Effort of Espinosa to recover the treasure lost by Ba dajos 103 XLV. Proceedings of Espinosa in the Isthmus 104 XLVI. Accommodation between Pedrarias and Balboa 105 XLVII. Balboa transports frames for ships across the Isthmus 106 XLVIII. Is accused of sedition, and put to death by Pedrarias. 107 XLIX. Giles Gonzalez prepares an expedition to the South Sea 109 L. The towns of Panama and. Nombre de Dios built .... 110 LI. Arrival and death of Lope de Sosa 110 LII. Discovery of Yucatan by F. Hernandez Cordova 110" LIII. His reception by the natives Return to Cuba 112 LIV. Velasquez sends a second expedition to Yucatan un der Grijalva 114 LV. Discovery of the Island of Cozumel 114 LVI. Traditions relative to the crosses found in Yucatan. . 115 LVII. Intercourse of Grijalva with the natives 116 LVIII. Courtesy of the natives by order of Montezuina 117 LIX. Human sacri fices in the temples 118 LX. Return of Grijalva to Cuba Is unjustly treated by Valasquez ." 118 LXI. Magellan proposes to discover a passage through the western continent to the South Sea 120 LXII. Departs from San Lucar, and arrives at La Plata 121 LXIII. Winters in 49 degrees south latitude Mutiny in the squadron 129 CONTENTS. V LXIV. Severity of the cold Large size of the inhabitants ... 123 LXV. Loses one of his vessels Discovers the strait that bears his name 124 LXVI. His progress through the strait 125 LXVII. Is deserted by the San Antonio, one of his vessels ... 126 LXVIII. Passes into the Southern Ocean Discovers the Unfor tunate Islands 12(5 LXIX. Discovers the Philippine Islands 127 LXX. Is slain in combat with the natives 128 LXXI. The remainder of the squadron reach the Moluccas The ships lade with spices, and the Victory returns to Spain 129 LXXII. Composition between Spain and Portugal relative to the Moluccas 129 CHAPTER III. I. View of the West Indies Improper generalization of authors, in describing America 132 II. Geographical notice of the West Indies 133 III. Gulf or Florida stream 134 IV. Transparency of the Sea 135 V. Fresh- water Springs in the Sea 136 VI. Mountains of the West Indies 136 VII. Geology of the Islands imperfectly known 137 VIII. Climate and seasons " 137 IX. Land and sea breezes 141 X. Hurricanes 142 XI. Of the inhabitants Two distinct races 144 XII. Of the Charaibes, or Caribs 144 1. Origin 144 2. Character Cannibalism 149 3. Persons and Ornaments 152 4. Education 153 5. Initiation of their Chiefs 154 6. Initiation of a Monarch of the Guiana Caribs . 157 7. Initiation of a Boyez or Priest 159 8. Government 162 9. Marriage 162 10. Peculiar customs 163 11. Dwellings 164 12. Arts and Manufactures 164 13. Food 164 14. Burials 165 15. Religion 166 16. Language 108 XIII. Of the Arrowauks. 1. Origin 168 2. Persons and Constitutions 169 3. Exercises 170 4. Intellectual acquirements 171 5. Government 173 6. Funeral Ceremonies 174 7. Areytos, or National Songs 175 8. Religion 176 9. Domestic Arts 180 10. Of their Extirpation 183 XIV. Of the Quadrupeds of the West Indies 186 1. The Agouti 186 2. The Pecary 187 3. Armadillo 187 4. The Opossum , 188 5. The Raccoon 188 6. The Muskrat , - 188 VI CONTENTS* 7, The Alco Monkey and its varieties , . . . 188 8. The Iguana 189 XV. Of the Mountain Crab 190 XVI. Of the Serpents 193 XVII. Of the Lizards 194 XVIII. Of the Insects 195 1. Scorpions 195 2. Snails 193 3. Fire-flies 196 4. Phalanges 197 5. Spiders 198 6. FlyingTiger 199 XIX. Of the Birds 199 1. Frigates 199 2. Flamingo 200 3. Ducks, Geese, &c 200 4. Land Fowl, Turkeys, &c 200 5. Parrots Arras Canides 201 6. Ortolans, or October Birds 203 7. Humming Birds 203 8. Indian mode of taking water-fowl 205 XX. Of the Fish of the West Indies 205 1. The Remora 205 2. The Manati, or Sea-cow 206 3. Turtle 209 XXI. Vegetable productions useful in the Arts 211 1. Cedar 212 2. Acajou, or Mahogany 212 3. Acomas 213 4. Rose-wood 213 5. Indian-wood 213 6. Lignum Vita: 214 7. Iron-wood 214 8. Brazil-wood 215 9. Roucou 215 10. Cotton Plants, and Cotton-tree 216 11. Soap-trees 216 12. Indian Fig-tree 217 13. Coral-wood Candle- wood 218 14. Gourd, or Calabash-trees 218 XXII. Vegetables producing food, &c 219 1. Anana, or Pine Apple 219 2. Goyava 221 3. Papaw 222 4. Avocado, or Alligator-pear 222 5. The Momin-tree 223 6. The Junipa 223 7. The Raisin-tree 223 8. The fruit-bearing Acajou 224 9. The Icaco Plum 225 10. The Hog-plum 225 1L The Palm Prickly-palm Franc-palm Lata- nier-palm Cocoa-nut tree 225 12. The Cacao, or Chocolate 228 13. The Cassia-tree 228 14. The Plantain or Banana 229 15. The Prickly Pear 233 16. Indian Pepper 233 17. Varieties of Pulse, &c 233 18. Maize, or Indian Corn 233 19. Manioc, or Cassava Root 234 20. Yams 236 21. Potatoes ,,.,..,,. . !.".!" 237 HISTORY OF AMERICA. SPANISH DISCOVERIES, &c. CHAPTER I. I. Rights of Ferdinand on the death of Isabella. . . . II. Condition of Hispaniola. . . .III. Administra tion of Ovando. . . .IV. Policy of Ferdinand in Hispaniola. . . .V. Introduction of slaves from the Lucayan Islands. . . .VI. Circumnavigation of Cuba. Settlement of Porto Rico. . . .VII. Adju dication of the claims of Diego Columbus. . . . VIII. He proceeds to Hispaniola as governor. . . . IX. Repartimientos of Indians at Hispaniola by Diego Columbus. . . .X. Pearl Fishery at Cuba- gua. . . .XI. Colonization of Jamaica. . . .XII. Re duction of Cuba by Valasquez. . . .XIII. Discov ery of Florida by Ponce de Leon. . . .XIV. Search for the island of Bimini, and the fountain of Re juvenescence. . . .XV. Intrigues against Diego Co lumbus. He resolves to return to Spain. Distri bution of the Indians by Alberqucrqiie. . . .XVI. Efforts of the Dominicans in favour of the In dians. . . .XVII. The King confirms the reparti- mientos, and gives instructions for the treatment of the Indians. . . .XVIII. Father Las Casas be comes the advocate of the Indians. His efforts in Spain for their relief. . . .XIX. Cardinal Xime- nes establishes a commission for the government of American affairs. . . .XX. Proceedings of the Commissioners. . . .XXI. They confrm the repar- timientos. . . .XXIL Dissatisfaction of Las Cas- 6 >.?<. n 5"""HIS1?OBY OI". AMERICA. [cH. 1. : as.\ . .XXin. Procurts the reconsideration of the Indian question. . . .XXIV. Introduction of Negro slavery in the West Indies. . . .XXV. Remarks on the conduct of Las Casas. . . .XXVI. Las Casas proposes the emigration of labourers and husband men. . . .XXVII. He proposes to establish a colony on Terra Firma under ecclesiastical jurisdic tion. . . .XXVIII. Reception of his scheme by the king s ministers. . . .XXIX/Cawfaora of the king. . .. XXX. Discussion of the Indian question before him. . . .XXXI. Scheme of Las Casas approved by the king. . . .XXXII. Impediments to its exe cution. . . .XXXIII. Experiment of Figueroa on the capacity of the natives. . . .XXXIV. Unfortu nate result of Las Casas s attempt at coloniza tion XXXV. Return of Diego Columbus to Spain. His reception by the king. . . .XXXVI. Restored to his honours by Charles V. . . .XXXVII. State of Hispaniola. Revolt of the African slaves XXXVIII. Revolt of the Cacique Hen- riques. . . .XXXIX. Serrano empowered to colo nize the Caribbee islands. I. IT will be recollected, that the first enterprize of Columbus was undertaken for the crown of Cas tile, and that the new world became a dependency of that kingdom. On the death of Isabella, both, by the natural order of succession, would have passed to Philip, archduke of Austria, and his wife Joanna, the sole surviving child and heiress of Fer dinand and Isabella. But the duke had_pot the confidence of his mother-in-law, and the imbecility of Joanna rendered her unfit to direct public af fairs. Moved by these considerations, Isabella, a few weeks before her death,* by will, appointed Ferdinand regent, or administrator of Castile, un- * 26th November, 1504, at Medina del Campo. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 9 til her grandson, Charles, should attain the age of twenty years. She bequeathed to him, also, one- half of the revenues of the Indies, and the grand- masterships of the three military orders of her kingdom. In return for these favourable disposi tions, she required him to swear that he would not, by a second marriage, or otherwise, deprive Joan na, or her posterity, of the right of succession to any of his realms. Immediately on the queen s death, Ferdinand resigned the title of King of Castile, and caused Philip and Joanna to be pro claimed sovereigns of that kingdom ; but assumed, at the same time, the character of Regent, which he prevailed upon the Cortes to acknowledge.* II. By the death of Isabella, the Indians lost their only protector. The relaxation of the reins of government caused by that event, subjected the island of Hispaniola to the almost uncontrolled authority of Ovando. The regulations mitigating the rigour of Indian servitude were forgotten : the wages allotted to Indian labourers were with drawn, and their tasks increased ; and the govern or, without restraint, distributed them among his friends. In Spain, the courtiers who could obtain no other rewards, solicited grants of Indians, whom, some, emigrating to the island, employed under their own direction, whilst others farmed them out, or governed them by an overseer. This cruel poli cy, most destructive to the Indian race, produced great immediate profits from the mines. The gold was melteoWlown quarterly, under an officer duly appointed, and amounted annually to the sum of four hundred and sixty thousand pesos. Of this great mass of wealth, a small portion only remained with the original acquirers ; most of whom, living * 2 Robertson s Charles V. p. 6. 10 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 1. according to their hopes, always beyond their means, were deeply in debt. The proprietors and workers of the mines scarce ever carried any thing away from the smelting- houses. They were met there by their creditors, who not unfrequently bore off the whole treasure of the debtor, and sent him to prison for an unpaid balance. Indeed, so uncommon was a different fate, that historians have recorded the name of a prudent and pious miner, who, by treating his In dians well, and circumscribing his own desires, was enabled to take home with him the product of his labours in marked ingots.* But the vast for tunes suddenly acquired by others, drew new ad venturers to America, and notwithstanding the mortality occasioned by a change of climate, food, and habits of life, the colony of Hispaniola con tinued to increase. f III. The administration of Ovando, so far as re garded the Spaniards, was wise and just. Under his care, towns speedily grew up around the forts, seventeen in number, distributed through every province in the island ; and were incorporated by the king. The Europeans who were on the island at the time of his arrival, had appropriated to them selves the female relatives of the Indian chiefs ; and by this connexion held more absolute sway over their Indian slaves. At the instance of the clergy, he compelled them to renounce this illicit intercourse, by parting with their paramours, or to conform to Christian morals, by wedding them. The Castilians deemed the latter disgraceful, yet they preferred to submit, rather than lose the power which they exercised in right of these women. But Ovando, jealous of rights which were independent of his authority, exchanged the Indians thus placed * Herrera, Dea 1. 1. 6. c. 7. t Robertson s America, CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 11 for others, who were held during his pleasure only. He watched vigilantly over the deportment of the Spaniards, seized such as were turbulent or disso lute, and shipped them for Spain. Thus, by the suppression of all power inconsistent with his own, by rewarding the obedient and removing the worth less, he established the reign of the law, which he administered with promptitude, firmness, and impar tiality.* IV. The efforts of Ovando were supported by Ferdinand, who, in the daily increase of revenue, found the great value of the discoveries of Colum bus. Upon his return to Spain, from his Italian dominions in 1507, he established and enlarged the India House at Seville, adding new offices, and in creasing its privileges and immunities. He ordain ed, that no person should settle in, nor any goods be exported to, America, without permission of that council ; that such permission should be preferably given to married men ; and that settlers who had wives in Spain should send for them ; that marriage should be encouraged among the In dians, and among such negro slaves as had been transported to Hispaniola ; that a school should be maintained at his expense in St. Domingo, where the children of the Caciques should be in structed ; and that all books sent over should be strictly examined, lest profane or scandalous ones should corrupt the people. He gave a regular form to the ecclesiastical government, the pope having granted authority for erecting an archbishopric, bishoprics, deaneries, parishes, and other spiritual divisions, under the patronage of the king of Spain. And with a wisdom rarely pertaining to a devoted son of the church, he circumscribed the papal power in his new possessions, by reserving to the * Herrera. 12 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1. crown the right to dispose of all benefices in America ; stipulating, also, that no papal mandate should be promulgated there, until it had been ap proved by his council. Tithes were established for the support of the clergy, and adequate means were given for the erection of churches ; and to prevent the inroads of heresy, the inquisition extended here its terrible powers.* V. The rapid annihilation of the Indian race depriving the colonists of their accustomed instru ments of labour, they were unable to extend their improvements, and maintained with difficulty the works they had begun. For remedy of this, Ovando proposed to transport the inhabitants of the Lucayan islands to Hispaniola. This measure, obviously of barbarous inhumanity, and a violation of natural right, was not without a specious justification. The natives of these islands, it was said, would be more easily civilized and instructed in religion, if united to the Spanish colony, and placed under the in spection of its missionaries. The king could not be deceived as to the real motives of this proposi tion, yet he readily gave it his assent. Vessels were accordingly fitted out for the Lucayos, whose commanders, now acquainted with the Indian lan guage, informed the natives, that they came from a delightful country, in which their ancestors dwelt, for the purpose of conveying them thither, to par ticipate in scenes of never-ending bliss. A belief in a future state was common among the Indians, and rejoicing in the prospect of partaking the hap piness of their forefathers, they followed the Span iards with alacrity. More than forty thousand were thus betrayed to the miseries which overwhelmed the natives of Hayti, whilst their betrayers glorified themselves in the simplicity of their victims.f * Herrcra. t Herrera, Dec. 1. 1. 7. c. 1. C. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 13 Peter Martyr, when speaking of these unfortu nates, says, " Many of them in the anguish of despair obstinately refused all manner of subsist ence, and retiring to desert caves and unfrequented woods, silently gave up the ghost. Others repair ing to the sea-coast, on the northern side of His- paniola, cast many a longing look towards that part of the ocean where they suppose their own islands to be situated ; and as the sea-breeze rises, they eagerly inhale it, fondly believing that it has lately visited their own happy valleys, and comes fraught with the breath of those they love, their wives and their children. With this idea, they continue for hours on the coast, until nature becomes utterly exhausted ; when, stretching out their arms to wards the ocean, as if to take a last embrace of their distant country and relations, they sink down and expire without a groan." "One of the Lu- cayans," continues the same author, "who was more desirous of life, or had greater courage than most of his countrymen, took upon him a bold and difficult piece of work. Having been used to build ing cottages in his native country, he procured in struments of stone, and cut down a large spongy tree, called Jamma, (the bombax or wild cotton tree) the body of which he dexterously scooped into a canoe. He then provided himself with some oars, some Indian corn, and a few gourds of water, and prevailed on another man and a woman to em bark with him on a voyage to the Lucayos islands. Their navigation was prosperous for near two hun dred miles, and they were almost in sight of their own long-lost shores, when unfortunately they were met by a Spanish ship, which brought them back to slavery and sorrow. The canoe is still preserved in Hispaniola as a singular curiosity, considering the circumstances under which it was made."* * Decade, 7. VOL. II, B 14 HISTORY OF A3IERICA. [CH. 1* VI. The rich returns from Hispaniola, induced Ferdinand to bestow his attention upon projects of further discovery and improvement. Of the former we shall hereafter treat, but will notice here the progress of affairs at Hispaniola, and the settle ment of the neighbouring islands. Whilst encour aging various attempts for the exploration of the continent, the king commanded Ovando to procure more certain and authentic information relative to his immediate vicinity. The governor accordingly dispatched Sebastian de Ocampo, to determine whether Cuba were an island, or part of the conti nent, as Columbus had erroneously supposed. Ocampo employed eight months in this service ; during which he circumnavigated the island, land ing at various points to survey the country. He careened his vessels in the admirable port of the Havana, thence called Porto de Carenas ; and spent considerable time in the large and safe port of Xagua, where he was supplied with abundance of quails and fish ; the latter taken in weirs of cane, which were sufficient in this placid harbour. In the mean time, John Ponce de Leon, commandant of the province of Higuey, having learned that gold was abundant in the island of Borriquen, since known as St. John de Porto Rico, obtained permis sion from Ovando to explore it. No attempt had been hitherto made for this purpose, although it lay within sight of Hispaniola, at twelve or fifteen leagues distance. The island is chiefly composed of high mountains. Its valleys are fertile, and in the streams which watered them, gold was found, little inferior to that of San Domingo. It is in length about forty, and in breadth fifteen or sixteen leagues. Leon was favourably received by the na tives, who provided cheerfully for a small colony which he left there. The government of this island had been given by the king to a cavalier, named CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 15 Christoval de Sotomayor ; but after the arrival of Don Diego Columbus in the Indies, he sent over additional settlers, and appointed Juan Ceron lieu tenant governor, and Miguel Diaz a servant of his uncle Bartholomew, his alcade. Ponce de Leon also established himself upon the island with his family, and on the recommendation of his patron Ovando, was soon after appointed governor, by a commission which made him independent of the admiral. He arrested Ceron and Diaz on some frivolous pretence, and sent them to Spain, to ren der an account of their administration to the king. But the representations of Columbus induced the monarch to restore them to their offices ; charging them, however, to treat Leon with favour and distinction. When their numbers had increased, the conduct of the Spaniards towards the Indians assumed here the same complexion as in Hispan- iola. An attempt of the natives to free themselves from the yoke, was called rebellion, and was pun ished with the usual excesses. The oppressed In dians called the Caribs, their former enemies, to their assistance. The latter promptly obeyed, but their courage availed not. The Spaniards, under the conduct of Leon, aided by their dogs, with little difficulty and slight loss, reduced them to sub mission.* VII. Since the death of the first admiral, his heir had not ceased to solicit the restoration of his rights. * The Spanish historians have preserved the name of a dog, Bezeritto, who was much distinguished in this species of warfare; and whose master drew for his services a soldier s full share of boot} , whether of gold, slaves, or other things. So much was this animal dreaded by the Indians, that they had greater fear of ten Spaniards supported by him, than of a hundred without him. The progeny of this blood-hound was highly prized by the Conquista- dores, and one of his whelps, carried by Nunez to the continent, did not by want of ferocity disgrace his sire. See Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 8, c. 13. 16 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 1. But the reasons which had induced the king to re sist the claims of justice and gratitude on the part of the father, were equally powerful against the pretensions of the son. After two years importu nity, he at length obtained permission to institute a suit against the king before the council of the In dies. This court, with honorable independence, gave judgment at various times in his favor on every point of his demand. It is probable that their decision alone upon matters which had never been doubtful, would not have changed the policy of the king; but it gave the admiral the means of acquiring irresisti ble influence. By the first judgment of the council, his title to exalted rank and immense wealth was pub licly established, and justified him in seeking an alliance with the most distinguished subjects of the realm. He married Donna Maria, daughter of Don Ferdinand de Toledo, grand commentador of Leon, brother of the duke of Alva, and cousin-german to the king. Thus it became the interest of this pow erful family to support the claims of the admiral, and Ferdinand could not entirely resist their solici tations. But whilst he appointed Diego governor of Hispaniola, as a favor, he refused him the title and authority of viceroy, which had been adjudged to him.* VIII. The admiral was accompanied to Hispan- iolaf by his wife, who was honoured by the courtesy and justice of her countrymen with the title of vice- queen ; by his brother, and his uncles, and by a numerous retinue of both sexes, among whom were some maidens of quality, who probably went forth to seek, and who found, husbands, among the most distinguished men of the Indies. The arrival of Don Diego introduced into Hispaniola a magnifi cence hitherto unknown ; and his attendants, differ- * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 7. t July, 1509. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 17 ing in rank and character greatly from most of those who had hitherto emigrated to the new world, gave stability and lustre to the colony; and from them the most distinguished families of Spanish America are descended. IX. The instructions of the king displayed great regard for the religious improvement and spiritual welfare of the Indians, though little for their tem poral happiness. He confirmed the iniquitous re- partimientos, and formed them into a regular system, by which the Indians were distributed into numer ical allotments proportioned to the rank of their masters. To each officer appointed by the king, one hundred were given ; to a married knight, eighty ; to a married squire, seventy ; and to a wedded la bourer, thirty. To the grant was annexed a condi tion, that the masters should instruct their slaves in the faith, and pay for each, to the public treasury, an annual tribute of a peso of gold. The waste of human life under this system was foreseen, and provision made for it, by permission to import slaves from other islands. Immediately after the arrival of Don Diego at Hispaniola, he distributed such Indians as were then unappropriated among his relatives and attendants. X. The island of Cubagua, where Columbus in his third voyage obtained the first pearls, found by him in America, small, barren, and almost desti tute of wood and water, was valuable to the crown, and attracted the attention of the king, by its pearl fishery. The inhabitants of Hispaniola drew from this source considerable wealth, employing the In dians of the Lucayan isles in the fishery. In this, as in almost every other labour, the workmen were overwrought, and prematurely destroyed. By the command of the kino", Don Diego established a colony here, for the more regular and successful prosecution of the fishery. The royal Quint, or B2 18 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1. fifth, amounted to fifteen thousand ducats, which, according to the value of the metals at this time, was a considerabla.sum. Until 1530, the value of the pearls sent to Europe, on a yearly average, ex ceeded eight hundred thousand dollars, being nearly one-half of the whole produce of the mines of America at that period.* Pearls were so much the more sought after, as the luxury of Asia had been introduced into Europe by two ways diametrically opposite ; that of Constantinople, where the Pala3- ogi wore garments covered with strings of pearls ; and that of Grenada, the residence of the Moorish kings, who displayed at their court all the splen dour of the East. The pearls of the East Indies were preferred to those of the West ; but the num ber of the latter, which circulated in commerce, was not less considerable, in the times which im mediately followed the discovery of America. In Italy, as well as in Spain, the islet of Cubagua be came the object of numerous mercantile specula tions, f But this fishery diminished rapidly toward the end of the sixteenth century, and had long ceased before 16834 The industry of the Venetians, who imitated fine pearls with great exactness, and the frequent use of cut diamonds, rendered it less lucrative. At the same time, the oysters which yielded the pearls became scarce, not, as it is be lieved, from popular tradition, that, frightened by the noise of the oars, they conveyed themselves elsewhere ; but because their propagation had been prevented by the wasteful destruction of the shells. * The mines did not then furnish more than two millions of piastres. t Humboldt s Personal Narrative, 2 vol. p. 279. J De Laet. Nov. Orbis, p. 669. $ The cutting of diamonds was invented by Lewis de Berquen, in 1456, but it became common only in the following century. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 19 At the isle of Ceylon, where, in the bay of Con- deatchy, the fishery employs six hundred divers, and where the annual produce^ is more than a mil lion of dollars, it has vainly been attempted to transplant the animals to other parts of the coast. The government permits fishing there only during a single month, while at Cubagua the fishery was prosecuted at all seasons. To form an idea of the destruction of the oysters, we must remember that a boat sometimes collects in two or three weeks more than thirty-five thousand. The animal lives but nine or ten years ; and it is only in its fourth year that the pearls begin to show them selves. In ten thousand shells, there is often not a single pearl of value. At present,Spanish America furnishes no other pearls for trade than those of the gulf of Panama, and the mouth of the Rio de la Hacha.* XL In the grant made by the king of several portions of Terra Firma to Ojeda and Nicuesa, he had annexed the island of Jamaica as a joint appendage, for the purpose of supplying them with provisions. This was in direct violation of the rights of Columbus, and though he dared not openly contravene the designs of these adventu rers, he discouraged their expedition to the conti nent ,- and contemning some vapourous threats of Ojeda, possessed himself of Jamaica. He dis patched Don Juan de Esquibel thither with seventy men, who laid the foundations of the first colony in this island. f The conquest of the island was effected without much difficulty, and, in the language of Herrera, without a profusion of blood ; \ and the Indians were * Humboldt s Personal Narrative, 2 vol. p. 280. t 1510, A. D. Herrera. \ Sin derramamiento de sangre. 20 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [ell. 1. successfully employed in the culture of cotton, and other labours of agriculture. So prudent and pros perous was the conduct of Esquibel, that the ad miral recommended* him to the notice of the king, so earnestly indeed, that the jealous monarch sus pected some sinister design, and gave instructions to Passamonte, his treasurer at San Domingo, to inquire who Esquibel was, and what might be his intentions.* XII. In the following year, 151 l,f Don Diego also commenced the colonization of Cuba. He confided this enterprize to Diego Valasquez, who had ac companied his father on his second voyage, and had been long established in Xaragua, where he had acquired a large fortune, and a high character for prudence, probity, and humanity. He embarked with three hundred men only. The distance from Hispaniola to Cuba being not more than eighteen leagues, many of the oppressed natives of the for mer had escaped thither. Among these was the Cacique Hatuey, who had raised himself to a dis- , tinguished command in his adopted country, which he prepared to defend against the invader. He as sembled his people, reminded them of the suffer ings which the Spaniards had inflicted, and declared that their crimes were offerings to the God whom they loved and worshipped. "This," said he, pro ducing a piece of gold, " is the God whom they worship. They come hither only to seek him. Let us too worship this God, in order that he may grant us his protection. But let us not keep him amongst us, but cast him into the sea ; for, should we se crete him in our bowels, the Spaniards would drag him thence." At the conclusion of his speech, the Indians commenced a religious song and dance, * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. ix. c. 5. t November. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 21 which they closed by casting the piece of gold into the ocean.* But this mystical devotion to the supposed God of the Christians, did not avert their approach. Hatuey boldly met Valasquez on the shore, and vainly strove to drive him back to his ships. Com pelled to retire into the woods, he maintained a de sultory warfare of several months continuance, in which many of his people were slain, and many captured and distributed as slaves among the in vaders. At length, he was also made prisoner ; and Valasquez considering him as a slave who had fled from labour and taken arms against his master, con demned him to be burned to death. When at the stake, a Franciscan friar, labouring to convert him, promised him immediate admittance to the joys of heaven, if he would embrace the Christian faith. Hatuey asked, " Are there any Spaniards in the happy country of which you speak ?" " Yes," re plied the monk, " but only such as are worthy and good." " The best of them," returned the indig nant chief, " have neither worth nor goodness. I will not go to a place where I may meet one of the accursed race." This dreadful severity induced the immediate submission of the district of Mansi, over which the Cacique had ruled.* In the progress of his enterprize, Valasquez re ceived considerable aid from the settlers of Jamaica, particularly from Panfilo de Narvez, who joined him with a band of thirty archers."!" Having made him his lieutenant, he employed him in various in cursions in the interior of the island, whilst he was himself engaged in founding the town of Baracoa, the first Spanish settlement of Cuba. In one of these excursions, we have a striking illustration of the weakness and timidity of the Indian character. * Herrera. t A. D. 1512. 22 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [dl. 1. Mounted on horseback at the head of his archers, Narvez was everywhere received with astonish ment, awe, and submission. At one town only, were hostilities attempted. Here, nearly seven thousand Indians had assembled, who, presuming on the vast disparity of the Spanish force, and stim ulated by a desire to possess the Spanish garments and weapons, made a night attack upon the little party. The commander was wounded and pros trated by a stone ; but recovering himself, he mounted his horse in his shirt, attached some bells to the crupper, and sallied forth against the enemy. But, terrified by the sight of the horse, the sound of the bells, and the boldness of the rider, the In dians fled ; and in dread of punishment abandoned their province, seeking refuge at fifty leagues dis tance. It is grateful to add, that, at the instance of the benevolent Las Casas, who accompanied the expedition, the fugitives were forgiven, and permit ted to return to their homes. The force of Narvez was subsequently increased to a hundred men, with whom he traversed and reduced the whole island. For this easy and al most bloodless victory he was indebted to the good Las Casas, whose kindness merited and obtained* the confidence of the natives. He was their in structor, friend, and patron. During the march of the army, he prevented irritating collisions with the Indians, by requiring them to appropriate a part of their villages to the use of the soldiers, who were forbidden, under pain of death, to invade the Indian quarter. What a contrast does this story present with the horrors of the progress of Marga- ritte in Hispaniola ! and how much reason does it not give to regret, that the noble enterprize, cour age, and fortitude of the Spanish adventurers were not always directed by like wisdom and humanity ! To enforce the obedience of the simple natives, no CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCO VERIEST 23 other means were necessary than to threaten them with the displeasure of their good father. During the progress of Narvez, which occupied the greater part of two years, one instance of barbarity only is recorded. At the village of Caonao, above two thousand Indians, assembled in the public square, were sitting upon their hams viewing the Spanish horses with fear and admiration, when one of the soldiers suddenly drew his sword, and the others, either from wantonness or panic, or from that inde scribable sympathy which governs our actions, fol lowed his example, and fell upon the Indians^ wounding many, before Las Casas or their com mander could effectually interfere.* Valasquez adopted the same policy towards the Indians which had been established in Hispaniola. Repartimientos were made among the Conquista^ dores or conquerors, as they styled themselves, and the slaves were compelled to labour in the mines, or on the plantations, at the will of their masters. Gold was gathered in considerable quantities ; nor were the more profitable and certain sources of wealth and comfort neglected. Agriculture and the necessary mechanic arts were encouraged ; and before the expiration of three years from his land ing, Valasquez had established seven Spanish towns, of which Baracoa, St. Jago, and Havana were the principal. Uninterrupted prosperity wait ed on his administration, and riches were showered in abundance upon him. They served, however, but to excite his ambition, and to stimulate him to throw off the authority of his superiors; a vice which was common with the adventurers to America, from the first voyage of the discoverer. Valasquez became impatient of the light control of the admi ral, and sought to obtain an independent commis sion from the king.* * Herrera. 24 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1. XIII. In consequence of the reappointment of Ceron and Diaz to the government of Porto Rico, Ponce de Leon, thrown out of employment, sought to engage himself in new enterprizes. Having re ceived information of lands to the northward, he resolved to attempt discovery in that direction. He equipped and manned three vessels,* and proceed ed, by way of the Lucayan and Bahama islands, touching occasionally, to Guanahani, or St. Salva dor, the first island discovered by Columbus. Thence, steering northwest, he arrived, on the 27th of March, being Easter-day, at a country hitherto unknown to the Spaniards, in 30 8 N. L., to which he gave the name of Florida, because of its ver dant appearance, and that it was first seen on Palm Sunday. He followed the shore to the southward a considerable distance beyond Cape Florida, which he called El Cabo de Corrientes, having a clean coast, but struggling with the current of the Gulf stream, which was now, for the first time, observed by Europeans. The natives everywhere proved hostile ; resisting all attempts of the Spaniards to land, and combating them when they forced their way to shore. In these conflicts, several Indians were killed, and some made captive, who were taken to Hispaniola. But these injuries were not wholly unavenged ; one Spaniard, at least, falling by the hands of the injured. Leon fell in with, and gave name to, the Martyr and Dry Tortugas islands; naming the latter from the abundance of turtle which he found upon them. XIV. To his present enterprize, Leon was ex cited by the love of fame and wealth ; and also by the hope of discovering the isle of Bimini, and its miraculous fountain, whose waters renewed the youth and restored the vigour of all who bathed in * A. D. 1512. March 3. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 25 them. He ranged the Bahama islands for some days, in quest of the land containing this wonderful spring ; but finally abandoned the search, and re turned to Porto Rico ; first dispatching one of his vessels under Perez de Ortubia, and the pilot An tonio de Alarninos, to prosecute the inquiry. They succeeded in discovering the island of Bimini, which was large, pleasant, and abounding in de lightful groves and streams ; but, alas ! the foun tain of rejuvenescence is yet undiscovered. His torians have expressed surprize, that so wild an imagination should be found among rational and enlightened men. But do we not entertain at this day opinions as little supported by truth and phi losophy? At the commencement of the 16th cen tury, the pursuit of the Philosopher s Stone, and the Elixir of Life, was eagerly followed by the de votees of science ; and we may allow to the bold and illiterate adventurers of the New World, the belief, that nature might produce there the waters of youth, as she did the veins of gold that mingled with the soil. The beneficial results of this voy age were, a more extended knowledge of the Ba hama chain of islands and their many currents, the discovery of Florida, then and long after supposed to be an island, and of the great Bahama channel, through which a short passage was subsequently found from the coast of Darien to Europe. Leon entertained so high an opinion of his services, that he repaired to court, to solicit a reward for his la bours from the king.* Ferdinand bestowed upon him the title of Ade- lantado of the island of Bimini and of Florida. But Leon did not immediately make an attempt to set- tie the countries thus assigned. In 1514, the king gave him the command of three ships fitted out in * Herrera, Decade 1, lib. ix. ch. xi. VOL. II. C 26 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 1. Seville, destined to scour the Carib islands, and free the seas of Caribbean marauders. He seems not to have conducted this enterprize with due skill and judgment, having suffered himself to be surprized by the enemy whilst engaged in taking in wood and water at Guadaloupe, when many of his party were slain, and some women, who had been landed from the ships, were carried off to the mountains. Humbled by this blow, he abandoned the enter- prize to a captain named Zuniga, and retired to the government of Porto Rico, where he remained inactive, until the splendid success of Cortes and the discovery that Florida was part of the continent roused him to action. Emulous of the exploits of that renowned commander, he sailed, in 1521, with two vessels, in which he ventured his whole for tune, for his government of Florida. His invasion was boldly and successfully repelled; and being himself wounded by an arrow in the thigh, he sailed to Cuba, where he soon after died.* XV. Although Ferdinand had been prevailed on to commit the government of the Indies to Don Diego Columbus, he never gave him his confidence^ believing him as much disposed, as he was interest ed, to assume the rights of his father. The subor dinate officers of the admiral s government, espe cially those immediately dependent upon the king, at the head of whom was Miguel de Passamonte, the royal treasurer, fomented this jealousy, inso much that the king summoned the Adelantado, Bartholomew Columbus, for the purpose of advising with him on the reports which the disaffected had made against his nephew.f Having rewarded his zeal and devotion by the grant of the small island of J\Ioua4 and a further donation of two hundred * Ilerrera. Irving. Voyages of the companions of Columbus. t A. D. 1511. Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. ix. ch. 5. J Situated between the islands oi liispaniola and Porto Rico CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 27 Indians in Hispaniola, he commanded his return with particular instructions to the admiral for his public and private conduct. Don Diego wanted neither inclination nor ability to administer his government wisely ; nor is there any evidence that he sought more power than justly pertained to his commission. Still the inveterate jealousy of the king circumscribed all his operations. The declin ing age of Ferdinand devolved the affairs of the Indies chiefly upon Fonseca and the commander Lopez de Conchillos. These ministers readily lent themselves to the jealousy of their master, and de lighted to reduce the power of a subject so great as the admiral, whose wealth and influence, in the full enjoyment of his rights, would have awed the sovereign, and overshadowed his courtiers. The treasurer, Passamonte, who was a favorite of Fon seca, was encouraged to resist the commands of the governor. He gathered under his direction the remnant of Roldan s conspirators, and others, who made a party sufficiently strong to perplex the ad ministration. By their intrigues, the appellate ju dicial power which belonged to his office was trans ferred to judges of appeal specially appointed ; and, finally, the power of making repartimientos, the most valuable he possessed, was taken away from him. To effect this, the king created a new office, called Repartidor de los Indios,* bestowing it upon Rodrigo Albuquerque, a relative of Zapata, his confidential minister. Indignant at a measure alike unjust and humiliating, Don Diego resolved to return to Spain, vainly believing that his pres ence would procure redress. f Albuquerque ad ministered this office solely with a view to his own emolument. By a census of the Indians, it appeared that their number, which, in 1508, had * Distributor of the Indians. t A. D. 1514. 28 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1 . amounted to sixty thousand, had been reduced to fourteen thousand. These he divided into lots, and sold them to the highest bidder ; a method of dis tribution which cruelly broke the ties of affection and vicinage, and added greatly to the sufferings of this devoted race ; whilst the heavier burthens and more intolerable labours imposed by new mas ters, completed its misery and hastened its extinc tion.* XVI. The violence of these proceedings, with their fatal consequences, excited complaints from the aggrieved, and the commiseration of the hu mane. From the time that ecclesiastics had been sent to America, they perceived that the rigour with which their countrymen treated the natives, rendered their ministry fruitless. In conformity to the mild spirit of their religion, they early remon strated against the maxims of the planters, and condemned the repartimientos, as contrary to natu ral justice, the precepts of Christianity, and sound policy. The Dominicans, to whom the instruction of the Americans was originally committed, were most vehement in testifying against the repartimi- entos. In the year 1511, Montesino, one of their most eminent preachers, inveighed against this practice, in the great church at St. Domingo, with the vehemence of popular eloquence. Don Diego Columbus, the principal officers of the colony, and the laymen, who had been his hearers, complained of the monk to his superiors ; but they, instead of condemning, applauded his doctrine, as alike ser viceable to God and the king. The Franciscans, the rivals of the Dominicans, were inclined to take part with the laity, and to defend the repartimien- tos. But, as they could not with decency give their avowed approbation to a system of oppression so * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 9, 10. 1 Robertson s Am. 197, 198. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 29 repugnant to the spirit of religion, they endeavoured to palliate what they could not justify ; alleging, in excuse for the conduct of their countrymen, that it was not possible to carry on any improvement in the colony, unless the Spaniards had such dominion over the natives, that they could compel them to labour.* XVII. This opposition, so far from inducing the Dominicans to relax in their measures, incited them to take a more lofty position. They declared the slavery of the Indians a grievous sin, and re fused to absolve, or admit to the sacrament, such of their countrymen as continued to hold the natives in servitude. Both parties applied to the king, and sent deputies to support their respective opinions. Ferdinand referred the important subject to a com mittee of his privy-council, assisted by the most eminent civilians and divines of Spain. After a long discussion, the speculative point in controver sy was determined in favour of the Dominicans ; the Indians were declared to be a free people, and entitled to all the natural rights of men. But, not withstanding this decision, the repartimientos were not discontinued. Yet, as the report of the commit tee settled the principle for which the Dominicans contended, they renewed their efforts to obtain re lief for the Indians with additional boldness and zeal, which alarmed the planters, and disturbed the quiet of the colony. At length Ferdinand is sued a decree of his privy -council,"]" delaring that, after mature consideration of the apostolic bull, and other titles, by which the crown of Castile claimed its possessions in the new world, the servitude of the Indians was warranted by the laws both of God and man that, unless they were subjected to the * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 8. c. 11. Oviedo, lib. iii. c. 6. p. 97. 1 Robert. Am. p. 200. t A. D. 1513. C2 30 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1 dominion of the Spaniards, and compelled to reside under their inspection, it would be impossible to reclaim them from idolatry, or to instruct them in the principles of the Christian faith that no farther scruple ought to be entertained concerning the law fulness of the repartimientos, as the king and coun cil were willing to take the charge of that upon their o T .vn consciences and that the Dominicans and monks of other religious orders, should abstain, for the future, from those invectives which, from an excess of charitable, but ill-informed zeal, they had uttered against the practice. The true reason of this decree will be found in the fact, that the bishop Fonseca, the principal director of American affairs, had eight hundred Indians in property ; the commander, Lope de Conchillos, his chief asso ciate in that department, eleven hundred ; and other favourites, considerable numbers in the islands of Hispaniola, Porto Rico, Cuba, arid Jamaica.* That his intention of adhering to this decree might be fully understood, Ferdinand conferred new grants of Indians upon his courtiers. But, that he might not seem altogether inattentive to the rights of humanity, he published an edict, by which he endeavoured to provide for the mild treatment of the Indians. He commanded that houses should be built for them ; he regulated the nature of the work which they should be required to perform ; he prescribed the mode in which they should be clothed and fed, and gave directions for their instruction in Christian morality.* But the Dominicans, judging of the future by the past, perceived the inefficacy of these provisions, and foretold that, as long as it was the interest of individuals to treat the Indians with rigour, no pub lic regulations could render their servitude mild or * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. ix. c, 14. CH. I.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 31 tolerable. They considered it as vain to spend their own time and strength in attempting to com municate the sublime principles of religion to men whose spirits were broken, and whose faculties were impaired by oppression. Some of them, in despair, requested permission of their superiors to remove to the continent, and pursue the object of their mission among such of the natives as were not corrupted by the example of the Spaniards, nor alienated by their cruelty from the Christian faith. And such as remained in Hispaniola continued to remonstrate with decent firmness against the servi tude of the Indians.* XVIII. The inhuman measures of Albuquerque revived the zeal of the Dominicans, and called forth an advocate for the Indians, who possessed the courage, talents, and activity requisite to support a desperate cause. Bartholomew Las Casas was a native of Seville, and one of the clergymen sent with Columbus in his second voyage to Hispaniola, in order to settle in that island. He followed Va- lasques to Cuba, and contributed, as we have above observed, more by his humanity and justice to the subjection of that island, than the arms of the sol diers. In the distribution of the Indians there, he accepted an allotment of these unhappy people; but having adopted the conviction of the Dominic ans, he surrendered all that had fallen to his share ; declaring that he should ever bewail his misfortune and guilt in having exercised for a moment this im pious dominion over his fellow-creatures. f From that time he became the avowed patron of the In dians ; and by his bold interposition in their be half, and the respect imposed by his abilities and character, he succeeded in setting some bounds to * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. ix. c. 14. Touron, Hist Gen. de 1 Araerique, torn. i. p. 252. t A. D. 1514. 3S HISTORY OF AMERICA. fdl. 1. the excesses of his countrymen. He did not fail to remonstrate earnestly against the proceedings of Albuquerque ; and finding his admonitions vain, he determined to proceed to Spain, having the most sanguine hopes of opening the eyes and softening the heart of the king, by that striking picture of the oppression of his subjects which he would ex hibit to his view.* He represented to the monarch, whom he found in a declining state of health, all the fatal effects of the repartimientos ; boldly charging him with the guilt of this impious measure, which had brought misery and destruction upon a numerous and innocent race of men, whom Providence had placed under his protection. Ferdinand, whose mind and body were enfeebled by disease, was alarmed at a charge of impiety, which at another juncture he might have despised. He listened with deep compunction to reproof, and promised seri ously to consider of the means of redressing the evil. But death prevented him from executing his resolution.! Charles of Austria, to whom all his crowns devolved, resided at that time in his pater nal dominions in the Low Countries. Las Casas prepared immediately to set out for Flanders, to engage the mind of the young monarch, when Car dinal Ximenes, the regent of Castile, forbidding his departure, promised to hear his complaints in person. XIX. This bold and sagacious minister, confiding in his own judgment, and heedless of precedent, struck out an original plan which astonished the ministers, trained under the cautious administra tion of Ferdinand. Disregarding the rights of Don Diego Columbus, and the regulations established * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. x. c. 12. Dec 2. lib. 1. c. 11. Da villa Pa- dilla, p. 304. t 23d January, 1516. CH. 1 .] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 33 by the late king, he resolved to send three persons to America, as superintendents of all the colonies there, with authority, after examining all circum stances on the spot, to decide finally upon the point in question. Much difficulty attended the choice of men for this important function. The laymen in America, ard those concerned in the adminis tration of its affairs, had prejudged the subject, and their reason waited on their interests. The judg ment of the ecclesiastics would be free from pecu niary bias, and to them he resolved to intrust the commission. The Dominicans and Franciscans had espoused opposite sides of the controversy, and he therefore excluded the members of both fraterni ties ; and made his selection from the monks of St. Jerome, a small but respectable order in Spain. The choice fell on Bernardino de Mancanedo, Luis de Figueroa, and the prior of St. Juan de Or tega de Burgos. To them was joined Zuazo, a pri vate lawyer of distinguished probity, with unlimited power to regulate all judicial proceedings in the colonies. Las Casas was appointed to accompany them, with the title of " Protector of the Indians"* XX. The delegation of these extraordinary pow ers to obscure and humble individuals, started Za- pata and the ministers of the late king ; and be lieving the measure to be wild and dangerous, they refused to issue the dispatches necessary for carry ing it into execution. But Ximencs brooked no opposition to his will ; and the refractory ministers were compelled to obey his peremptory orders. Im mediately on the arrival of the superintendents with their associates, Zuazo and Las Casas, at San Do mingo, they proceeded to exercise their powers. The first act of their authority was the liberation of all the Indians who had been granted to persons * Herrpra, Dec. 2. lib. 11. c. 3. 6. 1 Robertson s Am. t A. D. 1516. 34 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 1 < not residing in America. This measure, which the colonists feared would become general, excited great alarm, which was however soon dissipated by the caution and prudence of the commissioners. They displayed a knowledge of the world and of business, together with a moderation and gentle ness, rarely acquired in monastic life. They sought information from every quarter, and carefully com pared and weighed the several accounts they re ceived ; and finally, came to a conclusion adverse to the plan proposed by Las Casas, and recom mended by the cardinal. They adopted the opinion that the Spaniards settled in America were too few in number to work the mines, or cultivate the coun try, without the labour of the natives ; that, such was the incurable indolence of this people, that it could be overcome only by the authority of a mas ter ; and that the watchfulness and discipline of a superior was indispensable, to enforce their- attend ance upon religious instruction, and the observance of such rites of Christianity as they had already been taught. XXI. For these reasons, the superintendents deemed it necessary to tolerate the repartimientos, and to suffer the Indians to remain under subjec tion to their Spanish masters. But they endea voured to moderate the evils of this policy, and to secure to the natives the best treatment compatible with a state of servitude. For this purpose they revived former regulations, and prescribed new ones ; and by their authority, example, and exhorta tion, sought to inspire their countrymen with sen timents of equity and gentleness towards the un happy people upon whose industry they depended. Zuazo, in his department, seconded the endeavours of the superintendents. He reformed the courts of justice, rendering their decisions equitable and expeditious ; and introduced various regulations, CII. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 35 improving the interior police of the colony. This beneficial employment of authority, and the unex pected moderation of the superintendents, gave general satisfaction ; and all men paid the tribute of their praise to the courage of Ximenes in form ing his plan, and to his sagacity in the selection of agents qualified for their high trust.* XXII. Las Casas was alone dissatisfied. The enslavement of the Indians was avowedly unright eous, a violation of the soundest and clearest prin ciples of natural justice, and productive of a mass of human misery which nothing but the grossest avarice would dare to weigh against the molten gold, and the sugar and cotton plantations of the colonists. He therefore justly regarded the sacri fice of these principles as an unhallowed and timid policy ; and as the " Protector of the Indians" he expressed his opinions with zeal, perhaps with in temperance, and boldly demanded that the super intendents should not bereave the natives of the common rights of mankind. They received his most violent remonstrances without emotion, and perti naciously adhered to their own system. But the colonists did not bear with him so patiently ; they threatened violence to his person, and he found it necessary to seek shelter in a convent. Perceiv ing his efforts in America to be fruitless, he re turned to Europe with a fixed resolution not to abandon a people so cruelly oppressed. fj XXIII. When Las Casas arrived in Spain, he found the cardinal Ximenes languishing under a mortal distemper, and preparing to resign his au thority to the young king who was daily expected from Flanders. He was compelled, therefore, to postpone his efforts in American affairs. Charles * Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. ii. c. 15. 1 Roberts. Am. t Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. ii. c. 16. ib. t May, A. D. 1517. 86 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1 * arrived, took possession of the government, and soon after, by the decease of Ximenes, lost an able and faithful minister ; the proximate cause of whose death was the ingratitude of his prince. Many of the Flemish nobility accompanied their sovereign to Spain, and obtained, amongf other departments of the administration, that established for the direction of American affairs. Las Casas applied to the new ministers with industry and address ; and in de spite of the opposition of Father Mancanedo, whom the superintendents had sent to Spain to resist his appeal, his exertions to obtain a reconsideration of the measures relating to the Indians were success ful. The fathers of St. Jerome were recalled, to gether with their associate Zuazo. Roderigo de Figueroa, an eminent lawyer, was appointed chief justice of Hispaniola, and instructed to examine once more, with attention, the policy relative to the natives ; and, in the mean time, to do all in his power to alleviate their sufferings, and to pre vent the extinction of their race.