IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I ^ U£ 12.0 L25 III 1.4 1.6 V f 0% Vl / .v>.^V ^>* Photographic Sciences Corporation -x,^ ^ " ^M >'l f^:::^ *1 M \ 0^Ki s'-^'jJi ^H Tif/y <^U Sculp /// y. THE DISCOVERY of AMERICAS ¥69. THE USE OF CHILDREN AND YQtJNG PERSONS. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF y, H. CAMPE, AUTHOR OF THE NEW ROBINSON CRUSOE. WU H A MAP ANa PT.ATES. LONi^ON, PrtHtedfor ^. yoJtnfon, # NOv 72, ST. PAt7L*8 CHURCH YAAD. 1799. €ntrret at ^tattoneiii il^aff* '.SB •t ■ : ' ' I J r \\ m ■ji '*■ .^***^% i^^ J»«d**-rte,^lM»*>i^,aft|(»ji,^^ '^mmim ^ '%,, j< -*% W*. . ./^ * 3 ft ^t " * •H't);rt ' ■ ■^^^,- ^ »i s '..:.T '••• • •••» ••••• •-• ^, f.f ,-»'f. 'WO // ;'^> iTSfe^/ \-' ".(. ;. t* ''s'te-?-; J. ADVERTISEMENT. V r. <•',. 'J ■■■ » a muft be determined by the re* ception which this may meet with. ■-. Ji V'.^u^' •*■! ,.■.. i. TRANSLATOR. 'iid \S :. .. '•.■ J . ERRATA. :v*;- ■:M. '■•*1' »''*' . ';•■ ' i *■■ , i • f f ■ i 1 > i * Page 55, in nole, for, has not got it — read, has it not. 88, line 17, for, attain — read, obtain, v "^ *> , 1 1 3, line I a, for, falis — r. folis. * i 746, laft line, for, they would — r. that they would. ' 358, line Z2, for appear— r. appeared. ;' J 6 1, line 22, for, prevented — r. fruftrated. 246, lineao, dele, themfelves. j^ > tt66, line 7, for, than — r. when. U74, line 17, for, they trembling fubmitted — r. they fubmltted with Uembling. '&'. ■;','i'itil£j*' ■K\^J- ~ . they '■K . ^ne K^ut 00)^*6 Sdreface. ^^-^"^ ••«<|>>» ,. * OF THE DESIGN OF THIS BOOK. * OOME years ago I digcfted a plan, for a fet of amufing and inftrudive books, for children of all ages j having obferved that fuch a colleftion, fo far as refpedled the fuicablenefs of it, to the different pe- riods of youth, was much wanted. In pro- fccuting this defign, a principal point to be obferved was, a proper fcledtion sod grada- tion, not only of fubjefts, but ol ityle; fo that, in the perufal of thefe books, the young mind, at every ftage, might be capable of comprehending the inftrudlion, and pro- fiting by the amuiement prefented to it. This fdeflion and gradation I have at- AJ ^\.,.. tempted ♦ '^i'; '■ ■'I l_ ''■{■r'~^jiif,r, 'i'^'T-jrjf^^^xrc [ vi ] tempted, in the Childrem's small Li- brary; and, after that, in the New Robin- son Crusoe, already publifhcd. The latter was defigned to be the forerunner of Co- lumbus, Cortes, and Pjzarro. t ,, . The children, then, who have read the two firft works, or who have heard them read, are thofe which, in this book, I have iuppofed to be my readers; and I have therefore prcfumed them to be in pofilffion of that degree of underftanding and know- ledge, which thofe works are capable of im- parting: where Robinson Crusoe ceafed,, in this communication and developement of ideas, Columbus commences. On this account, the ftile of the latter will be found fome degrt rs higher than would have been proper in the former^ ^.,:' .* * j ;,; . And for what (hall this latter book pre- pare my young readers?^ Firft, for Cortes and PiZARRO; but then, for that kind of reading, which I hold to be moft ufeful, be- caufe the moft fuitable to children, namely,, well digcfted and carefully felcdlcd travels j that "TWI" III. I I iimii^ that is, fuch as at prcfcnt we are dcflitutc of. I prapofe dedicating for fome years to come> the kifurc hours allowed me by my avo- cations in life, to the execution of fuch a colleftion, in which no more geographical^ cofmographical, hiftorical, and other know- ledge will be prefumed upon, than what young people may be fuppofed to have ac- quired, from the before mentioned books, and their ufual inftrudtions at fchool. And, I flatter myfclf, that I cannot employ the little time I may have to fpare, to better purpofe. - Fofr if there by any thing capable of enlightening the minds of youth, of extend- ing their knowledge of the world in an a- greeable manner, of weakening their inclina- tion to romantic views of life, and Arcadian dreams, exhibited in fuch inviting colours by our fafhionahle publications ; if thef c be any thing capable of giving them a proper difguft, at that frivolous, afFeded, mind and body debilitating tattle, with which fuch books are filled j and, on the other hand, of inftilling a dcfirable taftc for more fcri- . ous 1^ v., V si-. iVit.... i^T^\i,^A^\ ] 'H J. [ viii ] ous anci ufcful employment ;— if there be any thing capable of efFedting thefe valuable purpofes, it is certainly the pcrufal of travels in which fuch care is taken; both with the matter and the manner, as to render them bed calculated to engage the attention of youth, ' ^ < . . : r ^ '; ^ This is my plan ; and this book is written as introdudtory to it. ^ ^ ,. Hence my rcafon will be apparent, for giving thefe hiftories in the form of dia- logues, and alfo why, at the fame time, the explanatory converfations occur in this work noc fo often as in Robinson Crusoe. In relating thefe tales, to the children com- mitted to my care, I was interrupted much feldomer than before, as they found it Icls neceflary to make enquiries. , _ ^ , As the beft rcfources for the hiftory re- lated in this work are fo generally known, I think it unneceffary to fpccify them here. That I have not blindly or carelefsly colledl- cd my information, bur, on the contrary, '* have \- >i r ■•»*■ • ' »• C ix ] have fcle^led it fomciimes from one author, fometimes from another, as I found them molt fdtisfaftory, will be perceived by thofe . who have a fuflicient knowledge of the fub- jed. In dubious cafes, where I had no other means of arriving at a clear decifion, ' I have taken the opinion of a man* who has lately de¥eloped this hidory, with all the penetration of an Englilhman, and the afliduity of a German. I have, however, in fomc inftances of little confcquence, found it neccffary to corrcift even him. ■^ I have more than once expreflcd the ' maxim, that indruftors (hould not expofe the weak fide of humanity too frequently to chikJren;- but rather endeavour, as much a$ poflible, to conceal it from them, in order that they may not imbibe the dangerous no- tion, "If other people pradtife fuch follies and vices, how can it be expedled that I alone (hould be an exception.*'— The one or the other of thefepropofitions, will now per- haps fubjedt me to the accufation of having >i ?ik Robertfou'jj Hiftory of America, defcrtcd '*J^&. ''-lyi^m'S'W:;^^ \ K ,( [ " ] deferred my fird principles, as the hiftory here related is fo fertile in examples of in- juflice, villainy, and inhumanity. But, I an- fA^er, firft -, this work is not intended for little children^ but, on the contrary, for thofe who are arrived at the period of youth, or thofe who are approaching to it. Secondly, thofe perfons who thus, accufe me, evidcndy overlook what I added to the maxim, name- ly, that as children advance in years, and cfpecially at the time they are about to en- ter into the world, they certainly fliould be made acquainted, though carefully, and by degrees, with the predominant vices and follies of mankind ; fo that they may not, by expecting. to meet every where with angels, be led, when undeceived, into the oppofite extreme, and condemn them in the lump, for devils. Thirdly, it does not make the fame imprefllon upon the mind of a child, when he is told of fuch and fuch bad people having lived fome centuries pad, as to hear of foolifli and vicious cliaraders who are Hving about him. Laftly, it depends in this, as in all other cafes of inftfuiflion, principal- ly [ xi ] ly upon the manner, by means of which one and the fame propofition fometimes pro- motes, and at others counteradts the end pro- pofed. I flatter myfelf, that the way in which I have introduced incidents, as well as the manner of relating them, will be found eligible by experienced inftrudlors. . To the queflion, whether this book Ihould be printed, or not ? the public has returned an anfwer to me highly honour- able. The confidence placed in me, has awakened lively fenfations in my mind j and I hope my woik will anfwer the expedations of thofe who wifhed to fubfcribe to it. I have the pleafure to announce, to thofe, who with me regret the great dearth of pro- per books for children^ in the french lan- guage, that this work has already been tran- flated at Paris, and that, by a man whofe name* gives fufficient recommendation to his works. * This work will of itfelf prove, that my main objedt in compiling it was, as it always II • Profeflbr Junker, in Paris. has -,-'p(r*. .♦ [ *5 ] has been, not only to cnKghten the widcr- (landing of my young readers, by means of agreeable and uiefal knowledge^ but, prin- cipally, to awaken piety in their hearts, to attach them to every focial virtue, to infpire them with a manly courage, equal to the difHcukies and troubles of human life, and to excite them to difinterefted and philan- thropic conduft. God grant that my at- tempt may not prove altogether fruitlefs ; then fhall I be richly rewarded for my feeble efforts, and for this I would joyfully renounce every other recompenfe. Hambro\ 'June, 1781. -•' V ' Vf, -t ■'STiwir 'vos;^^^^- ' ■ r. THE i ■ ■ i . ' f ■ ^ * -?f ■'^''ffi'-f4^ ■ ''.'• «*-• ■ = :'v^ -. ' ** -1 ! " ?!# M L# h V/ i 'NT i «* ^sfl,,,.-..-i -Tir .. j.,-.^,T,., ■ ■■•, jf-fw- ■r^' -,^".-,;i.* jjWf,^wj^ .^*^ THE , DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. FIRST TALE. »»» « Nicholas fcalUng the other chil- dren )y James! Catharine! Thomas! John! Come, make hafte ! , , . Cath. What is the matter ? Nic. O, make hafte ; tell the other children to come. Father is going to relate fomething to us again ! Jll. Indeed! • ^ ' ^ Thos. Shall I call the others too. Father? Father. Yes ; go ! John. Rim as faft as ever you can. Cath. (to Nic. J What is Father going to Telate to us ? Nic. Oh, that nobody knows yet; but I think it will be a tale like that he told us about Kobinfon Crufoe. B Cath, * • ■'ii' ' Lor^itu4e lH^t ftvm Firth^ "iw^ .■V.1, /^' fj •'wftto .W««*J >i^ *'^*..<, '■'■.i^emunOa } C;^-. ■•\""'-''' i StCa4ierma ^Jtndrar O Jthatfuerque HBoso del (bmbci -> VelaBank 2^ A >«. Ip^^ ypaUutte \ominioa. .N' O R opmcel .wr"^ fa ^ Mardinco ^v(^ Is: K ^ I --^i^l V.\ "^Curacao ^ji,* j. ^ ^ "^ ^ Jtf* hir^«i'« faoamaBa ♦v' J«» iKerida r^. ^.<' ►•»^ T *' ZP' c ^ t 'is [a 1 ' ' 'Cath. (jumping) Oh! I (hould be very glad of that! (Thomas and the others, Henry, James, Jofeph, Peter, Frederick, Matthew, Charles, Eliza and' Sarah come running.) ML Is Father going to tell us another tale? Fathet . Yes, children, if youlhould like it. All, Oh, very much! Sar, Yes, Father, but if you pleafe, I muft go and call Mamma/firft; or elfe you would have to tell it again. Father. That is right, Sarah, Mamma mult be of the company too. Go and fetch her. Geo. (tc Char. J Now mind, I dare fay this will be juft fuch a tale as that about Robinfon. Char, I wiih it may. £In the mean time, the family were ji aflembled, ^d every eye was fixed upon the Father, full of eager expectation. After a ftiort paufe he began in the following manner.] Fath. Now, children, what do you think I am going to relate to you? James. Ah, who can know that. Fath. No one, at prefent, to be fure; but you (hall foon be able to guefs it. I will tell you about one of the moil remarkable perfons that ever lived ; about a man, who made one of the moft important difcoveries that ever ;■_,.. 4^^.:-" ' " ' ^- ;:•■,; : ;;. ' "' ■ ;\' were r-f^-. 4*V r [ 3 ] were made;' about a man, to whom we are indebted for many conveniencies of life, as well as for much knowledge, which we fhould not other wife have enjoyed ; in a word, abou^ _vvell who do you think.. ilt is? ,/} Wtii Geo. About Peter Hele. " ' f'.i'rA'^ F^M. Why juft about him? * " Geo, Hey I why becaufe, youknow,hewas a remarkable man. He invented watches. Eliza. O, ay ; the people had ufed to call them Nuremberg eggs. Hen, Juft as if there were no rexnourkable inventions but this. .v, Eli%a, Do you know wW« children? I think Father is going to tell us about the monk, ■who invented gunpo#dei:. Hey day! what was his name? p\tp ^m: ii|ja^ i,iK.»i|i»\i> CfsM. Ob, you mean about Bartiioloitiev Schwartz. ^;^, ^L, rt-^ C^^^-^L^ '' yames. And why not about Jurgwas, the inventor of ipinning wheels ? ^ ^i f:^! ■-'■ n. Sar, Father, I do not think we (hall guefs it. Fath, Well, then I fuppofe 1 muft tell vou his name . It is Columbus. - " ' l^ v f } = ^'JIL Ah! Ah! '-■■•■" -^^'^^ rci:.-\-.'':-\M ^:^^ ^ yames. That will be a nice tale I am fure; I once read ibmething about him. '-' ' » ^ ' ' Fath.l hope it will pleafe you, but to begin.— —About 300 years ago there lived in B % Genoa, '■fiifi^- jm""-^^ '^. !x;:;;wiiw^-*'^'*^"'*^*!^*''^^**3^ C ♦ 3 Genoa, if\ Italy, a manwhofe name was Chrir* topher Columbus. We know very little of hi* family, except that his parents were fea-faring people. It was for this reafon, in all probability, that from his childhood he had always a great inclination for the fame employment, and at laft devoted himfelf entirely to it. When he was yet a boy, he difcovered the moil proraiiing figns of the great qualities neceflary to a clever failor, as well as of thofe which are requiiite to form a general good charader. He waft bold and a6Hve; no lover of indolence and effeminate eafe. Very early in life he learned to defpife all kinds of dainties, which are to be fure pleafant to the taftci but injure the health ; he was an enemy to trifling and to all childith frolics, which are not produdlive of any good. His favorite employment was, to learn fome- thing, which would enable him at a future period to be ufeful to hia fellow men. He was informed, that if he wiflied to be- come acquainted with the fciences he fhould learn the latin language, becaufe there are many ufeful books written in that tongue : he began it therefore with all the ardour imaginable. In a very fliort time,.fo great was the progrefs he had made, that he found himfelf enabled to enter on the ftudy of the fciences. Aad.here, children, you lliould have feen with what ...j": ■ eagerners 'iiiJkmm mmmm fflimwifcTw • I s 1 eagernefs he imbibed every word that efcaped the lips of his teacher. Such was his applica- tion and his induftry , that at the age of fourteen he was well acquainted with geography, geome- try, aftronomy, and drawing, and had made fuch attainments in other knowledge, neceffary to a failor, that although fo young, he Was wfili qualified for the office of mailer of a ihip. • «*' Obferve, children. Thus have all thofe, who wished to become great men, diftinguiflied themfelves in their youth. It is therefore a juft proverb, that as the twig is bent, fo grow* the tree. Rejoice, therefore, if you are confci- ous that you are now preparing yourfelves for an honourable rank in life, with all that ardout which once animated young Columbus; for ift this cafe I have no doubt, but that, with the bleffing of God, you will obtain the reward of your prefent induftry. But if you do not difcover within yourfelves certsdn proofs of this ftate of mind, pray make hafte, yes, all the hafte you can, to attain it : for in a> ihort time, perhaps, the opportunity for this preparation maybe fled for ever! think, children, I (ay for ever, and what a lofs will that be ! But to return to our Columbus; the firft fervice he was employed in was on the Medi- terranean, for the navigation of his countrymen Was at that time extended but little farther, ' B3 This, i A ^^^"T- ^ts^^^nr- • ■««V-«W -v^ «P- ■-*■ Zp:'::^Jr^'''^^^^<'-''^-^'r^^ E 6 > This, however, was but a fmall iplicrc for s mind that burned with defire to do romethincr. that no one before him had ever done. He tlierefore fought an opportunity for longer voy- ages, and found it. After a voyage upon the Northern Ocean, during which his ideas were very much extended, he entered into the fervice of one of his relations, a fea captain, who had. fitted out fome ftiips at his own expence, with which he fometimes cruized againfl the Venc* tians, and at other times againft the Turks. ^ Sar, What is the meaning of cruizing? Fath. It is to fail to and fro, in certain parts of the fea, in order to watch for the enemies ihips,and, if it be poflible, to take them. Sar, Ah! what jufl as Rodney did with the Spaniards. j/^i- . ^ jF<2M> Right! Li this cruize young 'T^olum- bus very nearlj' loft his life ; God, however,, thought proper to preferve it for. deeds of great- er importance. In an obftinate engagement with the Venetians, in which out young hero proved a pattern of courage, both (hips were grappled and took fire* You know what the meaning of the word grapple i*, do ^vm not? jj Matth, To be fi.. e! when one{hJT> (•• ^'^olr* ed to another, fo that it cannot gc. ..^le, and the people upon deck cut or fhoot each other, till one fide are obliged to fvirrender themfelves afoiieis to the other. Fath, *' 4 ./'"■ ^ r 1 } Futh. Qviltc right-. Now only figure trt yourfelves this terrible (ceiie ; two {hip* thu* grappled togetfer, boti* i flanicd, and no other ftiip near by which the people may fave them- felves! Such was tlie dreadful fituation in which Columbus found himfelf. But do you think it overcame him ? Not at all. On the contrary, in this mod perilous fituation, where death evidently dared him in the face, he pof- feffed the whole of his intrepidity, and prefence of mind. He courageouily threw himfelf into the fea, caught hold of a floating rudder, and eaiing by this means his fwimming, at length got fafe to ihore, which was about four leagues didant. yohn. How much is a league? Path. Three miles. It wai the coad of Portugal on which he faved himfelf; as ^oon at he was a little refreflied, he fet oflF towards the capital of that country, that is to—— , ^: ^£Iixa, Lifbou. -Mi). .Fath. Very right. It was this event that probably determined the career, of his future greatnefs; and we may alfo difcern in this lingle circumdance, how kind are the intenti* onf of the Almighty when he is pleafed to alEicQ; us. Be but a little attentive to me, and I will ihew you in what manner this is fo viiible here. The C 8 3 Tlie Rjrtuguefe were at that time the moft experienced and courageous failors in the world. They ventured into the Atlantic Ocean, then but little known, and that farther than any other nation. Their exertions were repaid by the difcovery of two valuable iflands, which they named, Porto Santo and Madeira. Char, Ah, thofe which lie near Africa. Fath. The fame. Afterwards this adven- turous people extended their difcoveries daily, till at length they formed the defign of attempt- ing to difcover a pafTage to the Eaft Indies by fea. Bred, They had no occalion to feek for that long. Fath, How do you mean ? Fred, Why they need only have laid the map of the world before them : they would then furely have feen that they muft iirll fail down by Africa, then round the Cape of Good Hope, and then fail up again on the other lide of Africa ; and then they are there. Fath, Thou art quite in the right, Frederick, it is llrange that in former times menfliould be- wilder their brains a whole century about a circumftance, that one of us can find out in a fecond I James, Ah, fo I fuppofe, becaufe we have got «•* ■w>r^ MMM ■ 4 t C 9 ] got the map of Africa before us, and becaufc we know that it is poflible to fail round there— Fath» Ah, why hear, Frederick, what he fajs there. Had the people we are fpeaking of no maps of Africa, and did they not know that they could fail round the Cape of Good Hope? yames. No. And for this reafon they wiflied to make the trial, whether they could not get to the Eaft Indies round by Africa, yohn. We find too from ancient geography, that in former times only the northern parts of Africa, and part of Ethiopia, were known ; and whether the land towards the fouth was bound- ed by the fea, or whether it continued to the South Pole, the ancients were quite at a lofs to determine. Fath. Why, Frederick, if this be the cafe, nei-« ther of us, if we had lived at that time, ihould have been any wifer than other people, for it appeafs to me juft the fame as if one (hould be afked at prefent, if, and by what courfe, one could get to the Eafl Indies round the northern part of America, or of Europe and Alia? Frtd, No. Fath, Why not? Fred. Why bccaufe it is not marked in the map, whether there is an open fea by way of America and Alia, or not, Fath. •I *. [ 10 ] ^ Fath, What do you think then iarthc reafoa that this is not marked ? Fred, Becaufe the maker of the map, per- haps, did not know himfelf. Fath, Take notice of that — Do you not now underiland why people, three hundred years a^o, were obliged to make trials, in order to know whether they could fail to the Eaft Indies round Africa, or not? Fred. Yes. * ' Fath, Columbus was now at Lifbon. His general knowledge and underftanding foon gained him the friendihip of feveral (kilful failors, in whofe company the plan which had been formed, td difebver a paiTage to the Eaft Indies entirely by fea, was frequently ^e to^e ef convtrfation^ ; . .,; ^v^ r: V Oe9, Which way had they taken to get there till now ?. Fath, The Venetians were at that tim« the only people in pofleflion of the Eaft India trade. They got the India goods by way of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. But thefe two feas have no connexion with each other, as you well know; on the contrary, they are Separated by a large neck of land : of courfe, when the (hips from the Red Sea were arrived at this place, the goods were obliged to be ■'il ...*•..* * ft* ^' n t 1 ft r: " ] be unloaded, and conveyed by land- carriage, or by canals, to Alexandria, in Egypt; from thence they were tranfported acrofs the Medi- . terranean to Venice. This loading and un- loading, and tranfporting by land from the Red Sea to Alexandria, was a great hindrance to the Eaft India trade ; and it was with good reafbn that the difcovery of a paffage by fea was con- fidered as of great importance. . . Another circumftance happened, which de- termined ftill more the courfe our Columbus was to purfue, i. e. he married the daughter of a fea captain, who was one of the firft difcover- ers of the iflands Porto Santo and Madeira. By this means he came into pofleflion of the log books and fea charts of this experienced perfon, and in ftudying them day and night, his inclination to undertake fomething :fimilar, as well as his wifti to fee the newly difcovered illands , became daily more powerful . He there- fore embarked once more, and made a voyage to Madeira. He there purfued a very profitable trade for fome years, fometimes vifiting the coaft of Africa, the Canary Iflands, and fome- times the Azores. Mather. Did he not take his wife with him in thcfe voyages? Falh, I think not, as none of thofe who hav£ '•^.V f\s\ '» t i "^M (l>-,J,f^ .1X.i>f-i C i» ] have written his hiftory have made mention of this circumftance. ' ' * Mother, Well, if that is the cafe, he may travel alone to night for all we care. Come^ children, our work in the garden awaits us. Eliz, Oh, Mamma! now this is juft the iame as when we heard the flory about Robin- fon. When one thinks it is juft begun, you call us away. Geo. Never mind ! Mamma only does it to exercife our memories. Don't you know that ? EU%. Yes. But— JIL To work! to work! to work! . TALE 1) t[ I I'S ] -;? ■ ■-"->; :'--^i.-f-i. .*, TALE II. * ivzM^r. JLJURING the ^holc time that *CoIuinbus was making thefe fhort vo^'-ages, to ftnd from the Canaries, he did not once lofe tight of the great proje(5t which, it appftated, he had formed in his own mind, "whilft at Lifbon, ** How! (faid he frequently to himfelf). Is there no way to India, befides th^t ronnd Africa, which the Portuguefe arc endeavouring to difcover? If one fhould fail from hence right Weft, acrofs the Atlantic Oceiin, fhould not one be able to find land, which would be either India itfclf, or connedled with it ? Is not the earth round? and if this be the cafe, why may not the Almighty have created a country on the other fide of it, in which men, and other animals, exift ? Is it pYobable that this other half of the globe is covered by the fra ? No! no! India is, without doubt, larger than people imagine ; and the Eaftern part of it extends, probably, very far towards Europe. If, therefore, one were to fail fromlience right Weft, one certainly fiiould get there.'* This wasi the refledion that firft gave birth *o his idea, that on the other fide of the globe •C there I [ H ] there affuredly muft be another country. But this was not the only one : there were Icveral other circiimflances which confirmed liim in this opinion — the following mutt be placed among the moft important. A Portuguefe once failed a great dittance towards the Wctt, and on this voyage found a piece of wood, cu- rioufly carved. This piece of wood, it mull be obferved, was driven towards him by wef- terly winds : he therefore concluded there mutt, without doubt, be an inhabited country weft ward. Again : Columbus's brother-in-law, upon a weftern voyage from the ifland of Madeira, hiE<,d likewife found a limilar piece of carved wood, which was alfo driven by a weRcrly wind. And again : Upon the coaft of the Azore inlands — I fuppofe you rccolledl where thefe iilands lie ? Cath, Oh, yes! Upon the Atlantic, be- tween Europe and America. Fath, Quit6 right ! Well, upon the weftern coaft of thefe iflands, I fay, were frequently found trees torn up by the roots, of a kind never before fecn. Thefe, alfo, were driven by a wefterly wind. In ftiort (and this laft circumftance rendered the conjecture of Co- lumbus the moft probable) there were once found « ■■', I) t fx"' •( [ IS ] found upon this coail two human bodies, which were thrown up by the fea, the figure of whictl was fo iingular, that they bore no refertiblancc whatever to the Europeans, or to the people of Afia or Africa. Columbus colle<^ed all thefe circumftaticea carefully together ; refle-'- W7*"' ">■ ■".;■''<' "'■i'^" ■ '* C »6 I of his property. It was thercrore neceflary,. in order to have it carried into execution, to lay it before one of the neighbouring ftates ; and now the queftion was, to which he Ihould give the preference. He did not hclitate a moment, but immediately! determined to offer to his na- tive countr^^ the benefits of his future difco- veries.' H* therefore laid the plan which ho had formed,, before the Senate of Genoa, and requefled the afliftance which was necelfarj to its execution. But this affembly did not fee the force of his reafoning. They looked upon this great man as a mere fpeculator, and rc- je(fled his application. Columbus did not let this difcourage him.. Having {hewn the refpedt he thought due ta his native country, he returned to Lifbon, witli the intention of prefenting his plan to a court, which had, at that time, diftinguifhed itfelf more than, any other, in undertakings of this kind. His propofitions were lieard, here with the greateft attention ; but, after having en- ticed out of him the whole of his plan, they behaved towards him with the baienefs of traitors. They refolved to rob hlni of the ho-^ nourof thedifcoveries he hoped to make; they equipped a Ihip in great liaile, and comtnil- fioned another fea captain to execute what Cor himbus liad planned. This pcrfon fct fail, but a: H ^1 •«•« rtl •■;.- neceffary to the inveftigation of the fubje<3:. They teazcd poor Columbus therefore with the raoft prepof- terous objeAions. One of them afferted., that the fea between Europe and India was fo * The Moors were a people who came from Arabia, into the upper part x>f Africa, and from thence into Spain They had made tliemfelves mailers of a great part of this country, but, by degrees, the original inhabitants became too powerful for them, and, after many long, and bloody wars, obliged them to leave Spain and return to Africa. immenfely '"*&' '-,'jii4''"' T Hiimetifcly lav£^«, that a pevfoii, even with » good voyage, would- he at Icaft three years in making the ncareft part of the continent from Europe. Another allud'ed to the roundnefs of the earth, and was of opinion, tliat in cafe a perfon ftwuld fail towards the Weft, he would continually go down hill, of courfe that in re- turning, he would have to fail conftantly up hill, which he obferved could never fucceed,.let the wind be ever fo favourable. Others again were impertinent enough toafk him, ** if he thought himfelf wiferthan all the millions of people who had lived before him ; and even, fuppofing there "were a country on the other iide of the globe, whether he thought it could have remained undifcovered fo many centuries?'* Columbus was obliged to fummon all hi« fortitude, to beiir with the ignoraacc and pride of thefe people. However, he conduced him- felf with extraordinar}'^ patience, anfwered every objeilion, even the molt ridiculous, in a fe- xious and refpeftful manner. But of what fervice was it to him ? After having loft five years, in endeavouring to convince thefe igno- rant people that his plan was founded in rea- fon; he had the mortification to learn, that they had given the King the moft erroneous account of it ; he of courfe received a refufal from this court, in the following words—** that they li&j/" ^^•>M-»«,*ii^>S£ i I< ^ u I. f t?. [ »0 1 they could not commence any new uiulcrtakin^ fo long as the war with the Moors CDtithuied.'* Figure to yourfelres, the dilhcfs of poor Cohimbus, at this mifcarriage of his fondeft hopes! it was great; but his fortitude was iHl! greater. Far from giving up liis adventurous undertaking upon this dillippointmont, he ad- drc/Ied himfelf to two Spanifh gentlemen of high rank, who polfeifcd wealth adequate to the equipment of a fmall fquadron for a voyage of difcovery ; but lie found that they, alfo, were deftitute of fufficient confidence and refolution. He was again rejcdled, yohn» That is too bad, that the poor man's excellent projedl fhould thus be every where rejedled. yames, I am furprized that he is not fo much vexed, as to give up all thoughts of it. Fath, He would not then have been the great man he now is . Great and noble minds— obferve this children ; do not fujffer themfelvcs to be terrilied from the ptirfuit of a laudable objedl, no, not even by the grealell diificulties that can be thrown in their way. Indifference, nay even ingratitude, from their fellow- men, may, it is true, give them pain, but will never difcourage them, or check their perfeve- rance. Whatever misfortunes may befal them, or whatever difEcuUies may obllru<6l their pro- grefs, 1 i.*^.r -■*''***f I *' ] grcfs, their attention remains conflantly fixed "vipon the fingle obje£b they have once nobljr detorinuied to attain. This h a certain mark of a truly great and virtuous charaow detcr'nined to go to England himfelf, having as yctwaitcdinvatnfbr news from his brother, Thi^brotliCr of his had the miifor- tune, on his voyage to England, to fall into the hands of pirates, and was carried into llavery, from which he wao not rcleafed till feme years after. It is true, a:* foon as lie was fet at liberty, he went to England, but in fuch mifcrable cir- cumftances, that he was obliged to make and fell maps, in order to gain money fufficient to en- able him to buy the neceilary cloathing to ap» pear at court in. Col umbus had a fon , named Diego , whom he loved extremely. It was impollible to leave iipain without firft feeing him. He went, there- fore, to the cloifter, in which his fon was re- ceiving his education, and there made ac^* quaintance with the Prior, or dire-ilor, whofe name was Perez, and who was a man of learn- ing. The Prior immediately perceived the excellency of the plan, which others had confi- Ucrcd as founded in ignorance ; and, as he had leafun: [ " ] Teafoii ta flatter hhnfclf with having fomc influence with the Queen, he perfuaded Co- luinbus to delay his departure till he fhould have received an anfA er to a letter which he faid he would write to her. Columbus con^ fented ; and Perez exprelfed his reprefentation of the cafe with fo much earneftncfs and force, that the whole fcene became immediately changed. Columbus was called to court.. Ifabella received him kindly, and his friends began already to wilh him joy upon the accom- plifhment of his defigns, when the timid doubt*, of the weak King again ruined every thing. He called the fame people to council, whom hft had before confulted about Columbus's plans, and as they ftill perfevered in the unfavourable fentence they had already pafFed upon it, he ubfolutely refufed to hear any thing more on the fubjeft, and, by his perfuafion, prevailed upon the Queen to break off all the treatiesi. Ihe had entered into with Columbus, ' Here flood the rejeAed, the flighted, and iU-ufedman, the laughing flock of mean court- fvcophants; a fpectacle highly gratifjang to. a fet of wicked envious people, who had view- ed his rifing fortune with a malicious eye! He would have funk under a weight of the moft jufl indignation, had not his mind bcea Itronger than all the difficulties it had been his fate fur fttver*! years to encounter I r'i •r-«— . — - i% C ^3 1 Eliza. O! Father! Pleafe to tell us firft, what are court- fycophants? Fath, At the courts of Kuigs and Prhices, as every where elfe, my dear Eliza, there arc fometimes bad people mixed with the good ; wlio neither can, nor will, do any thing but flatter, their fuperiors, and flander even men of merit, whofe honefty may fometimes offend their de- ceived mafters. Such worthlefs people, among courtiers, I call court- fycophants. Eliza, Ah I That is it! ¥ath. Columbus again fummoned all his fortitude, to make another trial, which^ippeared to him to be the laft, 'viz. to go to England, and offer the King of this country a territory, which three courts had already, in their igno- rance, contemptuoufly refufed, Whilft he was preparing for this journey, the Spaniards had the good fortune to take the town of Granadiu, and by that means put an end at once to the power of the Moors in the ^ Spanifll territories, Ferdinand and Ifabella were tranfported with joy at the conclulion of the war, as it put them in polfcffion of the whole of Spain; and, as •the heart of man, when expanded by joy, is moft fcnfibly inclined to good a6lions, two of Columbus's friends (men who were highly de- fcrViUg of the refpeft of futvire ages) ventured to take advantage of this opportunity, and once mere .•..;.. i C »+ ] more lay before the Queen, in terms the mofl perluafive, the truly great and well-founded proje6t of their friend. Geo. Oh! what were their names? Fath. Quintanilla was one, and Santangelo the other. Both of them fpoke with fuch zeal, and knew fo well how to give the grcatcit force to the reafoning of Columbus, that both tlwi King and Queen were at lall obliged to confent. A courier was immediately difpatched after Columbus, who had already entered upon his journey. He overtook him, and conduc- ed him back again, as in triumph, to thi* court of a Queen, who was now awaiting him with the greatefl: impatience. Columbus at this moment forgot all the painful mifcarriages of his expe(5latlons, which lie had had hitherto to bear with. Ho laid the propofals, upon which he intended to undertake his hazardous voyage of diicovery, before the Queen; and, as thcfe were accepted, he at lenc^^th, with un- Ipeakable joy, foynd himfelf at the fummit of his moii -ardent wiihes. All. ( jumping for joy J O, that is capital ; that is charming ] His hopes arc at laft fulfilled! Char. Is he going to fet fail dircilly ? Fath, You fhall hear. that to-morrow. All, O, to-morrow! to-morrow! tAle ■f-y: AX I ' ''i ■! ••{ •: C »5 ] TALE III, ! ' . ,^ ./ .^'v " ^ ' ''■ . " i- '•■' ; .: ..-5 Peter, O, MAKE Kaile, ^eair Fatlier! and let Columbus fet fail ; left fomething Ihould happen once more to hinder him. Fath, Do not fear. The bulinefs is now fo far fettled, that it cannot well mifcarry again. Columbns has got a paper in His pofleition, iigned by the Queen, in which is piomifed hitxi, auiongft other things, that he, and no other, (hall be Viceroy of all the lands which he may difcover, and that this honour (hall continue in his family to the lateft poftcrity ; and further, that he, and his defcendants forever, ihall enjoy a t«^nth of the revenue, which the Ckown of Spain may derive from the territories difcovered by him. - Matt, My goodnefsl why he will get -quite rich. ^ * ; yames. He haut been obliged to iuifer •enough for it. . Fath, And fo he has. The equipment of the veffels, which he was to take on the expedition, was now going forv^ards with all poifible difpatcji. But they D were ! [ a6 ] were (o fmall and ill-built, that no other than Columbus would have had the courage to have ventured himfelf with them in fo diftant and unknown a fea, the dangerous parts of which no chart pointed out. One of them, in which he intended to fail himfelf, was called Santa Maria; the fecond, the Pinta; and the third the Nigna. The two laft did not much exceed the lize of a large boat. ' This fmall fquadron was provisioned for twelvemonths, and that only for ninety men. Thefe were the whole of the people who were to accompany Columbus upon this dangerous voyage. Theexpence of the equipment did not amount to more than twenty-four thoufand dollars *. Yet, fo enormoufly great did this fum appear to the Spaniih court, that the en- terprife would Tiave entirely fallen to the ground again, had not Columbus agreed to pay an eighth part of it out of his own property. In return for this, however, he took care to fecure to himfelf an eighth of the profits which might accrue from the voyage. yohn. Was the Spaniih court fo poor, at that time, as not to be able to raife fo fmall a fum ? Fath. At that, time, my dear John, five dollars were worth more than one hundred ■'A ■3 * Five thoufand four hundred pounds. T. are ! [ »7 3 are now, and this partly becaufe a perfon muft work harder to get them, and alfo becaufe they would purchafe more. And if you confider further, that the Spani{h court had been quite exhaufted by the long war juft concluded with the Moors, you will be able to explain to yourfelf this circumflance very eaiily. Now, children, prepare yourfelves to fee at laft our brave Columbus depart. Every preparation is made ; the veffels lie at anchor, ready for failing, at Palos, a fmall harbour in Andalulia : have but a little patience, and you will foon fee them weigh anchor amidft the loud farewels of a vaft multitude of people. ■ Nic, O why not rather immediately? 