* XXIV. But Las Casas was yet far from his great object. The supposed impossibility of carrying on improvement in America, unless the natives were subjected to labour, was an insuperable objection against endowing them with the character of free subjects. To obviate this, he proposed to purchase a sufficient number of negroes from the Portuguese settlements on the coast of Africa, and to trans port them to America, to be employed as slaves. One of the first uses which the Portuguese made of their discoveries in Africa, was the revival of the trade in slaves. In the year 1442, Gonsalez, who, two years before, had seized some Moors near Cape Bojador, was compelled, by prince Henry, to carry his prisoners back to Africa. He landed them * Herrera, .Dec. 2. lib. ii. c. 16. 19. 21. lib. iii. c. 7, 8. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 37 at Rio del Oro, and received from the Moors, in exchange, ten blacks and a quantity of gold dust, with which he returned to Lisbon. This success stimulated the avarice of his countrymen ; who, in the course of a few succeeding years, fitted out no less than thirty-seven ships in pursuit of the same gainful but iniquitous traffic. In 1481, the Portu guese built a fort on the gold coast ; another, some time afterwards, on the island of Arguin ; and a third at Loango Saint Paul s, on the coast of Ango la ; and the king of Portugal took the title of Lord of Guinea. So early as the year 1503, some negro slaves had been sent to the New World ; but Ovan- do forbade their further importation, alleging tnat they taught the Indians all manner of wickedness, and rendered them less tractable. In the year 1511, Ferdinand revoked the prohibition, and they were imported in greater numbers. They proved more robust and hardy than the natives of Ameri ca; more capable of enduring, and more patient under servitude ; so that the labour of one negro was computed to be equal to that of four Indians. Cardinal Ximenes, however, when solicited to en courage this commerce, peremptorily rejected the proposition ; perceiving the iniquity of perpetuating the slavery of one race of men, in order that an other might be restored to liberty. Unfortunately for the sons of Africa, the plan of Las Casas was adopted by Charles, who granted a patent to one of his Flemish favourites, containing an exclusive right of importing four thousand negroes into Ame rica. The favourite sold the patent to some Geno ese merchants for twenty-five thousand ducats, and they were the first who brought into a regular form the commerce for slaves between Africa and Ame rica, since carried on to an amazing extent. *f * Robertson s Am. Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. v. c. 12. lib. viii. c. 9. c. 5. Ibid. Dec. 2. lib. 11. c. 8. t A. D. 1517 VOL. II. D 38 IIISTOIIY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1. XXV. The conduct of Las Casas, upon this oc casion, has been severely reprehended by a distin guished historian,* who avers that, " from the in consistency natural to men, who hurry with head long impetuosity towards a favourite point, he was incapable" of taking the view of his proposition which had struck the cardinal : and that " while he contended earnestly for the liberty of the people born in one quarter of the globe, he laboured to en slave the inhabitants of another region ; and in the warmth of his zeal to save the Americans from the yoke, pronounced it to be lawful and expedient to impose one still heavier upon the Africans." An other valuable writerf says, " the conduct of Las Casas is not fully and fairly stated in the foregoing representation ; for it supposes, that each class of people (the negroes and Indians) was found in a similar condition and situation of life ; whereas it is notorious, that many of the negroes imported from Africa are born of enslaved parents, are bred up as slaves themselves, and as such have been ha bituated to labour from their infancy." " On the other hand, the condition of the Indians was wide ly removed from a state of slavery, having been so used to the enjoyment of liberty, in a life of plenty and pastime, that the yoke of servitude was insup portable to them ;.and assuredly, if they would have embraced our holy religion, they would have been the happiest of human beings in the enjoyment of their ancient freedom.^ Las Casas therefore con tended, reasonably enough, that men inured to ser vitude and drudgery, who could experience no al teration of circumstances from a change of masters, and who felt not the sentiments which freedom alone can inspire, were not so great objects of com- * Robertson, 1 vol. Hist. Am. p. 209. t Edward s Hist. West Ind. vol. 2. p. 241 J Pet. Martyr, Oecad. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 39 miseration, as those who, having always enjoyed the sweets of unbounded liberty, were suddenly de prived of it, and urged to tasks of labour which their strength was unable to perform. Las Casas could neither prevent, nor foresee, the abuses and evils that have arisen from the system of traffic re commended by him, and is not therefore justly chargeable with the rashness, absurdity, and ini quity which have since been imputed to his con duct." We do not feel that this defence is success ful. It is erroneous in fact, and false in logic. And we cannot hesitate to say, that the philanthro- .py of the worthy friar was partial, and that a blind indulgence of his sympathy for the Indians, caused him to promote an evil, inferior only to that he would have remedied. The Africans torn from their country were not all born to slavery, but thou sands have been enslaved in their native country to gratify the passions which the slave-trade of the Europeans excited. If they were slaves, it was still criminal to encourage the practice of slavery by joining in the traffic. It cannot be lawful to do evil that good may come : and this simple truth cannot be better illustrated, than by the case before us. The Indians were never relieved from their yoke, but the introduction of the African slave- trade has caused and perpetuated enormities, not at all inferior to the worst committed on the Indian race.* XXVI. The Genoese merchants, conducting their operations at first with the rapacity of mono polists, demanded such a high price for negroes, that the number immediately imported into His- * Our countryman, Irving, has made a more ingenious, but, we think, not a full defence of Las Casas. He contends truly, that the friar did not originate the trade, that he found it in existence, and in the dernier resort proposed to encourage it as the less oi two evils. See 3 Irv. Col umb. p. 367. 40 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 1. paniola, made little change in the state of the colo ny. Las Casas, whose zeal was not less inventive, than indefatigable, devised another expedient for the relief of the Indians, at once useful to his coun try and honourable to himself. The persons who had hitherto settled in America, were sailors and soldiers, employed in the discovery or conquest of the country ; the younger sons of noble families, allured by the prospect of acquiring sudden wealth ; or desperate adventurers, whose indigence or crimes forced them to abandon their native land. Instead of such men, who were dissolute, rapacious, and incapable of that sober persevering industry which is requisite in forming new states, he proposed to supply the colonies with a sufficient number of la bourers and husbandmen from Spain, who should be allured by suitable premiums to remove thither. These, as they were accustomed to fatigue, would be able to perform the work, to which the Indians, from the feebleness of their constitutions, were un equal, and might soon become useful and opulent citizens. But though Hispaniola much needed a recruit of inhabitants, having been visited at this time with the small-pox, which swept off almost all the natives who had survived their long-continued oppression ; and though Las Casas had the counte nance of the Flemish ministers, this scheme was defeated by Fonseca, who thwarted all his pro jects.* XXVII. Disappointed in his endeavours to ame liorate the condition of the Indians in those places where the Spaniards had already settled, Las Casas turned his attention to the continent, flattering himself that he might prevent the introduction there, of the pernicious system he had so vainly combated in the islands. With this view, he ap- * Herrera,Dec. 1. lib. ii. c. 20. A. D. 1518. 1 Robertson s Am. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 41 plied for a grant of the unoccupied country stretch ing- along the sea coast from the gulf of Paria to the western frontier of that province, afterwards known by the name of St. Martha. lie proposed to settle there, with a colony composed of husband men, labourers, and ecclesiastics ; engaging, in the space of two years, to civilize ten thousand of the natives, and to instruct them so thoroughly in the arts of social life, that, from the fruits of their in dustry, an annual revenue of fifteen thousand ducats should arise to the king. In ten years, he promised that his improvements should be so far advanced as to yield, annually, sixty thousand ducats. He stipulated, that no sailor or soldier should be per mitted to inhabit this district ; and that no Span iard whatever should enter it without his permis- sion. He even projected to clothe the people whom he took with him in some distinguishing garb, which did not resemble the Spanish dress, that they might appear, to the natives, a different race of men from those which had brought so many ca lamities upon their country. Had this plan of Las Casas been carried into effect, and the approach of the whites entirely prevented, Paria might now ex hibit a counterpart of Paraguay. The natives might have become docile and obedient to their ghostly rulers; but, with the many failures in civilizing the Indian race, under the mildest treatment, we may justly doubt of the result in that respect. We think it more probable, that the rulers would have been brought down near to the level of their sub jects, than that the intellectual and moral condi tion of the latter would have been elevated. But, we must also admit, that, if they had been ad vanced no further than the natives of Paraguay, or the Indians attached to the Spanish missions of South America, their condition would have been somewhat improved, or at least, that they would D 2 42 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1. have been spared the cruelties to which they were subjected.* XXVIII. But to the bishop of Burgos and the council of the Indies, this project appeared chi merical and dangerous. They deemed the facul ties of the Americans to be naturally so limited, and their indolence so excessive, that every attempt to instruct or improve them would be fruitless. And they contended that it would be extremely imprudent to give the command of a country, ex tending above a thousand miles along the coast, to a fanciful, presumptuous enthusiast, a stranger to the affairs of the world, and unacquainted with the arts of government. Las Casas, not discouraged by this repulse, which he had reason to expect, had recourse once more to the Flemish favourites, who zealously patronized his scheme. They prevailed with their master to refer the consideration of this * measure to a select number of his privy-counsel- * lors ; and Las Casas having excepted against the members of the council of the Indies, as partial and interested, they were all excluded. The com mittee approved the plan, and gave orders for its execution, but restricted the territory allotted to him to three hundred miles along the coast of Cu- mana, allowing him however to extend it as far as he pleased towards the interior part of the coun try.* XXIX. This resolution was so violently opposed, that the emperor, for such Charles had now be come, though accustomed, at this early period of his life, to adopt the sentiments of his ministers with submissive deference, became suspicious of the disinterestedness of the Flemings, and dis played an inclination to examine in person into the state of the question concerning the Americans, * Gomara, Hist. Gen. c. 77. Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. iv. c. 3. 1 Rob ertson s America. Cfi. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES, 43 and the proper manner of treating them. An op portunity of making this inquiry with advantage, soon occurred.* Quevedo, bishop of Darien, who had accompanied Pedrarias to the continent in the year 1513, landed at Barcelona, where the court then resided. It soon became known, that his opinions of the talents and dispositions of the In dians differed from those of Las Casas ; and Charles presumed, that by confronting two respectable per sons, who had full opportunity and leisure to ob serve the manners of the people they were required to describe, he might obtain a full and impartial view of their genius and capability. XXX. At the audience, held on this occasion with extraordinary pomp, the principal courtiers, among whom was Diego Columbus, attended. The bishop of Darien, in a short discourse, lamented the fatal desolation of America, by the extinction of so many of its inhabitants, which he acknow ledged was attributable in some degree to the ex cessive rigour and inconsiderate proceedings of the Spaniards ; but he declared that all the aborigines, whom he had seen in the islands or on the conti nent, appeared to him designed, by the inferiority of their nature, for servitude ; and that it would be impossible to instruct or improve them, unless un der the continual inspection of a master. Las Casas, at greater length and with more fervour, defended his system. He indignantly rejected the idea that any race of men was born to servitude, as irreli gious and inhuman. He asserted, that the facul ties of the Americans, though unimproved, were not naturally despicable ; that they were capable of receiving instruction in the principles of reli gion, and of acquiring the industry and the arts which would qualify them for the various offices of * June 20, A. D. 1519. 44 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1. social life ; that the mildness and timidity of their nature rendered them so submissive and docile, that they might be led and formed with a gentle hand. He professed that his intentions in proposing the scheme now under consideration, were pure and disinterested ; and though from the accomplish ment of his designs, inestimable benefits would re sult to the crown of Castile, he never had claimed, and never would receive any recompense on that account. XXXI. Charles did not feel himself competent, from the information he received at this confer ence, to establish any general regulations with re spect to the Indians ; but as he had full confidence in the integrity of Las Casas, and as his plan was admitted by the bishop of Darien to be worthy of trial, he granted him the district in Cumana above mentioned, with power to establish a colony there.* Las Casas pushed on the preparations for his voy age with his usual ardour ; but either his own in experience in business, or the opposition of those who dreaded the success of his enterprize, delayed his progress ; and he was unable to prevail on more than two hundred husbandmen to accompany him to Cumana. XXXII. His zeal, however, was invincible ; and he set sail with this meagre and incompetent force. He touched at Porto Rico, where he heard of a new and formidable obstacle to his enterprize. When he left America, in the year 1516, the intercourse of the Spaniards with the continent was confined chiefly to the countries adjacent to the gulf of Da rien. But as the decrease of the natives in His- paniola deprived the planters of the means by which they conducted their operations, they sought, by various expedients, to supply that loss. They im- * Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. iv. c. 3, 4, 5. Argensola, Annales d Arra- gon, 74. 97. Remisal, Hist. Gen. lib. ii. . 19, 20. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 45 ported negroes, but, as we have already observed, their exorbitant price prevented this practice from becoming general. To procure slaves at an easier rate, vessels were sent to cruize along the coast of the continent. In places where they found them selves inferior in strength, the commanders traded with the natives, and gave European toys in ex change for plates of gold ; but where they could surprize or overpower the Indians, they carried them off, and sold them as slaves. In these excur sions, such atrocious acts of violence and cruelty were committed, that the Spanish name was held in detestation wherever it was known on the con tinent. Whenever ships appeared, the inhabitants either fled to the woods, or rushed to the shore in arms to repel the hated invaders. They forced some parties of the Spaniards to retreat with pre cipitation ; they cut off others ; and in the violence of their resentment against the whole nation, they murdered two Dominican missionaries, whose zeal had prompted them to settle u^the province of Cu- mana. This outrage agains^ersons revered for their sanctity, excited such indignation among the people of Hispaniola, who, notwithstanding their licentious and cruel proceedings, had a wonderful zeal for religion, and a superstitious respect for its ministers, that they determined to inflict exem plary punishment not only upon the perpetrators of that crime, but upon their whole race. With this view, they gave the command of five ships and three hundred men to Diego Ocampo, with orders to lay waste the country of Cumana by fire and sword, and to transport the inhabitants, as slaves, to Hispaniola. This armament Las Casas found at Porto Rico, and as Ocampo refused to defer his voyage, he perceived that it would be impossible to attempt the execution of his pacific plan in a 46 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [dl. 1. country destined to be the seat of war and desola tion !* XXXIII. To provide against the effects of this unfortunate incident, he proceeded directly for St. Domingo, leaving his followers cantoned out among the planters in Porto Rico. From many concurring causes, his reception here was very unfavourable. In his negotiations for the relief of the Indians, he had censured the conduct of his countrymen settled there, with such honest severity, as ren dered him universally odious to them. They con sidered their own ruin, as the inevitable conse quence of his success. They were now elated with the hope of receiving a large supply of slaves from Cumana, which must be relinquished if Las Casas were assisted in settling his projected colony there. Figueroa, in consequence of the instructions which he received in Spain, had made an experiment con cerning the capacity of the Indians, that was re presented as decisive against the system of Las Casas. He collectjl in Hispaniola a number of the natives, and settled them in two villages, leav ing them at perfect liberty, and with uncontrolled direction of their own actions. But, accustomed to a mode of life widely different from that which takes place wherever civilization has made any considerable progress, they were incapable of as suming new habits at once. Dejected by the mis fortunes that had overwhelmed themselves and their country, they exerted so little industry in cultivat ing the ground, appeared so devoid of solicitude or foresight in providing for their own wants, and were such strangers to system in conducting their af fairs, that the Spaniards pronounced them incapa ble of being formed to live like men in social life, * Herrera, Dec. 3. lib. ii. c. 3. April, A. D, 1520. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 47 and considered them as children who should be kept under perpetual tutelage. XXXIV. Notwithstanding all these circum stances, which alienated the persons in Hispaniola, to whom Las Casas applied, from himself and his measures, he by his activity and perseverance, by some concessions and many threats, obtained at length a small body of troops to protect him and his colony at their first landing. But on his return to Porto Rico, he found that the diseases of the climate had been fatal to several of his people ; and that others, having got employment in that island, refused to follow him. With the handful that re mained, he sailed for Cumana. Ocampo had exe cuted his commission in that province with such barbarous rage, having massacred many of the in habitants, sent others in chains to Hispaniola, and forced the rest to fly for shelter to the woods, that the people of a small colony planted by him at a place he called Toledo, were ready to perish for want in a desolated country. ^There, however, Las Casas was obliged to fix his residence, though de serted by the troops appointed to protect him, and by those under the command of Ocampo, who fore saw and dreaded the calamities to which he must be exposed in that wretched situation. He made the best provision in his power for the safety and subsistence of his followers ; but as his utmost ef forts availed little towards securing either the one or the other, he returned to Hispaniola, in order to solicit more effectual aid for the preservation of men, who from confidence in him had assumed a post of so much danger. Soon after his departure, the natives having discovered the feeble and de fenceless state of the Spaniards, assembled secretly, attacked them with the fury natural to men exas perated by many injuries, cut off many, and com pelled the rest to fly in the utmost consternation to 48 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 1. the island of Cubagua. The small colony settled there on account of the pearl fishery, catching the panic with which their countrymen had been seized, abandoned the island, and not a Spaniard remained in any part of the continent or adjacent islands, from the gulf of Paria to the borders of Darien. Astonished at such a succession of disasters, and overwhelmed with mortification at this fatal termi nation of his splendid schemes, Las Casas shut himself up in the convent of the Dominicans, at St. Domingo, and soon after assumed the habit of that order.* Departing from the chronological order of our work, we have thus given a succinct history of the efforts of Las Casas to soften and improve the con dition of the Indian race : e^lrts which in the present age would have placed him by the side of Clarkson, Wilberforce, and other distinguished phi lanthropists. It must not, however, be forgotten, that he was only the advocate, the protector of the Indians ; not the en^y of slavery in all its forms, nor the friend of universal emancipation. But these are principles which that age was incapable of entertaining; which have slowly expanded with the progress of letters and religion, and are still unacknowledged in a great part of the globe. Yet the good priest is entitled to a niche in the small temple devoted to men who have zealously, courageously, and disinterestedly applied their whole faculties to promote the happiness of their fellow-beings. XXXV. It will be recollected that the admiral, in consequence of the indignities and vexations which he received from the royal officers at His- paniola, had resolved to return to Europe. Having * A. D. 1521. Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. x. c. 5. Dec. 3. lib. ii. c. 3, 4, 5. Oviedo, Hist. lib. xix. c. 5. Gomara, c. 77. Davila Padilla, lib. i. c. 97. Remisal, Hist. Gen. lib. xi. c. 22, 23. CH. 1 .] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 49 procured the permission of the king, he arrived at San Lucar on the 9th April, 1515, leaving the vice- queen, and the adelantado, at St. Domingo. He was fa vourably received by his majesty, who, upon investi gation, was thoroughly satisfied with his conduct, and directed that all processes which had been brought against him in the courts of appeal, or elsewhere, for damages to individuals, in regulating the repar- timientos, should be discontinued, and the cases sent to himself for consideration. But he showed himself now, as at all times, averse to intrusting the Columbi with the powers and dignities which they justly claimed, and equally unwilling to pay them the revenues stipulated in the capitulations of the first admiral. Don Diego demanded his share of the profits derived from the provinces of Castillo, del OrOj which had been discovered by his father. And though the fact of discovery was notorious, the king pretended to doubt it ; and for the pur pose of delay, directed interrogatories to be put to the mariners, who had sailec^with Don Christopher Columbus, now scattered among the West India islands.* XXXVI. Long before the termination of a suit thus vexatiously delayed, king Ferdinand died. Nor could Diego obtain a hearing from his suc cessor for several years. The regent Ximenes re fused to take upon himself the decision of so im portant a question. At length in the year 1520, just before the departure of Charles for Germany, to assume the imperial crown, he determined the rights of Columbus with many other important mat ters which were pressed in mass upon his attention. The accusations got up by Passamonte and his con federates, were recognized as notorious calumnies, and the admiral was commanded to resume his * Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. 1. c. 5. VOL. II. E 60 HISTORY OF AMERICA. fcH. 1. charge. His powers of viceroy and governor in Hispaniola, and in all the countries discovered by his father, were acknowledged, and letters were addressed to Passamonte, commanding him to bury in oblivion all past differences, and to preserve a cordial correspondence with Don Diego ; a com mand which the royal treasurer was particularly careful not to obey. General instructions were also given to the admiral for the discharge of his duties, and that his dependence might be preserved, an officer was appointed by the title of Pesquisidor, with instructions to observe his conduct and to re port thereon to the king in council ; and resident judges were also nominated to pass upon cases in which his officers were parties. He sailed for St. Domingo in September, 1520. On his arrival, find ing that several of the governors of the dependent islands had arrogated independence, and had abused their powers, he immediately superseded them, and demanded an account of their administration. A measure which maddttiim a host of active and pow erful enemies both in the colonies and in Spain. XXXVII. Great changes had taken place in the island of Hispaniola, in the absence of the admiral. Not long after his departure, his uncle, Don Bartholo mew, died at a very advanced age. He had re mained long inactive, though his skill and genius might have been usefully employed by the crown ; but it is said that Ferdinand was unwilling to give a further opportunity of aggrandizing a family which he considered as already too powerful. On his death, the king resumed the island of Mona, which had been given to him for life, and transfer red his repartimiento of Indians to the vice-queen Donna Maria.* The mines had fallen into neglect, the cultivation of the sugar-cane having been found * 1 Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 10. c. 16. Ib. Dec. 3. lib. 4. c. 9. 3 Irv. Col. p. 224. A. D. 1522. CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 51 a more certain source of wealth. It became a by word in Spain, that the magnificent palaces erected by Charles V. at Madrid and Toledo were built of the sugar of Hispaniola. Slaves were imported in great numbers from Africa whose treatment was cruel in the extreme, and who, in this respect, less fortunate than the Indians, found no advocates. The inferiority of nature, the great reason assigned by the interested for the maintenance of Indian slavery, was urged against the negroes with more vehemence, and without contradiction. The bar barities inflicted on them, roused them to revenge, and produced, on the 27th December, 1522, the first African revolt in Hispaniola. It began on a sugar plantation of the admiral, where, about twenty slaves, joined by an equal number from a neighbouring plantation, got possession of arms, rose on their superintendents, massacred them, and sallied forth upon the country. They proposed to pillage certain plantations, to kill the whites, rein force themselves by liberating their countrymen, and either to possess themselves of the town of Agua, or to make for the mountains. The revolt was suppressed by Don Diego without difficulty, the insurgents being pursued to their hiding-places, dragged thence, and hung on the nearest trees. This prompt severity checked all further attempts at revolt among the African slaves.* XXXVIII. An insurrection of the Indians in the year preceding the return of the admiral was more successful and more durable : and merits to be nar rated on account of the evidence it affords, of the improvable character of the natives, and that the feebleness of their minds and bodies was caused solely by their inactive life, which required little exercise of either. An Indian, named Enriquez, * 1 Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 10. c. 16. Ib. Dec, 3. lib. 4. c. 9. 3 Irv. Col. p. 224. A. D. 1522. 62 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [CH. 1* the son of a Cacique, had been bred and educated by the Franciscan monks established in the town of Verapaz, in the province of Xaragua. At the age of manhood, he returned to his people, having been taught to read and to write, and instructed fully in the religion and manners of the Spaniards. He married, according to the laws of the church, an Indian girl of distinguished lineage, named Donna Mencia. His tribe, and himself as its head, owed service by repartimiento to a young Spaniard called Valenzuela, to whom they had fallen by in heritance. With the usual wantonness and injus tice of his countrymen, Valenzuela robbed Enri- quez of a favourite mare, and violated the person of his wife ; and threatened the injured man, who had the hardihood to complain, with chastisement by the lash. The outraged Enriquez applied for redress to the lieutenant-governor of the province, who, indignant that a slave should dare to accuse his master, also threatened him with castigation and imprisonment. Still, in his simplicity, the Cacique could not believe that the justice which he had probably been taught, was an attribute of Christianity, could not be found among its profes sors, and he carried his complaints to the audience at St. Domingo. But he found the judges too much engrossed with the advancement of their own in terests, to attend to so ordinary a matter as the op pression of an Indian, and they discharged their consciences of the affair, by giving him a letter re commending his case to the same lieutenant, by whom he had been already dismissed. He met with new indignities from the judge, and fresh in juries from his master. Enriquez smothered his indignation at this treat ment, until the period of his service, which com prized certain months of the year only, had passed. He then retired to his home, situated in a rough CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 63 country, impracticable for horse, in the mountains of Baoruco, fifty leagues from St. Domingo, where he threw off the yoke of his master, with a fixed determination never to resume it ; and his handful of Indians nobly resolved to share his fate. When the season of labour returned, and the Cacique and his tribe did not appear, Valenzuela, with an armed party of eleven Spaniards, set forth to drag them to their toil, and punish them for their sedition. But the Indians were prepared to receive them, and armed with lances pointed with spikes and fish bones, with bows, arrows, and stones, they boldly rushed to the encounter. Enriquez advancing, ad dressed Valenzuela, and bade him return, for that neither he nor his people would accompany him. But the latter, who made light of Indian hostility, calling him dog, and using other terms of abuse, im mediately charged upon him. The Indians fought courageously, slew two of the Spaniards, and the rest being wounded took to flight. Enriquez for bade pursuit, but calling out to his former master, said, " Be thankful, Valenzuela, that we do not slay you. Go, and do not return hither, or beware of us." The rebellion was soon known throughout the island ; the Audiencia dispatched a force of seventy or eighty men to subdue him ; who, after a weary search of many days, discovered and en gaged him, but were defeated, and driven back, with considerable loss in killed and wounded. This success increased the force of Enriquez from less than one hundred to more than three hundred men, to whom he taught the use of the Castilian arms, and modes of warfare. His policy was alto gether defensive ; for which he had a double mo tive, a desire to spare the effusion of blood, and the fear of exposing himself, by quitting the moun tains, to the attacks of a disproportionate force. With a forbearance most strongly contrasted with E2 64 HISTOBV OF AMERICA. [cH. 1. the conduct of his enemies, he commanded his In dians never to slay a Spaniard but in self-defence, but to possess themselves of the Spanish arms wherever they could obtain them. In one instance only, his commands were disobeyed : his outposts mistaking some travellers for spies, killed them, and cap tured fifteen or twenty thousand dollars in gold. In a short time his Indians became so expert in the use of all the Spanish weapons, except the arque bus, that they engaged their enemies man to man with equal advantage. The vigilance of the chief never slept. Guards and sentinels were placed at every spot by which the enemy might enter his country ; and when the Spaniards were known to be in the vicinity, he removed the aged, the wo men, the children, and all non-combatants, to secret places in the mountains, where he had plantations and stores of provisions prepared, leaving a guard, under his nephew, a stripling distinguished for his courage, to hold the Spaniards in check. If the enemy advanced, the Indians gave them battle ; and Enriquez, by the skilful use of his reserve, ob tained the victory in every encounter. He took his rest in the early part of the night, watched by two pages armed with spears and swords ; after which he rose, counted his beads, and sent his rosary throughout the camp. His other measures for se curity displayed much forecast. He maintained several plantations dispersed over a space of thirty or forty leagues, at which he alternately bivouacked his little army. And the better to conceal his po sition, his dogs and fowls were kept at a distance from the main body, that it might not be betrayed by their cries. When he sent out a party to hunt or fish, he immediately shifted his camp, so that if any of them were taken by the enemy, they were unable to give definite information of his place of refuge. His prudence and courage, struck terror CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 55 into the Spaniards, and they marched reluctantly against a foe who was rarely visible, and at all times invincible. Other Caciques were stimulated by his example to cast away their chains, and to retort the mani fold injuries they endured. Ziguayo, a distinguish ed chief of a noted tribe called Ziguayos, inhabit ing the hills northward of the Royal Vega, collected a few desperate associates, with whom he harassed a wide extent of country; attacking the miners, the hamlets, and country houses, and slaying, with out mercy, every Spaniard who fell into his hands, until the fame of his cruelties spread terror over the whole island. His career, however, was short. He was wanting in the ability as in the magnan imity of Enriquez ; and he suffered himself to be surprized by a troop of Spaniards, who slew him and captured his followers. But this band was scarce subdued, before another appeared, under a valiant Indian, Tamayo, who pursued a like venge ful course, and would probably have shared a like fate as Ziguayo, had not Enriquez, who condemned and deplored his cruelties, attached him to his own party, thereby protecting him, and relieving the country from his merciless forays. But the dread alone of Indian hostility, now be come formidable, depopulated the adjacent districts, and occasioned, during several years, much anxiety and expense to the government. In 1519, one of the friars, by whom Enriquez had been educated, was sent to him with offers of accommodation, but the heroic Cacique, recapitulating the wrongs which his nation and himself had suffered, and contrasting his own forbearance and humanity with the cruelty of his oppressors, declared that he knew the Span iards too well to confide in them. For ten years, every effort to reduce him to sub mission, by force or negotiation, was alike unsuc- 58 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [OH. 1. cessful. At length, in 1529, Hernandez de San Miguel, who came to the island when a boy, with the first admiral, and who was well acquainted with the manners of the Indians and their modes of war fare, as well as with the passes of the mountains, undertook, at the head of one hundred and fifty men, to hunt down the prudent insurgent. After a pursuit of many days, during which the chieftain easily baffled the pursuer, Enriquez gave him an in terview, in a spot which he selected for the pur pose. Two mountain peaks arose precipitously to a great height near to each other, yet separated by a profound chasm, through which flowed a deep and rapid stream. Upon these summits, in mid air, where the warriors could hear but not approach each other, they opened a conference, in which terms of peace were proposed by San Miguel, and accepted by Enriquez ; the former exhibiting full powers from the government for this purpose. It was stipulated, that the chief and his followers might dwell in full freedom and independence, in such part of the island as they might select, re fraining from all violence to the Spaniards, and re storing the gold which had been taken from certain travellers, as we have already mentioned. Time and place were appointed, at which the parties should meet, accompanied each by eight attendants, for the delivery of the gold and the ratification of the treaty. Enriquez repaired to the place, on the sea shore, and erected a bower, in which he placed the gold, and provisions for both parties. San Mi guel too kept the appointment ; and that he might better celebrate the peace, he caused a vessel which accidentally appeared on the coast to be moored near the shore, whilst the crew marched in proces sion, to the sound of musical instruments. The chief beholding this numerous force approach, whose good faith he had but too much reason to CH. 1.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 57 doubt, retired to his fastnesses, commanding his at tendants to receive the Spaniards with cordiality, to deliver up the treasure, and to say that indispo sition prevented him from keeping his engagement in person. San Michael regretted much that the conclusion of the treaty should be thus postponed ; but more, perhaps, that he had failed to carry En- riquez in chains to St. Domingo. He sent him, however, a friendly message ; and the truce, though not formally ratified, was preserved unbroken for four years, when a permanent treaty was concluded, by which the intrepid chieftain accomplished the freedom and independence of himself and his tribe.* XXXIX. About the period of the Viceroy s re turn to St. Domingo,f some attention was given to the reduction and colonization of other islands in the West Indies. The licentiate, Antonio de Ser rano, an inhabitant of St. Domingo, accompanied the admiral from Spain, with authority to colonize the island of Guadaloupe; bearing also the com mission of governor of the islands of Montserrat, Barbadoes, Antigua, Desseada, Dominica, and Mar tinique, all lying near Guadaloupe, and forming part of the group commonly known as the Carib Islands. He was well provided with means to ren der his delegated power effectual, but he appears to have made little or no use of them.:}: * Herrera. t 1520. | Herrera, Dec. 11. lib. 9. c.vii. 58 HISTOEY OF AMERICA. [CH. 2. CHAPTER II. I. Efforts for the exploration of the American con tinent. . . .II. Voyage of Solis and Pinzon. . . . III. Terms of grants made to Ojeda and Nicuesa. . . . .IV. Singular instructions given to Ojeda and Nicuesa. . . .V. Unfortunate attempt of Ojeda at Carthagena. . . .VI. Relieved by Nicuesa, and proceeds to the gulf of Uraba. . . .VII. Misfor tunes there. . . .VIII. Ojeda returns to Hispaniola for aid. His death. . . .IX. Nicuesa proceeds to Veragua, is deserted by his lieutenant X. Loses his vessel his great sufferings. . . .XI. Settles at Nombre de Dios. . . .XII. Sufferings of the colonists here. . . .XIII. Proceedings of the colony of Ojeda. The colonists remove to Da rien. . . .XIV. Establishment of the colony of San ta Maria. Balboa chosen Alcade. Fate of Ni cuesa. . . .XV. Expels Enciso. His measures for supporting his power. . . .XVI. Engagement of Pizarro with the natives. . . .XVII. Balboa invades the territories, and conquers the Cacique of Ca- reta. . . .XVIII. Visits the district of Comagre t and receives information of the South Sea. . . . XIX. Preparations of Balboa for visiting the South Sea. . . .XX. Subjugates the country around Darien. . . .XXI. Dispatches agents to Spain. . . . XXII. Disturbances in the colony XXIII. Bal boa resolves to cross to the South Sea. Difficul ties of the undertaking. . . .XXIV. Reaches the South Sea. . . .XXV. Discoveries on the coast. . . . XXVI. Balboa returns to Darien. .. .XXVII. Disposition of the Court towards Balboa. . . . XXVIII. Ferdinand resolves to send succours to Darien, under Pedrarias Davila. . . .XXIX. Fur ther expeditions of Balboa. . . .XXX. Arrival of CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 59 Pedrarias at Darien. . . .XXXI. The colony is distressed by famine and pestilence. . . .XXXII. Expeditions under the officers of Pedrarias. . . . XXXIILDissensions between him and Balboa. .^ . XXXIV. Expedition of Morales to the South Sea. . . .XXXV. Manner of the pearl fishery at Panama. . . .XXXVI. Confederacy of Indians against Morales. . . .XXXVII. Expedition of Gus- man to Panama. . . .XXXVIII. Unfortunate ex cursion of Vallejo. . . .XXXIX. Destruction of a detachment of Spaniards under Bezarra. . . .XL. Panic state of the Colony. . . .XLI. Expedition of Badajos. . . .XLII. Is defeated with great loss by the Cacique Paris. . . .XLIII. Expedition of Pe drarias 171 search of Bezarra. . . .XLIV. Effort of Espinosa to recover the treasure lost by Bada jos. . . .XLV. Proceedings of Espinosa in the Isth mus. . . .XLVI. Accommodation between Pedra rias and Balboa. The latter resumes his design on the South Sea XLVII. Transports the frames for ships across the Isthmus. . . .XLVIII. Balboa is accused of sedition, and is put to death by the command of Pedrarias. . . .XLIX. Giles Gonzales prepares an expedition on the South Sea. . . .L. The towns of Panama and Nombre de Dios built. . . .LI. Arrival and death of Lope de Sosa, at Darien. . . .LII. Discovery of Yucatan, by Frances Hernandez Cordova. . . .LIII. His re ception by the natives. Returns to Cuba. His death. . . .LIV. Valasquez sends a second expedi tion to Yucatan, under Grijalva. . . .LV. Discov ery of the island of Cozumel. . . .LVI. Traditions relative to the crosses found in Yucatan. . . .LVII. Intercourse of Grijalva with the natives. . . .LVIII. Courtesy of the natives by order of Montezuma. . . . LIX. Human sacrifices in the temples. . . .LX. Return of Grijalva to Cuba. He is unjustly treated by Valasqucz. . . .LXI. Magellan pro- 60 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 2. poses to discover a passage through the western continent to the South Sea. His proposal is ac cepted by Charles V. . . .LXII. Departs from San Lucar, and arrives at La Plata. . . .LXIII. Win ters in 49^ degrees south latitude. Mutiny in the squadron. Promptly quelled by the vigour of Magellan. . . .LXIV. Severity of the cold. Large stature of the inhabitants. . . .LXV. Loses one of his vessels. Discovers the strait which bears his name. . . .LXVI. His progress through the strait. . . . .LXVII. Is deserted by the San Antonia, one of his vessels. . . .LXVIII. Passes into the South ern ocean. Discovers the unfortunate islands. . . . LXIX. Discovers the Philippine islands. . . .LXX. Is slain in combat with the natives. . . .LXXI. The remainder of the squadron reach the Moluccas. . . . LXXII. The ships lade with spices ; and the Vic tory returns to Spain. HAVING, in the preceding chapter, noticed the chief events connected with the history of the islands of the New World previous to the year 1520, we shall, in the present, trace the progress of Spanish enterprize upon the continent until the commencement of the conquests of Mexico and Peru. Each of those great events merits separate consideration. I. We have already remarked, that the rich re turns from Hispaniola, induced Ferdinand to be stow his attention on further discoveries.* Since the last voyage of Columbus, no effort had been made to explore and colonize the wealthy countries he had visited on the continent. The most expe rienced navigators were now summoned to court, among whom were John Diaz de Solis, Vincent Yanez Pinzon, John de la Coza, and Americus * A. D. 1508. CII. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 61 Vespucius ; by whose advice the king resolved to explore more fully the coasts of Brazil, and to colonize the shores of the continent of the isthmus westward of Paria. The former enterprize was committed to Solis and Pinzon, whilst the latter was undertaken by De la Cosa, Nicuesa, Ojeda, and others. The science and experience of Vespucius, procured for him a more honourable and important commission. He was established at Seville, with the title of Chief Pilot, and charged with making sea charts, and the general direction of the navi gation to the Indies. From the close connexion which this office gave him with the principal af fairs of the New World, it has been supposed, that he obtained the honour of giving it his name, an honour justly due to Columbus only.* II. Two caravels were supplied for the Brazilian voyage. The expedition, whilst at sea, was under the command of Solis ; but when employed on land, was subject to the orders of Pinzon. This unwise divi sion of authority marred the enterprize. The ves sels sailed by the Cape de Verd islands directly to Cape St. Augustine, and thence, coasted the conti nent to the 40th degree of south latitude. The Spaniards landed frequently, erected crosses, and took possession of the country in the most solemn manner. Upon their return, an inquiry was insti tuted under the direction of the Casa de Contrac tion, or Board of Trade, into the merits of the dis pute between the commanders. Solis being found in the wrong, was committed to prison, but Pinzon was rewarded by the king.f III. Although earnestly desirous to gain a per manent footing on the continent, it was no part of Ferdinand s policy to supply funds for that pur- * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 7. c. 1. t Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 7. ch. 9. A. D. 1508. VOL. II. F 62 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. pose. Nor was such aid necessary; the privileges, in the new countries, which he offered to success ful adventurers, being a sufficient inducement to enterprize. Ojeda readily tendered his services ; and though poor, his character and experience gain ed him a partner in Juan de la Cosa, who advanced the requisite money. Diego de Nicuesa, who had accompanied Ovando to Hispaniola, and had there acquired a large fortune, also formed the design of establishing himself on Terra Firma. The king erected two governments on the continent. One extending from Cape de Vela to the bay of Uraba, or gulf of Darien, was called New Andalusia, and allotted to Ojeda; the other, reaching from the gulf of Darien to cape Gracias a Dios, was named Golden Castile, (Castilla del Oro) and granted to Nicuesa; and to both, permission was given to draw provisions from Jamaica. The conditions of these grants were, that each grantee should erect two forts within his government ; that he should pos sess the mines he might discover, paying to the king, for the first year, one-tenth of the product, and gradually and annually increasing the royal portion, until it reached one-fifth ; that he might freight vessels and obtain provisions at Hispaniola ; might grant a free passage for two hundred men from Spain, and six hundred from that island ; that he should exhibit all the gold obtained by purchase or otherwise to the king s officers; that he and his associates should be free from taxes for four years ; paying to the crown, during the first, one-fifth, and during the three others, one-fourth of their gains ; that the settlers in the government might return to Spain, and sell their estates ; that each commander might procure from Hispaniola forty Indians skilled in seeking gold, who might not only exercise, but teach others, their art; and, finally, that neither should carry out persons not subjects of Spain, and ca. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 63 who had not entered into obligations before the bish op Fonseca to fulfil their capitulations. Juan de la Cosa was appointed the lieutenant of Ojeda, and received the office of chief Alguazil, with survivor ship to his son.* IV. The instructions given to Ojeda and Nicu- esa were of the most extraordinary character ; and as they contain a formal exposition of the Spanish right to the possession of the islands and continent of America, richly merit our attention. These commanders were required, as servants of the kings of Castile and Leon, the conquerors of barbarous nations, to declare to the Indians, that God, one and eternal, had created the heavens and the earth, and one man and one woman, from whom they and all men were descended. But as, during the long period of more than five thousand years, the hu man race had, because one country could not con tain them, been scattered over the face of the globe, God had given absolute authority over the whole to one man, named St. Peter, whom he com manded to reside at Rome, and to bear the name of Pope, which signifies admirable, great father, and guardian ; and that this power had been con tinued to his successors, and would be so con tinued to the end of the world : that one of these popes had granted to the Catholic king Ferdinand, and to his queen Isabella, and their successors, all the islands and continents of the ocean sea, as was fully expressed in certain deeds, which they would exhibit, if requested : that most of the islands, where his title had been declared, had recognized it, and had obeyed the religious men sent by the king to instruct the inhabitants in his holy faith ; who, hav ing become Christians, were received under his most gracious protection, and were treated like his * Ilerrera, Dec. 1. lib. 7. c. 6, 7. A. D. 1508, 64 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. other subjects and vassals. The commanders were also instructed, to proclaim to the nations of Terra Firma, that they also were bound to like obedience ; and that if, after due time for reflection, they ac knowledged the supremacy of the church, the pope in his own right, and his majesty by appointment, as the sovereign lord of all these countries, and consented to receive the holy doctrines of the Catholic religion, his majesty would extend to them his love, and would leave their wives and children free from servitude, and themselves in the enjoy ment of all they possessed, in the same manner as lie had done to the inhabitants of the islands ; and would bestow upon them many other privileges, ex emptions, and rewards. But that, in case of refusal or malicious delay to obey these injunctions, he would enter their country with the horrors of war, subject the inhabitants to the yoke of the church and crown, carry them, their wives, and children into slavery, and do them all the mischief possible, as rebellious subjects. And that all the bloodshed and calamities which might follow should be im puted, not to his majesty or his agents, but to their own disobedience. Orders were also given, that the making of this proclamation should be certified in due form.* Shall we admire most the justice of this mani festo, the strength of the title which it sets forth, or the grave adherence to municipal form which at tended its proclamation ? Had the Indians known the language of the proclamation, had they under stood the nature of the services demanded of them, they must have deemed the prince most gracious and most worthy of obedience, who mercifully and disinterestedly proffered to them, the unburthened denizens of the forest, the enjoyment of liberty, * Herrcra, Dec. 1. lib. 7. c 14. CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 66 and full participation of the blessings showered on the new-made Christians of Hispaniola. Such, three centuries ago, were the absurdities to which kings, princes, bishops, soldiers, and scholars lent themselves, in the most enlightened countries of Europe. V. Juan de la Cosa having fitted out one ship and two brigantines, sailed with about two hundred men for St. Domingo; whither Ojeda had preceded him ; and had engaged Martin Fernandez Enciso, a rich lawyer of the island, to follow him with pro vision, and to accept the commission of his alcade mayor. Nicuesa sailed soon after, with six vessels, taking the island of Santa Cruz in his way, where he seized above a hundred Indians, whom he sold for slaves, alleging that he had the king s license for this act, because they were cannibals. Among the enterprizing spirits engaged by Ojeda, were Francisco Pizarro and Hernando Cortes, who soon after filled the world with their fame. The former accompanied the expedition, but the latter was pre vented from embarking by illness. Ojeda arrived in a few days at Carthagena, called by the Indians Caramarri. The natives met him in arms, having been provoked to hostility by the injuries they had received from Christopher Guerra, and others, who had lately visited their shores. In vain did the notary proclaim the well-deduced right of Ferdi nand to their allegiance, the pious priest explain the doctrines of his faith, or the merchant tempt by his seductive commerce. The knowledge which the Indians had gained of their European visitors, rendered them firm in their determination to pre serve their independence ; and they replied to all these instances, by their arrows tinged with poison, which were delivered with equal force and bravery by both sexes. De la Cosa proposed to remove their colony to the mouth of the Uraba, in the gulf F 2 66 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [dl 2. of Darien, where the inhabitants were of milder temperament. But Ojeda, daring and rash, and su- perstitiously presuming on his good fortune, which had conducted him unscathed through many a battle with Moor and Indian, preferred recourse to the al ternative given in the royal instructions. His first efforts were attended with the usual success of the Spaniards in Indian conflicts. The natives were destroyed by fire and sword, driven from their vil lages, or reduced to captivity. But the confidence of the victors led to negligence ; and whilst Ojeda and De la Cosa, at the head of seventy men, were seeking the enemy in a careless and scattered man ner, they were assailed by an overwhelming force, and the former, and a private soldier, were the only persons of this party who escaped with life. De la Cosa was pierced with darts, which bristled his body like that of a porcupine. The shield of Ojeda was marked with three hundred arrows which he had received upon it, and he was found, by a party from the ships, faint and exhausted, concealed among the mangroves on the sea shore.* VI. From this critical state he was relieved by the arrival of Nicuesa, with seven ships and be tween seven arid eight hundred men. Forgetting instantly a quarrel which he had had with Ojeda at St. Domingo, relative to the boundaries of their governments, this commander offered his forces to seek instant vengeance on the natives. Mounted on horseback, the two leaders, followed by four hun dred men instructed to give no quarter, surprized the town of Yurbaco, reduced it to ashes, and mas sacred the whole of the inhabitants. Ojeda having obtained a large plunder here, proceeded to the gulf of Uraba, where, after a fruitless search for the river Darien, said by the Indians to abound in * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 8. c. 15. A. D. 1510. CII. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 67 srold, he planted the town of San Sabastian, and dispatched one of his vessels to Saint Domingo, to advise Enciso of his position, to secure the treasure and slaves he had captured, and to obtain supplies of provision and ammunition, and a reinforcement of men.* VII. Having erected a fortress, and placed a gar rison therein, he led the rest of his people into the neighbouring rich and populous district of Tirufi, which was governed by an active, courageous, and vigilant chief, who not only drove the Spaniards back, but besieged them in the fort, where famine inflicted on them the severest sufferings. They were relieved from the most imminent danger of starvation, by the arrival of a vessel from Hispan- iola, commanded by Bernardin de Talavera, a man of desperate fortunes, who, excited by the booty sent by Ojeda, had stolen her from Cape Tiburon, when laden with provisions for St. Domingo, and had manned her with seventy men as reckless as himself. This relief was temporary only ; and it became necessary to make frequent sallies to pro cure food. In one of these, the hitherto invulne rable Ojeda fell into an ambush, and was wounded by a poisoned arrow, which passed through his thigh. He became dejected upon this misfortune, believing immediate death inevitable ; yet with resolute spirit he caused the actual cautery to be applied to his wound, and though reduced by vio lent fever, he eventually was restored to health. Tire men who had hitherto borne their misfortunes patiently, now openly proclaimed their discontent ; accused Ojeda of appropriating to himself an un due portion of their provisions, and resolved to seize on the brigaritines, and depart for Hispaniola. This measure was prevented only by the proposal * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. vii. c. 16. A. D. 1510. 68 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 2. of Ojeda to return himself to St. Domingo for aid, in the vessel of Talavera, and in case he should be detained longer than fifty days, that the colonists might abandon the expedition. The command of the garrison was given to Pizarro, until he should be relieved by Enciso, whose arrival was hourly expected. Ojeda embarked with the crew of Tala vera, who though obnoxious to the severest penal ties of the law, chose rather to expose themselves to any fate in St. Domingo, than to share that of the adventurers of New Andalusia. VIII. Ojeda was pursued in this voyage by mis fortunes, and the evils flowing from his impetuous temper. He was scarce at sea, when he quarrelled with Talavera for the command of the ship ; and that officer was compelled to confine him, that he might preserve subordination. Being opposed by adverse winds and currents, and unable to reach Hispaniola, they put into Cuba. The once peace ful and hospitable natives had learned to dread the white man s approach, and instead of ministering to his wants, sought to expel him from the shore. To keep the sea without provisions was impossible, and therefore the Spaniards resolved to make their way by land in the direction of Hispaniola. The toils and perils of this journey are scarce surpassed in any of the laborious enterprizes of the Europe ans in America. After a march of a hundred leagues, they entered a marsh, into which they sunk knee-deep at every step. Presuming that it was not extensive, they continued their route, but the marsh grew wider and deeper, and at length, after eight days of incredible suffering, from hunger, thirst, and exposure to the rays of the sun, and the chills of the night, they found themselves in the centre of a bog, where the water reached above their waists. The spirit of Ojeda encouraged and sustained his less etherial companions. He con- CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 69 fided in the protection of the Virgin, to whom he was devoted, and whose picture, given to him by the bishop Fonseca, he constantly carried about him. When he stopped to repose among the roots of the mangrove trees, he hung the picture from the branches, and kneeling before it, called upon his followers to join him in his adorations. Full thirty days were employed in crossing this morass, which was thirty leagues in extent. At length thirty-five of the seventy men who had left the ship, reached the fast land, and an Indian village ; the remainder had perished by famine, were drowned in crossing the streams which impeded their way, or were suffocated in the mud. The survivors were indebted for their lives to the humanity of the In dians, who supplied them with food. Ojeda also obtained from them a canoe, by which he was ena bled to communicate with Juan de Esquibel, in Ja maica. It was the fortune of Ojeda to make ene mies by his violent temper, and to be punished by the pardon of those he had injured. He had threat ened Esquibel with death, should he settle in Ja maica ; and he was now to receive from him the means of his own preservation. A caravel brought the desponding Spaniards from Cuba to Jamaica, whence Ojeda returned to St. Domingo. Talavera, dreading the punishment due to his offences, did not venture thither ; but he did not escape the ven geance of the law. The admiral, Don Diego Co lumbus, soon after caused him to be taken and hanged. The remnant of Ojeda s history is shortly told. He spent several months vainly soliciting his countrymen for means to re-establish his colony. He narrowly escaped assassination, by his activity and skill in the use of his sword, having been as sailed by several enemies at once. But he soon after died a natural death ; and being destitute of means to pay the expense of his funeral, his body 70 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [oil. 2. was buried by his direction at the door of the Fran ciscan monastery. IX. Before we return to the colony at St. Sebas tian, it will be proper to follow Nicuesa through the scenes of his eventful fortune. After the sack of Yurbaco, he directed his course for Veragua. Selecting a light caravel for himself, and two brig- antines adapted for running along shore, he took with him his lieutenant Lope de Olano, who had been an active partisan and apt disciple of Roldan, and commanded that the remainder of the squad ron should keep out at sea. Near the place of their destination, and during a violent storm, Olano, with the brigantines, accidentally or designedly parted from the caravel. He sought the ships, which be ing too much worm-eaten to keep the ocean, had entered the river Chagre, and landed their cargoes. He gave out that Nicuesa had foundered in the tempest, from which he had himself miraculously escaped ; and assuming the absolute command of the expedition, led it to the mouth of the river Belen, four leagues from Veragua; leaving the ships at a point of land where they were exposed to the storms so common to the coast. They soon became rotten, and were broken up afterwards by the Span iards. Huts for temporary protection having been erected, the shores of the sea, and the river Vera gua, were explored for a proper site on which to establish the colony. Meanwhile the adventurers, disgusted with the expedition, were visited by the diseases of the climate, and were finally overtaken by famine. Many perished. The survivors were saved from desperation by the construction of a caravel from the timbers of the decayed ships, in which Olano falsely declared his intention to re turn to Hispaniola. X. Nicuesa, no longer perceiving the brigan tines, supposed them to have been swallowed up CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 71 by the waves, and running his vessel for the shore, entered a river then swollen by the rains. In a few hours the torrent subsiding, left the caravel stranded on the bar, where she soon went to pieces. Her crew escaped in the most destitute condition. The commander, followed by his people, set forth in the boat to seek his way to Veragua, along the sea-shore, exposed to fatigue, famine, and the hos tility of the natives, and without any definite idea of the situation of the place which he sought. In their passage across a large bay, the adventurers landed upon a desert island. Four seamen, in whose charge the boat had been left, becoming hopeless of relief by other means, resolved to leave their companions, and seek the ships, which they believed to be still on the coast. Fortunately, they retraced their steps, and continued their route to the westward ; and after escaping many dangers, discovered Olano and his party, to whom they com municated the unwelcome tidings of the existence of their commander and his wretched companions. A brigantine, with such provisions as could be spared from a scanty store, was dispatched to their relief; but many had already perished, and the sur vivors were so weak as to be unable to stand erect. Immediately on his arrival, Nicuesa charged Olano with treachery, and ordered him into confinement, designing to send him to Spain for trial ; and be lieving that those who obeyed his orders were im plicated in his crime, he treated them with great severity. The difficulty in procuring food was much increased by this addition of consumers ; and to such dire extremity were the adventurers reduced, that a party of thirty^vho were seeking provisions, finding the dead and putrid body of an Indian, in stantly devoured it. So noxious was this horri ble repast, that every one died immediately after partaking of it. 72 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [<JII. 2. XI. Nicuesa resolved to seek some more propi tious spot on which to establish his colony, leaving some men to await here the maturity of the crops of maize and other vegetables, now almost ripe, which the Spaniards had sown. Guided by a sailor, who had been on the coast with Columbus, he reached Porto-Bello ; but he was driven thence by the natives, who slew twenty of his feeble and emaciated followers. He landed again at a port a few leagues distant, where, worn out with misfor tune, he exclaimed, " Paremos aqui en el nombre de Dios." " Let us settle here in the name of God." From this circumstance, the port, called by the na tives Chuchureyes, and by Columbus de Bastimien- tos, received the name of Nombre de Dios, which it has since borne. XII. Formal possession having been taken of this spot, a fort was erected, and other measures adopted for the security of the colonists, reduced by fatigue, famine, and pestilence to one hundred men, including the survivors of those who had been left at Belen, and who were now brought away. During five months, these had been exposed to the extremities of hunger, and escaped death by a for tunate suggestion of one of their companions, to make bread of the grated palmetto, after the man ner in which the Cassava was used in Hispaniola. The united adventurers persevered in their purpose of establishing a colony, under the most discourag ing circumstances. Their supply of food continued precarious, and was chiefly derived from the plun der of the natives, with whom they carried on in cessant hostilities. Many Indian prisoners were sent to Hispaniola as slaves, ty a vessel which Ni cuesa dispatched for a store of bacon, which he had directed to be prepared before his departure. But he was not suffered to enjoy the fruits of his providential care ; the admiral, who sought to pre- Cft. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 73 vent the colonization of the continental countries discovered by his father, prohibiting the exportation of the provisions. At length the unfortunate colo nists were reduced to such a state of weakness, that not one was able to stand sentinel at night, and a speedy death was pending over all. XIII. We now return to the colony planted by Ojeda, at St. Sebastian, which, at his departure for St. Domingo, consisted of sixty men. Having pa tiently awaited the allotted fifty days for his return, they determined to abandon the settlement : but as all could not be transported in the brigantines, the only vessels remaining to them, they resolved to abide until famine, or the poisoned arrows of the Indians, had sufficiently reduced their number. They did not w r ait long. Having killed and salted four mares, the remnant of their stock, they em barked, Pizarro commanding one, and Valenzuela the other of the vessels. They had scarce put to sea, when the latter foundered, and every soul on board perished. Pizarro sailed for Carthagena, and was rejoiced on entering the port, to find it occu pied by Enciso with a ship and brigantine, having on board one hundred and fifty men, and a large stock of provisions, and animals for breed. With Enciso came out Basco Nunez de Balboa, to whom Spain was afterwards much indebted for acquisi tions on the isthmus. His circumstances in His- paniola had grown desperate, and he fled secretly from his creditors. Whilst at Carthagena, the In dians, who had suffered from the vengeance of Ojeda and Nicuesa, gathered around Enciso and his followers with demonstrations of hostility. But when satisfied that the new comers were strangers, who had no part in the infliction of the injuries they had sustained, they cast aside their weapons, received their visitors as honoured guests, and sup plied them abundantly with maize, salted fish, and VOL. II. G 74 HISTORY OF AMERICA* [CH. 2 the fermented liquors common along the coast* Enciso compelled the reluctant Pizarro and his companions to return with him to St. Sebastian ; but as if every effort to colonize this spot was des tined to fail, Enciso s ship was wrecked as she en tered the bay, and the chief portion of her lading, including the animals, was lost. The crew was saved in the brigantines. Upon landing, the ad venturers discovered that their fort had been burn ed, their improvements wasted, and that the In dians, grown confident by success, shrunk from no disparity of force. All clamourously insisted upon abandoning a spot so unpropitious ; and by the ad vice and under the conduct of Balboa, who had been on the coast with Bastides, they proceeded to the river Darien, on the western side of the bay. Here they found abundance of provisions, and a valuable booty in cotton and gold,* in an Indian village, the inhabitants of which they had expelled. XIV. The Spaniards immediately proceeded to establish their colony, giving to it the name of Santa Maria el Antigua del Darien. But the ir regular and stirring ambition which haunted most persons engaged in these new and exciting scenes, soon involved them in contention. Enciso exer cised his authority with rigour, especially in en forcing, under the pain of death, the royal prohibi tion against trading with the natives on private ac count. The murmurs of the adventurers on this occasion, who accused him of a design to appro priate to himself all the profits of the expedition, gave Balboa an opportunity to resist, and finally to overthrow his power. He denied the authority of Enciso, on the ground that they were no longer within the government of Ojeda ; and procured the adoption of a form of government similar to that of * Estimated at 10,000 castellanos about 53,000 dollars of our" present money CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 75 the towns of Spain ; and his own election to the office of alcade. But he was not able to still the ferment he had excited ; and whilst the little com munity was torn by several factions, it was joined by Rodrigo Enriques Colminares, who, with two ships and seventy men, were seeking Nicuesa along the coast. By distributing his provisions among the settlers, he obtained their consent to submit to the authority of Nicuesa, in whose territory they now were ; and soon after discovering the position of that commander at Nombre de Dios, he trans ported him, and a part of his starving companions, to Santa Maria. But long suffering appears to have deprived Nicuesa of his wonted discretion. Instead of confirming his authority by gentle means, he assumed a tone of asperity, threatening to punish the colonists of Darien for intruding within his grant, and to strip them of the gold they had ac quired. In return, they not only refused to recog nize his authority, but declined to receive him among them on any terms ; rejecting his prayer, that he might rather be detained as a prisoner, than sent to perish with hunger at Nombre de Dios. Ob durately persisting in their purpose, the colonists gave him a rotten brigantine, and compelled him, with seventeen of his followers, including his friends and servants, to depart from Darien, and to swear that he would make no delay until he pre sented himself before the king and council in Cas tile. It is probable that the vessel and her freight perished miserably at sea, no tidings having ever been heard of them.* The severe treatment of Nicuesa was contrary to the advice and efforts of Basco Nunez, who, though he had recommended his rejection as governor, commiserated his misfor tunes, and would have saved him from the fierce * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 8. c, 8. A. D. 1510. 76 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. rage of the populace. He interfered boldly for this purpose ; and caused one of the most vociferous of the agitators to be severely flagellated. XV. Balboa being thus rid of Nicuesa, applied himself to expel Enciso likewise ; who, as the chief alcade of Ojeda, still claimed jurisdiction over the new colony. Upon the pretence that he had un lawfully assumed official powers, and that his com mission was vacated by the death of Ojeda, Nunez subjected him to a form of trial, and seized his per son and effects, but promised to liberate both, on condition that he would depart for Spain or His- paniola, in the first vessel bound for either. Hav ing freed himself from all competitors for the gov ernment of the colony, he resolved to apply to Don Diego Columbus for supplies of men and provisions, and to dispatch an agent to Spain to report his pro ceedings, and solicit a confirmation of his authori ty. Conscious that his conduct towards Nicuesa and Enciso might be inquired into and punished, he persuaded his associate, alcade Zamudio, to pro ceed with the latter to Spain ; and sent Valdibia, one of his regidores, to St. Domingo, with a rich present in gold to the treasurer, Passamonte, whose favour and influence with the king he well knew. XVI. In the mean time, the natives of Darien, weary of their unbidden guests, and calculating that the same passions which brought them to their shores would tempt them to remove, represented, that the neighbouring district of Coyba was richer than that of Santa Maria, both in provisions and gold. Balboa sent Pizarro, with six men only, to explore the country. Whilst ascending the river, they were surrounded by four hundred Indians, commanded by the Cacique Zemaco, with whom the Spaniards unhesitatingly engaged ; and in a very short time slew one hundred and fifty, and wounded many others. All the Spaniards were se CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 77 verely hurt, and one, dangerously wounded, was left on the field. The others retreated to Santa Maria. But Balboa, conceiving it to be a stain on his reputation that a living man should be thus abandoned, compelled Pizarro, with another party, to bring him off. XVII. Nunez receiving no tidings of Nicuesa, whom he supposed would endeavour to- regain Nombre de Dios, dispatched two brigantines to bring away the adventurers that had been left there. The vessels, on their return, entering the district of Coyba, were surprized by a visit from two Span iards, stark naked and painted red, who, eighteen months before, had eloped from the squadron of Nicuesa, and had been kindly received by the Ca cique Careta ; one of them having been promoted to the command of his army, engaged in war with a neighbouring chieftain. Upon their representa tion that the country abounded in gold, and that its subjugation would enrich Nunez and all his fol lowers, it was resolved that one of the vessels should remain at Coyba, whilst the other returned to Darien with the intelligence. Nunez did not rejoice more in this prospect of wealth than in the acquisition of interpreters, through whom he could communicate freely with the natives. He marched immediately, at the head of one hundred and thirty men, thirty leagues, to the residence of Careta ; and the chief refusing to supply him with provi sions, he attacked his town by night, killed and wounded many of the inhabitants, made prisoners of the Cacique, his wives, and children, and pos sessed himself of a large quantity of provisions, which he immediately sent to Darien. This se vere lesson taught Careta to respect the power of the invaders, and induced him to form with them a league, offensive and defensive, which was confirm ed by the delivery of his beautiful daughter to the G 2 78 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cH. 2 Spanish leader, who continued tenderly attached to her during life. The Cacique was not long in employing against his enemies, the weapons he had learned to dread ; and he conducted the Spaniards into the country of Poncra, a rival chief, which they plundered, carrying off a large booty in grain and gold. XVIII. Adjacent to Coyba, at the foot of a range of high mountains, lay the district of Comagre, governed by a Cacique of the same name, who, struck with admiration of the Spaniards, invited them into his territories, treated them with much hospitality, and displayed greater civilization than they had yet seen in the New World. His palace, one hundred and fifty paces in length, and eighty in breadth, was inclosed by a wall of timber of ingenious workmanship, and divided into conve nient apartments, stored with abundance of pro visions. One of these chambers was the recepta cle of the dried and embalmed bodies of his ances tors, of many generations ; \vhich, clothed in man tles of cotton, embroidered with gold, pearls, and precious stones, were suspended from the walls. The eldest son of the Cacique presented his guest with a rich offering of wrought gold, valued at four thousand pesos,* and seventy slaves. A fifth of the metal was set apart for the king ; but in the division of the remainder, a strife arose among the Christians, which surprized and pro voked the young Indian. " If," said he, addressing the Spaniards, and indignantly striking over the balance, " if you are so fond of gold as for its sake to desert your own country and disturb the peace * Irving, Voyages of the Companions of Columbus, says, after Martyr, 4000 ounces of gold. This quantity is very improbable, and is inconsistent with the statement of Herrera, who writes, " Mando traer ciertas piecas de oro muy ricas en la hechura, y en la fineza ; que tendrian qiiatro mil pesos & setenta esclavas." CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 70 of others, I will lead you to a province where your utmost desires may be gratified where gold is more abundant than iron in Spain, and is used in the fabric of ordinary domestic utensils. But, to conquer this country, you must provide a larger force than you have here, since you will have to contend with mighty chieftains, who will vigor ously defend their possessions. When you shall have passed those mountains," continued he, point ing to a range in the southwest, " you will behold another ocean, on which are vessels inferior only to those which brought you hither, equipped with sails and oars, but navigated by a people naked like ourselves."* It is supposed that the young chief alluded to the people of Peru. XIX. Balboa received with rapturous delight this first certain intimation of the existence of another ocean. He exulted in the hope of discovering the East Indies, which had been so dearly cherished by Columbus ; and conjectured that the country now described to him, formed a part of that vast and opulent region. He immediately set about prepara tions for this great enterprize, cultivating the good will of Comagre and other chieftains ; and adminis tering to the former, and his sons, the rite of Chris tian baptism. He sent Valdibia again to St. Do mingo, with fifteen thousand pesos in gold for the royal treasury, to solicit from the admiral such ad dition to his "force, as might enable him to effect the desired conquest. Valdibia was unfortunately shipwrecked on the coast of Jamaica, and himself and crew, consisting of twenty persons, were tossed by the winds and currents during thirteen days, suffering the ex tremity of hunger and thirst, which destroyed seven of their number. They were at length strand- * P. Martyr, Dec. 2. lib. 3. Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 9. c. 2. 80 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH, 2. ed on the eastern coast of Yucatan, in a province called Maya, where they were seized by the na tives ; he, and four of his companions, were soon after sacrificed to the bloody Gods of the country, and served up at a feast of the cannibal worship pers. The survivors escaped into a distant prov ince, and perished miserably in slavery, two only excepted, who were taken into favour by their mas ters, and attained high consideration among their savage captors.* XX. In the mean time, Nunez employed him self in exploring the country, and reducing the neighbouring Caciques to subjection. He invaded the district of Dobayba, in the deserted villages of which he found considerable quantities of gold ; but he lost the whole, and the canoes which car ried it, upon his return. Upon a river which he named Negro, on account of the colour of the water, he discovered a town of five hundred houses, in the territories of the Cacique Abanemechy. The inhabitants fled at his approach, but turned upon their pursuers, and defended themselves valiantly with swords made of the palm-tree, and with spears hardened at the ends by fire. But the fiercest courage of naked barbarians, could not avail against the superior arms and discipline of their opponents. The Cacique, and many of his chief people, were made prisoners; and while disarmed, and under the protection of the general, a Spaniard whom he had wounded attacked the former, and, at a blow, struck off his arm. Following the course of the rivers, Balboa, at the distance of twenty leagues from the territories of Abanemechy, came to an extensive and marshy country, whose inhabitants built their dwellings in the trees, on account of the frequent inundations. In these the simple savages * Herrera, Dec. 2, lib. 4. ch. 7. CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 81 deemed themselves secure from every foe, and re fused to submit themselves to the invader; but, when the Spanish axe was applied to the roots of their habitations, they were compelled to descend and beg for mercy. The several tribes, finding themselves unable singly to oppose the Spanish force, entered into a general combination, under the direction of the Cacique Zemaco, the persever ing foe of the Spaniards, to expel the enemy ; but they were defeated in the only battle which they offered. A conspiracy to surprize Darien, and as sassinate the governor, was betrayed to Nunez, by an Indian woman who dwelt with him. The con federates were themselves surprized by his vigi lance, and being engaged singly and conquered, the whole country submitted to his dominion. XXI. Balboa, believing that the acquisitions he had now made were sufficiently important to gain him the favour of the king, proposed to return to Spain, to solicit more effectually the means of pro ceeding to the southern ocean. But the colonists, who justly considered him the chief stay of the set tlement, opposing his departure, he dispatched Juan de Cayzado and Rodrigo Enriquez Colminares to court, for this purpose. They left Darien in Oc tober, 1512, and touching at Cuba and St. Domin go, arrived in Spain in May of the following year. Besides the king s fifth of the treasure collected, they carried with them a large contribution of gold from the settlers to his majesty ; and also a native of the country of Zenu, who averred that he had seen a river, in which this precious metal was so abundant that it might be dragged forth with nets. The unquestionable evidences of wealth which the messengers exhibited, and the extravagant accounts they gave of the country which produced them, procured for it the name of Golden Castile, (Cas- 82 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [di. 2 tilla del Oro,) instead of Andalusia, which it had first borne.* XXII. Soon after the departure of the agents, the colony was exposed to the most imminent dan ger from intestine commotion, caused by the insa tiable avarice of its members. The gold, extracted by every possible mean from the natives, was im partially divided by Balboa; yet his justice was impeached by some, that they might have a pre tence to seize on a fund often thousand castellanos, which had been reserved as a public stock for fu ture contingencies. Two parties divided the colony, who were deterred from civil war only by the fear, that the Indians would fall on the weakened victor. The malcontents being most numerous, Nunez was compelled to withdraw from the town, in order to insure his personal safety ; and the treasure was seized and divided. Fortunately, at this juncture, the long-expected reinforcements arrived from St. Domingo, with a commission from Passamonte ap pointing Balboa Captain-General. Although this authority was given in known violation of the rights of the admiral, it was not the less joyfully received, nor the less willingly obeyed. But the pleasure of Nunez, on this occasion, was not unmixed. Enciso had carried his complaints to the foot of the throne, and Balboa was commanded to repair his losses, to proceed immediately to court, and submit himself to the king s pleasure. He might therefore hourly expect a successor, to deprive him of the fame and wealth he anticipated from his intended enter- prize. To prevent a calamity greatly deprecated by his ambitious spirit, he determined to effect the passage to the South Sea with the force then under his command. XXIII. The isthmus of Darien is not above sixty * Hcrrera, Dec. J lib. 9. CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 83 miles in breadth, but a chain of lofty mountains, a continuation of the Andes, covered with almost impenetrable forests, runs through its whole extent. Its valleys, divided by large and impetuous rivers, and inundated by rains which prevail near two- thirds of the year, are marshy and unhealthy. Its inhabitants, advanced but a few degrees in civiliza tion, had done nothing to remove or alleviate the difficulties of the passage from sea to sea, nor after a lapse of three hundred years, has it become more facile or commodious. The attempt of Balboa may justly be considered the boldest which had been made by the Spaniards in the new world ; but he was in all respects fitted to insure its success. The quality of courage he possessed, only, in common with the meanest, of his army ; but his prudence, generosity, and affability, and those nameless popu lar talents which inspire confidence and secure at tachment, were peculiarly his own. In battle, his post was that of the greatest danger, and in every labour that of the greatest fatigue ; whilst his re gard for the ease of his troops was ever active and anxious. He desired for his undertaking a force of one thousand soldiers, but he commenced it with one hundred and ninety only, and some fierce blood-hounds, which were efficient auxiliaries. A thousand Indians, who accompanied him, were chiefly useful in the transportation of the baggage. XXIV. Balboa set forth on the first of Septem ber, after the rainy season had passed. He pro ceeded by sea to the district of Coyba, and thence marched into that of the Cacique Ponct. At his approach, that chieftain fled to the deepest recesses of his mountains ; but attracted by promises of fa vour, and a liberal donation of Spanish implements and toys, he returned to his village, and gave the Spaniards a small quantity of gold, some provisions, and guides. Further progress was sternly opposed 84 HISTORY OP AMERICA* [cH. 2. by a warlike tribe, armed with bows and arrows, and a species of sling-, by which they threw staves hardened in the fire, with such force as to pass through the body of a naked adversary. But the novel and terrific effect of the firelock, the keen edge of the sword, and the ferocity of the blood hounds, scattered them in dismay, with the loss of their Cacique, and six hundred of inferior note. Among the prisoners, were the brother of the Cacique, and several chiefs, who were clothed in tunics of white cotton ; and being accused of un natural crimes by their enemies, they were torn to pieces by the dogs, at the command of the Span iards. This defeat made the neighbouring tribes fearful of provoking hostility, and disposed them to render such assistance as the Christians required. But great labour and patience were necessary to overcome the natural difficulties of the way. Dis ease and fatigue broke down some of the hardy veterans, and they were left behind to recruit their strength. A journey, estimated by the Indians to be of six days only, had already occupied twenty- five days, when Nunez approached the summit of a mountain, from which he was informed the great ocean might be seen. He commanded the army to halt, and advanced alone to the apex, whence he beheld the great South Sea spread before him, in boundless extent. Casting himself on his knees, he poured forth his grateful thanks to Heaven, for conducting him in safety to this glorious object. The army, beholding his transports, rushed for ward and joined in his admiration, his exultation, and his gratitude. Then, with formal ceremony, he took possession of land and sea, making a record thereof, carefully attested, erecting crosses and mounds of stones, and cutting the king s name on trees. In his descent to the coast, he was compelled to combat with a Cacique called Chiapes, whom he CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 85 converted by his magnanimity into an active and zealous friend. XXV. Whilst resting a few days at the village of Chiapes, Nunez sent back the guides who had conducted him over the mountain, with orders to his people whom he had left on the way, to rejoin him. In the mean time he sent forwards three par ties of twelve men each, under the command of Francis Pizarro, Juan de Escary, and Alonzo Mar tin de Don Benito, respectively, to explore the sur rounding country, and discover the best route to the sea. Alonzo Martin had the fortune to take the shortest road, and after two days march, came to a beach on which lay two canoes ; but there was no water in sight. Whilst considering these objects, the tide, which rises several fathoms on this coast, came rapidly in, and set them afloat. Martin en tered one of the canoes, and called on his compan ions to bear witness that he was the first who had ventured on the South Sea ; and Bias de Etienza following his example, required them to testify that he was the second. Upon the return of Alonzo Martin with the ti dings of his discovery, Nunez leaving a great part of his men at the village of Chiapes, proceeded with eighty Spaniards and a number of Indians, conducted by their friendly chief, towards the coast, and arrived on the borders of one of the vast bays which indent it, and to which he gave the name of St. Michael ; it being discovered on that saint s day. When he reached the shore, he rushed into the ocean with his sword drawn, and called upon the witnesses to observe, that he had taken possession of it in the name of the king his mas ter. He made several excursions along the coast, skirmishing occasionally with the natives, but eventually acquired the confidence and respect of all. He visited several of the neighbouring islands ; VOL. II. H 86 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. and collected a large quantity of gold and pearls ; the sea here abounding in the species of oyster which produces these beautiful concretions. He also received from the Indians a further description of the great and wealthy empire in the south ; with assurances that its product of the precious metals had not been exaggerated. And being informed that the inhabitants employed a species of animal for transporting burthens, he mistook the lama for the camel, and thence inferred with greater confi dence that he was on the borders of Asia. XXVI. The limited means of Balboa forbade the invasion of this land of promise with a view to con quest. And it would seem that the idea of a peace ful commercial visit merely to any part of the new world, was never entertained by the Spaniards, after the first voyage of Columbus. They never set foot on any part of it, however populous, but with the resolution to subject it to the crown of Castile. And arrogant and unjust as this disposi tion certainly was, it was encouraged, and in some measure warranted, by their vast superiority of in tellect and power over the nations hitherto discov ered. Nunez determined, therefore, to return for the present to Santa Maria, with the fixed resolu tion to gather a competent force, and to attempt the reduction of this mighty Indian empire, in the following summer. Upon his departure, he was honoured with tears of regret, from the inhabitants of the shores of the great ocean a meed rare in the history of the first Spanish adventurers. For the purpose of obtaining a more extensive knowledge of the isthmus, he returned by a route different from, and more difficult than that, by which he came. The long-sought and much-de sired treasures his army had acquired, became an almost intolerable burden, which they were tempted to cast away in the slough of the valleys, or on the CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVEKIE3. 87 precipices of the mountains. Everywhere the na tives submitted to his will, and paid him large trib utes in gold, making him their common judge and general arbitrator. In this character he condemned to death a Cacique called Poncra, who was accused by his neighbours of having done them much in jury ; and after having in vain, by blandishments and cruelty, endeavoured to extort from him his hoarded treasures, he caused his sentence to be exe cuted by his dogs. He also seized, at the instance of his enemies, the chieftain Tubanama, the gov ernor of an extensive, country abounding in gold; and though his death was earnestly sought by vin dictive neighbours, the Cacique procured his libe ration by prayers and splendid presents. Nunez, when he reached Comagre, was so exhausted by fatigue, and reduced by fever, that he was unable to march on foot, and was carried in a litter upon the shoulders of the Indians. The old Cacique of this district being dead, was succeeded by that son who first informed Balboa of the existence of the South Sea, and Peruvian empire. The youthful chieftain received him with great joy, administered freely to his wants and those of his army, and pre sented him with the value of two thousand pesos, in gold. In the neighbouring district of Ponca, Nunez met some messengers from Darien, with tidings that two vessels had arrived from Hispan- iola, freighted with provisions. He immediately selected twenty light-armed men, leaving the re mainder to follow at leisure, and pushed on to Santa Maria, where he arrived on the ninth of January, 1514, after an absence of four months. He col lected, during this expedition, near half a million of dollars ; a larger sum than had been acquired by any adventurer in America ; all which, after de ducting the royal fifth, he divided among those who had accompanied him, and those who had remained 88 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cit. 2. at Darien ; giving to all the greatest contentment, not only by the dividend actually made, but also by the bright anticipations of the result of his con templated invasion of the rich countries on the South Sea.* XXVII. Shortly after his return,f Balboa dis patched Pedro de Arbolanca, an attached friend and companion of his labours, to Spain, with an ac count of his great discoveries, and his still greater hopes. But whilst he was thus honourably striving to merit the favour of the king, an inquiry was pro gressing before the council of the Indies into the means by which he had attained the direction of the colony. Enciso had found favour in the eyes of the bishop of Burgos, who, on this occasion, is, we think, unjustly charged with a fatal antipathy to every man of merit in the new world. The conduct of Balboa towards Nicuesa and Enciso, was irregular and inhuman, and the colony at Da rien, without an authorized head, required the delegation of power to some one possessing the royal confidence. Neither the representations of Zamudio, nor the presents brought by Cayzedo and Colmenares, who were the bearers of the tidings relating to the existence of the South Sea and Peru, as communicated by the son of Comagre, had power to change the just views which the coun cil took of these proceedings ; but his successful journey across the isthmus, subsequently commu nicated, mollified their indignation. XXVIII. By the discovery of the South Sea, Fer dinand beheld an immediate prospect of realizing his most ardent wish, of approaching the East In dies by the west, and partaking in that commerce which was greatly enriching the kingdom of Por tugal. Balboa required a thousand men to com- * Hen-era, Dec 1. lib x. t March, 1514 1 1 Rob, Am. 191, CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES* 80 mence his enterprize ; the king was willing to grant a much larger force, which he resolved to place under Don Pedrarias Davila, a man of distin guished family, with the commission of governor of Darien. Fifteen stout vessels were prepared to carry out twelve hundred soldiers ; but such was the ardour of the Spanish gentry to embark for a country where gold might be drawn, like fish, in nets from the ocean, that the number was increased to fifteen hundred, and would have been much greater, had not the popular ardour been restrained. With his usual attention to the propagation of the Christian faith, the king sent in the fleet, father John de Quevedo, a Franciscan friar, made bishop of Darien, with such other spiritual aids as he deem ed necessary. XXIX. In the mean time, Balboa was not idle. He sent expeditions to various parts of the country to collect gold, and subject the natives to the Span ish dominion. And that he might be the better prepared for his grand object, by a more thorough knowledge of the isthmus, he ordered Andres de Garabito, with eighty men, to make a second visit to the South Sea. Nunez himself, at the head of three hundred soldiers, ascended the river San Juan, which empties itself through seven mouths into the gulf of Darien. Within the distance of twelve leagues, he found many lagoons on both sides of the river, whose borders were covered with large canes and reeds. Further up, the stream spread into a lake, in the centre whereof was a large island, covered with palm-trees, on which the natives, in number exceeding four thousand, had constructed their habitations.* They assailed the Spaniards, on their approach, with bows, darts, and slings ; and in despite of their targets, mortally * See Note K. Appendix. 112 00 HISTORY OF AMERICA* fcft. 2, Wounded many of them. A discharge of fire-arms drove them back ; but observing their invaders to direct their course towards the inhabited trees, they returned, and with a courage and resolution which mocked at death, again attacked them, and drove them to their boats, wounding Balboa him self severely. XXX. Pedrarias reached Darien about the mid dle of July. Balboa was deeply chagrined at be ing thus superseded^ and his people not less vexed at beholding the fruits of their toil about to be di vided with others ; yet all readily submitted to the will of their sovereign, and received their governor with the respect due to his station. The conduct of Nunez was remarkable, differing from his de portment towards those who formerly claimed au thority over him, more particularly as he now com manded a force of four hundred and fifty veterans, drawn principally from the islands by the fame of his discoveries, with whom he was an overmatch for the undisciplined and unannealed company of Pe drarias. Inquiries were eagerly made relative to the pearl fisheries and gold mines, of which such splendid accounts had been received in Spain ; and many of the new adventurers as earnestly sought the favoured spots, where they might cast their nets for treasure. But joyous anticipation was suc ceeded by dismay, when they learned that the pearls must be brought from the bottom of the ocean, and the gold dug from the mines, with much labour and risk of life. Pursuant to instructions, Pedrarias instituted an inquiry into the administration of Bal boa, and especially into his treatment of Nicuesa and Enciso ; and imposed a fine upon him of several thousand dollars ; at once gratifying his own jeal ousy, and filling the bosom of the humbled captain with burning resentment. XXXI. The disproportion of the population to ClI. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 01 the supply of food, the great evil common to the settlement of new countries, awaited the colony of Santa Maria. The stock, barely competent for the settlers under Nunez, and the stores brought from Spain by Pedrarias, were soon exhausted. Unfor tunately, too, the late adventurers had arrived at the most sickly season of the year, and, unacclimat- ed, were exposed, during the rainy months, to the deleterious exhalations of a marshy and unculti vated country, sweltering in unchangeable and tropical heat. Famine and pestilence did their office. In less than a month, more than seven hun dred persons perished, in the utmost misery. The golden visions which had stimulated many of the principal cavaliers, faded away ; and some willing ly exchanged their bright hopes for permission to return. XXXII. That he might prevent the remainder from brooding over their misfortunes, Pedrarias sent parties into the interior of the country to es tablish stations on the route to the Southern ocean, and to plunder the natives. His nephew, of the same name, with four hundred men, entered the province of Zenu, situated thirty leagues eastward of Darien, and said to abound in gold. He spent here three months, but did not advance more than six leagues from the shore ; declining to visit the mines which a friendly chief proffered to show him, although they were distant three days journey only ; preferring to wrest by open violence from the na tives, whatever he desired. But the quantity of gold he obtained was inconsiderable, and he pur chased it dearly, by the loss of forty-five soldiers, who were slain by the Indians. His prisoners, how ever, five hundred in number, produced a large sum, when sold as slaves in the islands. This ex pedition proving unsatisfactory, Enciso was select ed to lead another party to Zenu, in confident ex- 93 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2 pectation that his experience would enable him to draw a great treasure from this province, which contained the sepulchres of many tribes, who were accustomed to bury with their dead, the ornaments which they wore whi-lst living* In becoming a sol dier, Enciso could not at once divest himself of the habits of the lawyer. His regard for forms, prompt ed him to republish the proclamation which had been furnished to Ojeda. The Caciques, to whom this manifesto was read and explained, readily ad mitted the existence of a God, the creator of heaven and earth ; but they could not comprehend that the pope could give, and the king take, the possessions of others ; and they threatened, should his majesty make the attempt, to elevate his head upon a pole, as they did the heads of their enemies. Enciso then very formally and gravely assured them, that it became his duty to slay, or reduce them to slavery ; and upon their reply, that they would treat him as they would his master, he had recourse to arms, from which he derived inconsiderable advan tages, the Indians defending themselves with skill and courage. Under the direction of the captain Bezarra, a new and shorter road was opened between the two seas. Juan Ayora, the governor s lieutenant, visited, with four hundred men, the districts of Comagre, Ponca, and Tubanama, and rewarded the kind hospitality of their chiefs, by enslaving the persons, plunder ing the property, and debauching the wives of their subjects; thus heedlessly casting away the advan tages Nunez had gained in the friendship of the natives. He commenced the erection of a town upon a river, which he called Santa Cruz. And having learned that Secativa, a chieftain who re sided some distance to the west, was one of the most wealthy princes of the country, he dispatched a party to his district, with orders to capture as CH.2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 93 many of his people, and to pillage as widely as pos sible. But the Cacique, informed of this move- ment, placed his women and children in safety, and awaited in ambush the approach of the invaders ; and suddenly springing upon them as they ad vanced, he wounded their leader, and the major part of his troops, and drove them back to their boats. Stung by this defeat, Ayora sought to grati fy his vengeance by falling on the country of Poco- rosa ; commanding his soldiers to lay it waste, and to capture the Cacique, that he might extort from him a large ransom in gold. One of his soldiers, who had accompanied Nunez across the isthmus, remonstrated against this conduct, as contrary to good faith and the covenant of peace ; and was re warded for this rare instance of virtue, by instant death. On his arrival at Darien, Ayora paid into the treasury the king s fifth of his rapine ; but con trived to secrete the remainder, which should have been divided with his band, and, by the conni vance of Pedrarias, to return to Spain with his ill-gotten wealth. His town of Santa Cruz was left exposed to the rage of Pocorosa, who, at the head of the neighbouring Caciques, attacked it in the night, and slew all its inhabitants save five, who escaped to Santa Maria.* XXXIII. To extenuate the unfortunate results of his administration, Pedrarias, in his letters to Spain, accused Nunez of having exaggerated his own services and the wealth of the country. Balboa refuted these misrepresentations, by contrasting the present wretched state of the colony with its late prosperous condition. Before the arrival of the governor, the colonists were cheerful, and com fortably clothed ; had more than two hundred cot tages, surrounded by extensive fields of grain ; and * Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. 1. A. D. 1515. 04 HISTORY OF AMERICA. fcfl. 2, were not only at peace with the Caciques of the neighbourhood, but were on such friendly terms with the Indians generally, that a lone Spaniard might pass safely from sea to sea. But since that event, a great number of the Castilians had perish ed, the survivors were sick and suffering, the cir cumjacent country was devastated, and the friendly relations with the Indians wholly destroyed. These circumstances were duly weighed at court; and though the king did not remove Pedrarias, he sought to give fuller scope to the genius of Nunez, by appointing him Adelantado, or lieutenant gov ernor of the countries on the South Sea ; at the same time commanding Pedrarias, not only to support him in all his operations, but to consult him on such measures as he might himself pursue. But the jealousy of the governor was too deeply rooted to permit him to regard the commands of his sove reign, and though, by the advice of his officers, he suffered Balboa to assume the title of his new rank, he denied him the power which belonged to it, and even required him to give security that he would not take upon him the government of the countries assigned him, without his special permission. Un der the conviction that the king would finally make a proper estimate of his services, Balboa had, with out the knowledge of Pedrarias, sought in the islands independent means for an expedition to the South Sea ; and his agent, Garibito, about this pe riod arrived at Nombre de Dios, with seventy men, for this purpose. His intention secretly to join this small army was discovered, and he was saved from imprisonment only by the interference of the bishop Quevedo, who earnestly persuaded the governor to employ him in the exploration of the coast so rich in pearls. XXXIV. Pedrarias rejected his request, but dis patched Casper de Morales and Ferdinand Pizarro, CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 95 with fifty men, to attempt this object. They left half their force by the way, under a captain Pena- losa, at the village of the Cacique Tutibra, and with the remainder, after several engagements with the Indians on the shores and islands of the west ern coast, they succeeded in obtaining an accurate knowledge of the country, and a large quantity of pearls. An island Cacique presented them with one hundred and ten marks weight (equal to fifty pounds) of pearls, among which were two of dis tinguished size and beauty one weighing twenty- seven carets, was similar in form to a small nut ; the other, weighing thirty carets, was pear-shaped, more oriental and perfect, and of beautiful colour and lustre. This gem was purchased by Pedrarias, whose wife presented it to the consort of the em peror Charles V. The savage donor received in ex change some beads, bells, and iron hatchets, the last of which, in reply to the sneers of the Span iards, he wisely declared far more valuable than the useless pearls. Taking the captain and other Spaniards to the top of a small wooden tower, from whence might be seen the surrounding sea " Be hold," he said, " this great sea, and all the islands which acknowledge my authority, are at your ser vice whilst you continue my friends. I have little gold, but many pearls, and I desire your friendship far more than pearls; to secure which, nothing shall be wanting on my part." Then turning to the southwest, he declared that the land before them, which was Peru, whose mountains were distinctly visible, abounded with gold and pearls. He readily consented to pay to the king of Castile an annual tribute of an hundred marks of pearls, esteeming that an inconsiderable quantity. He, and his whole household also, received the rite of baptism, and became adopted Christians, himself assuming the name of Pedrarias. 