'U, Path* For this reafon; becaufe Columbus was not only a courageous and fkilful failor, but a pious chriftian. He therefore ^bought it his duty to implore, before he failed, the blefling of the Creator of the fea, and Governor of the univerfe, upon his great enterprife, in which he was the more interefted on thi account, that he had the intention of proi ulgating the Knowledge of the only true God, among the ignorant favages that providence might lead him to difcover. As, therefore, every thing was ready for his departure, he went, attended by all who were to accompany him on his voy- age, in folemn procelTion to a cloifter, at a fmall D a. diftanfic -'*-*■»> ^ vv- ^■■^mm^-^- difiance from- the town, and there, "with th*- moil becoming fenowfnefs, offered tijvhls pray- ers to God; the failor*, in a manner truly devout, fblloAving his example. After this, they returned to their (hips^ full of confidence in the prote*>«l>«Nl 'WM)*V -■"|i ^ , * C 3t 3 eyes of all his companions were folcly jfixed ! From this day Columbus will difplay a great- nefs of conduct, which mud infpire you with love and venerati" towards him! ' Scarcely had he and his fellow fiiilors loft fight of land, when the courage of the latter entirely forfook them. Jufl as though they had till now been unacquainted with their def- tined voyage, they fuddenly became much ter- rified at the great and daring enterprize, in which they were engaged. They began to weep, beat their breads, and cried out like people that were led to tmavoidable deftru^lion. Columbus affailed on all lides by their lamen- tations, ftood, like a rock inthemidll of a tem- pefluous ocean, compofed and firm, and difco- vered To much calmnefs of mind, fuch a fettled expectation of a happy ilfue to his great vmdcr- taking, that his prefence would have given cou- rage to the weakeft coward . He reproved them for their timidity, and placed the rewards, the riches, and honours they would meet with at the conclufion of their voyage, in fo ftrong a light, that they all forgot their fearsj and pro- niifed to follow cheerfully wherever he defigned to conduft them. From this inftance of their cowardice, Columbus learnt what fcenes he liad in future to expe^St, and held himfelf pre- pared for them. From [ 3» :i He was now almoft always upon deck, cither with the lead or the quadrant in hi* hand. > ■ . Fred, What are thefe } ■ Fath. The former, Frederick, is a heavy piece of lead, or iron, tied to along cord. This they throw into the fea, and let the cord nin after it. When the lead is got to the bottom, it may be learnt by the length of cord it took below the water, how deep the fea is in that particular part. Do you underftand? Fred. Yes. But why do people trouble tliemfelves about the depth of the fea? Fath. Should you not be able to guefs at that yourfelf ? Think of it a little. Fred. O yes! I know now ; if the water is* not deep enough, the ihip would ilrand and go to pieces, and for that reafon they muft always try whether they have water enough. Fath. Juft fo. Thus you feo if we do but carry our thoughts about us, it is eafy for us to find out many things ourfelves. But now you will wifh to know what the quadrant is. Fred. Yes, dear father. Fath, Firft anfwer me a qucilion. When you are going from hence to B , can you tell at any part of the road how far you have walked ? Fred. O yes. Fath. .«*«.,?9»*l« -««•»••*•• ■- ■■«i "'^-= [ 33 ] . Futh, And how can you tcH tiuit? Fred. Why I only need count my ftep«, or look about me ; I ftiould then know dircdlly how far I was on tlie road. There is no art in that. Futh, That is true. But tell me, wotild fallors, when tliey are in the middle of the fea, where they can fee nothing but the iky and water, be able to tell exadlly where they were, and how many miles they had failed? Fred, No. ' ^ .i j / ■ '• Fath. But you muft perceive that it is of the greateft confequence to thefc people, that they ihould be able at any time to tell this. : Fred. Certainly, - ' ' Fath. Becaufe, if they do not know wKcre tluey are, they cannot tell how to fteer for the place they wifh to go to. Now, Frederick, how do you think they contrive to know this in the middle of the fea? '. ? * ' , Fred. Why that is a in}*fl:ery to be fure ! Fath. Coipc with me into the large par** lour. Well ; now look attentively at the ceiling, and take notice of the different or-* naments upon it. Remember where they are, , Fred. Very well. Fath. Now I will blindfold you, and will lead you backwiwdi and forwards in this large room. i" ^ I '. [ 34 ] room, and tiirn you round two or three time«^ till it will be impoflible for you to kiK>w where- abouts you are. [_The Father did as he had J'aid.'] Fath. Now liiy your head back, fo that when I take the handkerchief oiF,. you may not fee any thing but the ceilings Well ; now Itaking the handkerchief off'] look up, and tell me, if you can, in which corner of the room you are? ^ . Fred, In that next the organ. . '^ ,r ''^ 'in Fath. How do you know that ? Ui'Fred, Becaufe juft in this place I find the rofe upon the beam» which I particularly notic- ed before. . ; - » » ,yFath* See there ; you can tell where you ftand by looking at the ceiling. Do you think that failors could tell in what part of the fea^ they were by fimilar means? ^ i > ' f ^ > Fred. O, yes ! They need only look at the heavens, as I looked at the ceiling, and I fuppofe they can telLby the ftars in what direc- tion they are. .'Fath. Right. But, my dear Frederick, the heavens are fo higli, that the ftar wliich appears perpendicularly over our heads, feems to remain in exadlly the fame place, after we have travelled many miles. Add to this, that the ''Makf)>,> ■|«, [ 35 J ^l»e ftara do not continue iixed in the fame iituation ; but, on the contrary, like the fun and moon, are to be fcen fometimcs in one part of the heavens, and fometimcs in another. You fee, therefore, that failors cannot be guid- ed by thein cxadlly in the fame manner at you were by the ornaments of the ceiling. For this purpofe various arts, and feme very ingenious inftruments, arc necelfary ; in par- ticular one, by means of which the heigh th of the Hart?, and their dillance from each other, may be meafured without going up to them. And this is the inlhument which is called a quadrant. Fred. Ah! very well. Path* Columbus from this time, therefore, was chiefly upon deck ; partly to make the neceiTary obfervations rcfpefting the depth of the fea, and the courfe of the Ihip, and partly lu give the necefTary orders himfelf, for every thing that ,ould be done. F .w were the hours he allowed himfelf for flecp and refrefh- ment ; yet he always exhibited to his compa- nions a compofed and open countenance. He renounced every gratification, of which thofe about him could not partake, and was dillln- g\ii{hed from the common failor ily by his penetration and fortitude, in which, Indeed, he 'T' i E 36 ] ' he far excelled all his companions ; and by means of thefe qualiii cations, he encouraged the cowardly among them, more than by the forcible and perfuaiive fpeeches he addrefled to them. Such a man alone was capable of carrying into execution a projedl like that in which he was engaged. It iriufl: inevitably have failed in the hands of any one who pof- fefffed a lefs degree of courage, penetration, and ingenuity. -sv 1^' '■»«•,;•>» ^ '^a v-^^-'.^-r^-i'^^' '•' .^,;^ And with this enough for to-day. To- morrow we Avill let our adventurer proceed on his voyage. . ,^^ . ji-w-r ... ,1 4 ^4V 'j ylv'^'f^ll'.: '> ■■■_■■■ r. ' i ■ - .' •>- "/" .- ' ■ ' •■'»''• -,. ■ . .. v:; .•^r ,v .»C' ; . *). tV\. 1 1 yi:^ !, :. - •■ '•^V>>ii ,! ■■>'k ■**'■•-■•"■• , ; • ''•>'"< - =• r, n i.> - ,^^.--'^'; . - ■■.■:■ '- / .. ;: i -i'/ . '■ ■" i'' ' ' t » ; hi- ' ' . ; ^ ■ J •) r, . ■ .H .■^ tru ) fi, TALE u^iS^ll^ •!^/ I C 37 3 TALE IV. -^♦♦<- rf K/M. P^OW, chllclren, before I pro- ceed, I have fomething of importance to iay to you. It is neceflary that you ihould liftea to me with the greatcfl: attention. JIL [full of expectation'] Well} Fath. In the courfe of my talc, I fiiall often liave occafion to mention the longitude and la- titude of different places. It is proper, there- fore, that you fliould all clearly underftand what thefe words mean. yohn. We have known that a long time. yames. Father taught us that two years ago, when we began to learn Geography. Fath, Did I ? Well ; I am glad of it. Then one of you two eldeft muft take my place, and teach it the younger, who as yet know nothing about it, yohn, O, Yes. But we mufl fetch the ■Globe tirft. Fath. I think we can do without it. Let us fee. I have a fkctch here of a fmall globe, which, perhaps, will anfwer our purpofe. Now *xvhich of you will be Father? E Alh *\> j;ji-j»^. ^ [ 38 ] ':'.VV?' ~/.| ' JIL 0,I! I! I! Fath, As you all wlfli to be Father, I Tup- pofe I innft choofe one. You, John, being the eldeft, come forward ; and do you, James, watch, whether he does It right, or not ; in order that, if it be neceffary, you may aflift him. jfohn. Hem ! Come here, daughter Eliza, and you, my fon Frederick ; pay atten- tion. I will teach you what the longitude and latitude of the earth is. Mother. The beginning is pompous enou2,h however, ■< Jjlui, ■9*!>M C 39 ] John . Yes , Mother^ I am Father now- Tt h therefore proper that I ihould give my felt a little confequence. Hem! Look here, chil- dren ; this little drawing reprefents one fide uf our earth. Fred. Well. yohn. The earth, as I fuppofe you already know, is round. . , ,: ,. , Eliza, O, and I know why; becaufe its ihadow is round, and hecaufe— - : .. ., John, Not quite fo hafty, my daughter. What you are going to fay, does not belong to this place. Suffice it to obferve; the earth is round, like a lemon, only a little uneven ; and this picture reprefents one fide of it. ' ->•»- z^- • Fred. Come, proceed; we know that already. yohn. Upon this our earth are two points, which fiiand diredtly oppofite each other, and round which it continually turns. (They are marked upon our drawing with the figures, No. J and a. ) Thefe two points are called poles of the earth. The uppermoft (No. i.) pointing direiftly to a fi:ar in the heavens, called the North Pole Star, has rceived the name of the North Pole. No. a, on the contrary, is called the South Pole. Do you underftand? Eliza. Certainly; the uppermoil point is called the North Pole, and the lowermoft the South Pole. E z John. ^s.-4>- ._ -^ .«. ,- *. •p. »f .,.. t 40 ] yoht. Capital, my dear child. Now look &gani at our drawing. Round the middle of the globe, the half of which is here reprefented» \A a line drawn which divides it into two equal par^ - This line is marked A. B. . ., ■, Fred, Is there really fuch a line upon our earth? "• - . 2lohn. Dear me! No; Frederick. We learn- ed men only reprefent fuch a line in our own imaginations. Eliza, But why do you do that ? vi yohn, A little patience, and thou {halt uti* derftand it. Do you wilh to know what this line is called ? It is called the Equator. Eliza, Why? * yohn^ Bccaufe we, in idea, divide the eartli into two equal parts by it ; and likewife, be- caufe the day and night are of an equal length, "W hen the fun ftaiids diredlly over this line ; for the word aquare, from which Equator is derived, iignifies, to make equal. No"'-, children, ob- ferve tlie line drawn round the earth thus, fronv A, to B. and then on the other iide which we cannot fee, to A. again — this is called thv- lon- gitude of the Earth. Do you imderlland? Both. O, Yes. John, Well ; fo far fo good. But now you muft learn what the latitude of the earth is. Do. [ 4< 3 Do you fee tliefe lines which run from the North down to the South Pole ? Both. Yes. John. Well, thefe (hew the breadth of the earth, and they are callea Meridian lines. Fred. Why Meridian lines ? John. Becaufc, when the fun is exa£lly over one of thefe lines, all the places that lie upon that line have noon, or mid-day,* at the fame time. Do you underftand me ? - Eliza. Yes; Doftor. ' .>■-'••-* John. Very well. One of thefe meridian lines, of which you may draw as many as you pleafe, is called the iirft. In our drawing it fhall be this which you fee is drawn a little broader than the others, and is cut into fmall divisions. Do 3-ouobferve it? ' ' ' Both. Yes ; yes; .;;;»• John. If we afk, (take notice) in what de- gree of longitude a certain place lies, we wifh to know what dillance it is from th'e firft meri- dian line. But, remember, the diftance from thence to the meridian line miift always be mtiafured towards the Weft. If, on the other hand, it be aikedin what latitude any place lies ? We then want to know how far it is from thence to the Equator. Is that clear to you? , * Merldies in Laiin. T. Both. ■rmtJR^ ■''.V. ■ • 'I: i( t 43 ] ; Bo^h. O, jes. ^ yohn, I obferve there is a finall fliip npoii? our drawing. If 1 fhould aik you now, in what longitude this fhip is? Whatlhould I wiilt to know ? £liza. How far it is from the firft meridian line. yohn. That is, fuppofing you to meafure towards the Weft, round the earth, till you come to the firft meridian line. But,, Frederick^ if I enquire further, in what latitude the fhip is,, what fhould I then mean ? Fred, Why, how far it is from thence to the equator. yohn. Right. Now I am quite fatisfied' with 3'^our attention. Faih, And I with thy explanation; give the little father a kifs, children, for having taught you fo well, and this {}tjjing hint] thou- fhalt have from me, as a reward for having done my office fo much honour. yames. But he has forgot fomething, father. 'Path. What is that? yarns:. That the equator and meridian are divided into degrees. Fath. Then do thou go and take his place, and try if thou canft not explain to them this circumftance as well. James, Hem I I will fee. I f' ^ « ; you percei that "^''^f'l. t *TW*rtr .1' C « 1 tJiat tTie equator, and the firll merldlaa line, are divided into fmall parts ? F d, and Eli%a. O, yes, '' ^i^mes. Each of thefe divifions is called a degree, and contains fixty* geograpliical miles. The equator contains 360 fuch de- grees ; and a meridian line, extending from one pole to the other, 180 degrees. Now, for inftance, a perfon fays, a certain place lies npon the 33olh degree longitude ; nothing more is meant than this, that if we were to meafure round the earth, from that place to- v/ards the Weft, imtil we came to the fir ft meridian line, counting the degrees npon the equator, we ihould find them to be 3,30. And, if the perfon Hiould add, that the fame place lay upon the eighth degree latitude, he would mean, that if you began to meafure from the equator to the place in queftion, counting the degrees upon the meridian line, you would find them to be eight. , , Fath. Bravo ! James dcferves a kifs too. Give him one, children, and there [JiiJJhig hiin] is mine. James. It was eafily gained. Fath. Now, children, let us fee in what degree of latitude and longitude this Ihip is, which I have drawn upon the globe. * Eqvial lo 69I Englifli miles, T. Fltft, li hi m * \ fU h < I f C 44 ] Flrft, under what degree of longitude . Ob* ferv'o, we mull count the degrees upon the equator weftward, from the place where the fhip is, until we come to thelirft meridian line. But as th drawing reprefents only one fide of the earth, we cannot count upon it the degrees of the equator. We muft therefore depend on the accuracy of the perfon who made it. He has put, you perceive, under the fhip 3+0, that then is the degree of longitude in which the Ihip is placed, ; > . But now what is its degree of latitude? Here we can count the degrees ourfelves upon the meridian line from the equator, till we come ©ppoiite to the fhip; that is hereabouts ; there- fore one, two, three, four, f7ve : there we have It. It is under the fifth degree of latitude. Do jou underfland that, children? Eliza and Fred. O yes, father. Fcith, Very well; I am glad of it. It will be of great ufe to you in time to come ; for if, in the courfe of my narration, I ihould fpeak of Columbus's fhip being in this, or that degree of longitude, or latitude, you will under- Itand what I mean. But obferve this, before I proceed, when we fpeak of the latitude of the earth above the equator, towards the North Pole, it is then called north latitude, and when we fpeak of the latitude of the earth, below the equator J '- f I C 45 ] equator, towards the South Pole, it is then, for the fake of a necelTary diftind.ioii, called foutli latitude. And now to return again to our Columbus, John, That's right. Fath, On the fecond day of liis departure from the Canaries, he had only failed eighteen leagues, there being but little wind. How- ever, as he forefaw that nothing would difmay his ignorant companions fo much as the length of the voyage they had before them ; he deter- mined to pafs upon them, what he confidered as a harmlefs^ deception, in order, if poffible, to prevent their impatience. He therefore told them they had failed feven league* weft ward. On the twelfth of September, fix days after their departure, they were in three hundred and fifty degrees longitude, reckoning from Ferro, one of the Canary illands ; or, which amounts to the fame, one hundred and feventy-two leagues weft ward of it, and in the fame degree of latitude with this illand. They here difco- vered the trunk of a large tree, which appeared to have been fome time in the water. Through miftake tho lailors conlidered this circumftance f 1 % t • This conduft was unworthy of Columbus, and I could wifh my young readers, always to bear in mind, that deceit in every cafe is wrong, aad neverc?*! be harralei^ T. ad / i^«(1!«S»-l*»cWH;>»»- »*-#Wa.-' } [ 46 ] as an evidence that thej were not far dlllrint from land, and of courfe became more fatisfied. However, this feafon of comfort did not loni^ continue ; for, having proceeded fiftj leagues further, a circumftance occurred which threw them into the utmoft confternation, at the fame time that it ftruck their commander with aftoniihment. Some of them. What could it be. Fath. You know, that with failors, the principal conduftoristhe magnet, as it poffelTes the lingular properly of pointing always to the North. By means of it, people at fea are able to diftinguifti, both by night and day, the four points of the heavens*, and know in what di- redlion to fteer. their veflfel. Without fuch a eondu(fbor, which hitherto had always beea found faithful, to have ventured on fo long and unknown a voyage, would have been prefump- tion. Now you may readily conceive what was the furprize of Columbus, and the confter* nation of his cowardly companions, when they fuddenly perceived that the magnetic needle in their compafs (as you know the box is called in which the magnet is fixed) no longer pointed diredlly to the polar liar, but a full degree weft ward of this direction. Come hither, children ; I have brought with me a compafs by means of which I Ihall be able to make you. uudcrftaud © **««-»h*.V«-T»S^» [ +7 ] unJerfland tills circnmftance better. Obfcrv*^, the needle now points in its ufual dirc(5lion, namely towards the place in the heavens where at night the North Pole flar may be feen. Now, at the time we are I'peaking of, it inclined towards the left hand, or the Weft, exadly fuch a degree as you fee marked here all romid the compafs. This was an appearance which neither Columbus, nor any other failor, had till then witnefTed. It was natural there- fore for them to be much furprized at it. Peter, What could be the caufe of it ? Fath. Though this variation of the magnet is now become familiar to failors, and the places arc eniunerated where it takes place, we are as much at a lofs to anfwer that quellion at prefent, as Columbus was then. There are, my dear children, many inexplicable fecrets of this kind in nature. This fhould excite 3-ou to endeavour to attain as much knowledge as you can, for it is impoflible to fay that the great God may not have deflgned one of you to draw alide the veil, which mortal eyes have not yet been able to penetrate. Nic. I will endeavour to iindit out, as foon as I have learnt a little more. JIL So Willi! So will I. Fath. Very well. But if youwifti to fuc- cecd, you mufl endeavour to s^ain a great deal X)f i ■■;.r< I ill --mmtft- .' 'i ,» [ 48 ] of niatlicmatical and phyfical knowledge, and to this end I will lend you my afliftanc;;. The companions of Columbus, as I cbfervcd, were in the grcatcil confternation. The dif- tance thcjr had left behind appeared to them inimeafurablj great, though their commander, in the account which he had given them, had not mentioned more than one third of the leagues they had failed. They now thought all nature had undergone a change, and trein- bled at the idea that their only condu(5lor, the magnet, had begun to for fake them. Columbus, whofe penetration in difroverinf; fources of comfort for his weak and ignorant fellow failors, foon invented a plauUhle rcafon for this unexpefted occurrence, which, al- though not fatisfaftory to himfelf, was confo- latory in fome degree to them. They there- fore continued to purfue their voyage, hoping that nothing would agaivi occur to alarm them. At length they got into the current of the irade winds. FrecL What is that? Faih. You remember what is meant by the tropics ? Fred, O, yes ; thofe circles drawn in imagination rouml the globe, on each fulc of the equator, ovcv which the fun Hands perpen- dicularly when we have the longell or the fliort- cll day. James, / • ' ^J^ by m of )rt- iies. [ 49 3 James, Wlicn tlic fun ftunds perpendlcularl/ over the iippermoft of thcfe circles, then \vc have tlic longclt day; and, m like manner, when it ilanda over the lowerinoft, wc have the fliortcft day. Fath. Right! You may fee each of the fc*. circles upon our little drawing. Look, the up- pcrnioll I have marked C. D. the lower E. F. Xow, in the fpace between thefc two circles, in the midd of the Ocean, they have conti- nually the fame wind, namely from eaiito weft, and this is what is called the trade wind, or nionfoons. Of this difcovery, which is nov*' generally known, Columbus was alfo ignorant. J*crcciving, therefore, that the velfel was con- tinually driven by an ealt wind, his fuperftitio li pi'oplc again began to be alarmed. ** Wli^t, tliought they, if the wind always blows from this point, how are we to return to our native country?'* This idea made them tremble with fear. Unfortunately, another circnmflance occur- red which tended greatly to increafe their appre- h eniions . They fuddcnly found th'* Tea cov ered with green weeds, as far as the eye i r ^^id reach, io that it fcenied as if they were failing upon an immenfely large meadow. In fome places tlicfe weeds were fo exceedingly thick that the piilfage of tliC fill p was obitrudled by them. Here F the w '.i .' .1- i hi .t*- "rt^i^' .-j'.-<^mmsst^- .V..,J*' 0^'t^>miu*i f m ji > ' Wii wp J'"'!,"!""?*, II* ■!■ ■« I I i I (H [ S3 ] then was frefli rcafou for dreadful alarm . ' ' We are at lait (thought they) come to the end of the navigable fea. Under thefe weed 5 may be hidden rocks and flioals, and before we can help ourielves we may be daftied in pieces. Poor unfortunalo people that we are ! Why have we been fo ready to entruft ourfelves to the command of a leader fo prefumptuous and fool- hardy?'* The courage and prudence of Columbus did not upon this oocafion forfake him. *' Are you not (fald he te his companions) a fet of ig- norant people, thus to fufFer youjfelves to be terrilied at that which ought to flrengthen your hope of having nearly attained the fummit of our wifhes? Can grafs and weeds grow in the middle of the fea? and is it not therefore very- probable that we mull be near a continent, upon the coails of which thefe have grown ? The failors llared with amazement at fucli welcome news, and fevcral birds having been perceived at the fame time, flying towards the Weil, their fear was in an inflant changed to joyful hope ; and they proceeded on their voyage in cxpedation that it would foon have a happy ilfue. TALE a;.. ut«!l^-l» ■•ilK«!w-'*»»^>«»ieai» <»'-■-*"*'•**■■■' -If!, [ St : ■'fit \f TALE V. -•<»ww*- ^ • Cuth. yVll^L not Columbus foon dif- cover tlie country he is in fearch of ? Fath, Indeed, my dear Catharine, there is no immediate profpetfl: of it. The hope which they had derived ^rom the fea weeds, and the flight of the birds, foon forfook them ; and though they had failed no lefs than feven hundred and feventy leagues weilward, ftill no land appeared. Fortunately there was not any perfon on board either of the veJTels, except the Admiral hinifelf, who was able to calculate the way they had made. He continued, therefore, to keep back a conliderable part of his reckoning, and faid they had failed no more than five hmidred and eighty leagues. Even this diftance, however, from their native country, appeared to them enormoufly great. They again began to figh, nmrmur, and complain. They blamed their own cre- dulity, for having fo readily placed confidence in the affuranccsof Columbus, and even uttered I z the ■/ 1 "i -.if I' ill t J? M^ "*"^:, ''■^.,^ / 'I i 5-^ -] the bittereil reproaches againfl: Queen lili- hella herfelf, for her criielty in thiis facrificing the lives of ib many of her fubjeds, in attempt- ing to execute the ridiculous projeds ofaii adventurer. In their opinion they had already j;iven fufHcient proofs of courage, nor would an}' one think of charging them with cowardice, iliould tliey now turn the whole of their attention to the prefervation of their lives. They were all agreed, that it was high time to return, lliould not the perpetual eaft wind render that impoilible; and that their commander fhould be compelled to renounce his romantic deligns. It was the opinion of the mofl: deluded among :them, that he fliould inftantly be thrown over- boai;d, and thus be got rid of at once : they were certain that upon their return to Spaiii * " ■'-. ■ • ^- '■-■'. ■■ '■■'■'■.' '.,' ff no particular enquiries would be made after To wretched a fpeculator. Columbus was aware of the dariger that hung over his head, but did not fuffer it ta terrify him; convinced that his views were equally rational and important; and placing full confidence in the prote<^ion of the AU mighty, he appeared before his rebellious crew with the calm and fteady covmtenance of a man, who had every reafon to be fatisfied with the profecution of his enterprize. He reproved their childifli qowardice, in mild* but ferioua termsi r / [ S3 ] terms, and tried everj method which hi* addref* and knowledge of mankind could furnifh, to revive their courage, and rcftore fubordination amongfl them. He endeavoured to bring them hack to dutj, by gentle and friendly expoftula- tions*, and then afliiming the authoritative man- ner of a commander, threatened them with the difpleafure of their Queen, and the feverci^ punifhments, if they dared to obflru6l his pro- ceeding, at the very time when he was about to accomplifli his great undertaking. It is the prerogative of great minds to bend and mould the hearts of their weaker fellow- creaturei!^ like wax, and O, how happy would it be for mankind, were all thofc on whom the Almighty has bellowed great talents, to employ them like Columbus, in profecuting fchemes whofe obje6l is the general good ! He fucceedcd once more in reclaiminsx his revolting companions. Heaven itfelf appeared to aid him on this occafion, for the wnid, which till now had continued eafterl}^ veered to the fouth weft:, fo that every one mud: perceive it depended folely on thcmfelves to return, whenever they thought fit. The Admiral did not fail to make them attentive to this circum- flance, and as at the time feveral occurrences happened, which appeared to juftifv tlie ox- pedatiou of foon difcovcring kind, they agai x 1 "~»»..*.,8i|»J. \ promifed obedience to hijn, and proceeded on their voyage with freih courage ► • One day the Commander of the Pinta, whicli had got a-head*, laid her along-fide the Admi- ral, that is, brought his {hip fo near the Admi- ral's Ihip^ that they could converfe with each other ; and informed Columbus that he thought he could difcern land about fifteen leagues tu 'he North. At the word land, there was a ge- neral expreflion of joy. They immediately prefTed the Admiral to alter his courfe towards the point where the fuppcfed land lay. But Columbus was fo well convinced the Comman- der of the Pinta was under a miicake, that he did not agree to this hafty propofal. He pro- ceeded, notwithflanding the murmurs of his crew, in his courfe towards theWell, to which, in conformity with his plan, he had uninter- ruptedly confined himfelf. Nic. I think he was a little flubborn there. Fath, How fo? Nic. He furely might have failed fifteen leagues on one fide to oblige his people. Fafk. Ko, my dear Nicholas, he ought not to have done it to oblige them, if he was con- vinced thatthe fuppofed difcovery was a miflako ; for, if he had yielded, his people would have * A fea-faring term, fignifying to be foremoft, T. con- vr|?S>p: t''< I t ss ] concluded that he was not very certain as to "vrhat he was about, and knowing how much de- pended on their confidence, he thought it right to guard againft any miftruft of this kindc Had they found that he was by any means to be pre- vailed upon to waver from the principles he had laid down, they would have been continually affailing him with their troublefome requefts. For thefe weighty reafons, therefore, he wg,s fully determined not to vary in the leaft degree from the well digefted plan he had propofed to purfue ; and in the end it appeared that in this refpeft he a6led wifely. The next day they faw a great number of fea gulls*, a bird which Columbus himfelf erro- neoufly thought could not fly far, and of courfe conlidered them as figns of approaching land. But, upon caftingthe lead, they could not find ground with two hundred fathoms of line, a circumftance which appeared to militate again! t his expectations, as the depth of the fea in ge- neral diminilhes near a coaft. On the following day there were even fing- ing birds on the mails of the vefTels, which rooiled there all night, and at the approach of • Meerkoben— I am not certain whether I have rencleied this word right or not* Adelung has not got it in his Dic^ lionary, ' T, day (^ .t>, -T" K ■ I . r 56 ] day took their fligl. towards the Weft. Aboitt this tiiiie they like wile faw a tropic bird. Mat til. What kind of bird is that? Fath. It is an inhabitant of that part of the earth which lies : etweeu the tropics, fro* a which circuniftanco It takes its name. Soon after this, the atte-tion of the uiilors ■was attradled by a ii.iLrular appearance, wh'.th they had never before witneilVcl, A ihoal of flying fifh raifed thenifelvcs above the faface of the water, C'ld feme e/en fell upon, the decks of the vftffsls. They took them up, and gru'i- fit:d th. ; 'cur< llty bv examining their long tins, ^vliich f^rv^^i ihnni for wings. On the fame evening they again found the fea covered with weeds, and as they ftill coniidered this as a iign tliiit fome coaft was near, they again u^dulged tiie pleating hope of the fpeedy accomplifli- ine,it of tlieir imdertaking. This event, however, was yd retarded from day to day , and in proportion as the}' had railed their expe6lation, founded upon fo many favourable appearances, their fpirits were de- prelfed when they perceived, after feveral days^ failing, that all their hopes had once more de- reived them. The fpirit of difcontent and re- volt now broke out on board each of the three fliips, beyond all kind of bounds. The fail- ors, with loud murmurs, renounced all fubor- tU'intion I, H 1 / C S7 ] ination to their leader, and, *m this Inflance, were fupported by their officers, who 'till now had continued faithful ti the Admiral. Here, then, ftood Columbus, an oak amidft llorms and tempefls ; prelFed on every lide ; for- lakcn by all ; affailed by the general tumult of his revolting companions ; yet oppoling with wonderful fortitude the rage of thefe furious mutineers, who appeared determined upon his dellrudion ; or, what to him was worfe, upon the annihilation of hisprojedts. He again ex- erted all his addrefs to quiet them, but in vain. Rage and defpair had taken fuch llrong poffef- fion of the hearts of his crew, that none of the means he had hitherto fo fuccefsfully employed, would at all avail him. They would not hear »/ 1. ' with immediate death, if he did not permit them to return without delay to their native country. In this defperate lituation, he found himfelf compelled to fubmitto imperious neceffity, and to promife the rev^olters he would grant their requeit upon this condition— that they would pledge themfelves to be obedient to his orders for the throe enfulng days. If during this time they flionld not difcover land, on the fourth day he would turn back and bring them again to Spain. Greatas was their rage, yet they could ■ ,,ol but cici,aowlod^e the reafouablenefs of their Commander' i f;«w*>f ' '*•,' m:. *-v ih f !. [ S8 ] Commander's reqiiv^I^ It was therefore ac- ceded to, and confirmed on both iides, by the mod folemn promifes. Columbus, m the mean time, was convinced he had little or nothing to fear. For the figns of approaching land now became (b numerous, that he had no doubt of dlfcovcrina; it within the li- mited time. For feveral days paft they had found ground with the lead, which brought up with it a ilimy foil. Confiderable flights of birds were now feen, and thofe of a kind that could not pdilibly fly to a great diftance ; all of them going towards the Weft. A bufh was taken up, out of the fea, with frelh red berries upon it ; the air became milder, and the wind, efpe- cially in the night time, vory changeable, all of them proofs of the near approach of that period when the patience and fortitude of Columbus would meet with their juft reward. He now, indeed, thought himfelf fo certain of obtaining his objeft, that foon after this, at the concluiion of public prayers, he thoun,lit proper to remind his people of the obedience and gratitude they owed to God, the great ac- complillier of their cnterprizc ; he like wife di- reftcd them to keep a good look-out, and gave orders to lie- to, fearmg they might be driven on land in the night. Charles. What ii that— lying^to? Father^ W '».■■ >«!(»!• ^t.L. •*^>, V .', [ S) ] Father, It {igallies to tie up moH: ot' the fdlK^, and to put the others in fuch a form that the velfcl may move backwards and for- wards, but not be driven to any conliderabic dillance. Char. So. Fath. Columbus took this opportunity to remind his people of the Queen's promife; namely, that the man who fhould iirll difcovcr tL:* land, of which they were in fearch, {ho\ild have a yearly peniion of about 3 1 a Spanlfli dollars, to which he hlmfelf added the pro- mife of a plufli jacket. Every one remained upon deck the whole night, looking with fledfatl eye, imd beating heart, towards the quarter where it was expedled the wifhed for land would appear. And fo I think we will leave them till morning, that we may fee whether there is land or not. Ml. O! O! O! dear lather. Fath. What fhall I not liniih here ? jill. Onoino! no! pAiy don't. ., Peter. Now this is jull the pleaflmteli part of it. F)ith. Well be it fo. It was two hours before midnight, when Columbus, llandlij^ upon the forecallle, thought he difcovercd a light. Upon this he called to him a jr.-/n.; nobleman of I^iibella'^ retinue, then upon deck, it' ' ../niV, ■ t ^S™^ l^j^^-.^ - '^ ^^•S^'*^ *:..-i.tfft fifcs^^' - -■ -■•? ■*^-, C 60 ] ileck, and pointed it out to liitn. He like wife perceived the light, and (hewed it to a third, who had joined them. All three agreed that the light moved f'*'^'" pin ce to place, and that ofcourfe it muiC h.» tj;ried by a perfon that was travelllD'^. Fancy now how you fliould feel, if after not having feen your parents for {evera! years, the door (hould fuddenly open, and they were unexpe6led1y to 0. ...2 in. Juft fo was the heart of Columbus afFedled at tlic appearance of this light. Soon, foon was the fruit of fo many anxious cares — the recom^ p ^nfe of labo\ir fogreat — and of fucli a variety of difficulties and dangers furmounted — to be fpread before his eyes ! Soon were his incredulous companions to have an inconteftible proof, that his great project was no creature of a dif- ordered imagination, nor he himfelf a mere fpeculatorl A profpedl in itfelf fo rapturous, could not but de )rive him of lleep for that night. About two hours after midnight, fliouts of joy wtlier veirds. The cry of land! land! madt' every heart beat witli tranfport. How a;ladly would the poor failors have given themfoives up to every exprellion of extravagant joy ! but fo repeated- ly had they been difapp tinted, that they could not prevent the paii > f illitlous of do\d)t, giving [ Ci ] giving a check to the hu, ^/uieHi they now folt. Between hope and fear, therefore, with the utinofl anxiety, they awaited the break of clay, in order to be convinced with their own eyes, tliat the completion of their moll ardent wifhe.^ was not a dream. As tardy ha the hours of darknef; fecm io move to tlie fick, fo did the remainder of this iiijrht appear to the anxious failors. Each minute i'ecined an hour, each hour a day. At length the blufhing morn begins to (hew itfelf, and the fun appears ; and now, now tho crew of the Pinta ftrikes up with a voice of rapture, ** Great God ! to thee our praifes rife !'* The crews of the other veflels had fcarcely i^nzed, w 'th eyes overflowing with tears of joy, \vlien they alfo, in tranfports of euthuiiafm, joined the general hymn of praife ; for the ^.and they fo much wiflied to difcover, now lay itret bed before them. 'I'he hymn of thankfgiving was fcarcely fi- nlihcd, A\hen the failors bethought themfelvcs of another duty, which was incumbent upon them ; namely, towards their leader, whom they liad grofily infulled and ill-ufed. With unfeigned contrition, and the moft iiumble rcfpcdt, they threw themfelves at the U feet " '» H' 'T^ \ i 1 [ Cj ] feet of lilm whom even they, now llicjlit great, and afked hisforglN'enefs for their miibe- haviour. Columbus, iii this iituation, flill prc- fcrvcd his conliftency. His fortitude in oppo- fing their tumultuous behaviour, was not more great and wonderful, than the condefcenlion with which he forgave, and promifed to forget their behaviour towards him. yames. What part of America was it the/ now difcovered ? * • Fath. Columbus does not know himfelf as yet. We mull wait until he has landed, and made enquiries. We {hall then, I think, be able to learn. Do not forget to bring a map of America with you to-morrow. / . i I ( '■ -vo^r? TALE i\ '"^W^'- C 63 ] TALE VI. .V' .1, J.; I , d f^-<... f t <• . '.It » >• yunies. JTjLERE, Father, is the map of America, which I was to bring with me. • ;<: Fath, Very well. Look here, children. Thefe iflands are all called by one common name, that is, the Bahama Hies. One of them, which you fee lies here, is called Gua- nahani, or the Cat Ifland. It was this that was lirft difcovered. Columbus, it is true, .called it Saint Salvador ; meaning, that it was a country by the difcovery of which he wasfa- , ved : but this name has fince been loft. For foyie moments the enraptured failcrs ftood with wide ilretched I'yes, gazing on the newly difcovered world, which now lay ex- tended before them, gilded by the riling fun. ,^ They could not enough admire its appear- ance, fceming a? it did every where to fmllc with plenty, to be adorned with fine woods, andintcrfecicd by winding ftrcams, that produ- ced the moft beautiful effedV, . • • i G z Columbus \ \ l>7 ■I i* «, J ; \' % I '^ I •. I '■V- ColnmLus now ordered his people to \\oUi c ut the boats ; got into one of them IiiniCelf, and, attended by the principal perfons who had accompanied him on this expedition, as well as a number of armed men, he proceeded to- wards the coaft, with flags flying, and a band of martial mufic, playing as they advanced. When they came near, they faw an innumerable multitude of inhabitants, whom the uncommon appearance of European (hips had drLvvn to- gether on the ftrand. They now reached the ihgre, a»d Columbus, very richly drelied, with a drawa fwor4 in his hand, is the firft who l.,.^~> ^,.t. ^C ^VtA Ka«l|ll>M»>«' C 6? ] mander, as viceroy of the new world. After this filent expreifion of the iincereft joy, they planted a crucifix on the ftrand, and prollrated themfelves again before it, in order to perform the facred obligations they were under to God. Then, with various ceremonies, in thofe days cuftomary, they took poffeffion of the country, in the name of the King and Queen of Spain. During the performance of thefe ceremo- nies, the Indians furrounded them, looking with amazement, firll upon the floating houfes on the fea, then upon the llrange beings they had brought over to them. They faw, and knew not what they faw ; for they did not iinderftand a lingle thing the Spaniards had been doing. Oh! had the poor creatures known what the confequences to themfelves would prove, they would have filled the air .with moans and howling, or have Ihed their innocent blood in repelling the ilrangecs, whom they now viewed with deep veneration. Elh. Why fo, father? Filth, Have patience a little while, my dear Eliza, and thou fhalt know. The longer the aitonifhed Indians Hood intenfely looking on, the more unaccountable did every thing they faw and heard appear to them. The white complexion of Europeans, their bcard,^, their drels, their arms, their manners— every thi i^; G 3 to «tf t'.:r.!»ft imifl be jinmortal beings, children of their God the fun, who had defigned to make them an earthly vifit. Catk. Did thefe people think that the fun was God ? Fath. Yes ; Catharine. Some Americans, and thofe, indeed, the mod intelligent, were Co flruck with the allMiivigorating, the never- changing fun, that they regarded it as the moft benevolent and p^ vverful of all beings, as God hlinfelf. Some invented for themfelves Gcds- in human fbrm%; whilft others, on the con- trary, poffeiTcd fo little rander (landing, as never to dire6l their thoughts to the great Fir A Caufe of all things, and remained unimprelled by the daily changes the world prcfented. Thefe poor ignorant creatures knew notliing of any deity whatever, lived in the world without thought, giving themfelves no concern from whence they came, or what would hereafter become of them . Unhappy men ! Our Spaniards were almoil as much furpriz- pA at the lingular objeds before them, as the, Indians were on their part. There were herbs, plants. ^^5ww [ 67 ] plants, trees, and animals, of a kind quite dif- ferent from any thing we have in Europe. There were men who, from their form, man- ners, and appearance, feemed to helong to an- other fpccies. Their {kin was of a dark cop- per colour ; their hair black and long, their chins without beards, their ftature of the middle fize, their features lingular, their look mild and ihy, their face, and other parts of the bod^'■, oddly marked and painted. Some were al- moll naked; others quite, excepting a variety of ornaments, fuch as feathers, fhells, and bits of gold ai)out their ears, nofes, and heads. At firllthcy were extremely timorous, but when the Spaniards began to make them prefents of various trifle.-;, fuch as glafs beads, ribbons, and other toys of a fimiiar kind, tliey foon ac- quired fo much courage that, towards evening, when it was time to return to the fhips, a great number of them accompanied their heavenly viiitors in canoes, or trunks of trees hollowed out, which ferved them for boats ; partly with the deiign of further gratil ying their curioiity, and partly to barter for different ibrts of nick- nacks. They gave, in cv change for them, cotton yarn (the making of which they vuider- llood), darts with points made of a ftrong tilh bone, and various kinds of fruit. So eager were they to obtain, the moil infigniflcant thing that ■■ltt~ -^iW:"*-'^"**?-- J'"" %rfW»»*- "J Hi [ 63 ] tliat was European, that they gathered up with the great ell care Ibaie bits of broken earthen- ware, which lay upon the deck; and for fwo pieces of copper money, whi '^ ey could make no ufe of, they would freei^ f^ twcnt/-tive pounds of well fpun cotton, novelty of the things, and receiving them frc white people,were circumftances that gave them all this value in the eftimation of thefe wretched people. On the following day Columbus furveyed the coails of the ifland, conltantly attended by great numbers of the natives. He anxioully fought after the place from- whence they got the bits of gold with which they were adorned ; but they gave him to underftand that there wa« none of it to be found in. their ifland, and that it cams from a country which lay fouthward. There they fignitied was gold enough. Co- lumbus was determined to follow their direc- tion.^, and go in fearch of this land- of riches. Fred. Was he very avaricious, father? Fath. I fliould hardly think he was, my dear Frederick ; but he had projnifed the Queen of Spain, and his gold-thirlly compa- nions, that he fhould difcover a country from which they might enrich thenifeives ; and cf courfehe wiihed to keep his word. He went, therctbre, onboard again, took with him feven Indians Indians as condiKaors and interpreters, and , immediately fet fail towards the South. , i , He here difcovered feveral other iflands, but viiited only the threelargeft of them, which he named Conception, Ferdinand, and Ifa- bella. [Look ; I have brought another map*, upon which you may find thefe illands.]— As Columbus did not here difcover the gold he was in fearch of, and every one anfwered his enquiry whence it came? bj; pointing towards the South, he made but a Ihort Hay, and proceeded on his voyage. ' ' ; Upon one of the iflands they faw dogs, but they ^ycre dumb, and it was afterwards difcovered that European dogs loft their bark- ing, after having been fome time. in America. It was here that the firft alligator was feen and killed. It was in the form of a lizard, and has received the name of the Weft Indian Cro- codile, on account of its near refemblance to that animal found in Egypt, After a ftio' t voyage South v/ard, they dif- covered a country of conftderable extent, v/liich had a different appearance fum any of the iflands they had hitherto met with ; not only with refpe^} to fize, but fiuface and pro- ductions. It was not flat, like the former, but • Kitchin's map of the Weft Indies, from Robcrtfon's Hiftory of Air.erica j the fame as here annexed. adovucd •^p^ I \ f '^ ■ I ^ 3' [ 7° ] adorned with hills and dales, woodii, lawns, and rivers, moll charmingly intermixed. Co- himbus was doubtfid whether this was part of the continent, or onl j a large illand. After ii few days he was convinced of the latter, and learned that, in the language of the country, this confiderable iiland was called Cuba.— Look here ; it is iituated -upon our map be- tween the twentieth and twenty-third degree north latitude. Nic. Ah! is not that the ifland In which the Spanifh harbour Havannah lies, where the galliots affemble, previous to their departure from America to Spain? ,, , Fath, Quite right. There alfo the regiiler fhips affemble, which— Mat. What are they that are called galli- ots, and regiller llilps? ,, Fath. I will tell you. Now take notice : galliots are iliipi which the King of Spain fends every year to America, to fetch the gold» iilver, and other articles, which have been there colleifted ogether. The regiiter fliips, on the other hand, are Inch on board of which thofe merciiantb, who ha- e purchafed the liberty of trading with the Americans, convey their goochi. Thefe go, fome of +hem to Vera Crux in Me;<:ico, others to Cartliagena and Porto Bello, in Terra Flrma.— Look at thefe places on the map. ^'^*!^v.i.Mr- - C 7t ] Cha, But why are tliefe fhlps called re- gifler fhips ? Fath. For this reafon ; becaufe all the goods which are fent in them from Europe to America, muft all be put down, or regiftered, in order that it maybe afcertained that no more goods are fent to the Weft Indies, than are permitted by the King. John., Are not the galliots called the filver fleet likewife ? Fath. >7o, not at prefent. Formerly, be- fore the plan of the regifter fliips was adopted, one fleet in the year ufed to be fent to the Well Indies, partly on the King's account, and part- ly on account of the merchants, to fetch not only gold andfllver, but alio merchant's goods. But as the regifter fliips have been added to the latter, the name of iilvcr fleet is now done away. Columbus, full of curioflty to become ac- quainted with the country and its inhabitants, caft anchor at the mouth of a wide ftream. But aU the natives forfook their huts, and fed into the mountains at his approach. Only oae man among them had courage to venture on board in a fmall canoe. Asfoon as they had fecured the friendftiip of this Indian, by iinall prefents, the Admiral fent with him on Ihore one of the inhabitants of Guanahani, then on board, ac- companied ^a»' iiSwwiw X I V f C 7» ] compaiiied only by two fallors, fearing that if they went in a large body, thefe timoroivi people would be more alarmed, and retreat Hill farther from them. Their particular errand was, ifpoffible, to gain the confidence of the inhabitants, and to examine the nature of the country. In the mean time, they found it neceiTary to keel-haul the veffels, and to caulk them. Do you underftand what that means ? yohn, O yes! to keel-haul a fhip is to lay it on one fide, an4 to caulk it, is to repair the damaged places in the bottom of it, by Hop- ping up the leaks, or holes, with oakum, and. then pitching them over, Fath, Right. After the Spaniards fcnt on fliore, had penetrated as far as fixty miles in- land, they returned and made the following report to the Admiral. *' We have found the greater part of the country which we have traverfed, not only cultivated, but exceedingly fertile. The fields " bear indiau corn, or maize, and a certain root which they roafi: and eat, inflead of bread. ^Vecame at lail to a fiuall Indian town, which confilled of fifty wooden habitations, and about a thoufand inhabitants ; the principal of ■which came out to meet us ; and when they had heard iVoni our Indian companions what kind •r f I .' * '"n..^. (L ■»«<*'■ w*^ * ' i * fc '^'- f'^^-'i'^ti-m C 73 3 kind of people we were, tl oy led us by tlie ann to the tou'-n, and (hewed us into a roomy habitation. Here we were feated upon ftools, made in the form of animals ; the tail ferving for the back. The ej'-es nid ears of thefe wooden animiiU were gold. As foon a", we had placed ourfclves upon them ; the Indians fat down on the ground by the iidc of us, kifllng our hands and feet ; by which we rould difcern that they alfo cjnfidered us as ctjplelllal and immortal beingi. They gave us for^i of the roafted jre.id-root, which tailed ahuoft like chefnuts; and '.e remarked, that among all the favages that came to vilit us, there was not one female. After a ihort time, thefe people left us, and then came an equal nimibor of women, who all repeated the fame marks of rcfpcfl, which we V'jd already receiv- . y >«^ Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. MS80 (716) 872 4503 A^ I.< [ J6 3 large fpider, woims found in decayed wood^ and fiih but half boiled, B-y degrees fonie of the Spaniards were tempted to taile thefe dif- Hgrceable difhes, and they were found not to be unwholefojnc. %:,:.;,a^^' t^>:^ ^.:^r>^vr■*■' K3; TALE C 78 J w . «-■''' • '■'" ."::^l'>■^ ■*.}:*?'-'■ 'I' "" ^ ^'sS^i?;; / j-;.:;::,;:» ^},u ; "^.^^i.iifr;!; '. ^'i,'r;Vi'.-i .' ■'t':-^'^^- ii-c* ,r m> ■fr< •. Ai » i ■■! -( ' "•■ .1-, . /V*- ' Father. X^FTER having come to anchor in another bay of Hifpaniola, his majefty, the cazique of this iiland, having heard of thefc wonderful white people, was pleafed to pay the Admiral a vifit in his* own perfon. His atten- dants were nmnerous. He was carried upon a fort of palanquin^ by four men. His majefty's pcribn was as little incumbered with clothes as . his fubje6ts..:^.v--^.'tu 'f'-^r'--^' ^ .. y. :•..«-.... ■ Upon going on board he did not fhew the leaft doubt or hefitation ; and having learned . that the Admiral was then going to dine, he or- ; dered two old men, wha appeared to V ^^is counfellors, to attend him into the cabin ie fcated himfelf, in a refpe : ^ He partook of what was prefented to him, and fent what remained to his people upon deck. When dinner was ended, he made the Admiral a prefent of fome bits of Iheet-gold, and a. girdle ^f curious wojfknianlhip*. f i ; i-.v-wrtl-, ;•-,*;. --^■«-t •': -:x:-r''.f£i'->,is.'- :, . - S . .1 :]■ V In return, Columbus prefeuted him with a firing of beads, a pair of red flippers, a bed quilt, and a flafk of citron wine. Upon which liis Indian Mpjefty was fo enraptured, that in the excefs of his gratitude he gave the Admiral to underfland, that the whole of his country was at his fervice. ; • The behaviour of this naked monarch to- wards his attendants was dignified ; but, on the contrary, towards the Spaniards extremely fa- miliar. He exarhined every thing witli the ut- mofl attention, and exprelTed the highefl ad- miration at every curiofity he faw on board. Towards evening he defired to be taken on fhore again. '' ><> - ' His wifhes were immediately fulfilled, and in order to give greater flrength to the impref- fions which he had received on board, the Ad- miral ordered a CL.anon to be fired at his departure ♦ He alfo became convinced that thele white peo- ple, having thunder and lightning at their com- mand, were coeleftial beings. The refpeft which his fubje•_:, -..rVr.*'!? -i;^.. Ij^cik: jviv-v. ' .^^ All of them being thus afleep, the fhip, by ther current of the Tea, wJls gradually driven towards the ihore. It fuddenly received fo dreadful a Ihock, that the rudder flefw out of the boy's hand. Awoke by the lad's cry, Columbus immediately rat^ upon deck, where he foon dif- covered that they were furrounded by rocks, upon one of which the (hip had ftruck.r;«K^ * The whole ctew were in a ilaie of the molt dreadful alarm ; the Admiral alone* re-^ tained prefence of mind, fufEcient to take ike necellary fteps to fave the veffel,if itwere pof-* fible. He commanded fome of his people to, jump into the boat immediately, aud drop an? anchor at a certain diilance, by the aid o£ which he hoped to haul the fhip off the rock. But fucli was the conftcrnatiion of thefe people,, that initead of obeying his commands, tliey? confulted their own fafety only, by making the beft of their way towards the Nignaw Tho. captain of this fliip, however, refufed to take on board peonk who had forgotten their duty to their proper commander, and forfaken hiia* in the niidit of danger the moll imnjinent. They were under the neceffity, therefore, of returning to the llrandcd velicl. Columbus, I ^_kt;.;.-.\j-"L -Ji [ 8s ] Columbus, in the mean time, in order ta lighten it as much as poflible, had the malts cut away, and the moll unnecclfary thing* thrown overboard. But it was all in vain! The lliip bulged near the keel, and (o violently did the water ruth in, that there were not the leaft hopes of faving her. The Admiral, therefore, with all his crew, got into the boats fent to their afliilancc from the Nigna, and rowed towards that (hip. '^ v<'f fc-^^^r??/:^ v ;. The next morning he fe^^t meffengers to the caziqne of the country, to inform him of the misfdrtune he had met with, and to reqneft the afliilance of fome of his people, in faving what they could from the wreck. The cazique (Guakanahari was his name) upon hearing what had happened, exprefled theutmollforrow, and haftened, with tears in his eyes, to render af- fillance to the fhip wrecked Europeans. So far were thefe good natured illanders from .vifliing to take advantage pf their difafter, that they readily offered all the aid in their power. In a' fhort time they collected a great number of canoes, and by the affiftance of fa many peo- ple, moft of the things of any value were fafely landed. The generous Guakanahari, took moft of the articles faved from the wreck under his own care, and every now and then fent fome of his telationa V* 1. ,*.i Delations t6 Coiambus, to iiitfeat hiiti not to ^dlflrefs himfelf, for he would be anfwerable foi; their fafety. He had them all brought to a place near his habitation, until the houfes where ; they were to be flowed were prepared for them. He alio placed a guard over them, though this indeed did not appear to be neceflary ; for all. jii9 fubje^ bewailed the lofa of the European^ as though it had happened to themfelves. ; .^^. V' In the account which Columbus gave the 'jCourt of Spain of this misfortune, he mentVon^^ «d the good difpoiition of thefe honeft favages* in a very interefking manner. ' '* Indeed (fays lie) they are fo kind) fo hofpitable, and (q ^^peaceable, that I can a£ure your Highneffe^ Hhere is not a better people upon the face of 4fa^ earth ; they love their neighbours as them- rjfelves ; ever cheerful and gay, their manner^ i^e tl^e pleaianteft I ever . witt^eflcd ; and, ^otwithftanding they go naked, they have many adMrable cuiloms. The King is waited ^mpon with great parade, and (b dignified is hm whole deportment^ that it is impoffible; not to behold him with fatisfadlon. The retentive memories!, and the great thlrft after knowledge, Which his people difcover, are equally deferving pf admiration .**''^?^'''***^''^^''* |#■'^-*;'^!^**4.^^■r-.^«t•'■ >• .''"■'. ■"*■' ' " MQtJi, How do you like thef^ Indians ? I . A 'HtT''T^ V 'I i *f- 1., • . . . A . ^ < . . • , ; » * JIL Oi clianningljr! what good peopid ttiey are ! Moth. And ftill thefe are favages ; people -Who have had no '(^ducation^ and have not eveik any knowledge of a God* ' '^ * Fath, Sham^, gr«at fhame for us, fhouli we let them furpafs us in goodnefs of heart, op in aftivc benevolence » How much fuperiDli| are the motives to virtue^ as well as the advan^ f ages for attaining upright priiicipleB and habltS]^ ivith which Almightj provideDce hath diftin^ guifhed us, from thefe poor uniiiffcra£ied Indi^; ans ! O, childfen ! Vtt ii», with all our mighty! ftrive to render ourfelves worthj of the advan^ tages we pofiefs : what would become of us, ihould we ever be compared with one of thefi^ good-natured favages, and find ourfelrcs exceW led by him in honour and integrity. ;f [JJkort paufi', and the Father proceeds,'] llearing how fond the Europeans were of goUi Guakanahari^ in order to comfort theni under 'their misfortune, made them fome pre* fents of it, land promifed to fetch them a mucH^ larger quantity from a place which he called Cibao. Much alfo was brrmght by his people,.^ which they feemed glad to exchange for any, trifles that were European. One of themj having a large piece of this metal in his right hand. '*"■■ iiAri.i.a-.&; ^mmmr-mmmmtmmm 'f ' '^ V (1 \ [ 8s ] . liand, held open the other to a Spaniard; on the latter putting a bell into it, the Indian, thinking he had outwitted him, dropped his piece of gold and took to his heels, as though he had been a thief. . Columbus's people began to like their ila/ at this place exceedingly, whilfl: he himfelf was harraffed day and night by the moil dreadful anxiety. He had loft his beft fliip. Pinzon, the faithlefs Piuzon, had deferted him ; the only Ihip that was now left him was fo fmall and fo crazy, that it was neither capable of accom- modating all his people, nor could be ufed in fo long a voyage without the utmoft danger. "What could he do in luch a lituation? ^ After having well weighed and refle«Sled on the fubjec^J, he came to the following refolu- tion— rthat he, with part of his crew, would again embark, and notwithftanding every dan- ger, would attempt the voyage home, in order to give an account to the Spaniih court, of the difcQveries he had hitherto made. The re- mainder of his people he intended to leave at Hifpaniola, as a colouy. As there were vo- lunteers enough for {topping, the propofal was inftantly agreed to. The cazique, Gua- kanahari, was likewife far from objefting to it ; on the contrary, he was much pleafed with the idea, that forae of thefe heavenly ftranger^ 'I ~ would \i S':Jr-^***?!*»r?»««e*-*-- '■^'*^ tr^ w ■ ■';. [ 86 ] "w ould Hay with hlin, and defend both himfelf and his people from their enemies. Thos. Had he any enemies? Fath. According to the information he gave them, there was a barbarous, favage race of men, who inhabited fome iflands to the South Euft, which he called Caraibs, Thefc peo- ple, he faid, from time to time attacked him, and as his own iubje^ls had not fufficient ftrength to withftand them, all that could be done when the enemy approached, was to fly immediately into the woods. Columbus promifed to take him and his people under his protection, and in order that he might have fome idea of the European art of war, he direfted his foldiers to perform fome part of their exercife. The Indian fpedlatora were ftruck with amazement; but when the cannon, which had been faved from the wreck, were fired, they were fo overcome with fear that they all fell upon the ground, and hid their faces in their hands. Even Guakanahari him- felf was much alarmed; Columbus, however, gave him to underfland that this thunder fhould only be ufed to defend him from the Caraibs ; and the better to convince him of the amazing cfTedbs of this dreadful inftrument, he ordered a ball to be fired at the ftranded vefle!. It paffcd through the wreck, and was feen to fall U \ [ 87 ] n on the eppofite fide into the fea. So much did this furprife the cazique, that he went home quite deep in thought, being well convinced that fince his vifitors had command of thunder and lightning, they mull certainly have def- ccnded from heaven. Matt* But as the Spaniards and Indians did not underdand e^ch others language, how could they converfe ? Fath, They converfed by means of iigns, and (ingle words which they had learned from each other. This language was certainly very imperfeft; neverthelcfs it was, in many in- ilances, competent to the communicating of each others thoughts. , -_ After what had pafled, feveral days were occupied in erefting a fort, or a fmall fortifica- "tion, in which the good natured Indians lent every poilible ailiftance. Unhappy creatures! Little did they think, they were forging chains with which themfelves would foon be fettered ! As often as the Admiral came on {bore, Ouakanahari endeavoured to ihew him fome particular mark of honour, which he on his part returned. The Cazique once received him with a golden crown on his head, and con- duced him into a richly ornamented houfe. When they had entered, he took the crown ojfF his head, and placed it upon that of his vi- I a fitor. V ■w 1 , [ 88 ] mor. Columbus took from his own neck a ftring of verj iinall beads whicti be was ac- cuttomed to wear, and hung it upon Guakana- hari ; he then took a very handfome coat which he had on, and put this alfo upon the Cazique, and then placed a ring on his finger. Not con- lent with this, he fent for a pair of red half- boots, which he like wife caufed him to put on. Thefe mutual prefents confirmed the friend- Ihip they had conceived for each olher. ' " In ten days the fort w^as finiftied. Co- lumbus chofe thirty- eight from amongft thofe who wiflied to flop, and appointed a nobleman tvho had accompanied him, Diego d'Arada, their commander. He ftriftly enjoined them to be obedient in Bvery thing to his orders ^ to endeavour at at! events, to attain the good opi- nion and friendfhip of Guakanahari andliis fub- je(5ks, and to make themfelves as mucTi as pof- fible, acquainted with the language. He called the place where he left tliem, Navidad. ' Colunibus now went on board his cra^y fhip, and weighed anchor ihe 14th of January, amidtt the ihoutt of thofe who remained be- hind . It was a hold undertaking . With a An- gle fhip, and that in bad repair, to attempt to crbfs an ocean as jet fo little known! I coafcf* I never have been To much alarmed for the lift; of this brave man as at prefent. Eliza, O, I wifti he would Hop there! f '»*» N i ^ i r ■MM •«m f C 89 ] Geo. Or I wlfh that ftupid Pinzop, with the other ihip, was with him again ; thea one might affift the other. Path. Heaven only kn6"ws what is become of that faithlefs fellow; Columbus could not get any intelligence concerning him. He fup- • pofed, therefore, that he was either gone to the bottom, or returned to Europe, in order to be firft in bringing the good news of the great dif- coveries they had made ; or perhaps with the view of prejudicing the court againft Colum- bus, and of drawing, by that means, more merit on himfelf. On this account did the Admiral think it the more necelTary to return, lb as to be able, by his prefence, to counteracSb the bafe deiigns of this faithlefs man. • The better to do away any doubts which the court might have of the veracity of the ac-, counts he fhould give them, he had taken care to have fpecimens with him of all the curioli- ties he had met with* Amongft thefe miift be reckoned, belides the gold (which he knew would be mdft acceptable) fome natives from each of the iHands he had viiited, as well as fc- veral bisds never before feen in Europe ; with a variety of otherarticles, which could not fail o^ impreffing the minds of thofe who fawthem with a fenfe of the importance of the difcoveries he had made. I 3 Columbus B V > if '•. ■ ,■' V ■ • ••■<'■ '■■') . c 90 ] ' Columbus failed for fome time along the tf;oail of HKpantola, in order, as much as pof- fible, to make obfervatious on the coail. Qn the fecond day after his departure, he difcovered fomething at a diilance from him, which ap- peared like a ihip. He bore down immedialely upon it, and found it to be what he little ex- .peifted— fPinzon's veffel, which he had been in vain enquiring aftei' for the laft fix weekf . You may readily conceive what a pleafant fight this was to the Admiral and his companions. •V Pinzon came on board, and endeavoured to vindicate himfelf, by laying all the fault upon tiie ftormyweathfir, by which, according to bis account, he wasdriven againil his will. Al- though Columbus was well convinced of the falihood of this, report, yet did his natural incli- nation to generoiity, as well as his prudence, lead him rither to overlook it, than lO aft with ii.gour . He appeared therefore to bel iev e what Pinzon had told him> and again took him into favour, ihjighly pUafed with the idea* that the account of his impottant'difeoveries would not be entrufted tofl fingle.crazy veffial. . CAa. Where had PinsBon been foilong? Fath, He- likewife,bad:been touching at va^- rious; places upon the coaft of Hifpaniola, bar- tering for gold. He had, therefore, mode no difcoveries of importance. Mother' \ '>tv i -V->.,^fr^ ._.-•..-, jw iiii w i mp H ' Kw i' lW i f ii iuni rmmmrnKi muiiMtimua mmm MSWnataMHMi pa*03«iBrr'rT"^» . Mother. ow, children, in order that you may rejoice at the difcovery of America, your " fupper to-night {hall confift entirely of the pro- duce of that county. JIL Ah! Ah! Some. What is it, pray ! Moth. Soup.made of cocoa heans, "■ L. Fred. Ah! Chocolate. ^..Moth. And then fomething; elfe, which I 'fuppbfe you will not much like. Some. What? ^..,^,_-^:.^k.:.- -^^ \ Moth, Potatoes.. ■ ,Jll. Oh! PcJtatoes'l Potatoes J That is our favourite fupper. ^ Faih. Long live the memory of Cblumhus, to whom we 'ar€ indebted for this favourite ■difh. .. . ,,,-•■■.,.,,.......,'. JH, Huzza ! • ' m 'i^SX^'f \^f: — •••••K^(#««««— •■■) TALI 'vV.-'Ai ^■i^,.iAi*. /' TALE VIIL »<%in»« I A Path, W O W, children, let us attend onr Columbus upon his return home. Fred, That's right! Fath, A. frefli breeze, which fortunately juft now fprung up from the Weft, drove the fhips as though they flew before it. The hap- py failors already fancied themfelves in Spain, furrounded by their friends, impatient to hear of the many wonderful things which they had feen. Moth. I think you would do better to let the veffels come to land immediately, that the poor people might go on fhore at once. Fath, I would willingly do fo, but I per- ceive A black cloud riling yonder in the weft, which makes me tremble for my adventurers : I wifti I could bring them into a fafe harbour till the ftorm is over ; but, unfortunately, there is not one bit of land between Spain and Hifpa- niola, and of courfe not a lingle harbour to be found. • James, 1 i t—tf* MM" XpMMMta •"0* •V >." •.*'^:-"«';."*j.«*r#"'r*^'-''- 3 t 93 ] ' James. O yes ; the Azores. #' Father. Thou art right, James. If I could get them there ia time, they would be fecure ; but they are, I think, at leaii fifty leagues from it, and the florm comes on apace. It begins to grow dark, and darker flill : the affrighted failors ftand upon deck, awaiting what is to befal them, with their eyes fixed upon the Admiral, who, in full poffeflion of his accuf- tomed prefence of mind, is giving the necefTary orders. v; ; i;-'^^-*- ,■■:••■■. -•>•■:-•. -^ -. ■■ The waves begin gradually to fwell ; the veffels pitch, the cordage rattles, and the ftorm howls dreadfully among the mafts. It lightens, and is again dark as night ; it thunders, and the rain pours on the quivering ihips. Now, now the ftorm burfts forth in all its fury. The lightning darts flalh upon flafh ; the thunder roars, the wind rages, and the rolling (hips are at one time raifed almoft to the clouds, and then again fink into the moft terrible abyfs. Terror and defpair entirely overcame the whole of both the crews. Some of them \ fell on their knees, and prayed for the preferva- tion of their lives; fome lay down or ftood pale and motionlefs, as though they were dead; whilft others had recourfe to fuperftitious me- thods of appeafing heaven, by making a vow that, fhould their lives be fpareH, they would i "^^ ■ nf .••'•th^;'*r.' I i I ){ .{/ A t i il- [ 9+ ] ^o barefoot and naked on a pilgrimage to fonie <:hurch dedicated to the Virgin Mary. , Eliza. I don't iinderftand that, Father. Futh, '. hen I will explain it to thee, dear Eliza. Attend to what I faj. Thofc chrilllans, that are called reman catholics, ufed formerly to believe that it was rendering God an accept- able fervice, to perform a journey, attendee! with a variety of difficulties, to fome particular fpot, at a diflance from the place where they li- ved ; and there to fpend their time in prayer and fading. Such journies ufed to be called pilgri- mages, andtliofe who performed them pilgrims. Formerly this practice was very common, and was rendered by devotees themfelvcs as difficult as poffible. Some went barefoot, with nothing hut a coarfe cloth for a covering to their bodies ; and upon the road voluntarily fufFered hunger and thirll, heat and cold ; nay, they even flog- ged themfelves into the bargain, and thought they were happy in proportion as they fufFered diflrefs and pain : For they believed this pe- nance was fo acceptable to God, that on ac- count of it, he would forgive all their fins ; and when they were in any particular danger, the ball metjpd of fecuring his protedlion, they imagined, was by making a vow to go on a :' pilgrimage. This was done on board the fhip of Columbus. The failors promifed the Al- '■ * . "' " mighty / \ fr^ * -Vs,'^:.*.''^ ; [ 9S ] mighty that if he would fave their lives, thej would go on a pilgrimage, clad as I have a- bove defer ibed, in thefirft cliriftian country up- on which they ihould land. Do you under- iland me ? Eliza, O yes, Father. Father. Now then, to return to Colum- bus and his poor crew, whom we left in the moft diftrefling fituation. . It is not in the lead degree changed for the better. They arc ftill iu fufpenfe, between life and death. Each wave fcems ftill to threaten them with deftruc- tion. In vain does Columbus, with the greateft prefence of mind, take every precaution for their fafety, which either knowledge or experience could fuggeft. In vain does he fay every thing in his power to encourage and perfuade them to ufc their hands, which, to all appearance, were become lifelefs. They flood like ghofts, whililthe ilorm raged with unabating fury. At lall, when he could not any longer conceal that he thought all mortal aid was of no avail, he retired with a heavy heart to his cabin, and what do you think he did there ? Some. He prayed. Fath, Undoubtedly he raifed his eyes with but ife; (that gave it); oil the mod filial fubmiflion towards heaven did notafk for the prefervation of his life he committed to the care of him wl ;i ,„-r^|¥f*-*-- .,^-Ji^ i :...^. , *,"^»-r*'»,.^f" ■■ ? ii i C 96 3 on the contrary, he prayed for the accom- pliihment of what was ftill dearer to him. . Ferd. What was that? -^t Path, Nothing diftrefled our benevolent hero fo much as the thought that with his life, all the important information he was carrying to Europe, and what he thought was of ftill greater confequence, the propagation of the knowledge of the true God, among the favaged he had vilited, would be entirely loft. This cleft his heart in twain, as with :* two-edged fword ; and, of courfe, led him to think not fo much on his own fafety, as on the means of warding off the danger which in this refpedt he apprehended. Attend, children, to the means which he ufed to accomplifh his deftgns, and then admire the greatnels of the man, who, in the moft imminent danger of immediate de- ftruiSlion, was capable of adding as he did. He feized a piece of parchment, defcribed upon it the moft important difcoveries he had made, wrapt it up in oiled cloth; then covered this with wai, and packed up the bundle ii^i u clofe calk, which he threw into the fea. Matt, Why did he this ? .: : - ? ' yohfi. That you might readily gnefs. He thought, I fuppofe, that the fea would fome- where throw this caflc on ftiore— < I ■ .^^ r ' .--* Fath, And that fome one having found and opened it, would make known the treafure it cpntiiined . \ i C 97 ] contained . He afterwards prcpired a {imiUi cafk, which he faftened to the ftern of hisveffel, intending to fet it at liberty only at Lhe laft extremity. Now, children, who amongd ua, think you, would be ctjual to fuch conduft as this? • John. Not one, I believe. For myfclf 1 am certain not. Some, 1 neither. Father. But ihould you like to know, by what means Columbus attained fuch fortitude? James. -Certainly. Fath. When he was about your age he ufed, onall occaiions, even upon the moft tri- fling occurrence, to exercife the utmoft re- fle(Slion, fo that timidity or fear might never overcome him ; but that he might, on the con- trary, find out ways and means if not to prevent, at leaft to turn to his advantage any misfortune which might befal him. He never looked to his fuperiors for afliftance, but in all cafes endeavoured to help himfelf, -and to difcover by his own ingenuity, the heft methods of extricat- ing himfelf out of difficulties. He never ac- cepted the aid of others, in what he was capable of doing himfelf ; and he defpifed from his heart, thofe effeminate and ufclefs beings, who are continually dependant upon the care and ex- ertions of other people. By thefe means, and K bvr (A m :-^««i.-f i,< ^S i '- - " ^ i! i) VI \ ■ C 98 ] by leading not only an induflrlous and aftlve, but a pious life from his childhood, by degrees it became natural to him, never to be alarmed at difficulties, never to be difmayed ; no not even, amidfb the greatefl dangers; but on the contrary, immediately to exert all his underflanding, fo as beft to relieve him, in every circumilancc of perplexity and diftrefs. And in this manner, children, muft you ad^, if you wifl> ever to become like him. .1 Thos, Well I am fure we all of us will then, Fred, Hannah, do you remember, that I Ihall not want you to lace my half-boots to- morrow morning ; I would have you know that in future I iliall do that myfelf. Han, I will not force my fervices upon,you, you may be affured. Fred, I do not want them any more. I muft lace them myfelf in future, muft I not. Father? Fath. Moft certainly, if you wlfti to become a Columbus. But it would alter the cafe very materially, if you fhould wifh to become an old woman, and lit by the fire fide all your life. Fred, O fye ! fye ! Moth, But children, now we are wandering again from Columbus ; I fhall fit upon thorns until I know what is become of him and his crew. . Fath. {'I I t [ 99 3 father. Well, then, I am ready to proceed : but alas the lituation of thefe poor people continues ftill the fame. The ftorm yet rages as much as ever, and to add further to the horrors of death, they are now envelop- ed in the gloom of one of the darkefl: nights ; no twinkling liar affords the leaft ray of hope or comfort, to thefe defpairing wretches. Hea- ven and fea are hidden in the moft dread- ful darknefs ; nor does the raging hurricane in the leaft degree abate its fury, during the whole of this black night. Thus were they fufpended, as it were, between life and death, until they had become almoft fenfelefs, when at laft— . • ^ •'- ^- '- -. > '. ,:^^^':if ^ cbiild difcover landSYi'tl|feVg|^ej-jeill.