96 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 2. XXXV. At the request of the Spaniards, he ex hibited to them the manner of conducting the pearl fishery. His Indians availing themselves of a calm sea, anchored their canoes, with stones attached to cables of osier, upon the selected spot. The diver, with a bag around his neck to receive the oysters, descended sometimes to the depth of ten fathoms, the largest oysters being found in the deepest water. The fishery was laborious and dangerous, the oysters adhering to the rocks, or to each other, with great tenacity, and the diver being exposed to the danger of exhaustion, and to the attacks of the shark and the Marage, another voracious fish. XXXVI. During the absence of Morales, Pefia- loza had, by his oppressive conduct, roused the re sentment, and induced a confederacy, of the neigh bouring chiefs. Upon relanding, Morales dispatch ed a party of ten men to recall him, he being then traversing the country at some distance. The mes sengers were received at the village of the Cacique Chichama, one of the confederates, with much ap parent affection. But, in the dead of the night, the house in which they lodged was set on fire, and half their number perished in the flames. The flight of a chief called Chiruca, who, with his son, had professed great friendship for the Spaniards, and had accompanied them in their progress, gave rise to suspicion in the mind of Morales, that some sin ister design was entertained by the natives. The fugitive was pursued and overtaken, and being sub jected to torture, confessed his knowledge of the conspiracy, and became the agent for betraying his associates. He w r as compelled to invite all the con federates, eighteen in number, to a general meet ing, to commune with him on certain important preliminaries ; and when they were assembled, they were easily made prisoners by the Spaniards. Morales and Peiialosa were thus enabled to unite CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 97 their forces, and to attack the natives, deprived of their leaders. The Spaniards, according to their custom, made the assault in the night, shouting their war-cry of Saint Jago ! and at sunrise they counted seven hundred of their enemies who were slain. But this hecatomb of victims did not sati ate their vengeance ; that required the sacrifice of all the chiefs, the traitor Chiruca included. Having learned that a powerful and warlike Cacique dwelt on the eastern part of the gulf of San Michael, who was called Biru, and some times Biruquete, from whom Peru was supposed to take its name, Morales resolved to attack him. He assailed the village in the night; but the chief, escaping, inspirited his countrymen, and valiantly fought the invader during the greater part of the following day, and though finally re pulsed, the victors were glad to retrace their steps, and take up their march forDarien. But their route was beset by the followers of the slaughtered Ca ciques, who, though frequently defeated, hung upon their flanks, and greatly annoyed them ; and at length forced them to a secret and precipitate flight. The Indians hotly pursued, nor could they be turned from the chase by the cruel wiles of the Spaniards, who butchered their prisoners, and left their bodies in the path, that the pursuers might be delayed in mourning their murdered friends. At last, with out guides, and almost bereft of hope, the Cas- tilians reached Darien, having wandered for some time in a circle, now fighting with the fury of des peration, now struggling through almost impervi ous forests, or wading almost impassable fens. XXXVII. Another exploring party was sent to the South Sea under Tello de Guzman, who took up, in his way, a small garrison which had been left by Ayora in the territories of Tubanama, and which was besieged and reduced almost to famine VOL. II. I 98 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cH. 2. by that Cacique. The chief readily listened to proposals of peace, and promises of satisfaction for past injuries ; and received Guzman with the frank est hospitality. The Castilian returned this kind ness by putting him to death, on the complaint of a young Indian, who accused him of usurpation, and promised a rich donation, in case the govern ment of the district were restored to him. On his arrival at Panama, Guzman sent his lieutenant, Al- bitez, with eighty men, into the neighbouring prov ince of Chagre. Of the latter commander, it is recorded, that he entered an Indian town whilst its inhabitants were asleep, and did no injury. The Cacique, surprized and gratified that his village was not burned, and his people slaughtered, presented Albitez with the value of twelve thousand pesos in gold; who very modestly asked the donor to fill him a large sack of the same metal. The Indian, alarmed and indignant at his rapacity, bade him fill his sack with stone at the brook, for that he had no more gold, and was unable to make it. Upon Guz man s return to Darien, he was met at Tubanama by a large party of Indians, carrying as standards, linen shirts dyed in the blood of Spaniards whom they had killed. They fiercely attacked the troops, threatening them with the fate of the settlers at Santa Cruz ; but by maintaining a running fight, Guzman reached Darien with his people, much spent by fatigue, and suffering from wounds in flicted by the Indian arrows. In his hasty flight, he was deprived of the greater part of the gold he had gathered, being compelled to exchange it for water with the inhabitants of the territories through which he passed. XXXVIII. A party of seventy men, under Fran cis de Vallejo, sent to chastise the natives of Uraba for alleged injuries against those of Darien, fared worse than that under Guzman. At the attack of CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 09 an Indian town, the Spaniards separated in search of gold, and were thus exposed to the poisoned ar rows of the enemy, and finally compelled to retreat. As they entered the country, they were surrounded by warriors, who had suffered from the depredations of Odeja and Guerra, armed with weapons tinged with a poison so deadly, that the wounded died in raving madness. Villejo, finding it impossible to contend with this host of enemies, resolved to re turn to Darien. He attempted to descend the River of Nets on rafts, which, hastily and badly constructed, soon went to pieces. The exhausted Spaniards, followed by the Indians on the banks, struggled with the current, on the separated logs, or sought to preserve a few wretched moments of life by clinging to the trees which dropped their branches into the stream. The bolder and stronger made for the shore, in despite of the flights of poi soned arrows discharged upon them. Twelve only of the party returned to Darien, and of these few survived. XXXIX. A fate yet more unfortunate befell a detachment of one hundred and eighty men, under Francis Bezarra, designed to avenge the compan ions of Villejo, and afterwards to enter the prov ince of Zenu, which Enciso had previously visited with little profit. His march through Uraba was highly perilous. The Indians, taught by experi ence the great advantages which the Spaniards pos sessed when combating in the open fields, blocked their path by fallen trees, and poured their darts and arrows upon the perplexed army from the cover of the bushes, unseen. Instead, therefore, of in flicting vengeance, Bezarra had much difficulty to protect himself. On his arrival at the river Zenu, near a principal Indian town, the chiefs proposed a truce, and offered to transport his army in their ca noes across the stream. Bezarra, disregarding the 100 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. wise maxim which teaches us to distrust the gift of an enemy, rashly consented. The warriors fell upon his divided force, and destroyed his whole army. The story of its fate was borne to Pedrarias by an Indian boy, who waited on the commander. XL. The boldness and success of the Indians, gave great uneasiness to the governor, and so alarm ed the colonists that they beheld their enemies in the trees of the mountains, and the tall grass of the plains, and their canoes in the waves as they rolled into the bay. The discontents of the people exasperated by Nunez and his party, were vehe mently expressed. The foundery was shut up, and the refining of gold suspended; a measure hitherto adopted during siege or famine only. The inhabitants, intent on personal safety, disregarded the accumulation of wealth ; and making a public confession of their sins, they besought the pardon and protection of the Deity. As a measure of de fence, the governor resolved to distract the atten tion of the foe, by sending another party through their country to the South Sea. XLI. Gonzalo de Badajos, with one hundred and thirty men, set forth by the way of Nombre de Dios, the passage from that place being the shortest across the isthmus. The ruins of the fort, the human bones bleaching in the sun, and the monumental crosses which told the lamentable history of Nicu- esa s misfortunes on this spot, were deemed omin ous by the troops, and they protested against pro ceeding further in this direction. But Badajos promptly commanding the return of the vessel which brought them, left them no alternative but to march or perish on the coast. He extracted from every Cacique in his route large sums in gold ; but had nearly lost his lieutenant, Alonzo Perez de la Rua, by an artifice of a chief whom he had made prisoner. On the suggestion of the Indian, Rua, CH. 2i] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 101 with thirty men, was dispatched to surprize a Ca cique called Nata, who was represented as having few subjects, yet very rich in gold. A rapid night- march brought the Spaniards to his residence ; but they were astonished to behold with the rising sun a country studded with villages, and swarming with inhabitants. They did not hesitate an instant to make the attack, and fortunately immediately cap tured the Cacique, from whom they obtained a val uable treasure. His people, directed by his brother, prepared to liberate or avenge him ; but quietly submitted to the command of their prince, although the wives and children of many were prisoners. Badajos, who soon after arrived to the support of Rua, took up quarters here for the winter or rainy months, during which he made several excursions into the neighbouring country, and obtained a valuable plunder. The gold which he amassed dur ing his expedition, was valued at near a half mil lion of dollars of our present money. XLII. A Cacique, whom the Spaniards named Paris, at their approach, fled with his people to the mountains, and refused to return, though threat ened by Badajos with pursuit and death. To pro pitiate him, however, the chief sent a present of four patecas, or boxes, made of palm-leaves, lined with deer skins, and filled with plates of gold, the ornaments of his women, valued at fifty thousand pesos. Surprized at the richness of this donation, Badajos supposed the donor must possess still greater treasures, which he treacherously prepared to seize, whilst his messengers bore back the strongest assurances of friendship and gratitude. For this purpose he feigned to retire, and thereby drew the Cacique back to his village, which he at tacked two nights after. The Cacique escaped, but his women, and gold to the value of forty thousand pesos, fell into the hands of the Spaniards. The 12 102 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [CH, 2. indignant Paris, roused to vengeance, succeeded in dividing the Spanish force, by a stratagem address ed to their avarice, and boldly attacking them, slew seventy of their number, and wounded the greater part of the remainder. He also captured their bag gage, including the immense treasures so iniqui- tously gathered, and liberated more than four hun dred slaves. Badajos retreated along the shore of the South Sea, displaying military abilities which would have dignified a more virtuous enterprize. The Cacique Nata harassed his march. The chief of a province called Chame, met him on his own frontier, and prohibited his passage ; but supplied him with food on his taking another route. Yet amid the most imminent dangers, the Spanish com mander found means to visit several islands on the coast, to seize their chiefs, and extort their trea sures, and finally to return to Darien. But he lost in this expedition three-fourths of his men, and his lieutenant Rua, who fell in one of his last engage ments. XLIII. In the mean time, Pedrarias doubting the truth of the reported fate of Bezarra, resolved personally to seek him, but dared not openly pro claim his purpose, as none of the colonists would engage in any expedition to Uraba or Zenu, on ac count of the dread they entertained of the poisoned weapons of the natives of these districts. Under pretence of making war upon Pocorosa, and other neighbouring chieftains, he organized a force of more than three hundred men, whom he embarked on board several vessels. He sailed, during the day, westward, but changed his course at night, and before day landed two hundred men, under the command of Bartolome Hurtado, at Caribana. In a grave and severe tone, he commanded them to obey their officers without inquiring whither they were to go, or what they were to do. An Indian CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 103 village was immediately beset and fired, and many of the inhabitants were slaughtered, or made pris oners, as they rushed from the flames. Others, however, made head with their much-dreaded poisoned weapons, and compelled the Spaniards to retire to their ships. From his prisoners, Pedrarias received the confirmation of the destruction of Bezarra and his party. This principal object of his journey accomplished, he again directed his course towards lower Terra Firma, and landed at the port of Acla, with all his army. The licen tiate Espinosa, his chief alcade, marched with some of the troops against Pocorosa, whilst Pedrarias em ployed the remainder in erecting a fortification of earth and wood. Having encouraged his troops by his example in labouring at the work, he returned after a few days to Darien, leaving the captain, Gabriel de Rojas, in command at the fort. XLIV. Espinosa, who was engaged in the dis trict of Pocorosa and Comagre, when Badajos passed through to Darien, prepared immediately to recover the wealth which the latter had lost ; and he required from Pedrarias proper assistance for this object ; who sent him one hundred and thirty men, under Valenzuela, although Badajos claimed this enterprize as his right. On his way, Valen zuela touched at the island of Bastimientos, where he made some prisoners, and thence proceeding to Terra Firma, he staved his vessels, by the orders of the governor, that his soldiers might not think of returning, save as victors. Espinosa, desirous to show that the talents of the soldier were not in compatible with the learning of the jurist, had al ready set forward. Chiefly by the fear his horses inspired, which were now seen here for the first time, he easily overcame and dispersed an army of three thousand Indians, who had united in the provinces of Comagre and Pocorosa. After the bat- 104 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 2. tie, he formally tried his prisoners, and punished them according to the offences he chose to lay to their charge ; hanging some, and cutting off the hands and noses of others. In his progress, the Cacique of Chiru was captured, his neighbour of Nata submitted without struggle, but Paris fought with resolution, and though beaten, refused to sue for peace.* In the mean time, Valenzuela followed in quest of Espinosa, without any certain indication of his route ; but after much suffering from hunger and fatigue, discovered him by the discharge of fire arms. The united Spanish force was deemed by its leaders sufficient to subjugate the whole of Terra Firma. The treasure captured from Badajos had been given in charge to a Cacique called Quema, to whom Albitez was sent, with sixty men, to re cover it. But, being unable to extract any inform ation from its keepers, he brought them to Espino sa, who, as Herrera says, " being crafty in fair words," soon learned where it was hidden, and re covered about eighty thousand castellanos. The remainder was said to be secreted in the country of the Cacique Chicacotia, whither Espinosa march ed his army, resolving to spend the winter season there, the place abounding with provisions. A temporary church was erected, in which the priests said mass, and laboured for the conversion of the Indians. Some women and children submitted to baptism, but the men were hardened in their infi delity. XLV. The neighbouring Indians resolving on a vigorous effort to rid themselves of their oppres sors, collected a force of twenty thousand men. But they were unable to resist the weapons and skill of the Spaniards, strengthened by a consider- * Herrera, Dec. 11. lib. 2. CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 105 able body of the natives, who, properly commanded, proved valuable auxiliaries. After defeating and routing this great army, Espinosa sent the captains, Ponce and Hurtado, to make further discoveries on the South Sea, whilst he extended his inquiries over the adjacent countries. The former visited several islands, and a greater part of the coast to wards the east, and obtained many Indian prison ers, much gold, and other booty. The march of Espinosa, on his return to Darien, was scarce less difficult and dangerous than his outward progress. The natives administered to his wants, during the immediate presence of his army, but as soon as he passed from any district, they resumed their arms and hostile attitude. At length, he regained Santa Maria del Darien, having been relieved on his way by Christopher Sorrano, who was engaged in re ducing the province of Comagre, again in rebellion; and by Balboa, then at Acla, labouring to advance his enterprize on the Southern ocean. The booty in gold and slaves acquired by Espinosa, was very great. The latter exceeded two thousand in num^ ber. The division of the spoil enriched all who ac companied him, and fostered the vices which usual ly grow from the violent and sudden acquisition of wealth. Gaming was most rife ; the meanest player never risked less than two crowns, and Pedrarias, at one throw, played away an hundred slaves.* XLVI. The jealousy and hatred of Pedrarias to* wards Balboa, at length yielded to the good offices of the bishop Quevedo ; and to cement their union more strongly, the governor consented to give his daughter, then in Spain, in marriage to Nunez. The fruit of this reconciliation, was the immediate resumption of the design of the latter upon the South Sea; and as auxiliary thereto, the erection * Jlerrera, Dec. 11. lib. 2. 106 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cH. 2. of a town at Acla. And here, with the prudence which eminently distinguished him, he compelled each of his men to sow a piece of land, of which he set the first example. He followed Espinosa to Darien, rightly supposing that his disbanded troops, accustomed to the license of Indian warfare and the excitements of plunder, would not long remain content amid the dull scenes of peace. Pedrarias, who seemed disposed sincerely to aid his purpose, assisted him in raising two hundred men, and sup plied him with all things necessary for their equip ment. Balboa had appointed Albitez his lieuten ant at Acla, who, partaking of that spirit which, in these extraordinary scenes, prompted every ambi tious man to strike out a path for himself, departed for Hispaniola, to obtain permission and assistance to establish a colony at Nombre de Dios, that he might thence prosecute adventures on the western coast of the Isthmus. His projects were coldly re ceived at St. Domingo ; and being referred to Pe drarias, he returned to Darien with sixty recruits, pretending that he had visited Hispaniola solely to procure reinforcements and provisions for the colo nies on Terra Firma. XLVII. Returning to Acla, Nunez prepared the timber and rigging for two brigantines, and estab lished a depot of provisions on the mountains. The wrought timber, and other necessaries, were car ried across the isthmus by Indian and negro slaves ; but, in this extraordinary labour, which destroyed many of the natives, the Spaniards also partici pated. Before his squadron could be got afloat, Nunez experienced delays and disappointments, which sorely tried his patience. The frames of the vessels, obtained with so much labour, were ren dered worthless by the worms ; new ones, which were cut on the river Las Balsas, were carried away by the flood j and all other evils were much CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 107 aggravated by the scarcity of food. Yet, in des pite of these discouraging circumstances, he suc ceeded in launching two small vessels upon the Southern ocean ; in which he immediately trans ported a part of his army to the largest of the pearl islands, and whilst the vessels returned for the re mainder, he employed himself in collecting provi sions, that he might thereby straiten the inhabit ants, and maintain his own forces. XLVIII. At this period, Nunez was stimulated in his enterprize by a letter from the archbishop of Seville, the friend and patron of Columbus, assur ing him, that if he followed the coast to the west, he would encounter a race covered with mail, and armed with spears; but if he went eastward, he would find a wealthy country, abounding in cattle. Choosing the latter, he embarked with one hundred men on a short voyage of exploration, and touching at Port Pinas, five-and-twenty leagues east of cape St. Michael, he landed, to chastise the Cacique Chicama for the slaughter of the Spaniards under Morales. On his return to the island, he prepared timber for two other vessels ; and soon after, by a party sent to Acla for their equipments, he received tidings that Pedrarias was about to be superseded by Lope de Sosa, a gentleman of Cordova. This news much disturbed him, exciting apprehensions that, with the governor, he would also be removed, and that his labours would grace the fortunes of another. In private conversation with his friends, he deplored this probable result, and declared his resolution to prosecute his design at all hazards. This declaration, imperfectly overheard, was repre sented to Pedrarias as an open annunciation of re bellion, and gave increased vigour to his hatred and jealousy, which had been rekindled, by the meritorious services of Balboa. Actuated by these malevolent passions, he did not scruple to defeat 108 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 2. an enterprize of the greatest moment to his coun try. He recalled Balboa to Darien, when, with four vessels and three hundred men, he was about to commence his search for the rich countries of the South. Balboa having no suspicion of the evil in tentions of the governor, immediately obeyed ; and though he was apprized, before he reached Acla, of the disposition of Pedrarias, he did not hesitate, in the confidence of his innocence, to put himself into his power. But this was no longer a matter of choice, since Pizarro, who had been sent forward to arrest him, soon after fell in with him, and per formed that duty. On his arrival at Darien, he was thrown into prison; and Hurtado was dispatched to take the command of the armament on the Pacific. Nunez was hastily put on trial before the chief al- cade, Espinosa, on the charges of disloyalty to the king, and sedition against the governor ; and was sentenced to death at the express command of the latter. The judge who pronounced the sentence, together with the whole colony, vainly interceded for the pardon of the prisoner, and the Spaniards beheld with astonishment and sorrow, the public execution of a man confessedly more capable than any who had been in command in America, of forming and accomplishing great designs. In youth he had lived somewhat freely, but his mature years redeemed his early errors. His oppressor and mur derer was not only screened from punishment, but was continued in power, by the influence of the bishop of Burgos, and other courtiers. Some extenuation of the crime of the governor may be found in the false representations of Garri- bito, the confidential but traitorous lieutenant of Balboa. This man had, before the last departure of Nunez from Acla, written privately to Pedrarias, that the former had no intention to consummate his marriage with the daughter of the latter, being de- CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 109 voted to his Indian princess, the descendant of Ca- reta; and that he used the friendship of the gov ernor merely for the promotion of his own interests, and intended to assume absolute independence, as soon as his vessels were ready for sea. The impres sion made on the mind of Pedrarias was deepened by the enemies of Nunez at Darien, and particular ly by the deportment of Garribito, who had been sent to Acla to ascertain the truth of the report re lative to the change of governor. Finding that the intended successor of Pedrarias had died in the very harbour, he made such indiscreet declarations relative to the intentions of Balboa, as occasioned his own arrest, and the transit of his person and papers to Darien. Upon his examination, he re vealed not only what he knew with respect to those intentions, but also, all that he conjectured. These communications alarmed the friends of Nunez at Darien, particularly Hernando de Arguello, who had embarked in his enterprize a great portion of his fortune. He therefore wrote to Nunez, urging him to put to sea immediately, and to rely on the protection of the Jeronimite fathers at St. Domingo, who regarded his enterprize as promotive of the glory of God, as well as the dominion of the king. This letter fell into the hands of Pedrarias, and confirmed his belief in the existence of a plot against his authority, and involved the writer in the fate of his friend. With them perished on the scaf fold, as fellow-conspirators, Valderrabano, Botello, and Hernan Mufios, officers of Balboa. XLIX. The expedition which Nunez had plan ned, was suspended by his death ; but was shortly after resumed by Giles Gonzales, who was author ized by the king to appropriate to his use the ves sels which the former had built. But Pedrarias re fusing to surrender them, Gonzales constructed others, from timber which he also caused to be VOL. II. K HO HISTORY OF A3IE1UCA. [oil. 2. carried across the isthmus from Acla, with the sac rifice of one hundred and twenty, out of two hun dred men under his command. His ships were scarce ready for sea, before they were destroyed by the worms. Yet, with that patience and resolution which eminently distinguished the Spaniards in their American enterprizes, he applied himself to repair this disaster; and with some Indians and Spaniards, whom Pedrarias reluctantly supplied, by the express command of the king, he recommenced his labours at the pearl islands. L. Soon after the death of Nunez, Pedrarias pro ceeded to the South Sea, leaving Espinosa captain- general of the colony at Darien. He founded the city of Panama ; and about the same time, Albitez built another town at Nombre de Dios. These ports were for many years the depots of the trade between the North and the South Seas. Both were very unhealthy, and proved the graves of many thousand Spaniards. By permission of the king, the government of the colony was removed from Santa Maria to Panama, whose commodious situa tion contributed greatly to facilitate the subsequent conquests upon the Pacific ocean. LI. Lope de Sosa, who was appointed to succeed Pedrarias, arrived with his chief alcade, the licen tiate, Alarconcillo, at Darien, at the close of the year 1518. But he died at the entrance of the port. Pedrarias, therefore, continued in the exer cise of the government, for which he received a new commission, when the death of Sosa was known in Spain. LII. We have already mentioned, that a portion of the colonists of Darien were driven to the island of Cuba, in consequence of the famine and pesti lence which prevailed at that port, soon after the arrival of Pedrarias.* To these adventurers, in * 1515. CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. HI number about a hundred, and of the better class of Spaniards, Velasquez proposed a voyage of discovery to Veragua or Florida. Frances Hernandez Cor dova, a wealthy inhabitant of Cuba, proffered to lead the enterprize, for which he embarked one hundred and ten soldiers, on board two ships and a brigantine, fitted out at his private expense. He was accompanied by Alonzo Goncalez, a priest from Havana, and Antonio Alaminos, a pilot who had served under the first admiral, and also under Leon, at the discovery of Florida. The expedition left Havana on the 8th of February, 1517, and by the advice of Alaminos, pursued a westerly course, which, Columbus had always taught, would lead to the greatest discoveries. After sailing twenty-one days, they observed a cape, which they called Ca- toche, from an expression of the natives, signify ing an invitation to their dwellings ; and they af terwards gave to the country the name of Yucatan, from a corruption of certain Indian words, a name which it continues to bear. As they approached the shore, the Spaniards des cried a large town, from which five canoes came off, filled with people, clad in cotton jackets without sleeves, and cotton robes, which covered their lower limbs. The Castilians were alike surprized and rejoiced at this discovery ; for, hitherto, the nakedness of the inhabitants of the lands they had visited, at once betrayed the absence of civiliza tion. Above thirty of the Indians unhesitatingly came on board the squadron, and displayed their very natural admiration of what they beheld ; and Cordova strove, by kind treatment and small pres ents, to gain their good-will. At their departure, they invited the Spaniards, by signs, to land ; and on the next morning sent twelve canoes to bring them on shore. The Spaniards, armed in their customary manner, but without suspicion of treach- 112 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [dl. 2. ery, complied with their request. They were im mediately surrounded by a crowd of the people ; and a Cacique, with apparent kindness, invited them to his dwelling, which, to their increased as tonishment, was built of stone and mortar. On their way, in a thick wood, at a signal from their guide, they were assailed by a multitude of war riors, adorned with paint and feathers, covered with quilted cotton mail, and armed with wooden swords edged with flint, spears, and slings. With a hideous shout, responding to the noise of their musical in struments, they poured on the Spaniards a shower of stones and arrows, by which fifteen were wound ed, and immediately advanced to a close encounter, fighting with great resolution. But the keen edge of the Spanish sword, the force of their cross-bows, and the astounding explosion of their fire-arms, put them to flight. During the combat, the priest Gon- $alez found his way into a stone temple, where he discovered many hideous idols and obscene images of men and women, made of clay ; and he possessed himself of some boxes filled with similar objects, of a smaller size, intermingled with ornaments of gold. Cordova returned to his ships with two pris oners, more pleased than irritated, at the conduct of the natives, in whose art and warlike disposition he saw the advance of civilization.* LIII. Following the coast westward for fifteen days, Cordova arrived at a large town, situated on a bay, called by the natives Campeachy, and which he supposed to be the mouth of a river. He landed in search of water, which he obtained from a well used by the natives. More hospitably received than at Catoche, he visited the town and several temples, in which he discovered idols of monstrous shapes, and recent stains of blood; and, to his great * Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. 2. CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 113 astonishment, wooden crosses covered with paint. From one of the temples issued a train of priests, clad in long white mantles, their hair gathered in knots around the head, and earthen vessels in their hands, in which they burned a species of gum be fore the Spaniards. This ceremony does not ap pear to have been a mark of respect, but rather a superstitious rite performed for their own protec tion ; since they bade the Spaniards depart instant ly, under the penalty of death, and demonstrated, at the same time, an intention to resort to arms. Cordova, unwilling to engage in a useless contest, with an enemy whom experience had taught him was to be dreaded, instantly departed. He landed again, a few days afterwards, at the town of Poton- chan, where he found water in wells near the tem ples, as at Campeachy. A party of Indians de manded whether he came from the countries where the sun rises? and being answered in the affirma tive, immediately withdrew. Cordova spent the night on shore, but he was disturbed by warlike noises from the Indian quarters, arid in the morn ing beheld himself surrounded by a host of ene mies. A cloud of missiles poured from every side, inflicted innumerable wounds on his soldiers; and he received himself twelve arrows in his body. After fighting some time with their usual skill and bravery, the Spaniards cut their way to the boats, but were followed even into the sea by the enemy, who slew forty-seven outright, captured two alive, and wounded many ; of whom five died soon after they reached the ships. Discouraged by this severe loss, Cprdova resolved to burn one of his ships, which he could no longer man, and return to Cuba. He touched at Florida, where he lost one of his crew, who was captured by the natives ; several others died of their wounds before they reached K2 114 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. the Havana, and he himself expired, ten days after his arrival. LIV. This expedition, notwithstanding its unfor tunate events, produced great excitement in Cuba. A comparatively civilized people, clothed in seemly garments, well armed, brave ; having an established religion, massive temples, and trains of priests ; and possessing skill in working metals, had been dis covered at a short distance from that island. Gold too had been seen among them, and the prisoners reported that it abounded in their soil. The splen did visions which occupied the adventurers in the second voyage of Columbus, descended on the busy spirits of Cuba. Valasquez, who earnestly desired an opportunity to recommend himself to the king, and to make his government independent of the admiral, gladly engaged in measures for the fur ther exploration of Yucatan. He fitted out four ships, on board of which two hundred and forty volunteers, some of whom possessing rank and for tune, embarked, under the command of Juan de Grijalva, who was instructed to observe the coun try, to trade for gold with the natives, and in case circumstances permitted, to establish a colony there. LV. He sailed from St. Jago de Cuba on the 8th of April, 1518. Alaminos, again chief pilot, pur sued his former course, but the ships falling off, in consequence of the currents, he made the island of Cozumel, on the eastern coast of Yucatan. The inhabitants fled at sight of the vessels ; but two old men were taken in a field of maize, and dis missed with presents, and a message to their Ca cique. They never returned. But whilst the Span iards awaited them, a young and agreeable woman approached, and addressed them in the language of Jamaica. She had been one of a party from that island, who. two years before, whilst fishing at sea, CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 115 had been overtaken by a storm, and driven to Cozu- mel ; where the men, ten in number, including her husband, had been sacrificed to idols. By her agency, Grijalva again attempted to communicate with the natives, but unable to allay their fears, he departed, taking her on board at her earnest soli citation. He observed here many hives of good honey, batates, (potatoes) and swine similar to those of the islands. Temples of stone, surrounded with walled inclosures, were numerous, and con structed with considerable art. In one of the in closures was a cross made of lime, three yards high, to which the aborigines addressed their pray ers for rain. Other crosses of like material, but painted, were common. LVI. We may not doubt the existence of these structures similar to the Christian cross ; but we are not required to credit the conjectures or legends of the Spanish historians in relation to them. Go- mara says, it was supposed that Christians had taken refuge here when Spain was subjected by the Moors. Herrera, however, assures us that the cause of the Indian veneration for this symbol was well known ; and relates, that in 1527 Montejo, then engaged in the conquest of Yucatan, was informed that a few years before the first arrival of the Span iards in that country, a distinguished priest and prophet, called Chilam Cambal, predicted the speedy coming from the east of a race of white men, with beards, who would raise the sign of the cross, be fore which their native gods would flee ; and that the strangers would subdue the country, but would cherish such of its inhabitants as should submit to their power, and abandoning the idols, should adore one only God, whom the conquerors worshipped: that he caused a large cotton cloth to be woven, and sacredly preserved as a sample of the tribute that would be exacted ; and erected in the court 116 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. "2. of one of the temples a stone cross, which he pro nounced the true tree of the world, to be regarded by the people with religious veneration. Hence the inhabitants so earnestly inquired of Cordova whether he came from the place where the sun rises ; and when on the entrance of Montejo into Yucatan, they beheld his adoration of the cross, they con cluded that the predictions of their prophet were true. This story is so well adapted to promote Spanish interests, and the prophecy has so much the air of succeeding the event, that our scepti cism on the subject may be readily excused. LVII. From Cozumel, to which he gave the name of Santa Cruz, Grijalva passed to Potonchan, on the opposite coast of the Peninsula, surprized and delighted to observe many large and beautiful edifices of masonry with elevated points, which seemed white in the distance, and had the appear ance of towers and pinnacles. From a fancied re semblance between this country and Castile, the Spaniards called it New Spain ; which name, until the late revolution, distinguished the great empire of Mexico, to which Yucatan was adjacent. Gri jalva effected a landing at Potonchan, with all his troops, under cover of his falconets, but not with out a severe contest with the natives, whom the successful encounter with Cordova had rendered confident. The commander, and many of the sol diers, were wounded, though protected after the In dian manner by jackets of quilted cotton. On reaching the town, he found it deserted, and being unable to communicate with the natives, he re turned on board the ships. Sailing round the pe ninsula, he next landed at the river Tobasco, which his people named Grijalva. The natives met him on the shore, in battle array ; but they assumed a more pacific deportment, when assured by the pris oners, who had been captured by Cordova, that the CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 117 Spaniards meditated no injury. To the demands of the interpreters, that they should supply the squadron with provision, and should submit them selves to the king of Spain, the Indian leaders replied, that they would willingly furnish their vis itors with food ; but that having already a sovereign, to whom they owed allegiance, they could not con ceive why just men should seek to impose another upon them. They added, that these demands should be reported to a council of the province, then in session ; and intimated that they had an ample force to resist invasion or punish depreda tion. Thus warned, Grijalva retired to his vessel, and soon after thirty Indians appeared, loaded with roasted fish, fowls, fruits, and bread, together with some ornamental presents, consisting of a mask of wood, and several articles beautifully wrought in feathers, for which they received some European cutlery and toys. The next morning the Cacique of Tobasco, with his attendants unarmed, repaired to the squadron, and examined with curious attention the many novel objects around him. He presented Grijalva with a complete suit of armour, made of light boards pla ted with gold ; and many ornaments of the same metal, and others interwoven with feathers, and in laid with precious stones, after the manner of Mo saic : the whole valued at three thousand pesos. In return for this rich donation, Grijalva clothed the chief with a shirt of fine linen, a suit of crim son velvet, and a pair of red shoes, and gave him a variety of toys, and useful articles of Spanish work manship. LVIII. From Tobasco, the Spanish commander followed the coast to the northwest. At the mouth of a river, which he called Banderas, (or the flags) a number of people invited him to land, waving long flags of white cloth attached to the points of 118 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [( II. 2. their spears. They received him with much re spect, burnt incense of gum copal before him, pre sented him with bread, fruit, arid fowls, and readily bartered wrought gold for European wares. This show of courtesy, the Spaniards afterwards learned, was by the express order of Montezuma, the sove reign of Mexico, in whose dominions they had now arrived, and to whom his officers had sent informa tion, by means of pictures painted on cotton cloth, of the proceedings of Cordova, and of the arrival of Grijalva on the coast. Understanding the chief object of these visitors to be the exchange of their commodities for gold, he commanded his subjects to trade with them, and to ascertain what other purposes they had in view. Numerous prophecies had foretold the overthrow of the empire of this prince, by a race of warriors from the east, and he therefore very naturally entertained a lively and anxious curiosity in regard to these extraordinary strangers. LIX. At some small islands west of the river Banderas, the Spaniards beheld the bloody evidence that the religion of the country was stained by hu man sacrifices. In one of the temples, the altars and walls were polluted with recent blood, and the bodies of five victims, cruelly mangled, were strew ed on the pavement. In another, four priests, clad in long black mantles, were engaged in offering to their idols two boys, from whose bosoms they were cutting the yet palpitating hearts. One of these islands Grijalva called the Isle of Sacrifices, and another St. Juan de Ulloa. Thence he dispatched Peter Alvarado to Cuba, with the gold and various articles he had collected, and a full account of his discoveries. LX. He pursued his voyage to the province of Panuco, along a coast chequered with towns and flourishing plantations, pleasing testimonials of a CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 119 numerous, skilful, and industrious population. He landed at several places, and performed the cere monies usual with the Spaniards on taking posses sion of a country, demonstrating his confidence in the title of his sovereign to the soil of the new world, even when possessed by a state refined in policy, and advanced in civilization. Some of his officers considered, that in the present case, these ceremonies were useless forms, unless a colony were planted in some proper station, which might be the germ of the future power of Spain in this rich and extensive empire. Grijalva also inclined to this opinion. But the counsel of others more cautious, if not more prudent, prevailed. The squadron had been long at sea, its stores were nearly exhausted, the number of effective men was reduced by death or sickness, the rainy season was approaching, and the natives were not only numer ous, but politic and warlike. In addition to these reasons, it is alleged that Grijalva had been pri vately but positively directed by Valasquez not to leave a colony behind him. If this were true, the governor s conduct was most disingenuous. The report of Alvarado gave him the most sanguine hopes with respect to Mexico ; and that officer hav ing recommended the establishment of a colony, represented the refusal of Grijalva as pusillanimous. We may remark, that the wisest caution which checked the zeal of enterprize, was subject to mis construction in this age, when the spirit of adven ture scorned the perils of battle, and the more dis couraging labour of exploration, with its attendant sufferings of pestilence and famine. When Gri jalva returned to Cuba, he had the mortification to find an expedition preparing for the conquest of Mexico, under another commander ; and to receive instead of the thanks he merited, the angry re proaches of his superior. Valasquez, transported 120 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. by this success, immediately after the arrival of Alvarado, dispatched a confidential messenger to Spain, with the productions of the country he had discovered, to solicit an enlargement of power adapted to his future projects. LXI. The communication by the western ocean with the East Indies, and the islands whence the Portuguese drew their valuable spices, which Fer dinand ardently desired, but was destined never to know, was opened to his fortunate successor. Al though possessing the most lively zeal for maritime enterprize, the kings of Portugal refused some of the happiest opportunities of obtaining its highest honours and richest rewards. Their rejection of the services of Columbus had given to Spain the new world ; and their ingratitude to another distin guished navigator, opened for that kingdom the way to the southern ocean around the continent of America. Hernandez de Magallenes, or Magellan, as the English writers ca-11 him, a noble subject of Portugal, who had accompanied Alfonso de Albu querque to the East Indies, and had subsequently served against the Moors, being denied an adequate reward by Emmanual, formally renounced his al legiance to the house of Braganza, and sought employment in Spain.* He proffered to demon strate to the ministers of Charles, that the Molucca, and other spice islands, were within the limits as signed to Spain by the papal bull, and to discover a passage thither by some strait through the west ern continent. This proposition was favourably received by Fonseca, and through his influence was adopted by the emperor, who bestowed on the pro poser high marks of consideration ; and notwith standing the remonstrances of the Portuguese am bassadors, and their private efforts to regain Ma- * A. D. 1517. CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 121 gellan, entered into capitulations for the perform ance of the enterprize.* To this agreement, Ruy Falero, a Portuguese astronomer and astrologer, who had also retired from the court of Lisbon in disgust, was a party, but in consequence of a dis pute with Magellan for precedence, and an ill state of health, he did not embark with him. By these articles it was stipulated, that no other person, without the permission of Magellan, should, for the space of ten years, be permitted to visit the coun tries he might discover: That he should receive the twentieth of the net profits drawn from them ; and if the islands discovered should be more than six in number, he should have the fifteenth part of the profits of two of them: That the government of such countries, with the title of Adelantado, should be vested in himself and his heirs, born in Spain : That he and they might send by the king s ships one thousand ducats in merchandize annually, and bring back the produce, paying the royal duties : That he should receive one-fifth of all the ships brought home in the present voyage ; and that the emperor should furnish five ships, two of one hun dred and thirty, two of ninety, and one of sixty tons, with two hundred arid thirty-four people paid and victualled for two years. LXII. This squadron left San Lucar on the 21st September, 1519, and touched at TenerifTe, whence it departed on the 3d of October following. After a long and troublesome passage, amid calms and storms, it arrived, on the 13th December, on the Rio Janeiro. The natives immediately came off in their canoes with fowls, parrots, and other birds, maize and fruits. They exchanged for a. face card seven or eight fowls, and offered a slave for a hatchet, but Magellan forbade any addition of this * A. D. 1519. VOL. II. L 122 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 2. kind to the number of his people, not only that he might avoid offence to the Portuguese, but that he might husband his provisions. He resumed his voyage on the 27th December ; and on the 3d Jan uary, 1520, entered the Rio de Solis, so named after the unfortunate commander who perished here, but which Magellan called La Plata, the name by which it is now known. The natives generally avoided intercourse with the whites ; one only vis ited the ships, who, being shown a cup of silver, intimated by signs that that metal abounded in the country. LXIII. On the 6th February, in 40 S. L. Ma gellan discovered the gulf of Saint Matthew; where, not finding anchorage, he proceeded to another bay, called by his seamen Las Patos, from the abun dance of geese found there ; and on Easter Sunday made the river St. Julien in 49| S. L. where he resolved to spend the winter of the southern hemi sphere. This determination was not received by his people, already weary of the voyage, and des perate of its issue, without murmurs ; and though with qualities which commanded respect and en gaged affection, he was able to appease the impa tience of the sailors, his officers proved refractory. The captains of two of the vessels, and several officers of a third, openly resisted his authority. On sending a boat to the ship St. Antonio to obtain some men, the boatmen were warned off by the watch, and informed that the captain and pilot had been confined, the master hanged, and that Gasper de Queseda was in command. Upon these tidings, Magellan ordered the boat to return to that, and the other ships, and to inquire for whom they were. Queseda replied, for the king and himself; Luis de Mendoza, of the Victoria, and Juan de Carta gena, who had already once been imprisoned for disobedience, gave a like answer. Juan Rodrigo CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 123 Serrano, of the San Jago, declared himself for the king and captain Magellan. Prompt and temera rious courage was perhaps the only proper remedy on this occasion ; and the captain-general immedi ately preparing his ship, the Capitana, for battle, directed a boat with thirty chosen men, and five in the skiff, to the ship of Mendoza, with orders that the men in the skiff should board him, with a let ter, and whilst he was engaged in the perusal, should stab him with their daggers. This was punc tually executed, and the boat s crew entering im mediately, the Victoria submitted, the major part of her people being friendly to Magellan. The Antonio was also easily conquered ; her crew, re fusing to second the efforts of Queseda, fled be low, to avoid the fire of the Capitana. The Con ception submitted without contest. The punish ment of the mutinous officers was severe, but mer ited. The body of Mendoza was ignominiously quartered. Queseda was hung and dismembered by his own servant, who bought his life by becom ing the executioner of his master. Cartagena was abandoned on this desert coast, and a French cler gyman, who subsequently endeavoured to excite revolt, was condemned to share his fate. The in ferior mutineers were pardoned. LXIV. The cold in the bay of St. Julien was so severe, that several of the seamen lost their hands by the frost. The ground was covered with snow, and during the first two months no indication was seen of any inhabitants. At the end of that time, soven natives came on board the squadron, who ,vere remarkable for their great bulk and height, the smallest being greater than the largest man in Spain. Nor was their appetite less extraordinary than their size ; for being supplied with food, the seven ate a quantity usually allotted to twenty men. 124 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. They were clad in mantles of skins, and armed with bows and arrows pointed with flints. LXV. When the winter was drawing to a close, Serrano was dispatched with one of the vessels to explore the coast. At twenty leagues south of St. Julien, he entered a river which he called Santa Cruz, where he employed himself for several days in fishing and getting seals. His vessel was driven on shore in a violent gale ; and immediately went to pieces. The crew were saved, but were not able to rescue any thing from the wreck. They rejoined the squadron by a difficult and laborious journey over land, suffering severely from cold and hunger. Having remained in the bay of St. Julien from the commencement of April to the 24th of August, Magellan proceeded to Santa Cruz, where he re mained until the close of October. Thence he held a southward course, amid continual storms, to the Cape de las Virgines, on the north coast of a deep indenture, through which a passage to the other sea appeared so probable, that he resolved to ex amine it. Two vessels were sent, singly, with or ders to explore the inlet for five days. One re ported that it was composed of shallow bays, sur rounded by high banks ; but the other, that it was certainly a strait, since she had sailed three days without discovering an issue ; and the current in creasing in rapidity, and stronger than the tides, must discharge itself through some opening of the land. Magellan concluded this to be the passage he sought, but prudently resolved to inspect it more closely before he ventured into it with his whole fleet. The St. Antonio performed this ser vice, and finding no outlet after a voyage of fifty leagues, his opinion was confirmed ; and he called a council of his officers to determine whether they should pass the strait. By their report the squad ron had three months provisions ; and the general CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 125 opinion was in favour of continuing the voyage. But the pilot of the Antonio dissented, represent ing that any delay by calms or storms, would con sume their short stock of provisions, and expose the fleet to inevitable destruction, and that having succeeded in finding the strait, it would be most prudent to return to Spain, and obtain another squadron for passing it. But Magellan declaring that he would eat the hides of his rigging sooner than abandon the enterprize, and forfeit the pledge he had given the emperor, issued immediate orders for prosecuting the voyage. Before quitting the en trance of the strait, he sent a party on shore to view the country, who discovered at a short dis tance a house, in which were more than two hun dred sepulchres, where the Indians, visiting the sea-shore in the summer season, were accustomed to bury their dead. On the strand, the party saw the dead body of a large whale, and many bones of the same animal, whence Magellan inferred that the place was subject to great tempests. The shore was rugged and cold, and from the fires kindled by the natives at night, he named the country Terra del Fuego. LXVI. On proceeding further, he discovered an other branch of the sea, which he directed the St. Antonio to explore, and to return in three days. With the other vessels he continued his course for one day, and then cast anchor to await her report. After the lapse of six days, she not appearing, he dispatched the Victoria in quest of her ; and after a further delay of three days, he, with the remainder of the squadron, joined the latter vessel in the search, in which he fruitlessly spent six more days. A loss of time which he deeply regretted, on account of his limited stock of provisions. Re suming his voyage to the westward, after twenty days, o *he 27th November, 1520, he entered the L2 128 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cfl. 2. Great South Sea, giving thanks to God that he had been the first to discover the western passage to India, which had been so long and ardently sought. LXVII. The St. Antonio endeavoured to rejoin the squadron, and had anchored at a port to which Magellan had given the name of Sadinas, on ac count of the many fish of that kind he had caught there. Having fired guns, and made other signals without effect, the captain, Mesquita, would have made further quest for the general, but was pre vented by the pilot Gomez, a Portuguese, and the recorder Guerra, whom Magellan had made treasu rer. They seized, stabbed, and imprisoned the captain, under pretence that he had been a chief counsellor of the punishment inflicted on the re bellious officers. Commanded by Guerra, the ship returned by the coast of Guinea to Spain, and ar rived at St. Lucar at the close of the month of March, 1521. Having by torture compelled Mes quita to support what they chose to relate, the mu tineers endeavoured to defend themselves by accu sing Magellan of great cruelty, which, they said, was induced by representations made to him of de lay and mismanagement in the progress of the voy age. They delivered their prisoner to the public authorities, who, upon examination of all the crew, deemed it expedient to commit him and the muti neers to the custody of the law, until more full in formation could be obtained ; and to inform the council and governors of the Indies of the fate of Mendoza, Quesada, and Cartagena. For the rescue of the latter, immediate orders were given. LXVIII. The strait, which bears the name of its discoverer, is a hundred leagues from mouth to mouth, bordered by high and rugged shores, and which in many places are not more than a cannon- shot distant from each other. Upon entering the southern ocean, Magellan followed the coast of the CH.2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 127 continent to the northward, exposed to violent tempests, until the 18th of December, when he reached 32| of southern latitude. As he approach ed the warm climates the wind became large, and as he had it aft, he directed his course N.W. and W.N.W. till he reached the line. He followed this course for more than thirty days, during- which his crews suffered so severely from the want of provi sions and water, that many became sick, and twen ty of them perished. At the end of that time, he discovered two small uninhabited islands, which he called Las Desventuradas, or the Unfortunate Islands, because he found here neither inhabitants nor refreshment.* LXIX. Chagrined, but not discouraged, he pur sued his way through the immense ocean for eight hundred leagues, until the 20th of January, when, in south lat. 15 48 , he fell in with two beautiful islands, inhabited by a rude people, who worship ped idols, and who navigated in canoes, furnished with latine sails of the palm-tree, the eight leagues which separated the one island from the other. These small islands yielded but a scanty supply of provisions for his people, now reduced to the last state of destitution, and who had for weeks sub sisted on an allowance of food barely sufficient to sustain life, and were also suffering under the scurvy, the most baleful disease to which seamen are subjected. His communication with" the in habitants, too, was interrupted by deeds of violence to which their ferocity and cupidity gave rise. So powerful with them was this latter passion, that though many of their countrymen were slain by the artillery of the ships, the survivors still sought to traffic with the strangers. From these islands, called by the Spaniards Las Velas Latinas, the * Herrera, Dec. 2. lib. 9. ch. 15. 128 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cH. 2 squadron proceeded by the same course three hun dred leagues, to a large group of islets, whence, piloted by a petty prince of the country, it reached Zebu, one of the chief of the Philippine Islands, abounding with inhabitants, and stocked with rich fruits and other products of the Tropics. Having contracted a firm peace with one of the kings of Zebu, by the singular ceremony of drinking each other s blood, Magellan obtained a speedy and full supply of provisions, by which his people were immediately restored to health. LXX. This island was divided among several chiefs or kings, one of whom embraced the Chris tian faith, and declared himself the vassal of the crown of Castile. He being at war with his neigh bours, Magellan, desirous at once of displaying his power and acquiring additional subjects for the em peror, required the other princes also to acknow ledge his supremacy. Two of. them immediately complied ; but others treating his commands with contempt, he made a nocturnal excursion into their territories, whence he retired with considerable plunder. But in a subsequent attempt, contrary to the advice of his officers, to subjugate the sove reign of the adjacent island of Mata, this adventur ous and able navigator fell a victim to his injustice, being overpowered and slain in combat. Upon his death, Duarte Barbosa was elected general, who, with rash confidence, ventured on shore with a small party of seamen to receive from the Christian king a tributary present to the emperor, and was slaughtered by the united forces of all the chiefs of Zebu, the Christian king having been compelled by the others to join for his destruction. The loss of men which the squadron had sustained, now rendering it impossible to navigate the three ves sels in safety, they retired to a neighbouring island, CH. 2.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 129 where one was destroyed, and the remainder put under the command of Juan Carvallo. LXXI. Under the direction of this officer, the Spaniards visited several islands in the great In dian archipelago; amongst others, that of Borneo; and at length, on the 8th November, 1521, they made the island of Tidore, one of the Moluccas, to the surprize of the Portuguese, who could not com prehend how they had gained this seat of their most valuable commerce by a western route. Here, and in the adjacent isles, the Spaniards found a people acquainted with the benefits of trade, and willing to open an intercourse with a new nation. Laden with a rich cargo of spices, and the distinguished productions of the other islands she had visited, the Victory, which was, of the two ships, best fitted for a long voyage, set sail for Europe, under the command of Juan Sebastian del Cano, in January, 1522. He followed the course of the Portuguese, by the Cape of Good Hope, and, after many disas ters and sufferings, arrived at San Lucar on the seventh of September, having circumnavigated the globe in three years and twenty-eight days. Thus the Spanish nation acquired, in addition to the honour of discovering the western hemisphere, that of first determining, by experiment, the form and extent of the planet which we inhabit. LXXII. It does not fall within our design, to trace particularly the history of the Spanish efforts consequent on the discoveries of Magellan ; but we may be indulged in narrating the result of their endeavours to appropriate to themselves the trade of the spice islands, which they had so ardently desired, since it affords a striking example of the mutability of human purposes. The scientific men of Spain contended, that the Moluccas, and seve ral other of the richest countries of the East, fell to the Spanish crown under the partition of Alex- 130 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 2. ander VI. Her merchants eagerly engaged in the lu crative and alluring commerce now opened to them. The Portuguese resisted these encroachments, by remonstrance and negotiation in Europe, and in Asia by the force of arms. The emperor, absorbed by his many schemes and operations, and unable to extend proper protection to his subjects, was at length induced, by the low state of his finances, to assign his claim to the Moluccas to the Portuguese for three hundred and fifty thousand ducats. He reserved, however, to the crown of Castile, the right of reviving its pretensions on repayment of that sum. But this money was never repaid, and Spain was finally excluded from a branch of com merce, in which she had engaged with sanguine expectations of profit.* * 2 Robertson s America, 57. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 131 CHAPTER III. I. View of the West Indies. Improper generaliza tion of authors in describing America. . . .II. Geo graphical notice of the West Indies. . . .III. Of the Gulf, or Florida stream. . . .IV. Transparency of the sea. . . .V. Fresh-water springs in the sea. . . . .VI. Mountains of the West Indies. . . .VII. Ge ology of the islands imperfectly known. . . .VIII. Climate and seasons. . . .IX. Land and sea breezes. . . . .X. Hurricanes. . . .XI. Of the inhabitants. Two distinct races. . . .XII. Of the Charaibe race. 1. Origin. 2. Character Cannibalism. 3. Per sons and ornaments. 4. Education. 5. Initia tion of their chiefs. 