*.'ii!/-rN*» '"' -^//..Ahl.Ah! .... : :• r* •:'*]:" i^'Jith::/Me'^Mim'^A^ did not know what this land might be ; but, as they drew nearer, they found it to be one of the Azore illes. Cath. Thank heaven they are got there ! I was very much alarmed for them. Fath. They are not there yet, dear Catha- rine, although the land lies before them. The K z dreadful ■,j • 1^ "f?^ T "»»•■' i » l--^ , [ 100 J dreatlfal ftoriu which ftill contimies, makes it cx.trcincly dangerous for them to come near the coad. Nothwithllanding, therefore, the ardent "vvifh of every one to get on fhore, they were under the neceifity of plying for no lefs than four days. The Pinta was not to be feen, and ft was doubtful whether fhe was gone to the bottom, or whether her commander, Pinzon, had taken advantage of the ftorm, and thedark- nefs of the night, to leave the Admiral, in order that he might be the iirft to bring the news of his difcoveries to Spain. The florm at length abated a little. The Admiral availed himfelf ©f this favourable moment, ran in land, and came to anchor. ■ i li • ; .• Some Portuguefe foon came to offer provi- sions, and make enquiries whence they came, and whither they were going. When the Spa- niards had-l^ari^cd jfrom thefc i tropic t|iat Jherc wa*! a chafed v^ his ma- K 3 jeily rHW«h»«».''^.- 1^ m.i m / ' [ ^oz ^ jefty might come into quiet polTeilion i)f the countries our hero had difcovered : but is they could not get him into their power, on account of his remaining onboard, they thought it pru- dent not to detain his people, and to pretend, they did not know they were Spaniards. Obferve, children , here is another inftance of what we thort lighted mortals call misfor- tune, proving a real bleffing from the Almighty, Botwithftanding we cannot difcover it to be fach at the moment, Columbus was ill ; he Jiad violent pains in his back, and was, there- fore, denied the pleafure of going on (hore, after a long and dangerous voyage. There can be no doubt that, at the time, he thought this a misfortune ; but how great was his miflake ! It was the moft fortunate event that could have happened to him; for, had he been well, he ■would have went on fliore ; and, had he gone on Ihore, he would ha^e been fecured, and perhaps have languiihed the remainder of his life in a prifon. It is, therefore, happy for us that our fate is in the hands of God, who, al- though he may fometimes viiit us with afflic- tion, always caufes it to anfwer fome wife and good purpofe. It was happy that this affair had ended fo well. Columbus again got under fail, in hopes of foon arriving at the clofe of all his toils and 1 ^ dange IS t 103 ] dangers ; but heaven had ordained yet another fevere trial of his fortitude. They were again overtaken by a dreadful florm. The velfel was driven from her courfe ; the fails virere torn to pieces ; the malls fell ; and they expefted to be buried under each fucceflive wave. In this dcfperate iituation, which had now conti- nued for two days, they perceived at midnight that they were nearly upon a rock ; their poor Ihip was driving fall towards it. Had they failed in the fame dire Aion another minute, Ihe muft have gone to pieces. But Columbus's pre- lence of mind was Itill true to him.. He made a well-directed tack, that faved his Ihip, him- felf, and his crew. He foon difcovered that lie was upon the coaft of Portugal, at the mouth of the Tagus, where he foon afterwards fuc- ceeded in coming to anchor. At break of day he fent off two meffengers, one to the King of Spain, informing him of his happy ar- rival, and the other to Lifbon, to the King of Portugal, requeuing permiHion to fall up the Tagus to that town, in order that he might there have his veffel repaired. This requell was granted him, and of courfe he made the be ft of his way thither. The report of a velTel arriving from fo lin- gular an expedition, was no fooner fpread, than all who could ufe their legs ran immedi- ately .'s • I t I ^:i [ 104 ] ately down to the harbour. The ihore fwarm- ed with people, the water with boats, everyone being eager to fee the man who had executed fo extraordinary an enterprize. Some of them bleffed God that they had lived to fee that day. Others lamented that their country had re- jected and ill-treated fo great a man. ,. -» -«.. Even the Kingof Poi tugal could not refufehim refpedl, notwithftanding he wasgrievoully vexed at the idea, that Spain, by means of this man, ihould make fo great an acceffion to its power and wealth — a man whom, led by the foolifh advice of his blind courtiers, he hadfo inconli- derately repnlfed. He gave orders to his fub- je(5ls to treat him with the greateft refpedl ; fent refrefhments on board, and wrote a very polite letter to the Admiral, requefting that he would pay him avilit. Columbus immediately complied with his requeft. Upon his arrival, the whole court was ordered out to meet him. The King alfo infilled upon his fitting with his baton during the whole of the audience, and whilll Columbus was giving a defcription of the difcoveries he had made, his majefty betrayed alternately repentance and admiration. Our hero, on the other hand, could not but enjoy the manifeft confufion of the courtiers, who had formerly treated him with contempt, as a wild (peculator. The C 105 ] The King endeavoured, by the mofl flatter- ing offers, to perfuade him again to enter into his fervice : but in vain. He might, have offered half his kingdom, but woultj not have induced a man fo faithful to hi-o truft, even to waver in his dutj to the court whofe fervice he had efpoufed. Moth . Bravo ! ' Fath» As foon, therefore, as he had taken leave, and finilhed the neceffary repairs of his fliip, he again fet fail, and fleered for the fame Spanifli port from which he had llarted. — He arrived there the fifteenth of March, after having been abfent i^wQW months and eleven days. And now we will let him take refl after fo long a voya«:c. To-morrow you ihall have the pleafure 01 feeing him land. Peter. T\\\i U a very charming talc indeed! \\ »*«'i<^^l'd#»«« TALE j;vr>:f • [ io6 ] TALE IX. ■■'.r'" — «wv>^- r.-or^- We • Nic. VV ELL, Father, will yoa be Co good as to let Columbus land ? Fafh. Immediately, Nicholas ; but let him firft enter the harbour of Palos in due order. . - The report of his ftiip approaching, had fcarcely fpread, before every one ran down to the harbour, in order to convince himfelf of the truth of this joyful news. And when they found they were not difappointed — when the vefTel came fo near that one recognized a brother, another a father, a third a friend, and a fourth a hufband — Oh that was, indeed, a fcene well worth witnelling — the air re- founded with ihouts of joy. Had you (een the trembling arms that were ftretched out to receive thefe ftrangers, and the tears of joy that were fhed upon this occalion, you would never have forgot it. Columbus at length ftepped ou fhore, welcomed by the thundering of cannon, the ringing of bells, and the huzzas of an im- meufe croud of people. Fur from difcovering the -»*■ C 107 3 ' ^ tKe lead fymptoms of pride on this occafion, he made it the firft objedl of his care, to (hew that the fuccefs of his enterprize ought to be attri- buted not to himfelf but to God. With this view, he diredledhis footfteps towards the fame church in which he had fupplicated the affiftance and proteftion of the Almighty at his departure. His crew, and the whole multitude following him, formed afolemn procclTion. Having thus performed his duty towards God, he fet out on his way to Barcelona, a town in— Nic, The province of Catalonia, in Spain, Fath. Where the King and Queen at that time held their court. . . • • ■* • yamez. Had nothing been heard of Pinzon . Fath. Intelligence of him had been receiv- ed. But the accounts are contradictory ; fome fay that he entered the harbour of Palos foon after Columbus. Others affert, on the con- trary, that he landed in Gallicia, feveral days previous to the arrival of our hero, and that he was upon the road to Barcelona, haftening to be the firft to carry the good news to court, but was ordered by the King not to appear before him, except in the prefence of his Admiral ; upon which this vain man was fo much cha- grined, that he fell ill, and died in a few days. John, A pleafant journej', Mr. Pinzon. : Nlc. ,^-m,. ;Cr.>'- ■*" Si 'I :^ ■ J 3 i) 11' f [108] Nic. Another time be not quite fo vain and faithlefs. fath. We will hope that he is now free from fuch vices. Columbus found an imnienre concourfe of people, colledbed in every place through which he paffed ; and heard his name re found from ever J mouth. He at length arrived at Barcelo- na, where the King and Queen awaited him with the utmoft impatience . The whole court, as in Portugal, was ordered out to meet him, and the ftreets were every where fo crouded that he could fcarcely pafs. The proceflion was conduced in the following order. Firft of all came the Indiaps, who had accompanied him, dreffed according to the cuf- tom of their country ; next were carried the gold, and various kinds of ornaments, he had brought with him; then followed the natural curiolities he had collected, fuch as bales of cotton, cafes of pepper, parrots, which were carried upon canes twenty-five feet long, llufFed flcins of American animals and birdif, befides a great number of other things, that had never been feen in Europe; and lall of all came Columbus himfelf, who attracted the eyes of the' fpedtators more than any of the curiofities that had precceded him. f: v> n t\ \\ lu. In order to fhew him a particular mark of lionour, their Majefties caufed a fuperb throne to be erefbed in an open place, on which they fat to receive him. He now drew near, and wai going to kneel at th« foot of the throne, as was then the cuftom, when the King held out his hand Tor hiin to kifs it, and defired him to fit down upon a feat placed for that purpofe at ills right hand. In a very becoming manner, he then gave a particular account of the difco* veries he had made, and exhibited the fampki he had brought with him of the curious pro- du6lions of thofe countries. The court, and ali who heard him, were loft in aftoniftiment. AVhen he had iiniihed his account, their Ma- jcfties both kneeled down, accompanied by all who were prefent, and returned thanks to God for thofe wonderful events, vt^hich feemed to l)romife them fo many and fuch great advan- tages. Upon this Coluiribus was overwhelmed w ith the higheft honours . Every reward which had been proiiiifed him, before his departure, was opeiily confirmed; he, and his whole family, were raifed to the rank of nobility, and whenever the King rode out, his favorite officer muft always be at his fide; a diftindion till then granted only to princes of the blood : but what pleafed him moft of all was, that his Majefty gave orders that a confiderable fleet L ihould lB ■Kfta^' 'i 'v|. Ihould be immediately fitted out for a fccond expedition. ^^^.,-,, ^ ^^^^.^. In the mean time, his Majefty fent an ambaflador to Rome, requefting the Pope to give the Spaniards a fole right and title to all the countries now difcovered, or to be hereafter difcovered, by them in the unknown ocean. The Pope ( Alexander the Sixth was his name ) i5*drew a ilraight line from one pole to the other, at the diilance of one hundred leagues from the Azore iflands, and made a folemn grant to the King of Spain of all the land which might be difcovered beyond this line»,rtf, ^fe^,^,:iW ,^.,4^ > Thos. Heyday! How could the Pope give thefe countries away, when they did not be- long to him? .M^- ■,,:^^:., ; .-:>.^,^'^.j .^-./■r-''^.,i±^,. f.Fath. At that time, Thomas, the Pope was, as you mufl know from hiflory, poffeffed of very extraordinary powers. He was thought to be the great apoflle of God, and, on this account, was fuppofed. to have a right of difpofing of every part of the globe as he thought proper. Every prince, therefore, that wifhed to enjoy his dominions in fecurity, was under the neceflity of applying to the Pope for a confirmation of his right to them. Things are not fo now. Matt, It is very well they are not, or the Pope might think proper to take Hamburgh from us. Fathp -.4 < ■'', t I" ] fe Fath. The fitting out of the fleet was car- ried on with fuch expedition, that in a fhorttime feventeen (hips, moll of them large ones, were ready for fea in the harbour of Cadiz . A thirlt for riches brought together great numbers of people of all ranks, who delired to embark in this expedition, many of whom intended to take up their abode in the newly difcovered iflands ; but, as it was not poffible for Columbus to take them all, he chofe from among them fifteen hundred, and took care not only that the {hips Aould be furnilhed with the neceflary provifi- on8,.but alfo with every thing requifite to the eftabliftiment of colonies. For this purpofe, he colledled all kinds of neceffary inilruments, as well as various animals unknown in the new world, fuch as horfes, afifes, cows, &c. and, iinally, all forts of European grain, and feeds df many plants, and vegetables, which he thought might thrive in that climate. ':'.'. As he ftill poflefled the miflaken notion that the countries he had difcovered were parts of the continent of India, he gave it the name of the Weft Indies, in order to diftinguifh it from what he confidered the other part already known. He gave it this name, becaufe a per- fon in his voyage thither muft fail towards the Weft. India, properly fo called, which lay L a eaftward. i" eaftward, was from this time called the Eall Indies. ■} CatJi. But the v;hole of America is not called the Weft Indies? Fath. No; we apply this name only to the American illands, which lie in the gulph of Mexico. ' * * As ibon as every thing was ready, the fleet fet lail from Cadiz on the twenty-fifth of Sep-; tember, 1493. Columbus dircifled his courfe towards the Canary iiles, before which he came to anchor on the fifth of 0£bobcr. Here he took in frcfli water, wood, and fomc other •animals, particularly pigs. On the third day he fet fail again. The pigs which he now took with him, were the ilock from which fprang the whole race of fwine at prefent in America, Geo, But I fiippofe other pigs were taken there afterwards. Fath, You are right, George. The Ame- rican fwine cannot boaft, with certainty, upon the antiquity of their progenitors. Irrational animals might be pardoned this folly, were they capable of it ; but when a man defcends to the vanity of boafting the rank of his ancef- tors, one cannot but lament the ftupidity he difcovers, infuppoling himfelf the better for their high titles. . , , ., ^, "'XC ■■■■• '-■ 'til •^ s [ "3 ] , In the courfe of twenty dayg, during the whole of which there was a fair wind, they made as much as eight hundred leagues. And fo little of importance occurred, that I may now, without any further ceremony, put them fafe onfhore. ■u;^.;.:-;-; a '.lu.'-'.!-^-;)-? V't-i- Tui:^:irt Z' It was on the fecond of November, there- fore, thirty-eight days after theix departure from Spain, that they caft anchor before an iiland which Columbus named Dominica, be- caufe they difcovered it on a Sunday; which, in Latin, is called dies dortiitiica, or dies Jilts, - Cha. Is not that one of the Antilles, or Caribbee ifles? Did not the French take it from the Englifh in the prefent war? ,^^i^-i:^A''i **- John. Certainly; fee here it is. '•/ v;fi : ^^ Fatk. Not finding a convenient anchorage here, Columbus again fet fail, and difcovered feveral other iilands, fome of them of coniider- able fixe. One of them was Marigalante. ''i^ ' y antes. That is not in our Geography, > ' • Fath. Then we will mark it now. It be- longs to the French. '* Further, Guadaloupe, which— ; . , ^1 .> J, TTio, Belongs alfo to the French. '■ ' '• Fath, Columbus called it thus, on account of a promife he had made to fome Monks, who lived in a clolfter of the fame name, that one of the iilands he might difcover ihould be named in honour of their habitation, h 3 And *.>., ., ' .■;, V i ■» i \ [ I.+ ] And again, Antigua. V Fred, Which now belongs to theEngliih, Fath, And then, Porto Rico; which, as* you know, ftill belongs to the Engliih ; and laflly, the ifland of Saint Martin, of which the Engliih have lately taken poiTeffion* At Guadaloupe they difcovercd a very beau- tiful cafcade, which defcended from the fummit of a flupendous rock, and might be heard at the diilance of nine miles. At firft they could not difcover any of the natives, as they had left their habitations, and fled into the mountains. JBut at length the Spaniards, that had been fent out for the purpofe of examining the ifland; "brought two boys which they had feized, wh» gave them to underiland they were not natives of that place, but had been brought there as captives. Soon after this they met with fix women, who were crying out in a moft dreadful manner for ailiftance, for they had been condemned to perpetual flavery. From Ihefe women they learned, that it was the horrid cuftom of the inhabitants of this ifland to roaft and eat their male prifoners, and to make flaves of the female^^ The boys and women were immediately taken undev the protedioa of the Spaniards. ' fJm:--^ > The inhabitants of the other iflands con- j&rmed the account which thefc women, and the ' H ( IIS ) tho caziqnc, Gviakanahari, had irlvcn Columbus of the warlike and barbaroiis difpoUtion of thefo people. Almoft every where, when he at- tempted to land, he was oppofed in the moil defperate mar tier, and throughout the iiland found melancholy proofs that they devoured their prifoncrs, like the deer in their forefts. —It was not without ihuddering that they beheld human bones at the doors of almoft every hut. This circumftance, and a wifh to viiit, as foon as pofllible, the Spaniards which he had left at Plifpaniola, determined Columbuti not to prolong his ftay upon this iiland, and the more fo, as every peaceable attempt to become acquainted with the natives proved fruitlefs. He haftened his departure, and came to anchor off Hifpaniola on the twentieth of the fame month, in a harbour not more than a days journey from the lately erccSled fortof Navidad. Som J Spaniards which he had fent on Ihore, returned with the ftrange account, that they had found upon the beach two human bodies, tied by I opes about their necks to a wooden crofs. As they had lain fo long as to be quite disfigured,, it was impoflible to diftinguifh whether they were Europeans or not.. This account gave birth to painful fufpicions in the mind of Columbus, which could not be fatisfiedtill the next. day*. He fpent, therefore, a very I. ■ II ( A'J^ _,«**->• ■?$^'Pmr^i if*^ II " T W WH tr^fW'-'^HlIt' t n6 ] a very uneafy night, and at break of day haften- ed to difcover whether his melancholy conjec- turet} were founded in truth. Upon his arrival off the height of Navidad— • ' • Eli%a. What does that mean, Father* ^^- Fath. That is, when he arrived with hr» fleet oppofite the place where fort Navidad was iituated. Do you not recollect, when we were once upon the ftrand of the Baltic, how the fea appeared to rife above the land as it were ? Eliza, O, yes ; before we came clofe to it the fea appeared like a high hill. Fath. Well then, becaufe the fea appears to rife in this manner like a hill, that part of it which is oppofite any particular place upon the coaft, is called the height of that place. Columbus, therefore, immediately upon his arrival off the height of Navidad, fprung irt^^j a boat, and ordered them to row to Ihore. But what was his aftoniihment, when he could find neither Spaniards, nor any remains of the fort which he had eredled, except fome fcattered remnants of clothes, broken weapons, and ntenfils! This told him more than enough.. He was convinced beyond all doubt of the deflrudkion of the infant colony, by finding at a fmall diflance from the place, eleven of their dead bodies which bore evident marks of having been C "7 ] been murdered. Whilft they were lamentlni^ the fad fate of their countrymen, and me- ditating how they ihould revenge their death upon the natives, the brother of Guakana- hari approached, and gave a detailed account of the misfortunes whichhad caufed thedeftruc- tion of thefe European coloniftii. The chief particulars were as follows :— ** Columbus was fcarcely departed when they forgot the valuable advice he had given them. Inilead of confirming, by friendly in- tercourfe, the refpeft and veneration in which they were held by the natives ; they indulged themfelves in fo many extravagancies and ex- tortions, that the natives foon perceived, inilead ©f being fuperior, they were in tmth inferior beings to themfelves. Their officer endeavour- ed to maintain good difcipline, but they re- garded neither his threats nor perfuaiions ; they fet his authority at defiance, and ftrolled lingly among the Indians, committing robberiea and other enormities of the bafeft kind. They confined their depredations chiefly to the ftate of the cazique of Cibao, on account of the gold found there. At length, being unable anylongei^, to fubmit to their ill condu(5t, he flew to arms, furprlzed fevera' ttragglersand killed them ; then, furrounded the fort, and fet fire to it. A num- ber of the Spaniards fell in defending it; the others, ■I \ . n ^ / jl ff \ i \ .1 ' C "8 1 Others, attempting to fave tbemfelves in a boat, were all drowned.'* The relater of this melancholy tale further informed them, that Guakanahari had alwaja continued their friend, and at that time lay ill of a wound he had received in their defence. Columbus's people were unwilling to give credit to the latter part of this account, and wifhed for permiilion to take revenge upon every one of the natives; but he was too wife, and too humane, to give the leaft encouragement to wifties fo vindidlive. On the contrary, he endeavoured to convince them how neceffary it would be to the fecurity and the exiftence of the colony tiiey again intended to place there, to re-eftabli(h a good underftanding and friend- fhip with the natives ; and he therefore recom- mended the kindeft behaviour on their part towards them. ., , ■ - Columbus then went to vifit Guakanahari, whom he found really ill, from a wound which appeared to have been given by a wooden inftrument, not by a European fword. The unaltered fidelity of this man's behaviour, con- firmed the truth of the information which he gave them, as well as that already given by his brother. The cazique, likewife endeavoured, by every means in his power, to fhew his friendly difpolition. He made Columbus a prefent ' . [ -'9 ] 4. prefent of eight hundred fmall {hells, which were confidered as of great value by thefe Indi- ans ; like wife one hundred plates of gold, and three gourds full of gold duft, which, together, weighed near two hundred pounds; in return, Columbus made him as welcome a prefent of European trinkets. Upon this, Columbus led his people to a more healthy fituation, at the mouth of a fmall itream, intending to ere«5b there a regular forti- fied town, in which thofe he fliould leave be- hind might have a place of fecurity. No one was permitted to remain an idle fpe(5lator of this work. By the joint labour of fo many liands the firfl town built by Europeans in the new world was foon com pleated, Columbus, in honour of his Queen, called it IfabelJa, .J'.«S-J^"-' >»H^^t»-^^<— TALE f n. [ lao ] TALE X. ... 1^ ' 5 i , 1 - ! 1, r \ V I I KzM. During the Wiiding of tii» town Ifabella, Columbus had a thoufand diffi- culties to encounter, which nothing lefs than perfeverance li:k« his could have overcome. The Spaniards, who are naturally inclined to indolence, were rendered fliil more fo by the heat of the climate. They loudly complained therefore, of the hardships they experienced, which were as unexpedlcd as fevere. They •»v'»;re come here with the mofl extravagant ex- pectations, and had promifed thcmfelves im- menfe riches, with a life of cafe. Now they were obliged to work daily under a burning fun, like common labourers. — What a contraftj The unhealthinefs of the air, which produc- ed drowfincfs and various difeafes, aggravated fliill more their unhappy fate ; and to add to this, they foon experienced a fcarcity of thene- ceflaries of life, which effeminate Europeans could but ill difpenfe with ; and the golden mountains. r - ■-■*«;. «»:, -,v>»<>- ' ■■i^'^^^-' -.'.i^-imigS^'' " ^ -. ' n i ' .W f J'ii' mouiitaias, which they had promifed them- felvcs — where were they? They were not even permitted to go in fearch of them, becaufe their felf- conceited Admiral was determined to have his town tinifhed, before any of them were permitted to go into the interior of th« country. AH thefe were reafons for difcontent, which at length ripened into a plot againft the life of Columbus : fortunately the fire was difcovered before it broke out into a flame. The leader of the confpiracy was feized ; fome were pu- niilied, others were fent back to Spain, in or- der to take their trials. At the fame time Co- lumbus requefted the King to fend him a rein- forcement of troops, and a frefh fupply of pro- vi lions. Meanwhile, in order to divert the difcont':!nt of his people, he undertook, with a partofthem, an excurlion up the country. For fo doing he had another motive; he wifhed to convince the natives of the great fuperiority of Turopean foldiers. With this intention he mar< led his troops in columns, with colours flying, and martial mufic, and caufed the cavalry, efpeci- ally, to go through their various manoeuvres. This llruckthe Indians with great aftonifhment. Thefe people had till now never {qqh a horfe, and thought at firll that horfe and rider were M but i ■"^ ..-....., -v.," ,fT>^v»*-,-~- *-'*-^- .;jrfc>V.,4a,.. fll .[ lii ] but one animal ; and you may readily conceive how terrible this animal, half horfc and half man, mufl: have appeared to them. Moft of them took refuge in their huts wherever the 'Spaniards made their appearance, and thought themfelves quite fecure when they had fattened up their door places with pieces of cane. They took with them fome Indians, from the (late of Guakanahari , as guides . Whenever thcfe people, upon their march, came near a liut of their countrymen, they uniformly walked in, and, without faying a word, helped them- felves to whatever provifion they found, as though they had been at home. To this the proprietor of the hut appeared not to make the leaft c;l)je(5lion. It feemed as if thefe good natured people, who perhaps had never before feen each other, poffeffed every thing in com- mon. What a reproach to the avarice of Eu- ropeans! — They dire died their march towards the gold country, Cibao ; and were confirmed in the ideas which the natives had given them of it. It is true, they did not find any gold mines already opened here ; for the Indians had not given themfelves fo much trouble to obtain a metal for which they had fo little ufc. But in every brook they found grains and lumps of gold, which the water had wafhed away from the mountains, and forced down with its iUeams. [ 1^3 ] ilreams. This was proof fufficient that tlio mountains themfelves contained rich veins of this metal. - ' With this pleafing news, therefore, they re- turned to Ifabella. Columbus, before his de- parture, had eredled a fort at this place, in which he ftationed a force fufficient to defend it ; but on his return he found the infant colony in a raoft deplorable fcate. The proviiions were nearly confumvd; (they had not yet had time to cultivate the land) and the peftilential difeafes, fo prevalent in thefe hot uncultivated countries, had begun to make dreadful havoc. Every one expe(9;ed foon to be carried off either by famine or difeafe ; every one lamented the folly of having renoimced his happinefs, his country, and his health, to die of w^ant in a foreign clime ; every one curfed the author of their misfortunes, who, by his fafcinating de- fcription of this new country, had induced them to enter upon fo wretched an enterprize. Even the prieft, who had accompanied them from Spain, ftood at the head of the mutineers, and gave full vent to his defpair in the bittereft re- proaches. ' • ' Fortunately this was not the firft florm that Columbus had been called upon to encounter. Experience had furnifhed him with wifdoni adapted to fuch occafions, and the various M a dangers J'-'*^'. * *9p«iiMiMW 1. i * $. q [.'H ] dangers he had been expofed to, had (o fortified liis mind, that he was prepared for any trial. He fucceeded, therefore, in quelling this new revolt, and once more re-eftabli(hed peace among his people. He had no fodner accomplifhed his defign, than he again fet fail with the intention of making frelh difcoveries. He gave his brother, Don Diego, the command over the people he left behind him. , Pet. Was this he whom Columbus fent to England. ' - yames. No. His name was Bartholomew. Frf/A. Right. Don Diego was -his fecond brother. ' ^ Fred. Why is he called Don? EJha, The word Don is placed before the names of perfons of rank in Spain, as the word von is in Germany, or de in France, ■ ' Fred, so ! Fath. Columbus now put to fea, with one large fliip and two final 1 ones, intending to di- reft his courfe weftward. The moft important difcovery he made upon this voyage -yas the ifland of Jamaica— yohi. Which belongs to the Engiiili. Fath. The fame. As foon as he came to anchor ofF this place, he fent a boat well armed to found the harbour. EU-4,a. J * 0.: C '»s ] J Eliza. What is that. Father ? -^ •• *'• * ^ Fath. That is, they were to go and throw out the leadin dllEFerent places, in order to leani if there were water enoue^ *br the (hips to come in with (afety. "" ' This boat was foon fur rounded by a great number of canoes with armed Indians, who feemed determined to oppofe their landing. As thefe poor creatures could not be perfuaded to defift from their purpofe, the Spaniards fa- luted them with a (hower of arrows, upon which they immediately took flight. Geo. Had thefe Spaniards no guns with them. Fath. The ufe of guns was at that time by no means general ; moft foldiers were, there- fore, armed with bows and arrows. The harbour being found fafe, Columbus ran in, had his (hips repaired, and fpent the reft of his time there in exploring the country. It appeared to be more valuable than Hifpaniola, he did not fail to take pofTeffion of this illand alfo, in the name of his Catholic Majefty. Fred. Who is he? - ' - ■ ; = ' Fath , Do you not remember, Frederick, that this is the title of the King of Spain. Fred. O yes. *? "^ Fath. From hence he failed towards Cuba, with the view of examining whether this ifland, 3VP 3 which M j ^ ^.. ^^^■^^' - ^-SH* «. - . >»i-t*wrv?.- ,*»Sr;«,„„,,|^|gg^^ ^ i mi6.tiim^.9^mm~'^ Hiil»Mi ^ [ "6 ] which, as you know, he had before dlfcovcred, were a part of the continent or not. And here commenced a chain of difficulties and dangers, in comparifon with which thofe he had already experienced were as nothing. He foon had to encounter one of the moft dreadful ftorms in a very dangerous and unknown fea. He found himfelf in the midft of rocks and (hoals, which threatened his (hip with immediate dellru6lion ; then, again, the veffels were taking in fo muck water, in the midft of a fathomlefs abyfs, that it was with great difficulty the Teamen, who had nearly exhaufted all their ftrength at the pump, could keep them from finking". He was now obliged to fufFer hunger and thirfl: with his companions, and as in every difficulty he uniformly difcovered more concern for them than for himfelf, when any frefli fupply was thrown by good fortune in their way, he was always the laft to partake of it. And now, again, he had to combat the difcontent of his people,, who in the bittereft terms reproached him with their misfortunes, notwithftanding he Ihared in them ail with the utmoft fortitude and patience. View this great man, children, fur- rounded by fuch a multitude of difficulties ; obferve the compofure of countenance he yet maintains ; ftill hoping by his example to reftore chearfulnefs aud courage to the minds of his timid ''■■»--'^ ^'■ >•, :re idy to \ ' [ 147 ]• companions ; and judge from your own feelings whether an old author does not fpeak the truth, when he fays,' there is not agrandcr fight in the world than a brave man encountering difficulties.' At feveral places where he landed in Cuba, he learned from the natives that it was really an ifland. In fonie parts of it, the quantities of birds and infefts were fo great that fometimes in the cleared day the fun could not be feen for them, and the air was darkened by them as in u thunder llorm. On the north lide he found the fea covered with an innumerable multitude of fmall iflands, to which he gave the name of Queen's Garden. In the mldil of them they met with a canoe offifhermen, whole method of fithing was fo fingular that it defcrves to be mentio.\cd. They ufcd a particular kind of fiih, about the lize of a herring, called kh'es, and which is faid to have remarkably fharp teeth. They tied this fifli by the tail, and then threw it into the water. When it met with any other fiih it iimnediately fattened upon, them, and the fifhermen by this means drew * out their prey. The Spaniards faw them take outran this manner a turtle of one hundred pounds weight, upon the neck of which this fmall fifh had fadened itfelf. So foon as thefe fifliermen difcovered the boat coming towards them, they mi\de ligns to the f . r 1 C 'iS ] the crew not to npproacli, as tlunigli tlicy luid i'ome bufinefs to fettle with their acquaintances. This reqnell was granted, and when they had taken their turtles, they came on board of their own accord, and prefented the Admiral with the fruits of their labour. Columbus made fuch u return for their kindnefs as he knew would be acceptable. Whilft Columbus was thus cruifnifx amons:' thefe illands, upon the coaft of Cuba, they obferved an appearance in the fea, wliich for its Angularity deferves alfo to be noticed. In one part the fea appeared fpotfed green and white ; in another it was as white as milk ; and in a third, to the great aftonifhmcnt of the failors, as black as ink. They could not at all account for thefc lingular appearances. When they again came to anchor off the coaft of Cuba, after a very dangerous cruize, in the midft of rocks and fhoals, they erefted an altar on the ftrand, at which to perform their devotions. An old cazique approached them, and appeared to pay the greatell atten- tion whilft they went through the whole of the ceremon3^ When they had concluded, he prefented the Admiral with fome of the fruits of the ifland. lie then feated himfelf upon the earth, raifed liis knees to his chin, and in this I 'J ■f i^'ja^la'fc*.;; if f L [ »a9 'J this polbirc addrcflVd a fpecch to tlic Admiral, whicli was interpreted to him as follows : — •* Thou art come into theie countries with a force, like unto which we have never feeii any ; therefore hall thou hrought fear and tremblint^ upon us. But know, that in the other world, we arc well aflurcd there are two different places for the reception of the depart- ed ; one is terrible and full of darknefs ; this is the inheritance of the wicked ; the other is goodly and chearful ; there the lovers of peace, and the friends of mankind, find rell:. Doeft thou believe that even thou mufl die? Doeft thou believe that thou (halt inherit according to the good or evil thou haft done ? Then do I truft, thou wilt not injure thofe who have never injured thee. What thou haft juft been doing is right ; for if I am not deceived thou haft been offering up thanks to God," The Admiral anfwered, with the greateft fatisfa(5lion, that ^ was glad the cazigue was acquainted with the immortality of the foul. That he was not come to promote evil ; but that his niaficr, the King of Spain, had (Qiit liim there for the fole purpofe of dlfcoverlng whether the inhabitants were in the habits of doing injuries to each other, as had been told him of the Caraibs, He had orders to reclaim them fom thefe evil praftlces, and to fee that ^v--i.i,:t.»ifit.'i»i.-S «<3CfflSr:_- •(! ' W' y c '3° ] tliat the inhabitants of 'ill thefe his lancli lived in peace with each other. The cazique had fcarcely received thFs an- Aver, when the tears were feen to trickle down his venerable face. He then informed the Admiral, that if the afFeiflion he had for his wife and children did not prevent him, he would immediately return with him to Spain. He received a few prefents from them, and ap- peared to be Itruck with their value. He then fell on his knees, and afked feveral times if thefe people had not defcended from heaven. The continual anxiety of mind which Co- lumbus had lately felt, both day and night, began now to threaten the moil ferious con* fequences to his health : he gradually funk into a Hate of debility, which being attended with an alnioft entire privation of fleep, weak- ened his memory in a mofl furpriling manner. His recovery was defpaired of; and, on this account, they made all the hafte in their power to get back again to Ifabella. Providence had there prepared him a fight which tended, more than any medicine, to re- ilore his health. Upon his arrival at this place he found his much beloved brother Bartholo- mew, who had brought with him the troops, and frelli fupplies of provifions, which he had requeilcd might be font from Spain. This was a double . > :?s n. i '{: ■ %!. c .> 4 I - ■' C 13' ] a double reafon for joy, wliicli may be better conceived than defcribed. It was now thirteen long years lince thefe brothers, who loved each other afFedlionately, on account of the fimilality of their difpo- fitions and purfuits, had been Separated , with- out having received any tidings of each other. You may eaiily fuppofe, then, how affe6ling this interview muft have been. Bartholomew, as we have already feen, ad- drefled himfelf to the King of England, and fucceeded to the beft of his wifhes. He im- mediately fet off, therefore, on his return to Spain, in order to communicate this agreeable news to his brother ; but learned, in France, that he had himfelf already executed what he hoped to have ailifled him in. He therefore haftened his return, in hopes, at leaft to be in time to attend his brother on his fecond voy- age : but fate fo ordered it, that Chriftophcr had fet fail a fecond time before he arrived at Cadiz. He was called to Court, and there received all the honour'due to a brother of the difcoverer of the new world ; and the news of Colum- bus's difagreeable Situation, wnth his requeft for frelh fupplies arriving, Bartholomew was immediately fixed upon to take them. He flew on the wings of affedion, to accomplilh an V [ 135 ] 'aa expedition, tlie fuccefs of vvhicK lay (o near his heart. His arrival could not have happened at a iliore feafonable time. The Admiral's ind'f- pofition, with the deplorable Hate of affairs at Hifpaniola, made the prefence of fo courageous and experienced a perfon as his brother, abief- iing, without which, in all probability, both himfelf and the colony would have been loft. This unexpefked good fortune operated fo powerfully to his reftoration , that he was en- abled to prevent the ruin of the infant town which he had jufl compleated,' ' ' --^ Strange alterations indeed had taken place in his abfence : two-thirds of the colony had fallen a (acrifice to the plague. The perfon whom Columbus had left as commander in chief (his name was Margarita) had revolted ; and being unable to accomplifh his deligns, he had got on board one of the ihips, in company with Father Boyl, who was his companion in the revolt, and fet fail for Spain. The foldiers who were under his command, after his depar- ture, went in fmall detachments about the country, and there committed every kind of outrage upon the poor Indians : at length, however, the natives alfembled in a body, and killed many of the Spaniards whom they found in the woods. All )> S I f a-t All [ 133 1 AU tliefe occurfences were unfortunate, and luch as threatened the colony with deftruc- tion. What was ftill worfe, the Indians, who till now had been very peaceable, began to open their eyes to the misfortunes they had reafon to fear. Inflrudled by experience, they call a glance on futurity, and faw with horror that they had nothing to expert from thefe ftrangers, whom atiirft they had viewed with fo niuch veneration, but ilavery and famine. The heat of the climate, and the indolent life they were accuftomed to lead, rendered very little food fufficient for their fupport. A hand- ful (vf uTiaize, and a little roaflcd cajfada or bre?io root*, was all that was neceffary to fa- tiisi • ir appetites; and they now faw, with ailoiiiHiment, that one Spaniard would eat at a lin;^le meal, as much as would be fufficient to fcrve four of them a whole day. They confi- dcred thefe Europeans, therefore, as exceflivcly voracious ; wl\o, like infects, having confumed all the food in their native country, were com- • The calTaJa is a plant four feet high, with broa(J leaves, aiixi a thick fteui. Its root is nearly in the form of a imnip, about fix inches in diameter. If eaten raw, It is unpleafant to the tafte, and imwholefome; but, when inalhed, a mealy fubftance may be extraSled from it, which, being dried in the liin, or by tlie fnc, affords atolerably pleafant food, N ■ pcllcd •u ■A--4-»"* >. -iW-. Mf:«f^,-*iWW»- «M«.'*1^«C^>MA^- '■',::Pi •*& C 13+ ] pellcd to leave it in fearcli of another, where they might ftill feall their gluttony. They hence concluded, that the produce of their illand would not be fufficient to fupport both themfelvcs and thefe ftrangers, and that they muflall, t..jrefore, expert to die of hunger. Thefe refledlions, and the daily outrages committed by the Spaniards, convinced them of the abfolute neceffity either of deftroying their vifitors, or bending their necks to their tyranny. They had fufficient courage to in- duce them to make trial of the firft alternative. They ran to arms, and enrolled themfelves imder their caziques, who formed their diffe- rent tribes into one large body. Thus were affairs iituated when Columbus returned to Ifabella. Every thing was in mo- tion. Every thing bore a w\t.rlike appearance. The whole body of the natives, except Guakan- ahari'stiibe, who ilill reiiiained attached to the Spaniards, were now in arms, and ready to fall upon the fmall body of their oppreffors. They were fuppofed to have affembled to the number of one hundred thoufand. Columbus was {hocked, not fo much at the danger which threatened b.'s new fettlement, as at the injufticc^ of his chrillian fubjt s, who had thus enraged thele Indians by nature fo peaceable. The pleafing hope of inducing thefe / \ i [ 13s ] theffi infidels, by means of kindnefs and affec- tion, to embrace the chriftian religion,was gone for ever. He faw himfelf obliged to (bed the blood of thofe who fought for nothing more than to defend their own property, their liberty, and their lives againil the rapacity of robbers. A fituation truly lamentable for fo benevolent, fo confcientious a man as Columbus. In the(e diftrefling circumftances came the faithful Guakanahari, not only to fympathize with him, but to offer hisfervices. This Head- fafl friend of the Europeans had, by his attach- ment to them, drawn upon himfelf the difplea- fure of all the other caziques; fo that his making at this time a common caufe with the Spaniards, was as much a matter of neceffity as of choice. Columbus thankfully accepted his fervices, and both affembled their troops for the Gonfl.i ' - p^ :■.-;./•* • -r-O; »•'-,.<■- .J ,r •. t is-,. '■ ' .' " '■■ '': .'■ .^!-; V'.; !■' l-t-i ■■ ;-■:•' r'-'-.:^-..i TALE XL -''^^'yt! .^;:^tS. ■'■ ' l!:!'U ^ ''■';;■♦: v'^A V^'i JL HE next day the Father entered the room, in which he was accuftomed to relate thefe tales, with evident marks of forrow in his countenance. Every eye was fixed upon him with eager expectation ; and in this little afleinbly there was an awful ftillnefsj which none dared to interrupt. The Father, in an affecting tone of voice, at length began. ^■^''" * Oh! My dear children, why cannot I let the curtain drop, and forever hide from you the events I have now to relate, which brought fb much mifery on the newly difcovered world ! But what good purpofe will it anfwer to conceal them ? Sooner or later you muft hear of them. For loud, loud, will the voice of innocence and humanity proclaim to the lateft pofterit}'-, the enormities which chriilians committed upon their brethren, the poor opprcffed and helplefs Indians ! Both armies now ftand oppoiite each other, and the dreadful moment is arrived which mull ■»;■: '1 ''^IV C 137 ] muft witiiefs either the deftm^ioa of the Spaniards, or the flavery of the natives of the new world ! On one fide ftand a hundred thoufand In xns, armed with darts, with wood- en fwords, with fpears, and arrows, pointed either with flint or filh bone. On the other iide, there appear but two hundred European infantry, and twenty cavalry, fupported by a fmall body of Indians under the command of Cuakanahari. A ftrange difparity I But what this handful of Europeans loft in numbers they gained by their ta<9;ics, by their arms, their horfes, and their dogs. '^ , .W; Char, Their dogs ? Fafk. Yes; they had brought a pack of large dogs with them, to hunt the poor Indians like wild beafts. ' Elha. He i What cruel creatures! jFJjM.— The hazard then on both fides was nearly equal, and every thing depended upon the ifl'ue of the battle. Columbus fixed on the nigl .or the time of this dreadful fcene ; thinking the Indians might be overcome with fear through an un- expected attack. As foon, therefore, as it was dark, having divided his little army between Mmfelf, his brother Bartholomew, and Gua- kanahari, he feU upon the Indians when he way the leaf!: oKpedled. The noife which they N 3 made. V^ " »». m - ^ m - c ^'J ] .»v-;: made, the thundering of the mufkets,the iiiorfe- ing of the horfes, and the barking of the dogs, fo much alarmed the Indians, that after having made a very flight redftance they retreated in t'le greateft confufion. Some of them fell by the fword, oC ers were trod to death by the horfes, or toriito pieces by the dogs, and many were made prifoners. The reft fled into the w©ods. It was then decided that this inofFenfi\'e people fhould bend their necks to the iron yoke of European flavery. Columbus haftened to take advantage of the victory he had gained. He marched through the whole country, and wherever he came the natives, without the leaft refiftance, fubmitted to his power. In a few months the inhabitants of the whole illand were fubjc^l to the dominion of Spain. yames. Father; I don't like Guakauahari, Fath. Andwhynov? James. Becuufehe combined with the Spa- niards againft his own countrymen. Fath. But is it nat very praife -worthy m him to be fo faithful in his friendfhip ? James. Certainly; and in that refpedk I was very much pleafed with him. But the duties he owed his native country were greater than any he owed Columbus. He ought, there- fore, either not to have interfered at all in this affair. i |[ [ '39 ] affair, or to have taken the part of hit country- men. Fath. (to the other children.) Do yon hear, children, what James fays there? What think you of it ? _ . , Ml, That James is in the right. Fath. I am really of the fame opinion my- felf, although it is fcarcely juft to judge of an aftion when we are not fully acquainted with the circumftances that accompanied it, AVho knows but that the Indians might, in fome inft- ances, have wronged the Europeans? Or whether the cruelties committed by the Spaniards in other paits of the ifland were known to Guakanahari ? Or whether he was not perfuaded *aat it would be for the advantage of the whole race of In- dians, to have for their governor a man fo pow- erful and humane as Columbus ? I do not fay this^ \vith a viewto juftify his conduct (for fure- ly it could in no cafe be right, to take up arms againft his native country) but merely to ihcw that it was poffible he might have a6le J wrong from worthy motives ; and in this cafe he is defervingof our pity, not our hatred. Let us return again to Columbus. Until now this great man has done nothing but what demands our admiration and efteem : but he was a man. Prepare yourfelves, therefore, to fee him alfo commit a fault ; and O, may it be , . ftrongly i -¥*5««;a^. . **i^^.4*r«(MC!r«;4iii^ . v.b'*^^^'''***"*- h'^ [ 140 ] ftrongly ImprcfTed upon your minds, hownecef- fary it is for even the good man to be continually watchful over his heart and condu6l, that he fwerve not from the path of duty, perhaps jufl at the time he is about to attain the fummit of virtue. Margarita and Father Boyl, two of hia fworn enemies, were now in Spain. He knew that thefe mean degraded fpirits would leave no flonc unturned, in order to detract from his merit, and to perfuade the King, who was already much inclined to fufpicion, that the difcoveries he had made were not of near the confequence they had been reprelented. Thus he faw gathering over his head, a ftorm which muft inevitably overwhelm him, if he did not endeavour to ward it off. The only means of effecting this, was to fend the Spanilh Court a conliderable fpeci- men of the riches he had promiied from his difcoveries ; and for this purpofehe found him- felf under the neceflity of levying a heavy tri- bute upon the poor Indians. Columbus therefore demanded of the con- quered iflanders, who lived in thofe diftrids where the gpld was found, a certain quantity of gold duft quarterly ; and from the others, twenty-five pounds of cotton for each man. This was more than it was poifible for thefe poor ^H fc 'ill * --- 'iir-tt ^ ;,T-rj. „.,-,,* ■^\' . r - [ i+i ] ' poor people to procnrp. Accuftonicd from ■ their childhood to live hi indolence, they thought it extremelj hard to be compelled to exert themfelves in collecting gold and cotton, the ftock of which miift ever/ day naturally diminifh ; there was, however, no help. The order was given, and the hard-hearted Euro- peans infilled upon its fulfilment without mer- cy. This then is the firft inftance in which I find Columbus blameable*. '"'. ' Thos. Yes ; but neceffity forced him to it. Fath* Neceflity! What neceflity, however great, fhould ever lead a good man to deviate from the principles of juftice and humanity. Is it being virtuous to perform our daty merely fo long as it is combined with intereft and fafety ? Real virtue, as I have often told you, conlills in making facrifices — in conforming cheerfully to the rules of truth and juftice, al- though we ihould forefee that certain lofs would be the confequence, or that we ihould thereby be deprived of Our eafe, of our com- • forts, of our honour, or even of Tife itfelf.— Eariieftly therefore as I fhould with to juftify • The tranflator Ins already given an Inftance that lie does not agree with the worthy author in this fentiment, —See page 45. Columbua '^ \ ^^ •■' i [ 145 3 Colmnhiii In llic fcvcrc mcafuro he lias jull adopted, yet it is hiipoffible. The voice of truth, which now cries againft him, overcoinea the voice of love in my heart, which would (6 willliigly excufe his firft fault. I am com- pel' od to acknowledge that his condudl wai both felfilh and cruel. .•'- Mother. But, my dear hufband, do not let us forget that poor Columbus was at this time weak, both in mind and body. He was not, perhaps, in full poffelTioii of his rational fa- culties. ^:, ^-;, ^V ' Fath. You are right, my dear. When forming an opinion of our fellow-creatures, how apt are we to overlook thofe circumftances which might tend to their juftification ! — Fie ! I am afhamed of myfelf that this did not occur to me. Well, this (hall teach me in future to be more circumfpe6l in judging of other people ; and, my children, let the fault I have jufl com- mitted be a warning to you. The yoke which was thus laid upon the poor Indians, was heavier than they could bear; 4ince it was not poflible for them to furnifh the quantity of gold and cotton which was de- manded of them ; and as they were urged with the greatetl rigour to the payment of this tri- bute, they formed a refolution, which could onl y C «43 ] only originate in defpcration — Hear, children, what It was. V*,*, ■'■•*'■. .*. ;^'.^, .. From the extravagant notions which they had formed of the voracioufnefji of the Europe- ans, they conceived it poffible, by ceafmg to cultivate their maize and cajjada^ to drive them away from their iflanJ by means of famine. One and all, therefore, rooted up what had been already fown, and then retired into impe- netrable woods, in which they propofed fup- porting themfelves on the wild fruits there produced. And here, children, lament with me the mifery of thefe poor creatures. They fell a facrifice to their own plans ! They foon began to feel all the horrors of the famine they had defigned for their oppref- fors. Great numbers were fwept away in the moil deplorable manner; others were carried olF by the plague, which is a common attendant of famine, and the remainder were fo weakened and emaciated, that th^y* were lefs able than ever to bear the burdc is impofed upon them. This was indeed a mofl dreadful fpedacle. In refpedlto the Spaniards, theyun Vonbted- ly fufFered much by this defperate proc^.-ding; but by means of their own induftry, and a frelh fupply of provilions, which had' feafonably arrived from Spain , they were far from fuffering the ..j«M& . "■r- ' )■ \ n :\ C 14+ ] tlie extremes of famine. The expe<^ation, therefore, mdulged by the Indians, of banifhing the'r tyrants, was again fruftrated. In the mean time the ftorm which Colum- bus forefaw, had already be^un to burft upon him , Margarita and Father Boyl had defcribed the difcoveries he had made as being in them- felves fo de fpi cable, and reprefented his conduit in colours fo hideous,, that they did not fail to make the Spaniih Court very fufpicious of liim. It was therefore determined to fend a perfon to the Weft Indies, for the purpofe of examining into the conduct of Columbus, as well as the difcoveries he had made, and report the refult of his enquiries to the King. Should you wifh to know his name? It was Aguado, He had till then been valet de chambre to his Majefty. This x^guado, puffed up by an ill-affumed confequence, arrived atHifpamola,audhaftened to make the x\dmiral fenlible of the authority with which he was in veiled. He treated this great man W4th the utmoft difdain, and invited all, both luL'.ans and Spaniards, who had any acrufations to make againft Columbus, to ap- pear before his tribunal. He haftily iiized every complaint brought by .ihe difcontented, witliout ;uiy examination into dhe juftice of them, in /vijrdex ,t'j extrad from cagh fojnething bad, and thus % '■">«»a »«»»< ^Mna—i^- ' I «+s 1 / thus to form a plfture of the man he wlftied to ruin, in theblackcft colours poffible. CoUimbus, as we well know, could bear a great deal ; but infults like thefe were too ag- gravating. It was, therefore, no wonder that he determined to return immediatelj to Spain, and after having given a full explanation to th« King and Queen, then to leave the iffue en- tirely to their decifion. With this view he appointed his brother Bartholomew, Adelantado, or vice-governor of the illand during his abfence. The office of chief jufllce he conferred, un-ortunatelj, on a man who was not deferving of fo much power ; for he, as we fhall foon find, very muchabufed it — His name was lloldan. In order to make this voyage in as fliort a time as poffible, Columbus fteered dire6lly for iSpain. He little thought how much he fhould by this means retard it. He was compelled to learn, by dear bought experience, what every Tailor is now acquainted with, tliat it is ex-, tremely difficult to proceed in this diredlion on account of the trade winds, which blow from the North Eaft, and of courfe dire6bly in the teeth of thofc who are coming from the ^V"eIl toward Europe, It is now well known, that iliips returning from the Weft Indies, in order .u . ) ( # .«,«. *flrsa)(s.-. „tt«fca»»,.^^.. .S*S|*»- -f^- 1 1 / ( r '+6 ] order to avoid thefe winds, muft go furtlier North before they fleer for Europe, He foon perceived the difficulties con- ne<%ed with the courfe he had chofen ; but unaccuftoined to be difmajed, he perfe- vered in it with the utinofl: ardour. However the voyage, on account of this contrary wind, proceeded (6 flowly, that at the end of three months he was ftill beating about upon the open fea, without the Icaft reafon to flatter himfelf that he fhould foon make land. The anxiety which he experienced on this account WAS greatly heightened, by finding that his flock of provifions was nearly exhaulled. He was under the neceflity of putting his people upon a very fhort allowance, not nearly fufficient to fatisfy the demands of nature ; but in order that none of them fhould have any reafon to complain, he, agreeably to the planhe had always obferved, placed himfelf in that refpedu^^on an equality with them. But even with this frugality, the flock of provifions gradually diminiflied, and conle- quently the didrefs and defpair of the crew in- creafed in proportion. Hunger at length made them outrageous, and produced the inhuman determination « f killing and eating the Indians who were on board, or if thev Ihould not be permitted to do this, they would at lead throw them ^* * ■^.-^M,^,,^,^^ ^^^^.^^)t»*.rftv,.. C '+7 3 tliem overboard, In order that they might not con fume any more of the provHions. But even in an extremity like this, indefcribably dread- ful as it was, Columbus's benevolence, which was fo diilinguiihed a feature in his character, did not forfake him. He Iteadfaftly rejedled their requeft, and reprefented to his furious com- panions that the poor Indians were fellow crea- tures, as well as fellow fufFerers with them- felves ; and that of courfe they had a juft right to a proportion of the proviiions that were left. In this manner he fucceeded in pacifying the rage of his people for a fhort time, and before they could recur again to their inhuman re- iblutions, heaven itfelf interfered, and put an end to all their diflrcis— — -The coaft of Spaia appeared in view. Matth, Thank heaven they are there! I was very much alarmed for them. Geo, So was I. I thought it would have been all over with the poor Indians ! Path, Rejoice then that our brave Colum* bus has once more efcaped : and take this plea- iing impreilion with you to bed. All, What ended already I o a TALE C hS- ]. iv* TALE XII. ,.,-C; Faih. J[^ OW,cliildrenyletus fee without farther delay, what reception Columbus will this time meet with from the Court of Spain. With an inward confcioufnefs of his own merits, but at the fame time with a modeft de- portTiient, natural to great minds, the defamed difcoverer of the New World now approaches the throne of his Prince, in order to clear him- felfof falfe imputations. However, a vindica- tiori of his condudl was fcarcely necelTary, for the iight of his countenance alone infpired his royal judges with their former refpcdl for his merits, at the fame time that they felt fome de- gree of Ihame, on account of their own credu- lity. But when he difplayed the valuable pre- fents he had brought with him, every mark of fufpicion fled, and they were only anxious to do away the painful impreffion he might have received, by every poflible mark of honour they coufd beflow upon him. Thus, J lit ill vn e- e» 1- i- 01* is l- »f (3 [ H9 ] Thus, children, innocence and real merit generally triumph over the malice and envy of the diftardly defamer. Let all be right here \_laying hh hand upon his hearf] and there is but little to fear from the fcandal of evil- minded people. The fun may novir and then be darkened by a thick fog ; but patience !— The fog will not always continue. Sooner or later itmuft vanifh ; and then does the great luminary of day again appear in all its fplendour. Thus it is with virtue, when the fog fometimes calt over it by envy is difperfed. / Every thing which Columbus now propofed was immediately acceded to . His principal at- tention, however, was diredled to the firm efla- blifliment of the Colony at Hifpaniola; and for this purpofe he was delirous^ to have as many people, and as m-uch proviiions fent thi- ther, as he efleemed abfolutely neceffary. He particularly wifhed that a number of peafants and mechanics fhould accompany him, in order that, in future, the colony might be enabled to maintain itfelf. This alfo was granted him. Thus far all was well. But another of his propofals was lefs worthy of a man of liis wifdom. In order that Spain might not futfer by fending away fo many of its fubje<5^s ta people the new colonie*' he propofed that all tbe culprits confined in the differe t prifons 03 ihould % [ ^50 ] Ihould be tranfporteil to Hirpaniol;'., and be made to work in the gold mines bitely opened there. This alfo was agreed to, and an ordcir was immediately dilpatched to every court of juftice, tl>at they {hf;r Id not only tranfport to- the Weft Indies the piifoners already 5n co)\- linement, but any that might hereafter be found guilty. But did I not ''all thic T»ropoiai uu- wife ? . Some, Yes, yes. Fath. Tcil me , John, what you think of it.. yohn. Wiliingi}^ I think that if there are fo many b-.d people fent to the Weft Indies, the diforders ;ii tn? nev\' colony mull become greater and greruer ; and thefe bad people may, in tiLie, \n(e€t the others ; fo that they will become bad likewife, ind then Columbus would have a whole country of bad people. yap'es. Yes ; and when the natives find fo many bad men amongli, chrlllians, they will not be much inclined to embrace the chriftiaii A2ligion. Fath. I am glad that you have anticipated my opinion fo well. Experience has afforded lamentable proof, that fuch fears were but too well founded. But of this at fome future time. —Now to return again to Columbus-— Notwithftanding the King had given expref:*^ orders, that every thing which he propoff^l llio '^ '■" .'W [151] ihould be carried into execution with all pof- fiblc difpntcli, the fitting out of the fleet thii^ time went on butflowly. The enemies of Co- himbus were the caufe of this, and it was to them chiefly that the management of this buii- nefs was committed. Thefe degraded wrctclics-^ finding they could not do him any perfonal in- jury, endeavoured, to the utmofl: of their power, to retard him in the honourable career in which he had gained- fo much fame. They went therefore about whatwas committed to their care, with thegreateft tardinefs ; and fo contri- ved their plans, that fomcthing or other was always deficient. Thus a whole year had paf- fed before two tranfports only, with provilions, were fitted out for the colony ; and Columbus was obliged, to wait another whole year after their departure, before he could get the fmall fquadron ready for fea, with which he was to go out in fearch of new difcoveries. Elha, Father, what kind of fliips arethofe which you call tranfports ? Fath Such as are ufed folely for the pur- pofe offending to any place, men, provifions, and other things. But do. you know what a fquadron is? Eliza. O, yes, Father. You explained tl-ut '^ ut.>,uhen you v/erc reading the newfpa- per. » i' V \ C 15a 3 per. When a few fhip» fail together it is called a fquadron, is it not? Fath. It is. This word, however, is ge- , nerally applied to men of war. When there are many ihips to:; ether, it is then called a fleet. — The fquadron fitted out for Columbus confift- ed only of flx fail. Thos, How many fails has a fhip ? Fath* It has a great many, as you m»ift have already feen ; but when we fay a fqua- dron confifted of fix fail, we do uot mean the fails of the ihip; but that it confided of fo many (hips. Columbus was inclined this time to fail in quite a new courfe, by which he was in hopes of difcovering the continent he had fo long wifiied for. With this view, as foon as he had reached thg Canary iflands, he fl:eered for the Cape de Verd iflands, which the Portuguefe had difcovered. I hope you recollee putrid ; the proviliona were fpoiled ; the (hips themfclves became burning hot, and the defpairing rrevi's expedled every minute that they would burft into flames. Be- hold, children, what a deplorable Situation Co- lumbus is again brought into ! To add to his own diftrefs, piid the dcfpair of his diihcartened crew, he was feized with a nioft violent attack of the g">ut, brought on, In all probability, by an^i r of mind and continued C iss ] continued watching. Her^ lie lay racked with pain, and wretched from the conlideration of the dangerouf fituation which his iliips were in, fcorched with intolerable heat; without the podibility of relief from a draught of frelh water. Pitiable indeed was his fituation. [Some of the children Ji^h.'] At length heaven took compaflion on hi* great diilrefs, and fent fuch a lieavy fhower of rain, that it was fcarcely pofTible to remain upon deck. The heat, it is true, was diminifhcd but little by it. It afforded them, however, a refrefhing beverage; and the wind, to their great joy, rofe at the fame time, and hope began again to glimmer in the countenances of his people. They intreated him not to perfevere in his intention of failing further South, and be, agreeably to their wilhes, directed his couric South Weft. After having failed in i\}is diredlion feveral days, they at length heard the joyful cry of ** land ! land !" from the maft head. This was a heaven!/ found to the poor half-faiiiifhcd and worn-out -Tailors, who had been fo long tolfed about upon the wide ocean. The ifland which they now approached, difco- vered itfelf in the form of three hills. Hence Columbuigave it the name of Trinidad, which it ftill bears. Look, here it lies ; not far from the mouth of the river Oroonoko. Fred. ii. i i wiK>-!" "a^ry -■■'4P*. Wii-*fi»«^>'**^*"*^*'*- -MBf^'**^*'*^ ' ) i ) C >56 ] Fred. Oh ! where the monkeys arc found'. Fath. What monkeys do you mean, Fred.? Fred. Why thofe which are caught in fuch a finc'uhir manner. Fath. llovv do you mean .^ Tell us, if you plcafe? Fred. Why the huntfmen fet a hottle of maize under a tree, then diredlly as they are gone, down comes a monkey, and puts his paw into it; but when he has got his paw full, he cannot ret it back ajra-in throuHi the narrow neck \.J O KJ of the bottle. Upon the return of the huntfmen, the monkey, inftcad of letting go the maize and running away, holds it IHII fait, making a mofl terrible noife, and thus falls a prey to liis own follv. M'jther. Thofe are very foolifh monkeys indeed, Frederick. Fred. Indeed they are, Mother. Muth. Should yovi think there are any fuch little monkeys amongil us? Fred. O dear, no. Mrjth. Not four-legged ones it is true ; but fuppofe a little two-legged animal (hould be fo very foud of dainties as to injure his ftomach by eating them, rather thai: deny his appetite any thing. What would you call fuch a one? Fred. [fVivyging his ^finger arch/';.] Mo- ther, Mother, that is meant for me. I ^^ ! I r • : IS7 *.] Moth. Doc3 the cap fit? Fred. Well, I will not do fo again. Indeed I will not, I promiie you. You ftiall all of you be witnelfes. Fath. Well done, Frederick. If you ever wldi to be a ilout man, and you do wifh it furely, you mull learn betimes todefpifc dainties, aiul keep to good homely fare. That will make you iirong and healthy ; dainties, on the contrary, make us weakly and unhealthy.— Now again to Col ambus— • The river Oroonoko empties itfelf into the Tea, near Trinidad, with fuch amazing impetu- ofity, that it renders navigation here extremely dangerous. The waves rage, and break over each other in a moil dreadful manner, and the fhip that fhould have the misfortune to get among them, would nm great hazard of being (lalhed to pieces. Columbus experienced this iulsfortune ; for, before he was aware, he found liimfelf in the raidft of thefe turbulent waves, which toffed about his (hips like fo many corks. It exercifed all his addrefs to make his efcapCj which he at laft effedled through a narrow ftrait, of itfelf fo dreadful, that he called it la Boc- ca del Drago, or the Dragon's Throat. Look children, [^pointing to the map'\^ here it is, be- tween Trinidad, and the coall of Cumana, which as you know is a part of Terra Firma. P Peter, 1 .:> \fy . f L '58 ] I' \ ii f/i Pet. Was it then Columbus that difcovered the continent of America? Fath, Certainly it was. He was con- vinced that this land could not be an ifland, on account of the amazingly llrong and extenfive current of the Oroonoko. Peter. But why was not that country called Columbia, after his name ? Fath. That it was not was certainlj-^ a piece of injuftice towards him, which our an- ceftors ought not to have committed. But fo it is, and what is done cannot be altered. Eliza. Why is it called America? Path. We {hall hear that hereafter, Ave muft at prefent endeavour not to lofe light of Co- lumbus's fhips. Convinced that he had now difcovered the continent of the New World, he fleered well- ward along the coalt, and went afhore at feve- ral places. He found the inhabitants bore a great refemblance to thofe of Hifpaniola, ex- cepting that they appear to pofTefs more fenfe and courage, and were rather lighter coloured. They were likewife adorned with plates of gold and pearls, which they willingly exchanged for any European toys, however infigniticant. One cf them came quite alone to Columbas, whilfl he was on (hore for the benefit of the frelh air, after his long Indifpofition. He ap- proach cci '■'-^ M a C «S9 ] proached hlin with feeinlng confidence, took a red velvet cap from his head, and in return pi;t a golden crown in its place. Columbus con- cluded, from this circumftance, that he mutl he a cazique; and gave orders to treat him with becoming refpedl. Thefe Indians wore a piece of coloured cotton round their heads, and a ftiort apron of the fame Huff about their waifts. They had long hair, and their arrhs Collided of a bow and arrows, and a ihield. Columbus would willing- ly have made a longer ftay here, in order to explore the interior of the country, but the bad condition of his fhips, and his indifpoiitien^ which ftill continued, compelled him to make immediately for Hifpaniola. Upon his Voyage to this place he difcoveredthe iiland Margarita, [look here it is] which, on account of the pearl fiftiery eftabliflied there, is become of fo much eonfequence. Much weakened by ficknefs and continual agitation of mind, he at length arrived at his colony, there to reft for a fhort time from his cares and troubles. But, Oh !—— However, enough for to-night. in TALE ■•< 1! I [ '60 ] S « f TALE XUr. ••>♦<•• iW Father. Jl\X'AS ! the time for peace and reft to Columbus was not yet come. Inftead of finding Hifpaniola a- place of comfort,, new dif- ficulties, new cares, troubles and dangers there awaited him, in themfelves fo great, that the fortitude of any one, unaccuftomed to encounter fuch fcenes, muft inevitably have funk under them. Let us hear what they were, and in what manner our hero condui.~.«> — ~- /lll****". Ml ■■It I ^\ ' J '• ' 'J t 168 ] [. he rai^e for making difcoverics now ck- tcnded Itlelf more and more. Kings and Republics, Noblei.i.'v., and citizens, all wiihed to try thei'* fortune. Every one fitted out ihipi,, cither to go upon adventures themfel ves, or to fend others in their room. A per Ton, by name Ojeda» fcr inftance, who had been with Columbus on his fecond voyage, perfuadcd fome .Seville merchants to equip four fliips, and fend him out with them as commander, upon a voyage of difcovery. To this end they anplie dfor per>- mifiion, and obtained it without Cohimbus being at all confulted on the fubje6l, which was con - tiary to the agreement made with him by the Spaniih Court. The Bifhop of Badajos, who a* miniiler had the management of the Weft India affairs, and was the fworn enemy of Columbus, was not fati'iied with doing this injury to the man he hak^l, l>ut gave Ojeda the log book which ColatTibi-.s had fent home, with all his charts, that tUey might ferve him as guides in his intended expedition. This OJeda wai accompanied by a certain Spanifli nobleman,* called Americus Vcf- pucius. Some. Ho! Ho! Filth. This perfon foon made himfelf of fo aiuch confequence with his companions, that in Others fay he v;as a merchant from Florence. a fhort ii ft / '1 of C '69 J a (hort time his orders were more attended to than thofe of Ojcda himfelf. He kept however clofe to Columbub's trail, and at length arrived in fafety upon thccoaft of Paria, went on Ihore there feveral times, trafficked a little with the na- tives ; then failed f;irther up the coaft, in order to convince himfelf that this was not an ifland, and when he had proceeded fo far the could no longer doubt of its being a co n. t; he immediately fet fail with flyii ^ ours for Spain again ; where, upon his anivi talked fo much about the difcoveries he picicuded to have made, that people abfolutely forgot that they were not in fail difcoveries, but nothing more than confirmations of what had been al- ready difcovcrcd by Columbus, A truly great man (take notice of this truth, children) is no boafter. He fatistics himfelf with performing good deeds, uncon- cerned whether the world become acquainted with them or not. Such was the principle upon which Columbus had adled. He had depoiited all his journals and charts in the hands of his employers, for their ufe. It never entered his head to publilh them to the world, by means of theprefs. Americus, on the contrary, was no fooner returned to Spain than he took care to have his exploits re- founded from one end of Europe to the other, Q and ■?4«XMlbS-.,';Mi':^, - ,L.:JSS^ ■ "^ -'"^ •'i- i " :-L**_ # ^^. ^. sO^,\^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 1.0 I.I 1.25 u: Mm — 6" 2.0 U IIIIII.6 V] <^ /i ^ ^. v: ? Photographic Sdences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4S03 ^ ^ V> V <> *'.'!>_' ', ' ••: '■■■ ' s- ■'■',. C >?o ] and he well underftood how to drefs up his account in fuch a manner, that every one uiufl conclude that he, and not Columhus, was the difcoverer of the new continent. Few people in Europe knew, ♦hat this was falfe. Thofe only who had an opportunity of reading the naanufcript journals of Columbus, could be acquainted with the real flate of the cafe ; and all thefe, without exception, being his enemies, they took care the error fhould not be corredled. Thus was the man, to whom alone we are indebted for the difcovery of the New World, deprived of the w«ll-carned honour of giving it his name« From this time it has been called America, from the vain and boailing Americus Vefpucius. I Cath. Fie! That is very :{lupid indeed, i Fath, Certainly it is ; but let us endeavour to profit by this perverfe circumftance. Hence learn how a man of merit ought to prepare to meet the injuftice of his contemporaries. Fre- quently is he wronged; he is always envied, and not feldom hated ; and fometimes it is the worthlefs that bear away the rewards due to his virtue. Do you therefore wiih, as I hope you do, to become men who fhall oae day perform fome deed of diftinguifhed merit ; depend not, I intreat you, upon the imiverfal applaufe of tthe world; ftill lefs upon rewards from the '■'\f'^';p ■-'■■'■■ ■ ■ ' ^ \ great I ,-„j«t.. .,f(" T^ Ig'Xl^f y ^it 5" ' [ 171 ] great GriieU of the earth : on the contrary, fix your attention alone on the approbation of an omniprefent God, as your recompenfe, who is Acquainted with every hidden deed, and will one day reward them openly ; for the period! of injuftice, in the fight of God, fhall not be of long duration ; fooner or later fhall every dif- ficulty be made clear, and each receive aceord- ing to his works. And on tfiis fubje^^ the initance before u* may ferve as an example. < What the better was Americus for theNevr World being imjuflly named after htm, inftead of Columbus ? Is he^ on that account, honor- ed the more, or Columbus the lefs ? Db we not, for this very reafon, defpifehim the more> and fet a higher value on the merits of Colum- bus, in proportion as they were depreciated by his contemporaries? Judge from your own feelings, which fituation you would prefer. Nic, I would, a thoufand times, rather be Columbus. yohn. So would I; even ifmy deeds had never been known. ^- j41L So would I, So would I. *^ ■ Fath, Thus you perceive that virtue, al- though for a time it fhould not meet with its reward, does not, on this account, ceafe to be lovely and deiirable . Q % Voyages l-..^...'i*;.,.v^ ■.