6. Initiation of a monarch of the Guiana Charibs. 7. Initiation of a Boyez or priest. 8. Government. 9. Marriage. 10. Peculiar customs. 11. Dwellings. 12. Arts. 13. Food. 14. Burials. 15. Religion. 16. lan guage. . . .XIII. Of the Arrowauks. 1. Origin. 2. Their persons and constitution. 3. Exercises. 4. Intellectual acquirements. 5. Government. 6. Funeral ceremonies. 7. Areytos, or national songs. 8. Religion. 9. Domestic arts. 10. Extirpation of the Arrowauks. . . .XIV. Of the quadrupeds of the West Indies. 1. The Agouti. 2. The Pe- cary. 3. The Armadillo. 4. The Oppossum. 5. The Raccoon. 6. The Musk Rat. 7. The Alco. 8. The Guana XV. Of the Mountain Crab XVI. Of Serpents XVII. Lizzards XVIII. Insects. 1. Scorpions. 2. Snails. 3. Fire-jlics. 4. Phalanges. 5. Spiders. 6. Flying tiger. XIX. Birds. 1. Frigates. 2. Flamingo. 3. Ducks, Geese, fyc. 4. Turkeys, $c. 5. Parrots Anas and Canidcs. 6. Ortolan, or Rice Bird. 7. Humming Birds. 8. Indian mode of taking 132 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 3. water-foicl XX. Fish. I. The Remoraits use in pursuit of other fish. 2. Manati. 3. Green Turtle. . . .XXI. Vegetable productions useful in the arts. I. The Cedar. 2. The Acajou, or Ma hogany tree. 3. The Acomas. 4. The Rose wood. 5. The Indian-wood. 6. The Lignum Vita. 7. The Iron-wood. 8. The Brazil-wood. 9. TheRoucou. 10. The Cotton-plant and Cot ton-tree. 11. The Soap-trees. 12. Indian Fig- tree. 13. Coral-wood Candle-wood. 14. The Gourd-tree. . . .XXII. Vegetables producing food, 4c. 1. Anana, or Pine Apple. 2. The Goyava. 3. The Papaw. 4. The Avocado Pear. 5. The Momin-tree. 6. The Junipa. 7. The Raisin- tree. 8. The fruit-bearing Acajou or Cashew Nut. Q.Thelcaco. 10. The Hog-plum. 11. The Palm-tree the Prickly -palm the Franc- palm^ or Mountain-cabbage the Latanier-palm the Cocoa-nut tree. 12. The Cacao or Choco late. 13. The Cassia-tree. 14. The Plantain Banana. 15. The Prickly Pear. 16. Indian Pepper. 17. Varieties of Pulse, <fyc. IS. Maize. 19. Manioc. 20. Yam. 21. Potato. I. HAVING now traced the course of the Spanish discoveries, until the vast continents of North and South America, and the great chain of the West India Islands were made known to Europe, we may pause and take a view of the New World more particular than could be conveniently given in the foregoing narrative. In the performance of a similar labour, other writers have compressed into one view the whole western hemisphere, notwithstanding it comprizes every variety of climate, great diversity of animal and vegetable life, and almost every modification of physical and moral circumstances which serve to form the human character. It is scarce possible, CII. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 133 in such a course, to avoid confusion, obscurity, and error ; though it be pursued with a mind unpreju diced, and honestly disposed to seek for truth. But if an author have a preconceived system to main tain, his facts will be discoloured or perverted ; and the reader is in danger of carrying with him, throughout the work, the false conceptions of the writer. Thus, some European writers on Ameri can history, having assumed the hypothesis that the New World, especially in its animal productions, is inferior to the old, have, in order to support it, violated truth and justice, in many essential particu lars relative to the character of the aboriginal in habitants, and the description of the lower orders of animal nature. We shall have occasion, here after, to adduce many instances in support of this accusation. Avoiding the course which we have thus con demned, we shall divide the great picture of Ame rica into several scenes, and consider them as they depend upon distinctive physical and moral princi ples, upon the variety of climate, and degrees of civilization. In conformity with this plan, we now confine ourselves to a general view of the West In dia islands only having, in relation to them, all the information which is attainable ; and having narrated the history of their inhabitants, from the time of their discovery until the work of their ex tinction had made frightful progress. These islands, then, may be considered in reference to their cli mate, their geological construction, and their ani mal and vegetable productions. II. The group of islands, in form of an arch, between the two continents of America, extend from the gulf of Florida to that of Venezuela. They were at first called Antilles, and have been vaguely denominated the West Indies, in conse quence of the error of Columbus. Modern geogra- VOL. IJ. M 134 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. phers, from respect to his memory, have denomi nated them the Columbian Archipelago. The term Great Antilles is still applied to Cuba, Jamaica, St. Domingo, and Porto Rico, whilst the groups to the south of these are sometimes called the Less Antilles. The English, the French, and the Span iards, have affixed different meanings to the terms Windward and Leeward Islands ; the acceptation of this nautical phrase depending on the position of the navigator, and the tract which he proposes to follow. III. That part of the ocean between these islands, South America and the coasts of Mosquitos, Costa Rica, and Darien, is called the Caribean Sea, and is remarkable for several phenomena, among which, the currents traversing it merit our particu lar attention. The gentle motion of the Atlantic between the tropics, first noted by Columbus, is steady and uniform, at the rate of nine or ten miles every twenty-four hours, and is generally known as the equinoctial current. Between the Canary Islands and the mouth of the Orinoco, the ocean through which it flows is so calm and free from storms, that the Spaniards have given it the name of the Ladies Sea. The new continent forms a barrier to the further westward progress of the current, which, changing its direction, at Veragua, to the northward, bends into all the windings of the coasts of Mosquitos, Costa Rica, and Honduras, and enters the Gulf of Mexico through the strait formed by Cape Catoche and Saint Antonio. Thence it follows the sinuosi ties of the Mexican shores, from Vera Cruz to the Rio del Norte, and the mouths of the Mississippi, and thence to the southern point of Florida. At length, having made the circuit of the compass, the current turns again to the north, and rushes into the ocean through the Bahama channel, with CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 135 great impetuosity, having 1 , under the parallel of Cape Cannaveral, the velocity of a torrent, running about five miles the hour. It is now known as the Gulf or Florida stream. From this point its swift ness diminishes as its width increases. Between the parallels of Charleston and Cape Henlopen, it is from forty to fifty leagues wide, and runs from three to five miles the hour. In the latitude of New- York, the temperature of the stream is equal to that of the sea at Porto Rico and the Cape de Verd Islands. In the meridian of Halifax, it ex pands to eighty maritime leagues in width, and changes its course to the east, touching with its margin the extremity of the banks of Newfound land, called, by Volney, the bar of this enormous maritime river. Thence it flows to the Azores, and, at Corvo and Flores, has a width of one hun dred and sixty leagues. It divides itself here into two branches, one of which is impelled, at certain seasons of the year, towards Norway and Iceland ; and the other seeks the strait of Gibraltar and the Madeira and Canary Islands, and continuing a south- eastwardly course, pours itself upon the coast of Africa, between Cape Cantin and Cape Bojador ; having thus made the full circuit of the Atlantic ocean. This course of the stream accounts for the trunks of tropical trees, the dead bodies of Indians, and other matters from the New World, which have been discovered on the Azore and Canary Islands. This stream is recognized by the navigator by the beautiful blue of its waters, and its tempera ture ; being, throughout, hotter than its watery banks. It carries from the Gulf of Mexico the heat of tropical waters, which gradually diminishes as it proceeds towards the north. On the banks of Newfoundland, it is about two or three degrees of Reaumer warmer than the waters near the shore. JV, Another remarkable phenomenon of the Ca- 136 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cH. 3. ribean Sea, is its transparency, which is so great, that the fish and coral may be discerned at sixty fathoms below the surface. The ship seems to float in air ; and the spectator is often seized with vertigo, whilst he beholds, through the crystal fluid, submarine groves, and beautiful shells, glit tering among tufts of fucus and sea-weed. V. Fresh- water springs issue from the sea, on both sides of the channel, between Yucatan and Cuba. The latter rise from the bay of Xagua, about three marine miles from the western coast of Cuba. They rush with so much violence out of the deep, that it is dangerous for small vessels to approach them ; boats have been dashed to pieces by the force of the surge. Ships on the coast sail thither sometimes for a supply of fresh water, which the seamen draw from the bottom of the ocean. The freshness of the water, too, as may easily be supposed, depends on the depth from which it is drawn. Humboldt remarks, that some of the fish in these springs have never been found in salt water.* VI. There are mountains on all the islands of this archipelago. The highest are situated on the west of St. Domingo, the east of Cuba, and the north of Jamaica ; or on that part of the group where these numerous islands approach nearest to each other. From a general survey, the direction of these mountains seems to be from northwest to southeast ; but after examining minutely the best maps of each island, it is not difficult to discover in most of them a centre, from which the rivers descend ; and that the different mountains unite in a nucleus. The volcanoes that have been observed at Guada- loupe, and some other islands, emanate from these central points, which are most commonly composed * Tableaux de la Nature, torn. 11. p. 235, CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 137 of granite in the Less, and of calcareous rocks in the Greater Antilles. VII. The geology of the West Indies is as yet imper fectly known. It has been ascertained, that the most extensive plains, on the smaller islands, are situated towards the eastern coast ;* but this re mark is not applicable to the Great Antilles and the Virgin Isles. The great number resemble each other only in their steep rocks, and in the abrupt transitions from the mountains to the plains, which are so remarkable in St. Domingo, that the French settlers have made use of a new wordf to denote these craggy heights. Coral, or Madrepore rocks, are very common off the different coasts, and it may perhaps be discov ered, that this substance has contributed as much to the formation of the Indian archipelago, as to any of the islands in the great ocean. Cuba and the Bahamas are surrounded by labyrinths of low rocks, several of which are covered with palm-trees, which tend to confirm the supposition, as they have the same appearance as some of the coral islands in the eastern ocean. ^ VIII. Most of the West India islands, being situ ated beneath the tropic of Cancer, have the same circumstances of climate, as well in regard to heat as to periodical rains, and consequent variation of seasons. The temperature of the air may vary with the elevation of land, but, with this exception, the medium degree of heat is much the same in all. A tropical year comprehends but two distinct seasons; the wet and the dry. But as the rains constitute two great periods, it may be described like the European year, under four great divisions.^ * Leblond, Voyage aux Antilles. t Morne. J Malte Brun Geog. For a considerable part of the following description of the West Indies, I am indebted to the history of Mr. Bryan Edwards. M 2 138 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cil. 3 The spring may be said to commence with the month of May, when the foliage of the trees be comes more vivid, and the parched Savannahs begin to change their russet hue, even previous to the first periodical rains, which are now daily expected, and generally set in about the middle of the month. Compared with the autumnal rains, these are mere showers. They come from the south, and common ly fall every day about noon, and break up with thunder storms ; creating a bright and beautiful verdure, and a rapid and luxuriant vegetation. The thermometer, at this season, varies considerably ; usually falling six or eight degrees immediately after the diurnal rains ; its medium height may be stated at seventy-five degrees of Fahrenheit. After these rains have continued about fourteen days, the weather becomes dry, settled, and salu tary ; and the tropical summer reigns in full glory. Not a cloud is to be perceived, and the sky blazes with irresistible fierceness. For some hours, com monly between seven and ten in the morning, the heat is scarce supportable ; but no sooner is the influence of the sea-breeze or trade-wind felt, which, at this season, blows from the southeast with great force and regularity until late in the evening, than all nature revives, and the tempera ture in the shade becomes not only tolerable, but pleasant. The thermometer now varies but little during the whole twenty-four hours , its medium near the coast is about eighty degrees, being sel dom observed at noon to rise higher than eighty- five, or to sink lower than seventy-five, at sunrise. The nights at this period are transcendantly beau tiful. The clearness and brilliancy of the heavens, the serenity of the air, and the soft tranquillity in which all nature reposes, contribute to harmonize the mind, and produce the most calm and delight ful sensations. The moon too displays far greater CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 139 radiance than in more northern climes : the small- est print is legible by her light and her absence is well supplied by the brightness of the milky- way, and the glorious planet Venus. The latter seems a diminutive moon, shining with such reful gent ray as to cast a shade from intervening ob jects, and making full amends for the short stay and abrupt departure of the twilight. In the moun tainous and interior parts of the larger islands, in numerable fire-flies of different species abound at night. Some of which emit a light resembling a spark of fire, from a globular prominence near either eye, and others from their sides in the act of respiration. They are far more luminous than the glow-worm, and fill the air on all sides, like so many living stars, to the surprize and admiration of the stranger. This delightful state of the weather continues with little variation, from the commencement of June until the middle of August, when the diur nal breeze begins to intermit, arid the atmosphere becomes sultry, incommodious, and suffocating. During the latter end of this month, and the greater part of September, coolness and comfort are sought in vain. The thermometer occasionally exceeds ninety degrees, and in place of a steady and re freshing breeze, light airs and calms alternate. These are precursors of the second periodical or autumnal rains. Large towering clouds, fleecy, and of a reddish hue, are now seen in the morning, in the south and southwest, whilst the tops of the mountains are free of clouds, and the objects upon them wear a blueish cast, and seem nearer than usual to the spectator. When these accumulated vapours have arisen high in the atmosphere, they move horizontally towards the mountains, proclaim ing their progress in deep and rolling thunder, which reverberated from peak to peak, and answered 140 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [ell. by the distant roaring of the sea, heightens the majesty of the scene, and irresistibly lifts the mind of the observer to the great Author of all sublimity. The waters, however, with which the atmosphere is loaded, seldom fall with great and general force, until the beginning of October. Then the heavens pour down cataracts. A stranger can form no con ception of the quantity of rain which deluges the earth at this season. By an exact account kept in Jamaica, there appears to have fallen in one year, and that not a remarkable one, sixty-seven inches. Generally, towards the end of November, but some times not till the middle of December, a change in the temperature of the air is perceivable. The coasts to the northward are beaten by a rough and heavy sea, roaring with incessant noise. The wind varies from the northeast to north, sometimes driv ing before it, across the highest mountains, not only heavy rains, but hail ; till at length the north wind having acquired sufficient force, the atmosphere is cleared , and then follows a succession of serene and pleasant weather ; the northeast and northerly winds spreading coolness and delight throughout the whole of this burning region. If the interval between the first of December and the end of April be called winter, it is certainly the finest winter on the globe. To valetudinarians, and persons ad vanced in life, it is the climate of paradise. The foregoing is to be received as a general de scription only, subject to many variations and ex ceptions. In the larger islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica, whose lofty mountains are clothed with forests, as old perhaps as the deluge, the rains are much more frequent and violent than in the small islands to windward ; some of which are without mountains, and others without wood, both powerful agents on the atmosphere. In the inte rior and elevated districts of the greater islands, CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 141 there are showers in every month in the year ; and on the northern coasts considerable rains are ex pected in December and January, soon after the setting in of the northern winds. IX. We have already observed that the fierce influence of the sun is tempered by the sea and land breezes, which alternate day and night. The latter, however, is peculiar to the larger and moun tainous islands, and proceeds from the great ine quality of their surface ; for as soon as the sea- breeze dies away, the hot air of the plains being rare fied, ascends towards the top of the mountains, and is there condensed by the cold, and becoming spe cifically heavier than it was before, it descends to the plains on both sides the ridge. Hence a night wind is felt in all the mountainous countries under the torrid zone, blowing on all sides from the land towards the shore ; so that on a north shore, the wind shall come from the south, and on the south shore, from the north. Agreeably to this hypothe sis, it is observable, that in the islands to wind ward, where there are no mountains, there is no land-breeze ; and even in Jamaica, in the months of June and July, the sea-breeze blows as well by night as by day ; the land at that time being heated to such a degree, that the cold air of the mountains is not sufficiently dense to check the current which flows from the sea. The atmospheric air, obedient to the laws of at traction, follows the sun, between the tropics, in an invariable course from east to west.* Proceeding across the ancient continent, the wind arrives at the Atlantic ocean, heated by the sultry plains of Asia, and the burning sands of the African deserts, and pours upon the western coast of Africa the unmiti gated ardour of the torrid zone. But in traversing * Reflection* sur la pause general flea rente. D Alembcrt. 142 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [oil. 3. the sea, it is cooled before it reaches the American shores, and is there felt as a refreshing gale, mode rating the fervour of the sun, and dispelling the languor which his untempered rays produce.* X. From the middle of July to the end of Octo ber, the West Indies, and particularly the Antilles, are exposed to hurricanes. But these dreadful vis itants are not always annual ; intervals of several years sometimes occur between them. Still they are sufficiently frequent to be objects of just ap prehension to the inhabitants, and those who visit them for commercial purposes. After a long continuance of dry weather, and usually after a close day, during which the air has been perfectly calm, and so clear, that the tops of the highest mountains may be distinctly seen al ways between sunset and sunrise the wind rises suddenly, with frightful force, which rapidly in creases. The rain soon follows in torrents ; and the lightning illumines the canopy from the zenith to the horizon, with almost unbroken glare, whilst the thunder bursts in astounding peals from every quarter. The sea, which for some days has rolled upon the coast with a high and sullen swell, emit ting a strong and disagreeable odour, now lashed into irresistible fury, roars in tremendous concert ; and the waves alternately menace the sky, or plunge into the bottomless abyss. The Genius of desola tion roams unmanacled, and all nature bends before him. The lofty palm, the firm-rooted Acajou, and the wide-spread fig-tree, are torn from the soil, or riven by the red bolt of heaven ; and the humble shrub and creeping lienne are beaten down, and blended with the mire. Every human fabric dreads his presence. The slight and lowly cabin disap pears at his approach, with little injury, perhaps, to * Robertson s Am. 237. 1 Edw. West Ind, CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 143 its terrified tenant ; whilst the stronger edifice, which by any crevice admits his entrance, is toppled on the heads of the occupants, and frequently wrap- ped in dreadful conflagration. Still the fury of the wind increases sometimes shifting from quarter to quarter ; at others, blowing with equal violence from every point of the com pass, until the deep and ponderous earth awakens to the strife, and rocking to the blast, adds new and indescribable horrors to the scene. Then the fee ble protection of walls and roofs is abandoned, and the affrighted inmates rush to the most naked spot of the adjacent fields, as the place of the greatest safety. A desperate refuge ! The mountains have poured down their cataracts the rivers have over leaped or broken their banks, and universal inun dation covers the plains. After five or six hours, each of which seems an age, the fury of the ele ments abates, a comparative calm, though yet a storm, succeeds, which permits the proprietor to raise his head to survey his manifold losses his fields and gardens submerged and devastated his habitation prostrate, and every object he lately de lighted to view, involved in mingled ruin. In a few hours more, the thick veil is withdrawn from the heavens the sun shines with a new and soft ened splendour, the air is balmy and invigorating but the effects of the tempest remain, which re quire years of industry to efface. The immediate cause of these dreadful scourges is not fully understood, or at least is not universally acknowledged. Electricity is supposed to be a powerful agent in their creation. But the motion of the earth, and variation of temperature in the atmosphere, the source of other winds, seem suffi cient for the production of these. Nature, we must presume, does nothing in vain, and though we are unable to trace any immediate beneficial results 144 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3, from the irregular and terrific visits of the hurri cane, we cannot doubt that they are indispensable and beneficial in the economy of Providence. XI. We have seen that the West India Islands were divided between two races of inhabitants, strikingly distinguished, both in their physical and moral character. The one, fierce and warlike, re markable for courage and cruelty, fortitude, and enterprize, occupied the windward islands, and were known and dreaded under the name of Caribs, or Charaibes, which, in their language, was synony mous with war and violence. The other, which dwelt in Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, Porto Rico, Baha ma, and adjacent islands, as remarkable for their mild and pacific disposition and comparative culti vation, were called Arrowauks. The great differ ence in the language and character of these two people, is conclusive as to the difference of their origin ; but, whence each race was derived, is a question of difficult solution.* XII. 1. Historians have generally concurred in supposing, that the insular Caribs were origi nally a nation of Florida; and that having been thence expelled by their enemies, they seized on the windward islands, exterminated the ancient male inhabitants, and appropriated the women to themselves : that the larger islands, which they also assailed, were preserved from a similar fate by their great extent and population ; but that the constant attacks of the restless Carib produced and perpetu ated the inveterate enmity which the races bore to each other.f But there is sufficient cause to doubt the correctness of this derivation, since no trace of the progress of the Caribs from the northern continent has been found in the islands, near the * Roohefort. Hist, of the Caribbee Islands, lib. 2. ch. 11. t Ibid. P. Labat s nouveau Voyages aux lies de I Amerique, torn. 4. ch. 15. Edward s West Ind. vol. 1. en. 3.] SPAMSH DISCOVERIES. 145 Florida shore ; the natives of the Bahamas, when discovered by Columbus, being evidently a similar people to those of Hispaniola. Besides, it is suf ficiently known, that there existed, anciently^ powerful tribes of Caribs on the southern penin sula, extending from the Oronoko to Essequebo, and throughout the whole province of Surinam, even to Brazil ; some of which still maintain their independence. With one of these tribes Sir Wal ter Raleigh formed an alliance, during his roman tic expedition to the coast of Guiana, in 1595 ; and by him we are assured, that the Caribs of that country spoke the language of Dominica.*| To this we must add, that the traditions of the insular Caribs constantly refer to Guiana as the place of their origin, and to a tribe called, by Dr. Robert son and other writers, Galibis, an obvious corrup tion of Caribis, as their parent stock. J Another opinion relative to the origin of the Carib race, has been promulgated by authority so respectable, that we feel bound to notice it. "I conceive," says Mr. Edwards, " the Charaibes to have been a distinct race, widely differing from all the nations of the new hemisphere ; and I am even inclined to adopt the opinion of Hornius, and other writers, who ascribe to them an oriental an cestry, from across the Atlantic." In support of this hypothesis, the author relies upon the dissimi larity of the Caribs to the other American races, their physical correspondence, and the identity of portions of their language, and many of their cus- * Hackluyt. Rochefort, ib. 1 Robertson s Am. n. 94. Du Ter- tre, vol. 2. p. 360. Lafitau, vol. 1. p. 297. t Boturini conjectures that the Olmecas, an anrient tribe of Mex ico, when driven from their country by the Tlascalans, sought refuse in the Caribbee Islands and in South America. 1 Clavig. Mex. lib. 2. I Rochefort, lib. 2. ch. 7. $ De Origimbus American-is. lib. 2. ch. 6. VOL. II. N 146 HISTORY OF AMERICA. fcH. 3, lorns, with those of Asiatic nations. Confiding in the well established historical fact, that the naviga tion of the Atlantic ocean along the coast of Afri ca, even at a considerable distance from the land, was well understood, and prevailed in very remote ages, he deems that, from the nature of the winds and currents on that coast, and the casualties to which ships at sea are liable, even in the most fa vourable season of the year, ** that it not only prob ably happened, but even that it was scarce possi ble not to happen, that vessels would be driven by sudden gusts, or carried by adverse currents, with in the verge of the trade-winds ; in which case, if they chanced to lose their masts, they must neces sarily run before the wind towards Brazil or the West Indies."* To this opinion the arguments and assertions of Dr. Robertson are directly opposed. That eminent writer contends as for " a certain principle, that America was not peopled by any nation of the an cient continent which had made considerable pro gress in civilization," since " even the most culti vated nations of America were strangers to many of those simple inventions, which were almost co eval with society in other parts of the world, and were known in the earliest period of civil life with which we have any acquaintance." And " al though," he continues, " the elegant and refined arts may decline or perish, amidst the violent shocks of those revolutions and disasters to which nations are exposed, the necessary arts of life, when once they have been introduced among any people, are never lost."j~ Against these arguments Mr. Ed wards, prudently perhaps, has not combated ; but he has fully overthrown the inference of the Ame rican historian, that the western world could not * 1 Edvv. West Ijul. 30. 111. t 1 Robert. Am. lib. 4. CIl. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 147 have received inhabitants from the ancient conti nent, by ships accidentally driven from their course. " Such events," says the latter, " are barely possi ble, and may have happened. That they ever did happen we have no evidence, either from the clear testimony of history, or from the obscure intima tions of tradition."* That such events might have happened in remote ages, cannot now be questioned, since we have the most satisfactory evidence that they have happened in modern times. We are told by Peter Martyr, that, at a place called Quarequa, in the gulf of Da- rien, BaSco Nunez met with a colony of negroes, which, from the smallness of its numbers, was sup posed not to have been long on the coast. Doubt less some accidental cause had conducted them thither from Africa, and in open canoes, of no bet ter construction than those of the American In dians."]"^: An instance, still more recent, is related by Captain Glass, in his history of the Canary Islands, of a small bark bound from Lancerota to Teneriffe, which was forced from her course, and obliged to run before the wind until she came with in two days sail of Caracas : where she fortunately met with an English cruizer, which relieved her distress, and directed her to the port of Laguira. Another case is told by Gumilla as follows : " In December, 1731, while I was at the town of St. Jo seph in Trinidad, a small vessel belonging to Tene- riffe, with six seamen, was driven into that island by stress of weather. She was laden with wino, and being bound to one other of the Canary Islands, had provisions for a few days only, which, with * 1 Robert. Am. lib. 4. t P. Martyr, Dec. iiL c. 1. Edw. W- 1. vol. 1. p. 118. \ We fear that the fact of the existence of this neero colony, is too feebly sustained to have much force in the argument. But one well-authenticated instance of a vessel being driven from the African to the American coast is sufficient. 149 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [dl. 3. their utmost care, had been expended a considera ble time, so that the crew lived entirely on wine. They were reduced to the last extremity, and ex pected death every moment, when they discovered Trinidad, and soon after came to an anchor in that island, to the great astonishment of the inhabitants, who ran in crowds to behold the poor seamen, whose emaciated appearance would have sufficient ly confirmed the truth of their relation, even if the papers and documents which they produced had not put the matter beyond all possible doubt."* To these cases we may add the accidental dis covery of Brazil by Cabral ; in remarking dh which, Dr. Robertson observes, " that chance might have accomplished that great design, (the discovery of America) which it is now the pride of human rea son to have formed and perfected. If the sagacity of Columbus had not conducted mankind to Ame rica, Cabral, by a fortunate accident, might have led them, a few years later, to the knowledge of that extensive continent.""]" In truth, such acci dents are common in all parts of the world. The inhabitants of Java report their origin to have been from China; the tradition among them being, that, about nine hundred years ago, their progenitors were driven by a tempest upon that island, in a Chinese junk. And we owe the European discov ery of Japan to three Portuguese exiles, who were shipwrecked there in 15424 But, it must be confessed, that the means of tracing the relations between the Caribs of the islands and the natives of the eastern continent, if such relations existed, are inconsiderable and uncer tain. Their destroyers, if capable of making the in vestigation, scarce left themselves time for the pur- * Edw. West Indies, vol. 1. p. 117. t 1 Hist, of America, vol. 1. p. 140. J Edw. W.I. vol. 1. p. 118. CH.3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 149 pose, so rapidly did they complete their work of anni hilation. Nor are we now competent to judge coi- rectly of the character of this people. Hunted by the Spaniards, like beasts of prey, from island to island, few opportunities were afforded of investigating their history, before their entire subjugation. And since that event, it would be vain and unjust to de cide upon their original characteristics. For is it possible to judge truly of the genius of a people oppressed by perpetual fear, whose bodies are fet tered, and whose minds are subjected to the abso lute authority of their masters? The change which these circumstances wrought in their character be came obvious to themselves. " Our people," said an ancient Indian to a planter, " are become almost as bad as yours. We are so much altered since you came among us, that we hardly know our selves ; and we think it is owing to so melancholy a change, that hurricanes are more frequent than formerly. It is some evil spirit that has done this who has taken our best lands from us, and given us up to the dominion of the Christians."* 2. The Caribs, as we have already remarked, were fierce and warlike ; and these qualities, which were conspicuously displayed at their first encoun ter with the Spaniards, on the second voyage of Columbus, had, with their horrible cannibal pro pensities, rendered them the dread of the other In dian race.f The execrable practice of eating the flesh of their enemies taken in battle, prevailed among several nations of America. With some, as the tribes of Louisiana and other countries of North America, it was the rare consequence of ex travagant revenge ; with others, as in Mexico, it was a general and religious custom the captive was immolated in the temple, his head and heart * Rochefort. lib. ii. ch. ix. t See page 147. vol. 1. N 2 150 HISTORY OF AMERICA, [cH. 3. devoted to the Gods, and his body borne off to feast the conqueror and his friends. These in stances are ascribable to a perverted moral sense ; but the appetite of the Carib was wholly carnal. It cannot be urged in his defence, that he was moved by a desire of vengeance, or by mistaken piety ; for he not only ate the bodies of his pris oners casually taken in war, but like the beasts of the forests, he considered the human race as his natural prey, and made war that he might thereby procure this abominable food. The victim was regularly fatted, and duly prepared for slaughter, and the carcase was providently stored for future use. This depraved and horrid appetite was com mon to the Caribs of the islands and of the con tinent, and still prevails among the latter.* Yet an appetite so ferocious was controlled and bounded by sexual feeling. The women whom they cap tured were never slain nor eaten, but were pre served as slaves, or for the gratification of desires more natural and excusable.f Among themselves the Caribs were peaceable, and towards each other faithful, friendly, and af fectionate. And though their enmity against the Arrowauks was inveterate and invincible, yet when they gave their confidence to the Europeans, it was without reserve. Like other savage nations, long accustomed to unqualified freedom, they had a high sense of independence, and an utter abhorrence not only of slavery, but of that deferential respect which the natives of civilized countries are accus tomed to pay to their superiors. Hence, when torn from their native islands, and carried into slavery, as they frequently were, they either pined to death, or sought refuge in suicide from the calamities of * Bancroft s History of Guiana, p. 259. Edw. W. f. vol. 1. 33. Humboldt s Voyage, f Roehefort. CB. S.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES, 151 their condition. Such was their sensibility, that it became proverbial among the first French settlers, "Regarder de travers un Carib Jest le battre et que de le battre Jest le tuer ou s exposer a en etre tue." " To look askance upon a Carib was to beat him ; and to beat him, was to kill him, or ex pose oneself to be killed."* Robertson, after Du Tertre, very properly considers this sensitiveness as common to all the American savages. (It was different with the half-civilized Mexicans, Peruvi ans, and other nations reduced under political gov ernment.) And he reports the following saying among the French islands, which discriminates be tween the character of the American and the Af rican. " To avert your regards from a savage is to beat him ; to beat him is to kill him. But to beat a negro is to nourish him."f The Caribs scorn ed, or were unable to appreciate the inventions of civilized life; and unlike the natives of Haiti, who were highly delighted with European toys, they re garded the arts and manufactures, (fire-arms ex- cepted, the value of which they had dearly learned) as the amusements and baubles of children; hence the propensity of theft, common among other sav ages, was unknown to them.:}: Constantly disposed to war, and frequently en gaged in its exercises, the Carib was restless and melancholy ; and having his mind filled with the love of military glory, notwithstanding the in centives of climate, and abundance of food, he was cold and insensible to sexual impulses. The power of love is known to be feeble among many savage nations; and it has been erroneously assumed to have been universally so among the American tribes. But here, as in other countries, this passion depended upon the circumstances of climate, ease, * Labat. torn. 2. p. 74. t Robert. Am. vol. 1. note 63. I Labat. torn. iv. p. 329. Rochefort. 1 Edw. W. I. p. 35. 152 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 3. and food, and consequently varied from gross indul gence to extreme abstinence, from the fervour of a tropical sun to the torpor of a Canadian frost. The Caribs, however, supply us with an instance of the controlling force of moral over physical causes, and of the capacity of one powerful passion, like the rod of Aaron, to swallow all others for in their passion for war, all their energies appear to have been concentrated.* 3. The prevailing bias of their minds was dis tinguishable even in their persons. Though not so tall as the generality of Europeans, their frames were robust and muscular ; their limbs flexible and active, and there was a penetrating quickness and wildness in their eyes that seemed an emanation from a fierce and martial spirit. To increase the terror caused by their appearance, they resorted to the assistance of art. They painted their faces and bodies with arnotto, so that their natural colour, which was that of a Spanish olive, was not easily distinguished. They disfigured their cheeks with deep incisions and hideous scars, which they stain ed with black, and they painted white and black circles round their eyes. The custom of boring the ears was common among them, but some also made holes in the cartilage which separated the nostrils, and others in the lips, in which they in serted the bone of a fish, a parrot s feather, or a fragment of tortoise-shell ; and they wore bracelets and anklets of shells, though some made these or naments of the teeth of their enemies, and hung about their neck whistles, formed of human bones, and collars of the teeth of the Agouti ; upon gala occasions, they wore coronets and girdles of feathers. The decorations of the women differed little from those of the men, except that the former never wore * Rochefort, lib. 2. ch. xi. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 153 the crown of feathers. The coat of arnotto mixed with oil, was used by both sexes, and was there fore probably a defence against the heat of the sun, and the noxious insects of the climate.* 4. To use the bow and the war-club with force and dexterity, to swim with fearless agility, to catch fish, and build a cottage, were the necessary and ordinary acquirements of the race, of which the women partook in no inconsiderable degree. One method of giving skill to the boys in the ex ercise of the bow, was to suspend their food from a branch of a tree, and to compel them to pierce it with their arrows, before they were permitted to satisfy their hunger. But to make them approved warriors, they were also taught courage in action, and patience in suffering, contempt of danger and of death, and above all things implacable hatred of the Arrowauks. To this end, as soon as a male child was born, he was sprinkled with blood drawn from the shoulders of his father, which were lacer ated for this purpose with the tooth of the Agouti ; the parent cheerfully submitting to the operation, in confidence that the fortitude he displayed would be transmitted to his son. As the boy grew, he was familiarized with scenes of barbarity ; he par took of the horrid repasts of his nation, and was frequently anointed with the fat of a slaughtered Arrowauk. But he was not allowed to participate in the toils of the warrior, and to share the glories of conquest, until his courage and fortitude had been proved by severe tests. At the dawn of man hood, he publicly, and with great ceremony, changed the name he received in infancy, for one of greater significance. t Upon these occasions, the relatives and friends of the candidate for the honours of manhood, were * Rochefort. lib. 2. ch. ix. t Rochefort. lib. 2. ch. xxv. 154 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [< JI. 3. assembled in the hut of the father, or in the coun cil-house of his tribe. There, seated in the midst, upon a low stool, he listened to a charge upon the duties he was about to assume, and solemnly en gaged never to derogate from the glory of his an cestors, nor to cease to prosecute the vengeance of his nation against her enemies. After which, the father, with a certain bird of prey, which had been long prepared for the purpose, beat the son over the head and body until the bird was killed and crushed to pieces. The body of the youth was then scarified in many places with a tooth of the Agouti, and the wounds were rubbed with a decoc tion of pimento, in which the dead bird had been steeped. He was required to bear the excessive agony which this produced without exhibiting a sense of pain, under penalty of eternal disgrace. He was then made to eat of the heart of the bird, after which he was placed in a hammock, to under go a fast which brought him almost to the grave. If he bore these trials with unyielding firmness, and they were always so borne, he was endowed with the privileges of a warrior, and pronounced by his countrymen to be a man like themselves.* 5. Every distinction among this rude people was attained by a series of intense suffering. The child destined for a Boyez, that is, a magician or physi cian, was initiated into the mysteries of his profes sion, from infancy, by abstinence from several kinds of meats, by rigorous fasts, and severe lacerations of the body, after the manner of those who became warriors. f And he who would lead in war, en dured torments still more excruciating. The as pirant to this high honour, declared his design by * Rochefort, lib. 11. ch. 19. Purchas, vol. 4. p. 1262. Gumilla, torn. 2. p. 286. Lafitau, torn. 1. p. 297. Edward s W. I. vol. 1. book 1. ch. 2. t Roohefort, lib. II. ch. 23. CII. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 155 binding his shield upon his head, and entering- his cabin, with downcast eyes, and in profound silence. He placed himself in one corner, and a partition was constructed around him, leaving a space so small as scarce to allow him room to move, and his hammock was suspended close to the roof, that he might not speak to any one. From this prison he never departed, except for necessary occasions, and to undergo the rude trials imposed by those who had already passed the same ordeal. He now commences a rigorous fast, which he must endure for six weeks. Life is barely sustain ed by a small quantity of boiled corn and cassava bread. Of the latter, he eats only the middle ; the corners are reserved, under the supposition that they possess great virtues, for the feast which con cludes the initiation. During this period, the can didate is visited morning and evening by the neigh bouring chiefs, who represent to him, with their natural eloquence, that if he would attain the dig nity to which he aspires, he must be courageous, and bear himself gallantly in all encounters with his enemies, and must shrink from no danger which may be incurred in supporting the honour of his nation, or in avenging the injuries which may be offered to it. When the harangue is finished, he is made to feel in advance the sufferings which may be inflicted on him, should he be taken captive in war to avoid a repetition of which, it may be well supposed, he would seek death in the field of battle. Having placed himself upright in the centre of the council- house, he receives from each captain three blows of a scourge made of the twisted roots of the palm, in the fabrication of which the young men are em ployed during the time of the ceremony. Many of these whips are requisite, each operator having one, with which three blows only, one across the chest, 156 HISTORY OF AMERICA. fcH. 3. the second upon the abdomen, and the third over the thighs, are given. But this discipline is ad ministered twice, daily, during the probation ; and al most every blow, given by nervous and willing arms, with these pliant scourges, draws blood from the sufferer ; who, with invincible fortitude, suppresses every sign of pain. After each flagellation, he re tires to his cabin, buries himself in his hammock, and is solaced by viewing the instruments of his torture piled above his head, as trophies of his con stancy. The six weeks of this first trial having passed, another is prepared for him yet more severe. An entertainment is made, for which an abundance of intoxicating drink is provided, and all the chief tains of the country attend, painted and decorated in their richest manner, and surrounded by respec tive trains of friends and relatives. As they ap proach the cabin, they send forth from the groves and thickets horrible cries and shouts, and then rush upon the dwelling, with bended bows and ar rows on the string, giving a lively representation of a warlike assault. They seize the candidate, exhausted by his long fast and intense suffering, and bear him into the open air in his bed, which they suspend from some neighbouring trees. He is then placed upon the ground, and after being encouraged, by another discourse on the importance of the station he covets, he receives from each chief a violent blow with the scourge. After which, having resumed his hammock, a fire of venomous and stinking herbs is kindled beneath him, to the heat and smoke of which he is exposed, until his senses are overpowered, and his intolerable suffer ings are momentarily relieved by a swoon. But the refuge of insensibility is not long allowed him. Stimulants are applied to reanimate him, he is ex- CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVEKIES. 157 horted to perseverance, and the fire is renewed and kept up for a considerable length of time. Whilst the miserable wretch undergoes these torments, his persecutors indulge in the wildest debauch of eating and drinking. At length, per ceiving their patient about to fall into a second syncope, in order to restore him, they put on him a collar and girdle of palm leaves, filled with large black ants, whose slightest prick gives hours of an guish. Roused by this new agony, he springs from his bed, and is almost suffocated by an effusion of palinot, a beverage of the country, which is poured upon his head through sieves employed for this pur pose. His trial is now over. He is conducted to the nearest fountain or stream, and, after thorough ablution, is restored to the secluded apartment of his cabin. His fast is continued for some time longer, but is moderated. He is supplied from time to time with small birds, killed by some one of his fellow-captains ; and his present abstinence seems rather designed to provide against the dan gers of repletion, than to continue his noviciate. At length he is proclaimed captain, is furnished with new weapons, and every thing necessary to his condition, and the accession to this high hon our is celebrated by an appropriate festival.* 6. The severity of these ceremonies was surpass ed among the Caribs of Guiana, whose govern ment was monarchical, on the choice of a king, who governed them with absolute authority. Ordinarily, the most ancient of the nation is selected for this high office, if he possess the qualities necessary to sustain its dignity ; that is, if he have valour, strength, and address ; if he be sober, patient, fruitful in resources and stratagems, and acquaint- * The foregoing account of the initiation of a captain, is taken from Lafitau, vol. 1. p. 297, who has adopted it from the voyage of Le Sieur Diet to Cayenne, in J652. Liv. 3. ch. 10. p. 376. VOL. II. O 158 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. ed with the country, and the roads which lead to the surrounding nations. His sufficiency in these virtues is submitted to a rude probation, which is commenced by a fast that is to continue for nine months, during which he is allowed to eat a hand ful of grain only each day. He is made to bear enormous burdens ; to keep a strict and nightly watch at the door of the council-house; to traverse the country in all directions, until its boundaries, its springs and streams, and all its productions, are familiar to him. To accustom him to pain, he is sometimes buried for hours to the waist in an ant hill, filled with those large ants of which we have already spoken ; and at other times, he is clothed with coronet, collar, girdle, bracelets, garters, and anklets, of leaves, in which hundreds of these in sects are so placed, as to permit them to exercise their fiercest power on the sufferer. When he is deemed to have been sufficiently tried, the whole nation proceeds to seek him, in some retreat to which he has withdrawn, in order that he may modestly seem to shun the distinction which he so dearly purchases ; or, as some of the kings explain it, that he may remember that he is raised from the dust to the throne. The latter reason is confirmed by an additional ceremony, in which each of the assistants marches with mea sured step towards him, and places his foot upon the head of the candidate, after which they raise him up, and prostrate themselves before him, cast ing their bows and arrows at his feet. This hu mility, which so ordinarily precedes the elevation of the ambitious, is compensated by the assumption of the true regal character, and the absolute mon arch in turn treads upon the necks of his subjects, that his power over them may be evident. After these forms have been duly complied with, he is led in triumph to the council-house, where a feast Ctf. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 159 has been prepared by the women. But before he indulges in the pleasures of the table, he must ex hibit one further proof of his address, by discharg ing an arrow into a cup the size of an egg, attached to the top of the roof. This being done, each wo man serves him in turn with a bowl of Ouicou, an intoxicating liquor, which he must swallow, in order to show that he can drink for thirty men, as he was enabled to content himself for thirty days with the quantity of food which one man might readily consume in a single one. As in this de bauch he is compelled to vomit frequently, the re past has more the air of a rude torture, than of a festival. The courtiers here, as in more magnifi cent courts, closely imitate their master, and do not cease to gorge themselves until the stock of provisions is exhausted.* 7. Having described the ceremonies which at tend the exaltation of a chief to the highest civil rank, the reader will perhaps be gratified with an account of those which perfected the more mys tical character of the Boyez, or priest. When the young proselyte has sustained years of trial, under the direction of some ancient Boyez, whose au thority is so absolute and exclusive, that without his permission no intercourse may exist between the pupil and his nearest relatives, he is called before his teacher, on the eve of the night which is to crown his invincible patience, and terminate his long noviciate. The future is described to him in the most attractive colours the dignity of his destined rank the power consequent on having a f miliar spirit at his command, are dwelt on to ex cite him to sustain the frightful wonders of the night without shrinking. * Lafitau, vol. 1. p. 304. Letlre du P. de la Neuville, Meraoira deTrevoux Mans. 1723, 160 HISTORY OP AMERICA* [oil. 3. In the mean time, the women are engaged in preparing a cabin, in which they suspend three hammocks, one for the Maboya, or spirit, one for the priest, and the third for the Neophite. An altar, composed of baskets, or tables of ozier piled to gether, is erected at the end of the cabin, on which are placed some cakes of Cassava, and a vessel of Ouicou for the spirit, to whom the sacrifice is to be offered. Towards the middle of the night, the priest and his disciple enter the cabin alone. The former, after having smoked a leaf of tobacco rolled, shouts in a tone which rises almost to a yell, the words of a magical song, which are instantly followed, if credit be given to the narrators, by a horrible but distant noise in the air. As soon as this is heard by the conjuror, he extinguishes the fire entirely, the spirits delighting in impenetrable darkness. This being done, the Maboya enters the cabin through the roof with the celerity of lightning, and the noise of thunder. The trembling occupants instantly fall prostrate, and offer him their adora tion. He commences a conversation, of which the inhabitants of the neighbouring cabins are careful not to lose a word, by inquiring in a counterfeit voice the cause of his evocation, and declares his readiness to gratify all their desires. The con juror returns thanks, and in a few words, prays him first to partake of the collation prepared for him. Whereupon the demon enters his hammock with an agitation which shakes the whole hut, and disposes himself to eat. A violent clatter of teeth and jaws follows, as if he actually devoured all that was pre sented to him, though in truth nothing is consumed. The people, however, are persuaded that the de mon takes what is suitable for him, and they hold the residue to be sanctified, and fitted for the use of the ancient priests, when they have rendered CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 161 themselves worthy of partaking of it by the high est purification. The noise of mastication having ceased, the con juror descends from his hammock, and kneeling in a suppliant posture, thus addresses the demon : " 1 have called upon thee not only to offer the duty which I owe, but to place under thy protection the young man now present. Cause then to descend immediately another spirit like unto thyself, that this youth may serve him, and be devoted to him, on the same conditions and for the same purposes for which I have served thee for many years." To this request the spirit assents with the sem blance of much joy, assuring the supplicant that his prayer shall be instantly granted. And in fact a second spirit gives immediate signs of his pres ence, by a noise not less frightful than that which announced his precursor. The priest and Genii then unite in magical incantations and contortions, until they are nearly exhausted, and until the af frighted candidate throws himself from his ham mock to the earth ; and also in a suppliant posture cries out, " O spirit who deignest to extend to me thy protection, be favourable, I pray thee, to the designs of one who is lost without thine aid, and do not suffer me miserably to perish. But be thou propitious to my demands, when I shall call on thee, and grant whatever shall be necessary for the happiness of iny nation." " Take courage," replies the invoked spirit. "Be thou faithful, and I will never abandon thee. At sea or on land, I will be ever at thy side in the hour of peril. But know also, that if thou servest me not faithfully and satisfactorily, that thou shalt have no enemy more cruel than I." With these words both spirits vanish, amid violent noise, in imitation of thunder, which completes the terror of their worshippers. 02 162 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cH. 3. Immediately the crowd from the neighbouring cabins rush with lights upon the magical scene, and replace in their beds the miserable devotees, whom they find prostrate on the earth, and almost without life. Their parents and friends gather around them, and warm them by a great fire, which they kindle, and supply them with food to restore their strength, exhausted by long fasts. But it is with great difficulty that they succeed in removing from the imagination of the initiated the horrors with which the older priests have stored it. These at length become familiar, and with the progress of years, he passes from the dupe to the knave, calls upon the spirits to assist at the initiation of new neophytes, and most probably assumes the character, and plays the part of the demon himself in these lugubrious ceremonies.* 8. But in the season of war only did the island Carib bow to the supremacy of another. Having no law, he required no magistrate. To the father of a family belonged that authority which is in separable from his condition, and which terminates with the dependence of his offspring. A tribute of respect too was paid to age and experience, but this was voluntary.")" 9. The institution of marriage was recognized, so far as the appropriation of one or more females to one male may be called such. Polygamy was allowed with some show of excuse, as the women, from motives of superstition, carefully avoided the nuptial intercourse during pregnancy. When mar riageable, the male was expected to wed his cou- sins-germain : he had the right to claim them for wives, but was not compelled to accept them.:}: The form of marriage was simple, consisting merely in the expression of assent by the parties and their * Lafitau. vol. 1. 344. t Rochefort, ch. 23. 19. lib. 2. t Ib. ch. 22. Du Tertre, torn. 2. p. 374. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 163 relatives, but the contract was most frequently made by the latter. Female captives, as we have al ready observed, were sometimes espoused by their captors, and the children of this intercourse were deemed free, but the mothers were considered ag slaves. Adultery is said to have been unknown among them before the European discovery after that period it sometimes occurred, and was usually avenged by the husband, according to his own sense of injury. If he inflicted death upon the wife, he reported her punishment to her parents ; who not only approved the execution, but frequently offered him another daughter to wife. As among all un civilized nations, the women were domestic drudges, and performed the chief labours in house and field. If a Carib had more than one wife, he built a hut for each, and divided his time among them, accord ing to his pleasure, always assured of cheerful and devoted attention. The favourite accompanied him in his war expeditions, acting the part of servant and squire. Under these circumstances, as might be expected, the women were not prolific. 10. Besides the ornaments usually worn by both sexes, the women, on arriving at the age of puberty, wore a buskin of cotton. But this distinction was not permitted to captives. In other respects, both male and female were entirely naked. Their hair, uniformly of a shining black, long, straight, and coarse, was dressed with daily care, and adorned with much art ; the men particularly decorating it with feathers of various colours. It was a proof of deep sorrow, when, on the death of a relative or friend, they cut it short, like that of their slaves, to whom the luxury of long hair was rigorously de nied. Like most nations of the new hemisphere, they eradicated with great nicety the incipient beard, and all superfluous hairs upon their bodies; a circumstance which gave rise to the false opinion 164 HISTORY OP AMERICA* [ctt. 3< that the aborigines of America were naturally beardless. The most remarkable circumstance con cerning the persons of the Caribs, was the altera tion of the natural form of the head. On the birth of a child, the skull was confined between two small pieces of wood, placed before and behind, and firmly bound together, which elevated the fore head, and gave to it and the back part of the head the resemblance of two sides of a square. 11. They resided in villages, consisting of cabins built with poles fixed circularly in the ground, and drawn to a point at the top, and covered with the leaves of the palm-tree. In the centre of each vil lage was erected a building of superior magnitude, for a council-house, where the men, excluding the women, assembled to take their meals, and where the youth were inspired with martial ardour, and instructed in the art of war by the harangues of the elders. 12. The arts and manufactures of such a people were necessarily few, but they seem to have been highly perfected in their kind. Like the other islanders visited by Columbus, the Caribs made an abundance of cotton cloth, which they dyed of va rious colours, but chiefly red, and used for making their hammocks, or swinging beds, such as are now used at sea, and for partitioning their huts into compartments. They formed vessels of clay for various purposes, which they baked in kilns, sur passing in thinness, smoothness, and beauty, the like fabrics of the negroes of Africa, and equalling the earthenware made by more civilized nations. Of the nature and extent of their agriculture, our knowledge is slender and unsatisfactory. They are supposed to have cultivated their lands in common, and to have distributed the harvest, from public stores, to each family in proportion to its wants. 13. Their food consisted of bread of the cassava CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 165 and maize, sweet potatoes, the various other fruits and vegetables of their climate ; lizards, particu larly the Iguana, fish, and crabs, and, we are com pelled to add, human flesh, when they could obtain it. They had also beverages made of the ferment ed infusions of potatoes, cassava roots, and fruits. But they rejected with abhorrence some of the rich est bounties of nature ; refusing to eat of the Pec cary or Mexican hog, the Manati or sea-cow, the turtle, and also the eel, with which the rivers of some of the islands abounded. This abstinence has been supposed to arise from religious motives, like that of the Jews, as was also a singular custom observed by the Caribs in common with the Tyba- renians of Asia, and the inhabitants of Japan. On the birth of his first son, the father retired to bed, and fasted for ten or twelve days, with a strictness which often endangered his life. And a similar but shorter fast was practised, at the birth of his other children. If this custom were founded in pious sorrow for the introduction of a sentient be ing into a world of suffering, the mourning was not of long continuance, and was immediately suc ceeded by festivity and rejoicings, and by drunken ness and debauchery.* 14. Unlike the Thracians and the inhabitants of the Canary Islands, who buried the dead with glad ness and rejoicing, the Caribs mourned with great apparent sincerity the deprivation they sustained. The grave, circular in form, was commonly made in the dwelling of the deceased, and the body, cov ered with a hammock, was placed on a stool there- n, in a sitting posture, with the knees drawn up to the chin. The ground was kept open ten or twelve days, during which the body was visited by the re latives, who brought with them meat and drink to * Rochefort, Lafitau, torn. 1. p. 257. Churchill s Voy. 2 vol. p. 133, 166 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [Clf. S present to it. At the expiration of this period of mourning, the grave was covered with planks and earth, the nearest relatives cut off their hair and fasted rigorously, the hut was abandoned, and an other erected for the family in a distant situation. When the body had decayed, the family again as sembled round it, and having compactly trodden the earth about and upon it, terminated their mourn ing with feasting and merriment. 15. Of religion, the Caribs had such obscure and false ideas as are usual among savage nations. The human mind, in its greatest weakness or its great est strength, attains the conviction of the existence of a supernatural power of a power which directs and governs all creation, as the will guides and con trols the faculties of our frame. Of the attributes of this power the highest perfection of our reason imparts a very limited knowledge; they can be fully known from divine revelation only. In those workings of nature which are visibly beneficent, untutored man discovers the influence of a good and merciful spirit, whilst in the ravages of the storm and the blight, he beholds the power of a malignant one. Hence, every people are in some degree Manicheans, having faith in good and evil deities, whom they endeavour to propitiate ; and in proportion to their mental cultivation, their adora tion is offered to the one or to the other. The Caribs had even some obscure and undefined no tions of a supreme intelligence which created and governs all things but, unable to elevate their minds to the proper contemplation of the true God, they cultivated the favour of certain inferior di vinities, one of whom they supposed to be attached to each individual person. They had also some rude notions of practical worship, and offered sacri fices of their favourite viands, upon altars erected in their cottages, to household gods, which were CH. 3k] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 167 rude effigies of the invisible powers. These offer ings were more frequently made to avert the anger of the evil, than in gratitude for the beneficence of the good spirit. And as, wherever there is reli gious worship, however simple or imperfect, there are priests or intermediate agents between the wor shipper and his God, who know, or claim to know his will, and to aid in the administration of his power so the Carib had his Boyez, who was his priest, his enchanter, and his physician, to whom he liberally imparted a share of all his acquisitions, that he might prevail with Maboya. (their common name for evil spirits,) to forbear to do him an injury, or to open to his view the volume of futurity. These applications were also frequently accompa nied by severe penances inflicted by the applicant upon himself, such as long fasts, and lacerations of the body with the tooth of the Agouti. The benevolent deities were called Akamboue, which seems to have been the term for abstract spirit, and was also applied to the souls of men. But most commonly, the men addressed these Gods by the name of Icheiro, and the women by that of Chemin. And when each spoke particularly of his own guardian spirit, the men called him Icheirikoiv, and the women Chindignum. Faith in a divine providence is almost insepara ble from a belief in a future state. The Caribs be lieved, not only that death was not the extinction of their being, but they pleased themselves with the conceit, that their departed relatives were spec tators of their conduct, and sympathized with their sufferings and their joys. They assigned to the brave and the virtuous, in a future life, an increase and sublimation of the pleasures they enjoyed be fore death. Military honour and renown, and the attendance of their wives and captives, entered into their highest ideas of happiness in their new state ; 168 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 3. and that these enjoyments might be complete, they sometimes sacrificed, at their funerals, a portion of the captives which the deceased had taken in war. To the cowardly and degenerate, they allotted a far different fate. These were doomed to everlasting banishment beyond the mountains ; to unremit ting labour in disgraceful employments, and to a humiliation still more deep captivity and servi tude among the Arrowauks.* 16. The language of the Caribs is said to have been smooth and labial, and was subject to an ex traordinary variation when spoken by the respec tive sexes, many words being peculiar to each. This peculiarity is supposed to have been occasioned by the adherence of the women, who were preserved from slaughter when the Caribs first conquered these islands, to their original language, and to their having perseveringly taught it to their female descendants. And this supposition is sustained by the fact, that no such variation was discovera ble among the Caribs of the continent. The elders of the nation, too, had a dialect which was exclu sively used in their discussions in council, and which was never communicated to the women, nor to the young men, until they mingled in public af fairs. Their intellectual cultivation was very in considerable. They had no terms for abstract ideas, such as understanding, memory, will, &c. ; and their progress in arithmetic scarce enabled them to number beyond twenty ; to designate that number they referred to their fingers and toes, and when they would express a quantity beyond it, they ad verted to the hair of their heads, or the sand on the sea-shore. f XIII. 1. The Arrowauks, who inhabited the large * Rochefort. Du Tertre. Purchas, vol. 4. p. 1274. t Lafitau. CH. 3.J SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 169 islands of Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, Porto Rico, and Trinidad, and others not possessed by the Caribs, were descended from the Arrowauks of Guiana, a race of Indians to whose noble qualities the most honourable testimony is borne by every traveller who has visited them.* The whole number of these islanders, when first discovered by Columbus, was estimated by Las Casas at six millions. But the natives of Hispaniola were reckoned by Oviedo at one million only, and by Martyr, who wrote on the authority of Columbus, at one million two hundred thousand, which is probably the most correct. Es timating the population of the other islands to bear the same proportion to their extent, the number will fall greatly short of the first computation."!" 2. In stature they were taller, but less robust than the Caribs. Their colour was a clear brown, not deeper in general than that of a Spanish peasant, much exposed to the wind and sun. Like the Ca ribs, they altered the natural form of the head in infancy, but in a different manner : the forehead, from the eyebrows to the coronal suture, was de pressed, by which an unnatural thickness and ele vation was given to the hinder part of the skull. By this practice, Herrera assures us, the crown was so strengthened, that a Spanish broad-sword, in stead of cleaving the skull at a stroke, would fre quently break short upon it ! Their hair was uni formly black and straight ; their features hard and unsightly ; the face broad, the nose flat ; but their eyes beamed with good-nature, and there was some thing pleasing and inviting in their countenances, which proclaimed a frank and gentle disposition. " It was an honest face," (says Martyr), " coarse, but not gloomy ; for it was enlivened by confidence, and softened by compassion." Both men and wo- * 1 Edw. W. I. 60. Humboldt s Personal Narrative. 1 1 Edw. W. I. VOL. II. P 170 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. men wore nothing more than a slight covering of cotton cloth around the waist ; but in the women it extended to the knees : the children of both sexes appeared entirely naked. European writers, French and English, have fol lowed each other* in charging on this and other American races, feebleness in person and constitu tionin representing them as incapable of labour, incurably indolent, and insensible to the attractions of beauty, and the influence of love. If the Arro- wauk were not capable of sustaining the labour of a European, the habits of his life, not formed by daily drudgery, were an adequate and satisfactory cause. If he were indolent, the bounty of benefi cent Nature, which poured around him in profusion all the necessaries of life, and which gave him a clime where inaction is happiness, is his apology. But if he were insensible to the influence of love, Nature must have wrought in his case differently from all others in the world ; and a tropical sun, with food and rest, must have checked the current of his blood more effectually than the frost, the famine, and the darkness of the poles. But it was not so. This coldness formed no part of the dis position of our islanders, amongst whom an attach ment to the sex was remarkably conspicuous. " Love with them was not a transient and youthful ardour only ; but the source of all their pleasures, and the chief business of life ; for not being, like the Caribs, oppressed by perpetual solicitude, and tormented by an unquenchable thirst of revenge, they gave full indulgence to the instincts of na ture, whilst the influence of the climate heightened the sensibility of the passions. "f 3. Their limbs were pliant and active, and their motions displayed gracefulness and ease. Their * Buffbn. De Pauw. Robertson. t 1 Edw. W.I. ch. 3. P. Martyr, Dec. 3. a 8- Herrera, lib. a CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVEBIES. 171 agility was eminently conspicuous in their dances ; wherein they delighted and excelled, devoting the cool hours of the night to this employment. It was their custom to dance from evening to the dawn ; and although fifty thousand men and women were frequently assembled together on these occasions, they seemed actuated by one common impulse, keeping time by responsive motions of their hands and feet, and bodies, w r ith an exactness that was wonderful. These public dances, for they had others highly licentious, were appropriated to par ticular solemnities, and being accompanied with historical songs, were called Areytos ; a feature in their political institutions of which we shall pres ently speak.* Besides the exercise of dancing, another diver sion prevailed among them, called Bato, which had a distant resemblance to the game of cricket. The players were divided into two parties, which alter nately changed places ; and the sport consisted in dexterously throwing and returning an elastic ball, made of the gum of a tree, from one party to the other. It was not, however, caught in the hand, or returned with an instrument ; but received on the head, the elbow, or the foot, and the dexterity and force with which it was thence repelled, were astonishing and inimitable. 4. The same writers, who would teach us to be lieve that this race was inferior to any of the old world in physical power, have also denied them in tellectual ability. But how shall this inferiority be determined ? Not by a comparison with the highly improved and cultivated Europea n, or Asiatic, nor with the African of the Nile, or Mediterranean. But the Arrowauk may be fearlessly compared with the northern savages of Europe, with the wander- * 1 Edw. W. I. ch. 3. P. Martyr, Dec. 3. c. 8. Herrera, lib. 3. 172 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [dl. 3. ing and houseless hordes of Asia, and the thousand tribes of southern and central Africa. And he will be found to possess in an eminent degree the pow ers which dignify humanity. Nay, let us ask, how much lower in the scale should he be placed, than the Gaul and the Briton, the dweller in huts, clad in garments of undressed skins", without agricul ture, or a permanent home who scarce emerged from the darkness of his sombre forests, save to fly from a powerful enemy, or to plunder and destroy a feeble neighbour. The capacity of the West In dian seems in all respects to have been equal to that of other men similarly situated. With few artificial wants to stimulate his invention ; with his natural ones abundantly and almost spontaneously supplied, he had no inducement to mental or bodily toil ; and had such inducement existed, deprived of the useful metals, and the aid of domesticated animals, his progress in improvement must have been tardy. If, therefore, they rose in some respects to a degree of refinement not often observed in savage life, we may justly presume that in a state of society, productive of new desires and artificial necessities, and with proper appliances, they would have attained a distinguished grade of improve ment. But what they wanted in excited energy of mind, was abundantly supplied by the softer affec tions ; by sweetness of temper, and native good ness of disposition. "All writers, who have treated of their character, agree that they were unques tionably the most gentle and benevolent of the hu man race. Though not blessed with the light of revelation, they practised one of the noblest pre cepts of Christianity, forgiveness of their enemies ; laying all that they possessed at the feet of their oppressors, courting their notice, and preventing their wishes, with such fondness and assiduity, ag CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 173 should have disarmed habitual cruelty, and melted bigotry into tenderness.*" 5. The government of these tribes differed greatly from that known to the Caribs. Whilst the latter refused to recognize any authority, except in time of war, the former were subject to hereditary chiefs whose power was absolute, and who were regarded with the most profound reverence and submission. Opposition to the supreme authority was deemed impious. And if the prince com manded the subject to cast himself from a high rock, or to drown himself in the sea, the sovereign will was obeyed without a murmur. The island of Haiti was divided into five kingdoms, as we have stated elsewhere. Each kingdom was subdivided among inferior chiefs, who held their possessions by a species of feudal tenure, the service of which consisted in attendance upon the sovereign, in peace or in war, whenever commanded so to do.f We have to regret that the Spanish historians have left us in ignorance concerning this order of nobles, and the nature and extent of their subordi nate jurisdiction. " The islands of Cuba and Jamaica were divided, like Hispaniola, into many principalities or king doms ; but Porto Rico was subject to one Cacique only. We have observed that the dignity of a chief tain was hereditary, but the law of succession was peculiar to the country. Martyr observes,:j:"that the Caciques bequeathed the supreme authority to the children of their sisters, according to seniority, disinheriting their own offspring, being certain that by this policy they preferred the blood-royal ; which might not happen to be the case in advanc ing any of the children of their numerous wives." * Martyr. Herrera. F. Columbus, c. 27. 32. 1 Edw. W. I. c. 3. t Oviedo, lib. 3. c. iv. t Dec. 1. lib. 2 P2 174 HISTORY OP AMERICA. fcH. 3- The relation of Oviedo is somewhat different and more probable ; he remarks that one of the wives of each Cacique was distinguished above the rest, and was considered by the people as the reigning queen ; the children of whom, according to priori ty of birth, succeeded to the father s honours. In default of issue by the favourite princess, the sis ters of the Cacique, if there were no surviving brothers, took place of his children by other wives.* Thus Anacoana, on the death of Behechio, her brother, became queen of Xaragua. This regula tion was obviously intended to prevent the mis chiefs of a disputed succession, among children whose pretensions were equal. 6. When a Cacique died, his body was embowel ed, and dried in an oven moderately heated, so that the bones and even the skin were preserved entire, and afterwards placed in a cave with those of his ancestors, where also were deposited a due proportion of bread, wine, and the arms of the de ceased.* If he was slain in battle and the body not recovered, his subjects composed songs in his praise, which they taught their children " A bet ter and nobler testimony," says Edwards, f "than heaps of dry bones or monuments of marble ; since memorials to the deceased are, or ought to be, in tended less in honour of the dead than as incite ments to the living." The people preserved only the heads of their deceased relatives ; and when a person was at the point of death, in mistaken hu manity, they strangled him. This fate also attended the Caciques. Sometimes they were carried from the house ; at others, bread and water was placed at their bed-head, and they were left to perish alone. On other occasions, they bore the patient, * Oviedo, lib. v. c. 111. t 1 Hist. W. I. ch. 3. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 175 when very ill, to the nearest prince, who decided whether he should be suffocated. / It is related by Martyr and Herrera,* that, on the death of a Cacique, the most beloved of his wives was immolated at his funeral. Thus Anaca- ona, on the death of her brother, Behechio, ordered a beautiful woman, named Guanaliata Benechina, to be buried alive in the cave where his body was deposited. But Oviedo,j by no means partial to the Indian character, denies that this custom was general. Anacaona, who had been married to a Carib, may have adopted this part of his national customs. And Edwards somewhat maliciously re marks, " it is not impossible, under a female admin istration, among savages, but that the extraordinary beauty of the unfortunate victim contributed to her destruction.^:" 7. The songs in praise of deceased chieftains, constituted a branch of those solemnities which were called Areytos, consisting of hymns and pub lic dances, accompanied with musical instruments made of shells, and a sort of drum, the sound of which was heard at a great distance. These hymns, reciting the great actions of the departed Cacique, his fame in war, and his gentleness in peace, form ed a national history, at once a tribute of gratitude to the deceased, and a lesson to the living. Nor could any thing have been more instructive to the rising generation than this institution, since it com prehended also the antiquities of their country, and the traditions of their ancestors. The triumph for victory in war, the lamentation for public calamity, the national festivities, and the expression of the passion of love, were all subjects of these exhibi tions ; the dance being grave or gay, as the subject * Dec. 3. lib. 9. Herrera, Dec. L lib. 3. ch. 3. t Lib. v. ch. 3. I 1 Edw. West Tnd. ch. 3. 176 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [ell. 3. required. It is pretended, that among the tradi tions thus publicjy recited, there was one of a pro phetic nature, denouncing ruin and desolation by the arrival of strangers completely clad, and armed with the lightning of heaven. The ceremonies which were observed when this awful prediction was repeated, we may well believe, were strongly expressive of grief and horror.* 8. In religious science, the Arrowauks were fur ther advanced than the Caribs. Their conception of the creator, whom they called Jocahuna, was more definite and comprehensive. They deemed him supreme, invisible, immortal, and omnipotent. But they assigned to him a father and mother, whom they distinguished by a variety of names, and to whom they allotted the sun and the moon as their chief seats of habitation. They believed, also, that man was an accountable being, and that the deeds done in the body were to be rewarded in a future state, according to their kind. The remarkable speech of the venerable ancient of Cuba, which we have already recorded, is almost Christian."]" But their notions of future happiness were Mahometan. They supposed, that spirits of good men were con veyed to a pleasant valley, called Coyaba, a place of indolent tranquillity, abounding with cool shades and murmuring rivulets, with delicious fruits and lovely women ; in a country where drought never rages, and the hurricane is never felt. In this seat of bliss, they held that their greatest enjoyments would arise from the company of their departed an cestors, and of those persons who were dear to them in life.:j: By a common inconsistency of the human mind on religious subjects, they considered the Creator * Martyr, Dec. 3. lib. 9. t See vol. i. p. 168. t Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 3. ch. 3. Martyr, Dec. 1. lib. ix. F.Co lumbus. Benzoni. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 177 as regardless of his work ; as having transferred the government of the world to subordinate beings, whom they believed to be malignant, delighting to convert into evil that which he pronounced to be good. The effusion of gratitude, the warmth of affection, the confidence of hope, entered not into their devotions. Their idols of wood or stone, or of painting, were universally hideous and frightful, sometimes representing toads, and other odious rep tiles, but more frequently the human face horribly distorted. To these they gave the name of Zemi. They were attended by Bohios, or priests, arid a large house in each village was erected for their worship. This sanctuary was jealously guarded by the priests, who were the messengers and interpre ters of the divine will ; and the mediators, by whose prayers all dangers might be averted. The wor ship consisted in certain ceremonies and discourses of the Bohio, and in a singular offering, which was partaken by the worshipper. In the temple was placed a small round table, ingeniously wrought, on which was kept a powder, which he placed on the head of the idol, from which, by means of a forked tube, he drew it into fiis own nostrils, and immediately left the place raging like one possess ed.* To the profitable cure of souls, the priests added the no less profitable cure of bodies, nnd they likewise claimed the privilege of .educating the children of the first rank of people thus com bining an influence which, extending to the high est concerns of this life and the next, was irresisti- ble.f With such power in the priesthood, it may well be supposed that the alliance between church and state was not less intimate in these islands than in the kingdoms of Europe. Here, as there, religion * Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 3, c. 3. J Martyr. 178 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [dl. 3. was made the instrument of civil despotism, and the will of the Cacique, if confirmed by the priest, was impiously pronounced the decree of heaven. Columbus relates, that some of his people entering unexpectedly into one of their houses of worship, found the Cacique employed in obtaining responses from the Zemi. By the sound of the voice which came from the idol, they knew that it was hollow : and, dashing it to the ground to expose the impos ture, they discovered a tube, which was before covered with leaves, that communicated from the back part of the image to an inner apartment, whence the priest issued his precepts as through a speaking-trumpet ; but the Cacique earnestly en treated them to say nothing of what they had seen, declaring that, by means of such pious frauds, he collected tributes, and kept his kingdom in subjec tion.* The grossness of the religious faith of this race will be more fully conceived, when it is understood that they held their idols, the work of their own hands, to be, not only the effigies of the divinity, but to be in themselves immortal, and that they would appear to them after death. Their supersti tions in other respects were not less gross. A tra dition prevailed among them that, at some remote period of their history, all their women had desert ed their island; and that whilst ardently longing to supply their place, the men went forth to bathe, during which a tremendous rain came on, and they beheld falling among the trees certain forms like to the human, but which were neither men nor women. The bathers sought to take them, but they fled as if they had been winged, but finally four were captured. A solemn council was holden, to determine how these forms might be converted into * Edw- W. I. ch. 3. F, Columbus. Herrera, Dec. 1. ch^ 3. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 179 women, and a metamorphosis was at last effected by means of the woodpecker.* They believed that the sun and moon sprang from a cave, which they called lovobaba, and which they held in great reverence, and adorned with small idols of stone, to which they made large and frequent offerings, in the faith that these Zemis would send them rain at their prayer. They be lieved, also, that the dead reappeared on the earth during the darkness of the night, in their natural forms, for their diversion ; and most living Indians were fearful of wandering alone after night-fall. f The Bohios, or priests, whom we have already said were physicians and conjurors, claimed an in timate acquaintance with the dead, and a know ledge of their secrets. They performed cures, as the Spaniards inform us, by magical and diabolical arts. They carried with them many Zemis of stone and wood ; some having power, as they averred, to cause rains, others to promote the harvest, and others again to influence the winds. The rules which governed the practice of the physician upon the princes and nobles, seem to have been framed with a view to the protection of the latter from in discreet speculation and experiment, since the former was required to partake of the medicine which he administered to them. Upon these oc casions, also, the physician inhaled through the nostrils a species of herb powdered, which pro duced a delirium, attended by many extravagant * On this occasion, we must adopt the modesty of Gibbon, and give our readers the particulars of this extraordinary con version, in a foreign language. Herrera says "Pero que al fin tomaron quatro, y qne hizieron consejo entre ellos, como harian que fuessen mugeres, y que buscaron un pajaro, que agujera los arboles, que nosotros llaraarnos picaca, y que atendo a. estas per- eonas los pies y las manos, les pusieron el pajaro, y que pensando que era madera, commence a picar en la parle donde tenian su nnturaleza, y a?.i quedaron hechas mugerefi " t Herrera, ubi supra. 180 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [ell, 3, and foolish actions, during which he pretended to converse with his Zemis, and to receive from them the proper instructions for the cure of the patient. 9. In the arts necessary to the preservation and comfortable enjoyment of life, the Arrowauks had made considerable progress. Agriculture was sys tematically and extensively prosecuted, and the maize, Cassava, Yams, and other esculent roots, yielded them an abundant and wholesome supply of food. Dr. Robertson,* with that want of dis crimination which was inseparable from his attempt to reduce all the tribes of America under one gene ral view, observes, that as the natives of the New World had no tame animals, nor the use of the metals, their agriculture must necessarily have been imperfect. To this remark Mr. Edwards prop erly replies, " that as every family raised corn for their own support, and the islands, (to use the ex pression of Las Casas) abounding with inhabitants as an ant-hill with ants, a very small portion of ground allotted to each, would comprehend in the aggregate an immense space of cultivated coun try. Unacquainted with the soil of the West In dies, Dr. Robertson should have delivered his sen timents on this subject with diffidence. That soil which is known in these islands by the name of brick-mould, is not only superior to most others in fertility, but requires very little trouble in cultiva tion. Among our islanders, to whom the use of iron was unknown, instruments were ingeniously formed of stone, and of a certain species of dura ble wood, which were endued with nearly equal solidity and sharpness. Possessing the tools and materials necessary for these purposes, they could not be destitute of proper implements for the ruder operations of husbandry, on a soil incapable of * HisUAm. b. 4. sec. 62. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 181 much resistance."* We may add, that the propo sition of Guarionex, the Cacique of the Vega, to Columbus, to cultivate with grain a band of country of one hundred and fifty leagues in length, affords unequivocal evidence of astonishing agricultural capacity in his subjects. f In the arts of navigation, their progress was not considerable, since they had not acquired the use of masts and sails, but employed oars or paddles only to propel their boats. Yet these vessels were constructed with skill, and frequently much orna mented by painting and sculpture, and sometimes were sufficiently capacious to carry one hundred and fifty persons. They were commonly made of cedar, or the great cotton-tree hollowed and squared at each end, like punts. Their gunnels were raised with canes, braced close, and smeared over with some bituminous substance, to render them water tight.! They were sometimes driven by forty oars, and had an awning constructed of mats and palm- leaves, sufficient to protect the voyagers from the sun, rain, and spray of the sea. In the manufacture of domestic utensils and fur niture, our islanders displayed much elegance and variety, especially in their earthenware, curiously woven beds, and implements of husbandry. Among the presents made to Bartholomew Columbus by the princess Anacoana, were fourteen chairs of wood, like ebony, beautifully wrought, and no less than sixty vessels of different sorts, for the use of his kitchen and table, all of which were ornament ed with figures of various kinds, fantastic forms, and accurate representations of living animals. Chairs have been found by the French colonists at Samana, formed of the yellow Acomas, one of the * 1 Edw. W. I. b. 1. eh. ?. (uote.) t See page 187. vol. 1. t P Martyr. Deo. 1. $ Herrera, Dec. 1. lib. 5. VOL, II. Q 182 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [CH. 3. hardest woods of the island, so neatly made and highly polished, as to excite the wonder of the dis coverer, that such works could be executed with out tools of iron.* And in the Museum of the Ame rican Philosophical Society, at Philadelphia, is a stool, or chair of wood, taken from a cave in St. Salvador, representing an animal with protruding head, short legs, and the posterior part of the body turned up, forming a back. But it is rudely carved, and the seat is not raised more than six inches from the ground. They fabricated orna ments of gold, for the head, neck, arms, and an kles, by which new value was given to the metal in the taste of the forms into which they cast it.j" The industry and ingenuity, therefore, of this peo ple must have greatly exceeded the measure of their wants. Having provided for the necessities of their condition, they proceeded to improve and adorn it.f But they were wofully deficient in the means of defending themselves and their possessions against the cruelty and cupidity of their Carib foes, and the greater inhumanity and avarice of their Chris tian friends. Their warlike instruments consisted of stakes, sharpened at the end, and hardened in the fire, except among the inhabitants on some por tions of the sea-shore, who had borrowed from the Caribs the use of the bow. Although thus igno rant of warfare, and overflowing with benevolence, though unused to privation, and habituated to self-indulgence, and to unrestricted sensual gratifi cation, and to all those enjoyments which render men unfit to contend with their fellows endowed with sterner qualities, the Arrowaiik was brave ! We repeat that he was brave, notwithstanding the calumnies of his European oppressors. He resisted and repelled the Carib, and when he discovered * Mem. of M. Arihaud. Cap Fran. 1786. t Martyr, Dec. 1. f Edw. W. Ind. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 183 that his Spanish guest, if a supernatural being, was a demon of evil, he heroically opposed him, unde terred by his superiority of arms, his fleet and fiery horses, and his savage blood-hounds. To re gain his freedom, the poor but spirited Indian ex posed his naked body to the keen sabre of an in vulnerable foe, and to the bolt and the flash which he had but too just cause to dread, more than the thunder and lightning of the heavens. His failure against such odds should not derogate from his character. The Indian of the other hemisphere, with far greater power to resist, has been compelled to yield to the northern conquerors, and he has been preserved under their dominion, because his task masters are better calculators of the mercantile value of human life, and because he has, by the endurance of ages of tyranny, \ become insensible to its inflictions. 10. It may be safely affirmed, that history affords no instance of greater barbarity than that exer cised on these innocent and inoffensive people. And although it be authenticated beyond the pos sibility of dispute, the mind, shrinking from the contemplation, wishes to resist conviction, and re lieve itself by incredulity. From this cause, per haps, Dr. Robertson has become the apologist of the Spaniards. Yet even he admits,* that in the short interval of fifteen years after the discovery, the natives of Hispaniola were reduced from a mil lion to sixty thousand. Oviedo himself, f who en deavours to palliate the barbarities of his country men towards the Indians, by asserting that the latter were addicted to unnatural vices, confesses, that in 1535, only forty-three years posterior to the discovery of Hispaniola, and when he was on the spot, there were not left alive on that island above *Hist. Am. vol. 1. book 111. t Oviedo, lib. 3. c. 6. 184 HISTORY OF A3IEKICA. [CH. 3. five hundred of the original natives, old and young; for, he adds, that all the other Indians at that time there, had been forced or decoyed into slavery, from the neighbouring islands. Sir Francis Drake, who landed at Haiti in 1585, states, that the Spaniards had then utterly exterminated the ancient Indians. The means by which this extraordinary mortality was effected, are thus summed up with honest in dignation, by Mr. Edwards. " The Spaniards dis tributed them (the Indians) into lots, and com pelled them to dig in the mines without rest or in termission until death, their only refuge, put a pe riod to their sufferings. Such as attempted resist ance or escape, their merciless tyrants hunted down with dogs, which were fed on their flesh. They disregarded sex and age, and with impious and frantic bigotry, even called in religion to sanc tify their cruelties. Some, more zealous than the rest, forced their miserable captives into the water, and after administering to them the rite of baptism, cut their throats the next moment to prevent their apostasy ! Others made a vow to hang or burn thirteen every morning, in honour of our Saviour and his twelve apostles : nor were these the ex cesses only of a blind and remorseless fanaticism, which, exciting our abhorrence, also excites our pity. The Spaniards were actuated in many in stances by such wantonness of malice, as is wholly unexampled in the wide history of human depravi ty. Martyr relates, that it was a frequent practice among them to murder the Indians of Hispaniola in sport, or merely, he observes, to keep their hands in use. They had an emulation which of them could most dexterously strike off the head of a man at a blow, and wagers frequently depended on this hellish exercise.* To fill up the measure of this * Martyr. Dec. 1. lib. 7. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 185 iniquity, and demonstrate to the world that the na tion at large participated in the guilt of individuals, the court of Spain not only neglected to punish these enormities in its subjects, but, when rapacity and avarice had nearly defeated their own purposes, by the utter extirpation of the natives of Hispani- ola, the king gave permission to seize on the un suspecting inhabitants of the neighbouring islands, and transport them to perish in the mines of St. Domingo.* The destruction of the Caribs was a labour more difficult and protracted, but it was specially licensed by the Spanish sovereigns. In 1504, when general orders were given (seldom regarded) for the protec tion of the persons and properties of the Indians, both of the islands and the continent, the Caribs were exempted from their benefit. The royal order states, that, although due care had been taken to convert the Indians to Christianity, and to teach them to live as rational beings, by the mission of religious men, who had been well received in some of the islands, yet, in others, there was a certain race called Cannibals, which rejected the pastors, repelling them by arms, slaying the Christians, Spaniards as well as natives, or capturing them, with design to feed upon them, that, therefore, for the service of God, the peace and security of the pacific Indians, it was proper that such offend ers should be chastised ; and having consulted their council, and considering that such Cannibals had contumaciously refused the oft-extended grace of reception by the church, incorporation with the faithful, and the rule of the Spanish authority ; and had become hardened in their evil propensities, idolatry and the eating of human flesh, it should be lawful for all persons proceeding by royal command * 1 Edw. W.I. book l.ch. 3. Q2 166 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cit. o. to the islands or -Terra Firma, to capture, make slaves, and sell them, paying the royal dues, that they might the more readily be converted to Chris* tianity. This license, which so happily blended religious duty and commercial profit, was improved upon all occasions. And the Carib, thus given up to destruction, and hunted down as a beast of prey, would have been immediately annihilated, had not his native bravery protected him, and rendered him the dread of his irreconcilable foe. The race sus tained itself, therefore, much longer than the Arro- wauks, inhabiting their native islands in consider able numbers in the eighteenth century, where yet some of their descendants, miserably degraded, may possibly abide. We shall have occasion here after, in the particular account we propose of the West India Islands, to revert to their history. XIV. Of the quadrupeds properly so called, which anciently existed in the West Indies, the Wind ward or Caribean islands, possessed all the species found in the larger islands, and some which, in the latter, were unknown. All the animals of the for mer are still found in Guiana, and few of them in North America; which is an additional proof that the windward islands were anciently peopled from the south. These animals were the Agouti, Pe- cary, Armadillo, Opossum, Raccoon, Muskrat, Alco, and the smaller monkey of several varieties. These are the most general appellations ; but, from the variety of Indian dialects, some of these animals have had so many names, that it is difficult to dis tinguish them in the accounts of the French and Spanish historians.* 1. The Agouti is sometimes called Couti and Coati. It was corrupted into Uti and Utia, by the Spaniards; and at present is known in some parts * 1 Edvv. W. I. book 1. ch. 4. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 187 of the West Indies, by the terms Pucarara and In dian Coney. It is the Mus Aguti of Linnajus, and the Cavy of Pennant and Buftbn. It is of a dark colour, inclining to black, having rough, light hair, which covers every part, except the tail.. It has two teeth in the upper, and as many in the lower jaw, which are as sharp as a ra zor. It holds its meat in the two fore paws, and its cry is like the word Couye^ distinctly pronounced. Compared with the quadrupeds of Europe, it seems to constitute an intermediate species between the rabbit and the rat.* 2. The Pecary, which was not known in the larger islands, bore as many names as the Agouti. By Rochefort it was called the Javari and Pac- quire ; by Dampier Pelas ; by Acosta Saino and Zaino. It is the Sus Tajacu of Linnaeus, and the Pecary and Mexican Hog of the English natural ists. It is said to abound still, in many of the prov inces of Mexico ; but, in the West India Islands, it has been long exterminated. It differs from the common hog, in the singular circumstance of hav ing a fetid discharge from an aperture or gland on the back, erroneously supposed to be the navel ; and in the colour of the bristles, which are highly ornamented, being of pale blue, tipt with white. It is said, also, to possess greater courage than the ordinary hog, and when hunted by dogs, to turn frequently and compel its enemy to retreat. Its native bravery, bringing it within the reach of fire arms, contributed, doubtless, to its final destruction in the islands. 3. The Armadillo was of that species which is called the nine-banded. It is covered with a joint ed shell, or scaly armour, and has the faculty of rolling itself up like the hedge-hog. The head * 1 Edw. W. I. book 1. ch. 4. Rochefort, book 1. ch. 11. 188 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 3. and snout are like those of a pig ; with the latter, and with its paws, which are supplied with five sharp claws, it obtains the roots upon which it feeds. Its flesh is wholesome and delicate. It is sometimes found as large as a fox, but ordinarily much less. 4. The Opossum (or Manitou) is about the size of a large cat ; has a large snout, the nether jaw shorter than the upper, as the hog; ears long, broad, and straight ; the tail long, hairless towards the extremity, and turning downwards ; the hair on the back is black intermingled with gray, and un der the belly, and about the throat, yellowish. It is furnished with sharp claws, by which it easily climbs trees. Its ordinary food is birds, but it can live well on fruits. The female of this animal is distinguished by the wonderful property of having a pouch under the belly, wherein she receives and shelters her young. 5. The Raccoon, as well as the Opossum, is well known in North America, and was common in Ja maica until a late period, where it was eaten by all sorts of people. Its abode w r as chiefly in hollow trees, whence it made its path to the cane-fields, where it chiefly subsisted ; a circumstance which, while it. indicates its number to have been consid erable, readily accounts for its destruction. 6. The Muskrat is the Piloris of naturalists ; it burrows in the earth, and smells so strongly of musk, that its retreat is easily discovered. They abounded greatly in Martinico, and other wind ward islands ; and its resemblance to the common rat of Europe, though four times as large, probably proved fatal to the whole race. 7. The Alco was the native dog of the new hemisphere. It differed from that of the old, chiefly in not having the power to bark. The natives of CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 189 Hispaniola fattened them with care, and accounted their flesh a great delicacy. Of the monkey, and its varieties, it is unneces sary to say any thing. Of these eight species of edible quadrupeds, two only, the first and the last, are now found in the islands. The Agouti is still frequently seen in Porto Rico, Cuba, and Hispaniola, and sometimes in the mountains of Jamaica. From these sources the supply of animal food would have been insuf ficient for the population of the islands; but nature furnished the inhabitants with two extraordinary creatures, both of which were, and still are, not only used as food, but accounted superior deli cacies. These are the Iguana and the mountain- crab. 8. The Iguana, commonly written Guana, is a species of lizard a class of animals about which naturalists are not agreed, whether to rank them with quadrupeds, or to degrade them to serpents. From the alligator, the most formidable of the fami ly, measuring sometimes twenty feet in length, the gradation is regular, in diminution of size, to the small lizard of three inches ; nearly the same figure and conformation prevailing in each. The Iguana is commonly about three feet long, and pro- portionably bulky. It lives chiefly among the fruit trees, and is perfectly gentle and innoxious. They take their colour, it is said, from the soil on which they are bred, which has given occasion to the Portuguese to consider them a species of the ca- melion. In some islands, the females are of a light green, checkered with black and white spots, and the males are gray : in others, the last are black, and the females of a light gray, mixed with black and green ; and in some places, both males and fe males have their scales so variegated and glittering, that they look as if clothed in cloth of silver and 190 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. gold. M. Labat speaks of a fricassied Guana with high approbation ; he compares it to chicken, for the whiteness of its flesh and the delicacy of its flavour ;* and he gives the following minute ac count of the manner of catching it : " We were at tended," says he, " by a negro, who carried a long rod ; at one end of which was a piece of whip-cord with a running knot. After beating the bushes for some time, the negro discovered our game basking in the sun on the dry limb of a tree. Thereupon he began whistling with all his might, to which the Guana was wonderfully attentive, stretching out his neck, and turning his head, as if to enjoy it more fully. The negro approached him, still whist ling, and advancing his rod gently, began tickling with the end of it the sides and throat of the Gu ana, who seemed much pleased with the operation, for he turned on his back, and stretched himself out like a cat before the fire, and at length fairly fell asleep ; which the negro perceiving, dexterous ly slipt the noose over his head, and with a jerk brought him to the ground ; and good sport it af forded, to see the creature swell like a turkey-cock, at finding himself entrapped. We caught others in the same way, and kept one of them alive seven or eight days ; but," continues the reverend historian, " it grieved me to the heart, to find that he thereby lost much delicious fat." XV. The Mountain Crabs are among the most astonishing wonders of nature. " These animals," says Du Tertre, " live not only in a kind of orderly society in their retreats in the mountain, but regu larly, once a year, march down to the sea-side, in a body of some millions at a time. As they multiply in great numbers, they choose the months of April and May to begin their expedition, and then sally * Tom. 3. p. 315. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 191 out from the stumps of hollow trees, from the clefts of rocks, and from the holes which they dig for themselves under the surface of the earth. At that time, the whole ground is covered with this band of adventurers ; there is no setting down one s foot without treading upon them. The sea is their place of destination, and to that they direct their march with right-lined precision. No geometrician could send them to their destined station by a shorter course ; they neither turn to the right nor the left, whatever obstacles intervene, and even if they meet with a house, they will attempt to scale the walls, to keep the unbroken tenor of their way. But though this be the general order of their route, they, upon other occasions, are compelled to con form to the face of the country, and if it be inter sected by rivers, they are seen to wind along the course of the stream. The procession sets forward from the mountains with the regularity of an army under the guidance of an experienced commander. They are commonly divided into battalions, of which the first consists of the strongest and boldest males, that, like pioneers, march forward to clear the route and face the greatest dangers. The night is their chief time of proceeding, but if it rains by day, they do not fail to profit by the occasion, and they continue to move forward in their slow, uni form manner. When the sun shines, and is hot upon the surface of the ground, they make a uni versal halt, and wait until the cool of the evening. When they are terrified, they march back in a con fused, disorderly manner, holding up their nippers, with which they sometimes tear off a piece of the skin, and leave the weapon where they inflicted the wound. When, after a fatiguing march, and escaping a thousand dangers, for they are sometimes three months in getting to the shore, they have arrived 192 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3, at their destined port, they prepare to cast their spawn. For this purpose the crab has no sooner reached the shore, than it eagerly goes to the edge of the water, and lets the waves wash over its body two or three times, to take off the spawn. The eggs are hatched under the sand ; and soon after, millions at a time of the new-born crabs are seen quitting the shores, and slowly travelling up to the mountains.* " The old crabs having thus disburdened them selves, generally regain their habitations by the latter end of June. In August they begin to fat ten, and prepare for moulting ; filling up their bur rows with dry grass and leaves, and abundance of other materials. When the proper period comes, each retires to his hole, shuts up the passage, and remains quite inactive until he gets rid of his old shell, and is fully provided with a new one. How long they continue in this state is uncertain, but the shell is first observed to burst at the back and the sides, to give a passage to the body, and the animal extracts its limbs from all the other parts gradually afterwards. At this time the flesh is in the richest state, and covered only with a tender membranous skin, variegated with a multitude of reddish veins ; but this hardens gradually, and soon becomes a perfect shell, like the former. It is, how ever, remarkable, that during this change, there are some stony secretions always formed in the bag, which waste and dissolve, as the creature forms and perfects its new crust."* Many people, in order to eat of this singular animal in the highest perfection, cause them to be dug from the earth in the moulting state ; but they are usually taken from the time they begin to move of themselves, until they reach the sea ; during * Ercnvne s Ilist. of Jamaica. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 193 this period they are in spawn, and are considered by those who have feasted upon them as one of the choicest morsels in nature. The observation, there fore, of Du Tertre, is neither hyperbolical nor ex travagant, when, speaking of the various species of this animal, he terms them " a living and perpet ual supply of manna in the wilderness, equalled only by the miraculous bounty of Providence to the children of Israel, when wandering in the desert." " They are a resource," continues he, " to which the Indians have at all times resort : for when all other provisions are scarce, this never fails them." This profusion of animal food does not now exist, though this crab is still found in the larger islands ; and Mr. Edwards observes, at the time when he wrote his history, that its extinction was probably at hand.* XVI. Of the serpent tribe there are many varie ties, and some of them very large, and as thick as a man s arm. But there are few, if any, venomous. Some authors assert, that Martinico and St. Lucia have two species that are very poisonous. But this is denied by Browne, Charlevoix, Hughes, and Ed wards. The last writes, " that during a residence of eighteen years in Jamaica, I neither knew nor heard of any person being hurt from the bite of any one species of the numerous snakes or lizards known in that island. Some of the snakes I have myself handled with perfect security. I conclude, therefore, (notwithstanding the contrary assertion of Du Tertre respecting Martinico and St. Lucia,) that all the islands are providentially exempt from this evil. Nevertheless, it must be admitted, that the circumstance is extraordinary; inasmuch as every part of the continent of America, but espe cially those provinces which lie under the equator, * (1793.) 1 Edw. W. I. book 1. ch. 4. VOL. II. R 194 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 3. abound in a high degree with serpents, whose bite is mortal.