■A,-' Voyagea of difcovery now followed one upon another, a defcription of which you mull not expedl from me, at prefent ; as this would take off too much of our time and attention from Columbus. One ihort digrellion more, and I will be with him again. , In order to avail himfelf of the paflage which Gama had difcovered to the Eaft Indies, the King of Portugal fitted out a whole fleet, with all kinds of European articles, in order thereby to carry on an advantageous tiaffick with the natives. A perfon named Cabral was appointed to the command of the fleet. This man, knowing how dangerous the navigation pf the coall was, diredled his courfe into the open fea, as foon as he had croffed the line* After having purfued this direftion for fome time, he found himfelf, to his great furprize, upon thecoaft of an extenfive country, which he foon difcovered to be more than an iflan^*^ Which of you can guefs what country this w Some. [Speaking at the fame time'] South America. Fatk, But what province of it? .^ ;^.. ^^- .^ ^]^yames. Probably the Brazils. ^ ' .Fath, Gueffed. It was the fine rich Bra- zils, which this Cabral now difcovered by mere accident. He immediately took polfeilion of it S:-^,..\f 't^iw.■,f^■: '•i'Vii-: ■ .^jii■ ifc*.,f!t - "■(1 I M L 173 J ;' it In the name of his King, and dlfpatched one of his fliips home with an account of it. Thus were different parts of America by degrees difcovered ; and it appeared more and more evident, that the fuppoiition of Co- lumbus from the firft had been well founded. ^ Now, then, let ua return again to him, in whom all thefe difcoveries originated; and whom we have left in a lituation not the moil pleafant at Hifpaniola. * But words die upon my tongtae in endea- %'onring again to fpeak of him, I mxxSt ftop— In the meari time prepare yourfelves to drop a fympathetic tear ; for, indeed, it will b« r«« qnired of you. to, ^^^ >^^^'. . 1'.^ ^r*f viiT Jfi tf. ^ ■''^}\ <;h 1 *> - •■ I ^. ^. Sf'^P- "! ' - t >k i-«'H, ^/» ^f rm y Hj, ''f . '<7 M ' (mm wm i 1 J 5 J ' > * # *, » J - I 1 ■'■ft if. "f r . :->rt- Ir.j', f » f;' -'' ' ■" ."4 .»• ^ Q S ^ I- • JIB - ' - - ■■;> , ' V TALE ;.-^^;;j.;.i7, ^-..^-,. ,|| , ■^.^— _. — ^niii.innmj -vr-n-! C '74 ] TALE XIY . <■ : — >4^— Ti ■4 HE little affembly being pre- pared, by the concluiion of the laft tale, for •ibme melancholly event,, fat in anxious expec- /tation. The Fathe?, in a deprefled tone of voice, began as follows :— Providence, my dear children » often permits events to take place, the true deiign of which, we fhort-fighted mortals are not able to difcover : but every one who is in the leaft degree atten- tive, may, in a thousand infhmces, daily per- ceive that the Almighty wills the happinefs of his creatures. If then, at any time, the courfe ©f events ihould be fo ordered that we cannot ' readily perceive why it iis fo, and no othei^wife, J Heaven forbid ! that we {hould harbour for a moment, in our minds,, a doubt whether the : ways of providence, although not underftood ] by us, are the wifeft and the beft. ^ %. -i -^ ^^*' children, I have lived many years ; I have feen and experienced much; I have ' ■ witnefledi u\ y I [ ns 3 . ' I/. wltneffed happy and unhappy days. Oft times has darknefs furrounded me ; often has my heart been opprefTed, and a trembling, through fear, ihook my frame, when I looked forwards to futurity. Then have I thought in my igno- rance, Good God! why doft thou caufe me to walk in this thorny path? Why are others, perhaps worfe than myfelf, permitted to enjoy fo much apparent happinefs, whilft my lot is to luiflfer? Such were the queilions of my fooliih heart ; but there was none to anfwer . The diff ficulty, however, was not left unexplained ; for by perfeverance under misfortunes, with a firm reliance on the goodnefs of God, things, ere I was aware, fuddenly changed : the night of forrow vanilhed like a dream, and a bright lun of unexpe " VKi'mftm i' i» »«M: i»i, - '■**'■ I * II f ill II ii I. I 1 r, I: ' I • , [180] made in the cultivation of the land. All thefe circumftances inuft have proved his complete vindication, had not his fentence been already pronounced. When Bovadilla arrived at St. Domingo, the Admiral waa in a diflantpart of the ifland, making fome neceffary regulations, Juftice and equity therefore demanded, that his judge fhould at Iciill await his return. But what cared fuch a man as Bovadilla about juilice and equity? — He came not to hear the defence of Columbus, but to condemn him, and put himfelf in his place . As foon, therefore, as he came on fhore, he defired to be conduced to the Admiral'^ houfe, which he declared from that time to be his own ; and took pofTeflion of every thing therein. Upon this he openly aiferted, that the King had fcnt him thither to depofe the Governor, and to adiiiinilber juiliice to all who had any complaints to make againft him. Not content with this, he immediately releafed all thofe whom Columbus had confined, and in- vited them to claim fatisfa(Slion for falfe impri- fonment ; and you may judge whether thefe \ creatures would waot much perfualion fo to do. All this was extremely cruel and unjnft. It was, however, nothing in comparifon with . the . *-af^ **-,. <>■ i the (liameful Infults which this unjiift judge now offered perfonally to the oppreffed difco- vercr of the New World. Hear, children , and lament the fate of the man who had every claim upon the love and gratitude of his con- temporaries, now going to be treated— Ofhamc- ful ingratitude— like the vilell culprit! The infamous Bovadilla fent an exprefs to him, commanding him to appear immediately at the bar of his tribunal, to give an account of his condu6l;. At the fame time he fent him a written order from the King, in which he was direcled to do whatever this man Ihould require. " A fudden thunderbolt in the clearefl wea- ther, could not be more dreadful to the fecure traveller, than was this unexpefted news to Columbus. He could not b'^lieve his own eyes. He again perufed the unfortunate paper, ilained with this outrage — hut it was even fo. The man of unequalled merit, the difcovercr of a new world, ignorant of a fingle crime he had committed, muft then really appear at the bar of a wretch, who was not worthy to wipe the duft from his feet. Columbus grated his teeth with rage at thefe heart- piercing injuries. > He did not, however, hefitate a moment npon the condu<5b he had to purfue. He wat 'in poffeflion of a w:ell-armed force ; and his •'^ ' R brother ■**** WlJ HWWMIH * ■VHHMIHI jvli r r^ "" . ■*■»■ Hi ' I . *■ / I' n . [ i8. ] brother Bartholomew was with hhn. It would have been eafy, therefore, to have anfwered his iniquitous judge fword in hand. But his great foul difdained every kind of defence inconliitent with the fubmiffion he owed to his fuperiors ; even fhould they permit unexampled injuftice to be exercifed againft him. As I have al- ready obferved, therefore, he did not hefitate to fet ofF immediately towards Domingo, there with fubmiilion to receive his fentence, what- ever it might be. "•(;,!'■' He at length arrived, and was announced to Bovadilla. '* Put him in chains" (cried the monfter, without permitting him to appear in his prefence) ** and drag him away.*' The inhuman command was obeyed. He was put in chains, and taken as a prifoner on board one of the fhips. [ Here the Father paii/edy in order to give vent to the feelings of his young hearers ^ "which rvere difcovered by the big drops that fell from their eyes. After afhort paufe he again pro- ceeded.'] Figure to yourfelves, children, this vile treatment in ail its abominable colours. There Hands the great Columbus, as a criminal, upon the land he himfelf had difcovered, before his own houfe, amidft people who were all his fubjedls; the infolent defpoilcr of his property and 4 1«- ^v_ .V.S>''- : — .i-i., ^ . C »83 i and his honour forbidding him to enter ; not even permitting him io approach his prefence, but ordering his I'nvths (though he had com- mitted no offence) to be riveted in fetters, and in this difgraceful manner to be dragged out of a country, the pofleffion of which he had ac- quired for his King by a thoufand difficulties, and at the rifk of his life. There he ftands, and receives the lad hard ftroke of his ill fate with confcious greatnefs, and with a degree of fubmiffivenefs, which dif- played his innocence and noblenefs of mind with greater force than the moft eloquent pleading could do. They now led him away ; but the cup of his fufFerings was not yet full . His patience muft be put to a ftill fcverer trial. The fenfelefs mob of Spaniards, who, we know^ coniifted chiefly of criminals, ran after him treating him with every mark of contempt, and laughing at his mi^ortunes. Oh what mon- Hers! What barbarity I Still Bovadilla's cruelty was not fatisfied. He well knew that the fufferings of his brave prifoner would not be complete, whilfl: he was the only one of his family who was perfecuted, and efpecially whilft his brother, Bartholomew, was yet at liberty. He therefore, and Diego, muft alfo be taken into cuftody; and, in order that one might not afford comfort to the other B a by u f^-r. s 1 u I '<. - [ '8+ ] by his prefence, he commanded them to be confined on board feparate velTels. He then ordered the trial of the three brothers, and without further ceremony, condemned them all to die. But, fortunately, he had not lufficient courage to carry tliia murderous fentence into execution, iince he feared to be called to ac- count for it. He was, however, in hopes tnat his couiin, the Bilhop of Badajos, an inveterate enemy of Columbus, would take care that he fhould not, on this account, efcape ; he there- fore determined to fend the prifoners, with a written account of the trial they had undergone, ;^am. ■.. v ^ . ,a..ic-. ■ - :,.> ...-'-.^•' v ^ *; And now, children, tell me, if it be poffible to imagine a greater monfter than this Bovadilla. Happy will you be if, through the whole courfe of your lives, it Ihould appear as imf '>^ble as it does now. ' '"' "'"■•*'' ' ziViOf-^ry But, thanks to God, human mongers of this kind are but feldom to be met with, an4 even where they are found, an honeft man is generally placed by his iide, in order, as much as poflible to make the mifchief good again. Scarcely had the captain, who was to con- duit Co'nmbus and his brothers to Spain, got under fail, when he offered, in the molt com- paflionate and refpe6lful manner, to releafe- him from his chains, Columbus however, lefuft'd •i N r i8s ] refufed his kind ^ s^r. " Leave me as I am,** he anfwered, ** I carry thefe chains in obedi- ence to my fuperiors. They alone can re- leafe me, and I wiili them to find me, as here- tofore, obedient to their commands." He remained, therefore, in chains, until his arrival in Spain. . . ,, ....... m* . *'* Bovadllla had ordered, that the prlfoners ihould be given over to the Bifliop of Badajos, immediately upon their arrival ; in order that they might not have an opportunity to avail themfelves of the compaflion of their former prote<5lrefs, Queen Ifabella. But an honeft pilot, called Martin, who took the undeferved fufferings of the Admiral much to heart, con- trived to get on fhore fecretly, and conveyed a letter to the Queen written by Columbus, con- taining an account of every thing that had happened. The court was greatly furprized at this, for they had not forefeen thr.t Bovadilla would have fo much abufed the power entrulled to him. They acknovvledged the unworthy treatment of this meritorious man, and anticipated how much all Europe would condemn condu6l fo ungrateful. An exprefs, therefore, was im- mediately difpatched with orders for the releafc of Columbus and his brothers, R 3 Columbus. ^^&^-''' ] ' I' [ i86 3 Columbus was invited, in the moft refpe^lfnt manner, to appear immediately at court ; and money was fent him to purchafe the things that were neceffary for that purpofe. When he entered the audience chamber of their Majellies, he thre\v himfelf iilently at their feet. The injuries he had received fo pierced his heart, that it was fome time before he could utter a word. At length, fupported by a confcioufaefs of his innocence, he roufed himfelf, and began to make his defence againft the wicked calumnies of his opponents. With a jfirin tone of voice, he pronounced a fpeech of coniiderable length,, in which he fo clearly ellablifhed his innocence, that their Majefties eould no longer entertam the leaft doubt re- fpedling it.^ They expreffed their forrow fox what had happened, and aiTured him that it had been done without their knowliedge. In order to give this alTurance the greater air of plavili- bility, they immediately depofed Bovadilla, and endeavoured, by careiffes, and promifes of future protection, to fatisfy Columbus. . r Thus far every thing was well ; but when it became the queftion who (hould fucceed Bova- dilla, as governor of the newly difcovered terri- tories, it was but too apparent that the fufpicions their Majeflies had imbibed of Columbus were not entirely rooted out. They were willing to "' ax'oid} Hi J ■^A [ >'87 3 avoid even the appearance of ingratitude ; ihcy wiflied to exculpate themfelves ftoin all grounder- for the charge of injuftice, by publicly ceniur- ing the proceedings of Bovadilla ; but they he- iitated to reinftate Columbus in his former honours. They thought it dangerous to place a man, to whom they owed fo much, and had rewarded fo little, in aiituation that would en- able him to be revenged upon them. Under various pretexts, therefore, they detained him at Court, and in lieu of him appointed Ni- colas d'Ovaindo, governor of the Weft Indies. - This again was a deep wound in the heart of Columbus, which was ftill bleeding with repeated injuries. He felt, on this occaiion, the utmoft anger, and did not attempt to con- ceal it; but, on the contrary took with him, wherever he went, the chains with which he had been fettered, as an evidence of the great ingratitude that had rewarded his fervices. They hung conftantly before his eyes, and he gave orders, that after his death they (hould be interred in the fame grave with himfelf. — And now, I think, enough for to-night, ' ,1^ ^/. Poor Columbus ! ,r . ^ . itu TALE * |f*'V»" [ i88 1 ,;.,i5,,? Jrv--V.>>^\? ■,vC'i,vi',SW.v>*,. ■r ^1 II -■.■:..■.>,. TALE XV..:.;,, .,:,^^£. ;r.f,,ir,:-,;;.. -.i-v- -*♦<- i^V ■ .'■.■'!■■":' ' 'V^'^W ;;''^-*' i.U. >"^s^r Matt. W ILL Columbus nfever go to the Weft Indies again? . • . - ■ Fath, We (hall know that at the proper time. It does not at prefent appear as though he would : a deaf ear is turned to his com- plaints, and Ovando is preparing for his de- parture. ,.\,,.^,/ ,. T. -.,,;'•::. ^' ;■,■;, v7;T'-/-". The fleet with which the new governor was to be intrufted, was the largeft that had yet been fent to the New World. It coniifted of thirty-two (hips, and had ^500 people on board ; of whom the greater part were to eV- tablifh themfelves at Hifpaniola. , : , / With this conliderable force Ovando fet fall . Columbus was obliged to remain, at home, a prey to grief and difappointment ; and to fubmit to the mortification of feeing another fent to reap the fruits of what he himfelf, in the midil of fuch inexpreflible difficulties, had fown. To find himfelf thus interrupted in his honourable 1 s L 189 ] . . honourable career, thus deprived of power to carry his great plan of difcoveries to maturity \ What he felt on this occafion I need not de- fcribetoyou. The arrival of Ovando at Hifpaniola was moft feafonable. Had it been delayed but a ihort time longer, the colony, by means of Bovadilla's weak and foolilh management of affairs, would, in all probability, have been entirely ruined. This worthlefs man endea- voured to confirm himfelf in the power he had fo unjuftly affumed, by the moft mean and defpicable condudt towards the loweft clafs of his fubjefts. With this view he refcinded all the wife regulations which Columbus had ef- tabliihed, and permitted every one to live in as unreftrained and loofe a manner as he chofe. His predeceflbr had uniformly endeavoured to proteib the poor Indians from the oppreflion of the Spaniards ; he, on the other hand, per- mitted every outrage to be pra6lifed upon them without controul. He caufed them to be numbered, and then divided them as Haves amongft his avaricious adherents, who com- pelled thefe poor creatures, in a manner the moft rigourous and cruel, to work for them in the mines. The hardnefs of the labour, added to the feverity of their mafters, and their own natural debilitv, deftroyed great numbers of them ; debilitv .i ■■■■' 'tta "» **: t^. .^»t*»4tfc:-i>^ _ i'r=)K*^- [ 190 ] them ; fo that in alhort time, this unfortunate people would have become extinft. The firit thing Ovando did was to depofe Bovadilla, and to fend him, in company with lloldan, to Spain, there to give an account of themfelvfis; then, by command of the King, he abolilhed flavery, declared ^U the Indians free, and forbad every one to offer them the leaft violence. He checked the licentious condudl of the Spaniards, by making feveral new laws, and permitted them to continue to get gold upon the condition that one half fhould go to the King, as lord of the ifland. John, He was a good governor, however. Fath. We will hope that he may always behave fo well. What he now did was by order of the King. It remains to fee in what maimer h« wiiradb in iuch affairs as were left to his own judgment. . .> ,., , .- \.;p,^ But it is time to return again tb our Colum- bus. Yet what can I tell you of him, that will not awaken compaifion and grief in your bo- foms ? Bending under a weight of diftrefs, fee how he vifits, time after time, the ungrateful court that ftill continues deaf to his complaints! Hear, how he aiks, not for mercy, but for juftice, and wifch the agreement Signed by the King in his hand, urges the fulfilment of the promife it contained — the promife that he, and no x ' AS^((-»>.^-«r.^/» ^^ ^\.^ , ,:S>. no other, (hpuld be Viceroy of the territories he fliould difcover ! Behold his worthlefs op- ponents treating him with everj mark of dif- dain, and fcarcely able to refrain from laughing in his face at the fruitlefs reprefentations he is making, and imagine what muft be the feelings of the man thus ufed ; at the fame time that he was confcious his fervices merited the higheft reward . yohn. I know what I would have done. Fath, What would you have done, my dear John ? yohn, I would not have faid another word about it, -y Fath, And what then? John, Then I would have retired, and have enjoyed the remainder of \y\y life in peace ; or I would have offered my fervices to fomc other court. >,j;.f,-,)- Fath, Refpeding the latter, Columbus had already experienced that other courts were not much better than this . Probably this brave man thought, that though his fuperiors had not kept their promife, yet it was no reafon why he ftiould break his, by leaving a country in whofe fervices he had engaged himfelf. And as to fpendingthe remainder of his life in indolence, t^nd giving up all further delign of making more 4ifcoveries— this was impoflible. . : V 4-1 -^f^^fii,. ■•■^.i,'-. ! [ i9» ] ' lie was convinced, that upon his lad voy- age he had difcovered the coail of another continent. His former erroneous opinion, that this land was part of India, was, by feveral ob- fervations which he had made, if not entirely done away, at leaft made to waver. He now fuppofed that there might be a great ocean be- t»r.een this continent and tlie Well Indies— and which of you can tell me whether this fuppoli- tion was well founded or not ? AIL O, certainly. The great Pacific Ocean. . Fath. Only fee how mucli more we now know of very narrow; and confequently that Columbus^, although not quite, was almoft right in hii conje<5ture. % ;: l*: C ' .i..i :^«^ Now it appe^t*ed to him to Be a fiibje^' « -the greateft importance, to examine whether there were fuch a palfage or not; for if fach a paffage could really be found, how much more •direct would the courfe be, than to fail froiri Spain, ftraight through America to the Eaft Indies, than round Africa, as difcovered by the Portuguefe. Great therefore, as was the infult he had received from his King, greater fUli was his wifh to benefit mankind, by the fu- ture difcoveries he might make. Hence he formed the magnanimous determination to for-* get every inftance of injuftice, and again expofe ills hoary head to all the dangers and hardfliips yof another voyage of difcovery. **^ ^^^ 'i^ . *^ r He communicated his determination to the •A S court, . V* ^-.U.,^V-^:^,,#,>J^«l*.ii*i»^ Ij^J, v , ■ • C '94 ] court, which greatly rejoiced at an opportu- nity of getting rid of him ; for the prefence of a man fo deferving, and at the fame time fo groflly itl-ufed and infulted, was a daily, re- proach to the King and Queen, from which they were glad to be freed. With the greatefl: pleafure, therefore, they accepted his ofFer to remove fo painful an objcdt from them. They had reafon alfo to promife themfelves an ad- vantageous refult from the fuccefs of this new imdertaking. Orders were immediately given to fit out a fqnadronfor the purpofe. > -; ; But what a fquadron I Four miferable little iloops, the largeft of which was not half the fize of a common merchantman, conilituted the whole force committed to his care, for the execution of fo great and hazardous an enter- prize. With thefe he was c explore an un- known ocean ! With thefe he was to difcover a paffage through which the treafures of the In- dies were to be conveyed! How fmall the means of accompliihing fo great an end! -t *T Any one elfe would have ih,runk back frona the apparent impoffibility of executing fo vaft a defign, in veflels fo miferable ; but Columbus recolle(Sfced his firft voyage, ai'^ did not hefitau again to truft his life on board Ihips, as bat' :3 thofe with which he firft croffcd the wide ocean;, that fen-iiates Europe from America, fle went Oljl I C '95 1 . on board, therefore, in good ijiirits, attended by his brotlier Bartholomew; nnd his fccond fon t'crdinand, then thirteen vcars old, who after- wards became his hiiloriau. * S»* .I,' It was -on the twenty-ninth of June, iu the year iS^oi, ten years after liin lirft voy- age, thrt he fet fail from Cadiz, and as before, i}^f . V "or the Canary illands. This voyage \%ii,h 111 very refpedb fortunate, excepting that o: " of his (hips, the largeft among them, was found to be fo flow a failer, that it was witli di^cuUy (he could be kept in company with the others. He therefore dire<5led his courfe fir ft for Hifpaniola, in order to change this ufe* lefs ftiip for another. > When he was arrived ofF this ifland, he fent ft meflenger to the Governor, Ovando, to in- foxya him of the purport of his coming there ; and requefted permiffion to enter the harbour ; but the governor— could you believe it, children ?— had the audacity to refufe him. Upon this Co- lumbus informed him, that, from the obferva- tions he had frequently made, he had every reafon to expert a violent hurricane ; he there- fore only requefted permiffion to remain in the port during the ftorm, and as the governor was at that time going to difpatch a coniiderable fleet to Spain, Columbus advifed him to defer it's departure for a (qw days. But it was all in s % vain! is*i: ?^ ■:^i-^.;&«*»- -•^// [ 196 1 vain I His requeft was rejected, his advice cTe- fpifed, and his precantion laughed at, as the dream of a weather-wife prophet. He was for- Lldden to enter the port, and the fleet deflined for Spain fet fail . Thus was the man, to whom they were indebted for the polleilion of the Weft Indies, prohibited from approacliing an ifland, which with fo many difficulties, and at the riik of his life, he had difcovered. Thus were his life and fafety, fo valuable at prefent on account of the enterprife committed to him, deprived of that protedlion which humanity would have offered to any ftranger. Another hard-dealt blow of ill-fate on Columbus, whofe heart wab already fo much torn by misfortune. vi/* -f But heaven, in a iingular manner, revenged the affront now offered him. The hurricane ■which he had fbrefeen, really commenced. He had prepared himfelf for it, and by that means faved his Ihips. On the contrary, the lichly laden fleet deftined for Spain, which con- iifted of eighteen fhips, all became a prey to the waves, except three ; Roldan and Bovadilla, who were on board together, with the whole of what they had amaffed at Hifpaniola, here met with the reward due to their treatment of Co- lumbus. They were fw allowed up together in the fea. It was a circumftance in a high de- gree -,'• ■ C '97 ] ■ gree remarkable, that the fhip which contained the property of Columbus, and was chofen for that purpofc becaufe it was the worft, fhould be one of thofe that were faved. This (hip alone proceeded on its voyage ; the other two were obliged to return to Saint Domingo to refit. '-. Moth, Behold again, children, the finger of an overruling providence, which even here upon earth, in general, rewards every one according to his deieits. ' i^.r* uj i.,, ,- , v^jru « .-^f >:; ■j' Fatk, Take notice of this circumftance, children, and fee if, in the courle of your own experience, you cannot difcover what I have often pointed out to you, namely, ** whenever I had reafon to be fatisfied with myfelf, that my affairs generally went on fmoothlji; nor can I rccoUedl having, at fuch times," met with any contiderable difappointment : whenever, on the contrary, I had performed any a6bion which my confcience could not juftify, then nothing was right with me; I could at that, time always forebode with certainty fome ill • befalling me;" this is the refult of long; experience, and do you take notice, chil- dren, if at the end of twenty or thirty j'earjr, it will not be the fame with you; and then, if I fhould no longer be amongft you, to re- mind you of your duties, Odo not forget to return the moll cordial thanks to God, that, S3 by ■^i 11 I \v ■-^::' a. ; t^^vr- ■;; , :f This lingular occurrence had quite a con- trary effect, on the minds of the fuperftitious people of thofe days. Inllead of adoring the hand of divine jullice, by which all human events are dire(Sled, they fell into the abfurd notion, that Columbus was a conjurer (you know, I fuppofe, what fuperftitious people mean by thi3 word) ; and thought, that by the aid of powerful fpirits, who were at his command, he had raifed thisftorm in order to be revenged upon his enemies; for, faid they, if this had not been the cafe, why ftiould exactly that ihip have l!)een (kved which had his property on board ? Columbus left with juft indignation an ifland, which had refufed its difcoverer protection from the moft dreadful llorm ; and failed with his damaged veffels towards the weftern continent. This voyage was alfo attended with many difficulties and dangers. At length, however^ he arrived in fafety at an illand called Guangjo,. which does not lie far from the coaft of that part of the continent, which is called Hondu- ras; look, children [pointing to the map'} here is the coaft, and there is the illand. j r ; As foon as they had caft anchor, the Admi- ral fent his brother Bartholomew^ with feveral of \3t :,../ of his people on ihore, in order to examine the country, but approaching the flranil, they fell in with a cance which difcovered a great deal more art in its formation than any they had yet feen. It was of conliderable length, eight feet wide, and in the middle had a roof made oC palm leaves, fo that it refembled one of the gondolas, in which we fometimes fail upon the Alfter*. lit* ■=;'"; " .... ,.5 . '^ Under this roof were the wives and children of the Indians, and belides thefe were twenty- five perfons onboard. '^'- ' ' ' -' They endeavoured to bring them to, and although they were armed, they readily fur- rendered as prlfoners. The Spaniards now examined their cargo, and found it to coniift of mattreffes, a kind of cotton fhirts without fleeves, and fome other apparel, belides large handkerchiefs which ferved the women for cloaks; they found alfo fome large wooden fvvords, edged on both fides with flint, which was fattened in with thread and rofin, as well as fome copper axes, and other implements of the fame metal. Their proviflons were nearly the fame as at Hifpaniola, excepting a beverage * A river which fpreads itfelf into a confiderable bafon within the ramparts of Hambro', upon which parties of pleafure arc frequently made. T, . . which I. . « ■ ^ -* t which was made from boiled maize, much refembling beer, and a fmall flock of cocoa beans, which thej appeared to value above everything elfe. Thefe were the firft of the kind that had been feen by Europeans. ; But I muft not omit mentioning one thing, which appeared remarkable in thefe Indians, as I know it will pleafe you ; I mean their great modefty and care in covering thofe parts of the body, which decency among us always requires to be covered. ^i^.,Vfc,;r*>'* >/^r^^:, The Admiral was much pleafed with having thefe good creatures in his power, as he hoped to derive various information from them. He caufed them to be treated with great kindnefs, and took their American goods in return for European articles ; and after having made all the enquiries he wi{hed, returned them their canoe, and permitted them to go in peace. But an old man, who appeared the mod in- telligent among them, be detained with him fome time on board ; this, however, was done by his own-confent, and with a view of getting from him ftill further information, and that he might ferve as an interpreter in their dealings with other Indians. Columbus learned from, this old man, that there was a very exteniive country to the Welt, which contained gold in abundance. By the ligiis %: /jgns and geftures which he made, it was eafy to be underftood, that the inhabitants of this country wore golden crowns upon their heads, and large gold rings upon their arms and legs ; that they adorned their tables and chairs with it; and, upon (hewing him corals and fpiccs, he alTured them that thefe were alfo found there in great quantities. This country, however, was no other than Mexico. But great as was the thirft of Columbus's companions after thefe treafures, yfet ftill ftronger was his wiih to accomplifh the great deiign of his voyage, the difcovery of the paflage from which he appre- hended he could not now be far diftant . Without heiitation, therefore, he rejeded the ineilimable treafures which were here offered him, and, regardlefs of the murmurs of his people, pur- fued his courle to the eaftward. . ^|j^^i>,.xv .v.r«;; Moth, Herein does he again prove himfelf to be a truly great and upright man, Notwith- ilanding the opportimity which offered of en- riching himfelf. Hill to purfue the path of duty, willing to ferve the world rather than himfelf, and to bear the ill-will of others, rather than negleil whathe had undertaken . — O, children! may you, in fimilar iituations, ever a6t with fuch difinterefted virtue. Path. So^they will, my dear; I am certain they will. I myfelf dare anfwer for it. If I could - H [ %0i ] could not aiTure myfelf of this, O, I would pray to God rather to clofe our eyes for ever, than they ihould be witnefs to the firft dilho- nourable aftion that either of them ihould commit. But tell me, children, you will ne- ver indulge yourfelves in fuch condu<5l:. Would you not rather be poor and defpifed, than un- faithful to your duty? And whenever fel- fiihnefs tempts you to meannefs of conduit, call to mind how your father had warned you* againft it — remember that he knew what was good for man, both here and hereafter ; and that his advice originated in the beft of mo- tives. Children, you will, I truft, ever be led to make fuch reflefbions as thefe ; and in alll you do, adl uprightly and honourably. MtVl- r.i "^" [ TTie children threw thenifelves upon his: Jieck, and thus ended the tale,'\ ^^>'^^0-i''^ili^ 'thiiMtl'^imirn ^i*i-ir"^ ^ l.jf^vJlK; •■n0^-'^^-.i0T&' M^'^ ■ .'f^htmiM^ <■ t • ■•'■■It >i-i£l,<^^f>y: ■'rf 'I* 7i;»w»*',-i," .^ »^i<^SE^>I®^9*« Hi?.-A ;,£■ ■.■,«• i>. u '''■' . •-'■ ■ V .. 'ii" ■• •' / '. TALE C *°J 1 m ■i:l TAf'E XVI. ■'*'*'•' ->♦< 1* f»** f ■* f Path. Columbus purfued his plan, and failed from the coaft of Honduras eaft- ward, in fearch of the paffage which the In- dians alTuired hiai he would fall in with in tha* dired^ion. ,....,.. ^- ...^...y,,^. J^oAw. 'Then the}'' told hiin. an untrnth. I Fath. By nc means ; the cafe was, they .did not underflaud each other. Columbus de- fcribed a llrait, but they iinderftood him to mean an ifthmus ; and in this refpedl they ixvere right in direding him towards Darien. Upon this voyage towards the Eaft, they oibferved the natives to be very diiFercnt in their manners, from thofe they had lately left. They were apparently more favage ; they were entirely naked ; they ate raw fleih and fifh, without the leail preparation ; and had ftretched their ears fo much, by the quantity of ornaments hung upon them, that they reach- .cd to the Ihouldero. They had burnt in theijr .4 bodies *i/ ( .4i | ii f i m w* '1 . H C »0+ ] li)odies the figures of ftags, lions, and otlier animals. Thofe of moft confequence among them, were diflinguiihed by red and white cot- ton caps . Some of them had their faces painted black, fome red, and others ftriped of various colours ; others again only painted their lipsi?4 their noftrils, and their eyes, '^" The holes in their ears were fo large, that a hen's egg would readily pafs through them. Columbus, on thid account, called that part o^ the coaft, De las Orejas, (the Ear-coaft). ^ From hence he proceeded on his voyage, without, however, making much progrefs ; for he had continually to combat with contrary winds and currents. He at length arrived M a cape,* from which the land inclined fouthward,fb that the wind, which had hitherto been againfthimj- now drove him up the coaft ; hence did this pious man, who never omitted to afcribe the happy events he experienced, to the fource of all good alone, give to this Cape the name of Gacias a Dios, or, Thanks to God* Look here, ♦ upon our map; there it is^ A few days afterwards, ^sAhey were com^ ing to anchor upon a^other part of this coaft^ they found 'vthemfelves furrounded by a n umbers* of armed canoes, who feemed difpofcd to dif- pute their landing. But fcarcely were they convinced of the pacific difpofitlon of the Spa^ niards. nlarda, than they approached thctn with the ^itnaofl confidence, and offered to barter what- ever they had with them. Thefe articles con- fined chiefly of anna ; namely (hields, fpears of black hard wood, pointed with bones of fifh, and clubs ; as alfo cotton jerkins, and fmall pieces of very pale coloured gold, which they wore about their necks. The Admiral pre- fented them with a variety of European toys, without taking any thing in return. At this condu<5t they appeared difpleafed; and finding the Spaniards averfe to landing, not- withilanding their repeated invitations, they concluded that fomething had occurred which gave them offence. This they fought to do away. For this purpofe they fent an old man of venerable appearance, attended by two young girls, who wore pieces of gold about their necks, as ambalTadors to the Spaniards. The old man held a flag in his hand, which no doubt was a token of peace, and requefled to be introduced to the Admiral, who received them with that affability, fo natural to him . He feafled, cloth- ed, and lent them on ihore again, highly de- lighted with the treatment they had received. The next day Columbus's brother went on fhorc, where he found all the things which had. i T been . 1 M tv--'- «■"„. .^■v^ ^ i I ■ ^ I' "■ ' [ so6 ] been given them placed in a heap ; probably becaufe the delicacy of thefe Indians would not fuffer them to receive ai prefent, without mak- ing one in return. Upon his arrival, two of the principal of them approaching him, took hold of him by the arms, and invited him to ; lit down with them on the grafs. Bartholo- mew did as they wiflied, and afterwards, by the affiilance of an Indian interpreter, alked them fcveral queftions,the anfwers to which he order- ed his fecretary to write down . But fcarcely had they perceived the pen, ink, and paper, when they fuddenly rofe, and ran away in the greateft alarm, attended by all the natives who wexe prefent. Thefe poor fuperftitious creatures thought the fecretary was a conjuror, and the pen, ink, and paper inliru- ments of the magic art. By means of thefe^ fome ill, they fuppofed, was to be bioughl upopi them. It was with difficulty that they were diffuaded from this laughable fu^icion, nor did they venture to approach this conjuring fecretary, until, according to their notions, they had fecured themfelves againil his power. This they did in the following inannej: they threw a powder or duft towards the Spaniards, caufingakindof fmoke, which they took great pains to blow at him, as they believed that it pofleffed the /jj[iue of counteracting all the powers «■» [ ao^ ] powers of magic. What poot fuperftitlous crea- tures ! After this, Bartholomew went with them to their town. The moft reinarkahle thing he Caw there was a large wooden building, which ferved them for a burial place. He found therein fe- veral dead bodies, fwathed with cotton cloth, fome of which were embalmed. Over each grave there was a board, vipon which were feen either various figures of beafts, or a reprefen- tation of the deceafed perfon, with different Vind» of ornaments about it. •' *■• ** ^ The Admiral having, on the following day, detiained fome of the natives on board, in order to gain from them what information he could, thofe on ftiore took it for granted that they were kept from motives of avarice, in order that they might be redeemed at a high price. They fent, therefore, meffengers to him with, two wild boars, as a ranfom for them. The Ad- miral endeavoured to make the melTengers un- derhand that their countrymen were not prifo- ners, but that on the contrary they Ihould foon be fent on fhore again, and that of courfe a ranfom was unneceflary. He purchafed tha wild boars, and they returned wellfatisfied. ,. The boars were brought upon deck, where was alfo a wild grey coloured cat, about the .