* XVII. Of the lizard species, the same author says, " the crocodile, or alligator, is indeed some times discovered on the banks of the rivers ; but notwithstanding all that has been said of its fierce and savage disposition, I pronounce it, from my own knowledge, a cautious and timid creature, avoiding, with the utmost precipitation, the ap proach of man. The rest of the lizard kind are perfectly innocent and inoffensive. Some of them are even fond of human society. They embellish our walks by their beauty, and court our attention by gentleness and frolic ; but their kindness, I know not why, is returned by aversion and disgust."f We have already spoken of the Guana, and will notice here two other remarkable species of the lizard. The Gobe Mouche, or Fly-Catcher, so called from their ordinary exercise, are the least of the reptiles in the islands. They are in figure like those called in France and Italy Stellions. Some seem covered with gold and silver brocade ; others with a mixture of green and gold, and other de lightful colours. They are perfectly harmless, and so familiar, that they boldly enter the dwelling- houses in search of their prey, which they pursue with much nimbleness and dexterity : they will even run upon the table when spread for meals, and upon the persons of those sitting round it, who suffer this freedom on account of the beauty and cleanliness of the animal. In the night, they bear a part in the concert of the Anolis, and other small lizards. To propagate their species, they lay eggs as big as peas, which, having covered with earth, they leave to be hatched by the sun. When killed, which is easily done, by reason of their attention in pursuit * 1 Edw. W. I. book 1. ch. 1 tlbid, CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 195 of their game, they immediately lose their lustre ; the gold and azure, and all the sparkling beauty of their skin vanishes, and they become pale and earthy. Like the chamelion, they readily take the colour ing of the substance on which they dwell. Those on the palm-tree are green, like its leaves ; on the orange-tree they are yellow, as its fruit; nay, it is said, that some who frequented a chamber, in which was a bed with curtains of changeable taffeta, had young ones whose bodies were enamelled with colours corresponding with those of the furniture.* Another species of the lizard has been called the land-pike, from its likeness in figure, skin, and head, to the fish of that name. It is not more than fifteen inches in length ; has four feet so short and weak, that it can only crawl along the ground ; its skin is covered with small shining scales of a sil ver-gray colour. It dwells among rocks, and hol low places ; and in the night-time makes a hideous noise, more sharp and grating to the ear than that of frogs. It is commonly seen in the evening only ; and its motion being somewhat like that of the ser pent, is apt to frighten the unwary beholder.f XVIII. 1. Scorpions are common in the islands, similar to those in the south of Europe, and in Af rica, but they are not so venomous. 2. There are here also remarkable insects. Snails abound called Soldiers, from their instinct in seeking a habitation in the shells of other ani mals, having none peculiar to themselves. They are usually found in the shells of Periwinkles, and other fish cast up by the sea. They are armed each with a claw, somewhat like that of a crab, with which they fasten so firmly on what they seize, as either to take out the piece, -or to leave the claw, * Davies Hist, of the Carib. lib. 1. chap. 13. t Ibid 196 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 3. when forced away ; with this weapon also they con tend with each other for a favourite dwelling. They move faster than the common snail, and leave no slimy trail behind them. 3. Several species of fire-flies give a magical brilliancy to the night ; among which the Cucuyos is most distinguished. It is the size of, and not much unlike the locust, dark in colour ; and has two hard and strong wings, beneath which are two lesser and membranous ones, visible only when it flies. It emits a vivid light, from a globular promi nence near each eye, and from its sides, in the act of respiration. This light is so strong, that we are told the Indians were glad to have the insects in their cabins to serve them as lamps, and that it is sufficient to enable one to write and read. A Span ish historian relates that the natives of Hispaniola used these flies, fastened to their hands and feet, as torches to hunt by in the night ; and that in their nocturnal dances, they rubbed their naked bodies with the phosphoric matter, which gave them the appearance of demons covered with flames. These flies are easily taken in the night, by turn ing a lighted stick in the air, which they immedi ately approach, and may be then readily struck down. They entirely disappear during the day. Mons. du Mantel gives the following descrip tion of them, in a letter to a friend : " When in the island of Hispaniola, I have often, in the begin ning of the night, walked about our huts to ob serve these little wandering stars. It was most pleasant to see them about those great trees which bear a kind of figs, sometimes obscured by the thick boughs, so that their light came to us in oc casional gleams, and at other times in full radiance ; or to behold them on the adjacent orange-trees, which they seemed to set on fire, gilding those beautiful fruits, enamelling their flowers, and giv- Ctt. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 197 ing such lustre to their leaves, that their naturally delightful verdure was extremely increased by the pleasant combination of so many lights. I wished myself at that time the art of painting, that I might represent a night enlightened, and as it were turned into day by so many fires, and so pleasant and lu minous a landscape. Think it not much that I am so long about the story of a fly, since Du Bartas sometimes gave it a place among the birds, and in the fifth day of his first week speaks very nobly of it in these terms : 1 New Spain s Cucuyo in his forehead brings Two burning lamps, two underneath his wings ; Whose shining rays serve oft in darkest night, The embroiderer s hand in royal works to light: Th ingenious turner, with a wakeful eye, To polish fair his purest ivory ; The usurer to count his glistering treasures; The learned scribe to limn his golden measures. " If five or six of these flies were put into a ves sel of fine crystal, no doubt the light of them would be answerable to the poet s description, and be a living and incomparable torch."* We have heard of English ladies at Calcutta, where fire-flies of a less size abound, who have used them as ball-room ornaments in a way not less fanciful than ingenious. They inclosed them in small pods of fine shear-muslin, which they fasten ed to their hair and dress, and thus moved in a blaze of living brilliants. 4. There are also some large insects called Pha langes, of singular and diversified forms. Some have two snouts, like the proboscis of an elephant, one turning upwards, the other downwards. Some have three horns; one rising from the back, the others from the head, which, like the body, is of jet shining black. Others have one great horn, * Davies Hist. Carib. lib. 1. ch. 14. R2 198 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cH. 3. about five inches in length, much after the fashion of a woodcock s bill, very smooth on the upper side, and downy on the lower, which, rising from the back, reaches in a direct line to the head, on which is another, like that of the horned beetle, black as ebony, and transparent as glass. This va riety has the body of the colour of a withered leaf, smooth and flourishing like damask ; large, yellow, and firm eyes, a wide mouth, and teeth like a saw. The traveller last above quoted, describes one of these flies as about three inches in length; the head azure, not unlike that of a grasshopper, save that the eyes were green as an emerald, and sur rounded by a small streak of white : the upper side of the wings of a bright violet colour, damasked with several compartments of carnation, divided and relieved by a natural thread of silver, and dis posed with beautiful symmetry. The nether part of the body is of the colour of the head, and has six black feet. When the outer wings were ex panded, there appeared beneath two others, thinner than silk, and of a deep scarlet colour.* 5. Among the spiders, there is a species remark able for monstrous size and figure, being so great, that when the legs are spread abroad, they take up a larger space than the palm of a man s hand. The body consists of two parts, whereof one is flat; and the other, round, small at one end like a pige on s egg. They have a hole in the back ; the mouth cannot be easily discerned, being covered with hair, of a light gray, sometimes mixed with red. They are armed with two sharp tushes, of a solid substance, and black colour, so smooth and shining that some curious persons have them set in gold for tooth-picks ; which are much esteemed by those who fancy them possessed of virtue to prevent pain. * Davies Carib. M. lib. c. 14. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 199 When grown, they are covered with a swarthy down, soft and close as velvet ; and are supported by ten feet, which issue from the fore-part of the body, hairy, four-jointed, and armed with claws. They cast their skins yearly, and the exuvia pre sents the perfect figure of the animal. They feed on flies, and their webs are so strong that small birds have difficulty to escape, when entangled in them.* 6. The insect called the Jly ing tiger, receives its name, because its body is chequered with spots, like that of the forest tyrant. It is of the size of the horned beetle ; the head is sharp, in which are set two large eyes, green and sparkling as an eme rald ; it is also furnished with two strong and sharp hooks, with which it holds its prey whilst it feeds upon it. The body is covered with a hard and swarthy crust, which serves for armour; beneath the outer wings, which are also of a solid matter, are four lesser ones, thin and transparent. It has six legs, each with three joints, and set thick with bristles. During the day, it is incessantly employ ed in catching other insects, and at night pours from the trees a song like the Cigale.f XIX. In addition to these productions of the land, the woods, the marshes, and the coast, abound with wild fowl, of great variety and excellent flavour. We shall notice such only as are re markable for richness of plumage, or peculiarity of form or habits. 1. As the voyager approaches the islands, he is greeted even at a great distance by a species of bird to which the French have given the name of Frigates, on account of the length and lightness of their flight. Their bodies are of the size of a drake s, but their wings much larger ; the feathers * Davies Carib. Isl. lib. c. 14. t Ibid. SOO HISTORY OF AMERICA. [ctt. 3, on the back are sometimes black, at others gray ; the belly and wings commonly white. They feed on fish, which they catch with great ease and dex terity, as in their rapid and graceful flight they skim the wave. To the flying-fish they are fatal enemies. They watch his egress from the water, and seize him almost before he has left it. Most probably these birds marshalled Columbus the road to the discovery. 2. The Flamingo has a body in form and size similar to the wild goose, with long neck, and legs which raise it three feet from the ground. When full grown and of mature age, its colour is a bright carnation, and the wings sometimes variegated with black and white feathers. It is a gregarious bird, and has the senses of hearing and smelling very acute, so that it is difficult to approach it. To avoid surprize, the flocks keep in the midst of fens, whence they may at a great distance perceive their enemies. One of the party is always on guard, whilst the rest are engaged in seeking food. When the huntsmen of Hispaniola would kill some of these birds, which are there very common, they take the wind of them, cover themselves with an ox-hide, and creep on their hands and feet until they reach a spot whence they may be sure to kill. The birds, accustomed to see the wild oxen come from the mountains to the watering-places below, are readily deceived by this wile. They are ordi narily fat, and accounted delicate food. The skins, which are covered with soft down, are rendered precious by their beautiful colouring. 3. Among the other water-fowl of the islands, may be enumerated Geese, a great variety of Ducks, Moor-hens, Plover, Craw-fowls, &c. 4. Of land-fowl we may mention Turkeys, seve ral species of the Wild-cock and Pheasants, which, on account of their beautiful plumage, are called CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 201 Pintadoes; Partridges, Turtles, Ravens, Wood peckers, Blackbirds, Thrushes, Parrots of many species, Ortolans, and the wonderful Colibri, or Humming-bird. We shall remark only on the three last. 5. Either the beauty or loquacious faculty of the parrot, has made the whole genus familiarly known, from the small, simple, and uniform-colour ed Paraquito, to the large, glaring, gaudy, and screaming Mackaw. There are two varieties of this bird that are particularly noticed by Rochefort, and are called by him the Arras and the Canides, which may be properly described here. The first are as large as the pheasant, having a big head, sprightly and stedfast eyes, crooked beak, and a long tail of very fine feathers of several col ours. Some have the head, the upper part of the neck, and the back, of a bright sky-colour; the belly, the lower part of the neck, and the wings, of a pale yellow ; and the tail all red. Others have almost all the body of a flame-colour, and the wings variegated with yellow, azure, and red. Others, again, have all their parts diversified with red, blue, green, and black. They commonly fly in flocks ; are either very bold and daring, or extreme ly stupid, for they are not startled at the discharge of a gun, and if not hurt by the first shot, will await a second. They are easily tamed, and may be taught to speak, but their tongues are too thick to do it so plainly as the other kinds of parrots. The Canides is much of the size of the Arras, but of a more beautiful plumage, and distinguished for its gentle disposition, its capacity and powers of speech. The following description of an indi vidual is taken from Rochefort. " It deserves to be numbered," says he, " among the most beautiful birds in the world. I took so particular notice of it, having had them in my hands many times, that 202 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cil. 3 I have the ideas of it still fresh in my memory. Under the belly, wings, and neck, it was of a wav ing aurora colour ; the back, and one-half the wings, of a very bright sky colour ; the tail, and greater feathers of the wing, were mixed with a sparkling carnation, diversified with a sky colour as upon the back, a grass-green, and a shining black, which very much added to the gold and azure of the other plumage. But the most beautiful part was the head, covered with a murey down, chequered with green, yellow, and pale blue, which reached down wavingly to the back ; the eyelids were white, and the apple of the eye yellow and red, as a ruby set in gold. It had upon the head a certain tuft or cap of feathers of a vermilion red, sparkling like a lighted coal, which was encompassed by several other lesser feathers of a pearl colour." " He spoke the Dutch, Spanish, and Indian lan guages, and in the last sung airs as a natural In dian. He also imitated the cries of all sorts of poultry, and other creatures about the house ; he called all his friends by their names and sur names ; flew to them as soon as he saw them, es pecially if he were hungry. If they had been ab sent, and he had not seen them for a long time, he expressed his joy at their return by certain merry notes; when he had sported himself until they were weary of him, he went away and perched himself on the top of the house, and there he talk ed and sung, and played a thousand tricks, laying his feathers in order, and dressing and cleaning himself with his beak. He was easily kept, for not only the bread commonly used in the island, (Cura- coa,) but all the. fruits and roots growing there, were his ordinary food ; and when he had more given him than he needed, he carefully laid up the remainder, under the leaves wherewith the house was covered, and took it when he wanted. Jn q, CH. 3^] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 203 word, I never saw a more loving or more amiable bird : it was a present for any prince, if it could have been brought over the sea. It was origin ally brought from the Carib islands to Curacoa." 6. The most delicious bird in the West Indies, for the table, is the Ortolan, or October Bird. It is the Emberiza Oryzivora of Linnaeus, or Rice- bird of South Carolina, and is known on the Chesa peake and Delaware bays as the Reed-bird. They are accounted birds of passage in North America, as well as in the West Indies. They arrive in Carolina, and on the waters of the middle states, in September, to feed on the rice and the seeds of the reed, and they retire from the former in about three weeks, when the rice begins to harden ; and from the latter with the first frost. In October they visit Jamaica, and the other islands, to feed on the seeds of the guinea-grass. At their first arrival at either of these places, they are thin and scarce edible, but in a few days they become very fat and delicious. 7. A bird not so big as the end of one s little finger might be supposed a mere creature of im agination, were it not seen in infinite numbers and great variety, and as common as butterflies on a summer s day, sporting in the fields of America, from flower to flower, extracting their sweets with its little bill. The smallest humming-bird is about the size of a hazel-nut. The feathers of its wings and tail are black ; but those on its body and under its wings are of a greenish brown, with a fine red cast or gloss, which no silk or velvet can imitate. It has a small crest on its head, green at the bottom, and, as it were, gilded at the top, and which sparkles in the sun like a little star in the middle of its fore head. The bill is black, straight, and slender, and of the length of a small pin. The larger kinds are nearly half as big as the common wren, and are va- 204 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. riously decorated, but all remarkable for the extra ordinary splendour and agreeable contrasts of their plumage. It is inconceivable how much these add to the high finish and beauty of a rich, luxurious western landscape. As soon as the sun is risen, the hum ming-birds of different kinds are seen fluttering about the flowers, without ever lighting upon them. Their wings are in such rapid motion, that it is im possible to discern their colours, except by their glittering. They are never still, but continually in motion, visiting flower after flower, and extracting its honey as if with a kiss. For this purpose they are furnished with a forked tongue, that enters the cup of the flower, and extracts its nectared tribute. Upon this they alone subsist. The rapid motion of their wings has a humming sound, whence they have their name. Their nests are not less curious than their plu mage. They are about the size and shape of a hen s egg cut in two, of cotton, fine moss, and fibres of vegetables, and warmly lined with very fine cotton or other vegetable down. They are suspended in the air on the remote branches of the trees, and carefully concealed beneath the foliage. The hen lays two eggs at a time, and never more, about the size of small peas, very white, and sparsely spec kled with yellow. During incubation, which con tinues twelve days, she never leaves the nest, ex cept for a short time, morning and evening, to take food. Her absence is supplied by the male ; for, as the egg is so small, a short exposure to the at mosphere would injure its contents. The young, when hatched, are of the size of a blue-bottled fly. In the warm parts of America, where flowers are constantly found, these birds flutter all the year round ; but in other parts, they appear only during the summer. It is doubtful whether they have a CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 205 continued note. All travellers agree, that, beside the humming noise produced by their wings, they have a little interrupted chirrup; but Labat as serts, that they have a pleasing melancholy melody in their voices, though small, and proportioned to the organs which produce it. The Indians formerly made great use of the plumage of this bird in adorn ing themselves, and some European ladies have not disdained to set off their beauty by ear-pendants made of it. 8. The Indians practised an ingenious mode for taking water-fowl, which is in use among the peo ple of the East, particularly the Chinese, at the present day. In the ponds where these birds re sort, they throw calabashes, with which they soon grow familiar. The sportsman having adapted one of these gourds to his head, with apertures for the sight and the breath, cautiously entered the water, either gently swimming, or walking where the stream was shallow, with his head only above the water, until he got among the fowl, when, seizing one at a time by the feet, and dragging it by a sud den jerk under the surface, he fastened it to his girdle, and thus loaded himself with as many as he could carry away, without alarming the rest. XX. The sea and the rivers, as well as the air and earth, poured forth abundant treasures for the sustenance of man, in a vast variety of excellent fish and amphibious animals, which the Indians of the coast were very expert in taking. We shall notice particularly here, the Remora, the Manati, and the Turtle. 1. The Remora received that name from the French, from sticking to the ship as if it would stop her course. It was called by the natives Guaycan, and by the Spaniards Reverso, because it is com monly caught hanging by the back on sharks and VOL. II. S 208 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [dl. 3, other fish.* It is about two feet in length, and proportionably large : has no scales, but is covered with an ash-coloured skin, which is as glutinous as that of an eel. The upper jaw is little shorter than the lower; instead of teeth it has little risings, strong enough to break what it would swallow. The eyes are very small, of a yellow colour. It has fins, and a certain plume, as some other sea-fishes have ; but what is most remarkable, it has on the head an oval piece like a crown, which is flat arid streaked above with several lines, which make it look bristly. By this part the fish adheres tena ciously to the object to which it attaches itself. " The Indians employed the Remora" says Ovi- edo, " as falconers employed hawks. It was kept for this purpose, and properly fed. The owner, on a calm morning, carried it out to sea, secured to his canoe by a small but strong line, many fathoms in length ; and the moment it sees a fish in the water, though at a great distance, it starts away with the swiftness of an arrow, and soon fastens upon it. The Indian, in the mean time, loosens and lets go the line, which is provided with a buoy that keeps on the surface of the sea, and serves to mark the course which the Remora has taken, and he pursues it in his canoe until he conceives his game to be nearly exhausted and run down. He then, taking up the buoy, gradually draws the line to wards the shore ; the Remora still adhering with inflexible tenacity to its prey, and it is with great difficulty that it is made to quit its hold." It is said, the reader may believe it or not, that the Tur tle and the Manati were both taken in this man- ner.f 2. The Manati, called by the French Lamantiji, * P. Martyr, Dec. 1. lib. 3. Munoz, lib. 5. t Oviedo. Herrera. P. Martyr, Dec. 1. lib. 2. 1 Edw. W. I. book 1. ch. 4. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 207 and by the British sailors the Sea-cow, though now scarce on the shores of the West Indies, is still caught there. It is commonly from ten to eighteen feet long, huge and unwieldy, and weighs from twelve to fifteen hundred weight. The head has some resemblance to that of a cow. It has small eyes, and a thick skin of a dark colour, wrink led in some places, and thinly covered with hair, which was sometimes used by the Indians as a buckler. Instead of fins, it has under the belly two short feet, furnished with four fingers each, and apparently too weak to sustain so heavy a body. It does not quit the water, but lives on the grass and herbage which grows at the bottom of the sea. The female is disburthened of her young much after the manner of cows, and has two teats, where with she suckles them. She brings forth two calves at a time, which do not forsake the old one until they no longer require milk, and can feed on the grass as she does. Acosta, who was a good Catho lic, says this animal was excellent food, but he adds, "I scrupled to eat it on Friday, being doubtful whether it was flesh or Jish." P. Martyr relates, that one of these animals had been taken whilst young, and placed in a lake of Hispaniola, by a native Cacique, where it became exceeding tame, grew to great bulk, and lived twenty-five years. The reader will not object to Martyr s account, as given in the translation of Eden. "The king nourished this fish, certain days, at home, with the bread of the country, made of the root of Yucca and Panycke, with such other roots as men are accustomed to eat. Whatsoever is written of the delphines of Baian or Arion, is much inferior to the doings of this fish ; which, for her gentle nature, they named Matum, that is, gentle or noble. Therefore, whensoever any of the king s familiars, especially such as are known to her, re- 208 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. sort to the banks of the lake, and call Matum, Ma- turn, then she, (as mindful of such benefits as she hath received of men,) lifteth up her head, and cometh to the place whither she is called, and there receiveth meat at the hands of such as feed her. If any, desirous to pass over the lake, make signs and tokens of their intent, she boweth herself to them, therewith, as it were, gently inviting them to amount upon her, and conveyeth them safely- over. It hath been seen, that this monstrous fish hath, at one time, safely carried over ten men, singing and playing. But if by chance, when she lifted her head, she espied any of the Christian men, she would immediately plunge down again into the water, and refuse to obey, because she had once received injury at the hands of a certain wan ton young man among the Christians, who had cast a sharp dart at her, although she were not hurt, by reason of the hardness of her skin, being rough, and full of scales and knobs. Yet, did she bear in memory the injury she had sustained, with so gen tle a revenge, requiting the ingratitude of him, which had dealt with her so ungently. From that day, whensoever she was called by any of her fa miliars, she would at first look circumspectly about her, lest any were present apparelled after the manner of the Christians. She would oftentimes play and wrestle upon the bank, with the king s chamberlains ; and especially with a young man whom the king favoured well, being also accus tomed to feed her. She would be sometimes as pleasant and full of play, as if it had been a mon key or marmoset; and was of long time a great comfort and solace to the whole island. For no small confluence, as well of the Christians as of the inhabitants, had daily concourse, to behold so strange a miracle of nature ; the contemplation whereof was no less pleasant than wonderful. But, CH. 3*] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 209 at length, this pleasant playfellow was lost, and carried into the sea, by the overflowing of a great river which passed through the lake."* This won derful fish story, we think, is to be ranked among the many fables connected with the New World, which amused the people of Europe, the learned as well as the unlearned, for a long time after the discovery. 3. The inhabitants of most seaports of Europe, whence trade is carried on with the West Indies, are familiar with the sight and taste of the turtle of this part of the globe, and are prepared to bear tes timony to its excellence as food. We allude spe cially to that species called by the French Tortue Franclic ; and by the English and Americans, Green Turtle. f There are, however, two other species in the American seas, which are almost as unwholesome as that of the Mediterranean and the coasts of Europe, and are chiefly valuable for their shells. The Green Turtle is taken of various sizes, up to eight hundred weight. They are commonly found of four feet and a half in length, and four feet in breadth. Dampier speaks of one taken at Port Royal, in Jamaica, that was six feet broad across the back; and says that a boy about ten years of age sailed in the shell as in a boat, from the shore to his father s ship, which was about a quarter of a mile from land. The Green Turtle has the fore fins of an oblong oval ; those of the male furnished with two claws ; hind fins broad and round at the end, with one claw; shell convex, smooth, of a reddish brown, broke with a yellow, and rayed with a deeper brown or black, sutures of the shell and edge of the side- scales waved ; belly a pale yellow. It seldom quits the sea but to deposit its eggs, * Dec. 3. lib. 8. t Testudo Mydas. S2 210 HISTORY OF AMERICA, [CH. 3. or to sport in fresh water. It is on its excursions to lay, when it is usually fat and healthy, that it is commonly taken, and in the following manner, at least upon those uninhabited islands to which the Green Turtle generally resorts. The men employ ed in this business land about night-fall, and keep perfectly still when they see the turtle coming on shore. When she has proceeded to her greatest distance from the sea, and when she is most busily employed in scratching a hole in the sand, they sally out and surprize her, and turn her over on her back, by .which she is prevented from moving. When thus secured, they go to the next, and in this manner, in less than three hours, they have been known to turn forty or fifty turtles. The chief food of the turtle is a submarine plant which covers the bottom of the sea, not far from the shore ; though they often seek their provisions among the rocks, feeding upon the moss and sea weed, and probably sometimes upon insects and other small animals. According to the relation of navigators, when the sea is calm and the weather serene, the tortoises are seen feeding on the green carpet at the bottom of the sea, where the depth is but a few fathoms. After they have fed sufficiently they seek the outlets of rivers for fresh water ; there they take in a refreshing air, and then return to their former station. In the intermission of their feeding, they generally float with their heads above the surface of the water, unless they are alarmed by the motions of any hunters or birds of prey, in which case they suddenly plunge to the bottom. Their time of coupling is from March till May ; and their intercourse is of great duration. On this occasion they resort to low, flat, sandy coasts, as the sand seems a very convenient receptacle for their eggs; and in pursuit of a proper or favorite situation, they often make considerable voyages. CII. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 211 Their eggs are deposited in cavities in the sand, a little above the edge where the surges beat. They cover them very lightly, that the sun may communicate to them a gentle warmth, and hatch their young. Whilst they prepare for the continu ation of their species, they furnish mankind and birds with a very plentiful provision ; for they lay their eo-gs thrice, at the expiration of every fifteen days, and generally produce four score, or ninety, or even more, at each fecundation. When the creature has selected a spot for her nest, which is generally done about the close of evening, she returns without laying that night; but, on the next, goes to deposit a part of her burthen ; and having scraped a round hole about one foot in diameter, and a foot and a half deep, she leaves between eighty and ninety eggs, which are laid in the space of an hour, each nearly as big as a hen s egg. At the conclusion of about twenty-five days, the young tortoises are seen to rise out of the sand, and, without guide or instruction, march with a gentle pace to the water ; but the waves unfortu nately throw them back on the shore, for the first few days, during which they become the prey of the birds, who watch for them, and a very large proportion are destroyed before they obtain strength to overcome the surge, and reach the bottom of the sea. It is said, too, that the mother turtle awaits their approach to that element, in order to devour them ; but this wants confirmation. XXT. Having presented to the reader a concise account of the productions of the animal kingdom of the West Indies, we proceed to lay before him a view of some of the principal vegetable riches which blessed these climes. W T e may consider these under the following divisions. 1. Such as are adapted to, and used in, the arts. 2. Such as 212 HISTORY OP AMERICA. [cil. 3. were applied to the sustenance and refreshment of man. Of the first we may name the Cedar, the Acajou, or Mahogany, the Acomas, Rose-wood, Indian- wood, Lignum Vitae, Iron-wood, Brazil-wood, Yel low-wood, Green Ebony, Roucou ; the Cotton-tree, the Soap-tree, the Arched Indian Fig-tree, Coral- wood, Candle-wood, and the Gourd-tree. 1. The Cedar was common, and one of the largest timber-trees of the island, growing frequently to seven feet in diameter. The trunk is covered with a rough bark, marked with longitudinal fissures, which, as well as the cones and leaves, has so dis agreeable a smell of Asafcctida, that few people care to enter a wood where any of these trees have been recently cut down. The timber, however, has a pleasant smell, is filled with a dark resinous sub stance, light, porous, and easily worked, and much esteemed for wainscoting, and the internal parti tioning of most parts of cabinet ware. The Indians employed it for their largest canoes and periaugues. 2. The Acajou-tree is of three sorts one, bearing fruit, we shall treat of hereafter. Of the others, one, when barked, is white, and when newly felled, is easily wrought, but soon grows so hard, that it can scarce be used. It is subject to worms, and soon rots. The other, in common use, is gene rally known from being much employed in the fabric of furniture. The wood is red, light, of a pleasant smell, and easily wrought ; not liable to injury from the worm, and does not rot in water, when cut in proper season. It was also much used by the aborigines for making their canoes, particu larly those of a large size. From a single trunk, which frequently measures from eighty to ninety feet from the base to the limbs, the Caribbeans would construct one of their periaugues capable of carrying fifty men. The tree shoots forth many CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 213 branches, which grow very close together, and serve to create that variegated appearance of the wood so much admired. The shade it affords is very delightful, and superstition affirms that it con tributes to the health of those who repose under it. From both species, by an incision in the bark, a considerable quantity of gum may be extracted. 3. The Acomas grows to the height and bulk of the Acajou, and is also much esteemed by the car penter and joiner. It bears a smooth and long leaf, and a yellow fruit of the bigness of a plum, pleas ant to the eye, but too bitter to be eaten. The bark is of an ash colour, and very rough ; the wood heavy and easily polished, and, according to the place where it grows, the heart is red, yellow, or violet. 4. The Rose-wood, by some called the Cyprian- wood tree, is remarkable for its beauty of form and flower, and the colour and fragrance of the wood. It grows tall and straight ; is covered with boughs laden with soft leaves, downy on one side, and somewhat similar to those of the walnut-tree. Dur ing the season of the rains, it puts forth clusters of white flowers, of pleasant odour, which are suc ceeded by a small, blackish, and smooth seed. The bark is of a silver gray ; the wood within is of a dark red, variegated with veins of different col ours, and its fragrance, when wrought, has procured it the name which it bears. 5. The Indian-wood tree is not inferior in sizo and beauty to the Rose-wood. It flowers, like it, in the rainy season, and then renews its leaves. The outer bark is smooth, thin, and even ; of a bright silver gray, in some places inclining to yel low ; the inner bark is of a vermilion, and the wood beneath of a violet colour, on which account it is much esteemed. It is solid and heavy, susceptible of a fine polish, and was used by the savages for 214 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. their war-clubs. The leaves have a pleasant smell, give piquancy to sauces, in which they are some times employed, and are supposed to possess some medical virtues. 6. The Lignum Vitse grows in great abundance in Jamaica. It is an ever-green of a dark, gloomy cast, which continues its verdure in the most droughty seasons, and, at times, throws out a great number of blue blossoms, which are succeeded by so many berries, of a roundish form. The tree grows frequently to a very considerable size, but takes a series of years to come to perfection. The roots are thick in proportion to the growth of the tree, and run far into the ground in a perpendicu lar direction, contrary to the usual growth of tim ber-trees in that country, which generally shoot the largest prongs of their roots in a horizontal direc tion, and are commonly observed to run near the surface : the bark is thick and smooth ; the wood of a dark olive colour, and cross-grained ; the fibres running obliquely into one another, in the form of an X. It is a hard, heavy timber-wood, and suits all occasions where strength and duration are re quired, and its weight is no impediment. It takes a fine polish, and answers well in the turner s lathe ; but is chiefly used for ship-blocks.* 7. The Iron-wood is of two species. The first and most valuable is esteemed for its great solidity, weight, and hardness. These qualities adapted it to the fabrication of instruments of agriculture, by the aborigines. The tree is ranked among the highest and best proportioned of the islands ; bears flowers of a violet colour in March and September, and is followed by a fruit about the bigness of the cherry, black, when ripe, and much sought after by the birds. The bark is of a brownish colour ; the * Browne s History of Jamaica. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 2l5 wood, when newly felled, is, except the heart, of a very bright red, but loses much of its liveliness and lustre, when exposed to the weather. The heart is of a very dark red, like that of Brazil, and so hard, as to be wrought with the greatest difficulty. But its beauty, solidity, susceptibility of polish, and incorruptibility, requite the pains taken about it. The second species differs from the first, chiefly, in being subject to worms ; on which account, it is deemed less valuable. 8. The Brazil-wood, Casalpinia, though scarce, was found sometimes in the islands. It received its name from having been first carried to Europe from the Province of Brazil. The trunk grows very crooked, uneven, and full of knots. It is well known for its use in the arts, especially in that of dying. Another tree, (Zanthoxylum,} also used for this purpose, which, from the colour it yielded, was called the Yellow-wood, abounded in St. Croix. The Green Ebony, Chloroxylum^ produced a grass- green dye ; and was commonly used in joiners work, because it easily takes the colour and lustre of the true ebony. Within the outer bark of the tree, there is about two inches of white inner bark ; the rest, to the heart, is of a dark green, inclining to black, but, when polished, exhibits some yellow veins, which give it a marbled appearance. 9. The Roucov, called by the Brazilians the Urucu, which produces the beautiful dye Arnotto, grows to the height of the ordinary orange-tree. It bears leaves of the figure of a heart, and white flowers varied with carnation, consisting of five leaves, in form of a star, and about the bigness of a rose, which grow in bunches at the extremity of the branches. These are succeeded by little pod*, which contain several geeds of the size of a small pea, surrounded by a viscous substance of a rich vermilion colour, from which the Arnotto is pre- 21G HISTORY OF AMERICA. [oil. 3. pared, by washing and evaporation. The wood of the tree is very fragile, and so dry that fire may be readily produced, by rubbi ng two pieces of it against each other. The bark is used for making lines, which are very durable, and the root, which yields the colour and scent of saffron, is sometimes em ployed in culinary operations. The Caribs care fully cultivated this tree in their gardens, obtaining from it the colouring with which they painted their bodies and ornamented their domestic uten sils. 10. Of the Cotton-plant there were two kinds. The shrub so well known in the southern part of the United States, and a groundling which ran on the earth like an unsupported vine. The wool of the latter was preferred by the natives in the fabric of their cloths. Of the Silk Cotton-tree, (Bombax,) there were two varieties ; one with erect, the other with hori zontal branches. It is common to the East and West Indies, and grows generally in the lowlands, and rises frequently to the height of a hundred feet and more, by a straight and well-proportioned stem. The flowers grow in large tufts, and shoot common ly in great abundance, before the leaves appear ; they are moderately large, and of a dirty white colour. The trunk, while young, is always armed with thorns ; but these seldom appear after it has acquired a height and strength sufficient to protect it. The cotton makes good beds, but does not bear the water for the hatter s use, nor has it a sta ple to serve for any other purpose. The trunks of the full-grown trees were frequently used for ca noes. 11. There were two sorts of trees which the islanders used instead of soap ; the one having the saponaceous quality in the fruit, and the other in the root. The fruit grows in clusters, is about the CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 2] 7 bigness of a small plum, round and yellowish, with a hard, black stone, which may be polished ; the root is white and soft. Both make an excellent lather, but the former used too frequently burns the linen. 12. The Indian Fig-tree, the sovereign of the vegetable creation, itself a forest, and the wonder of tropical climes, is divided into two species by Rochefort. The one bears a small fruit without stone, which, in figure and taste, is somewhat like the French fig. In other respects, there is no re semblance. The leaf is of a different figure, and much narrower. The bulk of the stern of the tree is immense ; the trunk shooting forth on the sides from the very root to the place where the boughs be gin, certain excrescences, which reach four or five feet about, making deep cavities, which stand like so many niches. These excrescences, which are of the same substance as the body of the tree, are inclosed by the same bark that covers it, and are seven or eight inches thick, proportionably to the trunk they encompass. The wood is white and soft, and from the shoots of the trunk planks for flooring are frequently cut, without injury to the tree ; for it recovers so rapidly, that in a short time it can scarce be perceived that any thing has been taken from it. The same author notices one of these trees in the island of Tortoises, north of His- paniola, which would shelter two hundred men under the shade of its branches. The other species, described by Milton as The Fig-free, not that kind for fruit renowned, But such as at this day to Indians known, In Malabar and Dtcan. spreads her arms; Branching so hroad and long, that in the ground The bearded twigs take root, and daughters grow Above the moiiier tree?, a pillar d shade, High owrarcked, and echoing walks btticeen, PABADME LOST, Book k- VOL. IT. T 218 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [CH. 3. According to Rochefort, it thrives best in fenny places, and on the sea-side. Its leaf is green, thick, and long. The branches, which bend to the ground, no sooner reach it than they take root and grow into other trees, which again produce others, so that, in time, they spread over all the good ground in the vicinity, rooting out and destroying every other species of vegetation. The labyrinth of its arches harbours the wild hoar and other beasts, and formerly proved a place of refuge and defence to the hunted aborigines. The bark affords excellent tannin.* 13. There grows in several of the islands a small shrub, which bears a seed as red as coral, in bunch es at the end of its branches, which gives them an extraordinary lustre, and the name of Coral-wood to the plant. The seed has a small black spot at one end, which is by some deemed a blemish, but by others a beauty. It is used for bracelets and other ornaments. The Candle-wood is charged with an aromatic gum, which burns with a sweet scent and clear flame, for which reason it is much sought after by the inhabitants, for firing, and for candles and torches. 14. The Gourd or Calabash-tree, Crescentia, grows chiefly in the lowlands, and seldom rises above sixteen or twenty feet in height. The trunk is irregular, and the branches crooked and spread ing ; they bear all their leaves in tufts, and are sometimes adorned with a few single flowers, from space to space. The wood is tough and flexible, and for these qualities, is much sought by the * This tree is called in the East Indies the Banyan. Mr. Mars- den gives the following account of the dimensions of one near Manjee, twenty miles west of Patna, in Bengal : diameter, 363 to 373 feet; circumference of the shadow at noon, 1116 feet; circum ference of the several stems, in number fifty or sixty, 921 feet. Hist. Sumatra, p. 131. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 219 coachmakers. The shell of the fruit makes a light and convenient drinking-cup, and is frequently large enough to hold a gallon. It is said to with stand the fire sufficiently to be used as a pot for boiling. The thicker parts of it are frequently used for button-moulds. XXII. The vegetable productions adapted to the sustenance and refreshment of man, may be con sidered under the broad divisions of fruits and roots. Of the first, we may notice the Anana, or Pine Apple, Goyava, Pa paw, Avocato, or Alligator Pear- tree, Momin, Junipa, Raisin-tree, the Acajou, Icaco, Monbain, several varieties of the Palm, the Cacao, the Cassia-tree, the Banana and Plantain, Prickly Pear, Capsicum, or Indian Pepper, Pi mento or Alspice, and several varieties of Pulse, Maize, &c. Of esculent roots we may enumerate the Man ioc, or Cassava, the Yam, and the Sweet Potato. 1. The Anana, or Pine Apple, is esteemed the first of all fruits ; and this will probably be the opinion of the reader, after he shall have perused the following quaint description from Rochefort, should his own knowledge not have satisfied him of the fact. " It is so delightful to the eye, and of so sweet a scent, that nature may be said to have been extremely prodigal of what was most rare and precious in her treasury to this plant. It grows on a stalk about a foot high, encompassed by about fifteen or sixteen leaves, as long as those of some kinds of thistles, broad as the palm of a man s hand, and in figure like those of aloes; they are pointed at the extremity, as those of corn-gladtx, somewhat hollow in the midst, and having on both sides little prickles, which are very sharp." " The fruit, which grows between these leaves, straight up from the stalk, is sometimes about the 220 BISTCP.Y OF A3IEP.ICA, [cH. 3- bigness of a melon ; its figure is much like that of a pine apple ; its rind, which is full of little com partments like the scales of fish, of a pale-green colour, bordered with carnation upon a yellow ground, hath on the outside several small flowers, which, according to the different aspects of the sun, seem to be of so many different colours, as may be seen in the rain-bow ; as the fruit ripens, most of these flowers fall. But that which gives it a far greater lustre, and acquired it the supremacy among fruit, is, that it is crowned with a great posie, consisting of flowers and several leaves, solid and jagged about, which are of a bright red colour, and extremely add to the delightfulness of it." " The meat or pulp which is contained within the rind, is a little fibrous, but, put into the mouth, is turned all to juice ; it hath so transcendant a taste, and so particular to itself, that those who have endeavoured to make a full description of it, not able to confine themselves to one comparison, have borrowed what they thought most delicate in the peach, the strawberry, the Muscadine grape, and the pippin, and having said all they could, have been forced to acknowledge, that it hath a certain particular taste, which cannot easily be expressed." " The virtue, or shoot by which this plant may be propagated, lies not in its root, nor yet in a small red seed, which is many times found in its pulp ; but in that garland, wherewith it is covered ; for, as soon as it is put in the ground, it takes root, shoots forth leaves, and at the year s end produces new fruit. It happens, sometimes, that these fruits are charged with three posies or crowns, all which have the virtue of propagating their species ; but every stalk bears fruit but once a year." " There are three or four kinds, which the in habitants distinguish by the colour, figure, or scent, CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 221 to wit, the white Anana, the pointed, and that called the Pippin or Renette. This last is more es teemed than the other two, inasmuch as being ripe, it hath, as to the taste, all the rare qualities before described ; it hath also a sweeter scent than the others, and does not set the teeth so much an edge." " The natural Indians of the country, and the French who live in the islands, made of this fruit an excellent drink, not much unlike Malmsey, when it hath been kept a certain time : there is also made of it a liquid conserve, which is one of the noblest and most delicate of any brought out of the Indies: they also cut the rind into two pieces, and it is preserved dry, with some of the thinnest leaves, and then the pieces are neatly joined to gether again, and they ice it over with sugar, by which means the figure of the leaves and fruit is perfectly preserved ; and there may be seen in these happy countries, notwithstanding the heats of the torrid zone, a pleasant representation of the sad productions of winter." The medical qualities of this plant, which, like most of the vegetable productions of America, were once deemed highly salutary, we believe are no longer in repute. The present generation are content that it should contribute to the enjoyment of health, without seeking in it a panacea for dis ease. 2. The Goyava is similar to the laurel in figure, save that the leaves are softer, of a brighter green, and more downy on the lower side. The bark of this tree is very thin and smooth; the branches thick and well laden with leaves, and bear, twice a year, little white flowers, which are followed by apples of the size of a pearmain, yellow and fragrant when ripe. The fruit has on the top a small posie like a T2 222 KZSTOBY OF AMERICA. [ell. 3. crown ; and the meat within is either white or red, full of little kernels like those of the pomegranate. 3. The Papaw, (Papayer) is a tree which grows without boughs, fifteen or twenty feet high, and of a bulk proportionable to its height; hollow and spungy within, on which account it is frequently used as a conduit pipe. There are two kinds ; one common to all the islands, whose leaves are divided into three points, much like that of the fig-tree. They depend from long stems, which shoot from the top of the tree, and, bending downwards, cover several round fruits, about the size of the great quince pear, which grow round the bowl to which they are fastened. The other is peculiar to St. Croix ; is fairer, and has more leaves, and is more highly esteemed, on account of its fruit, which groAvs as large as a melon, and of the figure of a woman s breast; whence the Portuguese call it Mamao. Both species produce new fruits monthly, and bear a flower having the odour of the Jessa mine. The fruit of the latter is accounted among the choicest productions of the island, having, when at maturity, a firm substance of pleasant taste, which may be cut in pieces like a melon. The rind is yellow, intermixed with certain green lines, and is filled with small seeds, round, viscous, and soft, of a piquant taste, approaching that of spice. 4. The Avocato, or Alligator Pear-tree, grows commonly to the size of our largest apple-trees, and spreads pretty wide at top ; the branches are succulent and soft ; the leaves oblong and veiny ; and the fruit of the form of the pear. But the pulp is covered with a tough, skinny coat, and contains a large, rugged seed, which is wrapped up in one or two thin, membranous covers. The fruit is highly esteemed. The pulp is firm, and has a deli cate, rich flavour, gaining on the palate of most peo- CD. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 223 pie, and becoming agreeable to those who do not at first like it. But it is so rich and mild, that spice, or other pungent substance is added, to give it piquancy. It seems equally agreeable to all sorts of creatures to the horse, the cow, the dog, the cat ; and to all kinds of birds. 5. The Momin-tree grows to the. size of an ap ple-tree, and bears a large fruit of the same name. In some of the islands it is called Curacoa, because it was originally brought from thence. The fruit is like a small cucumber, not fully ripe ; is always green, and enamelled with several small partitions like scales. When mature, it is within as white as cream, of a highly agreeable flavour, compounded of acid and sweet. In the midst lies the seed, of the size and figure of a bean, very smooth, and of the colour of a touchstone, on which a piece of gold had been newly tried ; for it seems to sparkle with little golden veins. 6. The Junipa grows to the size of a Chesnut- tree, with leaves similar to the Walnut ; and its branches bending towards the ground make a plea sant shade. It bears a flower like the Narcissus ; the wood is solid, and of a pearly-gray colour. The fruit is a species of apple, which, when ripe, has the appearance of having been baked in an oven ; its taste is a pleasant acid ; falling from the tree, it makes a noise like the report of a gun, which is caused by the explosion of the air contained in the pellicles that inclose the seed. The juice, though itself colourless, dyes a dark violet, and was much used by the Indians in painting their bodies ; and it is said, that the flesh of the animals which feed on the fruit assumes the same tint. 7. The Raisin-tree, Cocolobis, called by the Ca- ribs Ouliem, is stinted in growth, and creeps, in a manner, along the ground, on the sea-side ; but, in good ground, it grows up high as one of the most 324 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. delightful trees of the forest. The leaves are round and thick, variegated with red and green. Beneath the bark is a soft, white substance, about two inches thick, under which the wood is of a violet colour, solid, and fit for joiners work. The fruit might be taken for large purple grapes, but under a tender pellicle, and a thin and slightly acid pulp, is a hard stone like that of the plum. 8. The fruit-bearing Acajou, or Cashew Nut- tree, (Anacardium,) is a tree of no great height, which spreads its branches down towards the ground. The leaves are fair and large, closing to a roundness before, and are divided by certain veins. The flowers, when first put forth, are white, but afterwards take a reddish or purple hue. They grow in clusters, and perfume the air widely around them ; arid do not fall until thrust off by a nut, much after the form of an ear, or hare s kidney. Under the nut grows a large and somewhat long apple, which it crowns as with a crest. The nut, when ripe, takes an olive colour, whilst the apple puts on a thin, delicate skin, of a lively vermilion. The nut is oily, but palatable. The apple is slight ly acidulous and pleasant. From its juice the In dians make an excellent beverage, more intoxicat ing than the best French wine. The tree bears but once a year ; whence the Bra zilians numbered their age by the nuts, laying up one for every year, which they kept carefully in a little basket. The seed is the nut, by which the tree is readily propagated. The shell of the nut contains a great quantity of caustic oil lodged in the cells between the lamina?, which the ladies of the colonies sometimes apply to remove the skin of the face, that a new and fairer one might grow thereon. The almond, or kernel, is of a delicate taste j but is generally eaten roasted, the shell be. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 225 ing burned to free the kernel from the oil.* The tree produces a great quantity of gum, not inferior to Gum Arabic in medicine or the arts. 9. The Icaco is a small plum-tree, which grows after the form of a briar ; and is at all times laden with small long leaves. Twice a year it is clothed with abundance of white or violet flowers, which are followed by a small, round fruit, about the big ness of a damson, which, when ripe, takes a white or violet colour, as was the blossom. 10. The Hog-plum, (Spondias,) with its varie ties, grows very high, bears long and yellowish plums; but the stone of some species being larger than the meat about it, the fruit is not much es teemed. It produces abundantly, and the swine feeding in the forests, at the season when the fruit is ripe, are fattened by what they gather from the ground. Being propagated by slips, it was com monly used for making hedges. 11. Of the Palm, four varieties were known in the West India Islands. 1. The Prickly-palm, so called on account of the trunk, branches, and leaves being furnished with prickles very sharp, a wound from which gives great and lasting pain. Those which encompass the trunk are flat, about the length of a man s finger, smooth, and of a tawny colour, inclining to black. Its fruit grows in clusters, is round, and large as the common walnut, which it entirely resembles, and the kernels are good to eat. Of the sap drawn from this tree, the natives made a species of wine. 2. The Franc-palm is a straight tree, of extraordi nary height, variously stated at from one hundred and thirty to two hundred feet. The roots are above ground round about the stock, two or three feet high, and about the size of a hogshead ; small, * Browne. 