- . T :% fize A. b ■Il [ ,»o8 3 iue of a fmall dog, which a failor had canghf , after having cut off one of it8 paws. This animal is as light and adliveas a iquirrel,) unripe like him from tree to tree, and fomctimea hangs itfelf, either for reft or pleafure, by its tail on a hough. Scarcely had the wildcat perceived the boars, when it endeavoured with all it» might to efcape from them. One of them, however, being brought near to it, this crea- ture immediately twifted its tail round the fwine*8 fnout, and fixed itfelf in fuch a manner on its face, that it muft inevitably have kiU led him, had not the failors interfered. It ik faid, that in Spain the wolves adopt the fame i&odc with any animal they wilh to dcftroy,,.^ After having again proceeded on his voy- age a few days, the Admiral came to anchor at the mouth of a river, and fent a boat on ihore. But a great number of armed natives oppofcd their lainling. More than a hundred of them jumped up to their middles into the water^ brandiihed their lances, blew horns, beat a kind of drum, fplafhed them with Tea water, and, as the greateft mark of their indignation , fpit chewed herbs at them. The Spaniards had orders to avoid hoftilities ; as then they made no attempt to refent fuch treatment, but remained at a diftance quiet fpcdiators of thi» warlilvc [ ao9 ] warfike feme; their challengers, at length, became tired of their fruitlefs rage, and inftead of coming to action, a barter was commenced between the pn ties, in which the Spaniards ob- tained ftxteen plates of gold, worth one hun- dred and fifty ducats, in exchange for a few bells. ' •■' • ' • . O that men would always conduct them- fclves like thefe Spaniards ; how much mifchief and forrow would be avoided; efpecially at times when they have to deal with unreafonable people ! Supposing, however, that our patience and forbearance ihould be fometimes abufed, and fail in accomplifhing their end; then, if nothing elfe will do, it certainly is allowable to oppofe force to infults and injuries. Care, however muft be taken, that felf-defence be confined to cafes of abfolute neceility, and do not lofe itfelf in anger and revenge. In this refpeiSt, alio, Columbus has not left us without an example. On the following day the Indians appeared to have millaken the objecffc of the peaceable difpofition of the Spaniards. They attributed it to cowardice, and carried their infolence fo far as agi^/m to oppofe their landing ; the Spa- niards, therefore, now found themfelves com- pelled to take proper meafures to convince them, that they wanted neither power nor T 3 refolutibn ^ -I y ) sV f I 1 . h i refolution to encounter them. The Admiral ordered a cannon to he fired, and one of the Indians happening to receive a wound, all of them immediately took flight, and the Spaniards contented themfelves with merely going on ihore, without any further purfuit. On the contrary they endeavoured, by gef- tures, toperfuade them to return. This invi- tation was accepted, as they were now con- vinced thefe prudent flrangers had no wifh to injure them, however it might be in their power. They, of courfe, laid down their arms, returned, and peaceably exchanged their pieces of gold. . ' The Admiral having fufficiently explored the nature of this diftridb, its inhabitants, and produdlions, he again proceeded along the coaft, ftill in hopes of foon difcovering the ex- pefted flrait. Upon this voyage he at length arrived in a bay, which afforded a fafe and ex- tenfive harbour. On the borders of this bay the natives had erected a confiderable town, which appeared to be furrounded by large dif- tridks of cultivated land. Columbus, on ac- count of the beauty of this place, named it Porto Bello*. Look at the map ; there it lies. The natives here difcovered a peaceable difpofitioHj and brought fome very fine cotton * Fine Harbour. yarn yarn, with all kinds of provifions, which they were willing to exchange for nails, needles^ bells, and limilar articles. From hence Columbus failed eight leaguei farther towards the place where the town, Nombre de Dios, is fituated; which you may find upon the map. He was obliged to remain here a few days, on account of the tempeftuous weather ; and employed this time In repairing ]v.& iliips, which were a good deal damaged. He then got under fail, but ftrefs of weather again obliged him to put into a fmall port, which he named Protedion. The natives of this place, alfo, appeared at firft of a friendly difpoiition ; but the infolent behaviour of fome of the failors excited them to adls of violence. Depending upon their num- bers, which every moment increafed, they pre- pared for a general attack, in which they threat- ened to board the veffels. The Admiral tried firft perfuafion, then threats, to divert them from their purpofe; however finding both fruitlefs, he fired a can- non, in expe(ftation that its thunder alone would difmay them. But in this he was miftaken; for perceiving that this thunder was not attended with any ill cG^iks, they only becan>e the more daring, and anfwered the noife with loud ihouts, ftruck the trees with their fwords, and ihewed ■ 'f r li K< C aia 1 ihevved every mark of difdain at the Larmier* explosion. - ■ '\ : • ^^ ; vV-t . ■ i' >: The Admiral was obliged, therefore, to give them dreadful proof that this inftrument was not quite fo harmlefs as they fuppofed. He ordered one of his largeft cannon to be full- charged and pointed at an eminence, where many of the natives had afTembled. It was fired off, and the ball went through the midft of this crowd. They then difcovered, to their great alarm, that this thunder could deftroy, and flew into the woods in the greatefl con-^ fufion. ■ • ■ ■/ ■;^f>vfi^^:^ri:i'i'*i fi . ^. .; -.^4 "::■■^vi '■/ Thefe people were the handfomefl of any they had yet feen. They were flender, very well made, and not large bellied, like the other neighbouring tribes. In the harbour they faw a great number of alligators, which always fleep on (hore. Thefe animals emitted fo Itrong a finell of mufk, that the whole air was filled with it ; and though they always appeared fhy, yet they have been known to attack a man when endeavouring to take them, Columbus now began to give up all hopes of difcovering a paifage from the Atlantic, im- mediately into the Pacific Ocean . And having again to combat with the moft tempeftuous weather, he refolved to return, and fail towardg a part of the country called Veragua, where-, -•'-'» according .'.I s V/A [ a»3 ] according to the affurances of the In4ians, the richeft gold mines were to be found. This place is alfo pointed out upon our map. The moil violent ftorm, combined with a fcarcity of provilions, caufed this ihort voyage to be attended with many dangers and difficul- ties. The whole remainder of their ftock of provifions, after having been eight months at fea, confifted only of a fmall quantity of fea bifcuits, which were become fo damaged by the alternate heat and damps of this climate, that one of us would rather have failed a whole day, than have eaten any of it. Indeed it was fo full of maggots, that it appeared to be quite alive, and thofe who partook of it might be faid raiiier xo eat vermm man oreau. ivotwiin- ftanding this, it was eaten by them with the greateft appetite, only taking this precaution, to retire into a dark corner, that they might not fee what they put into their mouths. Behold, children, what want of food, which you, thank God, only know by name, may bring people to ! — Juft at this time they perceived the fhip fur^. youuded by fharks— . .JSZ/aa. What fiih are thofe? yames. Do you not recolle6b, Eliza, what %lx. B— — told us about them, when we were reading natural hiftory? ElUa, O, that is fuch a long time ago. Fath. -* ^ /^•».^*t»MM»« _Jtlf JM Fath» Tell her, James, wliat you remembef about it. ■^"•'' •■^ ^.i r^-v J.-. :.i J-J .:'ri-'J>' Vrfd, Hey-day! How could thev do 4!hat? Fath. In the fame manner that Queen Se- miramis, in ancient times^ is faid to have rair« ed her gardens a conliderable height above the .earth — Do you remember that? », , , „, : ' Fred. O yes, the flying gardens. • „ ^ Fath, Well, Frederick. Juft as sit that time , whole gardens vere fupported by piles, th?^ J:>oufcs of thefe Indians were built iipon the 111 ^9i'.* L ai7 ] tops of very liigh trees, fo that they might really be fuid not to live upon the earth, but in the air, like birds. ElUa. But why did they thus build their houfes ? , Fath, Probably becaufe they were in dan- ger, upon the ground, of being fwept away by Hoods, injured by wild beasts, or dellroyed by their enemies ? Cha. But how did they get up to them ? Fath, By means of ladders, which, when tlicy had afcended, they drew up ; fo that it was iinpoflible for others to come at them. Thos. I think that was very cunning of thefe people. : ' Fath. They at length arrived at Veragua, and the avaricious third of Columbus's com- panions began already to be gratified, by the idea of the near approach of the treafures, they imagined they were about to coUedt. They call anchor in the mouth of a river, which the Admiral called Bethlcm. But having become acquainted with one of the natives, and learning from him that the capital of the country, and relidcnce of their king, whofe name was Qui- bia, or Qulbio, lay a few days fail up the ilream, they determined to proceed towards it. Tliis was done ; and the Admiral fent his U brother ^il^::4i»«'«b.^ 1 .. . ..^^ :-'»¥^- I R- ( w ••) [ 2l8 ] brother Bartholomew forwards, with fomc boats, to compliment his Indian Majefty in due form. The news of the arrival of thefe white people having reached his ears, he came out to meet Bartholomew ; and the reception on both fides was accompanied with proper marks of friend- ihip. On the following day, his majefty was pleafed to pay a vifit to the Admiral himfelf. Columbus received him in a manner fuited to his rank, and by a prefent of a few European toys, completely fecured his good- will. Bartholomew, in the mean time had ta- ken care to obtain information concerning the lituation of the gold mines, and, attended by guides, fet off to examine them. When arrived at the fpot, they difcovered feveral pieces of gold above ground, near the roots of fome large trees, which to them was proof fufficient that this metal abounded in the bowels of the earth. Having gathered what pieces they found fcattered about, they haftened back to the Admiral, to give him an account of the fortunate refult of their excurfion . j '• 2^ ' < This confirmed him in the intention he had already formed of fettling a colony in this neighbourhood, and induced him to give im- mediately the neceffary orders for eredling the requiiite number ofhoules, near the mouth of the river [ ai9 ] river Bethlein. This bufinefs was carried on with great fpirit, and, in the courfe of a very Ihort time, the houfes bu'' with wood, and covered with palm leaves, were compleated. Columbus chofe eighty out of his people for co- lonifts, and appointed his brother Bartholomew, to be governor. He furnifhed them with va- rious utenfils, and other things rcquifite to their fafety and comfort. He left them iu particular a good Hock of fiihing tackle, as the waters in thefe parts abounded in the bed offiih. A- mongft others, there was a fpecies of aa« chovie, which the Indians ufed to catch in a lingular manner. This fiih, when purfued by others, was accuftomed, in order to fave itfelf, to jump upon land. The Indians therefore covered their canoes with palm leaves, and failed about in the rivers, dillurbing the water as much as poffible with their oars, when the fifli, taking the palm leaves for land, would jump upon them, and thus become an eafyprey to the fiiherman. The Admiral having made every i\eceffary arrangement, was on the point of departure for Spain again, when, to his great aftonifhment, he learnt that Quibio, from motives of jealoufy, on account of the fettling of this new colony > was determined to fet fire to the houfes they had juft eredled. He confulted with his bro- u a thet f'l # L a*o J thcr, refpctfling what fleps had better betakevj to prevent this mifchief ; they both concluded that it was mod ad vi fable to anticipate hm attack, and immediately to feize tl>e caziqne himfelf. An unfortunate refolution tliii, and its confequcncea were deplorable ! Bartholomew undertook the exebution of this plan. Accompanied by a coniiderable force, he marched directly towards Veragua, at aihort diftance from which, on a fmall emi- nence, flood the refidence of the cazique. When he arrived at this fpot, Quibio requefted that he would not approach tue houfe, as he would come out to meet him. In confequence of this requell, Bartholomew took with him but five men, ordering the remainder to flop at a certain diftance, and upon hearing thei report of a mufket to adv'ance, fo that none might efcape from the houfc. The cazique now approached, but at the very moment when he was gomg to fulute bis vifitor, he found himfelf — a prifoner, Tho figiial was given; and all in the houlc were taken without refiftance. , - r Some, O fliame ! , ? - Fath. O ihame! fay I too, children, and willingly would I give a great deal to have it in my power to wipe ofF this fecond ftain from the hiftory of our friend. But — ,- , Thos. [ an ] • Thos. But the cazique was the firft to aft difhonourably, and they only wiihed to deprive him of the power of executing his wicked delign. Fath. That to be fure is true, Thomas; but who gave the Spaniards the right to ef* tablifh a colony in hii territories, without his permiffion ? Thos, No one. Fath. And who can blame the governor of any country for not tolerating ftrangers, who, he has every reafon to believe, will become dangerous to htmfelf and his fubjeiSts ? Thos. No one. Fath. Where then was the injuftice of which the Spaniards complained, and what could poilibly juftify them in thus violating the laws of hofpitality ? All that I am able to fay in vindication of Columbus, is this ; that he might have fome humane objeft in view. He thought perhaps, that the colony under the management of his brother, would be the means of civilizing thefe people, and of bringing them to a knowledge of the only true God ; and probably his objeil: hi feizing the perfon of the cazique, was only that he might have it in his power to enter into a friendly negociation with himi, and by this means to gain his afFedlions. If thefe were u 3 his- \\ li^l -ff-~«S«.«. '**°w^.-''*"»^yai.^wrt*' [ aa3 } -> This circumfliince furnllheil a pretence to tlie rapacity of the Spaniards for feizinp; npou the caziquc's property. They condnicd hi* efcape into a crime. His houfe therefore was- plundered, and the gokl found in it, to the amount of three hundred ducats, divided among; the plunderers. Quibio, in the mean time, prepared to take a bloody revenge upon his opprelFors. By means of penetrating through a thick wood, he fell upon the colony before they expecfled it, and alfairlted them with a fliower of burning arrows, by which he hoped to fet Hre to the houfes, covered, as was before obferved, witlL palm leaves. But the diftance was too great for the attainment of his objedt. Upon thii> followed a moll obilinate battle, which rnufl have ended in the entire deflrndtion of the colony, had it not been for the unparalleled pre- sence of mind exeTe,lieti by Bartholomew. With a ^tsf/ Spaniartis, he forced his way into tlie midil of the Indians, and by dint of the greateft valour, at length compelled tliem to- give way, Bartholomew himfelf received a wound from an arrow in the bread ; it did not however prove mortaU j By this victory they were in hopes of hav- ing deterr^"! his Indian Majefty from any further holVilitiesj in this, however they were millaken. -, -■■•> - li s [ »H ] mlilaken. On the contrary, he fought re- venge more bitterly than ever, and without doubt, the colony muft have fallen a facrifice to his rage, had they not unanimoufly declared they had rather truft themfelves on board their ill-conditioned veffels, than remain at a place where they were in conftant danger of becom- ing a prey to the fury of favages. The Ad- miral, therefore, found himfelf compelled to fetch them away in boats and canoes, and to receive them on board his own ihip, as one of the fquadron had become a ufelefs wreck . This they were under the neceliity of leaving , and the other three fet (ail. The only wifh of the Admiral was, that he might arrive in fafety, with his ill-condi- tioned ihips, at Hifpaniola; for he thought it utterly impoffible to make the voyage to Spain with them. But the elements were apparently combined for the deftrudiion of this great man* The moft dreadful hurricane, made flill more horrible by the tremendous thunder natural to Ihis climate, raifed the waves mountains high, and daihed thefe crazy veffels to and fro in fuch a manner, that the failors became pctrefied with fear. In vain did Columbus adopt thofe mea- fures which his experience pointed out to him. His people heard not his commands, or, if they did, from confternation or fatigue, they were -«^ .J-- C 235 ] were unable to execute them. Thus one of his Ihipi was loit, and the other two were be- come To leaky, that the whole of the crews, continually employed at the pumps, cculd fcarcely keep them above water. " Thus dreadfully iituated, Columbus ileered for the illand of Cuba, in hopes of being able there to repair his fliips; but even this hope was frutlrated. A frefh ftorm, as tremendous as the former, drove him off the coaft of this ifland, quite out to fea again. The Ihips were daftied with fuch violence againil each other, that the people expedled every moment to be their laft. It however pleafed divine providence ftill to fpare the life of Columbus, in order that his virtue iiiiglil undergo 3"et greater trials. His fliips withltood the violent Ihock they had received, and arriving in the meau time off the coaft of Jamaica, the Admiral, by means of great exertions, was fo fortunate as to run the veffels on Ihore at the very moment thejr were about to iink. yohn. But, good heavens! how is he to get away again, if he has got no fhips? Fath^ God only knows! Upon him did Columbus rely, after having done what ap- peared at the time ablblutely neceffary. Thcra .^. •>/«••• tcvJ Pi I iii [ tz6 ] There was no poflibility of repairing tlie fhlps, for they were both wrecks. It was neverthelefs of the utmoft importance to the Admiral that they Ihould not go to pieces, fince , for two reafons, he held it advifable for him and liis people to fleep on board rather than on ihore. For, in the firfl place, they were here fafe from the hoftilitles of the natives; and, iii the fecond, Columbus, who was now fo de- pendant on their friendly difpolition, was by this means better enabled to prevent their being provoked to hoftilities, by the plunder and injufticeof his own people. ; , .,.. .,,_ *,. 3. He therefore caufed the ilran^ed veffels to be fupported on both fides, as well as it was poflible; had tents fixed upon the decks > and forbad any of his people to go on fhore, ^ Tlicy were foon vifited by a number oftlie natives; and, as they were treated by Colum- bus's orders in the moft friendly manner, they dlfcovered, on their part alfo, great marks of confidence and friendfhip. They furnifiied the European Grangers with abundance of provi- fions, in return for fuch kinds of toys as the Spaniards were in general provided with. For one page of leaf gold, they willingly exchanged two geefe ; a loaf made of mango root, for a glafs bead ; and for bells, they would give the moft valuable things they poffeffed. Columbus, Coltttnbus, in the mean time, held a confulta- tion with his friends concerning the beft means of getting away from this illand. There was but one method that prefented itfelf, and that was, to fend to the governor of Hifpaniola, and requeft him to furnilh them with a fhip to carry them away. But it was now the queftion, how this requeft fliould be conveyed to him. Thefe poor JiruTided wretches had not been able to fave a iingle boat, and from Jamaica to Hif- paniola, as you may perceive on the map, is a diftance of near thirty leagues. Good advice then was again highly neceffary. r was, however, to be had. Columbus, by ^ ' nd behaviour, had fo well fecured the good-will of the natives, that they were willing to fell him fome of their canoes ; but thefe were miferable things, fcarcely fafe to row about the ihore, confifting only of trunks of trees hollowed out. The flighteft guft of wind, or roughnefs of the fea, would inevitably up- fet them. Notwithftanding the manifeft danger in attempting to make fo long a voyage, by fuch a miferable conveyance, there were two brave men among Columbus's people who were wil- ling to undertake it, in order if poilible to fave the Admiral and his companions in diftrefs. One of them was called Mendez, the other F'lejki ; C Zi8 ] Fiejki ; the firft a Spaniard, the latter a Genoefe. With pleafure, children, do 1 mention to you the names of thefe people; for their laudable courage, in thus entirely devoting themfelves to th-: .ervice of the Admiral, deferves to be handed down from mouth to mouth, to the lateft poflerity. Each of them went on board ji feparate canoe, attended by fix Spaniards, ^\ itli fome of the natives to ailiil them in row- ing ; and it was agreed upon, that Fielki ihould iainiediately return upon their arrival at Hif- ])aniola, whilfl Mendez purfued his journey to Saint Domingo overland. They fet fail, accompanied with the befli wiflies of their countrymen. After having rowed for two days and two nights, in the moil fuffbcating heat, in the dir^fiion pointed out to tliem, they began to apprehend that they had got cat of their jourf", and had paffed Hifpa- iilola. You may readily conceive how this ap» prehenfion mail: have alarmed ihcin; it was the more terrible as their ftock of water was exhaulted, and they were parched up with the burning heat of the fun. Some of th^ Indians fell exhaufted from iheir oars, and died. The farvivors feeing their 'vn fate in t'tuu of thefe poor creatures, became helplefs Mch means Icfpcrate. 1 through defpair, by grew ilill yiore c ihcir iituation only refrcfliment I. 'X th ^/ F i. » ..11 C »»9 J ^ftCj could obtain was, by putting a little fea water into their mouths, to cool their parched tongues, which could certainly afFord them but little relief, and muft render their defire of Trefh water ftilV more violent. In this dreadful fituation a beam of hope ftiddenly darted upon them. It was night, and as the moon appeared upon the horizon, they thought they could difcover, juft at the place where it rofe, an elevated point of land, which appeared in the form of a rock. This af- forded them reafon to hope that they were in the neighbourhood of fome ifland, and this hope again called forth their exertions to ob* tain here a place of fafety. They fucceededr but what did they find when they arrived at the fuppofcd ifland ? Nothing but a bare rock, upon which was not any thing to fatisfy either their hunger or thirft. O dreadful fituation'. They nevertheiefs jumped out of their ca- lyces, and ran about in defpair. Here have we another inftance to fhew how wrong it is to doubt the prote^Slion of providence > ,even when every poffibility of relief feems to be denied us ; for it is frequently the cafe, that ailiftance is granted us juft at the time when we leaft expected it. Who could have thought that God would have chofen tliis rock, to afford thefc poor thirfty wretches that X which '*'%^.* fr ■iii I C ^30 ] which could atone fave them from deftniftlou? It was, however, really the cafe. Betw€'»ii the clitfs of this rock they found aa abundance of rain water, pure, and as cool as from the choiceft cillern : but, unfortunately, upon making this happy difcovery , they entirely fc»r- got the wife rule of moderation -—they fell greedily to ; they drank — and drank too much. Some- of them loft their lives by this excefs, and all of ikem tberr health. Some fell dead upon the fpot; others carried away with them fevers, dropHes, and confumpti-ons. So true is it that cxcefk will convert the moil: limple and wholefome nouriihment, into deadly poiibn; and that the Ignorance of man frequently con- verts that into a curfe, which kind heaven de- igned to be a blcffing. ^ ' » / ^ - The greateft and moil prefling want of our adventurers was now relieved. But the dread- ful queftion Hill remained; what is »ow to become of us? Fortunately,. they found fome iifh upon the ftrand of this rock, which the {eiJb had left there ; and as there was fufficient to fatisfy them all, the two leaders determined to Hop here during the heat of the day, and fail again in fearch of land, in the cool of the even- ing. We will, therefore, let them reft; and fee to-morrow what will become of them. Some, k ^ K t a3i 1 Some. O dear, father! now only tell us fo hr as that we may know whether they arrived fafeornot. ^'* ■■■■'<'' Others, O, yes ; &ar father! Pray, pray do ? Fath, Well then, I believe I muft difturb the repofe of thefe poor people,, and make them let fail again. They did fo, as I have already hinted, to- wards the evening : after having rowed illnight by the light of the juoon, to their gjeat joy Ihey arrived iie*t morning, at breiik of *day, upon ^e weftern 'coail df Hifpanix>la . jP#/.y. Isthat^Uf . .. .v;?>^?- V Ft^. 'That -is all. ■' r-'r, ^:ii. .-• t^x: -K jilL Very well, ■. Oi/'j^;-';^ ;0 hi i'i f -■'I'S' ,1* ■'"'' 'i''^ ',>.■ v. 5-: ^^ii"' 'J^M^^:(^€^ ^^■^:..':^ ■^ <■■"■■■.. ;-■,.'■ Li ' i •- 'i " J ' : t ^ ., H- •• ..'l ^r^> X ft TALE l»M?\f I ;.i; H'' ». fe.'f C a3« 1 ^v ^•^ 'T'''! t>''^-.. iA«i. ■-■■ fv •I.' T A L E XVIIL •<. • • f ■■•■. /..Jfsy f.. - : s' -»♦♦- N. OW, children, [Jaid the Father, as on the following day he continued his tale] let us leave Hifpaniola, where we yefterday fafe- 1/ landed thofe two brave fellows, Fie(ki and Mendez, and return to Jamaica, that we may fee how Columbus is iituated there. I feel a Kind of foreboding that we (hall foon lofe him*.. Wc muft therefore endeavour to turn to advan- tage every minute wMlft his company is yet allowed us.. i- ■^/.•••^i*.-' .,.f. ■ ,.:,■. •^;;^,.-'. Geo» Ah! I hope he is not going to die. Eliza. Oh dear. Father ! I hope not. If -he i», I will run out of the room. - . '5-^ Fred. So will I. ^^^ - " ^ '^ Fath. {_ferioii/ly'], However we may con- duit ourfelves upon the lofs of what we love^ the decifions of providence Hill remain unal- terable. It is therefore better for us, on fuch occaiions as'thefe, to hold ourfelves prepared to meet the worft with patience, if there be no remedy^ i) L *33 1 remedy, rather than ad^ in an unbecoming •manner. .:--- ^^.,yff\;.^•^-v^;l Columbus's companions looked daily, wilH the utmoft anxiety, towards that qaortej froiA whence Fieflci was expe<^ed "to return, with the news of his fellow adventurers fafe *mvAl at Hifpaniola. But alas! they lo6k«d m Tail*, There wasno Fielkito be feen. '* • Geo- H'»y! Why did he not return ? Fath, How is it poifible 1 (hotild know- that? Are we not now at Jamaica, and is it ia any power to fee froir hence to Hifpaniola^ and diicover the <;auP-s of the faithful Fieflu'i 4eiay? "t* Let it fufficc that he did not return. Co- lumbus's people thepeibre hegan agavn to de- ifpair : it appeared to them brtt too certain Ihat both their melfengers were loft, and of cotrrfe that they themfelves were to remain -upon this ifland, without the leaft chance of obtaining a teleafe from it. The air refounded with their cries and lamentaftions. But f his was not all.. Columbus, a« ufual, was again looked to. as- th« author of all their mitjfortuiies, and again did they cnrfe the ho^r in wlvich they had entrutted themfelves ^nder "the command of fo fool -hardy arkd unfortunate an adventurer. Their cries and lamentations broke out at length into open C€hellion» With the moft daring imprcvationa X 3 did. ( A ■..■^- r -'« ««* <>i -*» ._.^. i<; [ *34 ] (lid they threaten the life of Columbus ; and tire- .hour feemed now to approach, in which this b*ave man<, after having efcaped fo great a va- riety of complicated dangers, (hgivld fall by the hands of his own people . ■*■' i i' >. J. /. '^i Juft at this tii»e he was confined to his bed" by a violent attack of the gont; many of hi? people were in the faiire litnation. All the others had entered into a combirvation, under the dire(5lion of two brothers of the name of Porras, who aded as leaders in the mutiny. 5'" The eldeft of them, an vmfeeling monfter, . came to the Admiral's bedfide, and afked him,, in the moftiniblent manner, why he would not return to Spain? Columbus anfwered with his- ufual compofure, " That their return did not' depend upon him, much as he might wifii it;, and in cafe there was any one amongft his com- panions who could propofe a plan, by which- this objecH: could be accompliihed, his advice ihould meet with every attention it deferved* He wiilied, therefore, to have all the officers immediately called together, in order to hear their opinions on the fubje<5l.** Mild and pru- dent as this anfwerwas, it made no impreflion on the mind of this infolent rebel ; on the con- trary he anfwered, with the greatefl infolence, that there was no time for prating — he, for his part, was determined to fet fail immediately, and [ »3S 1 and called out to the affembled crews, ** Thofe ainongd you who are inclined to follow me, advance.** /.'•.^ '::.,:■,■■:•'■'-, ■..■ -,'»■-•■• '-.>.', -r'-'r-f. This was the (igital for a univerfal revolt. Mod of then* went over to this deluded many and faid they were wUlrng to foljow him. The poor Admiral, lame and weak from the gout, hereupon fprang out of his bed,, in order to dif- perfe thefe rebels ; but his attendants^ appre- hending they might imirder him, prevented his going amongft them. The like compulfion was exercifed alfo oa Bartholomew,, who was ad» vancing furiooily towards them with a pike in, his hand,, ta punifh thtm for their treachery. The mutineers immediately took polfeffion of ten canoes, whick the Admiral had pur chafed of the natives.. This led the remainder of the people, who had not yet joined the confpiracy,, to defpair ; their fidelity began to waver ; moA of them at lail jumped into the canoes, and begged to go with the rebels. How deeply did it diflrefs Columbus, Bar- tholomew, and young Ferdinand, that they were compelled to remain inadlive fpe■• **'2 -'i The unfeeling im\itineers, with fhouts of joy, now direifted their coorfe towards the eallern point of the iiland, with a view of paifiing over from thence to H-ifpaniola. When- ever they went on fhore, which during thiB ifhort voyage was frecfuently the cafe, they plundered and ill-treated llbe -natives in every ihape ; at the famie time telling them, they muft hold the Admiroil accountable for what- ever injury they received, as he alone was the £au{e of rendering ali the mifchief that wa« done, iieceffary and unavoidatble. To tbis they^ added, a'permiffion to take away feis life, if he- fhould refufe to make reftitutioii, Tbey de*' clared that his fole object was ie make the Indians miierable, and that, if Ihey were wife^ they would ai^icipate bis deiign. Thus did they irritate the minds of tlieiefa-v ages, again^ their deferted commander. After feizing a ftraggling party they forced, them on board, in order to perform the laborious part of xowing, and thea \ek the hobA. i. But -i' Ax* s- f.-^asj «, C »J7 3 But fcarccly were they got four leagues out to fea, when a contrary wind arofe, and toffed about their canoes in fuch a manner, that they began to take in a oniiderable quantity of water. Now in order to lighten them— I trem- ble while I tell you— thefe monfters came to the determination of murdering all the Indians, and throwing them overboard. They began to carry this inhuman purpofe into execution. It had already been executed on fome of hefe poor creatures, when the others, in defpair, jumped into the fea, and with the moil heart- piercing cries for mercy continued fwimming hy the lide of the canoes ; but Oh, the unheard of barbarity! when almofl e 'haufted by fwim- ming, they laid hold on the lide of the canoe, in order to reft themfelves ; they hacked — would you believe it, dear children ! Thefe European monfters hacked their hands off, fo that their death was attended with aggravated mifery. In this manner, incredible as it may feem, did eighteen poor Indians lofe their lives ; and not one would have efcaped, had not the Spaniards, under the apprehenfion that they fhou! ' ''ot be able to proceed on their voyage, determi/ied to preferve thpeans. The refalt was, that they brought no more provilions to the Arauded v&ffels. A deplorable event! Columbus's fagacity , however, again afford- ed him the means of relief from this dreadful fituatiou. ; v.. ,<., L a3i> 1 fitnation. This he derived from his knowledge of aftronomy. He knew an eclipfe of the moon was approaching, and took advantage of this circumftance, again to imprefs the Indiana with reverence and good- will towards him. Hear how he efFeded this. B/ means of a native, brought with him from Hifpaniola, he affembled their chiefs to- gether, giving them to underlland thai he had fomething of importance to communicate to them. They appeared; and, by the aid of his Indian interpreter, he gave them the fol- lowing information. ** That he and his companions had a know- ledge of the God who made the heavens and the -earth; that this God was the re warder of the good, and the puniiher of the wicked, and that he would alTuredly puniih them, if they did not furnifli his worihippers with provisions iieceffary to their fubiiftence. That as a proof 'of the near approach of fuch a pvmifhment, they would, that evening, perceive the moon rife with an angry and bloody appearance, and they niig^it from thence conclude what they had to expe6t, if they ftill perfifted in refufing to furniih them with provifions as heretofore.** This prophecy was at firft univerfally ridi- culed. But when the moon made its appear- ance, and the eclipfe commenced ; when the darknefs 1 1 if I. I ,1 M ■i f 4> C no ] ^ darknefs was perceived gradually to increafe; flien was their confternation equally general ; and they intreatcd, with bitter cries and lamen- tations, that the Admiral would pray to God to avert the threatened judgment from them, mak- ing, at the fame time, the moft folemn promifes that in future they would furni{h him with every neceffary of life in their power. Columbus, on his part, promifed to fulfil their wifti ; arid to this end, fhut himfelf up in his cabin, until fuch time as he knew the eclipfe was at its height. He then again made his appearance, and affured them they had no longer any reafon to fear. God, he faid, was well pleafed to fee that they had changed their intentions, and would not therefore punifh them ; as a proof of which, the moon would fbon lofe its angry countenance, av.l again flijnc upon them in its ufual fplendour. Seeing that every thing happened exactly as Columbus had foretold, they offered praite to the God of the chriftians ; and abundantly fup- plied this wonderful man with provisions. Now, c' Udren, what do you fay to this ? Was it prudent and confiftent with virtue, to take fuch advantage of tbe ignorance of thefe poor people? — \_A general Jiienci] — Jcanes, wliat do you fay ? ' Raines. \< .x» [ HI ] James, Yes, I ihink it was prudent; but whether it was confillent with virtue— Fath. Well? . - ' . James, I caanot tell ; but it appears to me as though it were not. : Fath, And why not James ? James. I cannot exprefs my meaning as I ycould wifh, but I think it is not right to tell .falihoods about God. ■Fath. I think fo too : but let ns hear vwhether we form this opinion upon the fame grounds. Why do 5^ou think it is not right to tell falflioods about God. James. Becaufe wc flionld then lead otlicr? to form wrong iiotions of the Deity. Fath. Very right, James-, that is alfo my reafon, and you all know of what valt impor- tance it is that mankind fhould poffefs jufl no- tions of the Deity. Every erroneous opinion, which ignorant people form of this great and good Being, leads to fuperftition. Thus did • Columbus, in making the Indians believe that <,rod, on his account, caufed the moon to br eclipfed, teach them fuperlHtion ; and added one fuperftitious opinion more., to the long liifc of thofe Ihey had already adopted. We cannot, in this inllancc, therefore com- .mend his condud;; but if an a6lion, not alto- gether jullitiablc, can deferve to be forgiven, it "V • 1 IS '^l ■( J r) [ H^' ] Is in a fiinilar cafe to this. Columbus could difcover no other means of faving himfelf and his people, and at the fame time he impreifed fome veneration for God upon the minds of the Indians, and by that means prepared them for better inftru6lion in future. This, in fome de- gree, may form an excufe for his condudl. Eight long months were now paffed fince the departure of Mendoz and Fieflfi, for Hif- paniola ; and ftill there were no tidings from either of them. Thej had no longer then any doubts of theii" being loft, and Columbus, as well as his remaining companions, now gave lip all expectations of the relief they had fo long hoped for in vain. Defpair led them to the determination of deferting their diftreffed com- mander, and of joining the other mutineers, who were ftraggling about the iiland, fuWifting entirely by pimider- But juft as thefe forlorn tind hopelefs wretches were going to put their intentions into execution, a fmall Europe^'i veffel, to their inexpreffible joy, appeared off the iiland, and caft anchor not far from land. It was not long before the commander of it came on fbcre in his boat, and delivered a letter to the Admiral, from the governor of Hifpaniola, accompanied with a caflc of wine, and two ilitches of bacon. Scarcely had he delivered theie,5 ::^^ m '>■».. [ i+3 ] tliefe, when he fprang immediately into his boat again, got on board bis fhip, and Tailed away to the place from whence he came. Tha letter whicb he brought the Admiral, eontaiaed nothing but empty complrmeiits. You will, probably, be as little able to ac*- connt for this Angular appearance, as were Columbus's companions. I will tell you, then, the reafon of it. Ovando, the governor of Hifpaniola, whofe chara£ler we have learnt fronr hia infamous treatment of ColuitLbu8» wiihed for nothing more earnellly than, that this great man fhould fall a facrifice to his misfor' tunes, under th6 apprehenfion that, fhould he ever return to Spain, he would again wifti to be re-inftated in his right, as Viceroy of the Weft Indies, and that, confequently, he himfelf fhould lofe his office of Governor. He there- fore wiflied to know in what degree our hero fuffered;, and whether, by delaying the depar- ture of the veiTels for their relief, he fliould be able to accomplifh his dark purpofe. Such was the objeil, as fome hiftorians affert, offending this meffenger, and of the inftrudlions he r<^- ccived to leave the iiland fo fuddenly. Some afiign a more innocent motive for his condu(Sb : Ovando, they fay, apprehended that Columbus had made the ftranding ot Aiis velfe-s merely u pretext tp obtain an opportunity o> again Y a viliting i vifiting Hifpaniola, jri order to relnftate himrelf as governor of that place. He accordingly ^ent this meflengcr iimply to get informa- tion of the Adni'jctrs rea4 fituation. it remains with you to adopt that opioioti. which to you appears moft probable BiU let me hear which of the t>vo you would prefer* ML Oh the latter, the lattew FaM. Whyfo? yohn, Becaufe it Isanuncertam fiirppoiitiori' that Ovandb wa > fuch a monfter ; and bccaufe, irk doiib iiAJ cafes, it is our duty totliinkthe belt of olherti. Faik, t-Miil fvild, John. Adhere to this- m«:ciroj Lxtd you will never repent having a6^ed npon it ; not even if you ihould meet with ar fellow creature whom you have thought more deiexving than he really was. 'Tis better — 'tis more conducive to our happinefs, to err tea times on this Ude, than once- on the- other. It is faid, that Columbus thought O van do chargeable with the former motive ; but, too great to fink under the heavieft of dilTiculties, he concealed the melancholly which his hope- lefs fituation eaufed to prey upon him. He informed his people, with a ferene coun-tenance, that thereafbn why the fhip failed away again fo fuddenly was, that it was too fmail to con- tain them all with their beggage. That ^Ten- [0 . ,♦■ [ ns ] dcz and Fie(k'i were both of them fafely arrived at Hifpaniola, and that they had orders to pur- chafe a larger veffel on his account, which would foon, bj its appearance, put an end to all their fufferinfiC''* He leally had, at this time, received certain information concerning thefe brave men. We already know^ that they arrived in fafety at Ilifpaniola, and I can now inform you, why Fiefki did not return, according to his promife. The whole affair was as follows . Notwithftan- ding he had carried a violent fever with him on fliore, which he had taken upon the rock ; yet was he willing immediately to return, and give an account to the Admiral of the happy iffvie of their adventure. But not one of his compa- nions coTild be perfuadcd to undertake this dan- gerous voyage back again. Neither threats, nor promifes, were of any avail. He was therefore obliged to accompany them to Saint Domingo, where, together with Mendez, he inceffantly prclfcd the governor to furnifh thciu with a velfel, with which they might releafe th-^ii Admiral from his perilous lltuation. But this man, whatever might be his motives, de- layed the accomplilhment of their willies by a. variety of ini^gniticant excufcs. Columbus, Ui. the mean time, by various GfForts,, ..tid c*vleavoured to brln? thedeluJod- J- nn.Kiccvs^ ■.\ :^!^- ■*:•' '^K ( [Mr mutineers to a fenfe of their dutj ; but in vaiu. Thej not only perfilie'i in their rebellious con- dud^, but inlifted upon the Admiral giving up. one half of the cloathing on board the veffels ;. and threatened, in cafeof refufal, to take what they afked by fofce of arms. This refufal being given, they held themfelves in readinefs to put their threats into execution. Columbus ftill indifpofed, fent his bro« ther Bartholomew to oppofe them, with all the force he could collect. He however gave him orders,, to try again v^hat he could do by means of perfuaiion, and not to come to hof- tilities until felf d* fence fhould make it abfo- lutely heceflary. Bartholomew adhered con- fcientioully to thefe initi actions :. but when he came up with the rebels, and invited them to return peaceably to their duty,, they regarded this condu6t as originating in weaknefs and fear, and themfelves immediately began the attack. Six of them bound themfelves to di- redl their united force folely on the perfon of Bartholomew, and not to delift till tiicy fhould fee him fail. But he received them with bis wonted intrepidity, and being well fupported by his adhereat?, preffed with fuch irrefiftible force upon the rebels, that he fooa obtained a complete vidory. Some fell by his fword, others were taken prlfonciij, and the re- mainder [ H7 J ma'mder had recourfe to flight. Among the prifoners who were put in irons and taken on board the fhlps, was Porras, the rebel chief, whom Bartholomew difarmed and took captive with his own hand. He himfelf efcaped with a flight wound. The fugitives foon after fent to the AiJt'- lairal, and fued for mercy, which our generous^ hero, ever inclined to lenity rather than revenge^ readily granted. Thus was peace and good order unexpectedly reftored ; every one re-^ tamed to his duty ^ every one received pardon except their daring chiefs, who remained in fetters, in order that they might receive the puniflimjent they had fo richly deferved. Mendez and Fieiki, during this inteival, continued to affail the governor with- their re- quefls, for a flilp to fetch their Adir'ral from Jamaica. Long did he cont' ae to anfwer their requefts with trifling excufes. At lenr^b, fearing left he fliould be called to account by the Spanifli co4irt,f6r leaving him in this help- lefs fituation fo long, a time, he confented to have a fhip purchafcd for him. Thus was Columbus's diftrefs relieved, at T; time when he leafl: expelled it ; another proof that we fliould never defpair, although every human fupport fliould fail us, but, on the contrary, relying on the prote(Slion of God, we ought to do '^ 1 [ n8 ] «fo and hope the beft wltliout ceafing. Thus did Columbus aft, and thus, children, may we aft, ihould we ever be brought into a iimllar iituation. A whole rc.u ,i 1 elapfed, during which time Coluuihuo had been continually rtni ^gHivg at this place vvitli dangers, oppoiltion, and dif- ailers, when tlic {h\[i which was to releafc him at length appeared. Ther al' vat ioyftilly on board, and arrived in fafety at Saint Do- mingo. ' ' • ' ' - ' >; ^ > ,: Colombus was here treated with every mark of honour and refpeft, by order of the governor, who endeavoured to conceal his bafenefs by mean and defpicable flattery. Whilll, how- ever, this ;^oltrcon, through fear, continued to flatter the xnan whom he hated in his heart, he could not refrain from giving a ftriking mark of the bitterell: rancour. He immediately releafed' the rebel leaders, which the Admiral was car- rying with him to S^.ain, in order that they might there take their trials. He even went fo far as to threaten thofe who had continued faithful to their comniandei , with a ftrixSt ex- amination into their conduft. Columbus, who had to often cxpeiienced. the infolence of worthJefs people, fupported this treatment with his ufual fortitude. He made, however, all the ^ '■e ii his power to quit ^\ -i '1^ _j^ttfaH*.-il¥ ■ iXV*- qviit a pliice which he ap,jcared to have dlf- covered only to promote his own unhappinefs, and (at fail for Spain, fo foon as the two velfeU could be got ready for his departure. Upon this voyage he again experienced the ill-fate, which, by the infcrutable decrees of the Almighty, had ever attended him, from the beginning of his great enterprizes to the prefent period. He was foon overtaken by violent ilorms, which difabled one of his velTels fo much that he was under the neceflity of fend- ing it back again to Hifpaniola. The other was afterwards fo materially damaged, that it required more than common courage to un- dertake with it fo long a voyage. It had loft both main and fore maft, belides having re- ceived coniiderable injury in its hull. Colum- bus, however, purfued his voyage in good cheer ; with a veflel little better than a wreck, he made a run of no lefs than feven hundred leagues, and at length, with great difficulty, arriv< I in fafety at the po ." of Saint Lucar, ia Andaluda. And now, I dare fay, you hope to fee an end at once to every ohllacle which had hi- therto oppofed him. But you hope in vuiu. He was fcarcely got on fhore w^hen he received news, of an event of all others to him the mo{t difaftrous. His well-willier, his proledhefs, Ifiilclla, I I L ^50 ] Ifiihclla, was dead. lie had depended folcly upon her for obtaining a juft recompencc for all the ill treatment he had received. And now, alasl She was no more \ What then had he to expert from a fvifpicious pufillanimoug King, who had hitherto always been averfe to him. mi e. X - •T'l^.-i^': He did not, however fail, on this account, as foon as health would permit him, to appear • at Court, in order to give the King a full ac- count of the refult of his voyage, and of every occurrence that had befallen him. But he was received with the mod difgulting indifference ; his juft complaints, of the numerous injuries and infults he had received ^rom his enemies, Avere not heard ; and his equally juft requeft, of being reinftated in his rights and priviledges, were anfwered only by various ili-founded ex- cuies. •^'- ^ Thus was this great and highly deferving man, compelled to wafte the evening of his la- borious life, in the fruitlefs employ of requeft- ing juftice at the hands of an unjuft Judge, and fupplicating mercy of an unmerciful King, till, at length. Heaven itfelf put an end to his bitter, fufferings. Exhaufted by the great and nu- merous troubles and difficukies he had combat- ed, he at laft died at Valadolid^ in the vear 15^ >6. I i: »si ] 1506, iu the 59th, or, as fouic lU/, in the 65th year of his age. His death was worthy of the manner in which he had lived. He died with that cahn- iicfs of mind, and with that cheerful piety, which, through the whole of his life, even iin- ♦<— A H E children obferved, from the man- ner In which the Father concluded the laft tale, that there rauft be fomething more of it — But what that could be, they in vain puzzled thera- felves to difcover. Now you mind, (faid one of them) if Father has not been putting a joke upon us again Columbus will rife from the dead, before we are aware, juft like Robinfon Crufoe— Don't you remember ? No; I don't think fo, (anfwered another) —he looked too ferious not to be in eameil. Oh, fo he did (cried a third)— And yet he might only be jefting. At length Eliza crept behinl them, and fondling with the Father, faid, Tell us, dear Father, what is to come yet ; or we fhall not be able to fl.eep to-night. Poor little girl — (anfwered the Father) I fliQuld be very forry to deprive you of your fleep. z %, Eiha, :f»%».fn Wfy r ' .t in ji» -•SWW-i' E« L^ ^ ^ h It I' m I I 256 ] ^ Eliza. Then, Father, you muft tell vrs what re mams Fath, Muft /, indeed? Elba. I meant to fay, if j^ou would be fo good, Fa£h, Well, then, I will be fo good; call them all together. Elha, {Calling aloud] Children! Chil- dren! Do make huiie— Father i^ going to tell fomething more. . ^ Fatk, {To the children, who come running^ Eliza thinks you will not have any fleep to- niccht, if I do not tell you the remainder of our ftory ; therefore, as I wifh you to enjoy found fleep after z. bufy day, I fuppofe I muft endea- vour to prevent your reftlefdnefs. ^ ,- , v.>: Ml, O, that's charming! Fred* [Stroaking his Father* s chin) Now I will call you my dear, dear Father again, . . Some, And mine too ; mine too. Fath. Columbus, children, is really dead- hut a perfon fucceeded him> who alfo greatly diftinguifhed himfel f Some. Who was he ? Fath. A little patience, and I will tell 3-oiii his name. I muft firft inform you, of what happened ^fter the death of Columbus, before this perfon. (whofe name you are not yet acquainted with) «i:u1q ■JoWWt-' i [ »S7 ] made his appearance ; other v/ife you will not be able to underftand his hiftory. Fred, Well, now for it. Father. In the firft place, let us cali a glance back again to Hifpaniola, or St. Domin- go, in order to fee how affairs are fituated un- der the government of Ovando. But, I trem- ble to direft jour attention thither, and have no doubt that you will tremble too, when^ merely in paffing, I prefent to you the horrid picture of fhocking barbarities, committed in that unhappy country. Ovando was no bad governor to the Spani- ards, who had fettled in this colony. He made feveral wife regulations, re-eltablifhedhis coun- trymen — by a good management of the mines he enriched the Kin^', his companions, and liimfelf, and, what has proved of the greateft advantage to this ifland, and to Europe, he i i- troduced the cultivation of the fiigar cane, the plants of which he procured from the Canary Iflands. It was a happy thought; for how many millions of pounds of fugar have lince been crrown in a climate where none had ever before been feeri, and how many thoufand people have been fiipported by this important ar tide of commerce. Thus far all was well ; and why fhould the man who liad done fo much s!:ood, ad like a z 3 uioriilcE r fftvi'T-^'^--.~-^r.f>^'» m sv.'. ' 7- - -- ■"■~'"*i1iWi..'i \ I II i \ t 358 ] moniker towards the unfcrtutiate natives, ib as> to deferve the abhoirence of every mind not deftitute of feeling? Hear how he a6led, and then fay yourfelves whether this was not his defert. Not coWent with reducing the whole of this moffenfive people, the juft proprietors of the ifland, to flavery ; requiring from them, be- fides inceflant labour, a yearly tribute, which far exceeded their ability, he regarded them as ib many beails of burden, with which he might do whatever he pleafed. In order,, therefore, to ingratiate himfelf with his ava- Ticious companions, he gave to one twenty, to another fifty, to a third a hundred of thefe unfortunate Indians; juit as a rich man would give fo many iheep, or pigs, to his fteward ; and at the fame time granted permiffion to their owners to employ them in whatever they might think proper, and, in every refpedb, to foUaw their own inclinaftion as to their treat- ment of them ► So inhumanly were thefe weak, inoffentive, well-difpofed people treated by their unfeeling mailers, that a great part of them died in the mOil lamentable manner; and many others, weary of an exiftence fo wretched, were driven by defpair to feek relief in an untimely end^ Whea Columbus firH difcovered this ifland, the r, hf -^ C a59 3 the number of inhabitants was iuppofc J to be a million. Now — but about fifteen years after, they could reckon no more than (ixty thoufand ; fo that, in this {hort fpace of time, not lefs th?n nine hundred and forty thoufand fouls fell a facrifice to the inhumanity of Europeans. There was IHll a coniiderable diftridl of the liland, which, although made tributary, yet retained the privilege of being governed by its own Queen. The name of her Indian Majefty was Anacoana ; fhe was a decided friend of the Europe ms, and had always paid the tribute impofed upon her with pundV-uality. Unfortunately, fome of Roldan's former eliieren s, unfeeling and brutifh people, had fettled in her territories, and not with landing thefe woithlefs wretches h?A been received both by lier, and her fubjcds, in the moft friendly manner, yet did they, time after time, exercife upon t^em the moft iliameful violence, in rcturi for their kindncfii. The Queen was hcuce compelled to check their infolence ; which of courfe gave high offence to this difor- derly rabble. In order to revenge themfclves, they de».Med upon a plan to cvc»vvliciiii thrife hofpitable people with deftruftlon. With this view they went to Ovando, the governor, and informed liim that Anacoana was bent upon revolt, and rcfolvcd to deliva herfelf in a lliort time ' I; J I 1 I ! 1 I ^>*i&.-. i i^i V ?! [ a6o ] tliTie from the Spanifhyoke. They accorcVingly advifed him to feize upon her perfon, her pro- perty, and all her territories, without delay. Ovando had too much penetration not ta perceive the malicious defigns of thefe people, lie well knew that their information was void of all truth: but as his own rapacious views wer'3 diredbed to thepropeicy and poireiTions of the Queen, he, fliamelefs outcaft, appeared to believe them, and began to make preparations,. as if the cafe had been really as it was Hated to him. But the force which Anacoana poflcffed was far from defplcable. vShc governed a very exteniivc diftri6l, and it is faid that more thaa three hundred caziques were her vaffals. Char. What are vaUals ? Fath. Don't you know that? Why you are one yourfelf. Char. 1! Fath. Certainly. Both you and the othef ehildren are all valials. Some. Whofe vaffals are we? Fath. Mine. Have I not given each of you a piece of land for a garden? Are you not obliged, as an acknowledgment of this, to dig, and weed, and help to water my own garden, whenever I want you? Do I not pro- tedl you, fo that no one dare injure your gar- dens,, [ 26l ] dcRs, or take any tiling out of them? And in cafe any of you ihould die, or leave the place, fliould I not have a right to take the land to my felt again, o? ♦ ive it to another? » ; Chaj . Yes. • " Fatk. I am in facft then your lord, and you are really my vafTals, or tenants. Do you underftand me now, Charlesr* " '■ •, Char^ Yes, certainly. Fhth. Queen Anacoana had then, as it was faid, il ee hundred vaflal caziques, and each of ihern was obliged to fuppo her with all his fubjedls, as often as required. Ovando knew "thif?. He was afraid, therefore, of coming to an open war with her, for his own forces had been greatly diminiihed by the unhcalthlnefa of the climate; hence he determined— O what a mean, what a defpicable foul! to have re- covirfe to an unexampled a6b of treachery. In purfuance of this defip^*^, he fent word to the Queen that he intent id paying her a vifit, accompanied by a reti'iue fuited to her high ftation, and this with a view of ftrength- ening the friendfliip that fultiiled between them. A.nacoana, devoid of lU fnfpicion, was charmed at a viiit from people to whom fhe felt the moll faithful allegiance; and in order to fhew her vilitors every poluble mark of honour, ihc alfembled her v fials, and we;it cut. ^ '8 \ E3te-. ■SSasitiStKJt:'- ^.tm ! t I i out, at the head of a very numerous procefllon, lO meet Ovando. i • The travoi no v^ appeared.* Anacoana re- ceived him according to the cuftom of the coimtr/, with finging and dancing, and then led him to her liabitation. Here, in the good- nefs of her heart, ihe endeavoured to make his ftay as agreeable as pollible, and to this end ordered a variety of games and exercifes, cuf- tomary amongil them, to be performed. Ovando appeared to be remarkably well pleafed with all this, and requclled that he might be permitted to amufe the Queen with fome European diverfions. His offer waa thankfully accepted. The next day, the whole court being alTembled, with a great number of Indians, whr v/ere very curious to fee what was going fns aids, Ovando retired, as he faid» to make the n eceflary arrangements for the approaching entertainment, which was to con- iill of a tournament. He foon afterwads appeared at the head of his cavalry, whilft the infantry, in due order, took poffcflion of every avenue leading to the place. He himfelf marched with his attendants^ in battle array diredlly to the palace, which conlifted of a roof fupported by a number of pillars. The unfufpedling Indians could not ciiough admire this warlike amufement. But at length -•; r ^63 ] length Ovando, by laying his hand upon a croH* which he wore, gave theiignal for the explolion. In a in Jinent every f word was drawn; they fell ferociouily upon the poor unfufpecting In- •dians, who became panic-ftruck,llew numbers oi them, feized the Queen, and bound the ca- ziques to the pillars. The monlter, Ovando, then ordered the building t( \Gi on tire, and in a fhort time thr unhappy v of his cru- elty were confumod in the h ... You are fhocked, my de; !dren, and "well you may ; but referve a portion of your fympathy for the unhappy Queen, whofe fate is Hill more cruel than theirs, whom you liave •fecn fall by the fword, or confumcd in the flames. Like an innocent lamb, in the fangs of a wolf, flie is now dragged by her execu- tioner to St. Domingo, not with a view to fhew her favor, but rather to prolong her fufferings, and to give his barbarity the femblance of juf- tice. She was brought to trial, and without the finalleft proof of guilt, merely upon the evi- dence of the monilers who had fo fhamefaily betrayed her, fhe was condemned to be pub- sickly hanged. And this fliocking fentence was really executed. [The Father pavfed, and the children Jighed-y •^he then proceeded,'] Fear, ! n ^^*4tf^ .,:t*--^«P"-ii^ %. ■->. v*-.'^ ▼•„o. o>r«>'^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^1^ m K2 1^ |22 Ui I 40 1.4 II 2.0 1.8 1.6 % V] 7 j^ ^^ J"^ 7 ^ '^ 7 !ftiotographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^ 4 'J^ %> m!. s^ ;V ^ [ »6+ ] Fear, afloniftiment, and defpair, now pof- feffed the minds of the Indians, and from thii> time none of them dare attempt to ftiake off the infufferable yoke impofed upon them hy the Spaniards. As long as Ifabella lived, (he continued the prote<5brcft of thefe poor people, and their unmerciful cppreffors found in her fome kind of check ; but after her death, thefe helplefs, deferted creatures, were entirely ex- pofed to the unreftrained cruelty of their ty- rants. A good prieft, it is true, Bartholomew de las Cafas, was his honourable name, appeared as their advocate, and called loudly for mercy and compaifion upon thefe unfortunate mortals, both in Spain and in the Weft Indies : but what effect cculd the voice of a private indivi- dual have, when oppofed by the combined influence of their oppreffors, who were well aware, that the gold they fent from time to time to Spain, would effe^ <*^d .11 I .| •• .^'■—'-"<'»^-*m^ ' .•.j,^M>L:^^. ^ Nic» O yes ; one of whidi U called Gaa- mahaiii, the firil which Columbus difcovered. — -Here it lies. '^--■■^•-^^-.' ■^- '•• ■''^- •• '^^ ■- "^ Faih, Very right. Well; he propofed that the inhabitants of thefe ifles fliould be tranfported to Hiipaniola, in order, as he pretended, that they might the more commo- dioufly inftruft them in the chjriftian religion. The King confented, and Ovando began to coniider by what manceuvre he could heft draw thefe well-difpofed people into his net. One fuggefted itfelf worthy of his knavilh heart. Some fhips were immediately fitted out, and icnt to the Lucayo illes, where the mif- fionaries, appointed by Ovando, preac'ucj the following falftioodsto the too credulous natives. " Hearken, good people," (faid they) " to the agreeable news we bring you. We are juft come from the land of the departed, where all your anceftors are leading a life-i-Oh! a life fo linppy, that it is not to be defcribed! They have deli red us to fetch you to them, that you may partake of their happinefs ; and, if you are not fo foolifli as to refufe this invitation, we are willing to take you with us." Thus ipoke thefe unprincipled deceivers, and the fimple natives, not harbouring the leafj: •fufpicion of the infamous treaclicry praftifing rtj[)on them, without further confideratioii A. II leaped M^ leaped on board in parties, highly elated withi the idea of being unexpecftedljr united fo foon to thofe they had loft. The number of thefe miferable dupes amounted to more than forty thoufand. Scarcely were they arrived at Hifpanjola, than they difcovered the cheat. Numbers of them died with chagrin, and forrow, others Tought every means of relieving themfelves from the claws of thefe tigers. Some were taken up by a Spanifh veffel , as much as tifteen leagues from Ihore, paddling towards their native land upon the trunk of a tree ; their whole flock of provifions confiftingof a few Calabaffes* filled with frefh water. They were at no great diftance from their own ifland, when^ to their inexprefQblc forrow, they were taket\ up, and compelled to bend their necks to the yoke of flavery, which, at the ri(k of their lives, they bad endeavoured to efc^ At length, when cunning wouku no longer fucc€ed, they had lecoutfe tocompulfion, and. •v*^ ^ : '> -^'*-/ IJXUt, , . j,j, ... . .; , ,.; .. ;v-'vh^ •. ■.'.•■ ■- . ~ ', - .' ,, \_' ■.'-/, ■■''Mi ''-'^i^ ,; V-^ • (- ■ ,-'i ^■'■>'' - ■,'^t ■,i.f.\^. . ■■f'-'^'WB:-\ C »^ T TALE XX. m- it-.- Mr. 7^05. j^HALL we hear no more about Columbus's brother, Bartholomew? Fath. *Ti8 well that you remind me of him ; for it is time to return to the diftreffed family of our deceafed friend. ., Columbus's eldefl fon , his name was Diego, continued after the death of his father to requeft the fulfilment of the contra6b the King had made with him, by which the office of Viceroy of the Weft Indies was conferred on him and his heirs for ever. He requefted however in vaint Ferdinand continued as fufpicious and unjuft towards the fon, as he had been towards the fathec. No reprefentation, no petition againft fuch condu<5b, proved of any avail. Diego at length ventured to enter .an aftion againft the King,, in the court which was ap- pointed for adjufting all American difputes, and, to the everlafting praife of this court be it fpoken, the upright judges had fufiicient cou- aS rage- ■■>';."■,» »," •'»« . m f* ■.,i-., « .*'.«'•■ 4 '"^r.^.M&AiT ffW^?^-*';; — *».,«»M»1%«w^'Kv■* — ' i ^ t L ^70 J rage to give their decifion againft tlie Kiiig, and in favour of the juft demand of Columbiu^. They decided that the agreement made with liimought to be fulfilled in,the perfon of hi» ion Diego. *vi "^ u4lL That's right! That's right! ' # Fath, The King, however, in all proba- bility, would have paid but little- attention to this verdi6k, Bad* not Diego fbund means to give his caufe ftill greater weight. Elevated by the juftice of this independent' court, tfo one of the higheft offices within the dominion of Spain i he paid his addreffes to the daughter of a nobleman therefore, was recalled, and the whole family of Columbus,, triiimphank at laft over envy. and. injuflice, fet fail for Hifpaniola. Geo. Oh, if old Golumbus were but alive! t Fafh, What need has his happy fpirit or an earthly recorapenfe? In pofleflion of th« c' . e;talted^ '^*#^ ■*»^-^sf*rv *•,"-./ '•I'^tA','"'^-*- -'■ ■ uit»!r^'i'(^'iMt*'*^f^*^Jtftp,i^4>-'-^- ji-*|.l«*,;^--(»«dt|| .< ■■<> n ■■« » - ' tmjmii n m i»— — wjWn— iWWw^,. , *r-~^tj' e-xalted jojs with which God has rewardett him, he now, perhaps, looks down upon the^ purfuiis of mortals as upon a puppet ihow, and rejoices in the conqueft of his fufferings, with- out douht clearly perceiving how good it was. for him, that he was perfecuted here below* Accompanied by his brother, his uncle, and his wife j Diego now departed for Hilpaniola, and refided there in grandeur becoming the fervi- ces his fkthcrrhad rendered Spain* A number of perfons of quality, likewife accompanied him> thither. By this means the colony, in a fhort time, acquired a very different afpetS;. Many, families, now flourishing in opaniih America, derive their origin, from fome of thofe who attended Diego t -'. • •- - ;^ :, !*«>.. .;^.*r -- And now let us fee how the territories of the Spaniards were by degrees extended. - f Daring the government of Ovando, there was one Juan Ponce, who requeftedpermiffion to fettle a colony upon the ifland Porto. Rico, dif* covered by Columbus. His requeft b^'n^: grant- ad, he fet fail, attended by" a number of adven- turers, who were fafcinated with the idea of ac- quiring immenfe fortunes ; for they were in- formed that this ifland alfo abounded. in gold. ' The inhabitants refembled, thofe of Hif- jtaniola, in their peaceable difpoiition. They Xficeived their vifitors, .in a friendly manner fliU • regarding I J *. s>- :i -*— .-'»V^,f«";^'*^ <■*■:; ■■"~^W,'""i' ^ -,5; L *7a 1 ' Tcgarding them as heavenly beings ; and one of their caziques, according to the cuftom of the country, as a memento of eternal friec^dlhip, named himfelf after the Spanifh commander, Juan Ponce Aguonaba. But thefe heavenly friends, highly honoured as. they Avere, foon let fall the mafk here alfo, and a6le' in a manner fo cruel and inhuman, that it \ s with difficulty the Indians could bring tV ifelvcs to believe they were even men. In c er, however, to be fully convinced whether ti.ey were mortals or not, the chief of this, nation refolved to try the experiment, with all poflible care, upon one of them firft. With this view he watched his opportunity^ and foou found it. A young Spaniard, who was probably ftray- mg about the ifland, came to the hut of one of the Indians, ar. i requefted a night's lodging. He met with a friendly reception, and was^ treated with great hofpitality. The next morning his hoft procured him fome Indian* to ferve him for guides ; to whom he gave the neceffary inflfudlions. They came to- a river : one of the Indiang offered his fervices to convey the young Spa- niard acrofe it, and took him on his back. When he was about the middle he made a ftuttible, by which means he threw off the youth. 4i / *« '/Ci' */ >*»iii%iV- t a73 ] and, with the alliflance of hi» companions, held him under the water till there were no figna of life. They then carried the corpfe to the oppoiite fhorc. ■^-■■-^ Their prejudice, however, rcfpe^ling the immortality of the Spaniards was fo ilrong, that they could not yet perfuade themfelves thii fujfFocated youth was really dead . They there- fore afked his pardon for the difailer, which had hefallen him, hy means of which he had heen forced to drink io much water, and af- fured him that they had rendered every aihftance in their power. Although the corpfe did not ihew the leaft figns of life, they con- tinued with it for three days, continually aik- ing its pardon, in expe<3;ation that it would fud- denly come to life again . At length they became fufficlently convinced of his death, by the putrid fmell arifing from the body ; they then hast- ened to bring the joyful news to the cazique, that the Spaniards might certainly be hilled. More he did not wiih to know. He iiu- ftanlly communicated thia difcovcry to the other caziques. who all unanimoully reiblved to deliver themfelves from their tyrants, by means of force. But what could a naked peo- ple do in battle, when oppofed by experienced warriors, with fwords, fire arms, horfes, and dogs? It is true, they fucceeded in murdering % f , hundred. « > I ....»^»iS»..«.l>Jh-*.*JiMEf;/ • ^•T..t.}t.k hundred of them, who were {Iraggllng about the country, before the Spaniards were ac- quainted with their deiign. Soon, however, were they obliged to atone for this with the entire lofs of their liberty, and of all their comforts. Ponce affeinbled his forces, con- fiding chiefly of reterans, purfued the Indian* into all their hiding places, defeated them ' wherever he met them, and made flaves of ' all who efcaped the fword. Having received a reinforcement from Spain during thefe en- gagements with the Indians, their fuperflitiom led them to believe that the Spaniards which they had killed were come to life again, and that it would of courfe be of no avail to oppofe thofe that were left. Difarmed by this idea» they trembling fubmitted to the heavy yoke of flavery, which was now impofed upon them without any regard to mercy. In defcribing this havoc at Porto Rico, the , hlAorians of that time fpeak very highly of the fagacity and courage of a large dog, which they call Bazarillo, and which they fay per- formed many lingular feats ; for inftance, he could immediately difcover which of the In- dians were friends and which were enemies of his mafter, and that they were more afraid of ten Spaniards, accompanied by this dog, than of tk hundred without him. Previous to the com- mencement «t«mi«i^ mencement of hoflillties, the Indiaag, in order that he might not injure them » gave him as much ^rovifions, gold, and ilaves, as they did to a Spaniard, which of courfe fell to his mafter. The following anecdote is related, as an in- ftance of the fagacity of 4his animal, the truth of which you may believe as far as you cao. Some inhuman Spaniards, it is faid, wiihing to fee an old Indian woman who had difpleafed "them torn to pieces, fent her away with a letter, And as foon as (lie was departed, they difmiifed Bazarillo after het. lie purfued her moll furi- oufly ; but the poor old creature fell upon her knees, fliewed him the letter, and faid, O dear, Mr. Dop, I pray your honour fpare me ; I am going to deliver this letter to the chriilians. Atthefe words, continues our ferlous hlftorian, the dog became immediately pacified ; he finelt 'her, wagged his tail, and returned to his maf- •ters, without doing her the lead injury. The happinefs of this people then was in its turn facrificed. Let us fee what occurred in the •other parts of this hemifphere. The difcoveries and conquefts of the Spa- niards became more and more extended. I will relate the principal of them in a few words. The iirft thing which Diego undertook, in order to add to the po^feilions of his King, was this. He font a colony to the illand of Cubagua, dif- covered f I, V %. \if t «76 ] , covered by his father, in order to eftablifli a, pearl filhcry there . Look [pointing to the map} here it lies, ne^r Margarita ; not far from the coaft of Cumana. '''- '^*-- '-->|:: '--jvpii^-l^fi^ Fred. Do they fifh for pearls ? -^ - - Fath, They are found, my dear Frederick, in certain mufcles and oyfters, in fome parts of the fea, and in fome rivers, and muft of courfe be fetched up from the bottom. It has been fuppofcd that they originate in a diforder to which ihell-fifli are fubje ■ • I ^l%->.. ■'.» HC«M^ a^.. ■iftim'vm.v^-^. lif- ■ *• >*». I I T*^*T, ^if_.T'''-''^-W-^T?J'' • C «78 1 »l bmr to hold hlmfelf in i«adinefs to receive theni', lie employed ieveral fpies at Hlfpaniola^ 'who wcteio give Mm notice of their approach. He was now informed that the expedbed mif- chief was at the dbof > He immediately cal« , led his fubjeAii and allies tog^thes, informed them of the danger with which they were threatened, and exhorted them to maintain their liberty to their laft breath. They tinanimoufly pledged thcmfelves to follow his example. "''.*''H'it;-,v,;.; :^- ■. :• ' .i-^r^^^ ^ii^4'- ** ^Tis well;** (added Hatuey) ** but one * thing is ftill neoeflary, if oar endeavours i& keep off thefe tyrants are to fucceed. Do you not know what it is that brings them amongd (US? It is to fetch their God. And as you are ignorant what their God is, I will tell you— ltis'thi«.** ^ "''■-' ■■' ■ ■ -'' ■-^- ■ • ^•>^> In faying thefe words he pointed to a bafket full of gold, and affured them, that this worth- ier metal was the God for which the chriflians ventured every thing, and on account of which they wiflied now to take poffeflion of their illand. ** Let us halien** (faidhe) ** to pay homage to this idol, fo that we may fecure its protedion." They immediately began tp iing and dance round the baflcet. This devout exercife, according to the cuflom of the country, coutinued until late in the night, when ^^ I J '*'— »< ■" ••: !;«.»*•»■■'— ,;.**. -J^ y t C *'?9 ] "W? **XL tbe people, either from fa'igae or iti- %. 'Cation, gradually retired. 3 rj*. ,-The following day Hatuey affembledhis Indians again, and obferved to them, that not- with {landing the honour they had paid the idol of the Spaniards, he ftill thought they would not be fafe fo long as it remained upon the ifland. ** In vain'* (faid he) ** will you endeavour to conceal it; even were you to ""fallow it, they would cut you open, and tear out your entrjuls in fearch of it. Arife, there- fore, let as caft it to the bottom of the fea, fo that no veftiges of it may be found.** Thi« ndvice was inftantly followed ; every on* haft- ened to fetch what gold he had, and all that could be found was thrown into the fea. • ' . Notwithftanding this, however, they foon difcovered the Spanilh flag waving upon their coaft. Hatuey courageoufly advanced to re- ceive them; they came to battle; the army of the unfortunate Indian chief took to flight, after a very fliort reflflance ; he himfelf was taken prifoner, and, as an example to the other caziques, was condemned— to be burnt alive. ; Some, O, what fliocking monfl:ers! Fath, He was already bound to the flake, when a Francifcan Monk approached him, in order to defcribe to him heaven, the abode of the happy hereafter, ** Are there any Spani- s B » ards •-ti ards in that happy place?'* afked the cazique. Certainly, anfwered the monk ; hut only thofe that are good. ** The bell of them are good for nothing,*' (added Hatuey) **Ido not wiih to go to a place where I mull expedt to meet with one of them!!" . V This dreadful inllance of feverity fo alarmed 6ll the natives of Cuba, that they no more thought of making any further reliftance, but at once fubmitted to the Spanilh yoke. Thu« did the Spaniards, in the courfe of a few days, conquer one of the largell and richell illandt in the world, without the lois of a lingle man. ' About this time, alfo, there were feverai voyages made to the continentdifeoveredby Co- lumbus, where they began to eltablilh colonies, and fubjeft the natives to their government ; however, of this I Ihall tell you more hereafter- *" • But one other remarkable event, which oc- curred at this period, I mull interweave into my llory. Ponce, the conqueror of Porto Kico, had heard a report from one of thefe iimple people, according to which, upon a neighbouring iHand, there was a wonder-work- ing well, whofe waters had the lingular property of making thofe who bathed in them young again. Abfurd as this tale was, it however excited the curiolity of the credulous Ponce^ and induced him to go infearch of it^ With >■! I .A 'I I i l»> t iiifctwpMwawWt a ,1 mx With this view, he fet fail from Porto Rico, -and direfted his courfe, as it is faid, northward* near the Lucayo iHes ; and after havlhg failed to the twenty-fixth degree north latitude, and then, fleering weftward, to his no fmalljoy he dilcovered— — ■ '! 'v'''*-^-'-/;.;'-^ : n-^^iuy^ -' ' 'Fred. The well? .l>^f>ito%i Fath. No ; but, on the contrary, an cx- •• •• • '44 14 »»»»»M •• •;}•'' 4 •# .*« i » #»44»'t», 4 4|..i40 *• 4 •' 444 ,-•* V- ■*,''• ,.;/tr ;.!.': . ■,*■■ > >: . "•; jr < . .•• *f -*^-. ^ rfu" /• C 7 '*/ in: t< ■ !»■■■ ^: [ k .««<■ 16,,! *.. F ^' '^: >i M /■ .flKf'fii M L^^y. »«»«* -mtr-*" -*i , ^((«k'&J«-»«-4i /i^ '