226 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. in proportion to the height of the tree they sustain, but so interlaced with each other, that they afford it a substantial support. One thing peculiar to this tree is, that it is larger in circumference above than below. While young, the bark is tender, of a dark gray colour, and marked, at every foot s dis tance, with a circle corresponding, it is said, with the year of its growth ; but which disappears, when it has attained its full size. The branches are channelled and smooth, and have on each side an infinite number of leaves, green, long, narrow, and very thin, which add much to its beauty. The ten- derest of these branches, which are not yet fully blown, rise directly from the middle of the tree ,* while the others, which bend downwards about it, make, as it were, a rich and beautiful crown, and give it the most graceful form of vegetable crea tion* The tree disburthens itself monthly of some one of its branches ; and also a portion of bark from the trunk, which is of the thickness of tanned leather, and is used by the inhabitants, with the leaves, for covering the roofs of their dwellings. From the top and centre of the trunk issues a white marrow or pith, very tender and savory, tasting like a nut when raw, and, when boiled with the thin and white leaves which enfold it, like so much linen, is ranked among the most delicious dishes of the Caribbees. From the resemblance of this pith to cabbage, the tree has been called the Palm, and the Mountain, cabbage. In addition to the foregoing particulars, Roche- fort adds, " there may be easily observed a fair branch, which, rising from the top of the trunk, is always turned towards the rising sun. It is renew ed every year, and when it comes out of its case, it is enamelled with an infinite number of little yel low flowers, like golden buttons, which afterward* CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 227 falling, their places are supplied by certain round fruits, about the bigness of a hen s egg. They are fastened together, as it were, in one cluster; and that these flowers and fruits might be secured against the injuries of the weather, they are cover ed above by a thick bark, which, on the outside, is hard, and of a grayish colour, but within, a kind of vermilion gilt, closing upwards like a pyramid. This precious fan is nothing else but the case which kept in the flowers before they were fully blown, and being opened below, spreads itself into a hollow figure in the midst, and pointed at the extremities, the better to cover both the flowers and the fruit." The Latanier-palm grows to a considerable height, but not large. It is without branches ; the leaves, which are long, round above, and spread at the ex tremity like a fan, grow on stalks which spring from certain filaments that encompass the top of the trunk. The Indians covered their cots with these leaves, and from the bark of the stalks they made sieves, baskets, and other household utensils. This tree was also their armoury ; from it was formed their bows, swords, and clubs, their jave lins, and the points of their arrows. The fourth and most excellent of the Palm spe cies, indigenous to the islands, is the Cocoa-nut tree. It does not attain the size of the Cocoa of the East Indies, its ordinary height not exceeding twenty-five feet. The fruit grows upon the very trunk, at the shooting forth of the branches. It is a sphe rical nut, several inches in diameter, covered with a shell several lines thick, and so hard that it may be polished, and converted into bowls and cups. It is encompassed by an outward covering or pod, two or more inches in thickness, composed of filaments. The nut itself is partly hollow ; the meat is very white, hard, and firmly fastened within the shell, 228 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [oil, 3. and has a taste somewhat like the almond. Within the cavity, which may be two-thirds of the diame ter of the nut, is a pleasant and refreshing liquor, which is said to have peculiar virtue as a cosmetic, if used when the fruit is newly fallen from the tree, clearing the face of all wrinkles, and giving it a bright and vermilion colour. 12. The Cacao, from the fruit of which the rich and nourishing beverage chocolate is fabricated, was indigenous to the island of Hispaniola, and is not inferior to that of Caracas. Next to the mines and sugar plantations, it formed the most consider able source of insular wealth, in the period imme diately subsequent to the discovery. The quantity exported was more than sufficient for the consump tion of Spain, and a very profitable trade in the ar ticle was carried on with other countries in Europe. The Cacao of St. Domingo is more pungent than that of Caracas, and when mixed with the latter, gives to it a more delicate flavour. The cultivation of the tree has almost ceased in the island ; but it is still found wild in the plain of La Vega, and in the northern provinces.* 13. The Cassia tree is of the size and figure of the peach tree. The leaves are long and narrow, and fall off in the season of the drought, but return with the rains. They are preceded by yellow blos soms ; the fruit is a pod of about an inch in diame ter, and from a foot to two feet in length, divided into many cells, containing the medicinal drug which bears the name of the tree, given to it in the east. The Caribs called it Mali Mali. Before maturity, the hue of the fruit is green, but when ripe, it assumes a brownish, or dark violet colour. In St. Domingo there were extensive plains cov ered with these trees. When the fruit is ripe and * M. de St. Mcry, Descrip. of St. Domingo. CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 229 dry, the noise occasioned by the collision of the hard and long pods is heard at a great distance, and has been compared to the dashing of the waves on the sea-shore, and to the clashing of arms in an engagement of soldiers. 14. The Plantain, or Banana,* is, for the inhab itants of the torrid zone, what the cereal gramina, wheat, barley, and rye, are for Western Asia and for Europe, and what the numerous varieties of rice are, for the countries beyond the Indies. In the two continents, in the islands throughout the immense extent of the equinoctial seas, wherever the mean heat of the year exceeds 75 of Fahren heit, the fruit of the Banana forms a large portion of the subsistence of man. Clavigero, Foster, and other writers, upon the authority of Oviedo, assert, that thrs valuable plant was brought to America, by the way of St. Domingo, by Thomas de Berlangas, a friar, in 1515, from Grand Canary. But this error has been abundantly refuted by Sir Hans Sloane, and more recently, by A. de Humboldt, who prove that every species of the Plantain grows spontane ously in all the tropical parts of the earth. Two species, the true Platano or Arton, (Musa Paradi- siaca, Lin.) the Ca?nburi, (M. Sapientiim, Lin.) abounded in the West Indies, at the time of the discovery. They differ, chiefly, in the size of the fruit ; which, of the latter, is smaller than of the former. The stalks grow from twelve to fifteen feet * The Musa was not altogether unknown to the ancients. Pliny describes it in his Natural History, lib. xii. cap. 8. And having given its specific characters, he adds that the name Palan, which was given to it in the time of Alexander, was preserved at Mala bar: to which Ciarza del Orto, a learned Portuguese physician, who resided there many years, bears witness. It is doubtful whe ther Platano, or Plantain, has been derived from the word Palan. The name Batiana is given by the French, and that of Musa, from the Arabic, by the Italians. By some it is called the fruit of Para dise; and is believed to be lliat which tempted our first parents to ein. Clavigero, lib. 1. note. VOL. IT. U 230 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. high, spring from a large pear-shaped bulb, and are of a green colour, shining, spungy, and watery. The leaf is about four feet in length, and a foot and a half in breadth, of a delicate green, very thin and soft. The fruit grows at the top of the stem, in clusters comprising together, frequently, of the larger kind, from fifty to eighty ; and of the smaller, from eighty to one hundred and twenty individuals, which weigh from sixty -six to eighty-eight pounds. The larger fruit grows to twelve or fourteen inches in length, bending inward at the extremity, and is about an inch and a half in thickness. The flesh is firm and solid, white before it is ripe, but yellow at maturity. It may be dressed for eating, when green, by boiling or roasting, and when ripe, is eaten raw. It is dry, mealy, and sweet, and highly nutritious. The plant propagates itself by scions, and, in good ground, spreads with great facility, and is not easily eradicated. Perhaps there is no other plant on the globe, that produces so much nutritive substance, in pro portion to the ground it occupies. It develops its clusters eight or nine months after planting, and may be gathered in the tenth or eleventh month. When the stalk is cut, there is constantly another (pimpollo,} which, having two-thirds of the height of the mother plant, bears fruit three months later. In this manner, a plantation of Musa, called in the colonies Platanar, is perpetuated, without other care bestowed by man than to cut the stalks of which the fruit has ripened, and to give the earth, once or twice a year, a slight dressing by digging round the roots. A spot of ground of one thousand square feet, may contain from thirty to forty plants, and will yield in the year more than four thousand pounds of nutriment. " Wheat, sown in the most fer tile countries of Europe, may produce, on the same space, about thirty-three pounds, and potatoes CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 231 about an hundred pounds. Hence, the product of the Banana is to that of wheat, as 133 : 1, and to that of potatoes as 44 : 1. Thus an acre cultivated with bananas, of the large species, will maintain fifty individuals, whilst the same quantity in wheat will not yield subsistence for two persons.* Ac cordingly, an European newly arrived in the torrid zone, is struck with nothing so much as the ex treme smallness of the spots under cultivation, around a cabin which contains a numerous family of Indians. The ripe fruit of the Musa, when exposed to the sun, is preserved like figs. The skin becomes black, and takes a particular odour, which resem bles that of smoked ham. In this state it is called Platano Passado, and becomes an object of com merce. It has an agreeable taste, and is very healthy. But Europeans, newly arrived, consider the ripe fruit of the Platano Arton, newly gathered, as ill to digest. This opinion is very ancient, for Pliny relates that Alexander forbade his army to use the bananas which grew on the banks of the Hyphasus. Meal is made from the Musa, by cut ting the green fruit into slices, drying it in the sun, and pounding it, when it becomes friable ; and it serves the same purposes as flour from rice or maize. The facility with which the Banana is repro duced, gives it an extraordinary advantage over fruit-trees, and even over the bread fruit-tree, which, for eight months in the year, is loaded with farinaceous fruit. When a fruit-tree is destroyed, years are necessary to repair the loss. A planta tion of bananas may be renewed from suckers in a few months. But is this spontaneous abundance of food a * Iltunboldrs Mex. lib. 4. c. 9. 232 HISTORY OF AMERICA. [cH. 3. genuine blessing? To moisten our bread with the sweat of the brow is a curse only where our labour is commanded by another, or where its return is scanty or uncertain. A constant and powerful stimulus is necessary for awakening our energies, and the development of our moral and physical faculties. It cannot be more true, that our present state is one of probation, designed to prepare us for another and better mode of being, than that the decree which subjected us to labour was indis pensable, in our present organization, to our tem poral improvement and happiness. In those coun tries where the fruitful earth is most prolific, the human race is most feeble, and has been the sport of every hardy invader. It has frequently been said in the Spanish colonies, that the inhabitants of the warm regions will never awake from their apathy of ages, until the banana plantations shall be utterly destroyed. The remedy is violent, and let us hope, under the new political dispensation, will be unnecessary. When we consider, how ever, the facility with which our species may be supported in climes which produce the banana, we are not surprized that, in the equinoctial region of the New World, civilization commenced on the mountains, in a soil of inferior fertility, and under a sky less favourable to the development of or ganized beings, in whom necessity ever awakens industry. At the foot of the Cordillera, in the hu mid valleys of Vera Cruz, Valladolid, and Guada- laxara, a man who employs merely two days in the week, by no means laboriously, may procure sub sistence for a large family. Yet such is the love of his native soil, that the mountaineer, whom the frost of a single night frequently deprives of his harvest, never descends into the fertile but thinly inhabited plain, where his subsistence would be CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 233 more assured, but where the springs of life play, if not less freely, certainly less happily. 15. The Prickly Pear, called by the French Ra- quette, from the figure of its leaf, is a great thorny bush, whose stem, which is indeed a leaf, scarce rises above a foot from the ground along which the plant lies. The leaves are green, heavy, and about an inch thick, and grow one out of the other ; they are armed with small sharp prickles, and some bear fruit as large as the date-plum, also prickly, red within and without, and of a delicate and grateful flavour. The shape of the fruit is somewhat like that of the fig, to which it has also a resemblance in the seed. 16. The pepper known by the Indians under the general name of Axi, was of several species, in cluding the green and red peppers of our gardens, the Pimento, and the Cayenne of our tables. All the varieties were abundantly cultivated by the na tives, and profusely used in their food. We may observe here, that there is much confusion among the discoverers, in applying the terms Axi and Agi. The first, we believe, was the generic name for pepper, and the second for esculent roots. 17. The islands abounded in esculent vegeta bles, among which were beans, and other pulse, differing little from the kinds commonly cultivated in our gardens. The Choco, Ochre, Lima bean, and Indian kale, were deservedly cherished. Roche- fort describes a species of bean which he calls the seven years bean, the same stalk bearing fruit seven years successively ; spreading itself over trees, rocks, and whatever else it can fasten upon ; and during the whole of this long period exhibit ing flowers, and green and ripe fruit. 18. Of maize, or Indian corn, so universally cul tivated in America, it is scarce necessary to give a U 2 $34 HISTORY OF AMERICA, fcH. 3 description. Two, sometimes three, crops were raised in the islands annually. It is an original gramina of America, and has been thence spread over most regions of the globe.* 19. The Manioc, Yuca, or Cassava root, on account of its nutritious qualities, and ready convertibility into bread, is a most valuable plant, and was ex tensively cultivated by the indigines. It grows so abundantly, that a quantity of ground planted with it, will feed more persons than six times as much sown with wheat. It shoots forth crooked branches of the height of five or six feet, full of knots, and easily broken, and is clothed with long narrow leaves. It is propagated by planting the joints or slips, after the manner of the sugar-cane. The root of the ordinary kind attains maturity in about nine months ; but there are varieties in Cayenne, called Manioc bois blanc, and Manioc maipoiirri rouge, which are pulled up only at the end of fif teen months. f The root possesses the extraordi nary advantage of remaining uncorrnpted in the ground for three years ; and of being thus always safely garnered. We have already mentioned the manner in which this root was prepared for food by the Indians;:f: and that the juice of one species, (the juca amarga) is a mortal poison. But Roche- fort assures us, that it loses this deleterious quality in four and twenty hours after expression ; and Sir Hans Sloane, Dr. Darwin, Mr. Edwards, and Baron A. de Humboldt, concur in asserting, that it be comes innoxious when boiled. The aborigines re sorted to this poison to free themselves from Span ish oppression ; and in the " Cave of the Indians" in Haiti, lie the bones of more than four hundred, who thus destroyed themselves. In the modern * 1 Edw. W. Ind. 2 Humboldt, lib. 4. ch. ix. t 2 Humboldt s Mex. lib. 4. chap. ix. t See page 94. vol. 1. $ Rochefort CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 235 mode of preparation, the root, after being well washed, is reduced to a pulp on iron graters, and placed in strong linen, or palmetto bags, that the juice may be thoroughly expressed. The fecula is then dried in the sun, beat-en in mortars, and care fully sifted. It is baked on griddles over proper fires, the farina being strewed thereon to such diameter and thickness as may be desired. It ag glutinates as it heats, gradually hardens, and when fully baked is a wholesome, well-tasted, and nu tritive bread. The expressed juice is frequently boiled, when a thick viscid scum rises, which is always thrown away ; the remainder, resembling whey, is diluted, and kept for common drink, or undiluted is substituted for soup, and frequently made into sauce for fish, resembling the Souy brought from China.* Humboldt informs us, how ever, that serious accidents sometimes happen when the juice has not been sufficiently boiled. Yet Browne (Hist. Jam.) says, that the root with the juice unexpressed, is eaten with impunity by the hogs. The nutritive quality of the bread arises from the sugar it contains, mixed with a viscous matter, which unites the farinaceous molecules of the Cas sava. The native Indians, who are more abstemi ous than the whites, consume of it about a pound a-day. The want of gluten, and the thinness of the bread, render it brittle, and difficult of trans portation an inconvenience particularly felt in long navigations. The fecula of the Manioc grated, dried, and smoked, is almost inalterable. Insects and worms never attack it, and every traveller knows in equinoctial America the advantages of the Couaque.\ The Abbe Raynal, amid a thousand other errors * Humboldt. t Humboldt s Mex. 238 HISTORY OF AMERICA. fctt. 3* and perversions, asserts that the Manioc was trans planted from Africa to America, to serve for the maintenance of the negroes, and that if it existed on the continent, before the arrival of the Span* iards, it was not known by the natives of the West Indies in the time of Columbus. No error is more easily exposed. Amerigo Vespucci relates in his letter addressed to the Duke of Loraine,* that he saw bread made of Manioc, on the coast of Paria, in 1497. " The natives," says this adventurer, in other respects by no means accurate in his recital, " know nothing of our corn and farinaceous grains ; they draw their principal subsistence from a root which they reduce into meal, which some of them call jucha, others, chambi, and others, igname."^ But what is quite as much to the point, we are told in the journal of the first voyage of Columbus,^ that " the king" Guacanagari, " took a meal on board the caravel, and then went on shore, accom panied by the admiral, whom he treated with every honour, feasting him with several sorts of ages, shrimps, game, and other viands, with bread which they call Cazavi." 20. The yam, igname, (Dlascorca Alata,) like the Banana, appears proper to all the equinoctial regions. It was found under the name of igname by Alvarez de Cabral, at his discovery of Brazil, in 1497 ; and by Vespucci, three years before, on the coast of Paria. The Haitian name was ages, under which Columbus describes it, in the ac count of his first voyage ; and it is also that which it bore in the times of Gacilasso, Acosta, and Oviedo, who have very well indicated the charac ters by which the ages are distinguished from the batates. The roots grow very large, weighing sometimes above fifty pounds ; have a delicate fla- * Grynams, p; 216. t Humboldt s Mex, | Boston edition, 1827. p, 170, CH. 3.] SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 237 vour, and are highly nutritious* They are propa gated by planting pieces of the root, with the skin upon them, every part of which may germinate. They are commonly planted in August, and gath ered in November or December. They are pre pared for the table by boiling or roasting, and are more highly esteemed than the potato, to which they bear some resemblance. 21. The common pota.to,(papassolanitm tuberosum,) strangely called sometimes, the Irish potato, though abounding in South America, was not known in the Antilles at the period of the discovery. But the Batates, or sweet potato, (convolvulus batatas} was carefully cultivated, and formed a chief article in the list of eatables of the insular inhabitants. It has been naturalized in our country, and is so well known as to render a description of it, here, unnecessary. APPENDIX. Note A, Vol. I. page 6. THE following account of the voyage of Hanno, is literally translated from 1 Geog. Grsec. Minor I. The Carthagenians directed Hanno to navigate beyond the columns of Hercules, and to found Lyby-phcenician cities. Hanno set sail with a fleet of sixty ships, of fifty oars each, freighted with 30,000 men, women, and children, and with provisions and other necessaries. After our departure, and having sailed two days beyond the columns, we founded the city of Thymiaterion, which commands a vast plain. From Thymiaterion, continuing our voyage to the west, we arrived at a promontory of Lybia, named Soloe ; it is covered with thick woods ; we there raised an altar to Neptune. From cape Soloe, having sailed a half day, drawing towards the east, we reached a neighbouring bay. It was full of large reeds. We saw a multitude of elephants and other savage beasts feed ing upon its borders. After a day s sail beyond this bay, we founded successively the following cities, upon the borders of the sea. Caricum-Teicho?, Gyttc, Acra, Melitta and Arambe, and continuing our route, we arrived at the great river Lixus, which flows from Libya. The Lixite shepherds pastured their flocks on the borders of this river. We sojourned here some time, and concluded with them a treaty of amity. Beyond these people dwell Ethiopian savages, in a country filled with wild beasts, and having high mountains, whence, as they say, the Lixus takes its rise. They added, that these mountains were inhabited by the Troglodytes, a race of extraordinary men, who surpassed the swiftness of horses in the race. Hav ing taken interpreters from the Lixites, we stretched for two days along a desert shore extending to the south. Then turn ing towards the east, during a day s sail, we found at the bot tom of a gulf a little island of five stadia in circumference, which we called Cerne, and in which we established a colony. At Cerne we examined the route which we had passed since our departure, and reducing it to a straight line, we inferred that this island was opposite to Carthage, as it regards the columns ; for our course from Carthage to the columns, and from the columns to Cerne, was equal. From Cerne, having crossed the mouth of a large river named Chretes, we entered a bay, in which we found three islands larger than that of 240 APPENDIX. Cern6. We were unable to gain the bottom of this bay, with- out a day s sailing. Here it was overlooked by high moun tains, inhabited by savages clad in the skins of wild beasts. They attacked us with stones, and compelled us to retire. At length we entered another river, deep, wide, and full of croco diles and hippopotami. From thence we returned to Cerne, and from Cerne , resuming our course to the south, we sailed for twelve days along a coast inhabited by Ethiopians. They appeared to avoid us, flying at our approach. The language of these people was not understood by our interpreters, the Lixites. On the twelfth day, we approached some large moun tains covered with odoriferous trees, and of divers colours. After having sailed two days further, we found ourselves in an immense gulf, surrounded by a plain. During the night, we beheld the light of many fires, some large and others small, glowing on all sides. We replenished our water at this place, and followed the shores of the gulf for five days. Continuing our course, we gained another great bay, named by our inter preters, the Western Horn. This gulf inclosed an island, and that island a lake of salt water, in which there is another island. During the day we beheld only the solitary forests, but during the night we saw many fires, and heard the sound of flutes, the noise of cymbals and drums, mingled with fright ful cries. We were terrified by these, and our diviners com manded us to depart quickly from this island. We continued to sail along a burning and odoriferous coast, whence glowing torrents hastened to the sea. The sun on this shore was so scorching, that our feet were unable to bear the heat. We therefore hastened away ; and during four days that we held the sea, the earth appeared to us to be covered with flames every night. Amidst these fires arose one much larger than the others ; it seemed to reach the skies ; but, in the morning, we perceived only a high mountain, called Theon Ochema, the chariot of the Gods. After having passed these torrents of fire, by a navigation of three days, we reached a bay called the Southern Horn. At the bottom of this gulf was an island simi lar to that of the preceding one ; it had also a lake, in which was another island, inhabited by savages : the women here were more numerous than the men, and had their bodies cov ered with hair, and were called by our interpreters Gorilles, We were unable to take any of the men, who fled across the precipices, and defended themselves with stones. We cap tured, however, three women ; but, having broken their bonds, they bit and scratched us with such fury, that we killed them, and having flayed them, we bore their skins to Carthage. The want of provisions prevented us from navigating further. APPENDIX. 241 Note B, Vol. I. page 15. IN support of the Norman discovery of Vinland, Malte Brun cites the following- authorities : Snorro Hist. Reg. Sept. cap. 104. 110. Hauk s Bok ou An nals, d Islande par Hauk, descendant, d un premier naviga- teur au Vinland. II ecrivit vers 1 an 1300. Mss cites dans les ouvrages suivans. Torfoei historia Vinlandioe Antiquoe Haf- niae, 1705. Jonas Arngrim histor. Island, c. 9, 18. &c. Suhm sur les navigations des Norwegians du terns de Paganism, dans les Memoires de la Societe de Copenhagen, VIII. 80. 84. Comp. Celsius dissert, de itin. in Americam. Upsal, 1723. Kalm de, din. prise. Scandin. in Americam. Abo 1757. Forster, who gives full credit to the discovery of Vinland, extracts his story from the Chronicle of Snorro, who was bo rn in 1179, and wrote in 1215, two centuries after this discovery is said to have been made. His facts, he. says, have been col lected from a great number of Icelandic manuscripts, and transmitted to us by Thormond Thorpeous, in his two works entitled, Veteris Groenlandise Descriptio. Hafnioe, 1706 ; and Historia Vinlandioe Antiquae. Hafniae, 1705. Mr. Washington Irving, who has made Columbus his hero, is sceptical upon this subject, but admits that " there is no great improbability that such enterprizing and roving voyagers as the Scandina vians may have wandered to the northern shores of America, about the coast of Labrador, or the shores of Newfoundland, and if the Icelandic MSS. said to be of the thirteenth century, can be relied upon as genuine, free from modern interpola tions, and correctly quoted, they would appear to prove the fact." See Irving s Life of Columbus, 3 vol. App. 296. If the following account be true, we may assert, that the southern shores of America were known to some of the civil ized nations of the Old World, long before the Christian era. " In the month of December, 1827, a planter discovered, in a field a short distance from Monte Video, a sort of tomb stone, upon which strange, and, to him, unknown signs were engraved. He caused this stone, which covered a small exca vation formed with masonry, to be raised ; and beneath it he found two exceedingly ancient swords, a helmet, and a shield, which had suffered much from rust ; and an earthen amphora, of large capacity. The planter caused these, with the tomb stone, to be removed to Monte Video, where, in spite of the ravages of time, and the little care taken of the stone, frag ments of Greek words could be easily made out, read, and supplied, which, when translated, are to the following purpose : During the dominion of Alexander, the son of Philip, king of Macedon, in the 63d Olymiad, Ptolemais. It was impossible VOL. II. T 242 APPENDIX to decipher the rest. On the handle of one of the swords waa the portrait of a man, supposed to be AJexander on the helmet there is sculptured work that must have been ex ecuted by the most exquisite skill, representing Achilles dragging the corpse of Hector round the walls of Troy, (like the bas relief of stucco found in the ruins in the Via Appia at Fratocchio, belonging to the princes of Colonna, which describes all the principal scenes in the Iliad and Odys sey). It is quite clear, from the discovery of this kind of mon umental altar, that a contemporary of Aristotle has dug up the soil of Brazil and La Plata. It is conjectured, that this Ptolemaios was the commander of Alexander s fleet, which is supposed to have been overtaken by a storm in the Great Ocean, as the ancients called it, and driven off the coast of Brazil, where it erected the above-mentioned monument, to preserve the memory of the voyage to so distant a country. At all events, this discovery furnishes a fact deserving the at tention of antiquarians. From the Journal de Voyages et Ar chives Geographiques. 1828. If this story be not purely fictitious, it is probable that the tomb and arms were of Spanish or Portuguese origin, and ap pertained to some one of the invaders from either nation. The art of " making out, reading, and supplying" ancient inscrip tions, is so much the creature of imagination, that faith in its productions must be rare. Were this a Grecian monument, of the period mentioned, ancient history would have conveyed to us some memorial of the voyage which it is supposed it was designed to record. Had the vessels and their crews engaged in this voyage perished on their return, so that no knowledge of their discovery could reach their homes, still some evidence of the inception of their undertaking would have remained to us. Note C, Vol. I. page 45. ASCENDING from the shores of the Mediterranean into the kingdom of Valencia, towards the lofty plains of La Mancha and the Castiles, we seem to recognize far inland, from the lengthened declivities, the ancient coast of the Peninsula. This curious phenomenon recalls the traditions of the Samo- thracians, and other historical testimonies, according to which it is supposed, that the irruption of the waters through the Dardanelles, augmenting the basin of the Mediterranean, rent and overflowed the southern part of Europe. If we admit that these traditions owe their origin, not to mere theological reve ries, but to the remembrance of some ancient catastrophe, we APPENDIX. 243 see the central elevated plain of Spain resisting the effects of these great inundations, till the draining of the waters, by the straits formed between the pillars of Hercules, brought the Mediterranean progressively to its present level, while lower Egypt emerged above its surface on one side, and the fertile plains of Tarragon, Valencia, and Murcia, on the other. Every thing which relates to the formation of this sea,* which has had so powerful an influence on the first civilization of man kind, is highly interesting. We might suppose that Spain, forming a promontory amidst the waves, was indebted for its preservation to the height of its land ; but, in order to give weight to these systematic ideas, we must clear up the doubts that have arisen respecting the rupture of so many transverse dykes ; we must discuss the probability of the Mediterranean having been formerly divided into several separate basins, of which Sicily and the Isle of Crete appear to mark the ancient limits. We will not here risk the solution of these problems, but will satisfy ourselves in fixing the attention on the striking contrast, in the configuration of the land in the eastern and western extremities of Europe. Between the Baltic and the Black Sea, the ground is at present scarce fifty toises above the level of the ocean, while the plain of La Mancha, if placed between the sources of the Niemen and Borysthenes, would figure as a group of mountains of considerable height. If the causes which may have changed the surface of our planet, be an interesting speculation, investigations of the phenomena, such as they offer themselves to the measures and observations of the naturalist, lead to a far greater certainty. Humboldt s Personal Narrative, 1 vol. page 20. * Diod. Sicul. lib. 4. c. 18. Lib. 5. c. 47. Dionys. Halicarn. lib. 1. c. 61. Aristot. Meteorolog. lib. 1. c. 14. t. 1. H. Strabo. Geogr. t. 1. (Tournefort Voyage au Levant, p. 124. Pallas, Voyage en Rus- sie, t. 5. p. 195. Choiseul Gouffier, Voyage Pittoresque, t. II. p. 116. Dereau de la Malle, Geographic Physique de la Mer Noire, p. 157. 196 et. 341. Olivier, Voyage en Perse, t. III. p. 130. Meiners uber die Verschiedenheiten, p. 118. Some of the ancient geographers, such as Erastosthenes and Strabo, believed that the Mediterranean, swelled by the waters of the Euxine, the Palus Meotis, the Caspian Sea, and the lake Aral, had broken the pillars of Hercules; others, such as Pompo- nius Mela, admitted that the irruption was made by the waters of the ocean. In the first of these hypotheses, the height, of the land between the Black Sga and the Baltic, and between the ports of Cette and Bourdeaux, determine the limit, which the accumulation of the waters may have reached before the junction of the Black Sea, the Mediterra nean, and the ocean, as well on the north of the Dardanelles, as to the east of the strip of land which formerly joined Europe to Mauritania; and of which, in the time of Strabo, certain vestiges remained in the islands of Juno, and the Moon. 244 APPENDIX. Note D, Vol. I. page 46. PLATO, in his dialogue entitled Tymseus, informs us, that whilst an infant, he heard his grandfather, Critias, who in his youth had been instructed by Solon, the friend of Dro- pydas, his father, relate the following circumstances : Solon had travelled into Egypt, whence he drew his knowledge and his philosophy. He was favourably received by certain priests of Sais, a city of the Delta, the inhabitants of which believed themselves to have sprung from the Athenians, and had pre served amongst them their lance, their sword, and buckler. One of these priests, versed in science and learned in antiqui ties, cried out, " Solon ! Solon ! you Greeks are yet infants ; there is not an old man among you. You are ignorant of that which js passed, not only here, but amongst yourselves. We have preserved the history of eight thousand years written in our sacred books ; we are able to mount still higher, and to speak of the most brilliant actions of your fathers, performed nine thousand years since. You have knowledge only of one deluge ; but that has been preceded by many others. It is a long time since Athens has subsisted, and that her name has been famous in Egypt." " Learn, then, that, by resisting a power sprung from the Atlantic Sea, your republic preserved our liberty. This sea was then navigable, and surrounded not far from, and opposite, the strait, which you call in your language the columns of Hercules, an island more vast than Asia and Libya together ; between it and the continent there were also some smaller islands. This enormous country was called Atlantis. It was populous and flourishing, governed by powerful kings, who possessed themselves of Libya and Egypt, and of all Europe as far as Tyrenie. They endeavoured to subject all the prov inces situated on this side of the pillars of Hercules, and we were all slaves. It was*then, that the people of your republic showed themselves superior to all other mortals. You con ducted your fleets against the conquerers ; your knowledge in the art of war seconded you in this pressing danger ; you con quered the enemy, and delivered us from servitude. But a greater evil awaited the Atlantides. In latter times, there hap pened earthquakes and inundations, by which the Atlantic island was overwhelmed their warriors, and a continent more vast than Europe and Asia together, disappeared in the space of a night. For this reason, the sea which we find there is no longer navigable, or known to any person, it consisting of slime, occasioned by the submerged earth." In his dialogue eutitlcd Critias, Plato resumes this subject, and gives an ac- APPENDIX. 245 count of the population of the country, and of the source from which it was derived. In the partition of the earth amongst the Gods, the isle of Atlantis fell to Neptune, who peopled it, and divided it among his children, of whom Atlas, the eldest, had the greatest share. This king gave his name to the whole country. Never had prince more learning or more wealth, nor transmitted more to his heirs. The island, which was 3000 stadia in length, and 2000 in width, of an oblong form, abounded in every thing. The forests supplied wood for every species of building ; the earth nourished all sorts of animals, wild and tame, and terminated at the north in a chain of mountains, which, as well as all those of the country, which Plato calls fertile, fine, healthy, and wonderful, produced all sorts of metals, above all, gold and oxicalque, now unknown. Note E, Vol. I. page 96. I HAVE adopted the accounts of the early historians, in rela tion to the islands first visited by Columbus. M. de Navarette, in his introduction to the " Collection of Spanish Voyages and Discoveries," has endeavoured to show, that the first island visited by Columbus was Turks Island, (San Salvador) ; the second, the Cayco del Norte, (Conception), and the third, Ina- gua Chiea, (Fernandina) ; the fourth, Inagua Grande, (Isa bella). This new version of Columbus s journal has been ably examined and repudiated by Mr. Irving, in the illustrations to the Life of Columbus, No. XVI. Vol. 4. 229. The views of the early historians are confirmed by a skilful analysis of the journal of the admiral, and a comparison of its descriptions with the actual state of the islands of San Salvador, Concep tion, &c. Note F, Vol. I. page 139. THE discussions concerning the boundaries between the courts of Madrid and Portugal, have continued during three centuries. They at first touched only upon maritime inter ests, the possession of islands and coasts ; but subsequently extended to the interior of South America. The bull of pope Alexander Gth, May 4th, 1493, is similar in spirit to that less known, issued in 1445, at the instance of prince Henry, in favour of Portugal. The line of demarcation is described confusedly enough, at centum leucas a qualibet insularum qu<e vulgariter, nuncupantur dclas Azores y Cabo Verde. Cardinal Bembo, who, in his classical style, proscribes all new denomi- 246 APPENDIX. nations, simply says, Gorgonum insul<z, no doubt (Pliny, ac cording to Xenophon de Lampsaco, lib. 6. c. 31. Mela, lib. 3. c. 9.) the Gorgades, (domus ut aiunt aliquando Gorgonum} op posite to the Byssadium Prornontarium. The island of St. Anthony is certainly in the meridian of the island of San Mi chael, but there are 8 dcg. of longitude from the meridian of the most western island to the meridian of the most eastern of the Azores. A new bull of the 24th November, 1493, leaves the same doubts ; but in the treaty of Tordesillas, (June 7, 1494,) the meridian of the demarcation was carried to 370 leagues, instead of 100, from the Cape Verd Islands. The measure of the league not having been indicated, the linea divisoria reaches, according to the different hypotheses, the mouth of the Rio Francisco, or Rio Janeiro, or the meridian of St. Paul, which is still placed 1 deg. to the east of Grand Para. Pope Julian sanctioned the treaty of Tordesillas, by a bull issued January 24, 1506. But the voyages of Magellan, Vincent Yanez Pinzon, Amerigo Vespuccius, and others, 1500 1504, engaged the courts of Madrid and Lisbon to assemble, in 1524, the congress of pilots and cosmographers at the bridge of Rio Caya, between Yelves and Badajoz. The disputes be tween the two nations respecting the possessions of the Ar chipelago of India, only were settled by a treaty at Saragossa, the 22d April, 1529, by which the Molucca islands were awarded to Spain ; who afterwards ceded them to Portugal for 350,000 ducats, reserving the right to repossess them, when she should return the purchase-money. The union of the two crowns under Philip II. precluded discussion for some time ; but from the end of the seventeenth century, the establishment of La Colonia de San Sacramento near the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, gave rise to disputes relative to the Brazilian limits. The Spaniards destroyed this settlement. A new congress of cosmographers was assembled at Puente de Caya, in Novem ber, 1681, but separated without deciding on any thing. Dur ing the reign of Charles II., the Portuguese gained every where upon their neighbours in America, on the side of Para guay, on the banks of the Amazon, and on the Rio Negro. Efforts for settling this questio vexata were made in 1754, by an expedition under Don Joseph de Yturiaga, in which Don Joseph Solano was engaged as one of the commissioners, which proved fruitless. A treaty was made at Madrid, Jan uary 12, 1750, which designated the limits between Brazil, Buenos Ayres, and Peru, by a ridge of mountains, and the course of the rivers. The convention of 1750 was renewed and confirmed at Madrid, October 11, 1777, but the execution of stipulations made without local knowledge, and founded on APPENDIX: 247 very imperfect maps, was attended with great difficulties. Nothing more was attempted on the side of the Oroonoko and the Rio Negro : the whole attention of the two courts was di rected towards the limits of Paraguay, and the banks of the Caqueta, the Rio Blanco, and the Amazon. The Brigadier Don Jose Varela, was sent (1782 1789) to Monte Video ; M. de Azara to Paraguay ; and M. Requena to Maynas. But, the commission was dissolved by the court of Madrid in 1801, and no definite results have flowed from it. A. de Humboldfs Pe t - sonal Narrative. Note G, Vol. I. page 203. " THE waters which issue so impetuously from the Bocas de Dragos are, 1st, Those of the Atlantic ocean, the currents of which run towards the coast of Guyana, through the Canal del Sur, (between Punta de Mangles of the continent, and Punta Galiota of the island of Trinidad,) west-northwest ; 2d, The fresh waters of the Bochas Chicas of the Oroonoko, (of the Canos Pedernales and Manamo grande joined with that of the. great Rio Guarapiche.) It cannot be doubted that the gulf of Paria formed heretofore an inland basin, when the island of Trinidad was still united on the north to cape Paria, and on the southwest (Punta de Icacos) to the Punto Foleta, situate east of the Boca de Pedernales. Three small rocky islands, partly cultivated with cotton, (Mas de Monos, de Huebos, and Cbacachacares,) divide the passage, which is three or four leagues broad, (between the northwest cape of the island of Trinidad, near the port of Chaguaramas, and the Punta de la Pena, the eastern extremity of the coast of Paria,) into four small channels ; Boca de Monos, B. de Huelos, B. de Narios and B. Grande. These mouths, collectively, are called Bocas de Dragos. There are some other small islands nearer the eastern coast of Paria, (El Fraile, Ei Pato, and El Patito,) the existence of which attests the convulsions to which this coun try has been exposed." Humboldfs Personal Narrative, Vol. 5. Note H, Vol. I. page 206. THE following note is extracted from the Personal Narra tive of A. de Humholdt s Travels in America, Vol. 3. p. 303. Eng. Trans. London. When Christopher Columbus returned from his third voy age, a vague report wns sprond throughout Europf, tlint ho 248 APPENDIX. had discovered, by certain movements of the polar star, that the coast of Paria, and the neighbouring sea, were elevated like a vast table-land ; that the earth was not perfectly round, but that, (in the western countries,) it had a rising toward the equator; that travellers ascended, in going from Cadiz to the peninsula of Paria ; and that, owing to the greater elevation of these lands, Paria had a less burning climate, and a race of men less darkly coloured, than those of Africa. These singu lar hypotheses are mentioned by all the historians of that time. (Pet. Martyr, Ocean, Dec. 1. lib. vii. p. 77. Gomara, Hist. Gen. cap. viii. p. 110. Herrara, Dec. 1. lib. vii. c. 12.) But what observation of the polar star could induce Colum bus to adopt such strange ideas ? Ferdinand Columbus ex plains this, in the life of his father, (Churchill s Collec. Vol. 2. p. 583.) The admiral had observed in the latitude of the Azores the meridian altitude of the polar star above and below the pole. The difference of these two altitudes was 5, and this gave 2 30 for the distance of the star from the pole ; while, by a trigonometric calculation, it ought to have been at that time 3 24 30". There was an error, therefore, of 54 minus, Columbus judged of the passage of the star over the meridian, by the position of the great bear. When the wain was east or west, he considered it as indicating the passage of the star over the meridian ; but this indication being very un certain, Columbus was not sure of observing when the polar star was in the meridian ; the inferior altitude must have been too great, and the superior too little ; and this explains why- Columbus found a difference of 5 only between the two alti tudes. Under the torrid zone, at about 7 or 8 of N. Lat., he found the pole-star 11 above the horizon, at its superior meridian, and only 6 when it was in declination, or at the altitude of the pole, which gave him a polar distance of 5. Here Columbus supposed again, that the pole-star was in the superior merid ian, when the wain was in the west ; but as he could not per ceive the pole-star at its inferior meridian, because it was too low, he observed the altitude when the wain was in the supe rior meridian, and indicated the declination of the star. The pole-star appeared to him again at the latitude of 9, when the wain was in the inferior meridian, and consequently not visi ble, because of the small elevation of the pole. If the constellation did not indicate with precision the pas sages of the pole star over the meridian, it appears that the in dications it gave of the delineations were still less exact ; for it is very probable, that Columbus took the altitude of the pole fitar when it was below the declination and the pole, and there- APPENDIX. 249 fore found too small an altitude, and a polar distance of 5, in- stead of 2 30 , which he had deduced from his observations in the Azores. In order to explain so great a difference, he imagined, that the earth had the form, not of a pin-cushion, but a pear ; and that mariners ascended prodigiously towards the sky, in going from the Azores to Paria, where the circle described by the pole star must appear very large, because it was seen from a nearer place. " Though I am not," says he, " quite master of my explanation, the star appears in its full orbit at the equa tor, while the nearer we approach the pole the more this orbit diminishes, because of the obliquity of the sky." All this is not calculated to give us a favourable idea of the astronomical knowledge of Columbus. Is it possible that so great a man had not more rational notions of the distance and apparent motions of the stars ? The admiral relater, that while he was at Paria, he had an inflammation in the eyes. Perhaps he observed worse than usual, or entered in his journal the obser vations of his pilots. Perhaps, too, the son has given a con fused account of the ideas of his father. Gomara blames the admiral for having imagined that Paria is nearer the sky than Spain. " The earth," says he, " is round, and not of the figure of a pear." This false opinion of Columbus has maintained its ground to our own days, and ma,kes some unlearned pilots believe, that, from India and Paria to Spain, they descend to come to Europe. P. Martyr also judges the admiral with great severity. " Qua de poll carietate rffert Colonus, contra omnium astro nomwum sententiam prolata vidcntur." Note I, Vol. II. page 61. IT has been the fortune of Amerigo Vespucci, to have his name given to the northern and southern continents of the New World. An honour which he certainly could not have anticipated, nnd which has grown out of a fraud on his part, or, more probably, from the mistake of some editor of an account which he wrote of his voyage. Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence, March 9lh, 1451, of a noble, but not wealthy family; and received an excellent educa tion under his uncle, G. Antonio Vespucci, a learned friar of the fraternity of San Marco, who was the instructor of several illus trious persons of that period. He entered into commerce, and visited Spain in the service of the family of Medici, somewhere abr>ut the time of Colum bus s return from his first voyage. One of his biographers has erroneously stated, that he accompanied tlio admiral in his second voyage, (Canovaf). Another writer (Sebas- 250 APPENDIX. tian Munster) says he was the companion of the first But he ha not himself alleged his presence in eilher. In 1496, he was the agent of the house of Juanoto Berardi, a rich Florentine merchant, resident in Seville, who had contracted to furnish the Spanish sovereigns wilh several armaments, for the service of the newly discovered countries. During this agency, he became acquainted with Columbus, and imbibed from him the passion for discovery, which he first indulged in 1499, in company with Alonzo de Ojeda. Their squadron visited Paria, and ran several hundred miles along its coast, ascertaining it to be Terra Firma. After his return, he, on the 18th July, 1500, wrote an ac count of his voyage to Lorenzo de Pier Francisco de Medici, of Florence, which remained concealed in manuscript until publish ed by Bandini, in 1745. In this letter, he names no one as con cerned with him in the enterprize. In May, 1501, he sailed in the service of Emanuel, king of Portugal, and visited the coast of Bra zil- He wrote an account of this voyage also, to the same person, which was first published in 1789. (Bartolozzi. Recherche Histori- ywe.) And in 1504, he addressed to him a more extended account of the Brazil voyage, which was soon afterwards printed, and widely circulated. In May, 1503, he sailed in the Portuguese service, as captain of a caravel, in a squadron of six vessels, commanded by Gonzalo Coelho, destined for the Moluccas. Their course from Sierra Leone was directed to the southwest. Three degrees south of the line, he lost his vessel upon an uninhabited island. Whilst the other vessels were employed in rendering assistance to the wreck, Vespucci was dispatched to seek a safe harbour in the island. He found one, but waited in vain for several days for the other ships. Standing out to sea, he met with a single vessel, and learned that the ship of Coelho had sunk, and that the rest had proceeded on their voyage. In company with this vessel he stood for the Bra zils, according to a command of the king, in case any vessel should be parted from the fleet. He discovered the bay of All Saints, ran two hundred and sixty leagues further south, where he built a fort, in which he left a garrison of twenty-four men. He returned to Lisbon in June, 1504. He soon after sought employment in Spain, and he visited the court of Ferdinand in 1505, as an agent on the part of Columbus. He was engaged, together wilh Pinzon, to command an expedition to be sent out in the spice-trade. But this having been abandoned, in 1508 he was appointed principal pilot, an office in which his chief duties were to prepare charls, examine pilots, superintend the fitting out of expeditions, &c. In the exercise of this office he died, on the 22d February, 1512. Shortly after his return from his last voyage to Brazil, he ad dressed a letter, dated 4th September, 1504, to Rene, duke of Lor raine, who assumed the title of king of Sicily and Jerusalem, con taining a spirited narrative of four voyages, which he asserts he made to the New World. He has been considered as the first discoverer of the continent of America, by reason of his visit to Brazil and to Paria; and as such, his name was first given to the coast of Brazil. A duplicate of this letter was sent to Pierre APPENDIX. 251 Soderini, afterwards Gonfalonier, of Florence ; but it was not pub lished until 1510. The claim made for him as the first discoverer of Brazil, is directly opposed to the fact, that that country was visited and taken possession of for Spain, in 1500, by Pinzon ; and also in the same year by Cabral, on the part of Portugal. He de scribes two voyages to Paria; one in 1497, the other in 1499; occupying eighteen months. The first is the great point in contro versy. In favour of it stands the isolated statement of Vespucci ; against it, there is an overwhelming mass of unimpeachable evi dence. 1. In his letter to Lorenzo de Medici, describing the voy age of 1499, there is no allusion whatever to a prior one. 2. I\o record of such a voyage has been found, after due search in the naval archives of Spain. 3. At the time he says he made this voyage, he had not been naturalized in Spain, without which he could not have obtained the command of which he speaks. 4. The right of Columbus as the first discoverer of Paria was rigidly in vestigated in 1508, on the application of his son, Don Diego, for the government under the capitulations with the sovereigns; and not only was conclusive proof given of the priority of the admiral s visit, but no claim was set up for Vespucci, then resident in Se ville, by himself, or by any for him. His account, therefore, of the voyage in 1497, appears to have been fabricated, (with what view- it is difficult to conjecture,) by taking and altering a number of the incidents from the voyage which he really made with Ojeda, in 1499. In support of this charge, various coincidences have been pointed out between the alleged voyage of 1497, and that describ ed in his first letter to Lorenzo Medici, as having been made in 1499. But no plausible motive has been assigned for this gross decep tion. He could not expect to gain thereby the repute of having first discovered the continent, since, at the time the account was written, it was universally believed that Columbus had discovered the main land in his first voyage; Cuba being considered the ex tremity of the continent. He did not himself give his name to any country. This was originally proposed by the editor of his lettef to king Rene, published at St. Diez, in Lorraine, in 1507, who sug gests, that the fourth part of the world should be called Ame.rigo, or America, after Vespucci, whom he ignorantly imagined its dis coverer. He could not have been excited by ill-will towards Co lumbus, for he was on terms of amity with him at the lime of his death: nor was the deception designed to injure his heirs, since no use was attempted to be made of it. Under these circumstances it has been questioned, whether Vespucci ever designed or com mitted the fraud. It is supposed, that the objectionable part of his narrative is the result of the ignorance or knavery of ils editors. Against this view of the subject, there appears some serious obsia- cles, among which we may mention, that the letter to king Rene, and the duplicate to Soderini, have the same form and siatement; and that both were published during the life-time of Vespucci, without contradiction or comment. t The name of America was at first given to a small portion of the continent. It covered the remainder as discover) progressed, 252 APPENDIX. until at length it is borne as the nomen generalissimum of the New World. See, for further information on the subject of this note, 4th vol. Irving s Columbus, note Amerigo Vespucci, from which I have taken the chief part of the foregoing; and the North American Re view for April, 1821, article Amerigo Vespucci. The reviewers maintain the integrity of Vespuccius, and the probability of the voyage alleged to have been made by him in 1497. Note K, Vol. II. page 38. THIS was probably the Mauritia-palm, of which M. de Hum- boldt speaks, when treating of the marshes of the Oronoco. "This is the Sago-tree of the country: it yields the flour of which the Yurama-bread is made; and, far from being a palm-tree of the shore, like the chamcerojjs hitmilis, the common cocoa-tree, and the lodoicea of Commerson, is found as a palm-tree of the marshes, as far as the sources of the Oroonoko. In the seasons of inundations, these clumps of Mauritia, with their leaves in form of a fan, have the appearance of a forest rising from the bosom of the waters. The navigator, in proceeding along the channels of ibe delta of the Oronooko at night, sees with surprise the summit of the palm-trees illumined by large fires. These are the habitations of the Guara- ons, (Tivitivas and Waraweties of Raleigh,) which are suspended from the trunks of trees. These tribes hang up mals in the air, which they fill wiih earth, and kindle, on a layer of moist clay, the fire necessary for their household wants. They have owed their liberty and their political independence, for ages, to the quak ing and swampy soil, which they pass over in time of drought, and on which they alone know how to walk in security, to their soli tude in the delta of the Oroonoko, to their abode on the trees. This palm, the tree of life of the missionaries, not only affords the Gua- raons a safe dwelling during the risings of the Oroonoko, but its shelly fruit, its farinaceous pith, its juice abounding in saccharine matter, and the fibres of its petioles, furnish them with food, wine, and thread, proper for making cords and weaving hammocks. These cusioms of the Indians of the Delta of the Oroonoko, were found formerly in the gulf of Darien, (Uraba,) and in the greater part of the inundated lands between Guarapiche and the mouths of the Amazon. It is curious to observe, in the lowest degree of human civilization, the existence of a whole tribe depending on one single species of palm-tree, similar to those insects which feed on one and the same flower, or on one and the same part of a plant." Humboldfs Personal Narrative, Vol. 5. p. 727. END OF VOL. II. UNIVERSITY OF CAI Return to desk fro This book is DUE on th I0,<f rec jfdit MAY 1 a ]984 LD21-100m-9, 47(A5702sl6)476 YA 04488 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY