IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) /. '<>/ 1.0 I.I 1.25 bills |50 "^^ 1^ m US I— 2.2 140 1.8 U 11 1.6 p7 v^ /. V y ^ -'.<» > ^^^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH ColJection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. m Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Certains ddfauts susceptibles de nuire d ta qualitd de la reproduction sont notds ci-dessous. 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Un das symboles suivants apparaltra sur la der- nidre Image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". The original copy was borrowed from, and filmed with, the kind consent of the following institution: University de Montreal L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grfice d la g6ndrosit6 de I'dtablissement prdteur suivant : University de Montreal Maps or plates too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour dtre reprodultes en un seul clich6 sont film^es d partir de I'angle sup6rieure gauche, de gaurhe d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Le diagramme suivant lllustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 1-1' r 'I j!/ n \ ■J H 1 -.'' k » ^ 2 ti u // o O o (J n t- > o «» < 2 (L if si 'I' /; Ir m^m^^ I I hi i <5o) 2 8 OCT 19^ The Discovery and Conquest of the New World Containing the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus By WASHINGTON IRVING. Cre-tor of Am.rlc„ Cl«,lc - A SEPARATE ACCOUNT OF THE ^ Conquest of Mexico and Peru By W. W. ROBERTSON. D. D., F. R. S., The Eminent English Historian of the University of Edlnburg. A Perfect History of the United States From the works of BANCROFT, FISKE. BLAINE. GRANT. SHERMAN. JOHNSTON and others By BENJAHIN RUSH DAVENPORT, Master of the Art of Critical Condensation Introduction by The HON. MURAT HALSTEAD, Most Renowned Journalist and Columbian Student of both Americas Nearly Six Hundred iriustrations from the Greatest Artists. Portraying Every Scene of the World's Grandest Drama An Absolutely Complete Columhian Hemorial. A. D. 1492 A. I). 1892 ROSE PUBLISHING CO. TORONTO, ONT. 3? C] HE publishers, having invested |35,ooo alone in the procuring of drawings and engravings contained "^ within this book, hereby give due notice to everybody whom it may concern that, having complied with all the requirements of Congress in copyrighting the engravings as such, individually and singly, the right whereof, though made for them in Prance, England, Relgium, and the United States, they claim ns proprietors, they will prosecute any infringement thereon, with all the rigor of the law. 1 ^ PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION. HEN the idea of preparing an Introduction for this vol- ume was first presented to me, the undertaking appeared so stup ndous as to be absolutely appalling. With diffi- dence would even the most presumptuous approach sub- jects of such magnificent magnitude, as the Discovery and Conquest of the New World, the Life and Advent- ures of Christopher Columbus, the Conquest of Mexico and Peru, the History of the United States. To properly introduce to the multitudinous readers of this book the Snbjects, Authors, and Illustrations, seemed a task of such gigantic pro- portions as to create a feeling of awe in the breast of the most intrepid. No narration save one only — the story of the Saviour — can appeal so pow- erfully to the patriotic people of our land as the Life and Adventures of Christopher Columbus — no narrator so illustrious and competent as Wash- ington Irving, the creator of the classics of this continent — no account of conquest in the annals of time as that of Mexico and Peru ! A concatena- tion of tragedies producing uncounted treasures, resulting in tl~ creation of Spain's overshadowing power in Europe, whose blood-cemented castles and fortresses from the Danube to Gibraltar in the powerful grasp of Charles V. awed the nations of the Old World. The groans and sighs of Monteziima and the Incas, breathed in Mexico and Peru, became, when echoed across the watery waste of the Atlantic, victorious shouts of Span- ish triumph in the Netherlands. The tyranny and oppression of Alva in the Low Countries, was only made possible, and resulted from the power puiehased with the gold wrung by brutal cruelty from the natives of Amer- ica, by Spanish captains, who, like Cortes and Pizarro, built of the mangled bodies of the gentle natives of Mexico and Peru, a foundation and support, for the throne of his most Christian Majesty of Spain. The History of the United States, replete with matter of never-fail- ing interest to all men, an invariable source of pride and gratification to the citizens of this glorious country, a record of that Nation that for more than one hundred years has lield aloft the torch of Liberty illuminating the World Math the light of independence — whose starry banner, by the T («) «p 5^ X ♦ PREFACE AKD INTRODUCTION. champions of Freedom unfurled, has proven a beacon of hope for the oppressed — whose example and glory so potently arouse a spirit of emu- lation and the demand for government, for the people, by the people, that to-day no throne (Exists upon the American continent. Entering upon what would naturally be supposed a most arduous undertaking, the preparation of this Introduction, I became aware of the fact that the magnitude of the subjects, the exalted, unquestioned posi- tion of Washington Irving, which had seemed to present insurmountable difficulties, actually facilitated the accomplishment of the object of my efforts. A very pigmy may introduce a giant — the faintest streak of light in the east is sufficient to herald the coming of the orb of day. The untutored wandering Arab of the Desert, the unlettered mariner of the deep, can with unfailing accuracy point out the grand constellations of the heavens. The existence of vast superiority in any of the creations of God, obviates the necessity of introduction ; the natural appreciation in mankind of that towering above or surpassing all surrounding objects of like kind makes introduction supererogatory. Blazing planets of the dome above, by dazzling brilliancy command the wondering admiration of the inhabitants of Earth ; no astronomical knowledge or erudite introduction is needed to attract attention. Wash- ington Irving is truly the North Star in the Literary firmament, whose position and prominence is so well known, certain and pronounced, that the veriest tyro in the field of letters could without hesitation expatiate upon the many beauties and excellencies of the works of one, who has been the guiding star of many compassless wanderers seeking that which is purest and best in the English language — who has shed undying lustre upon the literature of America. It is a joy forever that the pen of Wash- ington Irving threw the magic of its light and color upon a theme of such superlative interest as the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. There was no writer so competent as he for the incomparable narrative. His genial fancy has exquisitely decorated the symmetrical fabric of facts. There is abundant authenticity for the architecture that his genius illu- minates ; he has drawn aside the veil of obscurity, uncertainty and doubt,, revealing the harmonious proportions of that Temple of Fame constructed by the might of his wonderful talent to perpetuate the memory of the dis- coverer of his native land. Irving states the object of the work : " To relate the deeds and fort- unes of the i\Iariner who first had the judgment to divine and the intre- pidity to brave the mysteries of the perilous deep ; and who by his hardy genius, his inflexible constancy, and his heroic courage, brought the ends of the earth into communication with each other, the narrative of his PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION. xi troubled life is a link which connects the history of the Old World with that of the New." While there was a fabulous time before the era of his- tory in the Old World — Asia, Africa and Europe — its dawning was opaque, shrouded in myster}-, mythical traditions, of tard}- and precarious growth ; the history of the New World springs fully developed, mature, perfect, into existence from the gradual, 'ntellectual development of the Old World, as Minerva sprang from the brain of Jupiter, armed against doubt, darkness and uncertainty. The Story of the American Continent opens with a romance ; it is Irving's connecting link between the history of the Old World and the New — the Life and Voyages of Christopher Colum- bus, his marvelous adventures and achievements. Beginning with a young man's beautiful ambitious dream ; the alluring atmosphere of hope, the firm support of faith, the sturdy assurance of science, the courage that spanned the abyss of the unknown with the splendid arch of unfailing promise, dazzling fortune and honor, power and glory, ending with dis- appointment, sorrow, chains, poverty, and Immortality. The opening scenes are in the loveliest lands of the Old World, Italy and Spain, sunny climes where the olive and orange luxuriate, and ever-blooming roses per- fume the air with enduring and delicious odors. On the beautiful shores of the Mediterranean, where, as at Genoa, the superb marble mountains stand their feet in the silken sea — that sea whereon the navies of Tyre, Carthage, Rome, B\-zantium, Genoa and Venice, strove for mastery of the waters — that were the theater of imperial warfare and pageantry, until Columbus, seeking the Eastern, found the Western Indies, mistaking in the vast sweep of his imagination, and scope of his calculation, Cuba for Japan, expanded the area of the dominion of man over gigantic oceans, that embrace all the nations of the earth. We see in the pages of Irving, Columbus, the Italian adventurer, in the Spanish camp. The conquest of Granada had occurred. Castile and Arragon were united by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella. There is the Alhambra ; the snowy mountains that look afar upon the Mediterranean. We hear the recitation of the deeds of chivalry, the last sigh of the Moor defeated and driven from the land he had adorned. We note the pride of the victorious Spaniards, the womanly charm and generosit}' of Isabella, undertaking the voyage of dis- covery in behalf of her own crown, and offering her jewels therefor; the hero of the age, rich in religious fervor, brave in his devotion, certain of the promised land beyond the sea. At last the little fleet set sail ; the trade winds waft them on until the seamen remonstrate, are ready to mu- tiny ; authority exhausted, persuasion is employed. There are signs of land ; a carved stick, a bush with berries, birds ; the signal gun that told of the success of the voyage ; the green islands, strange people, the cere- xu PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION. 4 monious landing and thanksgiving, the planting of the Cross and the royal banner of Spain. The stormy voyage home with captives and fruits from the unknown New World ; the triumphant return, congratulations, proces- sions, royal favor, popular acclamation; other voyages; the jealousies of "the envious and haughty, the malice of the mean ; the splendid dreamer, still undaunted, seeking new lands, dealing in lofty spirit with ingrati- tude. His royal patroness gone in sorrow to her rest, he is deprived of his rights and liberty, sent home from that New World which he had revealed in chains, made free b}^ public opinion. He goes at last to his grave, cast down, but glorious ; impoverished, but illustrious. His monu- ment is the crowning continent of a hemisphere, though named for an- other. His is true glory, which, Cicero says, "takes root, and even spreads. All false pretenses, like flowers, fall to the ground ; nor can any counter- feit last long." As Columbia, our nation lives in song and story. He has secure and splendid immortality, with assurance of everlasting remem- brance beyond all conquerors, one of the far shining figures that the centuries disclose to the light rather than shadow. The nation to which he gave continents and the richest islands of the seas, has lost her power, but not her pride. The wealth she gathered from the mines of Mexico and Peru has Hown away on the wings of vanitj' and profligac3\ The great nation of the land he found, which is about to celebrate the anniversary of his Dis- covery, is not of the Spanish blood. Such magnificent possibilities for the brush of the painter, the pencil of the artist, have not been neglected ; Avith eager eyes and inspired souls has the genius of the Old and New World embraced the subject, portraying with wonderful exactness and fidelity each scene in the career of Columbus which has been so pregnant Avith momentous results to the Anglo-Saxon race. It is a matter of con- gratulation that a collection of the copies of those masterpieces of art has been made with the care, judgment, and unparalleled patience evinced by the gathering together of the Illustrations in this vohime. The discrimi- nation, intelligence, and research which is evident in the careful adjust- ment of each illustration, to add vividness to the matchless text of Irving, increases the province of this book in a wonderful manner, augmenting its field of operations for good, by creating an instantaneous impression on the minds of the 3'outh of our country, leading them to read and realize «vents and scenes recorded and described in the marveloiis Story of Colum- bus, engendering an interest and affection for the book, which, with the Holy Bible, should be the most valued treasures 01 *:he future electors of *the Union ; inculcating and enlivening the spirit of patriotism in the hearts of the young, by presenting in a realistic manner the sufferings, PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION. XIH sacrifices, and sorrows of those who bequeath this land of freedom to them. Our future honor and glory rest in the keeping of those v/e are educating. It is the safeguard of our national existence to inspire feelings of national pride and patriotism. Say with Shakspeare, " Had I a dozen sons, each in my love alike, I had rather eleven die nobly for their country, than one voluptuously surfeit out of action." Mexico and Peru, the centers of the most advanced civilization in the Western hemisphere, afford such a mass of material, and oifer such fas- cinating fields for conjecture, that the proverbial Scotch stubborness dis- played by Dr. Robertson, of the University of Edinburgh, in resisting the temptation to stray into the realm of speculation in his Conquest of Mex- ico and Peru, adds greatly to the value of his contribution to the History of the New World. The origin alone of the Aztec and Peruvian people affords such opportunities for disquisition and learned research, that com- mendation is spontaneous upon finding tliPt Dr. Eohcrtson, like the true historian and Scotchman, has abstained therefrom. An origin so variously ascribed, as that of the inhabitants of the American continent, to such va- rious sources, can not fail to escape the speculative philosopher. Accord- ing to Arius Montanus, Mexico was the true Ophir of the Jews, the early settlers of the country. Lopez de Goniara insinuates that the Canaanites driven from the Land of Promise by the Jews, first peopled this hemisphere. Learned Grotius supposed North America colonized by the Norwegians, and Peru founded by the Chinese. Irving writes : '* I pause with reveren- tial awe when I contemplate the ponderous tomes in different languages, with which they have endeavored to solve this question so involved in clouds of impenetrable obscurity." Reluctantly the stubborn spirit of the Scotchman is forced to record in the blood-besprinkled pages of the Conquest of Mexico and Peru scenes and events which fidelity to facts demands. The most reluctant delineator of scenes as dramatic and picturesque as Cortes, the conqiieror of Mexico, destroying his ships, the last tie between him f.nd the Old World, is forced into the fields of fancy. The hardihood ana confidence of a handful of Spanish adventurers, trusting their safety to their swords alone, contend- ing against unknown numbers, supported by faith in the superiority of their Spanish blood and spirit. The insignificant band decimated by unknown and dreadful diseases. Conflicts with overwhelming numbers, desperation born of despair. Captured cities, arduous marches through pestilential marshes. Majestic Montezuma. Magnificent monuments, strange sacrifices and ceremonies of an almost recognized religion. Beau- tiful women garlanded with new and odoriferous flowers. At last pause, O ! pen of the narrator, ere recording that stain upon Christianity and XIV PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION. )■) Civilization — butchery, brutality, barbarous cruelty. Ruthless invaders carrying the banner of that Cross which had come to the Old World when oppressed by the power of Rome, as a beacon light of promise : the Standard of the meek and lowly Jesus, to the Aztec and Peruvian, is an awful oriflammc of war, carrying horror, destruction, and disaster. Pal- aces of gorgeous grandeur, temples of marvelous architecture, melt before that all-consuming sign. Empires cease to exist. Christian men, with the cry of Gold, carry destruction to a civilization as old as that of Egj^pt. Cortes and Pizarro destroy Alontezuma and the Incas, and garner gold in untold millions for the glory of Spain ; but their crimes, in the retribution of the ages, arise to Heaven in malodorous incense, supplicating that jus- tice which fate has accorded to Spain. Vistas of such grandeur and prom- ise never before were presented to artistic eyes ; the most famous, brush and pencil in hand, hasten to perpetuate the events and incidents of every phase of the conquests of Cortes and Pizarro with unfailing fidelity to the facts, registering each act of cruelty inflicted by the invaders upon the inhabitants of the New World. The reproduction of the pictures of mas- ter hands accentuate evcr\' line of Robertson's text. It l)ehoovcs the 3'outhful American, in considering the History of the United States, to " tread lightly ; 'tis holy ground here." In the sanctu- ary of your soul embalm the deeds of those who bequeathed to you Libert}' and Self-government. The 'hunder of the guns at Bunker Hill, resound- ing at the Cowpens in the Carolinas, echoing at Yorktown, should awaken a re-echo and reverberation in your bosoms. Remembering the grand heritage of Freedom, let us pause to place a wreath of immortelles upon the tomb of the Past. Impoverished pilgrims of New England, banished cavaliers of Virginia, persecuted Huguenots of the Carolinas, paupers of Georgia, outcasts of the civilation of the Old World, conquer an Empire for us, their progeny ; contending with savage hordes, struggling against strange conditions of climate and soil ; victorious at last in the contest against natives and nature. Called by inherent love of liberty to try the arbitrament of war with the most powerful nation of earth — England — George Washington of Virginia, descendant of the Cavaliers ; Putnam of New England, representative of the Puritans ; Marion of South Carolina, son of the suffering Huguenots, appear ; Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, Sara- toga, Yorktown, scenes of such suffering and sacrifice as Sparta alone could equal. Creation of the Constitution, to the young American as holy as the W^ord of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai, for upon that Rock we and our descendants shall build everlasting prosperity and glory. Peace proclaimed. National existence recognized, the United States takes her place in the galaxy of nations. The "Young Eagle of the West" unfurled PREFACR AND INTRODUCTION. XV lier starry standard to the air. Again by injustice and exaction England forces war upon us. Yankee courage and seamanship cause the Mistress of the Seas to acknowledge our rights, and to again cry Peace. Ere the olive branch can be grasped, Southern and Western valor have wrested from the veterans of the Peninsula, victory at New Orleans. Years of prosperity, war with Mexico, added territory, new stars to ■^ur Flag, and then, alas ! rebellion, civil war. The acme of courage is reached in this sorrowful decade. Grant and Lee, Jackson and Sherman, Sheridan and Johnson — the American meets the American. Grand, glori- ous, but sorrowful pictures. The grand old Flag floats once again over our land, and may its sway be undisputed, " now and forever." To the History of the Colonies of North America and the United States have been added memoirs ind narratives of those whose names shall illuminate the pages of our history forever — Grant, Sherman, John- son, Blaine and others. Mr. Davenport has with acumen unusual recognized the relative value of each work, and his condensation is most complete. He has had a mass of material to deal with, but with discrimination most remarkable has he utilized only the fittest to create a vade meciim of American History. The Publi.shers of this work deserve the gratitude of countless millions of unborn citizens of this great Republic for placing it within their grasp. May we and our children ever feel reverence for the great and good George Washington, first ever in the hearts of his countrymen ; Thomas Jefferson, prudent pilot of our Ship of State ; Andrew Jackson, just, gen- erous, and rigorous ; Abraham Lincoln, to whom the Recording Angels of Freedom have given immortality ; Grant, *' that grand old silent soldier," gone in glory to the grave, around whom gather, like stars about some gigantic planet, Sherman, Sheridan, Butler, Hancock, Howard, and a host of other gallant sons of the Union, who, in the dark days of our trouble, warded off the vengeful stroke from the old Flag, which to-day floats serenely over the reunited States of the Union. Lee, Jackson, Johnson, Stewart, types of valor and chivahy, whose names and deeds call forth encomiums from all nations. The veriest amateur of America would become inspired by thoughts of national glory when reading such a rec- ord, creating gems that would do credit to an Angelo or Raphael. Then small wonder is it that the Publishers have found such a bounteous field of illustration from which to collect pictures for this condensed History. Some subjects beggar the power of the pen: I have made no Introduction^ for these subjects mightily introduce themselves. '/I CONTENTS. Book I. Prefack FACE IX INTRODUCTION. The Sagas (Legends) of Leif Eric, son of Eric Rauda (The Red) and Thorfinn Karlsefni, fail to establish the fact that the Vinland visited by them was on the continent of America 53 CHAPTER I. BIRTH, PARENTAGE, EDUCATION, AND EARLY LIFE OF COLUMBUS. Christopher Columbus born in the city of Genoa about 1435-6 — Is the son of a woolcomber — Has been claimed by many noble houses to be of their own illustrious descent. — The fact not material to his fame — His son Fernando's views express the true feeling on the subject — Columbus the oldest of four children — Evinces a strong passion during his earliest boyhood for geographical knowledge — Attributes his suc- cess in after life to his early inclination* — Supposed to have been sent to the University of Pavia, where he remains but a short time — Character of Columbus — Enters nautical life at the age of 14 — Obscurity rests upon this part of his early life — Supposed to have made his first sea voyages under a hardy captain of his own name — A seafaring life at that time peculiarly full of hazard and enterprise — Commercial ex- peditions resemble warlike cruises — Armadas are continually fitted out by petty sovereigns to prey upon each other's domains and commerce — Mahometan pirates scour the narrow seas — Columbus engages in a naval expedition to make a descent upon Naples when 24 years old. Supposed to distinguish him- self with a separate command by cutting out a galley in the port of Tunis. An interval of a few years occurs during which only shadowy traces of himself are found — Sails with Colombo the younger, a famous corsair, and waylays four Venetian galleys — Narrowly escapes drowning .... 57 CHAPTER II. PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY UNDER PRINCE HENRY OF PORTUGAL — RESIDENCE OF COLUMBUS IN LISBON — IDEAS CONCERNING ISLANDS IN THE OCEAN. The age of discovery ushered in by Prince Henry (" The Navigator ") of Portugal — He makes himself master of the astronomical science of the ancients and the Arabians of Spain — Struggle against the ignorance and prejudices of mankind — Establishes a naval college and observatory — Obtains a papal bull investing Portugal with authority over all lands in the Atlantic Ocean — Arrival of Columbus in Lisbon, 1470 — Pen picture of his character and person — Hecomes acquainted with Dofla Felipa and marries her — Removes to Porto Santo — Ideas concerning islands in the ocean- -The fable of St. Pran- dan, a Scotch-Irish priest who was accredited with first having discovered America in the sixth century. CHAPTER III. GROUNDS ON WHICH COLUMBUS FOUNDS HIS BELIEF OF UNDISCOVERED LANDS IN THE WEST. Correspondence of Columbus with Paulo Toscanelli — Is encouraged by Toscanolli to seek India by a western route, and thus reach Marco Polo's Cathay, since ascertained to be the northern coast of China — Sends him a new Map, projected partly according to Ptolemy and partly according to the description (xvii) 64 ^am XVIU CONTENTS. of Marco Polo — Cc' ibus gathers information bearing upon his theory from veteran m.ariners, among whom is his brother-m-law — It becomes fixed in his mind with singuhir firmness — He reads, as he supposes, his contemplated discovery foretold in " Holy Writ," and shadowed forth darkly in the I'l.iph- ecies — Envy and pusillanimity give countenance to idle tales of his having received previous information of the Western World, by a tempest-tossed mariner 7 1 W CHAPTER IV. EVENTS IN PORTUGAL RELATIVE TO DISCOVERY — PROPOSITIONS OF COLUMBUS TO THE PORTUGUESE COURT. Makes a voyage to the Island of Thule (Iceland) — John II. ascends the throne of Portugal — Calls upon his men of science to devise some means of giving greater scope and certainty to navigation — His two physicians, Roderigo and Joseph, the latter a Hebrew, together with the German, Martin Hehem, apply the astrolabe to navigation- -Propositions of Columbus to the Portuguese court — Obtains an audience of King John — Is referred to a learned junto (council) — This scientific body treats the project as extravagant and visionary — A second council, over which the Bishop of Ccuta presides, is equally unfavorable to the propositions of Columbus — Ring John is dissatisfied with their decisions — The wily Bishop suggests a stratagem by which all the advantages of discovery might be secured without com- mitting the dignity of the crown by entering informal negotiations with Columbus — They privately dispatch a caraval (small boat) to pursue the designated route of Columbus — The pilots lose all cour- age when beset by tempestuous weather and put back to Lisbon — They ridicule the project — Columbus' wife dying, he leaves Portugal — Uncertainty of his next movements — Supposed to have gone to Genoa — Thence to V^cnice — Engages his brother Bartholomew to lay his propositions before Henry \'1I. of England — Himself goes to Spain about 1485 yy CHAPTER V. FIRST ARRIVAL OF COLUMBUS IN SPAIN — CHARACTER OF THE SPANISH SOVEREIGNS. Columbus arrives in Spain — The Prior Juan Perez de Marchena of the convent of La Rabida, near Palos, struck with the appearance of a stranger (Columbus), accompanied by a young boy, the hitter of whom is receiving bread and water from his porter, enters into conversation with him — I" -imes interested and detains him as his guest — Calls in his learned friends, amongst whom is Mart, 1 .\lonzo Pinzon, who give the project of Columbus their decided approbation — The friar advises Columbus to go to court — Gives him a letter of recommendation to F. de Tale vera, confesbor of the queen, and himself takes charge of young Diego — Pinzon offers money for the journey — Columbus sets out for Cordova i486 — Character of the Spanish sovereigns CHAPTER VL PROPOSITIONS OF COLUMBUS TO THE COURT OF CASTILE. Arrival of Columbus in Cordova — Finds everybody engrossed with the opening campaign against the Moors — Talevera listens coldly to him, and looks upon his plans as extravagant — Doubtful if the friar per- mitted his application to reach the ears of the sovereigns — Columbus becomes indigent — Is ridiculed even by children, who scoff at him as a dreamer — Becomes attached to Doiia Beatrix Enriquez, the mother of his second son Fernando — The theory of Columbus begins to obtain proselytes — Alonzo d« (2uintanilla, Gcraldine, the Pope's nuncio (ambassador) Mendoza, Archbishop of Toledo, appreciate the importance of his project and at last obtain for him the royal audienc ^ Propositions of Columbus to the court of Castile — Ferdinand perceives that his scheme has scientiiic and practical foundations — Orders the most learned astronomers and cosmographers to hold a conference with Columbus CHAPTER VH. COLUMBUS BEFORE THE COUNCIL AT SALAMANCA. The Council assembles in Salamanca — The learned junto come prepossessed against him — He is as- sailed with citations from the Bible — Doctrinal points are mixed up with philosophical discussions — The existence of the antipodes disputed on the authority of St. Augustinus and Lactantius — His simple 85 90 CONTENTS. xn 71 proposition, the spherical form of t'- earth, opposed by figurative texts of Scripiure — Many of the ob- jections, absurd at the present da due to the imperfect state of knowledjje of the times — He boldly meets all objections — Not daunted )y the scriptural difficulties opposed to him, for here he was pecul- iarly .It home — He pours forth mafjnificcnt texts of Scripture and those mysterious predictions of thei:' I'rophets, which he considers as types and annunciations of the sublime discovery which he proposes — Some few of his hearers are convinced —Hut the |)repondcrating mass of inert bijjotry and learned pride refuses to yield to his demonstrations — Talevera leaves Cordova with the court, and puts an end to the consultations — Columbus follows the movements of the court — Is present at the sieges and surrenders of Malaga and Baza — His pious indignation aroused by the threat of the (}rand Soldan addressed to the Catholic majesties — Vows to devote the profits which he anticipates from his discoveries to a crusade — He presses Talevera in the wintei of 1491 for a decisive reply — Talevera informs Ferdinand that the ma- jority of the junto condemns the scheme — Ferdinand holds out prospects after the war is concluded, in wnich he is at present engaged — Columbus, disappointed, leaves Seville 96 n CHAPTER VIII. COLUMBUS SEEKS PATRONAGE AMONfJ THK SPANISH (IRANOEES — RETURNS TO THE CONVENT OF LA RAIilDA — RESUMES HIS NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE SOVEREIGNS. [149I.] Columbus in receipt of favorable letters from the kings of France, England and Portugal — Seeks patronage among the Spanish Grandees, but is unsuccessful — He prepares to leave for Paris, but first calls at La Rabida — Father Marchena is surprised at his ill success, and his patriotism takes alarm — The prior writes a letter to the ciueen, conjuring her not to turn a deaf ear to a matter of such vast importance — The queen invites the friar to court — Sends for Columbus — He arrives in time to witness the memorable surrender of the last king of (iranada — Persons in the confidence of the cjueen appointed to negotiate with him — His terms pronounced inadmissible, and he, indignant, determines to abandon Spain forever — Is recalled at the solicitations of Louis de St. Angel, who enkindles the generous spirit of Isabella — She offers to ]jledge her jewels to defray the expense of the enterprise I06 85 CHAPTER IX. ARRAXC.KMKNT WITH THE SPANISH SOVEREKiNS PREPARATION FOR THE EXPEDITION AT THE PORT OK PAI.OS. [1492.] Articles of agreement are drawn up by the royal secretary — The port of Palos dc Moguer fixed upon where the expedition is to be fitted out — Royal order issued to that effect — Isabella apjjoints Uiego Columbus page to Prince Juan — Repeated mandates necessary to press Spanish vessels and crews into service — Tumults and altercations take place — Martin Alonzo Pinzon volunteers to engage in the expedition — Other difficulties occur, but all are at length overcome by the beginning of August — Description of the vessels — Columbus, officers and crew confess themselves to Friar Juan Perez, and partake of the com- munion — With tears, lamentations and dismal foreliodings, the parting takes place , . , . . 116 90 CHAPTER X. EVENTS OF THE FIRST VOYAGE — DISCOVERY OF LAND. [1492.] Departure of Columbus on his first voyage, guided by a conjectural map sent him by Paulo Toscanelli — On the third day after setting sail the Pinta breaks her rudder — Attempt to replace the Pinta by searching for another vessel among the Canary Islands — Compelled to furnish the Pinta with a new rudder — Dreading some hostile stratagem from some Portuguese caravals, Columbus puts to sea — Becalmed for three days — After leaving sight of land, seamen shed tears and break out into lamentations — Columbus reassures them — Gives orders to the Nina and Pinta to continue due west — Keeps two reckonings, one private, a, id one public, so as to keep the crews in ignorance of the real distance — First notice of the variation of the needle — Continuation of the voyage within the influence of the trade wind — Entry into the SaragossaSea — Signs of approaching land begin to animate the crew, though for but a short time — The crews become uneasy, and Columbus with admirable patience reasons with them, but in vain — His situation becomes daily more and more critical — A mutiny breaks out, and some propose to throw him into the sea — On the 25th of September Pinzon, mistaking an evening cloud for the much wished for land, 1 I XX CONTENVS. ■'4 shouts, " Seflor, I claim the reward "—The crews chant the Gloria in excf/sis— On the 7th of October, yielding to the solicitations of Pinzon, Columbus alters his course — The crew again break out in loud clamors, and insist upon abandoning llu voyage — He refuses, .tnd is now at open defiance with his crew — He maintains an intense and jnrer.itting watch on the nth day of October — At ten o'clock he thinks he beholds a light ; calls Pedro Gutierrez to his side, who affirms his impression — At two in the morning a gun from the Pinta ;jave the joyful signal of land 126 CHAPTER XI. FIRST LANDING OF COLUMBUS IN THF. NEW WORLD — CRUISK AMONG THE BAHAMA ISLANDS — DISCOVERY OF CUBA AND HISPANIOLA. [1492.J Landfall of Columbus at Guanahanu — Present uncertainty which of the Lucayos he named San Salvador — Takes possession of the island in the names of the Castilian sovereigns — IJehavior of the crew — The natives of the island, after recovering from their fears, approach the Spaniards, each being objects of curiosity to the other — They are entirely naked, simple and artless ; destitute of wealth, excepting balls of cotton, and parrots — Columbus interprets their imperfect communications, when asked where tlieir scanty gold ornaments come from, according to his previous ideas and cherished wishes — Concludes to be in the neighborhood of Cipango, and sets sail in quest of that opulent country — Sails amongst the Lucayos, the inhabitants of which gave the same proof as those of San Salvador, of being totally un- accustomed to the sight of civilized man — Columbus, disappointed in his hopes of finding gold, co-,- tinues a southerly course, towards Cuba, concluding this to be the desired Cipango — Coasts along its shores to the Cape of Palms — Mistaking the Cubanacan of the natives for Marco Polo's Cublay Khan, he determines to send a present to him — The ambassadors penetrate twelve leagues into the interior, and come upon a village of 1000 inhabitants, but no trace's of the city and court they had anticipated finding — Notice the natives smoking dried herbs, which they call tobacco — Columbus resolves not to proceed further north, but ;"rns eastward in quest of Babeque, which he trusts might prove some rich and civil- ized land — The 1" ita parts company with him, and Columbus fears that Pinzon departed to make an independent cruise, or to hasten back to Spain and claim the merit of the discovery — Descries the magical charm of Haytian scenery 1 40 CHAPTER XH. COASTING OF HISPANIOLA — SHIPWRECK, AND OTHER OCCURRENCES AT THE ISLAND. [1492.] Enters'the harbor of St. Nicholas — Succeeds in overtaking a young and handsome female who flies before them — Releases her, loaded with presents — She returns in company of 2000 natives — Frank hospitality of the islanders — Visit of a young cacique (chief), who persists in the idea that the Spaniards were more than mortal — Columbus anchors in the harbor of St. Thomas, and is visited by the messengers from the grand cacique (niacanagan, who bring golden presents — He determines to visit him — Shipwreck of the Santa Maria — Generous assistance from Guacanagari — The natives entertain the shipwrecked crew, and perform several of their national games and dances — Consternation of the natives when hearing the dis- charge of a cannon — Columbus is told of Cibao and its golden treasures, and fancies the name to be a corruption of Cipango — Manners and customs of the Indians — The mariners entreat permission to remain in the island, and Columbus forms the idea to plant a colony — He builds a fort from the wreck of the caraval, and is aided by the subjects of the cacique— Names it La Navidad, and puts it in charge of Diego de Arana — Sorrowful parting ivith Guacanagari and the comrades who remain behind . . I 54- J I ■'ill CHAPTER XHL RETURN VOYAGE — VIOLENT STORMS — ARRIVAI, AT PORTUGAL. [1493.] Return voyage — The Pinta is signaled standing towards them — Pinzon endeavors to excuse his actions — Is compelled to set his Indian prisoners ashore — Columbus coasts along the north shore of the island, and has a skirmish with the fierce-looking natives under the cacique Mayonabex — Takes four Indians with, him to guide him to the Caribbean islands, and Mantinino, said to be inhabited by Amazons — A favor- able breeze springing up, changes his intention, and he makes all sail for Spain — A tempest bursts upon them with frightful violence, and threatens to overwhelm them — The Pinta is separated from him by the CONTKNTS. XXI I 26 140 166 fury of the storm — Columbus endeavors to propitiate Heaven by so'emn vows — Columbus, alarmed lest the glory of his achievements might perish, writes a brief account of his discovey on parchment, seals it up in a cake of wax, inclosing the whole in a cask, and throws it into the sea — The storm sub- sides, and they behold land on the i 5th of February — They land at St. Mary'j, one of the Az. res, and meet with an ungenerous reception — After a few days' detention they again set .^ail, hr: meet a renewal of tempestuous weather — During the turlndence of the following night they sight Ian '., .md Colunibus, though distrustful of the good will of Portugal, has no alternative but to anchor m the mouth of the Tagus CHAPTER XIV. VISIT OF COt,UMI)US TO THE COURT OK PORTUGAL — ARRIVAL AT I'ALOS. [1493.] He dispatches the tidings of his discovery to the; Spanish Sovereign, and asks permission of the king of Portugal to proceed with his vessel to Lisbon — The whole world is filled with astonishment ; every thing he brings is viewed with insatiable curiosity — The enthusiasm of some, and avarice of others, are ex- cited — Receives message of congratulations from King John, and is invited to court — Welcome and honors granted by the king — The king, though, secretly grieved that he refused to undertake the enter- prise when presented to him — Fropositition by the courtiers to assassinate Columbus, but the king too magnanimous to adopt such counsel — Escorted back to his ships, he visits the queen on his way, and siUs sail for I alos — His arrival in that port a prodigious event — Receives such homage as is paid to sovereigns only — The reply from their Catholic majesties, addressed to him by his titles of "Admiral and Viceroy," invites him at once to court — Fate of the I'inta and Martin Alonzo I'inzon — Driven into the Bay of Biscay, and doubting the survival of Columbus, he dispatches messengers to the king, then sails for Falos — On arrival there, sees the vessel of Columbus safely riding at anchor — An order from court forbids him to repair thither — Dies of a broken heart — Character of I'inzon CHAPTER XV. RECEPTION OF COLUMBUS nV THE SPANISH SOVEREIGNS AT BARCELONA. [1492.] Journey of Columbus to Barcelona — Towns, streets, balconies filled with spectators — As he approaches the city a vast concourse of people come to meet him — His cntr)- like the triumphs of the old Roman con- suls — His six painted savages, decorated with gold ornaments, lead the van — Columbus, surrounded by a brilliant cavalcade, follows, and is led up to the throne, erected for the occasion on the outside of the cathedral — The sovereigns rise on his approach, and he gives an account of the most striking events of the voyage — When he finishes, the king and queen sink on their knees, the populace follow their exam- ple, and the anthem of Tc Deitm laudaiiuis (Praise God, from whom all blessings flow) is chanted by the royal chapel — Columbus repeats his vow to furnish the means for a new crusade out of his own purse when in possession of same — He continues to receive the highest marks of personal consideration from the sovereigns — To pcrpetu.ate the glory of his achievements he is ennobled — Belittled at a banquet by a shallow courtier, the well known circumstance of the egg occurs — Misled by the ojiinion of Columbus, the whole civilized world adopts it as a fact that Cuba is the end of the Asiatic continent, and name the islands visited by him the " West Indies " 182 173 54 CHAPTER XVI. PAPAL BULL OF PARTITION— PREPARATIONS FOR A SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. [^493.] Pope Alexander VI. (a Borgia), as vicar of Christ on earth and supreme authority over all temporal things, is asked, and grants a bull investing the Spanish monarchs with all rights, privileges and indulgences over the newly discovered regions — The famous line of demarkation is established — The utmost exer- tions are made to fit out a second expedition, the superintendence of which is placed in the hands of the future bishop of Burgos — Arbitrary royal orders are issued empowering Columbus and Fonseca to freight and purchase ships — The conversion of the heathen being the professed object of these discoveries, twelve ecclesiastics, under the guidance of Father Boyle, a subtle and intriguing spirit, are chosen to accompany the expedition — The Indians brought by the Admiral to Barcelona are baptized. Prince Juan officiating as sponsor — A keen diplomatic game ensues between the rulers of Spain and Portugal, wherein the par- ties were playing for a newly discovered world — A fleet of seventeen sail is soon got ready in the harbor I XXll CONTKNTS. of Cadiz — Many hidalj;os (noblemen), officers of the royal household, Andalusian cavaliers, press into the expedition, amongst whom is Don Alonzo de Ojeda — Character of this knight-errant — The rise of an implacable hostility between Columbus and Fonseca date? from some trifling requisitions made at this time by the Admiral, and refused by the future bishop [gj CHAPIER XVII. DK.PARTLRF, OF COI.UMHUS, ON HIS SF.COND VdVAdE OF MSrOVEKV — ARRIVAL AT HISI'ANIOI.A. [1493.] The Bay of Cadiz white with the sails of the expedition, and witnesses its departure on the 25th of Septem- ber, 1493 — The Admiral touches at the Canary Islands, and comes in sight of one of the Antilles the 2nd of November — At one of these islands the sight of human limbs hanging in houses, as if curing for provisions, Oils everybody with horror — A party of explorers failing to return to the ships creates uneasiness, and though parties are sent in quest of them, can not be found — Ojeda, in company of 40 men, sets off into the interior of the island to search for them— He gives the most enthusiastic ac- count of the country — The stragglers, almost reduced to despair, return — At the island of Santa Cruz a serious encounter takes place with the natives, men and women attacking a Spanish boat with des- peration — Continuation of the voyage — Arrival off Hispaniola — The Admiral liberates five Indians he took with him to Spain, in the Gulf of Arrows, but retains the sixth, who had been baptized Diego Colon — While ranging the shore his sailors come across the dead bodies of 4 Europeans — Cdoomy forebodings of the fate of his first settlement 197 CHAPTER XVIII. FATE OF THE FORTRESS OF LA NAVIDAD — TRANSACTIONS AT THE HARBOR. [1493.] He anchors opposite La Navidad on the 27th of November, but his signal guns are not answered by friendly shouts — Is visited at midnight by natives, who bring presents — Melancholy tidings greet his ears — The garrison is no more! — A boat sent on shore to reconnoitre finds everything demolished, Indians invisible, and an air of desolation hovering over the place — Columbus himself lands, makes diligent search for hidden treasure, and the dead bodies of Arana's companions — Finds Guacanagari's village a heap of ruins — Effects communication with the natives — Is informed of the brawls which oc- curred between the Spaniards, about ill-gotten spoils, or the favours of tlie Indian women — Caonabo, the Cacique of Cibao, jealous of their sojourn on the island, assembles his subjects, arrives in the vi- cinity of La Navidad without being discovered, and in the dead of night, sets fire to the fortress and massacres everybody — Guacanagari, though faithfully fighting in defense of his guests, is wounded and his village destroyed — The Indians, astonished at the sight of the horse, and the captive Caribs — Guacanagari falls in love with one of the prisoners, is aided in a plan to liberate her and companions, by his brother — Success of the plot 205 CHAPTER XIX. FOUNDING OF THE CITY OF ISABELLA — DISCONTENTS OF THE PEOPLE. Search for a favorable place to plant a new colony — The harbor of Monte Christi selected — Disembarka- tion of the troops, stores, arms, ammunition, cattle, and live stock — Great zeal manifested by everybody in laying out streets, erecting buildings, storehouses, churches — The city named " Isabella," in honor of the Spanish queen — The unusual exertions in a hot and moist climate very trying on the constitu- tions of the men. many of whom succumb to fevers — Scarcity of gold — Maladies of the body and mind disappoint many a flagging spirit, and a gloom of despondency settles over the inhabitants — Not wish- ing the fleet to return without treasure, Columbus plans an expedition to the territory of Caonabo, and places Ojeda in command — Crosses the mountain range and descends into a vast plain — Gold in large quantities is found in the beds of the rivers — An expedition under the command of Antonio de Torres also returns with similar reports — Columbus retains five ships, sends the balance back to Spain with san- guine accounts of the riches he expects to forward in the near future— Suggests the enslaving of the fierce Carib cannibals — Unabated enthusiasm in lilurope, while murmurings and seditions prevail among the colonists — Bernal Diaz de Pisa heads a conspiracy — Columbus, duly warned, arrests the ringlead- ers and confines them on board of one of the ships 211 CONTENTS. XXIU CHAPTER XX. EXPEDITION OK COLUMBUS INTO THE INTERIOR OF HISPANIOLA. [1494.] To quiet the murmurs and rouse the spirit of his people, Columbus undertakes an expedition to the moun- tains of Cibao — Difficult ascent of the mountains — Hidaljjos aid in constructin^j a road — From the top of the mountain the glorious prospect of the Vega Real (Royal Plain) bursts upon their view — Indians bewildered at the sight of the army, particularly the cavalry — They imagine rider and steed to be one animal — At the end of two or three days they reach the foot of the mountains, amidst which lay the golden regions of Cibao — The regions are rocky and sterile, scantily clothed with pines — Columbus chooses a suitable situation and builds a fort, which he names St. Thomas — Juan de Luxan exjjlores the province and brings very favorable accounts — Bartering with the natives, who bring virgin gold 218 CHAPTER XXI. CUSTOMS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NATIVES. Columbus leaves Pedro Margarite in charge of Fort St. Thomas — listablishes routes between it and Isabella across the Vega— Character of the natives not as docile as he imagined — Acquainted with the use of arms, yet generally speaking mild and gentle — Believe in a Supreme Being, who dwells in the skies, immortal, omnipotent, and invisible, having had a mother, but no fiithcr — Address their worship to in- ferior deities called zemes — Curious notions entertained about them — Indians well acquainted with the medicinal properties of trees and vegetables — Their butios (priests) act as physicians, exorcising mala- dies — Hold festivals in honor of their zemi once a year, at which the young females, entirely naked, dance to the beating of a drum — Curious legends of the cre.ttion and the flood — Their funeral ceremo- nies — Confused notions on the immortality of the soul — Greatly addicted to dancing and singing of ballads, called areytos — They appear to the Spaniards an idle and improvident race, but very hospi- table 222 CHAPTER XXn. SICKNESS AND DISCONTENT AT THE SETTLEMENT OF ISABELLA — PREPARATIONS OF COLUMBUS FOR A VOYAGE TO CUBA. Columbus receives news, upon his return to Isabella, that Caonabo has broken up all intercourse with Fort St. Thomas and is preparing to assault it — Sends reinforcements — Intermittent fevers and other violent maladies rage in Isabella — Scarcity of European provisions compels him to put the people upon an al- lowance, which irritates Father Boyle, he not being excepted — Columbus uses compulsory measures, which cause deep and lasting hostilities to spring up against him — He determines to send and quarter all the men he can spare among the Indians of the Vega, and prepares for a voyage of discovery to explore the coast of Cuba — Ojeda is .placed in charge of Ft. Thomas — Margarite makes a military tour of inspection — Ojeda severely punishes some Indians who were guilty of robbing three Spaniards of their effects 22^ CHAPTER XXni. CRUISE OF COLUMBUS ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST OF CUBA. [1494.] Under the impression that Cuba was the extreme end of Asia, he trusts to arrive at Mangi and Cathay by^ following its shore — Hospitable reception by the natives, who come in canoes alongside of his ships, offering various refreshments — Inquiry for gold, elicits the uniform answer "Further South" — He at last abandons his course, and steers for Jamaica — Natives more ingenious as well as more warlike than those of Cuba and Hayti — Immense size of their canoes formed of the hollow trunks of single mahog- any trees — Disappointed in his search for gold, is about to return to Cuba — Cruises through the labyrinth of small islands and keys near the southern shore of Cuba, often compelling him to warp his vessels through narrow and shallow passages — He learns of the existence of a powerful king, whose people are clothed, and who lived amongst the mountains in the west, and concludes it must be Marco Polo's Mangi — This fancied king probably conjured up in his mind by what he had read about Prester I i XXIV CONTKNTS. Jolin— His crew partakes of the same illusions, and fancy they have already arrived within his domin- ion& — Fruillcss expeditions sent into the mterinr. ... .... • - • 2XX CHAI'TKR XXIV. RETURN VOYAtiK. [1494.] The Admiral is persuaded to abandon fiirtiicr search for the Aur.i Chersoncsiis, by the crazy condition of his ships — Before turning; i)ack, jjcts the si(^n,itures of his officers and crew to a document which declares Cuba to be the extreme end of India — While attending mass at the mouth of a fine river, is addressed by an old Indian cacique, who admonishes him to lead a blameless life, never to harm those who have done no liarnj to him, and as the soul is our immortal self to merit heaven for it, preserving; it from the torments of hell — The cacique hears about the jjrandeur of the Spanish monai.hs, is seized with a desire to accompany Columbus, and is only with difficulty dissuaded from it — Me sails for Jamaica and circum- navigates the island — He sails over to Hispaniola, is separated from his other vessels by a storm and suffers greatly in mind and body — He maintains his painful vigil until he sinks into a deep lethargy, exhausted by almost superhuman exertions — Arrival at Isabella 2 IQ CHAPTKR XXV. EVENTS IN THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOI.A — INSURRECTION OV THE NATIVES — EXPEDITION OF OJKDA AdAINST CAONABO. [1494.] A joyful surprise awaits Columbus on his arrival — His brother Bartholomew, whom he had commissioned to go to England in 1491, is at his bedside — Is supposed to have doubled the cape with Diaz before reaching England — Captured by corsairs — At last reaches England, and his propositions favorably en- tertained by Henry Vll — Hears of the discoveries of his brother in Paris — Reaches Spain, and is given command of three ships freighted with supplies for Columbus — Character of Don Bartholomew — Columbus invests him with the title of Adelantado — During the absence of Columbus Margarite commits outrages among the Indians — Is reprimanded by Diego Columbus — Defies his authority and finds a powerful ally in the Apostolic Vicar, father Boyle — They take possession of certain ships, and embark for Spain — The army, now left without a head, commit many outrages upon the indulgent natives, till they rouse their spirit of resentment — Spaniards butchered wherever surprised — Caonabo the most for- midable enemy — Singular trait of character of Ojeda — Considers himself under the special protection of the Virgin ; carries a small Dutch painting of her continually with him — He swears by the Virgin, he invokes her in battle or in brawl, and is ready for any enterprise under her protection — Caonabo invests the fortress of F:. Thomas, but at length relinquishes the attempt to storm it — Description of the prov- inces into which Hayti is divided — The caciques of the provinces enter into a league with Caonabo, excepting Guacanagari — The latter reveals the plan the Indians have concocted to Columbus, who succeeds in baffling all 'iieir machinations — Ojeda conimissioncd to take the Carib chief captive — He invokes the protection of tho Virgin, and by a most daring piece of strategy brings him to Isabella — Admiration of Cacn.ibo fur the valor of Ojeda 246 lli CHAPTER XXVI. BATTLE OF THE VEGA — IMPOSITION OF TRIBUTE. [1494.] The arrival of a physician, apothecary, and a supply of provisions creates joy in the settlement — Colum- bus hears that the dispute with Portugal has been am.icably settled — Sends Don Diego to Spain to counteract the misrepresentations of the subtle friar and Margarite — Remits a large quantity of gold, and Indians destined for the Spanish slave market — Is informed that the hostile caciques have assem- bled all their forces in the Vega — With 200 infantry, 20 horse, and 20 bloodhounds he attacks the Indian forces, and completely routs them — Columbus imposes a tribute on the vanquished provinces — Erects fortresses in the most important places — The pleasant life of the natives is at an end — The perpetual task imposed on them introduces sorrow, slaveiy, and weary labor — They resort to a forlorn and desper.ate alternative and endeavor to produce a famine — Are hunted down by the Spaniards, driven into their dreary mountain fastness and perish in dens and caverns by the thousand — Gua- canagari, unable to bear the murmurs of his subjects, the sight of the various miseries which he felt he CONTENTS. XXV had invoked upon his race by remaining the ally of the Spaniards, retires to the mountains, and dies in obscurity and misery 359 CHAPTER XXVII. ARRIVAL OF COMMISSIONER AGUADO — tilSCOVKRY OF THE GOLD MINES OF HAVNA. [1495.] The cib.il of the politic friar Hoylc, su|)porttd by many factions, and discontented idlers who had returned from the colo.iy, have a baneful effect upon the popularity of Columbus in Spain — Determination to send a commissioner to inquire into the allej^ed distresses of the colony — Juan A^juado appointed — ous thcolojjians ordered to cons '' together and determine whether Indians, having been taken cap- tive in warfare, can be sold as slavesi, and if justifiable in the sight of Ciod — Aguado and i'cgo Columbus arrive in Hispaniola — The former has his letter of credence proclaimed by sound of trump?* ignoring Don Bartholomew, who is in temporary command--Listens to grievances and complaints with ready credulity — Columbus hastens to Isabella and receives Aguado with grave and punctilious courtesy — His moderation is regarded by e\'erybody as proof of his loss of moral courage — Aguado prepares to return to Spain, and Columbus resolves to do the same — A hurricane delays the departure of the shattered ves- sels — Miguel Diaz, having fled from the settlement, wanders about, and at length comes to an Indian village on the river Ozemo — The female cacique conceives a strong atfection for him — To detain him she informs him of certain rich mines in the neighborhood — He hastens to the settlement, and the Adel- antado is conducted by Diaz to the banks of the Hayna — Columbus imagines he has found the ancient Ophir, from whence King Solomon had procured his great supplies a6e CHAPTER XXVIII. RETURN OF COLUMBUS TO SPAIN — PREPARATIONS FOR A THIRD VOVAOE. [1496.] Return of Columljus to Spain with Aguado, and a host of malcontents — Lands at the island of (luadaloupe, and has a skirmish with the fierce native Amazons — Captures many, amongst them the wife of their cacique — Dismisses his prisoners, but the female cacicjuc having conceived a passion for the naked and dejected Caonabo, who is being taken to Spain, refuses to leave him — The haughty nature of the latter succumbs to thr. morbid melancholy of a proud and broken spirit — He expires during the voyage, bewailed only by one of his own wild native heroines — Adverse winds prolong the homeward passage, provisions become exhausted, and famine ensues — Proposition to devour the Indian captives prevented by the absolute authority of Columbus — Arrival in Cadiz — Clad in the habit of a Franciscan monk, he makes his way to Burgos — His reception by the sovereigns — He proposes a third voyage ; their Majesties readily promise to comply — Disappointments and delays ensue — Columbus is allowed to establish a mayo- razgo (entailed estate), and immediately avails himself of it — Decrees that his successors should use no other title than simply " The Admiral " — Various measures adopted for the good of the colony — Decline of the popularity of Columbus in Spain — Criminals condemned to the galleys, pressed into the expedition to supply the want of voluntary recruits — Not until the spring of 1498 are the ships fitted out for the expe- dition ready to sail — Harassed by the insolence of worthless men up to the time of his embarkation — For- getting his usual self-command, he strikes a despicable minion of Fonseca's to the ground at the moment of embarkation ayi CHAPTER XXIX. DISCOVERY OF TRINIDAD AND THE '"OAST OF PARIA — ARRIVAL AT SAN DO.MINGO. [1498.] From various considerations he is induced to '.»Ke a more southerly route — Expects to fall in with black races — Touches at Madeira ; dispatches three ships of his squadron from thence direct to Hispaniola; with the balance he prosecutes his voyage towards the Cape de Verde Islands — As he advances within the tropics the air becomes like furnace heat, the salt meat becomes putrid, and the mariners lose all strength and spirit — He alters his course to the north-west, and on the 3d of July, when there was not above a cask of water remaining on each ship, he descries the Island of Trinidad — Coasts along its southern shore, and explores the Gulf of Paria — Nearly swept from his anchors by a sudden rush and swell of the sea — Aston- ished at the vast body of fresh water flowing into the gulf, the difference of climate, vegetation, and peo- ple — Makes one of his simple and great conclusions : " Such a mighty stream of fresh water must be the outpouring of a continent" — Attributes the wildness of climate to an ingenious, though fallacious hypoth- (2) '/ # XXVI CONTENTS. esis — The scarcity of sea stores compels him to abandon the following up of his discovery, though alhircd' thereto by the great cjuantity of ])earls, which the natives exchange for Kuroinjan i)aubies — Proceeds to Hispaniola through the Hoca del Drago (mouth of the dragon) — Reconnoitcrs the coast as far as the isl- ands of Cuijaga and Margarita, and is convinced of its being a continent— Haggard, emaciited, and almost blind, he is received with open arms by the Adelantado upon his landing in the river Ozema, where he ordered a new settle .nent to be formed . . 2J9 CHAPTER XXX. ADMINISTRATION OF THE AUIU.AN TADO. [1496.] A new scene of trouble and anxiety opens upon him — The Adelantado during his absence sets out to visit the dominion of Hehechio to reduce it to obedience — The inhabitants of his province finely formed, and of noble air — Anacaona, wife of the late formidable Caonabo, one of the most beautiful females in the isl- and, of great natural grace and dignity, his sister — She meets Don Bartholomew, surrounded by thirty young females, beautifully formed, waving palm branches and singing their areytos (ballads) — He arranges for a periodical tribute of cotton, hemp, and cassava bread, and sets out for Isabella — Kinds the settlement in a sickly state — Insurrection breaks out in the Vega — Combination formed to massacre the S|)aniards and destroy Fort Conception — The garrison sends for succor to San Domingo — The Ade- lantado promptly takes such measures as to insure the tranquillity of the Vega— Marches to Xaragua to- receive tribute ; his companions regard the fertility of the country, the kindness of the inhabitants, and the beauty of the women a perfect paradise — The quantity of cotton accumulated compels him to send for a caravel to freight it with — Anacaona's astonishment at the sight of same — Conspiracy of Koldan — His seditious insinuations — Don Diego, to divert Roldan from 1 is schemes, gives him distant and active employmert — Roldan gathers seventy well armed and resoli tt men around him, and makes friends among Uie discontented cacicpics — Openly sets the Adelantado and his brother at defiance — Attempts to surprise the wary commander of Fort Conception — The Adelantado comes to his assistance, and parleys with Roldan — The Indians cease to send their tribute — Arrival of succor from Spain under Pedro Her- nandez Coronal — The latter sent by the Adelantado to offer Roldan and his band amnesty — Is prevented from having communication with the rebels — Roldan proclaimed a traitor — Marches away to Xaragua — Fresh insurrections in the Vega under Guarionex — The cacique flies to the mountains of Ciguay — Is hunted down by the Adelantado — Mayonabex defies his power — Driven to dens and caves in the mount- ains, is at length discovered and captured — Don Bartholomew's magnanimity 2-85 CHAPTER XXXI. iP I^N REBELLION OF ROLDAN. [1498.] Columbus issues a proclamation — Approves of all the Adci.i.Uado did, and denounces Roldan — Alonzo San- chez de Carvajal, with the three caravels detached by Columbus from the Canary Islands, carried far west of his reckonings, lands at Xaragua — Roldan recruits many followers from the deserters of the pro- vision ships — Carvajal, giving his vessel in charge of his officeis, lands and remains with the rebels, hop- ing to persuade them to return to their allegiance — Roldan promises immediate submission upon the arrival of Columbus, gives Carvajal a letter to the Admiral, and escorts him within six leagues of San Domingo — Columbus warns Miguel Ballester, commander of Fort Conception, to be on his guard against attacks from the rebels — Empowers him to treat with the rebels — Offers free passage to all who desire to return to Spain — Ballcster's proffered pardon to the rebels is treated with contempt — They refuse to treat with any other mediator but Carvajal— -Columbus, indignant at the insolence of their reply, musters a small and unreliable army — Letter to the sovereigns — Acquaints them with his discovery of the Pearl coast, and the rei^cllion of Roldan — Roldan and his friends likewise send letters to Spain — Resumes negotia- tions with Roldan — Has an interview with him — Urged by Ballester, and compelled by circumstances, makes an arrangement with the rebels, agreeing that Roldan and his followers should embark for Spain — Unavoidable delays in fitting out the ships — When ready to start, Roldan refuses to embark — Bishop Fonseca thwarts investigation asked for by Columbus — Roldan conducts himself as a conqueror, exacting terms — Columbus signs a humiliating capitidation, and reinstates Roldan as alcalde mayor (justice of the peace) — Sends a request to Spain that a learned man be sent out as judge 299 \i CONTENTS. XXVll 279 CHAPTER XXXII. VISIT OF OJKDA TO THE WEST END OK THE ISLAND — CONSPIRACY OF MOXICA. [1499.] Columbus hears of the clandestine landing of Ojeda, in whose squadron sails Amerigo Vespucci, on the western ])art of the island, and sends Roldan to intercept him — Brief account of Ojeda's voyage of dis- covery — Manreuvres of Ojeda and Roldan — Ex-rebels make clamorous complaints to Ojeda, and he proposes to put himself at their head and march to San Domingo — Factions arise, and brawls ensue, in which several are killed and many wounded— Roldan appears on the scene, and Ojeda retires with his ships— Hernando de Guevara, banished for licentious conduct from San Domingo, is favorably received in the house of the female cacique Anacaona — She favors his attachment to her beautiful daughter Higue- namota — It awakens the jealousy of Roldan, who tries to separate the lovers — Hanishcs Ouevara — T'e clandestinely returns, and is discovered by Roldan — Meditates revenge — Attempt to kill Roldan — lie plot 's discovered, he and accomplices captured, and sent in chains to San Domingo — Moxica, cousin of Guevara, hears of his ill treatment, enlists the sympathies of Pedro Reguelme, and they conspire to kill the alcalde mayor and the Admiral — Columbus having been informed of the plot, suddenly comes upon the conspiratorr with a few esquires, seizes Moxica, and orders him hanged — Execution of Moxica — Columbus now .ninquilly looks forward to the prosecution of his grand enterprise, the exploration of the Gulf of I'aria, and the establishing of pearl fisheries on its coasts 307 CHAPTER XXXIII. ^85 ) San- !d far le pro- , hop- in the if San .gainst sire to treat small coast, ;gotia- ances, actmg of the • 299 INTRIGUES AGAINST COLUMBUS IN THE SPANISH COURT — APPOINTMENT OF BOBADILLA AS COMMISSIONER — HIS ARRIVAL AT SAN DOMINGO. [150O.] Representations at court by the enemies of Columbus undermine his reputation — A gang of disorderly ruf- fians who had been returned to Spain, create a scene in the Alhambra — The candid mind of Isabella begins to entertain doubts respecting the conduct of Columbus, but the jealous Ferdinand is convinced^- Resolve to send sorne person to investigate the condition of the colony — The arrival of the late followers of Roldan brings on the crisis — Amongst them are many slaves, several of whom were daughters of caciques seduced from their homes by these profligates — Some with children at their breasts — The sensi- bility of Isabella as a woman, and her dignity as quctn, are aroused — "What right has the Admiral to give away my vassr.is?" — She orders their immediate return — Character of Hobadilla — His arrival in San Domingo — Many who sought to secure his favor hasten on Loard — Makes proclamation of his letters patent — The culpability of the Admiral decided on beforehand — Don Diego refuses to obey his demands — Bobadilla causes another proclamation to be read appointing him governor — His demands for the pris- oners Guevara and Reguelme again being refused, he assembles a mob, breaks open the door of the ])rison, and carries them off — Takes up his residence in the house of Columbus, seizes upon his papers and private effects 318 CHAPTER XXXIV. COLUMBUS ARRESTED AND SENT TO SPAIN. [15OO.] Columbus receives tidings of Bobadilla's high-handed proceedings — Imagines them to be the mere assump- tions of an adventurer — Sends him conciliatory letters — Is undeceived by the royal letters of credence, and summons to appear before Bobadilla — Makes no further hesitation to obey, and departs alone, almost unattended, to .San Domingo — Bobadilla arrests and confines Don Diego on board of a caravel, and upon the arrival of the Admiral orders him put in irons and confined in the fortress — This outrage seems to shock even his enemies — His own ungrateful servant volunteers to put on the fetters -Reflections of Columbus — Writes a letter to the Adelantado advising him to submit — Upon the latter's arrival he is also put in irons, confined and separated from his brothers — All three kept in total ignorance of the crimes with which they are charged — Accusations against Columbus furnished by the late rebels — Guevara and Reguelme acquitted and discharged without trial — Bobadilla makes preparations to send his jMisoners to Spain — Alonzo de Villejo commissioned to deliver them, upon arrival at Cadiz, to the Bishop For::?ca— Pathetic incident at the time of removal from prison — Amidst the scoffs and shouts of the rabble he is led aboard the caravel, shackled like the vilest criminal — The worthy Villejo, as well as Andreas Martin, deeply grieved at the sight of the Admiral in chains, beg him to permit them to remove them — " No," he XXVlll CONTKNTvS, W Hi says proudly, " 1 will wear ihcm until their Majesties shall order them to he taken otf ; all Spain shall see the indignity heaped upon me " 325 CHAPTER XXXV. ARRIVAL OK COLUMBUS IN .Sl'AIN — HIS INTKRVIKW WITH IHI". SOVERKIGNS — APPOINTMENT OF OVANUO I'O IHK (JOVKRNMKNT OK HISPANIOI.A. [1500.] His arrival in Cadiz loadem entering, returns, satisfied that an attack is about to be made — The Adelantado conceives a counterplot — Violent struggle between Don Bartholomew and '; ibian — Hattle with the Indians — The cacique is overpowered and conveyed to the boat of Juan Sanchez — The wily Indian succeeds in making his escape 353 CHAPTER XXXIX. DISASTERS I'O THE SEITLEMEN T. [1503.] Columbus successfully clears the bar, leaving his brother behind — Furious for revenge, Quibian gathers a great number of warriors together and assails the settlement — Is repulsed — Death of Diego Tristan and massacre of all of his comjianions — Attemjit to abandon the place frustrated by the shallowness of the water on the bar — A safer place is chosen for the settlement, and bulwarks erected — Anxiety on board the Admiral's caravel caused by the non-return of Diego Tristan — The Indian prisoners at midnight break open the hatches and plunge boldly into the sea — Succeeds in establishing communication with his brother — The Spaniards on shore insist on the abandonment of the settlement for the present, and all enibark — Constant perturbations, sleepless anguish, acute maladies of the body, produce a partial delirium — Has a vision — His solemn belief that he is an instrument in the hands of Providence — Every- thing of value is brought on board, and Diego Mendez made captain of the caravel, lately commanded by the unfortunate Diego Tristan 36? VOYAGE TO JAMAICA CHAPTER XL. •TRANSACTIONS AT THAT ISLAND. [1503.] Attempts to make his way to Hayti — In the harbor of Puerto Hello is compelled to abandon one of the car- avels — Is carried out of his course by the currents, among the islands on the south side of Cuba — A violent storm disables his ships severely, and ho seeks a secure |)ort on the island of Jamaica — Me runs the caravels aground, fastens them together, and erects on their water-loggeil hulks temporary cabins — Friendly intercourse with the Indians — Diego Mendez sallies forth to procure canots, and makes ar- rangements with the caciques at a distance to furnish food— The venerable Admiral unbosoms himself to Mendez, tells him of his fears and plans — " Senor, I have but one life to lose, yet I am willing to venture it in your service" — Preparations for crossing the open ocean in an Indian canoe — Letter to XXX CONTENTS. Governor Ovando imploring help — Diego Mendez with a Spanish comrade and six Indians, start on their perilous journey — Are captured by Indians, but Mendez effects his escape— Returns alone after 15 days' absence — Nothing daunted, a second attempt is made, and accompanied by the Adelantado on shore, the two canoes, of which the expedition now consists, launch forth on the broad bosom of the sea ..................'.. 366 CHAPTER XLI. MUTINY OF PORRAS — ECLIPSE OF THE MOON — STRATAGEM OF COLUMHUS TO PROCURE SUPPLIES FROM THE INDIANS. [1503.] Months elapse and fears are entertained that the messengers have perished — By insidious suggestions, two vain and insolent officers, Porras by name, prepare the shipwrecked crew to revolt — They are opposed by the Adelantado — Departure of Porras with most of the crew in ten canoes — Their attempt to cross the open sea unsuccessful — Licentious conduct of the rebels on the island — The Indians become negligent in the supply of food for the crew of Columbus — The horrors of a famine threaten — Aware that within three days the moon will be totally eclipsed, Columbus informs the caciques "that their great Deity is incensed against them, and will hereafter hide his face from them " — When they behold the black shadow steal over the moon consternation seizes them — They bring provisions, and implore his inter- cession with the god 373 4 \f'. 1/!^ Mi i CHAPTER XLH. ARRIVAL OF DIEGO DE ESCOBAR AT THE HARBOR — BATTLE WITH THE REBELS. [1SO4.] * Anotrer conspiracy is about to break out when a caravel heaves in sight— Peculiar and mysterious conduct ov'its commander, Diego de Escobar — He disappears after receiving letters from the Admiral addressed to Ovando — The Admiral makes o\ ertures to the rebels — Insolent demands of Porras — Marches his adherents toward the harbor to seize the stores and get the Admiral info his power — Is met by the Adel- antado and his hardy sailors — They vanquish and take him prisoner — His followers next day sue for pardon 379 CHAPTER XLHI. VOYAGE OF DIEGO MENDEZ TO HISPANIOLA — DELIVERANCE OF COLUMBUS FROM THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA. [1504.] The burning rays of the sun sorely try the endurance of the Indian boatmen the first day out — Exces- sively fatigued, a lack of water adds to their distress — The torments of thirst increase their misery, and is only partially allayed by the few mouthfuls of water handed them by their Spanish companions — The night again closes upon them without any sight of land — One Indian dies, others are laying panting at the bottom of the boat — When the moon rises Mendez perceives it to emerge from behind a dark mass — It is the island of Navassa, and his expiring companions are aroused to new life — He remains all day on the barren rock ; sets off in the evening, and safely reaches Cape Tiburon, in Jamaica, on the following day — Mendez parts with his companions, and starts for San Domingo in a canoe — Hears of the absence of the governor from that city and proceeds alone, and on foot, through forests and mountains to Xara- gua — The governor expresses great concern for the fate of Columbus, but delays succor — Mendez ob- tains permission to go to San Domingo and obtain a caravel — Sets out on his toilsome journey on foot, and after unheard of hardships reaches the.place — Procures the caravel and Columbus, after a long year of dismal confinement to the wreck, embarks for Hayti with friends and foes — The further fortunes of Mendez — Jealousy and distrust make the sojourn of Columbus there galling and annoying . . . 383 CHAPTER XLIV. AFFAIRS AT HISPANIOLA DURING THE ADMINISTRATION OF OVANDO — RETURN OF COLUMBUS TO SPAIN. [1504.] Ovando's crowds of adventurers swarm to the mines — Their labor gave them a keen appetite and quick di- gestion, but no gold — Some waste away, others die broken-hearted, or arc hurried off by raging 1 366 379 i CONTENTS. XXXI -> fevers — Ovando changes his Indian policy — Under cover of hiring the labor of the natives, intolerable toil is exacted from them — Many kill themselves in despair ; mothers overcome the powerful instinct of nature, and destroy the infants at their breasts — Some sink down by the side of a brook or 'inder the shade of a tree, worn down by incessant toil and hardsliip — His troops ravage the country with fire and sword, and ])ut many to death with the most wanton, ingenious, and horrible torture — Cruel butchery of 8o caciques — Anacaona carried off to San Domingo and barbarously hanged — " The five great tribes which had peopled the island have perished," writes Columbus to the sovereigns — His own affairs in bad order — He embarks for Spain 390 CHAPTER XLV. FRUITLESS APPLICATION OF COLUMBUS TO HE REINSTATED IN HIS GOVERNMENT — HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. [1504.] His residence in Seville — The world thinks him rich, while he is suffering pecuniary want — Lives by bor- rowing — His infirmities prevent him from going to court — His letters unregarded — Asks Diego Mendez to counteract the falsehoods of Porras, who has influential friends near the throne — The intrigues of his enemies prevail — Sickness of Isabella — Pines in state; an incurable melancholy settles upon her — Her death, dying command, and will — Tribute of Columbus to her memory — Her death a fiital blow to his fortunes — Employs the Adelantado and Amerigo Vespucci in his missions at court — Columbus ar- rives at Segovia — Cold reception by the calculating Ferdinand — Humiliating solicitation to obtain the restitution of his high offices — Is referred to a tribunal — Sickness of Columbus — Last appeal to the king — Addresses the Archbishop of Seville — Arrival of King Philip and Juana from Flanders — The sanguine and unconquerable spirit of Columbus speaks from his dying bed with all the confidence of youth — He arranges his earthly affairs, makes his last will and testament, and with " Into thy hands, O Lord, 1 commend my spirit," breathes his last on the 20th of May, 1506, in the city of V'alladolid . 397 CHAPTER XLVL OBSEQUIES OF COLUMBUS. The body of Columbus deposited in the convent of S. Francisco in Valladolid — His remains transported, in 1 513, to the Carthusian convent of Las Cucvas, at Seville — Removal of same to San Domingo in 1536 and interment aside the grand altar of the cathedral, thence to Havana in 1795 — Supposed to be still lying in San Domingo , 408 CHAPTER XLVH. OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHARACTER OF COLUMBUS. . 4" Book II. — The Conquest of Mexico. • 383 CHAPTER XLVHL THE CONQUEST AND SETTLEMENT OF THE ISLAND OF CUBA. [15II.] The rigorous treatment of the Spaniards having nearly extirpated the Indian race from Hayti, Diego Co- lumbus proposes to conquer the island of Cuba, and gives the command of the invading army to Don Diego Velasquez — Unwarlike character of the natives — The only obstruction the Spaniards meet with, is from the cacique Hatuey — His feeble troops soon dispersed and himself taken prisoner — The Span- iards condemn him to the stake — A Franciscan friar labors to convert him, and promises him immedi- ate admittance to the joys of heaven — " Are there any Spaniards there ?" inquires the burning cacique, "if so, 1 will not go to a place where I may meet with one of the accursed race" — This dreadful exam- ple of vengeance strikes terror into the people of Cuba, and they tamely submit to the yoke — Cuba becomes one of the most flourishing settlements — The spirit of adventure and discovery breaks out anew — An expedition is fitted out under the command of Francisco Hernandez Cordova, and sails from the harbor of St. Jago de Cuba, on the 8th of February, 1517 — Twenty-one days out, they see land, which ■■ k XXXll CONTENTS. proves to be Cape tatoche on the peninsula of Yucatan— They land, and are astonished to see the high state of civilization of the people — Houses of stone greet the eyes of the discoverers for the first time in the New World— The natives more artful and warlike than the inhabitants elsewhere- The cacique, pre- tending to act friendly, draws them into an ambush, but the Indians, struck witii terror by the sudden explosion of fire-arms, fly precipitately — Cordova continues his course in a westerly direction, surprised not to observe any river — On the sixteenth day out they come to the mouth of the river at Potonch.in, and land to refill their water-casks — The Spaniards are suddenly attacked, 47 of them being killed — They retreat to their ships, unable to procure water, and many of them die on the passage to Cuba, suffering exquisite distress for want of water ; among them Cordova 421 CHAPTER XLIX. VOYAGE OF JUAN DE GRIJALVA — DISCOVERY OF NEW SPAIN THE MODERN MEXICO. [1518.] Velasquez, solicitous to distinguish himself, fits out four ships for a second expedition, notwithstanding the disastrous conclusion of the first —Gives the command over same to Juan de Grijalva, with instructions to barter for gold, and if circumstances are inviting to settle a colony — Sails from St. Jago de Cuba on the 8th of April, 1518, but is carried by the violence of the currents to the south, and lands on the island of Cozumel, east of Yucatan — Makes but a short stay there, and prompted by the desire to avenge his slain countrymen, repairs to Potonchan — Disembarks all the troops, and some field-i^ieces, but the Indians fight with such courage, that the Spaniards gain the victory only with difficulty — He le.aes the neighbor- hood and coasts along the shore towards the west — Beholds, with a mixture of surprise and wonder, houses which appear white and lofty — In the warmth of his admiration he calls the country New Spain — Lands in a river called by the natives Tabasco, and is amicably received by the cacique of Ciuaxaca — The latter bestows valuable presents, and thus confirms the ideas the Spaniards formed of the wealth of the country — They obtain 15,000 pesos worth of gold in liarter for their baubles — Two prisoners from Yucatan, which they have on board, and who acted as interpreters until now, fail to make themselves understood — Hear of Montezuma — They proceed further west and land at the " Isle of Sacrifices," where they behold, for the first time, the horrid spectacle of human victims — Grijalva touches at the island of St. Juan de Ulloa, and dispatches Pedro de Alvarado to Velasquez with a full account of his important discoveries— He continues his voyage of discovery, anti though importuned to plant a colony, the scheme appears to him too perilous — He returns to St. Jago de Cuba — Velasquez sends 'he news to Spain, jealous and distrustful of Grijalva, prepares a powerful armament before his arrival 427 CHAPTER L. AP"OINTMENT OF CORTES AS COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION — VELASQUEZ liECOMES JEALOUS OF HIM AND ENDEAVORS TO DEPRIVE HIM OF THE COMMAND. [1518.] Grijalva returns to Cuba, and finds the new armament almost complete — Velasquez himself unfitted to lead the expedition, is solicitous to choose a commander of intrepid resolution, and of superioi- abilities — Diffi- culties encountered — The royal treasurer, and his own secretary recommend with assiduity and address, Fernando Cortes — Character and biography of the man — Originally destined for the law — Is sent to the University of Salamanca— Is disgusted with an academic life, gi\es himself to active sports and martial exercises — His father sends him abroad as an adventurer in arms — Lands in San Domingo and is em- ployed by Governor Ovando in several lucrative and honor.able stations — Accompanies Velasquez to Cuba — Distinguishes himself in his service, and receives an ample concession of land as recom- pense — He settles into a habit of regular indefatigable activity — Receives his appointment with warm- est expressions of respect and gratitude to the governor — Mortgages his lands to raise additional means, and exerts his influence in persuading his friends to engage in the service — His disappointed competitors represent him as already aiming at establishing an independent authority over his troops — The insinu- ations make such an impression upon the suspicious mind of Velasquez, that Cortes is advised by his friends to hasten his embarkation — Velasquez takes leave of him with an appearance of perfect friend- ship, though secretly he gives the expedition in charge of some of Cortes' officers — Arrives at Trinidad on the same side of the island to receive additional military stores and provisions, and is there overtaken by orders depriving him of his command — He soothes or intimidates the officer who is charged with their execution, and proceeds to Havana — Velasquez sends peremptory injunctions to his lieutenant .^fim CONTENTS. XXXlll there, to arrest him, and prevent the fleet from departing — Before his messenger arrives, Cortes, warned by a Franciscan monk, disposes of Diego de Ordaz, and informs his troops of the intentions of Velasquez — They entrc-^t him not to abandon his important station, and he hastens the departure of his fleet of II vessels, with 617 men aboard, besides 16 horses, 10 small field pieces, and 4 falconets . . 43J 431 427 lal ■11- lez In- CHAPTER LI. DEPARTURE FROM CUliA AND LANDING AT TABASCO — FIRST INTERVIEW WITH THE MEXICANS AND NEGOTIATIONS WITH MONTEZUMA. [1519] Religious enthusiasm always mingles with the spirit of adventure in the New World — Cortes displays a large cross on his standards inscribed "Let us follow the cross, for under this sign we shall con- quer " — On landing at the island of Cozumel has the good fortune to redeem Jerome de Aguilar, a prisoner to the natives for eight years, and who perfectly understands their language — Finds the disposition of inhabitants of Tabasco entirely changed and hostile to him — Is obliged to have recourse to force — The Indians being entirely routed in a pitched battle sue for peace, offering cotton garments, gold, twenty female slaves, and acknowledge the king of Castile as their sovereign — Continues his course westward, and is addressed in the harbor of St. Juan de Ulloa by two persons of distinction, who come aboard his ship — Aguilar unaTjle to understand their language — His perplexity — One of the female slaves received at Taljasco perceives his distress, and able to speak the Mexican as well as the Yucatan language, becomes of extraordinary service to Cortes — She is known afterwards as Dofia Ma- rina — Learns that the dignitaries are deputies of Teutile and Pilpatoe, governors of this province of Montezuma's, and instructed by the Emperor to offer him what assistance he might need in order to con- tinue his voyage — He informs them that he comes to propose matters of great importance to the prince and his kingdom— Lands all his troops, horses, and artdlcry next morning, and erects a fortified camp, assisted in that operation by the willing hands of the natives — Receives Teutile and Pilpatoe next day with much formal ceremony — Informs them that the king of Castile, the greatest monarch of the East, has intrusted him with propositi(jns of such moment to their emperor, to whom he is ordered to impart them in person, that should require them" to conduct him without loss of time into his presence — They attempt to dissuade him from insisting on his demand, and endeavor to conciliate his good will with rich presents — The display of these riches increases the avidity of the Spaniards — Mexican paint- ers are diligently employed during this interview in delineating upon cotton fabrics the Spanish camp — He learns the object of these representations, and orders the trumpets to sound an alarm — Gives such an exhibition of the extraordinary prowess of his followers, that the Mexicans are awe-struck — At the explosion of the cannon many fly, others fall to the ground, and Cortes finds it difficult to compose and reassure them — The picture-writings, with a present from Cortes, are immediately dispatched to Monte- zuma, and an answer brought back within a few days — To soothe and mollify Cortes, they accompany it with presents, carried by 100 natives — They inform him that their master would not grant his request, and desires him to quit his dominions — Cortes declares in a manner more resolute and peremptory than formerly, that he insists on his first demand, and the Mexicans prevail with him to allow them a few additional days, without moving from his camp, during which time they intend to get further instructions — State of the Mexican empire at that period 440 CHAPTER LIL MONTEZUMAS PKRPI.EXITY AND TERROR UPON THE ARRIVAL OF THE SPANIARDS CORTES ESTABLISHES A CIVIL GOVERNMENT AND IS CHOSEN CHIEF JUSTICE AND CAPTAIN GENERAL. Character of Montezuma — Haughty, violent, and impatient of control — Cioverns wiih unexampled rigor — His talents inadequate to a conjuncture so extraordinary as the invasion of Mexico by Cortes — P'rom the moment of their landing shows symptoms of timidity and embarrassment — A general belief of some droadful calamity which is about to come to pass augments his fears and forebodings— The calamity to come in the shape of formidable invaders from an eastern unknown race, and generally believed by all his supersti lus and credulous subjects — Montezuma's rage, natural to a fierce prince, when he finds the Spaniards disregarding his orders to leave the country — His counselors advise him to issue more positive I XXXIV CONTENTS. and stringent orders to Cortes, and preposterously accompany it with a present of great value — Anxiety of the Spaniards pending; these negotiations — Tiie more timid amongst them rontiMid that it would lie an act of wildest frenzy to attack such a well regulateil, powerful empire— Cortes, by various acts of gener- osity, liberality, and intrigues, secures the esteem and affection of his army, and the approval of his plans of campaign against the Aztec empire — Teutile arrives, during the progress of these intrigues, with pres- ents and the ultimatum of Montezuma — Cortes maintains his former position, anil Teutile quits the camp with looks and gestures which strongly express his surprise and resentment — Friendly intercourse ceases — The adherents of Velasquez, emboldened by the sudden consternation which befalls everybody in the camp, not only murmur and cabal against Cortes, but commission Diego de Drdaz to him with the request to return to Cuba for reinforcements — He ])retends to acquiesce, and issues his order for an immediate return — The disappointed part of his adventurers exclaim and threaten against it, considering it unworthy of Castilian courage, and, if persisted in, will choose another commander — Cortes, secretly pleased with their ardor, takes no offense at the boldness of their utterances — His consummate skill in carrying out his designs — Addresses the army, promises to resimie with fresh ardor his original plan of operation, and is greeted with enthusiastic shouts of applause — Establishes a form of civil government, and claims before the court thus established that, his commission from V^clasqtiez having been revoked, the lawfidness of his jurisdiction might well be questioned — He resigns all authority to them as representative of the Span- ish monarch ; and though accustomed to command, had not forgotten to obey — His resignation is accepted — After a short deliberation the council, who were in reality his confidants, inform him that as his conduct afforded them the most satisfying e\idence of his ability to command, they have elected him chief justice of the colony and captain-general of the army by their imanimous suffrage — The soldiers with eager applause ratify their choice, and the air resounds with the name of Cortes . . . . . 45° CHAPTER LIII. CORTES ASCERTAINS THAT THE YOKE OV AZTEC CONKKDERACY IS BORNE UNWILLIN<;i.Y BY MANY TOWNS AND DISTRICTS — HIS MARCH TO CEMl'OALA AND TREATY WITH THE CACIQUE — DESTRUCTION OF THE EI.EET. Cortes assumes greater dignity, and exercises more extensive power, now that he acts as representative of the sovereign — The adherents of Velasquez exclaim oper^ly aer to be cut in the mountains to build new l}ri^antincs with on I^ke Tenochtitlan— Disfiatches four ships to Jamaica to recruit volunteers, and buy contrab.ind of war — An obstacle arises in a quarter from where he least expects it — Mutinous spirit of the troops — Means employed by him to revive their contklencc — 'I'hat the malcontents mi^jht have no leisure to brood over their disaffection, he calls forth h's troops into action, and personally taking; the lead, chastises the Tefjeacans for outra^'es commillcd i)y them — Durinj; several months, while waiting; for reinforcements, keeps his troops con- stantly employed — Strcn^jthened by several new arrivals from Cul)a, Jamaica and Spain, whom he seduces from the masters they wert' bound to serve, he dismisses such of Narvaez' soldiers as remain with reluctance, and advances at the head of lo.ocx) TIascalans, 550 infantry, forty horserm, and nine field-pieces, towards Mexico S4« 527 CHAl'TKR I, XI. I'RKI'ARATIONS OK THE MEXICANS FOR THKIR DEKKNCK — CORTES' SLOW AND CAUTIOUS OPERA- TIONS IN INVI'.STINC; THE CITY — LAUNCH OF THE IIRIOANI INKS— CUATEMOTZIN'S HEROIC DEFENCE OK THE PALLADIUM OF THE EMPIRE. Quctlavaca, brother of Montezuma, elected emperor — He repairs what the Spaniards have ruined in the city, and strengthens it with new fortifications — Fills the magazines with provisions and weapons of war — Summons his subjects everywhere to take up arms against the .Spaniards, offering in return exemption from all taxes — Endeavors to persuade the TIascalans to renounce all connectiims with them — Sudden death of (juetlavaca, and ascension of young (luatemotzin, a true hero; to the throne of the Monte- zumas — Cortes forces his way through to the city of Tezcuco, 20 miles from the capital — Deposes the cacique, anil substitutes in his place a person whom a faction of nobl*..-, pointed out as the real heir to that dignity — Hegms the tedious work of constructing the brigantines, while a part of his army reduce the neighboring towns to submisssion to the crown of Spain — Having observed symptoms of disaffec- tion among many of the neighlioring states with Mexican rule, he offers to deliver them from their odious dominion if they would unite with him — Ciradually acquires new allies, and circumscribes the Mexican powerin such manner, that his prospects for overturning it seem neither uncertain nor remote — A conspiracy to assassinate him is discovered, and the ringleader summarily hanged — His artful decla- ration of his ignorance who the conspirators are, restores trantpiillity —Orders a body of Spaniards to conduct the material for the building of the brigantines, to rejiair to Tlascala — Sandoval's successful ac- complishment of this singular and important mission — Receives new reinforcements from Hispaniola — Digs a canal two miles long to facilitate the launching of the brigantines, and with extraordinary mili- tary pomp, and the < elebration of the most sacred rites of religion, successfully launches them — Dis- positions of his army for the siege — Alvarado breaks down the aqueduct which conveys fresh water to the city of Mexico — Mexicans attack the brigantines, but are signally repulsed, leaving Cortes master of the lake — Singular plan of conducting the siege — On land, on water, by night and by day, one furi- ous conflict succeeds another, nearly all ready to sink under the toils of unintermitting service — Cortes endeavors to take the city by storm — The Spaniards push forward with irresistible impetuosity ; break through one barricade after another; force their way over ditches and canals, and enter the city — Tiuatemotzin, discerning the conseciuence of an error Cortes cominits, orders the great drum consecrated to the god of war to sound, and the Spaniards find themselves surrounded on all sides — Cortes manages to extricate himself with a loss of about 60 men, but what renders the disaster more afflicting, 40 of these fall alive into the hands of an enemy never known to show mercy to a captive — New schemes and effoVts of the Mexicans — Cortes deserted by many of his Indian allies ...... ^i CHAPTER LXII. CORTES ADOPTS A NEW SYSTEM OF ATTACK — COURAGE AND CONSTANCY OF THE NOHLE GUATEMOTZIN — THE SURRENDER OF THE CITY — NEW SCHEMES OF DISCOVERY FORMED BY CORTES — THE DISCOVERIES OF FERDINAND MAGELLAN. The oracles of the Mexican priests failing to turn out true, reassures the allies of Cortes , and he regains their support — He pushes his way forward over the causeway, which his Indian allies repair, and razes I xl CONTKNTS. every building within the territory occupied by him, to the groiind — The Mexicans forced to retire as their enemies jjain entry ; are hemmed in witliin narrow liniits-The lirit^'antincs prevent any supplies of food or water to be conveyed to the besic^;e(l, and tiic coiir." ,'eous ( iuatemoi/in's stores are exhausted — With obstinate resohition he defends every incii of j^round, and tiiou(,di iiis people are suffering; from infectious and mortal (hstcmpers, added to the horrors of a famine, his spirit remains lirm and unsub- dued — Rejects every overture of |)eace with scorn, disdainin^J to sui)mit to tiie oppressors of his coun- try — The Spaniards continue to advance, and at last all tiiree divisions meet in tlie jjreat sipiare — The Mexican nobles prevail on (niatemotnin to retire from a place where resistance is in vain, and he per- mits himself to be taken into a canoe, accompanied by the empress, to be rowed across the lake — Sandoval succeeds in overtaking; him and brinj^s the emperor before Cortes — " I have done what l)ecame a monarch, nothing now remains but to die; take this tla^jjjer," pointing to one which Cortes wears, " plant it in my breast and put an end to a life which can no longer be of use " — The fate of the daunt- less emperor becoming known, the city surrenders — The fall of the empire due to internal causes, and not to the merit and ability of Cortes alone — The victors (ind but Irtllc treasure, and suspuct it to liave been buried by order of (aiatemotzin ; Cortes orders the unhappy monarch ])Ut to the torture, to;;ether with his chief favorite — The latter, overcome by the violence of the anguish, implores (luatemot/in's permission to reveal all he knows — "Am I now reposing on a bed of flowers?" answers tlie emperor; the favorite preserves a dutiful silence, and exjiires — Cortes ashamed, rescues the royal victim, pro- longing a life reserved for new indignities and sufferings — All the provinces of the empire submit — Cortes forms new schemes of discovery, which are anticipated and completed by Magellan . 564 CHAFFER LXIII. AN ORDER TO SUPK-RSKDE CORTKS, WUKU UK Kl.UDKS, ARRIVES FROM SPAIN — UK DISPATCHES DEPUTIKS, WHO SUCXKKD IN HAVINd HIM APPOINIED C:AI'TAIN-(;KNKR Al. AND (JOV- ERNOR OK NEW SPAIN — INSUKRKCTION OK TIIK MEXICANS POVERTY OK THE CONQUERORS — CORTES RETURNS K) SPAIN, KORMS NKW SCHEMES OK DISCOvi.RV HIS DEATH. bishop Fonseca declares Cortes an usurper, and appoints Chrisloval de Tapia to supersede him —He lands at Vera Cruz — Neither his talents nor his reputation suited for the high command to whi h he is a[)- poiiited — Cortes succeeds in defeating the effect of his commission, and Tapia abandons the province — Cortes sends a deputation with rich presents to the emperor — They succeed by representing his achieve- ments in the most glorious colors, and backeil by public sentnnent in having his actions approved, and Charles V., adopting the sentiments of his subjects with youthful ardor, appoints him Captain-deneral and Ciovernor — Cortes rebuilds Mexico, employs skillful persons to hunt for mines, detaches his \mn- cipal officers to remote provinces, inducing them to settle there, and granting them large tracts of land, and dominion over the Indians — They violate every right thai is held sacred Iiy hostile nations, and the Indians rebel — Ignominious and excruciating modes of execution, which the insolence or the cruelty of the concpieror can devise, soon reduce them to submission — On slight suspicion that (luatemotzin has formed a scheme to shake off their yoke, without the formality of a trial, he is ordered hanged in company with two persons of greatest eminence in the em|)ire — The washing r)f e.irlh which carries the prei ious golden grains the first object of industry among the conquerors — The commissioners appointed to re- ceive and administer the royal revenue, represent Cortes as an andiilious tyrant, as|)iring to inde|)end- once, and likely to succeed by reason of his enormous wealth anil intluence — I'innindl'ul of his services, Charles appoints the licentiate I'once de Leon with the commission to seize his person, and send him prisoner to Spain — The commissioner dies a few days after his arrival, and though a new commission of inijuiry is issued, Cortes decides not to await their arrival, and repairs to Spain — Cortes appears in his native country with the splendor suiiing i le conqueror of a mighty kingdom — Received by Charles with highest marks of distinction and respect — Charles, though, too sagacious to entrust the man whoni he had once sus|)icioned with powers which might be impossible to control— Cortes returns to Mexico with diminished authority — The division of power engeiulers perpetual dissensions, and Cortes forms new schemes of discovery — Kits out various unsuccessful expeditions — Takes th(! command of a new armament in person, and aftei enduring incredible hardships, discovers the peninsula of California — Disgusted with ill-success, he once more seeks for redress in his native country — The empetor behaves CONTKNTS. Xli to him with cold civility, his jjricvanccs receive no redress, and after spending,' several years in irksome and fruitless applications, Cortes ends his days on the ?.d of December, 1547, admired by succeeding ajjes 579 Book III. — Thk Conquest of Pi;ru. chafikr 1-xiv. 564 inds ap- ■ve- iiid L-ral rin- nd. tiie ty of li.is Liny iiins re- jnd- ices, him ision his \rles horn !xico )rms new lia — aves VASCO NUf5KZ DK IIAMIOA DISCOVERS THK SOUTH SEA — KECEIVKS INFORMATION CONCERNING A MOKE Ol'UI.ENT COUNTKV — DISSENSIONS liETWEEN PEDRAKIAS AND HAI.IIOA END IN THE PUni.lC EXECUTION OF A MAN UNIVERSALLY IIEI.OVEl). Ferdinand erects two jjovernments on the continent of America extcnilinj; from Cape dc Vela to Cape (Iracios a Dios — Nicuessa jjiven the latter, Ojeda the former — A feeble remnant of colonists at Santa Maria el Antij,'ua (jlaced under the command ot ISalljoa, who raise him by tiirir voluntary suffrage to the dignity of governor — Kxtremely ilesirous to obtain from the crown a conlirmation of his election, aims at i)erf()rming some signal service — A young cacique offers to take him to a country, where the meanest vessels are made of gold — Informed of the existence of another ocean, and com bides it to be the one Columbus had searched for in vain — Makes |)re])arations to gather re-inforcemenls, ami courts tlu' IVientlship of neighboring caciques — Description of the Isthmus of Darien — Starts out at the head of 190 hardy veterans, and is retarded by the nature of the territory, and the disposition of its inhabi- tants — lias innumerable encounters with ihem, suffers from the scarcity of |)rovisi(uis, the ravages of ench colonies — Causes of the Revolution — The Stamp Act — The duty on tea — Tlie Boston Tea Party — First Continental Congress — Battle of Lexington — Battle of Bunker Hill — The Declaration of Independence— Battle of Long Island— Capture of Philadelphia— Surrender of Burgoyne— Battle of Monmouth — Treaty with France — Exploits of Paul Jones — Treason of Benedict Arnold — Surrender of Cornwallis — Treaty of Peace — Distress of the colonies — Framing of the Constitution— Organization of the Northwestern Territory — Inauguration of Washington — Washington's Cabinet — Washington's second term — Republicans and Federalists — Election of John Adams — The war with France — Death of Washington — Election of Jefferson — The Louisiana purchase — The war with Tripoli — The Death of Hamilton — Re-election of Jefferson — The right of search — Election of Madison — Battle of Tippe- canoe — The War of 1812 — Surrender of Detroit — Battle of Queenstown — Successes at sea — Re-election H xlviii CONTENTS. 1 ', I of Madison — Battle of Lake Erie — The Creek War — Sea fights of 1813 — Battle of Chippewa — Battle of Lundy's Lane — Battle of IMattsburg — Battle of Bladcnsburj^ — Burning of the Capitol — Battle of New Orleans — Treaty of (ihent — Hartford Convention — Decatur at Algiers — Election of Monroe — Capture of Pensacola — Purchase of Florida — The Missouri Compromise — The Tariff Question — The Monroe Doc- trine — Election of John Quincy Adams — Death of Jefferson nnd John Adams — Election of Jackson — The Bank of the United States — Nullification in South Carolina — The Black Hawk War — Re-election of Jackson — The Seminole War — Admission of Arkansas and Michigan — Election of Van Buren — The Rebellion in Canada — Capture of Osceola — Election and death of Wm. H. Harrison — Succession of Tyler — Resignation of Tyler's Cabinet — The Ashburton Treaty — Dorr's Rebellion — The Mormons — Texan Independence — Admission of Texas — Campaign of 1844 — Election of I'olk — Invention of the telegraph — The Oregon Question — Beginning of the Mexican War — Battle of Palo Alto — Capture of Monterey — Conquest of California — Battle of Bracito — Battle of Buena Vista — Capture of \'era Cruz — Battle of Cerro Gordo — Battle of Churubusco — Capture of Chapultepec — Capture of the City of Mexico — Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo — Discovery of Gold — Campaign of 1848 — Election of Taylor — The California Question — The Omnibus Bill — Death of President Taylor — The Fisheries Question — Cam- paign of 1852 — Election of Pierce — Death of Clay and Webster — Perry's Expedition to Japan — The Kansas-Nebraska Bill — Campaign of 1856 — Election of Buchanan — The Mormon Rebellion — Admis- sion of Minnesota and Oregon — John Brown's Raid — Campaign of i860 — Election of Lincoln — Secession of Southern States — Formation of the Confederacy — Admission of Kansas — Career of Lin- coln — Lincoln's Inauguration — Fall of Fort Sumter — Secession of Virginia — Riot in Baltimore — Battle of Bull Run, or Manassas — Battles in Western Virginia — Kentucky and Missouri — Battles of Belmont and Ball's Bluff — Blockade of Confederate Ports — The Trent Affair — Capture of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson — Battle of Shiloh — Capture of Island No. 10 — Invasion of Kentuck) — Battle of Perryville — Attack on Vicksburg — Battles of Chickasaw Bayou, Corinth, Stone River, and Pea River — Expedition against, and capture of New Orleans — Capture of Roanoke Island — The Monitor and Merrimac Duel — Capture of Fort Pulaski — The Peninsula Campaign — Battle of Seven Pines — The Seven Days' Battles — Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley — Battles of Cedar Mountain and Manassas — Lee's Invasion of Maryland — Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg — Emancipation Proclamation — Battle of Chancel- lorsville — Lees Invasion of Pennsylvania — Battle of Gettysburg — Capture of Arkansas Post — Grant at Vicksburg — Gricrson's Raid — Battle of Jackson — Capture of Vicksburg — Retreat of Johnston — Battles of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge — Capture of Galveston — Quantrell's Raid — Morgan's Raid — Expedition against Charleston — Admission of West Virginia — Draft Riots in New York — Siege of Knoxville — Sherman's Meridian Expedition — Forrest's Raid — Red River Expedition — Battle of Sabine Cross Roads — Grant as Commander-in-Chief — Battles of Resaca, Dallas, Lost Mountain, and Kenesaw — Siege of Atlanta — Battle of Nashville — Sherman's March to the Sea — Capture of Savannah — Battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg — Early's Raid — Battle of Monocacy — Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley — Battles of Winchester, Cedar Creek, and Olustee — Expedition against Mobile and Fort Fisher — Destruction of the Albemarle — Confederate Privateers — The Alabama. and her destruction — Re-election of Lincoln — Capture of Forts Fisher and Wilmington — Battle of Waynesboro — Capture of Columbia — Battles of Goldsboro and Five Forks — Capture of Petersburg and Richmond — Lee's Surrender at Appomattox — Capture of Raleigh — Assassination of Lincoln — John- ston's Surrender — Capture of Jefferson Davis — Succession of President Johnson — The Alabama Ques- tion — The Thirteenth Amendment — The National Debt — Reconstruction — The Archduke Maximilian in Mexico — The Atlantic Cable — Purchase of Alaska — Impeachment of President Johnson — Proclamation of Amnesty — Battle of the Wacheta — Election of Grant — The First Transcontinental Railroad — The Fifteenth /Xmendment — The Alabama Indemnity — The San Juan Arbitration — Re-election of Grant — Chicago and Boston Fires — The Financial Panic of 1873 — The Modoc War — Battle of the Little Big Horn — The Centennial Exposition — Presidential Election of 1876 — The Electoral Commission — The Strikes of 1P77 — Resumption of Specie Payments — Chinese Immigration — Yellow Fever on the Missis- sippi — The Fishery Commission — Election and Assassination of Garfield — Succession of Arthur — The Brooklyn Bridge — Revolutiot-ary Centenaries — Election of Cleveland — The Mills' Bill — Deaths of Grant, Sheridan, and Hendricks — Campaign of 1888 — Election of Harrison — Admission of six States — The McKinley Tariff Law — The Behring Sea Question — The New Orleans Affair — The Itata — Ultimatum to Chili — The Columbian Exposition in Chicago. I 741 |K 741 Book I. (49) I .L, £■ MAvtfU. ■s- ■ S. ^ s ■ X yyi / {Xpo abbreviation for XpttrTo? - main r.irt of fuhimbus's burnanie. Fkkens, tlic last part - carriur of Chrii»l.J FAC-SIMILE OF THE LAST LINE OF A ItTTER OF COLUMBUS, DATED GRANADA. FEB. fl. 150?. (" A los Reyes Cat6ii\os exfionicndo a/i^iniiis obsen-tuionrs sohtr t-l arte tie fia7Yt,'i'r.") PORTRAIT OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERED IN COMO, ITALY. Besides tlie valiu- it h.is as an aiitbunlic picture of thr ilUistriotis na\ i^-ator. it pus^c-'-i'-> tin- furtlu-r imiinrtancc of being the work of the painter I) el Pinnilio. It was considered as an tieirlooin of the faniilv, exliin t to tl.iy. uf ihe ( ilovios, and was in the pHssessi^-n nf p. ml ('.tuvjn, wh-. refers to it in his works, in nne nf whi o IT < X o X X ui u 10 in < UI to o tr oc 4 Z UJ I t- O UI IE UJ a z UJ cc o a. z < a UJ S Z o I < z UI X I- X o UJ o < a) cc < O X UI X 6o THK LIKp; AND VOYAGES with small means, supplying the deficiency of the latter by the resources of their own energy and invention. This is one of the remarkable features in the history of Columbus. In every under- taking, the scantiness and apparent insufficiency of his means enhance the grandeur of his achievements. Shortly after leaving the university, he entered into nautical life, and, according to his own account, began to navigate at four- teen years of age. A complete obscurity rests upon this part of his history. It is supposed he made his first voyages with one Colombo, a hardy captain of the seas, who had risen to some dis- tinction by his bravery, and who was a distant connection of hi.s- family. This veteran is occasionally mentioned in old chronicles; sometimes as commanding a squad- ron of his own, sometimes as being an admiral in the Genoese service. He appears to have been bold and adventurous, ready to fight in any cause, and to seek quarrel wherever it might lawfully be found. The seafaring life in those days was peculiarly full of hazard and enterprise. Even a commercial expedition resembled a warlike cruise, and the maritime merchant had often to fight his way from port to port. Piracy was almost legalized. The frequent feuds l)etween the Italian states ; the cruisings .,,,,,,, , ., , , ,,,. ,. of the Catalonians ; the armadas fitted out by Medal with t)iL- likciu-ss uf Alphonsc the Wise. kliiK ' J of Naples; c.ppcr, three. iuartcrs.,riKinal size, lUrlin. HoblemeU, wllO WCrC pCtty SOVCrcigUS lu Htist ill c:oat c)f mail, between crnwn and lieliiiel. ^ . . - . Si, perseripiiun, iiivvs. Ai.niossvs. kKx. above and iic- tlicir owu douiaius; tlic roviug sliips au d liiw thcdate; underneath, TKiVMi'HAiuK. lit. I'AciKicvs. < r ' i^ ^ l 1 j^i squadrons ot private adventurers ; and the holy wars waged with the Mohammedan powers, rendered the narrow seas, to which navigation was principally confined, scenes of the most hardy encounters nnd trying reverses. Such was the rugged school in which Columbus was reared', and such the rugged teacher that first broke him to naval discipline. The first voyage in which we hear any account of his being '»' engaged, was in a naval expedition fitted out at Genoa in 1459, b}' John of Anjou, Duke of Calabria, to make a descent upon Na- ples, in the hope of recovering that kingdom for his father, King Reinier or Renato, otherwise called Reuc, Count de Provence. la OK COI^UMBUS. 6l by the of the iinder- 111 cans lautical it four- part of ith one nie dis- of his- >ned in L sq n ad- ad mi rul to have fi^ht in rever it ays was- :erprise. iibled a erchant to port. rcquent uisinja^s out l)y rus in ])s and nd the vd the tiifined, Such uch the IS being pi i459» )on Na- k King lice, la Medal wiih ihc portrait of King Rent and liis wifo, Jiiliaiin.i dc l.aval. lii.Hiription, con- tOHDKS ANIMI. lAM. < HCO, CAKl'IMVK. KiNI. RT. IIKI A TK, (,HAVKS. I'.M. I.VSTHKS. IIIJI, KI.ORES.' OrJtjiiiul, royal nuiiiisinaticul cabinet, IScrlin. this enterprise the republic of Genoa aided with ships and money, and many private adventurers fitted out ships and galleys, and en- gaged under the banners of Anjou. Among the number was the hardy veteran Colombo, who had command of a squadron, and with him sailed his youthful rela- tion. The struggle of John of Anjou for the crown of Naples lasted about four years, with varied fortune, and much hard service. The naval part of the expedition distinguished itself by various acts of intrepidity, and when the un- fortunate duke was at length reduced to take re- fuge in the island of Iscliia, a handful of galleys loyally adhered to him, guarded the island, and scoured and controlled the whole bay of Naples. It is presumed that Columbus served on board of this squadron. That he must have distinguished himself in the course of the expedition, is evident, from his having been at one time appointed to a separate command, and sent on a daring enterprise to cut out a galley from the port of Tunis, in the course of which he exhibited great resolution and address. There is an interval of sev- eral years, during which we have but one or two shadowy traces of Columbus, who is sup- posed to have been principally engaged in the Mediterranean, and up the Levant, sometimes in voyages of commerce, some- times ill warlike contests be- tween the Italian states, some- times in pious and predatory expeditions against the Infi- deis, during which time he was Contemporary picture of a naval battle, in the background a seaport. Miniature in Croniques dc f ranee, daiigleterte, etc., par Sire Jchan l-'ruisisart ; I.ilirary of ilrcslaii. 62 THlv lAl'K AND VOYAGKS m ilili. i" rliii oftcti under the perilous coniniund of his okl fighting relation, the veteran Colombo. The last anecdote we have of this obscure part of his life is given by his son I'Vrnando. He says that his father sailed for some time with Colombo the younger, a famous corsair, nephew to the old admiral just mentioned, and apparently heir of his war- like i)ropensities and prowess, for Fernando affirms that he was so terrible for his deeds against the Infidels, that the Mcjorish moth- ers used to frighten their unruly children with his name. The bold rover waylaid four Venetian galleys, richly laden, on their return voyage from Flanders, and attacked them with his squadron on the Portuguese coast between Lisbon and Cape St. Vincent. The l)attle lasted from morning until evening, v^ith great carnage on both sides. The vessels grappled each other, and the crews fought hand to hand, and from shij) to ship, '^^he vessel commanded by Columbus was engaged with a huge Vene- tian galley. They threw hand grenades and other fiery missiles, and the galley was wrapt in flames. The vessels being fastened tcgether by chains and iron grapplings, could not be separated, and both became a mere l)lazing mass, involved in one conflagra- tion. The crews threw themselves into the sea. Columbus seized an oar which was floating near him, and being an expert swimmer, attained the shore, though full two leagues distant. It pleased God, adds his son Fernando, to give him strength, that he might preserve him for greater things. After recovering from his ex- haustion, he repaired to Lisbon, where he found many of his Geno- ese countrymen, and was induced to take up his residence. Such is the account given by Fernando of his father's first arrival in Portugal ; and it has been currently adopted by modern historians; but on examining various histories of the times, the battle here described appears to have happened several years after the date of the arrival of Columbus in that country. That he was engaged in the contest is not improbable; but he had previ- ously resided for some time in Portugal. In fact, on referring to the history of that kingdom, we shall find, in the great maritime enterprises in which it was at that time engaged, ample attractions for a person of his inclinations and pursuits; and we shall be led to conclude, that his first visit to Lisbon was not the fortuitous re- sult of a desperate adventure, but was undertaken in a spirit of liberal curiosity, and the pursuit of honorable fortune. n, the life is ed for cplicw is war- was so lUOlll- lack'ii, n with d Cape other, ). The e Veiie- uissiles, fastened parated, iiiflajj^ra- ,s seized viinmer, )leascd mi^ht lis ex- US (ieno- r's first modeni les, the Urs after That he \ previ- rring to laritime ractions 1 be led tons re- ■ipirit of S t- o z CO Ul (9 s UI Z S o z * I-' z u u lit a. < o u. o t- < o u Ul z s >• -J z ul z o >• I o ca z o in at O u CO 3 o z < u. ul X CHAPTER II. ■ t ■ ' 1 1 • I ■ PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY UNDER PRINCE HENRY OF PORTUGAL. RESIDENCE OF COLUMBUS IN PORTUGAL. IDEAS CONCERNING ISLANDS IN THE OCEAN. HE career of modern discovery had commenced shortly before the time of Columbus, and, at the period of which we are treating, was prosecuted with great activity by Portugal. The redis- ^^^aNn ^o^'^^y o^ ^^^ Canary Islands, in the fourteenth century, and the occasional voyages made to them, and to the oppo- site shores of Africa, had first turned the attention of mankind in that direction. ^.^ The grand impulse to discovery, how- cnO) ever, was given by Prince Henry of Por- -^c^^^>> tugal, son of John the First, surnamed ^-''^N^^ the Avenger, and Phillippa of Lan- •^ (j^ caster, sister of Henry the Fourth of En- gland. Having accompanied his father into Africa, in an expedition against the Moors, he received much information at Ceuta concerning the coast of Guinea, and other regions entirely unknown to Europeans ; and conceived an idea that important discoveries were to be made, by navigating along the western coast of Africa. On returning to Portugal, he pursued the vein of inquiry thus accidentally opened. Abandoning the court, he retired to a country retreat in the Algarves, near to Sagres, in the neighborhood of Cape St. Vincent, and in full view of the ocean. Here he drew round him men eminent in science, and gave himself up to those branches of study connected with the maritime arts. He made COAT OF ARMS OF PORTUGAL. (64) OF COLUMBUS. 65 >LUMBUI •y had ime of which d with e redis- in the :asional e oppo- ned the rection. y, how- of Por- niamed Lan- of En- father against ing the opeans ; made, ning to lentally retreat f Cape kV round those le made himself master of all the geographical knowledge of the ancients, and of the astronomical science of the Arabians of Spain. The result of his studies was a firm conviction that Africa was circum- navigable, and that it was possible, by keeping along its shores, to arrive at India; For a long time past, the opulent trade of Asia had been mo- nopolized b}' the Italians; who had their commercial establishments at Constantinople, and in the Black ?| Sea. Thither all the precious com- modities of the East were convej^ed by a circuitous and expensive internal route, to be thence distributed over P^uropc. The republics of Venice and Genoa had risen to power and opulence, in consequence of this nio- nopol}-; their merchants emulated the magnificence of princes, and held Europe, in a manner, tributary to their commerce. It was the grand idea of Prince Henry, b}' circum- navigating Africa, to open an easier and less expensive route to the source cf this commerce, to turn it suddenly into a new and simple channel, and to pour it out in a golden tide upon his country. He was before the age in thought, and had to struggle hard against the ignorance and prejudices of mankind in the prosecution of his design. Navigation was yet in its infancy; mariners feared to venture far from the coast, or out of sight of its landmarks; and they looked with awe at the vast and unknown expanse of the Atlantic; they cherished the old belief that the earth at the equator was girdled by a torrid zone, separating the hemispheres by a region of impassable heat ; and they had a super- stitious belief, that whoever doubled Cape Bojador would never return. Prince Henry called in the aid of science to dispel these er- PRINCE HENRY THE NAVIOATCR. After a miniature in the Chrpnica do liescobrimento e conquista tie Guin^^ in the Xational Library of Paris. PRINCE HENRV POfiTAL THE LIFE AND VOYAGES rors. He established a naval college and observatory at Sagres, and invited thither the most eminent professors of the nau- tical faculties. The effects of this establishment were soon apparent. A vast improvement took place in maps and charts; the compass was brought into more general use ; the Portu- guese marine became signalized for its hardy enterprises; Cape Bojador was doubled; the region of the tropics penetrated and divested of its fancied terrors ; the greater part of the African coast, from Cape Blanco to Cape de Verde, ex- plored, and the Cape de Verde and A/.ore Islands dis- covered. To secure the full enjoyment of these ter- ritories, Henry obtained a papal bull, investing the crown of Portugal with sovereign authority over all the lands it might discover in the Atlantic, to India in- clusive. Henry died on the 13th of November, 1473, before he had accomplished the great object of his ambition ; but he had lived long enough to behold, through his means, his native country in a grand career of prosperity. He has been well described, as " full of thoughts of lofty enterprise, and acts of generous spirit." He bore for his device the magnanimous motto, "the talent to do good," the only talent worthy the ambition of princes. The fame of the Portuguese discoveries drew the at- tention of the world, and the learned, the curious, and the adventurous, resorted to Lisbon to engage in the enter- prises continually fitting out. Among the rest, Columbus arrived there about the year 1470. He was at that time in the full vigor of manhood, and of an engaging presence ; and here it may not be improper to draw his portrait, ac- cording to the minute descriptions given of him by his contemporaries. He was tall, well-formed, and niuscular,^ and of an elevated and dignified demeanor. His visage was long, and neither full nor meager; his complexion fair and freckled, and inclined to ruddy; his nose aquiline, his cheek bones were rather high, his eyes light gray, and apt to enkindle; his whole counte- nance had an air of authority. His hair, in his youthful da3-s, was of a light color, but care and trouble soon turned it gray, and at thirty years of age it was quite white. He was moderate and THE NAVIGATOR. STATUE ON THE OF THE ClOISTEHOF BELEM. nfm I 1 ■•i¥l' OF COLUMBUS. 67 the at- and the enter- luiibus t time sence ; ait, ac- b}' his jscular,, long, d, and rather nnte- da3'S, ', and e and simple in diet and apparel, eloquent in discourse, engaging and affable with strangers, and of an aniiableness and suavity in do- mestic life, that strongly attached his household to his person. His temper was naturally irritable; but he subdued it by the magnanimity of his spirit, comporting himself with a courteous and gentle gravity, and never indulging in any intemperance of language. Throughout his life, he was noted for a strict attention to the offices of religion ; nor did his piety consist in mere forms, but partook of that lofty and solemn enthusiasm with which his whole character was strongly tinctured. While at Lisbon, he was accus- tomed to attend religious service at the chapel of the Convent of All Saints. Here he became acquainted with a lady of rank, named Dona Felipa, who resided in the convent. She was the daughter of Bartolomeo Monis de Palestrello, an Italian cava- lier, lately deceased, who had been one of the most distinguished navi- gators under Prince Henry, and had colonized and governed the island of Porto Santo. The acquaintance soon ripened into attachment, and ended in marriage. It appears to have been a match of mere affection, as the lady had little or no fortune. The newly-married couple re- sided with the mother of the bride. The latter, perceiving the interest which her son-in-law took in nautical affairs, used to relate to him all she knew of the voyages and expeditions of her late husband, and delivered to him all his charts, journals, and other manuscripts. By these means, Columbus became acquainted with the routes of the Portuguese, and their plans and ideas ; and, having by his marriage and residence become naturalized in Portugal, he sailed occasionally I in the expeditions to the coast of Guinea. When at home, he sup- ported his family by making maps and charts ; and though his means PORTRAIT OF COLUMBUS IN THE MARINE MUSEUM OF Coptf^il /rom the Boictin dt' ta Sociedad ^eogra/ica de MADRID. Madrid.— I.w. 68 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES h I were scanty, he appropriated a part to the education of his younger brothers, and the succor of his aged father at Genoa. From Lisbon he removed for a time to the recently discovered island of Porto Santo, vvhere his wife had inherited some property, and during his residence there she bore him a son, whom he named Diego. His wife's sister was married to Pedro Correo, a navigator of note, who had at one time been governor of Porto Santo. In the fa- miliar intercourse of domestic life, their conversation frequently turned upon the discoveries of the Atlantic islands, and the Af- rican coasts, upon the long-sought-for route to India, and upon the possibility of unknown lands existing in the west. It was a perijd of general excitement, with all who were connected with maritime life, or who resided i n the vicini- ty of the ocean. The recent dis- co veri e s had inflam- ed their im- aginations, and had filled them with ideas LISBON IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY, SEEN FROM THE RIVER TAOUS REDRAWN FROM AN OLD ENQRAVINQ, ?|- l! of other isl- ands of greater wealth and beauty, yet to be discovered in the bound- less wastes of the Atlantic. The opinions and fancies of the ancients were again put into circulation ; the islands of Antilla, and Plato's imaginary Atlantis, once more found firm believers ; and a thousand rumors were spread of unknown islands casually seen in the ocean, ^lany of these were mere fables ; many of them had their origin in the self-deception of voyagers, whose heated fancies beheld islands in those summer clouds which lie along the horizon, and often beguile the sailor with the idea of distant land. The most singular instance of this kind of self-deception, or rather of optical delusion, is that recorded of the inhabitants of the Canaries. They imagined that from time to time they beheld a vast island to the westward, with lofty mount- C'5* COLUMBUS. 69 lounger Lisbon if Porto during Diego, of note, the fa- :quently the Af- id upon [t was a ed with , r i t i m e , or who ided i n ; vicini- of the ;an. The ent dis- ver i e s i inflani- their ini- inations, d had ed them ideas ather isl- e bound- ancients Plato's housand le ocean, origin in slands in guile the ce of this ecorded om time mount- ains and deep valleys. Nor was it seen in cloudj^ or dubious weather, but with all the distinctness with which distant objects may be dis- cerned in the transparent atmosphere of a tropical climate. It is true, it was only seen transiently, and at long intervals ; while at other times, and in the clearest weather, not a vestige of it was vis- ible ; but so persuaded were the people of the Canaries of its real- ity, that they obtained permission from the king of Portugal to fit out various expeditions in search of it. The island, however, was never to be found, though it still continued occasionally to cheat the eye ; many identified it with a legendary island, said to have been discovered in the sixth century, by a Scottish priest of the name of St. Brandan, and it was actually laid down in many maps of the times, by the name of St. Brandan, or St. Borondon. All these tales and rumors wei^ noted down with curious care by Columbus, and may have had some influence over his imagi- nation ; but, though of a visionary spirit, his penetrating genius sought in deeper sources for the aliment of its meditations. The voyages he had made to Guinea, and his frequent occupation in making maps and charts, had led him more and more to speculate on the great object of geographical enterprise ; but while others were slowly and painfully seeking a route to India, by following up the coast of Africa, his daring genius conceived the bold idea of turning his prow directly to the west, and seeking the desired land by a route across the Atlantic. Having once conceived this idea, it is interesting to notice from what a mass of acknowledged facts, rational hypotheses, fanciful narrations, and popular rumors, his grand project of discovery was wrought out by the strong work- ings of his vigorous mind. Note. — The name of St. Brandan, or Borondon, given to this imaginary island from time immemorial, is said to be derived from a Scotch-Irish abbot, who flourished in the sixth century, and who is '-ailed sometimes by the fore- going appellations, sometimes St. Blandano, or St. Blandanus. In the Martyr- ology of the order of St. Augustine, he is said to have been the patriarch of three thousand monks. About the middle of the sixth century, he accompanied his disciple, St. Maclovio, or St. Malo, in search of certain islands possessing the delights of paradise, which they were told existed in the midst of the ocean, and were inhabited by infidels. These most adventure . .aints-errant wandered for a long time upon the ocean, and at length latided upon an island called Ima, Here St. Malo found the body of a giant lying in a sepulchre. He resuscitated him, and had much interesting conversation with him, the giant informing him that the inhabitants of that island had some notions of the Trinity, and, more- ■ % 70 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES ■f| c over, giving him a gratifying account of the torments which Jews aud Pagans suffered in the infernal regions. Finding the giant so docile and reasonable, St. Malo expounded to him the doctrines of the Christian religion, converted him, and baptized him by the name of Mildum. The giant, however, either through weariness of life, or eagerness to enjoy the benefits of his conversion, begged permission, at the end of fifteen days, to die^igain, which was granted him. According to another account, the giant told them that he knew of an island in the ocean, defended by walls of burnished gold, so resplendent that they shone like crystal, but to which there was no entrance. At their request, he undertook to guide them to it, and taking the cable of their ship, threw himself into the sea. He had not proceeded far, however, when a tempest rose, and obliged them all to return, and shortly after the giant died. A third legend makes the saint pray to heaven on Easter day, that they may be per- mitted to find land where they may celebrate the offices of religion with becom- ing state. An island immediately appears, on which they land, perform a solemn mass, and the sacrament of the Eucharist; after which re-embarking and making sail, they behold to their astonishment the supposed island suddenly plunge to the bottom of the sea, being nothing "^Ise than a monstrous whale. COPIED FROM AN ENGHAVJNO OF TME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. ■:^ CHAPTER III. GROUNDS ON WHICH COLUMBUS FOUNDED HIS BELIEF OF UNDISCOVERED LANDS IN THE WEST. ' I ' -' E have a record of the determination of Columbus to seek a western route to India, as early as the year 1474, in a correspondence which he held with Paulo Toscanelli, a learned cosmogra- pher of Florence ; and he had doubtless meditated it for a long time previous. He was moved to this determination by a diligent study of all the geograph- ical theories of the ancients, aided by his own experience, by the dis- coveries of the moderns, and the ad- vancement of astronomical science. He set it down as a fundamental principle, that the earth was a terraqueous glpbe, which might be traveled round from east to west, and that men stood foot to foot when on opposite points. The circumference from east to west, at the equator, he divided, according to Ptolemy,* into twenty-four * Ptolemy (Claudius) lived in the first half of the 2d century in Alexandria. He was a geographer and mathematician. (7t) u 'f l'!l'!l 'm $ "rMi 73 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES hours, of fifteen degrees each, making three hundred and sixty de- grees. Of these he imagined, comparing the globe of J'tolemy with the earlier map of Marin us of Tyre, that fifteen hours had been known to the ancients, extending from the Canary or Fortunate Islands, to the city of Thinae in Asia, the western and eastern extremities of the known world. The Portuguese had advanced the western frontier one hour more by the discovery of the Azore and Cape de Verde Islands ; still about eight hours, or one third of the circumference of the earth, remained to be explored. This space he imagined to be occupied in a great measure by the eastern regions of Asia, which might extend so far as to approach the western shores of Europe and Africa. A navigator, therefore, by pur- suing a direct course from east to west, must arrive at the extremity of Asia, or discover any intervening land. The great obstacle o be apprehended, was from the tract of ocean that might intervene, but this could not be very wide, if the opinion of Alfraganus the Arabian were admitted, who, b}^ diminishing the size of the degrees, gave to the earth a smaller circumference than was assigned to it by other cosmographers ; a theory to which Columbus seems, generally, to have given much faith. He was fortified, also, by the opinion of Aristotle, Seneca, Pliny, and Strabo, who considered the ocean as but of moderate breadth, so that one might pass from Cadiz westward to the Indies in a few \m MARCO l>OLO. AFTER A PAINTINO IN THE QALLERV BADIA IN ROME. days.- Columbus derived great support to his theory, also, from a let- ter which he received in 1474 from Paulo Toscanelli, the learned Florenti'ie already mentioned, who was considered one of the ablest cosmographers of the day. This letter was made up from the nar- rative of Marco Polo, a Venetian traveler, who, in the fourteenth century, had penetrated the remote parts of Asia, far beyond the regions laid down by Ptolemy. Toscanelli encouraged Columbus in an intention which he had communicated to him, of seeking India by a western course, assuring him that the distance could not be more than four thousand miles in a direct line from Lisbon to the OF COLUMBUS. 73 iixty de- with the I known ands, to 2S of the frontier [e Verde iference ^ined to a, which Europe by pur- st, must discover stacle o 3f ocean i not be mus the inishing earth a igned to to which given by the |iy, and but of ht pass |in a few m a let- learned le ablest the nar- irteenth ond the mbus in ig India not be 1 to the province of Mangi, near Cathay, since ascertained to be the north- ern coast of China. Of this country a magnificent description was given according to Marco Polo, who extols the power and grandeur of its sovereign, the Great Khan, the splendor and magnitude of his capitals of Cambalu, and Quinsai, or Kinsay, and the wonders of the island of Cipango, or Zipangi, supposed to be Japan. This island he places opposite Cathay, far in the ocean, and represents it as abounding in gold, precious stones, and spices, and that the palace of the king was covered with plates of gold, as edifices in other countries are covered with sheets oi lead. The work of Marco Polo is deserving of this hmm'S glo particular mention, from being a key to many n.'P'I*^*''^''^'^'"^"'*"*^ ' of the ideas and speculations of Columbus. f^^^^XT v-^ The territories of the Grand Khan, as ^^v> a^'^ described by the Venetian, were the objects of his diligent search in all his voyages ; and in his cruisings ^' among the Antilles, he was con- "^ tinually flattering himself with the hopes of arriving at the opulent island of Cipango, and the shores of Mangi and Cathay. The letter '^ of Paulo Toscanelli was accompanied by a map, projected partly according " to Ptolemy, and partly according to the descriptions of Marco Polo. The eastern coast of Asia was depicted in front of the coasts of Africa and Europe, with a mod- erate space of ocean between them, in Toscanellls map for ihecnnsimction of the Asiatic part 1-1 1 J i. • , . of his globus. The original Toscanelli map— the most WniCn were placed, at convenient dlS- memorabIeofmap«, as the great American scholar Mr, tayces, Cipango, Antilla and the other J"h"Fiskecaiuit-has been lost to the world. islands. By this conjectural map Columbus governed himself in his first voyage. Besides these learned authorities, Columbus was attentive to every gleam of information bearing upon his theory, that might be derived from veteran mariners, and the inhabitants of the lately discovered islands, who were placed, in a manner, on the frontier posts of geographical knowledge. One Antonio Leone, an inhab- itant of Madeira, told him that in sailing westward one hundred It is presumed that Rehem (Bchaim in German) used 74 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES leagues, he had seen three islands at a distance. A mariner of Port St. Mary, also, asserted, that in the course of a voyage to Ireland, he had seen land to the west, which the ship's company took for some extreme part of Tartary. One Martin Vicenti, a pilot in the service of the king of Portugal, assured Columbus that, after sail- ing four hundred and fifty leagues to the west of Cape St. Vincent, he had taken from the water a piece of carved wood, evidently not labored with an iron instrument. As the wind had drifted it from the west, it might have come from some unknown land in that direction. Pedro Correo, brother-in-law of Columbus, also informed him, that he had seen a similar piece of wood, on the island of Porto Santo, which had drifted from the same quarter, and he had heard from the king of Poitugal that reeds of an immense size had floated to those islands from the west, which Columbus supposed to be the kind of reeds of enormous magnitude described by Ptolemy as growing in India. Trunks of huge pine trees, of a kind that did not grow upon any of the islands, had been wafted to the Azores by westerly winds. The in- habitants also informed him that the bodies of two dead men had been cast upon the island of Flores, whose feat- ures had caused great wonder and speculation, being different from those of any known race of people. Such are the principal grounds on which, according to Fer- nando Columbus, his father proceeded from one position to another of his theory. It is evident, however, that the grand argument which induced him to his enterprise, was the one first cited ; namely, that the most eastern part of Asia known to the ancients could iiot be separated from the Azores by more than a third of the circumference of the globe ; that the intervening space must, in a great measure, be filled up by the unknown residue of Asia; and that, as the circumference of the world was less than was gen- HOUSE SAID TO HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED BV COLUMBUS ON THE ISLAND OF PORTO SANTO, FBOM A PHOTOOHAPH. OV COLUMBUS. 75 • of Port Ireland, took for )t ill the fter sail- Vincent, iitly not [ it from ill that i-law of that he wood, on liich had -, and he Poi tugal size had :he west, ) be the agnitude )wiiig in trees, of n any of d to the ^he in- that the leeii cast ose feat- different to Fer- another gumeiit cited; incients third of e must, f Asia; as gen- •M erallv supposed, the Asiatic shores could easily be attained by a juodcrate voyage to the west. It is singular how much the success of this great enterprise depended upon two happy errors, the im- aginary extent of Asia to the east, and the supposed smallness of the earth ; both errors of the most learned and profound philoso- phers, but without which Columbus would hardly have ventured into the western regions of the Atlantic, in whose unknown and perhaps immeasurable waste of waters, he might perish before he could reach a shore. When Columbus had once formed his theory, it became fixed in his mind with singular firmness. He never spoke in doubt or hesitation, but with as much cer- tainty as if his eyes had beheld the Prom- ised Land. A deep religious sentimer. mingled with his thoughts, and gave them at times a tinge of superstition, but of a sublime and lofty kind. He looked upon himself as standing in the hand of heaven, chosen from among men for the accomp- lishment of its high purpose; he read, as he supposed, his contemplated discovery foretold in Holy Writ, and shadowed forth darkly in the prophecies. The ends of the earth were to be brought together, and all nations, and tongues, and languages, united under the banners of the Redeemer. The enthusiastic nature of his concep- tions gave an elevation to his spirit, and a dignity and loftiness to his whole demean- ^''^■'''/'--''^-'^•'''^'''''^'•'«-^-'>'/«<'c,.^«A«■' -'/""«'- -""""•/■ '^^4. long bondage to the land. Science had thus prepared guides for discovery across the trackless ocean, and had divested the enterprise of Columbus of that extremely hazardous character, which had been so great an obstacle to its accomplishment. It was immediately after this event that he solicited an audience of the king of Portu- gal, to lay before him his great project of discovery. This is the FAC-SIMIIC OF *N OLD REPRESENTATION OF A JACK STAFF, On CROSS STAFF, AND ITS APPLICATION IN MEASURING THE HEIGHT OF THE STARS. ■*The Astrolabe is an instrument to measure the height of the sun or stars with, above the hoiizon. Since replaced by the Theodolite and Srxtant. So TlIK IJI'K ANU VUVAdKS I first proposition of which we have any clear and incHspntable record, althouj^^h it has been strongly asserted, and witli probability, that he had made one at an earlier period, to his native conntry, Genoa. Colnnibns obtained a ready audience of Kin^ John, who was extrcnicly liberal in eiicourajcinjj^ and rewardinj^ nautical enterprise. He explained to the monarch his theory, and proposed, in case the king would furnish him with ships and men, to conduct them by a shorter route to the richest countries of the East, to touch at the opulent island of Cipango, and to establish a communication with the territories wf the (irand Khan, the most splendid, powerful, and wealthy of oriental poten- tates. King John listened atten- tively to the proposition of Columbus, and referred it to a learned junto, composed of Masters Rod- erigo and Jo- seph, and the king's confes- sor, Diego Or- tiz, bishop of Centa, a man greatly re- puted for his learning, a Castilian by birth, and gen- erally called Cazadilla, from COLUMBUS EXPLAINS HIS THEORY TO KINO JOHN II. Op PORTUGAL. OK COI.IJMHUS. Si k' record, ,lily, that y, Genoa, who was iitcrprise. I case the hem by a ch at the tiou with erritories le Grand . n , the splendid, rful, and I I h y of tal poten- ng John led atten- j to the psition of mbns, and red it to a ed jnnto, posed of ers Rod- and Jo- an d the s confes- )icgo Or- )ishop of I, a man itly re- for his ning, a ill an by and gen- called ilia, from the name of liis birthplace. This scientific body treated the project as extravagant and visionary. Still the king was not satisfied, but convoked his council, composed of persons of the greatest learning in the kingdom, and asked their advice. In this assembly, Ca/,a- dilla, the bishop of Ceuta, opposed the theory of Columbus, as desti- tute of reason, and indeed evinced a cold aui, 'larrow spirit, hostile to all discovery. The decision of the council was equally unfavoral)le with that of the hnito, and the proposition of Columbus was rejected. Certain of the counsellors, and particularly the bishop of Caz- adilla, see- ing that the king was dissatisfied w i t h their dc c i s i on , and retain- ed a lurking inclination for the eli- te r prise, suggested a stratagem by which all its advanta- ges might be secured, w i t h o u t committing the dignity of the crown by entering i ito formal negotiations about a scheme, which might prove a mere chimera. The king, in an evil hour, departed from his usual justice and generosity, and had the weakness to permit their stratagem. These crafty counsellors then procured from Columbus, as if to assist them in their deliberations, a detailed plan of his proposed voj-age, with the charts by which he intended to shape his course. While they held him in suspense, awaiting their decision, they privately dispatched a caravel to pursue the desig- nated route. SEPULCHRE OF KINO 0. JUAN II. AND DONA ISAGELLA OF PORTUGAL IN THE CARTHUSIAN CLOISTER OF MIRAFLOflES IN BURGOS, F 82 Tin: LIKK A\D VOYAGES The caravel took its depanure fro"i the Cape de Verde Islands, and stood westward for several days. The weather grew stormy, and the pilots having no zeal to stimulate them, and seeing nothing but an immeasurable waste of wild tumbling waves, still extending before them, lost all courage, and put back to the Cape de Verde Islands, and thence to Lisbon, excusing their own want of resolu- tion, b}' ridiculing the project as extravagant and irrational. This unworthy attempt to defraiid him of his enterprise roused the indignation of Columbus, and, though King John, it is said, showed a disposition to renew the negotiation, he resolutely de- clined. His wife had been for some time dead, the domestic tie which had bound him to Portugal, therefore, being broken, he determined to abandon a country where he had been treated with so little faith. Like ni o s t projectors, vhile engaged in schemes w h i c h held out promise of incalcu- lable wealth, he had suffered his affairs to run to ruin, and was in danger of being arrested for debt. This has been given as the reason for his leaving Portugal in a secret manner, which he did towards the end of 1484, taking with him his son Diego, as yet a mere child. An interval now occurs of about a year, during which the movements of Columbus are involved in uncertainty. It has been asserted by a modern Spanish historian of merit, that he departed immediately for Genoa, where he repeated in person the proposition which I'p. had formerly made to the government by letter. The VIEW OF THE GRAND CAN*L IN VENICE, WITH THE CHUflCH OF SANTA MARI OELLA SALUTA IN THE DISTANCE. i Vi,«£«!9« r"% OF COLUMBUS. 83 e Islands, V stormy, ^ nothing extending de Verde 3f resolu- il. ise roused t is said, lutely de- nestic tie c li had n d him Portugal, re f o r e , g broken, itermined bandon a itry where had been :ed with ttle faith. e most j e c t o r s , engaged h e m e s h held promise ncalcu- and was n as the 1 he did as yet a lich the las been departed position fcr. The republic of Genoa, however, was languishing under a long decline, and was embarrassed by ruinous wars. Her spirit was broken w'ith her fortunes ; for with nations, as with individuals, enterprise is the child of prosperity, and is apt to languish in evil days, when there is most need of its exertion. Thus, Genoa, it would appear, dis- heartened by reverses, rejected a proposition which would have ele- vated the republic to tenfold splendor, and might for a long time have perpetuated the golden wand o'f commerce in the failing grasp of Italy. From Genoa, it has been said, but equally without positive proof, that Columbus carried his proposal to Venice, but that it was declined in consequence of the critical state of national affairs. Dif- ferent authors agree, that about this time he visited his aged father, and made such arrangements for his comfort as his own poor means afforded, and that having thus performed the duties of a pious son, he departed once more to try his fortunes in foreign courts. About this time, also, he engaged his brother Bartholomew to sail for England, to lay his propositions before Henry the Seventh, whom he had heard extolled for his wisdom and munificence. For himself, he sailed for Spain, where he appears to have arrived in great poverty, for this course of fruitless solicitation had exhausted all his means; nor is it one of the least extraordinary ciicumstances in his eventful life, that he had, in a manner, to beg his way from court to court, to offer to princes the discovery of a world. SEAL OF KINO HENRV VII. OF ENQLAND. AFTED AN IMPRESSION IN THE IMPERIAL STATE ARCHIVES IN BERLIN. 1 1 m ll |VI\«^ «» THE VISION OF COLUMBUS WHILE BEGfllNQ HIS WAY FROM COURT TO COURT. PAINTINO BY 0. MANUEL PICOLa (84) ^&^ I THE CONVENT OF LA RABIOA. VtEW OF THE TOWN OF PALOS. CHAPTER V FIRST ARRIVAL OF COLUMBUS IN SPAIN. CHAHACTER OF THE SPANISH SOVEREIGNS. i HE first trace we have of Columbus in Spain, is gathered from the manuscript docu- ments of the celebrated lawsuit, which took place a few years after his death, between his son Don Diego and the crown. It is contained in the deposition of one Garcia Fernandez, a phy- sician, resident in the little seaport of Palos de Moguer, in Andalusia. About half a league from Palos, on a solitary height overlooking the seacoast, and sur- rounded by a forest of pine trees, there stood, and stands at the present day, an ancient convent of Franciscan friars, dedicated to Santa Maria de Rabida. A stranger travel- ing on foot, accompanied by a young boj^ stopped one day at tae gate of "the convent, and asked of the port'^r a little bread and water for his child. While receiving this humble refreshment, the guardian of the convent. Friar Juan Perez de Marchena, happening to pass by, was struck with the appear- ance of the stranger, and, ob- serving from his air and accent FROM A PAINTING IN THE CONVENT OF LA RABID.'. (85) 86 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES THE PRIOR JUAN PEREZ DE MARCHENA. that he was a foreigner, entered into con- versation with him. That stranger was Columbus, accompanied by his young son Diego. He was on his way to the neigh- boring town of Huelva, to seek a brother- in-law, who had married a sister of his deceased wife. The guardian was an intelligent man, and acquainted with geographical and nautical science. He was interested by the conversation of Columbus, and struck with the grandeur of his plans. He de- tained him as his giiest, and being diffi- dent of his own judgment, sent for a scientific friend to converse with him. That friend was Garcia Fernandez, the physician of Palos, the same who furnishes this interesting testimony, and who became equally convinced with the friar of the correctness of the theory of Columbus. Several veteran pilots and mariners of Palos, also, were consulted during the conferences at the convent, who stated various facts observed in the course of their experience, which seemed to corroborate the idea of western lands in the At- lantic. But the conviction of the friar was still more confirmed, by the hearty concurrence of an important personage in that maritime neighbor- hood, one M a r t i n Alonzo Pin- zon, resi- dent of the town of Pa- los, one of the most in- telligent sea captains of the day, and the head of a family ol wealthy and THE .■. SMJLTATION IN THE CONVENT I'aiHtlHg by /•. iMaSO. OF COLUMBUS. s; into con- [iger was oung son tie neigh- L brotlier- er of his fent man, lical and rested by nd struck . He de- Miig diffi- I converse y'sician of , and who 2ss of the i of Palos, vent, who xperience, in the At- firnied, by maritime ighbor- od, one a r t i n ouzo Pin- m, resi- nt of the wn of Pa- one of e most in- ligentsea Dtains o t e day, and le head ot family of ealthy and THE CELL OF THE PHIOR, JU*N PEREZ DE MAHCHENA, THE CONVENT OF LA RABID*. distinguished navigators, Pinzon not only gave the project of Columbus his decided approbation, but offered to en- gage in it with purse and person. Fra}' Juan Perez, being now fully persuaded of the importance of the pro- posed enterprise, advised Columbus to If repair to court, and make his proposi- ti tions to the Spanish sovereigns, offer- ing to give him a letter of rccommen- [dation to his friend, Fernando de Tal- avera, prior of the convent of Prado, [and confessor to the queen, and a man of great political influence, fthrough whose means he would, no doubt, immediatel}' obtain ^royal audience and favor. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, also, generously )ffered to furnish him with money for the journey, and the friar Itook charge of his youthful son, Diego, to maintain and educate |him in the convent. Thus aided and encouraged, and elated with fresh hopes, Columbus took leave of the little junto at La Rabida, md set out, in the spring of i486, for the Castilian court, which lad just assembled at Cordova, where the sovereigns were fully )ccupied with their chivalrous enterprise for the conquest of Granada. And here it is proper to - give a brief description of these princes, who per- formed such an important part in the events of y |this history. " . '.V« tw OF THE TOWN OF CORDOVA. WITH THE OLD ROMAN BRIDLE IN THE fOREOROUND. ■'"^^&. 88 THE IJFK AND VOYAGES r^ I- I, i,.A I It has been well observed of Ferdinand and Isabella, that they lived together, not like man and wife, whose estates are in com- mon, under the orders of the husband, but like two monarchs, strictly allied. They had separate claims to sovereignty, in virtue of their separate kingdoms, and held separate councils. Yet they were so happily united by common views, common interests, and a great deference for each other, that this double administration never prevented a unity of purpose and action. All acts of sovereignty were executed in both their names ; all public writings sub- scribed with both their signatures ; their likenesses were stamped together on the public coin ; and the royal seal dis- played the united arms of Castile and Arragon. Ferdinand possessed a clear and com- prehensive genius, and great penetra- tion. He was equable in temper, inde- fatigable in business, a great observer of men, and is extolled by Spanish wiiters as unparalleled in the science of the cabinet. It has been maintained by writers of other nations, however, and apparently with reason, that he was bigoted in religion, and craving rather than m.agnanimous in his ambition ; that he made war less like a paladin than a prince, less for glory than for mere dominion, and that his policy was cold, seliish, and artful. He was called the wise and prudent in Spain; in Italy, the pious; in France and England, the ambitious and perfidious. Contemporary writers have been enthusiastic in their descrip- tions of Isabella, but time has sanctioned their eulogies. She was of the middle size, and well formed ; with a fair complexion, auburn hair, and clear blue eyes. There was a mingled gravity and sweet- ness in her countenance, and a singular modesty, gracing, as it did, great firmness of purpose and earnestness of spirit. Though strongly attached to her husband, and studious of his fame, yet she FERDINAND THE CATHOLIC. PAihTiNQ BY Bequeh. Gallery op San TElho, Seville. I OF COLUMBUS. «9 always maintained her distinct rights as an allied prince. She exceeded him in beauty, personal dignity, acuteness of genius, and grandeur of soul. Combining the active and resolute qualities of man, with the softer charities of woman, she mingled in the warlike councils of her husband, and, being inspired with a truer idea of glory, infused a more lofty and generous temper into his subtle and calculating policy. It is in the civil history of their reign, however, that the character of Isa- bella shines most illustrious. Her foster- ing and maternal care was continually directed to reform the laws, and heal the ills engendered by a long course of civil wars. She assembled round her tht ablest men in literature and science, and directed herself by their counsels in en- couraging literature and the arts. She promoted the distribution of honors and rewards for the promulgation of knowl- edge, fostered the recently invented art of printing, and through her patronage Salamanca rose to that eminence which it assumed among the learned institutions of the age. Such was the noble woman who was destined to acquire immortal renown by her spirited patron- age of the discovery of the new world. ISABELLA THE CATHOLIC. PAINTINQ » BEQUCn, QALLtnir OF SM TELUO. SEVILLI. iiM. Ji^m CHAPTER VT. PROPOSITIONS OF COLUMBUS TO THE COURT OF CASTILE. HEN Columbus arrived at Cordova, he fouud it in all the bustle of military preparation. The two rival Moorish kings of Granada had formed a coali- tion, and the Castilian sovereigns had summoned all their chivalry to assemble for a grand campaign. Every day witnessed the arrival of some Spanish noble, with a splendid retinue, and a brilliant array of household troops. The court was like a military camp; every avenue was crowded by warlike gran- dees and hardy cavaliers, who had distinguished themselves in this Moorish war. This was an unpropitious moment for an application like that of Columbus. Everybody was engrossed by the opening campaign. Even Fernando de Talavera, who was to have been his great patron and protector, and his organ of communication with the sover- eigns, was completely taken up with military concerns, being one of the clerical advisers, who surrounded the queen in this, as it was termed, holy war. The letter of recommendation from the worthy Fray Juan Perez, which was to have secured the powerful influence of Talavera, seems to have had but little effect upon the prior, who list- ened coldly to Columbus, and looked upon his plan as extravagant and im- possible. So far, therefore, from receiving immediate patronage from the sover- eigns, Columbus found it impossible rj. -, to obtain even a hc.iring. It is a ques- (90) «*? OF COI.UMHUS. 91 ind it in riie two d a coali- immoued ampaign. Spanish ant array L military ike gran- ts in this )plication ed by the /era, who protector, le sover- up with of the ded the led, holy endation Perez, oowerfnl lave had who list- 1 looked and ini- receiving e sover- ipossible s a ques- tion even, wlivtlier, for some time, his application reached their ears. If Fernando de Talavcra did mention it to them, it must h?ve been in disparaging terms, such as rather to destroy than excite interest in its favor. The campaign opened almost im- mediately; the king took the field in person; the queen was fully occupied by the hurrying concerns of the war, and was part of the time present in the camp; it would have been in vain, therefore, at such a mo- ment, to expect attention to a scheme of foreign dis- covery, founded on princi- ples which required calm and learned investigation. During the summer and autumn of i486, Columbus remained at Cordova, wait- ing for a more favorable opportunity to urge his suit, and trusting to time and assiduity to gain him converts among the intelli- gent and powerful. He was in indigent circum- stances, and earned a scanty support bj^ making maps and charts. He had to contend also against the ridicule of the ligh. and the supercilious, which is one of the greatest obsta- cles to modest merit in a court ^OtnP "^rnffprl ot columbus' sojourn in coroov*, Mse. " scoffed at, as A mere dreamer and adventurer. him as a mere dreamer, others stigmatized him as an adventurer; the very children, it is said, pointed to their foreheads as he passed, being taught to consider him a kind of madman. . Indeed, the slender interest on which he had founded his hopes of royal patron- age, and the humble garb in which his poverty obliged him to ap- pear, formed a preposterous contrast, in the eyes of the courtiers, [6] f 93 thp: lifp: and voyages with the niafi^nificcnce of his speculations. " Because he was a foreigner," said Ovicdo, "and went but in simple apparel, nor otherwise credited than by the letter of a gray friar, they believed him not, neither gave ear to his words, whereby he was greatly tormented in his imagination." While thus lingering in Cordova, he became attached to Dona Beatrix Enriquez, a lady of that city, of a noble family. Like most of the circumstances of this part of his life, his connection with this lady is wrapped in obscurity, but appears never to have been sanctioned by marriage. She was the mother of his second son Fernando, who became his historian, and whom he always treated on terms of perfect equality with his legitimate son Diego. By degrees the theory of Columbus began to obtain proselytes. The attention of men of reflection was drawn to this solitary indi- vidual, who, almost unsupported, was endeavoring to make his way, with so singular a proposition, to the foot of the throne. Whoever conversed with him, was struck by the dignity of his manners, the earnest sincerity of his discourse, and the force of his reasoning. Alonzo de Quintanilla, comptroller of the finances of Castile, be- came a warm advocate of his theory, and received him as a guest into his house. He was countenanced also by Antonio Geraldini, the pope's nuncio, and his brother, Alexander Geraldini, preceptor to the 3'ounger children of Ferdinand and Isabella. By these friends he was introduced to the celebrated Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, archbishop of Toledo, and grand cardinal of Spain. This was the most important personage about the court, he was always with the king and queen, who never took any measure of consequence without consulting him, and was facetiously called the third king of Spain. He was an elegant scholar, a man of sound understanding, and of great quickness and capacity in business. The clear-headed cardinal was pleased with the noble and earnest manner of Columbus; he listened to him with profound attention, felt the importance of his project and the force of his arguments, and became at once a firm and serviceable friend. Through his in- tercession the royal audience was at length obtained. Columbus appeared in the presence of the king with modesty, yet self-possession, inspired by a consciousness of the dignity and importance of his errand ; for he felt himself, as he afterwards de- clared in his letters, animated as if by a sacred fire from above, and was a ■el, nor )cHcvcd greatly o Dona ce most )!! with ve been )nd son treated iselytes. ry indi- liis way, ^'hoever ers, the isoning. tile, be- a guest i^raldini, receptor y these alcz de Spain. he was isure of lied the sound usincss. earnest ention, unients, 1 his in- lodesty, ity and irds de- 3ve, and (.;' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 // ^t^ Mf ^ M .^' V. 1.0 I.I 1.25 "^1^ Ilk |50 ""^~ IIIB S 1^ 12.0 1.8 1.4 1.6 V] A ^P. y %^ r^^ or THE FAIRIEff ; CAiTLC OF TMfAllWMUWK OXRLOOKIWO THE ytOtt Of ORANAOA. OP COLUMBUS. 105 he sepul- the Mos- indigna- !olumbus, he enter- to devote I his dis- f the holy )plication, >enses by casionally rthy Friar guest of sovereigns suite, and girgs pro- i rambling interval of md to his urned, and signs were if Granada, olumbus, sing all pa- ence, press- i for a de- sive reply, id Fernan- de Tala- era was or- ered, there- sre, to hold final con- srence, and report the *Vega; Span- ih, a large plain. decision of his learned brethren. He obeyed, and informed their majesties that the majority of the junto condemned the scheme as vain and impossible, and considered it unbecoming such great princes to engage in an undertaking of the kind, on such weak grounds as had been advanced. A degree of consideration, however, had gradually grown up at court for the enterprise, and notwithstanding his unfavorable re- port, the sovereigns were unwilling to close the door on a project which might be of such important advantages. They informed Columbus, therefore, that the great cares and expenses of the war rendered it impossible for them to engage in any new enterprises for tht present ; but that, when the war should be concluded, they would have leisure and inclination to treat with him concerning his propositions. This was but a starved reply to receive after so many years of weary attendance; Columbus considered it a mere evasion of the sovereigns to relieve themselves from his importunity, and, giving up ?"^ hope of countenance from the throne, he turned his back upon beville, filled with disappointment and indignation. THE COUNCIL OF SALAMANCA. FROM THE MONUMENT AT QENOA. 1 • 'Ml . fl!.' CHAPTER VIII. I"?!.:*! COLUMBUS rCrKS PATRONAGE AMONa THE SPANISH GRANDEES. riETURNS TO THE CON- VENT OF LA RABIDA. RESUMES HIS NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE SOVEREIGNS. (l491.) OLUMBUvS now looked round in search of some other source of patronage. He liad received favorable letters both from the kings of P^igland and of France ; the king of Portugal, also, had invited him to return to his court; but he appears to have become attached to Spain, probabl}-^ from its being the residence of Beatrix Enrique/., and his children. He sought, therefore, to engage the pat- ronage of some one of those powerful Spanish grandees, who had vast possessions, exercised feudal rights, and were petty sovereigns in their domains. Among these, were the dukes of Medina Sidonia, and Medina Celi ; both had principalities lying along the seaboard, with armies of vassals, and ports and shipping at their command. Columbus had many interviews with the duke of Medina Sido- nia, who was tempted for a time by the splendid prospects held out ; but their ver}^ splendor threw a coloring of exaggeration over the enterprise, and he finally rejected it as the dream of an Italian visionary. The duke of Medina Celi was still more favorable, and was actually on the point of granting him three or four caravels which lay ready for sea, in his harbor of Port St. Mary; but he suddenly changed his mind, fearing to awaken the jealousy of the crown, and to be considered as interfering with the views of the sovereigns, who he knew had been treating with Columbus. He advised him, therefore, to return once more to court, and he wrote a letter to the queen in favor of his project. IHARIU VIII. OF FRANCE. PAINTINO ON WOOD BY AN UNKNOWN AHTI8T OF THE Htm CENTUHV. PARI!, PHIVATE POSSESSION. (io6) "Xt£t OK COLUMHUS. 107 THE CON- (14S1.) le other e letters :lie king is court; probably lez, and the pat- ^randees, hts, and ig these, eli ; both r vassals, ad many na Sido- : by the leir very deration rejected ary. till more point of s which Port St. is mind, e crown, with the new had advised to court, in favor Cohimbns felt averse to the idea of subjecting himself again to the tantalizing delays and disappointments of the court, and determined to repair to Paris. He departed, therefore, for the con- vent of La Rabida, to seek his oldest son Diego, and leave him with his other son at Cordova. When the worthy Friar Juan Perez dc Marchena beheld Columbus arrive once more at the gate of his convent, after nearly seven years' fruitless solici- tation at the court, and saw, by the humility of his garb, the poverty he had experienced, he was greatly moved ; but when he found that he was on the point of leaving Spain, and carrying liis proposition to another country, his patriotism took the alarm. He had been confessor to the queen, and knew her to be always accessible to persons of his sacred calling. He wrote a letter to her, therefore, earnestly vindicating the proposed scheme, and conjuring her not to turn a deaf ear to a matter of such v:.st importance ; and he prevailed upon Columbus to delay his journey until an answer should be received. The ambassador chosen by the little junto of the convent was one Se- bastian Rodriguez, a pilot of Lepe, who acquitted himself faithfully, ex- peditiously, and successfully, in his embassy. He found access to the be- nignant princess in the royal camp at Santa Fe, before Granada, and delivered the epistle of the friar. He returned in fourteen days, with a letter from the queen, thanking Juan Perez for his timely services, and requesting him to repair immediately to the court, leaving Columbus in confident hope of hearing farther from her. This royal epistle caused great exultation in the con- . ^^^r '''■ . -- / f ^ ,'^'' ■ ■•'•■/.> ■ ;-.| ' ' ' • (k ■ •|-^>. .' ■ *■■■' .. './.■«v,:; f ■•># s ' m^\ ■.,-»■ ': . f * i I J<1- ^^ ' '¥ ' 1 , ii/ ■ t ■' r ' ■ • ■hi' -,jk.«s|r , ■ 4'- - .. 'i- ,■ ■1; .N ■ V , -T .. ■- . \ »■ ■ ■ - 1 ■•J -■ *•** vv"'- i ivs.ma '^Ti'v ^-^' ■ \'''"'\ ■i-^' / 4 ■ -* / >f^ fr^ij , *-. - . .■ L .-vC^ •"■; i'^# ■■ ', ,'fy- . ■» W:\ ■ .■■.;M ■ . ' \;i;.i;|. ■ "■*. : ^ ' ■ ; ^V: ^' : 'f^ ■ : •' , '' . ' ' .."' ' -* ' m \ ./' ... ' '"»■ .■■ ■■■■/'" 1 , If - ' ■'■■ .■- .■ • ■ '^'' 1 : . "^- .•■"■'■ ■ • • ■'■ ■■'- ■ ■■ ' . ■ THE PRIOR OP lA RABIDA PRCVAIIS UlKlN COLUMBUS TO OEIAV HIS DEPARTURE FOR PARIS. PAINTINO BV 0. JUAN LUMONA V BRUQUCRA, io8 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES W. illi vent. No sooner did the warm-hearted friar receive it, than he pro- cured a mule, and departed instantlj^, before midnight, for the court. His sacred office, and his former relation as father confessor, gave him immediate admission to the queen, and great freedom of counsel. It is probable Isabella had never heard the proposition of Columbus urged with such honest zeal and impressive eloquence. She was naturally more sanguine and susceptible than the king, and more open to warm and generous impulses. Moved by the representations of Juan Perez, she requested that Coiumbus might be again sent to her, and kindly bethinking herself of his poverty, and his humble plight, ordered that a sufficient sum of money should be forwarded to him to defray his traveling expenses, to provide him with a mule fc f his journej-, and to furnish him with decent raiment, that he might make a respectable appearance at the court. Colum- bus lost no time in compl3'ing with the commands of the queen. He exchanged his threadbare garment for one of more courtly texture, and, purchasing a mule, set out once more, re- animated by fresh hopes, for the camp before Granada. O He arrived in time to Avitness the memorable sur- render of that capital to the Spanish arms. He beheld Boabdil el Chico, the last of the Moorish kings, sally forth from the Alhambra, and yield up th keys of that favorite seat of Moslem power ; while the king and queen, with all the chivalry and magnificence of Spain, moved forward in proud and solemn procession, to receive this token of submission. It was one of the most brilliant triumphs in Spanish history. The air re- sounded with shouts of joy, with songs of triumph and hymns of thanksgiving. On every side were beheld military rejoicings and religious oblations. The court Avas thronged by the most illustrious of that warlike country, and stirring era ; by the flower of its no- bility, the most dignified of its prelacy, by bards and minstrels, and all the retinue of a romantic and picturesque age. During this brilliant and triumphant scene, says an elegant Spanish writer, "A man, obscure and but little known, followed the court. Confounded in the crowd of importunate applicants, and feeding his imagination, in the corners of antechambers, with the pompous project of discovering a world, he was melancholy and dejected in the midst of the general rejoicing, and beheld witli indifference, almost with contempt, the conclusion of a conquest •WORD OF BOABDIL. ROYAL ADICNAL, MADRID. I he pro- he court, gave him Linsel. It bus urged naturally 1 to warm 5 of Juan it to her, is humble forwarded im with a t raiment, . Colum- ueen. He >re courtly more, re- jranada. irable sur- Boabdil el Alhambra, jf Moslem le chivalry proud and It was one ^he air re- hymns of (icings and illustrious of its no- istrels, and an elegant n, followed applicants, libers, with melancholy iDeheld with a conquest ■I (lOo) rlti ' '«» ■HI OF COMIMBUS. Ill which swelled all bosoms with jubilee, and seemed to have reached the utmost bounds of desire. That man vvas Christopher Colum- bus." The moment had now arrived, how- ever, when the monarchs stood pledj^cd to attend to his proposals. They kept their word, and persons of confidence were ap- pointed to negotiate with him, among whom was Fernando de Talavera, who, by the recent conquest, had risen to be arch- bishop of Granada. At the very outset of their negotiation, however, unexpected difficulties arose. The principal stipula- tion of Columbus was, that he should be invested with the titles and privileges of admiral and viceroy, over the countries he should discover, with one tenth of all gains, either by trade or conquest. The courtiers who treated with him, were in- dignant at such a demand from one whom they had considered a needy adventurer. One observed with a sneer, that it was a shrewd arrangement which he proposed, where- by he was certain of the profits and honors of a command, and had nothing to lose in case of failure. To this Columbus promptly replied, by offering to furnish one eighth of the cost, on condition of enjoying an eighth of the profits. His terms, however, were pronounced inadmissible, and others were offered, of more moderate nature, but he refused to cede one point of his demands, and the negotiation was broken off. It is impossible not to admire the great constancy of purpose, and loftiness of spirit, here displayed by Columbus. Though so large a portion of life had ■OAIOIL "iL CHICO," L*«1 HIMO Of THI PAlNTina rNOM thi flimish school of the 1 MOOU. ;th ccnturv. COAT or M«ii or (o«aDiL. nOVAL AHtlNAL, HADRIO. I 12 THK LIKp: and VOYAGKvS worn away in fruitless soliciting, dnring which he had experienced the bitterness of poverty, neglect, ridicnle, and disappointment ; though there was no certainty that he would not have to enter upon the same career at any other court ; yet nothing could shake his perseverance, or make him descend to terms which he con- sidered beneath the dignity of his enterprise. Indignant at the repeated disappointments he had experienced in Spain, he now determined to abandon it forever, and mounting his mule, sallied forth from Santa Fe,* on his way to Cordova, with the intention of immediately proceeding from thence to France. When the few friends, who were zealous believers in the the- ory of Columbus, saw him on the point of abandoning the country, they were filled with distress. Among the number was Luis de St. Angel, receiver of the ecclesiastical revenues of Arragon, and Alonzo de Quintanilla, who determined to make one bold effort to avert the evil. They hastened to the queen, and St. Angel addressed her with a courage and eloquence inspired by the exigency of the moment. He did not confine himself to entreaties, but almost mingled reproaches. He expressed his astonishment that a queen who had evinced the spirit to undertake so many great and perilous enterprises, should hesitate at one where the loss could be but trifling, while the gain might be incalculable ; for all that was required for this great expe- dition was but two vessels, and about thirty thousand cr wns, and Columbus himself had offered to bear an eighth of the expense. He reminded her how much might be done for the glory of God, the promotion of the Christian faith, and the extension of her own power and dominion, should this enterprise be adopted ; but what cause of regret it would be to herself, of sorrow to her friends, and triumph to her enemies, should it be rejected by her, and accomplished by some other power. He vindicated the judgment of Columbus, and the soundness and practicability of his plans, and observed, that even a failure would reflect no disgrace upon the crown. It was worth the trouble and expense to clear up even a doubt, upon a matter of such importance, for it belonged to enlightened and mag- nanimous princes, to investigate questions of .;ie kind, and to ex- plore the wonders and secrets of the universe. These, and many more arguments, were urged, with that per- * Santa F6, was a camp town on the Jenil, near Granada, occupied by Ferdinand and Isabella. f :perienced ointment ; } to enter )uld shake h he con- ant at the 11, he now nle, sallied itention of in the thc- he country, Luis de St. and Alonzo to avert the ed her with lonient. He reproaches, evinced the ■ises, should lile the gain great expe- cr 'wns, and xpcnse. He of God, the r own power hat cause of md triumph mplished by dunibus, and )served, that )wn. It was )ubt, upon a led and mag- i, and to ex- th that per- jy Ferdinand and t i U131 i^l y OF COLUMHUS. JI5 suas'" e power which honest zeal imparts. The generous spirit of Isabella was enkindled, and it seemed as if the subject, for the first time, broke upon her mind in its real grandeur. She declared her re?olution to undertake the enterprise, but paused for a moment, remembering that King Ferdinand looked coldly on the affair, and that the royal treasury was absolutely drained by the war. Her suspense was but momentarj'. With an enthusiasm worthy of herself and of the cause, she exclaimed, " I undertake the enter- prise for my own crown of Castile, and will pledge my jewels to raise the necessary funds." This was the proudest moment in the life of Isabella; it stamped her renown forever as the patroness of the discovery of the New World. St. Angel, eager to secure this favorable resolution, assured I her majesty that there would be no need of pledging her jewels, as I he was ready to advance the necessary funds, as a loan, from the [treasury of Arragon; his offer was gladly accepted. Columbus had proceeded on his solitary journey across the [vega* of Granada, and had reached the bridge of Pinos, about two [leagues from that city, a pass famous for bloody encounters during Ithe Moorish wars. Here he was overtaken by a courier sent after him in all speed by the queen, requesting him to return to Santa JFii. He hesitated, for a moment, to subject himself again to the [delays and equivocations of the court ; but when he was informed {that Isabella had positively undertaken the enterprise, and pledged [her royal word, every doubt was dispelled, he turned the reins of lis mule, and hastened back joyfully to Santa Fe, confiding im- jplicitly in [the noble [probity of [that prin- Icess. * Vega (Span- lish) a fertile [plain. The plain laround Granada [measures 32 Iniiles in circum- Iference. THE RECALL OF COLUMBUS AT THE SRIDOE OF PIHOS. DRAWIMl BY F. H, LUNOREN. "I. M •^:iiP CHAPTER IX. ARRANaCMCNT WITH THE SPANISH SOVEREIGNS. PREPARATION FOR THE EXPEDITION AT THE PORT OF PALOS. 14S2.) N' arriving at Santa Fc, Cohunbus had an immediate audience of the queen, and the benignity with which she received him, atoned for all past neglect. Through deference to the zeal she thus suddenly displayed, the king yielded his tardy concurrence, but Isabella was the soul of this grand enterprise. She was prompted by lofty and generous enthusiasm, while the king re- mained cold and calculating, in this as in all his other under- takings. A perfect understanding be- ing thus effected with the sover- eigns, articles of agreement were drawn out by Juan de Colonia, the royal secretary. They were to the following effect : — 1. That Columbus should have, for himself, during his life, and his heirs and suc- cessors forever, the office of high admiral in all the seas, lands, and continents, he might discover, with similar honors and prerogatives to those en- joyed by the high admiral of Castile in his district. 2. That he should be viceroy and governor-general over all the said lands and continents, with the privilege of nominat- ''t^i -it ' '^ ■ ■■'/*#' ^■'Wff"~ ' '■ '''''*-\X'y^:i^i ^■;^,^■''^^'^-'■ \ ISABELLA THE CATHOLIC. PORTRAIT FORMERLV IN P0SE8SI0N OF THE CARTHUSIAN CLOISTER OF MIRAFIORES IN BURQOS, NOW THE PROPERTY OF THE MARQUIS OE PEDAL. <"«) COITION AT mmediate A'hich she Through layed, the e soul of generous : king re- ilating, in ler under- nding be- the sover- [ment were e Colonia, hey were us should uring his and suc- office of the seas, he might ar honors those en- idmiral of 1 be viceroy over all :ontinents, f nominat- a. < m z 3 _l O o a z <0 5 5 z < 0. « Ui X I- u> $ > m * 3 Z 2 £ I O 5 it <0 i! ittlilii. ' i^- OP COLUMBUS. 119 inj^ three candidates for the jfoveninictit of each island or province, one of wlioni shonld he selected hy the sovereij^ns. 3. That he shonld be entitled to one-tenth of all free profits, arising from the merchandise and prodnclions of the connt.ies within his admiralty. 4. That he, or his licntenant, shonld he the sole jndj>^e of canscs and dispntcs arising out of traffic between those conntries and Spain. 5. That he mijj^ht then, and at all nftertimes, contribnte an ei}(htli part of the expense of expeditions to sail to the conntries he expected to discover, and shonld receive in conseqnence an eighth part of the profits. These capitnlations were si^fned by Ferdinand and Isabella, at the city of Santa Ft', in the vega or plain of Granada, on the 17th of April, 1492. All the royal docnments, issncd in conseqnence, bore equally the sij^natnres of Ferdinand and Isabella, bnt her separate crown of Castile defrayed all the expense. As to the money ad- vanced by St. Angel ont of the treasnry of King Ferdinand, that prudent monarch indemnified himself, some few years afterwards, by employing some of the first gold bronght by Columbns from the new world to gild the vanlts and ceilings of the grand saloon, in his royal palace of Saragossa, in Arragon. One of the great objects held ont by Columbns in his under- taking, was, the propagation of the Christian faith. He expected to arrive at the extremity of Asia, or India, as it was then gener- ally termed, at the vast empire of the Grand Kh.an, of whose mari- time provinces of Mangi and Cathay, and their dependent islands, since ascertained to be a part of the kingdom of China, the most magnificent accounts had been given by Marco Polo. Various mis- sions had been sent, in former times, by popes and pious sover- eigns, to instruct this oriental potentate, and his subjects, in the doctrines of Christianity. Columbus hoped to effect this grand work, and to spread the light of the true faith among the barbarous countries and nations that vere to be discovered in the unknown parts of the East. Isabella, from pious zc ^nd Ferdinand from mingled notions of bigotry and ambition, accorded with his views, and when he afterwards departed on this voyage, letters were actu- ally given him, by the sovereigns, for the Grand Khan of Tartary. The ardent enthusiasm of Columbus did not stop here. Recol- I20 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES lifi ^l]i\ m lecting the insolent threat once made by the soldan of Egypt, to destroy the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, he proposed that the profits which might arise from his discoveries, should be consecrated to a crusade for the rescrie of the holy edifice from the power of the Infidels. The sovereigns smiled at this sally of the imagination, and expressed themselves well pleased with the idea ; but what they may have considered a mere mo^nentary thought, was a deep and cherished design of Columbus. It is a curious and characteristic fact, which has never been particularly noticed, that the recovery of the holy sepulchre was the leading object of his ambition, meditated throughout the remainder of his life, and solemnly provided for in his will, and that he considered his great discovery but as a prepar- atory dispensation of Providence, to furnish means for its accom- plishment. The port of Palos de Moguer, in Andalusia, was fixed upon as the place where the armament for the expedition was to be fitted out, the community of the place being obliged, in consequence of some misdemeanor, to serve the crown for one y ;ar with two armed caravels. A royal order was issued, commandi?ig the authorities of Palos 'lO have these caravels ready for sea within ten days, and to yield them and their crews to the command of Columbus. The latter was likewise empowered to fit out a third vessel ; nor v/as any restriction put upon his vo} age, excepting that he should not go to the coast of Guinea, or any other of the lately discovered possessions of Portugal. Orders were likewise issued by the sovereigns, com- manding the inhabitants of the seaboard of Andalusia, to furnish supplies and assistance of all kinds for the expedition, at a reason- able rate, and threatening severe penalties to such as should cause any impediment. As a mark of particular favor to Columbus, Isabella, before his departure from the court, appointed his son Diego page to Prince Juan, the heir apparent, an honor granted only to the sons of per- sons of distinguished rank. Thus grati- fied in his dearest wishes, Coliimbus took leave of the court on the 12th of May, and set out joj'fully for Palos. Let those who are disposed to faint under diffi- culties, in the prosecution of any great and worthy undertaking, remember that IN THE ANTE'CHAUBEH OF BOTALTY. PAOtS IN WAITINQ. OF COLUMBUS. 121 igypt, to that the isecrated er of the gination, diat they deep and acteristic covery of neditated led for in a prepar- ts accom- d upon as be fitted queuce of wo armed [lorities of ys, and to nis. The )r v/as any not go to ossessions igns, com- o furnish a reason- 3uld cause Defore his to Prince US of per- hus grati- nbus took of May, Let those ider diffi- any great mber that ■i 11 eighteen years elapsed after Cohira- bus conceived his enterprise, before he wa-j enabled to carry it into effect, tliat the most of that time was passed in almost hopeless solicitation, amidst poverty, neglect, and taunting ridi- cule ; that the prime of his life had wasted away in the struggle; and that when his perseverance was finallv crowned with success, he was about fifty-six years of age. His ex- ample should teach the enterorising never to despair. \v'hen Columbus arrived at Palos, and presented himself once more before the gates of the convent of La Rabida, he was received with open arms by the worthy Juan Perez, and again entertained as his guest. The zealous friar accompanied him to the parochial church of St. George, in Palos, where Columbus caused the royal order for the caravels to be read by a notary public, in pres- ence of the authorities of the place. Nothing could equal the aston- ishment and horror of the people of this maritime community, when they heard of the nature of the expedition, in which they were ordered to engage. They considered the ships and crews demanded of them, in the 'ight of sacrifices devoted to destruction. All the frightful tales and fables with which ignorance and superstition are prone to people obscure and distant regions, were conjured up con- cerning the unknown parts of the deep, and the boldest seamen shrunk from such a wild and chimerical cruise into the wilderness of the ocean. Repeated mandates were issued by the sovereigns, ordering the magistrates of Palos, and the neighboring town of Moguer, to press into the service any Spanish vessels and crews they might thnik proper, and threatening severe punishments on all who should prove refractory. It was all in vain, the communities of those places were thrown into complete confusion, tumults and alterca- A PAQI OF THE 16TM CENTUHY. I 122 THK LIFE AND VOYAGES iili 'MtMji^ MOTAHY PJBLIC, HEAO-NO THE ROVAL ORDER t^OR THE CARAVEIS, TO THE PEOPLE OF PAtOo. tions took place, but nothing of consequence was effected. At length, Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the wealthy and enterprising navigator, who has already been mentioned, came forward and engaged personally in the expedition. He and his brother Vincente Yafiez Pinzon, who was likewise a navigator of great courage and ability, possessed vessels, and had seamen in their employ. They were related to many of the seafaring inhabitants of Palos and Moguer, and had great influence throughout the neighl)orhood. It is supposed that they furnished Columbus with funds to pay the eighth share of the expense, which he had engaged to advance. They furnished two of the vessels required, and determined to sail in the expedition. Their ex- ample and persuasions had a wonderful effect; a great many of their relations and friends agreed to embark, and the vessels were ready for sea within a month after they had engaged in their enterprise. During the equipment of the armament, various difficulties oc- curred. A third vessel, called the Pinta, had been pres.sed into the .service, with its crew. The owners, Gomez Rascon, and Christoval Quintero, were strongly repugnant to the voyage, as were most of the mariners under them. These people, and their friends, endeav- ored in various ways to retard or defeat the voyage. The caulkers did their work in a careless manner, and, on being ordered to do it over again, absconded; several of the seamen who had enlisted willingly, repented and deserted. Every thing had to be effected by harsh and arbitrary meas- ures, and in defiance of ])opular opposition. At length, by the be- ginning of August, every ^ difficulty was vanquished, and the vessels were ready for sea. After all the ob- HULL OF A LARGE OCEAN BOAT ON THE DIY DOCK, END OF THE 15TN CCNTURT. COPIED FROM A CONTEMPORARY ENORAVINQ. i ft ice was wealthy dy been rsonally /■inccnte jator of ,els, and ; related alos and lout the iirnished share of advance, ired, and rheir ex- effect; a ,s agreed nth after ulties oc- l into the hristoval most of , endeav- canlkers d to do it enlisted ted and y thing cted by iry meas- fiance of [)n. the be- ist, every nqiiished, ere ready ill the ob- *>a I,' !l h !t' 'f ■it ,"' i A jj^'^ 111. i.i . !•: AN i> vuv \i,i';s " .. j»'* 'Jl 'nils i'"ik ] IriA'c, iiut ii.illiiu^^ d vOiisciiuciKf \\;is •if'- I'li.H, .'.; Ic)i.i.>ili .M,:rti:i Moii/.o I'iiixon, . Ik- wcaMi;/ p: i ;:r' ;). isr.lL' n,i\ iu '1"!', \". 'm» has .ihi-'ddy been !; 'in ( \i'i /::t ii I'. II'' ,Hhl ii'S iii'iit lit-T X'liifi.nU' ^. I. • i'M'yiiM, n lie was lik '/iM :i u.i\ i:;Mlc';- (»l <:' . ■'■.!;••. I'.;- .Ml'! .il.iiiilv, [■»": .-i-.-suil \x'SS'.'ls, and ;..''. '.( ," u-i: )U 11 "ir I 111 j'hi\ 'I'Ikv \yi.-v:- .ilaU'il ' ■ ; "-laii- <• i-iif M-'.Ja' ia.L.: iul'.:.i)ii:i us nf i'.ii'i'- im; 'iMi''ai."\ , lid aid .ii'i't intliu IK'.' llirnr.-'lwiul tlu- ■.,' ,'. 'i:! •- h'ldd It 1- ^.l^|.,,^,l■ t!i;n i1k'\' nninslicd ' ".•;•;!!. i;s with Ii.ti,! I i I.)ii ill-,' tlsj-hlil shai'v' ci -'■'*--"' i.ia' rxj'L a^'-, will ' ]:i- ]i,id iii;a,;^ad !•) advaiic^, I 'm- t'.->vl.'> rcHiuirc'd, am'i •""^ . -.. .!.•: ■ii-'t'-'niiiK d 1-' .-.c.l -.11 ;i'^ ■Nix.-ditiMii. Thi^ir c.\- ani;)K- :i"d ])t';'-;a isions '....', .■ wfauii-rlnl (.alcrl , a .;ii.il r':in\ (i! 'uKa. icLiImi!- ;ind iVu-nds a,ji\:'..d ' 1 • . iKi ll.i. V -s.-^r!.- wt. r ]i:n\\ io; >fa ■.s'i'Jun a liiUirJi .'.tlri ' . r ;. a'^,cil I a 1 h • ; fate j,, \--.- \> a.' .'■)'. L-'MiMtia 11" wt '.lii' ,11 ti .iii'.al, • ;>.'a hk aidiLaillics uc- \ '.. lid \t'-.-' 1' 111 1, i:ad 'rcii ])n.-sS(,\l inbj ihe V ' . i'- !c\v. T/.i..- I V 111 I"'., '- h-a: ■/, !\ i-m.wI'.. ar. I Chtisloval ..'■ ' , <" 1- 'i '■':'!■.' 1-, ; '. i>u,.;n.. a' t.'i ilii ■.■•■ai^i', as were iiu'st "f ■i.i •• h'l irr ili'.a;. ! Lcn'- pmidt, .aid "hiir tricnd^, cndLav- . 1 •■ i'i"a . "• ■ ■ •') '-"laid, '.)■: ,l<. a.,;), the. \"\Mt:\-. i'ht. ciiuikcv; . ■ • \' •:!; r' lit ii'-.- iiiauaM'. iiiid, v:\ : iiuv; (.i; dcrcd to do ii ..■■(. .i' -' a;'!' 'i <<■■■ ■ ■] /.f 'iic .(.\..a''-n who had caillsted ■a 1 ! . ':_;b . • .•])(. nicd ai)'. '.I--' ■ •'. w. l\ '.■ t r \ tliii;,-' c !• t'fi' c I c >.[ Ijy 1 .tihilravv iiK-' is- 1. >| ; ., • r ,<-,v^r^V4'^^~| t;„t^/ L^'^.-.F- «5SSL ; ' , Hi ca • . i a : .•( lipp.isi,.!'')!. i.^ih, dv !] l\»r ^■l•a. \iua- aM the ( .' oi j..^ ^ ' »i » ..» .■IKC u:is ' wc-al'iiy ul\ licoii :r^ oiial! V' V'iiK'i.iiti; .jalcr ol S'.ls ;nul ■.• .tlaU'il '.liw^ illil 111 ii'>lit\' sliuiv (,i a(lv;itK-L. iiT-d, :nii'i riKir i'\- c- licet , a U at'"i\.'i-.(i r. 'lies uc- •■,\i:, ihe 111 i^loval ■ ilUINt "f 1. iiikaV- oauikfv; tc> cl'> ii ■.•iilistcii ■.'(l a 1)1. thii!,.' a \>y nw 1.S- sIkmI, r-adv OF COLUMBUS. 125 jections made by various courts, to undertake this expedition, it is surprising how inconsiderable an armament was required. Two of the vessels were light barques, called caravels, not superior to river and coasting craft of modern days. They were built high at the prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins for the crew, but w§re without deck in the centre. Only one of the three, called the Santa Maria, was completely decked, on board of which Columbus hoisted his flag. Martin Alonzo Pinzon commanded one of the caravels, called the Pinta, and was accompanied by his brother, Francisco Martin, as mate or pilot. The other, called the Nina, had latine sails,* and was commanded by Vincenie Yanez Pinzon ; oil board of this vessel went Garcia Fernandez, the physician of Palos, in the capacity of steward. There were three other able pilots, Sancho Ruiz, Pedro Alonzo Nino, and Bartholomew Roldan, and the whole number of persons embarked was one hundred and twenty. The squadron being ready to put to sea, Columbus confessed himself to the friar Juan Perez, and partook of the communion, and his example was followed by the officers and crews, committing themselves, with the most devout and affecting ceremonials, to the especial guidance and protection of Heaven, in this perilous enter- prise. A deep gloom was spread over the whole community of Palos, for almost every one had some relation or friend on board of the squadron. The spirits of the seamen, already depressed by their own fears, were still more cast down, at behold- ing the affliction of those they left behind, who took leave of them with tears and lamentations and dismal forebodings, as of men they were never to behold again. * Three cornered sails, also called reed sails. They hang on a tree, fasten- ed in a diagonal manner to the mast. HULL OF A LAROe OCEAN BOAT, ABOUT leOO A. 0. COPIED FROM TMI COAT OF ARMS OF JOHN SEQKER. REDUCED FAC-IIMILE OF A WOODCUT, FROtl THE 8CH00I..0F ALBRECHT DURER, I r THS (HIPS OF COlUMSUt; THC tANTA MARIA, N MA, AND PINTA, H;6TOHtO FHUM THE MO0IL8 IN THE MARINE MUSEUM, MADRID. CHAPTER X. IVCNT8 OF THC FIRST VOYAaC. DI8COVCRY OF LAND. (U92.) T was early in the morning of Friday, the 3d of August, 1492, that Columbus set sail from the bar of SalteS, a small island formed by the rivers Odiel and Tinto, in front of Palos, steering for the Canary Islands, from whence he intended to strike due west. As a guide by which to sail, he had the conjectural map or chart, sent him by Paolo Toscanelli of Florence. In this it is sup- posed the coasts of Europe and Africa, from the south of Ireland to the end of Guinea, were delineated as im- mediately opposite to the extremity of Asia, while the great island of Cipango, described by Marco Polo, lay between them, fifteen hundred miles from the Asiatic coast ; at this island Columbus expected first to arrive. On the third day after setting sail, the Pinta made signal of distress, her rudder being broken and unhung. This was suspected to have been done through the contrivance of the owners, Gomez (1=6) OF COLUMBUS. 127 Rascon and Christoval Quintero, to disable the vessel, and cause her to be left behind. Columbus was much disturbed at this occur- rence. It gave him a foretaste of the difficulties to be apprehended, from people partly enlisted on compulsion, and full of doubt and foreboding. Trivial obstacles might, in this early stage of the voy- age, spread panic and mutiny through his crews, and induce them to renounce the prosecution of the enterprise. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, who commanded the Pinta, secured the rudder with cords, but these fastenings .soon gave way, and the car- avel proving defective in other respects, Columbus remained three weeks cruising among the Canary Islands, in search of another ves- sel to replace her. Not being able to find one, the Pinta was re- paired, and furnished with a new rudder. The latine sails of the Nina were also altered into square sails, that she might work more steadily and securely. While making these repairs, and taking in wood and water, Columbus was informed that three Portuguese car- avels had been seen hovering off the island of Ferro. Dreading some hostile stratagem, on the part of the king of Portugal, in re- venge for his having embarked in the service of Spain, he put to sea early on the morning of the 6th of September, but for three days a profound calm detained the vessels within a short distance of the land. This was a tantalizing delay, for Columbus trembled lest something shouM occur to defeat his expedition, and was impa- tient to find himself fai; upon the ocean, out of sight of either land or sail ; which, in the pure atmosphere of these latitudes, may be descried at an immense distance. On Sunday, the 9th of September, as day broke, he beheld Ferro about nine leagues distant ; he was in the very neighbor- hood, therefore, where the Portuguese caravels had been seen. Fortunately a breeze sprang up with the sun, and in the course of the day the heights of Ferro gradually faded from the horizon. On losing sight of this last trace of land, the hearts of the crews failed them, for they seemed to have taken leave of the world. Behind them was every thing dear to the heart of man — country, family, friends, life itself; before them every thing was chaos, mystery, and peril. In the perturbation of the moment, they despaired of ever more seeing their homes. Many of the rug- ged seamen shed tears, and some broke into loud lamentations. Columbus tried in every way to soothe their distress, describing 128 THK I.IKH AND VOYAGES 4 the splendid countries to which he expected to conduct them, and promising them hmd, riches, and every thing that could arouse their cupidity or inflame their imaginations ; nor were these prom- ises made for purposes of deception, for he certainly believed he should realize them all. He now gave orders to the commanders of the other vessels, in case they should be separated by any accident, to continue directly westward ; but that after sailing seven hundred leagues, they should lay by from midnight until daylight, as at about that distance he confidently expected to find land. Foreseeing that the vague ter- rors already awakened among the seamen would increase with the space which intervened between them and their homes, he com- menced a stratagem which he continued throughout the voyage. This was to keep two reckouiugs, one private, in which the true way of the ship was noted, and which he retained in secret for his own government ; the other public, for general inspection, in which a number of leagues was daily subtracted from the sailing of the ships, so as to keep the crews in ignorance of the real distance they had advanced. When about one hundred and fifty leagues * west of Ferro, they fell in with part of a mast of a large vessel, and the crews, tremblingly alive to every portent, looked with a rueful eye upon this fragment of a wreck, drifting ominously at the entrance of these iinknown seas. On the 13th of September, in the evening, Columbus, for the first time, noticed the variation of the needle, a phenomenon which had never before been remarked. He at first made no mention of it, lest his people should be alarmed ; but it soon attracted the at- tention of the pilots, and filled them with consternation. It seemed as if the very laws of Nature were changing as they advanced, and that they were entering another world subject to unknown influ- ences. They apprehended that the compass was about to lose its mysterious virtues, and, without this guide, what was to become of them in a vast and trackless ocean ? Columbus taxed his science and ingenuity for reasons with which to allay their terrors. He told them that the direction of the needle was not to the polar star, but to some fixed and invisible point. The variation, therefore, was not caused by any fallacy in the compass, but by the movement of * A Spanish nautical mile equal to about four English miles. OF COLUMIJUn. 129 hem, aud d arouse !se proiu- licved he ressels, in e directly ey should stance lie /ague ter- : with the , he com- le voyage. 1 the true ret for his 1, in which ing of the tauce they of Ferro, the crews, eye upon iitrance of us, for the uon which uention of ted the at- It seemed anced, and own influ- to lose its become of lis science rrors. He polar star, refore, was jvement of ihc north star itself, which, like the other heavenly bodies, had its cli:uii;cs and revolutions, and every day described a circle round the Dolc. The high opinion they entertained of Columbus as a pro- found as- tronomer, gave weight to his theo- ry, and their alarm sub- sided. They had now arrived within the influence of the trade wind, which, following the sun, blows stead- ily from east to west be- tween the tropics, and sweeps over a few ad- joining de- grees of the ocean. With this propi- tious breeze directly aft, they were wafted gent- ly but speed- ily over a tranquil sea, so that for many days they did not C0LUMBU3 NOTICES FOR THE FIRST TIME THE VARIATION OF THE NEEDLE. P»INTINO Br C. V. PILOTV. (SEE PAGE U8.> I30 THK I.IFK AND VOYAGKS shift a sail. Coliunhus in his journal perpetually recurs to the bland and temperate serenity of the weather, and compares the pure and balmy mornings to those of April in Andalusia, observing, that the song of the nightingale was alone wanting to complete the illu- sion. They now began to see large patches of herbs and weeds all drifting from the west. Some were such as grow about rocks or in rivers, and as green as if recently washed from the land. On one of the patches was a live crab. They saw also a white tropical bird, of a kind which never sleeps upon the sea; and tunny fish played about Lhe ships. Columbus now supposed himself arrived in the weedy sea described by Aristotle, into which certain ships of Cadiz had been driven by an impetuous east wind. As he advanced, there were various other signs that gave great animation to the crews, many birds were seen flying from the west ; there was a cloudiness in the north, such as often hangs over land ; and at sunset the imagination of the seamen, aided by their desires, would shape those clouds into distant islands. Every one was eager to be the first to behold and announce the wished-for shore ; for the sovereigns had promised a pension of thirtv crowns to whomsoever should first discover land. Columbus sounded occasionally with a line of two hundred fathoms,* but found no bot- * Fathom, equal to six feet. THE EASER AND ANXIOUS WATCH FBOM THE MASTHEAD. OK COLUMHl'S. '3^ torn. Martin Alon/.o Pinzon, as well as others of his officers, and many of the seamen, were often solicitons for Cohnnbns to alter his course, and steer in the direction of these favorable signs ; bnt he persevered in steering to the westward, trnsting that, by keeping in one steady direction, he should reach the coast of India, even if he shouUl miss the interven- ing islands, and might then seek them on his return. Notwith- standing the precaution which had been taken to keep the people igno- rant of the distance they had sailed, they gradually became uneasy at the length of the voyage. The various indications of land which occasionally flattered their hopes, passed away one after another, and the same interminable expanse of sea and sky continued to extend before them. They had advanced much farther to the west than ever man had sailed before, and though already beyond the reach of succor, were still pressing onward and onward into that apparently boundless abyss. Even the favorable wind, which seemed as if providentially sent to waft them to the New World with such bland and gentle breezes, was conjured by their fears into a source of alarm. They feared that the wind in these seas always prevailed from the east, and if so, would never permit their return to Spain. A few light breezes from the TCst allayed for a time their last apprehension, and several small BECALMeO IN THE SAROASSO SEA. (SEE PAQE 133.) 133 THE UFE AND VOYAGES ! . t: birds, such as keep about groves and orchards, came singing in the morning, and flew away at night. Their song was wonderfully cheer- ing to the hearts of the poor mariners, who hailed it as the voice of land. The birds they had hitherto seen had been large and stronjf of wing; but such small birds, they observed, were too feeble to fly far, and their singing showed that they were not exhausted by their flight. On the following day there was a profound calm, and the sea, as far as the eye could reach, was covered with weeds, so as to have the appearance of a vast inundated meadow, a phenomenon attrib- uted to the immense quantities of submarine plants which are de- tached by the currents from the bottom of the ocean. The seamen now feared that the sea was growing shallow ; they dreaded lurking rocks, and shoals, and quicksands, and that their vessels might run aground, as it were, in the midst of the ocean, far out of the track of human aid, and with no shore where the crews could take refuge. Columbus proved the fallacy of this alarm, by sounding with a deep sea-line, and finding no bottom. For three days there was a continuance of light summer airs, from the southward and westward, and the sea was as smooth as a mirror. The crews now be.canie uneasy at the calmness of the weather. They observed that the contrary winds they experienced were transient and unsteady, and so light as not to ruffle the sur face of the sea, the only winds of constancy and force were fro?.. the west, and even those had not power to disturb the torpid still- ness of .the ocean : there was a risk, therefore, either of perishing amidst stagnant and shoreless waters, or of being prevented, by contrary winds, from ever returning to their native country. Columbus continued, with admirable patience, to reason with these absurd fancies, but in vain ; when fortunately there came on a heavy swell of the sea, unaccompanied by wind, a phenomenon that often occurs in the broad ocean, caused by the impulse of some past gale, or distant current of wind. It was, nevertheless, re- garded with astonishment by the mariners, and dispelled the imag- inary terrors occasioned by the calm. The situation of Columbus was daily becoming more and more critical. The impatience of the seamen rose to absolute mutiny. They gathered together in the retired parts of the ships, at first iu little knots of two and three, which gradually increased and became OK COLUMBUS. 133 igitig in the rfully cheer- the voice of : and strong feeble to fly ;ted by their and the sea, as to have lenon attrib- 'hich are de- The seamen aded Inrking Is might mil of the track 1 take refnge. r with a deep snnimer airs, . smooth as a iiness of the experienced ffle the snr i were froi.. torpid still- of perishing irevented, by |nntry. reason with here came on Iphenomenou iiilse of some Ttheless, re- :d the imag- )re and more llute mutiny. )S, at first in and became formidable, joining in mnrmurs and menaces against the admiral. They exclaimed against him as an ambitious desperado, who, in a mad phantasy, had determined to do something extravagant to ren- der him-self notorious. What obliga- tion bound them to persist, or when were the terms of their agreement to be considered as fulfilled ? They had al- ready penetrated into seas untraversed by a sail, and where man had never before adventured. Were they to sail on until they should perish, or until all return with their frail ships should become impossible ? Who would blame them should they consult their safety and return? The admiral was a for- eigner, without friends or influence. His scheme had been condemned by the learned as idle and visionary, and discountenanced by people of all ranks. There was, therefore, no party on his side, but rather a large number who would be gratified by his failure. Such are some of the reasonings by which these men prepared them- selves for open rebellion. Some even proposed, as an effectual mode of si- lencing all after-complaints of the ad- miral, that they should throw him into the sea, and give out that he had fallen overboard, while contemplating the stars and signs of the heavens, with his astronomical instruments. Columbus was not ignorant of these secret cabals, but he kept a serene and steady countenance, soothing some with gentle words, stimulating the pride or the avarice of others, and openly menacing the most refractory with punishment. New hopes diverted them for a time. On the 25th of September, Martin Alouzo Piuzon mounted on the stern of his vessel, and shouted, MARTIN AlONZO PIN20N MISTAKE) AN EVENING ClOUD rOR lANO. ■5 134 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES ** Land ! land ! Sefior, I claim the reward ! " There was, indeed, such an appearance of land in the southwest, that Columbus threw himself upon his knees^ and returned thanks to God, and all the crews joined in chanting Gloria in excelsis* The ships altered their course, and stood all night to the southwest, but the morning light put an end to all their hopes as to a dream : the fancied land proved to be nothing but an evening cloud, and had vanished in the night. For several days, they continued on with alternate hopes and murmurs, until the various signs of land became so numerous, that the seamen, from a state of despondency, passed to one of high excitement. Eager to obtain the promised pension, they were con- tinually giving the cry of land ; until Columbus declared, that should any one give a notice of the kind, and land not be discovered within three days afterwards, he should thenceforth forfeit all claim to the reward. On the 7th of October, they had come seven hundred and fifty leagues, the distance at which Columbus had computed to find the island of Cipango. There werre great flights of small field bird, to the southwest, which seemed to indicate some neighboring lanr" in that direction, where they w^re sure of food and a resting place. Yielding to the solicitations of Martin Alonzo Pinzon and his brothers, Columbus, on the evening of the 7th, altered his course, therefore, to the west-southwest. As he advanced, the signs of land increased; the birds came singing about the ships; and herbage floated by as fresh and green as if recently from shore. When, however, on the evening of the third day of this new course, the seamen beheld the sun go down upon a shoreless horizon, they again broke forth into loud clamors, and insisted upon abandoning the voyage. Columbus endeavored to pacify them by gentle words and liberal promises ; but finding these only increased their vio- lence, he assumed a different tone, and told them it was useless to murmur ; the expedition had been sent by the sovereigns to seek the Indies, and happen what might, he was determined to persevere, until, by the blessing of God, he should accomplish the enterprise. He was now at open defiance with his crew, and his situation would have been desperate, but, fortunately, the manifestations of land on the following day were such as no longer to admit of doubt. flow." * Gloria in excelsis, Latin beginning of the hymn, "Praise God from whom all blessings was, indeed, umbus threw i, and all the > altered their norning light d land proved in the night, te hopes and so nnmerous, ;o one of high tiey were con- d, that should overed within 1 claim to the ired and fifty id to find the field bird, to aring lanr" in resting place. izon and his d his course, signs of land and herbage ore. When, course, the lorizon, they abandoning gentle words ed their vio- as useless to igns to seek to persevere, e enterprise. lis situation festations of tnit of doubt. Iiom all blessings Hi ill I OF COLUMBUS. 137 A green fish, such as keeps about rocks, swam by the ships ; and a branch of thorn, with berries on it, floated by ; they picked up, also, a reed, a small board, and, above all, a staff artificially carved. All gloom and murmuring was now at an end, and throughout the day each one was on the watch for the long-sought land. In the evening, when, according to custom, the mariners had sung the salve regina^ or vesper hymn to the Virgin, Columbus made an impressive address to his crew, pointing out the goodness of God in thus conducting them by soft and favoring breezes across a tranquil ocean to the promised land. He expressed a strong confidence of making land that very night, and ordered that a vig- ilant lookout should be kept from the forecastle, promising to whomsoever should make tlie discovery, a doublet of velvet, in addi- tion to the pension to be g iven by the sovereigns. The breeze had been fresh all day, with more sea than usual ; at sunset they stood again to the west, and were ploughing the waves at a rapid rate, the Pinta keeping the lead from her superior sailing. The greatest animation prevailed through- out the ships ; not an eye was closed that night. As the evening darkened, Columbus took his sta- tion on the top of the castle or cabin on the high poop of his vessel. However he might carry a cheerful and confident countenance during the day, it was to him a time of the most painful anxiety ; and now when he was wrapped from observation by the shades of night, he maintained an intense and unremitting watch, ranging his eye along the dusky horizon, in search of the most vague indi- cations of land. Suddenly, about ten o'clock, he thought he beheld a light glimmering at a distance. Fearing that his eager hopes might deceive him, he called Pedro Gutierrez, a gentleman of the king's bedchamber, and demanded whether he saw a light in that direction ; the latter replied in the affirmative. Columbus, yet doubtful whether it might not be some delusion of the fancy, called Rodrigo Sanchez of Segovia, and made the same inquiry. By the time the latter had ascended the round- house, the light had disappeared. They saw it once or twice after- wards in sudden and passing gleams, as if it were a torch in the 8 COLUMBUS AND PEDRO OUTIERREZ WATCHINO THE ailMMERtHl* UQHT ON THE NIQHTOF OCTOBER II, 1492. MARBLE STATUE BV D. 0. AMORE, ESCURIAU 's 1 mWwf 11 1 ^ i! I X m li £ * 2 3 °o - •< o •< > 2 >0 H o C > 00 mm M > -• > I ii:«) THE LIFE AND VOYAGES 139 |;||i\p'"'''gl|jjj|| bark of a fisherman, rising and sinking with the waves ; or in the hands of some person on shore, borne up and down as he walked from house to house. So transient and uncertain were these gleams, that few attached any importance to them; Columbus, however, considered them as certain signs of land, and, moreover, that the land was inhabited. They continued on their course until two in the morning, when a gun from the Pinta gave the joyful signal of land. It was first discovered by a mariner named Rodriguez Bermejo, resident of Triana, a suburb of Seville, but native of Alcala de la Guadaira: but the reward was afterwards adjudged to the Admiral, for having previously perceived the light. The land was now clearly seen about two leagues distant, whereupon they took in sail, and laid to, waiting impatiently for the dawn. The thoughts and feelings of Columbus in this little space of time must have been tumultuous and intense. At length, in spite of every difficulty and danger, he had accomplished his object. The great mystery of the ocean was revealed ; his theory, which had been the scoflf of sages, was triumphantly established; he had se- cured to himself a glory which must be as durable as the world itself. It is difficult even for the imagination to conceive the feelings of such a man, at the moment of so sublime a discovery. What a bewildering crowd of conjectures must have thronged upon his mind, as to the land which lay before him, covered with darkness ! That it was fruitful was evident from the vegetables which floated from its shores. He thought, too, that he perceived in the balmy air the fragrance of aromatic groves. The moving light which he had beheld, proved that it was the residence of man. But what were its inhabitants ? Were they like those of other parts of the i globe ; or were they some strange and monstrous race, such as the imagination in those times was prone to give to all remote and un- known regions? Had he come upon some wild island, far in the Indian seas ; or was this the famed Cipango itself, the object of his golden fancies ? A thousand speculations of the kind must have swarmed upon him, as he watched for the night to pass away; wondering whether the morning light would reveal a savage wilder- ness, or dawn upon spicy groves, and glittering fanes, and gilded cities, and all the splendors of oriental civilization. \ CHAPTER XL FIRST LANDING OF COLUMBUS IN THE NEW WORLD. CRUISE AMONG THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. DISCOVERY OF CUBA AND HI8PANIOLA. (14«2.) 'HEN the day dawned, Columbus saw before him a level and beautiful island, several leagues in extent, of great freshness and verdure, and covered with trees like a continual orchard. Though every thing appeared in the wild luxuriance of untamed nature, yet the island was evidently populous, for the in- habitants were seen issuing from the woods, and running from all parts to the shore. They were all perfectly naked, and, from their attitudes and gestures, appeared lost in astonishment at the sight of the ships. Columbus made signal to cast anchor, and to man the boats. He entered his own boat, lichly attired in scarlet, and bearing the royal standard. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, and Vincente Yanez his brother, likewise put off in their boats, each bearing the banner of the enterprise, emblazoned with a green cross, having, on each side, the letters F and Y, surmounted by crowns, the Spanish initials of the Castilian monarchs, Fernando and Ysabel. As they approached the shores, they were delighted by the beauty and grandeur of the forests ; the variety of unknown fruits on the trees which overhung the shores ; the purity and suavity of the atmosphere, and the crystal transparency of the seas which bathe these islands. On landing, Columbus threw himself upon his knees, kissed the earth, and returned thanks to God with tears of joy. His example was followed by his companions, whose breasts, indeed, were full to overflowing. Columbus, then rising, drew his (■40) ■AHAMA ISLANDS. Columbus saw lautiful island, ent, of great and covered nual orchard, peared in the ed nature, yet s, for the in- ning from all nd, from their at the sight and to man m scarlet, and and Vincente 1 bearing the )ss, having, on the Spanish el. ghted by the 1 known fruits ud suavity of le seas which himself upon od with tears vhose breasts, ing, drew his CMAPTl'R XI. ut. r ri»"3- lAHOINQ of t,OLUMBU«i .N 'ME NE* tf/ORLD. CRUISE AMONG ''Mr BAHAMA ISl « DISCOVERY OF CUBA ANO HlSP<€^(.; .S)/^ ^ I'cf.nc liMii ;i and ami iieaiitiful isl.. T' >0;>^ several .k;\i(U(*-i in fyteiit, o!' i^t ri c '\ v\^ iVlsIuu'Ss atid \L'r(ln.e, asul covi . ,V-^ ^ ^^-p ^''''^•' '■^'-"f-"' 'iJ<^" •'■' <'uiitiiinal orcli. 5-^ ' 'i"li');ii;!i LVLvy tliinj^- aij]j(.are(l in ' V, ''(l luNUiiance o( tintaiucd I'aturi , thij i-^in-': W.1.S (.•■•iflrnll}- 'i)C)i)ul(>ns, tor the :'.••;(. ints Merc .socv! i-.sunip iroi'i I'le v.idJs. and nuniini,' from : -ntK t.() the shore. Th'--"- w '!<• all ]i( rfcctly naked, :ind, from Ui a'l'ir.'.U's a-KJ ,<4i siaires, i])pe;;:'cd lost in asinnishnii nr at the si, " I'.H sliii'S. i.!o:nvi')i;- ni i(i' Mitral .(» 0:1-1 amhor, and to n, lie rial'-,. lie fn'<-.x 1 his >>\\n hoal, rie' !\ ;Ul;i(l in sca'-lcl, ,. 'i-,:'in;,' til- -Myil -( '.i.third. M;.it.iii .ALhi/o rin/(in. an-i \ in* ■ r S:''i •■' 1).- i.T.i'b'! '\\'..:\\\ '' ' 'i^ ' . i.'l'i :< I'" .-.nd Y, sni nionnted ')\- ^-rowns, ihe Sj't' ' !. v..-'ii;.ii monavehs I'e-'naado ami Vsahel. '. ■ .I'l •■Milled ilie sh ires, ih'.n' were delighted hy ,,' ..iiidt";: i.f ilh luix*:!.. ; ihe vanelN' oj" nnkaown tn ■- - >\hii ; .'\ •■'.hMni:' tiiv irn-es- llie ])nrity and snavil •_i!ierr, in': 'h<- iiA'.'-l.il li;i,n.'-j jr<.'ne\' ot the :^ea,s wi-' . -e rvlar.!!- i r.\ ; •ndiii^, Cidunitnis 'hi'>'\ hinisell" n] . ki,-sed ;i;ee I'.l . iImI 'rl urn''*! thanks i«> <"iod adlli t ill.- exanii.'f ^^ 1 : {< '^\\■^■•[])\ his conipaii i> m's, wiiose ine.-i .■■ '•^■■\- IrM Li) ('wrwe \•■;l_^^ Colniwbns, tiiui li.ing, drew '■'' ■ iil.il u I 'ir. :• ' 1 1 ■ BAHAMA Ibi." >liin)hus lutirul isl. lit, of I, I a: id cov. inal orch. eared in :l I'alun , , tor the \nii froj:; , from ill It 'he si- and to a scarlcl, , I'i \ ini ' l)<-'ariui4 , liavMi}^ the Sj.'ai .1,- Q C I n I OF COLUMBUS. M3 sword, displayed the royal standard, and took possession in the Inamtsof the Castilian sovereigns, giving the island the name of I San Salvador. He then called upon all present to take the oath ot obedience to him, as admiral and viceroy, and representative of the sovereigns. His followers now burst forth into the most extravagant trans- ports. They thronged around him, some embracing him, others kissing his hands. Those, who had been most mutinous and tur- bulent during the voyage, were now most devoted and enthusiastic. Some begged favors of him, as of a man who had already wealth and honors in his gift. Many abject spirits, who had outraged him by their insolence, now crouched at his feet, begging his forgive- ness, and offering, for the future, the blindest obedience to his com mands. The natives of the island, when, at the dawn of day, they had beheld the ships hovering on the coast, had supposed them some monsters, which had issued from the deep during the night. Their veering about, without any apparent effort, and the shifting and furling of their sails, resembling huge wings, filled them with as- tonishment. When they beheld the boats approach the shore, and a number of strange beings, clad in glittering steel, or raimpnt of various colors, landing upon the beach, they fled in affright to the woods. Finding, however, that there was no attempt to pursue or molest them, they gradually recovered from their terror, and ap- proached the Spaniards with great awe, frequently prostrating themselves, and making signs of adoration. During the ceremony of taking possession, they remained gazing, in timid admiration, at the complexion, the beards, the shining armor, and splendid dress of the Spaniards. The adtriral particularly attracted their atten- tion, from his commanding height, his air of authority, his scarlet dress, and the deference paid to him by his companions ; all which pointed him out to be the commander. When they had still further recovered from their fears, they approached the Spaniards, toucned their beards, and examined their hands and faces, admiring their whiteness. Columbus, pleased with their simplicity, their gentle- ness, and the confidence they reposed in beings who must have ap- peared so strange and formidable, submitted to their scrutiny with pertect acquiescence. The wondering savages were won by this benignity ; they now supposed that the ships had sailed out of the THE LIFE AND VOYAGES crystal firmament which bounded their horizon, or that they had descended from above, on their ample wings, and that these mar- vellous beings were inhabitants of the skies. The natives of the island were no less objects of curiosity to the Spaniards, differing, ao they did, from any race of men they had ever seen. They were entirely naked, and painted with a variety colors and de- so as to have a wild and fantastic appearance. Their natural complexion was of a tawny, or copper hue, and they were entirely destitute of beards. Their hair was not crisped, like the recent- ly discovered tribes of Africa, under the same latitude, but straight and coarse, partly cut above the ears, but some locks behind left long, and fallirg upon their shoul- ders. Their features, though disfigured by paint, were agreeable ; they had lofty foreheads and remarkably fine eyes. They were of moderate stature, and well shaped; most of them appeared to be under thirty years of age. There was but one female with them, quite young, naked like her companions, and beautifully formed. They appeared to be a simple and artless people, and of gentle and friend- NATIVES OF THE LUCAYAS. ■EM/tWN FROM THE DESCnIPTIONS FURNISHED BV THE EARLY NAVIGATORS, AND DATA OBTAINED FROM THE TYPES OF NATIVES INHABITING THE ATLANTIC COAST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA AT PRESENT. ■S OF COLUMBUS. 145 ly dispositions. Their only arms were lances, hardened at the end b^' fire, or pointed with a flint or the bone of a fish. There was no iron to be seen among them, nor did they know its properties, for^ when a drawn sword was presented to them, they ungardedly took it by the edge. Columbus distributed among them colored caps, glass beads, hawk's bells, and other tnfles, which they received as inestimable gifts, and decorating themselves with them, were won- derfully delighted with their finery. As Columbus supposed himself to have landed on an island at , the extremity of India, he called the natives by ^ the general appellation of Indians, which was universally adopted before the nature of his dis- covery was known, and has since been extended " to all the aboriginals of the New World. The Spaniards remained all day on shore, refresh- ing themselves, after their anxious voy age, amidst the beautiful groves of the island, and they returned to their ships late in the evening, delighted with all they had seen. The island where Columbus had thus, for the first time, set his foot upon the new world, is one of the Lucayas, or Bahama Islands, and was called by the natives Guanahani; it sjtill retains the name of San Salvador, which he gave it, though called by the English, Cat Island. The light which he had seen the evening previous to his making land, may have been on Watling's Island, which lies a few leagues to the east. On the following morning, at day- break, some of the natives came swimming off to the ships, aud others came in light baiks, which they called canoes, formed of a single tree, hollowed, and capable of holding from one man to the number of forty or fifty. The Spaniards soon discovered that they were destitute of wealth, and had little to offer in return for trinkets, except balls of cotton yarn, and domesticated parrots. They brought cakes of a kind of bread called cassava, made from the yuca root, which constituted a principal part of their food. COLUMBUS DISTRIBUTEB HAWK'S BCLLS AND OTHER TRIFLES AMONQ THC NATIVES OF GUANAHANI. 146 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES The avarice of the discoverers was awakened by perceiving small ornaments of gold in the noses of some of the natives. On being asked where this precious metal was procured, they answered by jsigns, pointing to the south; and Columbus understood them to say, that a king resided in that quarter, of such wealth that he was served in great vessels of gold. He interpreted all their imperfect communications according to his previous ideas and his cherished wishes. They spoke of a warlike people, who often invaded their island from the northwest, and carried oflF the inhabitants. These iiii ;^l^ ™ he concluded to be the people of the mainland of Asia, subjects to the Grand Khan, who, according to Marco Polo, were accustomed to make war upon the islands, and make slaves of the natives. The rich country to the south could be no other than the island of Cipango, atid the king who was served out of golden vessels, must be the monarch whose magnificent palace was said to be covered with plates of gold. Having explored the island of Guanahani, and taken in a sup- ply of wood and water, Columbus set sail in quest of the opulent ii! ii OF COLUMBUS. 147 y perceiving natives. On ley answered tood them to 1 that he was eir imperfect lis cherished nvaded their ants. These ca VUTLlHOa ISLAirU, (GUANABAin. SSADQUDORJ EXPLANATION. -^■^ Kguie according to the siipposiiion of (Munoi) Becher. ■ - Route according 10 Irving and Humboldl. ■ + - + Route accord- ing to Varnhagen. • - • - Route acco.'l- ing to Navarrette. subjects to accustomed lives. The e island of ssels, must be covered n in a sup- le opulent country to the south, taking seven of the natives with him, to acquire the Spanish language, and serve as interpreters and guides. He now beheld a number of beautiful islands, green, level, and fertile, and the Indians intimated by signs, that they were innumer- able; he supposed them to be a part of the great archipelago described by Marco Polo as stretching along the coast of Asia, and abounding with spices and odoriferous trees. He visited three of them, to which he gave the names of Santa Maria de la Conception, Fernandina, and Isabella. The inhabitants gave the same proofs as those of San Salvador of being totally unaccustomed to the sight of civilized man. They regarded the Spaniards as superhuman beings, approached them with propitiatory offerings, of whatever their poverty, or rather their simple and natural mode of life, afforded ; the fruits of their fields and groves, their cotton yarn, land their domesticated parrots. When the Spaniards landed in .search of water, they took them to the coolest springs, the sweetest [and freshest runs, filling their casks, rolling them to the boats, and I seeking in every way to gratify their celestial visitors. Columbus was enchanted by the lovely scenery of some of [these islands. **I know not," says he, "where first to go, nor are my eyes ever weary of gazing on the beautiful verdure. The sing- ing of the birds is such, that it seems as if one would never desire [to depart hence. There are flocks of parrots that obscure the sun, [and other birds of many kinds, large and small, entirely different [ from ours. Trees, also, of a thousand species, each having its par- ticular fruit, and all of marvellous flavor. I believe there are many herbs and trees, which would be of great value in Spain for tinct- ures, medicines, and spices, but I know nothing of them, which [gives me great vexation." / The fish, which abounded in these seas, partook of the novelty [which characterized most of the objects in this new world. They [rivalled the birds in the tropical brilliancy of their colors, the scales [ of some of them glanced back the rays of light like precious stones, j and as they sported about the ships, they flashed gleams of gold and [ silver through the crystal waves. Columbus was disappointed in his hopes of finding any gold or spices in these islands ; but the natives continued to point to the south, as the region of wealth, and began to speak of an island in that direction, called Cuba, whichj the Spaniards understood them .mr, ■H" 148 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES m ».:■:. I to say, abounded in gold, pearls, and spices, and carried on an exten- sive commerce, and that large merchant ships came to trade with the inhabitants. Columbus concluded this to be the desired Cipango, and the merchant ships to be those of the Grand Khan. He set sail in search of it, and after being delayed for several days, by contrary winds and calms, among the small islands of the Bahama bank and channel, he arrived m sight of it on the 28th of October. As he approached this noble island, he was struck with its magnitude, the grandeur of its mountains, its fertile valleys and long sweeping plains, covered by stately forests, and watered by noble rivers. He anchored in a beautiful river to the west of Nue- vitas del Principe, and taking formal possession of the island, gave it the name of Juana, in honor of Prince Juan, and to the river the name of San Salvador. Columbus spent several days coasting this part of the island, and exploring the fine harbors and rivers with which it abounds. From his continual remarks in his journal on the beauty of the scenery, and from the pleasure which he evidently derived from rural sounds and objects, he appears to have been extremely opeu to those delicious influences, exercised over some spirits by the graces and wonders of nature. He was, in fact, in a mood to sc^ every thing through a fond and favoring medium, for he was enjoy- ing the fulfillment of his hopes, the hard-earned but glorious re ward of his toils and perils ; and it is difficult to conceive the rap- turous state of his feelings, while thus exploring the charms of a virgin world, won by his enterprise and valor. In the sweet smell of the woods, and the odor of the flowers, he fancied he perceived the fragrance of oriental spices, and along the shores he found shells of the oyster which produces pearls. He frequently deceived himself, in fancying that he heard the song of the nightingale, a bird unknown in these countries. From the grass growing to the very edge of the water, he inferred the peace- fulness of the ocean which bathes these islands, never lashing the shores with angry surges. Ever since his arrival among these An- tilles, he had experienced nothing but soft and gentle weather, and he concluded that a perpetual serenity reigned over these seas, little suspicious of the occasional bursts of xury to which they are liable, and of the tremendous hurricanes which rend and devastate the face of nature. ■• ed on an exten- I trade with the sired Cipango, m. He set sail ys, by contrary lama bank and ober. struck with its ile valleys and nd watered by e west of Nue- he island, gave ;o the river the : of the island, icli it abounds. i beauty of the ; derived from ixtremely open spirits by the a mood to see r he was enjoy- ut glorious re- iceive the rap- le charms of a ot the flowers, ices, and along es pearls. He rd the song of From the red the peace- er lashing the ong these An- weather, and lese seas, little ley are liable, devastate the !S. («45>) I50 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES I Jl^^V ■' : I While coasting the island, he landed occasionally and visited the villages, the inhabitants of which fled to tlie woods and mount- ains. The houses were constructed of branches of palm trees, in the shape of pavilions, and were scattered under the spreading trees, like tents in a camp. They were better built than those he had hitherto visited, and extremely clean. He found in them rude im- ages, and wooden masks, carved with considerable ingenuity. Find- ing implements for fishing in all the cabins, he concluded that the coasts were inhabited merely by fishermen, who supplied the cities in the interior. After coasting to the northwest for some distance, Columbus came in sight of a great headland, to which, from the groves which covered it, he gave the name of the Cape of Palms. Here he learnt that behind this bay there was a river, from whence it was but four days' journey to Cubanacan. By this name the natives designated a province in the centre of Cuba; nacan, in their language sig- nifying the midst. Columbus fancied, however, that they were talking of Cublay Khan, the Tartar sovereign, and understood them to say that Cuba was not an island, but terra firma. He con- cluded that this must be a part of the mainland of Asia, and that he could be at no great distance froipi Mangi and Cathay, the ultimate destination of his voyage. The prince, said to reign over the neighboring country, might be some oriental potentate of conse- quence ; he determined, therefore, to send a present to him, and one of his letters of recommendation from the Castilian sovereigns. For this purpose he chose two Spaniards, one of whom was a cou- ARRIVAL OF THE EMBASSY TO THE IMAGINARY CUBLAY KhAN, AT AN INDIAN VILLAQE. OF COLUMBUS. 151 verted Jew, and knew Hebrew, Chaldaic, and a little Arabic, one or other of which languages, it was thought, must be known to this oriental prince. Two Indians were sent with them as guides ; they were furnished with strings of beads, and various trinkets, for their traveling expenses, and enjoined to inform themselves accurately concerning the situation of certain provinces, ports, and rivers of Asia, and to ascertain whether drugs and? spices abounded in the country. The ambassadors penetrated twelve leagues into the in- terior, when they came to a village of fifty houses, and at least a thousand inhabitants. They were received with ^reat kindness, conducted to the principal house, and provisions placed before them, after which the Indians seated themselves on the ground around their visitors, and waited to hear what they had to coniimunicate. The Israelite found his Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Arabic of no avail, and the Lucayan interpreter had to be the orator. He made a regular speech after the Indian manner, extolling the power, wealth, and munificence of the white men. When he had finished, the Indians crowded round the Spaniards, touched and examined their skin and raiment, and kissed their hands and feet in token of adoration. There was no appearance of gold, or any other article of great value, among them ; and when they were shown specimens of various spices, they said there was nothing of the kind to be foiind in the neigh- borhood, but far off to the southwest. Finding no traces of the city and court they had anticipated, the envoys returned to their ships ; on the way back they beheld several of the natives going about with firebrands in their hands, and certain .dried herbs which they rolled up in a leaf, and lighting one end. put the other in their mouths, and continued inhaling and puffing out the smoke. A roll of this kind they called a tobacco ; a name since transferred to the weed itself. The Spaniards were struck with astonishment at this singular, and apparently prepos- terous luxury, although prepared to meet with wonders. The report of the envoys put an end to many splendid fancies of Columbus, about this barbaric prince and his. capital ; all that Mtt iSl '* 'iff' m INDIAN PRODUCINQ FIRE, BY THE RAPID TWIRIINQ OF A HARD STICK. IN AN INDENTURE OF DRY SPONQY WOOD. m 152 THE UFE AND VOYAGES 'I iiii they had seen betokened a primitive and simple state of society; the country, though fertile and beautiful, was wild, and but slightly and rudely cultivated ; the people were evidently strangers to civil- ized man, nor could they hear of any inland city, superior to the one they had visited. As fast as one illusion passed away, however, another succeeded. Columbus now understood from the signs of the Indians, that there was a country to the eastward where the people collected gold along the river banks by torch-light, and afterwards wrought it into bars with hammers. In speaking of this place they frequently used the words Babeque and Bohio, which he supposed to be the names of islands or provinces. As the season was advancing, and the cool nights gave hints of approaching winter, he resolved not to proceed further to the north, and turning eastward, sailed in quest of Ba- beque, which he trusted might prove some rich and civilized island. After running along the coast for two or three days, and pass- ing a great cape, to which he gave the name of Cape Cuba, he stood out to sea in the direction pointed out by the Indians. The wind, however, came directly ahead, and after various ineffectual attempts he had to return to Cuba. What gave him great uneasiness was, that the Pinta, commanded by Martin Alonzo Pinzon, rarted com- pany with him during this attempt. She was the best sailer, and had worked considerably to windward of the other ships. Pinzon paid no attention to the signals of Columbus to turn back, though they were repeated at night by lights at the mast-head ; when morn- ing dawned, the Pinta was no longer to be seen. Columbus considered this a willful desertion, and was much troubled and perplexed by it. Martin Alonzo had for some time shown impatience at the domination of the admiral. He was a veteran navigator of great abilities, and accustomed from his wealth and standing to give the law among his nautical associates. He had furnished two of the ships, and much of the funds for the ex- pedition, and thought himself entitled to an equal share in the command ; several disputes, therefore, had occurred between him and the admiral. Columbus feared he might have departed to make an independent cruise, or might have the intention to hasten back to Spain, and claim the merit of the discovery. These thoughts distracted his mind, and embarrassed him in the further prosecu- tion of his discoveries. OF- COLUMBUS. 153 For several days he continued exploring the coast of Cuba, mtil he reached the eastern end, to which, from supposing it the fextreme point of Asia, he gave the name of .Alpha and Omega, Ihe beginning and the end. While steering at large beyond this bape, undetermined which course to take, he descried high mountains towering above the clear horizon to the southeast, and giving evi- ience of an island of great extent. He immediately stood for it, to the great consternation of his Indian guides, who assured him by jigns that the inhabitants had but one eye, and were fierce and cruel cannibals. In the transparent atmosphere of the tropics, objects are des- cried at a great distance, and the purity of the air an«^ serenity of ^he deep blue sky, give a magical charm to scenery. Under these idvaiitages, the beautiful island of Hayti revealed itselt to the eye iLS they approached. Its mountains were higher and more rocky khan those of the other islands, but the rocks rose from among rich lorests. The mountains swept down into luxuriant plains and rreen savannahs, while the appearance of cultivated fields, with the mmerous fires at night, and the columns of smoke which rose iu |arious parts by day, all showed it to be populous. It rose before Ihem in all the splendor of tropical vegetation, one of the most |)eautiful islands in the world, and doomed to be one of the most mfortunate. ■If »«01AN WOMAN TAKING A BATH i UPON A MtATlO STONE H€R COMPANION EMPTIES . ME WATER, WHICH RISINO IN STEAM, ENVELOPES THE WOMAN SWINQINQ IN THE HAMMOCK. r^n mfff f '•> "! /• ^ w I W ■•■»i<.i»iPi))w'WF***'Mi- "" OF COLUMBUS SUCCEED IN OVERTAKINO A VOUNO AND HANDSOME FEMALE, AND BRING THEIR WILD BEAUTV IN TRIUMPH TO THE SHIPS. DRAWINO BV O, ORAEFF. 156 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES •PANIIH DUCAT OF THE REION OF FERDINAND AND ISABELLA. valley of Cordova; all that they complained of was, that they saw no signs of riches among the natives. Continuing along the coast, Columbus had further intercourse with the natives, some of whom had ornaments of gold, which they readily exchanged for the merest trifle of European manufacture. At one of the harbors where he was detained by contrary winds, he was visited by a young cacique,* apparently of great importance, who came borne on a litter by four men, and attended by two hun- dred of his subjects. He entered the cabin where Columbus was dining, and took his seat beside him, with a frank, unembarrassed air, while two old men, who were his counsellors, seated themselves at his feet, watching his lips, as if to catch and communicate his ideas. If any thing were given him to eat, he merely tasted it, and sent it to his followers, maintaining an air of great gravity and dig- nity. After dinner, he presented the admiral with a belt curiously wrought, and two pieces of gold. Columbus made him varioits presents in return ; he showed him a coin bearing the likenesses of Ferdinand and Isabella, and endeavored to give him an idea of the power and grandeur of those sovereigns. The cacique, however, could not be made to believe that there was a region on earth which produced such wonderful people and wonderful things, but persisted in the idea that the Spaniards were more than mortal, and that the country and sovereigns they spoke of, must exist somewhere in the skies. On the 20th of December, Columbus anchored in a fine harbor, to which he gave the name of St. Thomas, supposed to be what at present is called the bay of Acul, Here a large canoe visited the ships, bringing messengers from a grand cacique named Guacana- gari, who resided on the coast a little farther to the eastward, and reigned over all that part of the island. The messengers bore a present of a broad belt, wrought ingeniously with colored beads and bones, and a wooden mask, the eyes, nose and tongue of which were of gold. They invited Columbus, in the name of the cacique, to come with his ships opposite to the village where he resided. Adverse winds prevented an immediate compliance .with this invi- tation; he therefore sent a boat well armed, with the notary of the squadron, to visit the chieftain. The latter returned with so favor- able an account of the appearance of the village, and the hospital- * Title of an Indian chief among South American Indians. I OF COLUMBUS. 157 ity of the cacique, that Columbus determiued to set sail for his [residence as soon as the wind would permit. Early in the morning of the 24th of December, therefore, he [weighed anchor, with a light wind that scarcely filled the sails. By eleven o'clock at night, he was, within a league and a half of the residence of the cacique : the sea was calm and smooth, and the ship almost motionless. The admiral having had no sleep the preceding night, retired to take a little repose. No sooner had he left the deck, than the steersman gave the helm in charge to one of the ship boys, and went to sleep. This was in direct violation of au invariable order of the admiral, never to intrust the helm to the boys. The rest of the mariners who had the watch, took like advantage of the absence of Columbus, and in a little while the whole crew was buried in sleep. While this security reigned over the ship, the treacherous currents, which run swiftly along this coast, carried her smoothly, but with great violence, upon a sand bank. The heedless boy, feeling the rudder strike, and hear- ing the rushing of the sea, cried out for aid. Columbus was the first to take the alarm, and was soon followed by the master of the ship, whose duty it was to have been on watch, and by his delinquent companions. The admiral ordered them to carry out an anchor astern, that they might warp the vessel off. They sprang into the boat, but being confused and seized with a panic, as men are apt to be when suddenly awakened by an alarm, instead of obeying the commands of Columbus, they rowed off to the other caravel. Vincente Yafiez Pinzon, who commanded the latter, re- proached them with their pusillanimity, and refused to admit them on board ; and, manning nis boat, he hastened to the assistance of the admiral. In the mean time, the ship swinging across the stream, had been set more and more upon the bank. Efforts were made to lighten her, by cutting away the mast, but in vain. The keel was firmly bedded in the sand ; the seams opened, and the breakers beat against her, until she fell over on one side. Fortunately, the weather continued calm, otherwise both ship and crew must have perished. The admiral abandoned the wreck, and took refuge, CuleAIhialspOla. PLACI OF tHIPWRCCK OF THE SANTA MARIA. COPIED FROM THE MAP IN THE HVDROORAPHIC CFFICI IN WAtHINOTON. 158 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES with his men, on board of the caravel. He laid to until daylight, sending messengers on shore to inform the cacique Guacanagari of his disastrous shipwreck. When the chieftain heard of the misfortune of his guest, he was so much affected as to shed tears ; and never, in civilized country, were the vaunted rites of hospitality more sciupulously observed, than by this uncultured savage. He assembled his peo- ple, and sent off all his canoes to the assistance of the admiral, as- suring him, at the same time, that every thing he possessed was at his service. The effects were landed from the v/reck, and deposited near the dwelling of the cacique, and a guard set over them, until houses could be prepared, in which they could be stored. There seemed, however, no disposition among the natives to take advant- age of the misfortune of the strangers, or to plunder the treasures thus cast upon their shores, though they must have been inestim- able in their eyes. Even in transporting the effects from the ship, they did not attempt to pilfer or conceal the most trifling article. On the contrary, they manifested as deep a concern at the disaster of the Spaniards, as if it had happened to themselves, and their only study was how they could administer relief and consolation. Columbus was greatly affected by this unexpected goodness. "These people," said he in his journal, intended for ,the perusal of the sovereigns, "love their neighbors as themselves, their discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied by a smile. I swear to your majesties there is not in the world a better nation or a better land." When the cacique first met with Columbus, he was much moved at beholding his dejection, and again of- fered him every thing he possessed that could be of service to him. He invited him on shore, where a ban-^ quet was prepared for his entertainment, consisting of various kinds of fish and THE COMMUNAL EVENING MEAL. TVfM or INDIANS REITOREO, FROM THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE EARIV NAVIOATORI, AND TMI DATA OBTAIIIED FROM THE NATIVES AT PRESENT INHABITING THE ATUNTIC OOAIT OF CENTRAL, AND SOUTH AMERICA. ■M OF COLUMBUS. 159 1 daylight, :anagari of > guest, he n civilized lupulously ed his peo- idmiral, as- ssed was at i deposited them, until ed. There ike advant- le treasures en inesLim- m the ship, ing article, ihe disaster >, and their consolation. 2ss. "These ntended for "love their liscourse is panied by a ies there is or a better icique first Dus, he was beholding d again of- thing he ould be of He invited tiere a ban- ed for his insisting of fish and fruit and an animal called Utia by the natives, which resembled a coney. After the collation he conducted Columbus to the beautiful eroves which surrounded his residence, where upwards of a thousand of the natives were assembled, all perfectly naked, who performed several of their national games and dances. Thus did this generous cacique try, by every means in his power, to cheer the melancholy of his guest, showing a warmth of sympathy, a delicacy of atten- tion, and an innate dignity and refinement, which could not have been expected from one in his savage state. He was treated with great defer- ence by his subjects, and conducted himself towards them with a gracious and prince-like majesty. His whole deportment, in the enthusiastic eyes of Co- lumbus, betokened the inborn grace and dignity of lofty lineage. When the Indians had finished their games, Columbus gave them an entertainment in return, calculated to impress them with a formidable opinion of the military power of the Spaniards. A Castilian, who had served in the wars of Granada, exhibited his skill in shooting with a Moorish bow, to the great admiration of the ca- cique. A cannon and an arquebuss were likewise discharged; at the sound of which the Indians fell to the ground, as though they had been struck by a thunderbolt. When they saw the effect of the ball rending and shivering the trees, they were filled with dismay. On being told, how- ever, that the Spaniards would protect them with these arms, against the invasions of their dreaded enemies, the Caribs, their alarm was changed i' ito confident exultation, considering themselves under the protection of the sons of heaven, who had come from the skies, armed with thunder and lightning, placed a kind of coronet of gold on the head of Columbus, and hung plates of the same metal round his neck, and he ^, ,pensed liberal presents among his followers. Whatever trifles Columbus gave in return were regarded with reverence as celestial gifts, and were said by the Indians to have come from Turey, or heaven. ARQIIEBUSES, WITH CRANE ATTACHMCNT, END OF Km CENTURY. ARTIILERV MUSEUM, PARW. '^he cacique ■J ' ■ JS i6o THE life; and voyages The extreme kindness of the cacique, the gentleness of his people, and the quantities of gold daily brought by the natives, and exchanged for trifles, contributed to console Columbus for his mis- fortunes. When Guacanagari perceived the great value which the admiral attached to gold, he assured him, by signs, that there was a place, not far off, among the mountains, where it abounded to such a degree as to be regarded with indifference ; and he promised to procure him, from thence, as much as he desired. Columbus gathered many other particulars concerning this golden region. It was called Cibao, and lay among high and rugged mountains. The cacique who ruled over it owned many rich mines, and had banners of wrought gold. Columbus fancied that thename of Cibao must be a corruption of Cipango, and flattered himself that this was the very island productive of gold and spices, mentioned by Marco Polo. Three houses had been given to the shipwrecked crew for their residence. Here, living on shore, and mingling freely with the na- tives, they became fascinated by their easy and idle mode of life. They were governed by their caciques with an absolute, but patri- archal and easy rule, and existed in that stato of primitive and savage simplicity which some philosophers have fondly pictured as the most enviable on earth. *' It is certain," says old Peter Martyr, " that the land among these people is as common as the sun and water ; and that ' mine and thine,' the seeds of all mischief, have no place with them. They are content with so little, that, in so large a country, they have rather superfluity than scarceness ; so that they seem to live in a golden world, without toil, in open gar- dens, neither intrenched, nor shut up by walls or hedges. They deal truly with one another, without laws, or books, or judges." In fact, they seemed to disquiet themselves about nothing ; a few fields, cultivated almost without labor, furnished roots and vege- tables, their groves were laden v/ith delicious fruit, and the coast and rivers abounded with fish. Softened by the indulgence of na- ture, a great part of the day was passed by them in indolent repose, in that luxury of sensation inspired by a serene sky and voluptuous climate, and in the evening they danced in their fragrant groves, to their national songs, or the rude sound of their sylvan drums. When the Spanish mariners looked back upon their own toil- some and painful life, and reflected upon the cares and hardships that must still be their lot, should they return to Europe, they OF COLUMBUS. l6l Tegarded with a wistful eye the easy and idle existence of these Indians, and many of them, representing to the admiral the diffi- culty and danger of embarking so many persons in one small cara- vel, entreated permission to remain in the island. The request immediately suggested to Columbus the idea of forming the germ of a future colony. The wreck of the caravel would furnish mate- rials and arms for a fortress ; and the people who should remain in the island, could explore it, learn the language of the natives, and collect gold, while the admiral returned to Spain for reinforce- ments. Guacanagari was overjoyed at finding that some of these -wonderful strangers were to remain for the defense of his island, and that the admiral intended to revisit it. He readily gave per- mission to build the fort, and his subjects eagerly aided in its con- struction, little dreaming that they were assisting to place on their necks the galling yoke of perpetual and toilsome slavery. While thus employed, a report was brought to Columbus, by certain Indians, that another ship was at anchor in a river at the INDIANS PREPARING TOR ONt. OF THEIR CEREMONIAL DANCES. HEtTORtO MOM DEMRII>TION FURNI6HE0 BY PETER MARTYR, AND DAT% OBTAINED FROM THE NATIVES INHABITINO THE ATIANTIC COAST OF CENTRAL AND aOUTH AMERICA. j 162 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES eastern end of the island ; he concluded it of course to be the Pinta, and immediately dispatched a canoe in quest of it, with a letter for Pinzon, urging him to rejoin him immediately. The canoe coasted the island for thirty "ieagues, but returned without having heard or seen any thing of the Pinta, and all the anxiety of the admiral was revived ; should that vessel be lost, the whole success of his expe- dition would depend on the return of his own crazy bark, across an immense expanse of ocean, where the least accident might bUry it in the deep, and with it all record of his discovery. He dared not therefore prolong his voyage, and explore those magnificent regions, which seemed to invite on every hand, but determined to return immediately to Spain. So great was the activity of the Spaniards, and the assistance of the natives, that in ten days the fortress was completed. It consisted of a strong wooden tower, with a vault beneath, and the whole surrounded by a wide ditch. It was supplied with the am- munition, and mounted with the cannon saved from the wreck, and was considered sufficient to overawe and repulse the whole of this naked and unwarlike people. Columbus gave the fortress and har- bor the name of La Navidad, or the Nativity, in memorial of hav- ing been preserved from the wreck of his ship on Christmas day. From the number of volunteers that offered to remain, he selected thirty-nine of the most trustworthy, putting them under the com- mand of Diego de Arana, notary and alguazil of the armament. In case of his death, Pedro Gutierrez was to take the command, and he, in like case, to be succeeded by Rodrigo de Escobido. He charged the men, in the most emphatic manner, to be obedient to their commanders, respectful to Guacanagari and his chieftains, and circumspect and friendly in their intercourse with the natives. He warned them not to scatter themselves asunder, as their safety would depend upon their united force, and not to stray beyond the territory of th ! friendly cacique. He enjoined it upon Arana, and the other commanders, to employ themselves in gaining a knowl- edge of the island, in amassing gold and spices, and in searching for a more safe and convenient harbor for that settlement. Before his departure, he gave the natives another military ex- hibition, to increase their awe of the prowess of the white men. The Spaniards performed skirmishes, and mock, fights, with swords, bucklers, lances, crossbows, and fire-arms. The Indians were as- the Pinta, . letter for oe coasted r heard or .miral was his expe- across an ht bury it dared not it regions, to return assistance leted. It i, and the h the ani- vreck, and )le of this s and har- ial of hav- ptmas day. selected the com- irmament. command, jido. He Dedient to chieftains, e natives. leir safety e3'ond the irana, and a knowl- searching [litary ex- hite men. ;h swords, were as- 1 i l« i OF COI^UMBUS. 165 tonished at the keenness of the steeled weapons, and the deadly power of the crossbows and muskets ; but nothing equalled their awe and admiration, when the cannon were discharged from the fortess, wrapping it in smoke, shaking the forests with their thun- der, and shivering the stoutest trees. When Columbus took leave of Guacanagari, the kind-hearted cacique shed many tears, for, while he had been awed by the digni- fied demeanor of the admiral, and the idea of his superhuman nat- ure, he had been completely won by the benignity of his manners. The seamen too had made many pleasant connections among the Indians, and they parted with mutual regret. The sorest parting, however, was with their comrades who remained behind; from that habitual attachment formed by a companionship in perils and ad- ventures. When the signal gun was fired, they gave a parting cheer to the gallant handful of volunteers thus left in the wilder- ness of an unknown world, who echoed their cheering as they gazed wistfully after them from the beach, but who were destined never to welcome their return. CHAPTER XIII. NCTURN VOYAQC. VIOLENT STORMS. ARRIVAL AT PORTUGAL. (|4Q3.) T was on the 4th of January that Co- lumbus set sail from La Navidad on his return to Spain. On the 6th, as he was beating along the coast, with a head wind, a sailor at the mast-head cried out that there was a sail at a dis- tance, standing towards them. To their great joy it proved to be the Pinta, which came sweeping before the wind with flowing canvass. On join- ing the admiral, Pinzon endeavored to excuse his desertion, by saying that he had been separated from him by stress of weather, and had ever since been seek- ing him. Columbus listened passively but incredulously to these excuses, avoiding any words that might produce altercations, and disturb the remainder of the voyage. He ascertained, afterwards, that Pinzon had parted company intentionally, and had steered directly east, in quest of a region where the Indians on board of his vessel had assured him he would find gold in abundance. They had guided him to Hispaniola, where he had been for some time in a river about fifteen leagues east ot La Navidad, trading with the natives. He had collected a large quantity of gold, one half of which he retained as captain, and tli*^ rest he divided among his men, to secure their secrecy and fidelity. On leaving the river, he had carried oflf four Indian men and two girls, to be sold in Spain. (t6« OF COLUMBUS. 167 Columbus sailed for this river, to which he gave the name of Rio de Gracia, but it long continued to be known as the river of Martin Alonzo. Here he ordered the four men and two girls to be dismissed, well clothed and with many presents, to atone for the wrong they had experienced, and to allay the hostile feeling it might have caused among the natives. This restitution was not made without great unwillingness, and many angry words, on the part of Pinzon. After standing for some distance further along the coast, they anchored in a vast bay, or rather gulf, three leagues in breadth, and extending so far inland that Columbus at first supposed it to be an arm of the sea. Here he was visited by the people of the mount- ains of Ciguay, a hardy and warlike race, quite different from the gentle and peaceful people they had hitherto met with on this isl- and. They were of fierce aspect, and hideously painted, and their heads were decorated with feathers. They had bows and arrows, war clubs, and swords made of palm wood, so hard and heavy that a blow from them would cleave through a helmet to the very brain. At first sight of these ferocious-looking people, Colum- bus supposed them to be the Caribs, so much dreaded throughout these seas ; but on asking for the Caribbean Islands, the Indians still pointed to the eastward. With these people the Spaniards had a skirmish, in which sev- eral of the Indiana were slain. This was the first contest they had had with the in- habitants of the new world, and the first time that native blood had been shed by white men. From this SKIRMISH OF COLUMBUl WITH THE NATIVES Or THE BAY Of SAHAHA. x68 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES skirmish Columbus called the place El Golfo do las Fleches, or the gulf of Arrows; but it is now known by the name of the Gulf of Sa- mana. He lamented that all his exertions to maintain an amicable intercourse had been ineffectual, and anticipated further hostility on the part of the natives; but on the following day, they approached the Spaniards as freely and confidently as if nothing had happened; the cacique came on board with only three attendants, and throughout all their subsequent dealings they betrayed no signs of lurking fear or enmity. This frank and confiding conduct, so indicative of a brave and generous nature, was properly appreciated by Columbus ; he entertained the cacique with great distinction, and at parting made many presents to him and his attendants. This cacique of Ciguay was named IMayonabex, and in subsequent events of this historj'', will be found to acquit himself with valor and magnanimity, under the most trying circumstances. Columbus, on. leaving the bay, took four young Indians to guide him to the Caribbean Islands, situated to the east, of which they gave him very interesting accounts, as well as of the island of Mantinino, said to be inhabited by Amazons. A favorable breeze sprang up, however, for the voyage homeward, and, seeing gloom and impatience in the countenances of his men, at the idea of di- verging from their route, he gave up his intention of visiting these islands for the present, and made all sail for Spain. The trade winds, which had been so propitious on the outward voyage, were equally adverse to a return. The favorable breeze soon died away; light winds from the east, and frequent calms, succeeded ; but they had intervals of favorable weather, and by the 1 2th of Februar}' they had made such progress as to begin to flatter themselves with the hopes of soon beholding land. The wind now came on to blow violently; on the following evening there were three flashes of lightning in the north-northeast, from which signs Columbus predicted an approaching tempest. It soon burst upon them with frightful violence ; their small and crazy vessels were little fitted for the wild storms of the Atlantic ; all night they were obliged to scud under bare poles at the mercy of the elements. As the morning dawned, there was a transient pause, and they made a little sail, but the wind rose with redoubled fury from the south, and increased in the night, the vessels laboring terribly in a cross sea, which threatened at each moment to overwhelm them, or dash OF COUUMBUS. 169 tlicin to pieces. The tempest still aug-nicntiug, they were obliged attain to scud before the wind. The admiral made signal lights for the Pinta to keep in company ; for some time she replied by simi- lar signals, but she was separated by the violence of the storm ; her lights gleamed more and more distant, until they ceased en- tirely. When the day dawned, the sea presented a frightful waste of wild, broken waves, lashed into fury by the gale ; Columbus looked round anxiously for the Pinta, but she was nowhere to be seen. Throughout a dreary day the helpless bark was driven along bv the tempest. Seeing all human skill baffled and confounded, Columbus en- deavored to propitiate Heaven by solemn vows. Lots were cast to perform pilgrimages and peniten- ces, most of which fell upon Columbus ; among other things, he was to perform a solemn mass, and to watch and pray all night in the chapel of the convent of Santa Clara, at Moguer. Various private vows were made by the seamen, and one by the admiral and the whole crew, that, if they were spared to reach the land, they would walk in procession, barefooted, aud in their shirts, to offer np thanksgivings in some church dedicated to the Virgin. The heavens, however, seemed deaf to all their vows ; the storm grew still more furious, and every one gave himself up for lost. During this long and awful conflict of the elements, the mind of Columbus was a prey to the most distressing anxiety. He was harassed by the repinings of his crew, who cursed the hour of their le iving their country, and their want of resolution in not compelling him to abandon the voyage. He was afflicted, PROCESSION OF PENITENTS. COSTUMES CXHIBITED IN 18M IN THE HISTORICAL MUSEUM OF COSTUMES, :-4i.--? '•I, 170 THR I.II'*R AND VOYAGRS also, when lie thought of his two soiis, who would be left destitute by his death. But he had auother source of distress, more intol- erable thau death itself. It was highly probable that the Piutu had foundered in the storm. In such case, the history of his discovery would depend upon his own feeble bark ; one surge of the ocean might bury it forever in oblivion, and his name only remain as that of a desperate adventurer, who had perished in pursuit of a chimera. In the midst of these gloomy reflections, an expedient sug- gested itself, by which, though he and his ships might perish, the glory of his achievements might survive to his name, and its advantages be secured to his sovereigns. He wrote on parch- ment a brief account of his dis- covery, and of his having taken possession of the newly found lands in the name of their Catholic majesties. This he sealed and directed to the king and queen, and stiperscribed a promise of a thousand ducats to whomsoever should deliver the packet unopened. He then wrapped it in a waxed cloth, which he placed in the center of a cake of wax, and inclosing the whole in a cask, threw it into the sea. A copy of this memo- rial he inclosed in a similar manner, and placed it upon the poop of his vessel, so that, should the caravel sink, the cask might float off and survive. Happily, these precautions, though wise, were superfluous : at sunset, there was a streak of clear sky in the west, the wind shifted to that quarter, and on the morning of the 15th of February, they came in sight of land. The transports of the crew at once more COLUMBUS THROWS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE SHIPS LOO, SECUflELV ENCASED IN WAX, AND PLACED IN THE CENTER OF A BARREL, OVERBOARD. OF COi 'MRUS. 171 beholding the old world, were almost equal to those they had expe- rienced on discovering the new. For two or three days, however, tlie wind again became contrary, and they remained hovering in si.i>ht of land, of which they only caught glimpses through the mist and rack. At length they came to anchor, at the island of St. Ma- ry's, the most southern of the Azores, and a possessic of the crown of Portugal. An ungenerous reception, however, awaited the poor tempest-tossed mariners, on their return to the abode of civilized man, far different from the kindness and hospitality they had expe- rienced among the savages of the new world. Columbus had sent one half of the crew on shore, to fulfill the vow of a barefooted pro- cession to a hermitage or chapel of the Virgin, which stood on a solitary part of the coast, and awaited their return to perform the same ceremony with the re- mainder of his crew. Scarcely had they begun their prayers and thanksgiving, when a party of horse and foot, headed by the gov- ernor of the island, surrounded the hermitage and took them all prisoners. The real object of this otitrage was to get possession of the person of Columbus ; for the king of Portugal, jealous lest his enterprise might interfere with his own discoveries, had sent orders to his commanders of islands and distant ports, to seize and detain him wherever he should be met with. Having failed in this open attempt, the governor next endeav- ored to get Columbus in his power by stratagem, but was equally unsuccessful. A violent altercation took place between them, and Columbus threatened him with the vengeance of his sovereigns. At length, after two or three days' detention, the sailors who had been captured in the chapel were released ; the governor pretended to have acted through doubts of Columbus having a regular com- mission, but that being now convinced of his being in the serv- ice of the Spanish sovereigns, he was ready to yield him everj- service in his power. The admiral did not put his offers to the THE OOVEKNOR OF (T. MARY'S ATTEMPTS TO ARREST COLUMBUS. pw Ktiat 172 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES proof. The wind became favorable for the coutinuation of his voy- age, and he again set sail, on the 24tli of February. After two or three days of pleasant sailing, there was a renewal of tempestuous weather. About midnight of the 2d of March, the caravel was struck by a squall, which rent all her sails, and threatened instant destruc<"!on. The crew were again reduced to despair, and made vows of fastings and pilgrimages. The storm raged throughout the succeeding day, during which, from various signs, they consid- ered themselves in the vicinity of land, which they supposed must be the coast of Portugal. The turbulence of the following night was dreadful. The sea was broken, wild, and mountainous, the rain fell in torrents, and the lightning flashed, and the thunder pealed from various parts of the heavens. In the first watch of this fearful night, the seamen gave the usually welcome cry of land, but it only increased their alarm, for they were ignorant of their situation, and dreaded being driven on s^' e, or dashed upon the rocks. Taking in sail, therefore, they eiiucavored to keep to sea as much as possible. At daybreak, on the 4th of March, they found themselves off the rock of Cintra, at the mouth of the Tagus. Though distrustful of the good will of Portugal, Columbus had no alternative but to run in for shelter, and he accordingly anchored about three o'clock in the river, oppo- site to Rastello. The inhabitants came off from various parts of the shore, to congratulate him on what they deemed a miraculous preservation, for they had been watching the vessel the whole morning, with great anxiety, and putting up prayers for her safety. The oldest mariners of the place assured him, that they had never known so tempestuous a winter. Such were the diffi- culties and perils with which Columbus had to contend on his return to Europe ; had one tenth part of them beset his outward voyage, his factious crew would have risen in arms against the enterprise, and he never would have discovered the New World. CHAPTER XIV. VISIT OF COLUMBUS TO THE COURT OF PORTUGAL. ARRIVAL AT PALOS. (l493.) MMEDIATELY on his arrival in the Tagus, Colnnibus dispatched a courier to the king and queen of Spain, with tidings of his discovery. He wrote also to the king of Portugal, entreating permission to go to Lisbon with his vessel, as a report had got abroad that she was laden with gold, and he felt himself insecure in the neighbor- hood of a place like Rastello, inhabited by needy and ad- venturous people. At the same time he stated the route and events of his voyage, lest the king should suspect him of having been in the route of the Portuguese dis- coveries. The tidings of this wonderful bark, freighted with the people and productions of a newly discovered world, filled all Lisbon with astonishment. For several days the Tagus was covered with barges and boats going to and from it. Among the visitors were various officers of the crown, and cavaliers of high distinc- tion. All hung with rapt attention upon the ac- connts of the voyage, and gazed with insatiable curiosity upon the plants, and animals, and above all upon the inhabitants of the new world. The enthusiasm of : some, and the avarice of others, was excited ; while many repined at the incredulity of the king and his counselors, by which so grand a discovery had been forever lost to Portugal. lo. THE ROVAl CASTLE OF BELEM, NEAR LISBON. EKQUlsrTE EXAMPLE OF HIEPANO-MAURESQUE ARCHITECTURE. (173) Spf lam ^K 174 THE UFH AND VOYAGES "tinm 1 111! H % i H II HH 1 • *y ifii ^nfuHelndlf rBpta<0angmi miper inDOitid'Bdqtue perqof/ Kndaeoctauo antca mmrc aufphl/iit fre fnnictimmf f emani dilTifpaniarMmllegiemifrusfttentttfldiPegnificumdnmTlt l^oelcm 0anM0:dufdan rerenifTimi "R^gfaxcfaurariu mifTu qmmnotwKQ aclitteratue vlr BUiint9* .^■^ VI win On the 8th of March, Columbus received a message from King John, congratulating him upon his arrival, and inviting him to the court at Valparaiso, about nine leagues from Lisbon. The king at the same time ordered, that anything which the admiral required for himself or his vessel should be furnished free of cost. Columbus distrusted the good faith of the king, and set out reluctantly for the court; but his reception was what might have been expected from an enlightened and liberal prince. On ap- proaching the royal residence, he was met by the principal person- ages of the king's household, and conducted with great cere- mony to the palace. The king welcomed him to Portugal, and congratulated him on the glorious result of his enterprise. He ordered him to seat himself in his presence, an honor only granted to persons of royal digrJty, and assured him that every thing in his kingdom was at the service of his sovereigns and himself. The}^ had re- peated conversations about the events of the voyage, and the king made minute inquiries as to the soil, productions, and people of the newly discovered countries, and the routes by which Columbus had sailed. The king listened with seeming pleasure to his replies, but was secretly grieved at the thoughts that this splendid enterprise had been offered to him and re- fused. He was uneasy, also, lest this undefined discovery should in some way interfere with his own territories, comprehended in the Papal bull, which granted to the crown of Portugal all the lances it should discover from Cape Non to the Tndies. Utroii!amfafcep(ifp}0iilntf(rmipofcc?smmec3fccimnt fittfTe grsttnm ribi foK fdo: Dad tonflttuf eforara qof re imiufcuiufc^rd in bocnoftro itinmffftf Inn&itfqf ad/ tnwevtti JCricefimotntio die po(l$ <&adiim0 difcdfi in mare ^ndtcii pmtmi:rbi pturimae inrolas innnmerie babitatas bo** minibus .ieppcrt:quaram omniump/ofbelidifmiotlegenoflro pijconio ctlebzaro t renillis eictenfte contradicenrr mmine pbf# fmontmaccepUpiim^q^ewmditti Saluaroiienomen fntpo/ fui:euiUdfrRU9 auzilio tarn ad bma^adcftena alias perae/ niinuS'Cam 7^0 Indi (Suanabaninrocant'BliammetiSvnani: quanc^ nouo nomine nancupasii'iHnippr alia infolam Sanccf SbaH((Zx>ncq>rionis.rt''^'-;?*'"i' \V] t .vvor 1)C pa-Mcl, the stirroniKli.;'. (v".r- " -,*!5t-^^^: ^ i^ouirrv tiuiued loriii i»s iiilinbitaiit'^, wlir />''Ti^r f^r7^l^//y liiicfl th<' u/::(l. .iiu' t'irtni.uH't! the \ ii;.i,v,es, V W J p^,!ii ^^i^'i'^^ It'. f 7 !*'ii !i".^ 'lit- air witli aeclam.'itioiis^ Ir /I'^nyjiJ^i-r— 4-U\*'' I'l'' ■•'■'.^i'' t'v*'- IIS. the slieets, \viiid(.\\', .mc ^v' i'a\-(iiiK-. ',' ere filkd \iith .'Spectators, ci^cr ^ t,- J. U! 1 -ijL>}\t 111 hull, aijci of the Iiii1-;iik L. ■•* ! • in ''I' e;:rr'tnl with him, \\\m, were re- '^ y .rded with ;e: nnu.li astomr.hiiieut ., ii' t!'.c\ Ii id iiL'i; native.'-- of another pl.iiiet. ft w.'i > alu 'It the middle of April, tiiat h .irtivLd ..t Ji vcelnna. and liie l)i mty ,Im' -7. Vl-,.;''', ',■■-:„ ■'■■' serrnilN i.f «lu weatlirV, ir i!;;it ■ .-'rVt i!.i.V"' " sv' Ml a:;!! ••..'a.scu Mid f.ixnrcd elimatc, "ii I i'-iied t" L, !\ "spV nthi; t(< llio menu i ^ili t# '-I 4iS(V '"M ceuiu. V'»ii'li: : ni ' 1 e- n.rpliu!;. \- ]io dren m.ii- tile phiee, tMaiiy i"l'er,; and eas al'rr.'-:, follMWid I \- : \-ast ccitcourise >-! '.'.i^ ,l'i '•^r""i I SOVEFtCtiNS »T ; to ril(.cl"lia. ' snrrouiuli.'.i; liril)itanls, wltc .'(' the \ ill.ii es, aiii.-itions. Ir. , \\ iudf'W ' . .nu' tccl;\tors, i.-et^r of tin- hidiaiN h(* w vvv re- hnn-ii' .>:■ if ihiilR-r planet, of April, ihat liui llio 1)< auty tJirV, ii' I hat limati. , ^<'ii- •Many "< il'? ;jf# ill m 1 1 jfl 1 k LI 1 OF COLUMBUS. 185 populace, came forth to meet him. His entrance into this noble city has been compared to one of those triumphs which the Romans were accustomed to decree to conquerors. First were paraded the six ludians, painted according to their savage fashion, and decorat- ed with their ornaments of gold. After these were borne various kinds of live parrots, together with stuffed birds and animals of unknown species, and rare plants supposed to be of precious qualities ; while especial care was taken to display the Indian coronets, bracelets, and other decorations of gold, which might give an idea of the wealth of i the newly-discovered regions. After [this followed Columbus, on horse- j back, surrounded by a brilliant cav- alcade of Spanish chivalry. The streets were almost impassable from the multitude; the [houses, even to the very roofs, [were crowded with spectators Iseemed as if the public eye could Inot be sated with gazing at these trophies lof an unknown world ; or on the remark- iable man by whom it had been discovered. There jwas a sublimity in this event that mingled a solemn feeling with the public joy. It was con- sidered a signal dispensation of Providence in ;\vard for the piety of the sovereigns ; and the najestic and venerable appearance of the dis- coverer, so different from the youth and buoy- uicy that generally accompany roving enter- )rise, seemed in harmony with the grandeur and lignity of the achievement. To receive him with suitable distinction, the sovereigns had )rdered their throne to be placed in public, under a rich canopy of )rocade of gold, where they awaited his arrival, seated in state, JNvith Prince Juan beside them, and surrounded by their principal lobility. Columbus arrived in their presence, accompanied by a )rilliant crowd of cavalier.., among whom, we are told, he was con- INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL OF BARCELONA. FROM A PHOTOaRAPH, 1 86 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES f1 spiciious for his stately and commanding person, which, with his venerable gray hairs, gave him the august appearance of a senator of Rome. A modest smile lighted up his countenance, showing that he enjoyed the state and glory in which he came; and certainly nothing could be more deeply moving to a mind inflamed by noble ambition, and conscious of having nobly deserved, than these testimonials of the admiration and gratitude of a nation, or rather of a world. On his approach, the sovereigns rose, as if receiving a person of the highest rank. Bending on his knees, he would have kissed their hands in token of vassalagCj but they raised him in the most gracious manner, and ordered him to seat himself in their presence ; a rare honor in this proud and punctilious court. He now gave an account of the most striking events of his voyage, and displayed the various productions and the native in- habitants which he had brought from the new world. He assured their majesties that all these were but harbingers of greater dis- coveries which he had yet to make, which would add realms of incalculable wealth to their dominions, and whole nations of pros- elytes to the true faith. When Columbus had finished, the king and queen sank on their knees, raised their hands to heaven, and, with eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude, prured forth thanks and praises to God. All present followed their example ; a deep and solemn enthusiasm pervaded that splendid assembly, and prevented all common accla- m.ations of triumph. The anthem of Te Deum laudamus^ chanted by the choir of the royal chapel, with the melodious accompani- ments of instruments, rose up from the midst in a full body of harmony, bearing up, as it were, the feelings and thoughts of the auditors to heaven. Such was the solemn and pious manner in which the brilliant court of Spain celebrated this sublime event; offering up a grateful tribute of melody and praise, and giving glory to God for the discovery of another world. While the mind of Columbus was excited by this triumph, and teeming with splendid anticipations, his pious scheme for the de- liverance of the holy sepulchre was not forgotten. Flushed with the idea of the vast wealth that must accrue to himself from his discoveries, he made a vow to furnish, within seven years, an army of four thousand horse and fifty thousand foot, for a crusade to the Holy Land, and a similar force within the five following years. It OF COLUMBUS. 187 is essential to a full knowledge of the character and motives of this extraordinary man, that this visionary project should be borne in recollection. It shows how much his mind was elevated above self- ish and mercenary views, and filled with those devout and heroic Schemes which, in the time of the crusades, had infla^ined the [houghts and directed the enterprise's of the bravest warriors and lost illustrious princes. During his sojourn at Barcelona, the sovereigns took every Occasion to bestow on Columbus the highest marks of personal lonsideration. He was admitted at all times to the royal pesence ; appeared occasionally with the king on horseback, iding on one side of him, while Prince Juan rode on the [ther side ; and the queen delighted to converse famil- irly with him on the subject of his voyage. To per- Jtuate in his family the glory of his achievement, a )at of arms was given him, in which he was allowed quarter the royal arms, the castle and lion, with lose more peculiarly assigned him, which were a roup of islands surrounded by waves; to these nis was afterwards annexed the motto : A CASTILLA Y A tEON NUEVO MUNDO DIO COLON. (To Castile and Leon Columbus gave a new world.) The pension of thirty crowns, which had been creed by the sovereigns to whomsoever should kt discover land, was adjudged to Columbus, for kring first seen the light on the shore. It is said kt the seaman who first descried the land was so lensed at being disappointed at what he deemed his merited re- l-d that he renounced his country and his faith, and, crossing Africa, turned Mussulman ; an anecdote, however, which rests Irather questionable authority. I The favor shown Columbus by the sovereigns ensured him for feme the caresses of the nobility ; for, in a court every one is ter to lavish attentions upon the man "whom the king delight- 1 to honor." At one of the banquets which were given him oc- red the well known circumstance of the egg. A shallow courtier ARMOR OF COLUMBUa. PRESERVED IN THE ROTAL ARSENAL, MAOMO. i88 THE UFE AND VOYAGEvS present, impatient of the honors paid to Colnmbus, and meanly jeal- ous of him as a foreigner, abruptly asked him, whether he thought that, in case he had not discovered the Indies, there would have been wanting men in Spain capable of the enterprise. To this Columbus made no direct reply, but, taking an egg, invited the ClaIcttenr Boyle, a Benedictine monk, a native of Catalonia, a man of tal- Int and reputed sanctity, but a subtle politician, of intriguing )irit. He was appointed by the Pope his apostolical vicar for the bw world. These monks were charged by Isabella with the spirit- lal instruction of the Indians, and provided, by her, with all things pcessary for the dignified performance of the rites and ceremonies |f the Church. The queen had taken a warm and compassionate itercst in the welfare of the natives, looking upon them as com- litted by Heaven to her peculiar care. She gave general orders lat they should be treated with the utmost kindness, and enjoined folumbus to inflict signal punishment on all Spaniards who should 194 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES wrong them. The six Indians brought by the admiral to Barce- lona, were baptized with great state and solemnity, the king, the queen, and Prince Juan officiating as sponsors, and were considered as an offering to Heaven of the first fruits of these pagan nations The preparations for the expedition were quickened by the proceedings of the court of Portugal. John the Second, unfortu nately for himself, had among his counsellors certain politicians of that short-sighted class who mistake craft for wisdom. By adopt ing their perfidious policy, he had lost the new world when it was an object of honorable enterprise ; in compliance with their advice, he now sought to retrieve it by subtle stratagem. A large arma- ment was fitting out, the avowed object of which was an expedition to Africa, but its real destination to seize upon the newly-discovered countries. To lull suspicion, he sent ambassadors to the Spanisli court, to congratulate the sovereigns on the success of Columbus, and to amuse them with negotiations respecting their discoveries, Ferdinand had received early intelligence of the naval preparations of Portugal, and perfectly understood the real purpose of this mis- sion. A keen diplomatic game ensued between the sovereigns, wherein the parties were playing for a newly-discovered world, Questions and propositions were multiplied and entangled ; the object of each being merely to gain time to dispatch his expedition. Ferdinand was successful, and completely foiled his adversary ; for though John the Second was able and intelligent, and had crafty counsellors to advise him, yet, whenever deep and subtle policy was required, Ferdinand was master of the game. It may be as well to mention, in this place, that the disputes between the two powers, on the subject of their discoveries, was finally settled on June 4th, 1494, by removing the imaginary Hue of partition, three hundred and seventy leagues west of the Cape de Verde Islands; an arrangement which ultimately gave to Portu- gal the possession of the Brazils. By the indefatigable exertions of Columbus, aided by Fonseca and Soria, a fleet of seventeen sail, large and si.iall, were soon in a state of forwardness; laborers and artificers of all kinds were en- gaged for the projected colony; and an ample supply was provided i of whatever was necessary for its subsistence and defence, for the ' cultivation of the soil, the working of the mines, ?.nd the traffic with the natives. ':M iiiral to Barce- ■ , the king, the v were considered •; pagan nations, ickened by the S * ',v, , iecond, unfortii- 1;; in politicians of ' .om. By adopt- \ (dd when it was ith their advice, A large arma- IS an expedition lewly-discovered ; to the Spanisli ss of Coliinibus, heir discoveries, val preparations DOse of this mis the sovereigns, iscovered world, entangled ; the h his expedition, s adversary ; for :, and had crafty ;ubtle policy was hat the disputes discoveries, was ; imaginary line k'est of the Cape y gave to Portii- Uded by Fonseca were soon in J kinds were en )ly was provide; defence, for tlit ;, ?.nd the traffic OF COLUMBUS. 195 The extraordinary excitement which prevailed respecting this edition, and the magnificent ideas which were entertained con- ing the new world, drew volunteers of all kinds to Seville. It a romantic and stirring age, and the Moorish wars being over, bold and restless spirits of the nation were in want of suitable loyment. Many Hidalgos * of high rank, officers of the royal schold, and Andalusian cavaliers, pressed into the expedition, atld some into the royal service, others at their own cost, fancying they were about to enter upon a glorious career of arms, in the splendid countries, and among the semi-barbarous nations of the t. No one had any definite idea of the object or nature of the ice in which he was embarked, or the situation and character of region to which he was bound. Indeed, during this fever of tftf imagination, had sober facts and cold realities been presented, they would have been rejected with disdain, for there is nothing of wi^cli the public is more impatient, than of being disturbed in the Igence of any of its golden dreams. Among the noted personages who engaged in the expedition, a young cavalier of a good family, named Don Alonzo de Ojeda, deserves particular mention. He was small, but well propor- ed and muscular, of a dark, but handsome and animated coun- nce, and possessed of incredible strength and agility. He was rt at all kinds of weapons, accomplished in all manly and war- exercises, an admirable horseman, and a partisan soldier of the est order. Bold of heart, free of spirit, open of hand ; fierce in quick in brawl, but ready to forgive and prone to forget an y ; he was for a long time the idol of the rash and roving youth engaged in the early expeditions to the new world, and distin- guished himself by many perilous enterprises and singular ex- ploits. The very first notice we have of him, is a harebrained feat wjjicli he performed in presence of Queen Isabella, in the Giralda <3g|(Ioorish tower of the Cathedral of Seville. A great beam pro- Wm ^^°^^^ twenty feet from the tower, at an immense height from ^ground ; along this beam Ojeda walked briskly with as much 'dence as if pacing his chamber. When arrived at the end, he smoil on one leg, with the other elevated in the air, then turning mmMy, walked back to the tower; placed one foot against it, and - \ an orange to the summit ; which could only have been done » Hidalgo, or Fidalgo, noblemen in Spain or Portugal. I ^ thre\ ] 196 i THE LIFE AND VOYAGES by one possessed of immense muscular strength. Throughout all this exploit, the least giddiness, or false step, would have precipitated him to the earth and dashed him to pieces. During the fitting out of the armament, vari- ous disputes occurred between Columbus and the persons appointed by the crown to assist him. Juan de Soria, the comptroller, demurred occa- sionally to the expenses, which exceeded the amount originally calculated, and he sometimes j refused to sign the accounts of the admiral. The archdeacon Fonseca, also, disputed the requisi- tions of Columbus for footmen and domestics, suitable to his sta<^^e as viceroy. They both re- ceived reprimands from the sovereigns, and were commanded to study, in every thing, the wishes of Columbus. From this trifling cause we may date the rise of an implacable hostility, ever aftf^r manifested by Fonseca towards Columbus, which every year increased in rancor, and which his official station enabled him to gratify in the most ^ invidious manner. Enjoy- ing the unmerited favor of the sovereigns, he main- tained a control of Indian affairs for about thirty years. He must undoubt- edly have possessed talents for business, to ensure sucii perpetuity of office ; but he was malignant and viudio tive, and, in the gratifica- tion of his private resent- ments, often obstructed the national enterprises, and heaped wrongs and sorrows on the heads of the most illustrious of the early dis. coverers. DON AL0N20 DE OJEOA, EXHIBITS HIS SKILL AND PROWESS, ON THE OmALD* OF StVllLt. 'the OIRALDA is a sell tower of EXQUHITE MOORISH AflCHITECTURI.) ..^ '^m. CHAPTER XVIi. DEPARTURE OF COLUMBUS ON HIS SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. HISPANIOLA. (1493 ) ARRIVAL AT m HE departure of Columbus on his second voy- age of discovery presented a brilliant contrast to his gloomy embarkation at Palos. On the 25th of September, at the dawn of day, the bay of Cadiz was whitened by his fleet. There were three large ships of heavy burden, and fourteen caravels. The number of persons permitted to embark had originally been limited to one thou- sand ; but many volunteers were allowed to enlist without pa}', others got on board of the ships by stealth, so that eventually about fifteen Ired set sail in the fleet. All were full of animation, and took a leave of their friends, anticipating a prosperous voyage and nphant return. Instead of being regarded by the populace as fted men, bound upon a dark and desperate enterprise, they contemplated with envy as favored mortals, destined to golden Jons and delightful climes, where nothing but wealth, and won- and enjoyment awaited them. Columbus moved among the Ing, accompanied by his sons, Diego and Fernando, the eldest la stripling, who had come to witness his departure. Wher- lie passed, every eye followed him with admiration, and every pe extolled and blessed him. Before sunrise the whole fleet («97) I9S THK LIFE AND VOYAGES hi was under weigh ; the weather was serene and propitious, and as tlie populace watched their parting, sails brightening in the morning beams, they looked forward to their joyful return, laden with the treasures of the new world. Columbus touched at the Canar}- Islands, where he took ij wood and water, and procured live stock, plants, and seeds, to Le propagated in Hispaniola. On the 13th of October, he lost sight of the island of Ferro, and, favored by the trade winds, was borne pleasantly along, shaping his course to the south-west, hoping to fall in with the islands of the Caribs, of which he had received sucl interesting accounts in his first voyage. At the dawn of day of the 2d of November, a lofty island was descried to the west, to whicl he gave the name of Dominica, from having discovered it on Sun- day. As the ships moved gently onward, other islands rose to sight, one after another, covered with forests, and enlivened by flights of parrots and other tropical birds, while the whole air was sweetenec by the fragrance of the breezes which passed over them. These were a part of that beautiful cluster of islands called the Antilles, which sweep almost in a semicircle from the eastern end of Porto Rico, to the coast of Paria on the southern continent, forming s kind of barrier between the main ocean and the Ca. ibbean Sea. In one of those islands, to which thej^ gave th . name of Gua- daloupe, the Spaniards first met with the delicious anana, or pine- apple. They found also, to their surprise, the sternpost of a European vessel, which caused miich speculation, but which, most probably, was the fragment of some wreck, borne across the Atlan- tic by the constant current which accompanies the trade winds. What most struck their attention, however, and filled them vitt horror, was the sight of human limbs hanging in the houses, as if curing for provisions, and others broiling or roasting at the fire. Columbus now concluded that he had arrived at the islands of the cannibals, or Caribs, the objects of his search; and he was confiniied in this belief by several captives taken by his men. These Caribs were the most ferocious people of these seas ; making roving expe- ditions in their canoes, to the distance of one hundred and fifty leagues, invading the islands, ravaging the villages, making slave^ of the youngest and handsomest females, and carrying off the met to be killed and eaten. While at this island, a party of eight men, headed by Diego ill mm'" OK COLUMBUS. 199 itious, and as thl in the morning I, laden with the here he took ij and seeds, to k )er, he lost siglit ^vinds, was borne i-west, hoping to lad received sucl iwn of day of tlie le west, to whici vered it on Sun- ids rose to sight, ned by flights of ir was sweetened er them. These lied the Antilles, ern end of Porto inent, forming a 11 ibbean Sea. h . name of Gua- s anana, or pin^ sternpost of a but which, most across the Atlaii' the trade winds. filled them vitt the houses, as if sting at the lire, he islands of the lie was coiiliruieii I. These Caribs ing roving expe- Lindred and fifty s, making slave; ying off the niei [leaded by Dieg( rque, captain of one of the caravels, strayed into the woods, and [not return at night to the ships. The admiral was extremely isy at their absence, fearing some evil from the ferocious dispo- sition of the islanders ; on the following day, parties were sent in quest of the.m, each with a trumpeter, to sound calls and signals, SSak guns were fired from the ships, but all to no purpose. The pRics returned in the evening, wearied by a fruitless search, with many dismal stories of the traces of cannibalism they had met with. fAlonzo de Ojeda, the daring young cavalier who has already n m di- ed, then off with f o r t y men into the in- terioi- of the island, beat- in|f up the forests, and making the LU n t a i 11 s [valleys ind with tmitupcts and firearms, but with no bet- ter success. Their search ^ijprendered eXC C S si v'el V C»RIBS TOUTUR'NC » PRISONED, WHOSE FLESH THEV DEVOUR WHILE HE IS STILL ALIVE. toilsome by the closeness and luxuriance of the forests, and by the winding.' and doubliiufs of the streams, which were so frequent, that Ojeda declared he had Nvaded through twenty-six rivers within the distance of six leagues. He gave the most enthusiastic accounts of the country. The forests, he said, were filled with aromatic trees and ;li rubs, which he had no doubt would be found to produce piUious gums and spices. vSeveral days elapsed without tidings of the stragglers, and mbus, giving them up for lost, was on the point of sailing, liil w nwtiy- I! ^4 1 1 ALONZO DE OJEOA IN SEARCH OF THE LOST EXPLORING PARTY BESET BY INNUMERABLE HARDSHIPS (200) Iardships ■^m «lf)NjO tW OJEDA IN SEARCH OF THE LOST feXPl.ORINQ PARTY BfET BY INNUMERABLE HARDSHII I & v^ - ■_ .E HARDSHIPa r 'ill 1* I OF COLUMBUS. ao3 vn they made their way back to the fleet, haggard and exhausted. 1 several days, they had been bewildered in the mazes of a forest [dense as almost to exclude the day. Some of them had climbed s in hopes of getting a sight of the stars, by which to govern ir course, but the height of the branches shut out all view of licavens. They were almost reduced to despair, when they for- ately arrived at the seashore, and keeping along it, came to lere the fleet was at anchor. After leaving Guadaloupe, Columbus touched at other of the ibbeau Islands. At one of them, which he named Santa Cruz, hip's boat, sent on shore for water, had an encounter with a oe, in which were many Indians, some of whom were females, e women fought as desperately as the men, and plied their bows h such vigor, that one of them sent an arrow through a Spanish kler, and wounded the soldier who bore it. The canoe being down and overset, they continued to fight while in the water, hering themselves occasionally on sunken rocks, and managing ir weapons as dexterously as if they had been on firm ground. was with the utmost difficulty they could be overpowered and taken. When brought on board the ships, the Spaniards could not but admire their untamed spirit and fierce demeanor. One of the females, from the reverence with which the rest treated her, ap- peared to be their queen ; she was accompanied by her son, a young man strongly made, with a haughty and frowning brow, who had betu wounded in the combat. One of the Indians had been trans- picrced by a lance, and died of the wound; and one of the Spaniards dicil a day or two afterwards, of a wound received from a poisoned aril I w. Pursuing his voyage, Columbus passed by a cluster of small islands, to which he gave the name of The Eleven Thousand Vir- gins, and arrived one evening in sight of a great island, covered with fine forests, and indented with havens. It was called by the »alives Boriquen, but he named it San Juan Bautista ; it is the me since known by the name of Porto Rico. After running for vhole day along its beautiful coast, and touching at a bay at the st end, he arrived, on the 2 2d of November, off the eastern ex- mity of Hayti, or Hispaniola. The greatest animation prevailed roughout the armada at the thoughts of soon arriving at the end their voyage, while those who had accompanied Columbus in the 204 THE LIFE \ND VOYAGKS preceding expedition, looked forward to meeting with the comrades they had left behind, and to a renewal of pleasant scenes among the groves of Hayti. Passing by the gulf of Las Fleches, where the skirmish had occurred with the natives, Columbus set on shore one of the young Indians who had been taken from the neighborhood, and had accompanied him to Spain. He dismissed him finely ap- parelled and loaded with trinkets, anticipating favorable effects from the accounts he would be able to give to his countrymen of the power and munificence of the Spaniards, but he never heard any thing of him more. Only one Indian, of those who had been to Spain, remained in the fleet, a young Lucayan, native of the island of Guanahani, who had been baptized at Barcelona, and named after the admiral's brother, Diego Colon ; he continued always faithful and devoted to the Spaniards. Continuing along the coast, Columbus paused in the neighbor- hood of Monte Christi, to fix upon a place for a settlement, in the neighborhood of a stream said to abound in gold, to which, in his first voyage, he had given the name of Rio del Oro. Here, as the seamen were ranging the shore, they found the bodies of three men and a boy, one of whom had a rope of Spanish grass about his neck, and another, from having a beard, was evidently a European. The bodies were in a state of decay, but bore the marks of violence. This spectacle gave rise to many gloomy forebodings, and Colum- bus hastened forward to La Navidad, full of apprehensions that some disaster had befallen Diego de Arana and his companions. FROM THE COLUMBUS STATUE AT GENOA, CHAPTER Xv^III. r«TE OF THE rONTRCSS OF LA NAVIOAD. TRANSACTIONS AT THE HARBOR. (14»3.) the neighbor- sment, in the which, in his Here, as the 1 of three men bout his neck, iropean. The s of violence. , and Colum- lensions that mpanions. Tm /^*«. f''7riS. N the evening of the 27th of November, Co- lumbus anchored opposite to the harbor of La Navidad, about a league from the land. As it was too dark to distinguish objects, he ordered two signal guns to be fired. The report echoed along the shore, but there was no gun, or light, or friendly shout in reply. Several hours passed away in the most dismal suspense ; about mid- night, a number of Indians came off in a canoe and inquired for the admiral, refusing to come on board until they should see him personally. Columbus showed himself at the side of his vessel, and a light being held up, his countenance and commanding person re not to be mistaken. The Indians now entered the ship with- liesitation. One of them was a cousin of the cacique Guacau- Iri, and the bearer of a present from him. The first inquiry of liimbus was concerning the garrison. He was informed that [eral of the Spaniards had died of sickness, others had fallen in ^larrel among themselves, and others had removed to a diflferent of the island; — that Guacanagari had been assailed by Cao- )o, the fierce cacique of the golden mountains of Cibao, who had inded him in combat, and burnt his village, and that he re- ined ill of his wound, in a neighboring ^mlet. Melancholy as were these tidings, they relieved Columbus from painful suspicion of treachery on the part of the cacique and [pie in whom he had confided, and gave him hopes of finding l»oJi SI 206 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES some of the scattered garrison still alive. The Indians were well entertained, and g^ratificd with presents ; on departing they prom- ised to retnrn in the morning with Gnacanagari. The morning, however, dawned and passed away, and the day declined without the promised visit from the chieftain. There was a silence and au air of desertion abont the whole neighborhood. Not a canoe ap- peared in the harbor; not an Indian hailed them from the land, nor was there any smoke to be seen rising from among the groves. Towards the evening, a boat was sent on shore to rcconnoiter. The crew hastened to the place where the fortress had been erected. They fonnd it bnrnt and demolished; the palisadoes beaten down, and the groniid strewn with broken chests, spoiled provisions, and the fragments of European garments. Not an Indian approached them, and if they caught a sight of any lurking among the trees, they vanished on finding themselves perceived. Meeting no one from whom they could obtain information concerning this melan- choly scene, they returned to the ships with dejected hearts. Columbus, himself, landed on the f( Uowing morning, and re- pairn^g to the ruins of the fortress, caased diligent search to be made for the dead bodies of the garrison. Cannon and arquebuses were discharged to summon any survivors that might be in the neighborhood, but none made their appearance. Columbus had ordered Arana and his fellow officers, in case of sudden danger, to bury all the treasure they might possess, or throw it in the well of the fortress. The well was therefore searched, and excavations were made among the ruins, but no gold was to be found. Not far from the fortress, the bodies of elc-en Europeans were discovered buried in diff"erent places, and they appeared to have been for some time in the ground. In the houL^s of a neighboring hamlet were found several European articles, which could not have been pro- cured by barter. This gave suspicions that the fortress had been plundered by the Indians in the vicinity; while, on the other hand, the village of Gnacanagari was a mere heap of bnrnt ruins, whicli showed tliat he. and his people had been involved in the same dis- aster with the garrison. Columbus was for some time perplexed by these contradictory documents of a disastrous story. At leugtli a communication was effected with some of the natives; their evi- dent apprehensions were dispelled, and by. the aid of the interpreter the fate of the garrison was more minutely ascertained. OK COLUMHUS. 207 ms were well . g they prom- riie iiiorniiig, iiied without Hence and au t a canoe ap- the land, nor g the groves. )nnoiter. The been erected, beaten down, (revisions, and an approached ong the trees, eeting no one iig this nielan- [ hearts. )rning, and re- it search to be and arqnebuses ight be in the Columbus had [den danger, to it in the well nd excavations ound. Not far A-ere discovered 2 been for some iig hamlet were lave been pro- r tress had been the other hand, nt ruins, \vhicli n the same dis- time perplexed ry. At length tives; their evi- the interpreter ned. It appeared that Columbus had scarcely set sail for Spain, when all his counsels and commands faded from the minds of those who remained behind. Instead of cultivating the good will of the natives, they endeav- ored, by all kinds of wrong- ful means, tu get possession of their golden ornaments land other articles of value, land seduced from them their [wives and daughters. Fierce [brawls occurred betw ^n [themselves, about their ill- rotten spoils, or the favors )f the Indian women. In ,'ain did Diego de Arana in- terpose his authority; all )rder, all subordination, all inaniniity, were at an end ; factions broke out among them, and at length ambi- |tion arose to complete the lestructiou of this mimic inipire. Pedro Gutierrez lud Rodrigo de Escobedo, .•hoiii Columbus had left as fieutenants, to succed Arana \r\ case of accident, now as- )ired to an equal share in the authority. In the quar- •eis which succeeded, a 5paniard was killed, and lutierrez and Escobedo, laving failed in their object, (ithdrew from the fortress, with nine of their adherents, and a lumber of women, and set off for the mountains of Cibao, with the idea of procuring immense wealth from its golden mines. * These nouiitains were in the territories of the famous Caonabo, called by the Spaniards "the lord of the goldeu house." He was a Carib by COLUMbUS, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF HiS INDIANS F HOM SANTA CHUZ, FiNDS THE BODIES CF SOME OF THE SLAIN GARRISON OF LA NAVIDAD. 2o8 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES mi birth, and had come an adventurer to the island, but, possessing the fierceness and enterprise of his nation, had gained such an ascend- ancy over these simple and unwarlike people, as to make himself their most powerful cacique. The wonderful accounts of the white men had reached him among his mountains, and he had the shrewd- ness to perceive that his own consequence must decline before such formidable intruders. The departure of Columbus had given him hopes that their intrusion would be but temporary ; the discords of those who remained increased his confidence. No sooner, therefore, did Gutierrez and Escobedo, with their companions, appear in his dominions, than he seized them and put them to death. He then assembled his subjects, and traversing the forests with profound se- crecy, arrived in the vicinity of La Navidad without being discov- ered. But ten men remained in the fortress with Arana , the rest were living in careless security in the village. In the dead of the night Caonabo and his warriors burst upon the place with fright- ful yells, and set fire to the fortress and village. The Spaniards were completely taken by surprise. Eight were driven to the sea- side, and, rushing into the waves, were drowned ; the rest were massacred. Guacanagari and his subjects fought faithfully in de- fence of their guests, but, not being of a warlike character, they were easily routed. The cacique was wounded in the conflict, and his village burnt to the ground. Such is the story of the first European establishment in the new world. It presents in a diminutive compass an epitome of the gross vices which degrade civilization, and the grand political errors which sometimes subvert the mightiest empires. All law and order were relaxed by licentiousness; public good was sacrificed to private interest and passion ; the community was convulsed bj' divers fac- tions, until the whole body ]5olitic was shaken asunder by two as- piring demagogues, ambitious of the command of a petty fortress in a wilderness, and the supreme control of eight and thirty men! This account of the catastrophe of the fortress satisfied Colum- bus of the good faith of Guacanagari ; but circumstances concurred to keep alive the suspicions entertained of him by the Spaniards. Columbus paid a visit to the chieftain, whom he found in a neigh- boring-village, suffering apparently from a bruise which he had re- ceived in the leg from a stone. Several of his subjects, also, ex- hibited recent wounds, which had evidently been made by Indian OF COLUMBUS. 209 [weapons. The cacique was greatly agitated at seeing Columbus, [and deplored with tears the misfortunes of the garrison. At the request of the admiral, his leg was examined by a Spanish surgeon, )Ut no sign of a wound was to be seen, though he shrunk with pain whenever the leg was touched. As some time had elapsed since the jattle, the external bruise might have disappeared, while a tender- less might remain in the part. Many of the Spaniards, however, ^ho had not witnessed the generous conduct of the cacique in the irst voyage, looked upon his lameness as feigned, and the whole itory of the battle a fabrication, to conceal his perfidy. Columbus )ersisted in believing him innocent, and invited him on board of lis ships, where the cacique was greatly astonished at the wonders )f art and nature, brought from the old world. What most amazed lim were the horses. He had never seen any but the most dimin- Itive quadrupeds, and gazed with awe at the grandeur of these loble animals, their great strength, terrific appearance, yet perfect locility. The sight of the Carib prisoners also increased his idea )f the prowess of the Spaniards, having the hardihood to invade these terrible beings, even in their strongholds, while he could Scarcely look upon them without shuddering, though in chains. On board the ship were several Indian women who had been ^aptives to th Caribs. Among them was one distinguished above ler companions by a certain loftiness of demeanor ; she had been inch noticed and admired by the Spaniards, who had given her the lame of Catalina. She particularly attracted the attention of the [acique, who is represented to have been of an amorous complexion, [e spoke to her repeatedly, with great gentleness of tone and man- ner, pity in all probability being mingled with his admiration; for, lough rescued from the hands of the Caribs, she and her compan- )ns were still, in a manner, captives on board of the ship. A collation was served up for the entertainment of Guacanagari, id Columbus endeavored by kindness and hospitality to revive leir former cordial intercourse, but it was all in vain ; the cacique ^as evidently distrustful and ill at ease. The suspicions of his iiilt gained ground among the Spaniards. Father Boyle, in par- icular, regarded him with an evil eye, and advised Columbus, now lat he had him securely on board of his ship, to detain him pris- |ner; but Columbus rejected the counsel of the crafty friar, as mtrary to sound policy and honorable faith. The cacique, how- T 2IO THE LIFE AND VOYAGES THE CRAFTY FRIAR. ever, accustomed in his former intercourse with the Spaniards to meet on ever}' side with faces beaming with gratitute and friendship, could not but perceive the altered looks of cold sus picion and secret hostility. Notwithstanding the frank and cordial hospitality of the admiral, therefore, he soon took leave and returned to land. On the following day, there was a mysterious move- ment and agitation among the natives on shore. The brother of Guacanagari came on board, un- der pretext of bartering a quantity of gold, but, as it afterwards proved, to bear a mes- sage to Catalina, the Indian female, whose beauty had captivated the heart of the ca- cique, and whom, with a kind of native gal- lantry, he wished to deliver from bondage. At midnight, when the crew were buried in their first sleep, Catalina awakened her female companions, and proposed a bold attempt to gain their lib- erty. The ship was anchored full three miles from the shore, and the sea was rough ; but these island women were accustomed to buffet with the waves, and the water was, to them, almost as their natural element. Letting themselves down silently from the side of the vessel, they trusted to the strength of their arms, and swam bravely for the shore. They were overheard by the watch, the alarm was given, the boats were manned and gave chase in the direction of a light blazing on the shore, an evident beacon for the fugitives. Such was the vigor of these sea nymphs, however, that they reached the land before they were overtaken. Four were captured on the beach, but the heroic Catalina, with the rest of her companions, escaped in safety to the forest. Guacanagari disappeared on the same day with all his household and effects, and it was supposed had taken refuge, with his island beauty, in the interior. His desertion gave redoubled force to the doubts heretofore entertained, and he was generally stigmatized as the perfidious destroyer of the garrison. r 1 I^R' ■' ! he Spaniards gratitute and :s of cold sus- he frank and he soon took terioiis move- L shore. The on board, un- iitity of gold, :o bear a nies- female, whose art of the ca- of native gal- rom bondage. w were buried awakened her a^ain their lib- shore, and the )nied to buffet ; their natural le side of the swam bravely he alarm was^ direction of a the fugitives, they reached tured on the companions, )eared on the /as supposed Interior. His^ entertained, jtroyer of the CHAPTER XIX. FOUNDING or THE CITY OF ISABELLA. DISCONTENTS OF THE PEOPLE. (1493.) •'HE misfortunes which had befallen the Spaniards, both by sea and land, in the vicinity of this harbor, threw a gloom over the place, and it was considered by the superstitious mariners as under some baneful influence, or malignant star. The situation, too, was low, moist, and unhealthy, and there was no \^ stone in the neighborhood foi building. Columbus searched, therefore, for a more favorable place for his projected colony, ')[L^ and fixed upon a harbor about ten i}^^^^^7^ leagues east of Monte Christi, protected ^ /) on one side by a natural rampart of ^ rocks, and on the other by an impervious rest, with a fine plain in the vicinity, watered by two rivers. A great inducement also for set- here was, that it was at no great distance from the mount- ains of Cibao, where the gold mines were situated. The troops and the various persons to be employed in the col- ony were immediately disembarked, together with the stores, arms, ammunition, and all the cattle and live stock. An encampment v^ formed on the margin of the plain, round a sheet of water, and die plan of a town traced out, and the houses commenced. The pjtblic edifices, such as a church, a storehouse, and a residence for admiral, were constructed of stone ; the rest of wood, plaster, («.) W't u w 212 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES V. MM reeds, and such other materials as could be readily, procured. Thus was founded the first Christian city of the new world, to which Columbus gave the name of Isabella, in honor of his royal pat- roness. For a time every one exerted himself with zeal ; but maladies soon began to make their appearance. Many had suffered from sea sickness, and the long confinement on board of the ships; others, from the exposures on the land, before houses could be built for their reception, and from the exhalations of a hot and moist cli- mate, dense natural forests, and a new, rank soil, so trying to con- stitutions accustomed to a dry climate, and open, cultivated coun- try. The important and hurried labors of building the city and cultivating the earth, bore hard upon the Spaniards, many of whom were unaccustomed to labor, and needed repose and relaxation, The maladies of the mind also mingled with +hose of the body, Many, as has been shown, had embarked in the enterprise with the most visionary and romantic expectations. What, then, was their surprise at finding themselves surrounded by impracticable forests, doomed to toil painfully for mere subsistence, and to attain every comfort by the severest exertion ! As to gold, which they had ex- pected to find readily and in abundance, it was to be procured only in small quantities, and by patient and persevering labor. All these disappointments sank deep into their hearts, their spirits flagged as their golden dreams melted away, and the gloom of despondency aided the ravages of disease. Columbus, himself, was overcome by the fatigues, anxieties, and exposures he had suffered, and for sev- eral weeks was confined to his bed by severe illness; but his ener- getic mind rose superior to the maladies of the body, and he con- tinued to give directions about the building of the city, and the general concerns of the expedition. The greater part of the ships were ready to return to Spain, but he had no treasure to send with them. The destruction of the garrison had defeated all his hopes of finding a quantity of gold, amassed and ready to be sent to the sovereigns. It was necessan' for him to do something, however, before the vessels sailed, to keep up the reputation of his discoveries, and justify his own magnifi- cent representations. The region of the mines lay at a distance of but three or four days' journey, directly in the interior; the very name of the cacique, Caonabo, signifying "the lord of the ocured. Thus arid, to which his royal pat- ; but maladies fFered from sea : ships; others, lid be built for and moist cli- ) trying to cou- ultivated coun- ng the city and many of whom and relaxation, 5e of the body, ;rprise with the then, was their Lcticable forests, to attain every ich they had ex- )e procured only abor. All these spirits flagged of despondency as overcome by ed, and for sev- s ; but his ener- dy. and he con- le city, and the re turn to Spain, SI ruction of the uantity of gold, t was necessan' s sailed, to keep is own niagnifi- ay at a distance he interior; the the lord of the ill I MS il 214 THR LIFE AND VOYAGES golden house," seemed to indicate the wealth of his dominions. Columbus determined, therefore, to send an expedition to explore them. If the result should answer to the accounts given by the Indians, he would be able to send home the fleet with confidence, bearing tidings of the discovery of the golden mountains of Cibao, The person chosen for this enterprise was Alonzo de Ojeda, who delighted in all service of an adventurous nature. He set out from the harbor early in January, 1494, accompanied by a small number of well-armed men, several of them young and spirited cavaliers like himself. They crossed the first range of mountains by a narrow and winding Indian path, and descended into a vast plain, covered with noble forests, and studded with villages and hamlets. The inhabitants overwhelmed them with hospitality, and delayed them in their journey by their kindness. They had to ford many rivers, also, so that they were six days in reaching the chain of mountains, which locked up, as it were, the golden region of Cibao. Here they saw ample signs of natural wealth. The sands of the mountain streams glittered with particles of gold; in some places they picked up large specimens of virgin ore, and stones streaked and richly impregnated with it. Ojeda, himself, found a mass of rude gold in one of the brooks, weighing nine ounces. The little band returned to the harbor, with enthusiastic accounts of the golden promise of these mountains. A young cav- alier, named Gorvalan, who had been sent to explore a different tract of country, returned with similar reports. Encouraged by these good tidings, Columbus lost no time in despatching twelve of the ships, under the command of Antonio de Torres, retaining only five for the service of the colony. By these ships he sent home specimens of the gold found among the mountains of Cibao, and of all fruits and plants of iinknown and valuable species, to- gether with the Carib captives, to be instructed in the Spanish language and the Christian faith, that they might serve as inter- preters, and aid in the conversion of their countrymen. He wrote, also, a sanguine account of the two expeditions into the interior, and expressed a confident expectation, as soon as the health of him- self and his people would permit, of procuring and making abund- ant shipments of gold, spices, and valuable drugs. He extolled the fertility of the soil, evinced in the luxuriant growth of the sugar- cane, and of various European grains and vegetables; but entreated OF COLUMBUS. 215 his dominions.! tion to explore ts given by the vith confidence, iitains of Cibao, lonzo de Ojeda, re. He set out lied by a small ig and spirited e of nioiintaiiis ided into a vast til villages and hospitality, and They had to in reaching the e golden region d wealth. The cles of gold; in virgin ore, and Ojeda, himself, , weighing nine ith enthusiastic A young cav- )lore a different Encouraged by jatching twelve orres, retaining ; ships he sent iitains of Cibao, able species, to- in the Spanisi serve as inter- icn. He wrote, to the interior, J health of him- making abuiid- He extolled the h of the sugar- but entreated pplies of provisions for the immediate wants of the colony, as eir stores were nearly exhausted, and they could not accustom emselves to the diet of the natives. Among many sound and salutary suggestions in this letter, ere was one of a pernicious tendency. In his anxiety to lighten e expenses of the colony, and procure revenue to the crown, he commended that the natives of the Caribbean Islands, being can- iibals and ferocious invaders of their peaceful neighbors, should be pturcd and sold as slaves, or exchanged with merchants for live ock and other necessary supplies. He observed, that, by trans- itting these infidels to Europe, where they would have the bene- s of Christian instruction, there would be so many souls snatched m perdition, and so many converts gained to the faith. Such is e strange sophistry by which upright uien may deceive them- Ives, and think they are obeying the dictates of their con-science, when, in fact, they are but listening to the incitements of their tcrest. It is but just to add that the sovereigns did not accord ith him in his ideas, but ordered that the Caribs should be treated e the rest of the islanders ; a command which emanated from the erciful heart of Isabella, who ever showed herself the benign pro- ctress of the Indians. When the fleet arrived in Europe, though it brought no gold, t the tidings from Columbus and his companions kept up the pular excitement. The sordid calculations of petty spirits were yet overruled by the enthusia.sm of generous minds. There was ething wonderfully grand in the idea of introducing new races animals and plants, of building cities, extending colonies and [wing the seeds of civilization and ot enlightened empire in this autiful but savage world. It struck the minds of learned and dassical men with admiration, filling them with pleasant dreams and reveries, and seeming to realize the poetical pictures of the olden time ; of Saturn, Ceres, and Triptolemus, traveling about the earth to spread new inventions among mankind, and of the coloniz- Vii,^ enterprises of the Phoenicians. But while such sanguine anticipations were indulged in Eu- rope, murmuring and sedition began to prevail among the colonists. Disappointed in their hopes of wealth, disgusted with the labors imposed upon them, and appalled by the prevalent maladies, they looked with horror upon the surrounding wilderness, and became 2X6 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES impatient to return to Spain. Their discontents were increased by one Firniin Cado, a wronp-headed and captious man, who had come out as assayer and purifier of metals, but whose igno- rance in his art equaled his obstinacy of opinion. He pertinaciously insisted that there was scarcely any gold in the island, and that all the specimens brought by the natives, had been accumu- lated in the course of sev- eral generations, and been handed down from father to son in their families. At length a conspiracy was formed, headed by Ber- nal Diaz de Pisa, the comp- troller, to take advantage of the illness of Columbus, to seize upon the ships remain- ing in the harbor, and to return to Spain ; where they thought it would be easy to justify their conduct, by ac- cusing Columbus of gcoss deceptions and exaggerations concerning the countries he had discovered. Fortunately, Columbus received informa- tion in time, and arrested the ringleaders of the con- spiracy. Bernal Diaz was con- fined on board of one of thp ' ships, to be sent to Spain for trial ; and several of the inferior mutineers were punished, but not with the severity their offense deserved. This was the first time Columbus exercised the right of punishing delinquents in his new government, and it immedi- ately caused a great clamor against him. Already the disadvantage 1M CONSPIRATOR, BERNAL DIAZ DE PISA, ARRESTED AND CONFINED ON ONE OF THE SHIPS, TO BE SENT TO SPAIN FOR TRIAL. OK COLUMBUS. 217 t increased by who had come • and purifier whose igno- rt equaled his opinion. He insisted that rcely any gold , and that all brought by the been accuniu* course of sev- ms, and been from father r families. 1 a conspiracy leaded by Ber- *isa, the comp- e advantage of Columbus, to i ships remain- larbor, and to ,n ; where they uld be easy to conduct, by ac- ibus of gtoss 1 exaggerations e countries k I. Fortunately, eived informs- and arrested rs of the con- il Diaz was cou- d of one of tV ' of the inferior y their offense :ised the riglit atid it inimedi- e disadvantage being a foreigner was clearly manifested. He had no natural fiends to rally round him ; whereas the mutineers had connections Spain, friends in the colony, and met with sympathy in every Isconteated mind. ;^^^v m\ -M I il! CHAPTER XX. EXPEDITION OF COLUMBUS INTO THE INTERIOR OF HISPikNIOLA. (1494.) S the surest means of quieting the murmurs and rousing the spirits of his people, Cohm- bus, as soon as his health permitted, made preparations for an expedition to the mount- ains of Cibao, to explore the country, and establish a post in the vicinity of the mines. Placing his brother Diego in command at Isa- bella, during his absence, and taking with hini every person in health that could be spared from the settlement, and all the cavalry, he departed, on the i2tli of March, at the head of four hundred men, armed with helmets and corselets, with arque- buses, lances, swords, and cross-bows, and followed by laborers and miners, and a multitude of the neighboring Indians. After travers- ing a plain, and fording two rivers, they encamped in the evening at the foot of a wild and rocky pass of the mountains. The ascent of this defile presented formidable difficulties to the little army, which was encumbered with various munitions, and with mining implements. There was nothing but an Indian footpath winding among rocks and precipices, and the entangled vegetation of a tropical forest. A number of high-spirited young cavaliers, therefore, threw themselves in the advance, and aiding the laborers and pioneers, and stimulating them with promises of liberal reward, they soon constructed the first road formed by Eu- ropeans in the new world, which, in commemoration of their gen- erous zeal, was called El Puerto de los Hidalgos, or the Pass of tlie Hidalgos. (318) OF COL,UMUUS. 219 >LA. (U»4.) g the murmurs people, Colniii- )ermitted, made 1 to the mount- e country, and ty of the mines. command at Isa- taking with him could be spared the cavalry, he 1, at the head of ets, with ?rque- by laborers and . After travers- iu the evening ains. le difficulties to ious munitions, but an Indian the entangled i-spirited young nee, and aiding th promises of I formed by Ku- du of their gen- the Pass of the On the following day the army toiled up this steep defile, arrived where the gorge of the mountain opened into the _ crior. Here a glorious prospect burst upon their view. Be- low lay a vast and delicious plain, enameled with all the rich variety of tropical vegetation. The magnificent forests presented that mingled beauty and majesty of vegetable forms, peculiar to these generous climates. Palms of prodigious height, and spread- ing mahogany trees, towered from amid a wilderness of variegated foliage. Universal freshness and verdure were maintained by nu- i»er(ms streams which meandered gleaming through the deep bosom cf the woodland, while various villages t jttid hamlets seen among the trees, and the smoke of others rising out of the forests, gave signs of a numerous popu- lation. The luxuriant landscape ex- tended as far as the eye could reach, ■until it appeared to melt away and ■mingle with the horizon. The Span- iards gazed with rapture upon this soft, •voluptuous country, which seemed to realize their ideas of a terrestrial para- dise; and Columbus, struck with its vast »; 220 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES the provisions they furnished in abundance. The ujitutored sav- age, in almost every part of the world, scorns to make a traffic of hospitality. For two or three days, they continued their march across this noble plain, where every scene presented the luxuriance of wild, uncivilized nature. They crossed two large rivers ; one, called the Yagui by the natives, was named by the admiral the river of Reeds; to the other he gave the name of Rio Verde, or Green River, from the verdure and freshness of its banks. At length they arrived at a chain of lofty and rugged mountains, which formed a kind of barrier to the vega, and amidst which lay the golden region of Cibao. On entering this vaunted country, the whole character of the scenery changed, as if nature delighted in contrarieties, and displayed a miser-like po^ort}^ of exterior when teeming with hid- den treasures. Instead of the soft, lux- uriant landscape of the vega, nothing was to be seen but chains of rocky and sterile mountains, scantily clothed with pines. The very name of the country bespoke the nature of the soil ; Cibao, in the language of the natives, signifying a stone. But what consoled the Spaniards for th. asperity of the soil, was to observe particles of gold among the sands of the streams, which they regarded as earnests of the wealth locked up in the mountains. Choosing a situation in a neighborhood that seemed to abound in mines, Columbus began to build a fortress, to which he gave the name of St. Thomas, intended as a pleasant, though pious, reproof of Firmin Cado and his doubting adherents, who had refused to believe that the island contained gold, until they should behold it with their eyes, and touch it with their hands. While the admiral remained superintendiiiL; the building of the fortress, he dispatched a young cavalier of Madrid, named Juan de Luxan, with a small band of armed men, to explore the prov- Luxan returned after a few days, with the most satisfactory COLUMBUa BUILDS THE FORT ST. THOMAS IN THE GOLDEN REGIONS OF CIBAO. mce. accounts. He fouud many parts of Cibao more capable of cultiva- OF COLUMBUS. 221 tion than those that had been seen by the admiral. The forests appeared to abound with spices; the trees were overrun with vines bearing clusters of grapes of pleasant flavor; while every valley and glen had its stream, yielding more or less gold, and showing the universal prevalence of that precious metal. The natives of the surrounding country likewise flocked to the fortress of St. Thomas, bringing gold to exchange for European trinkets. One o Id man brought two pieces of virgin ore weighing an ounce, and thought himself richly repaid on receiving a hawk's bell. On remarking the admiration of the admiral at the size of these specimens, he assured him that in his country, which lay at half a day's distance, pieces were found as big as an orange. Others spoke of masses of ore as large as the head of a child, to be met with in their neighborhood. As usual, however, these golden tracts were always in some remote valley, or along some rugged and sequestered stream ; and the wealthiest spot was sure to lie at the greatest distance — for the land of promise is ever beyond the mountain. y^ CHAPTER XXI. CUSTOMS AND CHARACTCRISTICS OF THE NATIVES. HE fortress of St. Thomas being nearly com- pleted, Columbus left it in command of Pedro Margarite, a native of Catalonia, and knight of the order of Santiago, with a garrison of fifty- six men, and set out on his returr to Isabella. He paused for a time in the vega co establish routes between the fortress and the harbor; during which time he sojourned in the villages, that his men might become accustomed to the food of the natives, and that a mutual good-will might grow up between them. Columbus had already discovered the error of one of his opin- ions concerning these islanders, formed during his first voyage. They were not so entirely pacific, nor so ignorant of warlike arts, as he had imagined. The casual descents of the Caribs had com- pelled the inhabitants of the sea-coast to acquaint themselves with the use of arms ; and Caonabo had introduced something of his own warlike spirit into the center of the island. Yet, generally speak- ing, the habits of the people were mild and gentle. Their relig- ious creed was of a vague yet simple nature. They believed in one Supreme Being, who in- habited the sky, who was immortal, omnipotent, and invisible ; to whom they ascribed an origin, having had a mother, but no father. They never addressed their worship directly to him, but to inferior deities, called zemes, a kind of mes- FASH ONINO A BOW OF COLUMBUS. 323 2EMI, FOUND IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WEST IN0IE8| USUAllV FASHIONED FROM STONE. sengers, or mediators. Each cacique, each family, and each indi- vidual, had a particular zemi as a tutelary or protecting genius; whose image, generally oi a hideous form, was placed about their houses, carved on their furni- ture, and sometimes bound to their foreheads when they went to battle. They believed their zemes to be transferable, with all their beneficial powers ; they, therefore, often stole them from each other, and, when the Spaniards arrived, hid them away, lest they should be taken by the strangers. They believed that these zemes presided over every object in nature. Some had sway over the elements, causing sterile or abundant years, sending whirlwinds and tempests of rain and thunder, or sweet and temperate breezes, and prolific showers. Some governed the seas and forests, the springs and fountains, like the nereids, the dryads, and satyrs of antiquity. They gave success in hunting and fishing ; they guided the mountain streams into safe channels, leading them to meander peacefully through the plains ; or, if incensed, they caused them to burst forth into floods and torrents, inundating and laying waste the valleys. The Indians were well acquainted with the medicinal proper- ties of trees and vegetables. Their butios, or priests, acted as physi- cians, curing diseases with simples, but making use of many mysterious rites ; chanting and burning a light in the chamber of the patient, and pretending to exor- cise the malady, and to send it to the sea or to the mountain. They practiced also many de- ceptions, making the idols to speak with oracular vpice, to en- force the orders of the caciques. INDIAN HUT IN THE ANTILLES. (RESTORATION FROM DATA OBTAINED FROM SUCH, AS IkAY STILL BE SEEN ON THE COAST OF THE NEIOHBORINa CONTINENT.) ;| 224 THE UFE AND VOYAGES Once a year, each cacique held a festival in honor of his zemi, when his subjects formed a procession to the temple, the married men and women decorated with their most precious ornaments ; the )'^oung females entirely naked, carrying baskets of cakes, or- namented with flowers, and singing as they advanced, while the cacique beat time on an Indian drum. After the cakes had been offered to the zemi they were broken and distributed among the people, to be preserved in their houses as charms against all ad- verse accidents. The young females then danced to the cadence of songs in praise of their deities, and of the heroic actions of their ancient caciques ; and the whole ceremony concluded by a grand invocation to the zemi to watch over and protect the nation. The natives believed that their island of Hayti was the earliest part of creatiotf, and that the sun and moon issued out of one of its caverns to give light to the universe. This cavern still exists near Cape Francois, and the hole in the roof may still be seen from whence the Indians believed the sun and moon had sallied forth to take their places in the sky. It was consecrated as a kind of tem- ple ; two idols were placed in it, and the walls were decorated with green branches. In times of great drought the natives made pil- grimages and processions to it, with songs and dances, and offerings of fruit and flowers. They ascribed to another cavern, the origin of the human race believing that the large men issued forth from a great aperture, but the little men from a little cranny. For a long time they dared venture from the cavern only in the night, for the sight of the sun was fatal to them, producing wonderful transformations. One of their number, having lingered on a river's bank, where he was fish- ing, until the sun had risen, was turned into a bird of melodious note, which yearly, about the time of his transformation, is heard singing plaintively in the night bewailing his misfortune. This is the same bird which Columbus mistook for a nightingale. When the human race at length emerged from the cave, they for some time wandered about disconsolately without females, until, coming near a small lake, they beheld certain animals among the branches of the trees, which proved to be women. On ^attempting to catch them, however, they were found to be as slippery as eels, so that it was impossible to hold them, until they employed certain men whose hands had been rendered rough by a kind of leprosy. OF COLUMBUS. 225 man race These succeeded in securing four of them ; and from these slippery females the world was peopled. Like most savage nations, they had a tradition concerning the deluge, equally fanciful with the preceding. They said that there once lived in the island a mighty cacique, whose only son conspiring against him, he slew him. He afterwards preserved his bones in a gourd, as was the custom of the natives with the remains of their friends. On a subsequent day, the cacique and his wife opened the gourd to contemplate the bones of their son, when, to their sur- prise, several fish leaped out. Upon this the discreet cacique closed the gourd, and placed it on the top of his hut, boasting that he had the sea shut up within it, and could have fish whenever he pleased. Four brothers, however, children of the same birth, and curious internieddlers, hearing of this gourd, came during the ab- sence of the cacique to peep into it. In their carelessness they suffered it to fall upon the ground, where it was dashed to pieces ; when, lo ! to their astonishment and dismay, there issued forth a mighty flood, with dolphins and sharks, and tumbling porpoises, and great spouting whales ; and the water spread until it overflowed the earth, and formed the ocean, leaving only the tops of the mountains uncovered, which are the present islands. They had singular modes of treating the. dying and the dead. When the life of a cacique was despaired of, they strangled him, out of a principle of respect, rather than suffer him to die like the vulgar. Common people, in like situation, were extended in their hammocks, bread and water placed beside them, and they were then abandoned to die in solitude. Sometimes they were carried to the cacique, and if he permitted them the distinction, they were stran- gled. The body of the deceased was sometimes consumed with fire in his habitation ; sometimes the bones were retained, or the head, 01 a limb, and treasured up among the family relics. After the death of a cacique, his body was opened, dried at a fire, and preserved. They had confused notions of the existence of the soul Avlien separated from the body, and believed in apparitions of the deceased. They had an idea tha^ the spirits of good men after death were re- united to the spirits of those they had most loved, and to those of their ancestors; they were transported to a happy region, generally supposed to be near a lake, in the beautiful province of Xaragua, 226 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES in the western part of the island. Here they lived in shady and blooming bowers, with lovely females, and banqueted on delicious fruits. The dances to which the natives were so addicted were not mere idle pastimes, but were often ceremonials of a religious and mystic nature. In these were typified their historical events and their projected enterprises, whether of war or hunting. They were *^9,:n^'^- INDIAN DANCE. DRAWING MADE FROM DATA OBTAINED FROM PETER MARTVH, AND DESCRIPTION? FURNISHED BV EARLY NAVIGATORS. performed to the chant of certain metres and ballads handed down from generation to generation ; some of a sacred character, contain- ing their notions of theology and their religious fables ; others heroic and historic, rehearsing the deeds of their ancestors. These rhymes they called areytos, and sang them to the accompaniment of rude timbrels, made from the shells of certain fishes, or to the sound of a drum made from a hollow tree. OF COUUMBUS. 227 Tlie natives appeared to the Spaniards to be an idle and im- provident race, and indifferent to most of the objects of hnman anxiety and toil. They were impatient of all kinds of labor, scarcely giving themselves the trouble to cultivate the yuca root, the maize, and the sweet potato, which formed their main articles of food. They loitered away existence under the shade of their trees, or amusing themselves occasionally with their games and dances. In fact, they were destitute of all powerful motives to toil, being free from most of those wants which doom mankind, in civilized life, and in less genial climes, to inces- saiit labor. In the soft region of the vega, the circling seasons brought each its store of fruits, and while some were gathered in full maturity, others were ripening on the boughs, and buds and blossoms gave promise of still succeeding abundance. What need was there of garnering up and anxiously providing for coming days, to men who lived amid a perpetual harvest? What need, too, of toilfully spinning or laboring at the loom, where a genial temperature prevailed throughout the year, and neither nature nor custom prescribed the necessity of clothing? The hospitality which characterizes men in such a simple and easy mode of ex- istence, was evinced toward Columbus and his followers, during their sojourn in the vega. Wherever they went, it was a con- tinual scene of festivity and rejoicing, and the natives hastened from all parts to lay the treasures of their groves, and streams, and mountains, at the feet of beings whom they still considered as descended from the skies, to bring bless- ings to their island. As we accompany Columbus, in imagination, on his return to the harbor, over the rocky height from whence the vega first broke upon the eye of the Spaniards, we can not help pausing, to cast back a look of mingled pity and admiration, over this beautiful but NATIVES OF HAYTI. KDRAWN FROM THE DESCRIPTIONS FURNISHED BV THE EARIV NAVI0AT0R8. f 228 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES devoted region. The dream of natural liberty and ignorant con- tent was as yet unbroken, but the fiat had gone forth; the white man had penetrated into the land; avarice, and pride, and ambition, and sordid care, and pining labor, were soon to follow, and the in- dolent paradise of the Indian was about to disappear for ever. CHAPTER XXII. 8ICKNC88 AND DI8CONTCNT AT THE SETTLCMCNT OF ISABELLA. PHCPARATIONS OF COLUMBUS FOR A VOVAOE TO CUBA. (t404.) OLUMBUS had scarcely returned to the harbor, when a messenger arrived from Pedro Margarite, the commander at Fort St. Thomas, informing him that the Indians of the vicinity had abandoned their villages, and broken off all inter- course, and that he understood Caonabo was assembling his warriors to attack the fortress. From what the admiral had seen of the Indians in the interior, and the awe in which they stood of the white men and their horses, he felt little apprehensions from their hostility, and contented himself with sending a reinforcement of twenty men to the fortress, and detaching thirty more to open the road between it and the port. What gave him most anxiety was the distress which continued to increase in the settlement. The heat and hunridity of the climate, which gave won- derful fecundity to the soil, and rapid growth to all European vegetables, were fatal to the people. The exhalations from undrained marshes, and a vast continuity of forest, and the action of the sun upon a reeking vegetable soil, produced intermittent fevers, and those other violent maladies so trying to European con- .stitutions in the uncultivated countries of the tropics. The greater part of the colonists were either confined by illness, or reduced to 13 (M9) T 230 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES FRIAR BOYLE RECEIVES THE MEWS THAT HIMSELF AND AS- SOCIATES ARE INCLUDED IN THE ORDER " TO BE PUT UPON AL- iOWANCE," WITH IRRITATION. great debility. The stock of medicines was exhausted; European provisions began to fail, much having been spoiled and much wasted. To avert an absolute famine, it was necessary to put the people upon allowance ; this immediately caused loud murmurs, in which many in office, who ought to have supported Columbus in his measures for the common safety, took a leading part. Among the number was Friar Boyle, who was irritated when informed that himself and his household would be put on the same allowance with the rest of the community. It was necessary, also, to construct a mill immediately, to grind the corn, as all the flour was exhausted. Most of the workmen, however, were ill, and Columbus was obliged to put every healthy person in requisition, not even excepting cavaliers and gentlemen of rank. As many of the latter refused to comply, he enforced their obedience by compulsory measures. This was another cause of the deep and lasting hostilities that sprang up against him. He was in- veighed against, both by the cavaliers in the colony and their families in Spain^ as an upstart foreigner, inflated with sudden authority, and who, in pursuit of his own profit and aggrandizement, trampled upon the dignity of Spanish gentlemen, and insulted the honor of the nation. The fate, in truth, of many of the young cavaliers who had come out in this expedition, deluded by romantic dreams, was lamentable in the extreme. Some of them, of noble and opulent connections, had been brought up in ease and indulgence, and were little calculated to endure the hardships and privations of a new settlement in the wilderness. When they fell ill, their case soon became incurable. They suff"ered under the irritation of wounded pride, and the morbid melancholy of disappointed hope ; their sick- bed was destitute of the tender care and soothing attention to which they had been accustomed, and they sank into the grave in all the suUenness of despair, cursing the day that they had left OF COLUMBUS. 231 their country. So strong an effect had the untimely and dreary death of these cavaliers upon the public mind, that, many years afterwards, when the settlement of Isabella was abandoned, and had fallen to ruins, its deserted streets were said to be haunted by their spectres, walking about in ancient Spanish dresses, saluting the wayfarer in stately and mournful silence, and vanishing on being accosted. Their melancholy story was insidiously made use of by the enemies of the admiral, for it was said that they had been seduced from their homes by his delusive promises, and sacrificed by him to his private interests. Columbus was desirous of departing on a voyage to explore the coast of Cuba, but it was indispensable, before sailing, to place the affairs of the island in such a state as to insure tranquillity. For this purpose he determined to send all the men that could be spared from the concerns of the city, or the care of the sick, into the interior, where they could subsist among the natives, and become accustomed to their diet, while their force would overawe the machinations of Caonabo, or any other hostile cacique. A lit- tle army was accordingly mustered of two hundred and fifty cross- bow-men, one hundred and ten arquebusiers, sixteen horsemen, and twenty officers. These were to be commanded by Pedro Margarite, while Ojeda was to succeed him in the command of Fort St. Thomas. * Columbus wrote a long and earnest letter of instructions to Margarite, desiring him to make a military tour, and to explore the principal parts of the island ; but enjoining on him the strictest discipline of his army, and the most vigilant care to protect the rights of the Indians, and cultivate their friendship. Ojeda set off at the head of the little array for the fortress ; on his way he learnt that three Spaniards had been robbed of their effects by five Indi- ans, at the ford of one of the rivers of the vega, and that the delin- quents had been sheltered by their cacique, who had shared their booty. Ojeda was a quick and impetuous soldier, whose ideas were all of a military kind. He seized one of the thieves, ordered his ears to be cut off in the public square of the village, and sent the cacique, with his son and nephew, in chains to the admiral, who, after terrifying them with preparations for a public execution, pre- tended to yield to the tears and entreaties of their friends, and set them at liberty. 232 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES Having thus distributed his forces about the island, and taken measures for its tranquillity, Columbus formed a junto for its gov- ernment, of which his brother Don Diego was president, and Father Boyle, Pedro Fernandez Coronal, Alonzo Sanchez Caravajal, and Juan de Luxan, were counsellors. Leaving in the harbor two of his largest ships, which drew too much water to explore unknown coasts and rivers, he set sail on the 24th of April, with the Nifia or Santa Clara, the San Juan, and the Cordera. A PUBLIC EXECUTION IN THE 1BTH CENTURV. ^mm CHAPTER XXIII. CRUISE OF COLUMBUS ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST OF CUBA. (1404.) HE plan of the present expedition of Columbus was, to revisit Cuba at the point where he had abandoned it on his first voyage, and thence to explore it on the southern side. As has already been observed, he supposed it to be a continent, and the extreme end of Asia ; and if so, by following its shores in the proposed direction, he trusted to arrive at Mangi, and Cathay, and other rich and commercial, though semi-barbarous countries, form- ing part of the territories of the Grand Khan, as de- scribed by Mandeville and Marco Polo. Having arrived, on the 29th of April, at the easttrn end of Cuba, to which in his preceding voyage he had given the name of Alpha and Omega, but which is now known as Cape Maysi, he sailed along the southern coast, touching once or twice in the har- bors. The natives crowded to the shores, gazing with astonishment at the ships as they glided gently along at no great distance. They held up fruits and other provisions, to tempt the Spaniards to land, while others came off in canoes, offering various refreshments, not iu barter, but as free gifts. On inquiring of them for gold, they uniformly pointed to the south, intimating that a great island lay in that direction, where it was to be found in abundance. On the 3d of May, therefore, Columbus turned his prow directly south, and abandoning the coast of Cuba for a time, steered in quest of this reported island. He had no^ sailed many leagues before the blue summiti of Jamaica began to rise above the horizon. It was two days and a night, however, before he reached it, filled with admira- (»33) 234 THE UFR AND VOYAGES tion as he gradually drew near, at its vast extent, the beauty of its mountains, the majesty of its forests, and the great number of villages which animated the whole face of the country. He coasted the island from about the center to a port at the western end, which he called the gulf of Buentiempo. He found the natives more ingenious as well as more warlike than those of Cuba and Hayti. Their canoes were constructed with more art, and ornamented at the bow and stern with carving and painting. Many were of great size, though formed of the hollow trunks of single trees, often a species of the niahogan^ . Columbus measured one which proved to be ninety-six feet long and eight broad; it was hollowed out of one of those magnificent trees which rise like verdant towers amidst the rich forests of the tropics. Every cacique possessed a large canoe of the kind, which he seemed to regard as his galley of state. The Spaniards at first were treated with hos- tility, and were compelled to skirmish with the natives, but a friendly intercourse succeeded. Columbus bciUg disappointed in his hopes of finding gold in Jamaica, and the breeze being fair for Cuba, he determined to return thither. Just as he was about to sail, a young Indian came off to the ship, and begged that the Spaniards would take him with them to their country. He was followed by his relatives and friends, supplicating him to abandon his purpose. For some time he was distracted between concern for their distress, and an ardent desire to see the home of the wonderful strangers. Curiosity, and the youthful propensity to rove, at length prevailed ; he tore himself from the embraces of his friends, and took refuge in a secret part of the ship, from the tears and entreaties of his sisters. Touched by this scene of natural affection, and pleased with the confiding spirit of the youth, Columbus ordered that he should be treated with es- pecial kindness. It would have been interesting to have known something more of this curious savage, and of the effect which the first sight of the land of the white men had upon his mind, whether it equaled his hopes ; or whether, as is usual with savages, he pined, amidst the splendors of cities, for his native forests; and whether he ever re- turned to the arms of his faniilj\ The Spanish voyagers, however, were indifferent to these matters ; no further mention is made in their narratives of this youthful adventurer. OF COLUMBUS. 235 Having steered again for Cuba, Columbus, on the 18th of May, arrived at a great cape, to which he gave the name of Cabo de la Cruz, which it still retainti. Coasting to the west, he soon got en- tangled in a complete labyrinth of small islands and keys ; some of them were low, naked, and sandy, others covered with verdure, and others, tufted with lofty and beautiful forests. To this archipelago, which extended as far as the eye could reach, and, in a manner, enamelled the face of the ocean with variegated verdure, he gave the name of the Queen's Garden. He persuaded himself that these were the islands mentioned by Sir John Mandeville, and Marco Polo, as fring- ing the coast of Asia; if so, he must soon amve at the dominions of the Grand Khan. There was much in the character of the scenery to favor the idea. As the ships glided along the smooth and glassy channels which separated the islands, the magnificence of their vegetation, the soft odors wafted from flowers, and blossoms, and aromatic shrubs, the splen- did plumage of scarlet cranes, flamingoes, and other tropical birds, and the gaudy clouds of butterflies, all resembled what is described of oriental climes. Emerging from the labyrinth of the Queen's Garden, Columbus pursued his voyage with a prosperous breeze along that part of the southern side of Cuba, where, for nearly thirty- five leagues, the navigation is free from banks and islands; to his left was the broad and open sea, whose dark-blue color gave token of ample depth ; to his right extended a richly-wooded country, called Ornofa\', with noble mountains, frequent streams, and numerous villages. The appearance the ships spread wonder and joy along the coast. The na- tives came off" swimming, or in canoes, to offer fruits and other presents. After the usual evening shower, when the breeze blew from the shore, and brought off" the sweetness of the land, it bore with it also the distant songs of the natives, and the sound of their rude music, as they were probably celebrating, with their na- riRST MAP OF CUBA. of 236 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES m tioual chants and dances, the arrival of these wonderful strangers on their coasts. Animated by the delusions of his fancy^ Columbus continued to follow up this supposed continent of Asia ; plunging into another wilderness of keys and islets towards the M^estern end of Cuba, and exploring that perplexed and lonely coast, whose intricate channels are seldom visited, even at the present day, except by the lurking bark of the smuggler and the pirate. In this navigation h^ had to contend with almost incredible difficulties and perils; hi., vessels having to be warped through narrow and shallow passages, where they frequently ran aground. He was encouraged to proceed by information which he received, or fancied he received, from the natives, concerning a country farther on called Mangon, where the people wore clothing, and which he supposed must be Mangi, the rich Asiatic province described by Marco Polo. He also understood from them, that among the mountains to the west there was a powerful king, Avho reigned in great state over many populous provinces ; that he wore a white garment which swept the ground, that he was called a saint, and never spoke, but communicated his orders to his sitbjects by signs. In all this we see the busy imagination of Columbus interpreting the imperfectly understood com- munications of the Indians into unison with his precon- ceived ideas. This fancied king with a saintly title was probably conjured up in his mind by some descriptions which he thought accorded with what he had read of that mysterious potentate Prester John, who had long figured, sometimes as a monarch, sometimes as a priest, in the narrations of all eastern travelers. His crews seem to have partaken of his delusion. One day a party being sent on shore for wood and water, while they were emploj-ed in cutting wood and filling their water casks, an archer strayed into the forest, with his crossbow, in search of game, but soon returned, flying in breath- less terror. He declared that he had seen through an opening glade a man dressed in long white robes, THE EXPEDITION IN QUEST OF THE INHABITANTS OF MANOON. •y^. THE EMPEROR MONTEZUMA. THE POWERFUL KINO MENTIONED TO COLUMBUS OV THE NATIVES OF CUBA, AS THE PCTeNTATE WHO HEIQNED AMONG THE MOUNTAINS TO THE WEST. THE PICTURE RECONSTRUCTED FROM THE DATA FURNISHED BY THE RAMIREZ MS9. AND CLAVISERO'S RESEARCH. (237) 238 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES followed by two others in white tunics reaching to their knees, and that they had complexions as fair as Europeans. Columbus was rejoiced at this intelligence, hoping that he had found the clothed inhabitants of Mangon. Two parties were des- patched, well armed, in quest of these people in white ; the first re- turned unsuccessful ; the other brought word of having tracked the footprints of some large animal with claws, supposed by them to have been either a lion or a griffin ; but which most probably was an alligator. Dismayed at the sight, they hastened back to the sea- side. As no tribe of Indians wearing clothing was ever discovered in Cuba, it is probable the men in white were nothing else than a flock of cranes, seen by the wandering archer. These birds, like the flamingoes, feed in company, with one stationed at a distance as a sentinel. When seen' through an opening of the woodlands, standing in rows in a shallow glassy pool, their height and erect- ness give them, at first glance, the semblance of human figures. I ■' ,* ,'' ^ \WiS- CHAPTER XXIV. RETURN VOYAGE. (t494.) [OLUMBUS now noped, by contin- ui" J on, t^ arrive Ultimately at the Aiir Ohersonesus* of the ancier j; doubling which, he might /aake his way to the Red Sea, thence to Joppa, and so by the Mediterranean to Spain; or might circumnavigate Africa, pass triumphantly by the Portu- guese as they were groping along the coast of Guinea, and after having thus circumnavigated the globe, furl his adventurous sails at the Pillars of Hercules,t the ne plus ultra of the ancient world. But, though his fel- low-voyagers shared his opinion that they were coasting the continent of Asia, they were far from sharing his enthusiasm, and shrunk from the increasing perils of the voyage. The ships were strained and crazed by frequently running aground. The cables and rigging were much worn, the provisions nearly exhausted, and the crews worn out and disheartened by incessant labor. The admiral, there- THE CAPRIOIO PORTRAIT OF COLUMBUS. FROM AN ITALIAN WORK PUBLISHED IN ROME IN i;i)e *The golden Peninsula. Malacca. The ancients understood by that the modern island of t Pillars of Hercules. The God Hercules is supposed to'have erected columns as boun- dary marks to indicate the terminal points of his travels. ('^9) J 240 THE UKK AND VOYAGES llli'iH fore, was finally persuaded to abandon all further prosecution of the voj^age; but, before he turned back, he obliged the whole of the officers and seamen to sign a deposition, declaring their perfect conviction that Cuba was a continent, the beginning and the end of India. This singular instrument was signed near that deep bay called by some the bay of Philipina, by others, of Cortes. At this very time, a ship-boy from the mast-head might have overlooked the group of islands to the south, and have beheld the open sea beyond. Had Columbus continued on for two or three days longer, he would have passed round the extremity of Cuba; his illusion would have been dispelled, and an entirely different course might have been given to his subsequent discoveries. Returning now towards the east, the crews suffered excessively from fatigue, and a scarcity of provisions. At length, on the 7th of July, they anchored at the mouth of a fine river, in a genial and abundant country, which they had previously visited, as they had come down along the coast. Here the natives brought them provisions of various kinds. It was a custom with Columbus to erect crosses in all remarkable places, to denote the discovery of the country, and its subjugation to the true faith. This was done on the banks of this river, on a Sunday morning, with great ceremony. Columbus was attended by the cacique, and by his principal favor- ite, a venerable Indian, fourscore j^ears of age. While mass was performed in a stately grove, the natives looked on with awe and reverence. When it was ended, the old man of fourscore made a speech to Columbus in the Indian manner. "I am told," said he, " that thou hast lately come to these lauds with a mighty force, and A CUBAN CACiaUE ADDRESSES COLUMBUS ON THE IMMORTAUTV OF THE SOUL. iger, the ony. vor- was and le a he, and (=40 OF COLUMBUS. 243 hast subdued many countries, spreading great fear among the peo- ple; but be not therefore vain-glorious. Know that, according to our belief, the souls of men have two journeys to perform after they have departed from the body ; one to a place dismal, foul, and covered with darkness, prepared for such as have been unjust and cruel to their fellow-men; the other full of delight, for such as have promoted peace on earth. If, then, thou art mortal, and dost expect to die, beware that thou hurt no man wrongfully, neither do harm to those who have done no harm to thee." When this speech was explained to Columbus by his inter- preter, he was greatly moved by the simple eloquence of this untu- tored savage, and rejoiced to hear nis doctrine of a future state of the soul, having supposed that no belief of the kind existed among the inhabitants of these countries. He assured the old man that he had been sent by his sovereigns to teach them the true religion, to protect them from harm, and to subdue their enemies the Car- ibs. The venerable Indian was exceedingly astonished to learn that the admiral, whom he had considered so great and powerful, was yet but a subject ; and when he was told by the interpreter who had been in Spain, of the grandeur of the Spanish monarchs, and of the wonders of their kingdom, a sudden desire seized him to em- bark with the admiral, and acconifjany him to see this wonderful country, and it was with difficulty the tears and remonstrances of his wife and children could dissuade him from his purpose. After leaving this river, to which, from the solemn mass per- formed on its banks, Columbus gave the name of Rio de la Misa, he continued on to Cape Cruz, and then stood over to Jamaica, to complete the circumnavigation of that island. For nearly a month he continued beatiug to the eastward along its southern coast, com- ing to anchor every evening under the land, and making but slow progress. Anchoring one evening in a great bay, he was visited by a cacique with a numerous train, who remained until a late hour conversing with the Lucayan interpreter, who had been in Spain, about the Spaniards and their country, and their prowess in van- quishing the Caribs. On the following morning, when the ships were under weigh, they beheld three canoes issuing from among the islands of the bay. The center one was large, and handsomely carved and painted. In it were seated the cacique and his family, consisting of two daugh- w 244 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES PLUS ULTRA. THE DISCOVEnv OF AMERICA. AN ALLEOORV IN MARBLE, REPRESENTINO THE SPANISH LION TAXING POSSESSION OF AMERICA AND BRINOINQ IT UNDER THE DOMINION OF THE CROSS. ESCURIAL, MADRID. ters, young and beautiful, two sons, and five brothers. They were all arrayed in their jewels, and attended by the ofl&cers of the chief- tain, decorated with plumes and mantles of variegated feathers. The standard-bearer stood in the prow with a fluttering white ban- ner, while other Indians, fancifully painted, beat upon tabors, or sounded trumpets of fine black wood ingeniously carved. The ca- cique, entering on board of the ship, distributed presents among the crew, and approaching the admiral, **I have heard," said he, '* of the irresistible power of thy sovereigns, and of the many na- tions thou hast subdued in their name. Thou hast destroyed the dwellings of the Caribs, slaying their warriors, and carrying their wives and children into captivity. All the islands are in dread of thee, for who can withstand thee, now that thou knowest the secrets of the land, and the weakness of the people ? Rather, therefore, than thou shouldst take away my dominions, I will embark with all my household in thy ships, and will go to render homage to thy king and queen, and behold thy country, of which I hear such wonders." When this speech was interpreted to Columbus, and he beheld the wife, the sons, and daughters of the cacique, and considered to what ills they they would be exposed, he was touched with compassion, and determined not to take them from their native land. He received the cacique under his protection, as a vassal of his sovereigns, but informed him that he had many lands yet to visit, before he should return to his own country. He dismissed him, therefore, for the present, promising that at some future time he would gratify his wishes. On the 19th of August, Columbus lost sight of the eastern extremity of Jamaica, and on the following day made that long peninsula of Hayti, since called Cape Tiburon, but to Avhich he gave the name of San Miguel. He coasted the whole of the soutJiern side of the island, and had to take refuge in the channel of Saona, from a violent storm which raged for several days, during which time he suffered great anxiety for the fate of the other vessels, which remained at sea, exposed to the fury of the tempest. Being rejoined by them, and the weather having moderated, he set sail eastward with the intention of completing the discovery of the OF COLUMBUS. 245 Caribbee Islands, but his physical strength did not correspond to the efforts of his spirit. The extraordinary fatigues which he had suffered, both in mind and body, during this harassing voyage, which had lasted for five months, had secretly preyed upon his health. He had shared in all the hardships and privations of the common seamen, and he had cares and trials from which they were exempt. When the sailor, worn out with the labors of his watch, slept soundly, in spite of the howling of the storms, the anxious commander maintained his painful vigil, through long sleepless nights, amidst the pelting of the tempest and the drenching surges of the sea, for the safet}"^ of the ships depended upon his watchful- ness. During a great part of the voyage, he had been excited by the hope of soon arriving at the known parts of India, he was afterwards stimulated by a conflict with hardships and perils, as he made his way back against contrary winds and currents. The mo- ment he was relieved from all solicitude, and found himself in a tranquil sea, which he had already explored, the excitement sud- denly ceased, and mind and body sunk exhausted by almost super- human exertions. He fell into a deep lethargy, resembling death itself. His crew feared that death was really at hand. They aban- doned, therefore, all farther prosecution of the voyage, and spread- ing their sails to a favorable breeze from the east, bore Columbus back, in a state of complete insensibility, to the harbor of Isabella. I CHAPTER XXV. CVCNTS IN THE ISLAND Or HIBPANIOLA. INSURRECTIONS OF THE NATIVES, EXPEDITION OP OJCDA AGAINST CAONABO. (l404.) JOYFUL and heartfelt sur- prise awaited Columbus on his arrival, in finding, at his bedside, his brother Bartholomew, the companion of his youth, his zealous co- adjutor, and, in a man- ner, his second self, from whom he had been separated for several years. It will be recollect- ed, that about the time of the admiral's departure for Portugal, he commissioned Bartholomew to repair to England, and offer his proj ect of discovery '''*==:^^ to Henry the Seventh. Various circumstances occurred to delay this application. There is reason to believe that, in the interim, he accompanied Bartholomew Diaz in that celebrated voyage, in the course of which the Cape of Good Hope was discovered. On his way to England, also, Bartholomew Columbus was captured by a corsair, and reduced to extreme pov- erty. It is but justice to the memory of Henry the Seventh to say, that when, after a lapse of several years, the proposition was event- ually made to him, it met with a more prompt attention than it had received from any other sovereign. An agreement was actually (246) OF COLUMBUS. 347 made with Bartholomew, for the prosecution of the enterprise, and the latter departed for Spain in search of his brother. On reach- ing Paris, he received intelligence that the discovery was already made, and that his brother was actually at the Spanish court, enjoying his triumph, and pre paring to sail on a second expedition. He hastened to rejoin him, and was fur- nished by the French monarch, Charles the Eighth, with a hundred crowns to d /ray the expenses of the journey, h reached Seville just as his brother he sailed ; but being an accomplished navi gator, the sovereigns gave him the command of three ships, freighted with supplies for the colony, and sent him to aid his brother in his enterprises He again arrived too late, reaching the settlement of Isabella just after the depart- ure of the admiral for the coast of Cuba. The sight of this brother was an inex- pressible relief to Columbus, disabled as he was by sickness, overwhelmed with cares, and surrounded by strangers. His chief dependence had hitherto been upon his brother, Don Diego ; but the latter was of a mild and peaceable disposition, with an inclination for a clerical life, and was but little fitted to manage the affairs' of a factious colony. Bar- tholomew was of a diftcrent and more efficient character. He was prompt, active, decided, and of a fearless spirit ; whatever he deter- mined he carried into instant execution, without regard to difficulty or danger. His person corresponded to mind ; it was tall, muscular, vigorous, and command- ing. He had an air of great authority, but some- what stern, wanting that sweetness and benignity which tempered the authoritative demeanor of the admiral. Indeed, there was a certain asperity in his temper, and a dryness and abruptness in his manners, which made him many enemies ; yet, notwithstanding these external defects, he was of a generous disposition, free from arrogance or malevolence, and as placable as he was brave. 14 CEAL or CHARLES Vllt. 248 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES He was a thorough seaman, both in theory and practice, havi»^^ been formed, in a great measure, under the eye of the admiral, to whom he was but little inferior in science. He was acquainted with Latin, but docs not appear to have been highly educated; his knowl- edge, like that of his brother, being chiefly derived from a long course of varied experience and attentive observation, aided by the studies of niaturer years. Equally vigorous and penetrating in in- tellect with the admiral, but less enthusiastic in spirit and soaring in imagination, and with less simplicity of heart, he surpassed him in the adroit management of business, was more attentive to pecu-^ niary interests, and had more of that worldly wisdom which is so important in the ordinary concerns of life. His genius might never have excited him to the sublime speculation which led to the dis- covery of a world, but his practical sagacit}' was calculated to turn that discovery to more advantage. Anxious to relieve himself from the pressure of public busi- ness, during his present malady, Columbus immediately in"ested his brother witli the title and authority of adelantado,* an office equivalent to that of lieutenant-governor. He felt the importance of his assistance in the present critical state of the colony; for, during the few months that he h?d been absent, the whole island had become a scene of violence and discord. A brief retrospect is here necessary, to explain the cause of this confusion. Pedro Margarite, to whom Columbus, on his departure, had given orders to make a military tour of the island, set forth on his expedition with the greater part of the forces, leaving Alonzo de Ojeda in command of Fort St. Thomas. Instead, however, of pro- ceeding on his tour, Margarite lingered among the populous and hospitable villages of the vega, where he and his soldiery, by their licentious and oppressive conduct, soon roused the indignation and hatred of the natives. Tidings of their excesses reached Don Diego Columbus, who, with the concurrence of the council, wrote to Mar- garite, reprehending his conduct, and ordering him to depart on his tour. Margarite replied in a haughty and arrogant tone, pre- tending to consider himself independent in his command, and above all responsibility to Don Diego or his council. He was supported in his tone of defiance by a kind of aristocratical party coni- * Adelantado, formerly governor of a prorinee; now a title of Imnor of some Spanisi* families. \ OF COLUMBUS. 349 posed of the idle cavaliers of the colony, who had been deeply wound- ed in the pundonor, the proud punctilio so jealously guarded by a Spaniard, and affected to look down with contempt upon the newly- coined nobility of Don Diego, and to consider Columbus and his brothers mere mercenary and iipstart foreigners. In addition to these partisans, Margarite had a powerful ally in his fellow-coun- tryman, Friar Boyle, the apostolical vicar for the new world, an intriguing man, who had conceived a violent hostility against the admiral, and had become disgusted with his mission to the wilder- ness. A cabal was soon formed of most of those who were disaf- fected to the admiral, and discontented with their abode in the colony. Margarite and Friar Boyle acted as if possessed of para- mount authority ; and, without consulting Don Diego or the council, took possession of certain ships in the harbor, and set sail for Spain, with their adherents. They were both favorites of the king, and deemed it would be an easy matter to justify their abandonment of their military and religious commands, by a pretended zeal for the public good, and a desire to represent to the ■ igns the disas- trous state of the colony, and the tyranny anil |, ^ "ession of Co- lumbus and his brothers. Thus the first general and apostle of the new world set the flagrant example of unauthorized abandonment of their posts. The departure of Margarite left the army without a head ; the soldiers now roved about in bands, or singl}^ according to their caprice, indulging in all kinds of excesses. The natives, indignant at having their hospitality thus requited, refused any longer to furnish them with food ; the Spaniards, therefore, seized upon pro- visions wherever they could be found, committing, at the same time, many acts of wanton violence. At length the Indians were roused to resentment, and, from confiding and hospitable hosts, were con- verted into vindictive enemies. They slew the Spaniards wherever they could surprise them singly or in small parties ; and Guati- guana, cacique of a large town on the Grand River, put to death ten soldiers who were quartered in his town, set fire to a house in which forty sick Spaniards were lodged, and even held a small fort- ress called Magdalena, recently built ii ' e vega, in a state of siege, insomuch, that the commander had to shut himself up within its walls, until relief should arrive from the settlement. The most formidable enemy of the Spaniards was Caonabo, the 250 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES Carib cacique of the mountains. He had natural talents for war, great sagacity, a proud and daring spirit to urge him on, three val- iant brothers to assist him, and a numerous tribe at his command. He had been enraged at seeing the fortress of St. Thomas erected in the very center of his dominions ; and finding by his spies that the garrison was reduced to but fifty men, and the army of Marga- rite dismembered, he thought the time had arrived to strike a sig- nal blow, and to repeat the horror? which he had wreaked upon La Navidad. The wily cacique, however, had a different kind of an enemy to deal with in the commander of St. Thomas. Alonzo de Ojeda deserves particular notice as a specimen of the singular characters which arose among the Spanish discoverers. He had been schooled in Moorish warfare, and of course versed in all kinds of military stratagems. Naturally of a rash ?nd fiery spirit, his courage Wi:* heightened by superstition. Having never received a wound in his numerous quarrels and encounters, he considered himself under the special protection of the holy Virgin, and that no weapon had power to harm him. He had a small Flemish painting of the Vir- gin, which he carried constantly with him ; in his marches he bore it in his knapsack, and would often take it out, fix it against a tree, and address his prayers to his military patroness. In a word, he swore by the Virgin ; he invoked the Virgin either in brawl or bat- tle ; and under favor of the Virgin he was ready for any enterprise or adventure. Such was Alonzo de Ojeda, bigoted in devotion, reckless in life, fearless in spirit, like many of the roving Spanish cavaliers of those days. Having reconnoitered the fortress of St. Thomas, Cao- nabo assembled ten thousand warriors, armed with war clubs, bows and arrows, and lances, hardened in the fire, and led them secretly through the forests, thinking to surprise Ojeda; but found him warily drawn up within his fortress, which was built upon a hill, and nearly surrounded by a river. Caonabo then held the fortress in siege for thirty days, and reduced it to great distress. He lost many of his bravest warriors, however, by the impetu- ous skllieS of Ojeda; others grew weary of the OF COLUMBUS. 251 1^^ siege and returned home. He at length relinquished the attempt, and retired, filled with admiration of the prowess of Ojeda. The restless chieftain now endeavored to form a league of the principal caciques of the island to unite their forces, surprise the settlement of Isabella, and massacre the Spaniards wherever they could be found. To explain this combination, it is necessary to state the internal distribution of the island. It was divided into five domains, each governed by a sovereign cacique of absolute and hereditary powers, having many inferior caciques tributary to him. The most important domain comprised the middle part of the royal vega, and was governed by Guarionex. The second was Marion, under the sway of Guacanagari, on whose coast Columbus had been wrecked. The third was Maguana, which included the gold mines of Cibao, and was under the sway of Caonabo. The fourth was Xaragua, at the western end of the island, the most populous and ex- tensive of all. The sovereign was named Behechio. The fifth domain was Higuey, and occupied the whole eastern part of the island, but had not as yet been visited by the Spaniards. The name of the cacique was Cotabanama. Three of these sovereign ca- ciques readily entered into the league with Caonabo, for the profligate conduct of the Spaniards had inspired hostility even in remote parts of the island, which had never been visited by them. The league, however, met with unex- pected opposition from the fifth cacique, Guacanagari. He not merely refused to join the conspiracy, but entertained a hundred Spaniards in his territory, supplying all their wants with his ac- customed generosity. This drew upon him the odium and hostility of his fellow-caciques, who inflicted on him various injuries and indignities. Behechio killed one of his wives, and Caonabo carried another away captive. Nothing, however, could shake the devotion of Guacanagari to the Spaniards ; and as his dominions lay immedi- ately adjacent to the settlement, his refusal to join in the conspir- acy prevented it from being immediately carried into effect. Such was the critical state to which the affairs of the island THt ItLlNO OF HISPANIOLA And Provinces according to the Native Divisions ''— % MACAO _ _., . ; MAMEV noXAC " ^^V ac Oil - -"*.- ;.--v. ly .<^J<''' / <.-OTL'I g fc°»°'t HASmi-AYAOlIA VAlil-IMO -C'/c, ■^1^'^ CAVACOA f^n It: LOB 08 tuWifiaaUpOa. 252 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES had been reduced, and such the bitter hostility engendered among its kind and gentle inhabitants, during the absence of Columbus. Immediately on his return, and while he was yet confined to his bed, Guacanagari visited him, and revealed to him all the designs of the confederate caciques, offering to lead his subjects to the field, and to fight by the side of the Spaniards. Columbus had always retained a deep sense of the ancient kindness of Guacanagari, and was rejoiced to have all suspicion of his good faith thus effect- ually dispelled. Their former amicable intercourse was renewed, and the chieftain ever continued to evince an affectionate reverence for the admiral. Columbus considered the confederacy of the caciques as but imperfectly formed, and trusted that, from their want of skill atid experience in warfare, their plans might easily be disconcerted. He was too ill to take the field in person, his brother Diego was not of a military character, and Bartholomew was yet a stra.ger among the Spaniards, and regarded with jealousy. He determined, therefore, to proceed against the Indians in detail, attacking some, conciliating others, and securing certain of the most formidable by stratagem. A small force was accordingly sent to relieve Fort Magdalena, which was beleaguered by Guatiguana, the cacique of the Grand River, who had massacred the Spaniards quartered in his town. He was driven from before the fortress, his country laid waste, and many of his warriors slain, but the chieftain made his escape. As he was tributary to Guarionex, the sovereign of the royal vega, care was taken to explain to that powerful cacique that this was an act of mere individual punishment, not of general hostility. ' Gua- rionex was of a quiet and placable disposition; he was easily soothed and won to friendship ; and, to link him in some degree to the Spanish interest, Columbus prevailed upon him to give his d'\ughter in marriage to the converted Lucayan, who had been bap- tized in Spain by the name of Diego Colon, and who was devoted to the imiral. He gained permission from him also to erect a fortress in the midst of his territories, which he named Fort Con- ception. The most formidable enemy remained to be disposed of, which was Caonabo ; to make war upon this fierce and subtle chieftain in the depths of his wild woodland territory, and among the fastnesses OF COLUMBUS. 253 ,on- of his mountains, would have been a work of time, peril, and uncer- tain issue. In the mean while, the settlements would never be safe from his secret combinations and daring enterprises, nor could the mines be worked with security, as they lay in his neighborhood. While perplexed on this subject, Columbus was relieved by a prop- osition of Alonzo de Ojeda, who undertook to bring the Carib chief- tain either a friend or captive to the settlement. Choosing ten bold and hardy followers, well armed and well mounted, and invoking the protection of his patroness the Virgin, Ojeda plunged into the forest, and making his way above sixty leagues into the wild territories of Caonabo, appeared fearlessly be- fore the cacique in one of his most populous towns, professing to come on an amicable embassy from the admiral. He was well re- ceived by Caonabo, who had tried him in battle, and had conceived a warrior's admiration of him. The free, dauntless deportment, great personal strength and agility, and surprising adroitness of Ojeda in all manly and warlike exercises, were calculated to charm a savage, and soon made him a favorite with Caonabo. He used all his influence to prevail upon the cacique to repair to Isabella, and enter into a treatj'' with Columbus, offering him, it is said, as an inducement, the bell of the chapel at the harbor. This bell was the wonder of the island. When its melody sounded through the forests, as it rung for mass, the Indians had noticed that the Spaniards hastened from all parts to the chapel. At other times, when it gave the vesper-peal, they beheld the Spaniards pause in the midst of their labors or amuse- ments, and, taking off their hats, repeat a prayer with great devo- tion. They imagined, therefore, that this bell had some mysterious power; that it had come from the "Turey," or the skies, and was the zenii of the white men ; that it talked to them, and they obeyed its orders. Caonabo had longed to see this bell, and when it was proffered to him as a present of peace, he found it impossible to resist the temptation. He agreed to visit the admiral at the harbor ; but when the time came to depart, Ojeda beheld with surprise a powerful army ready to march. He remonstrated on taking such a force on a mere friendly visit, to which the cacique proudl}" replied, " that it was not befitting a great prince like him to go forth scantily guarded." Ojeda feared some sinister design, and, to outwit the cacique, had resort to a stratagem which has the air of a romantic ' ■ i 254 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES ivvl ill fable, but is recorded by all the contemporary historians, and ac- cords with the adventurous and extravagant character of the man, and the wild stratagems incident to Indian warfare. As the army had halted one day near the river Yegua, Ojeda produced a set of manacles of polished steel, so highly burnished that they looked like silver. These he assured Caonabo were orna- ments worn by the Castilian monarchs on high festivities, and were sent as a present to him. He proposed that Caonabo should bathe in the river, after which he should be decorated with these orna- ments, mounted on the horse of Ojeda, and conducted back in the state of a Spanish monarch to astonish his subjects. The cacique was dazzled with the splendor of the shackles, and pleased with the idea of bestriding one of those tremendous animals so dreaded by his countrj^men. He bathed in the river, mounted behind Ojeda, and the shackles were adjusted. The Spaniards then pranced among the astonished savages, and made a wide sweep into the forest, un- til the trees concealed them from sight. They then drew their swords, closed round Caonabo, and threatened him with instant death, if he made the least noise or resistance. They bound him with cords to Ojeda, to prevent his falling or effecting an escape ; then putting spurs to their horses, they dashed across the Yegua, made off through the woods with their prize, and after a long, rug- ged, and perilous journey, entered Isabella in triumph ; Ojeda bring- ing the wild Indian chieftain bound behind him a captive. Columbus could not refrain from expressing his great satisfac- tion when this dangerous foe was delivered into his hands. The haughty Carib met him with a lofty and unsubdued air, disdaining to conciliate him by submission, or to deprecate his vengeance for his massacre of the garrison of La Navidad. He even boasted :hat he had secretly reconnoitered Isabella, with the design of wreaking on it the same destruction. He never evinced the least animosity against Ojeda for the artifice by which he had been cap- tured. He looked upon it as the exploit of a master spirit, to pounce upon him, and bear him off in this hawk-like manner, from the very midst of his fighting men, for there is nothing that an Indian more admires in warfare than a deep-laid and well-executed stratagem. Whenever Columbus entered the prison of Caonabo, all present rose, according to custom, and paid him reverence. The cacique alone remained sitting. On the contrary, when Ojeda eda <-^:<-) OF COLUMBUS. 257 entered, though small in person, and without external state, Cao- nabo immediately rose and saluted him with profound respect. On being asked the reason of this, the proud. Carib replied that the admiral had never dared to come personally to his dominions and capture him; it was only through the valor of Ojeda he was his prisoner; to the latter alone, therefore, he should pay rev- erence. Columbus, though struck with the natural heroism of this savage, considered him too dangerous an enemy to be left at large. He maintained him, therefore, a close prisoner in a part of his own dwelling, until he could be shipped to Spain, but treated him with great kindness and respect. One of the brothers of the cacique assembled an army in hopes of surprising the fortress of St. Thomas, and capturing a number of Spaniards, for whom he might obtain Caonabo in exchange ; but Ojeda received intelligence of his design, and coming upon him suddenly, attacked him with his little troop of horse, routed his army, killed many of his warriors, and took him prisoner. (»58) ^ CHAPTER XXVI. ■ATTLK or THE VCQA. IMPOSITION OF TRIBUTE. (1484.) HE arrival of four ships about this time, commanded by Antonio Torres, bring- ing out a physician and apothecary, va- rious mechanics, millers, and husband- men, and an ample supply of provisions, diffused universal joy among the suffer- ing Spaniards. Columbus received a highly flattering letter from the sover- \^ eigns, approving of all that he had done, informing him that all differences with ^. Portugal had been amicably adjusted, )5>> ^^^^ inviting him to return to Spain, or =_\v^^--:s> to send some able person in his place. , ^*^a) furnished with maps and charts, to be ^ present at a convention for adjusting the ^ dividing line of discovery between the two pow- *^ ers. Columbus hastened the return of the ships, sending his brother Diego to attend the convention, and to counter- act the misrepresentations which he was aware had been sent home of his conduct, and which would be enforced by Margarite and Friar Boyle. He remitted, by the ships, all the gold he could col- lect, with specimens of fruits and valuable plants, and five hundred Indian captives, to be sold as slaves in Seville. It is painful to find the glory of Columbus sullied by such violations of the laws of humanity, but the customs of the times must plead his apology. In the recent discoveries along the coast of Africa, the traffic in (»sv) 26o THK LIFE AND VOYAGES ii slaves had formed one of the greatest sources of profit; and in the wars with the enlightened and highly civilized Moors of Granada, the Spaniards were accustomed to make slaves of their prisoners, Columbus was goaded on, likewise, by the misrepresentations of his enemies, to try every means of indemnifying the sovereigns for the expenses of his enterprises, and to produce them a revenue from the countries he had discovered. The admiral had now recovered his health, and the colonists were in some degree, refreshed and invigorated by the supplies brought by the ships, when Guacanagari brought intelligence that l7fmmAHBTHo',^Avii^. the allied caciques, headed by Manicaotex, brother and successor to Caonabo, had assembled all their forces in the vega, within two days' march of Isabella, with an intention of making a grand assault upon the settlement. Columbus immediately determined to carry the war into the territories of the enemy, rather than wait for it to be brought to his door. The whole sound and effective force he could muster, in the present sickly state of the colony, did not exceed two hundred in- fantry, and twenty horse. There were twenty blood-hounds also, animals scarcely less terrible to the Indians than the horses, and infinitely more des'.ructive. Guacanagari, also, brought his people into the field, but Voth he and his subjects were of an unwarlike character; the chief advantage of his co-operation was, that it com- pletely severed him from his fellow caciques, and secured him as an ally. It was on the 27th of March, 1495, that Columbus issued forth from Isabella with his little army, accompanied by his brother, the adelantado, and advancing by rapid marches, arrived in the neigh- borhood of the enemy, who were assembled in the vega, near to where the town of Santiago has since been built. The Indians were confident in their number, which is said to have amounted to one hundred thousand ; this is evidently an exaggeration, but the number was undoubtedly very great. The adelantado arranged the mode of attack. The infantry, divided into small detachments, ad- vanced suddenly from various quarters, with great din of drums and trumpets, and a destructive discharge of firearms. The Indians were struck with panic. An army seemed pressing upon them from every quarter. Many were slain by the balls of the arquebuses, which seemed to burst with thunder and lightning from the forests. OF COLUMBUS. 261 In the height of their confusion, Alonzo de Ojeda charjj^ed impetu ously on their main body with his cavalry, bearing down and tramp ling them under foot, and dealing deadly •' > *-^^K blows with lance and sword. The blood- hounds were, at the same time, let loose, and rushed upon the naked savages, se'zing them by the throat, dragging them to :he earth, and tearing out their bowels. The battle, if such it might be called, was of short duration. The Indians, overwhelmed, fled in every di- rection, with yells and bowlings. Some clam- bered to the tops of rocks and precipices, from whence they made piteous supplications and promises of submission. Many were slain, many made prisoners, and the confederacy was, for the time, completely broken up. Guacanagari had accompanied the Span- iards into the field, but he was little more than a spectator of the battle. His participa- tion in the hostilities of th6 white men, how- ever, was never forgiven by the other caciques ; and he returned to his dominions followed by the hatred and execrations of his countrymen. Columbus followed up his victory by making a military tour through various parts of the island, which were soon reduced to subjection. He then exercised what he con- sidered the right of a conqueror, and imposed tributes on the van- quished provinces. In those which possessed mines, each individ- ual, above the age of fourteen years, was obliged to render, every three months, the measure of a Flemish hawk's bell of gold dust.* The caciques had to pay a much larger amount for their personal tribuc^. Manicaotex, the brother of Caonabo, rendered in, every three months, half a calabash of gold. In those provin- ces which produced no gold, each individual was obliged to furnish twenty-five pounds of cotton every three months. A copper medal, suspended about the neck, was a proof that an Indian had paid his tribute ; any one found without such a certificate was liable to arrest * Equal in v.ilue to fifteen dollars at the present time. BATTLE OF THE VEOA 262 THH IJKK AND VOYAGhS and punish nient. V.irious fortresses were erected in the most im- portant places, so as to kei.p the .ndians in ccjinplete subjection. In this way the yoke of servitude was fixed upon the island, and its thraldom completely insured. ^)eep despair now fell ujjon the natives, for they found a perpetual task inflicted upon them, enforced at stated and frequently recurriu}^ periods. Weak and indolent by nature, and brouj^ht up in the untasked idleness of their soft climate, and their fruitful groves, death itself seemed prefera- ble to a life of toil and anxiety. They saw no end to this harassinj^ evil, which had so suddenly fallen upon them; no prospect of re- turn to that roving independence and ample leisure, so dear to the wild inhabitant of the forest. The pleasant life of the island was at an end; — the dream in the shade by day; the slumber, during the sultry noontide heat, by the fountain or the stream, or under the spreading palm tree; and the song, the dance, and the game in the mellow evening, when summoned to their simple amusements by the rude Indian drum. Or, if they occasionally indulged in a national dance, after a day of painful toil, the ballads to which they kept time were of a melancholy and plaintive charac- ter. They spoke of the times that were past, before the white men had introduced sorrow, and slavery, and weary labor among them ; and tliey rehearsed prophecies pretended to be handed down from their ancestors, foretelling that strangers should come into their island, clothed in apparel, with swords capable of cleaving a man a^uinder at a blow, under whose yoke their race should be subdued and pass away. These ballads, or arey tos, they sang with mournful tunes and doleful voices, bewailing the loss of their liberty and their pain- ful servitude. They had flattered them- selves, for a time, that the visit of the strangers would '■^^i.-*- .V -'1 . . IDVIIIC tin OF I HI NATIVil OF HAVTI OK COLUMBUS. 263 THE CRUCL AND RCttNTLtift PUHteUlT Of THE t^AMttHED iNQAhfe ; WiTM HUE Aft THE/ AHE FURfiUfcO TO THCIR MOUNTAIN FAdTNEeS. he but temporary, and that, sprcadiii}? their ample sails, their ships would soon waft them back to tlieir home in the sky. In their simplicity they had repeatedly inquired of the vSpaniards when they intended to return to Turey, or the heavens. All such hope was now at an end; and, finding how vain was every attempt to deliver tlieniselves from their in- vaders by warlike means, they now resorted to a for- lorn and desperate alterna- tive. Knowing that the Spaniards depended, in a great measure, for subsist- ence on the supplies which they furnished them, they endeavored to produce a famine. For this purpose, they destroyed their fields of maize, stripped the trees of their fiuit, pulled up the yuca and other roots, and then fled to the mountains. The Spaniards were indeed reduced to much distress, but were partially relieved by supplies from Spain. They pursued the na- tives to their mountain retreats, hunting tliem from one dreary fastness to another, until thousands perished in dens and caverns of famine and sickness, and the survivors, yielding themselves np to despair, submitted humbly to the yoke. So deep an awe did they conceive of their conquerors, that it is said that a Spaniard might go singly and securely all over the island, and the natives would even transport him fron' place to place on their shoulders. Before passing on 10 other events, it may be proper here to notice the fate of (Uiacanagari, as he makes no further appearance in the course of this history. His friendship for the vSpaniards severed him from his countrymen, but it did not exonerate him from the general woes of the island. At a time when Cclumbus was absent, the Spaniards exacted a tribute from him, which his people, with the common repugnance to labor, found it difficult and distressing to pay. Unable to b?ar the mnrnurs of his suV)jects, the hostilities of his fellow caciques, the extortions of his ungrate- '"d allies, and the sight of the various miseries which he felt as if 264 THE UFE AND VOYAGES Mi^:a he had invoked upon his race, he retired to the mountains, where it is said he died obscurely and in misery. An attempt has been made by a Spanish historian to defame the character of this Indian prince ; but it is not for Spaniards to excuse their own ingratitude by casting a stigma upon his name. He appears to have always manifested towards them that true friendship which shines brightest in the dark days of adversity. He might have played a nobler part, in making a stand, with his brother caciques, to drive those intruders from his native soil ; but he appears to have been blinded by his admiration of them, and his personal attachment to Columbus. He was bountiful, hospitable, affectionate, and kir.d-hearted ; competent to rule a gentle and un- warlike people in the happier days of the island, but unfitted, through the mildness of his nature, for the stern turmoil which followed the arrival of the white men. ^i' CHAPTER XXVII. ARRIVAL OF THE COMMISSIONER AGUADO. DISCOVERY OF THE GOLD MINES OF HAVNA. (l49B.) 'HILE Columbus was endeavoring to rem- edy the evils produced by the misconduct of Alargarite and his followers, that recreant commander, and his politic coadjutor Friar Boyle, were busily undermining his repu- tation in the court of Spain. They accused him of deceiving the sovereigns and the pub- lic by extravagant descriptions of the coun- tries he had discovered ; and of tyranny and oppression towards the colonists, compelling excessive labor during a time of sickness and '"'' debility ; inflicting severe punishments for the most trifling offense, and heaping indignities on Spanish gentlemen of rank. They said nothing, however, of the exigencies which had called for unusual labor ; nor of the idleness and profligacy of the commonalty, which called for coercion and chastisement; nor of the contumacy and cabals of the cavaliers, who had been treated with indulgence rather than severity. These representations, being supported by many factious and discontented idlers who had returned from the colony, and enforced by people of rank connected with the cavaliers, had a ^.aneful eff'ect upon the popularity of Columbus, and his favor with the sovereigns. About this time a measure was adopted, which shows the de- clining influence of the admiral. A proclamation was made on the loth of April, giving general permission to native-born subjects to settle in the island of Hispaniola, and to go on private voyages of discovery and traffic to the new world. They were to pay certain 15 (««5) 266 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES ii u proportions of their profits to the crown, and to be subject to cer- tain regulations. The privilege of an eighth part of the tonnage was likewise secured to Columbus, as admiral ; but he felt himself exceedingly aggrieved at this permission being granted without his knowledge or consent, considering it an infringement of his rights, and a measure likely to disturb the course of regular dis- covery by the licentious and predatory enterprises of reckless ad- venturers. The arrival of the ships commanded by Torres, bringing ac- counts of the voyage along the southern coasts of Cuba, supposed to be the continent of Asia, and specimens of the gold, and the veg- etable and animal productions of the country, counterbalanced in some degree these unfavorable representations of Margarite and Boyle. Still it was determined to send out a commissioner to in- quire into the alleged distress of the colony, and the conduct of Columbus, and onp Juan Aguado was appointed for the purpose. He had already been to Hispaniola, and on returning had been strongly recommended to royal favor by Columbus. In appointing a person, therefore, for whom the admiral appeared to have a re- gard, and who was under obligations to him, the sovereigns thought, perhaps, to soften the harshness of the measure. As to the five hundred slaves sent home in the ships of Torres, Isabella ordered a consulta- tion of pious theologians to determine whether, having been taken in warfare^ their sale as slaves would be justifiable in the sight of God. Much difference of THE JUNTA OF PIOUS THEOLOGIANS DISCUSS'NQ THE SUBJECT OF HUMAN SLAVERY. Opinion arose among the di- vines on this important question ; whereupon the Queen decided it according to the dictates of her conscience and her heart, and or- dered that the Indians should be taken back to their native countr)'. Juan de Aguado set sail from Spain towards the end of August with four caravels freighted with supplies, and Don Diego Colum- bus returned in this sqiiadron to Hispaniola. Aguado was ono of those weak men whose heads are turned by the least elevation. Though under obligations to Columbus, he forgot them all, and forgot even the nature and extent of his own commission. Finding OF COLUMBUS. 267 nee of le di- led it id or- mtr)'. ugust ilvim- iiivi of tion. and iding Columbus absent in the interior of the island, on his arrival, he acted as if the reins of government had been transferred into his hands. He paid no respect to Don Bartholomew, who had been placed in command by his brother during his absence, but pro- claiming his letter of credence by sound of trumpet, he proceeded to arrest various public officers, to call others to rigorous account, and to invite every one, who had wrongs or grievances to complain of, to come forward boldly and make them known. He already re- garded Columbus as a criminal, and intimated, and perhaps thought, that he was keeping at a distance through fear of his investigations. He even talked of setting off at the head of a body of horse to ar- rest him; The whole community was in confusion; the downfall of the family of Columbus was considered as arrived and some thought the admiral would lose his head. The news of the arrival and of the insolent conduct of Aguado reached Columbus in the interior of the island, and he immediately hastened to Isabella to give him a meeting. As every onfe knew the lofty spirit of Columbus, his high sense of his services, and his jealous maintenance of his official dignity, a violent explosion was' anticipated at the impending interview. The natural heat and im- petuosity of Columbus, however, had been subdued by a life of trials, and he had learnt to bring his passions into subjection to his judg- ment ; he had too true an estimate of his own dignity to enter into a contest with a shallow boaster like Aguado: above all, he had a profound reverence for the authority of his sovereigns ; for, in his enthusiastic spirit, prone to deep feelings of reverence, loyalty was inferior only to religion. He received Aguado, therefore, with the most grave and punctilious courtesy, ordered his letter of credence to be again proclaimed by sound of trumpet, and assured him of his readiness to acquiesce in whatever might be the pleasure of his sovereigns. The moderation of Columbus was regarded by man}', and by Aguado himself, as a proof of his loss of moral courage. Every dastard spirit who had any lurking ill will, any real or imaginary cause of complaint, now hastened to give it utterance. It was a time of jubilee for offenders: every culprit started up into an ac- cuser ; every one who by negligence or crime had incurred the wholesome penalties of the laws was loud in his clamors of oppres- sion; and all the ills of the colony, however produced, were as- cribed to the mal-admiuistration of the admiral. Wm m "Hi 268 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES Aguado listened to every accusation with ready credulity, and having collected information sufficient, as he thought, to insure the ruin of the admiral and his brothers, prepared to return to Spain. Columbus resolved to do the same ; for he felt that it was about time to appear at court, to vindicate his conduct from the misrepresentations of his enemies, and to explain the causes of the distresses of the colony, and of the disappointments with respect to revenue, which he feared might discourage the prosecution of his discoveries. > When the ships were ready to depart, a terrible storm swept the island ; it was one of those awful whirlwinds which occasionally rage within the tropics, and which were called ' Uricans ' * by the Indians, a name which they still retain. Three of the ships at an- chor in the harbor were sunk by it, with all who were on board ; others were dashed against each other, and driven mere wrecks upon the shore. The Indians were overwhelmed with astonish- ment and dismay, for never in their memory, or in the traditions of their ancestors, had they known so tremendous a storm. They believed that the Deity had sent it in punishment of the cruelties and crimes of the white men, and declared that this people moved the very air, the water, and the earth to disturb their tranquil life, and to desolate their island. The departure of Columbus, and of Aguado, was delayed until one of the shattered vessels, the Nina, could be repaired, and an- other constructed out of the fragments of the wrecks. In the mean time, information was received of rich mines in the interior of the island. A j^oung Arragonian, named Miguel Diaz, in the service of the adelantado, having wounded a companion in a quarrel, fled from the settlement, accompanied by five or six comrades, who had either been engaged in the affray, or were personally attached to him. Wandering about the island, they at length came to an In- dian village, on the banks of the Ozema, where the city of San Domingo is at present situated ; they were received with kindness by the natives, and resided for some time among them. Tho village was governed by a female cacique, who soon conceived a strong affection for the young Arragonian. A connection was formed between them, and they lived for some time very happily *Orkan, German; ouragan, French; hurricane, English. OF COLUMBUS. 269 together. At length the remembrance of his country and his friends began to haunt the mind of the Spaniard; he longed to return to the settlement, but dreaded the austere justice of the adelantado. His Indian bride observing him frequently lost in gloomy thought, drew from him the cause of his melancholy. Fear- ful that he would abandon her, and knowing the influence of gold over the white men, she informed him of certain rich mines in the neighborhood, and urged him to persuade his countrymen to aban- don Isabella, and to re- move to that part of the island, to the fertile banks of the Ozema, promising that they should be hospitably received by her nation. Diaz was rejoiced at this intelligence, and hastened with it to the settlement, flattering himself that it would make his peace with the adelantado. He was not mistaken. No tidings could have come more opportunely, for, if true, they would furnish the admiral with the most effectual means of silencing the cavils of his enemies. The adelantado immediately set out in company with Diaz and his Indian guides. He was conducted to the banks of a river called the Hayna, where he found gold in greater quantities and larger particles than even in the rich province of Cibao, and observed several excavations, where it appeared as if mines had been worked in ancient times. Columbus was overjoyed at the sight of these specimens, bro't back by the ade- .¥^^^^; i*C- -Aaffijj- COLUMBU6 ON THE EVE OF DEPARTUnE OVEDTAKEN BY A HURHICANE. (SEt I^AuL mmw 270 THR LIFE AND VOYAGES lantado, and was surprised to hear of the excavations, as the In- dians possessed no knowledge of mining, and merely picked up the gold from the surface of the soil, or the beds of the rivers. The circumstance gave rise to one of his usual veins of visionary speculation. He had already surmised that Hispaniola might be the ancient Ophir ; he now fancied he had discovered the iden- tical mines from whence King Solomon had procured his great supplies of gold for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. He gave orders that a fortress should be immediately erected in the vicinity of the mines, and that they should be diligently worked; and he now looked forward with confidence to his return to Spain, the bearer of such golden tidings. It may not be uninteresting to mention that Miguel Diaz re- mained faithful to his Indian bride, who was baptized by the name of Catalina. They were regularly married and had two children. VIEW OF THE CITV OF SAN DOMINGO THE FORT ERECTED BY COLUMBUS ON THE BANKS OF THE OZEMA IN THE FOREOROUNO. BEPROOOCED FROM A PIIINT OF THE laTH CENTURY. Ira CHAPTER XXVIII. RETURN OF COLUMBUS TO SPAIN. PREPARATIONS FOR A THIRD VOYAGE. (1490.) HE new caravel, the Santa Crnz, being finished, and the Nina repaifed, Colunibns gave the com- uiaud of the island dnring his absence to his brother, Don Bartholomew, with the title of adelantado. He then em- barked on board of one of the cara- vels, and Aguado in the other. The vessels were crowded with two hun- dred and twen'y-five passengers, the sick, the idle, the profligate and fac- tious of the colony. Never did a more miserable and disappointed crew return from a land of promise. There were thirty Indians also on board, and among them / ^^ the once redoubtable Caonabc, together vdth one of his brothers, and a nephew. The ad- miral had promised to restore the m to their country and their power, af- t e r hav- i n g pre- s e n t e d NATIVES OF THE ISLAND OF GUADALCUPE. (•r«) 27« THE LIFE AND VOYAGES them to the sovereigns ; trusting by kind treatment, and a display of the wonders of Spain, to conquer their hostility, and convert them into important instruments for the quiet subjugation of the island. Being as yet but little experienced in the navigation of these seas, Columbus, instead of working up to the northward, so as to fall in with the track of westerly winds, took an easterly course on leaving the island. His voyage, in consequence, became a toilsome and tedious struggle against the trade winds* and calms which pre- vail between the tropics. Though he sailed on the loth of March, yet on the 6th of April he was still in the vicinity of the Caribbee Islands, and had to touch at Guadaloupe to procure provisions. Here skirmishes occurred with the fierce natives, both male and female ; for the women were perfect Amazons, of large and power- ful frame and great agility. Several of the latter were taken pris- oners ; they were naked, and wore their hair loose and flowing upon their shoulders, though some decorated their heads with tufts of feathers. Their weapons were bows and arrows Among them was the wife of a cacique, a woman of a proud and resolute spirit. On the approach of the Spaniards she had fled with an agility that soon distanced all pursuers, excepting a native of the Canary Islands, noted for swiftness of foot. She would have escaped even from him, but perceiving that he was alone, and far from his com- panions, she suddenly turned upon him, seized him by the throat, and would have strangled him, had not the Spaniards arrived and taken her, entangled like a hawk with her prey. When Columbus departed from the island, he dismissed all the prisoners with presents. The female cacique alone refused to go on shore. She had conceived a passion for Caonabo, having found out that he was a Carib, and she had been won by the story, gath- ered from the other Indians, of his great valor and his misfortunes. In the course of the voyage, however, the unfortunate Caonabo ex- pired. He maintained his haughty nature to the last, for his death is principally ascribed to the morbid melanchol}' of a proud but broken spirit. His fate furnishes on a narrow scale a picture of the fallacy of human greatness. When the Spaniards first arrived on the coast of Hayti; their imaginations were inflamed with * Trade winds are the steadily blowing east winds between the tropics. OF COLUMBUS. 273 rumors of a magnificent prince among the mountains, the lord of the golden house, the sovereign of the mines of Cibao; but a short time had elapsed, and he was a naked and moody prisoner on the deck of one of their caravels, with none but one of his own wild native heroines to sympathize in his misfortunes. All his impor- tance vanished with his freedom ; scarce any mention is made of him during his captivity; and with innate qualities of a high and heroic nature, he perished with the obscurity of one of the vulgar. Columbus left Guadaloupe on the 20th of April, still working his way against the whole current of the trade winds. By the 20th of May but a portion of the voyage was performed, yet the provi- sions were s o ui u c h exhausted that every one was put on an allow- ance of six ounces of bread and a pint and a half of wa- ter. By the beginning of June th ere was an absolute famine o n board of the ships, and some proposed that they should kill and eat their Indian prisoners, or throw them into the sea as so many useless mouths. Nothing but the absolute authority of Columbus prevented this last counsel from being adopted. He represented that the Indians were their fellow-beings, some of them Christians like themselves, and all entitled to similar treatment. He exhorted them to a little patience, assuring them they would soon make land, as, according to his reckoning, they could not be far from Cape St, Vincent. They scoffed at his Avords, for they believed themselves as yet far from their desired haven. The next, morning, however, proved the t ,' ^-•h "^S^ . I" • ' •• • ■ ■'*•■>- ■ >-/*^-v ^: V. > l^f:^ ^^^^' 1 --' ■^K'" '''"^^ :^-^^H / ^mk ■'^,'"7 i) I'l^ ' ,\.' "^ ^m v^^lHJl:, •• ■■ V* . -^ ,^ / -i!»>^]U c • HMMiM^riniM bLi'IW' 'jt-"^ '^ tj'^MVff,^,^,. • * .«~ ■ i li DEATH OF THE CACIQUE CAONABO ON BOARD OF THE CARAVEL SANTA CRUZ, BEWAILED ONLY BV ONE OF HIS OWN WILD NATIVE HEROINES. ^a^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^. 1.0 I.I 1^ H^ 1^ 112.0 1^ IIIM llllitt 11.25 i u 1.8 1.6 V •z ^\ ^\ 't V ;^. ^ . % i^ >. "W ]? ^ w 274 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES correctness of his calculations, for they made the very land he had predicted. On the nth of June the vessels anchored ni the bay of Cadiz. The populace crowded to witness the landing of the gay and bold adventurers, who had sailed from this very port animated by the most sanguine expectations. Instead, however, of a joyous crew, bounding on shore, flushed with success, and rich with the spoils of the golden Indies, a feeble train of wretched men crawled forth, emaciated by the diseases of the colony and the hardships of the voyage ; who carried in their yellow coitntenances, says an old writer, a mockery of that gold which had been the ob- ject of their search ; and who had nothing to relate of the new world but tales of sickness, poverty, and dis- appointment. The appearance of Co- lumbus himself was a kind of comment on his fortunes. Either considering himself in disgrace with the sover- eigns, or having made some penitential vow, he was clad in the habit of a Franciscan monk, girded with a coid, and he had suffered his beard to grow like the friars of that order. But however humble he might be in his own personal appearance, he endeavored to keep alive the public interest in his dis- coveries. On his way to Burgos to meet the sover- eigns, he made a studious display of the coronets, col- lars, bracelets and other ornaments of gold, which he COLUMtUl, CLAD IN TH( HABIT OF A FRANCISCAN MONK, MAKE! HIS ENTRY INTO BUROOS ON HIS RITUHN FROM HIS SECOND VOVAOE. 'f^:'A OF COLUMBUS. 275 iiz. old the ew, )ils had brought from the new world. He carried with him, also, several Indians, decorated with glittering ornaments, and among them the brother of Caonabo, on whom he put a massive collar and chain of gold, weighing six hundred castillanos,* as being cacique of the golden country of Cibao. The reception of Columbus by the sovereigns was different from what he had anticipated, for he was treated with distinguished favor; nor was any mention made either of the complaints of Mar- garite and Boyle, or the judicial inquiries conducted by Aguado. However these may have had a transient effect upon the minds of the sovereigns, they were too conscious of his great deserts, and of the extraordinary difficulties of his situation, not to tolerate what they may have considered errors on his part. Encouraged by the interest with which the sovereigns listened to his account of his recent voyage along the coast of Cuba, border- ing, as he supposed, on the rich territories of the Grand Khan, and of his discovery of the mines of Hayna, which he failed not to rep- resent as the Ophir of the ancients, Columbus now proposed a fur- ther enterprise, by which he promised to make yet more extensive disco eries, and to annex a vast and unappropriated portion of the continent of Asia to their dominions. All he asked was eight ships, two to be despatched to Hispaniola with supplies, the remaining six to be put under his command for the voyage. The sovereigns readily promised to comply with his request, and were probably sincere in their intentions to do so ; but in the performance of their promise Columbus was doomed to meet with intolerable delay. The resources of Spain at this moment were tasked to the utmost by the ambition of Ferdinand, who lavished all his revenues in warlike enterprises. While maintaining a con- test of deep and artful policy with France, with the ultimate aim of grasping the sceptre of Naples, he was laying the foundation of a wide and powerful connection, by the marriages of the royal chil- dren, who were now maturing in years. At this time rose that family alliance which afterwards consolidated such an immense em- pire under his grandson and successor, Charles the Fifth. These widely extended operations both of war and amity put all the land and naval forces into requisition, drained the royal treasury, and engrossed the time and thoughts of the sovereigns. * Equivalent to 3195 dollars of the present time. a F lK»A»,-(fi ^p- Mnii|lnBn ' [{■Hi ■ iT! in ; 276 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES It was not until the spring of 1497, that Isabella could ^ud leisure to enter fully into the concerns of the new world. She then took them up with a spirit that showed she was determined to place them upon a substantial foundation, as well as clearly to define the powers and reward the services of Columbus. To her protecting zeal all the provisions in favor of the latter must be attributed, for the king began to look coldly on him, and Fonseca, who had most influence in the affairs of the Indies, was his implacable enemy. As the expenses of the expeditions had hitherto exceeded the re- turns, Columbus was relieved of his eighth part of the cost of the past enterprises and allowed an eighth of the gross proceeds for the next three years, and a tenth of the net profits. He was allowed also to establish a mayorazgo, or entailed estate,* in his family, of which he immediately availed himself, devising his estates to his male descendants, with the express charge that his successor should never use any other title in signature than simply " The Admiral." As he had felt aggrieved by the royal licence for general discovery, granted in 1495, it was annulled as far as it might be prejudicial to his interests, or to the previous grants made him by the crown. The titles and prerogatives of adelantado were likewise conferred upon Don Bartholomew, though the king had at first been displeased with Columbus for investing his brother with dig- nities which were only in the gift of the sovereign. While all these measures were taken for the immediate gratifi- cation of Columbns, others were adopted for the good of the colony. The precise number of persons was fixed who were to be sent to His- paniola, among whom were several females ; and regulations were made for their payment and support, and for the distribution of lands among them to be diligently cultivated. The greatest care was enjoined likewise by Isabella in the religious instruction of the natives, and the utmost lenity in collecting the tributes imposed upon them. With respect to the government of the colony, also, it was generally recommended that, whenever the public safety did not require stern measiires, there should be manifested a disposi- tion to inJulgent and easy rule. When every intention was thus shown on the part of the crown to despatch the expedition, unexpected difficulties arose on the part of the public. The charm was dispelled which, in the preceding * Entailed estate, descending to a single heir, free from government tax. OF COLUMBUS. 277 voyage, had made every adventurer crowd into the service of Co- lumbus ; the new-found world, instead of a region of wealth and enjoyment, was now considered a land of poverty and disaster. To supply the want of voluntary recruits, therefore, Columbus pro- posed to transport to Hispaniola, for a limited term of years, all criminals condemned to banishment or the galleys, excepting such as had committed crimes of an atrocious nature. This pernicious measure shows the des erate alternative to which he was reduced by the reaction of public sentiment. It proved a fruitful source of misery and disaster to the colony ; and having frequently been adopted by various nations, whose superior experience should have taught them better, has proved the bane of many a rising settle- ment. Notwithstanding all these expedients, and the urgent repre- sentations of Columbus, of the sufferings to which the colony must be reduced for want of supplies, it was not until the beginning of 1498, that the two ships were despatched to Hispaniola, under the command of Pedro Fernandez Coronal. A still further delay oc- curred in fitting out the six ships that were to bear Columbus on his voypge of discovery. His cold-blooded enemy Fonseca, who was now bishop of Badajoz, having the superintendence of Indian affairs, was enabled to impede and retard all his plans. The various officers and agents employed in the concerns of the armament were most of them dependents and minions of the bishop, and sought to gratify him, by throwing all kinds of difficulties in the way of Columbus, treating him with that arrogance which petty and ignoble men in place are prone to exercise, when they think they can do so with impunity. So wearied and disheartened did he become by these delays, and by the prejudices of the fickle public, that he at one time thought of abandoning his discoveries altogether. The insolence of these worthless men harassed him to the last moment of his sojourn in Spain, and followed him to the water's edge. One of the most noisy and presuming was one Ximeno de Breviesca, treasurer of Fonseca, a converted Jew or Moor, and a man of impudent front and unbridled tongue, who, echoing the sentiment of his patron the bishop, had been loud in his abuse of the ad- miral and his enterprises. ^Wn 1' 378 THK LIFK AXD VOYAGES ing, At the very time that Cohmibus was on the point of enibark- he was assailed by the insolence of this Xinieno. Forgetting, in the hnrrj' and indignation of the moment, hi^i nsnal self-command, he strnck the despicable minion to the earth, and spnrned him with his foot, venting in this unguarded paroxysm the accumulated griefs and vexa- tions which had long rankled in his heart. This trans- port of passion, so unusual in his well-governed tem- per, was artfully made use of by Fonseca, and others of his enemies, to injure him in the roj^al favor. The per- sonal castigatiou of a public officer was represented as a flagrant instance of his vindictive temper, and a corroboration of the charges of cruelty and oppression sent home from the colony; and we are assured that certain humiliat- ing measures, shortly afterwards adopted towards him, were in consequence of the effect prodiiced upon the sovereigns by these misrepresentations. Columbus him- self deeply regretted his indiscretion, and foresaw the invidious use that would be made of it. It would be difficult to make, with equal brevity, a more direct and af- fecting appeal than that contained in one of his letters, wherein he alludes to this affair. He entreats the sovereigns not to let it be wrested to his injury in their opinion; but to remember, when any thing should be said to his disparage- ment, that he was ** absent, envied, and a stranger." COLUMBUS PERSONALIV CASTIGATES A MINION OF BISHOP FONSCCA, BV STRIKina THE DESPICABLE DEPENDENT TO THE GROUND. CHAPTER XXIX. THE OI8COVERV OF TRINIDAD AND THE COAST OF PARIA. ARRIVIL AT SAN DOMINGO. (1498.! N the 30th of May, 1498, Columbus set sail from the port of San Lucar de Barrameda*, with a squadron of six vessels, on his third voyage of discovery. From various considerations, he was induced to take a dif- ferent route from that pur- sued in his former expeditions. He had been assured by per- sons who had traded to the East, that the rarest objects of commerce, such as gold, precious stones, drugs, and spices, were chiefly to be found in the regions about the equator, where the inhabitants were black or darkly colored ; and that, until he arrived among people of such complexions, it was not probable he would find those articles in great abundance. Columbus expected to find such people more to the south and southeast. He recollected that the natives of Hispaniola had spoken of black men who had once come to their island from the south, the heads of whose javelins were of guanin, or adulterated gold. The natives of the Caribbee Islands, also, had informed him that a great tract of the main land lay to the south ; and in his preceding voyage he had remarked that Cuba, which he sup- *0n the Guadalquivir. • . («79) ¥ 28o THE LIFE AND VOYAGES h I ■i posed to be the continent of Asia, swept off in that direction. He proposed, therefore, to take his departure from the Cape de Verde Islands, sailing to the southwest until he should come under the equinoctial line, then to steer directly westward, with the favor of the trade winds. Having touched at the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira, to take in wood and water, he continued his course to the Canary Islands, from whence he despatched three of his ships direct for Hispaniola, with supplies for the colony. With the remaining three he prosecuted his voyage towards the Cape de Verde Islands. The ship in which he sailed was decked, the other two were merchant caravels. As he advanced within the tropics, the change of climate, and the close and sultry weather, brought on a severe attack of the gout, accompanied by a violent fever; but he still enjoyed the full possession of his faculties, and continued to keep his reckoning and make his observations with his usual vigilance and minuteness. On the 5th of July, he took his departure from the Cape de Verde Islands, and steered to the southwest until he arrived, ac- cording to his observations, in the fifth degree of north latitude. Here the wind suddenly fell, and a dead sultry calm succeeded. The air was like a furnace, the tar melted from the sides of the ships, the seams yawned, the salt meat became putrid, the wheat was parched as if with fire, some of the wine and water casks burst, and the heat in the holds of the vessels was so suffocating that no one could remain below to prevent the damage that was taking place among the sea stores. The mariners lost all strength and spirits. It seemed as if the old fable of the torrid zone was about to be realized, and that they were approaching a fiery region, where it would be impossible to exist. It is true, the heavens became overcast, and there were drizzling showers, but the atmosphere was close and stifling, and there was that combination of leat and moist- ure which relaxes all the energies of the human frann. A continuation of this weather, together with the remonstrances of his crew, and his extreme suffering from the gout, ultimately in- duced him to alter his route, and stand to the northwest, in hopes of falling in with the Caribbee Islands, where he might repair his ships, and obtain water and provisions. After sailing some distance in this direction, through an ordeal of heats and calms, and murky, OF COI.rMHUS. 281 stifling atmosphere, the ships all at once emerged into a genial region ; a pleasant, cooling breeze played over the sea, and gently filled their sails ; the sky became serene and clear, and the snn shone forth with all its splendor, but no longer with a burning heat. On the 3rst of July, when there was not above a cask of water remaining in each ship, a mariner, named Alonzo Perez, descried, from the mast-head, three mountains rising above the horizon. As the ships drew nearer, these mountains proved to be united at the base. Columbus, therefore, from a religious association of ideas, gave this island the name of La Trinidad (or the Trinity), which it continues to bear at the present day. Shaping his course for this island, he approached its eastern extremity, to which he gave the name of Puuta de Galera, from a rock in the sea which resembled a galley under sail. He then coasted along the southern shore, be- tween Trinidad and the main land, which he beheld on the south, stretching to the dis- tance of more than twenty leagues. It was that low tract of coast intersected by the numerous branches of the Orinoco, but the admiral, supposing it to be au island, gave it the name of La Isla Santa ; little imagining that he now, for the first time, be- held that continent, that Terra Firnia, which had been the ob- ject of his earnest search. He was for several days coasting the island of Triui- '''li! 16 COLUMBUt NEARLY SWEPT FROM HIS ANCHORS BY A SUDDEN RUSH AND SWELL (JF THE SEA. (see PACE 2S3.) 282 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES if I' III dad, and exploring the great gulf of Paria, which lies behind it, fancy- ing himself among islands, and that he must find a passage to the open ocean by keeping to the bottom of the gulf. During this time, he was nearly swept from his anchors and thrown on shore by a sud- den rush and swell of the sea, near Poir.t Arenal, between Trinidad and the main land, caused, as is supposed, by the swelling of one of the rivers which flow into the gulf. He landed on the inside of the long promontory of Paria, which he mistook for an island, and had various interviews with the natives, from whom he procured great quantities of pearls, many of a fine size and quality. There were several phenomena that surprised and perplexed Columbus in the course of his voyage along this coast, and which gave rise to speculations, some ingenious and others fanciful. He was astonished at the vast body of fresh water continually flowing into the gulf of Paria, so as apparently to sweeten the whole sur- rounding sea, and at the constant current which set through it, which he supposed to be produced by some great river. He re- marked, with wondering, also the diff"erence between the climate, vegeta:ion, and people of these coasts, and those of the same par- allel in Africa. There the heat was insupportable, and the land parched and sterile ; the inhabitants were black, with crisped wool, ill shapen, and of dull and brutal natures. Here, on the contrary, although the sun was in Leo, he found the noontide heat moderate, the mornings and evenings fresh and cool, the country green and fruitful, covered with beautiful forests, and watered by innumer- able streams and fountains ; the people fairer than even those in the lands he had discovered further north, with long hair, well- proportioned and graceful forms, lively minds, and courageous spirits. In respect to the vast body of fresh water, he made one of his simple and great conclusions. Such a mighty stream could not be produced by an island ; it must be the outpouring of a con- tinent. He now supposed that the various tracts of land which he had beheld about the gulf were connected together, and continued to an immense distance to the south, far beyond the equator, into that hemisphere hitherto unknown to civili>;ed man. As to the mild temperature of the climate, the fresh verdure of the country, and the comparative fairness of the inhabitants, in a parallel so near to the equator, he attributed it to the superior elevation of this part of the globe ; for, from a variety of circumstances, inge- OF COLUMBUS. 283 iiiously but erroneously reasoned upon, he inferred that philoso- phers had been mistaken in the form of the earth, which, instead of being a perfect sphere, he now concluded to be shaped like a pear, one part more elevated than the rest, rising into the purer regions of the air, above the heats, and frosts, and storms of the lower parts of the earth. He imagined this apex to be situated about the equinoctial line, in the interior of this vast continent, which he considered the extremity of the East ; that on this sum- mit, as it were, of the earth, was situated the terrestrial paradise; and that the vast stream of fresh water, which poured into the gulf of Paria, issued from the fountain of the tree of life, in the midst of the garden of Eden. Extravagant as this speculation may seem at the present day, it was grounded on the writings of the most sage and learned men of those times, among whom the situation of the terrestrial paradise had long been a subject of discussion and controversy, and by several of whom it was supposed to be on a vast mountain, in the remote parts of the East. The mind of Columbus was so possessed by these theories, and he was so encouraged by the quantities of pearls which he had met with, for the first time in the new world, that he would gladly have followed up his discovery, not doubting that the country would increase in the value of its productions as he approached the equator. The sea stores of his ships, however, were almost exhausted, and the various supplies with which they were freighted for the colony were in danger of spoiling. He was suffering, also, extremely in his health. Besides the gout, which had rendered him a cripple for the greater part of the voyage, he was' afflicted by a complaint in his eyes, caused b}' fatigue and overwatching, which almost deprived him of sight. He determined, therefore, to hasten to Hispaniola, intending to repose there from his fatigues, and recruit his health, while he should send his brother, the ade- lantado, to complete this important discovery. On the 14th of August, therefore, he left the gulf, by a narrow strait between the promontory of Paria and the island of Trinidad. This strait is beset with small islands, and the current which sets through the gulf is so compressed between them as to cause a turbulent sea, with great foaming and roaring, as if rushing over rocks and shoals. The admiral conceived himself in imminent danger of shipwreck when passing thiough this strait, and gave it 284 THK I.IKE AND VOYAGES the name of La Boca del Drago, or the Mouth of the Dragon. After recounoitering the coast to the westward, as far as the islands of Cubaga and Margarita, and convincing himself of ?ts being a continent, he bore away for Hispaniola, for the river Ozema, where he expected to find a new settlement, which he had instructed his brother to form in the neighborhood of the mines. He was borne far to the westward by the currents, but at length reached his de- sired haven, where he arrived, haggard, emaciated, and almost blind, and was received with open arms by the adelantado. The brothers were strongly attached to each other; Don Bartholomew had a great deference for the brilliant genius, the enlarge! mind, and the commanding reputation of his brother; while the latter placed great reliance, in times of difficulty, on the worldly knowl- edge, the indefatigable activity, and the lion-hearted courage of the adelantado. They had both, during their long separation, 'Experi- enced the need of each other's sympathy and support. CHAPTER XXX. ADMINISTRATION OF THC AOELANTADO. OLUMBUS had anticipated a tei.iporary repose from his toils on arriving at Hispaniola; "^ but a new scene of trouble and anxiety [_^ opened upon him, which was destined to affect all his future fortunes. To explain this, it is necessary to state the occur- rences of the island during his long deten- tion in Spain. When he sailed for Europe in March, 1496, hiii brother, Don Bartholomew, im- mediately proceeded to execute his in- structions with respect to the gold mines of Hayna. He built a fortress in the neigh- borhood, which he named St. Christoval, ■ and another ^ fortress not " ■ far off, on the eastern «-.-.r?^?:J3'5^^"§''^ bank of the * TAMEMES, OR INDIAN PORTEB. O/CniT iu tllP vicinity of the village inhabited by the female cacique who had first given in- telligence of the mines to Miguel Diaz. This fortress was called San Domingo, and was the origin of the city which still bears that name. MODERN PLAN OF THE CITY OF S. DOMINGO. (»85) n 286 THH LIFE AND VOYA^.,^ w Having garrisoned these fortresses, and made arrangements for working the mines, the indefatigable adelantado set out to visit the dominions of Behechio, which had not as yet been reduced to obedience. This cacique, as has been mentioned, reigned over Xaragua, a province comprising almost the whole of the west end of the island, including Cape Tiburon. It was one of the most populous and fertile districts. The inhabitants were finely formed, had a noble air, a more agree- able elocution, and more soft and graceful man- ners, than the natives of the other part of the island. The Indians of Hayti generally placed their elysium, or paradise of happy spirits, in the delightful valleys that bordered the great lake of Xaragua. With Behechio resided his sister Anacaona, wife of the late formidable Caohabo, one of the most beautiful females in the island, of great natural grace and dignity, and superior intelli- gence ; her name in the Indian language signified Golden P'lower. She had taken refuge with her brother, after the capture and ruin of her hus- band, but appears never to have entertained any vindictive feelings against the Spaniards, whom she regarded with great admiration as almost superhuman beings. On the contrarj% she counseled her brother, over whom she had great influence, to take warning by the fate of her hiisband, and to conciliate their friendship. Don Bartholomew entered the province of Xaragua at the head of an armed band, putting his cavalry in the advance, and march- ing with banners displayed, and the sound of drum and trumpet. Behechio met him with a numerous force, but being assured that he came merely on a friendly visit, he dismissed his army, and con- ducted the adelantado to h's residence in a large town, near a deep bay called at present the bight of Leagon. INHABITANTS OF THE PROVINCE OF XARAGUA. REDRAWN FROM PH0T06 OF THE CANIBS ON EXHIBITION tN 1892 IN THE JARDIN 0'ACCi.lMA- TION, PARIS, AND DATA OBTAINED FROM PETER MARTVR. ?-•' < O < < X b. O OS u o b. z u Q >J o o u I H < K - « a > u o u OS V] D m S 3 o tJ a o >J o I H X < m z o Q X t- ^287) J 1 i i ! ■■ OF COLUMBUS. 289 As they approached, thirty young females, of the cacique's household, beautifully formed, came forth to meet them, waving palm branches, and dancing and singing their areytos, or tradition- ary ballads. When they came before Don Bartholomew, they knelt and laid their palm branches at his feet. After these came the beautiful Anacaona, reclining on a litter, borne by six Indians. She was lightly clad in a robe of various colored cotton, with a fragrant garland of red and white flowers round her head, and wreaths of the same round her neck and arms. She received the adelantado with that natural grace and courtesy for which she was celebrated. For several days Don Bartholomew remained in Xaragua, en- tertained by the cacique and his sister with banquets, national games, and dances, and other festivities ; then having arranged for a periodical tribute to be paid in cotton, hemp, and cassava bread, .the productions of the surrounding country, he took a friendly leave of his hospitable entertainers, and set out with his little army for Isabella. He found the settlement in a sickly state, and suffering from a scarcity of provisions; he distributed, therefore, all that were too feeble to labor or bear arms into the interior, where they might have better air and more abundant food; and at the same time he established a chain of fortresses between Isabella and San Domingo. Insurrections broke out among the natives of the vega, caused by their impatience of tribute, by the outrages of some of the Span- iards, and by a severe punishment inflicted on certain Indians for the alleged violation of a chapel. Guarionex, a man naturally moderate and pacific, was persuaded by his brother caciques to take up arms, and a combination was formed among them to rise sud- denly upon the Spaniards, massacre them, and destroy Fort Con- ception, which was situated in the vega. By some means the gar- rison received intimation of the conspiracy. They immediately wrote a letter to the adelantado, imploring prompt assistance. How to convey the letter in safety was an anxious question, for the natives had discovered that these letters had a wonderful power of communicating intelligence, and fancied that they could talk. An Indian undertook to be the bearer of it. He inclosed it in a staff, and set out on his journey. Being intercepted, he pretended to be dumb and lame, leaning upon his staff for support. He was suf- ;f •mm 290 THK LIFE AND VOYAGES I f. fered to depart, and limped forward until out of sight, when he resumed his speed, and bore the letter safely and expeditiously to San Domingo. The adelantado, with his accustomed promptness, set out with a body of troops for the fortress. By a rapid and well- concerted stratagem he surprised the leaders in the night, in a village in which they were sleeping, and carried them all off cap- tive, seizing upon Guarionex with his own hand. He completed his enterprise with spirit, sagacity, and moderation. Informing himself of the particulars of the conspiracy, he punished two caciques, the principal movers of it, with death, and par- doned all the rest. Finding, moreover, that Guarionex had been chiefly incited to hos- tility by an outrage committed by a Spaniard on his favorite wife, he inflicted punishment on the offender. The heart of Guarionex was subdued by the unexpected clemency of the adelantado, and he made a speech to his subjects in praise of the Spaniards. They listened to him with attention, and when he had coi luded bore him off" on their shoul- ders with songs and shouts of joy, and for some time the tranquillity of the vega was restored. About this time, receiving information from Behechio, cacique of Xaragua, that his tribute in cotton and provisions was ready for delivery, the adelantado marched there, at the head of his forces, to ref^eive it. So large a quantity of cotton and cassava bread was collected together, that Don Bartholomew had to send to the settlement of Isabella for a caravel to be freighted with it. In the mean- time, the utmost kindness was lavished upon their guests by these gentle and generous people. The troubles which distracted the other parts of devoted Hayti had not yet reached this pleasant region ; and when the Spaniards regarded the fertility and bweet- uess of the country, bordering on a tranquil sea, the kindness of the inhabitants, and the beauty of the women, they pronounced it a perfect paradise. THE AOl'LANTADO SETS OUT WITH * BODY OF TROOPS FOR THE RELIEF OF FORT CONCEPTION. OF COLUMBUS. 291 When the caravel arrived on the coast, it was regarded by Anacaona and her brother with awe and wonder. Behechio visited it with his canoes; but his sister, with their female attendants, were conveyed on board in the boat of the adelantado. As they approached, the caravel fired a salute. At the sound of the cannon, and the sight of the volumes of smoke, bursting from the side of the ship and rolling along the sea, Anacaona, overcome with dis- may, fell into the arms of the adelantado, and her attendants would have leaped overboard, but were reassured by the cheerful words of Don Bartholomew. As they drew nearer the vessel, several instru- ments of martial music struck up, with which they were greatly de- lighted. Their admiration in- creased, on entering on board ; but when the anchor was weighed, the sails filled by a gentle breeze, and they beheld this vast mass veering from side to side, apparently by its own will, and playing like a huge monster on the deep, the brother and sister remained gazing at each other in mute astonishment. Nothing seems ever to have filled the mind of the savage with more wonder than that beautiful triumph of human in- genuity — a ship under sail. While the adelantado was thus absent quelling insurrections, and making skillfi-l arrangements for the prosperity of the colony, and the advantage of the crown, new mis- chiefs were fermenting in the factious settlement of Isabella. The prime mover was Francisco Roldan, a man whr had been raised by Columbus from poverty and obscurity, and promoted from one office to another, until he had appointed him alcalde mayor, or chief judge of the island. He was an uneducated man, but of strong natural talents, great assiduity, and intrepid impudence. He had seen his benefactor return to Spain, apparently under a cloud of. disgrace, and, considering him a fallen man, began to devise how he might profit by his downfall. He was intrusted with an office OCEAN SO«T, END OF THE tSTH CENTURY, TACKINQ BEFORE THE WIND. p '■■ i 292 THE UKE AND VOYAGES m' I ^47: ■l.li kffiS'* 1 ,1 inferior only to that of the adelantado ; the brothers of Columbus were highly unpopular ; he imagined it possible to ruin them, both with the colonists and with the government at home, and by dex- terous management to work his way into a command of the colony. For this purpose he mingled among the common people, threw out suggestions that the admiral was in disgrace, and would never return ; railed at the adelantado and Don Diego as foreigners, who took no interest in their welfare, but used them merely as slaves to build houses and fortresses for them, or to swell their state, and secure their power as they marched about the island, enriching themselves with the spoils of the caciques. By these seditious in- sinuations, he exasperated their feelings to such a degree, that they at one time formed a conspiracy to assassinate the adelantado, but it was happily disconcerted by accident. When the caravel returned from Xaragua, laden with pro- visions, it was dismantled by order of Don Diego, and drawn upon the beach. Roldan immediately seized upon this circumstance to awaken new suspicions. He said the true reason for dismantling the caravel was to prevent any of the colonists returning in it to Spain, to represent the oppressions under which they siiffered. He advised them to launch and take possession of the vessel, as the only means of regaining their independence. They might then throw off ^le t3'ranny of these upstart for- eigners, and might lead a life of ease and quiet, employing the Indians as slaves, and enjoying vmlimited indulgence with respect to the Indian women. Don Diego was informed of these sedi- tious movements, but he was of a mild, pacific nature, and deficient in energy. Fearing to come to an open rupture in the mutinous state of the colony, he thought to divert Roldan from his schemes by giving him dis- tant and active employment. He detached ' m suddenly, therefore^ with a small force, to overawe the Indians of the vega, who had shown a disposition to revolt. Roldan made use of this opportunity to organize an armed faction. He soon got seventy well- FRANOIKO ROLDAN. OF COLUMBUS. 293 armed a* 1 resolute men at his command, disposed to go all desperate lengths with him, and he made friends and parti- sans among the discontented caciques, promising to free them from tribute. He now threw off the mask, and openly set the adelantado and his brother at defiance, as men who had no au- thority from the crown, but were appointed by Columbus, who was himself in disgrace. He pretended always to act in his official capacit} , and to do every thing from loyal motives, and every act of open rebellion was accompanied with shouts of "Long live the king!" Having endeavored repeatedly to launch t^v caravel, but in vain, he broke open the ro3'al stores, and supplied his followers with arms, clothing, and provisions, and then marched off to the vega, and attempted to surprise and get possession of Fort Con- ception, but was happily foiled by its commander, Miguel Ballester, a stanch old soldier, both resolute and wary, who kept the enemy at bay until succor should arrive. The conspiracy had attained a formidable head during the ab- sence of the adelantado, several persons of consequence having joined it, among v/hom was Adrian de Moxica, and Diego de Esco- bar, the latter being alcayde of the fortress of La Madclena. Don Bartholomew was perplexed at first, and could not act with his usual vigor and decision, not knowing in whom he could confide, or how far the conspiracy had extended. On receiving tidings, however, from Miguel Ballester, of the danger of Fort Conception, he threw himself, with what forces he could collect, into that fort- ress, and held a parley with Roldan from one of the windows, ordering him to surrender his staff of office as alcalde mayor,* and submit peaceably to superior authority. All threats and remon- strances, however, were vain ; Roldan persisted in his rebellion. He represented the adelantado as the tyrant of the Spaniards, the oppressor of the Indians; and himself as the redresser of wrongs and champion of the injured. He sought, by craft}' emissaries, to corrupt the garrison of Fort Conception, and seduce them to de- sert, and laid plans to surprise and seize upon the adelantado, should he leave the fortress. The affairs of the island were now in a lamentable situation. The Indians, perceiving the dissensions among the Spaniards, and * Kqiiivalent to our justice of the peace, but with greater powers. German, schulze, dorfrichter. fllipi l,M 1 f -'f 294 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES encouraged by the protection of Roldan, ceased to send in their tributes, and throw off allegiance to the governnn. it. Roldan's band daily gained strength, and ranged insolently and at large about the country; while the Spaniards, who remained loyal, fearing conspiracies among the natives, h-.d to keep under shelter of the forts. Munitions of all kinds were rapidly wasting, and the spirits of the well-affected were sinking into despondency. The adelan- tado himself remained shut up in Fort Conception, doubtful of the fidelity of his own garrison, and secretly informed of the plots to capture or destroy him, should he venture abroad. Such was the desperate state to which the colony was reduced by the long deten- tion of Columbus in Spain, and the impediments thrown in the way of all his endeavors to send out supplies and reinforcements. Fortunately, at this critical juncture, the arrival of two ships, under command of Pedro Hernandez Coronal, at the port of San Domingo, with troops and provisions, strengthened the hands of Don Bar- tholomew. The royal confirmation of his title and authority of adelantado at once put an end to all question of the legitimacy of his power, and secured the fidelitj^ of his soldiers ; and the tidings that the admiral was in high favor at court, and on the point of coming out with a powerful squadron, struck consternation into the rebels, who had presumed upon his having fallen into disgrace. The adelantado immediately hastened to San Domingo, nor was there any attempt made to molest him on his march. When he found himself once more secure, his magnanimity prevailed over his indignation, and he sent Pedro Hernandez Coronal, to offer Roldan and his band amnesty for all offenses, on condition of instant obedience. Roldan feared to venture into his power, and determined to prevent the emissary from communicating with his followers, lest they should be induced to return to their allegiance. When Coronal approached the encampment of the rebels, there- fore, he was opposed in a narrow pass by a body of archers with their cross-bows levelled. "Halt there, traitor!" cried Roldan: " had you arrived eight days later, we should all have been united." It was in vain that Coronal endeavored to win this turbulent man from his career. He professed to oppose only the tyranny and misrule of the adelantado, but to be ready to submit to the admiral on his arrival, and he and his principal confederates wrote letters to that effect to their friends in San Domingo. OK COLUMIJUS. 29$ When Coronal returned with accounts of Roldan's contumacy, the adelantado proclaimed him and his followers traitors. That shrewd rebel, however, did not suffer his iien to remain within the reach either of promise or menace. He proposed to them to march off, and establish themselves in the remote province of Xaragua. The Spaniards who had been there, had given the most alluring accounts of the country and its inhabitants, and above all of the beauty of the women, for they had been captivated by the naked charms of the dancing nymphs of Xaragua. In this delightful region, emancipated from the iron rule of the adelantado, and re- lieved from the necessity of irksome labor, they might lead a life of perfect freedom and indulgence, with a world of beauty at their command. In short, Roldan drew a picture of loose sensual enjoy- ment, such as he knew to be irresistible with men of idle and dis- solute habits. His followers acceded with joy to his proposition; so, putting himself at their head, he marched away for Xaragua. Scarcely had the rebels departed, when fresh insurrections broke out among the Indians of the vega. The cacique Guarionex, moved by the instigations of Roldan, and forgetful of his gratitude to Don Bartholomew, entered int") a new league to destroy the Spaniards, and surprise Fort Conception. The plot exploded be- fore its time, and was defeated ; and Guarionex, hearing that the adelantado was on the march for the vega, fied to the mountains of Ciguay, with his family, and a small band of faithful followers. The inhabitants of these mountains were the most robust and hardy tribe of the island, and the same who had skirmished with the Spaniards in the Gulf of Samana, in the course of the first voyage of Columbus. The reader may remember the frank and confiding faith Avith which their cacique trusted himself on board of the caravel of the admiral, the day after the skirmish. It was to this same cacique, named Mayonabex, that the fugitive chieftain of the vega applied for refuge, and he received a promise of protection. Indignant at finding his for- mer clemency of no avail, the adelantado pursued Guarionex to the. mountains, at the head of ninety men, a few cavalry, and a body of Indians. It was a THE PURSUIT OF THE CACIQUE QUARIONEX. 296 THK I.IFK AND VOYAGES I rugged and difficult enterprise ; the troops had to climb rocks, wade rivers, and make their way tli)-ough tangled forests, almost impervious to men in armor, encumbered with targets, crossbows, and lances, They were continually exposed, also, to the ambushcE of the Indians, who would rush forth with furious yells, discharge their weapons, and then take refuge again among rocks and thickets, where it was in vain to follow them. Don Bartholomew ar- rived, at length, in the neighborhood of Cape Cabron, the residence of Mayonabex, and sent a messenger, demanding the surrender of Guarionex, promising friendship in case of compliance, but threatening to lay waste his territory with fire and sword, in case of refusal. ** Tell the Spaniards," said the cacique, in re- ply, "that they are tyrants, usurpers, and shedders of innocent blood, and I desire not their friendship. Guarionex is a good man, and my friend. He has fled to me for refuge ; I have promised him protec- tion, and I will keep my word." The cacique, in fact, adhered to his promise with admirable faith. His vil- lages were burnt, his territories were ravaged, himself and his familj' driven to dens and caves of the mountains, and his sub- jects assailed him with clamors, urging him to give up the fugitive, who was bringing such ruin upon their tribe. It was all in vain. He was ready, he declared, to abide all evils, rather than it should ever be said Mayonabex be- trayed his guest. For three months the adelantado hunted these A MOUNTAINEER OF CIGUAY. KEDHAWN FROM PHOTOS OF THE CARIBS ON EXHIBITION IN THE JARDIN D'ACCIIMATION, PARIS, 1892, AND DATA OBTAINEU FROM PETFH MARTYR. ill OK COI,UMBUS. 297 caciques among the mountains, during which time he and his soldiers were almost worn out with toil and hunger, and exposures of all kind. The retreat of Mayonabex was at length discovered. Twelve Spaniards, disguising themselves as Indians, and wrapping their swords in palm leaves, came upon him secretly, and surprised and captured him, with his wife and children, and a few attendants. The adelantado returned, with his prisoners, to Fort Conception, where he afterwards released them all, excepting the cacique, whom he detained as a hostage for the submission of his tribe. The unfor- tunate Guarionex still lurked among the caverns of the mountains, but was driven, by hunger, to venture down occasionally into the plain, in quest of food. His haunts were discovered, he was wiy- laid and captured by a party of Spaniards, and brought in chains to Fort Conception. After his repeated insurrections, and the ex- traordinary zeal displayed in his pursuit, he anticipated death from the vengeance of the adelantado. Don Bartholomew, however, though stern in his policy, was neither vindictive nor cruel ; he contented himself with detaining him a prisoner, to insure the tranquillity of the vega ; and then returned to San Domingo, where, shortly afterwards, he had the happiness of welcoming the arrival of his brother, the admiral, after a separation of nearly two years and a half. ROLDAN'S SHAMELESS RABBLE, WITH THE INDIAN SLAVES DISTRIBUTED AMONG THEM, MOVE INTO THEIR NEW HOMES IN BONAO AND THE VEQA ROYAL. (See Paoe 305.) W) CHAPTER XXXI. REBELLION OF ROLDAN. (1408.) NE of the first measures of Columbus on his arrival, was to issue a proclamation, approving of all that the adelantaclo had done, and denouncing Roldan and his associates. That tur- bulant man had proceeded to Xaragua, where he had been kiiidly received by the natives. A circumstance occurred to add to his party and his resources. The three caravels detached by Columbus from the Canary Islands, and freighted with supplies, having been car- ried far west of their reckoning by the currents, arrived on the coast of Xaragua. The rebels were at first alarmed lest there should be vessels despatched in pursuit of them. Roldan, who was as saga- cious as he was bold, soon divined the truth. Enjoining the ut- most secrecy on his men, he went on board, and pretending to be in command at that end of the island, succeeded in procuring a supply of arms and military stores, and in making partisans among the crews, many f whom were criminals and vagabonds from Spanish prisons, ship^-ed in compliance with the admiral's ill-judged propo- sition. It was not until the third day that Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal, the most intelligent of the three captains, discovered the real character of the guests he had entertained, but the mischief was then efifected. 1/ •IS ^ iH mmm 111 300 THE LIKE AND VOYAGES As the ships were detained by contrary winds, it was arranged rmong the captains that a large number of the people should be conducted by land to San Domingo, by Juan Antonio Colombo, cap- tain of one of the caravels, and a relation of the admiral. He ac- cordingly landed with forty men, well armed, but was astonished to find himself suddenly deserted by all his party excepting eight. The deserters joined the rebels, who received them with shouts of exultation. Juan Antonio, grieved and disconcerted, returned on board with the few who remained faithful. Fearing further deser- <^ions, the ships immediately put to sea; but Carvajal, giving his ^^'''^''«*| vessel in charge to his officers, landed and remained with the rebels, fancying he had perceived signs of wavering in Rol- dan and some of his associates, and that, by earnest persuasion, he might induce them to return to their ^,.. allegiance. The certainty that Colum- bus was actually on the way to the isl- and, with additional forces, and aug- mented authority, had, in fact, operated strongly on their minds ; but all attempts to produce imme- diate submission were in vain. Roldan promised that the moment he heard of the ar- rival of Columbus, he would repair to the neighborhood of San Domingo, to be at hand to state his grievances, and to enter into a ne^^otia- tion for the adjustment of all differences. He wrote a letter to the same purport to be delivered to the ad- miral. With this Carvajal departed, and was escorted to within six leagues of San Domingo, by six of the reb- els. On reaching that place he found Columbus already arrived, and delivered to THE TRUSTY ALONZO a«NCHE2 OE CARVAJAL LANDS AMONG THE REBELS IN ORDER TO RECONCIll THEM TO TH'i ADMIRAL. OF COLUMBUS. 30I him the letter of Roldan, expressing at the same time an opinion, that the insurgents might easily be brought to their allegiance by an assurance of amnesty. In fact, the rebels soon began to assemble at the village of Bonao, in a fine valley of the name name, about twenty leagues from San Domingo, and ten from Fort Conception. Here they made their headquarters at the house of Pedro Re- guelme, one of the ringleaders. Columbus immediately wrote to Miguel Ballester, the com- mander of Fort Conception, advising him to be on his guard. He empowered him to have an interview with Roldan, to offer him full pardon on condition of his immediate return to duty, and to invite him to repair to San Domingo to treat with the admiral, under a solemn, and, if required, a written assurance of personal safety. At the same time he issued a proclamation, offering free passage to all who wished to return to Spain, in five vessels about to be put to sea, hoping, by this means, to relieve the colony from all the idle and disaffected. ^ Ballester was an old and ~~ " j -'--, venerable man, grayheaded, and of a soldier-like demeanor; he was loyal, frank, and virtuous, ilf|(!)'jifT(''''T[' of a serious disposition, and great simplicity of heart. His appearance and character com- manded the respect of the reb- els ; but they treated the prof- fered pardon with contempt, made many demands of an arrogant nature, and declared that in all further negotiations, they would treat with no mediator but Car> vajal, having had proofs of his fairness and impartiality in the course of their late communications with him at Xaragua. This insolent reply was totally different from what the admiral hud been taught to expect. He now ordered the men of San Do- mingo to appear under arms, that he might ascertain the force with which he could take the field in case of necessity. A report was immediately circulated that they were to be led to Bonao, against the rebels ; some of the inhabitants had relations, others friends, among the followers of Roldan ; almost all were disaffected to the service ; not above sevent}'^ men appeared under arms ; one affected to be ill, another lame ; there were not forty to be relied upon. MEETING OF MIGUEL BALLESTER WITH THE OUTP06T8 OF THE REBELS. ir ^,o. •IHE LIKE AND VOYAGES Columbus saw that a resort to arms would only serve to betray his own weakness, and the power of the rebels ; it was necessary to temporize, therefore, however humiliating such conduct might be deemed. His first care was to despatch the five ships which he had detained in port, until he should receive the reply of Roldau. He was anxious that as many as possible of the discontented colo- nists should sail for Spain, before any commotion should take place. He wrote to the sovereigns an account of his late voyage, giving an enthusiastic description of the newly-discovered continent, accom- panied by a chart of the coast, and specimens of the pearls which he had procured from the natives. He informed the sovereigns, also, of the rebellion of Roldan ; and as the latter pretended it was only a quarrel between him and the adelantado, he begged the matter might be investigated by their majesties, or by persons friendly to both parties. Among other judicious requests, he entreated that a man learned and experienced in the law, might be sent out to officiate as judge over the island. By this opportunity Roldan and his friends likewise sent let- ters to Spain, endeavoring to justify their rebellion, by charging Columbus and his brothers with oppression and injustice, and paint- ing their whole conduct in the blackest colors. It would natur I'ly be supposed, that the representations of such men would have little weight in the balance against the tried merits and exalted services of Columbus ; but they had numerous friends and relations in Spain to back them ; Columbus was a foreigner, without influence in the . court, and with active enemies near the sovereigns, ever ready to place his conduct in an unfavorable light. The ships being despatched, the admiral resumed his negotia- tion with the rebels. As the burden of their complaint was the strict rule of his brother, who was accused of dealing out justice with a rigorous hand, he resolved to try the alternative of extreme lenit}', and wrote a letter to Roldan, calling to mind past kind- nesses, and entreating him, for the sake of his own reputation, which stood well with the sovereigns, not to persist in his present insubordination. He again repeated his assurance, that he and his companions might come to treat with him at San Domingo, under the faith of his word, for the inviolability of their persons. There was a difficulty as to who should be the bearer of this letter. The rebels had declared that they would receive no media- OF COLUMBUS. 303 lie di^^ tor but Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal. Strong suspicions existed in the minds of many as to the integrity of that officer, from his transactions with the rebels at Xaragua, and his standing so high in their favor. Columbus, however, discarded all those suspicious, and confided implicitly in Carvajal, nor had he ever any cause to repent of his confidence. A painful and humiliating negotiation was now carried on for several days, in the course of which Roldan had an interview with Columbus at San Domingo, and several letters passed between them. The rebels felt their power, and ^^I'lj presumed, in consequence, to demand the ^ most extravagant concessions. Miguel Ballester wrote at the same time to the admiral, advising him to agree to whatever they might demand. He represented their c«nvAj*i oeuvebs the letter of the ao«ir»l to the rebels, who ,. , • 11 . • 1.1. DEMAND THE MOST EXTHAVAOANT CONCESSION!. forces as continually augmenting, and that the soldiers of his garrison were daily deserting to them, and gave it as his opinion, that unless some compromise was speedily effected, and the rebels shipped off for Spain, not merely the authority, but even the person of the admiral would be in danger ; for though the hidalgos and the immediate officers and servants about him, would doubtless die in his service, yet he feared that the common people were but little to be depended upon. Thus urged by veteran counsel, and compelled bj^ circumstan- ces, Columbus at length made an arrangement with the rebels, by which it was agreed, that Roldan and his followers should embark for Spain, from the port of Xaragua, in two ships which should be fitted out and victualled within fifty days. That they should each receive from the admiral a certificate of good conduct, and an order for the amount of their pay up to the actual date ; that slaves should be given them, as had been given to colonists, in considera- tion of services performed; and that such as had wives, natives of the island, might take them with them in place of slaves ; that satisfaction should be made for property of some of the company, which had been sequestered, and for live stock which had belonged to Francis Roldan. It was a grievous circumstance to Columbus, that the vessels which should have borne his brother to explore the newly-discov- 3^4 THK Ml'l-: AND VOYAGKS I! ill ered continent, had to be devoted to the transportation of this tnr- bulent and worthless rabble; bnt he consc' -d himself with the idea that, the faetion being- onee shijjped off, the island would aj^ain be restored to tranquillity. The articles of arrangement being signed, RokUin and his followers departed for Xaragna, to await the arrival of the ships; and Columbus, ])utting his brotlier Don Diego in temporary command, set off with the adelantado on a tour to visit the various fortresses, and restore every thing to order. In the meanwhile unavoidable delays took place in fitting out the ships, and they encountered violent storms in their voyage from San Domingo to Xaragna, so as to arrive there long after the stip- ulated time, and that in a damaged condition. The followers of Roldan seized upon this as a pretext to refuse to emliark, affirming that the ships had been purposely delayed, and eventually sent in a state not seaworthy, and short of provisions. New negotiations were there- fore set on foot, and new terms demanded. It is probable that Roldan feared to r e t u r n to Spain, and his follow- ers were loth to give up their riotous and licen- tious life. In the midst of his perplexities, Columbus received a letter from Spain, in reply to the earnest representations which he had made of the distracted state of the colony, and of the outrages of these licentious men. It was written by his invidious enemy, the Bishop Fonseca, superintendent of Indian affairs. It informed him that his representations of the alleged rebellion had been re- ceived, but that the matter must be suffered to remain in suspense, as the sovereigns would investigate and remedy it presently. This cold reply had the most disheartening effect upon Colum- bus, while it increased the insolence of the rebels, who saw that his complaints had little weight with the government. Full of zeal, however, for the prosecution of his discoveries, and of fidelity to the interests of the crown, he resolved, at any sacrifice of pride or ■ comfort, to put an end to the troubles of the island. He departed, therefore, in the latter part of August, with two caravels, to the THt HiOIOuB AND LICENTIOUS LIFE OF THE fOLLOWEHti OF HOLDAN. m^ OI" COLUMBUS. 305 port of.Azna, accompanied by several of the most important per- sonages of the colony, to ^'wc Roldan a mcctin)j^. The l.-itter, in tiiis interview, condnctcd liimself more like a conqueror exacting terms, than a delinquent seeking pardon. Aniong other things, he demanded that such of his followers as chose to remain in the isl- and, should have lands assigned them, and that he should be rein- stated in his office of alcalde mayor, or chief judge. The mind glows wearied and impatient with recording, and the heart of the generous reader must burn with indignation at perusing, this pro- tracted and ineffectual struggle, of a num of the exalted merits and matchless services of Colnmljus, in the toils of such contemptible miscreants. vSurrounded b\' doubt and daiiger, a foreigner among :i jealous peoj)le, an unpopular commander in a mutinous island, distrusted and slighted by the government he was seeking to serve, and creating suspicions by his very services, he knew not where to look for faithful advice, efficient aid, or candid judgment. He was alarmed, too, by symptoms of seditions among his own people, who talked of following the examples of the rebels, and seizing upon the province of Higuey. Thus critically situated, he signed a hu- miliating capitulation with the rebels, trusting he should afterwards be able to convince the sovereigns it had been compulsory, and forced from him by the perils that threatened himself and the colony. When Roldan resumed his office of alcalde mayor, he displayed all the arrogance to be expected from one who had intruded him- self into power by profligate means. Columbus had a difficult and painful task in bearing with the insolence of this man, and of the shameless rabble that returned, under his auspices, to Sau Domingo, In compliance with the terms of agreement, he assigned them lib- eral portions cf land, and numerous Indian slaves, taken in the wars, and contrived to distribute them in various places, some in lionao, others in different parts of the vega. Pie made an arrange- ment, also, by which the caciques in their vicinit}', instead of pay- ing tribute, should furnish parties of their subjects, at stated times to assist in the cultivation of their lands; a kind of feudal service, which was the origin of the repartimientos, or distributions of free Indians among the colonists, afterwards generally adopted and shamefully abused throughout the Spanish colonies, and which greatly contributed to exterminate the natives from the island of Hispaniola. 'ir ^.11 I M ipr 306 THE I.II'K AND VOYAGES ffll- Having obtained such ample provisions for his followers, Rol- dan was not more modest in making demands for himself. Besides certain lands in the vicinitj^ of Isabella, which he claimed, as having belonged to him before his rebellion, he received a royal farm, called La Rsperanza, in the vega, and extensive tracts in Xaragua, with live stock and repartimientos of Indians. One of the first measures of Roldan as alcalde mayor was to appoint Pedro Reguelme, one of his most active confederates, alcalde of Bonao, an appointment which gave great displeasure to Colum- bus, being an assumption of power not vested in the oflSce of Rol- dan. The admiral received private information, also, that Re- guelme, under pretext of erecting a farm-house, was building a strong edifice on a hill, capable of being converted into a fortress ; this, it was whispered, was done in concert with Roldan, by way of securing a stronghold in case of need. The admiral immediately sent peremptory orders for Reguelme to desist from proceeding with the construction of the edifice. Columbus had proposed to return to Spain, having experi- enced the inefiiciency of letters in explaining the affairs of the isl- and ; but the feverish state of the colony obliged him to give up the intention. The two caravels were despatched in October, tak- ing such of the colonists as chose to return, and among them sev- eral of the partisans of Roldan, some of whom took Indian slaves with them, and others carried away the daughters of caciques, whom they had beguiled from their homes and families. Columbus wrote by this opportunity to the sovereigns, giving it as his opinion that the agreement he had made with the rebels was by no means obligatory on the crown, having been, in a man- ner, extorted by violence. He repeated his request that a learned man might be sent out as judge, and desired, moreover, that dis- creet persons might be appointed to form a council, and others for certain fiscal employments ; entreating, however, that their powers might be so limited and defined as not to interfere with his digni- ties and privileges. Finding age and infirmity creeping upon him, he began to think of his son Diego as an active coadjutor, being destined to succeed to his offices. He was still a page at court, but grown to man's estate, and capable of entering into the im- portant concerns of life ; he begged, therefore, that he might be sent out to assist him. CHAPTER XXXII. VISIT OF OJEDA TO THE WEST END OF THE ISLAND. CONSPIRACY OF MOXICA. (l499.) m- be BOUT this time reports were brought to Columbus that four ships had anchored at the west- ern part of the isl- and, a little below __ Jacquemel, apparently Hfil^^^L with the design of j^Bj^ ^ cutting dye woods ^V ^Sl and carrying off the natives for slaves. They were c o m - manded by Alonzo de Ojeda, the same hot-headed and bold-hearted cava- lier who had dis- tinguished him- self by the capt- u r e of Caonabo. Knowing the dar- ing and advent- urous spirit of this man, the ad- miral was disturbed at his visiting the island in this clandes- tine manner. To call «MERIOO VFSPUCCI. (jo?'. flffii IP 308 rillv l.IM-; AN'I) VOVAOKS I. NOLOAN INTEtK.EPT8 OJCDA. him to account, however, required a man of spirit and address. No one seemed fitter for the purpose than Rohhm. He was as darinj,^ as Ojechi, and of a more crafty character. An expedition of this kind wouhl occupy the attention of himself and his partisans, and divert them from any schemes of mischief. Rohhm gladly undertook the enterprise. He had nothing fur- ther to gain hy sedition, and was anxious to secure his ill- gotten possessions by public services, which should atone for past offenses. Departing from San Domingo, with two 'Ji caravels, he arrived, on the 1,^,. 26th of Se])tember, within (['-''■}, two leagues of the harbor where the vessels of Ojeda were anchored. Here, land- ing with five-and-twenty res- olute men, he intercepted Ojeda, who w;is on an excursion several leagues from his ships, and demanded his motives for landing on that remote and lonely part of the island, without first reporting his arrival to the ad- miral. Ojeda replied, that he had been on a voyage of discovery, and had put in there in distress, to re])air his shi])s and obtain provisions. On further inquiry, it a])peared that Ojeda had happened to be in vSpain at the lime that the letters arrived from Columbus, giving an account of his discovery of the coast of Paria, accompanied by specimens of the })earls to be found there. Ojeda was a favorite with Bishop Fonseca, and obtained a sight of the letter, and the charts and maps of the route of Columbus. He immediately conceived the idea of an expedition to those parts, in which he was encouraged by Fonseca, who furnished him witli copies of the papers and charts, and granted him a letter of license, signed by himself, but not by the sov- ereigns. Ojeda fitted out four ships at Seville, assisted by many eager and wealthy speculators; and in this squadron sailed Amerigo Vespucci,* a Florentine merchant, well acquainted with * AmeriK'o Vesi»icci, born in Florence in 1451 , undertook his first sea voy.igc in 1499, to the coast of Surinam. In 1501 he undertook his second voyage to the newly-discovered :'ii I— ^ 1 '!': i OF COLUMBUS. 3X1 Nuc 5?o Sc h^ partes fiint latius luftratic/S^ alia quarta pars per Americu Vcfputiu(vt in fequend bus audictur)muenta eft/qua non video cur quis lure vetct ab Americo inucntorc fagacis ingeni) vi AmcrjV ro Amerigen quafi Amend terra / liuc Amerieam ca d(cenda:cu Sc Europa & Afia a mulieribus fua for tita fintnomina.Eius (itu 6C gentis mores ex bis hi nis Amend nauigationibus quse fequunt liquids intelligidatur* Or, in English: — "But now llicse parts havi; \iecn more extensivel;' explored and anothel fniirth p^irt lias been discovered by Ainericus V'espucius (as will appear in what follows) : where- fore I do not see what is ritjhtly io hinder lis fmni callinR it Amerige or America, i. e. the land of Americas, after its discoverer Americas, a man of s.igai-iims mind, since both Kurops and Asia have gut their names from women. Its situation and the n.anners and customs of itj j-e^p^i will be clearly understood from the twice two voyages of Americas which follow." geoj^raphy and navigation, who eventnally gave his name to the whole of the new world. The expedition sailed in May, 1499. The adventurers arrived on the southern conti- nent, and ranged along it, from two hundred leagues east of the Orinoco to the Gulf ofParia, G u i d e d by the charts of Colum- bus, they passed through this gulf, and through the Boca del Drago, and kept along westward to Cape de la Vela, visiting the island of Margarita, and the adjacent continent, and discovering the Gulf of Vene/Aiela. They subsequently touched at the Caribbee Islands, where they fought with the fierce natives, and made many captives, with the design of selling them in the slave markets of Seville. From thence they sailed for Hispaniola, to procure supplies, having performed the most extensive voyage hitherto made along the shores of the new world. Ojeda assured Roldan that he intended, as soon as his ships were ready, to go to San Domingo and pay his homage to the admi- ral. Trusting to this assurance, and satisfied with the information he had obtained, Roldan sailed for San Domingo to make his report. world, and in 1503 his third. On this last voyage he explored a considerable part of the coast of Brazil. Ji, \^^i^;:^(^c:::jy^'i^'C^^^^^ ^^rvn-^ww-y-- FAC-SIMIIE OF PAOE OF COSMOQRAPHIA INTnODUCTIO BV MARTIN WALDSEEMULLER, WHO UNDER THE ASSUME^ jnik. ' " HYLAC0MVLA8," FIRST BUOQESTEO AMERICA AS THb NAME OF THE NEW WORLD. PRINTED BY PETER UinO, UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF RENE, DUKE OF lORAINE, IN 1(07. EARLIEST KNOWN EDITION OF THIS PUBLICATION IN LIBRARY OF VATICAN, NO. OeSII. M'- V»y*MPr/^4;# V*/^ Do vneitra reTorondiilma teuorU bymylmcnto beio Ia« maiiot.< Amerrigo VtsfuKi, (Uoto majrot. FAC-SIMILE OF THE LAST LINES OF A LETTER ADDRESSED BY AMERIOO VESPUCCI TO THE CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO, DATED SCVILLE, DECEMBER 8, 1 tOB. ■^^^MMaalM I <;■ 312 THK I.IKK AND VOVAOHS Nothiii}^, however, was farther from the intention of Ojeda than to keep his jM'oniise. As soon as his ships were ready for sea, he sailed round to the coast of Xaragua. Here he was well received by the Spaniards, resident in that province, among whom were many of the late comrades of Roldan. Knowing the rash and fearless character of Ojeda, and finding that there were jealousies between him and the admiral, they made clamorous comjjlaints of the injustice of the latter, whom they accused of withholding from them the arrears of their pay. Ojeda, who knew the tottering state of the admiral's favor at court, and felt secure in the powerful protection of Foi; seca, immediately proposed to put himself at their head, march at once to San Domingo, and oblige the admiral to satisfy their just demands. The proposition was received with transport by some of the rebels; but others demurred, and a furious brawl ensued, in which several were killed and wounded on both sides : the party for the expedition to San Domingo remained triumphant. Fortunately for the peace and safety of the admiral, Roldan, who had received news of the movements of Ojeda, arrived in the neighborhood at this critical juncture, with a band of resolute followers, and was rein- forced on the following day by his old con- federate, Diego de Escobar, with additional forces. Ojeda retired to his ships; a long course of mananivring took place between these well-matched adversaries, each striving to gain an advantage of the other. Ojeda at length was obliged to abandon the coast, and h' made sail for some other island, to make up his cargo of Indian slaves. The followers of Roldan took great merit to themselves for their unwonted loy- alty in driving Ojeda from the island; and, like all reformed knaves, expected that their good conduct would be am pi}' rewarded. Looking upon their leader as having every thing in his gift, they requested him to share among them the fine province of Cahav, adjoining to Xaragua. Roldan, who was now anxious to establish a character of adherence to the law, declined acceding to their wishes, until sanctioned by the admiral ; but, to soothe DlbC^U DE EaCJQAK. eat loy- and, heir .led. gift, :e of IS to rdinj::: )thc (3".0 ■fcaiiM^ii,. e. L ^^^^^M t^^'- ' ^fl OF COLUMBUS. 315 their impatient rapacity, lie shared among them the lands which had been granted to him in Xaragua. While he was remaining in this neighborhood, other troubles broke out, and from somevhat of a romantic cause, A young cavalier of noble family, named Hernando de Guevara, cousin to Adrian de Moxica, one of the ring- leaders of the late rebellion, was banished from San Domingo for licentious conduct, and sent to Xaragua, to embark in the ships of Ojeda, but arrived after their departure. He was treated with in- dulgence by Roldan, on account of his old comrade, Adrian de Moxica, and was favorably received at the house of the female cacique, Anacaona. That remarkable woman still retained her partiality to the Spaniards, notwithstanding the disgraceful scenes that had passed before her eyes. By her late husband, Caonabo, she had a daughter, named Higuenamota, just grown up, and greatly admired for her beauty. Guevara became enamored of her. He possessed an agreeable person, and winning manners, though he was headstrong in his passions, and destitute of prin- ciple. His endearments soon won the heart of the simple Indian girl. Anacaona, the mother, pleased with the gallant appearance and ingratiating manners of the youthful cavalier, favored his attachment ; especially as he sought her daughter in marriage. Roldan was himself attached to the young Indian beauty, and jealous of her preference of his rival. He exerted his authority to separate the lovers, and banished Guevara to the province of Cahay. The latter soon returned, and concealed himself in the dwelling of Anacaona. Being discovered, and finding Roldan im- placable in his opposition to his passion, he now meditated revenge. He soon made a party among the old comrades of Roldan, who detested as a magistrate the man they had idolized as a leader. It was concerted to rise suddenly upon him, and either to kill him or put out his eyes. The plot was discovered ; Guevara was seized in the dwelling of Anacaona, in the presence of his intended bride ; seven of his accomplices were likewise arrested, and the prisoners were sent to the fortress of San Domingo. When Adrian de Moxica heard that his cousin Guevara was arrested, and that too by his former confederate Roldan, he was highly exasperated. He hastened to the old haunt of rebellion at Bonao, and claimed the co-operation of Pedro Reguelnie, the newly- appointed alcalde. It was readily yielded. They went round r?"^ i 316 Tin-; LIKE AND VOYAGES among their late fellow-rebels, who were settled in the vega, and soon mustered a daring body of reckless men, ready wdth horse and weapon for any desperate enterprise. Moxica, in his fury, medi- tated not merely the I'escue of his cousin, but the death of Roldan and the admiral. Columbus was at Fort Conception, with an inconsiderable force, when he heard of this dangerous plot, concerted in his very neighborhood. He saw that his safety depended upon prompt and vigorous measures. Taking with him but six or seven trust}' serv- ants, and three esquires, all well armed, he came suddenly upon the conspirators in the night, seized Moxica and several of his principal confederates, and bore them off to Fort Conception, Re- solving to set an example that should strike terror into the factious, he ordered that Moxica should be hanged on the top of the fortress. The latter entreated to be allowed a confessor. A priest was sent for. The miserable culprit, who had been so daring in rebellion, lost all courage at the r. ar approach of death. He de- layed, and hesitated in his confession, as if hoping, by whiling away time to give a chance for rescue. Instead of confessing his own sins, he began to accuse others, until Columbus, losing all patience, in his mingled indigna< tion and scorn, ordered the dastard wretch to be flung from the battle- ments. This sudden act of severity was promptly followed up. Pedro Re- guelme was taken with several of his compeers, in his ruffian-den at Bonao, and conveyed to the fortress of San Domingo. The conspirators fled for the most part to Xa- ragua, where they were pursued by the adelantado, seconded by Roldan, and hunted out of all their old retreats. Thus in a little while the power of faction was completely subdued. Columbus considered this happy event as brought about by the especial intervention of Heaven, and gives in proof of it an instance of one of those visionary fancies by which he seems to THE CONSPIRITOR ADRIAN DE MOXICA SUDDENLY SURPRISED AND ARRESTED. OF COLUMBUS. 317 have been visited at times, when his mind was distempered by ill- ness or anxiety. In the preceding winter, during the height of his cares and troubles, he had sunk into a state of despondency. In one of his gloomy moods he heard, he says, a voice which thus addressed him: "O man of little faith! fear nothing; be not cast down. I will provide for thee. The seven years of the term of gold are not expired.* In that and in all other things, I will take care of thee." On that very day, he adds, he received intelligence of the discovery of a number of gold mines. The imaginary prom- ise of Divine aid appeared to him still to be performing. The troubles and dangers which had surrounded him were breaking away, and order was coming out of confusion. He now looked forward to the prosecution of his grand enterprises, the exploring the coast of Paria, and the establishment of a pearl fishery in its waters. How illusive were his hopes ! at this very moment those events were maturing, that were to overwhelm him with distress, strip him of his honors, and render him comparatively a wreck for the remainder of his days I ♦Alluding to his vow, that within seven years he would furnish an army for a crusade, from his share of the gold to be found in the new world. STATUE OF rOLUMBUS IN THE CITV OF MEXICO. CHAPTER XXXIII. INTRIGUES AGAINST COLUMBUS IN THE SPANISH COURT. APPOINTMENT OF BOBADILLA AS COMMISSIONER. HIS ARRIVAL AT SAN DOMINGO. (ISOO.) HILE Columbus had been involved in a series of difficulties in the fac- tious island of Hispaniola, his ene- mies had been but too successful in undermining his reputation in the court of Spain. Every vessel that returned from the new world came freighted with complaints, representing the character and conduct of Colum- bus and his brothers in the most odious point of view, and reiterating the il- liberal, but mischievous, insinuation that they were foreigners, who had nothing but their own interest and gratification in view. It was even alleged that Columbus intended to cast off all allegiance to Spain, and either himself sovereign of the countries he had discovered, or them into the hands of some other power; a slander which, however extravagant, was calculated to startle the jealous mind of Ferdinand. The bishop Fonseca, and other enemies of Columbus who were about the court, having continual access to the sovereigns, were enabled to place every thing urged against him in the strongest point of view, while they destroyed the force of his vindications. They had a plausible logic by which to convict him to make to yield tHE BISHOP' OF PkACCNTil^. JJAN RODRIGUEZ OE FONSECA, OF COLUMBUS. ^19- of either bad matiagemeiit of bad faith. There was- an incessant- drain upon the mother-country for the support of the colony. Was- this compatible, they asked, with the extravagant pictures he had- drawn of the wealth of the island, and its golden mountains, in' which he had pretended to find the Ophir* of ancient days, the source of the riches of King Solomon? They inferred thai he had either deceived the sovereigns by exaggerations, or grossly wronged them by malpractices, or that he was totally incapable of the duties of government. . . • . .w- ; For the purpose of irritating the pride of the king, every re- pining man who returned from th^ colony, was encouraged to put in claims for arrears of pay withheld by Columbus, or losses sus- tained in his service, A gang of the disorderly ruffians, who had been shipped off to free the island from their seditions, found their way to the court at Granada. They followed the king when he rode out, filling the air with complaints, and clamoring for their pay. About fifty of them assembled one day, in the main court of the Alhambra, under the royal apartments, holding up bunches of grapes, as the meager diet to which they were reduced by their poverty, and by the cruel deceits of Columbus. Seeing the two sons of the admiral pass by, who were pages to the queen, they followed them with imprecations. " There go," cried they, " the whelps of hira who discovered the land of vanity and delusion, the grave of Spanish hidalgos!" • '•• • The incessant repetition of falsehood will gradually wear its way into the most candid mind. Isabella- herself began to enter- tain doubts respecting the conduct of Columbus. If he and his brothers were upright, they might be injudicious, and mischief is oftener produced in government through error of judgment than iniquity of design. Isabella doubted, but the jealous Ferdinand felt convinced. He had never regarded Columbus with real cordi- ality ; and ever since he had ascertained the importance of his dis- coveries, had regretted the extensive powers he had vested in his hands. He now resolved to send out some person to investigate the affairs of the colony, and, if necessary for its safety, to assume the command. This measure had actually been decided upon, and the papers drawn out, early in 1499; but, from various reasons, had been postponed. It is probable Isabella opposed so harsh a * Ophir. The country is to be searched for (if at all) in Arabia or India. 18 i'i 320 THE UKIi AND VOYAGES 'i«- step against a man for whom she entertained an ardent gratitude and high admiration. The arrival of the ships with the late fol- lowers of Roldan, brouglit matters to a crisis. The king listened entirely to the representations of the rebels, and a circumstance took place, which, for a time, suspended the friendship of Isabella, the great safeguard of Columbus. The followers of Roldan brought with them a number of slaves, some of which Columbus had been compelled to grant them by the articles of capitulation, others had been conveyed away clandestinely. Among them were several daughters of caciques, who had been seduced from their homes by these prof- ligates. Some were in a state of pregnancy, others had new-born infants. The gifts and transfers of these unhappy beings were all represented as voluntary acts of Columbus. The sensibility of Isabella as a woman, and her dignity as a queen, were instantly in arms. " What right," exclaimed she, in- dignantly, " has the admiral to give away my vassals ? " She immediately ordered all the Indians to be restored to their homes ; nay, more, she commanded that those which had formerly been sent to Spain by the ad- miral should be sought out and reshipped to Hispaniola. Unfortunately for Colum- bus, at this very juncture, in one of his let- ters, he advised the continuance of Indian slavery for some time longer, as a measure important to the welfare of the colony. This contributed to heighten the indigna- tion of Isabella, and induced her no longer to oppose the sending out a commissioner to investigate his con- duct, and, if necessary, to supersede him in command. The person chosen for this most momentous office was Don Francisco de Bobadilla, an officer of the royal household, and a com- mander of the military and religious order of Calatrava.* He is represented by some as a very honest and religious man ; by others, * A Spanish order founded in the 9th century. WHAT RtaMT HAS THE ADMIRAI. lO OWE AWAY MV VASSALS T ■ OF COLUMBUS. 321 Don com- ic is [hers, and with apparent jnstice, as needy, passionate, and anibitious, three pcvverful objections to his acting as judge in a case where the ut- most caution and candor were required, and where he was to derive wealth and power from the conviction of one of the parties. Bobadilla arrived at vSan Domingo on the 23d of August, 1500. Before entering the harbor, he learnt from a canoe which came off from the shore, that the admiral and the adelantado were absent in the interior of the island, and Don Diego in command. He was told of the recent insurrection of Moxica, and the punishments which had followed. Seven of the rebels had been hanged that week, and five more were in the fortress of San Domingo, con- demned to suffer the same fate. Among these were Pedro Re- giielme, the factious alcalde of Bonao, and Fernando de Guevara, the young cavalier whose passion for the daughter of Anacaona, had been the original cause of the rebellion. As the vessels en- tered the river, Bobadilla beheld || on either bank a gibbet, with the body of a Spaniard hanging on it. He considered all these cir- cumstances as conclusive proofs of the alleged cruelty of Colum- bus. The report had already circu- lated in the city, that a commis- sioner had arrived to make inquisition into the late troubles. Many hastened on board the ship to pay early court to this public censor; and as those who sought to secure his favor, were those who had most to fear from his scrutiny, it is evident that the nature of their communications was generally unfavorable to the admiral. In fact, before Bobadilla landed, if not before he arrived, the culpability of the admiral was decided in his mind. He acted accordingly. He made proclamation at the church door, in presence of Don Diego and the other persons in authority, of his letters patent, author- izing him to investigate the rebellion, and proceed against delin- quents ; and in virtue of these, he demanded that Guevara, Re- guelme, and the other prisoners, should be delivered up to him, with the depositions taken in their cases. Don Diego declared he could do nothing of the kind without rRANCISCO Df BOBADIUA CAUtES HIS LETTERS PATENT TO BE PROCLAIMED IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH. i ■ 322 THP: LIFH AND V0YAGP:S the authority of the admiral, and requested a copy of the letters patent, that he might send it to his brother. This Bobadilla re- fused, and added, that since the office he proclaimed appeared to have no weight, he would try what efficacy there was in the name of governor. On the following day, therefore, he had another royal patent read, investing him with the government of the islands, and of Terra Firma ; an authority which he was only to have assumed on absolute proof of the delinquency of Columbus. .This letter be- ing read, he again demanded the prisoners, and was again refused ; Don Diego observing, that they were held in obedience to the admiral, to whom the sovereigns had granted letters of a higher • nature. Bobadilla now produced a mandate from the crown, ordering jColumbus and his brothers to deliver up all fortresses, ships, and other royal property; and another, ordering that the arrears of wages due to all persons in the royal service should be immediately paid, and the admiral compelled to pay the arrears of those to whom he was individually accountable. This last document was received with shouts by the multitude, to many of whom long arrears were due, in consequence of the poverty of the treasury. Flushed with his growing importance and popularity, Bobadilla again demanded the prisoners, and re- ceiving the same reply, he proceeded to the fortress, and made a formal demand of them of the alcayde Miguel Diaz. The latter refused to surrender them to any one but the admiral. Upon this, the whole spirit of Bobadilla was aroused. He assembled the sail- ors of the ships, and the rabble of the place, marched them to the prison, broke open the door, which readily gave way, while some of his myrmidons* put up ladders to scale the walls. The alcayde Miguel Diaz, and Don Diego de Alvarado, ap- peared on the battle- ments with drawn * Myrmidons (rough soldiers, so called after a son of Jupiter, Myrmidon) were a people of Thessaly, under the govern- ment of Achilles. THE RABBLE OF SAN DOMINQO ON THE ROAD TO THE PRISON. OF COLUMBUS. 323 swords, but offered no resistance. The fortress, having no garri- son, was easily carried, and the prisoners were borne off in triumpli, and given in cnstody to an alguazil.* Such was the entrance into office of Francisco de Bobadilla, and he continued his career in the same spirit, acting as if he had been sent out to degrade the admiral, not to inquire into his ^,-,,^^.,,^,.,,^.:jl conduct. He took up his residence , '^ -l^^ in the house of Colum- bus, seized upon his arms, gold, plate, jewels, horses, books, letters, and most secret manu- scripts, giving no ac- count of the property thus seized, paying out of it the wages of those to whom the admiral was in arrears, and dis- posing of the rest as if already confiscated to the crown. To increase his favor with the people, he proclaimed a general license for twenty years, to seek for gold, exacting merely one-eleventh for government, instead of a third, as heretofore. At the same time, he used the most unquali- fied language in speaking of Columbus, hinted that he was em- powered to send him home in chains, and declared, that neither he, nor any of his lineage, would ever again be permitted to govern the island. *Alguazil, a Spanish constable. RUINS OF THE CASTLE OF COLUMBUS IN HI6PANI0LA. J ■; 1 - in i: THE HOMENAJE, OR CASTLE OF SAN DOMINGO, AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER OZAMA FROM A PHOTOGRAPH. IN TH€ UPPER PICTURE, WHICH SHOWS THE CASTLE FROM ITS REAR. THE UPPER WINDOW IN THE TOWER IS THE ONE SHOWN TO-OAY AS THE PRISOil OF COLUMBUS. (3»4) ■Mp k ♦[ ^^^tW 1 H ■ " -»»>.. .V... 1 ^w ^w^t .■^^'/ .-. -/- ' •* ■ ■' — -■■■•'•'I' ■ r ,'•- • ' . . . • ' ■ . \ -.ii ■ / ■■ COLUMBUS IN CHAINS ABOARD THE QOflOA. PAINTING BV MARECHAL, PARIS SALON, ISSI. CHAPTER XXXIV. COLUMBUS ARReSTED AND SENT TO SPAIN. (1500.) |HEN Columbus received tidings at Fort Conception of the higli-handed pro- ceedings of Bobadilla, lie considered them the unauthorized act of some rash adventurer ; but the proclamation of his letters patent, which immediate- ly took place throughout the Island, soon convinced him he was acting under author- ity. He endeavored then to persuade himself that Bobadilla was sent out to exercise the functions of chief judge, in compliance with the request contained in one of his own letters to the sover- eigns, and that he was perhaps intrusted with provisional powers to inquire into the late troubles of the island. All beyond these powers, he tried to believe were mere assumptions, and exaggera- tions of authority, as in the case of Aguado. His consciousness of his own services and integrity, and his faith in the justice of (»») Illi-^fl 326 THE LIFK AND VOYAGES MANACLES IN U(E IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. MUIEUM CLUNV, PARIS. the sovereigns, forbade him to think otherwise. He proceeded to act on this idea; writing temperate and conciliatory letters to Bo- badilla, cautioning him against his precipitate measures, while he endeavored by counter proclamations to prevent the mischief he was producing. Messengers soon arrived, however, who delivered to him a royal letter of credence, commanding him to give implicit faith and obedience to Bobadilla, and they gave him, at the same time, a summons from the latter to appear before him immediately at San Domingo. This laconic letter from the sovereigns struck at once at the root of his dignity and power ; he made no longer any hesitation or demur, but departed alone and almost unattended, to obey the peremptory summons of Bobadilla. The latter, in the mean time, had made a bustle of preparation, and mustered the troops, affecting to believe a vulgar rumor, that Columbus had called on the caciques of the vega, to aid him in resisting the commands of the government. He moreover arrested Don Diego, threw him in irons, and confined him on board of a caravel, without assigning any CatiSe for his imprisonment. No sooner did he hear of the arrival of Columbus, than he gave orders to put him also in irons, and to confine him in the fortress. '(•;»;•. • • • This outrage to a person of such dignified and venerable ap- pearance, and such eminent, merit, seemed for a time to shock even his enemies. When the irons were brought, every one present shrunk from the task of putting them on him, either out of a sentiment of compassion at so great a reve.rse of fortune, or out of /^ il reverence for his person. To fill the measure of ingratit- .ted out to him, it; was one of his own servants that volu lo rrvet his fetters. .mbus conducted himself with characteristic magnanimity under the injuries heaped upon him. There is a noble scorn which swells and supports the heart, and silences the tongue of the truly great, when enduring the insults of the iinworthy. Co- lumbus could not stoop to deprecate the arrogance of a weak and violent man like Bobadilla. He looked beyond this shallow agent, and all his petty tyranny, to the sovereigns who had emploj^ed him. It was their injustice and ingratitude alone that could wound liis spirit ; and he felt assured that when the truth came to be known, they would blush to find how greatly they had wronged him. With OF COLUMBUS. 327 lat this proud assurance, he bore all present indignities in silence. He even wrote, at the demand of Hobadilla, a letter to the adclantado, who was still in Xaragua, at the head of an armed force, exhorting him to submit quietly to the will of the sovereigns. Don Barthol- omew immediately complied. Relinquishing his command, he hastened peacefully to San Domingo, and on arriving, experienced the same treatment with his brothers, being put in irons, and con- fined on board of a caravel. They were kept separate from each other, and no communication permitted between them. Bobadilla did not see them himself, nor did he allow others to visit them ; and they were kept in total ignorance of the crimes with which they were charged, and the proceedings that were instituted against them. The old scenes of the time of Aguado were now renewed, with tenfold virulence. All the old charges were revived, and others added, still more extravagant in their nature. Columbus was ac- cused of having prevented tlie conversion of the Indians, that they might be sold as slaves. With having secreted pearls collected on the coast of Paria, and kept the sovereigns in ignorance of the nat- ure of his discoveries there, in order to exact new privileges from them. Even the late tumults were turned into matters of accusa- tion, and the rebels admitted as evidence. The well-merited pun- ishments inflicted upon certain of the ringleaders were cited as proofs of a cruel and revengeful disposition, and a secret hatred of Spaniards. Guevara, Reguelme, and their fellow-convicts, were discharged almost without the form of a trial. Roldan, from the very first, had been treated with confidence by Bobadilla; all the others, whose conduct had rendered them liable to justice, received either a special acquital or a general pardon. Bobadilla had now collected testimony sufficient, as he thought, to insure the condemnation of the prisoners, and his own continu- ance in command. He determined, therefore, to send home the ad- miral and his brothers in chains, in the vessels which were ready for sea, with the inquest taken in their case, and private letters en- forcing the charges made against them. " * San Domingo now swarmed with miscreants, just delivered from the dungeon and the gibbet. Every base spirit which had been overawed by Columbus and his brothers, when in power, now hastened to revenge itself upon them when in chains. The most 328 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES injurious slanders were loudly proclaimed in the streets, pasqui- nades,* and libels were posted up at the corners, and horns bkwn in the neighborhood of the'r prisons, to taunt them with the exultings of the rabble. The charge of conduct- ing the prisoners to Spain, was given to Alonzo de Vil- lejo, an officer who was in the employ of Bishop Fonseca. He was instructed, on arriv- ing at Cadiz, to deliver his prisoners into the hands of the bishop, which circum- stance has caused a belief that Fonseca was the secret instigator of all these violent proceedings. Villejo, how- ever, was a man of honorable character, and generous feel- ings, and showed himself superior to the low malignity of his patrons. When he arrived with a guard to con- duct the admiral from the prison to the ship, he found him in chains in a state of deep despondency. So vio- lently had he been treated, and so savage were the pas- sions let loose against him, he had begun to fear he should be sacrificed without an opportunity' of being heard, and that his name would go down to posterity sullied with imputed crimes. When the officer entered with the guard, he thought it was to conduct him to the scaffold. " Villejo," said he, mournfully, * Pasquinades, more witty than malicious jokes; libel. COLUMBUS REFUSES TO PERMIT THE FETTERS WITH WHICH HE IS LOADED TO BE RFMOVED, " ALL SPAIN SHALL WITNESS THE INDIGNITIES HEAPED UPON ME." SEE PAGE <0I. a. in O (- Oi u z o tA X o H __ t/l - « h o S a t Q. > U 3 111 OS u Id = Q. t- c« 5 < . I « o H ^ < 3 I 3 H .J D = £0 O ^ trt i-J « J ■* O HI " P Q , U o w '* H U (I. U I H (/> s OS o 2 ->V^>-5 (329) 1 U I. ! OF COLUMBUS. 331 *' whither are yoii taking me ? " " To the ship, your Bxcellency, to embark," replied the other. '' To embark ! " repeated the admiral, earnestly. " Villejo, do yon speak the truth?" "By the life of your Excellency," replied the honest officer, " it is true ! " With these words the admiral was comforted, and felt as one restored from death to life. The caravels set sail early in October, bearing oiF Columbus, shackled like the vilest of culprits, amidst the scoifs and shouts of a miscreant rabble, who took a brutal joy in heaping insults on his venerable head, and sent curses after him from the island he had so recently added to the civilized world. Fortunately the voyage was favorable and of moderate duration, and was rendered less irk- some to Columbus, by the conduct of those to whom he was given in custody. The worthy Villejo, as well as Andreas Martin, the master of the caravel, felt deeply grieved at his situation, and al- ways treated him with profound respect and assiduous attention. They would have taken off his irons, but to this he would not con- sent. " No," said he, proudly, " their majesties commanded me by letter to submit to whatever Bobadilla should order in their name ; by their authority he has put upon me these chains ; I will wear them until they shall order them to be taken off, and I will after wards preserve them as relics and memorials of the reward of my services." "He did so," adds his son Fernando, in his history; "I saw them always hanging in his cabinet, and he requested that when he died they might be buried with himl" FROM THE STATUE IN OENOA. CHAPTER XXXV. ARRIVAL OF COLUMBUS IN SPAIN. HIS INTERVIEW WITH THE SOVEREIGNS. OF OVANDO TO THE GOVERNMENT OF HISPANIOLA. U600.> APPOINTMENT ^\^^^^ HE arrival of Columbus at Cadiz, a prisoner, and in chains, produced almost as great a sensation as his triumphant return from his first voy- age. A general burst of indignation arose in Cadiz, and in the powerful and opulent Seville, which was imme- diately echoed throughout all Spain. No one stopped to reason on the sub- ject. It was sufficient to be told that Columbus was brought home in chains from the world he had discovered. The tidings reached the court of Granada, and filled the halls of the Alhambra with murmurs of astonishment. On the arrival of the ships at Cadiz, Andreas Maitin, the captain, had permitted Columbus to send off letters privatelj^ by express. The admiral, full of his wrongs, but ignorant how far they had been au- thorized by the sovereigns, forbore to write to them. He sent a long letter, however, to a lady of the court, high in favor with the queen, and Avho had been nurse to Prince Juan. It contained an ample vin- dication of his conduct, couched in eloquent and dignified and touch- ing language. When it was read to the noble-minded Isabella, and she found how grossly Columbus had been wronged, and the royal authority abused, her heart was filled with mingled sympathy and indignation. (33») da, and On had The en au- along queen, Die vin- toiich- a, and e royal ly and u CHAPTKR XX A \' AURIVAL OF COLUMBUS IN SPAIN. HIS INTERVIEW WITH THE SOVEREIGNS. APPOIMTWEN OF OVANOO TO THE QOVCPiNMENT OF HISPAN in his first voy- aj4;e. A general bur ot" indignation arose in Cadiz, and ,i the powerful and opulent Seville, w icli was inirnr dintely echoed throng'. out all Spaiti No on(.- stopped to r.-as-Mi on the sub- ject. (t was sufiicii nt t be told tha' Columbus was brought home in eh ins from th- woild he liad discovered. The tidings reached the onrt of Cranada, an^. filled the halls of tlie Alhamhra with mm mur of astonis mcnt. On the arrival of the ships at Cadi/, Andreas ' .artin, the c ptain, hai! permitted Columbus to send off letters p' • /ately by exp ess. Th admiral, ftill of liis wrongs, but ignorant ow far the\- ha I been an thorized hy the sovereigns, forbore to wr .: to them, fie ,s nt a Ion, letter, however, to a lady of the court, ' .^h in favor with t le qi.een and who had been nurse to Prince Jur It contained an ample vin- dication of his coiultict, couched in e^ ^uent and dignified and touch- ing language. When it w'as read ♦ .he noble-minded Isabella, and she found how grossly' Columbus • .d been wronged, '^nd tlie royal authority abused, her lieart was : ued with mingled sympathy and indiguatiovi. 'jj') .'*S^',.r '-^-I'.c.^—,. rMEN liz, r. luceci voy atiui- :crful niTiif ■^paii ic s ub- th )in th aiiu On ti. had Tlv 'cii a'li I loiu: Iqiiccv. lie viii- touch- a, and royal !V atid ^ 03 tfl OF COLUMBUS. 335 However Ferdinand might have secretly felt disposed against Columbus, the momentary tide of public sentiment was not to be resisted. He joined with his generous queen, in her reprobation of the treatment of the admiral. Without waiting to receive any documents that might arrive from Bobadilla, they sent orders to Cadiz that the prisoners should be instantly set at liberty, and treated with all distinction, and that two thousand ducats should be advanced to Columbus to defray the expenses of his journey to court. They wrote him a letter at the same time, expressing their grief at all that he had suffered, and inviting him to Granada. The loyal l^art of Columbus was cheered by this letter from his sovereigns. He appeared at court, not as a man ruined and disgraced, but richly dressed, and with an honorable retinue. He was received by their majesties with unqualified favor and distinc- tion. When the queen beheld this venerable man approach, and thought on all he had deserved, and all that he had suffered, she was moved to tears. Columbus had borne up firmly against the stern conflicts of the world ; he had endured with lofty scorn the injuries and insults of ignoble men, but he possessed strong and quick sensibility. When he found himself thus kindly ,._ , ^ - received, and beheld tears in the benign eyes of Isabella, his long suppressed feelings burst forth; he threw him- self upon his knees, and for some time could not utter a word for the violence of his tears and sobbings. Ferdinand and Isabella raised him from the ground, and endeavored to encourage him by the most gracious expressions. As soon as he regained his self-possession, he entered into an eloquent ,«^ - and high-minded vindication of his loyalty, and - v the zeal he had ever felt for the glory and ad- vantage of the Spanish crown ; if, at any time, he had erred, it had been, he said, through inexperience in the art of governing, and through the extraordi- nary difiiculties by which he had been surrounded. There was no need of vindication on his part. He stood in the presence of his sovereigns a deeply-injured man, and it MONUMENT OF COLUMBUS IN FHONT OF THE CATHEDRAL AT SAN DOMtNQO. THE INDIAN FEMALE FIGURE 19 TO REPRESENT THE BEAUTIFUL ANACAONA, THE GOLDEN FLOWER OF XARAQIA. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH. 336 THK I.IFK AND VOYAGKS RfflVl I ( ''I remained for them to vindicate themselves to the world, from the charge of ingratitude towards their most deserving subject. They ex- pressed their indignation at the proceedings of Bobadilla, which they disavowed, as contrary to his instructions ; they promised- that he should be immediately dismissed from his command, and Columbus reinstated in all his privileges and dignities, and indemnified for the losses he had sustained. The latter expected, of course, to be im- mediately sent back in triumph to San Domingo, as viceroy and admiral of the Indies ; but in this he was doomed to experience a disappointment, which threw a gloom over the remainder of his days. The fact was, that Ferdinand, however he might have disap- proved of the violence of Bobadilla, was secretly well pleased with its effects. It had produced a temporary exclusion of Columbus from his high offices, and the politic monarch determined, in his heart, that he should never be restored to them. He had long repented having vested such great powers and prerogatives in any subject, particularly in a foreigner ; but at the time of granting them he had no idea of the extent of the countries over which they would be exercised. Recent discoveries, made by various individu- als, showed them to be almost boundless. Vincente Yanez Pinzon, one of the brave and intelligent family of navigators that had sailed with Columbus in his first voyage, had lately crossed the line, and explored the shores of the southern continent, as far as Cape St. Augustine. Diego Lepe, another bold navigator of Palos, had doub- led that cape, and beheld the continent stretching away out of sight, to the southwest. The report of every discoverer put it beyond a doubt, that these countries must be inexhaustible in wealth, as they appeared to be boundless in extent. Yet over all these Columbus was to be viceroy, with a share in their productions, and the prof- its of their trade, that must yield him an incalculable revenue. The selfish monarch appeared almost to consider himself outwitted in the arrangement he had made ; and every new discovery, instead of increasing his feeling of gratitude to Columbus, seemed only to make him repine at the growing magnitude of his reward. Another grand consideration with the monarch was, that Co- lumbus was no longer indispensable to him. He had made his great discovery ; he had struck out the route to the new world, and now any one could follow it. A number of able navigators had sprung up under his auspices, who were daily besieging the throne OF COLUMBUS. n? rof- in ;ad to with offers to fit out expeditions at their own cost, and to yield a share of the profits to the crown. Why should he, therefore, con- fer princely dignities and prerogatives for that which men were daily offering to perform gratuitously? Such, from his after conduct, appears to have been the jealous and selfish policy which actuated Ferdinand in forbearing to rein- state Columbus in those dignities and privileges which had been solemnly granted to him by treaty, and which it was acknowledged he had never forfeited by misconduct. Plausible reasons, however* were given for delaying his reappointment. It was observed, that the elements of those factions, which had recently been in arms, yet existed in the island, and might produce fresh troubles should Columbus return immediately. It was represented as advisable, therefore, to send some officer of talent and discretion to supersede Bobadilla, and to hold the government for two years, by which time all angry passions would be allayed, and turbulent individuals re- moved. Columbus might then resume the command, with comfort to himself, and advantage to the crown. With this arrangement the admiral was obliged to content himself. The person chosen to supersede Bobadilla was Don Nicholas de Ovando, commander of Lares, of the order of Alcantara. He is described as being of the middle size, with a fair complexion, a red beard, a modest look, yet a tone of authority ; fluent in speech, courteous in manners, prudent, just, temperate, and of great hu- mility. Such is the picture drawn of him by some of his con- temporaries ; yet he appears, from his actions, to have been plausi- ble and subtle, as well as fluent and courteous ; his humility con- cealed a great love of command ; he was a merciless scourge to the Indians, and in his dealings with Columbus he was both ungener- ous and unjust. While the departure of Ovando was delayed by various cir- cumstances, every arrival brought intelligence of the disastrous state of the Island, under the administration of Bobadilla. The latter was not so much a bad, as an imprudent and a weak man. Imagining rigorous rule to be the rock on which his predecessor had split, he had, at the very outset, relaxed the reigns of justice and morality, and, of course, had lost all command over the com- munity. In a little while such disorder and licentiousness ensued, that many, even of the opponents of Columbus, looked back with 'ii'il 338 THK MI'"K AND VOYAGES REPARTIMIENTOS OF tNMANS WASHING QOI . "*'! ^: ■! regret to the strict but wholesome nilc of himself and the ade- lautado. One dangerous indulgence granted to the colonists called for another, and each was ceded, in its turn, by Kobadilla. He sold the farms and estates of the crown at low prices, and granted universal permission to work the mines, on paying only an eleventh of the produce to government. To pre- vent any diminution in the revenues, it be- came necessary to increase the quantity of gold collected. He enforced, therefore, the repartimientos, by which the caciques were obliged to furnish parties of their sub- jects to work for the Spaniards in the field and in the mine. To carry these into more complete effect, he made an enumeration of the natives of the Island, reduced them into classes, and distributed them, accord- ing to his favor or caprice, among the colonists. His constant exhortation to the Spaniards was, to produce large quantities of gold. "Make the most of your time," he would say, "there is no knowing how long it will last ;" alluding to the possibility of his being speedily recalled. The colonists acted up to his advice, and so hard did they drive the poor natives, that the eleventh yielded more revenue than had ever been produced by the third, under the government of Columbus. In the mean time, the unhappy Indians sunk under the toils imposed upon them, and the severities by which they were enforced. A capricious tyranny was exercised over them by worthless men, numbers of whom had been trans- ported convicts from the dungeons of Castile. These wretches as- sumed the tone of grand cavaliers, and insisted upon being attended by trains of servants; they took the daughters and female relatives of caciques for their servants or their concubines. In traveling, they obliged the natives to transport them on their shoulders in litters or hammocks, while others held umbrellas of palm leaves over their heads, and cooled them with fans of feathers. . Some- times the backs and shoulders of the unfortunate Indians who bore the litters were raw and bleeding from the task. When these arro- gant upstarts arrived at an Indian village, they capriciously seized upon and lavished the provisions of the inhabitants, and obliged OK COLUMHUS. 339 the cacique and his subjects to dance for their amusement. They never addressed the natives but in the most degrading terms ; and for the least offeuse, or in a mere freak of ill humor, they would inflict blows and lashes, and even death itself. The tidings of these abuses, and of the wrongs of the natives, grieved the spirit of Isabella, and induced her to urge the departure of Ovando. He was empowered to assume the command immediately on his arrival, and to send home Bobadilla by the return of the fleet. Hispaniola was to be the metropolis of the colonial government, which was to extend over the islands and Terra Firma. Ovando was to correct the late abuses, to revoke the improper licenses granted by Bobadilla, to lighten the burdens imposed upon the Indians, and to promote their religious instruction. He was, at the same time, to ascertain the injury sustained by Columbus in his late arrest and im- prisonment, and the ar- rears of revenue that were due to him, that he might receive ample redress and compensation. The ad- miral was to be allowed a resident agent in the island, to attend to his affairs and guard his in- terests, to which office Columbus immediately appointed Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal. Among various decrees on this occasion, we find the first trace of negro slavery in the new world. It was permitted to transport to the colony negro slaves born in Spain, the children and descend- ants of natives brought from G tinea, where the slave trade had for some time been carried on by the Spaniards and Portuguese. There are signal events in the course of history, which sometimes bear the appearance of temporal judgments. It is a fact worthy of observation, that Hispaniola, the place where this flagrant sin against nature and humanity was first introduced into the new world, has been the first to exhibit an instance of awful retribution.* * The insurrection of the negroes under Toussaint L'Ouverture, 1791. A SPANISH CAVALIER OF THE TIME TRAVtLINQ THROUaH THE COUNTRY. WHEN ONE OF THE WRETCHED, OVERLADEN INDIANS BROKE DOWN UNDER THE INTOLERABLE lUIIOIH MEAFf* UPON HIM, FROM SHEER EXHAUSTION, MIS HEAO WAS IMMEDIATELY CHOPPED OFF. AND THE BURDEN HEAPED UPON ANOTHER."— L«S OlAt. 19 340 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES a If The fleet appointed to convey Ovando to his government put to sea on the 13th of February, 1502. It was the largest arma- ment that had yet sailed to the new world, consisting of thirty sail, of various sizes, provided with all kinds of supplies for the colony. Twenty-five hundred souls embarked in this fleet, many of them persons of rank, with their families. Ovando was allowed a brilliant retinue, a body guard of horsemen, and the use of silks, brocades, and precious stones, at that time forbidden by the sump- tuary laws of Spain. Such was the style in which a favorite of Ferdinand, a native subject of rank, was fitted out to enter upon the government withheld from Columbus. 'Mi •ADDLE FROM THE EARLV PART OF THE XVII. CENTURV. ARMORY, MADRID. CHAPTER XXXVI. PROPOSITION OF COLUMBUS FOR A CRUSADE. HIS PRZPARATIONS FOR A FOURTH VOYAQE. (1B00-1S01.) OLUMBUS remained in the city of Granada up- wards of nine months, awaiting employment, and endeavoring to retrieve his affairs from the con- fusion into which thej'^ had been thrown. Dur- ing this gloomy period, he called to mind his vow to furnish, within seven years from the time of his discovery of the new world, an army of fifty thousand foot and five thousand horse, for the re- covery of the holy sepulchre. The time had elapsed, the vow re- mained unfulfilled, and the expected treasures that were to pay the army had never been realized. Destitute, therefore, of the , | means of accomplishing his pious purpose, he con- ,j^., sidered it his duty to incite the sovereigns to >A\,4:''|;#yi'i|'i'!'i'?'l the enterprise ; and he felt emboldened to do /:^^||;S6?^52^ so, from having originally proposed it as 'Ai4::-:-,.~v;Ji i«.- '^■Rf'^ the great object to which the profits of his discoveries should be directed. He set to work, therefore, with his accustomed zeal, to prepare arguments for the purpose. Aided by a Carthusian friar,* he collected into a manuscript volume all the passages in the ^1 * Carthusian. The name of an order (who -obligated themselves to eternal silence) given to it from the name of the cloister situated near Grenoble, France, (La Grande Chartreuse) which was founded by Bruno A. D. 1086. CARTHUSIAN FI.IAR. (341) ^P«H«M 342 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES Sacred Scriptures and iu the writings of the Fathers, which he con- ceived to contain mystic portents and prophecies of the discovery of the new world, the conversion of the Gentiles, and the recov- ery of the holy sepulchre ; three great events which he considered as destined to succeed each other, and to be accomplished through his agency. He prepared, at the same time, a long letter to the sovereigns, written with his usual fervor of spirit and simplicity of heart, urging them to set on foot a crusade for the conquest of Jerusalem. Ii is a singular composition, which lays open the vis- ionary part of his character, and shows the mystic and speculative reading with which he was accustomed to nurture his solemn and soaring imagination.* It mu;5t be recollected that this was a scheme meditated in melancholy and enthusiastic moods, in the courts of the Alhambra, among the splendid remains of Moorish grandeur, where, but a few years before, he had beheld the standard of the faith elevated in tri- umph above the symbols of infidelity. It was in unison with the temper of the times, when the cross and sword frequently went together, and religion was made the pretext for the most desolating wars. Whether Columbus ever presented this book to the sovereigns is uncer- tain ; it is probable that he did not, as his thoughts suddenly returned, with renewed ardor, to their wonted channels, and he conceived a leading object for another enterprise of dis- covery. Vasco de Gama had recently ac- complished the long attempted navi- gation to India by the Cape of Good Hope, and Pedro Alvarez Cabral, fol- lowing in his track, had returned with his vessels laden with the pre- *The manuscript volume, including the let- ter, still exists in the Columbian library of the Ca- thedral of Seville, and has been inspected with great interest by the writer of this history. VASCO DE GAMA. MOM TMt MSS. OF PEDRO BARtTTO Dt REJIHDA, IN THE SLOANE LIBRAR* OF TMf ■ XITIIH MUIEUM. THE CCMMENTARIEI OF ALFONtO DALIOQUERQUi. W. DE a. BIRCH. NACKLUYT iOC. Wf OF COLUMBUS. 343 cious merchandise of the East. The riches of Calicut were now the theme of every tongue. The discoveries of the savage regions of the new world had as yet brought but little revenue to Spain, but this route to the East Indies was pouring in immediate wealth upon Portiigal. Columbus was roused to emulation, and trusted he could discover a route to those ori- ental regions more easy and direct than that of Vasco de Gama. According to his own obser- vations, and the reports of other navigators, the coast of Terra Firma stretched far to the westward. The southern coast of Cuba, which he considered a part of the Asiatic continent, stretched onward towards the same point. The currents of the Caribbean Sea must pass be- tween these lands. He was persuaded, there- fore, that a strait must exist somewhere there- about, opening into the Indian Sea. The situation in which he placed his conjectural strait was somewhere about what is at present called the Isthmus of Darien. Could he but discover such a passage, and thus link the new world he had discovered, with the opulent oriental countries of the old, he felt that he should make a mag- nificent close to his labors. He unfolded his plan to the sovereigns, and, though it met with some narrow-minded opposition on the part of certain of the royal councillors, it was promptly adopted, and he was empowered to fit out an armament to carry it into effect. He accordingly de- parted for Seville in the autumn of 1501, to make the necessary preparations ; but such were the delays caused by the artifices of Fonseca and his agents, that it was not until the following month of May that he was able to put to sea. ^rabia. COAT OF «nMS OF VASCO DE OAMA. SIGNATURE OF VASCA OE OAMA (AND TWO WITNESSES) ON A DOCUMENT WHEREIN HE PAYS HOMAGE TO JOHN III. ARCHIVE LISSABON. 344 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES Before sailing, he took measures to provide against any mis- fortune that might happen to himself in so distant and perilous an expedition. He caused copies to be made and authenticated, of all the royal letters patent of his dignities and privileges ; of his letter to the nurse of Prince Juan, containing a vindication of his con- duct ; and of two letters assigning to the Bank of St. George, at Genoa, a tenth of his revenues, to be employed in diminishing the duties on provisions in his native city. These two sets of docu- CORSO DE LAS DELICIAS, SEVILLE. ments he sent by different hands to his friend, Doctor Nicolo Odo- rigo, who had been Genoese ambassador to the court of Spain, re- questing him to deposit them in some safe place at Genoa, and to apprize his son Diego of the same. He wrote also to Pope Alexander the Seventh, mentioning his vow to furnish an army for a crusade, but informing him of his being prevented from fulfilling it by being divested of his govern- ment. He promised his Holiness, however, on his return from his present voyage, to repair immediately to Rome, and render him an account of all his expeditious. ^\ CHAPTER XXXVII. 'COLUMBUS SAILS ON HIS FOURTH VOYAGE. EVENTS AT THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA. HIS SEARCH AFTER AN IMAGINARY STFlAIT. (1602.) was rapidly making its advances upon Columbus, when he undertook his fourth voyage of discovery. He was now about sixt3'-six years old. His constitution, originally vigorous in the extreme, had been impaired by hardships and ex- posures in every clime, and by the mental sufferings he had undergone. His intellectual powers alone retained their wonted energy, prompting him, at a period of life when most men seek repose, to sally forth, with youthful ardor, on the most toilsome and adventurous of enter- prises. In this arduous voyage, he was accom- panied by his brother Don Bartholomew, who commanded one of the vessels, and by his son Fernando, then in his fourteenth year. Columbus sailed from Cadiz on the 9th of May, 1502. His squadron consisted of four caravels, the largest of but seventy tons burden, the smallest of fifty; the crews amounted in all to one hun- dred and fifty men. With this little armament, and these slender barks, he undertook the search after a strait, which, if found, must conduct him into the most remote seas, and lead to a complete cir- cumnavigation of the globe. After touching at the Canaries, he had a prosperous voyage to the Caribbee Islands, arriving on the 15th of June, at Mautinino, at present called Martinique. He had (345) ^^p^ p 346 THE UKK AND VOYAGES originally inlended to steer to Jamaica, and from thence for the continent, in search of the supposed strait ; but one of his vessels proving a dull sailer, he bore away for Hispauiola, to exchange it for one of the fleet which had recently taken out Ovando. This was contrary to his orders, which had expressly forbidden him to touch at Hispauiola until his return homewards, lest his presence should cause some agitation in the island ; he trusted, however, the circumstances of the case would plead his excuse. Columbus arrived oflF the harbor of San Domingo at an unpro. pitious moment. The place was filled with the most virulent of his enemies, many of whom were in a high state of exasperation from recent proceedings which had taken place against them. The fleet which had brought out Ovando lay in the harbor ready to put to sea; and was to take out Roldan, and many of his late adherents, some of whom were under arrest, and to be tried in Spain. Boba- dilla was to embark in the principal ship, on board of which he had put an immense amount of gold, the revenue collected for the government during his administration, and which he confidently expected would atone for all his faults. Among the presents he intended for the sovereigns was one mass of virgin gold, which is famous in the old Spani.sh chronicles. It was said to weigh three thousand six hundred castillanos. Large quantities of gold had also been shipped in the fleet by the followers of Roldan, and other adventurers ; the wealth gained by the sufferings of the unhappy natives. It was on the 29th of June, that Columbus arrived at the mouth of the river, and sent an officer on shore to explain to the governor the purpose of his visit; he requested permission, moreover, to shelter his squadron in the river, as he apprehended an approach- ing storm. His request was refused by Ovando, who probably had orders from the sovereigns to that effect, and perhaps was further swayed by prudent considerations. Columbus then sent a second message, entreating that the sailing of the fleet might be delayed, as there were indubitable signs of an approaching tempest. This request was as fruitless as the preceding; tl:e weather, to ai' inex- perienced eye, was fair and tranquil, and the warning of the admi- ral was treated with ridicule, as the prediction of a false prophet. Columbus retired from the river, indignant at being denied relief, and refused shelter in the very island which he had discov- OF COI.UMHUS. 347 liied :ov- ered. His crew murmured loudly at being excluded from a port of their own nation, where even strangers, under similar circum- stances, would be admitted, and they repined at having embarked with a commander who was liable to such treatment. Co- lumbus, feeling confident that a storm was at hand, kept his feeble squadron close to shore, and sought for shelter in some wild bay or river of the island. In the mean time, the fleet of Bobadilla set sail from 'San Domingo, and stood out confidently to sea. Within two days, the predictions of Columbus were verified. One of those tremendous storms which sometimes sweep those latitudes, gradually gathered up and begun to blow. The little squadron of Columbus remained for a time tolerably well sheltered by the land, but the tempest increasing, and the night coming on with unusual darkness, the ships lost sight of each other, and were separated. The admiral still kept close to the shore, and sustained no damage. The three other vessels ran out for sea-room, and for several days were driven about at the mercy of wind and wave, fearful each moment of shipwreck, and giving up each other as lost. The adelantado, who commanded the worst vessel of the squadron, ran the most imminent hazard, and nothing but his consummate sea- manship enabled him to keep her afloat ; he lost his longboat, and all the other vessels sustained more or less injury. At length, after various vicissitude s, they all arrived safe at Port Hcrmoso, to the west of San Domingo. A different fate befell the other armament. The ship on board of which were Bobadilla, Roldan, and a number of the most inveterate enemies of Columbus, was swallowed up with all its crew, and with the celebrated mass of gold, and the principal part of the ill-gotten treasure gained by the miseries of the Indians. Many of the other ships were entirely lost, some returned to Sau Domingo iu shattered condition, and only one was en- abled to con- tinue her voy- age to Spain. That one, it is said, was the VSfi fc i*' • _<^. ^^i^. lit ' \r^''^^»^^ ■4 r „, „-x « I TMi OltTHUCTION Or THE PLCtT OF BOBADILLA. ii^ i :] 34fi THK I.IKK AND VOYAGKS weakest of the fleet, and had on board of it four thousand pieces of gold, the property of the admiral, remitted to Spain by his agent Carvajal. IJoth Fernando Columbus, and the venerable historian Las Casas, looked upon this event as one of those awful judgments which seem at times to deal forth temporal retributif>n. They notice the circumstance, that while the enemies of the adujiral were thus, as it were bef( ore JUS eves, sw ;dl( owed Up in the raging sea, the on ily ship enabled to j)ursue her voyage was the frail bark freighted with his property. Many of the superstitious seamen, who, from the sagac- ity displayed by Columbus, in judging of the signs of the elements, and his variety of scientific knowledge, looked upon him as endowed with supernatural powers, fancied he had conjured up this storm by magic spells, for the destruction of his enemies. The evils in tliis, as in most of the cases called temporal judgments, overvvhclmed the innocent with the guilty. In the same ship witli liobadilia and Roldan, perished the captive (iuarionex, the unfortunate cacique of the vega. After repairing the damages sustained by his shijjs in the stortn, Columbus steered for l^erra Kirma, but the weather falling perfectly calm he was swept away to the northwest by the currents, until he arrived on the southern coast of Cuba. The wind spring- ing up fair, he resumed his course, and, standing to the southwest, was enabled, on the 30th of July, to make the island of (hianaga, a few leagues distant from the coast of Honduras. While the ade- lantado was on shore at this island, a canoe arrived of an immense size, on board of whicli sat a cacique with his wives and children, under an awning of palm leaves. The canoe was jjaddled by twenty-five Indians, and freighted with various merchandise, the rude manufactures and natural pro- ductions of the adjacent coun- tries. There were hatchets and other utensils of copper, with a kind of crucible for the melt- ing of that metal ; various ves- MDIAN l>OTTIII( mOM THt COXT nf HONOUHt* r«ODtlll)>. OK coMiMnns. 349 j,L-ls neatly forincd of clay, marble, and hard wood ; niajitles of cotton, worked and dyed with various colors; and many other articles which indicated a superior degree of art and civilization than had liitherto been discovered in the new world. The Indians, as far as they could be understofjd, informed the admiral that they had come from a country rich, cultivated, and industrious, situated to the west, and urged him to steer in that direction. Well would it have been for Columbus had he followed their advice. Within a day or two he would have arrived at Yuca- tan ; the discovery of Mexico, and the other opulent countries of New Spain, would have necessarily followed; the Southern Ocean would have been disclosed to him, and a succession of splendid discoveries would have shed fresh glory on his declining age, in- stead of its sinking amidst gloom, neglect, and disaj)pointment. The admiral's whole mind, however, was at j)resent intent uj)on discovering the supj)osed strait that was to lead him to the Indian Ocean. lie stood, theVefore, southwardly for sonic mountains which Ik- descried not many leagues distant, and made Cape Honduras, .iuil from thence proceeded eastwardly, beating against contrary winds, and struggling with the currents which sweep that coast. There was an .almost incessant tempest, with heavy rain and awful thunder and lightning. His vessels were strained so that their seams opened; the sails and rigging were rent, and the provisions (himaged by the rain and the leakage. The sailors were exhausted with fatigue, and harassed with terror. Several times they con- fessed their sins to each other, and jirepared fcjr death. During a great part of this time, C<*lumbus suffered extremely from the gout, and his coujplaint was aggravated by watchfulness and anxiety. His illness did not prevent his attending to his duties ; he had a small cabin or n)und-house constructed on the stern, from whence, even when confined to his bed, he could keep a lookout, and regu- late the sailing of the sliips. Many times he was so ill that he thought his end approaching, and his anxious mind was distressed at the thoughts that his brother Don Hartholomew, and his sou h\'rnand(), were ex))osed to the same dangers and hardships. Often, UH)y his thoughts reverted to his son Diego, and the cares and mis- fortunes into which his death might plunge him. At length, after struggling for upwards of forty days to make a distance of about seventy leagues, lie arrived, on the 14th of vSeptember, at a cape m \^.■i '^ ^ ill ^ 11 350 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES where the coast made a sudden bend, and turned directly south. Doubling this cape, he had immediately an easy wind, and swept off with flowing sail, in consequence of which he gave it the nanit; of Gracias a Dios, or Thanks to God. For three weeks he continued coasting what is at present called the Mosquito shore, in the course of which a boat with its crew was swallowed up by the sudden swelling of a river. He had occasional interviews with the natives, but a mutual distrust pre- vailed between them and the Spaniards. The Indians were fright- ened at seeing a notary of the fleet take out pen, ink, and paper, and proceed to write down the information they were communicat- ing; thej' supposed he was working some magic spell, and to coun- teract it, they scattered a fragrant powder in the air, and burnt it so that the smoke should be borne toward the Spaniards. The superstitious seamen looked upon these counter charms with equal distrust. They suspected the people of this coast to be great enchanters, and that all the delays and hardships they had experi- enced were in consequence of the ships being under some evil spell, wrought by their magic arts. Even Columbus, and his son and historian Fernando, appear to have been tinctured with -€^-j»\ this superstition, which indeed is characteristic of the age. On the 5th of October, Columbus arrived at what is at present called Costa Rica (or the Rich Coast), from the gold and silver mines found in after years among its mountains. Here he began to find ornaments of pure gold among the natives. These increased in quantity when he came to what has since been called the coast of Veragua, where he was assured that the richest mines were to be found. In sail- ing along these coasts he received re- peated accounts of a great kingdom ^^/^') ^^^ ^^^^ west, called Ciguare, at the distance of several da3^s' journej^ where, as far as he could understand the imperfect explanations of his interpreters, the inhabitants wore crowns and bracelets and anklets of gold, and employed it in embroider- INDIAN WOMAN OF CIQUARE (MODERN MEXICO) 5°INNINa. f >i"' OF COLUMBUS. 351 ing their gariiientJ^, and ornaineiiting and embossing their fnrni- ture. They were armed, also, like the Spaniards, with swords, bucklers, and cuirasses, and were mounted on horses. The country was described also as being commercial, with seaports, in which ships arrived armed with cannon. Above all, Columbus under- stood that the sea continued round to this kingdom of Ciguare, and that ten days beyond it was the Ganges. These were evidently rumors of the distant kingdom of Mexico, imperfectly interpreted to Columbus, and shaped and col- ored by his imagination. He concluded that this country must be some province belonging to the Grand Khan, and must lie on the opposite side of a peninsula, and that he would soon arrive at a strait leading into the Indian Sea, which washed its shores. The supposed vicinity of the Ganges caused no surprise, as he had adopted the opinion of certain ancient philosophers, who gave the world a smaller circumference than was generally imagined, and but fifty-six miles and two-thirds to a degree of the equinoctial line. With these erroneous but ingenious ideas, Columbus continued to press forward in search of the imaginary strait, contending with adverse winds and currents, and meeting with great hostility from the natives ; for the Indians of these coasts were fierce and war- like, and many of the tribes are supposed to have been of Carib origin. At sight of the ships, the forests would resound with yells and war-whoops, with wooden drums, and the blasts of conchs, and on landing the shores would be lined with savage warriors armed with clubs, and lances, and swords of palm wood. At length, having discovered and named Puerto Bello, and continued beyond Cape Nombre de Dios, Columbus arrived at a small and narrow harbor, to which he gave the name of El Retrete, or The Cabinet. Here he had reached the point, to which Bastides, an enterprising voyager, coasting from the eastward, had recently explored. Whether Columbus knew or not of the voyage of this discoverer, does not clearly appear, but here he was induced to give up all further attempt to find the strait. The seamen were disheartened by the constant opposition of the winds and currents, and by the condition of the ships, which were pierced in all parts by the teredo or worm, so destructive in the tropical seas. They considered themselves still under an evil spell, worked by the In- 1:^ 1' i. Wm ;!i : ?J m 'iii»iiii 353 THE UFR AND VOYAGES dian sorcerers, and the commanders remonstrated against forcing their way any farther in spite of the elements, with ships so crazed and leaky. Columbus yielded to their solicitations, and determined to return to the coast of Veragua, and search for the mines which were said to abound there. Here, then, ended the lofty anticipations which had elevated him above all mercenary views in his struggle along these perilous coasts, and had given a heroic character to the early part of his voyage. It is true, he had been in pursuit of a mere chimera, but it was the chimera of a spier lid imagination and a penetrating judgment. The subsequent discovery of the Pacific Ocean bathing the opposite shores of that narrow isthmus, has proved that a great part of his theory was well founded. INDIAN FROM THE MOSQUITO COAIT (mODCRN). CHAPTER XXXVIII. NCTURN TO THC COAST OF Vi RAOUA. CONTESTS WITH THt NATIVES. (1602.) J^ the 5th of December, Columbus sailed from El Retrete, to re- turn westward in search of the gold mines of Veragua. He had not proceeded far, how- ever, when the wind suddenly veered to the west, the point from whence, for three months, he had been wishing it to blow, but from whence it now came only to contradict him. In a little while it became so variable and furious as to baffle all seamanship. For nine days the vessels were tossed about, at the mercy of a raging tempest, in an unknown sea, and often exposed to the awful perils of a lee shore. The sea, accord- ing to the description of Columbus, boiled at times like a cauldron ; at other times it ran in mountain waves, covered with foam. At night, the raging billows sparkled with luminous particles which made them resemble great surges of flame. For a day and a night the heavens glowed like a furnace with incessant flashes of light- ning; while the loud claps of thunder were often mistaken by the mariners for signal guns of distress from their foundering compan- ions. During the whole time there was such a deluge of rain, that the seamen were almost drowned in their open vessels. In the midst of this wild tumult of the elements they beheld a new object of alarm. The ocean in one place became strangely (3S3> < It i i f it' ^ ; i; li kit . 'li? k THE SHIPS OF COuUMBUS THREATENED WIT 4 ENTIRE DESTRUCTION BY WATFR SPOUTS. \3U) OF COLUMBUS. 355 agitated. The water was whirled up into a kind of Pyramid or cone, while a livid cloud, tapering to a point, bent down to meet it. Joining together, they formed a colnmn, which rapidly approached the ships, spinning along the snrface of the deep, and drawing up the waters with a rushing sound. The affrighted mariners, when they beheld this waterspout advancing towards them, despaired of averting it by human means, and began to repeat certain passages from St. John the Evangelist. The waterspout passed close by their ships without injuring them, and they attributed their escape to the miraculous efficacy of their quotations from the Scriptures. An interval of calm^'succeeded, but even this afforded but little consolation to the tempest-tossed mariners, they looked upon it as deceitful, and beheld with alarm great numbers of sharks, so abun- dant and ravenous in those latitudes, roaming about the ships. Among the superstitions of the seas is the belief that these vora- cious fish have not only the faculty of smelling dead bodies at a distance, but have a presentiment of their prey, and keep about vessels which have sick persons on board, or which are in danger of being wrecked. For three weeks longer they continued to be driven to and fro, by changeable and tempestuous winds, endeavoring to make a distance of merely thirty leagues, insomuch that Columbus gave this line of seaboard the name of La Costa dc los Contrastes^ or the Coast of Contradictions. At length, to his great joy, he arrived, on the day of Epiphany, (the 6th of January) on the coast of Veragua, and anchored in a river to which, in honor of the day, he gave the name of Belen or Bethlehem. The natives of the neighborhood manifested the same fierce and warlike 'haracter that generally prevailed along this coast. They were soon conciliated, however, and brought many ornaments of fine gold to traffic; but assured the admiral that the mines lay near the river Veragua, which was about two leagues distant. The adelantado had an interview with Quibian, the cacique of Veragua, who afterwards visited the ships. He was a stern warrior, of tall and powerful fr-^.nie, and taciturn and cautious character. A few days afterwards, ♦ihe adelauiado, attended by sixty-eight men, well armed, proceeded to explore the Veragua, and seek its reputed mines. They ascended the river about a league and a half, to the village of Quibian, which was situated on a hill. The cacique de- 20 -jissm 356 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES the river. i i •lilr If f: if scended with a numerous train of his subjects, unarmed, and took his seat on a great stone, which one of his attendants drew out of lie received his guests with courtesy, for the lofty, vig- orous, and iron form of the adelantado, and his resohite demeanor, were calculated to inspire awe and respect in an Indian warrior. Though his jealousy was evidently awakened by the intrusion of the Spaniards into his ter- ritories, yet he readily furnished Don Bartholomew with guides, to conduct him to the mines. These guides led the adelantado and his men about six leagues into the in- terior, among thick forests of lofty and magnificent trees, where they told them the mines were situated. In fact, tne whole soil appeared impregnated with gold, and the Spaniards collected a considerable quantity from the surface of the earth, and from among the roots of the trees. From hence, the adelantado was conducted to the summit of a high hill, which overlooked an immense ex- tent of country, with vario is villages, and the guides as- sured him, that the whole land, to the distance of twenty days' journey westward, doounded in gold. Another expedition of Don Bartholomew along the coast, westward, was equally satisfactory; and the reports which he brought of golden tracts of country, together with the rumors of a rich and civilized kingdom in' the in- terior, and the erroneous idea with respect to the vicinity of the Ganges, all concurred to produce a new illusion in the ardent mind of Columbus. He fancied that he had actu- ally arrived at the Aurea Chersonesus, from whence, according to Josephus, the gold had been procured for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. Here, then, was a place at which to found a colony, and establish a mart, which should become an emporium of the wealth of a vast region of mines. His brother, Don Bartholomew, concurred with him in opinion, and agreed to remain here with the greater part of the people, while the admiral should return to Spain for supplies and reinforcements. They immediately proceeded to carry their plan into operation OON BARTHOLOMEW OOLUMBUS ON THE ROAD THROUQH THE VIRaiN FORESTS OF VERAQUA TO THE REPUTED GOLD MINES. ^1 OF COI^UMBUS. 357 Eiglity men were selected to remain. Houses of wood, thatched with palm leaves, were erected on the high bank of a creek, about a bow-shot within the mouth of the river Belen. A storehouse was built to receive part of the ammunition, artillery, and stores; the rest was put on board of one of the caravels, which was to be left for the use of the colony. The houses being sufficiently finished to be habitable, the ad- miral prepared for his departure, when he found, to his surprise, that the river, which on his arrival had been swollen by rain, had subsided to such a degree, that there was not above half a fathom of water on the bar. Though his vessels were small, it was impos- sible to draw them over the sands at the mouth of the river, on ac- count of a heavy surf. He was obliged, therefore, to wait until the rains should again swell the river. In the mean time, Quibian beheld with secret indignation these strangers intruding themselves into his dominions. Colum- bus had sought to secure his friendship by various presents, but in vain. The cacique, ignorant of the vast superiority of tho Euro- peans in the art of war, thought it easy to overwhelm and destroy them. He sent messengers around, and ordered all his fighting men to assemble at his residence, under pretext of making war upon a neighboring province. The movements of the Indians awakened the suspicions of one Diego Mendez, chief notary of the armament. He was a man of zeal and spirit, of a shrewd and prying character, and entirely devoted to the admiral. He mingled among the Indians, and observed circumstances which satisfied him that they were meditating an attack. The admiral was loth to believe it, and was desirous of clearer information, before he took any step that might interrupt the pacific intercourse that yet prevailed. The indefatigable- Mendez now undertook a service of life and death. Accompanied by a few friendly In- dians, he penetrated as a spy to the very residence of Quibian, who they heard had been wounded in the leg by an arrrow. Mendez gave himself out as a surgeon come to cure the wound, and made his way to the mansion of the grim warrior, which il 1 I OIEOO MENDEZ APPROACHING THE VILLAGE OF THE CACIQUE QUIOIAN. IT 358 THK UI^E AND VOYAGES was situated on the crest of a hill, and surrounded by three hundred heads, on stakes ; dismal trophies of the enemies he had vanquished in battle. Undismayed by this sight, Alendez endeavored to enter, but was met at the threshold by the son of the cacique, who re- pulsed him with a violent blow, that made him recoil several paces. He managed to pacify the furious young savage, by taking out a box of ointment, and assuring him that he only came for the pur- pose of curing his father's wounds. He then made him presents of a comb, scissors, and mirror, taught him and his Indians the use of them in cutting and arranging their hair, and thus ingratiated himself with them by administering to their vanity. It was im- possible, however, to gain admittance to the cacique ; but Mendez saw enough to convince him that the attack was about to be carried into effect, and that it was merely delayed by the wound of the cacique ; he hastened back, therefore, to Columbus with the intelli- gence. An Indian interpreter, a native of the neighborhood, corrobor- ated the report of Mendez. He informed the admiral that Quibian intended to come secretly in the dead of the night, with all his warriors, to set fire to the ships and houses, and massacre the Spaniards. When the adelantado heard of this plot, he conceived a coun- terplot to defeat it, which he carried into effect with his usual promptness and resolution. Taking with him seventy-four men, well armed, among whom was Diego Alendez, and being accompa- nied by the Indian interpreter who had revealed the conspiracy, he set off in boats to the mouth of the Veragua, ascended it rapidly, and landed in the night at the village of the cacique, before the Indians could have notice of his approach. Lest Quibian should take the alarm and fly, he ascended to his house, accompanied only by Diego Mendez and four other men, ordering the rest to come on gradually and secretly, and at the discharge of an arquebuse to rush up and surround the house, and suffer no one to escape. The cacique, hearing of his approach, came forth, and seating himself in the portal, desired him to advance singly. Don Bar- tholomew complied, ordering Diego Mendez and his four compan- ions to remain at a little distance, but to rush to his aid at a con- certed signal. He then advanced, addressed the cacique by means of the interpreter, inquired about his wound, and pretending to OF COLUMBUS. 359 examine it, took him by the arm. This was the signal, at which four of the Spaniards rushed forward, the fifth discharged the ar- quebuse. A violent struggle ensued be- tween Don Bar- tholomew and the cacique, who were both men of great muscular force but, with the assist ance of Diego Mendez and his companions, Qui- bian was over- powered, and bound hand an d foot. In the mean- time the main body of the Spaniards sur rounded the house, and captured the wives and children of the cacique, and sev eral of his principal subjects. The prison ers were sent off to the ships, while the adelantado, with a part of his men, remained on shore to pursue the Indians who had escaped. The cacique was conveyed to the boats by Juan Sanchez, the principal pilot of the sqiiadron, a powerful and spirited man. The adelantado charged him to be on his guard against any attempt at rescue or escape. The sturd}^ pilot replied, that if the cacique es- caped from his clutches he would give them leave to pluck out his beard hair by hair. On arriving at the boat, he secuied his pris- oner by a strong cord to one of the benches. It was a dark night ; as the boat proceeded clown the river, the cacique complained pite- ously of the painfulness of bis bonds, until the rough heart of the pilot was touched with compcssion. He loosened the cord, there- fore, by which Quibian was tied to the bench, keepirg the end of it in his hand. The wily Indian now watched his opportunity', and plunged suddenly into the water with such violence that the pilot had to let go the cord, lest he should be drawn in after him. The darkness of the night, and the bustle which took place in prevent- VIOLENT STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE CACIOUE QUIBIAN «N0 THE ADELANTADO. mm'^7 560 THE LIKE AND VOYAGES ing the escape of the other prisoners, rendered it impossible to pursue the cacique, or even to ascertain his fate. Juan Sanchez hastened to the ships with the residue of the captives, deeply mort- ified at being thus outwitted by a savage. The adelantado remained all night on shore, but on the follow- ing morning, seeing the wild and rugged nature of the country, he gave up all further pursuit of the Indians, and returned to the ships with the spoils of the cacique's mansion, consisting of brace- lets, anklets, and massive plates of gold, and two golden coronets. One-fifth of the booty was set apart for the crown, the residue was shared among those concerned in the enterprise, and one of the coronets was assigned to the adelantado as a trophy of his exploit. < :. 31 'mmi BOTTOM OF *N ENAMELED CUP FOUND IN THE CEMETERY OF TfcNENEPANGO, MF.XICO. SIMILAR IN WORKMANSHIP TO POTTERY FOUND IN COSTA RICA. CHAPTER XXXIX. DISASTERS OF THE SETTLEMENT. (l803.) HATISFIED that the vigorous measures of the adelantado had struck terror into the Indians, and crushed their hostile designs, Columbus took advantage of a swelling of the river, to pass the bar with three of his caravels, leaving the fourth for the use of the settlement. He then anchored within a league of the shore, until a favorable wind should spring up for Hispaniola. The cacique Quibian had not perished in the river, as some had supposed. Plunging to the bottom, ^g he swam for some distance below the sur- face, and then emerging, escaped to the shore. His home, however, was desolate, and to complete his despair, he saw the vessels standing out to sea, bearing away his wives and children captives. Furious for revenge, he gathered together a great number of his warriors, and assailed the settlement when the Spaniards were scat- tered and off their guard. The Indians launched their javelins through the roofs of the houses, which were of palm leaves, or hurled them in at the windows, or thrust them between the logs which com- posed the walls, and wounded several of the Spaniards. On the first alarm, the adelantado seized a sword, and sallied forth with seven or eight of his men; THE ADELANTADO WOUNDED BY ONE OF QUiniAN'S 'l^ll -:m: f 362 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES iH i^^^^^H :7i' 1 "■'i I 1 H Diego Mendez brought several others to his assistance. They had a short skirmish ; one Spaniard was killed, and eight wounded ; the adelantado received a thrust in the breast with a javelin ; but they succeeded in repulsing the Indians, with considerable loss, and driving them into the forest. During the skirmish, a boat came on shore from the ships to procure wood and water. It was commanded by Diego Tristan, a captain of one of the caravels. When the Indians were put to flight, he proceeded up the river, in quest of fresh water, disregard- ing the warning counsels of those on shore. The boat had ascended about a league above the village, to a part of the river overshadowed by lofty banks and spreading trees. Suddenly the forest resounded with yells and war-whoops, and the blasts of conchs. A shower of missiles was rained from the shores, and canoes darted out from creeks and coves, filled with warriors, brandishing their weapons. The Spaniards, losing all presence of mind, neglected to use their firearms, and only sought to shelter themselves with their bucklers. The captain, Diego Tristan, though covered with wounds, endeavored to animate his men, when a jave- lin pierced his right e3'e, and struck him dead. The canoes now closed upon the boat, and massacred the crew. One Spaniard alone escaped, who, having fallen overboard, dived to the bottom, swam under water, and escaped unperceived to shore, bearing tidings of the massacre to the settlement. The Spaniards were so alarmed at the intelligence, and at the thoughts of the dangers that were thickening around them, that, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the adelantado, they determined to embark in the caravel, and abandon the place altogether. On making the attempt, however, they found that, the torrents having subsided, the river was again shallow, and it was impossible for the caravel to pass over the bar. A high sea and boisterous surf also prevented their sending off a boat to the admiral, with intelligence of their danger. While thus cut off from all retreat or succor, horrors increased upon them. The mangled bodies of Diego Tristan and his men came floating down the stream, and drifted about the harbor, with flights of crows and other carrion birds feeding on them, and hovering, and screaming, and fighting about their prey. In the mean time, the dismal sound of conchs and war drums was heard in every direction in the bosom of the surrounding for- OF COLUMBUS. 363 est, showing that the enemy was augmenting in number, and pre- paring for further hostilities. The adelantado, therefore, deemed it unsafe to remain in the village, which was adjacent to the woods. He chose an open place on the shore, where he caused a kind of bulwark to be made of the boat of the caravel, and of casks and sea chests. Two places were left open as embrasures, in which were mounted a couple of falconets, or small pieces of artillery. In this little fortress, the Spaniards shut themselves up, and kept the Indi- ans at a distance by the terror of their firearms ; but they were exhausted by watching and by incessant alarms, and looked forward with despondency to the time when their ammunition should be ex- hausted, or they should be driven forth by hunger to seek for food. While the Spaniards were exposed to such imminent peril on shore, great anxiety prevailed on board of the ships. Day after day elapsed without the return of Diego Tristan and his party, and it was feared that some disaster had befallen them. But one boat remained for the service of the ships, and they dared not risk it in the rough sea and heavy surf, to send it on shore for in- tflligence. A circumstance occurred to in- crease the anxiety of the crews. The Indian prisoners were confined in the forecastle of one of the caravels. In the night they sud- denly burst open the hatch, several flung themselves into the sea, and swam to the shore ; the rest .were secured and forced back into the forecastle, but such was their unconquerable spirit and their des- pair, that they hanged or strangled themselves with ends of cords which lay about in their prison, and in the morning were all found dead. The escape of some of the prisoners gave great uneasiness to the admiral, fearing they would stimulate their countrymen to some hiew act of vengeance. Still it was impossible to send a boat on shore. At length one Pedro Ledesma, a man of great strength and resolution, volunteered, if the boat would take him to the edgf INDIAN PHISONERS MAKE A BREAK FOR LIBERTY, BV THROWIND THEMSELVES HEUDLONO INTO THE SEA FROM THE rORECASTLE OF THE CARAVCU /lllfl '41 V I'ilHlM If vIDHHipiim 364 THK LIFE AND VOYAGES mm': of tlic surf, to plunge into the sea, swim to the shore, and bring off intelligence. He succeeded, and, on his return, informed the admi- ral of all the disasters of the settlement ; the attack by the Indians, and the massacre of Diego Tristan and his boat's crew. He found the Spaniards in their forlorn fortress, in a complete state of insub- ordination. They were preparing canoes to take them to the ships, when the weather should moderate. They threatened that, if the admiral refiised to take them on board, they would embark in the remaining caravel, as soon as it could be extricated from the river, and would abandon themselves to the mercy of the seas, rather than continue on that fatal coast. The admiral was deeply afflicted at this intelligence, but there appeared no alternative but to embark all the people, abandon the settlement for the present, and return at a future day, with a force competent to take secure possession of the country. The state of the weather rendered the execution even of this plan doubtful. The high wind and boisterous waves still prevented communica- tion, and the situation of those at sea, in crazy and feebly manned ships, on a lee shore, was scarcely less perilous than that of their comrades on the land. Every hour increased the anxiety of the admiral. Days of constant perturbation, and nights of sleepless anguish, preyed upon a constitution broken by age and hardships. Amidst the acute maladies of the body, and the fever of the mind, he appears to have been visited by partial delirium. In a letter to the sovereigns, he gives an account of a kind of vision, which com- forted him when full of despondency, and tossing upon a couch of pain. In the silence of the night, when, wearied and sighing, he had fallen into a slumber, he thought he heard a voice reproaching him with his want of confidence in God. *' Oh fool, and slow to believe thy God!" exclaimed the voice; "what did he more for Moses or for his servant David? From the time that thou wert born he has ever taken care of thee. When he saw thee of a fitting age, he made thy name to resound marvellously throughout the world. The Indies, those rich parts of the earth, he gave thee for thine own, and empowered thee to dispose of them to others ac- cording to thy pleasure. He delivered thee the keys of the gates of the ocean sea, shut up by such mighty chains, and thou wert obeyed in many lands, and didst acquire honorable fame among Christians. * * * * Thou dost call despondingly for succor. OK COI^UMBUS. 3*5 Answer I who has afflicted thee? God, or the world? The privileges and promises which God has made thee, he has never broken. He fulfills all that he promises, and with increase. Thy present troubles are the reward of the toils and perils thou hast endured in serving others." Amidst its reproaches the voice mingled promises of further protection, and assurances that his age should be no im- pediment to any great undertaking. Such is the vision which Columbus circumstantially relates in a letter to the sovereigns. The words here spoken by a supposed voice, are truths which dwelt upon his mind and agitated his spirit in his -waking hours; it is natural, therefore, that they should recur vividly in his feverish dreams. He had a solemn belief that he was a peculiar, instrument in the hands of Providence, which, together with a deep tinge of superstition, common to the age, made him prone to mistake every striking dream for a revelation. His error was probably confirmed by subsequent circumstances. Immediately after the supposed vision, and after nine days of boisterous weather, the wind subsided, the sea became calm, and the adelantado and his companions were happily rescued from their perilous situation, and embarked on board of the ships. Every thing of value was likewise brought on board, and nothing re- mained but the hull of the caravel, which could not be extricated from the river. Diego Mendez was extremely efficient in bringing off the people and the property; and, in reward of his zeal and services, the admiral gave him the command of the caravel, vacant by the death of the unfortunate Diego Tristan. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) LP |=LL 11.25 Ui, 1^ m U£ US 1^ m m u lU u MU.. u& 1^ 1 1.8 U ill.6 ^ iV s 4" \\ %^^* 'S'L V ^?^/^ ^ ;\ ^^^"'^'Sn %'^\, ■^" OT »% ^^. Q- CHAPTER XL. VOYAGE TO JAMAICA. TRANSACTPONS AT THAT ISLAND. (1603.) ^OWARDS the end of April, Columbus set sail from the disastrous coast of Veragua. The wretched condition of his ships, the enfeebled state of his crews, and the scarcity of provisions, determined him to make the best of his way for Hispaniola : but it was nec- essary, before standing across for that l\^ island, to gain a considerable distance to the east, to avoid being swept away far below their destined port by the cur- rents. The pilots and mariners, who sV^^"^-^ had not studied the navigation of these ^""^•j seas with an equally experienced and ob- ^ servant eye, fancied, when Columbus stood along the coast to the east, that he intended to proceed immediately to Spain, and murmured loudly at the madness of attempting so long a voyage, with ships destitute of stores and consumed by the worms. The admiral U^) OF COLUMBUS. 367 did not impart his reasons, for he was disposed to make a mys- tery of his routes, seeing the number of private adventurers daily crowding into his track. Continuing along the coast eastward, he was obliged to aban- don one of the caravels in the harbor of Puerto Bello, being so pierced by the teredo that it was impossible to keep her afloat. He then proceeded about ten leagues beyond Point Bias, near to what is at present called the gulf of Darien, and which he supposed to be the province of Mangi, in the territories of the Grand Khan. Here he bade farewell to the main land, and stood northward on the first of May, in quest of Hispaniola. Notwithstanding all his precautions, however, he was carried so far west by the currents, as to arrive, on the 30th of May, among the cluster of islands called the Queen's Gardens, on the south side of Cuba. During this time, his crews had suffered excessively from hunger and fatigue. They were crowded into two caravels, little better than mere wrecks, and which were scarcely kept afloat by incessant labor at the pump. They weie enfeebled by scanty diet, and dejected by a variety of hardships. A violent storm, on the coast of Cuba, drove the vessels upon each other, and shattered them to such a degree, that the ad- miral, after struggling as far as Cape Cruz, gave up all further at- tempt to navigate them to Hispaniola, and stood over, in search of a secure port, on the island of Jamaica. Here, on the 24th of June, they anchored in a harbor, to which the admiral gave the name of Port San Gloria. Seeing that his ships were no longer capa- ble of standing the sea, and were in danger of foundering even in port, Columbus ran them aground, within bowshot of the shore, where they were fastened together side by side. They soon filled with water. Thatched cabius were then erected at the prow and COLUMBUS RUNS THE CARAVEL AGROUND ON THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA. 368 THK IJKR AND VOYAOKS Stern to shelter the crews, and the wreck was placed in the best possible state of defense. Thus castled in the sea, Columbus trusted to be able to repel any sudden attack of the natives, and at the same time to keep his men under proper restraint. No one was permitted to go on shore without especial license, and the utmost precau- tion was taken to prevent any offence being given to the Indians, who soon swarmed to the harbor with provisions, as any exasperation of them might be fatal to the Spaniards in their present forlorn situation. Two persons were ap- pointed to superintend all bargains, and the provisions thu.'i obtained were divided every evening among the people. As the immediate neighborhood, however, might soon be exhausted, the zealous and intrepid Diego Mendez made a tour in the interior, accompanied by three men, and made arrangements for the ca- ciques at a distance to furnish daily sup- plies at the harbor, in exchange for Eu- ropean trinkets. He returned in tri- umph, in a canoe which he had purchased from the Indians, and which he had freighted with provisions, and through his able arrangement the Spaniards were regularly supplied. The immediate wants of his people being thus provided for, Columbus revolved in his anxious mind the means of getting from this island. His ships were beyond the possibility of repair, and there was no hope of a chance sail arriving to his relief, on the shores of a savage island, in an unfrequented sea. At length, a mode of relief occurred to him, through the means of this same Diego Mendez whose courage and loyalty he had so often proved. He took him aside to sound him on the subject, and Mendez himself has written an account of this interesting conversation, which is full of character. ** Diego Mendez, my son," said the venerable admiral, " of all w l.v Vfc r-'^ -m % "^BK ill ■' r. > / lift ' , 1 .•> ^M L f 1 f '^ 'k ' -T^-t..;.^: J i. '^■v '4^^^/- -■'It ■ fiX Jt i ' 0[ ^nm. .^,-: f V--! i r .-■■■ '*'■• '■^^^jm/^B^BBB^^ r^); '^^4, iKOiANi aiMNaiNa moviuoNi for baktcr to the shipwricked crew of COlUMBUi. OF COLUMBUS. 369 OIEOO MfNOCZ VltlTINO TH( INDIAN VILlAOea TO OBTAIN A HCGULAH (UPPLV OF MIOVIMOM FOR THE SHIPWHECKED CREWI, those who are here, you and I alone know the great peril in which we are placed. We are few in vmniber, and these savage Indians are many, and of fickle and irritable natures. On the least provo- cation, they may throw fire- brands from the shore, and con- sume us in our straw-thatched cabins. The arrangement which you have made for provisions, and which at present they fulfill so cheerfully, they may capri- ciously break to-morrow, and may refuse to bring us any thing; nor have we the means of com- pelling them. I have thought of a remedy, if it meets your views. In this canoe which you have purchased, some one may pass over to Hispaniola, and procure a ship, by which we shall all be de- livered from this great peril. Tell me your opinion on the matter." "Sefior," replied Diogo Mendez, " I well know our ^^^^^^^^jgg^ danger to be far greater than is easily conceived; but as to passing to Hispaniola in so small a ves sel as a canoe, I' hold it not merely difficult, but impossible, since it is necessary to traverse a gulf of forty leagues, and between islands where the sea is impetuous and seldom in re- pose. I know not who there is would venture upon so extreme a peril." Columbus made no reply ; but from his looks, and the nature of his silence, Men- dez plainly perceived himself to be the per- son whom the admiral had in view. Resum- ing, therefore, the conversation, " Sefior," said he, " I have many times put my life in peril to save you and my comrades, and God has hitherto preserved me in a miraculous manner. There are, nevertheless, murmurers, who say that ycur Excellency intrusts to me every affair wherein honor is to be gained, while there iiouAm, A aPECica of lizardi hiohiv miiio iv tni NATIVIt OF THE ANTILLES Al AN ARTICLE OF FOOO. i •^^m 370 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES are others in company who would execute them as well as I. I beg, therefore, that you would assemble the people, and propose this enterprise, to see if any one will undertake it, which I doubt. If all decline, I will then come forward and risk my life in your service, as I have many times done already." The admiral willingly humored the wishes of the worthy Meu- dez ; for never was simple vanity accompanied by more generous and devoted zeal. On the following morning the crew was accordingly assembled, and the proposition made. Every one drew back, pronouncing it the height of rashness. Upon this Diego Meudez stepped for- ward. "Seiicr," said he, "I have but one life to lose, yet I am willing to venture it for your service, and for the good of all here present; and I trust in the pro- tection of God, which I have experienced on so many other occasions." Columbus embraced this zealous follower, who immediately set about preparing for the expedi- tion. Drawing his canoe on shore, he put on a false keel and nailed weatherboards along the bow and stern, to prevent the sea from break- ing over it. He then payed it with a coat of tar, furnished it with a mast and sail, and put in provisions for himself, a Spanish comrade, and six Indians. In the mean while Columbus wrote a letter to Ovando, governor of Hispan- iola, begging that a ship might imme- diately be sent to bring him and his men to Hispaniola; and he wrote another to the sovereigns, entreating for a ship to convey them from Hispaniola to Spain. In this letter he gave a comprehensive account of this voyage, and expressed his opinion that Veragua was the Aurea Chersone- sus of the ancients. He supposed himself to have reached the confines of the dominions of the Grand Khan, and offered, if he lived to return to Spain, to conduct a mission thither to instruct that potentate in the Christian faith. What an instance of soaring enthusiasm and irrepressible enterprise is here exhibited. At the coiu«aua vrtnni Hit noble and zealous follower, oieoo mcndez, ton HIi DtVOTiON TO Ml» CAUSE. OF COLUMBUS. 371 time he was indulging these visions, and proposing new and ro- mantic enterprises, he was broken down by age and infirmities, racked by pain, confined to his bed, and shut up in a wreck on the coast of a remote and savage island. ♦ The despatches being ready, Diego Mendez embarked with his Spanish comrade and his six Indians, and coasted the island east- ward. Their voyage was toilsome and perilous. When arrived at the end of the island they were suddenly surrounded and taken prisoners by the Indians, who carried them three leagues into the interior, where they .V: ^.^" v.; V -^ I ■ ?.»- ■•-. determined to kill them. A dispute aris- ing about the division of the spoils, they soon became embroiled in a general fight ; while thus engaged, Diego Mendez escaped, r e - gained his canoe, and made his way back to the harbor in it, alone, after fifteen days' ab- sence. Nothing daunted by the perils and hardships he had undergone, he offered to depart immediately, on a second attempt, provided he could be escorted to the end of the island by an armed force. His offer was accepted, and Bartholomew Fiesco, a Genoese, who had commanded one of the caravels, and was strongly attached to the admiral, was associated with him in this second expedition. Each had a canoe, with six Spaniards and ten Indians under his command. On reaching Hispaniola, Fiesco was to return imme- diately to Jamaica, to bring tidings to the admiral of the safe ar- rival of his messenger ; while Diego Mendez was to proceed to San Domingo, and, after purchasing and despatching a ship, was to de- part for Spain with the letter to the sovereigns. All arrangements being made, the Indians placed in the canoes •" 'V — ♦'.::.- INDIAN FIGHT, REPRODUCED FROM AN ENQRAVINQ BV JEAN DE LEW. 21 372 THE UFE AND VOYAGES a supply of cassava bread, and each his calabash of water. The Spaniards, beside their provisions, had each his sword and target. The adelantado, with an armed band, kept pace with them along the coast, until they reached the end of the island, where, waiting for three days until the weather was perfectly serene, they launched forth on the broad bosom of the sea. The adelantado remained watching them, until they became mere specks on the ocean, and the evening hid them from his view, and then returned to the harbor. MONUMENT OF COLUMBUS AT BARCELONA. CHAPTER XLI. MUTINY OF PORRAS. ECLIPSE OF THE MOON. STRATAGEM OF COLUMBUS TO PROCURE SUPPLIES FROM THE INDIANS. (1603.) ONTHS elapsed, and nothing was heard of Mendez and Fiesco. The Spaniards, en- feebled by past sufferings, crowded in close quarters, in a moist and sultry climate, and reduced to a vegetable diet, to which they were unaccustomed, became extremely sick- ly, and their maladies were heightened by anxiety and suspense. Day after day, and week after week, they kept a wistful look-out upon the sea for the expected return of Fiesco, flattering themselves that every Indian canoe, gliding at a distance, might be the harbinger of deliverance. It was all in vain ; and at length they began to fear that their mes- sengers had perished. Some gradually sank into despondency; others became peevish and impatient, and, in their unreasonable heat, railed at their venerable and infirm commander as the cause of all their misfortunes. Among the officers of Columbus Avere two brothers, Francisco and Diego Porras, relations of the royal treasurer Morales. To gratify the latter, the admiral had appointed one of them captain of a caravel, and the other notary and accountant-general of the expedition. They were vain and insolent men, . ' like many others whom Columbus had benefited, requited his kindness with the blackest ingratitude. Mingling with the people, they assured them that Columbus had no intention of returning to Spain, having in reality beer banished thence by the sovereigns. His- paniola, they said, was equally closed against him, and it was his f37S) w 374 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES design to remain iu Jamaica, until his friends could make interest at court to procure his recall. As to Mendez and Fiesco, they had been sent to Spain by Columbus on his own private concerns ; if this were not the case, whj' did not the promised ship arrive ? or why did not Fiesco return ? Or, if the canoes had really been sent for succor, the long time that had elapsed, without tidings, gave reason to believe that they had perished by the way. In such case, their only alternative would be to take Indian canoes, and endeavor to reach Hispaniola: but there was no hope of persuading the admiral to do this; he was too old, and too infirm, to undertake such a voyage. By these insidious suggestions, they gradually prepared the people for revolt, assuring them of the protection of their own relatives in Spain, and of the countenance of Ovando and Fonseca, if not of the favor of the sovereigns themselves, who had shown their ill-will towards Columbus by stripping him of part of his dignities and privileges. On the 2d of January, 1504, the mutiny broke out. Fran- cisco Porras suddenly entered the cabin where Columbus was con- fined to his bed by the gout, reproached him vehemently for keep- ing them in that desolate place to perish, and accused him of having no intention to return to Spain. The admiral raised himself in bed, and, maintaining his calmness, endeavored to reason with the traitor; but Porras was deaf to all argument. "Embark imme- diately, or remain, in God's name ! " cried he, with a voice that re- sounded all over the wreck. " For my part, I am for Castile ! those who choose, may follow me ! " This was the signal. ** For Castile ! for Castile ! " was heard on every side. The mutineers sprang upon the most conspicuous parts of the vessel, brandishing their weapons, and, amidst the uproar, the voices of some desperadoes were heard menacing the life of the admiral. Columbus, ill and infirm as he was, leaped out of bed, and tottered forth to pacify the mutineers, but was forced back into his cabin by some of his faithful adherents. The adelantado sallied forth, sword in hand, and planted himself in a situation to take the whole brunt of the assault. It was with the greatest difficulty that several of the loyal part of the crew could restrain his fury, and prevail upon him to relinquish his weapon, and retire to the cabin of his brother. #i'{v^-r OF COLUMBUS. 375 n the The mutineers, being entirely unopposed, took ten canoes, which the admiral had purchased from the Indians ; others, who had not been concerned in the mutiny, joined them, through fear of remaining behind, when so reduced in number; in this way, forty - eight abandoned the admiral. Many of the sick crawled forth from their cabins, and beheld their de- parture with tears and la- mentations, and would gladly have accompanied them, had their strength permitted. Porras coasted with his squadron of canoes to the eastward, landing occasional- ly and robbing the natives, pretending to act under the authority of Columbus, that he might draw on him their hostility. Arrived at the east end of the island, he pro- cured several Indians to man- age the canoes, and then set out on his voyage across the gulf. The Spaniards had scarcely proceeded four leagues, when the wind came ahead, with a swell of the sea that threatened to overwhelm the deeply laden canoes. They immediately turned for land, and, in their alarm, threw overboard the greater part of their effects. The danger still continuing, they drew their swords, and compelled most of the Indians to leap into the sea. The latter were skillful swimmers, but the distance to land was too great for their strength ; if, however, they at any time took held of the canoes to rest themselves and recover breath, the THE ADELANTADO, SWORD IN HAND, BRAVES THE FURY OF THE MUTINEERS. 'SEE PAGE 291.) 376 THE I.IFK AND VOYAGES Spaniards, fearful of their overturning the slight barks, would stab them, or cut off their hands. Some were thus slain by the sword, others sunk exhausted beneath the waves ; eighteen perished mis- erably ; and none survived but a few who had been retained to man- age the canoes. Having reached the shore in safety, Porras and his men waited until the weather became favorable, and then made another effort to cross to Hispaniola, but with no better success. They then aban- doned the attempt in despair, and returned westward, towards the harbor, roving from village to village, living upon the provisions of the Indians, which they took by force if not readily given, and conducting themselves in the most licentious manner. If the na- tives remonstrated, they told them to seek redress at the hands of the admiral, whom, at the same time, they represented as the im- placable foe of the Indian race, and bent upon gaining a tyrannical sway over their island. In the mean time, Columbus, when abandoned by the mutineers, and left in the wreck with a mere handful of sick and desponding men, exerted himself to the utmost to restore this remnant to an efficient state of health and spirits. He ordered that the small stock of biscuit which remained, and the most nourishing articles of the provisions furnished by the Indians, should be appropriated to the invalids : he visited them individually, cheered them with hopes of speedy deliverance, and promised that on his return to Spain he would intercede with the sovereigns, that their loyalty might be munificently rewarded. In this way, by kind and careful treatment, and encouraging words, he succeeded in restoring them from a state of sickness and despondency, and rendering them once more fit for service. Scarcely, however, had the little garrison of the wreck recov- ered from the shock of the mutiny, when it was menaced by a new and appalling evil. The scanty number of the Spaniards prevented them from foraging abroad for provisions, and rendered them de- pendent on the voluntary supplies of the natives. The latter began to grow negligent. The European trinkets, once so inestimable in their eyes, had sunk in value by becoming common, and were now almost treated with indifference. The arrangements made by Diego Mendez were irregularl}^ attended to, and at length entirely disre- garded- Many of the caciques had been incensed by the conduct OF COLUMllUS. 377 ecov- new nted 1 de- of Porras and his followers, whith they supposed justified by the admiral ; others had been secretly iustigated by the rebels to with- hold provisions, in hopes of starving Columbus and his people, or of driving them from the island. The horrors of famine begar. to threaten the terrified crew, when a fortunate idea presented itself to Columbus. From his knowledge of astronomy, he ascertained that within three days there would be a total eclipse of the moon, in the early part of the night. He summoned, therefore, the principal caciques to a grand conference, appointing for it the day of the eclipse. When all were assembled, he told them by his interpreter, that he and his follow- ers were worshippers of a Deity, who lived in the skies, and held them under his protection ; that this great Deity was incensed against the Indians, who had refused or neglected to furnish his faithful worshippers with provisions, and intended to chastise them with famine and pestilence. Lest they should disbelieve this warn- ing, a signal would be given that very night in the heavens. They would behold the moon change its color, and gradually lose its light ; a token of the fearful punishment which awaited them. COLUMBUS AND THE ECLIPSE. 37« THE LIFE AND VOYAGES Many of the Indians were alarmed at the solemnity of this pre- diction, others treated it with derision ; all, however, awaited with solicitude the coming of the night. When they beheld a black shadow stealing over the moon, and a mysterious gloom gradually covering the whole face of nature, the}' were seized with the utmost consternation. Hurrying with provisions to the ships, and throwing themselves at the feet of Columbus, they implored him to intercede with his God to withhold the threatened calamities, assuring him th£\t thenceforth they would bring him whatever he required. Co- lumbus retired to his cabin, under pretense of communing with the Deity, the forests and shores all the while resounding with the howlings of the savages. He returned shortly, and informed the natives that the Deity had deigned to pardon them, on condition of their fulfilling their promises, in sign of which he would with- draw the darkness from the moon. When the Indians saw that planet restored presently to its brightness, and rolling in all its beauty through the firmament, they overwhelmed the admiral with thanks for his intercession. They now regarded him with awe and reverence, as one enjoying the peculiar favor and confidence of the Deity, since he knew upon earth what was passing in the heavens. They hastened to propitiate him with gifts ; supplies again arrived daily at the harbor, and from that time forward there was no want of provisions. :%iM CHAPTER XLII. ARRIVAL OF DIEQO OE ESCOBAR AT THE HARBOR. BATTLE WITH THE REBELS. (l504.) IGHT months had now elapsed, since the de- parture of Mendez and Fiesco, yet no tidings had been received of their fate. The hopes of the most sanguine were nearly extinct, and many, considering themselves aban- doned and forgotten by the world, grew wild and desperate in their plans. Another con- spiracy, similar to that of Porras, was on the point of breaking out, when one evening, towards dusk, a sail was seen standing towards the harbor. It was a small caravel, which kept out at sea, and sent its boat on shore. In this came Diego de Escobar, one of the late confederates of Roldan, who had been condemned to death under the administration of Colum- bus, and pardoned by his successor, Bobadilla. There was bad omen in such a messenger. Escobar was the bearer of a mere letter of compliment and condoleiice from Ovando, accompanied by a barrel of wine and a side of bacon. The governor expressed great concern at his mis- fortunes and regret at not having in port a vessel of sufficient size to bring off himself and people, but promised to send one as soon as possible. Escobar drew off with the boat, and kept at a dis- tance from the wreck, awaiting any letters the admiral might have to send in reply, and holding no conversation with any of the Spaniards. Columbus hastened to write to Ovando, depicting the horrors of his situation, and urging the promised relief. As soon as Escobar received this letter, he returned on board of his caravel, (37») i -Ml 380 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES which made all sail, and disappeared in the gathering gloom of the night. The mysterious conduct of Escobar caused great wonder and consternation among the people. Columbus sought to dispel their uneasiness, assuring them that vessels would soon arrive to take them away. In confidence of this, he said, he had declined to de- part with Escobar, because his vessel was too small to take the whole, and had despatched him in such haste, that no time might be lost in sending the requisite ships. These assurances, and the certainty that their situation was known in San Domingo, cheered the hearts of the people, and put an end to the conspiracy. Columbus, however, was secretly indignant at the conduct of Ovando, believing that he had purposely delayed sending relief, in the hopes that he would perish on the island, being apprehensive that, should he return in safety, he would be reinstated in the gov- ernment of Hispanolia. He considered Escobar merely as a spy, sent by the governor to ascertain whether he and his crew ^ ere yet in existence. Still he endeavored to turn the event to some ad- vantage with the rebels. He sent two of his people to inform them of the promise of Ovando to send ships lor his relief, and he offered them a free pardon, and a passage to Hispaniola, on condi- tion of their immediate return to obedience. On the approach of the ambassadors, Porras came forth to meet them, accompanied solely by a few of the ringleaders of his party, and prevented their holding any communication wi ''i the mass of his people. In reply to the generous offer of the admiral, they re- fused to return to the wreck, but agreed to conduct themselves peaceably and amicably, on receiving a solemn promise that, should two vessels arrive, they should have one to depart in , should but one arrive, the half of it should be granted to them; and that, in the mean time, the admiral should share with them the sea stores and articles of Indian traffic which remained in his possession. When it was observed that these demands were extravagant and inad- missible, they replied, that if they were not peaceably conceded, they would take them by force ; and with this menace they dis- missed the ambassadors. The conference was not conducted so privately but that the rest of the rebels learnt the whole purport of the mission. Porras seeing them moved by the offer of pardon and deliverance, resorted OF COLUMBUS. 381 to the most desperate falsehoods to delude them. He told them that these offers of the admiral were all deceitful, and that he only sought to get them into his power, that he might wreak on them his vengeance. As to the pretended caravel which had visited the harbor, he assured them that it was a mere phantasm, conjured up by the admiral, who was deeply versed in magic. In proof of this, he adverted to its arriving in the dusk of the evening, its holding communica- tion with no one but the admiral, and its sudden disappearance in the night. Had it been a real caravel, the crew would POIIRA6 lEAOINO THE RtSElS TOWARDS THE HANRCii. have sought to converse with their coun- trymen ; the admiral, his son, and brother, would have eagerly em- barked on board ; at any rate, it would have remained a little while in port, and not have vanished so suddenly and mysteriously. By these and similar delusions Porras succeeded in working up- on the feelings and credulity of his followers; and persuaded them that, if they persisted in their rebellion, they would ultimately triumph, and perhaps send home the admiral in irons, as had once before been done from Hispaniola. To involve them beyond hope of pardon, he marched them one day towards the harbor, with an in- tention of seizing upon the stores remaining in the wreck, and getting the admiral in his power. Columbus heard of their approach but being confined by his infirmities, sent Don Bartholomew to reason with them and endeavor to win them to obedience. The adelantado, who was generally a man rather of deeds than words, took with him fiftv men well armed. Arriving near the rebels, he sent messengers to treat with them ; but Porras forbade them to approach. The latter cheered his followers by pointing, with derision, to the pale coun- tenances of their opponents, who were emaciated by recent sick- ness and long confinement in the wreck ; whereas his men, for the most part, were hardy sailors, rendered robust by living in the open air. He assured them that the followers of the adelantado were mere household men,* fair-weather troops, who could never *Men unfit to work outside. m i it in 382 THR UFE AND VOYAGES Stand before them. He did not reflect that with such men, pride and spirit often more than supply the place of bodily force, and that his adversaries had the incalculable, ad vantage of justice and law upon their side. Deluded by his words into a transient glow of courage, the rebels did not wait to be attacked, but rushed with shouts upon the enemy. Six of them had made a league to assault the ade- lantado, but were so well received that he laid several of them dead at his feet, among whom was Juan Sanchez, the same powerful mariner who had carried off the cacique Quibian. In the midst of the affray the adelantado was assailed by Francisco de Porras, who, with a blow of his sword, cleft his buckler, and wounded the hand which grasped it. The sword remained wedged in the shield, and before it could be withdrawn, the adelantado closed upon Porras, grappled him, and, being assisted by others, succeeded in taking him prisoner. The rebels, seeing their leader a captive, fled in confusion, but were not pursued, through fear of an attack from the Indians, who had remained drawn up in battle array, gazing with astonish- ment at this fight between white men, but wil 'out offering to aid either party. The adeiantado returned in triumph to the wreck, with Porras and several other prisoners. Only two of his own men had been wounded, one of whom died. On the following day, the rebels sent a letter to the admiral, signed with all their names, confessing their misdeeds, imploring pardon, and making a solemn oath of obedience; imprecating the most awful curses on their heads should they break it. The admiral saw, by the ab- ject nature of the letter, how completely the spirit of these misguided men was broken ; with his wonted magnanimity he pardoned their offenses, merely retaining their ring- leader, Francisco Porras, a prisoner, to be tried in Spain for his misdeeds. CHAPTER XLIII. to be VOVAaE OF DIEGO MENDEZ TO HISPANIOLA. DELIVERANCE OF COLUMBUS FROM THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA. t1S04.) T is proper here to give some account of the mission of Diego Mendez and Bartholomew Fiesco. When they had taken leave of the adelantado at the east end of the island of Jamaica, they continued all day in a direct course ; there was no wind, the sky was with- out a cloud, and the sea like a mir- ror reflected the burning rays of the 4 • Vvxi. /^yfir^^ ^^^' '^^^ Indians who paddled the ^^^^^^"^-^ ' '»^ canoes would often leap into the water, to cool their glowing bodies, and refresh themselves from their toil. At the going down of the sun they lost sight of land. During the night the Indians took turns, one half to row while the others slept. The Spaniards, in like manner, divided their forces ; while some took repose, the others sat with their weapons in their hands, ready to defend themselves in case of any perfidy on the part of their sav- age companions. Watching and toiling in this way through the night, they were excessively fatigued on the following day ; and, to add to their dis- tress, they began to experience the torments of thirst, for the Indi- ans, parched with heat, had already drained the contents of their calabashes. In proportion as the sun rose, their misery increased, and was irritated by the prospect around them — nothing but water, I? Y \x. (3«3) il 4 384 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES while they were perishiiij^ with thirst. About niid-daj', when their strength was failing them, the coninuinders produced tv.o small kegs of water, which they had probably reserved in secret for such an extremity. Administering a cooling mouthful occasionally, they enabled the Indians to resume their toils. They held out the hopes of soon arriving at a small island, called Navasa, which lay directly in their way, aljout eight leagues distant from Hispaniola. Here the}' would find water to assuage their thirst, and would be able to take repose. The night closed upon them without any sight of the island; they feared that they had deviated from their course ; if so, they should miss the island entirely, and perish with thirst before they could reach Hispaniola. One of the Indians died of the accumu- lated sufferings of labor, heat, and raging thirst; others lay panting and gasping at the bottom of the canoes. Their companions were scarcely able to continue their toils. Sometimes they endc ivored to cool their parched palates by taking sea water in their nnniths, but its briny bitterness only increased their thirst. One after an- other gave up, and it seemed impossible that they should live to- reach Hispaniola. The commanders, by admirable management, had hitherto kept up this wear}' strugjrle with suffering and despair; but they too be- gan to despond. Diego Mendez sat watching le horizon, which was gradually lighting up with those faint rays which precede the rising of the moon. As that planet arose, he perceived it to emerge from behind a dark mass elevated above the level of the ocean. It proved to be the island of Navasa, but so low, and small, and dis- tant, that, had it not been thus revealed by the rising moon, he would never have discovered it. He immediately gave the animat- ing cry of " land." His almost expiring companions were roused to new life, and exerted themselves v/ith feverish impatience. By the dawn of day they sprang on shore, and returned thanks to God for their deliverance. The island was a mere barren mass of rocks, but they found abundance of rain-watr^r in hollow places. The Span- iards exercised some degree of cauti-n in their draughts; but the poor Indians, whose toils had increased the fever of their thirst, gave way to a kind of frantic indulgence, of which several died upon the spot, and others fell dangerously ill After reposing all day on the island, where they made a grate- be- lch the rge It dis- he mat- used By God gave the Irate- ,; i i m ki OF COLUMBUS. 387 ful repast upon shell-fish gathered along the shore, but they set off in the evening for Hispaniola, the mountains of which were dis- tinctly visible, and arrived at Cape Tiburon on the following aay, the fourth since their departure from Jamaica. Fiesco would loxv have returned to give the admiral assurance of the safe arrival of his messenger, but both Spaniards and Indians refused to en- counter the perils of another voj'age in the canoes. Parting with his companions, Diego Mendez took six Indians of the island, and set off for San Domingo. After proceeding for eighty leagues against the currents, he was informed that the gov- ernor had departed for Xaragua, fifty leagues distant. Still un- daunted by fatigues and difficulties, he abandoned the canoe, and proceeded alone, on foot, through forests and over mountains, until he arrived at Xaragua, achieving one of the most perilous expedi- tions ever undertaken by a devoted follower for the safety of his commander. He found Ovando completely engrossed by wars with the natives. The governor expressed great concern at the unfortunate situation of Columbus, and promised to send him immediate relief; but Mendez remained for seven months at Xaragua, vainly urging for that relief, or for permission to go to San Domingo in quest of it. The constant excuse of Ovando was, that there were not ships of sufficient burden in the island to bring off Columbus and his men. At length, by daily importunity, Mendez obtained permis- sion to go to San Domingo, and await the arrival of certain ships which were expected. He immediately set out on foot ; the distance was seventy leagues, and part of his toilsome journey lay through forests and mountains, infested by hostile and exasperated Indians. Immediately after his departure, Ovando despatched from Xaragua the pardoned rebel, Escobar, on that recounoitering visit, which caused so much wonder and suspicion among the companions of Columbus. If the governor had really entertained hopes that, during the delay of relief, Columbus might perish in the island, the report brought back by Escobar must have completely disappointed him. No time was now to be lost, if he wished to claim any merit in his deliverance, or to avoid the DIEQO MENDEZ IMPORTUNES OVANDO TO SEND EUOCOR TO THE aHIPWRECKED COLUMBUS. 388 THE LIFK AND VOYAGES disgrace of having totally neglected him. His long delay had al- ready roused the public indignation, insomuch that animadversions had been made upon his conduct even in the pulpits. Diego Mendez, also, had hired and victualled a vessel at the expense of Columbus, and was on the point of despatching it. The governor, therefore, exerted himself, at the eleventh hour, and fitted out a caravel, which he put under the command of Diego de Salcedo, the agent employed by Columbus to collect his rents in San Do- mingo. It was these two vessels which arrived at Jamaica shortly after the battle with Porras, and brought relief to the admiral and his faithful adherents, after a long year of dismal connnement to the wreck.* On the 28th of June, all the Spaniards embarked, friend and foe, on board of the vessels, and made sail joyfully for San Domingo; but, from adverse winds and currents, they did not arrive there until the 13th of August. Whatever lurking enmity there might be to Columbus in the place, it was overpowered by popular sym- pathy for his late disasters. Whatever had been denied to his mer- its was granted to his misfortunes; and even the envious, appeased by his present reverses, seemed to forgive him for having once been so triumphant. v , The governor and the principal inhabitants came forth to meet him, and received him with signal distinction. He was lodged in the house of Ovando, who treated him with the utmost courtesy and attention ; but there were too deep causes of jealousy and dis- trust between them, for their intercourse to be cordial. Their pow- ers, too, were so defined in their several patents, as to clash with * Some brief notice of the further fortunes of Diego Mendez may be interesting to the reader. When King Ferdinand heard of his faithful services, he bestowed rewards upon him, and permitted him to bear a canoe in his coat of arms, as a memento of his hardy enter- prise. He continued devotedly attached to the admiral, serving him zealously after his return to Spain, and during his last illness. Columbus retained a grateful and affectionate sense of his fidelity. On his death-bed, he promised Mendez that he should be appointed principal al- guazil of the island of llispaniola. The promise, however, was not performed by the heirs of Columbus. Mendez was afterwards engaged in various voyages of discovery, met with many vicissitudes and died poor. In his last will, he requested that his armorial bearing of an Indian canoe should be engraved on his tombstone, and under it the following words: " Here lies the honorable Cavalier, Diego Mendez ; who served greatly the royal crown of Spain, in the conquest of the Indies, with Admiral Christopher Columbus, of glorious memory, who made the discovery ; and afterwards by himself, in ships at his own cost. Bestow, in charity, a Paternoster and an Ave Maria." OF COLUMBUS. 389 «ach other, and to cause questions of jurisdiction. Ovando assumed a right to take cognizance of all transactions at Jamaica, as hap- pening within the limits of his government. He set at liberty the traitor Porras, and talked of punishing the followers of Columbus for the deaths of the mutineers whom they had slain in battle. Columbus, on the other hand, asserted the absolute jurisdiction given him by the sovereigns, in his letter of instructions, over all persons who had sailed in his expedition, from the time of their departure from Spain until their return. The governor heard him with great courtesy and a smiling countenance, but observed, that the letter gave him no authority within the bounds of his govern- ment. He relinquished the idea, however, of trying the faithful adherents of Columbus, and sent Porras to Spain, to be examined .by the board which had charge of the affairs of the Indies. INDIANS MAKINO BIRCH DARK CANOEI. ■92 CHAPTER XLIV. AFFAIRS AT HI8PANIOLA, DURING THC ADMINISTRATION OF OVANDO. HCTURN OF COLUMBUS TO SPAIN. (ia04.) HP/ sojourn of Columbus at San Domingo was but little calculated to yield him satisfaction. He was grieved at the desolation of the island, through the oppressive treatment of the na- tives, and the horrible massacres which had taken place under the administration of Ovan- do ; and here let us turn for a moment from pursuing the story of the admiral, to notice some of the principal occurrences which had taken place in Hispaniola during his absence, A great crowd of adventurers, of various ranks, had thronged the fleet of Ovando, all confidently expecting to make sudden fort- unes. They had scarcely landed when they all hurried off to the mines, which were about eight leagues distant. The road swarmed like an ant-hill. Every one had his knapsack of biscuit and flour, and his mining implements on his shoulder. Those hidalgos, or gentlemen, who had no servants to carr}'' their burdens, were fain to bear them on their own backs, and lucky was he who had a horse for the expedition, for he would be able to bring back the greater load of treasure. They all set off in high spirits, eager who should first reach the golden land ; thinking they had but to arrive at the mines, and gather gold, as easily and readily as fruit from tne trees. When they arrived, however, they found, to their disma}'', that it required experience to discover the veins of ore ; that the whole process of mining was exceedingly slow and toilsome, and its re- suits precarious. (390) OF COLUMHUS. 391 They digged eagerly for a time, but found no ore ; growing hungry, they threw by their implements, sat down to cat, and then returned to work. It was all in vain. " Their labor," says Las Casas, " gave them a keen appetite and quick digestion, but no gold." They soon exhausted their provisions and their patience, and returned murmuring along the road they had lately trod so exultingly. They arrived at San Domingo half famished, Ov^wn- cast, and despairing. Such is too often the case of those who igno rantly engage in mining ; which, of all objects of speculation, is the most brilliant, promising, and fallacious. Poverty soon fell upon these misguided men. Some wasted away and died broken- hearted ; others were hurried off by raging fevers ; so that there soon perished upwards of a thousand men. Ovando was reputed a man of great prudence and sagacity,, and he certainly took several judicious measures for the regulation of the island and the relief of the colonists; but his policy was fatal to the natives. When he had been sent out to supersede Ro- badilla, the queen, shocked at the cruel bondage which had been inflicted on the Indians, had pronounced them all free. The con- sequence was, they immediately refused to labor in the mines. Ovando, in 1503, represented that this entire libertj' granted to the natives was not merely ruinous to the colony, but detri- mental to themselves, as it produced habits of idleness, profligacy, and neglect of all religion. The sovereigns permitted, therefore, that they should be obliged to labor moderately, if essential to their well-being, but that they should be paid regularly and fairly, and instructed in religion on certain days, and that all compulsory measures should be tempered with persuasion and kindness. Under cover of this hired labor, thus intended for the health of soul and body, more intolerable toil was exacted from them, and more horrible cruelties inflicted, than in the worst days of Boba- dilla. Many perished from hunger, or sank under the lash ; many- killed themselves in despair;, and even mothers overcame the powerful instinct of natur cind destroyed the infants at their breasts, to spare them a liie of wretchedness. Even those who survived the exacted terms of labor, and were permitted to return to their hoiiies, which were often sixty and eighty leagues distant, were dismissed so worn down by toil and hardship, and so scantily furnished with provisions, that they perished by the way. Some ipmr 392 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES sank down and d^ed by the side of a brook, others under the shade of a tree, where they had crawled for shelter from the sun. *' I have found many dead on the road," says the venerable Bishop Las Casas ; " others gasping under the trees, and others in the pangs •of death, faintly crying. Hunger! hunger!" The wars of Ovando were equally desolating. To punish a slight insurrection in the 'province of Higuey, at the eastern end of the island, he sent his troops, who ravaged the country with fire and sword, showed no mercy to age or sex, put many to death with the most wanton, ingenious, and horrible tortures, and brought off the brave Cotabanama, one of the five sovereign caciques of the island, in chains to San Domingo, where he was ignominiously hanged by Ovando for the crime of defending his territory and his native soil against usurping strangers. But the most atrocious act of Ovando, and one that must heap odium on his name wherever the woes of the gentle natives of Hayti create an in- terest, was the punish- ment he inflicted on the OVANDO SETS OUT FOR XAHAQUA AT THE MEAD OF AN AflHV OF FOUR HUNDRED -lEN. aPn province of Xaragua for a pretended conspiracy. The exactions of tribute, in this once happy and hospitable province, had caused occasional quarrels uetween the inferior caciques and the Spaniards; these were magnified by alarmists, and Ovando was persuaded that there was a deep-laid plot among the natives to rise upon their oppressors. He immediately set out for Xaragua, at the head of nearly four hundred well-armed soldiers, seventy of whom were steel-clad horsemen. He gave out that he was going on a visit of friendship, to make arrangements about the payment of tribute. Behechio, the ancient cacique of the province, was dead, and his sister, Anacaona, had succeeded to the government. She came forth to meet Ovando, according to the custom of her nation, at- tended hy her most distinguished subjects, and her train of dam- OF COLUMBUS. 393 sels, waving palm branches, and dancing to the cadence of their popular areytos. All her principal caciques had been assembled to do honor to her guests, who for several days were entertained with b?nquets and national games and dances. In return for these exhibitions, Ovando invited Anacaona, with her beautiful daughter Higuenamota, and her principal subjects, to witness a tilting match by the cavalry in the public square. When all were assembled, the square crowded with unarmed Indians, Ovando gave a signal, and instantly the horsemen rushed into the midst of the naked and defenceless throng, trampling them under foot, cutting them down with their swords, transfixing them with their lances, and sparing neither age .lor sex. Above eighty caciques had been assembled in one of the principal houses. It was surrounded by troops, the caciques were bound to the posts which supported the roof, and put to cruel tortures, until, in the extremity of anguish, they were made to admit the truth of the plot with which their queen and themselves had been charged. When self-accusation had thus been tortured from them, a horrible punishment was immediately in- flicted ; fire was sei to the house, and they all perished miserably in the flames. As to Anacaona, she was carried to San Domingo, where the mockery of a trial was given her, in which she was found guilty, on the confessions wrung by torture from her subjects, and on the testimony of their butchers, and she was barbarously hanged by the people whom she had so long and so signally befriended. After the massacre at Xaragua, the destruc- tion of its inhabitants still went on ; they were hunted for six months amidst the fastnesses of the mountains, and their country ravaged by horse and foot, until, all being reduced to deplor- able misery and abject submission, Ovando pro- nounced the province restored to order, and, in commemoration of his triumph, founded a town near the lake, which he called Santa Maria de la Verdadera Paz (St. Mary of the True Peace). Such was the tragical fate of the beautiful Anacaona, once extolled as the Golden Flower of Hayti ; and such the story of the delightful region of Xaragua; a place which the Europeans, by ANACAONA, TME OOLDEN FIOWEN OF XARAOU*. 394 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES their own account, found a perfect paradise, but which, by their vile passions, they filled with horror and desolation. These are but brief and scanty anecdotes of the ruthless sys- tem which had been pursued, during the absence of the admiral, by the commander Ovando, this man of boasted prudence and mod- ■eration, who had been sent to reform the abuses of the island, and above all, to redress the wrongs of the natives. The system of Columbus may have borne hard upon the Indians, born and brought up as they were in untasked freedom, biit it was never cruel or sanguinary. He had fondly hoped, at one time, to render them civilized, industrious, and tributary subjects to the crown, zealous converts to the faith, and to derive from their regular tributes a great and steady revenue. How different had been the event ! The five great tribes which had peopled the mountains and the valleys, at the time of the discovery, and had rendered by their mingled villages and hamlets, and tracts of cultivation, the rich levels of the vegas so many "painted gardens," had almost all passed awaj', and the native princes had perished chiefly by violent and ignominious deaths. " I am informed," said he, in a letter to the sovereigns, " that since I left this island, six parts out of seven of the natives are dead, all through ill-treatment and inhumanity ; some by the sword, others by blows and cruel usage, others through hunger ; the greater part have perished in the mountains, whither they had fled, from not being able to support the labor imposed upon them." He found his own immediate concerns in great confusion. His rents and arrears were either uncollected, or he could not obtain a clear account and a full liquidation of them ; and he complained that Ovando had impeded his agents in their management of his concerns. The continual misunderstandings which took place be- tween him and the governor, though always qualified on the part of the latter with courtly complaisance, induced Columbus to hasten his departure. He caused the ship in which he had returned from Jamaica to be repaired and fitted out, and another hired, in which he oflFered a passage to such of his late crew as chose to return. The greater part preferred to remain in San Domingo : as they -were in great poverty, he relieved their necessities from his own purse, and advanced money to those who accompanied him, for the expenses of their voyage. All the funds he could collect were ex- OF COLUMBUS. 395 liausted in these disbursements, and many of the rien thus relieved by his generosity had been among the most violent of the rebels. On the 1 2th of September, he set sail; but had scarcely left the harbor, when the mast of his ship was carried away in a sudden squall. He embarked, therefore, with his famiiy, in the other ves- sel, commanded by the adelautado, and sent back the damaged ship to port. Fortune continued to persecute him to the end of this his laS'i and most disastrous expedition. Throughout the voyage he experienced tempestuous weather, suffering at the same time the excruciating torments of the gout, until, on the 7th of November, his crazy and shattered bark anchored in the harbor of San Lucar. From thence he proceeded to Seville, to enjoy a little tranquillity •of mind and body, and to recruit his health after his long series of fatigues, anxieties, and hardships. 1 : 1. .ARMOR OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. ARTILLERY HUSEUM, PARIS. THI OOLOIN TOWIH OF IIVILII, LANDINO KACI OF AIL TMI TMAtUlli (NOUOHT FROM AMIDIC*. (FROM A FHOTOORAFH.) CHAPTER XLV. 4 ii'm M rnUITLCSS application of COLUMMUS to BC reinstated in his aOVCRNMKNT. HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. (1B04.) HE residence of Columbus, during the winter, at Seville, has generally been represented as an interval of repose : never was honorable repose more merited, more desired, and less enjoyed. Care and sorrow were destined to follow him, by sea and land ; and in varying the scene, he but varied the nature of his afflictions. Ever since his memorable arrest by Bobadilla, his affairs had remained in confusion, and his rents and dues had been but partially and irregularly col- lected, and were detained in intermediate hands. The last voyage had exhausted his finances, and involved him in embarrassments. All that he had been able to collect of the money due to him in (.P7> I 398 THK UVE AND VOVAGKS Hispaiiiola, had been expended in brin^in^- home many of his late crew, and, for the greater part, the crown remained liis debtor. The world thonj^ht liim possessed of countless wealth, while in fact he was suffering pecuniary want. In letters, written at this time, to his son Diego, he repeatedly urges to him the necessity of practicing extreme economy until the arrears due to him should be ])aid. " I receive nothing of the reve- nue due to me," says he, on another occasion, *' but live by borrow- ing. Little have I profited by twenty years oF toils and perils, since at present I do not own a roof in vSpain. I have no resort, but an inn ; and, for the most times, have not wherewithal to ])ay my bill." Being unable, from liis infirmities, to go to court, he had to communicate with the sovereigns by letter, or through the inter- vention of friends, and exerted himself strenuously, but ineffectu- ally, to draw their attention to tiie disastrous state of Hispaniola under the administration of Ovando,, to obtain the restitution of his honors, and the ])ayment of his arrears, and what seemed to lay equally near his heart, to obtain relief for his unfortunate seamen. His letters were unregarded, or at least unanswered ; his claims remained unsatisfied ; and a cold indifference and neglect appeared to prevail towards him. All the tidings from the court filled him ■with uneasiness. Porras, the ringleader of the late faction, had been sent home by Ovando to appear before the council of the Indies, but the official documents in his cause had not arrived. Me went at large, and being related to Morales the royal treasurer, had access to people in place, and an opportunity of enlisting their ojnnions and prejudices on his side. Columbus began to fear that the vio- lent scenes in Jamaica might, by the perversity of his enemies and the effrontery of the delinquents, be wrested into matters of accu- sation against him, as had been the case with the rebellion of Rol- dan. The faithful and indefatigable Diego Mendez was at this time at court, and he trusted to his honest representations to counteract the falsehoods of Porras. Nothing can surpass the affecting ear- nestness and simplicity with which, in one of his letters, he declares his loyalty. " I have served their majesties," says he, *' with as much zeal and diligence as if it had been to gain Paradise, and if I have failed in any thing, it has been because my knowledge and powers went no further." Whilst reading this touching appeal, we can scarcely realize the fact, that it should be written by Columbus, the OF COMJMBUS. 399 same extraordinary niati, who, but a few years before, had been idol- ized at this court as a benefactor, and received with almost royal honors. His anxiety to have a personal interview with the sovereijj^ns became every day more intense; he felt the inefficaey of letter writ- ing, and, indeed, even that resource began to fail him, for the sever- ity of his malady for a great part of the time deprived him of tlie use of his hands. He made repeated attempts t^) set off for the court ; a litter was once actually at the door to convey him thither, but his increasing infirmities, and the inclemency of the season, obliged him to abandon the journey. In the meantime, the intrigues of his ene- mies appeared to be prevailing; the cold-hearted Ferdinand treated all his apj)H- cations with indifference; on the just- ice and mag- nanimity of Isabella, alone, he re- lied for the redress of his griev- ances, but she lay dan- geroiisly ill. " May it please the Holy Trini- ty," says he, *'to restore our sover- eign queen to health ; for by her will every thing be adjusted which is now in confusion." Alas ! while writing that letter, his noble benefactress was a corpse. The health of Isabella had long been undermined by repeated shocks of domestic calamities. The death of her only son, the Prince Juan ; of her beloved daughter, and bosom friend, the Prin- cess Isabella ; and of her grandson and prospective heir, the Prince (tABCLLA OICTArc; HCR LAST Vk.lL AND TKTAMCNT. (PMNTINO BV (OWARO ROeAUI.) 4CO THl-: MFK AND VOYAGES Miguel, had been three cruel wounds to her maternal heart. To these were added the constant grief caused by the infirmity of in- tellect of her daughter Juana, and the domestic unhappiness of that princess with her husband the Archduke Philip. The desolation which walks through palaces admits not the familiar sympathies and sweet consolations which alleviate the .sorrows of common life. Isabella pined in state, amidst the obsequious homage of a court, surrounded by the trophies of a glorious and successful reign, and placed at the summit of earihly grandeur. A deep and incurable melancholy settled upon her, which undermined her constitu- tion, and gave a fatal acuteness to her bodily maladies. After four months of illness, she died, on the 26tli of November, 1504, at Medina del Campo, in the fifty-fourth year of her age ; but long before her eyes closed upon the world, her heart had closed upon all its pomps and vanities. *' Let my body," said she, in her will, "be interred in the monastery of San Francisco, in the Alham- bra of the city of Granada, in a low sepul- chre, with no other monument than a plain stone, and an inscription. But I desire and command, that if the king, my lord, should choose a sepulchre in any church or monas- tery, in any other part or place of these my kingdoms, that my body be transported thither, and buried beside the body of his- highness; so that the union we have en- joyed while living, and which, through the mercy of God, we hope our souls will experience in heaven, may be represented by our bodies in the earth."* Such was one of several passages in the will of this admirable woman, which bespoke the chastened humility of her heart, and in which, as has been well observed, the affections of conjugal love *The dying command of I;>abcll;i has been obeyed. The author of this work has seer* her tomb in the royal chapel of the cathedral of Granada, in which her remains are interred with those of F'erdinand. Their effigies, sculp'ured in white marble, lie side by side, on a magnificent sepulciirc. The altar of the chapel is adorned with bas-reliefs representing the conquest and surrender of Granada. ISABELLA. OF COLUMBUS. 4OZ were delicately entwined with fervent religion and the most tender melancholy. She, was one of the purest spirits that ever ruled over the destinies of a nation. Had she been spared, her benignant vigilance would have prevented many a scene of horror in the colo- nization of the new world, and might have softened the lot of its native inhabitants. As it is, her fair name will ever shiue with ce- lestial radiance in the early dawning of its history. The news of the death of Isabella reached Columbus while he was writing a letter to his son. He notices it in a postscript or memorandum, written in the haste and brevity of the moment, but in beautifully touching and mournful terms. "A memorial," he writes, *' for thee, my dear son Diego, of what is at present to be done. The principal thing is to commend affectionately, and with great devotion, the soul of the queen, our sovereign, to God. Her life was always catholic and pious, and prompt to all things in his holy service ; for this reason we may rest assured that she is re- ceived into his glory, and beyond the cares of this rough and weary world. The next thing is, to watch and labor in all matters for the service of our sovereign, the king, and to endeavor to alleviate his grief. His majesty is the head of Christendom. Remember the proverb, which says, when the head suffers, all the members suffer, 'x herefore all good Chris- tians should pray for his health and long life; and we, who are in his em- ploy, ought more than others to do this with all study and diligence." It is im- possible to read this let- ter without ItPULCNRC OF THI CATHOUC KINO AND QUEEN, FEflOINAND AND ISABELLA, DONA JUANA, "LA LOCA," AND O. PHILIP " tL HIRMOSO," IN THE ROVAL CHAPEL OP THE CATHEDRAL OP ORANADA. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH. ^i; r!ll ■ in 1 lip: 'i ■:^S ■:'l Hfl 402 THK LIFE AND VOYAGES being moved by the simply eloquent yet artless language in which Columbus expresses his tenderness for the memory of ^is benefact- ress, his weariness under the gathering cares and ills of life, and his persevering and enduring loyalty towards the sovereign who was so ungratefully neglecting him. The death of Isabella was a fatal blow to his fortunes. While she lived, he had every thing to anticipate from her high sense of justice, her regard for her royal word, hei gratitude for his services, and her admiration of his character. With her illness, however, his interests had languished ; and when she died, he was left to the justice and generosity of Ferdinand! During the remainder of the winter, and a great part of the spring, he remained at Seville, detained by painful illness. His brother, the adelantado, who supported him with his accustomed fondness and devotion through all his trials, proceeded to court to attend to his concerns, taking with him the admiral's younger son, Fernando, then aged about seventeen. The latter the affectionate father repeatedly represents to his son Diego, as a man in under- standing and conduct, though but a stripling in years, and incul- cates the strongest fraternal attachment; alluding to his own. brethren with one of those warm and affecting touches which speak the kindness of his heart. " To thy brother conduct thyself as the elder brother should unto the younger. Thou hast no other, and I praise God that this is such a one as thou dost need. Ten brothers would riot be too many for thee. Never have I found a better friend, to right or left, than my brothers." Among the persons whom Columbus emploj-ed, at this time, in his missions to the court, was Amerigo Vespucci. He describes him as a worthy but unfortunate man, who had not profited as much as he deserved by his undertakings, and who had always been disposed to render him service. It was not until the month of May that Columbus was able to accomplish his journey to court, which was at that time at Segovia. He, who but a few years before had entered the city of Barcelona in triumph, attended by the chivalry of Spain, and hailed with rapture by the multitude, now arrived at the gates of Segovia, a way-worn, melancholy, and neglected man ; oppressed even more by sorrows than by his years and infirmities. When he presented himself at court, he was made lamentably sensible of the loss of OK COLUMBUS. 403 BRONZE STATUE OF FERDINAND OF MALAGA. his protectress, the benignant Isabella. He met with none of that distinguished attention, that cordial kindness, that cherishing sympathy, which his unparalleled services and his recent sufferings had merited. Ferdinand, it is true, received him with many professions of kindness; but with those cold, ineffecti.'^l smiles, which pass like wintry sunshine over the countenance, and convey no warmth to the heart. Many months were passed by Columbus in painful and humiliating solicitation. His main object was to obtain the restitution of his high offices as viceroy and governor of the Indies ; as to the mere pecuniary claims for revenues and arrears, he considered them of minor import- ance, and nobly offered to leave them to the dis- position of the king; but his official dignities belonged to his reputation ; they had been granted also, by solemn treaty, and were not to be made a matter of arbitrament. As the lat- ter, however, were precisely the claims which the jealous mon- arch was the least disposed to grant, they stood continually in the way of all arrangement. The whole matter was at one time referred to a tribunal, called the "Junta de Descargos," which had charge of the settlement of the affairs of the late queen, but nothing resulted from their deliberations ; the wishes of the king were too well known to be thwarted. Columbus endeavored to bear these delays with patience ; but he had no longer the physical strength, and the glorious anticipa- tions, which had once sustained him through his long application at this court. He was again confined to his bed by a return of the gout, aggravated by the irritations of his spirit. From this couch of anguish, he addressed one more appeal to the justice of the king. He no longer petitioned for himself, but for his son Diego. He entreated that he might be appointed in his place to the govern- ment of which he had been so wrongfully deprived. " This," said he, "is a matter which concerns my honor; as to all the rest, do as 3'our majesty thinks proper; give or withhold, as may be most for your interest, and I shall be content. I believe it is the anxiety ii IN THE CATHEDHAL F 404 THE I«IFK AND VOYAGES caused by the delay of this affair, which is the principal cause of my ill health." This petition was treated by Ferdinand with his usual evasions; he endeavored to prevail upon CoUmibus and his son to waive their claims to paramount dignities in the new world, and accept, in place thereof, titles and estates in Castile. Columbus rejected all propo- sals of the kind with indignation, as calculated to compromise those titles which were tlie trophies of his achievements. He saw, how- ever, that all further liope of redress from Ferdinand was \o'n\. From the bed, to which he was confined, he addressed a letter to his constant friend, Diego de Deza, then Archbishop of Seville, ex- pressive of his despair. " It appears," said he, " that his majesty does not think fit to fulfill that, which he, with the queen who is now in glory, promised me by word and seal. For me to contend to the contrary, would be to contend with the wind. I have done all that I could do. I leave the rest to God, whom I have ever found propitious to me in my necessities." In the midst of illness and despondency, when both life and hope were expiring in the bosom of Columbus, a new gleam was awakened, and blazed up for the moment with characteristic fervor. He heard with joy of the arrival from Flanders of King Philip and Queen Juara, to take possession of their throne of Castile. In the daughter of Isabella, he trusted to find a patroness and a friend. King Ferdinand and all the court repaired to Loredo, to receive the youthful sovereigns. Columbus sent his brother, the adelantado, to represent him, and wrote a letter to the king and queen, la- menting his being prevented by illness from coming in person to manifest his devotion. He expressed a hope, that he should receive at their hands the restitution of his honors and estates ; and as- sured them that, though cruelly tortured at present by disease, he would yet be able to render them services, the like of which had never been witnessed. Such was the last sally of this sanguine and unconquerable spirit; which, disregarding age and infirmities, and all past sorrov/s and disappointments, spoke from his dying bed with all the confi- dence of youthful hope, and talked of still greater enterprises as if he had a long and vigorous life before him. The adelantado took an affectionate leave of his brother, whom he was never to behold again, and set out on his mission to the new sovereigns. He ex- ause of 'asions ; ve their in place I propo- =;e those w, how- as vrin. letter to •ille, ex- majesty 1 who i? contend ve done ive ever life and sam was c fervor, lilip and In the friend, eive the ;lantado, keen, la- lerson to receive and as- ,ease, he ich had jiicrable I sorrows le confi- nes as if (do took behold He ex- t O « u 1 2 w « I ° MJ ri':-!^ ii 1 m I ) i r ■■ 1 ;', ; 1 U i (405) M .■ ■A,.. iii OF COLUMBUS. 407 perienced the most gracious reception, and flattering hopes were given him that the claims of the admiral "would speedily be satis- fied. In the mean-time, the cares and troubles of Columbus were drawing to a close. The transient fire which had recently reani- mated him was soon quenched by accumulating infirmities. Imme- diately after the departure of the adelantado, his illness increased in violence. Finding that his end was approaching, he arranged all his earthly affairs, for the benefit of his successors. In a codi- cil made on the eve of his decease, he enforced his original testa- ment, constituting his son Diego his universal heir, entailing his honors and estates on the male line of his family, and providing for his brothers Don Bartholomew and Don Diego, and his natural son Don Fernando. In his will he enjoined that a portion of his reve- nues should be annually deposited in the bank of St. George, at Genoa, imtil a sufficient sum should be accumulated to set on foot a crusade to the holy land; tor tlie rescue of the holy sepulchre was, to the last, the great object of his ambition, and he left a sol- emn charge upon his heirs to aid personally in the pious enterprise. Other provisions were made for the foundation of churches — the support of Beatrix Enriquez, the mother of Fernando — the relief of his poor relations, and the payment of the most trivial debts. Having thus scrupulously attended to all the claims of affec- tion, loyalty, and justice, upon earth, lu turned his thoughts to heaven, confessing himself, partaking of the holy sacrament, and complying with the other ceremonies of a devout Catholic. In his last moments, he was attended by his son Diego, and a few faithful followers, among whom was Bartholo- mew Fie.sco, who had accompanied Diego Mendez in the perilous expedition from Jamaica to Hispaniola. Surround- ed by these devoted friends, he expired, with great resignation, on the 20th of May, 1506, being about seventy years of age. His last words were, " In nianus tuas, Domine, commendo spirit- um nieum." " Into thy hands, O Lord, 1 commend my spirit." 2$ m HOUII IN VAILAOOUD WHIR! COLUMIUI OltO. r i T K i'i l';l : Mir CHAPTER XIvVI. oBseouiKS or columbub rest m it was t\^^-^ HE body of Columbus was deposited in the convent of San Francisco^ and his obsequies were celebrated with funereal pomp in the r»arochial church of Santa Maria de la Antigua, in Valladolid. His remains were trans- ported, in 15 13, to the Carthusian convent of Las Cuevas, at Seville^ '' j and deposited in the chapel of Santa Christo. In the year 1536, they were removed to Hispaniola, and interred by the side of the grand altar of the cathedral of the city of San Domingo. But even here they did not quiet. On the cession of Hispaniola to the French, in 1795, determined by the Spaniards to bear them off to the island of Cuba as precious relics, connected with the most glorious epoch of Spanish history. Accordingly, on the 20th of December, 1795, in the presence of an august assemblage of the dignitaries of the Church and the civil and military officers, the vault was opened beside the high altar of the cathedral : within were found the fragments of a leaden coffin, a number of bones, and a quantity of mould, evidently the remains of a human body. These were carefully collected, and put into a case of gilded lead, secured by an iron lock ; the case was enclosed in a coffin covered with black velvet, and OOUIMBUI MONUMINT IN THE CONVENT uF IAS CUEVAS, SEVILLE. <408) OF COLUMBUS. 409 LEADEN COFFIN WITH THE REMAINS OF COIUMBUI (I) FOUND IN THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN DOMINOO, SEPT. 10, l>77. the whole placed in a tennporary mausoleum. On the following day there was another grand convocation at the cathedral : the vigils and masses for the dead were chanted, and a funeral sermon was preached by the archbishop. Alter these solemn ceremonials in the cathedral, the coffin was transported to the ship, attended by a grand civil, religious, and military proces- sion. The banners were covered with crape ; there were chants and responses, and discharges of artillery ; and the most distinguished persons of the several orders took turns to support the coffin. The reception of the body at Havana was equally august. There was a splendid procession of boats to conduct it from the ship to the shore. On passing the vessels of war in the harbor, they all paid the hon- ors due to an admiral and captain-general of the navy. On arriving at the mole, the remains were met by the governor of the island, accompanied by the generals of the military staffi They were then conveyed in the utmost pomp to the cathedral. Masses and the sol- emn ceremonies of the dead were performed by the bishop, and the mortal remains of Columbus were deposited in the wall, on the right side of the grand altar, where they still remain. It is with deep satisfaction that the author of this work perused the documents which give an account of a ceremonial so noble and affecting, and so honorable to the Spanish nation. When we read of the remains of Columbus thus conveyed from the port of San Domingo, after an interval of nearly three hundred years, as sacred national relics, with civil and military pomp, and high religious ceremonial, we cannot but reflect that it was from this very port he was carried off loaded with ignominious chains, blasted apparently in fame and fortune, and taunted by the revilings of the rabble : such honors, it is true, are nothing to the dead, nor can they atone to the heart, now dust and ashes, for all the wrongs and sor- rows it may have suffered ; but they speak volumes of comfort to the illustrious yet slandered and per- secuted living, encouraging them bravely to bear MEMORIAL TABLET IN THE CATHEDRAL OF THE HAVANA. /J z. ...» I ' . r , ,. I. .^ n, III injjg 4IO THE UFE AND VOYAGES with present injuries, by showing them how true merit outlives all calumny, and receives its glorious reward in the admiration of after ages. NOTE FROM JUSTIN WINSOR'S CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS." It is a question which has been raised since 1877 whether the body of Columbus was the one then removed, and over which so much parade was made during the transportation and re-interment in Cuba, There has been a controversy on the point, in which the Bishop of Santo Domingo and his adherents have claimed that the remains of Columbus are still in their charge, while it was those of his son Diego which had been removed. The Academy of History at Madrid have denied this, and in a long report to the Spanish Government have pi FRONT *ND BACK OF OUTSIDE SILVER PLATE FOUND asscrtcd that thcrc was uo mistalcc in the transfer, ON LEADEN BOX CONTAINING THE SUPPOSED "E- -,.., - .- - - MAINS OF COLUMBUS, CATHEDRAL OF SAN ooMiNQo. aud that tfac additioual casKct fouud was that 01 LOWRS INSCRIPTION. UA. PTE. DE I.OS IIT03 DEL PMER. ALTE, DN CRISTOVAL COLON DOR 'I STANDS FOR URNA PERTENECICNTE DE LOS RESTOS DEL PRIMER ALMIRANTE DON CRISTOVAL COLON, DESCUBRtDOR. TRANSLATION; URN BELONGING TO THE REMAINS OF THE FIRST ADMIRAL DON CRISTOVAL COLON, DISCOV- ERER. Christopher Colon, the grandson. It was represented, moreover, that those features of the inscription on the lately found leaden box which seemed to indi- cate it as the casket of the first admiral of the Indies had been fraudulently added or altered. The question has probably been thrown into the category of doubt, though the case as presented in favor of Santo Domingo has some recognizably weak points, which the advocates of the other side have made the most of, and to the satisfaction, perhaps, of the more careful inquir- ers. The controver- sial litera- ture on the subject i s consid- e r a b le . The re- pairs of 1887 in the Santo Do- mingo ca- thedral re- vealed the m''' THE INSCRIPTIONS ON THE TWO SIDES OF THE HINGED LID OF LEADEN COFFIN FOUND IN THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN DOMINGO, SEPT. 10, 1377. UPPER INSCRIPTION ON OUTSIDE OF LID : D. DC LA A PEK A. STANDS FOR: DEaCUBRIDON DE LA AMERIOa, PRIMER ALMIRANTE. TRANSLA- TION: DISCOVERER OF AMERICA, FIRST ADMIRAL. LOWER INSCRIPTION ON INSIDE OF LID: ILLRE V ESDO. VARON DU CRISTOVAL COLON. STANDI FOR I ILLUSTRI V UCLARECIOO VARON, DON CRISTOVAL COLON. TRANSLATION: ILLUSTRIOUS AND FAMOUS MAN, DON CRISTOVAL COLON. mmm OP COLUMBUS. 411 empty vault from which the transported body had been taken ; but they showed also the occupied vault of the grandson Luis, and another in which was a leaden case which bore the inscriptions which are in dispute. It is the statement of the Historie* that Columbus preserved the chains in which he had come home from his third voyage, and that he had them buried with him, or intended to do so. The story is often repeated, but it has no other authority than the somewhat dubious one of that book ; and it finds no confirmation in Las Casas, Peter Martyr, Bernaldez, or Oviedo. Humboldt says that he made futile inquiry of those who had assisted in the re-interment at Havana if there were any trace of these f tters or of oxide of iron in the coffin. In the accounts of the recent discovery of remains at Santo Domingo, it is said that there was equally no trace of fetters in the casket. * Historic, the Italian title of the biographical book written by his son Fernando. MARBLE MONUMENT OF COLUMBUI AT MADRID. StKHted by D.Jeronimo Sultal I CHAPTER XLVII. OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHARACTER OF COLUMBUS. OLUMBUS was a man of great and inventive genius. The operations of his mind were ener- getic, but irregular, bursting forth, at times, with that irresistible force which characterizes intellects of such an order. His ambition was lofty and noble, inspiring him with high thoughts, and an anxiety to distinguish himself by great achieve- ments. He aimed at dignity and wealth in the same elevated spirit with which he sought renown ; they were to rise from the territories he should discover, and be com- mensurate in importance. The vast gains that he anticipated from his discoveries, he intended to appropriate to princely purposes ; to institutions for the relief of the poor of his native city, to the foun- dation of churches, and, above all, to crusades for the recovery of the holy sepulchre. ' ' He was tenacious of his rank and privileges, not from a mere vulgar love of titles, but because he prized them as testimonials and trophies of his illustrious deeds. Every question of compro- mise concerning them, he repulsed with disdain. " These things," said he, nobly, "concern my honor." In his testament, he enjoined on his son Diego, and whomsoever after him should inherit his estates, whatever other titles might be granted by the king, always to sign himself, simply, " The Admiral," by way of perpetuating in the family the source of its real greatness. His conduct was characterized by the grandeur of his views, and the magnanimity of his spirit. Instead of ravaging the newly- (4«^ OF COI^UMBUS. 413 EBT <.-»li*^ found countries like many of his contemporary- discoverers, who were intent only on immediate gain, he regarded them with the eyes of a legislator; he sought to colonize and cultivate them, to civilize the natives, to subject every thing to the control of law, order, and religion, and thus to found regular and prosperous em- pires. That he failed in this, was the fault of the dissolute rabble which it was his misfortune to ■ command, with whom all law was tyranny, and all order oppression. He was naturally irritable and impetuous, and keenly sensible to injury and injustice; yet the quick- ness of his temper was counteracted by the benevolence and generosity of his heart. The magnanimity of his nature shone forth through all the troubles of his stormy career. Though continually outraged in his dignity, braved in his authority, foiled in his plans, and endangered in his person, by the seditions of turbulent and worthless men, and that, too, at times when suffering under anguish of body and anxiety of mind, enough to exasperate the most patient, yet he restrained his .. J"J' i_ • • 1 'uolo, an Italian statesman and scholar who lived in Naples from ii;oa to 1570. valiant and indignant spirit, and ''here is no doubt that it was paimed by Francesco Mazzioli. who took the ^ " r ' name of Parmigiano in honor of his native city, Parma. He was born >H, '^ \ ■^" ^ -r-^%. '^^..y^ C^ :,-: :>i^^mm::9 f :J: f M./J"» bi-ought himself to forbear, and reason, and even to supplicate. how THE PARMIGIANO PORTRAIT OF COLUMBUS. An alleged portrait of Columbus which has more artistic merit than most of the others, and was selected by Prescott to illustrate his Ferdinand and Isabella. It was formerly claimed to be eenuine, but the best auiho'ities now declare that it is not a portrait of Columbus at all, but of one Gilberlo di Sas- [atesman and scholar who lived in Naples from 1S02 to ij : that it was painted by Francesco Mazzioli. who took „ no in honor of his native city, Parma. He was born 1^03, so that he was but three years old at the death of Columbus, and he died in 75.,". He was a student of Raphael and produced many great works, including a portrait of Amerigo Vespucci, which was also fanciful. The so- called Columbus portrait was executed at Parma in 1527 at the order of Car- dinal Alexander Farnese. The King of Naples succeeded to the Farnese estates and removed the painting to the Royal Museum. The picture is a rare example of art, but does not bear the slightest resemblance to the feat- ures of the admiral as described by his contemporaries, nor is the garb such as was worn in Spain at the time he lived. — V'Ae Columbus Portraiti : lyUliam Elcroy Curtis in the February Cosmo Jiolitan, iSqi, Nor should we fail to notice free he was from all feeling of revenge, how ready to forgive and forget on the least signs of repentance and atonement. He has been extolled for his skill in controlling others, but far greater praise is due to him for the firmness he displayed in governing himself. 414 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES His piety was genuine and (ervent ; religion mingled with the whole course of his thoughts and actions, and shone forth in his most private and unstudied writings. Whenever he made any great discovery, he devoutly returned thanks to God. The voice of prayer and the melody of praise rose from his ships on discov- ering the new world, and his first action on landing was to pros- trate himself upon the earth, and offer up thanksgivings. Every evening, the Salve Regina, and other vesper hymns, were chanted by his crew, and masses were performed in the beautiful groves that bordered the wild shores of this heathen land. All his great enterprises were undertaken in the name of the Holy Trinity, and he partook of the holy sacrament previous to embarkation. He observed the festivals of the Church in the wildest situations. The Sabbath was to him a day of sacred rest, on which he would never sail from a port unless in case of extreme necessity. The religion, thus deeply seated in his soul, diffused a sober dignity, and a be- nign composure, over his whole deportment ; his very language was pure and guarded, and free from all gross or irreverent ex- pressions. It can not be denied, however, that his piety was mingled with superstition, and darkened by the bigotry of the age. He evi- dently concurred in the opinion, that all the nations who did not acknowledge the Christian faith were destitute of natural rights ; and that the sternest measures might be used for their conversion, and the severest punishments inflicted upon them, if obstinate in unbelief. In this spirit of bigotry he considered himself justified in making captives of the Indians, and transporting them to Spain, to have them taught the doctrines of Christianity, and in selling them for slaves if they pretended to resist his invasions. In doing the latter, he sinned against the natural goodness of his heart, and against the feelings he had originally entertained and expressed towards this gentle and hospitable people; but he was goaded on by the mercenary impatience of the crown, and by the sneers of his enemies, at the unprofitable result of his enterprises. It is but justice to his character to observe, that the enslavement of the Indians thus taken in battle was at first openly countenanced by the crown, and that, when the question of right came to be dis- cussed at the request of the queen, several of the most dis- tinguished jurists and theologians advocated the practice ; so that OF COLUMBUS. 415 ith the in his ie any e voice discov- pros- Every :hanted groves s great ity, and m. He s. The d never eligion, id a be- mguage rent ex- led with He evi- did not rights ; version, inate in liustified Spain, selling |u doing irt, and [pressed ided on leers of It is but of the iced by ibe dis- )St dis- iso that the question was finally settled, in favor of the Indians, solely by the humanity of Isabella. As the venerable Bishop Las Casas ob- serves, where the most learned men have doubted, it is not surpris- ing that an unlearned mariner should err. These remarks, in palliation of the conduct of Columbus, are required by candor. It is proper to show him in connection with the age in which he lived, lest the errors of the times should be considered his individual faults. It is not intended, however, to justify him on a point where it is inexcusable to err. Let it re- main a blot on his illustrious name, and let others derive a lesson from it. A peculiar trait in his rich and varied character remains to be noticed ; namely, that ardent and enthusiastic imagination, which threw a magnificence over his whole course of thought. A poet- ical temperament is discernible throughout all his writings and in all his actions. We see it in all his descriptions of the beauties of the wild lands he was discovering ; in the enthusiasm with which he extols the verdure of the forests, the grandeur of the mount- ains, and the crystal clearness of the running streams ; the bland- ness of the temperature, the purity of the atmosphere, and the fragrance of the air, "full of dew and sweetness." It spread a golden and glorious world around him, and tinged every thing with its own gorgeous colors. It betrayed him into visionary specula- tions, which subjected him to the sneers and cavils of men of cooler and safer, but more groveling minds. Such were the conjectures formed on the coast of Paria, about the form of the earth, and the situation of the terrestrial Paradise ; about the mines of Ophir, and the Aurea Chersonesus of the ancients ; and such was the heroic scheme of a crusade, for the recovery of the holy sepulchre. It filled his mind with solemn and visionary meditations on mystic passages of the Scriptures, and on the shadowy portents of the prophecies. It exalted his own office in his eyes, and made him conceive himself an agent sent forth upon a sublime and awful mission, and subject to mysterious intimations from the Deity ; such as the voice which he imagined spoke to him in comfort amidst the troubles of Hispaniola, and in the silence of the night on the disastrous coast of Veragua. He was decidedly a visionary, but a visionary of an uncommon kind, and successful in his dreams. The manner in which his ar- I1 1 ) 4x6 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES dent imagination and mercurial nature were controlled by a pow- erful judgment, and directed by an acute sagacity, is the most extraordinary feature in his character. Thus governed, his imag- ination, instead of exhausting itself in idle flights, lent aid to his judgment, and enabled him to form conclusions at which common minds could never have arrived, nay, which they could not perceive when pointed out. To his intellectual vision it was given to read the signs of the times, and to trace in the conjectures and reveries of past ages the indications of an unknown world, as soothsayers were said to read predictions in the stars, and to foretell events from the visions of the night. " His soul," observes a Spanish writer, " was superior to the age in v.hich he lived. For him was reserved the great enter- prise of traversing a sea which had given rise to so many fables, and of deciphering the mystery of his age." With all the visionary fervor of his imagination, its fondest dreams fell short of the reality. He died in ignorance of the real grandeur of his discover}'^ ! Until his last breath, he entertained the idea that he had merely opened a new way to the old resorts of opulent commerce, and had discovered some of the wild regions of the East. He supposed Hispaniola to be the ancient Ophir, which had been visited by the ships of King Solomon, and that Cuba and Terra Firnia were but remote parts of Asia, What visions of glory would have broken upon his mind, could he have known that he had indeed discovered a new continent equal to the old world in magnitude, and separated by two vast oceans from all the earth hitherto known by civilized man ! and how would his magnanimous spirit have been consoled, amidst the afflictions of age, and the cares of penury, the neglect of a fickle public, and the injustice of an ungrateful king, could he have anticipated the splendid empires which would arise in the beautiful world he had discovered ; and the nations and tongues and languages which were to fill its lands with his renown, and to revere and bless his name to the latest pos- terity ! ly a pow- the most his imag- aid to his common t perceive ns of the ; ages the d to read visions of iperior to ;at enter- tiy fables, s fondest ■ the real tertaired resorts of egions of ir, which ^uba and '> of glory 1 that he world in he earth lanimous and the justice of . empires red ; and its lands itest pos- Book il (417) TTTTf ■ # . f , .fllHi^^l^^^w*' '.'•' ■ ' HBBii^HHiiRil (4««) FERDINAND CORTES. MINTINO IN POSSESSION OF T»lE MARQUIS CF SALAMANCA. *serj, ,.i .-Bnif -^'TiMft 'A'MBtabs;- n 1 1 ' -rS m H CHAPTER XL VIII. THE CONQULST AND SETTLEMENT OF THE ISLAND OF CUBA. ^t^^HE rigorous treatment of the inhabi- tants of the island of San Domingo having almost extirpated the race, many of the Spanish planters, finding it im- possible to carry on their works with the same vigor and profit, were obliged to look out for settlements in some country where people were not yet wasted by oppression. Others, with the inconsiderate levity natural to men upon whom wealth pours in with a sud- den flow, had sqviandered in thought- less prodigality what they acquired with ease, and were driven by necessity to embark in the moct desperate schemes, ^ in order to retrieve their affairs. From all these causes, when Diego Columbus proposed to conquer the island of Cuba, and to establish a colony there, many persons of chief distinction in Hispaniola engaged with alacrity in the measure. He gave the command of the troops destined for that service to Diego Velasquez, one of his father's com- panions in his second voyage, and who, having been long settled in Hispaniola, had acquired an ample fortune, with such reputation for probity and prudence, that he seemed to be well qualified for conduct- ing an expedition of importance. Three hundred men were deemed (4") mM if ! 422 THB CONQUKST OK MEXICO. sufficient for the conquest of an island of above seven hundred miles in length, and filled with inhabitants. Hut they were of the same unwarlike character with the people of Hispaniola. They were not only intimidated by the appearance of their new enemies, but un- prepared to resist them. For though, from the time that the Span- iards took possession of the adjacent island, there was reason to expect a descent on their territories, none of the small comnninities into which Cuba was divided, had either made any provision for its own defense, or had forn >d any concert for their common safety. The only obstruction the Spaniards met with was from Hatuey, a cacique, who had fled from Hispaniola, and had taken pos- ^ ^. session of the eastern extremity of Cuba. He stood upon the defensive at their first landing, and endeavored to drive them back to their ships. His feeble troops, how- ever, were soon broken and dispers- ed ; and he ', himself being taken prisoner, Velasquez, ac- cording to t h e barbarous maxim of the Spaniards, con- sidered him as a slave who had taken arms against his master, and condemned him to the flames. When Hatuey was fastened to the stake, a Fran- ciscan friar laboring to convert him, promised him immediate admit- tance to the joys of heaven, if he would embrace the Christian faith. "Are there any Spaniards," says he, after some pause, " in that region of bliss which you describe ?" " Yes," replied the monk, " but only such as are worthy and good." " The best of them," returned the indignant cacique, " have neither worth nor goodness : I will not go to a place where I may meet with one of that accursed race." This dreadful example of vengeance struck the people of Cuba with THE MNOllE AND CNUtL DEATH OF THC CAOQUt HATUEY, WHO CVEN AT THE LAST MOMENT OlSOAINa TO MEET HIS OPI^tbSORa IN THE WOKLO TO COME. THE CONgUEST OF MEXICO. 423 such terror, that they scarcely gave any opposition to the progress of their invaders; and Velasquez, without the loss of a man, an- nexed this extensive and fertile island to the Spanish monarchy. Diego Velasquez retained the government of that island, as the deputy of Don Diego Columbus, though he seldom acknowledged his superior, and aimed at rendering his ovni authority altogether independent. Under his prudent administration, Cuba became one of the most flourishing of the Spanish settlements. The fame of this allured thither many persons from the other colonies, in hopes of finding either some permanent establishment or some employ- ment for their activity. As Cuba lay to the west of all the islands occupied by the Spaniards, and as the ocean which stretches beyond it towards that quarter had not hitherto been explored, these cir- cumstances naturally invited the inhabitants to attempt new dis- coveries. An expedition for this purpose, in which activity and resolution might conduct to sudden wealth, was more suited to the genius of the age than the patient industry requisite in clearing ground and manufacturing sugar. Instigated by this spirit, several officers, who had served under Pedrarias in Darien, entered into an association to undertake a voyage of discovery. They persuaded Francisco Hernandez Cordova, an opulent planter in Cuba, and a man of distinguished courage, to join with them in the adventure, and chose him to be their commander. Velasquez not only approved of the design, but assisted in carrying it on. As the veterans from Darien were extremely indigent, he and Cordova advanced money for purcliP^ing three small vessels, and furnished them with every thing requisite :iither for traffic or for war. A hundred and ten men embarked on board of them, and sailed from St. Jago de Cuba on the 8tli of February, 1517. By the advice of their chief pilot* Antonio Alaminos, who had served under the first admiral Coluni- ])us, they stood directly west, relying on the opinion of that great navigator, who uniformly maintained that a westerly course would lead to the most important discoveries. On the twenty-first day after their departure from St. Jago, they saw land, which proved to be Cape Catochc, the eastern point of that large peninsula projecting from the continent of America which still retains its original name of Yucatan. As they ap- proached the shore, five canoes came off full of people decently clad in cotton garments; an astonishing spectacle to the Spaniards, who f ii it! L 24 iii ^itm k i ■ •'11! • i. iu f 424 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 'I :'C''^' had found every other part of America possessed by naked savages. Cordova endeavored by small presents to gain the good-will of these people. They, though amazed at the strange objects now presented, for the first time, to their view, invited the Spaniards to visit their habitations, with an appearance of cordiality. They landed accordingly, and as they advanced into the country, they observed with new wonder some large houses built with stone. But they soon found that, if the people of Yucatan had made progress- in improvement beyond their countrymen, they were likewise more artful and warlike.- For though the cacique received Cor- dova with many tokens of friendship, he had posted a considerable body of his subjects in ambush behind a thicket, who, upon a signal given by him, rushed out and attacked the Spaniards with great boldness, and some degree of martial order. At the first flight of their arrows, fifteen of the Spaniards were wounded; but the Indians were struck with such terror by the sudden ex- plosion of the firearms, and so surprised at the execution done by them, by the cross-bows, and by the other weapons of their new enemies, that they .'^ed precipitately. Cor- dova quitted a country where he had met with § such a fierce reception. LACONDAN (YUCATAN) CACIQUE AND FAMILY. •HOWINO TVPi AND COITUMEt Of THI NATIVEI OF THI PHEtENT D«V i THEV HAVINQ MAOI BUT UTTll ADVANCIMINT OVIN TNIIH ANCKTOM AT THt TIMI Or THI CONgUUT.-D. CHMUV. THE CONQUKST OF MEXICO. 425 carrying off two prisoners, together with the ornaments of a small temple, which he phindered in his retreat. He continued his cour.se towards the west, without losing sight of the coast, and on the sixteenth day arrived at Campeacliy. There the natives received them more hospitably; but the vSpaniards were much surprised, tliat on all the extensive coast along whicit they had sailed, and wliich they imagined to be a large island, they had not observed any river. As their water began to fail, they ad- vanced, in hopes of finding a supply ; and at length they disrov- 1 of a river at Po- tonclian, a few leagues b e y o n d Campeacliy. Cordova landed all h i s troops, in order to protect the sailorswhile emi)loyed in filling the casks ; but notwith- standing this precau- tion, the na- tives rushed down upoli them with such fury and in such numbers, that forty- seven of the Spaniards were killed upon the spot, and one man only of the whole body escaped unliurt. Their commander, though wounded in twelve different ])laces, directed the retreat witli presence of mind equal to the courage with which he had led tlieiii on in the engagement, and with much difficulty they regained their ships. After this fatal repulse, nothing remained but to hasten back to Cuba with their shattered forces. In their passage thither they suffered the most exquisite distress for .r^^" ■"aOifc'^ PRINCIPAL FACADE OF THE PALACE OF THE NUNS AT CHICHEN-ITZA YUCATAN. THt AZTEO AND MAY* NELIGION INTHOOUCEO AMONO THEIH VOTANICD A VLRV SIMILAM INSTITUTIOk TO THE ONI AMONQ >OMAM CATMOLIO. THEIR NUNS REMAINED CELIBATH, OWELI IN CONVENTt, TOOK REUOIOUi VOW(, ETC. ■&■■ 426 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. want of water, that men wounded, and sickly, shut up in small ves- sels, and exposed to the heat of the torrid zone, can be supposed to endure. Some of them, sinking under these calamities, died by the way ; Cordova, their commander, expired soon after they landed in Cuba. LEFT WING OF THE PALACE OF THE NUNS AT CHICHEN— ITZA, YUCATAN. I WOMEN WERE ALLOWED TO EXERCISE SACERDOTAL FL'NCTIONS, EXCEPT THOSE OF SACRIFICE. ONE OF THE EAKLV MISSICNARItS, FATKtR ' » AC03TA, exclaims: "in TRUTH, IT IS VERY STRANGE TO SEE THAT THIS FALEt OPINION OF RELiaiON liATH SO GREAT FORCE AMONG THESE YOUNG MEN AND MAIDENS OF MEXICO, THAT THEY WILL 6FRVE THE OIVELL WITH SO GREAT RIGOR AND AUSTERITY, WHICH MANY :F JJ OOE not in THE service of the most high god; the WHICH ISA GREAT SHAME AND CONFJSIOH.'' ENGLISH TRANSUTION, US. S, CAP. 0. CHAPTER XLIX. VOYAGE OF JUAN DE GRIJALVA. DISCOVERY OF NEW SPAIN, THE MODERN MEXICO. (iBtS.) OTWITHSTANDING the disastrous con- clusion* of this expedition, it contributed rather to animate than to damp a spirit of enterprise among the Spaniards. They had discovered an extensive country, situ- ated at no great distance from Cuba, fertile in appearance, and possessed by a people far superior in improvement to any hitherto known in America. Though they had carried on little commercial intercourse with the natives, they had brought off some ornaments of gold, not considerable in value, but of singular fabric. These circumstances, related with the exaggera- tion natural to men desirous of heightening the merit of their own exploits, were more than sufficient to excite romantic hopes and expectations. Great numbers offered to engage in a new expe- dition. Velasquez, solicitous to distinguish himself by some serv- ice so meritorious, as might entitle him to claim the government of Cuba independent of the admiral, not only encouraged their ardor, but, at his own expense, fitted out four ships for the voyage. Two hundred and forty volunteers, among whom were several per- sons of rank and fortune, embarked in this enterprise. The com- mand of it was given to Juan de Grijalva, a young man of known merit and ceurage, with instructions to observe attentively the nature of the countries which he should discover, to barter for gold, and, if circumstances were inviting, to settle a colony in some (4»7) • 428 TH^ CONQUEST OF MEXICO. proper station. He sailed from St. Jago de Cuba on the 8th of April, 15 1 8. The pilot Alaminos held the same course as in the former voyage ; but the violence of the currents carrying the ships to the south, the first land which they made was the island of Cozumel, to the east of Yucatan. As all the inhabitants fled to the woods and mountains at the approach of the Spaniards, they made no long stay there, and without any remarkable occurrence they reached Potonchan on the opposite side of the Peninsula. The desire of avenging their countrymen who had been slain there, concurred with their ideas of good policy, in prompting them to land, that they might chastise the Indians of that district with such exemplary rigor as would strike terror into all the people around them. But though thej' disembarked all their troops, and carried ashore some field-pieces, the Indians fought with such courage, that the Span- iards gained the victory with difficulty, and were confirmed in their opin- ion that the inhabitants of this country would prove more formidable enemies than any they had met with in other parts of America. From Potonchan they con- tinued their voyage towards the west, keeping as near as possible to the shore, and casting anchor every evening, from dread of the dangerous accidents to which they might be exposed in an unknown sea. During the day their eyes were turned continually towards land, with a mixture of surprise and wonder at the beauty of the coun- try, as well as the novelty of the objects which they beheld. Many villages were scattered along the coast, in which they could dis- tinguish houses of stone that appeared white and lofty at a dis- tance. In the warmth of their admiration, they fancied these to be cities adorned with towers and pinnacles; and one of the sol- diers happening to remark that this country resembled Spain in appearance, Grijalva, with universal applause, called it New Spain, INTERIOR OR FACADE OF THE PALACE AT PAIENQUE. AZTEC PRIESTS OFFERING OP A LIVINQ HUMAN HEART TO THEIR DEITY, THE GREAT LUMINARY OF THE HEAVENS. REDRAWN rROM OATA OBTAINEO FHOM ClAVIOERO, AND THE RAMIREZ MSS. }\\ 430 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. il -#fi the name which distinguished this extensive and opulent province of the Spanish empire until very recently. They landed in a river which the natives called Tabasco [June 9]; and the fame of their victory at Potonchan having reached this place, the cacique not only received them amicably, but bestowed presents upon them of such value, as confirmed the high ideas which the Spaniards had formed with respect to the wealth and fertility of the country. These ideas were raised still higher by what occurred at the place where they next touched. This was considerably to the west of Tabasco, in the province since known by the name of Guaxaca. There they were received uith the respect paid to superior beings. The people perfumed them, as they landed, with incense of gum copal, and presented to them as offerings the choicest delicacies of their country. They were extremely fond of trading with their new visitants, and in six days the Spaniards obtained ornaments of gold of curious workmanship, to the value of fifteen thousand pesos, in exchange for European toys of small price. Tlie two prisoners whom Cordova had brought from Yucatan had hitherto served as interpreters ; but as they did not understand the lan- guage of this country, the Spaniards learned from the natives by signs, that they were subjects of a great monarch called Montezuma, whose dominion extended over that and nmu}' other provinces. Leaving this place, with which he had so much reason to be pleased, Grijalva continued his course towards the west. He landed on a small island [June 19], which he named the Isle of Sacrifices, be- cause there the Spaniards beheld, for the first time, the horrid spectacle of human victims, which the barbarous superstition of the natives offered to their gods. He touched at another small island, which he called San Juan de Ulloa. From this place he despatched Pedro de Alvarado, one of his officers, to Velasquez, with a ful\ account of the important discoveries which he had made, and with all the treasure that he acquired by trafficking with the natives. After the departure of Alvarado, he himself, with the remaining vessels, proceeded along the coast as far as the river Panuco, the country still appearing to be well peopled, fertile, and opulent. Several of Grijalva's officers contended that it was not enough to have discovered those delightful regions, or to have performed, at their different landing-places, the empty ceremony of taking / THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 431 possession of them for the crown of Castile, and that their glory was incomplete unless they planted a colony in some proper sta- tion, which might not only secure the Spanish nation a footing in the country, but, with the reinforcements which they were cer- tain of receiving, might gradually subject the whole to the domin- ion of their sovereign. But the squadron had now been above five months at sea; the greatest part of their provisions was ex- hausted, and what remained of their stores so much corrupted by the heat of the climate, as to be almost unfit for use ; they had lost some men by death ; others were sickly; the country was crowded with people who seemed to be intelligent as well as brave; and they were under the government of one powerful monarch, who could bring them to act against their invaders with united force. To plant a colony under so many circumstances of disadvantage, appeared a scheme too perilous to be attempted. Grijalva, though possessed of both ambition and courage, was destitute of the supe- rior talents capable of forming or executing such a great plan. He judged it more prudent to return to Cuba, having fulfilled the pur- pose of his voyage, and accomp- lished all that the armament which he commanded enabled him to perform. He returned to St. Jago de Cuba, on the 26th of Octo- ber, from which he had taken his departure about six months before. This was the longest as well as the most successful voyage •which the Spaniards had hitherto made in the New World. They had discovered that Yucatan was not an island, as they had sup- posed, but part of the great continent of America. From Poton- THE HOUSE OF THE DWARFS AT UXMAL, 43a THK CONQUEST OF MEXICO. chan they had pursueil their course for many hundred miles along a coast formerly unexplored, stretching at first towards the west, and then turning to the north; all the country which they had discovered appeared to be no less valuable than extensive. As soon as Alvarado reached Cuba, Velasquez, transported with success so far beyond his most sanguine expectations, immediately despatched a person of confidence to carry this important intelligence to Spain, to exhibit the rich productions of the countries which had been discovered by his means, and to solicit such an increase of authority as might enable and encourage him to attempt the con- quest of them. Without waiting for the return of his messenger, or for the arrival of Grijalva, of whom he was become so jealous or distrustful that he was resolved no longer to employ him, he began to prepare such a powerful armament as might prove equal to an enterprise of so much danger and importance. IT«UAN ARMOR XVI. CENTURY. CHAPTER L. APPOINTMENT Of C0RTC8 AS COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION. VELASQUEZ BCCOMKH JEALOUS OF HIM AND ENDEAVORS TO DEPRIVE HIM OF THE COMMAND. (iBIS.) HEN Grijalva [1518] returned to U^^ Cuba, he found the armament des- ^^^^ tined to attempt the conquest of that rich country which he had dis- covered almost complete. Not only ambition, but avarice, had urged Velas- quez to hasten his preparations ; and having such a prospect of gratifying both, he had advanced considerable sums out of his private fortune towards defraying the expenses of the expedition. At the same time, he exerted his influence as gov- ernor, in engaging the most distin- guished persons in the colony to under- take the service. At a time when the spirit of the Spanish nation was adven- turous to excess, a number of soldiers, eager to embark in any daring enterprise, soon appeared. But it was not so easy to find a person qualified to take the command in an expedition of so much importance ; and the character of Velasquez, who had the right of nomination, greatly increased the difficulty of the choice. Though of most aspiring ambition, and not destitute of talents for government, he possessed neither such courage, nor such vigor and activity of mind, as to undertake in person the conduct DONA MARINA, INTERPRETER OF CORTES. '433) 'i-U. 434 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. of the armament which he was preparing. In this embarrassing sit- uation, he formed the chimerical scheme, not only of achieving great exploits by a deputy, but of securing to himself the glory of con- quests which were to be made by another. In the execution of this plan, he fondly aimed at reconciling contradictions. He was solic- itous to choose a commander of intrepid resolution, and of superior abilities, because he knew these to be requisite in order to ensure success ; but, at the same time, from the jealousy natural to little minds, he wished this person to be of a spirit so tame and obsequi- ous as to be entirely dependent on his will. But when he came to apply those ideas in forming an opinion concerning the several oifi- cers who occurred to his thoughts as worthy of being intrusted with the command, he soon perceived that it was impossible to find such incompatible qualities united in one character. Such as were dis- tinguished for courage and talents were too high-spirited to be pas- sive instruments in his hands. Those who appeared moie gentle and tractable, were destitute of capacity, and unequal to the charge. This augmented his perplexity and his fears. He deliberated long and with much solicitude, and was still wavering in his choice when Amador de Lares, the royal treasurer in Cuba, and Andres Duero, his own secretary, the two persons in whom he chiefly confided, were encouraged by this irresolution to propose a new candidate ; and they supported their recommendation with such assiduity and address, that, no less fatally for Velasquez than happil}' for their countr}-, it proved successful. The man whom they pointed out to him was Fernando Cortes. He was born at Medellin, a small town in Estremadura, in the year 1485, and descended from a family of noble blood, but of very moderate for- tune. Being originally destined by his parents to the study of law, as the most likely method of bettering his condition, he was sent early to the university of Salamanca, where he imbibed some tincture of learning. But he was soon disgusted with an academic life, which did not suit his ardent and restless genius, and retired to Medellin, where he gave himself up entirely to active sports and martial exercises. At this period of life he was so impetuous, so overbearing, and so dis- sipated, that his father was glad to comply with his inclination, and sent him abroad as an adventurer in arms. There were in that age two conspicuous theaters, on which such of the Spanish youth as courted military glory might display their valor; one in Italy, under THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 435 the command of the Great Captain ; the other in the New World. Cortes preferred the former, but was prevented by indisposition from embarking with a reinforcement of troops sent to Naples. Upon this disappointment he turned his views towards America, whither he was allured by the prospect of the advantages which he might derive from the patronage of Ovando, the governor of His- paniola, who was his kinsman. When he landed at San Dom- ingo, in 1504, his reception was such as equaled his most san- guine hopes, and he was em- ployed by the governor in sev- eral honorable and lucrative stations. These, however, did not satisfy his ambition ; and, in the year 151 1, he obtained permission to accompany Diego Velasquez in his expedition to Cuba. In this ser- vice he distinguished himself so much, that, notwithstanding some violent con- tests with Velasquez, occasioned by trivial events unworthy of remembrance, he was, at length, taken into favor, and received an ample conce sion of lands and of Indians, the recompense usually bestowed upon adventurers in the New World. Though Cortes had not hitherto acted in high command, he had displayed such qualities in several scenes of difficulty and danger, as raised universal expectation, and t'vrned the eyes of his countrymen towards him as one capable of performing great things. The turbulence of youth, as soon as he found objects and o:cupa- tions suited to the ardor of his mind, gradually subsided and settled into a habit of regular indefatigable c.Jvity. The impetuosity of his temper, when he came to act with his equals, insensibly abated, by being kept under restraint, and mellowed into a cordial soldierly frankness. These qualities were accompanied with calm prudence in concerting his schemes, with persevering vigor in executing THE QATEWAV OF THE ARCHIVE), UNIVERtlTY Or aALAMANC*. 1 TTT II n 436 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. them, and with, what is peculiar to superior genius, the art of gain- ing the confidence and governing the minds of men. To all which were added the inferior accomplishments that strike the vulgar, and command their respect ; a graceful person, a winning aspect, extraor- dinary address in martial exercises, and a constitution of such vigor as to be capable of enduring any fatigue. As soon as Cortes was mentioned to Velasquez by his two con- fidants, he flattered himself that he had, at length, found what he had hitherto sought in vain, a man wi*h talents for command, but not an object for jealousy. Neither the rank nor the fortune of Cortes, as he imagined, was such that he could aspire at independ- ence. He had reason to believe, that, by his own readiness to bury ancient animosities in oblivion, as well as his liberality in confer- ring several recent favors, he had already gained the good-will of Cortes, and hopud, by this new and unexpected mark of confidence, that he tniglit attiif^h him forever to his interest. Cortes, receiving his commission [Oct. 23] with the warmest expressions of respect and gratitude to the governor, immediately erected his standard before his own house, appeared in a military dress, and assumed all the ensigns of his new dignity. His utmost influence and activity were exerted in persuading many of his friends to engage in the service, and in urging forward the preparations for the voyage. All his own funds, together with what money he could raise by mortgaging his lands and Indians, were expended in pur- chasing military stores and provisions, or in supplying the wants of such of his officers as were unable to equip thenuselves in a man- ner suited to their rank. Inofl'ensive, and even laudable as this con- duct was, his disappointed competitors were malicious enough to give it a turn to his disadvantage. They represented him as aim- ing already, with little disguise, at establishing an independent authority over his troops, and endeavoring to secure their respect or love by his ostentatious and interested liberality. They reminded Velasquez of his former dissensions with the man in whom he now reposed so much confidence, and foretold that Cortes would be more apt to avail himself of the power which the governor was inconsid- erately putting in his hands, to avenge past injuries, than to requite recent obligations. These insinuations made such impression upon the suspicious mind of Velasquez, that Cortes soon observed .some symptoms of a growing alienation and distrust in his behavior, and THE CONQUKST OF MEXICO. 437 was advised by Lares and Duero to hasten his departure before these should become so confirmed as to break out with open vio- lence. Fully sensible of this danger, he urged forward his prepa- rations with such rapidity, that he set sail from St. Jago de Cuba on the iSth of November; Velasquez taking leave of him with an appearance of perfect friendship and confidence, though he had secretly given it in charge to some of Cortes' officers, to keep a Watchful eye upon every part of their commander's conduct. Cortes proceeded to Trinidad, a small settlement on the same side of the island, where he was joined by several adventurers, and received a supply of provisions and military stores, of which his stock was still very incomplete. He had hardly left St. Jago, when the jealousy which had been working in the breast of Velasquez grew so violent, that it was impossible to suppress it. The armament was no longer tinder his own eye and direction ; and he felt that as his power over it ceased, that of Cortes would become more absolute. Imagination now aggravated every circumstance which had formerly excited suspicion : the rivals of Cortes industriously threw in reflections which in- creased his fear ; and, with no less art than malice, they called superstition to their aid, employing the predictions of an astrologer in order to complete the alarm. All these, by their united operation, produced the desired effect. Velasquez repented bitterly of his own imprudence, in having com- mitted a trust of so much importance to a person whose fidelity appeared so doubtful, and hastily despatched instructions to Trini- dad, empowering Verdugo, the chief magistrate there, to deprive Cortes of his commission. But Cortes had already made such progress in gaining the esteem and confidence of his troops, that, finding officers as well as soldiers equally zealous to support his authority, he soothed or intimidated Verdugo, and was permitted to depart from Trinidad without molestation. From Trinidad Cortes sailed for the Havana, in order to raise more soldiers, and to complete the victualing of his fleet. There several persons of distinction entered into the service, and engaged to supply what provisions were still wanting ; but, as it was neces- sary to allow them some time for performing what they had prom- ) ITT VELASQUEZ QIVEi Ml> LAST ORDERS TO CORTES ON TMC EVE OF HIS DEPARTURE. I>v 438 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. ised, Velasquez, sensible that he ought no longer to rely on a man of whom he had so openly discovered his distrust, availed himself of the interval which this unavoidable delay afforded, in order to make one attempt more to wrest the command out of the hands of Cortes. He loudly complained of Verdugo's conduct, accusing him either of childish facility, or of manifest treachery, in suflfering Cortes to escape from Trinidad. Anxious to guard against a sec- ond disappointment, he sent a person of confidence to the Havana, with peremptory injunctions to Pedro Barba, his lieutenant-governor in that colony, instantly to arrest Cortes, to send him prisoner to St. Jago under a strong guard, and to countermand the sailing of the armament until he should receive further orders. He wrote, likewise, to the principal officers, requiring them to assist Barba in executing what he had given him in charge. But before the arrival of this messenger, a Franciscan friar of St. Jago had secretly con- veyed an account of this interesting transaction to Bartholomew de Olmedo, a monk of the same order, who acted as chaplain to the expedition. Cortes, forewarned of the danger, had time to take precautions for his own safety. His first step was to find some pretext for re- moving from the Havana Diego de Ordaz, an officer of great merit, but in whom, on account of his known attachment to Velasquez, he could not confide in this trying and delicate juncture. He gave him the command of a vessel, destined to take on board some pro- visions in a small harbor beyond Cape Antonio, and thus made sure of his absence without seeming to suspect his fidelity. When he was gone, Cortes no longer concealed the intentions of Velasquez from his troops ; and as officers and soldiers were equally impatient to set out on an expedition, in preparing for which most of them had expended all their fortunes, they expressed their astonishment and indignation at the illiberal jealousy to which the governor WcV' about to sacrifice, not only the honor of their general, but all their sanguine hopes of glory and wealth. With one voice they entreated that he would not abandon the important station to which he had such a good title. They conjured him not to deprive them of a leader whom they followed with such well-founded confidence, and offered to shed the last drop of their blood in maintaining his authority. Cortes was easily induced to comply with what he him- self so ardently desired. He swore that he would never desert T'..v CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 439 n a man himself order to hands of sing him suffering ist a sec- Havana, governor isoner to ailing of le wrote, Barba in le arrival -etly con- loniew de in to the ecautions xt for re- sat merit, elasquez, He gave ome pro- lade sure hen he elasquez inpatient of them lishment governor , but all ice they to which ive them fidence, ning his he him- r desert soldiers who had given him such a signal proof of their attach- ment, and promised instantly to conduct them to that rich country, which had been so long the object of their thoughts and wishes. This declaration was received with transports of military applause, accompanied with threats and imprecations against all who should presume to call in question the jurisdiction of their general, or to obstruct the execution of his designs. Every thing was now ready for their departure; but though this expedition was fitted out by the united effort of the Spanish power in Cuba ; though every settlement had contributed its quota of men and provisions; though the governor had laid out consider- able sums, and each adventurer had exhausted his stock, or strained his credit, the poverty of the preparation was such as must astonish the present age, and bore, indeed, no resemblance to an armament destined for the conquest of a great empire. The fleet consisted of eleven vessels; the largest of a hundred tons, which was digni- fied by the name of Admiral; three of seventy or eighty tons, and the rest small open barks. On board of these were six himdred and seventeen men ; of which five hundred and eight belonged to the land-service, and a hundred and nine were seamen or artificers. The soldiers were divided into eleven companies, according to the number of the ships, to each of which Cortes appointed a captain, and committed to him the command of the vessel while at sea, and of the men when on shore. As the use of fire arms among the nations of Europe was hitherto confined to a few battalions of reg- ularly disciplined infantr}^ only thirteen soldiers were armed with muskets, thirty-two were cross-bow men, and the rest had swords and spears. Instead of the usual defensive armor, which must have been cumbersome in a hot climate, most of the soldiers wore jackets quilted with cotton, which experience had taught the Spaniards to be a sufficient protection against the weapons of the Americans. They had only sixteen horses, ten small field-pieces, and four falconets. iS ■llUnfTilHiiiaW mr F IJ nl CHAPTER LT. DEPARTURE FROM CUBA AND LANDING AT TABASCO. FIRST INTERVIEW WITH THE MEXICANS AND NEGOTIATIONS WITH MONTEZUMA. (1SI9.) ITH this slender and ill-provided train did Cortes set sail [Feb. lo, 15 19], to make war upon a monarch whose do- minions were more extensive than all the kingdoms subject to the Spanish crown. As religious enthusiasm always mingled with the spirit of adventure in ' the New World, and, by a combination still more strange, united with avarice, in prompting the Spaniards to all their enterprises, a large cross was displayed in their standards, with this inscription, Let us follow the cross, for under this sign we shall conquer. So powerfully were Cortes and his followers animated with both these passions, that no less eager to plunder the opulent countr}' whither they were bound, than zealous to propagate the Christian faith among its inhab- itants, the}' set out, not with the solicitude nat- ural to men going upon dangerous services, but with that confidence which arises from security of success, and certainty of the divine protec- tion. As Cortes had determined to touch at every place where Grijalva had visited, he steered direct- ly towards the island of Cozumel ; there he had the good fortune to redeem Jerome de Aguilar, a THE Ft.Aa UNDER WHICH CORTES FOUGHT. mCSERVEO IN THE HOSPITAL OF JESUS, CITY OF MEXICO, (440) every lirect- lad the liar, a CO > < J V) u J • (- z u " < a o O Q CO M Z ^ u J produced an effect" very different from what the Mexicans intended. Instead of satisfying, it increased the avidity of the Spaniards, and rendered them so eager and impa- tient to become masters of a country which abounded with such precious productions, that Cortes could hardly listen with patience to the arguments which Pilpatoe and Teutile employed to dissuade him from visiting the capital, and, in a haughty, determined tone, he insisted on his demand, of being admitted to a personal audience of their sovereign. During this interview, some painters, in the train of the Mexican chiefs, had been diligently employed in delineating, upon white cotton cloths, figures of the ships, the horses, the artillery, the soldiers, and whatever else attracted their eyes as singular. When Cortes observed this, and was informed that these pictures were to be sent to Montezuma, in order to convey to him a more lively idea of the strange and wonderful objects now presented to their view, than any words could communicate, he resolved to render the representation still more ani- mating and interesting, by exhibiting such a spec- tacle, as might give both them and their monarch an awful impression of the extraordinary prowess of his the irresistible force of their arms. The trumpets, by his order, sounded an alarm ; the troops, in a moment, formed in order of battle, the infantry performed such martial exercises as were best suited to display the effect of their different weapons; the horse, in various evolutions, gave a specimen of their agility A PAQE FROM THE MAVA MANUSCRIPT PRESERVED IN THE HOVAL LIBRARV, DRESDEN TWO-THIRDS ORIGINAL SIZE. Only three or four MSS. are known to be in existence, the one in Dresclcn being considered the finest. Thcv .ire written on sheets pre- pared from the fibres of the Mexican .'\gavc, and coated with a layer of gypsum. None of the Maya writings have us yet been deci- phered. They were only understood by their priests (Ahkin) and a few initiates frmn tlic upper classes. foil owers, and .'HE C.ONQUKS'i' 0£^ MKXICO. 447 and strength; ttic artillery, pointed towards the thick woods which surrounded the camp, were fired, and made dreadful havoc among the trees. The Mexicans looked on with that silent auiazement which is natural when the mind is struck with objects which are both awful and above its com*^ ehension. But, at the explosion of the cannon, many of them flt^i, some fell to the ground, and all were so much confounded at the sight of men whose power so nearly resembled that of the gods, that Cortes found it difficult to com- pose and reassure them. The painters had now many new objects on which to exercise their art, and they put their fancy on the stretch in order to invent figures and symbols to represent the ex- traordinary things which they had seen. Messengers were immediately despatched to Montezuma with those pictures, and a full account of every thing that had passed since the arrival of the Spaniards, and by them Cortes sent a pres- ent of some European curiosities to Montezuma, which, though of no great value, he believed would be acceptable on account of their novelty. The Mexican monarchs, in order to obtain early informa- tion of every occurrence in all the corners of their extensive em- pire, had introduced a refinement in police unknown at that time in Europe. They had couriers posted at proper stations along the principal roads ; and as these were trained to agility by a regular education, and relieved one another at moderate distances, they conveyed intelligence with surprising rapidity. Though the capi- tal in which Montezuma resided was above a hundred and eighty miles from St. Juan d'UUoa, Cortes' presents were carried thither, and an answer to his demands was received in a few days. The same officers who had hitherto treated with the Spaniards were employed to deliver this answer ; but as they knew how repugnant the determination of their master was to all g^^ the schemes and wishes of the Spanish com- WM mander, they would not venture to make it ^ known until they had previously endeav- ored to soothe and mollify him. For this purpose they renewed their negotiation, by introducing a train of a hundred In- dians loaded with presents sent to him by Montezuma. The magnificence <^f these was such as became a great ..^M}:^ ■^y HtAOS ANU MASaUES FOUND AT TEOTIHUACAN (MEXICO' MADE FROM TENHA COriA. 44S THH .vON(iUEST OF MEXICO. monarch, and far exceeded any idea which the Spaniards had hith- erto formed of his wealth. They were placed on mats spread on rhe ground, in such order as showed them to the greatest advan- tage. Cortes and his officers viewed, with admiration, the various manufactures of the country; cotton stuffs so fine, and of such dcl*- cate texture as to resemble silk ; pictures of animals, trees, and other natural objects, formed with feathers of different colors, dis- posed and mingled witli such skill and elegance, as to rival the works of the pencil in truth and beauty of imitation. But what chiefly attracted their eyes^ were two large plates of a circular form, one of massive gold representing the sun, the other of silver, an emblem of the moon. These were accompanied with bracelets, collars, rings, and other trinkets of gold, and, that nothing might be ^wanting which could of what the country ANCIENT MEXICAN VASES. give the Spaniards a complete idea afforded, with some boxes filled with pearls, precious stones, and grains of gold unwrought, as they had been found in the mines or rivers. Cortes received all these with an appearance of profound veneration for the mon- arch by whom they were bestowed. But when the Mexicans, presuming upon this, informed him that their master, though he desired him to accept of ^vhat he had sent as a token of regard for that monarch whom Cortes represented, would not give his consent that foreign troops should approach nearer to his capital, or even allow them to con- tinue longer in his dominions, the Spanish general declared, in a manner more resolute and peremptory than formerly, that he must insist on his first demand, as he could not, without dishonor, return to his own country, until he was admitted into the presence of the prince whom he was appointed to visit in the name of his sovereign. The Mexicans, astonished at seeing any man dare to 0])pose that will, which they were accustomed to consider as su- picme and irresistible, yet afraid of precipitating t^^eir country into an open rupture with such formidable enenvies, prevailed with r 'I THK CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 449 nion- were eu the uniing d liim ivhat Cortes troops o con- in a at he lonor, sence of his are to s su- nntry with Cortes to promise, that he would not move from his present camp until the return of a messenger whom they sent to Montezuma for further instructions. The firmness with which Cortes adhered to his original proposal, should, naturally, have brought the negotiation between him and Montezuma to a speedy issue, as it seemed to leave the Mexican monarch no choice, but either to receive him with confi- dence as a friend, or to oppose him openly as an enemy. The lat- ter was what might have been expected from a haughty prince in possession of extensive power. The Mexican empire, at this period, was at a pitch of grandeur to which no society ever attained in so short a period. Though it had subsisted, according to their own traditions, only a hundred and thir y years, its dominion extended from the North to the South Sea, over territories stretching, with some small interruption, about five hundred leagues from east to west, and more than two hundred from north to south, compre- hending provinces not inferior in fertility, population, and opu- lence, to any in the torrid' zone. The people were warlike and en- terprising ; the authority of the monarch unbounded, and his reve- nues considerable. If, with the forces which might have been suddenly assembled in such an empire, Montezuma had fallen upon the Spaniards, while encamped on a barren, unhealthy coast, un- supported by any ally, without a place of retreat, and destitute of provisions, it seems to be impossible, even with the advantages of their superior discipline and arms, that they could have stood the shock, and they must either have perished in such an unequal contest, or have abandoned the enterprise. H2LMETS, INCRUSTED WITH TURQUOISES, IN THE HERTZ COLLECTION, PARIS. 1 ue uodics ot the Mexican soldiers were pener.illv cnvercii with a close vest of quilted cotton, so tliick as to be imponeirable to ttic liyht mi.sives of Indian warfare. 'riieii- helmets weie sometimes of wmid, plain, or incriisted with polished precious stonri, fashioned like th*; heads of wild animals or skulls, etc., and sometimes (-f silver. — From M. Brasaeur de Bourbourg's PaUnqne, \i^ CHAPTER LII. MONTEZUMA'S PCRPLEXITV AND TERROR UPON THE ARRIVAL OF THE SPANIARDS. ESTABLISHES A CIVIL OCVERNMENT AND 18 CHOSEN CHIEF JUSTICE AND CAPTAIN GENERAL. CORTES S the power of Montezuma enabled him to take this spirited part, his own dispositions were such as si'emed natural- ly to pro'npt him to it. . jio//, CoH^utst, Wol. I p. uj, 14J, i TT:i i II emand, iig him ma as- n ; and, il to a ;et with eatened men to d fears ■ issuing ) execu- sters to leasures ite in a y ought m coun- effective ng such ers, and ssuing a :tion, re- ave the ley pre- mpanied ch vahie ucement paniards licitude, timents, icerning conduct, already formed cas con- :e of the ,ing dan- hen |cs vv ev til . hich I .il I;: 1 '8 1 31 ^^BH ^■•{ B'''^' tT 1 1 i 1 ■ ■■fl ■ M THE CONQUEST OK MEXICO. 455 appeared to be inexhaustible, they were eager to attempt the conquest. Others, estimating the power of the Mexican empire by its wealth, and enumerating the various proofs which had occurred of its being under a well-regulated administration, contended, that it would be an act of the wildest frenzy to attack such a state with a small body of men, in want of provisions, unconnected with any ally, and already enfeebled by the diseases peculiar to the climate, and the loss of several of their number. Cortes secretly applauded the advocates for bold measures, and cherished their romantic hopes, as such ideas corresponded with his own, and favored the execution of the schemes which he had formed. From the time that the suspicions of Valesquez broke out with open violence in the attempts to deprive him of the command, Cortes saw the neces- sity of dissolving a connection which would obstruct and embarrass all his operations, and watched for a proper opportunity of coming to a final rupture with him. Having this in view, he had labored by every art to secure the esteem and affection of his soldiers. With his abilities for command, it was easy to gain their esteem; and his followers were quickly satis- fied that they might rely, with perfect confi- dence, on the conduct and courage of their leader. Nor was it more difficult to acquire their affection. Among the adventurers, nearly of the same rank, and serving at their own expense, the dignity of command did not elevate a general above mingling with those who acted under him. Cortes availed himself of this freedom of intercourse, to insinuate himself into their favor, and by his affable manners, by well-timed acts of liberality to some, by inspiring all with vast hopes, and by allowing them to trade privately with the natives, he attached the greater part of his soldiers so firmly to himself, that they almost forgot that the armament had been fitted out by the authority, and at the expense of another. During these intrigues, Teutile arrived with the present from Montezuma, and, together with it, delivered the ultimate order of that monarch to depart instantly out of his dominions; and when Cortes, instead of complying, renewed his request of an audience, the Mexican turned from him abruptly, and quitted the camp with looks and gestures which strongly expressed his surprise and TERRA COTTA VASES FOUND AT TENENEPANGO, MEXICO. i ^k 456 , THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. POTTERY, WITH FIQUHE OF TLALOC. The god of rains, and giver of harvests, whose festival wr.s celebrated with tYmt of Quet- zalcoatl^ on the first day of the first month of the Azteu calen- dar (February). resentment. Next morning, none of the natives, who used to frequent the camp in great numbers, in order to barter with the soldiers, and to bring in provisions, appeared. All friendly corre- spondence seemed now to be at an end, and it was expected every moment that hostilities would commence. This, though an event that might have been foreseen, occasioned a sudden consternation among the Spaniards, which emboldened the adherents of Velasquez not only to murmur and cabal against their general, but to appoint one of their number to remonstrate openly against his imprudence in attempting the conquest of a mighty empire with such inade- quate force, and to urge the necessity of returning to Cuba, in order to refit the fleet and augment the army. Diego de Ordaz, one of his principal ofiicers, whom the malecontents charged with this commission, delivered it with a soldierly freedom and blunt- ness, assuring Cortes that he spoke the sentiments of the whole army. He listened to this remonstrance without any appearance of emotion ; and as he well knew the temper and wishes of his soldiers, and foresaw how they would receive a pro- position fatal at once to all the splendid hopes and schemes which they had been forming with siich complacency, he carried his dissimulation so far as to seem to relinguish his own measures in compliauce with the request of Ordaz, and issued orders that the army should be in readiness next day to re- embark for Cuba. As soon as this was known, the disap- pointed adventurers exclaimed and threatened ; the emissaries of Cortes, mingling with them, inflamed their rage ; the fer- ment became general ; the whole camp was almost in open mutiny; all demanding with eagerness to see their commander. Cor- tes was not slow in appearing ; when, with one voice, officers and sol- diers expressed their astonishment and indignation at the orders which they had received. It was unworthy, they cried, of the Cas- tilian courage to be daunted at the first aspect of danger, and in- famous to fly before any enemy appeared. For their parts, thej'' were determined not to relinquish an enterprise that had hitherto been successful, and which tended so visibly to spread the knowledge of true religion, and to advance the glory and interest of their country. Happy under his command, they would follow him with alacrity through every danger, in quest of those settlements and treasures which he had so long held out to their view ; but if he chose rather THE CONQUKST OF MKXICO. 157 ,o return to Cuba, and tamely give up all his hopes of distinction and opulence to an envious rival, they would instantly choose an- other general to conduct them in that path of glory which he had not spirit to enter. Cortes, delighted with their ardor, took no offense at the bol-d- ness with which it was uttered. The sentiments were what he himself had inspired, and the warmth of expression satisfied him that his followers had imbibed them thoroughly. He affected, how- ever, to be surprised at what he heard, declaring that his orders to prepare for embarking were issued from a persuasion thac this was agreeable to his troops ; that, from deference to what he had been informed was their inclination, he had sacrificed his own private opinion, which was firmly bent on establishing immediately a set- tlement on the sea-coast, and then on endeavoring to penetrate into the interior part of the country ; that now he was convinced of his error ; and as he perceived that they were animated with the gen- erous spirit which breathed in every true Spaniard, he would re- sume, with fresh ardor, his original plan of operation, and doubted not to conduct them, in the career of victory, to such independent fortunes as their valor merited. Upon this declaration, shouts of applause testified the excess of their joy. The measure seemed to be taken with unanimous consent ; such as secretly condemned it being obliged to join in the acclamations, partly to conceal their disaffection from their general, and partly to avoid the imputation of cowardice from their fellow-soldiers. Without allowing his men time to cool or to reflect, Cortes set aDout carrying his design into ex- ecution. In order to j^'ive a beginning to a colony, he assembled the principal per- sons in his army, and, by their suffrage, elected a council and magistrates in CORTEa OECIARES, AMIDIT THE SHOUTS OF APPLAUSE FRU« "IS SOLDIERS, THAT HE WILL CONDUCT THEM TO VICTOHV AND FORTUNE. 45^"^ THE CONQUEST OK MEXICO. whom the government was to be vested. As men naturally trans- plant the institutions and forms of the mother-country into their new settlements, this was framed upon the model of a Spanish corporation. The magistrates were distinguished by the same names and ensigns of office, and were to exercise a similar juris- diction. All the persons chosen were most firmly devoted to Cortes, and the instrument of their election was framed in the king's name, without any mention of their dependence on Velas- quez. The two principles of avarice and enthusiasm, which prompted the Spaniards to all their enterprises in the New World, seem to have concurred in suggesting the name which Cortes bestowed on his infant settlement. He called it, Villa Rica de Vera Cruz (The Rich Town of the True Cross). The first meeting of the new council was distinguished by a transaction of great moment. As soon as it assembled, Cortes applied for leave to enter ; and approaching with many marks of profound respect, which added dignity to the tribunal, and set an example of reverence for its authority, he began a long harangue, CROSS mOM THE TEMPLE OF i ^ I O O O > THE CROSS, PAiENouE. jn which, wlth uiuch art, and in terms extremely flattering to iupp«fs''ThVyr''wond«"as pcrsous jUst eutcriug upon their new functions, he observed, il.ey beheld the Cross, the . , ..... ^ , i • i i «cred emblem of their own that, as thc supremc lunsdiction over the colony which they faith, raised as an objoct of ' . . AnLhu«!"Ta'bas'coT''y"ca^ ^^^ plautcd was uow vested in this court, he considered them fact. Ive7yX're."and' in as clothcd With tlic authority and representing the person of their sovereign; that, accordingly, he would communicate to them what he deemed essential to the public safety, with the same dutiful fidelity as if he were addressing his royal master; that the security of a colony settled in a great empire, whose sovereign had already discovered his hostile intentions, de- pended upon arms, and the efficacy of these upon the subor- dination and discipline preserved among the troops; that his right to command was derived from a commission granted by the governor of Cuba ; and as that had been long since revoked, the lawfulness of his jurisdiction might well be questioned ; that he might be thought to act upon a defective or even a dubious title ; nor could they trust an army which might dispute the powers of its general, at a juncture when i*- ought implicitly to obey his or- ders; that, moved by these considerations, he now resigned all his authority to them, that they, having both right to choose, and power to confer full jurisdiction, might appoint one in the king's their perplexity, they looked nn it as the delusion of the Devil, who counter- feited the rites of Christi- anity and the traditions of the chosen people, that he might allure his wretched victims to their own de- struction. — Prttcoit, Con- quttt. Vol. I. THE CONQURST OF MEXICO. 459 angue, ring to served, h they d them son of ate to the naster; whose de- subor- at his ed by voked, that title ; ers of lis or- ■all his e, and king's tiame, to command the army in its fnture operations ; and as for his own part, such was his zeal for the service in which they were en- gaged, that he would most cheerfully take up a pike with the same hand that laid down the general's truncheon, and convince his fellow-soldiers, that though accustomed to command, he had not forgotten how to obey. Having finished his discourse, he laid the commission from Velasquez upon the table, and, after kissing his truncheon, delivered it to the chief magistrate, and withdrew. The deliberations of the council were not long, as Cortes had •concerted this important measure with his confidants, and had prepared the other members, with great address for the part which he wished them to take. His resignation was accepted ; and as the tininterrupted tenor of their prosperity under his conduct afforded the most satisfying evidence of his abilities for command, they, by their unanimous suffrage, elected him chief justice of the col- ony, and captain-general of its army, and appointed his commission to be made ont in the king's name, with most ample powers, which were to continue in force until the royal pleasure should be farther known. That this deed might not be deemed the machination of a junto, the council called together the troops, and acquainted Ihem with what had been resolved. The soldiers, with eager ap- plause, ratified the choice which the council had made ; the air re- sounded with the name of Cortes, and all vowed to shed their Mood in support of his authority. 26 ^> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y ^ // A v; ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 L^|2£ 12.5 itt 1^ 12.2 ^ 1^ lU 1.4 2.0 1.6 V] <^ /] 7 >> >^ > yf^ 7 /^ V ;v % V # \\ .J ^. A? o"^ f^ ^ J? \ CHAPTER till. CORTE8 ASCERTAINS THAT THE YOKE OF AZTEC CONFEDERACY 18 BORNE UNWILLINGLY BY MANY TOWNS AND DISTRICTS. HIS MARCH TO CEMPOALA AND TREATY WITH THE CACIQUE. DESTRUCTION OF THE FLEET. ORTES, having now brought his intrigues to the desired issue, and shaken off his mortifying de- pendence on the governor of Cuba, accepted of the commission, which vested in him supreme jurisdic- tion, civil as well as military, over the colony, w th many professions of respect to the council and grati- tude to the army. Together with this new command he assumed greater dignity, and began to exercise more extensive powers. Formerly he had felt himself to be only the deputy of a subject ; now he acted as the representative of his sovereign. The adherents of Velasquez, fully aware of what would be the effect of this change in the situation of Cortes, could no longer continue silent and passive spectators of his actions. They exclaimed openly against the proceedings of the council as illegal, and against those of the army as mutinous. Cortes, instantly perceiving the necessity of giving a timely check to such seditious discourse by some vigorous measure, arrested Ordaz, Escudero, and Velasquez de Leon, the ringleaders of this faction, and sent them prisoners aboard the fleet, loaded with chains. Their dependents, astonished and overawed, remained quiet ; and Cortes, more desirous to reclaim than to punish his prisoners, who were officers of great merit, courted their friendship with such assiduity and address, that the reconciliation was perfectly cordial ; and, on the most try- ing occasions, neither their connection with the governor of Cuba, nor the memory of the indignity with which they had been treated, (4to) THE CONQUEST <©F MEXICO. 461 . the ; de- f the isdic- w th rrati- aiid more to be ve of hat ould ions, il as mtly tious and hem ents> rous reat ress, try- uba, ted, tempted them to s-wierve from an impioUahle attachment to his inter- est. In this, as well as his other n^otiations at this critical con- juncture, which decided with respect to his future fame and fortune, Cortes owed much of his success to the Mexican gold, which he distributed with a liberal hand both among his friends and his op- ponents. Cortes, having thus rendered the union between himself and his army indissoluble, by engaging^ it to jsm him in disclaiming any dependence tsm the governor of Cuba, and in repeated acts of disobedience to his aathority, thought he might now ven- ture to quit the camp in which he had hitherto remained, and advance into the eonntry. To this he was encour- aged by an event no less fortunate than seasonable Some Indians having approached his camp in a mys- terious manner, were introduced into his presence. He found that they were sent with a proffer of friend- ship from the cacique of Cempoala, a considerable town at no great distance ; and from their answers to a variety of xg^uestions Trhich he put to them, according to his usual practice in every inter- view \tiih the people of the country, he gathered, that their master^ though subject to the Mexican empire, was impatient of the yoke, and filled with such dread atid hatred of Montezuma, that nothing could be more acceptable to him than any prospect of deliverance from the oppression under which he groaned. On hearing this a ray ■M PYRAMID OF TEHUANTEPEO. All large cities contained these leocallis (houses of god^, generally constructed of a mound of earth, cased with adobe brick (sun dried). The cily of Mexico is said to have contained 600 at the time of ihe conquest of light and hope broke in upon the mind of ™AriH"n„Th.'^'',v%'''^''!rf ''""•"'*■"■"§'* "f"'''^ or r pyramid, on the outside. I he top was a broaa area on C.nrtf-V, I10 *h'ch were erected one or two towers, in which stood Cortes He saw that the great empire which he the sacred images. Before the dreadful stone of sacrifice, towers stood the intended to attack was neither perfectly united, nor its sovereign universally beloved. He concluded that the causes of disaffection could not be confined to one province, but that in other corners there must be malecontents, so weary of subjection, or so desirous of change, as to be ready to follow the standard of any protector. Full of those ideas, on which he began to form a scheme, that time, and more perfect information concerning the state of the country, enabled him to mature, he gave a most gracious re- ception to the Cempoalans, and promised soon to visit their cacique. In order to perform this promise, it was not necessary to vary 462 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. PRIEST FiaHTINQ WITH * PRISONER FASTENED TO THE TEHALACATL, OR QLADIATORIAL STONE. The peculi.ir sword in the hands of both ■■was made of wood, inserted with sharp pieces of ilztii, and known by the name of aiaquahuitl. the route which he had already fixed for his march. Some officers, whom he had employed to survey the coast, having discovered a village named Quiabislan, about forty miles to the northward, which, both on account of the fertility of the soil and commodious- ness of the harbor, seemed to be a more proper station for a settlement than that where he was encamped, Cortes determined to remove thither. Cempoala lay in his way, where the cacique received him in the manner which he had reason to expect; with gifts and caresses, like a man solicitous to gain his good will ; with respect approaching almost to adoration, like one who looked up to him as a deliverer. From him he learned many particulars with respect to the character of Montezuma, and the circumstances which rendered his dominion odious. He was a tyrant, as the cacique told him with tears, haughty, cruel, and suspicious ; who treated his own subjects with arrogance, ruined the conquered prov- inces by excessive exactions, and often tore their sons and daughters from them by violence; the for- mer, to be offered as victims to his gods; the latter, to be reserved as concubines for himself or favorites. Cortes, in reply to him, artfully insinuated, that one great object of the Spaniards in visiting a country so remote from their own, was to redress grievances, and to relieve the oppressed ; and having encouraged him to hope for this interposition in due time, he continued his march to Quiabislan. The spot which his officers had recommended as a proper situation, appeared to him to be so well chosen, that he immediately marked out ground for a town. The houses to be erected were only huts ; but these were to be surrounded with fortifications of sufficient strength to resist the assaults of an Indian army. As the finishing of those fortifications was essential to the ex- istence of a colony, and of no less importance lousbehever Scarcely any author pretends to estimate the 1^ nrOSeCU tlup" thc dcsle'nS » hich the leaCicr vearly sacrifices throughout the empire at less than ao.coo. *" JJluac*- 11 tlll^ liic vitaigiia ». ii»».AA when the victim reserved for sacrifice arrived on top of the J 1 • /" 11 „^ -^ ^Jilt-^t-^Ji 1-.»<-'li ir\ r\rAar tn pyramid (teocalli) he was received by six priests, whose aUd filS lOllOWerS mCdltateCl, DOttl lU OrOCr lO long and matted locks flowed disorderly over their sable - j 4.I iV cobes, covered with hieroglyphic scrolls of mystic import, SCCUre Si PlaCC Ot fetrCat, SillQ. tO prCSerVe tUCir They led him to the sacrificialstone, (TechcatI) a huge block *^ ' r of jasper, with its upper surface somewhat convex. On (his the prisoner was stretched. Kive priests secured his head and limbs; while the sixth, clad in a scarlet mantle, dexterously opened the breast of the wretched victim with a sharp razor of itztli — a volcanic substance hard as flint, — Prttcott, CoHgutit, Vol. I, AZTEC fRIEST SKINNINO A HUMAN VICTIM before turning the body over to the warrior who had taken him in battle, to be dressed by him aiid served up in an entertainment to his friends. THE TECHCATI., OR STONE OF SACRIFICE. Human sacrifices have been practised by many nations, hut never by any, on a scale to be compared witn those of Anahuac. The amount of victims immolated on its accursed altars would stagger the faith of the least scrupu THE CONQUEST OP MEXICO. 465 communication with the sea, every man in the army, officers as. well as soldiers, put his hand to the work, Cortes himself setting them an example of activity and perseverance in labor. The In- dians of Cempoala and Quiabislan lent their aid; and this petty station, the parent of so many mighty settlements, was soon in a state of defense. * While engaged in this necessary work, Cortes had several in- terviews with the caciques of Cempoala and Quiabislan ; and avail- ing himself of their wonder and astonishment at the new objects, which they daily beheld, he gradually inspired them with such a high opinion of the Spaniards, as beings of a superior order, and irresistible in arms, that, relying on their protection, they ven- tured to insult the Mexican power, at the very name of which they were accustomed to tremble. Some of Montezuma's officers, having appeared to levy the usual tribute, and to demand a certain number of human victims, as an expiation for their guilt in pre- suming to hold intercourse with those strangers whom the em- peror had commanded to leave his dominions; instead of obeying the order, the caciques made them prisoners, treated them with great indignity, and as their superstition was no less barbarous than that of the Mexicans, they prepared to sacrifice them to their gods. From this last danger they were delivered by the interpo- sition of Cortes, who manifested the utmost horror at the mention, of such a deed. The two caciques having now been pushed to aa act of such open rebellion, as left them no hope of safety but in attaching themselves inviolably to the Spaniards, they soon com- pleted their union with them, by formally acknowledging them- selves to be vassals of the same monarch. Their example was fol- lowed by the Totonaques, a fierce people who inhabited the mount- ainous part of the country. They willingly subjected themselves, to the crown of Castile, and offered to accompany Cortes, with all their forces, in his march towards Mexico. Cortes had now been above three months in New Spain ; and though this period had not been distinguished by martial exploits, every moment had been employed in operations, which, though less splendid, were more important. By his address in conducting his intrigues with his own army, as well as his sagacity in carrying on his negotiations with the natives, he had already laid the founda- tions of his future success. But, whatever confidence he might 1 jIfftsVfy P 464 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. i 't , place in the plan which he had formed, he could not hut perceive, that as his title to command was derived from a doubtful authority, he held it by a precarious tenure. The injuries which Velasquez had received, were such as would naturally prompt him to apply for redress to their common sovereign ; and such a representation, he foresaw, might be given of his conduct, that he had reason to apprehend, not only that he might be degraded from his present rank, but subjected to punishment. Before he began his march, it was necessary to take the most effectual precaution against this impending danger. With this view he persuaded the magistrates of the colony at Vera Cruz to address a letter to the king, the chief object of which was to justify their own conduct in establishing a colony independent of the jurisdiction of Velasquez. In order to accomplish this, they endeavored to detract from his merit, in fit- ting out the two former armaments under Cordova and Grijalva, affirming that these had been equipped by the adventurers who engaged in the expeditions, and not by the governor. They con- tended that the sole object of Velasquez was to trade or barter with the natives, not to attempt the conquest of New vSpain, or to settle a colony there. They asserted that Cortes and the officers who served under him had defrayed the greater part of the ex- penses of fitting out the armament. On this account, they humbly requested their sovereign to ratify what they had done in his name, and to confirm Cortes in the supreme command by his royal com- mission. That Charles might be induced to grant more readily what they demanded, they gave him a pompous description of the country which they had discovered ; of its riches, the number of its inhabitants, their civilization and arts; they related the prog- ress which they had already made in annexing some parts of the country situated on the sea-coast to the crown of Castile: and mentioned the schemes which they had formed, as well as the hopes which they entertained, of reducing the whole to subjection. Cortes himself wrote in a similar strain ; and as he knew that the Spanish court, accustomed to the exaggerated representations of every new country by its discoverers, would give little credit to their splendid accounts of New Spain, if these were not accompanied with such a specimen of what it contained, as would excite a high idea of its opulence, he solicited his soldiers to relinquish what they might claim as their part of the treasures which had hitherto been col- THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO 465 of its [might ;n col- lected, in order that the whole might be sent to the king. Such ■was the ascendant which he had acquired over their minds, and such their own romantic expectations of future wealth, that an army of indigent and rapacious adventurers was capable of this generous effort, and offered to their sovereign the richest present that had hitherto been transmitted from the New World. Portocarrero and Montejo, the chief magistrates of the colony, were appointed to carry this present to Cas- tile, with express orders not to touch at Cuba in their passage thither. While a vessel was pre- paring for their departure, an unexpected event occasioned a general alarm. Some soldiers and sailors, secretly attached to Velasquez, or intimidated at the prospect of the dangers unavoidable in attempting to penetrate into the heart of a great empire with such un- 'cqual force, formed the design «of seizing one of the brigan- tines, and making their escape to Cuba, in order to give the governor such intelligence as might enable him to intercept the ship which was to carry the treasure and dispatches to Spain. This conspiracy, though formed by persons of low rank, was conducted with profound secrecy ; but at the moment when every thing was ready for execution, they were betrayed by one of their associates. Though the good fortune of Cortes interposed so seasonably on 'i 4 1 ■'i CHARLES V. IN HIS 31st YtAR. THE EMPEROR IN WHOSE EMPIRE THE SUN NEVER SET." GOPPER-ENORAVINQ OF BARTEL BEHAIM'S, 1531. n 11*1); • t II m li. 466 THE CONQUEST OP MEXICO. this occasion, the detection of this conspiracy filled his mind with most disquieting apprehensions, and prompted him to execute a scheme which he had long revolved. He perceived that the spirit of disaffection still lurked among his troops ; that though hitherto- checked by the uniform success of his schemes, or suppressed by the hand of authority, various events might occur which would en- courage and call it forth. He observed, that many of his men,, weary of the fatigue of service, longed to revisit their settlements in Cuba ; and that upon any appearance of extraordinary danger or any reverse of fortune, it would be impossible to restrain them from returning thither. He was sensible that his forces, already too feeble, could bear no diminution, and that a very small defection of his followers would oblige him to abandon the enterprise. After ru- minating often, and with much .solicitude, upon those particulars, he saw no hope of success but in cutting off all possibility of retreat, and in reducing his men to the necessity of adopting the same res- olution with which he himself was animated, either to conquer or to perish. With this view, he determined to destroy his fleet; but as he durst not venture to execute such a bold resolution by his single authority, he labored to bring his soldiers to adopt his ideas- with respect to the propriety of this measure. His address in ac- complishing this was not inferior to the arduous occasion in which it was employed. He persuaded some, that the ships had suffered so much by having been long at sea, as to be altogether unfit for service; to others he pointed out what a seasonable reinforcement of strength they would derive from the junction of a hundred men,, now unprofitably employed as sailors; and to all he represented the necessity of fixing their eyes and wishes upon what was before them, without allowing the idea of a retreat once to enter their thoughts. With universal consent the ships were drawn ashore, and after stripping them of their sails, rigging, iron works, and whatever else might .e of use, they were broke in pieces. Thus,, from an effort of magnanimity, to which there is nothing parallel in history, five hundred men voluntarily consented to be shut up' in a hostile country, filled with powerful and unknown nations ; and, having precluded every means of escape, left themselves with- out any resource but their own valor and perseverance. Nothing now retarded Cortes ; the alacrity of his troops and. the disposition of his allies were equally favorable. All the advan- and van- w h 1 C<>^rn,i.HtiB Ifl9^ flWmic, CORTES CUTS OFF ALL CHANCES OF HIS DISCONTENTED FOl Pail \f- iV • ^^^^^M^ '^tl ' W /> W f '.*,'| c m^^- ^i ^m \ V\v A. # ^ \ s^ w j^<^KiggMP & .^.^ w^am'^a^^^^^t^ Tv> ^vnuuiai T^#i#«" ■ „ ^ vT Jl^ ' -^awi^'/^^ '-''■ 3^ J^ '^ ;^ p%,:«J im^ i ^ Tm>*-# ^Bp^^ ^ -^* '^^^ll. ^^^^■H dLi*V ^ I'-'V^^^P^ ■'*#■:■ 1^> ^§=^ 1 t^-J^^^ _ - ■ -*^,^^ ?~1'^W'^ s«^ Mi ' : -•^^^*'-- ' T^l^it. . ■ ^^^■C:^^^^BHH»<^i|^%^'^^i; >^ ^^^^B^^^^^^^^^^HvC&nEAini^H^l^lMHi^^^Bm!^ lv7V^^^B^ft^^^Mfl^^^Hi^^^^& l^^ BBH^^Hr ^^^^^ %i'^^^^H p^^^^K- iBPIif^^^p Ol K' n^KI^ pr^ |-^\)\v^>^'^fc^-^-^ •-"^PBII^^iSi^. r^ jmj !*■■•? ^'Ts^ mthi''' . 1^ l^f iff ': ^•iiit^ ^^ ■ 'tel u. ;j < o Q a :2 > » u p hQ P 2 H 9 U 3 Q < u (470 1 1 ■ k i TIIK CONQUUST OP MKXICO. 473 ♦^ages, however, derived from the latter, though pronired hy much assiduity and address, were well nigh lost in a moment by an indis- creet sally of religious zeal, which on many occasions precipitated Cortes into actions inconsistent with the prudence that distinguishes his character. Though hitherto he had neither time nor opportunity to explain to the natives the errors of their own superstition, or to instruct them in the principles of the Christian faith, he commanded his soldiers to overturn the altars and to destroy the idols in the chief temple of Cempoala, and in their place to erect a crucifix and an image of the Virgin Mary. The people beheld this with aston- ishment and horror; the priests excited them to arms; but such was the authority of Cortes, and so great the ascendant which the Spaniards had acquired, that the commotion was appeased without bloodshed, and concord perfectly re-established. OONTH PUNTI THI CHUKTIAN (VMIIOl Of HDiU^ION ON « MimojiN «ir*ii. MAMlt ONOUP IV AUTO. MOITO f (UOM. CHAPTER LIV. ADVANCE INTO THE HEART OF MEXICO. SUCCESSFUL TERMINATION OF THE WAR WITH THE TLA8CALANS. CONCLUDES A TREATY OF PEACE WITH THEM.. ORTES began his march from Cempoala, on the i6th day of August, with five hundred men, fifteen horse, and six field-pieces. The rest of his troops, consisting chiefly of such as from age or infirmity were less fit for active service, he left as a garrison in Villa Rica, under the command of Escalante, an officer of merit, and warmly at- tached to his interest. The cacique of Cempoala supplied him with provi- sions, and with two hun- dred of those Indians called Tamemes, whose office, in a country where tame animals were unknown, was to carry burdens, and to perform all servile labor. They were a great relief to the Spanish soldiers, who hitherto had been obliged, not only to carry their own bag- gage, but to drag along the artillery by msiin force. He offered (474) ARMOR OF OORTtt IN THE ARSENAl, MAORIO ih?«i THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 475 likewise a considerable body of his troops, but Cortes was satis- fied with four hundred ; taking care, however, to choose persons of such note as might prove hostages for the fidelity of their master. Nothing memorable happened in his progress, until he arrived on the confines of Tlascala. The inhabitants of that province, a warlike people, were implacable enemies of the Mexicans, and liad been united in an ancient alliance with the caciques of Cempoala. Though less civilized than the .''ubjects of Montezuma, they were advanced in improvement far bejond the rude nations of America, inhabiting the country north of the Rig Grande. They had made considerable progress in agriculture ; they dwelt in large towns ; they were not strangers to some species of commerce ; and in the prohle of a warihor, imperfect accounts of their institutions and laws, transmitted to us by the early Spanish writers, we discern traces both of distributive justice and of criminal jurisdiction, in their interior police. But still, as the degree of their civilization was in- complete, and as they depended for subsistence not on agriculture alone, but trusted for it, in a great measure to hunting, they retained many of the quali- ties natural to men in this state. Like them they were fierce and revengeful; like . ^^ " ^*.-«. ^A_ii-a them, too, they were high-spirited and independent. In consequence of the former, they were in- volved in perpetual hostilities, and had but a slender and oc- casional intercourse with neigh- boring states. The latter in- spired them with such detesta- tion of servitude, that they not only refused to stoop to a foreign yoke, and maintain an obstinate and successful contest in defense of their liberty against the superior power of the RUINS OF A MEXICAN FORTRESS (MITLA). CUT IN MOTHER I *T TULA.) i -, J: 476 THE CONQUEST OK MKXICO. Mexican empire, but they guarded with equal solicitude against domestic tyranny; and disdaining to acknowledge any master, they lived under the mild and limited jurisdiction of a council elected by their several tribes. Cortes, though he had received information concerning the martial character of this people, flattered himself that his profes- sions of delivering the oppressed from the tyranny of Montezuma, their inveterate enmity to the Mexicans, and the example of their ancient allies the Cempoalans, might induce the Tlascalans to grant iiim a friendly reception. In order to dispose them to this, four Cem- poalans of great eminence were sent ambassadors, to request in his name, and in tliat of their raci(jue, that they would permit the Span- iards to pass through the terri- tories of the republic in their way to Mexico. But instead of the favorable answer which was ex- pected, the Tlascalans seized the ambassadors, and, without any re- gard to their public character, made preparations for s.acrificing them to their gods. At the same time they assembled their troops, in order to oppose those unknown invaders if they should attempt to make their passage good by force of arms. Various motives concurred in precipitating the Tlascalans into this resolution. A fierce people, shut up within its own narrow precincts, and little accustomed to any intercourse with foreigners, is apt to consider every stranger as an enemy, and is easily excited to arms. They concluded, from Cortes' proposal of visiting Montezuma in his capital, that, notwithstanding all his professions, he courted the friendship of a monarch whom they both hated and feared. The imprudent zeal of Cortes in violating the temples in Cempoala, filled the Tlascalans with horror ; and as they were no less at- tached to their superstition than the other nations of New Spain, they were impatient to avenge their injured gods, and to acquire MEXICAN ALTAR. ITtPMiNi' "INCIOENra OF TRAVIL IN CENTKAl AMERICA, CHIAPAS, AND YUCATAN." in St iter, ncil the ofes- inna, their rraiit order Cem- were in his ci(ine, Span- terri- ir way )f the as ex- cd the ^ny re- made hem to le they Irder to ders if e their arms, ito this lecincts, apt to o arms, uma in conrted feared. mpoaU^ less at- Spain, acquire ■«".'»* Wh/^MI CORTES MEETS WITH OBSTINATE RESISTANCE On knti:iun<; TiAscAiAr* ibrriiorv, siFiKRiN*; iiiir. irkeparabue loss of I wo iiorskk. ' I ; 1 k 47b TUIv CONra !..^r OI- MKXICO. Mexican empire, but thov .v;r uded witli equal solicitude agaiv t domeslic tyranny; and di.sd''iuiii,n to ackuowledj^e any niasur. they lived under the mild 'iiu1 limited jurisdiction of a council elected by their se\ .-ral tribes. Cortes, tlu ugh he hail received information eoneernint,^ the martial character of this people, f. altered himself that his profes- sions of delivering the oppress'd trom tin' t3ranny of Montezuma, their inveterate enmity to the Mexicans, aiul the example of their ancient allies the Cempoalans, nii'^lit induce the Tlascalans to ^tant him a frii-ndly reception. In ord-i to dispose them to this, four Cem- poahans of great eminence were sent ambassadors, to request in his name, and in that of their caricpif, that they \vould permit the Sl)an- iavtls to pass through the ten 1 t of the republic in thrir \\a\' to Mexico. ]int instead of tin favorable answer which was ex- pected, the Tlascalans seizcil th-. ambassadors, and, without ariv n • gard to tlu ir public character, mac^ prcjjarations for sacrificing them [■ thuir gods. At the same time tin asseml.'led their troojjs, in order • oppose those unknown invader^ . •they should attempt to nnike the- jKissage good l>y force of arn.- Various motives concurred in precipitating tlie Tlascalans into tlv resolution. A fierce people, shut up within its o^\ n narrow p' ecitu • and little accustomed to any intereour.se with foreigners, is a])t consider every stranger as an enemy, and is easily excited to ati: They conchuled, from Cortes' pro]>osal of visiting Monte/.um.i his capital, that, notwithstanding all his professions, he eou the friendship of a monarch whom they l)oth hated and fea:» The imprudent zeal of Cortes in violating the temples in Cempo,. filled the Tla.soalans with horror; and as they were no less . tached to their superstition than the other nations of New Sp c; they were impatient to avenge their injured gods, and to acfp': MEXICAN ALTAR. J. C. STEPMfNS' " )hC;DtNT< OF lM*V€l IN CEMHAl AVER'CA. CH1AP*«, AhD YUCATAN." I> a I r Inn:) [ou f-a;' less licnv ■'SI l! CORTES MEETS WITH OBSTINATE RESISTANCE On KNTKIUM; TI.ASCA1.AN ll'.RKriOUY, SrilKUINC. TIIK IRKKrAUAHI.F. LOSS OF IWO IIORSKS. Iti.5-:l THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 479 the merit of oifering up to them as victims, those impious men who had dared to profane their altars; they contemned the small, number of i^e -jf anurds. as they had not yet measured their own strength with that of those new enemies, and had no idea of the superiority which they derived from their arms and discipline. Cortes, after waiting some days, in vain, for the return of his ambassadors, advanced [Aug. 30] into the Tlascalan territories. As the resolutions of people who delight in war are executed with no less promptitude than they are formed, he found troops in the field ready to oppose him. They attacked him with great intrep- idity, and, in the first encounter, wounded some of the Spaniards, and killed two horses; a loss, in their situation, of great moment, because it was irreparable. From this specimen of their courage, Cortes saw the necessity of proceeding with caution. His army marched in close order; he chose the stations where he halted, with attention, and fortified every camp with extraordinary care. Dur- ing fourteen days he was exposed to almost uninterrupted assaults, the Tlascalans advancing with numerous armies, and renewing the attack in various forms, with a degree of valor, and perseverance to which the Spaniards had seen nothing parallel in the New World. The Spanish historians describe those successive battles Avith great pomp, and enter into a minute detail of particulars, mingling many exaggerated and incredible circumstances with such as are real and marvellous. But no power of words can render the recital of a combat interesting, where there is no equality of dan- ger; and when the narrative closes with an account of thousands slain on the one side, while not a single person falls on the other, the most labored descriptions of the previous disposition of the troops, or of the various vicissitudes in the engagement, command no attenti()n. There are some circumstances, however, in this war, which are memorable, and merit notice, as they throw light upon the char- acter both of the people of New Spain, and of their conquerors. Though the Tlascalans brought into the field such numerous armies as appear sufficient to have overwhelmed the Spaniards, they were never able to make any impression upon their small battalion. Singular as this may seem, it is not inexplicable. The Tlascalans, though addicted to war, were, like all unpolished nations, strangers to military order and discipline, and lost in a great measure the 480 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. f. advantage which they might have derived from their numbers, and the impetuosity of their attack, by their constant solicitude to carry off the dead and wounded. This point of honor, founded on a sentiment of tenderness natural to the human mind, and strength- ened by anxiety to preserve the bodies of their countrymen from being devoured by their enemies, was universal among the people of New Spain. Attention to this pious office occupied them even, during the heat of combat, broke their union, and diminished the force of the impression which they might have made by a joint effort. Not only was their superiority in num- ber of little avail, but the imperfection of their military weapons rendered their valor in a great measure inoffensive. After three battles, and many skirmishes and assaults, not one Spaniard was killed in the field. Arrows and spears, headed with flint or the bones of fishes, stakes hardened in the fire, and wooden swords, though destructive weapons among naked Indians, were easily turned aside by the Spanish bucklers, and could hardly penetrate the cscattpiles, or quilted jack- ets, which the soldiers wore. The Tlas- calans advanced boldly to the charge, and often fought hand to hand. Many of the Spaniards were wounded, though all slightly, which can not be imputed to any want of courage or strength in their enemies, but to the defect of the arms with which they assailed them. Notwithstanding the fury with which the Tlascalans attacked, the Spaniards, they seemed to have conducted their hostilities with some degree of barbarous generosity. They gave the Spaniards warning of their hostile intentions ; and as they knew that their invaders wanted provisions, and imagined, perhaps, like the other Americans, that they had left their own country because it did not p "W t n x^y^ •• .^'^i^i^''^^^ ^9 ^Kt/itK^J^M^^Btti^^^^B^SmmSS^^:^ % ^ «l mm ^<^ 1 fj K BP^ mi W^B siwi 1 V p^i^ ii ^ M BrC g ^ll^^ ■— ■ « wA Wm^ j^tl wk ^B ■^^■i*:' ..: B ^HH^^^U B tp| Hiijn^^^^^^^^^^^^^HIHH 1 m MB^jH^^^^^H^^^^^H^^H ^^H ^^^ ^^3HI HHI HH AN AZTEC TIGER KNIGHT. eOPI£0 FROM TKl MODEL \H THE MUSEUM OF THE TROCAOERO, PARH. The dress was made from a cotton stuff, colored in imitation of the skin of a leopard ; the helmet and sword of wood ; the lat- ter having two rows of sharp pieces of itili inserted on both sides. THE CON^iUEST OF MEXICO. 481 afford tiiera subsistence, they sent to their camp a large supply of poultry and maize, desiring them to eat plentifully, because they scorned to attack an enemy enfeebled by hunger, and it would be an affront to their gods to offer them famished victims, as well as disagreeable to themselves to feed on such emaciated prey. When they were taught by the first encounter with their new enemies that it was not easy to execute this threat; when they perceived, in the subsequent en- gagements, that notwithstanding all the efforts of their own valor, of which they had a very high opinion, not one of the Spaniards was slain or taken, they began to conceive them to be a superior order of beings, against whom hu- man power could not avail. In this extremity, they had recourse to their priests, requiring them to reveal the mysterious causes of such extraordinary events, and to declare what new means they should employ in order to repulse those formidable invaders. The priests, after many sacrifices and incantations, delivered this re- sponse : That these strangers were the offspring of the sun, procreated by this animating energy in the regions of the east ; that, by day, while cherished with the influence 01 his parental beams, they were in- MomieurDfsiriChamay.who, inhisexplonitinnsmVucaUn.wRS •11 'U.-U '1 •< I. a princely style by Mr. Pirrre Lorillard, of New York, named one o' VinClDle J out by night, when his towns dlscorered by him after this publi-^pinted merchant prince, reviving heat was withdrawn, their vigor declined and faded like the herbs in the field, and they dwindled down into mortal men. Theo- ries less plausible have gained credit with more enlightened nations, and have influenced their conduct. In consequence of this, the Tlas- calans, with the implicit confidence of men wlio fancy themselves to PniESTS OFFERING A SACRIFICE TO CUCULCAN. (STONE CARVINQ FROM LORILLARD, VUCATAN.) assisted in a princely style by Mr. Pierre Lorillard, of New York, named one of the ruinecf 482 THE CONQUEST OP MEXidO. •i L I • '. I- I 'I be under the guidance of Heaven, acted in contradiction to one their most established maxims in war, and ventured to attack t enemy, with a strong body, in the night time, in hopes of destro ing them when enfeebled and surprised. But Cortes had great vigilance and discernment than to be deceived by the rude stral gems of an Indian army. The sentinels at his outposts, observii some extraordinary movement ar jng the Tlascalans, gpve t alarm. In a moment the troops were under arms, and sallying o\ dispersed the party with great slaughter, without allowing it to a proach the camp. The Tlascalans, convinced, by sad experience, th their priests had deluded them, and satisfied that they attempt in vain, either to deceive or to vanquish their enemies, their fien ness abated, and they began to incline seriously to peace. They were at a loss, however, in what manner to address t! strangers, what idea to form of their character, and whether consider them as beings of a gentle or of a malevolent natui There were circumstances in their conduct which seemed to fav each opinion. On the one hanr', as the Spaniards constantly d: missed the prisoners whom they took, not only without injury, b often with presents of European toys, and renewed their offers peace after every victory ; this lenity amazed people, who, accordii to the exterminating system of war known in America, were acct tomed to sacrifice and devour without mercy all the captives tab in battle, and disposed them to entertain favorable sentiments oft! humaniity of their new enemies. But, on the other hand, as Cort had seized fifty of their countrymen who brought provisions to 1: camp, and, supposing them to be spies, had cut off their hands ; tl: bloody spectacle, added to the terror occasioned by the fire an and horses, filled them with dreadful impressions of the ferocity their invaders. This uncertainty was apparent in the mode of a dressing the Spaniards, *' If," said they, '* you are divinities of cruel and savage nature, we present to you five slaves, that y( may drink their blood and eat their flesh. If you are mild deiti< accept an offering of incense and variegated plumes. If 3'^ou a men, here is meat, and bread, and fruit to nourish you." The pe^c which both parties now desired with equal ardor, was soon / eluded. The Tlascalans yielded themselves as vassals to the crov of Castile, and engaged to assist Cortes in all Lis future operatior He took the republic under his protection, and promised to defei their persons and possessions from injury or violence. t-i CHAPTER LV. eORTCa •OLICITOUSTO OAIN THE CONFIDENCC OF HI* NEW CONFCDCRATCS ; WHICH BARCLV QAINED, HE JEOPANDIZCS ■ ( HIS RELIQIOUS ZEAL. ADVANCES TO CHOLULA, WHERE HE MASSACRES 6000 INHABITANTS, AND THENCK ON TO THE CITY OF MEXICO. (iBIt.) HIS treaty was concluded at a sea- sonable juncture for the Spaniards. The fatigue of service among a small body of men, surrounded by such a multitude of enemies, was incredible. Half the army was on duty every night, and even they whose turn it was to rest, slept always upon their arms, that they might be ready to run to their posts on a moment's warning. Many of them were wounded ; a good number, and among these Cortes himself, labored under the distempers prevalent in hot climates, and several had died since they set out from Vera Cruz. Notwithstanding the supplies which they received from the Tlascalans, they were often in want of provisions, and so destitute of the necessaries most requisite in dangerous service, that they had no salve to dress their wounds, but what was composed with the fat of the Indians whom they had slain. Worn out with such intolerable toil and hardships, many of the soldiers began to murmur, and, when they reflected on the multitude and boldness of their enemies more were ready to despair. It required the utmost exertion of Cortes' author- ity and address to check this spirit of despondency in its progress, (483) 484 THE CONQUEST OF MEVICG. II. III. IV. V. and to reanimate his followers with their wonted sense of their own superiority over the enemies with whom they had to contend. The submission of the Tlascalans, and their own triumphant entry into the capital city, where they were re- ceived with the reverence paid to beinjjs of a superior order, banished, at once, from the minds of the Spaniards all memory of past sufferings, dispelled every anxious thought with re- spect to their future operations, and fully satisfied them that there was not now any power in America able to withstand their arms. Cortes remained twenty days in Tlascala, in order to allow his troops a short interval of repoj. after such hard service. During that time, he was employed in transactions and inquiries of great moment with respect to his future schemes. In his daily conferences with the Tlascalan chiefs, he received information concerning every particular relative to the state of the Mexican empire, or to the qualities of its sovereign, which could be of use in regulating his conduct, whether he should be obliged to act as a friend or as an enemy. As he found that the antipathy of his new allies to the Mexican nation was no less implacable than had been represented, and perceived what benefit he might derive from the aid of such powerful confederates, he employed all his powers of insinuation in order to gain their confidence. Nor was any extraordinary exertion of these necessary. The Tlascalans, with the levity of mind natural to unpolished men, were, of their own accord, disposed to run from the ex- treme of hatred to that of fondness. Every Ihing in the ap- pearance and conduct of their guests was to them a matter of wonder. They gazed with admiration at whatever the Spaniards did, and, fancying them to be of heavenly origin, were eager not only to comply with their demands, but to anticipate their wishes. They offered, accordingly, to accom- pany Cortes in his march to Mexico, with all the forces of the republic, under the command of their most experienced MIXICAN 90DSANO OODOIIMI. CaptaiUS. «pr«S;„il.,^'an?«rral But, after bcstowiug so much pains on cementing this !rv°'rhtr'fn'<,e."'Tv,I"i<.ro! uuioH, all thc bcucficial fruits of it were on the point of chlliii, (« thi)»e enjoined by the Koman Catholic Church. — PrtsiOtI, Coh- iiutsi, Vol, I. p. tS. less superstitious MIXION OOOa AND ..OUOlItlS. Kius. VI.. VII IX., are cenler piece* rroni col- iimiia. IX, <'uatlic|ue, the Ceret of the Memiuna, Vllt. and X. are entiirly covered with matki: VII. only with a none ma»k. VII. and VIM. have the u here introduced to Rive the reader a more vivid idea of the large stone houfcek abounding in the city of Mexico. See alto puge 496. he, ** with your brothers, in your own house ; refresh yourselves after your fatigue, and be happy until I return." The place allotted to the Spaniards for their lodging was a house built by the father of Montezuma. It was surrounded by a stone wall, with towers at proper distances, which served for defense as well as for ornament, and its apartments and courts were so large as to accom- modate both the Spaniards and tlieir Indian al- lies. The first care of Cortes was to take pre- cautions for his security, b}' plant- ing the artillery so as to command the different avenues which led to it, by ap- pointing a large division of his troops to be always on guard, and by posting sentinels at proper stations, with injunctions to observe the same vigilant discipline as if they were within sight of an en- emy's camp. In the evening, Montezuma returned to visit his guests with the same pomp as in their first interview, and brought presents of such value, not only to Cortes and to his officers, but even to the private men, as proved the liberality of the monarch to be suitable to the opulence of his kingdom. A long conference ensued, in which Cortes learned what was the opinion of Montezuma with respect to the Spaniards. It was an established tradition, he told him, among the Mexicans, that their ancestors came originally from a remote region, and conquered the provinces now subject to his dominion ; that after they were settled there, the great captain who conducted this colony returned to his own country, promising, that, at some future period, his descendants should visit them, as- sume the government, and reform their constitution and laws; that from what he had heard and seen of Cortes and his followers, he was convinced that they were the very persons whose appearance the Mexican traditions and prophecies taught them to expect ; that THK CONgURST OF MEXICO. 495 J after ted to her of ers at use as ad its ; and ere so accora- >tli the is and ian al- e first or tes ke pre- fer his \y plant- irtillery , by ap- ard, and , observe f an en- s with sents of to the uitable sued, in ma with he told iginally jject to captain mising, lem, as- s; that vers, he earance let ; that n riAN or THI CITY or MiXICO, IHOWINQ THI ONCAT FLACI Of SAONIFIOI AND THI IMPf RIAI. {OOLOOICAl OAROf N(. mOM THI NURNallM OMIUINAL OF THI LI1T«M Or OORTK TO CHARIU V, accordingly he had received them, not as strangers, but as relations of the same blood and parentage, and desired that they might con- sider themselves as masters in his dominions, for both himself and his subjects should be ready to comply with their will, and even to prevent their wishes. Cortes made a reply in his usual style, with respect to the dignity and power of his sover- eign, and his intention in sending hira into that country ; artfully en- deavoring so to frame his discourse, that it might coincide as much as possible with the idea which Monte- zuma had formed concerning the origin of the Spaniards. Next morn- ing, Cortes and some of his principal attendants were admitted to a public audience of the emperor. The three subsequent days were employed in viewing the city ; the ap- pearance of which, so far superior in the order of its buildings and the number of its inhabitants to any place the Spaniards had be- held in America, and yet so little resembling the structure of an European city, filled them with surprise and admiration. Mexico, or Tenochtitlan, as it was anciently called by the natives, is situated in a large plain, environed by mountains of such height, that, though within the torrid zone, the temperature of its climate is mild and healthful. All the mois- ture which descends from the high grounds is collected in several lakes, the two largest of which, of about ninety miles in circuit, commu- nicate with each other. The waters of the one are fresh, those of the other brackish. On the banks pf the latter, and on some small islands adjoining to them, the capital of Montezuma's em- pire was built. The access to the city was by arti- ficial causeways or streets formed of stones and earth, about thirty feet in breadth. As the waters of the lake during the rainy season overflowed the L -JS) fft»*4lilM^ -iijj'm^:. THI QRCAT TEOCALLt DUILDINOS tN THE CITV OP MEXICO. MSTORIO ArriR aOHAKA'B DCIORIPTION iV O. MOTHC*. ;i 496 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. flat country, these causeways were of considerable length. That of Tacuba, on the west, extended a mile and a half; that of Tepeaca, on the northwest, three miles; that of Cnoyacan, towards the south, six miles. On the east there was no causeway, a. id the city could be ap- proached only by canoes. In each of these causeways were openings at proper intervals, through which the waters flowed, and over these beams of timber were laid, which being covered with earth, the causeway or street had everywhere a uniform appearance. As the approaches to the city were singular, its construction was remark- .ible. Not only the tem- ples of their gods, but the houses belonging to the monarch, and to persons of distinction., were of such dimensioiis, that, in comparison with any other buildings which hitherto had been discovered in America^ they might be termed magnificent. The habi- tations of the conimou people were mean, re- hut:> of But they VV/fr :/!A ■ /; 1! i.;^ ^^Jr-'**^t^« ,?'■"■ B / ■NrMW'm •w^ DETAIL rnOM THI 1A8TEIIN FACADI OF THC PALACE Or THE NUNE AT UXMAl. Example of Mava architecture, which in the abnence vf an Aztec building of prominence now remainins, and to which it was closely allied, will show the richness of the decorations of the public buildings in Mexico. See also page 494. ii|ii were sembling the other Indians, were all placed in a regu- lar manner, on the banks of the canals which passed through the city, in some of its districts, or on the sides of the streets which intersected it in other quarters. In several places were large openings or squares, one of which, allotted for the great market, is said to have been so spacious, that forty or fifty thou- sand persons carried on traffic there. In this city, the pride of the New World, and the noblest monument of the industry and art of man, while unacquainted with the use of iron, and destitute of aid from any domestic animal, the Spaniards, who are most moderate in their computations, reckon that there were at least sixty thou- sand inhabitants. But how much soever the novelty of those objects might amuse THR CONQUEST OF MF.XICO. 497 or astonish the Spaniards, they felt the utmost solicitude with re- spect to their own situation. From a concurrence of circumstances, no less unexpected, than favoiablc to their progress, they had been allowed to penetrate into the heart of a powerful kingdom, and were now lodged in its capital, without having once met with open opposition from its monarch. The Tlascalans, however, had earn- estly dissuaded th^m from placing such confidence in Montezuma, as to enter a city of such a peculiar situation as Mexico, where that prince would have them at mercy, shut up as it were in a snare, from which it was impossible to escape.* They assured them, that the Mexican priests had, in the name of the gods, counselled their sovereign to admit the Span- iards into the capital, that he might cut them off there at one blow with perfect security. They now perceived, too plainly, that the apprehensions of their allies were not destitute of foundation ; that, by breaking the bridges placed at certain intervals on the causeways, or by destroy- ing part of the causeways themselves, their retreat would be rendered impracticable, and they must remain cooped up in the center of a hostile city, surrounded by multi- tudes sufficient to overwhelm them, and without a possi- bility of receiving aid from their allies. Montezuma had, indeed, received them with distinguished respect. But ought they to reckon upon this as real, or to consider it as feigned ? Even if it were sincere, could they promise on its continuance ? Their safety depended upon the will of a monarch, in whose attachment they had ^o reason to confide ; and an order flowing from his caprice, or a word uttered by him in passion, might decide irrevocably con- cerning their fate. These reflections, so obvious as to occur to the meanest soldier, did not escape the vigilant sagacity of their general. Before he set out from Cholula, Cortes had received advice from Villa Rica, that Qualpopoca, one of the Mexican generals on the frontiers, having assembled an army in order to attack some of the people whom the Spaniards had encouraged to throw off the Mexican yoke, Escalante had marched out with part of the garrison to support his allies ; that an engagement had ensued, in which, though the Span- iards were victorious, Escalante, with seven of his men, had been gUtTZALCOATl OK CUCULOAN, A terrestrial hero who became deified, after hix death, as Rky- god and culture !iero ; llie repre- sentative of ii^ht, opposed to the god of darkness, leztatlipoca. QuetzalcoatI, though worshipped as the promoter of fertility, stiU held celibacy in honor, and houses- >m 498 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. \m^' ;i im,B\^atit^'ii; mortally wounded, his horse killed, and one Spaniard had been surrounded by the enemy and taken alive ; that the head of this unfortunate captive, after being carried in triumph to different cities, in order to convince the people that their invaders were not immortal, had been sent to Mexico. Cortes, though alarmed with this intelligence, as an indication of Montezuma's hostile inten- tions, had continued his march. But as soon as he entered Mexico, he became sensible, that, from an excess of confidence in the supe- rior valor and discipline of his troops, as well as from the disad- vantage of having nothing to guide him ^^^ ( J in an unknown country, but the defective intelligence which he had received from people with whom his mode of communi- cation was very imperfect, he had pushed forward into a situation, where it was difl&- cult to continue, and from which it was dangerous to retire. Disgrace, and per- haps ruin, was the certain consequence of attempting the latter. The success of his enterprise depended upon supporting the high opinion which the people of New Spain had formed with respect to the irre- sistible power jf his arms. Upon the first symptom of timidity on his part, their veneration would cease, and Montezuma, whom fear alone restrained at present, would let loose upon him the whole force of his empire. At the same time, he knew that the countenance of his own sovereig.i was to be obtained only by a series of victories, and that nothing but the merit of extraordinary success could screen his conduct from the censure of irregularity. From all these considerations, it was necessary to maintain his station, and to extricate himself out of the difficulties in which one bold step had involved him, by venturing upon another still bolder. The situation was trying, but his mind was equal to it; and after re- volving the matter with deep attention, he fixed upon a plan no less extraordinary than daring. He determined to seize Montezuma in his palace, and to carry him as a prisoner to the MONTeZUMA'l QENERAl, QUALPOPOCA, f CAQES ESCALANTE AND Hit MEXICAN AILIbC. THE CONQUEST OP MEXICO. 499 Spanish quarters. From the superstitious veneration of the Mexi- cans for the person of their monarch, £- s well as their implicit sub- mission to his will, he hoped, by having Montezuma in his power, to acquire the supreme direction of their affairs ; or, at least, with such a sacred pledge in his hands, he made no doubt of being secure from any effort of their violence. This he immediately proposed to his officers. The timid startled at a measure so audacious, and raised objections. The more intelligent and resolute, conscious that it was the only re- source in which there appeared any prospect of safety, warmly ap- proved of it, and brought over their companions so cordially to the same opinion, that it was agreed instantly to make the attempt. At his usual hour of visiting Montezuma, Cortes went to the palace, accompanied by Alvarado, Sandoval, Lugo, Velasquez de Leon, and Davila, five of his principal ofi&- cers, and as many trusty soldiers. Thirty chosen men followed, not in regular order, but sauntering at some distance, as if they had no ob- ject but curiosity ; small parties were posted at* proper intervals, in all the streets leading from the Spanish quarters to the court ; and the re- mainder of his troops, with the Tlas- calan allies, were under arms, ready to sally out on the first alarm. Cor- tes and his attendants were admitted without suspicion; the Mexicans re- tiring, as usual, out of respect. He addressed the monarch in a tone very different from that which he had em- ployed in former conferences, re- proaching him bitterly as the author of the violent assault made upon the Spaniards by one of his officers, and demanded public reparation for the loss which they had sustained by the death of some of their com- r- ! i| 28 THE EMPEROR MONTEZUMA. FROM THa tnoMViNa in niiuwe cn onbekcxde wcExno, av MONTANUi. 500 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. panions, as well as for the insult offered to the great prince whose servants they were. Montezuma, confounded at this unexpected accusation, and changing color, either from con- sciousness of guilt, or from feeling the indignity with which, he was treated, asserted his own innocence, with great earnestness, and, as a proof of it, gave orders instantly to bring Qualpopoca and his accomplices prisoners to Mexico. Cortes replied, with seeming complaisance, that a declara- tion so respectable left no doubt remaining in his own mind, but that something more was requisite to satisfy his followers, who would never be convinced that Montezuma did not harbor hostile intentions against them, unless, as an evidence of his confidence and attachment, he removed from his own palace, and took up his residence in the Spanish quarters, where he should be served and honored as became a great aonarch. The first mention of so itrange a proposal bereaved Monte- zuma of speech, and almost of motion. At length, indignation gave him utter- ance, and he haughtily answered, "That persons of his rank were not accustomed voluntarily to give up themselves as prisoners; and were he or^hfg\"'rAd^„^^t?;sfre''^cd mean enough to do so, his subjects with armor, upper part of which 11 i ' ,_ i rr^i ia^ made of balls, and lower part WOUld UOt permit SUCD aU aftront tO be offered to their sovereign." Cortes, unwilling to employ force, endeavored alternately to soothe and to intimidate him. The altercation became warm ; and having continued above three hours, Veldsquez de Leon, an impetuous and gallant young man, exclaimed with impatience, "Why waste more time in vain? Let us cither seize him instantly, or stab him to the heart." The •CULPTURE FROM COPAN TO tHOW DRE», ARMOR, AND ORNAMENTa. A male figure at the foot of an altar; head covered with helmet, in imitation of some fanciful ani- mal, with gold appendages; the of some woven stuflfs; arms, legs Bnd neck ornamented with band «nd rings. threatening voice and fierce gestures with which Lhese words were uttered, struck Monte- zuma. The Spaniards, he was sensible, had now proceeded so far, as left him no hope that ■CULPTURE FROM COPAN TO BHOW DREtf AND ORNAMENTS. Female figure; the short dress ornamented with a net, bordered with pearls and fringe | n girdle, similarly made, encircles her waist ; a broad strip of cloth, cov- ered with gold and pearls, falls from it to the ground ; an exquisite head-dress of^feathers covers the flf ure ; the bare arms ornamented with bands, the breast covered with jewelry, reaching to the- ■houlders. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 501 they would recede. His own danger was now imminent, the neces- sity unavoidable. He saw both, and abandoning himself to his fate, complied with their request. His officers were called. He communicated to them his reso- lution. Though astonished and afflicted, they presumed not to question the will of their master, but carried him in silent pomp, all bathed in tears, to the Spanish quarters. When it was known that the strangers were conveying away the emperor, the people broke out into the wildest transports of grief and rage, threaten- ing the Spaniards with immediate destruction, as the punishment justly due to their impious audacity. But as soon as Montezuma appeared, with a seeming gayety of countenance, and waved his hand, the tumult was hushed ; and upon his declaring it to be of his own choice that he went to reside for some time among his new friends, the multitude, taught to revere every intimation of their sovereign's pleasure, quietly dispersed. Thus was a powerful prince seized by a few strangers in the midst of his capital, at noonday, and carried off as a prisoner, with- out opposition or bloodshed. History contains nothing parallel to this event, either with respect to the temerity of the attempt, or the success of the execution ; and were not all the circumstances of this extraordinary transaction authenticated by the most unques- tionable evidence, they would appear so wild and extravagant, as to go far beyond the bounds of that probability which must be pre- served even in fictitious narrations. |f!fr:if ;.fta^''>;i4»,' iw<»->V>»*.:»,*-*v¥:<&,-.'ra*i(liifi|fiti,,. CHAPTER LVII. INOiaNITICS HCAPtO UPON MONTEZUMA. ACKNOWLEDGE I HIMSELF A VASSAL OF SPAIN MEXICAN SCHEMES FOR LIBERATION. ONTEZUMA was received in the Spanish quarters with all the ceremonious respect which Cortes had promised. He was at- tended by his own domestics, and served with his usual state. His principal ofl&cers had free access to him, and he carried on every function of government as if he had been at perfect liberty. The Spaniards, however, watched him with the scrupulous vigilance which was natural in guard- ing such an important prize, endeavoring at the same time to soothe and reconcile him to his situation, by every external de- monstration of regard and attachment. But from captive princes, the hour of humiliation and suffering is never far distant. Qual- popoca, his son, and five of the principal officers who served under him, were brought prisoners to the capital [Dec. 4], in consequence of the orders which Montezuma had issued. The emperor gave them up to Cortes, that he might inquire into the nature of their crime, and determine their punishment. They were formally tried by a Spanish court-martial ; and though they had acted no ether part than what became loyal subjects and brave men, in obeying the orders of their lawful sovereign, and in oppos- ing the invaders of their country, they were condemned to be burnt alive. The execution of such atrocious deeds is seldom long sus- pended. The unhappy victims were instantly led forth. The pile (S<>«) ::t^^ 5* ^^>r^, •*;^« -''%s?^.^> .'? .■ §»^.^ ^-'Vf'l i^t;^' :5' 4 z o a, 3 H 0. OS M * o " > ; < _ i^ ^ z £ o = C - Q - u s H o ■" Q ^ til X H 3 U " u = ?? en O > O o o X ■< s D r-J H Z o OS o X Id 0. S a] ;d S - 2 ii'wii'^^i.rwtf^ yj;;-, THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 505 on which they werq laid was comp6sed of weapons collected in the royal magazine for the public defense. An innumerable multi- tude of Mexicans beheld, in silent astonishment, the double insult offered to the majesty of their empire, an officer of distinction com- mitted to the flames by the authority of strangers, for having done what he owed in duty to his natural sovereign ; and the arms pro- vided by the foresight of their ancestors for avenging public wiongs, consumed before their eyes. But these were not the most shocking indignities which the Mexicans had to bear. The Spaniards, convinced that Qualpopoca would not have ventured to attack Escalante without orders from his master, were not satisfied with inflicting vengeance on the in- strument employed in committing that crime while the author of it escaped with impunity. Just before Qualpopoca was led out to suffer, Cortes entered the apartment of Montezuma, followed by some of his officers, and a soldier carrying a pair of fetters ; and approaching the monarch with a stern countenance told him, that as the persons who were now to undergo the punishment which they merited, had charged him as the cause of the outrage commit- ted, it was, necessary that he likewise should make atonement for that guilt ; then turning away abruptly, without waiting for a re- ply, commanded the soldier to clap the fetters on his legs. The orders were instantly e^pcecuted. The disconsolate monarch, trained up with an idea that his person was sacred and inviolable, and con- sidering this profanation of it as the prelude of immediate death, broke out, into loud lamentations and complaints. His attendants, speechless with horror, fell at his feet, bathing them with their tears ; and, bearing up the fetters in their hands, endeav . 'ed with officious tenderness to lighten their pressure. Nor did their grief and despondency abate, until Cortes returned from the execution, and with a cheerful countenance ordered the fetters to be taken off". As Montezuma's spirits had sunk with unmanly dejection, they now rose into indecent joy ; and with an unbecoming transi- tion, he passed at once from the anguish of despair to transports of gratitude and expressions of fondness towards his deliverer. In those transactions, as represented by the Spanish historians, we search in vain for the qualities which distinguish other parts of Cortes's conduct. To usurp a jurisdiction which could not belong to a stranger who assumed no higher character than that of an ' '• • ?.'!- •. 5o6 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. jv M h "' 1 i ambassador from a foreign prince, and, under color of it, to inflict a capital punishment on men whose conduct entitled them to es- teem, appears an act of barbarous cruelty. To put the monarch of a great kingdom in irons, and, after such ignominious treatment, suddenly to release him, seems to be a display of power no less in- considerate than wanton. According to the common relation, no account can be given either of the one action or the other, but that Cortes, intoxicated with success, and presuming on the ascendant which he had acquired over the minds of the Mexicans, thought nothing too bold for him to undertake, or too dangerous to execute. But, in one view, these procceedings, however repugnant to justice and humanity, may have flowed from that artful policy which reg- ulated every part of Cortes' behavior towards the Mexicans. They had conceived the Spaniards to be of an order of beings superior to men. It was of the utmost consequence to cherish this illusion, and to keep up the veneration which it inspired. Cortes wished that shedding the blood of a Spaniard should be deemed the most heinous of all crimes ; and nothing appeared better calculated to establish this opinion, than to condemn the first Mexicans who had ventured to commit it to a cruel death, and to oblige their monarch himself to submit to a mortifying indignity as an ex- piation for being accessory to a deed so atrocious. The rigor with which Cor- tes punished the unhappj' persons who first presumed to lay violent hands upon his followers, seems accord- ingly to have made all the impression that he desired. The spirit of Montezuma was not only overawed, but subdued. During six months that Cortes remained in Mexico, the monarch con- tinued in the Spanish quar- ters with an appearance of as entire satisfaction and tran- quillity as if he had resided there not from constraint, but ..iS^ -fT^MHwiBJ . - MNll IN THE REAR OF THE *IT*R OF THE TEMPLE OF THE «UH, AT TIKAl. THE FIGURE SHOWS AN OFFICER OR DIGNITARY OF HIGH RANK. .^1 THE CONQUEST OP MEXICO. 507 through choice. His ministers and officers attended him as usual. He took cognizance of all affairs ; every order was issued in his name. The external aspect of government appearing the same, and all its ancient forms being scrupulously observed, the people were so little sensible of any chinge, that they obeyed the mandates of their monarch with the same submissive reverence as ever. Such was the dread which both Montezuma and his subjects had of the Spaniards, or such the veneration in which they held them, that no attempt was made to deliver their sovereign from confinement ; and though Cortes, relying on this ascendant which he had acquired over their minds, permitted him not only to visit his temples, but to make hunting excursions beyond the lake, a guard of a few Spaniards carried with it such a terror as to intimidate the multi- tude, and secure the captive monarch. Thus, by the fortunate temerity of Cortes in seizing Monte- zuma, the Spaniards at once secured to themselves more extensive authority in the Mexican Empire than it as possible to have ac- quired in a long course of time by open force ; and they exercised more absolute sway in the name of another, than they could have done in their own. The arts of polished nations, in subjecting such as are less improved, have been nearly the same in every period. The system of screening a foreign usurpation, under the sanction of authority derived from the natural rulers of a country, the device of employing the magistrates and forms already estab- lished as instruments to introduce a new dominion, of which we are apt to boast as sublime refinements in policy peculiar to the present age, were inventions of a more early period, and had been tried with success in the West, long before they were practiced in the East. Cortes availed himself to the utmost of the powers which he possessed by being able to act in the name of Montezuma. He sent some Spaniards, whom he judged best qualified for such com- missions, into different parts of the empire, accompanied by persons of distinction, whom Montezuma appointed to attend them, both as guides and protectors. They visited most of the provinces, viewed their soil and pro- ductions, surveyed with particular care the THE VOLCANOt POPOCATEPETL AND IZTACCIHUATL, FROM WHCHt 1 aPANIARDS PROCURED SULPHUR FOR THEIR aUNPOWOCIL :;il7P%t.. 508 THE. CONQUKST OF MEXICO. MEIIIClkN TAMANES OR PORTERt. districts which yielded gold or silver, pitched upon several places as proper stations for future colonies, and endeavored to prepare the minds of the people for submitting to the Spanish yoke. While they were thus employed, Cortes, in the name and by the authority of Montezuma, degraded some of the principal offi- cers in the empire, whose abilities or independent spirit excited his jealousy, and substituted in their place persons less capable or more obsequious. One thing still was wanting to complete his security. He wished to have such command of the lake as might ensure a retreat, if, either from levity or disgust, the Mexicans should take arms against him, and break down the bridges or causeways. This, too, his own address, and the facility of Montezuma, enabled him to accomplish. Having frequently entertained his prisoner with pompous accounts of the European marine and art of navi- gation, he awakened his curiosity to see those moving palaces which made their way through the water without oars. Under pretext of gratif3'ing this desire, Cortes persuaded Montezuma to appoint some of his subjects to fetch part of the naval stores which the Spaniards had deposited at Vera Cruz to Mexico, and to employ others in cutting down and preparing timber. With ^jeir assistance, the Spanish carpenters soon completed two brigantines, which afforded a frivolous amuse- ment to the monarch, and were considered by Cortes as a cer- tain resource if he should be obliged to retire. Encouraged by so many instances of the monarch's tame sub- mission to his will, Cortes ventured to put it to a proof still more trj'ing. He urged Montezuma to acknowledge himself a vassal of the king of Castile, to hold his crown of him as superior, and to subject his dominions to the payment of an annual tribute. With this requisition, the last and most humbling that can be made to one possessed of sovereign authority, Montezuma was so obsequious as to comply. He called together the chief men of his empire, and in a solemn harangue, reminding them of the traditions and prophecies which led them to expect the arrival of a people sprung from the same stock with themselves, in order to take possession of the supreme power, he declared his belief that the Spaniards were this promised race ; that therefore he recognized the right of THE CONQURST OF MEXICO. 509 their monarch to govern the Mexican empire ; that he would lay his crown at his feet, and obey him as a tributary. While uttering these words, Montezuma discovered how deeply he was affected in making such a sacrifice. Tears and groans frequently interrupted his discourse. Overawed and broken as his spirit was, it still re- tained such a sense of dignity, as to feel that pang which pierces the heart of princes when constrained to resign independent power. The first mention of such a resolution struck the assembly dumb with astonishment. This was followed by a sudden murmur of sorrow, mingled with indignation, which indicated some violent irruption of rage to be near at hand. This Cortes fore- saw, and seasonably inter- posed to prevent it by de- claring that his master had no intention to deprive Montezuma of the royal dignity, or to make any in- novation upon the constitu- tion and laws of the Mexi- can empire. This assurance, added to their dread of the Spanish power, and to the authority of their monarch's example, extorted a reluctant consent from the assembly. The act of submission and homage was executed with all the formalities which the Spaniards were pleased to prescribe. Montezuma, at the de- sire of Cortes, accompp.nied this profession of fealty and .homage with a magx^ificent present to his new sover- eign ; and, after his example, his subjects bretrght in very liberal contributions. The CORTES OECIARES BEFORE THE AesEMBLtu utxICAN NOBLES THAT Hia MASTER DOES NOT INTEND TO DEPRIVE MONYEZUMA 0' HIS DIGNITIES. 5IO THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. Spaniards i^cw collected all the treasures which had been either voluntarily bestowed upon them at different times by Monte- zuma, or had been extorted from his people under various pre- texts; and having melted the gold and silver, the value of these, without including jewels and ornaments of various kinds, which were preserved on account of their curious workmanship, amounted to six hundred thousand pesos. The soldiers were impa- tient to have it divided, and Cortes complied with their desire. A fifth of the whole was first set apart as the tax due the king. Another fifth was allotted to Cortes as commander in chief. The sums advanced by Velasquez, bj' Cortes, and by some of the officers, towards defraying the expense of fitting out the armament, were then deducted. The remainder was divided among the army, in- cluding the garrison of Vera Cruz, in proportion to their different ranks. After so many defalcations, the share of a private man did not exceed a hundred pesos. This sum fell so far below their san- guine expectations, that some soldiers rejected it with scorn, and others murmured so loudly at this cruel disappointment of their hopes, that it required all the address of Cortes, and no small exer- tion of his liberality, to appease them. The complaints of the army were not altogether destitute of foundation. As the crown had contributed nothing towards the equipment or success of the armament, it was not without regret that the soldiers beheld it sweep away so great a proportion of the treasure purchased by their blood and toil. What fell to the share of the general ap- peared, according to the ideas of wealth in the sixteenth century, an enormous sum. Some of Cortes' favorites had secretly appro- priated to their own use several ornaments of gold, which neither paid the royal fifth, nor were brought into account as part of the common stock. It was, however, so manifestly the interest of Cortes, at this period, to make a large remittance to the king, that it is highly probable those concealments were not of great conse- quence. The total sum amassed by the Spaniards bears no proportion to the ideas which might be formed, either by reflecting on the de- scriptions given by historians of the ancient splendor of Mexico, or by considering the productions of its mines in modern times. But among the ancient Mexicans, gold and silver were not the standards by which the worth of other commodities was estimated ; THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 5" and destitute of the artificial value derived from this circumstance, were no further in request than as they furnished materials for, ornaments and trinkets. These were either consecrated to the gods in their temples, or were worn as marks of distinction by their princes and some of their most eminent chiefs. As the con- sumption of the precious metal was inconsiderable, the demand for them was not such as to put either the ingenuity or industry of the Mexicans on the stretch, in order to augment their store. They •were altogether unacquainted with the art of working the rich mines with which their country abounded. What gold they had was gathered in the beds of rivers, native, and ripened into a pure metallic st?te. The utmost effort of their labor in search of it was to wash the earth carried down by torrents from the mountains, and to pick out the grains of gold which subsided; and even this simple operation, according to the report of the persons whom Cortes appointed to survey the provinces where there was a pros- pect of finding mines, they performed very unskillfully. From all those causes, the. whole mass of gold in possession of the Mexijans was not great. As silver is rarely found pure, and the Mexican art was too rude to conduct the process for refining it in a proper ma: ner, the quantity of this metal was still less considerable. Thus, though the Spaniards had ex- erted all the power which they possessed in Mexico, and often with indecent rapacity, in order to gratify their predominant passion, and though Monte- zuma had fondly exhrusted his treasures, in hopes of satiating their thirst for gold, the product of both, vvhich probably in- cluded a great part of the bullion in the empire, did not rise in value above what has been men- tioned. But however pliant Monte- ,„„„ .,,^„ gumAtcoATi.. emblem ,« hand, orncArmo BEroRE an altar. zuma migb*; be in other matters, sculptured untel from lorillard, vucatan. ,.,;*.l, -_-_ i. J. „ _ :^i. 1. The Aztecs recognized the existence of a supreme Creator, and Lord of the Wlttl respect to one point ne was universe. They addressed him, in their prayers, "as the God by whom we • n -1 1 ATM 1 /"» r live," "omnipresent, that knoweth all thoughts, and giveth all gifts, "without intleXlble. ThOUe'h Cortey often whom man is as nothing," " invisible, incorporeal, one God, of perfect perfection o and purity," "under whose wings we find repose and sure defrnje. /I ■'^" sublime attributt:; inf-r no inadequate conception of the true God. But the idea of unity— of a being, with whom volition is action, who has no need of inferior ministers to execute his purposes — was too simple cr too vast, for their under- standings, and they sought relief, .is usual, in a plurality of deities, »ho pro- sided over the elements, the changes of the seasons, and the vAnoui occbp«tieii* of man. — Prescott, Conqutst, Vol. I, ■s I I 512 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. CORTES OVERTHROWS A MEXICAN ALTAR ON THE TOP or THE GREAT TEOCALII, EKECTINO IN IT! «TEAO AN IMAQE OF THE VIROIN MARV. urged him, with the importunate zeal of a missionary, to renounce his false gods, and to embrace the Chriotian faith, he always re- jected the proposition with horror. Superstition, among the Mexi- cans, was formed into such a regular and complete system, that Its institutions naturally took fast hold jf the mind ; and while the rude tribes in other parts of America were easily induced to relin- quish a few notions and rites, so loose and arbitrary as hardly to merit the name of a public religion, the Mexicans adhered tena- ciously to their mode of worship, which, however barbarous, was accompanied with such order and solemnity as to render it an object of the highest vener- ation. Cortes, finding all his attempts in- effectual to shake the constancy of Monte- zuma, was so much enraged at his obstinacy, that in a transport of zeal he led out his sol diers to throw down the idols in the grand temple by force. But the priests taking arms in defense of their altars, and the people crowding with great ardor to support them, Cortes' prudence overruled his zeal, and in- duced him to desist from his rash attempt, after dislodging the idols from one of the shrines, and placing in their stead an fmage of the Virgin Mary. , From that moment the Mexicans, who had permitted the imprisonment of their sovereign, and suffered the exactions of stran- gers without a struggle, began to meditate how they might expel or destroy the Span- iards, and thought themselves called upon to avenge their insulted deities. The priests and leading men held frequent consultations with Montezuma for this purpose. But as it might prove fatal to the captive monarch to attempt either the one or the other by violence, he was willing to try gentle means. Having called Cortes into his presence, he observed, that now, as all the purposes of his embassy were fully accomplished, the gods had declared their will, and the people signified their desire, that he and his followers should instantly depart out of the empire. With this he required them to comply, or unavoidable THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 513 destruction would fall suddenly on their heads. The tenor of this unexpected requisition, as well as the determined tone in which it was uttered, left Cortes no room to doubt, that it was the result of some deep scheme concerted between Montezuma and his subjects. He quickly perceived that he might derive more advantage from a seeming compliance with the monarch's inclination, than from an ill-timed attempt to change or to oppose it ; and replied, with great composure, that he had already begun to prepare for returning to his own country ; but as he had destro5'ed the vessels in which he arrived, some time was requisite for building other ships. This ap- peared reasonable. A number of Mexicans were sent to Vera Cruz to cut down timber, and some Spanish carpenters were appointed to superintend the work. Cortes flattered himself that, during this interval, he might either find means to avert the threatened danger, or receive such reinforcements as would enable him to despise it. FRONT AND NEAR VIEW OF BU(T OF A PRJE8TE88, FOUND AT PALENQUE. iHI H CHAPTER LVIII. CORTES RECEIVES NEWS OF THE ARRIVAL OP NARVAEZ SENT AT THE HEAD OF A NEW ARMA- MENT FITTED OUT BY VELASQUEZ. ATTEMPTS NEGOTIATIONS WITH HIM, WHICH FAILING, HE MARCHES AGAINST, AND UTTERLY ROUTES HIM. THE EFFECTS OF THIS VICTORY. XMOST nine months were elapsed since Portocarrero and Montejo had sailed with his despatches to Spain ; and he daily expected their return with a confirma- tion of his authority from the king. Without this, his condi- tion was insecure and precarious ; and after all the great things which he had done, it might be his doom to bear the name and suffer the punishment of a traitor. Rapid and extensive as his prog- ress had been, he could not hope to complete the reduction of a great empire with so small a body of men, which by this time, dis- eases of various kinds consider- ably thinned ; nor could he apply for recruits to the Spanish set- tlements in the islands, until he received the royal approbation of his proceedings. While he remained in this cruel situation, anxious about what was past, uncertain with respect to the future, and, by the late THI GOVERNOR Or VCR* CRUZ. (SM) THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 515 declaration of Montezuma, oppressed with a new addition of cares, a Mexican courier arrived with an account of some ships having appeared on the coast. Cortes, with fond credulity, imagining that his messengers were returned from Spain, and that the completion of all his wishes and hopes was at hand, imparted the glad tidings to his companions, who received them with transports of mutual congratulation. Their joy was not of long continuance. A courier from Sandoval, whom Cortes had appointed to succeed Escalante in command at Vera Cruz, brought certain information that the arma- ment was fitted out by Velasquez, governor of Cuba, and, instead of bringing the aid which they expected, threatened them with im- mediate destruction. The motives which prompted Velasquez to this violent meas- ure are obvious. From the circumstances of Cortes' departure, it was impossible not to suspect his intention of throwing off all dependence upon him. His neglecting to transmit any account of his operations to Cuba, strengthened this suspicion, which was at last confirmed beyond doubt, by the indiscretion of the officers whom Cortes sent to Spain. They, from some motive which is not clearly explained by the contemporary historians, touched at the island of Cuba, contrary to the peremptory orders of their gen- eral. By this means Velasquez not only learned that Cortes and his followers, after formally renouncing all connection with him, had established an independent colony in New Spain, and were soliciting the king to confirm their proceedings by his authority ; but he obtained particular information concerning the opulence of the country, the valuable presents which Cortes had received, and the inviting prospects of success that opened to his view. Every pa.'^sion which can agitate an ambitious mind ; shame, at having been so grossly overreached ; indignation, at being betrayed by the man whom he had selected as the object of his favor and confidence; grief, for having wasted his fortune to aggrandize an enemy ; and despair of recovering so fair an opportunity of establishing his fame and extending his power, now raged in the bosom of Velas- quez. All these, with united force, excited him to make an extra- ordinary effort in order to be avenged on the author of his wrongs, and to wrest from him his usurped authority and conquests. Nor did he want the appearance of a good title to justify such an at- tempt. The agent whom he sent to Spain with an account of ^ 'i 5i6 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. Grijalva's voyage, had met with a most favorable reception ; and from the specimens which he produced, such high expectations were formed concerning the opulence of New Spain, that Velas- quez was authorized to prosecute the discovery of the country, and appointed governor of it during life, with more extensive power and privileges than had been granted to any adventurer from the time of Columbus. Elated by this distinguishing mark of favor, and warranted to consider Cortes not only as intruding upon his jurisdiction, but as disobedient to the royal mandate, he determined to vindicate his own rights, and the honor of his sovereign, by force of arms. His ardor in carrying on his preparations was such as might have been expected from the violence of the passions with 'vhich he was animated; and in a short time an armament was completed, consisting of eighteen ships, which had on board four- score horsemen, eight hundred foot soldiers, of which eighty were musVeteers, and a hundred and twenty crossbow-men, together with a train of twelve pieces of cannon. As Velasquez's experi- ence of the fatal consequence of committing to another what he ought to have executed himself, had not rendered him more enter- prising, he vested the command of this formidable body, which, in the infancy of the Spanish power in America, merits the appella- tion of an army, in Pamphilo de Narvaez, with instructions to seize Cortes and his principal officers, to send them prisoners to him, and then to complete the discovery and conquest of the country in his name. After a prosperous voyage, Narvaez landed his men without opposition near St. Juan de Uloa [April]. Three soldiers, whom Cortes had sent to search for mines in that district, imm»ediately joined him. By this accident, he not only received informa- tion concerning the progress and situation of Cortes, but, as these soldiers had made some progress in the knowledge of the Mexican language, he acquired interpreters, by whose means he was enabled to hold some intercourse with the people of the coun- try. But, according to the low cunning of deserters, they framed their intelligence with more attention to what they thought would be agreeable, than to what they knew to be true ; and represented the situation of Cortes to be so desperate, and the disaffection of his followers to be so general, as increased the natural confidence and presumption of Narvaez. His fir?' operation, however, might THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 517 seize him, try in have taught hira not to rely on their partial accounts. Having sent to summon the governor of Vera Cruz to surrender, Guevara, a priest whom he employed in that service, made the requisition with such insolence, that Sandoval, an olTicer of high spirit, and zealously attached to Cortes, instead of complying with his de- mands, seized hini and his attendants, and sent them in chains to Mexico. Cortes received them not like enemies, but as friends, and, condemning the severity of Sandoval, set them immediately at lib- erty. By this well-timed clemency, seconded by caresses and pres- ents,. he gained their confidence, and drew from them such particu- lars concerning the force and intentions of Narvaez, as gave him a Vi^ v of the impending danger in its full extent. He had not to ' ntend now with half-naked Indians, no match for him in war, i.nd still more inferior in the arts of policy, but to take the field against an army in courage and martial discipline equal to his own, in number far superior, acting under the sanction of royal author- ity, and commanded by an officer of known bravery. He was in- formed that Narvaez, more solicitous to gratify the resentment of Velasquez than attentive to the honor or interest of his country, had begun his intercourse with the natives, by representing him and his follower's as fugitives and outlaws, guilty of rebellion against their own sovereign, and of injustice in invading the Mexi- can empire; and had declared that his chief object in visiting the country was to punish the Spaniards who had committed these crimes, and to rescue the Mexicans from oppression. He soon per- ceived that the same unfavorable representations of his character and actions had been conveyed to Montezuma, and that Narvaez had found means to assure him, that as the conduct of those who kept him under restraint was highly displeasing to the king his master, he had it in charge not only to rescue an injured monarch from confinement, but to reinstate him in the possession of his ancient power and independence. Animated with this prospect of being set free from subjection to strangers, the Mexicans in several provinces began openly to revolt from Cortes, and to regard Nar- vaez as a deliverer no less able than willing to save them. Monte- zuma himself kept up a secret intercourse with the new com- mander, and seemed to court him as a person superior in power and dignity to those Spaniards whom he had hitherto revered as the first of men. 29 5i8 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. Such were the various aspects of danger and diflSculty which presented themselves to the view of Cortes. No situation can be conceived more trying to the capacity and firmness of a general^ or where the choice of the plan which ought to be adopted was- more difficult. If he should wait the approach of Narvaez in Mex- ico, destruction seemed to be unavoidable ; for, while the Spaniards pressed him from without, the inhabitants, whose turbulent spirit he could hardly restrain with all his authority and attention, would eagerly lay hold on such a favorable opportunity of avenging all their wrongs. If he should abandon the capital, set the captive monarch at liberty, and march out to meet the enemy, he must at once forego the fruits of all his toils and victories, and relinquish advantages which could not be recovered without extraordinary eff'orts and infinite danger. If, instead of employing force, he should have recourse to conciliating measures, and attempt an ac- commodation with Narvaez ; the natural haughtiness of that offi- cer, augmented by consciousness of his present superiority, forbade him to cherish any sanguine hope of success. After revolving every scheme with deep attention, Cortes fixed upon that which in execution was most hazardous, but, if successful, would prove most beneficial to himself and to his country ; and with the decisive in- trepidity suited to desperate situations, determined to make one bold eff'ort for victory under every disadvantage, rather than sacri- fice his own conquests and the Spanish interests in Mexico. But though he foresaw that the contest must be terminated finally by arms, it would have been not only indecent but criminal to have marched against his countrymen, without attempting to adjust matters by an amicable negotiation. In this service he em- ployed Olmedo, his chaplain, to whose character the function was well suited, and who possessed, besides, such prudence and address as qualified him to carry on the secret intrigues in which Cortes placed his chief confidence. Narvaez rejected with scorn every scheme of accommodation that Olmedo proposed, and was with difficulty restrained from laying violent hands on him and his attendants. He met, however, with a more favorable reception among the followers of Narviez, to many of whom he delivered letters, either from Cortes or his officers, their ancient friends and companions. Cortes artfully accompanied these with presents of rings, chains of gold, and other trinkets of value, which inspired THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 519 those needy adventurers with high ideas of the wealth that he had acquired, and with envy of their good fortune who were engaged in his service. Some, from hopes of becoming sharers in those rich spoils, declared for an immediate accommodation with Cortes. Others, from public spirit, labored to prevent a civil war, which^ whatever party should prevail^ must shake, and perhaps subveit, the Spanish power in a country where it was so imperfectly estab- lished, Narvaez disregarded both, and by a public proclamation denounced Cortes and his adherents as rebels and enemies to their country. Cortes, it is probable, was not much surprised at the untractable arrogance of Narvaez ; and after having given such a proof of his own pacific disposition as might justify his recourse to other means, he determined to advance towards an enemy whom he had labored in vain to appease. He left a hundred and fifty men in the capital [May], under the command of Pedro de Alvarado, an officer of distinguished courage, for whom the Mexicans had conceived a singular degree of respect. To the custody of this slender garrison he committed a great city, with all the wealth he had amassed, and, what was of still greater importance, the person of the impris- oned monarch. His utmost art was em- ployed in concealing from Montezuma the real cause of his march. He labored to persuade him, that the strangers who had lately arrived were his friends and fel- low-subjects ; and that, after a short interview with them, they would depart together, and return to their own country. The captive prince, unable to com- CONTia MARCHU OUT OF MEXICO TO GIVI lATTLI TO THE ARMV OF NARVAEl. 520 THE CONQUEST OK MEXICO. EARTHENWARE. preheud the designs of the Spaniards, or to reconcile what he now heard with the declarations of. Narvaez, and afraid to dis- cover any symptom of suspicion or distrust of Cortes, promised to remain quietly in the Spanish quarters, and to cultivate the same friendship with Alvarado which he had uniformly maintained with him. Cortes, with seeming confidence in this promise, but relying principally upon the injunctions which he had given Alvarado to guard his prisoner with the most scrupulous vigilance, set out from Mexico, His strength, even after it was reinforced by the junction of Sandoval and the garrison of Vera Cruz, did not exceed two hundred and fifty men. As he hoped for success chiefly from the rapidity of his motions, his troops were no* in- cumbered either with baggage or artillery. But as he (' aded extremely the impression which the enemy might make with their cavalry, he had provided against this danger with the foresight and sagacity which distinguish a great commander. Having ob- served that the Indians in the province of Chinantla used spears of extraordinary length and force, he armed his soldiers with these, and accustomed them to that deep and compact ar- rangement which the use of this formidable weapon, the best per- haps that ever was invented for defense, enabled them to assume. With this small but firm battalion, Cortes advanced towards Cempoala, of which Narvaez had taken possession. During his march, he made repeated attempts towards some accommodation with his opponent. But Narvaez requiring that Cortes and his followers should instantly recognize his title to be governor of New Spain, in virtue of the powers which he derived from Velas- quez; and Cortes refusing to submit to any authority which was not founded on a commission from the emperor himself, under whose immediate protection he and his adherents had placed their muM ui luc u[cii!iii!> cmpidyea co-aay are oi sucn pnmiiive naiure as yd, tJiat a fair picture of an A/tec goldsmith shop of the time of the conquest, i.i produced upon the beholder of these patient toilers. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 521 infant colony; all these attempts proved fruitless. The inter- course, however, which this occasioned between the two parties^ proved of no small advantage to Cortes, as it afforded him an op- portunity of gaining some of Narvaez's officers by liberal presents^ of softening others by a semblance of moderation, and of dazzling all by the appearance of wealth among his troops, most of his sol- diers having converted their share of the Mexican gold into chains,, bracelets, and other ornaments, which they displayed with military ostentation, Narvaez and a little junto of his creatures excepted^ all the army leaned towards an accommodation with their country- men. This discovery of their inclination irritated his violent tem- per almost to madness. In a transport of rage, he set a price upon the head of Cortes, and of his principal officers; and having learned that he was now advanced within a league of Cempoala with his small body of men, he considered this an insult which merited im- mediate chastisement, and marched out with all his troops to offer him battle. But Cortes was a leader of greater abilities and experience than, on equal ground, to iight an enemy so far superior in num- ber, and so much better appointed. Having taken his station on the opposite bank of vhe river de Canoas, where he knew that he could not be attacked, he beheld the approach of the enemy Avith- out concern, and disregarded this vain bravado. It was then the beginning of the wet season, and the rain had poured down, during a great part of the day, with a violence peculiar to the torrid zone. The followers of Narvaez, unaccustomed to the hardships of mili- tary service, murmured so much at being thus fruitlessly exposed, that, from their unsoldier-like impatience, as well as his own con- tempt of his adversary, their general permitted them to retire to Cempoala. The very circumstance which indiiced them to quit the field, encouraged Cortes to form a scheme, by which he hoped at once to terminate the war. He observed that his hardy veterans, though standing under the torrents which continued to fall, with- out a single tent, or any shelter whatever to cover them, were so far from repining at hardships which were become familiar to them, that they were still fresh and alert for service. He foresaw that the enemy would naturally give themselves up to repose after their fatigue, and that, judging of the conduct of others by their own effeminacy, they would deem themselves perfectly secure at a sea« 522 THE CONQUKST OK MEXICO. son SO unfit for action. He resolved, therefore, to fall upon them in the dead of night, when the surprise and terror of this unex- pected attack might more than compensate the inferiority of his numbers. His soldiers, sensible that no resource remained but in some desperate effort of courage, approved of the measure with such warmth, that Cortes, in a military oration which he addressed to them before they began their march, was more solicitous to temper than to inflame their ardor. He divided them into three parties. At the head of the first he placed Sandoval ; intrusting this gallant officer with the most dangerous and important service, that of seizing the enemy's artillery, which was planted before the principal tower of the temple, where Narvaez had fixed his head- quarters. Christoval de Olid commanded the second, with orders to assault the tower, and lay hold on the general. Cortes himself conducted the third and smallest division, which was to act as a body of reserve, and to support the other two as there should be occasion. Having passed the river de Canoas, which was much swelled with the rains, not without difficulty, the water reaching almost to their chins, they advanced in profound sil- ence, without beat of drum, or sound of any warlike instrument; each man armed with his sword, his dagger, and his Chinantlan spear. Narvaez, remiss in proportion to his security, had posted only two sentinels to watch the motions of an enemy whom he had such good cause to dread. One of these was seized by the advanced guard of Cortes' troops ; the other made his escape, and, hurrying to the town with all the precipitation of fear and zeal, gave such timely notice of the enemy's approach, that there was full leisure to have prepared for their reception. But, through the arrogance and infatuation of Narvaez, this important interval was lost. He imputed this alarm to the cowardice of the sentinel, and treated with derision the idea of being attacked by forces so unequal to his own. The shouts of Cortes' soldiers, rushing on to the assault, convinced him, at last, that the danger which he despised was real. CORTES PASSING THE SWOLLEN RIVER OF DE CANOAS UNDER GREAT DIFFICULTY. them unex- of his but in ; with rcssed 3US to three listing ervice, 3re the ; head- orders lold on iducted , which and to should le river swelled fficulty, o their ind sil- sound ch man er, and |ed only d such llvanced [irrying /e such leisure rogance ;t. He [treated h to his issault, IS real. u > U in O HI 5 ^ « i > ° s? 00 0. O O K H Q U X O) 5 ex z < > u X H Id < H O H CO U li. b. O 01 U H « O U S 5 < » (52.1) THE CONQUEST OP MEXICO. 525 The rapidity with which th«y advanced was such, that only one can- non could be fired before Sandoval's party closed with the enemy, drove them from their guns, and began to force their way up the steps of the tower. Narvaez, no less brave in action than presump- tuous in conduct, armed himself in haste, and by his voice and ex- ample animated his men to the combat. Olid advanced to sustain his companions ; and Cortes himself rushing to the front, conducted and added new vigor to the attack. The compact order in which this small body pressed on, and the impenetrable front which they presented with their long spears, bore down all opposition before it. They had now reached the gate, and were struggling to burst it open, when a soldier having set fire to the reeds with which the tower was covered, compelled Narvaez to sally out. In the first encounter he was wounded in the eye with a spear, and, falling to the ground, was dragged down the steps, and in a moment clapped in fetters. The cry of victory resounded among the troops of Cor- tes. Those who had sallied out with their leader now maintained the conflict feebly, and began to surrender. Among the remainder of his soldiers, stationed in two smaller towers of the temple, terror and confusion prevailed. The darkness was so great, that they <:ould not distinguish between their friends and foes. Their own artillery was pointed against them. Wherever they turned their eyes, they beheld lights gleaming through the obscurity of the night, which, though proceeding only from a variety of shining insects, that abound in moist and sultry climates, their affrighted imaginations represented as numerous bands •of musketeers advancing with kindled matches to the attack. After a short resistance, the soldiers compelled their officers to capitulate, .and before morning all laid down their arms, and submitted quietly to their conquerors. This complete victory proved more accept- able, as it was gained almost without blood- shed, only two soldiers being killed on the side of Cortes, and two officers, with fifteen private men of the adverse faction. Cortes treated the vanquished not like enemies, but as countrymen and friends, and .offered either to send them back directly to Cubaj or to take tiem into his service, as partners in his fortune, THE CAPITULATION OF NARVAEZ'I AKMV. 'I il fc^' "■■•*'' 526 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. on equal terms with his own soldiers. This latter proposition, seconded by a seasonable (distribution of some presents from Cortes, and liberal promises of more, opened prospects so agree- able to the romantic expectations which had invited them to en- gage in this service, that ail, a few partisans of Narvaez excepted, closed with it, and vied with each other in professions of fidelity and attachment to a general whose recent success had given them such a striking proof of his abilities for command. Thus, by a series of events no less fortunate than uncommon, Cortes not only escaped from perdition, which seemed inevitable, but, when he had least reason to expect it, was placed at the head of a thousand Spaniards, ready to follow wherever he should lead them. Who- ever reflects upon the facility with which this victory was obtained, or considers with what sudden and unanimous transition the fol- lowers of Narvaez ranged themselves under the standard of his rival, will be apt to ascribe both events as much to the intrigues as to the arms of Cortes, and cannot but suspect that the ruin of Narvaez was occasioned no less by the treachery of his own follow- ers, than by the valor of the enemy. A MUSKET^.ER OF THE XVI. CENTURV. CHAPTER LIX. IMPOLITIC MEASURES OF ALVARADO PRODUCE A CRISIS IN THE CITY OF MEXICO. RETURN OF CORTES, WHO FINDS HIMSELF BESIEGED IN HIS OWN QUARTERS SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. DEATH OF MONTEZUMA, AND HORRIBLE BUTCHERY OF THE SPANIARDS DURING THEIR RETREAT FROM THE CITY. THE " NOCHE TRISTE." UT, in one point, the prudent conduct and good fortune of Cortes were equally- conspicuous. If, by the rapidity of his operations after he began his march, he had not brought matters to such a speedy issue, even this decisive vic- tory would have come too late to have saved his companions whom he left in Mexico. A few days after the discomfiture of Narvaez, a courier arrived with an account that the Mexicans had taken arms, and, having seized and de- stroyed the two brigan tines which Cortes had built in order to secure the command of the lake, and attacked the Spaniards in their quarters, had killed sev- eral of them, and wounded more, had reduced to ashes their mag- azine of provisions, and carried on hostilities with such fury, that though Alvarado and his men de- fended themselves with undaunted resolution, they must either be soon cut off by famine, or sink under the multitude of their ene- mies. This revolt was excited by motives which rendered it still more alarming. On the departure of Cortes for Cempoala, the Mexicans flattered themselves, that the long-expected opportunity of restoring their sovereign to liberty, and of vindicating their country from the odious dominion of strangers, was at length ar- rived ; that while the forces of their oppressors were divided, and Sa7> iilMUUMM THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. the arms of one party turned against the other, they might triumph Avith greater facility over both. Consultations were held, and schemes formed with this intention. The Spaniards in Mexico, conscious of their own feebleness, suspected and dreaded those machinations. Alvarado, though a gallant officer, possessed neither that extent of capacity, nor dignity of manners, by which Cortes had acquired such an ascendant over the minds of the Mexicans, as never allowed them to form a just estimate of his weakness or their own strength. Alvarado knew no mode of supporting his authority but force. Instead of employing address to disconcert the plans or to soothe the spirits of the Mexicans, he waited the return of one of their solemn festivals. When the principal persons in the empire were dancing, according to custom, in the court of the great temple, he seized all the avenues which led to it ; and, allured partly by the rich ornaments which they wore in honor of their gods, and partly by the facility of cutting off at once the authors of that conspiracy which he dreaded, he fell upon them, unarmed and unsuspicious of any danger, and mas- sacred a great num- ber, none escaping but such as made their way over the battle ments of the temple. An action so cruel and treach- erous filled not only the city, but the whole empire, with indigna- tion and rage. All called aloud for venge- ance ; and regardless 8URHOUN0IN0 WALL Of THE OREAT TEOCALLI AND TEMPLE, SHOWING THE GREAT ENTBY-GATE. RESTORATION AFTER MOTHES. of the safety of their monarch, whose life was at the mercy of the Spaniards, or of their own danger in as- saulting an enemy who had been so long the object of their ter- ror, they committed all those acts of violeuce of which Cortes received an account. THE CONQURvST OK MP:xICO. 529 To him the danger appeared so imminent, as to admit neither lof deliberation nor dela>. He set out instantly with all his forces, and returned from Cempoala with no less rapidit}' than he had ad- vanced thither. At Tlascala he was joined by two thousand chosen warriors. On entering the Mexican territories, he found that dis- affection to the Spaniards was not confined to the capital. The principal inhabitants had deserted the towns through which he passed ; no person of note appearing to meet him with the usual respect ; no provision was made for the subsistence of his troops ; and though he was permitted to advance without opposition, the solitude and silence which reigned in every place, and the horror with which the people avoided all intercourse with him, discovered a deep-rooted antipathy that excited the most just alarm. But im- placable as the enmity of the Mexicans was, they were so unac- quainted with the science of war, that they knew not how to take the proper measures, either for their own safet}' or the destruction of the Spaniards. Uninstructed by their former error in admitting a formidable enemy into their capital, instead of breaking down the causeways and bridges, by which they might have inclosed Al- varado and his party, and have effectually stopped the career of Cortes, they again suffered him to march into the city without mo- lestation, and to take quiet possession of his ancient station. The transports of joy with which Alvarado and his soldiers re- ceived their companions can not be expressed. E'oth parties were so much elated, the one with their seasonable deliverance, and the other with the great exploits which they had achieved, that this intoxication of success seems to have reached Cortes himself; and he behaved on this occasion neither with his usual sagacity nor at- tention. He not only neglected to visit Montezuma, but imbittered the insult by expressions full of contempt for that unfortunate prince and his people. The forces of which he had now the com- mand, appeared to him so irresistible, that he might assume a higher tone, and lay aside the mask of moderation, under which he had hitherto concealed his designs. Some Mexicans, who under- stood the Spanish language, heard the contemptuous words which Cortes uttered, and, reporting them to their countrymen, kindled their rage anew. They were now convinced that the inten- tions of the general were equally blood}^ with those of Alvarado, and that his original purpose in visiting their country had not 530 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. been, as he pretended, to court the alliance of their sovereign, but to attempt the conquest of his dominions. They resumed their arms with the additional furj- which this discovery inspired, at- tacked a considerable body of Spaniards who were marching to- wards the great square in which the public market was held, and compelled them to re- tire with some loss. Emboldened b}' this success, and delighted to find that their op- pressors were not in- vincible, the}' ad- vanced next da}' with extraordinary m a r - tial pomp to assault the Spaniards in their quarters. Their number was formid- able, and their un- daunted courage still more so. Though the artiller}^ pointed against their nunier- ous battalions, crowded together in narrow streets, swept off multitudes at ev- ery discharge; though every blow of the Spanish weapons fell with mortal effect upon their naked bodies, the impetuosity of the assault did not abate. Fresh men rushed forward to occupy the places of the slain, and, meeting with the same fate, were sxicceeded by others no less in- trepid and eager for vengeance. The xitmost efforts of Cortes' abilities and experience, seconded by the disciplined valor of his troops, were hardly sufficient to defend the fortifications that sur- rounded the post where the Spaniards were stationed, into which the eneni}' were more than once on the point of forcing their way. Cortes beheld with wonder the implacable ferocity of a people who seemed at first to submit tamely to the yoke, and had contin- THE SPANIARDS BESIEGED IN THEIR OWN QUARTERS BY THE INFURIATED MEXICANS. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 531 lied so long passive under it. The soldiers of Narvaez, who fondly imagined that they followed Cortes to share in the spoils of a con- quered empire, were astonished to find that they were involved in a dangerous war with an enemy whose vigor was still unbroken, and loudly execrated their own weakness, in giving such easy credit to the delusive promises of their new leader. But surprise and complaints were of no avail. Some immediate and extraordi- nary effort was requisite to extricate themselves out of their pres- ent situation. As soon as the approach of evening induced the Mexicans to retire, in compliance with their national custom of ceasing from hostilities with the setting sun, Cortes began to pre- pare for a sally, next day, with such a considerable force, as might either drive the enemy out of the city, or compel them to listen to terms of accommodation. He conducted in person the troops destined for this important service. Every invention known in the European art of war, as well as every precaution suggested by his long acquaintance with the Indian mode of fighting, were emploj-ed to ensure success. But he found an enemy prepared and determined to oppose him. The force of the Mexicans was greatly augmented by fresh troops, which poured in continuall}' from the country, and their animosity was in no degree abated. They were led by their nobles, inflamed by the exhortations of their priests, and fought in defence of their temples and families, under the eye of their gods, and in presence of their wives and children. Notwithstanding their numbers, and enthusiastic contempt of danger and death, wherever the Spaniards could close with them, the superiority of their discipline and arms obliged the Mexicans to give way. But in narrow streets, and where many of the bridges of communication were broken down, the Spaniards could seldom come to a fair rencounter with the en- emy, and, as they advanced, were exposed to showers of arrows and stones from the tops of tlie houses. After a day of incessant exer- tion, though vast numbers of the Mexicans fell, and part of the city was burnt, the Spaniards, weary with the slaughter, and harassed by multitudes which successively relieved each other, were obliged at length to retire, with the mortification of having accomplished nothing so decisive as to compensate the unusual calamity of hav- ing twelve soldiers killed, and above sixty wounded. Another sally, made with greater force, was not more effectual, and in it the general himself was wounded in the hand. . (! , 532 THE CONQUKST OF MEXICO. Cortes now perceived, too late, the fatal error into whicli he had been betrayed by his own contempt of the Mexicans, and was satisfied that he conld neither maintain his present station in the center of a hostile city, nor retire from it with- out the most imminent dan- ger. One resource still re- mained, to try what effect the interposition of Monte- zuma might have to soothe or overawe his subjects. When the Mexicans ap- proached next morning to renew the assault, that un- fortunate prince, at the mercy of the Spaniards, and reduced to the sad necessity of becoming the instrument of his own disgrace, and of the slavery of his people, ad- vanced to the battlements in his royal robes, and with all the pomp in which he used to appear on solemn occa- sions. At sight of their sov- ereign, whom they had long been accustomed to honor, and almost to revere as a god, the weapons dropped from their hands, every tongue was silent, all bowed their heads, and many prostrated themselves on the ground. Montezuma addressed them with every argument that could mitigate their rage, or persuade them to cease from hostilities. When he ended his discourse, a sullen murmur of disapprobation ran through the ranks ; to this succeeded reproaches and threats; and the fury of the multitude rising in a moment above every restraint of decency or respect, flights of arrows and' MONTEZUMA MORTALLV WOUNDED ON THE BATTLEMENTS '" ' '- " ' OF THE SPANISH QUARTERS, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PACIFY HIS SUBJECTS. THR CONQUEST OF MKXICO. 533 volleys of stones poured in so violently upon the ramparts, that before the Spanish soldiers, appointed to cover Montezuma with their bucklers, had time to lift them in his defence, two arrows, wounded the unhappy monarch, and the blow of a stone on his- temple struck him to the ground. On seeing him fall, the Mexi- cans were so much astonished, that with a transition not uncom- mon in popular tumults, they passed in a moment from one extreme to the other, remorse succeeded to insult, and they fled with horror, as if the vengeance of heaven were pursuing the crime which they had committed. The Spaniards, without molestation^ carried Montezuma to his apartments, and Cortes hastened thither to console him under his misfortune. But the unhappy monarch now perceived how low he was sunk ; and, the haughty spirit, which seemed to have been so long extinct, returning, he scorned to survive this last humiliation, and to protract an ignominious life, not only as the prisoner and tool of his enemies, but as the object of contempt or detestation among his subjects. In a trans- port of rage he tore the bandages from his wounds, and refused, with such obstinacy, to take any nourishment, that he soon ended his wretched days, rejecting with disdain all the solicitations of the vSpaniards to embrace the Christian faith. Upon the death of Montezuma, Cortes, having lost all hope of bringing the Mexicans to an accommodation, saw no prospect of sa:'ety but in attempting a retreat, and began to prepare for it. But a sudden motion of the Mexicans engaged him in new conflicts. They took possession of a high tower in the great temple which overlooked the Spanish quarters, and placing there a garrison of their principal warriors, not a Spaniard could stir without being exposed to their missile weapons. From this post it was necessary to dislodgf" them at any risk ; and Juan de Escobar, with a numer- ous detachment of chosen soldiers, was ordered to make the attack. But Escobar, though a gallant ofiicer, and at the head of troops ac- customed to conquer, and who now fought under the eyes of their countrymen, was thrice repulsed. Cortes, sensible that not only the reputation but the safety of his army depended on the success of this assault, ordered a buckler to be tied to his arm, as he could not manage it with his wounded hand, and rushed with hi.' drawn sword into the thickest of the combatants. Encouraged by the presence of their general, the Spaniards returned to the charge with ill' I'i 534 THE CONQUEvST OK MEXICO. such vigor, that they gradually forced their way up the steps, and drove the Mexicans to the platform at the top of the tower. There a dreadful carnage began; when two young Mexicans of high rank, observing Cortes as he animated his soldiers by his voice and example, resolved to sacri- fice their own lives in order to cut off the author of all the calamities which deso- lated their country. They approached him in a sup- pliant posture, as if they had intended to lay down their arms, and seizing him in a moment, hurried him towards the battlements, over which they threw themselves headlong, in hopes of dragging him along to be dashed in pieces by the same fall. But Cortes, by his strength and agilit}', broke loose from their grasp, and the gallant youths per- ished in this generous though unsuccessful attempt to save their country. As soon as the Spaniards be- came masters of the tower, they set fire to it, and, with- out farther molestation, con- tinued the preparations for their retreat. This became the more necessary, as the Mexicans were so much astonished at the last effort of the Spanish valor, that they began to change their whole system of hostility, and, instead of incessant attacks, endeavored, by barricading the streets and breaking down CORTES IN IMM(MENT DANGER OF HIS OWN LIFE, SAVED BV HIS STRENCiTH AND AGILITy. THE CONQUKST OF MKXICO. 535 in the causewaj'S, to cut off tlie coinnuinication of the Spaniards with the continent, and thus to starve an enemy whom they could not subdue. The first point to be determined by Cortes and his foHow- ers, was, whether they should march out openly in the face of da}', when they could discern every danger, and see how to regulate their own motions, as well as how to resist the assaults of the enemy ; or, whether they should endeavor to retire secretly in the night ? The latter was preferred, paHly from hopes that their national supersti- tion would restrain the Mexicans from venturing to attack them in the night, and partly from their fond belief in the predictions of a private soldier, who, having acquired universal credit by a smatter- ing of learning, and his pretensions to astrology, boldly assured his countrymen of success, if they made their re- treat in this manner. They began to move, to- wards midnight, in three divisions. Sandoval led the van ; Pedro Alvarado and Velasquez de Leon had the conduct of the rear; and Cortes commanded in the center, where he placed the prisoners, among whom were a son and two daughters of Montezuma, together with several Mexicans of distinction, the artillery, the bag- gage, and a portable bridge of timber, intended to be laid over the breaches in the causewa3\ They marched in profound si- lence along the causeway which led to Tacuba, be- cause it was shorter than any of the rest, and, lying most remote from the road towards Tlascala and the sea-coast, had been left more entire by the Mexi- cans. They reached the first breach in it without molestation, hoping that their retreat was undis- covered. But the Mexicans, unper- 30 THE " NOCHE rHISTE." THE SORROWFUL NIQriT. 536 THR CONQUKST OF MKXICO. ceived, had not only watched all their motions with attention, but had made proper dispositions for a most formidable attack. While the Spaniards were intent upon placing their bridge in, the breach, and occupied in conducting their horses and artillery along it, they were suddenly alarmed with a tremendous sound of warlike instruments, and a general shout from an innumer- able multitude of enemies; the lake was covered with canoes; flights of arrows and showers of stones poured in upon them fro-m every quarter ; the Mexicans rushing forward to the charge with fearless impetuosity, as if they hoped in that moment to be avenged for all their wrongs. Unfortunately the wooden bridge, by the weight of the artillery, was wedged so fast into the stones and mud, that it was impossible to remove it. Dismayed at this accident, the Spaniards advanced with precipitation towards the second breach. The Mexicans hemmed them in on every side ; and though the}'^ defended themselves with their usual courage, yet, crowded together as they were on a narrow causeway, their discipline and military skill were of little avail, nor did the obscu- rity of the night permit them to derivie great advantage from their fire-arms, or the superiority of their other weapons. All Mexico was now in arms ; and so eager were the people on the destruction of their oppressors, that they who were not near enough to annoy them in person, impatient of the delay, pressed forward with such ardor as drove on their countrymen in the front with irresistible violence. Fresh warriors instantly filled the place of such as fell. The Spaniards, weary with slaughter, and unable to sustain the weight of the torrent that poured in upon them, began to give way. In a moment the confusion was universal ; horse and foot, officers and soldiers, friends and enemies, were mingled together ; and while all fought, and many fell, they could hardly distinguish from what hand the blow came. Cortes, with about a hundred foot-soldiers and a few horse, forced his way over the two remaining breaches in the causeway, the bod- ies of the dead serving to fill up the chasms, and reached the main- land. Having formed them as soon as they arrived, he returned with such as were yet capable of service to assist his friends in their re- treat, and to encourage them, by his presence and example, to per- severe in the efforts requisite to effect it. He met with part of his soldiers, who had broke through the enemy, but found many more eution, attack, dge in. rtillery sound [lunier- lanoes ; them charge t to be bridge, stones at this ds the J side ; Durage, ', their obscu- n their Mexico ruction annoy ;h such sistible as fell, lin the t'e way. officers d while tn what , forced he bod- 2 niain- ed with lieir re- to per- : of his y more mmmmm mmmm fr' m w / t .'^^ ^.n «. 2 ,c 5 o a. :; 'J o CO •«• a: X o o z •^ '>-^/ H'^.. I u - .^\^ ■V""'* < ■ < THE COMQUEST OF MEXICO. 541 overwhelmed by the multitude of their aggressors, or perishing in the lake ; and heard the pitious lamentations of others, whom the Mexicans, having taken alive, were carrying ofif in triumph to be sacrificed to the god of war. Before day, all who had escaped assem- bled at Tacuba. But when the morning dawned, and discovered to the view of Cortes, his shattered battalion, reduced to less than half its number, the survivors dejected, and most of them covered with wounds, the thoughts of what they had suffered, and the remem- brance of so many faithful friends and gallant followers who had fallen in that night of sorrow, pierced his soul with such anguish, that while he was forming their ranks, and issuing some necessary orders, the soldiers obs/^rved the tears trickling from his eyes, and remarked, with much satisfaction, that while attentive to the duties of a general, he was not insensible to the feelings of a man. In this fatal retreat many officers of distinction perished, and among these Velasquez de Leon, who having forsaken the party of his kinsman, the governor of Cuba, to follow the fortunes of his companions, was, on that account, as well as for his superior merit, respected by them as the second person in the army. All the artil- lery, ammunition, and baggage, were lost ; the greater parL of the horses, and above two thousand Tlascalans, were killed, and only a very small portion of the treasure which they had amassed was saved. This, which had always been their chief object, proved a great cause of their calamity; for many of the soldiers having so overloaded themselves with bars of gold as rendered them unfit for action, and retarded their flight, fell ignominiously, the victims of their own inconsiderate avarice. Amidst so many disasters, it was some consolation to find that Aguilar and Marina, whose function as interpreters was of such essential imp 'tance, had made their escape. CHAPTER LX. RETREAT AND BATTLE OF OTUMBA RECEPTION OF THE SPANIARDS IN TLASCALA. MUTINOUS SPIRIT OF THE TROOPS AND MEANS EMPLOYED BY CORTES TO REVIVE THEIR CON- FIDENCE STRENGTHENED BY SEVERAL REINFORCEMENTS, HE AGAIN MARCHES AGAINST THE CITY OF MEXICO. (lS20.) HE first care of Cortes was to find some shelter for his wearied troops; for, as the Mexicans infested them on every side, and the people of Tacuba began to take arms, he could not continue in his present station. He directed his march towards the rising ground, and, having fortu- nately discovered a temple situated on an eminence, took possession of it. There he found not only the shelter for which he wished, but, what was no less wanted, some provisions to refresh his men ; and though the enemy did not intermit their attacks throughout the day, they were with less difficulty prevented from making any impression. During this time Cortes was en- gaged in deep consultation with his officers, concerning the route which they ought to take in their retreat. They were now on the west side of the lake. Tlas- cala, the only place where they could hope for a friendly recep- tion, lay about sixty-four miles to the east of Mexico; so that they were obliged to go round the north end of the lake before they could fall into the road (S4») THI "NOCMf TRUTS" THtE AT POPOTl*N. PIACE WHERE CORTta FOUND (HEITER AFTER HIS DISAITROUS RETHEA1. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 543 which led thither. A Tlascalan soldier undertook to be their guide, and conducted them through a country in some places marshy, in others mountainous, in all ill cultivated and thinly peopled. They marched for six da3'S with little respite, and under continual alarms, numerous bodies of the Mexicans hovering around them, sometimes harassing them at a distance with their missile weapons, and sometimes attacking them closely in front, in rear, in flank, with great boldness, as they now knew that they were not invincible. Nor were the fatigue and danger of those in- cessant conflicts the worst evils to which they were exposed. As the barren countrj'^ through which they passed afforded hardly any provisions, they were reduced to feed on berries, roots, and the stalks of green maize ; and at the very time that famine was de- pressing their spirits and wasting their strength, their situation required the most vigorous and unremitting exertions of courage and activity. Amidst those complicated distresses, one circum- stance supported and animated the Spaniards. Their commander sustained this sad reverse of fortune with unshaken magnanimit}'. His presence of mind never forsook him; his sagacity foresaw every event, and his vigilance provided for it. He was foremost in every danger, and endured every hardship with cheerfulness. The difficulties with which he was surrounded seemed to call forth new talents; and his soldiers, though despairing themselves, con- tinued to follow him with increasing confidence in his abilities. On the sixth day they arrived near to Otumba, not far from the road between Mexico and Tlascala. Early next morning they began to advance towards it, flying parties of the enemy still hang- ing on the rear ; and, amidst the insults with which they accompanied their hostilities, Marina remarked that they often exclaimed with exultation, " Go on, robbers ; go to the place wdiere you shall quickly meet the vengeance due to your crimes." The meaning of this threat the Spaniards did not comprehend, until they reached the summit o^ an eminence before them. There a spacious valley opened to their view, covered with a vast army extending as far as the eye could reach. The Mexicans, while with one body of their troops the}' harassed the Spaniards in their retreat, had assembled their principal force on the other side of the lake ; and marching along the road which led directly to Tlascala, posted it in the plain of Otumba, through which they kuew Cortes must pass. At the 544 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. sight of this incredible multitude, which they could survey at once from the rising ground, the Spanish were astonished, and even the boldest began to despair. But Cortes, without allowing leis- ure for their fears to acquire strength by reflection, after warning them briefly that no alternative now remained but to conquer or to die, led them instantly to the charge. The Mexicans waited their approach with unusual fortitude. Such, however, was the superi- ority of the Spanish discipline and arms, that the impression of this small body was irresistible ; and whichever way its force was directed, it penetrated and dispersed the most numerous battalions. But while these gave way in one quarter, new combatants advanced from another, and the Spaniards, though successful in every attack, were ready to sink under those repeated efforts, without seeing any end of their toil, or any hope of victory. At that time, Cortes ob- served the great standard of the empire, which was carried before the Mexican general, advancing; and fortunately recollecting to have heard, that on the fate of it depended the event of every battle, he assembled a few of his bravest oflicers, whose horses were still capable of service, and, placing himself at their head, pushed for- ward towards the standard with an impetuosity which bore down every thing before it. A chosen body of nobles, who guarded the standard, made some resistance, but were soon broken. Cortes, with a stroke of his sword, wounded the Mexican General, and threw him to the ground. One of the Spanish officers, alighting, put an end to his life, and laid hold of the imperial stand- ard. The moment that their leader fell, and the standard, towards which all directed their eyes, disappeared, a universal panic struck the Mexicans ; and, as if the bond which held them together had been dissolved, every en- sign was lowered, each soldier threw away his weapons, and all fled with precipitation to the mountains. The Spaniards, unable to pursue them far, returned to collect the spoils of the field, which were so valuable as to be some compensation for the wealth which they had lost in Mexico ; for in the enemy's army were most of their principal warriors dressed out in their richest ornaments, as if they had STRATEGY Of CJHTES «T THE BATTLE OF OTUMBA. ^^^- THE CONQUEvST OF MEXICO. 545 any been marching to assured victory. Next day [July 8], to their great joy, they entered the Tlascalan territories. But, amidst their satisfaction in having got beyond the pre- cincts of a hostile country, they could not look forward without solicitude, as they were still uncertain what reception they might meet with from allies, to whom they returned in a condition very different from that in which they had lately set out from their do- minions. Happily for them, the enmity of the' Tlascalans to the Mexican name was so inveterate, their desire to avenge the death of their countrymen so vehement, and the ascendant which Cortes had acquired over the chiefs of the republic so complete, that, far from ( utertaining a thought of taking any advantage of the dis- tressed situation in which they beheld the Spaniards, they received them with a tender- ness and cordiality which quickly dis- sipated all their suspicions. Some interval of tranquillity and indulgence was now absolute- ly necessary ; not only that the Spaniards might give attention to the cure of their wounds, which had been too long neglected, but in order to recruit their strength, exhausted by such a long succession of fatigue and hardships. During this, Cortes learned that he and his companions were not the onl}- Spaniards who had felt the effects of the Mexican enmity. A considerable detachment which was marching from Cempoala towards the capital, had been cut off by the people of Tepeaca. A smaller party, returning from Tlascala to Vera Cruz, with the share of the Mexican gold allotted to the garrison, had been surprised and destroyed in the mountains. At a juncture when the life of every vSpaniard was of importance, such losses were deeply felt. The schemes which Cortes was med- itating rendered them peculiarly afflictive to him. While his ene- mies, and even many of his own followers, considered the disasters r 1 ^■- '£ ,- / ■ , {"r^^: .".4'v^ ■^■.^■•/i ^^'^\ 5 / \ ['"% ^j4^";,:'\^ \ \^ ■■■■' w^ '•* %?i^im #.•>- M-:, pif^ '^ (r\y\'-h ■ >'^-; ■ \t^'f-^^: t' ~ /^'.^^ — ■>>,"- - , , '. ■■__ _,.-■ -'^, ^j^":,: ^' :--%-- ' " '^' ■ ",., , - - ?^SI W^' ^^^^m "'^''^K ^^i" " '■'. MEXICAN SOLDIERH WAYLAY THE TREASURE-LADEN SPANIARDS IN THE MOUNTAINS, AND UTTERLY ANNIHILATE THEM. 'ti.' 546 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. which had befallen him as fatal to the progress of his arms, and imagined that nothing now remained but speedily to abandon a country which he had invaded with unequal force, his mind, as em- inent for perseverance as for enterprise, was still bent on accom- plishing his original purpose, of subjecting the Mexican empire to the crown % of Castile. Severe and unexpected as the check was which he had received, it did not appear to him as a sufficient rea- son for relinquislfing the conquests which he had already made, or against resuming his operations with better hopes of success. The colony at Vera Cruz was not only safe, but had remained unmo- lested. The people of Cempoala and the adjacent districts had discovered no symptoms of defection. The Tlascalans continued faithful to their alliance. On their martial spirit, easily roused to arms, and inflamed with implacable hatred of the Mexicans, Cortes depended for powerful aid. He had still the command of a body of Spaniards, equal in number to that with which he had opened his way into the centre of the empire, and had taken possession of the capital ; so that with the benefit of greater experience, as well as more perfect knowledge of the country, he did not despair of quickly recovering all that he had been deprived of by untoward events. Full of this idea, he courted the Tlascalan chiefs with such at- tention, and distributed among them so liberally the rich spoils of Otumba, that he was secure of obtaining whatever he should require of the republic. He drew a small supply of ammunition and two or three field-pieces from his stores at Vera Cruz. He despatched an officer of confidence with four ships of Narvaez's fleet to Hispaniola and Jamaica, to engage adventurers, and to pur- chase horses, gunpowder, and other military stores. As he knew that it would be vain to attempt the reduction of Mexico, unless he could secure the command of the lake, he gave orders to prepare in the mountains of Tlascala, materials for building twelve brigan tines, so as they might be carried thither in pieces ready to be put together, and launched when he stood in need of their service. But while, with provident attention, he was taking those necessary steps towards the execu- tion of his measures, an obstacle arose in a quarter TLASCALANS CUTTING DOWN TlMBFn FOR THE CON- STRUCTION OF Int. OHIGANTlNES. THE CONQUEST OF MKXICO. 547 to pur- As he ^lexico, ike, he lascala, IS they be put leed of le was execu- luarter where it was least expected, but most formidable. The spirit of discontent and mutiny broke out in his own army. Many of Narvaez's followers were planters rather than soldiers, and had accompanied him to New Spain with sanguine hopes of obtaining settlements, but with little inclination to engage in the hardships and dangers of war. As the same motives had induced them to enter into their new engagements with Cortes, they no sooner be- came acquainted with the nature of the service, than they bitterly repented of their choice. Such of them as had the good fortune to survive the perilous adventures in which their own imprudence had involved them, happy in having made their escape, trembled at the thoughts of being exposed a second time 'to similar calamities. As soon as they discovered the intention of Cortes, they began se- cretly to murmur and cabal, and, waxing gradually more audacious, they, in a body, offered a remonstrance to their general against the imprudence of attacking a powerful empire with his shattered forces, and formally required him to lead them back directly to Cuba. Though Cortes, long practiced in the arts of command, employed arguments, entreaties, and presents to convince or soothe them; though his own soldiers, animated with the spirit of their leader, warmly seconded his endeavors ; he found their fears too violent and deep-rooted to be removed, and the utmost he could effect was to prevail with them to defer their departure for some time, on a promise that he would, at a more proper juncture, dis- miss such as should desire it. That the malecontents might have no leisure to brood over the causes of their disaffection, he resolved instantly to call forth his troops into action. He proposed to chastise the people of Tepeaca for the outrage which they had committed ; and as the detachment which they had cut off happened to be composed mostly of soldiers who had served under Narvaez, their companions, from the desire of vengeance, engaged the more willingly in this war. He took the command in person [August] accompanied by a numerous body of Tlascalans, and in the space of a few weeks, after various en- counters, with great slaughter of the Tepeacans, reduced that prov- ince to subjection. During several months, while he waited for the supplies of men and ammunition which he expected, and was car- rying on his preparations fo coustructing the brigantines, he kept his troops constantly emnlojed in various expeditions against the 548 THE CONQUKST OF MEXICO. adjacent provinces, all of which were conducted with a uniform tenor of success. By these, his men became again accustomed to victory, and resumed their wonted sense of superiority ; the Mexican power was weakened ; the Tlascalan warriors acquired the habit of acting in conjunction with the Spaniards ; and the chiefs of the republic delighted to see their country enriched with the spoils of all the people around them ; and, astonished every day with fresh discoveries of the irresistible prowess of their allies, declined no effort requisite to sup- port them. All those preparatory arrangements, how- ever, though the most prudent and efficacious which the situation of Cortes allowed him to make, would have been of little avail without a reinforcement of Spanish soldiers. Of this he was so deeply sensible, that it was the chief object of his thoughts and wishes ; and yet his only prospect of obtaining it from the return of the officer whom he had sent to the isles to solicit aid, was both distant and uncertain. But what neither his own sagacity nor power could have procured, he owed to a series of fortunate and unforeseen incidents. The gov- ernor of Cuba, to whom the success of Narvaez appeared an event of infallible certainty, having sent two small ships after him with new instructions, and a supply of men and military stores, the officer whom Cortes had appointed to command on the coast, artfully decoyed them into the harbor of Vera Cruz, seized the vessels, and easily persuaded the soldiers to follow the standard of a more able leader than him whom they were destined to join. Soon after, three ships of more considerable force came into the harbor separately. These belonged to an armament fitted out by Francisco de Garay, governor of Jamaica, who, being possessed with the rage of discovery and conquest which animated every Spaniard settled in America, had long aimed at intruding into some district of New Spain, and dividing THi (PANIARDS, ASSISTED BY THEIR TLASCALAN ALLIES, REDUCE THE TEPEACAN8 TO SUBJECTION. • THE QARRISON u> VERA CRU2 SIGHT TKE VESSE,.S SENT BV THE QOVERNOR OF CUBA IN AID OF NARVAEZ, AND DECOY THEM INTO THE HARBOR. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 549 with Cortes the glory and gain of annexing that empire to the crown of Castile. They unadvisedly made their attempt on the northern provinces, where the country was poor, and the people fierce and warlike ; and after a cruel succession of disasters, famine compelled them to venture into Vera Cruz, and cast themselves upon the mercy of their countrymen [Oct. 28]. Their fidelity was not proof against the splendid hopes and promises which had se- duced other adventurers ; and, as if the spirit of revolt had been contagious in New Spain, they likewise abandoned the master whom they were bound to serve, and enlisted under Cortes. Nor was it America alone that furnished such unexpected aid ; a ship arrived from Spain, freighted by some private merchants with military stores, in hopes of a profitable market in a country, the fame of whose opulence began to spread over Eiirope. Cc-tes eagerly pur- chased a cargo which to him was invaluable, and the crew, follow- ing the general example, joined him at Tlascala. • From those various quarters, the army of Cortes was augmented with a hundred and eighty men, and twenty horses, a reinforcement too inconsiderable to produce any consequence which would have entitled it to have been mentioned in the history of other parts of the globe. But in that of America, where great revolutions were brought about by causes which seemed to bear no proportion to their effects, such small events rise into importance, because they were sufficient to decide with respect to the fate of kingdoms. Nor is it the least remarkable instance of the singular felicity conspicu- ous in many passages of Cortes' story, that the two persons chiefly instrumental in furnishing him with those seasonable supplies, should be an avowed enemy who aimed at his destruction, and an envious rival who wished to supplant him. The first effect of the junction with his new followers was to enable him to dismiss such of Narvaez's soldiers as remained with reluctance in his service. After their departure, he still mustered five hundred and fifty infantry, of which fourscore were armed with muskets or crossbows, forty horsemen, and a train of nine field- pieces. At the head of these, accompanied by ten thousand Tlas- calans and other friendly Indians, Cortes began his march towards Mexico, on the 28th of December, six months after his disastrous retreat from that city. m CHAPTER IvXI. h^\ PREPARATIONS OF THC MEXICANS FOR THEIR DEFENSE. CORTES' SLOW AND CAUTIOUS OPERATIONS IN INVESTING THE CITV. LAUNCH OF THE BRIQANTINE*. QUATEMOTZIN'8 HEROIC DEFENSE OF THE PALLADIUM OF THE EMPIRE. •^ OR did he advance to ^y) attack an enemy un- prepared to receive him. Upon the death of Monte- zuma, the Mexican chiefs, in whom the right of electing the emperor was vested, had in- stantly raised his brother Quetlavaca to the throne. His avowed and inveterate enmity to the Spaniards would have been sufficient to gain their suffrages, although he had been less distinguished for ^^^ courage and capacity. He had an immediate opportunity of show- ing that he was worthy of their choice, by conducting in person those fierce attacks which compelled the Spaniards to abandon his capital ; *Thc Spartan Leonidas defended the pass of Therniopyl.'E with 300 of his countrymen against the legions of Persia under Xerxes, only one making his escape. He, upon reachin;4 Sparta, was disowned by his mother for this piece of cowardice. OUATEMOTZIN, THE LEONIDAS OF MEXICO.* (SSO) I THH CONQUKST OF MKXICO. 55X CAUTIOUS as soon as their -etreat afforded him any respite from action, he took measures for preventing their return to Mexico, with prudence equal to the spirit which he had displayed in driving them out of it. As from the vicinity of Tlascala, he could not be unacquainted with the motions and intentions of Cortes, he observed the storm that was gathering, and began early to provide against it. He re- paired what the Spaniards had ruined in the city, and strength- ened it with such new fortifications as the skill of his subjects was capable of erecting. Besides filling his magazines with the usual weapons of war, he gave directions to make long spears headed with the swords and daggers taken from the Spaniards, in order to annoy the cavalry. He summoned the people in every province of the empire to take arms against their oppressors, and, as an encour- agement to exert themselves with vigor, he promised them exemption from all the taxes which his predecessors had imposed. But what he labored with the greatest earnestness, was, to deprive the Span- iards of the advantages which they derived from the friendship of the Tlascalans, by endeavoring to persuade that people to renounce all connection with men who were not only avowed enemies of the gods whom they worshiped, but who wouM not fail to subject them at last to the same yoke, which they were now inconsiderately lend- ing their aid to impose upon others. These representations, no less striking than well-founded, were urged so forcibly by his am- bassadors, that it required all the address of Cortes to prevent their making a dangerous impression. But while Quetlavaca was arranging his plan of defense, with a degree of foresight uncommon in an American, his days were cut short by the small-pox. This distemper, which raged at that time in New Spain with fatal malignity, was unknown in that quarter of the globe, until it was introduced by the Europeans, and may be reckoned among the greatest calamities brought upon them by their invaders. In his stead the Mexicans raised to the throne Guatemotzin, nephew and son-in-law of Montezuma, a young man of such high reputation for abilities and valor, that, in this danger- ous crisis, his countymen, with one voice, called him to the supreme command. As soon as Cortes entered the enemy's territories, he discov- ered various preparations to obstruct his progress. But his troops forced their way with little difficulty, and took possession of Tez- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. y. (p. ^ i/.x A 1.0 Jfi 1.25 28 1^ 1^ IIM 2.2 lis IIM 1= U III 1.6 V] 7] ^;; C^x- /iS^ r « iV iV ;\ \ % '^ 552 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. !(;:■ cuco, the second city of the empire, situated on the banks of the lake about twenty miles from Mexico. Here he determined to establish his headquarters, as the most proper station for launching his brigantines, as well as for making his approaches to the cap- ital. In order to render his residence there more secure, he de- posed the cacique, or chief, who was at the head of that community, under pretext of some defect in his title, and substituted in his place a person whom a faction of the nobles pointed out as the right heir of that dignity. Attached to him by this benefit, the new cacique and his ad- herents served the Spaniards with inviol- able fidelity. As the preparations for constructing the brigantines advanced slowly under the un- skillful hands of sol- diers and Indians, whom Cortes was obliged to employ in assisting three or four carpenters who hap- ^ pened fortunately to be ^ in his service; and is he had not yet re- ceived the reinforce- ments which he ex- pected from Hispaniola, he was not in a con- dition to turn his arms directly against the capital. To have attacked, at this period, a city so populous, so well prepared for defense, and in a situation of such peculiar strength, must have exposed his troops to inevitable destruction. Three months elapsed before the materials for the brigantines were finished, and before he heard any thing with respect to the success of the officer whom he had sent to Hispaniola. This, however, was not a season of inaction to Cortes. He attacked successively several of the towns situated around the lake ; and though all the CORTES AND HIS ALLIES TAKE THE CITV OF TEZCUCO BY STORM. ui THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 553 Mexican power was exerted to obstruct his operations, he either compelled them to submit to the Spanish crown, or reduced them to ruins. The inhabitants of other towns he endeavored to con- ciliate by more gentle means ; and though he could not hold any intercourse with them but by the intervention of interpreters, yet, under all the disadvantages of that tedious and imperfect mode of communication, he had acquired such thorough knowledge of the state of the country, as well as of the dispositions of the people, that he conducted his negotiations and intrigues with astonishing dexterity and success. Most of the cities adjacent to Mexico were originally the capitals of small independent states ; and some of them having been but lately annexed to the Mexican empire, still retained the remembrance of their ancient liberty, and bore with impatience the rigorous yoke of their new masters. Cortes, having early observed symptoms of their disaffection, availed himself of this knowledge to gain their confidence and friendship. By offer- ing with confidence to deliver them from the odious dominion of the Mexicans, and by liberal promises of more indulgent treatment, if they wo ild unite with him against their oppressors, he prevailed on the people of several considerable districts, not only to acknowl- edge the King of Castile as their sovereign, but to supply the Spanish camp with provisions, and to strengthen his army with auxiliary troops. Guatemotzin, on the first appearance of defection among his subjects, exerted himself with vigor to prevent or to punish their revolt; but, in spite of his efforts, the spirit continued to spread. The Spaniards gradually acquired new allies, and with deep concern he beheld Cortes arming against his empire those very bands which ought to have been active in its defense, and ready to advance against the capital at the head of a numerous body of his own subjects. While, by those various methods, Cortes was gradually circum- scribing the Mexican power in such a manner that his prospect of overturning it seemed neither to be uncertain nor remote, all his schemes were well-nigh defeated by a conspiracy no less unexpected than dangerous. The soldiers of Narvaez had never united per- fectly with the original companions of Cortes, nor did they enter into his measures with the same cordial zeal. Upon every occasion that required any extraordinary effort of courage or of patience, their spirits were apt to sink ; and now, on a near view of what 554 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 1 m '■ they had to encounter, in attempting to reduce a city so inaccessi- ble aj Mexico, and defended by a numerous army, the resolution even of those among them who had adhered to Cortes when he was deserted by their associates, began to fail. Their fears led them to presumptuous and unsoldier-like discussions concerning the propri- ety of their general's measures, and the improbability of their suc- cess. From these they proceeded to censure and invectives, and at last began to deliberate how they might provide for their own safety, of which they deemed their commander to be totally negli- gent. Antonio Villefafia, a private soldier, but bold, intriguing, and strongly attached to Velasquez, artfully fomented this growing spirit of disaffection. His quarters became the rendezvous of the malcontents, where, after many consultations, they could discover no method of checking Cortes in his career, but by assassinating him and his most considerable officers, and conferring the command upon some person who would relinquish his wild plans, and adopt measures more consistent with the general security. Despair in- spired them with courage. The hour for perpetrating the crime, the persons whom they destined as victims, the officers to succeed them in command, were all named ; and the conspirators signed an association, by which they bound themselves with most solemn oaths to mutual fidelity. But on the evening before the appointed day, one of Cortes' ancient followers, who had been seduced into the con- spiracy, touched with compunction at the imminent danger of a man whom he had long been accustomed to revere, or struck with horror at his own treachery, went privately to his general, and revealed to him all that he knew. Cortes, though deeply alarmed, discerned at once what conduct was proper in a situation so critical. He repaired instantly to Villefafia's quarters, accompanied by some of his most trusty officers. The astonishment and confusion of the man at this unexpected visit anticipated the confession of his guilt. Cortes, while his attendants seized the traitor, snatched from his bosom a paper containing the association signed by the conspirators. Im- patient to know how far the defection extended, he retired to read it, and found there names which filled him with surprise and sor- row. But, aware how dangerous a strict scrutiny might prove at such a juncture, he confined his judicial inquiries to Villefafia alone. As the proofs of his guilt were manifest, he was condemned after a short trial, and next morning he was seen hanging before TruFT^ THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 555 :cessi- lution le was lem to )ropri- ir suc- ;s, and ir own negli- iguing, rowing of the iscover inating mmand d adopt pair in- ! crime, succeed gned an m oaths ted day, the con- (f a man horror ealed to ;rned at epaired EXECUTION OF VILLEFANA IN THE PRESENCE OF SOMI OF HI* FELLOW-CONBPIHATOHS. the door of the house in which he had lodged. Cortes called his troops together, and having explained to them the atrocious pur- pose of the conspirators, as well as the justice of the punishment inflicted on Vil- lefana, he added, with an appearance of satisfaction, that he was entirely ignorant with respect to all the cir umstances of this dark transaction, as the traitor, when arrested, had suddenly torn and swallowed a paper, which probably contained an ac- count of it, and under the severest tortures possessed such constancy as to conceal the names of his accomplices. This artful declaration restored tranquillity to many a breast that was throbbing, while he spoke, with consciousness of guilt and dread of detection ; and by this prudent moderation, Cortes had the advantage of having dis- covered, and of being able to observe such of his followers as were disaffected ; while they, flattering themselves that their past crime was unknown, endeavored to avert any suspicion of it, by redoubling their activity and zeal in his service. Cortes did not allow them leisure to ruminate on what had happened; and as the most effectual means of preventing the re- turn of a mutinous spirit, he determined to call forth his troops immediately to action. Fortunately, a proper occasion for this oc- curred without his seeming to court it. He received intelligence that the materials for building the brigantines were at length completely finished, and waited only for a body of Spaniards to conduct them to Tezcuco. The command of this convo}-, consist- ing of two hundred foot soldiers, fifteen horsemen, and two field- pieces, he gave to Sandoval, who, by the \igilance, activity, and courage which he manifested on every occasion, was growing daily in his confidence, and in the estimation of his fellow-soldiers. The service was no less singular than important ; the beams, the planks, the masts, the cordage, the sails, the iron-work, and all the infinite variety of articles requisite for the construction of thirteen brigan- tines, were to be carried sixty miles over land, through a mountain- ous country, by people who were unacquainted with the ministry of domestic animals, or the aid of machines to facilitate any work 1 556 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. * MODERN MEXICAN I OR TAMENE. of labor. The Tlascalans furnished eight thousand Tamenes, an inferior order of men destined for servile tasks, to carry the mate- rials on their shoulders, and appointed fifteen thousand warriors to accompany and defend them. Sandoval made the disposition for their progress with great propriety, placing the Tamenes in the centre, one body of warriors in the front, another in the rear, with considerable parties to cover the flanks. To each of these he joined some Spaniards, not only to assist them in danger, but to accustom them to regularity and subordination. A body so numer- ous, and so much encumbered, advanced leisurely but in excellent order ; and in some places, where it was confined by the woods or mountains, the line of march extended above six miles. Par- ties of Mexicans frequently appeared hovering around them on the high grounds ; but perceiving no prospect of success in attacking an enem}?^ continually on his guard, and prepared to receive them, they did not venture to molest him ; and San- doval had the glory of conducting safely to Tezcuco, a convoy on which all the future operations of his countrymen de- pended. This was followed by another event of no less moment. Four ships arrived at Vera Cruz from Hispaniola, with two hundred soldiers, eighty horses, two battering cannon, and a considerable supply of ammunition and arms. Elevated with observing that all his preparatory schemes, either for recruit- ing his own army, or impairing the force of the enemy, had T". now produced their full effect, Cortes, impatient to begin the s'ege in form, hastened the launching of the brigan- tines. To facilitate this, he had employed a vast number of Indians for two months, in deepening the small rivulet which runs by Tezcuco into the lake, and in forming it into a canal near two miles in length ; and though the Mexicans, aware of his intentions, as well as of the danger which threatened them, en- deavored frequently to interrupt the laborers, or to burn the brigan- tines, the work was at last completed. On the 28th of April, all the Spanish troops, together with the auxiliary Indians, were drawn up on the banks of the canal ; and with extraordinary military pomp, rendered more solemn by the celebration of the most sacred rites of religion, the brigantines were launched. As they fell down the canal in order. Father Olmedo blessed them, and gave each its name. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 557 :, an late- riors ition 1 the with se he lUt to iimer- ellent )ds or Par- them :ess in ired to d San- :onvoy en de- Every eye followed them with wonder and hope, until they entered the lake, when they hoisted their sails, and bore away before the wind. A general shout of joy was raised ; all admiring that bold inventive genius, which, by means so extraordinary that their suc- cess almost exceeded belief, had acquired the command of a fleet, without the aid of which Mexico would have continued to set the Spanish power and arms at defiance. Cortes determined to attack the city from three different quart- ers ; from Tepeaca on the north side of the lake, from Tacuba on the west, and from Cuyocan towards the south. Those towns were situated on the principal causeways which led to the capital, and intended for their defense. He appointed Sandoval to command in the first, Pedro de Alvarado in the second, and Christoval de Olid in the third; allotting to each a numerous body of Indian auxiliaries, together with an equal division of Spaniards, who, by the junction of the troops from Hispaniola, amounted now to eighty-six horsemen, and eight hundred and eighteen foot soldiers ; of whom one hundred and eighteen were armed with muskets or crossbows. The train of artillery consisted of three battering can- non, and fifteen field-pieces. He reserved for himself^ as the station of greatest importance and danger, the conduct of the brigantines, each armed with one of his small cannon, and manned with twenty- five Spaniards. As Alvarado and Olid proceeded towards the posts assigned them [May lo], they broke down the aqueducts which the ingenuity of the Mexicans had erected for conveying water into the capital, and, by the distress to which this reduced the inhabitants, gave a beg-.ining to the calamities which they were destined to suffer. Alvarado and Olid found the towns of which they were ordered to take possession deserted by their inhabitants, who had fled for safety to the capital, where Guatemotzin had collected the chief force of his empire, as there alone he could hope to make a success- ful stand against the formidable enemies who were approaching to assault him. The first effort of the Mexicans was to destroy the fleet of brigantines, the fatal effects of whose operations they foresaw and dreaded. Though the brigantines, after all the labor and merit of Cortes in forming them, were of inconsiderable bulk, rudely con- structed, and manned chiefly with landsmen hardly possessed of 558 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. l> I m .i> m- I ^r I., skill enough to conduct them, they must have been o^i'^ots of terror to a people unacquainted with any navigation but thai, ot ^heir lake, and possessed of no vessel larger than a canoe. Necessity, however, urged Guatemotzin to hazard the attack ; and hoping to supply by numbers what he wanted in force, he assembled such a multitude of canoes as covered the face of the lake. They rowed on boldly to the charge, while the brigantines, retarded by a dead calm, could scarcely advance to meet them. But as the enemy drew near, a breeze suddenly sprung up ; in a moment the sails were spread, the brigantines, with the utmost ease, broke through their feeble oppo- nents, overset many canoes, and dissipated the whole armament with such slaughter, as convinced the Mexicans, that the progress of the Europeans in knowledge and arts rendered their superiority greater on this new element than they had hitherto found it by land. From that time Cortes remained master of the lake, and the brigantines not on'.y preserved a communication between the Span- iards in their different stations, though at considerable distance from each other, but were employed to cover the causeways on each side, and keep off the canoes, when they attempted to annoy the troops as they advanced towards the city. Cortes formed the brig- antines in three divisions, appointing one to cover each of the stations from which an attack was to be carried on against the city; with orders to second the operations of the oflficer who commanded there. From all the three stations he pushed on the attack against the city with equal vigor ; but in a manner so very different from the conduct of sieges in regular war, that he himself seemed afraid it would appear no less improper than singular to persons unac- quainted with his situation. Each morning his troops assaulted the barricades which the enemy had erected on the causeways, forced their way over the trenches which they had d ag, and through the canals where the bridges were broken down, an i endeavored to penetrate into the heart of the city, in hopes of obtaining some de- cisive advantage which might force the enemy to surrender, and term- inate the war at once ; but when the obstinate valor of the Mexicans rendered the effort of the day ineffectual, the {Spaniards retired in the evening to their former quarters. Thus their toil and danger were, in some measure, continually renewed ; the Mexicans repairing in the night what the Spaniards had destroyed through the day, t' THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 559 and recovering the posts from which they had driven them. But necessity prescribed this slow and untoward mode of operation. The number of his troops were so small, that Cortes durst not, with a handful of men, attempt to make a lodgment in a city where he might be surrounded and annoyed by such a multitude of enemies. The remembrance of what he had already suffered by the ill-judged confidence with "which he had ventured into such a dangerous situ- ation, was still fresh in his mind. The Spaniards, exhausted with fatigue, were unable to guard the vari- ous posts which they daily gained ; and though their camp was filled with In- dian auxiliaries, they durst not devolve this charge upon them, because they were so little accustomed to discipline, that no confidence could be placed in their vigilance. Besides this, Cortes was extremely solicitous to preserve the city as much as possible from being destroyed, both because he destined it to be the capital of his conquests, and wished that it might remain as a monu- ment of his glory. From all these con- siderations, he adhered obstinately, for a month after the siege was opened, to the system which he had adopted. The Mexicans, in their own defense, displayed valor which was hardly in- ferior to that with which the Spaniards attacked them. On land, on water, by night and by day, one furious conflict succeeded to another. Several Spaniards were killed, more wounded, and all were ready to sink under the toils of unremitting service, which were rendered more intolerable by the injuries of the season, the periodical rains being now set in M their usual violence. Astonished and disconcerted with the length and difficulties of the siege, Cortes determined to make one great effort to get pos- session of the city, before he relinquished the plan which he had hitherto followed, and had recourse to any other mode of attack. With this view, he sent instructions to Alvarado and Sandoval to THC SASRARIO, ADJOININQ THE CATHEDnjtl. OF MEXICO. BUILT ON THE RUINS Of THE OREAT TEMPLE, 56o THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. i pi jii liw |ll TH( HOUtI OF CORTIS IN MEXICO. (FROM A PHOTOQRAPH.) TMI HOUH WA( lUILT BV INDIAN LABOR, UNDER THE (UPERINTENDENCE OF A EPANIANO. advance with their divi sions to a general as sault, and took the com mand in person [Jul] 3] of that posted on th( causeway of Cuyocan Animated by his pres ence, and the expecta tion of some decisive event, the Spaniard; pushed forward with ir resistible impetuosity They broke througl one barricade after an other, forced their wa] over the ditches an< 'canals, and, having en tered the city, gaine< ground incessantly, ii spite of the multitude and ferocity of their opponents. Cortes though delighted with the rapidity of his progress, did not forge that he might still find it necessary to retreat ; and, in order t< secure it, appointed Julian de Alderete, a captain of chief note ii the troops which he had received from Hispaniola, to fill up th( canals and gaps in the causeway as th( main body advanced. That officer deeming it inglorious to be thus em ployed, while his companions were ii the heat of action and the career o victory, neglected the important charg( committed to him, and hurried on, in considerately, to mingle with the com batants. The Mexicans, whose mili tary attention and skill were daily im proving, no sooner observed this thai they carried an account of it to thei; monarch. Guatemotzin instantly discerne( the consequence of the error whicl THE SPANIARDS FORCINQ THEIH WAY OVER DITCHEI AND CANAU INTO THI BELEAOUERED CITY. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 561 tlie Spaniards had committed, and, with admirable presence of mind, prepared to take advantage of it. He commanded the troops posted in the front to slacken their efforts, in order to allure the Spaniards to push forward, while he despatched a large body of chosen warriors through different streets, some by land, and others by water, towards the great breach in the causeway which had been left open. On a signal which he gave, the priests in the principal temple struck the great drum consecrated to the god of war. No sooner did the Mexicans hear its doleful solemn sound, calculated to inspire them with contempt of death and enthusias- tic ardor, than they rushed upon the enemy with frantic rage. The Spaniards, unable to resist men urged on no less by religious fury than hope of success, began to retreat, at first leisurely, and with a good countenance ; but as the enemy pressed on, and their own impatience to escape increased, the terror and confusion became so general, that when they arrived at the gap in the causeway, Span- iards and Tlascalans, horsemen and infantry, plunged in promis- cuously, while the Mexicans rushed upon them fiercely from every side, their light canoes carrying them through shoals which the brigantines could not approach. In vain did Cortes attempt to stop and rally his flying troops ; fear rendered them regardless of his entreaties or commands. Finding all his endeavors to renew the combat fruitless, his next care was to save some of those who had thrown them- selves into the water; but while thus employed, with more attention to their situation than to his own, six Mex- ican captains sud- denly laid hold of him, and were hur- rying him oflF in triumph; and though two of his ofi&cers rescued him a t t h e expense of their own lives, he THI OOD or WAR, HUITZILOPOCHTLI, ON VITZ- IIPUT21I. THE PRIISTt ON THE TOP OF THE GREAT TEOCALLI (OUNDINQ THE DRUM MADE OF SNAKE (KIN, AND CONSECRATED TO THE GOD OF WAR. 562 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. i ^ received several dangerous wounds before he could break loo Above sixty Spaniards perished in the rout; and what rendei the disaster more afflicting, forty of these fell alive into the har of an enemy never known to show mercy to a captive. The approach of night, though it delivered the dejected SpJ iards from the attacks of the enemy, ushered, in what was han less grievous, the noise of their barbarous triumph, and of t horrid festival with which they celebrated their victory. Ev« quarter of the city was illuminated ; the great temple shone w: such peculiar splendor, that the Spaniards could plainly see 1 people in motion, and the priests busy in hastening the prepa tions for the death of the prisoners. Through the gloom, tl: fancied that they discerned their companions by the whiteness their skins, as they, were stript naked, and compelled to dance fore the image of the god to whom they were to be offered. Tt heard the shrieks of those who were sacrifici and thought that they could disting'ish et unhappy victim, by the well-known sou of his voice. Imagination added to wl they really saw or heard, and augment its horror. The most unfeeling mell into tears of compassion, and 1 stoutest heart trembled at the dread spectacle which they beheld. Cortes, who, besides all that ielt in co.rmon with his soldie was oppiessed vvith the additioi load of anxious reflections natu to a general on such an un( pected calamity, could not, li them, relieve his mind by givi vent to its anguish. He -v obliged to assume an air of tri quillity, in order to revive 1 spirit and hopes of his folic ers. The juncture, indeed, quired an extraordinary ex tion of fortitude. The Me cans, elated with their victo tACRIFICE OF ronrv sp/kNIAROS AND HUNDREOi OF TLASCAIANS, CAPTURtD IV OUATEMOTZIN DURINQ THE A'^AUIT UPON THE CITY. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 563 lat he diers, tional atural unex- t, like iving e was tran- e the oUoW" td, re- exer- IMexi- Ictory, sallied out next morning to attack him in his quarters. But they did not rely on the efforts of their own arms alone. They sent the heads of the Spaniards whom they had sacrificed, to the lep.ding men in the adjacent prov- inces, and assured them that the god of war, ap- peased by the blood of their invaders, which had been shed so plentifully on his altars, had declared with an audible voice, that in eight days' time those hated enemies should be finally destroyed, and peace and prosperity re-established in the empire. A prediction uttered with such confidence, and in terms so void of ambiguity, gained universal credit among a people prone to superstition. The zeal of the provinces, which had already declared HuiTzaowcMTu, or viTzupumi. thi . .1 O • J i J J 1 fO" * tCUtPTURI POUND NIAd against the bpaniards, augmented; and several, which had hitherto remained inactive, took arms, with enthusiastic ardor, to execute the decree of the gods. The Indian auxiliaries who had joined Cortes, accustomed to venerate the same deities with the Mexicans, and to receive the responses of their priests with the same implicit faith, abandoned the Spaniards as a race of men de- voted to certain destruction. Even the fidelity of the Tlascalans was shaken, and the Spanish troops were left almost alone in their stations. Cortc, finding that he attempted in vain to dispel the superstitious fears of his confederates by argument, took advan- tage, from the imprudence of those who had framed the prophecy, in fixing its accomplishment so near at hand, to give a striking demonstration of its falsity. He suspended all military opera- tions during the period marked out by the oracle. Under cover of the brigantines, which kept the enemy at a distance, his troops lay in safety, and the fatal term expired without any disaster. GOD OP W**. MITIA. .V ■■"■■ .'^'*:^-. •TATUt or tHI OOU TLAKJC, 01 tlAHCIMA, MUKiUM Of MlXieft CHAPTKR LXII. CORTCS RCOAINB THB FRICNDtHIP OF HIS INDIAN ALLIES, AND ADOPTS A NCW SYSTEM or ATTACK. ^-^ANY of his allies, aslianicd of their own credulity, returned to their station. Other tribes, jud}j^ing that the jii'ods, who had now deceived the Mexicans, had decreed finally to withdraw their protection from them, joined his standard; and such w.is the levity of a simple people, moved by every slight impression that, in a short time after such a general defection (jf his confederates, Cortes saw himself, if we nuiy believe his own account, at the head of a hundred and fifty thousand Indians. Even with such a numerous army, he found it necessary to adopt a new and more wary system of operation. Instead of renewing his attempts to become master of the city at once, by such bold but dangerous efforts of valor as he had already tried, he made his advances gradiudly, and with every possible precaution against exposing his men to any calamity similar to that which they still bewailed. As the Spaniards pushed forward, the Indians regularly repaired the causeways be- hind them. As soon as they got possession of any part of the town, the houses were instantly leveled with the ground. Day by day, the Mexicans, forced to retire as their enemies gained ground, were hemmed in within more narrow limits. Guatemot/in, though unable to stop the career of the enemy, continued to defend his capital with obstinate resolution, and disputed every inch of ground. The Spaniards not only varied their mode of attack, but, by orders of Cortes, changed the weapons with which they <5«0 THE CON(jUKST OF MKXICO, 565 fought. They were again armed with the long Lhinaiitlan spears which they had cniph)yed with such success against Narvaez ; and, by the firm array in which this enabled them to range themselves, they repelled, with little danger, the loose assault of the Mexicans; incredible numbers of them fell in the conflicts which they renewed every day. While war wasted without, famine began to consume them within the city. The vSpanish brigaiitincs, having the entire command of the lake, rendered it almost impossible to convey to the besieged any sup- ply of provisions by water. The immense number of his Indian auxiliaries enabled Cortes to shut uj) the avenues to the city by laud. Tlie stores wliich Guatemotzin had laid up were exhausted by the multitudes which had crowded into the capital to defend their sovereign and the tem- ples of their gods. Not only the people, but persons of the highest rank, felt the utmost distress of famine. What they suffered, brought on infectious and mortal distempers, the last calamity that visits besieged cities, and filled up the meas- ure of their woes. But, under the pres- sure of so many and such various evils, the spirit of Guatemot/in remained firm aud un- THI HIROIO aUATIilOTIIN HriNM THI MllAMUII Of HI* OOUNTIIV WITH OMTINATI MIOIUTIOH, oiimriM iviHv moH or aaouNO. 566 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. subdued. He rejected, with scorn, every overture of peace from Coi tes ; and, disdaining the idea of submitting to the oppressors of hi country, determined not to survive its ruin. The Spaniards cor tinned their progress. At length all the three divisions penetrate into the great square in the centre of the city, and made a secur lodgment there [July 27]. Three-fourths of the city were no^ reduced and laid in ruins. The remaining quarter was so closel pressed, that it could not long withstand assailants, who attacke it from their new station with superior advantage, and mor assured expectation of success. The Mexican nobles, solicitou to save the life of a monarch whom they revered, prevailed o Guatemotzin to retire from a place where resistance was no^ vain, that he might rouse the more distant provinces of the en pire to arms, and maintain there a more successful struggle wit the public enemy. In order to facilitate the execution of thi measure, they endeavored to amuse Cortes with overtures o submission, that, while his attention was employed in adjusi ing the articles of pacification, Guatemotzin might escape ur perceived. But they made this attempt upon a leader of greate sagacity and discernment than to be deceived by their arts. Coi tes, suspecting their intention, and aware cf what moment it wa to defeat it, appointed Sandoval, the officer on whose vigilance h could most perfectly rely, to take the command of the brigantine; with strict injunctions to watch every motion of the enemy. Sat doval, attentive to the charge, observing some large canoes crowde with people rowing across the lake with extraordinary rapidity, it stantly gave the signal to chase. Garcia Holguin, who commande the swiftest-sailing brigantine, soon overtook them, and was pre paring to fire on the foremost canoe, which seemed to carry som person whom all the rest followed and obejed. At once, the rower dropped their oars, and all on board, throwing down their arm; conjured him with cries and tears to forbear, as the emperor wa there. Holguin eagerly seized his prize ; and Guatemotzin, wit a dignified composure, gave himself up into his hands, requestin only that no insult might be off"ered to the empress or his childrer When conducted to Cortes, he appeared neither with the sulle fierceness of a barbarian, nor with the dejection of a supplican' " I have done," said he, addressing himself to the Spanish genera " what became a monarch. I have defended my people to the las "rom Cor- ors of his ards con- lenetrated ; a secure were now so closely attacked and more solicitous evailed on ; was now of the em- uggle with ion of this /ertures of in adjust- escape un- r of greater arts. Cor- »ment it was ^•igilance he brigantines, lemy. San- oes crowded rapidity, in- commanded d was pre- carry some ;, the rowers their arms, imperor was lotzin, with requesting is children, the sullen- supplicant, ish general, e to the last (567) i 1 f ^i^QHgJI j|t THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 569 extremity. Nothing now remains but to die. Take this dagger," laying his hand on one which Cortes wore, *' plant it in my breast, and put an end to a life which can no longer be of use." As soon as the fate of their sovereign was known, the resist- ance of the Mexicans ceased ; and Cortes took possession of that small part of the capital which yet remained undestroyed [Aug. 13]. Thus terminated the siege of Mexico, the most memorable event in the conquest of America. It continued seventy-five days, hardly one of which passed without some extraordinary effort of one party in the attack, or of the other in the defense of a city, on the fate of which both knew that tlie fortune of the em- pire depended. As the struggle here was more obstinate, it was likewise more equal, than any between the inhabitants of the Old and New Worlds. The great abilities of Guatemotzin, the number of his troops, the peculiar situation of his capital, so far counter- balanced the superiority of the Spaniards in arms and discipline, that they must have re- linquished the enterprise if they had trusted for success to themselves alone. But Mexico was overturned by the jealousy of neighbors who dreaded its power, and by the revolt of subjects impatient to .shake off its yoke. By their eflfectual aid, Cortes was enabled to accomplish what, without such support, he would hardly have ventured to attempt. How much soever this account of the reduction of Mexico may detract, on the one hand, from the marvelous re- lations of some Spanish writers, by ascribing that to simple and obvious causes which they attribute to the romantic valor of their countrymen, it adds, on the other, to the merit and abilities of Cor- tes, who, under every disadvantage, acquired such an ascendency over unknown nations, as to render them instruments towards car- rying his schemes into execution. A procession of the whole army was formed, with Father Olmedo at its head. The soiled and tattered banners of Castile, which had waved over many a field of battle, now threw their shad- ows on the peaceful array of the soldiery, as they slowly moved OUATEMOTZIN REQUESTS CORTES TO END HIS OWN USELESS LIFE nITH HIS POIQNARD. 570 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. along, rebcarsing the litany, and displaying the image of the Vir- gin and the blessed syribol of man's redemption. The reverend father pronounced a discourse, in which he briefly reminded the troops of their great cause for thankfulness to Providence for con- ducting them safe through their long and perilous pilgrimage; and, dwelling on the responsibility incurred by their present pc- sition, he besought them not to abuse the rights of conquest, but to treat the unfortunate Indians with humanity. The sacrament was then administered to the commander-in-chief and the principal cavaliers, and the services concluded with a solemn thanksgiving to the God of battles, who had enabled them to carry the banner of the Cross triumphant over this barbaric empire. The exultation of the Spaniards, on accomp- lishing this arduous en- terprise, was at first ex- cessive. But this was quickly damped by the cruel disappointment of those sanguine hopes, which had animated them amidst so many hardships and dangers. Instead of the inexhaust- ible wealth which they expected from becoming masters of Montezuma's treasures, and the orna- ments of so many tem- ples, their rapaciousness could only collect an inconsiderable booty amidst ruin and desola- tion. Guatemotzin, aware of his impending fate, had ordered what FATHER OLMEDO CELleRATM UAU AMIDST THE RUINS Ot OUATEMOTZlN'l CAPITAL. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 571 remained f the riches amassed by his ancestors to be thrown into the lake. The Indian auxiliaries, while the Spaniards were engaged in a conflict with the enemy, had carried ofF the most valuable part of the spoil. The sum to be divided among the conquerors was so small, that many of them disdained to accept of the pittance which fell to their share, and all murmured and exclaimed ; some against Cortes and his confidants, whom they suspected of having secretly appropriated to their own use a large portion of the riches which should have been brouo^ht into the common stock; others, against Guatemotzin, whom they accused of obstinacy in refusing to discover the place where he had hidden his treasure. Arguments, entreaties, and promises were employed in order to soothe them, but with so little effect, that Cortes, from solicitude to check this growing spirit of discontent, gave way to a deed which stains the glory of all his great actions. Without regarding the former dignity of Guatemotzin, or feeling any reverence for those virtues which he had displayed, he subjected the unhappy monarch, together with his chief favorite, to torture, in order to force from them a discovery of the royal treasures, which it was supposed he had concealed. Guatemotzin bore whatever the refined cruelty of his tormentors could inflict, with the invincible fortitude of an American warrior. His fellow-sufferer, overcome by the vio- lence of the anguish, turned. a dejected eye towards his master, which seemed to implore his permission to reveal all that he knew. But the high-spirited prince, darting on him a look of authority mingled with scorn, checked his weakness by asking, "Am I now re- posing on a bed of flowers?" Overawed by the reproach, the favorite persevered in his dutiful silence, and expired. Cortes, ashamed of a scene so horrid, rescued the royal victim from the hands of his torturers, and prolonged a life reserved for new indignities and sufferings. The fate of the capital, as both parties had foreseen, decided that of the empire. The prov- inces submitted one after another to the conquer- ors. Small detachments of Spaniards marching through them without interruption, penetrated in aUATEMOTZIN AND Hit FAVURITe OFFICER PUT TO TORTUIIE. "AH I NOW REPOSINQ ON A BED OF FLOWERS I •• 572 THE CONQUKST OF MEXICO. ■J Iti t |i' 1 \' II \ K ; i different quarters to the preat Southern Ocean, wh," h, according to the ideas of Columbus, they iniaj^ined would open a short as well as easy passage to the Kast Indies, and secure to the crown of Castile all the envied wealth of those fertile regions ; and the active mind of Cortes began already to form schemes for attempt- ing this important discovery. He did not know, that during the progress of his victorious d^ arms in Mexico, the very scheme, of which he began to form some idea, had been undertaken and accomplished. As this is one of the most splendid events in the history of the Spanish discoveries, and has been pro- ductive of effects pe- : culiarly interesting to those extensive provinces which Cor- tes had now sub- jected to the crown of Castile, the ac- count of its rise and progress merits a particular detail. Ferdinand Magal- haes, or Magellan, a § Portuguese gentle- ^^1^ man of hon orable birth, having served several years in the East Indies, with distinguished valor, ' under the famous Al- buquerque, demand- ed the recompense FERNAO DE MAGALHAE8. OINtRALLY KNOW •« THE NAMI OF FEMDINAND MAOIUAN. MOUCiD rAO-tlMIlt OF COPrCR (NaRAVINa BV FIND. ellMA. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 573 tllan, a rentle- rable served I in the with valor, )us Al- Miiand- kipense which he thought due to his services, with the boklness natural to a high-spirited soldier. But as his general ivould not grant his suit, and he expected greater justice (rrm his sovereign, whom he knew to be a good judge and a generous re warder of merit, he quitted India abruptly, and returned to Lisbon. In order to induce Emanuel to listen more favorably to his claim, he not only stated his past services, but offered to add to them by conducting his countrymen to the Molucca or Spice Islands, by holding a westerly course ; which he contended would be both shorter and less hazardous than that which the Portuguese now followed by the Cape of Good Hope, through the immense extent of the Eastern Ocean. This was the original and favorite project of Columbus, and Magellan founded his hopes of success on the ideas of that great navigator, confirmed by many observations, the result of his own naval experience, as well as that of his country- men in their intercourse with the East. But though the Portu- guese monarchs had the merit of having first awakened and encour- aged the spirit of discovery in that age, it was their destiny, in the course of a few years, to reject two grand schemes for this purpose, the execution of which would have been attended with a great accession of glory to themselves, and of power to their king- dom. In consequence of some ill-founded prejudice against Magel- lan, or of some dark intrigue which contemporary historians have not explained, Emanuel would neither bestow the recompense which he claimed, nor approve of the scheme which he proposed, and dis- missed him with a disdainful coldness intolerable to a man conscious of what he deserved, and animated with the sanguine hopes of suc- cess peculiar to those who are capable of forming or of conducting new and great undertakings. In a transport of resentment, Ma- gellan formally renounced his allegiance to an ungrateful master, and fled to the court of Castile, where he expected that his talents would be more justly estimated. He endeavored to recommend himself by offering to execute, under the patronage of Spain, that scheme which he had laid before the court of Portugal, the accom- plishment of which, he knew, would wound the monarch against wliom he was exasperated in the most tender part. In order to es- tablish the justness of his theory, he produced the same arguments which he had employed at Lisbon ; acknowledging, at the same time, that the undertaking was both arduous and expensive, as it -% 574 THK CONQUEST OF MEXICO. could not be attempted but with a squadron of considerable fore and victualled for at least two years. Fortunately, he applied to minister who was not apt to be deterred, either by the boldness a design, or the expense of carrying it into execution. Cardin Ximenes, who at that time directed the affairs of Spain, discernii at once, what an increase of wealth and glory would accrue to h country by the success of Magellan's proposal, listened to it with most favorable ear. Charles V., on his arrival in his Spanish d minions, entered into the measure with no less ardor, and orde were issued for equipping a proper squadron at the public charg of which the command was given to Magellan, whom the king ho ored with the habit of St. Jago and the title of Captain-General. On the loth of August, 1519, Magellan sailed from Sevil with five ships, which, according to the ideas of the age, we deemed to be of considerable force, though the burden of tl largest did not exceed one hundred and twenty tons. The cve\ of the whole amounted to two hundred and thirty-four me among whom were some of. the most skillful pilots in Spai and several Portuguese sailors, in whose experience, as more e tensive, Magellan placed still greater confidence. After touch ii at the Canaries, he stood directly south towards the equinocti line along the coast of America, but was so long retarded 1 tedious calms, and spent so much time in searching every bi and inlet for that communication with the Southern Ocean whi( he wished to discover, that he did not reach the river De la Pla till the 1 2th of January [1520]. That spacious opening, throu^ which its vast body of waters pour into the Atlantic, allured him enter ; but, after sailing up it for some days, he concluded, from tl shallowness of the stream and the freshness of the water, that tl wished-for strait was not situated there, and continued his cour towards the south. On the 31st of March he arrived in the Port St. Julian, about forty-eight degrees south of the line, where ] resolved to winter. In this uncomfortable station he lost one of h squadron ; and the Spaniards sufifered so much from the excessi rigor of the climate, that the crews of three of his ships, headi by their officers, rose in open mutiny, and insisted on relinquishii the visionary project of a desperate adventurer, and returning c rectly to Spain. This dangerous insurrection Magellan suppresse by an effort o^ courage no less prompt than intrepid, and inflict THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 575 ourse )rt of he >f his ;ssive :aded ih'mg g di- !ssed, icted exemplary punishment on the ringleaders. With the remainder of his followers, overawed hut not reconciled to his scheme, he contin- ued his voyage towards the soutli, and at length discovered, near the fifty-third degree of latitude, the mouth of a strait, into which he entered, notwithstanding the murmurs and remonstrances of the people under his command. After sailing twenty days in that wind- ing, dangerous channel, to which he gave his own name, and where one of his ships deserted him, the great Southern C^ean opened to THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN. (From a Photoqraph.) his view, and with tears of joy he returned thanks to Heaven for having thus far crowned his endeavors with success. But he was still at a greater distance than he imagined from the object of his wishes. He sailed during three months and twenty days, in a uniform direction towards the north-west, without discov- ering land. In this voyage, the longest that had ever been made in the unbounded ocean, he suifered incredible distress. His stock of provisions was almost exhausted, the water became putrid, the men were reduced to the shortest allowance with which it was possible ^ii>K^- I :.l 576 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. to sustain life, and the scurvy, the most dreadful of all the niah with which seafaring people are afflicted, began to spread anion^ crew. One circumstance alone afforded them some consolation ; enjoyed an uninterrupted course of fair weather, with such favoi winds, that Magellan bestowed on that ocean the name of Pa which it still retains. When reduced to such extremity that must have sunk under their sufferings, they fell in with a cli of small but fertile islands [March 6j, which afforded them refi ments in such abundance, that their health was soon re-establis From these isles, which he called de los Ladrones, he proceede( his voyage, and soon made a more important discovery of the ands now known by the name of the Philippines. In one of thes got into an unfortunate quarrel with the natives, who attacked with a numerous bod] troops well armed ; while he fought at the '. of his men with his v valor, he fell [April 26 the hands of those barians, together with eral of his principal cers. The expedition was ] ecuted under other ( manders. After visi many of the smaller scattered in the eastern of the Indian ocean, touched at the great is of Borneo [Nov. 8], ar length landed in Tic one of the Moluccas, tc astonishment of the P< guese, who could not 1 prehend how the Spani: by holding a wesi course, had arrived at sequestered seat of 1 most valuable comm THI DIATH or MAQELIAN ON THE ItUNO OF MACTAN. THE CONQUKST OF MEXICO. 577 which they themselves had discovered by sailing in an opposite direc- tion. There, and in the adjacent isles, the Spaniards found a people, acquainted with the benefits of extensive trade, and willing to open an intercourse with a new nation. They took in a cargo of the precious spices, which are the distinguished production of these islands ; and with that, as well as with specimens of the rich com- modities yielded by the other countries which tjey had visited, the Victory, which, of the two ships that remained of tl.v squadron, was most fit for a long voyage, set sail for Europe [Jan. 1522], under the command of Juan Sebastian del Cano. He followed the course of the Portuguese, by the Cape of Good Hope, and aft'?r many dis- asters and sufferings he arrived at St. Lucar on tho 7th of Septem- ber, 1522, having sailed round the globe in the space of three years and twenty-eight days. Though an untimely fate deprived Magellan of the satisfaction of accomplishing this great undertaking, his contemporaries, just to his memory and talents, ascribed to him not only the honor of having formed the plan, but of having surmounted almost every obstacle to the completion of it; and, in the present age, his name is still ranked among the highest in the roll of eminent and suc- cessful navigators. The naval glory of Spain now eclipsed that of every other nation ; and by a singular felicity she had the merit, in the course of a few years, of discovering a new continent almost as large as that part of the earth which was formerly known, and of ascertaining by experience the form and extent of the whole ter- raqueous globe. The Spaniards were not satisfied with the glory of having first encompassed the earth ; they expected to derive great commercial advantages from this new and boldest effort of their maritime skill. The men of science among them contended, that the Spice Islands, and several of the richest countries in the East, were so situated as to belong of right to the crown of Castile, in consequence of the partitions made by Alexander VI. The merchants, without attend- ing to this discussion, engaged eagerly in that lucrative and allur- ing comraerc . which was now open to them. The Portuguese, alarmed at the intrusion of such formidable rivals, remonstrated and negotiated in Europe, while in Asia they obstructed the trade of the Spaniards by force of arms. Charles V., not sufiiciently in- structed with respect to the import'ance of this valuable branch of 578 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 1' ' 'Ii 'i' ,",■ , "f- n^B^i t> 1 Wmji fi^ i W' I ] wm,'' i ■*i commerce, or distracted by the multiplicity of his schemes and operations, did not afford his subjects proper protection. At last, the low state of his finances, exhausted by the efforts of his arms in every part of Europe, together with the dread of adding a new war with Portugal to those in which he was already engaged, in- duced him to make over his claim of the Moluccas to the Portu- guese for three hundred and fifty thousand ducats. He reserved, however, to the crown of Castile the right of reviving its preten- sions on repayment of that sum ; but other objects engrossed his attention and that of his successors ; and Spain was finally excluded from a branch of commerce in which it was engaging with sanguine expectations of profit. Though the trade with the Moluccas was relinquished, the voy- age of Magellan was followed by commercial effects of great moment to Spain. Philip II. , in the year 1564, reduced those islands which he discovered in the Eastern ocean to subjection, and established settlements there ; between which and the kingdom of New Spain a regular intercourse, the nature of which shall be explained in its proper place, is still carried on. I return now to the transactions in New Spain, NATIVES OF THE LADRONE ISLANDS, The enlarging of the ear lobe U accomplished by the insertion, from time to time of wooden plugs, varying in diameter, until the desired size is attained. * • ' CHAPTER LXIII. *N ORDER TO SUPERSEDE CORTES, WHICH HE ELUDES, ARRIVES FROM SPAIN. HE DE- SPATCHES DEPUTIES, WHO SUCCEED IN HAVING HIM APPOINTED CAPTAIN-GENERAL AND GOVERNOR OF NEW SPAIN. INSURRECTION OF THE MEXICANS. POV- ERTY OF THE CONQUERORS. CORTES RETURNS TO SPAIN, FORMS NEW SCHEMES OF DISCOVERY. HIS DEATH. ^T the time that Cortes was acquiring such extensive territories for his native country, and preparing the way for fu- ture conquests, it was his singular fate not only to be destitute of any com- mission or authority from the sover- eign whom he was serving with such successful zeal, but to be regarded as an undutiful and seditious subject. By the influence of Fonseca, Bishop of Burgos, his conduct in assuming the gov- ernment of New Spain was declared to be an irregular usurpation, in contempt of the royal authority ; and Christoval de Tapia received a commission, empowering him to supersede Cor- tes, to seize his person, to conhhcate his effects, to make a strict scrutiny into his proceedings, and to transmit the result of all the inquiries carried on in New Spain to the Council of the Indies, of which the Bishop of Burgos was president. A few weeks after the reduction of Mexico, Tapia landed at Vera Cruz with the royal mandate to strip its conqueror of his power, and treat him as a criminal. But Fonseca had chosen a very im- proper instrument to wreak his vengeanee on Cortes. Tapia had s, varying lo (579) 58o THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. neither the reputation nor the talents that suited the high com- mand to which he was appointed. Cortes, while he publicly ex- pressed the most respectful veneration for the emperor's authority, secretly took measures to defeat the effect of his commission; and having involved Tapia and his followers in a multiplicity of nego- tiations and conferences, in which he sometimes had recourse to threats, but more frequently employed bribes and promises, he at length prevailed on that weak man to abandon a province which he was unworthy of governing. But, notwithstanding the fortunate dexterity with which he had eluded this danger, Cortes was so sensible of the precarious tenure by which he held his power, that he despatched deputies to Spain [May 15], with a pompous account of the success of his arms, with further specimens of the productions of the country, and with rich presents to the emperor, as the earnest of future contributions from his new conquests; requesting, in recompense for all his services, the appi'obation of his proceedings, and that he might be intrusted with the government of those dominions^ which his conduct and the valor of his followers had added to the crown of Castile. The juncture in which his deputies reached the court was favorable. The internal commotions in Spain, which had disquieted the beginning of Charles' reign, were just appeased. The ministers had leisure to turn their attention towards foreign affairs. The account of Cortes' victories filled his countrymen with adnriration. The ex- tent and value of his conquests became the object of vast and interesting hopes. Whatever stain he might have contracted^ by the irregularity of the steps which he took in order to attain power, was so fully effaced by the splendor and merit of the great actions which this had enabled him to perform, that every heart revolted at the thought of inflicting any censure on a man, whose services entitled him to the highest marks of distinction. The public voice declared warmly in favor of his pre- tensions; and Charles, arriving in Spain OHANLII V. (Arrlll TITIAN.) THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 581 h cotn- icly ex- :hority, in; and f nego- urse to 3, he at hich lie hicli lie ^carious iities to 5 of liis country, future )mpense md that minions, i to the ched the hich ppeased. rn their ;, The led his he ex- became hopes, tracted, hich he so fully of the ed him (Ited at Ire on a to the public lis pre- Spain CHURCH AND HOSPITAL OF JESUS IN MEXICO. FOUNDED BY CORTES. about this time, adopted the sentiments of his subjects with a youthful ardor. Notwithstanding the claims of Velasquez, and the partial representations of the Bishop of Burgos, the emperor ap- pointed Cortes captain-general and governor of New Spain, judging that no person was so capable of maintaining the royal authority, or of establishing good order, both among his Spanish and Indian subjects, as the victorious leader whom the former had long been accustomed to obey, and the latter had been taught to fear and to respect. Even before his jurisdiction received this legal sanction, Cortes ventured to exercise all the powers of a governor, and, by various arrangements, endeavored to render his conquest a secure and beneficial acquisition to his country. He determined to establish the seat of government in its ancient station, and to raise Mexico again from its ruins; and having conceived high ideas concerning the future grandeur of the state of which he was laying the foundation, he began to rebuild its capital on a plan which hath gradually formed one of the most magnificent cities in the New World. At the same time, he employed skillful persons to search for mines, in different parts of the country, and opened some which were found to be richer than any which the Spaniards had hitherto dis- covered in America. He despatched his principal officers into the remote provinces, and encouraged them to settle there, not only by bestowing upon them large tracts of land, but by granting them the same dominion over the Indians, and the same right to their service, which the Spaniards had assumed in the islands. It was not, however, without difficulty that the Mexican empire could be entirely reduced into the form of a Spanish colony. En- raged and rendered desperate by oppression, the natives often forgot the superiority of their enemies, and ran to arms in defense of their liberties. In every contest, however, tlie European valor and discipline prevailed. But, fatally for the honor of their country, tire- -Spaniards sullied the glory redounding from these repeated victories by their mode of treating the vanquished people. After OALIERIII AND PATIO* OP THI HOtPITAl OP J»U*. ■i h 582 THK CONQUKST OF MEXICO. taking Guatemotzin, and becoming masters of his capital, they sup- posed that the king of Castile entered on po .ession of all the rights of the captive monarch, and affected to consider every effort of the Mexicans to assert their own independence, as the rebellion of vassals against their sovereign, or the mutiny of slaves against their master. Under the sanction of those ill-founded maxims, they vio- lated every right that should be held sacred between hostile nations. After each insurrection, they reduced the common people, in the provinces which they subdued, to the most humiliating of all con- ditions, that of personal servitude. Their chiefs, supposed to be more criminal, were punished with greater severity, and put to death in the most ignominious or the most excruciating mode that the insolence or the cruelty of their conquerors could devise. In almost every district of the Mexican empire, the progress of the Spanish arms is marked with blood, and with deeds so atrocious as disgrace the enterprising valor that conducted them to success. In the country of Pnnuco, sixty caciques or leaders, and four hundred nobles, were burned at one time. Nor was this shock- ing barbarity perpetrated in any sudden y of rage, or by a commander of inferior note. It was act of Sandoval, an officer whose name is entitled to second rank in the annals of New Spain, and executed ra solemn consultation with Cortes; and to complete >aHommo»,A,,j>j»cyc,^jmajopiun tj^g horror of the sccuc, the children and relations of the wretched victims were assembled, and compelled to be spec- tators of their dying agonies. It seems hardly possible to ex- ceed in horror this dreadful example of severity ; but it was followed by another, which affected the Mexicans still more sensi- bly, as it gave them a most feeling proof of their own degrad- ation, and of the small regard which their haughty masters re- tained for the ancient dignity and splendor of their state. On a slight suspicion, confirmed by very imperfect evidence, that Guatemotzin had formed a scheme to shake off the yoke, and to excite his former subjects to take arras, Cortes, without the form- Or * MEXICAN CACIQUE. THE CONQUKST OF MKXICO. 583 ality of a trial, ordered the unhappy monarch, together with the caciques of Tezcuco and Tacuba, the two persons of greatest eminence in the empire, to be hanged ; and the Mexicans, with astonishment and horror, beheld this disgraceful punishment in- flicted upon persons, to whom they were accustomed to look up with reverence, hardly inferior to that which they paid to the gods themselves. The example of Cortes and his principal officers en- couraged and justified persons of subordinate rank to venture upon committing greater excesses. Nuiio de Guzman, in particular, stained an illustrious name by deeds of peculiar enormity and rigor, in various expeditions which he conducted. One circumstance, however, saved the Mexicans from further consumption, perhaps from one as complete as that which had de- populated the islands. The first conquerors did not attempt to search for the precious metals in the bowels of the earth. They were neither sufficiently wealthy to carry on the expensive works, which are requisite for opening tho.se deep recesses where nature has con- cealed the veins of gold and silver, nor sufficiently skillful to per- form the ingenious operations by which those precious metals are separated from their respective ores. They were satisfied with the more simple method, practiced by the Indians, of wasiiiug the earth carried down rivers and torrents from the mountains, and collecting the grains of native metal depo ited there. The rich mines of New Spain, which have poured forth their treasures with such profusion on every quarter of the globe, were not discovered for several years after the conquest. By that time [1552, etc.], a more orderly government and police were introduced into the colony ; experience, derived from for- mer errors, had suggested many useful and humane regulations for the pro- tection and preservation of the Indians; and though it then liccame necessary to increase the number of those em- ployed in the mines, and they were en- gaged in a species of labor more per- f ■" 4 tTATUI or aUATiHOTtlN, MUHeOb 584 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. no! nicions to the human constitiition, they suffered less hardship or diminution than from the ill-judged, but less extensive, schemes of the first conquerors. While it was the lot of the Indians to suffer, their new masters seemed not to have derived any considerable wealth from their ill- conducted researches. According to the usual fate of first settlers in new colonies, it was their lot to encounter danger and to strug- gle with difficulties ; the fruits of their victories and toils were re- served for times of tranquillity, and reaped by successors of greater industry, but of inferior merit. The early historians of America abound with accounts of the sufferings and of the poverty of its conquerors. In New Spain, their condition was rendered more grievous by a peculiar arrangement. When Charles V. advanced Cortes to the government of that country, he, at the same time, appointed certain commissioners to receive and administer the royal revenue there, with independent jurisdiction. These men, chosen from inferior stations in various departments of public busi- ness at Madrid, were so much elevated with their promotion, that they thoiight they were called to act a part of the first consequence. But, being accustomed to the minute formalities of office, and hav- ing contracted the narrow ideas suited to the sphere in which they had hitherto moved, they were astonished, on arriving in Mexico [1524], at the high authority which Cortes exercised, and could not conceive that the mode of administration, in a country receiltly subdued and settled, must be different from what took place in one where tranquillit}- and regular government had befen long estab- lished. In their letters, they represented Cortes as an ambitious tyrant, who, having usurped a jurisdiction superior to law, aspired at independence, and, by his exorbitant wealth and extensive influ- ence, might accomplish those disloyal schemes which he apparently rfieditated. These insinuations made such deep impression upon the Spanish ministers, most of whom had been formed to business under the jealous and rigid administration of Ferdinand, that, un- mindful of all Cortes' past services, and regardless of what he was then suffering in conducting that extraordinary expedition, in which he advanced from the Lake of Mexico to the western extremity of Honduras, they infused the same suspicions into the mind of their master, and prevailed on him to order a solemn inquest to be made into his conduct [1525], with powers to the licentiate Ponce THE CONQUKST OF MEXICO. 585 de Leon, intrusted with that commission, to seize his person, if he should find that expedient, and send him prisoner to Spain. The sudden death of Ponce de Leon, a few days after his ar- rival in New Spain, prevented the execution of this commission. But as the object of his appointment was known, the mind of Cor- tes was deeply wounded with his unexpected return for services which far exceeded whatever any subject of Spain had rendered to his sovereign. He endeavored, however, to maintain his station, and to recover the con- fidence of the court. But every person in office, who had arrived from Spain since the conquest, was a spy upon his conduct, and with malicious ingen- uity gave an unfavora- ble representation of all his actions. The ap- prehensions of Charles and his ministers in- creased. A new com- mission of inquiry was issued [1528], with more extensive powers, and various precautions were taken in order to prevent or to punish him, if he should be so presump- tuous as to attempt what was inconsistent with the fidelity of a subject. Cortes beheld the approaching crisis of his fortune with all the violent emotions natural to a haughty mind, conscious of high desert, and receiving unworthy treatment. But though some of his desperate followers urged him to assert his own rights against his ungrateful country, and, with a bold hand, to seize that power which the courtiers meanly accused him of coveting, he re- tained such self-command, or was actuated with such sentiments of loyalty, as to reject their dangerous counsels, and to choose the ABJECT HOMAOE PAID TO CORTES BY THE MEXICAN MAGISTRATES, UPON HIS SUDDEN RETURN FROM THE EXPEDITION TO HONDURAS. wmsm 586 THR CONQURvST OP MEXICO. only course in which lie could secure his own dignity, without de- parting from his duty. He resolved not to expose himself to che ignominy of a trial, in that country which had been the scene of his triumphs; but, without waiting for the arrival of his judges, to repair directly to Castile, and commit himself and his cause to the justice and generosity of his sovereign. Cortes appeared in his native country with the splendor that suited the conqueror of a mighty kingdom. He brought with him a great part of his wealth, many jewels and ornaments of great value, several curious pro- ductions of the country, and was attended by some Mexicans of the first rank, as well as by the most considerable of his own officers. H i s arrival in Spain removed at once every suspicion and fear that had been entertained with respect to his inten- tions. The emperor, hav- ing now nothing to ap- prehend from the designs of Cortes, received him like a person whom con- sciousness of his own in- nocence had brought into the presence of his master, and who was entitled, by the eminence of his serv- ices, to the highest marks of distinction and respect. The order of St. Jago, the title of Marquis del Valle de Guaxaca, the gi'ant of an ample territory in New Spain, were successively bestowed upon him ; and as his manners were correct CNTRY OF CORTEa INTO TOilDO, (URROUNOEO WITH THE POMP AND BKENOON (UITEO THE CONQUEROR THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 587 COAT or ARMS QRANTiO CORTIS BV OHARLI* V. motto; "thi juooment or ooo riacheo thii^ AND HIS COURAOI HAS STKINaTHINlD and elegant, although he had passed the greater part of his life among rough adventurers, the emperor admitted him to the same familiar intercourse with himself, that was enjoyed by noblemen of the first rank. But, amidst those external proofs of regard, symptoms of remaining distrust appeared. Though Cortes earnestly solicited to be reinstated in the government of New Spain, Charles, too .sagacious to commit such an important charge to a man whom he had once suspected, peremptorily refused to in- vest him again with powers which he might find it impossible to control. Cortes, though dignified with new titles, returned to Mexico [1530], with diminished authority. The military department, with powers to attempt new discoveries, was left in his hands; but the supreme direction of civil aifairs was placed in a board called 'The Audience of New Spain.' At a subsequent period, when, upon the increase of the colony, the exertion of authority ."•ore united and extensive became neces.sary, Antonio de Mendoza, a nobleman of high rank, was sent hither as Viceroy, to take the government into his hands. This division of power in New Spain proved, as was unavoid- able, the source of perpetual dissension, which embittered the life of Cortes, and thwarted all his schemes. As he had now no op- portunity to display his active talents but in attempting new dis- coveries, he formed various schemes for that purpose, all of which bear impressions of a genius that delighted in what was bold an^ splendid. He early entertained an idea, that, either by steering through the Gulf of Florida along the east coast of North America, some strait would be found that communicated with the western ocean ; or that, by examining the isthmus of Darien, some passage would be discovered between the North and South Seas. But hav- ing been disappointed in his expectations with respect to both, he now confined his views to such voyages of discovery as he could make from the ports of New Spain to the South Sea. There he fitted out successively several small squadrons, which either per- ished in the attempt, or returned without making any discovery of moment. Cortes, weary of intrusting the conduct of his opera- m 588 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. tions to others, took the command of a new armament in person [1536]; and, after enduring incredible hardships, and encounter- ing dangers of every species, he discovered the large peninsula of California, and surveyed the greater part of the gulf which sepa- rates it from New Spain. The discovery of a country of such ex- tent would have reflected credit on a common adventurer; but it could add little new honor to the name of Cortes, and was far from satisfying the san- guine expectations which he had formed. Disgusted with ill success, to which he had not been accus- tomed, and weary of contesting with adver- saries to whom he considered it as a dis- grace to be opposed, he once more sought for redress in his na- tive country [1540]. But his reception there was very differ- ent from that which gratitude, and even decency, ought to have secured for him. The merit of his an- cient exploits was al- ready, in a great measure, forgotten or eclipsed by the fame of recent and more valu- able conquests in another quarter of America. No service of moment was now expected from a man of declining years, and who began to be unfortunate. The emperor behaved to him with cold civility ; his ministers treated him sometimes with neglect, sometimes with in- solence. His grievances received no redress; his claims were urged without effect ; and after several years spent in fruitless application to ministers and judges, an occupation the most irksome and mor- tifying to a man of high spirit, who had moved in a sphere where CASTLE OF CUESTA, IN SEVILLE, WHERE CORTES DIED. THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. 589 he was more accustomed to command than solicit, Cortes ended his days on the 2d of December, 1547, in the sixty-second year of his age. His funeral obsequies were celebrated with due solemnity by a long train of Andalusian nobles, and of the citizens of Seville, and his body was transported to the chapel of the monastery, San Isidro, in that city, where it was laid in the family vault of the Duke of Medina Sidonia. In the year 1562, it was removed, by order of his son, Don Martin (natural son of Dofia Marina), to New Spain, not, as directed by his will, to Cojohuacan, but to the monastery of St. Francis, in Tezcuco, where it was laid by the side of a daughter, and of his mother. Dona Catalina Pizarro. In 1629, the remains of Cortes were again removed ; and on the death of Don Pedro, fourth marquess of the Valley, it was decided by the authorities of Mexico to transfer them to the church of St. Francis, in that capital. Yet his bones were not permitted to rest here undisturbed; and in 1794 they were removed to the Hospital of Jesus of Naza- reth. It was a more fitting place, since it was the same institution, which, under the' name of "Our Lady of the Conception," had been founded and endowed by Cortes, and which, with a fate not too frequent in similar charities, has been administered to this day on the noble principles of its foundation. The mouldering relics of the warrior, now deposited in a crystal coffin secured by bars and plates of silver, were laid in the chapel, and over them was raised a simple monument, displaying the arms of the family, and surmounted by a bust of the Conqueror, executed in bronze by Tolsa, a sculptor worthy of the best period of the arts. Unfortunately for Mexico, the tale does not stop here. In 1823, the patriot mob of the capital, in their zeal to com- ' memorate the era of the national independence, and their detestation of the " old Spaniards," prepared to breajc open the tomb which held the ashes of Cortes, and to scatter them to the winds! The authorities declined to interfere on the occasion; but the friends of the family, as is commonly re- ported, entered the vault by night, and, secretly removing the relics, prevented the commission of a sacrilege, which must have left a stain, not easy to be eflfaced, on the scutcheon of the fair city of Mexico. 33 MONUMENT ERECTED TO CORTM IN THE HOSriTAl OF JUU8. MEXICO. 590 THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO. The fate of Cortes was the same with that of all the persons who cHstitiguished themselves in the discovery or conquests of the New World. Knvied by his contemporaries, and ill requited by the court which he served, he has been admired and celebrated by suc- ceeding ages. Which has formed the most just estimate of his character, an impartial consideration of his actions must de- termine. Ci' .. I. CAPTIVI FASTENtD TO THI TIMAIACATL FIQHTINP A QIADIATOR, BOTH ADMID WITH KIMATED iTml SWORDS. I I I I t Book hi (59») - — — "-TKS" ■ •n 3) > z o (A o o S, N c > o 5? b O 6 ■♦» P I m s 51 r- (i9>) 1 !ii m m BEe? I 1 f i A ^■^^^1 1 I JjB 1 51 .1'" " "' ■ CHAPTER IvXIV. •CTTLEMENT8 ON THE ISTHMUS OF DARIEN BY OJEDA AND NICUESA. ELECTION OF VA8CO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. BALBOA DISCOVERS THE SOUTH SEA. RECEIVES INFORMATION CONCERNING A MORE OPULENT COUNTRY. DISSENSIONS BETWEEN PEDRARIAS AND BALBOA END IN THE PUBLIC EXECUTION OF A MAN UNIVERSALLY BELOVED. HOUGH it was about ten years since Columbus had discovered the main land of America, the Spaniards had hitherto made no settlement in any part of it. What had been so long neglected was now seriously attempted, and with considerable vigor. This scheme took its rise from Alonzo de Ojeda, who had already made two voyages as a dis- coverer, by which he acquired consider- /^ able reputation, but no wealth. But ^ his character for intrepidity and con- \j) duct easily procured him associates, who advanced the money requisite to ^* defray the charges of the expedition. About the same time, Diego de Nicuesa. who had ac- quired a large fortune in Hispaniola, formed a similar design. Ferdinand encouraged both ; and though he re- fused to advance the smallest sum, was extremely liberal of titles (395) 596 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. and patents. He erected two governments on the continent, one extending from Cape de Vela to the gulf of Darien, and the other from that to Cape Gracias a Dios. The former was given to Ojeda, the latter to Nicuesa. Ojeda fitted out a ship and two brigantines, with three hundred men; Nicuesa, six vessels, with seven hundred and eighty men. They sailed about the same time from St. Domingo for their respective governments. In order to give their title to those countries some appearance of va- lidity, several of the most eminent divines and lawyers in Spain were employed to prescribe the mode in which they should take possession of them. They instructed those invaders, as soon as they landed on the continent, to declare to the natives the principal articles of the Christian faith ; to acquaint them, in par- ticular, with the supreme jurisdiction of the pope over all the king- doms of the earth ; to inform them of the grant which this holy pontiff had made of their country to the king of Spain ; to require them to embrace the doctrines of that religion which the Spaniards made known to them; and to submit to the sovereign whose au- thority they proclaimed. If the natives refused to comply with this requisition, then Ojeda and Nicuesa were authorized to attack them with tire and sword ; to reduce them, their wives and children, to a state of servitude ; and to compel them by force to recognize the jurisdiction of the church, and the authority of the monarch, to which they would not voluntarily subject themselves. As the inhabitants of the continent could not at once yield as- sent to doctrines too refined for their uncultivated understand- ings, and explained to them by interpreters imperfectly acquainted with their language ; as they did not conceive how a foreign priest, of whom they had never heard, could have any right to dispose of their country, or how an unknown prince should claim jurisdiction over them as his subjects, they fiercely opposed the new invaders of their territories. Ojeda and Nicuesa endeavored to effect by force what they could not accomplish by persuasion. But they found these natives to be of a character very different from that of their countrymen in the islands. They were fierce and warlike. Their arrows were dipped in a poison so noxious, that every wound was followed with certain death. In one encounter they .slew above seventy of Ojeda's followers, and the Spaniards, for the first time, were taught to dread the inhabitants of the New World. Nothing THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 597 could soften their ferocity. They refused to hold any intercourse, or to exchange any friendly office, with men whose residence among them they considered as fatal to their liberty and independence. This implacable enmity of the natives, though it rendered an at- tempt to establish a settlement in their country extremely difficult as well as dangerous, might have been surmounted at length by the perseverance of the Spaniards, by the superiority of their arms, and their skill in the art of war. But every disaster which can b"e accumulated upon the unfortunate, combined to complete their ruin. Though they received two considerable reinforcements from Hispaniola, the greater part of those who had engaged in this un- happy expedition perished, in less than a year, in the most extreme misery. A few who survived, settled as a feeble colony at Santa Maria el Antigua, on the gulf of Darien, under the command of Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who, in the most desperate exigencies, dis- played such courage and conduct, as first gained the confidence of his countrymen, and marked him out as their leader in more splen- did and successful undertakings. Having been raised to the government of the small colony at Santa Maria in Darien, by the voluntary suffrage of his associates, he was so extremely desirous to obtain from the crown a confirma- tion of their election, that he despatched one of his officers to Spain, in order to solicit a royal commission, which might invest him with a legal title to the supreme command. Conscious, how- ever, that he could not expect success from the patronage of Ferdi- nand's ministers, with whom he was unconnected, or from negoti- ating in a court to the arts of which he was a stranger, he endeav- ored to merit the dignity to which he aspired, and aimed at per- forming some signal service that would secure him the preference to every competitor. Full of this idea he made frequent inroads into the adjacent country, subdued several of the caciques, and collected a considerable quantity of gold, which abounded more in that part of the continent, than in the islands. In one of those excursions, the Spaniards contended with such eagerness about the division of some gold, that they were at the point of proceed- ing to acts of violence against one another. A young cacique who was present, astonished at the high value which they set upon a thing of which he did not discern the use, tumbled the gold out of the balance with indignation ; and, turning to the Spaniards, ir 598 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. ii : "b Why do you quarrel (said he) about such a trifle ? If you are so passionately fond of gold, as to abandon your own country, and to disturb the tranquillity of distant nations for its sake, I will con- duct you to a region where the metal which seems to be the chief object of your admiration and desire, is so common that the mean- est utensils are formed of it." Transported with what they heard, Balboa and his companions inquired eagerly where this happy country lay, and how they might arrive at it. He informed them that at the distance of six suns, that is, of six days' journey, towards the south, they should discover another ocean, near to which this wealthy kingdom was situated ; but if they intended to attack that powerful state, they must assemble forces far superior in number and strength to those with which they now appeared. This was the first information which the Spaniards received <:oncerning the great southern ocean, or the opulent and extensive country known afterwards by the name of Peru. Balboa had now before him objects suited to his boundless ambition, and the enter- prising ardor of his genius. He immediately concluded the ocean which the cacique mentioned, to be that for which Columbus had searched without success in this part of America, in hopes of open- ing a more direct communication with the East Indies. He was impatient until he could set out upon this enterprise, in compari- son of which all his former exploits appeared inconsiderable. But previous arrangement and preparation were requisite to ensure success. He began with courting and securing the friendship of the neighboring caciques. He sent some of his officers to Hispani- ola with a large quantity of gold, as a proof of his past success, and an earnest of his future hopes. By a proper distribution of this, they secured the favor of the governor, and allured volunteers into the service. A considerable reinforcement from that island joined him, and he thought himself in a condition to attempt the discovery. The isthmus of Darien is not above sixty miles in breadth ; but this neck of land which binds together the continents of North and South America, is strengthened by a chain of lofty mountains stretching through its whole extent, which render it a barrier of solidity sufficient to resist the impulse of two opposite .oceans. The mountains are covered with forests almost inaccessible. The valleys in that moist climate, where it rains during two-thirds of THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 599 the year, are marshy, and so frequently overflowed that the inhab- itants find it necessary, in jnany places, to build their houses upon trees, in order to be elevated at some distance from the damp soil, and the odious reptiles inhabiting the murky and putrid waters. Large rivers rush down with an impetuous current from the high grounds. In a region thinly inhabited by wandering savages, the hand of in- dustry had done nothing to mitigate or correct those natural disadvantages. To march across this unex- plored country with no other guides but Indians, whose fidelity could be little trusted, was, on all those accounts, the boldest enterprise on which the Spaniards had hitherto ventured in the New World. But the intrepidi- ty of Balboa was such as distinguished him among his countrymen, at a period when every adventurer was conspicuous for daring courage [1513]. Nor was bravery his only merit ; he was prudent in conduct, generous, affable, and pos- sessed of those popular talents which, in the most desperate undertakings, inspire confidence and se- c u r e attachment. Even after the junction of the volunteers from Hispaniola, he was able to muster only a hundred and ninety men for his expedition. But they were hardy veterans, inured to the climate of America, and ready to follow him through every danger. A thousand In- dians attended them to carry their provisions ; and, to complete their warlike array, they took with them several of those fierce BOA-CONSTRICTOR FISHING. 6oo THE CONQUEST OF PERU. dogs, which were no less formidable than destructive to their naked enemies. Balboa set out upon this important expedition on the first of September, about the time that the periodical rains began to abate. He proceeded by sea, and without any difficulty, to the territories of a cacique whose friendship he had gained ; but no sooner did he begin to advance into the interior part of the country, than he was retarded by every obstacle, which he had reason to apprehend, from the nature of the territory, or the disposition of its inhabitants. Some of the caciques, at his approach, fled to the mountains with all their people, and carried off or destroyed whatever could afford subsistence to his troops. Others collected their subjects, in order to oppose his progress ; and he quickly perceived what an arduous undertaking it was to conduct such a body of men through hostile nations, across swamps, and rivers, and woods, which had never been passed but by straggling Indians. But by sharing in every hardship with the meanest soldier, by appearing the foremost to meet every danger, b}' promising confidently to his troops the en- joyment of honor and riches superior to what had been attained by the most successful of their countrymen, he inspired them with such enthusiastic resolution, that they followed him without mur- muring. When they had penetrated a good way into the mount- ains, a powerful cacique appeared in a narrow pass, with a numer- ous body of his subjects, to obstruct their progress. But men wha had surmounted so many obstacles, despised the opposition of such feeble enemies. They attacked them with impetuosity, and, having dispersed them with much ease and great slaughter, continued their march. Though their guides had represented the breadth of the isthmus to be only a journey of six days, they had already spent twenty-five in forcing their way through the woods and mountains. Many of them were ready to sink under such uninterrupted fatigue in that sultry climate, several were taken ill of the dysentery and other diseases frequent in that coimtry, and all became impatient to reach the period of their labors and sufferings. At length the Indians assured them, that from the top of the next mountain they should discover the ocean which was the object of their wishes. When, with infinite toil, they had climbed up the greater part of that steep ascent, Balboa commanded his men to halt, and advanced alone to the summit, that he might be the first who should enjoy a THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 60 1 Spectacle which he had so long desired. As soon as he beheld the South Sea stretching in endless prospect below him, he fell on his knees, and, lifting up his hands to heaven, returned thanks to God, who had conducted liini to a discovery so beneficial to his country, and so honorable to himself. His followers, observing his transports of joy, rushed forward to join in his wonder, exultation, and grati- tude. They held on their course to the shore with great alacrity, when Balboa, advancing up to the middle in the waves with his buckler and sword, took pos- session of that ocean in the name of the king his mas- ter, and vowed to defend it, with these arms, against all his enemies. That part of the great Pacific or Southern Ocean, which Balboa first discov- ered, still retains the name of the Gulf of St. Michael, which he gave to it, and is situated to the east of Pana- ma. From several of the petty princes, who governed in the districts adjacent to that gulf, he extorted pro- visions and gold by force of arms. Others sent them to him voluntarily. To these acceptable presents some of the caciques added a con- siderable quantity of pearls ; and he learned from them, with much satisfaction, that pearl oysters abounded in the sea which he had newly discovered. Together with the ac- quisition of this wealth, which served to soothe and BALBUA, ARMED WITH SWORD AND BUCKLER, WAIST DEEP IN THE WATERS OF THE "ACIFIC OCEAN, CLAINt THIS UNKNOWN SEA, WITH All. THAT IT CONTAINS, FOR THE KINO OF CASYILE, AND THAT " HI WOULD MAKE OOOD THE CLAIM AOAINST ALL CHRISTIAN'i OR INFIDELS, WHO DAREO TO OAINSAV IT." i^'^--r 1 1 602 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. i encourage his followers, he received accounts which confirmed his sanguine hopes of future and more extensive benefits from the expedition. All the people on the coast of the South Sea concurred in informing him that there was a mighty and opulent kingdom situated at a considerable distance towards the south-east, the inhabitants of which had tame animals to carry their burdens. In order to give the Spaniards an idea of these, they drew upon the sand the figure of the llama or sheep, afterwards found in Peru, which the Peruvians had taught to perform such services as they described. As the llama, in its form, nearly resembles a camel, a beast of burden deemed peculiar to Asia, this circumstance, in con- junction with the discovery of the pearls, another noted production of that country, tended to confirm the Spaniards in their mistaken theory with respect to the vicinity of the New World to the East Indies. But though the information which Balboa received from the people on the coast, as wf 11 as his own conjectures and hopes, renden^d him extremely impatient to visit this unknot n country, his prudence restrained him from at- ^^ tempting to invade it with a handful of men ^■^' exhausted by fatigue and weakened by diseases. He determined to lead back his followers, *.\.t present, to their settlement of Santa Maria in Darien, and to return next season with a force more adequate to such an arduous enterprise. In order to acquire a more extensive knowledge of the isthmus, he marched back by a different route, which he found to be no less dangerous and difficult than that which he had formerly taken. But to men elated with success, and animated with hope, nothing is in- surmountable. Balboa returned to Santa Mc..ia [1514], from which he had been absent four months, with greater glory and more treasure than the Spaniards had acquired in any expedition in the New World. None of Balboa's officers distinguished themselves more in this service than Francisco Pizarro, or assisted with greater courage and ardor in opening a communication with those coun- tries in which he was destined to act soon a more illustrious part. Balboa's first care was to send information to Spain of the important discovery which he had made ; and to demand a rein- LLAMA, OH PERUVIAN SHEEP. THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 603 firmed , from th Sea puletit :h-east, irdens. )ou the I Peru, IS they amel, a in con- duction istaken he New Balb(ta- as w«ll endercd nkno\Mi from at- of men iseascH. wers, ".It aria in a force crprise. iiius, he no less m. But g is in- 1 which L more in the m selves greater coun- ^is part, of the la rein- forcement of a thousand men, in order to attempt the conquest of that opulent country, concerning which he had received such invit- ing intelligence. The first account of the discovery of the New World hardly occasioned greater joy, than the unexpected tidings that a passage was at last found to the great Southern ocean. The communication with the East Indies, by a course to the westward of the line of demarcation drawn by the Pope, seemed now to be certain. The vast wealth which flowed into Portugal, from its settlements and conquests in that country, excited the envy and called forth the emulation of other states. Ferdinand hoped now to come in for a share in this lucrative commerce, and, in his eager- ness to obtain it, was willing to make an effort beyond what Bal- boa required. But even in this exertion, his jealous policy, as well as the fatal antipathy of Fonseca, now Bishop of Burgos, to every man of merit who distinguished himself in the New World, was conspicuous. Notwithstanding Balboa's recent services, which marked him out as the most proper person to finish that great undertaking which he had begun, Ferdinand was so ungenerous as to overlook these, and to appoint Pedrarias Davila governor of Darien. He gave him the command of fifteen stout vessels, and twelve hundred soldiers. These were fitted out at the public expense, with a liberality which Ferdinand had never dis- played in any former arma- ment destined for the New World ; and such was the ardor of the Spanish gen- tlemen to follow a leader who was about to conduct them to a couritrj^, where, as fame reported, they had only to throw their nets into the sea and draw out gold, that fifteen hundred embarked on board the fleet and, if they had not '] N 80UTH AMCmCA ACCORDING TC THE OkOBUt CONaTRUCTEO BV J. tCHOtlKn, IStS. 6o4 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. ; '.- » been restrained, a much greater number would have engaged in the service. Pedrarias reached the Gulf of Darien without any remarkable accident, and immediately sent some of his principal officers ashore to inform Balboa of his arrival, with the king's commission to be governor of the colony. To their astonishment, they found Bal- boa, of whose great exploits they had heard so much, and of whose opulence they had formed such high ideas, clad in a canvas jacket, and wearing coarse hempen sandals used only by the meanest peas- ants, employed, together with some Indians, in thatching his own hut with reeds. Even in this simple garb, which corresponded so ill with the expectations and wishes of his new guests, Balboa re- ceived them with dignity. The fame of his discoveries had drawn so many adventurers from the islands, that he could now muster four hundred and fifty men. At the head of those daring veterans, he was more than a match for the forces which Pedrarias brought with him. But, though his troops murmured loudly at the in- justice of the king in superseding their commander, and com- plained that strangers would now reap the fruits of their toil and success, Balboa submitted with implicit obedience to the will of his sovereign, and received Pedrarias with all the deference due to his character. Notwithstanding this moderation, to which Pedrarias owed the peaceable possession of his government, he appointed a judicial in- quiry to be made into Balboa's conduct, while under the command of Nicuesa, anc* imposed a considerable fine upon him, on account of the irregu' , of which he had then been guilty. Balboa fplt sensibl- -rtification of being subjected to trial and to punish- ment ^/iace where he had so lately occupied the first station. Pedrai.„j could not conceal his jealousy of his superior merit; so that the resentment of the one, and the envy of the other, gave rise to dissensions extremely detrimental to the colony. It was threat- ened with a calamity still more fatal. Pedrarias had landed in Darien at a most unlucky time of the year [July], about the middle •of the rainy season, in that part of the torrid zone where the clouds pour down such torrents as are unknown in more temperate climates. The village of Santa Maria was seated in a rich plain, environed with marshes and woods. The constitution of Euro- peans was unable to withstand the pestilential influence of such a m \y'' c THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 605 iu the arkable ashore a to be nd Bal- f whose jacket, !st peas- his own iided so ilboa re- .d drawn / muster veterans, brought t the in- md coin- toil and /ill of his ue to his situation, iu a climate naturally so noxious, and at a season so peculia.rl3' unhealthy. A violent and destructive malady carried oflf many of the soldiers who accompanied Pedrarias. An extreme scarcity of provisions augmented this distress, as it rendered it im- possible to find proper refreshment for the sick, or the necessary sustenance for the healthy. In the space of a month, above six hundred persons perished in the utmost misery. Dejection and despair spread through the colony. Many principal persons solic- ited their dismission, and were glad to relinquish all their hopes of wealth, in order to, escape from that perni- cious region. Pedrarias endeavored to divert those who remained from brooding over their misfortunes, by finding them employment. With this view, he sent several detachments into the interior parts of the country, to levy gold among the na- tives, and to search for the mines in which it was produced. Those rapacious adven- ^p turers, more attentive to present gain than to the means of facilitating their fu- ture progress, plundered without distinc- tion wherever they marched. Regardless of the alliances which Balboa had made with several of the caciques, they stripped them of everything valuable, and treated them, as well as their subjects, with the utmost inso- lence and cruelty. By their tyranny and ex- actions, which Pedrarias, either from want of authority or inclination, did not restrain, all the country from the Gulf of Darien to the lake of Nicaragua was desolated, and the Spaniards were inconsiderately deprived of the advantages which they might have derived from the friendship of the natives, in ex- tending their conquests to the South Sea. Balboa, who saw with concern that such ill-judged proceedings retarded the execution of his favorite scheme, sent violent remonstrances to Spain against the imprudent government of Pedrarias, which had ruined a happy and flourishing colony. Pedrarias, on the other hand, accused him of having deceived the king, by magnifying his own exploits, as well as by a false representation of the opulen'^e and value of the country. PEORARIA" RAIOINQ E«PE0IT{ONS AMONQ THE CACIQUES OF THI I8THMUS OF DARIEM (OR PANAMA.) 34 6o6 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. Ferdinand became sensible at length of bis imprudence in su- perseding the most active and experienced officer he had in the New World, and, by way of compensation to Balboa, appointed him Adelantado^ or L/ieutenant-Governor of the countries upon the South Sea, with very extensive privileges and authority. At the, same time, he enjoined Pedrarias to support Balboa in all his oper- ations, and to consult with him concerning ever}' measure which he himself pursued [^ "5J. But to effect such a sudden transition from inveterate enmity to perfect confidence, exceeded Ferdinand's power. Pedrarias continued to treat his rival with neglect ; and Balboa's fortune being exhausted by the payment of his fine, and other exactions of Pedrarias, he could not make suitable prepara- tions for taking possession of his new government. At length, by the interposition and exhortations of the Bishop of Darien, they were brought to a reconciliation ; and, in order to cement this union more firmly, Pedrarias agreed to give his daughter in marriage to Balboa [1516]. The first effect of their concord was, that Balboa was permitted to make several small incursions into the country. These he conducted with such prudence, as added to the reputation which he had already acquired. Many adventurers resorted to him, and, with the countenance and aid of Pedrarias, he began to prepare for his expedition to the South Sea. In order to accom- plish this, it was necessary to build vessels capable of conveying his troops to those pi-ovinces which he proposed to invade [1517]. After surmounting many obstacles, and enduring a variety of those hardships which were the portion of the conquerors of America, he at length finished four small brigantines. In these, with three hundred chosen men, a force superior to that with which Pizarro afterwards undertook the same expedition, he was ready to sail towards Peru, when he received an unexpected mes- sage from Pedrarias. As his reconciliation with Balboa had never been cordial, the progress which his son-in-law was making re- vived his ancient enmity, and added to its rancor. He dreaded the prosperity and elevation of a man whom he had injured so deeply. He suspected that success would encourage him to aim at inde- pendence upon his jurisdiction ; and so violently did the passion of hatred, fear, and jealousy operate upon his mind, that, in order to gratify his vengeance, he scrupled not to defeat an enterprise of the greatest moment to his country. Under pretexts which were THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 607 in SU- m the :d him •n the ^t the s oper- which nsition inand's ;t; and tie, and >repara- .gth, by m, they is union riage to t Balboa country. putation iortcd to began to o accom- ,nveying le [1517]- .riety of [lerors of n these, |liat with ,, he was ;ted nies- ad never iking re- aded the |o deeply. at inde- passion iu order irprise of lich were false, but plausible, he desired Balboa to postpone his voyage for a short time, and to repair to Ada, in order that he might have an interview with him. Balboa, with the unsuspicious confidence of a man conscious of no crime, instantly obej'ed the summons ; but as soon as he entered the place, he was arrested by order . / of Pedrarias, whose impatience to satiate his revenge did not suffer him to languish long in confinement. Judges were immediately appointed to proceed to his trial. An accusation of disloyalty to the king, and of an intention to revolt against the governor, was pre- ferred against him. Sentence of death was pro- nounced ; and though the judges who passed it, seconded by the whole colony, interceded warmly for his pardon, Pedrarias ^.ontinued inexorable ; and the Spaniards beheld, with astonishment and sorrow, tiie public execution of a man whom they univers- ally deemed more capable than any one who had borne command in America, of forming and accomp- lishing great designs. Upon his death, the expedition which he had planned was relinquished. Pedrarias, notwithstanding the violence and injustice of his pro- ceedings, was not only screened from punishment by the powerful patronage of the Bishop of Burgos and other courtiers, but continued in power. Soon after he obtained permission to re- move the colony from its unwholesome station of Santa Maria to Panama, on the opposite side of the isthmus ; and though it did not gain much in point of healthfulness by the change, the com- modious situation of this new settlement contributed greatly to facilitate tixe subsequent conquests of the Spaniards iu the exten- sive countries situated upon the Southern Ocean. COSTUME OF EXECUTIONER, XV. AND XVI. CENTURIES. HOLLOW TERR* rOTT* FIGURES, SO^AILED CHiaCHA-ANTIaUITIES FROM COLUMBIA. ETHNOORAPHICAL MUSEUM, BERLIN. 5' CHAPTER LXV. ■CHCMC8 FOR THE DISCOVERY OF PERU UNSUCCESSFUL FOR SOME TIME. THE ENTERPRISE AT LAST UNDERTAKEN BV PIZARRO, ALMAQRO, AND LUQUE. :tS24.) ROM the time that Nunez de Balboa discovered the great Southern ocean, and received the first obscure hints concerning the opu- lent countries with which it might open a communication, the wishes and schemes of every enterprising person in the col- onies of Darien and Pana- ania were turned towards the wealth of those unknown regions. In an age when the spirit of adventure was so ardent and vigorous, that large fortun es were wasted, and the most alarming dangers braved, in pursuit of discoveries merely pos- sible, the faintest ray of hope was followed with an eager expec- tation, and the slight- est information was sufficient to inspire such perfect confidence, as con- ducted men to the most arduous undertaking. THE OMAT eino OF PRE* OF TME ANt U, TMI CONDOK, OfVOUfUdO A ILAMA. CSoS) .^J THE CONQUEST OK PERU. 609 INTCRPBI«t Accordingly, several armaments were fitted out in order to ex- plore and take possession of the countries to the east of Panama, but under the conduct of leaders whose talents and resources were unequal to the attempt. As the excursions of those adventurers did not extend beyond the limits of the province to which the Spaniards have given the name of Tierra Firme, a mountainous region covered with woods, thinly inhabited, and extremely un- healthy, they returned with dismal accounts concerning the dis- tresses to which they had been exposed, and the unpromising as- pect of the places which they had visited. Damped by these tidings, the rage for discovery in that direction abated ; and it became the general opinion that Balboa had founded visionary hopes, on the tale of an ignorant Indian, ill understood, or calculated to deceive. 1 5 24. J But there were three persons settled in Panama on whom the circumstances which deterred others made so little im- pression, that, at the very moijient when all considered Balboa's expectations of discoverir^" a rich country, by steering towards the east, as chimerical, they resolved to attempt the execution of his scheme. The names of those extraordinary men were PVancisco Pizarro, Diego de Almagro, and Hernando Luque. Pizarro was the natural son of a gentleman of an honorable family by a very low woman, and, according to the cruel fate which often attends the offspring of unlawful love, had been so totally neglected in his youth by the author of his birth, that he seems to have destined him never to rise beyond the condition of his mother. In conse- quence of this ungenerous idea, he set him, when bordering on manhood, to keep hogs. But the aspiring mind of young Pizarro disdaining that ignoble occupation, he abruptly abandoned his charge, enlisted as a soldier, and, after serving some years in Italy, embarked for America, which, by opening such a boundless range to active talents, allured every adventurer whose fortune was not equal to his ambitious thoughts. There Pizarro early distinguished himself. With a temper of mind no less daring than the constitu- tion of his body was robust, he was foremost in every danger, pa- tient under the greatest hardships, and unsubdued by any fatigue. Though so illiterate that he could not even read, he was soon con- sidered as a man formed to command. Every operation committed to his conduct proved successful, as, by a happy but rare conjunc- tion, he united perseverance with ardor, and was as cautious in 6io THE CONQUEST OF PERU. ".„r- executing as he was bold in forming his plans. By engaging early in active life, without any resource but his own talents and indus- try, and by depending on himself alone in his struggles to emerge from obscurity, he acquired such a thorough knowledge of affairs, and of men, that he was fitted to assume a superior part in con- ducting the former, and in governing the latter. Almagro had as little to boast of his descent as Pizarro. The one was a bastard, the other a foundling. Bred, like his compan- ion, in the camp, he yielded not to him in any of the soldierly qualities of intrepid valor, indefatigable activity, or insurmounta- ble constancy in enduring the hardships inseparable from military service in the New World. But in Almagro these virtues were accompanied with the openness, generosity, and candor natural to men whose profession is arms ; in Pizarro they were united with the address, the craft, and the dissimulation of a politician, with the art of concealing his own purposes, and with sagacity to pene- trate into those of other men. Hernando de Luque was an ecclesiastic, who acted both as priest and schoolmaster at Panama, and, by means which the con- temporary writers have not described, had amassed riches that in- spired him with thoughts of rising to greater eminence. Such were the men destined to overturn one of the most ex- tensive empires on the face of the earth. Their confederacy for this purpose was authorized by Pedrarias, the governor of Panama. Each engaged to employ his whole fortune in the adventure. Pi- zarro, the least wealthy of the three, as he could not throw so large a sum as his associates into the common stock, engaged to take the department of greatest fatigue and danger, and to command in person the armament which was to go first upon discovery. Almagro offered to conduct the supplies of provisions and reinforcements of troops, of which Pizarro might stand in need. Luque was to remain at Panama to negotiate with the governor, and superintend whatever was carrying on for the general in- terest. As the spirit of enthusiasm uniformly accompanied that of adventure in the New World, and by that strange union both IK TMt NAHF OF THE PRINCE OF FC»r€, PIZARRO. ALMAGRO. AND FAI""» • .!■ .UE RATIFY A CONTRACT OF WF "M PLUN^^h •-*' Bi OODBHEO ARE TH| OUk -^ THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 6ll acquired an increase of force, this confederacy, formed by ambition and avarice, was confirmed by the most solemn act of religion. Luque celebrated mass, divided a consecra^.ed host into three, and, reserving one part to himself, gave the other two to his asso- ciates, of which they partook ; and thus, in the name of the Prince of Peace, ratified a contract of which plunder and bloodshed were the objects. The attempt was begun with a force more suited to the humble ■condition of the three associates than to the greatness of the enter- prise in which they were engaged. Pizarro set sail from Panama [Nov. 14] with a single vessel of small burden, and a hundred and twelve men. But in that age. so little were the Spanish acquainted with the peculiarities of the ..,imate in America, that the time which Pizarro chose for his depa^ ire was the most improper in the whole year ; the periodical wi«- 4s, which were then set in, being directly adverse to the course - nich he proposed to steer. After beating about for seventy da_, s, with much danger and incessant fatigue, Pizarro's progress towards the south-east was not greater than what a skillful navigator will now make in as many hours. He touched at several places on the coast of Tierra Firme, but found •everywhere the same uninviting country which former adventurers had described ; the low grounds converted into swamps by an over- flowing of rivers ; the higher, covered with impervious woods ; few inhabitants, and those fierce and hostile. Famine, fatigue, frequent rencounters with the natives, and, above all, the distempers of a moist, sultry climate, combined in wasting his slender band of fol- lowers. [1525.] The undaunted resolution of their leader contin- ued, however, for some time, to sustain their spirits, although no sign had yet appeared of discovering those golden regions. to which he had promised to conduct them. At length, he was obliged to abandon that inhospitable coast, and retire to Chuchama, opposite to the Pearl Islands, where he hoped to receive a supply of provis- ions and troops from Panama. But Almagro, having sailed from that port with seventy men, stood directly towards that part of the continent where he hoped to meet with his associates. Not finding him there, he landed his soldiers, who, in searching for their companions, underwent the same distresses, and were exposed to the same dangers, which had driven them out of the country. Repulsed, at length by the Indians 6l2 UrPER PIECE, NECKLACE MADE FROM NACRE. LOWER PIECES, SLINGS, MADE PARTLY OF HUMAN HAIR, AND PARTLV OF THE FIBRES OF THE ALOE. FROM THE NECROPOLIS AT ANCON. mmm MEAD-DRESS MADE OF FEATHERS, THE BAND lOlirSCOre lllCll MADE OF THE FIBRES OF THE ALOE. FOUND AT FACALA. PONCHO-UKE SHIRT FOUND AT VIRACOCHA- PAMP*. rOOT-OCAR FOUND AT CAXAHALCA AND VIRACOCHAPAMPA. THE CONQUEST OF PERU. in a sharp conflict, in which their leader lost one of his eyes by the wound of an arrow, they likewise were compelled to re-embark. Chance led them to the place of Pizarro's retreat, where they found some consolation in recounting to each other their adven- tures, and comparing their sufferings. As Almagro had advanced as far as the river St. Juan [June 24], in the province of Popayan, where both the country and inhabitants appeared with a more promising aspect, that dawn of better fortune was sufficient to deter- mine such sanguine projectors not to abandon their scheme, notwithstanding all that they had suffered in prosecuting it. [1526]. Almagro repaired to Panama in hopes of re- cruiting their shattered troops. But what he and Pizarro had suffered, gave his countrymen such an unfavorable idea of the service, that it was with difficulty he could levy Feeble as this reinforcement was, Alma- gro took the command of it, and, having joined Pizarro, they did not hesitate about resuming their operations. After a long series of disasters and disappointments, not inferior to those which they had already experienced, part of the armament reached the Bay of St. Matthew, on the coast of Quito, and landing at Tacamez, to the south of the river of Emeralds, they beheld a country more cham- paign and fertile than any they had yet discovered in the Southern Ocean, the natives clad in garments of woolen or cotton stuff, and adorned with several trinkets of gold and silver. But, notwithstanding those favorable appearances, magnified beyond the truth, both by the vanity of the persons who brought the report from Tacamez, and by the fond imagination of those who listened to them, Pizarro and Almagro durst not venture to invade a country so popu- lous with a handful of men, enfeebled by fatigue and diseases. They retired to the small island of Gallo, where Pizarro remained with part of the troops, and his associate returned to Pana- ma, in hopes of bringing such a reinforcement^ SANDALS FOUND AT CAJABAMBA. t one of likewise them to nd some r adven- Mmagro line 24], country omising- to deter- scheme, ;iiting it. ;s of re- [ Pizarro able idea uld levy IS, Alma- Pizarro, lerations. ents, not iced, part ff, on the th of the cham- iii the /oolen or gold and arances, e vanity rt from of those Almagro SO popu- y fatigue 11 island 1 part of to Pana- rcemeut^ e IX . o I- s 0. |K O O -3 O ^• a o 1 ^" 1 ^■1 1 : ^Ht r 3 j THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 615 as might enable them to take possession of the opulent territories whose existence seemed to be no longer doubtful. But some of the adventurers, less enterprising, or less hardy, than their leaders, having secretly conveyed lamentable accounts of their sufferings and losses to their friends at Panama, Almagro met with an unfavorable reception frotn Pedro de los Rios, who had succeeded Pedrarias in the government of that settlement. After weighing the matter with that cold economical prudence, which appears the first of all virtues to persons whose limited faculties are incapable ( ^ conceiving or executing great designs, he con- cluded an expedition, attended v/ith such certain waste of men, to be so detrimental to an infant and feeble colony, that he not only prohibited the raising of new levies, but despatched a vessel to bring home Pizarro and his companions from the island of Gallo. Almagto and Luque, though deeply affected with those measures, which they could not prevent, and durst not oppose, found means of communicating their sentiments privately to Pizarro, and ex- horted him not to relinquish an enterprise that was the foundation of all their hopes, and the only means of re-establishing their rep- utation and fortune, which were both on the decline. Pizarro's mind, bent with inflexible obstinacy on all its purposes, needed no incentive to persist in the scheme. He peremptorily refused to obey the governor of Panama's orders, and employed, all his ad- dress and eloquence in persuading his men not to abandon him. But the incredible calamities to which they had been exposed were .still so recent in their memories, and the thoughts of revisiting their families and friends, after a long absence, rushed with such joy into their minds, that when Pizarro drew a line upon the sand with his sword, permitting such as wished to return home to pass over it, only sixteen of all the daring veterans in his service had resolution to remain with their commander. This small, but determined band, whose names the Spanish his- torians record with deserved praise, as the persons to whose perse- vering fortitude their country is indebted for the most valuable of all its American possessions, fixed their residence in the island of Gorgona. This, as it was further removed from the coast than Gallo, and uninhabited, they considered as a more secure retreat, where, unmolested, they might wait for supplies from Panama, which they trusted that the activity of their associates would be I 6i6 THE CONQUKvST OF PKRU. PAINTtO TERRA COTTA VASII. THE MIDDLE ONE REPREIENTB AN INDIAN OARRVINO A llAMA, FROM THE NECROPOLIS AT ANCON. able to procure. Almagro and Luque were not inattentive or cold solicitors, and their incessant importunity was seconded by the gen- eral voice of the colony, which exclaimed loudly against the infamy of exposing brave men, engaged in the public service, and charge- able with no error but what flowed from an excess of zeal and cour- age, to perish like the most odious criminals in a desert island. Overcome by those entreaties and expostulations, the governor at last consented to send a small vessel to their relief. But that he might not seem to encourage Piz- arro to any new enterprise, he would not permit one landman to embark on board of it. By this time, Pizarro and his companions had remained five months in an island, infamous for the most unhealthy climate in that region of America. During all this period, their eyes were turned towards Panama, in hopes of succor from their countrymen ; but worn out at length with fruitless expectations, and dispirited with suffering hardships of which they saw no end, they, in despair, came to a resolution of committing themselves to the ocean on a float, rather than continue in that detestable abode. But, on the arrival of the vessel from Panama, they were transported with such joy that all their sufferings were forgotten. Their hopes revived ; and, with a rapid transition not unnatural among men accustomed by their mode of life to sudden vicissitudes of fortune, high confi- dence succeeding to extreme dejection, Pizarro easily induced not only his own followers, but the crew of the vessel from Panama, to resume his former scheme with fresh ardor. Instead of returning to Panama, they stood towards the south-east, and, more fortunate in this than in any of their past efforts, they, on the twentieth day after their de- parture from Gorgona, discovered the coast of Peru. I After touching at several villages near the shore, which they found to be nowise inviting, they landed at Tumbez, a place of some note about three degrees south of the line, distinguished for its stately tem- I pie, and a palace of the Incas or sovereigns of the country. There the Spaniards feasted their eyes VELIOW TERRA OOTTA VAIES, WITH RED DE8IQNS, FROM HUANTAH. THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 617 ■with the first view of the opulence and civilization of the Peruvian empire. They beheld a country full}' peopled, and cultivated with an appearance of regular industry ; the natives decently clothed, and possessed of ingenuity so far surpassing the other inhabitants of the New World, as to have the use of tame domestic animals. But what chiefly attracted their notice was such a show of gold and silver, not only in the ornaments of their persons and temples, but in several vessels and utensils for common use, formed of those precious metals, as left no room to doubt that they abounded with profusion in the country. Pizarro and his companions seemed now to have attained to the com- pletion of their most sanguine hopes, and fancied that all their wishes and dreams of rich domains, and inexhaust- ible treasures, would soon be realized. But with the slender force then under his command, Pizarro could only view the rich country of which he hoped hereafter to obtain possession. He ranged, how- ever, for some time along the coast, maintaining every- where a peaceable intercourse with the natives, no less astonished at their new visitants, than the Spaniards were with the uniform appearance of opulence and cultivation which they beheld [1527]. Having explored the country QUIPUS, OR KNOTTED CORDS, USED BY THI PERUVIANS IN RECKONiNO. FOUND AT PARAMANQO. The Qiiipu consists of a thick main cord, with minor cords tied on to it at certain distances. The cords are often of various colors, each with its own proper meaning: red for soldiers, yellow for gold, white for silver, green for corn, etc. A single knot meant ten, a double one a hundred, as far as was requisite to ascertain the importance of the side''by°s'ide* \w°cn?yf twrd'iubu^ discovery, Pizarro procured from the inhabitants some of k:o.s''ro„?'lhe'ma^n''co7d"te"rVoi great importance. The difficulty of deciphering them is very ^reat, since every knot indicates an idea, and a number of ' left out. intermediate notions are their Llamas^ or tame cattle, to which the Spaniards gave the name of sheep, some vessels of gold and silver, as well as some specimens of their other works of inge- nuity, and two young men, whom he proposed to in- struct in the Castilian language, that they might serve as interpreters in the expedition which he meditated. With these he arrived at Panama, towards the close of the third year from the time of his departure thence. No adventurer of the age suffered hardships or encoun- tered dangers which equal those to which he was ex- posed during this long period. The patience with which he endured the one, and the fortitude with which he surmounted the other, exceed whatever is recorded in the history of the New World, where so many romantic trm^,'i;p'htr"rfb„te,''/o?hV^^ displays of those virtues occur. A8ACCU9| OR COUNTINQ STONE. FOUND AT CHUCANA. A peculiarly formed instrument, which has been mistaken by some for city relief-plans. The trioute fur- nished by the various tribes was thus carefully registered; each tribe was denoted by a particular color, and of corn in the highest corner towers denoted a hundred times greater tribute than a grain deposited in the lowest box between the two towers. — Dr. Fr. Ralztl, VotlkerkuniU, Vol. in. 6i8 THE CONQUKnr OF PRRU. SCAT WITH TOP MADIj mOM THt MAQUEV TREI. PIECE OF CLOTH. FROM THE NECR0POII8 AT ANCON. Though the I, lama herds were exclusively the nrripirly of ihc liuas. each inliabiiant received his sliare of wool yearly, wliich, to^ethci with cotton, and oilier fibres, were very skillfully and lieaiiiifully woven into all kinds of fabrics by them. 1528]. Neither the splendid relation that Pizarro gave of the incredible opulence of the country which lie had discovered, nor his bitter complaints on account of that unseasonable recall of his forces, which had put it out of his power to attempt making any settle- m e n t there, could move the govern- or of Panama to swerve from his former plan of conduct. He still contended, that the colony was not in a condition to invade such a mighty empire, and refused to authorize an expedition which, he foresaw, would be so alluring that it might ruin the province in which he presided, by an effort beyond its strength. His coldness, however, did not, in any degree, abate the ardor of the three associates ; but they perceived they could not carry their scheme into execution without the countenance of superior authority, and must solicit their 'sovereign to grant that permis- sion which they could not extort from his dele- gate. With this view, after adjusting among themselves, that Pizarro should claim the sta- tion of governor, Almagro that of lieutenant- governor, and Ivuque the dignity of bishop in the country which they pxirposed to conquer, they sent Pizarro as their agent to Spain, though their fortunes were now so much ex- hausted by the repeated efforts which they had made, that they found some difficulty in borrowing the small sum requisite towards equipping him for the voyage. v__ ANTIQUe PERUVIAN WOOD CARVIROS, 10019, AND SCEPTRES. FOUND IN THE OUANO DEPOSITS OF THE MACABi ISLANDS. CHRISTY COLLECTION, LONDON. TYPES OF FACE-URNS FROM OLD PERU. ETHNOaHAPHICAl MUSEUM, BERLIN. exclusivelv the iliilant rrcrivcd l(.(;ctlioi with ry skillfullv and s of fabrics by which, he light ruin an effort ,vever, did the three could not lithout the and must t permis- I his dele- Ill g among II the sta- euten ant- bishop in conquer, to Spain, much ex- that they e towards PIZARRO BEFORE THE EMPEROR CHARLES V. PAINTING BV A LIZCANO. ">TU) 620 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. Pizarro lost no time in repairing to court ; and new as the scene might be to him, he appeared before the emperor with the unembarrassed dignity of a man, conscious of what his services merited ; and he conducted his negotiations with an insinuating dexterity of address, which could not have been expected either from his education or former habits of life. His feeling descrip- tion of his own sufferings, and his pompous account of the country which he had discovered, confirmed by the specimens of its pro- ductions which he exhibited, made such an impression both on Charles and his ministers, that they not only approved of the in- tended expedition, but seemed to be interested in the success of its leader. Presuming on those dispositions in his favor, Pizarro paid little attention to the interest of his associates. As the pretensions of Luque did not interfere with his own, he obtained for him the ecclesiastical dignity to which he aspired. For Almagro, he claimed only the command of the fortress which should be erected at Tumbez. To himself he secured whatever his boundless ambition could de- sire. He was appointed [July 26], governor, captain-general, and adelantado of alT the country which he had discovered, and hoped to conquer, with supreme authority, civil as well as military ; and with full right to all the privileges and emoluments usually granted to adventurers in the New World. His jurisdiction was declared to extend two hundred leagues along the coast to the south of the river St. Jago ; to be independent of the governor of Panama ; and he had power to nominate all the officers who were to serve under him. In return for those concessions, which cost the court of Spain nothing, as the enjoyment of them depended upon the success of Pizarro's own efforts, he engaged to raise two hundred and fifty men, and to provide the ships, arms, and warlike stores requisite towards subjecting to the crown of Castile the country of which the government was allotted him. 1529]. Inconsiderable as the body of men was which Pizarro had undertaken to raise, his funds and credit were so low that he could hardly complete half the number; and after obtaining his patents from the crown, he was obliged to steal privately out of the port of Seville, in order to elude the scrutiny of the officers, who had it in charge to examine whether he had fulfilled the stipu- lations in his contract. Before his departure, however, he received some supply of mouey from Cortes, who having returned to Spain THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 621 as the itli the lervices mating I either iescrip- country its pro- Doth on the in- ss of its rro paid tensions him the claimed Tumbez. :ould de- eral, and id hoped ary ; and J granted declared Ith of the ma; and ve under of Spain .ccess of land fifty requisite |of which |i Pizarro that he [ning his [ly out of officers, |he stipu- received Ito Spain about this time, was willing to contribute his aid towards enabling an ancient companion, with whose talents and courage he was well acquainted, to begin a career of glory similar to that which he him- self had finished. He landed at Nombre de Dios, and marched across the isthmus to Panama, accompanied by his three brothers, Ferdinand, Juan, and Gonzalo, of whom the first was born in lawful wedlock, the two latter, like himself, were of illegitimate birth, and by Francisco de Alcantara, his mother's brother. They were all in the prime of life, and of such abilities and courage, as fitted them to take a dis- tinguished part in his subsequent transactions. 1530]. On his arrival at Panama, Pizarro found Almagro so much exasperated at the manner in which he had conducted his negotiation, that he not only refused to act any longer in concert with a man by whose perfidy he had been excluded from the power and honors to which he had a just claim, but labored to form a new association, in order to thwart or to rival his former confed'^r- ate in his discoveries. Pizarro, however, had more wisdom and address than to suffer a rupture so fatal to all his schemes, to be- come irreparable. By offering voluntarily to relinquish the oflSce of adelantado, and promising to concur in solicitin|f that title, with an independent government for Almagro, he gradually mitigated the rage of an open-hearted soldier, which had been violent, but was not implacable. Luque, highly satisfied with having been suc- cessful in all his own pretensions, cordially seconded Pizarro's en- deavors. A reconciliation was effected, and the confederacy re- newed on its original terms, that the enterprise should be carried on at the common expense of the associates, and the profits accruing from it should be equally divided among them. OLD PERUVIAN DlCa FOR DECORATINQ (TATTOOING) THE BODV. ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM, BERLIN. EAR ORNAMINT, MADE FROM RED TERRA COTTA. FOUND AT CHANCAV. ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE. The wearing of these ornaments in the lobe of the ear was reserved for the ?irinces of the royal blood. At the age of puberty their ears were pierced, and, rom time to time, larger blocks were introduced, until the desired size was at last obtained. CHAPTER LXVI. THE STATE OF THE PERUVIAN EMPIRE AT THAT TIME FAVORABLE TO THE INVADERS. PIZARRO AVAILS HIMSELF OF IT, AND ADVANCES INTO THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY. TAKES THE INCA PRISONER. VEN after their reunion, and the utmost efforts of their interest, three small vessels, with a hundred and eighty soldiers, thirty-six of whom were horsemen, composed the arma- ment which they were able to fit ou<-. But the astonishing progress of the Spaniards in America had inspired them with such ideas of their own superiority, that Pizarro did not hesitate to sail with this contemptible force [Feb. 153 1] to invade a great empire. Almagro was left at Panama, as formerly, to follow him with what reinforce- ment of men he should be able to muster. As the season for em- barking was properly chosen, and the course of navigation between Panama and Peru was now better known, Pizarro completed the voyage in thirteen days ; though, by the force of the winds and cur- rents, he was carried above a hundred leagues to the north of Tum- bez, the place of his destination, and obliged to land his troops in the bay of St. Matthew. Without losing a moment, he began to advance towards the south, taking care, however, not to depart far from the sea-shore, both that he might easily effect a junction with (6-.») THR CONQUEST OF PERU. 623 NVADERS. WATER PITCHERS MADE OF TERRA COTTA. FOUND AT ANCON AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUJIUO. That with the representations of warriors depicted on its base, is one of the best ex- amples of old Peruvian handicraft extant. the supplies which he expected from Panama, and secure a retreat in case of any disaster, by keeping as iiear as possible to his ships. But as the country in several parts on the coast of Peru is barren, unhealthful, and thinly peopled ; as the Span- iards had to pass all the rivers near their mouths, where the body of water is greatest ; and as the imprudence of Pizarro, in attacking the natives, when he should have studied to gain their con- fidence, had forced them to abandon their habi- tations ; famine, fatigue, and diseases of various kinds, brought upon him and his followers cala- mities hardly inferior to those which they had endured in their former expedition. What they now experienced corresponded so ill with the alluring description of the country given by Pizarro, that many began to reproach him, and every soldier must have become cold to the service, if, even in this unfertile region of Peru, they had not met with some appearances of wealth and civilization, which seemed to justify the report of their leader. At length they reached the province of Coaque [April 14] ; and, having surprised the principal set- tlement of the natives, they seized their ves- sels and ornaments of gold and silver, to the amount of thirty thousand pesos, with other booty of such value as dispelled all their doubts, and inspired the most desponding with sanguine hopes. Pizarro himself was so much delighted with this rich spoil, which he considered as the first fruits of a land abounding with treasure, that he instantly despatched one of his ships to Panama with a large remittance to Almagro ; and another to Nicaragua with a considerable sum to several persons of influence in that province, in hopes of alluring adventurers by this early display of the wealth which he had acquired. Meanwhile, he continued his march along the coast ; and disdaining to employ any means of re- ducing the natives but force, he attacked them with such violence in their scattered habitations, as compelled them either to retire into the interior country, or to submit to his yoke. This sudden TERRA COTTA VA6ES FOUND IN THE RUINS OF MUAULLANQ, NEAR THE VILLAGE OF CORONGO, ON THE FARM OF 8EN0R UHCON. 35 TERRA COTTA VASE, DECO- RATED WITH SATTie SCENCa. ETHNOQRAPHICAI. MUSEUM^ BERLIN. tm- 624 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. appearance of invaders, whose aspect and manners were so strange, and whose power seemed to be so irresistible, made the same dread' ful impression as in other parts of America. Pizarro hardly met with resistance nntil he attacked the island of Pnna in the bay of Gnyaquil. As that was better peopled than the country through which he had passed, and its inhabitants fiercer and less civilized than those of the continent, they defended themselves with such obstinate valor, that Pizarro spent six months in reducing them to subjection. From Puna he proceeded to Tumbez, Avhere the dis. tempers which raged among his men compelled him to remain for three months. While he was thus employed, he began to reap advantage from his attention to spread the fame of his first success at Coaque. Two different detachments arrived from Nicaragiia [1532], which, though neither exceeded thirty men, he considered as a reinforce- ment of great consequence to his feeble band, especially as the one was under the command of Sebastian Benalcazar, and the other of Hernando Soto, officers not inferior in merit and reputation to any who had served in America. From Tumbez he proceeded to the river Piura [May 16], and, in an advantageous station near the mouth of it, he established the first Spanish colony in Peru ; to which he gave the name of St. Michael. As Pizarro continued to advance towards the centre of the Peruvian empire, he gradually received more full information con- cerning its extent and policy, as well as the situation of its affairs at that juncture. Without some knowledge of these, he could not have conducted his operations with propriety ; and without a suit- able attention to them, it is impossible to account for the progress which the Spaniards had already made, or to unfold the causes of ^^ their subsequent success. riE eiuB. Ar-D At the time when the Spaniards invaded Peru, the dominions lANCE. ^|. ^^g sovereigns extended in length, from north to south, above sto'n"fa'stVned"with fiftecu huudrcd miles along the Pacific Ocean. Its breadth, from east to west, was much less considerable ; being uniforml}^ bounded by the vast ridge of the Andes, stretching from its one extremity to the other. Peru, like the rest of the New World, was originally possessed by small independent tribes, differing from each other in manners, and in their forms of rude policy. All, however, were so little civilized, that, if the traditions concerning their mode ot cotton to its base, like the old German *' Morgcnstern.'* so strange, ame dread- hardly met the bay of ry through 3S civilized with such ng them to re the dis- remain for ntage from at Coaque. 32], which, 1 reinforce- as the one tie other of ition to any ;ded to the n near the n Peru ; to ntre of the nation con- its affairs could not lout a suit- le progress le causes of dominions 3uth, above adth, from y bounded extremity originally ch other in vever, were ir mode oi i (625) THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 627 EXTERIOR WAIL OF THE FORTRESS OF SACSAIHUAMAN, NEAR CUZCO. CcyCLOPEAN STYLE.) life, preserved among their descendants, deserve credit, they must be classed among the most unimproved savages of America. Strangers to every species of cultivation or regular industry, without any fixed resi- dence, and unacquainted with those senti- ments and obligations which form the first bond of social union, they are said to have roamed about naked in the forests, with which the country was then covered, more like wild beasts than like men. After they had struggled for several ages with the hard- ships and calamities which are inevitable in such a state, and when no circumstance seemed to indicate the approach of any un- common effort towards improvement, we are told that there appeared, on the banks of the lake Titicaca, a man and woman of ma- jestic form, clothed in decent garments. They declared themselves to be children of the Sun, sent by their beneficent parent, who beheld with pity the miseries of the human race, to instruct and to reclaim them. At stones were dftencarLfnlly irimmeil, ami so dosely, th.it , •, p ^ - - not even the blade of a knife couM be inserted between their persuasion, enforced by reverence for 'hem. the divinity in whose name they were supposed to speak, several of the dispersed savages united to- gether, and, receiving their commands as heavenly injunctions, followed them to Cuzco, where they settled, and began to lay the foundations of a city. Manco Capac and Mama Ocollo, fo" such were the names of those extraordinary personages, having thus collected some wandering tribes, formed that social union, which, by multiplying the desires and uniting the efforts of the human species, excites in- dustry and leads to improvement. Manco Capac in- structed the men in agriculture, and other useful arts. Mama Ocollo taught the women to spin and to weave. By the labor of the one sex, subsistence became less precarious ; by that of the other, life was rendered more comfort- WALL FROM THE FORTRESS OF OLLANTAITAMBO. 'I'he walls of the early I'criiviim huildings were erected without the use t.f mortar or ijciuent. 'I'he sides of the WALL FROM THE NORTHERN FACADE OF THE PALACE OF THE INCA, ISLAND OF THE SUN, LAKE TITICACA. 1 ' 1 |E| 1 1 628 THE CONQUEST OK PERU. WOOLEN BAQ ; OPEMNQ CAP* BLE or BEING CLOSED WITH 0RAW8TRIN0. WORK-BASKET MADE Or WOVE.. GRASS; USED FOR THE SAFE-KEEPING OF SPINNING AND WEAVING TOOLS, WHICH ARE SEEN IVINQ ON TOP. FROM THE NECROPOLIS AT ANCON. ■■:'4 able. After securing the objects of first necessity in an infant state, by providing food, raiment, and habitations for the rnde people of whom he took charge, Manco Capac turned his atten- tion towards introducing such laws and policy as might perpetuate their happiness. By his institutions, which shall ])e more particularly explained hereafter, the various relations in private life were established, and the duties resulting from them prescribed with such propriety, as gradually formed a barbarous people to decency of manners. In public administra- tion, the functions of persons in authority were so precisely defined, and the subordination of those under their jurisdiction maintained with such a steady hand, that the society in which he presided soon assumed the aspect of a regular and well-governed state. Thus, according to the Indian tradition, was founded the em- pire of the Incas, or Lords of Peru. At first, its extent was small. The territory of Manco Capac did not reach above eight leagues from Cuzco. But within its narrow precincts he exercised absolute and uncontrolled authority. His successors, as their dominions extended, arrogated a similar jurisdiction over the new subjects which they acquired ; the despotism of Asia was not more com- plete. The Incas were not only obeyed as monarchs, but revered as divinities. Their blood was held to be sacred, and, by prohib- iting intermarriages with the people, was never contaminated by mixing with that of any other race. The family, thus separated from the rest of the nation, was distinguished by peculiarities in dress and ornaments, which it was unlawful for others to assume. The monarch himself appeared with ensigns of royalty reserved for him alone ; and received from his subjects marks of obsequious homage and respect which approached almost to adoration. But, among the Peruvians, this unbounded power of their monarchs seems to have been uniformly accompanied with attention w the good of their subjects. It was not the rage of conquest, if we may believe the accounts of their countrymen, that prompted the Incas to extend their dominions, but the desire of diffusing the blessings of civilization, and the knowledge of the arts which THE INCA (EMPEROR) AND COYA (EMPRESS) ACCOMPANIED BY THEIR CECUMILLU (DWARF). REDRAWN FROM DESCRIPTIONS FURNISHED BV THE (INCA) CARCILLtSSO DE LA VEGA, HIITORIAN OF PERU. ii' 630 THE CONQUEST OK PERU. CHUI.PA8, OR SEPULCHRES, THREE LEAGUES SOUTHEAST OF PIMO, The usual nuide of hnrying was under Rrnuiid ; only the nobility erected monument above ground bnilt of stci they possessed, among the barbarous people whom they reduced. During a successiou of twelve nionarchs, it is said that not one deviated from this beneficent character. When the Spaniards first visited the coast of Peru, in the year 1526, Huana Capac, the twelfth monarch from the founder of the state, was seated on the throne. He is represented as a prince distinguished not only for the pacific virtues peculiar to the race, but eminent for his martial talents. By his victorious arms the kingdom of Quito was subjected, a conquest of such extent and importance as almost doubled the power of the Peruvian empire. He was fond of residing in the capital of that valu- able province which he had added to his dominions ; and notwithstanding the an- cient and fundamental law of the mon- archy against polluting the royal blood by any foreign alliance, he married the daughter of the vanquished monarch of Quito. She bore him a son named Ata- hualpa, whom, on his death at Quito, which seems to have happened about the year 1529, he appointed his successor in that kingdom, leaving the rest of his do- minion's to Huascar, his eldest son by a mother of the royal race. Greatly as the Peruvians revered the memory of a mon- arch, who had reigned with greater repu- tation and splendor than any of his pre- decessors, the destination of Huana Capac, concerning the succession, appeared so repugnant to a maxim coeval with the empire, and founded on authority deemed sacred, that it was no sooner known at Cuzco than it excited general disgust. Encouraged by those sentiments of his subjects, Huascar required his brother to MUMMIES FROM THE NECROPOLIS AT ANCON. The Peruvians were as successful as the Egyptians in the miserable attempt to perpetuate the existence of the body be- yond the limits assigned to it by nature. Unlike the elaborate embalming of the Kgyptians, it consisted in exposing it to the action of the cold, exceedingly dry, and highly rarified atmos- phere of the mountains. They buried with the deceased some of his apparel, utensils, and frequently treasure; and com- pleted the gloomy ceremony by sacrificing his wives and domestics to bear him company, and do him service in the happy regions beyond the clouds.— /V«co//, Conquest, Vol. I. The body of the deceased was put into a sitting posture, knees tightly drawn to the body, and the whole carefully bound and wound about with cotton or woolen cloths^ until It assumed a bag-like appearance, as seen in the illustration. 1 INCA MANCO CCAPAC. Cm. tjtoi II. INCA SINCHI ROCCA > ' COVA MAMA OCLLO HUACCO J^^^^ COYA MAMA CORA OCCLLO INCA LLOQUE YUPANQUI COYA MAMA CCAHUANA THE TWELVE INCAS (EMPERORS) AND COYAS (EMPRESSES) OF PERU. These p^i traits, /~., .rial tret as they call it at Cuzco, were painted upon Chinese tafTcta by an artist of Cuzco in the six- teenth century. They were preserved with the greatest care in tlie archives of the cathedral, as much for their historical value as for the time employed in their execution. The work cost, we are told, six years of assiduous labor. The original and conscien- («30 n :« IV. INCA MAVTA CCAPAC COVA MAMA CUCA COYA MAMA CURIHILLPA COYA MAMA MICHAY CHIMPO. tious work, which Oarcilbsso de la VcRa had the happiness to see in all its beauty, as he tells us himself in his Royal Commeni- aries of the Jncns^ disappeared during the uccupation of Cuzco by the Independents. Happily for the friends of Iconograpliy, a family of the country, whose name fi^'ures among the princes of the ninth descent, designated Ayllo Ccozcco Panaca, possessed a copy of them, which they were willing to communicate, and which we here reproduce.— Vai/. 1632) VII. VIII. INCA HUIRA CCOCHA 'VIRACOCHA) CiR. i COYA MAMA RUNTO INCA PACHA CCUTIC. Cpr. moo. Cieza dc Leon puts in his place INCA URCO COYA MAMA ANAHUARQUI back i Th hf pronounciatlon of a name like Capac is more correctly indicated by writing It Ccapac. The first C is a euttural the throat, the second on the mof of the mouth.— Arari/iam's Ouichua Grammar. far (633) m r s^ i ■ I mmt^^ ' XII. '34l INCA HUAYNA CCAPAC Cm.. I47S. COVA MAMA PILLCO HUAOCO \ THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 635 , ' ^%i; ■■*-i-i*^ .''•^■-^■;... '* ''1 ',-.-',■" ^■^r • .:. ^ 1 i . .^. >• - _■■ 'TS, f v'^.^-?^-.; renounce the government of Quito, and to acknowledge him as his lawful superior. But it had been the first care of Atahualpa to gain a large body of troops which had accompanied his father to Quito. These were the flower of the Peruvian warriors, to whose valor Huana Capac had been in- debted for all his victories. Relying on their support, Atahualpa first eluded his brother's demand, and then marched against him in hostile array. Thus the ambition of these two young men, the title of the one founded on ancient usage, and that of the other asserted by the veteran troops, involved Peru in civil war, a calamity to which, under a suc- cession of virtuous princes, it had •^■'■-hose bodies were seated i„acirclcV.heir7eVtV.ching hitherto been a stranger. In such a contest the issue was obvious. The force of arms triumphed over the authority of laws. Atahualpa remained victorious, and made a cruel use of his victory. Conscious of the defect in his own title to the crown, he attempted to extermi- nate the royal race, by putting to death all the children of the Sun descended from Manco Capac, whom he could seize either by force or stratagem. From a political motive, the life of his unfortunate rival Huascar, who had been taken prisoner in a battle which de- cided the fate of the em- I" ' e, was prolonged for some time, that, by issu- ing orders in his name, the usurper might more easily establish his own authority. When Pizarro landed INTERIOR OF CHULPA. Each tomb of this kind wr.s adapted for the reception of a dozen individu- one another. WAHHIORS DUOINQ THE REIGN OF THE INCAS, The warriors here represented are all provided with helmet though one only seems to have a shield. OLD PERUVIAN VASE PAI and in the bay 01 St. Mat- thew, this civi! \ ar raged between the iwo brothers in its greatest fury. Had he made any hostile attempt in his former visit to Peru, in the year 1527, he must then have encountered the force of a powerful state, united NTINO. a kind of lance. 636 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. under a monarch, possessed of capacity as well as courage, and un- embarrassed with any care that could divert him from opposing his progress. But at this time, the two competitors, though they re- ceived early accounts of the arrival and violent proceedings of the Spaniards, were so intent upon the operations of a war, which they deemed more interesting, that they paid no attention to the motions of an enemy, too inconsiderable in number to excite any great alarm, and to whom it would be easy, as they imagined, to give a check when more at leisure. By this fortunate coincidence of events, whereof Pizarro could have no foresight, and of which, from his defective mode of intercourse with the people of the country, he remained long ignorant, he was per- mitted to carry on his operations un- molested, and advanced to the centre of a great empire, bf fore one effort of its power was exerted lo stop his career. During their progress, the Spaniards had acquired some imperfect knowledge of this struggle between the two contending factions. The first complete information, with respect to it, they received from messengers whom Huascar sent to Pizarro, in order to solicit his aid against Atahualpa, whom he repre- sented as a rebel and an usurper. Pizarro perceived, at once, the importance of this intelligence, and foresaw so clearly all the advantages which might be derived from this divided state of the kingdom which he had invaded, that, without waiting for the reinforcement which he expected from Panama, he determined to push forward, while intestine discord put it out of the power of the Peruvians to attack him with their whole force, and while, by tak- ing part, as circumstances should incline him, with one of the com- petitors, he might he enabled with greater ease to crush both. En- terprising as the Spaniards of that age were in all their operations INTI-CU8IHUALPA CHUASCAR. COYA MAMA CHOQUI. THE CONQUP:vST OF PERU. 637 against Americans, and distinguished as Pizarro was among his countrymen for daring courage, we can hardly suppose that, after having proceeded hitherto slowly, and witli much caution, he would have changed at once his system of operation, and have ventured upon a measure so hazardous, without some new motive or prospect to justify it. As he was obliged to divide his troops, in order to leave a gar- rison in St. Michael, sufficient to defend a situation of equal im- portance as a place of retreat in case of any disaster, and as a port for receiving any supplies which should come from Panama, he began his march with a very slender and ill-accoutred train of fol- lowers. They consisted of sixty-two horsemen, and a hundred and two foot-soldiers, of whom twenty were armed with cross-bows, and three with muskets. He directed his course towards Caxamalca, a small town at the distance of twelve days' march from St. Michael, where Atahualpa was encamped with a considerable body of troops. Before he had proceeded far, an officer despatched by the Inca met him with a valuable present from that prince, accompanied with a proffer of his alliance, and assurances of a friendly reception at Caxamalca. Pizarro, according to the usual artifice of his country- men in America, pretended to come as the ambassador of a very powerful monarch, and declaring that he was now advancing with an intention to offer Atahualpa his aid against those enemies who disputed his title to the throne. As the object of the Spaniards in entering their country was altogether incomprehensible to the Peruvians, they had formed va- rious conjectures concerning it without being able to decide whether they should consider their new guests as beings of a superior nature, who had visited them from some beneficent motive, or as formida- ble avengers of their crimes, and enemies to their repose and lib- erty. The continual professions of the Spaniards, that they came to enlighten them wivh the knowledge of truth, and lead them in the way of happiness, favored the fo'-nier opinion ; the outrages which they committed, their rapaciousness and cruelty, were awful confirmations of the latter. While in this state of uncertainty. Pizarro's declaration of his pacific intentions so far removed all the Inca's fears, that he determined to give him a friendly reception. In consequence of this resolution, the Spaniards were allowed to march in tranquillity across the sandy desert between St. Michael / 638 THIi CONQUEST OF I'ERU. and Motupt", where the most feeble effort of an enemy, added to the unavoidable distresses which they suffered in passinj^ through that comfortless region, must have proved fatal to them. * Before them now rose the stupendous Andes, rock piled upon rock, their skirts below dark witii evergreen forests, varied here and there by terraced patches of cultivated garden, with the peasant's cottage clinging to their shaggy sides, and their crests of snow glittering high in the heavens, — presenting altogether such a wild chaos of magnificence and beauty as no other mountain scenery in the world can show. Across this tremendous rampart, through a labyrinth of passes, easily capable of* defense by a handful of men against an army, the troops were now to march. To the right ran a broad and level road, with its border of friendly shades, and wide enough for two carriages to pass abreast. It was one of the great routes leading to Cuzco, and seemed by its pleasant and easy access to invite the wayworn soldier to choose it in preference to the dangerous mountain defiles. Many were accordingly of opinion that the army should take this course, and abandon the original destination to Caxamalca. But such was not the decision of Pizarro. The Spaniards had everywhere proclaimed their purpose, he said, to visit the Inca in his camp. This purpose had been com- municated to the Inca himself. To take an opposite direction now would only be to draw on them the imputation of cowardice, and to incur Atahualpa's contempt. No alternative remained but to march straight across the sierra to his quarters. " Let every one of you," said the bold cavalier, "take heart and go forward like a good soldier, nothing daunted by the smallness of your numbers. For in the greatest extremity God ever fights for his own; and doubt not He will humble the pride of the heathen, and bring him to the knowledge of the true faith, the great end and object of the Conquest." Pi/arro, like Cortes, possessed a good share of that frank and manly eloquence which touches the heart of the soldier more than the parade of rhetoric or the finest flow of elocution. He was a soldier himself, and partook in all the feelings of the soldier, *The following description of ihc i)ciilou!> asrcnt of the Ancles, and the successful ac- complishment of the feat, is from the poetic pen of one of America's best beloved sons, William H. I'rescott.— AV/. ded to roiigli 1 upon re and asant's f snow a wild scenery h rough idful of le right les, and e of the md easy rence to opinion original ;ision of rpose, he een coni- lirection bwardice, liued but ,ct every forward of your for his then, and d an en at d frank lier more lion. He soldier, ccssful ac- oved sons, PbHiLOUS ASCENT OF THE CORDILLERAS DE LOS ANDES BY PIZARRO, On his way to vf.et the Inca Atahnai.i'A, at Caxamai.< a. ■n^ n THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 641 his joys, his hopes, and his disappointments. He was not raised by rank and education above sympathy with the humblest of his followers. Every chord in their bosoms vibrated with the same pulsations as his own, and the conviction of this gave him a mas- tery over them. " Lead on," they shouted, as he finished his brief but animating address, " lead on wherever you think best. • We will follow with good-will, and you shall see that we can do our duty in the cause of God and the King!" There was no longer hesitation. All thoughts were now bent on the instant passage of the Cordilleras. That night Pizarro held a council of his principal officers, and it was determined that he should lead the advance, consisting of forty horse and sixty foot, and reconnoiter the ground; while the rest of the company, under his brother Hernando, should oc- cupy their present position till they received further orders. At early dawn the Spanish general and his detachment were under arms, and prepared to breast the difficulties of the sierra. These proved even greater than had been foreseen. The path had been conducted in the most judicious manner round the rugged and precipitous side of the mountains, so as best to avoid the natural impediments presented by the ground. But it was necessarily so steep, in many places, that the cavalry were obliged to dismount, and, scrambling up as they could, to lead their horses by the bridle. In many places, too, where some huge crag or emi- nence overhung the road, this was driven to the very verge of the precipice ; and the traveller was compelled to wind along the nar- row ledge of rock, scarcely wide enough for his single steed, where a misstep would precipitate him hundreds, nay, thousands, of feet into the dreadful abyss ! The wild passes of the sierra, practica- ble for the half-naked Indian, and even for the sure and circum- spect mule, — an animal that seems to have been created for the roads of the Cordilleras, — were formidable to the man-at-arms en- cumbered with his panoply of mail. The tremendous fissures or qncbradas^ so frightful in this mountain chain, yawned open, as if the Andes had been split asunder by some terrible convulsion, showing a broad expanse of the primitive rock on their sides, par- tially mantled over with the spontaneous vegetation of ages ; while their obscure depths furnished a channel for the torrents, that, ris- ing in the heart of the sierra, worked their way gradually into 642 THE CONQUKST OK PERU, inca fortress of paramanga as seen from the heights of the mahittme cham of the andes, (from a photograph.) light, and spread over the savannas and green valleys of tiora calicnlc on their way to the great ocean. Many of these passes afforded obvions points of defense ; and the Spaniards, as they entered the rocky defiles, looked with apprehension lest they might rouse some foe from his ambnsh. This apprehension was heightened, as, at the summit of a steep and narrow gorge, in which they were engaged, they beheld a strong- work, rising like a fortress, and frowning, as it were, in gloomy defiance on the in- vaders. As they drew near this building, which was of solid stone, commanding an angle of the road, they almost expected to see the dusky forms of the warriors rise over the battlements, and to receive their tempests of missiles on their bucklers ; for it was in so strong a position, that a few resolute men might easily have held there an army at bay. But they had the satisfaction to find the place un- tenanted, and their spirits were greatly raised by the conviction that the Indian monarch did not intend to dispute their passage, when it would have been easy to do so with success. Pizarro now sent orders to his brother to follow without delay; and, after refresh- ing his men, continued his toilsome ascent, and before nightfall reached an eminence crowned by another fortress, of even greater strength than the preceding. It was built of solid masonry, the lower part excavated from the living rock, and the whole work executed with skill not inferior to that of the European architect. Here Pizarro took up his quarters for the night. Without waiting for the arrival of the rear, on the following morning he resumed his march, leading still deeper into the intricate gorges of the sierra. The climate had gradually changed, and the men and FENNANDO PIZARRO FOLLOWING WITH THE HEAR 1 THE STEEP INCIINE OF t HC MOU^' IN PASS. THE C0NQUE{;T of PERU. 643 horses, especially the latter, suffered severely from the cold, so long accustomed as they hud been to the sultry climate of the tropics. The vegetation also had changed its character ; and the magnificent timber which covered the lower level of the country had gradually given way to the funereal forest of pine, and, as they rose still higher, to the stunted growth of numberless Alpine plants, whose hardy natures found a congenial temperature in the icy atmos- phere of the more elevated regions. These dreary solitudes seemed to be nearly abandoned by the brute creation as well as by man. The light-footed vicuna, roaming in its native state, might be sometimes seen looking down from some airy cliff, where the foot of the hunter dared not venture. But instead of the feathered tribes whose gay plumage sparkled in the deep glooms of the tropi- cal forests, the adventurers now beheld only the great bird of the Andes, the loathsome condor, who, sailing high above the clouds, followed with doleful cries in the track of the army, as if guided by instinct in the path of blood and carnage. At length they reached the crest of the Cordillera, where it spreads out into a bold and bleak expanse, with scarce the vestige of vegetation, except what is afforded by the pajonal^ a dried yel- low grass, which, as it is seen from below, encircling the base of the snow-covered peaks, looks, with its brilliant straw-color lighted up ia the rays of an ardent sun, like a setting of gold round pin- nacles of burnished silver. The land was sterile, as usual in min- ing districts, and they were drawing near the once famous gold quarries on the way to Caxamalca; "Rocks rich in gems, and mountains big with mines, That on the high equator ridgy rise." Here Pizarro halted for the coming up of the rear. The air was sharp and frosty ; and the soldiers, spreading their tents, lighted fires, and, huddling round them, endeavored to find some repose after their laborious march. They had not been long in these quarters, when a messenger arrived. He informed the general that the road was free from en. emies, and that an embassy from the Inca was on its way to the Castilian camp. Pizarro now sent back to quicken the march of the rear, as he was unwilling that the Peruvian envoy should find him with his present diminished numbers. The rest of the army were not far distant, and not long after reached the encampment. 36 644 THE CONQUEvST OF PERU. In a short time the Indian embassy also arrived, which con- sisted of one of the Inca nobles and several attendants, bringing a welcome present of llamas to the Spanish commander. The Pe- ruvian bore, also, the greetings of his master, who wished to know when the Spaniards would arrive at Caxamalca, that he might pro- vide suitable refreshments for them. Pizarro learned that the Inca had left Guamachucho, and was now lying with a small force in the neighborhood of Caxamalca, at a place celebrated for its natural springs of warm water. The Peruvian was an intelligent person, and the Spanish commander gathered from him many particulars respecting the late contests which had distracted the empire. As the envoy vaunted in lofty terms the military prowess and resources of his sovereign, Pizarro thought it politic to show that it had no power to overawe him. He expressed his satisfaction at the triumphs of Atahualpa, who, he. acknowledged, had raised him- self high in the rank of Indian warriors. But he was as inferior, he added with more policy than politeness, to the monarch who ruled over the white men, as the petty curacas of the country were inferior to him. This was evident from the ease with which a few Spaniards had overrun this great continent, subduing one nation after another, ihat had offered resistance to their arms. He had been led by the fame of Atahualpa to visit his dominions, and to offer him his services in his wars ; and, if he were received by the Inca in the same friendly spirit with which he came, he was willing, for the aid he could render him, to postpone awhile his passage across the country to the opposite seas. The Indian, according to the Castilian accounts, listened with awe to this strain of glorifica- tion from the Spanish commander. Yet it is possible that the en- voy was a better diplomatist than they imagined ; and that he un- derstood it was only the game of brag at which he was playing with his more civilized antagonist. On the succeeding morning, at an early hour, the troops were again on their march, and for two days were occupied in threading the airy defiles of the Cordilleras. The descent of the sierra, though the Andes are less precip- itous on their eastern side than towards the west, was attended with difficulties almost equal to those of the upward march ; and the Spaniards felt no little satisfaction, when, on the seventh day, they arrived in view of the valley of Caxamalca, which, enamelled vhich con- )riiigiiig a The Pe- el to know night pro- t the Inca roe in the ts natural lit person, )3,rticular.s pire. owcss and show that sfaction at aised him- ,s inferior, larcli who intry were hich a few Dne nation . He had ns, and to red by the |as willing, lis passage cording to f glorifica- at the en- luit he 11 n- ying with )ops were [threading |ss precip- attended irch ; and [enth day, mamelled < u < S < X < u < < u z b) X H b. O a. S < u u I H Z o H O Ul Id Q O Q Z < z OS bl X Q Z < to u H X o u a z < z Q Oi U b. h o 5 Z i- * Q (fi45) IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 ^KS I I.I 2.5 •^ 1^ ^ yfi 12.0 1.8 lyi 11114. 11.6 ^^ V iV \\ % -^^^ '>^^«v^ ifi Q- . %\ THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 647 with all the beauties of cultivation, lay unrolled like a rich and variegated carpet of verdure, in strong co.jtrast with the dark forms of the Andes, that rose up everywhere around it.* On entering Caxamalca, Pizarro took possession of a large court, on one side of which was a house which the Spanish histo- rians call a palace of the Inca, and on the other a temple of the Sun, the whole surrounded with a strong rampart or wall of earth. When he had posted his troops in this advantageous station, he despatched his brother Ferdinand and Hernando Soto to the camp of Atahualpa, which was about a league distant from the town. He instructed them to confirm the declaration which he had formerly made of his pacific disposition, and to desire an interview with the Inca, that he might explain more fully the intention of the Span- iards in visiting his country. They were treated with all the re- spectful hospitality usual among the Peruvians in the reception of their most cordial friends, and Atahualpa promised to visit the Spanish commander next day in his quarters. The decent deport- ment of the Peruvian monarch, the order of his court, and the rev- erence with -which his subjects approached his person and obeyed his commands, astonished those Spaniards who had never met in America with any thing more dignified than the petty cacique of a barbarous tribe. But their eyes were still more powerfully attracted by the vast profusion of wealth which they observed in the Inca's camp. The rich ornaments worn by him and his attendants, the vessels of gold and silver in which the repast off"ered to them was served up, the multitude of utensils of every kind formed of those precious metals, opened prospects far exceeding any idea of opu- lence that an European of the sixteenth century could form. , On their return to Caxa- malca, while their minds were yet warm with admiration and desire of the wealth which they had beheld, they gave such a description of it to their coun- trymen as confirmed Pizarro in a resolution which he had already taken. From his own * End of W. H. Prescott's description of the march across the Cordilleras. I ' THE CHUnCH OF BCLEK «T CAXAMALCA. (FROM A PHOTOORAPH.) WP. 648 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. observation of American manners during his long service in the New World, as well as from the advantages which Cortes had derived from seizing Montezuma, he knew of what consequence it was to have the Inca in his power. For this purpose, he formed a plan as daring as it was perfidious. Notwithstanding the character that he had assumed of an ambassador from a power- ful monarch, who courted an alliance with the Inca, and in violation of the repeated offers which he made to him of his own friendship and assistance, he determined to avail himself of the unsuspicious simplicity with which Atahualpa relied on his professions, and to seize the person of the Inca during the interview to which he had invited him. He prepared for the execution of his scheme with the same deliberate arrangement, and with as little compunction, as if it had reflected no disgrace on himself or his country. He di- vided his cavalry into three small squadrons, under the command of his brother Ferdinand, Soto, and Benalcazar ; his infantry were formed in one body, except twenty of most tried courage, whom he kept near his own person to support him in the dangerous service which he reserved for himself; the artillery, consisting of two field- pieces, and the crossbow-men, were placed opposite to the avenue by which Atahualpa was to approach. All were commanded to keep within the square, and not to move until the signal for action was given. Early in the morning [Nov. 16] the Peruvian camp was all in motion. But as Atahualpa was solicitous to appear with the great- est splendor and magnificence in his first interview with the straL gers, the preparations for this were so tedious, that the day was far advanced before he began his march. Even then, lest the order of the procession should be deranged, he moved so slowly, that thp Spaniards became impatient, and apprehensive that some suspicion of their intention might be the cause of this delay. In order to remove this, Pizarro despatched one of his officers with fresh assur- ances of his friendly disposition. At length the Inca approached. First of all appeared four hundred men, in an uniform dress, as har- bingers to clear the way before him. He himself, sitting on a throne or couch, adorned with plumes of various colors, and almost covered with plates of gold and silver enriched with precious stones, was carried on the shoulders of his principal attendants. Behind him came some chief officers of his court, carried in the same manner. FATHCR VALVERDE ADDRESSES THE INCA ATAHNALPA, Propounding to him the rKiNcu>ALs and mysteries of the church, am ms obligations to THK Vli.AR or Goi' ON Earth. Piiinlini'iy O. draff. it 6/]^ Till". Ci'\<^ E:/l OF J'lvkl. ob'-crvalion >>f Aincricjui nMiiii'-rs i.lui"in>.; his i n_i.; service in the Nrw W'frk', as well as fivmi the- ailvaiu.-'.m ■; wlii'Mi Cortes had di.'ri\''d fnnu sci/.in^' Momc/ii r.;., he kiKW n' what consfC|l!eiu:o it wa''. to havi' llie Iinvi i;i lii- jx wir. I'')r this ^jurnust.', he forini-cl a plan as daring a;-, ii was jK-i-lidious. Xotwithsiaiidiii.i; the eharacter thai he had assiiuied wf an anihassad'U- fri in a jxjwor- fal luoiiavch who eonrted an alliance with the Inea, and in viohitioii of the repeated ol'fers whijh he nuide to him oi' his own iViendshij) and assistance, he de1erin;iied to a^-aii himself of the nnsnspicioiis simplicity with which .\tahnal]>a idled on his professions, and to seize the person of the Inca ilnring the interview to whieli Ik had invited him. lie prepared for tlie exi-eiitioii ol li's scheme witf the same deliberate arrangement, and with as litlh- onipnnction, as if it liad reflected no disgrace on liimself or his country. He di- vided his cavalry into three small squadrons, andcr the eouiinand of (lis brother Ferdinand, Soto, and Benalca/ar ; his infantry were foimcd in one body, except twenty of most tried courage, whom he kept near his own persoi; to support bin in tiie dangerous sfM'viee wliich he reserved for himself ; the artillery, cotisistii-ig of two field- pieces, and the ciossbow-men, were ])laeed op])osite to the avenue by which Atahualpa was ' > approach. Ail were comiuamled to kcej) wiihi I the square, and n jt to move until the signal for action was given. Kaf-ly in the raorning [Nov. i6| the Peruvian can;p was all in motion. Bn* as Atahualpa was solicitcnis to appear ^\\'h th'. .great- est splendor and magnificence in his first interview witli the stran- gers, the preparations for this were so t< dious, that the day was lar advanced before he began his man h. k'ven then, lest the o.der of the procession should be deranged, he moved so slowly, that the Spaniards became impatient, and ai)prehensive that some suspicior of their intention might be the cause of this lelay. In o'-der t- remove tins, Pi/arro despatched one of his ofhcer.s with fre.sl; assu; ances of his friendly disposition. .Ai length the Inca appioadu.-! First of all appeared four hnndied men, in :.n uuitorm dress, as iiai bingers to clear the way befin-e him. He himself, sitting on a thio: or couch, adorned with plumes of various colors, and almost .^ovei- ■ with plates of gold and silver enriched with precions stones, v^ • carried on the shoulders of liis principal attendants, iieh'nd hi. a came some chief officers of his court, carried in the same laaniur. e iu tVie rlcH 1i:id stqucnco rp'jse, lit" a powcr- vioiatio'.i rifiulsliii) aispicioiis IS, a"v.l lo c\\ lie l.ad icinc witl- inclioii, ^^ y. llcdi- foniiiuu\d tiilry were , whom he HIS service f two hcld- tUe aveiiiK- led lo keep action was \v:is all in ih', .jn;al- Uic St rail •• liny was lar ic Older of y, that lUt- |e stispicior 'J o'-dev t- icsli assu'.' [ippioachc'l ^•(■ss, as lia; Mil ;! thi '•: t -Mjvei' ' stones, ^'• ■ ll'.eh-nd h-i' (.■ laaiiii-i'' I FATHER VALVERDE ADDRESSES THE INCA ATAHNALF'A, Propoundini; to him ihk i'rincii'ai.s ano mvsikriks of ihk ciiUKrii, and his ohi.igations to THh Vicar OF Gun on Earth. Poiiiiinc by 0. (iraeff. \A'^ THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 651 Several bands of singers and dancers accompanied this cavalcade ; and the whole plain was covered with troops, amounting to more than thirty thousand men. As the Inca drew near the Spanish quarters, Father Vincent Valverde, chaplain to the expedition, advanced with a crucifix in one hand, and a breviary in the other, and in a long discourse ex- plained to him the doctrine of the creation, the fall of Adam, the incarnation, the sufferings and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the appointment of St. Peter as God's vicegerent on earth, the trans- mission of his apostolic power, by succession, to the Popes, the do- nation made to the king of Castile, by Pope Alexander of all the regions of the New World. In consequence of all this, he required Atahualpa to embrace the Christian faith, to acknowledge the su- preme jurisdiction of the Pope, and to submit to the king of Castile as his lawful sovereign ; promising, if he complied instantly with this requisition, that the Castilian monarch would protect his do- minions, and permit him to continue in the exercise of his royal authority ; but if he should impiously refuse to obey this summons, he denounced war against him in his master's name, and threatened him with the most dreadful effects of his vengeance. This strange harangue, unfolding deep mysteries, and alluding to unknown facts, of which no power of eloquence could have con- veyed at once a distinct idea to an American, was so lamely tianslated by an unskillful interpreter, little acquainted with the idiom of the Spanish tongue, and incapable of expressing himself with propriety in the language of the Inca, that its general tenor was altogether incomprehensible to Atahualpa. Some parts in it, of more obvious meaning, filled him with astonishment and indignation. His reply, however, was temperate. He began with observing, that he was lord of the dominions over which he reigned by hereditary succes- sion ; and added, that he could not conceive how a foreign priest should pretend to dispose of territories which did not belong to him ; that if such a preposterous grant had been made, he, who was the rightful possessor, refused to confirm ii .!iat he had no incli- nation to renounce the religious institutions established by his an- cestors ; nor would he forsake the service of the Sun, the immortal divinity whom he and his people revered, in order to worship the God of the Spaniards, who was subject to death ; that with respect to other matters contained in his discourse, as he had never heard of them before, and did not now understand their meaning, he de- 652 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. sired to know where the priest had learned things so extraordinary. " In this book," answered Valverde, reaching out to him his brevi- ary. The Inca opened it eagerly, and, turning over the leaves, lifted it to his ear: "This," says he, " is silent ; it tells me noth- ing;" and threw it with disdain to the ground. The enraged monk, running towards his countrymen, cried out, " To arms. Christians, to arms ; the word of God is insulted ; avenge this profanation on those impious dogs ! " Pizarro, who, during this long conference, had with difficulty restrained his soldiers, eager to seize the rich spoils of which they had now so near a view, immediately gave the signal of assault. At once the martial music struck up, the cannon and musketry began to fire, the horse sallied out fiercely to the charge, the in- fantry rushed on sword in hand. The Peruvians, f.stonished at the suddenness of an attack which they did not expect, and dis- mayed at the destructive effect of the firearms, and the irresistible impression of the cavalry, fled with universal consternation on every side, without attempting either to annoy the enemy, or to defend themselves. Pizarro, at the head of his chosen band, ad- vanced directly towards the Inca ; and though his nobles crowded around him with officious zeal, and fell in numbers at his feet, while they vied one with another in sacrificing their own lives, that they might cover the sacred person of their sovereign, the Spaniards soon penetrated to the royal seat; and Pizarro, seizing the Inca by the arm, dragged him to the ground, and carried him as a prisoner to his quarters. The fate of the monarch increased the precipitate flight of his followers. The Spaniards pursued them towards every quarter, and with deliberate and unrelenting barbarity continued to slaughter wretched fugitives, who never once offered to resist. The carnage did not cease until the close of day. Above four thousand Peruvians were killed. Not a single Spaniard fell, nor was one wounded but Pizarro himself, whose hand was slightly hurt by one of his own soldiers, while struggling eagerly to lay hold on the Inca. The plunder of the field was rich beyond any idea which the Spaniards had yet formed concerning the wealth of Peru ; and they were so transported with the value of the acquisition, as well as the greatness of their success, that they passed the night in the extravagant exultation natural to indigent adventurers on such au extraordinary change of fortune. CHAPTER IvXVII. THE DEJECTED EMPEROR OFFERS A RANSOM COMMENSURATE WITH THE OPULENCE OF HIS DOMINIONS. ARRIVAL OF ALMAQRO. DEATH OF SHUASCAR AND EXECUTION OF THE INCA. DISSOLUTION OF aOVERNMENT AND ORDER IN PERU. INDIAN WOMAN IPINNINO. T first the captive monarch could hardly believe a calamity which he so little ex- pected to be real. But he soon felt all the misery of his fate, and the dejection into which he sunk was in proportion to the height of grandeur from which he had fallen. Pizarro, afraid of losing all the advantages which he hoped to de- rive from the posssesion of such a pris- oner, labored to console him with pro- fessions of kindness and respect, that cor- responded ill with his actions. By residing among the Spaniards, the Inca quickly discovered their ruling passion, which in- deed, they were nowise solicitous to con- ceal, and, by ap- plying to that, made an attempt to recover his liberty. He offered as a ransom what astonished the Spaniards, even after all they now knew concerning the opulence of his kingdom. The apartment in which he was confined was twenty-two feet in length and sixteen in breadth; he MOUSE IN CAXAMAICA WHERE THE INCA WAE KErr CON> IMEDL (FMHt A rHOTOSRAPH.) («53) hii 654 THK CONQUEST OF PKRU. undertook to fill it with vessels of gold as high as he could reach. Pizarro closed eagerly with this tempting proposal, and a line was drawn upon the walls of the chamber, to mark the stipulated height to which the treasure was to rise. Atahualpa, transported with having obtained some prospect of liberty, took measures instantly for fulfilling his part of the agreement, by sending messengers to Cuzco, Quito, and other places, where gold had been amassed in largest quantities, either for adorning the temples of the gods, or the houses of the Inca, to bring what was necessary for completing his ransom directly to Caxamalca. Though Atahualpa was now in the custody of his ene- mies, yet so much were the Peruvians accustomed to respect every mandate issued by their sovereign, that his orders were executed with the greatest alacrity. Soothed with hopes of recovering his lib- erty by this means, the subjects of the Inca were afraid of endanger- ing his life by forming any other scheme for his relief; and though the force of the empire was still enfire, no preparations were made, and no army assembled to avenge their own wrongs or those of their monarch. The Spaniards remained in Caxamalca tranquil and unmolested. Small detachments of their number marched into remote provinces of the empire, and, instead of meeting with any opposition, were everywhere received with marks of the most submissive respect. Inconsiderable as those parties were, and desirous as Pizarro might be to obtain some knowledge of the interior state of the country, he could not have ventured upon any diminution of his main body, if he had not about this time [December], received an. account of Almagro's having landed at St. Michael with such a re- inforcement as would almost double the number of his followers. The arrival of this long-expected succor was not more agreeable to the Spaniards than alarming to the Inca. He saw the power of his enemies increase; and as he knew neither the source whence they derived their supplies, nor the means by which they were conveyed to Peru, he could not foresee to what a height the inundation that poured in upon his dominions might rise [1533]. While disquieted with such apprehensions, he learned that some Spaniards, in their way to Cuzco, had visited his brother Huascar in the place where he kept him confined, and that the captive prince had represented to them the justice of his own cause, and, as an inducement to es- •each, e was ilated ospect of the other either nca, to ctly to is ene- t every icecuted hislib- danger- though e made, hose of tranquil inarched ng with he most THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 655 pouse it, had promised them a quantity of treasure greatly beyond that which Atahualpa had engaged to pay for his ransom. If the Spaniards should listen to this proposal, Atahualpa perceived his own destruction to be inevitable ; and suspecting that their insatia- ble thirst for gold would tempt them to lend a favor- able ear to it, he determined to sacrifice his brother's life, that he might save his own ; and his orders for this pur- pose were executed, like all his other commands, with scrupulous punctuality. Meanwhile, Indians daily arrived at Caxamalca from dififerent parts of the king- dom, loaded with treasure. A great part of the stipulated quantity was now amassed, and Atahualpa assured the Spaniards that the only thing which prevented the whole from being brou'^;ht in, was the remoteness of the provinces where it was de- posited. But such vast piles of gold, presented continual- ly to the view of needy sol- diers, had so inflamed their avarice, that it was impossi- ble any longer to restrain their impatience to obtain possession of this rich booty. Orders were given for melt- THE MURDER OF THE INCA HUA8CAR BV ORDER OF ATAHUALPA. ing down the whole, except some pieces of curious fabric, reserved as a present for the em- peror. After setting apart the fifth due to the crown, and a hun- dred thousand pesos as a donative to the soldiers which arrived with Almagro, there remained one million five hundred and «-i Kaaa 656 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. twenty-eight thousand five hundred pesos to Pizarro and his follow- ers.* The festival of St. James [July 25J, the patron saint of Spain, was the day chosen for the partition of this enormous sum, and the manner of conducting it strongly marks the strange alliance of fanalicism with avarice, which I have more than once had occasion to point out as a striking feature in the character of the conquerors of the New World. Though assembled to divide the spoils of an innocent people, procured by deceit, extortion, and cruelty, the transaction began with a solemn invocation of the name of God, as if they could have expected the guidance of heaven in distributing those wages of iniquity. In this division, above eight thousand pesos, at that time not inferior in effective value to as many pounds sterling in the present century, fell to the share of each horseman, and half that sum to each foot soldier. Pizarro himself, and his officers, received dividends in proportion to the dignity of their rank. ,/ There is no example in history of such a sudden acquisition of wealth by military service, nor was ever a sum so great divided among so small a number of soldiers. Many of them having re- ceived a recompense for their services far beyond their most san- guine hopes, were so impatient to retire from fatigue and danger, in order to spend the remainder of their days in their native coun- try in ease and opulence, that they demanded their discharge with clamorous importunity. Pizarro, sensible that from such mei^ he could expect neither enterprise in action nor fortitude in suffering, and persuaded that wherever they went the display of their riches would allure adventurers, less opulent but more hardy, to his stand- ard, granted their suit without reluctance, and permitted above sixty of them to accompany his brother Ferdinand, whom he sent to Spain with an account of his success, and the present destined for the emperor. The Spaniards having divided among them the treasure amassed for the Inca's ransom, he insisted with them to fulfill ^^heir promise of setting him at liberty. But nothing was further from Pizarro's thoughts. During his long service in the New World, he had imbibed those ideas and maxims of his fellow-soldiers, which led them to consider its inhabitants as an inferior race, neither worthy of the name, nor entitled to the rights of men. In his *The ranson of Atahualpa is computed to have amounted to more than jji5,ocx),ooo. THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 657 Uow- pain, A the ice of :asion Lierors of an y> the iod, as buting ousand pounds rseman, and his jf their ^uisition divided tving re- lost san- l danger, ive roiin- rg(; with mei) he suffering, ir riches is stand- ,ed above he sent destined treasure jilfiU ^heir Ither from ./orld, he ;rs, which neither In 1,000,000. compact with Atahualpa, he had no other object than to amuse his captive with such a prospect of recovering his liberty, as might in- duce him to lend all the aid of his authority towards collecting the wealth of his kingdom. Having now accomplished this, he no longer regarded his plighted faith ; and at the very time when the credulous prince hoped to be replaced on his throne, he had secretly resolved to bereave him of life. Many circumstances seem to have concurred in prompting him to this action, the most crim- inal and atrocious that stains the Spanish name, amidst all the deeds of violence committed in carrying on the conquests of the New World. Though Pizarro had seized the Inca, in imitation of Cortes' conduct towards the Mexican monarch, he did not possess talents for carrying on the same artful plan of policy. Destitute of the temper and address requisite for gaining the confidence of his prisoner, he never reaped all the advantages which might have been derived from being master of his person and authority. Ata- hualpa was, indeed, a prince of greater abilities and discernment than Montezuma, and seems to have penetrated more thoroughly into the character and intentions of the Spaniards. Mutual suspi- cion and distrust accordingly took place between them. The strict attention with which it was necessary to guard a captive of such importance, greatly increased the fatigue of military duty. The utility of keeping him appeared inconsiderable ; and Pizarro felt him as an encumbrance, from which he wished to be delivered. Almagro and his followers had made a demand for an equal share in the Inca's ransom ; and though Pizarro had bestowed upon the private men the large gratuity which I have mentioned, and endeavored to soothe their leader by presents of great value, they still continued dissatisfied. They were apprehensive that, as long as Atahualpa remained a prisoner, Pizarro's soldiers would apply whatever treasure should be acquired, to make up what was want- ing of the quantity stipulated for his ransom, and under that pre- text exclude them from any part of it. They insisted eagerly on putting the Inca to death, that all the adventurers in Peru might thereafter be on an equal footing. Pizarro himself began to be alarmed with accounts of forces assembling in the remote provinces of the empire, and suspected Atahualpa of having issued orders for that purpose. These fears 658 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. and suspicions were artfully increased by Philippillo, one of the Indians whom Pizarro had carried off from Tumbez in the year 1527, and whom he employed as an interpreter. The function which he performed admitting this man to familiar intercourse with the captive monarch, he presumed, notwithstanding the mean- ness of his birth, to raise his affec- tions to a Coya, or descendant of the Sun, one of Atahualpa's wives; and seeing no prospect of gratifying that passion during the life of the mon- arch, he endeavored to fill the ears of the Spaniards with such accounts of the Inca's secret designs and preparations, as might awaken their jealousy, and incite them to cut him off. " ■ While Almagro and his followers openly demanded the life of the Inca, and Philippillo labored to ruin him by private machinations, that unhappy prince inadver.ently con- tributed to hasten his own fate. During his confinement he had at- tached himself with peculiar affection to Ferdinand Pizarro and Hernando Soto ; who, as they were persons of birth and education superior to the rough adventurers with whom they served, were accustomed to behave with more decency and attention to the captive monarch. Soothed with this respect from persons of such high rank, he delighted in their so- ciety. But in the presence of the gov- ernor he was always uneasy and overawed. This dread soon came to be mingled with contempt. Among all the European arts, what he admired most was that cf reading and writing; and he long de- liberated with himself, whef-.her he should regard it as a natural or acquired talent. In order to determine this, he desired one of the ATAHUALPA. FROM THI tnORAVINO IN MONTANUS' NIEUWE EN ONBEKENDE WEERELO. m t of the he year function ercourse le mean- lis affec- ut of the ves; and ying that the mon- the ears accounts igns and ken their o cut him followers fe of the •ed to ruin ions, that ;ntly con- own fate, le had at- .r affection [Hernando lersons of ior to the honi they |to behave ;ention to ithed with Is of such their so- fthegov- |soon came larts, what .e long de- inatural or ,ne of the X w a 2 = a-< 0. > 3 < .1 ■r;;'* m THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 66 1 soldiers, who guarded him, to write the name of God on the nail of his thumb. This he showed successively to several Spaniards', asking its meaning ; and to his amazement, they all, without hesita- tion, returned the same answer. At length Pizarro entered; and, on presenting it to him, he blushed, and, with some confusion was obliged to acknowledge his ignorance. From that moment Atahu- alpa considered him as a mean person, less instructed than his own soldiers ; and he had not address enough to conceal the sentiments with which this discovery inspired him. To be the object of a barbarian's scorn, not only mortified the pride of Pizarro, but ex- cited such resentment in his breast, as added force to all the other considerations which prompted him to put the Inca to death. But in order to give some color of justice to this violent ac- tion, and that he himself might be exempted from standing singly responsible for the commission of it, Pizarro resolved to try the Inca with all the formalities observed in the criminal courts of Spain. Pizarro himself, and Almagro, with two assistants, were appointed judges, with full power to acquit or to condemn; an attorney-general was named to carry on the prosecution in the king's name ; counsellors were chosen to assist the prisoner in his defense; and clerks were ordained to record the proceedings of court. Before this strange tribunal, a charge was exhibited still more amazing. It consisted of various articles; that Atahualpa, though a bastard, had dispossessed the rightful owner of the throne, and usurped the regal power ; that he had put his brother and lawful sovereign to death ; that he was an idolater, and had not only permitted but commanded the offering of human sacri- fices ; that he had a great number of concubines ; that since his imprisonment he had wasted and embezzled the royal treasures, which now belonged of right to the conquerors; that he had incited his subjects to take arms against the Spaniards. On these heads of accusation, some of which are so ludicrous, others so absurd, that the effrontery of Pizarro, in making them the foundation of a serious procedure, is not less surprising than his injustice, did this strange court go on to try the sovereign of a great empire, over whom it had no jurisdiction. With respect to each of the articles, witnesses were examined ; but as they delivered their evidence in their native tongue, Philippillo had it in his pow^r to give their words whatever turn best suited his malevolent intentions. To MUMMY HAND, ORNAMENTED WITH SOlO RINOS AND BRACELETS. FOUND AT CHIMBOTI, 662 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. — ^. judges pre-determined in their jpinion, the evidence appeared suf- ficient. They pronounced Atahualpa guilty, and condemned him to be burnt alive. Friar Valverde prostituted the authority of his sacred function to confirm this sentence, and by his signature war- ranted it to be just. Astonished at his fate, Atahualpa endeavored to avert it by tears, by promises, and by entreaties that he migh': be sent to Spain, where a monarch would be the arbiter of his lot. But pity never touched the' unfeeling heart of Pizzaro. He ordered him to be led instantly to execution ; and what added to the bitterness of his last moments, the same monk who had just ratified his doom, offered to console, and attempted to convert him. The most powerful argument Valverde employed to prevail with him to embrace the Christian faith, was a promise of mitigation in his punishment. The dread of a cruel death extorted from the trembling victim a de- sire of receiving baptism. The ceremony was performed ; and Atahualpa, instead of being burnt, was strangled at the stake. Happily for he credit of the Spanish nation, even among the profligate adven- turers which it sent forth to conquer and desolate the New World, there were persons who retained some tincture of the Castilian generosity and honor. Though, before the trial of Atahualpa, Ferdinand Pizarro had THE MEARTLH» PIZABRO ORDERS THE UNFORTUNATE *TAHU*IPA TO ggj- Q^j- fof SpaiU, aUd SotO WaS SCUt OU SL BE LED INSTANTLY TO EXECUTION. ^ ' separate command at a distance from Caxa- malca, this odious transaction was not carried on without censure and opposition. Several officers, and among those some of the greatest reputation and most respectable families in the service, not only re- monstrated, but protested a^.. .Inst this measure of their general, as disgraceful to their country, as repugnant to every maxim of equity, as a violation of public faith, and a usurpation of jurisdiction over an independent monarch, to which they had no title. But their laudable endeavors were vain. Numbers, and the opinion of such as held every thing to be lawful which they deemed advantageous, THE CONQUKST OK I'ERU. 663 ed suf- ed him J of his ^re war- eavored ; migh': his lot. ordered on; and his last lad just ;ole, and le most )loyed to ::hristian 311 in his uel death tiin a de- ceremony instead of ; stake. e Spanish ite adven- nquer and re persons e Castilian before the i'/arro had sent on a .Tom Caxa- |ensure and be greatest lot only re- eneral, as 11 of equity, Action over But their lon of such 'antageous, prevailed. Hi ory, however, records even the unsuccessful exer- tions of virtue with applause ; and the Spanish writers, in relating events where the valor of their nation is more conspicuous than its humanity, have not failed to preserve the names of those who made this laudable effort to save their country from the infamy of haviug perpetrated such a crime. On the death of Atahualpa, Pizarro invested one of his sons with the ensigns of royalty, hoping that a young man without experience might prove a more passive instrument in his hands than an ambitious monarch, who had been accustomed to independ- ent command. The people of Cuzco, and the adjacent country, acknowledged Manco Capac, a brother of Huascar, as Inca. But neither possessed the authority which belonged to a sovereign of Peru. The violent convulsions into which the empire had been thrown, first by the civil war be- tween the two brothers, and then by the invasion of the Spaniards, had not only deranged the order of the Peruvian government, but almost dissolved its frame. When they beheld their monarch a cap- tive 'in the power of strangers, and at last suffering an ignominious death, the people in several prov- inces, as if they had been set free from every restraint of law and decency, broke into the most licentious excesses. So many de- scendants of the Sun, after being treated with the utmost indig- nity, had been cut off by Atahualpa, that not only their influence in the state diminished with their number, but the accustomed reverence for that sacred race sensibly decreased. In consequence of this state of things, ambitious men in different parts of the empire aspired to independent authority, and usurped jurisdiction to which they had no title. The general who commanded for Ata- INTERIOR OF THE TEMPLE OF THE SUN DURING THE LATER REIONS OF THE INCA8. The Temple, known also by the n:inie of Coricancha, or "the place of gold/' consisted of a principal building and several chapels, and inferior edi- fices, covering a large extent of ground in the heart of the city of Cuzco. It was substantially built, though thatched with straw, like most of the Inca buildings. The interior of thfc Temple was the niost worthy of admiration. It was literally a mine of gold. On the western wall was emblazoned a rep- resentation of the deity (the sun), consisting of a human countenance, look- ing forth from amidst innumerable rays of light, which emanated from it in every direction, in the same manner as the sun is often personified with us. The figure was engraved on a massive plate of gold of enormous dimensions, thickly powdered with emeralds and precious stnnes. The cornices, which surrounded t'le walls of the sanctuary, were of the same costly material ; and a broad belt or nieze of gold, let into the stonework, encompassed the whole exterior of the edifice. The bodies of the deceased Incas and ("oyas, after being skillfully embalmed, were removed to this sanctuary, clothed in the pr'i/;cly attire which they had been accustomed to wear, placed on chairs of gold, their heads inclined downward, their hands placidly crossed over their bosoms, — Prescott^ Conquest, Vol, I. 664 THE CONQUKvST OF PKRU. f!»'^ liualpa iu Quito, seized the Srother and children of hh inastcr, put them to a cruel death, and, disclaiming any connection with either luca, endeavored to establish a separate kingdom for himself. The Spaniards, with pleasure, beheld thv. spirit of discord dif- fusing itself, and the vigor of government relaxing among the Peruvians. They considered those disorders as symptoms of a state hastening towards it • dissolution. Pizarro no longer hesi- tated to advance towards Cuzco, and he had received such consider- able reinforcements, that he could venture, with little danger, to penetrate so far into the interior part of the country. The account of the wealth acquired at Caxamalca operated as he had foreseen. No sooner did his brother Ferdinand, with the officers and soldiers, to whom he had given their discharge after the partition of the Inca's ransom, arrive at Panama, and 4 display their riches in the view of their \ astonished countrymen, than fame ^i spread the account with such exaggera- tion through all the Spanish settle- ments on the South Sea, that the gov- ernors of Guatemala, Panama, and Nica- ragua, could hardly restrain the people under their jurisdiction, from abandon- ing their possessions, and crowding to that inexhaustible source of wealth which seemed to be opened in Peru. In spite of every check and regula- tion, such numbers resorted thither, that Pizarro began his march at the head of five hundred men, after leaving a considerable garrison in St. Michael, under the command of Benalcazar. The Peruvians had assembled some large bodies of troops to oppose his progress. Several fierce encounters happened. But they ter- minated like all the actions in America; a few Spaniards were killed or wounded ; the natives were put to flight with incredible slaughter. At length Pizarro forced his way to Cuzco, and took quiet possession of that capital. The riches found there, even after all that the natives had carried off and concealed, either from a superstitious veneration for the ornaments of their temples, or out of hatred to their rapacious conquerors, exceeded in value what had been received as Atahualpa's ransom. But as the Span- CONVeNT OF IttH DOMINOO. ERECTED OVER THE RUINS OF THE TEMPLE OF THE tUN, AT CUZCO. THE CONQUnST OK I'KRU. 665 cr, put either f. )rd dif- ng the IS of a sr hesi- onsider- uger, to account breseen. soldiers, n of the LTiia, and r of their an fame ;xaggera- ,h settle- , ' the gov- audNica- he people abandon- 3wdiug to wealth in Peru. ,d regula- lis march siderable zar. The to oppose they ter- xAs were incredible and took liere, even .ed, either r temples, Id in value the Span- u iards were now accustomed to the wealth of the country, and it came to be parceled out among a greater number of adveiJturers, this dividend did not excite the same surprise, cither fr.))'' novelty, or the largeness of the sum that fell to the share of each individual. During the march to Cuzco, that son of Atahualpa whom Pi- zarro treated as Inca, died; and as the Spaniards substituted no person in his place, the title of Manco Capac seems to have been universally recognized. CRANCHEt OF THE CINCHONA LANCIFOUA. Cinchona, Peruvian or Jesuit's bark, named in honor of the countess of Chinchon, the wife of a Viceroy of Peru, who having hcen herself cured rherehy, is said to have hrst carried the bark to F.nrope, where she used it successfully in the cure of inicrmitient fever about 1640, Quinia is its most important alkaloid. Sulphate of Quinia, or more properly the disulphate, is the medicine communly known as quinine. Z1 ri,P i HEAD or A MAN AT CABANA. QRANITI HtAO, PA9HA8H. PERUVIAN SCULPTURE. FROM CM. WIENIR I PIRU AND lOllVIA. aRANITI HiAD, PAtHAIN. CHAPTER LXVIII. THE CONQUEST OF QUITO. ALVARAOO'B EXPEDITION. ALMAQRO'S INVASION OV CHILI. :5#^HILE his fellow-soldiers were tliug- 2^^2 employed, Benalcazar, governor of St. Michael, an able and enterprising' officer, was ashamed of remaining in- active, and impatient to have his name distinguished among the discoverers and conquerors of the New World. The seasonable arrival of a fresh body of re- cruits from Panama and Nicaragua put it in his power to gratify this passion. - Leaving a sufficient force to protect the infant settlement intrusted to his care, he placed himself at the head of the rest, and set out to attempt the reduction of Quito, where, according to the report of the natives, Atahualpa had left the greatest part of his treasure. Notwithstanding the distance of that city from St. Michael, the difficulty of marching through a mountainous country covered with woods, and the frequent and fierce attacks of the best troops in Peru commanded by a skillful leader, the valor, good conduct, and perseverance of Benalcazar surmounted every obstacle, and he en- tered Quito with his victorious troops. But they met with a cruel mortification there. The natives, now acquainted to their sorrow with the predominant passion of their invaders, and knowing how to disappoint it, had carried off all those treasures, the prospect of (6*6) THK CONQUEST OK I'KRU. 667 I OF CHILI. yvere thus >vernor of iterprising" laining in- e his name discoverers orld. The ody of re- ; it in his cient force is care, he to attempt lort of the s treasure, ;ichael, the (vered with It troops in .nduct, and and he en- ith a cruel eir sorrow- lowing how prospect of which had prompted them to undertake this arduous expedition, and had supported them under all the dangers and hardships wherewith they had to struggle in carrying it on. Benalcazur was not the only Spanish leader who attacked the kingdom of Quito, The fame of its riches attracted a more power- ful enemy. Pedro de Alvarado, who had distinguished himself so eminently in the conquest of Mexico, having obtained th? govern ment of Guatemala as a recompense for his valor, soon became dis- gusted with a life of uniform tranquillity, and longed to be again engaged in the bustle of military service. The glory and wealth acquired by the conquerors of Peru heightened this passion, and gave it a determined di- rection. Believing, or pre- tending to believe, that the kingdom of Quito did not lie within the limits of the prov- ince allotted to Pizarro, he resolved to invade it. The high reputation of the com- mander allured volunteers from every quarter. He em- barked with five hundred men, of whom above two hundred were of such dis- tinction as to serve on horse- back. He landed at Puerto Viejo, and without sufficient knowledge of the country, or proper guides to conduct him, attempted to march directly to Quito, by following the course of the river Guya- quil, and crossing the ridge of the Andes towards its head. But in this route, one of the most impracticable in all America, his troops endured such fatigue in forcing their ^.^ way through forests and marshes on the low grounds, e. and suffered so much from excessive cold when they be- '4 'Tnr ':i-:' THE EXCESSIVE COLO REIONING SUPREME IN THE HISH LATITUDES OF THE ANDES, NEARLY ANNIHILATES ALVANADO'S ARMT. 668 TIIK CONQUKST OK TKRU. \ i ' rT' iliiiiiii gall to ascend the mountains, that before they reached the plain of Quito, a fifth part of the men and half their horses died, and the rest were so much dispirited and worn out, as to be almost unfit for service. There they met with a body, not of Indians, but of Spaniards, drawn in iiostile array against them. Pizarro having received an account of Alvarado's armament, had detached Almagro with some troops to oppose this formidable invader of his jurisdic- tion ; and these were joined by Benalcazar and his victorious party. Alvarado, though surprised at the sight of enemies whom he did not expect, advanced boldly to the charge. But, by the interposi- tion of some moderate men in each party, an amicable accommo- dation took place ; and the fatal period when Spaniards suspended their conquests to imbrue their hands in the blood of their coun- trymen, was postponed a few years. Alvarado engaged to return to his government, upon Almagro's paying hira a hundred thousand pesos to defray the expense of his armament. Most of his fol- lowers remained in the country ; and an expedition, which threat- ened Pizarro and his colony with ruin, contributed to augment its strength. 1534]. By this time Ferdinand Pizarro had landed in Spain. The immense quantities of gold and silver which he imported, filled the kingdom with no less astonishment than they had ex- cited in Panama and the adjacent provinces. Pizarro was received by the emperor with the attention due to the bearer of a present so rich, as to exceed any idea which the Spaniards had formed con- cerning the value of their acquisitions in America, even after they had been ten years masters of Mexico. In recompense of his brother's services, his authority was confirmed with new powers and privileges, and the addition of seventy leagues, extending along the coast, to the southward of the territory granted in his former patent. Almagro received the honors which he had so long desired. The title of Adelantado, or governor, was conferred upon him, with jurisdiction over two hundred leagues of country, stretching beyond the southern limits of the province allotted to Pizarro. Ferdinand himself did not go unrewarded. He was ad- mitted into the military order of St. Jago, a distinction always ac- ceptable to a Spanish gentleman, and soon set out on his return to Peru, accompanied by many persons of higher rank than had yet served in that country. THE CONQUHST OK THRU. 669 Some account of his negotiations reached Pern before he ar- rived there himself. Almagro no sooner learned that he had ob- tained the royal grant of an independent government, than pre- tending that Cuzco, the imperial residence of the Incas, lay within its boundaries, he attempted to render himself master of that im- portant station. Juan and Gon/.ales Pi/.arro prepared to oppose him. Each o^ the contending parties was supported by powerful adherents, and the dispute was on the point of being terminated Ijy the sword, when Francis Pizarro arrived in the capital, ''^he recon- ciliation between him and Almagro had never been cordial. The treachery of Pizarro in engrossing to himself all the honors and emoluments, which ought to have been divided with his a.«sociate, was always present in both their thoughts. The former, conscious of his own perfidy, did not expect forgiveness; the latter, feeling that he had been deceived, was impatient to be avenged; and though avarice and ambition had in- duced them not only to dissem- ble their sentiments, but even to act in concert while in pur- suit of wealth and power, no sooner did they obtain posses- sion of these, than the same passions which had formed this temporary union, gave rise to jealousy and discord. To each of them was attached a small band of interested dependants, who, with the malicious art peculiar to such men, heightened their suspicions, and magnified every appearance of offense. But with all these seeds of enmity in their minds, and thus assiduously cherished, each was so thoroughly acquainted with the abilities and courage of his rival, that they equally dreaded the consequences of an open rupture. The fortunate arrival of Pizrrro at Cuzco, and the address mingled witli firmness which h' aanifested in his expostulations with Almagro and his partisans, .^verted that evil for the present. A new recon- ciliation took place; the chief article of which was, that Almagro should attempt the conquest of Chili; and if he did not find in CATHEDRAL OF CUZCO, PIA2A MAYOR. (FHOM a PHOTOliRAPM.j 670 THK CONQUEST OF PERU. MIDGE 0\,li^ THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 673 of the what is nd the ili, had of men iepend- ■ spirit, f North r at the md still of their rnis, the beir sur- ves with enemies hail any scovered. to pene- Luantities ettlement le experi- ixpedition from it mportatit Spanish accnniu- ssed with radnally, lot only a ation for lictive, Pi- who had ; empire, ge bodies ; Almagro the conii- iiiconsid- oops, and that only a handful of soldiers remained at Cuzco, under Juan and Gonzalez Pizarro, than he thought that the happy period was at length come for vindicating his own rights, for avenging the wrongs of his country, and extirpating its oppressors. Though strictly watched by the Spaniards, who allowed him to reside in the palace of his ancestors at Cuzco, he found means of communi- cating his scheme to the persons who were to be intrusted with the execution of it. Among people accustomed to revere their sovereign as a divinity, every hint of his will carries the authority of a command ; and they themselves were now convinced, by the daily increase in the number of their invaders, that the fond hopes which they had long entertained of their voluntary departure were altogether vain. All perceived that a vigorous effort 9f the whole nation was requisite to expel them, and the preparations for it were carried on with the secrecy and silence peculiar to Americans. After some unsuccessful attempts of the Inca to make his escape, Ferdinand Pizarro happening to arrive at that time in Cuzco [1536], he obtained permission from him to attend a great festival which was to be celebrated a few leagues from the capital. Under pretext of that solemnity, the great men of the empire were assembled. As soon as the Inca joined them, the standard of war was erected ; and in a short time ail the fighting men, from the confines of Quito to the frontier of Chili, were in arms. Many Spaniards, living securely on the settlements allotted them, were massacred. Several detachments, as they marched carelessly through a country whicli seemed to be tamely submissive to their dominion, were cut off to a man. An army amounting (if we may believe the Spanish writers) to two hundred thousand men, attacked Cuzco, which the three brothers endeavored to defend with only one hundred and seventy Spaniards. An. other formidable body invested Lima, and kept the governor closely shut up. There was no longer any communication be- tween the two cities ; the numerous forces of the Peruvians spread- ing over the countr}^ intercepted every messenger; and as the parties in Cuzco and Lima were equally unacquainted v/ith the fate of their countrymen, each boded the worst concerning the other, and imagined that they themselves were the only persons who had survived the general extinction of the Spanish name in Peru. «74 THE CONQUEST OK PERU. ;*, ■■y It was at Cuzco, where the Inca commanded in person, that tlic Peruvians made tlieir chief efforts. During niiu months they carried on tlie siege witli incessant ardor, and in various forms; and though they disphiyed not the same undaunted ferocity as the Mexican warriors, they conducted some of their operations in a manner wliich discovered greater sagacity, and a genius more sus- ceptible of improvement in the military art. They not only ob- served the advantages which the Spaniards derived from their dis- cipline and their weapons, but they endeavored to imitate the for- mer, and turned the latter against them. They armed a consider- able body of their bravest warriors with the swords, the spears, and bucklers, which they had taken from the Spanish soldiers whom they had cut off in different parts of the country. These they endeavored to marshal in that regular compact order, to which experience had taught them that the Spaniards were indebted for their irresistible force in action. Some appeared in the field with Spanisli muskets, and had acquired skill and resolution enough to use them. A few of the boldest, among whom was the Inca him- self, ve re mounted on the horses which they had taken, and ad- vanced briskly to the charge like Spanish cavaliers, with their lances in rest. It was more by their numbers, however, than by those imperfect es.says to imitate European arts and to employ European arms, that the Peruvians annoyed the Spaniards. In spite of the valor, heightened by despair, with which the three brothers defended Cuzco, Manco Capac recovered possession of one-half of his capital, besides holding the citadel or fortress of Sacsahuaman ; and in their various efforts to drive him out of the latter, the Spaniards lost Juan Pizarro, the best beloved of all the brothers, together with some other persons of note. Worn out with the fatigue of incessant duty, dis- tressed with the want of provisions, and despairing of being able any longer to resist an enemy whose numbers daily in- creased, the soldiers became impatient to THI AMAUIT Uron THI INCA rufltHESB OF lACSAHUAMAN BV TH( • PANIANOt. n, that lis they forms ; y as the us in a ore sus- only oh- heir dis- ; the for- cotisider- e spears, I soldiers These ^ to which lebted for field with euouK^i to liica him- n, and ad- -e Spanish St. It was |r, than by European arms, that ^tiiards. In iby despair, •s defended |()Ssession of holding the ,iuu ; and in |in out of the Pizarro, the trs, together l,ote. Worn ^ut duty, dis- , visions, and ly longer to ers daily in- limpatient to o u N D u (>. c > H o X H O H Id O 2 O (A < -) O < a. < o o o z < S a o o < 3! 0. (''75) THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 677 J t^ abandon Cuzco, in hopes either of joining their countrymen, if an}' of them yet survived, or of forcing their way to the sea, and finding some means of escaping from a country which had been so fatal to the Spanish name. Wliile they were brooding over those desponding thoughts, which their officers labored in vain to dispel, Almagro appeared suddenly in the neighborhood of Cuzco. The accounts transmitted to Almagro concerning the general in- surrection of the Peruvians, were such as would have induced him, without hesitation, to relinquish the con- quest of Chili, and hasten to the aid of his countrymen. But in this resolution he was confirmed by a motive less generous, but more interesting. By the same messenger who brought him intelligence of the Inca's revolt, he received the royal patent creating him governor of Chili, and defining the limits of his jurisdiction. Upon considering the tenor of it, he deemed it manifest beyond contradiction, that Cuzco lay within the boundaries of his government, and he was equall}^ solicitous to prevent the Peru- vians from recovering possession of their capital, and to wrest it out of the hands of the Pizarros. From impatience to accomp- lish both, he ventured to return by a new route; and in marching through the sandy plains on the coast, he suffered from heat and drought, calamities of a new species hardly inferior to those in which he had been involved by cold and famine on the summits of the Andes. 1537.] His arrival at Cuzco was at a critical moment. The Span- iards and Peruvians fixed their eyes upon him with equal solicitude. The former, as he did not study to conceal his pretensions, were at a loss whether to welcome him as a deliverer, or to take precautions against him as an enemy. The latter, knowing the points in con- test between him and his countrymen, flattered themselves that they had more to hope than to dread from his operations. Almagro himself, unacquainted with the detail of the events which had hap- |«^i CHURCH OF THE JESUITS AT CUZCO. (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.) 678 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. i ? •CUlPTURt FROM THI INCA OATC AT CUZCa pened in his absence, and solicitous to learn the precise posture of affairs, advanced toward the capital slowly, and with great circum- spection. Various negotiations with both parties were set on foot. The Inca conducted them on his part with much address. At first he endeavored to gain the friendship of Almagro ; and after many fruitless overtures, despairing of any cordial union with a Spaniard, he attacked him by sur- prise with a numerous body of chosen troops. But the Spanish discipline and valor main- tained their wonted superiority. The Peru- vians were repulsed with such slaughter, that a great part of their army dispersed, and Al- magro proceeded to the gates of Cuzco without interruption. The Pizarros, as they had no longer to make head against the Peruvians, directed all their attention towards their new enemy, and took measures to obstruct his entry into the capital. Prudence, however, restrained both parties for some time from turning their arms against one another, while surrounded by com- mon enemies, who would rejoice in the mutual slaughter. Different schemes of accommoda- tion were proposed. Each endeavored to de- ceive the other, or to corrupt his followers. The generous, open, affable temper of Alma- gro gained many adherents of the Pizarros, who were disgusted with their harsh, domineer- ing manners. Encouraged by this defection, he advanced towards the city by night, surprised the sentinels or was admitted by them, and, investing the house where the two brothers resided, compelled them, after an obstinate defense, to surrender at discretion. Almagro's claim of jurisdiction over Cuzco was iiniversally acknowledged, and a form of adminis- tration established in his name. Two or three persons only were killed in this first act of civil hostility ; but it was soon followed by scenes more bloody. Fran- cisco Pizarro having dispersed the Peruvians who had invested SCULPTURE FROM THE INCA GATE AT CU2C0. THE CONQUEST OK I'KRU. 679 iture of civcum- on foot. At first ;r many cordial I by sur- i troops. ,r main- tie Peru- jr, that a and Al- 3 without longer to rected all leniy, and ^ into the iiied both their arms ed by com- be mutual ccommoda- red to de- followers, of Alma- Pi/arros, , domineer- efection, he surprised them, and, brothers 1 obstinate jurisdiction of adminis- act of civil [ody. "F^^"- lad invested ALONIO DE »LVAfl»0O, »T THE HE*0 OF fIVE MUNOnEO MEN, CROSSES A PONTOON I ON THE BOAO TO CUZCO. Lima, and received some considerable reinforcements from Hispan- iola and Nicaragua, ordered five hundred men, under the command of Alonzo de Alvarado, to march to Cuzco, in hopes of relieving his brothers, if tliey and their garrison were not already cut off by the Peru- vians. This body, which, at that period of the Spanish power in America, must be deemed a considerable force, advanced near to the capital before they knew that they had any enemy more formidable than Indians to encounter. It was with astonishment that they beheld their countrymen posted on the banks of the river Abancay to oppose their progress. Almagro, however, wished rather to gain than to conquer them, and by bribes and prr "ises endeavored to seduce their leader. The fidelity of Alvarado re- mained unshaken ; but his talents for war were not equal to his virtue. Almagro amused him with various movements, of which he did not comprehend the meaning, while a large detachment of chosen soldiers passed the river by night [July 12J, fell upon his camp by surprise, broke his troops before they had time to form, and took him prisoner, together with his principal officers. By the sudden rout of this body, the con- test between the two rivals must have been decided, if Almagro had known as well how to improve as how to gain a victory. , Rodrigo Orgonez, an officer of great abilities, who having served under the Constable Bourbon, when he led the imperial army to Rome, had been accustomed to bold and decisive meas- ures, advised him instantly to issue orders for putting to death Ferdi- nand and Gonzalo Pizarro, Alvarado, AlVAHADO TAKEN PSISONEH By THE TROOM Of AIMAQRO. 68o THE CONQUEST OF PERU. II I !. '8 nt 'I'- and a few other persons whom he could not hope to gain, and to» march directly with his victorious troops to Lima, before the gov- ernor had time to prepare for his defense. But Almagro, though he discerned at once the utility of the counsel, and though he had courage to have carried it into execution, suffered himself to be in- fluenced by sentiments unlike those of a soldier of fortune grown old in service, and by scruples which suited not the chief of a party who had drawn his sword in civil war. Feelings of humanity re- strained him from shedding the blood of his opponents ; and the dread of being deemed a rebel, deterred him from entering a prov- ince which the King had allotted to another. Though he knew that arms must terminate the dispute between him and Pizarro, and resolved not to shun that mode of decision ; yet, with a timid deli- cacy, preposterous at such a juncture, he was so solicitous that his rival should be considered as the aggressor, that he marched quietly back to Cuzco, to wait his approach. tRYTMROXVLON COC«, OH PRESCOTT'S EHVTHROXYLUM PIRUVMSUM ; THE CUC* or THE NATIVES. It is valued for its stimulating narcotic properties, which it is said to possess ma greater degree than opium, tohacco, or any other veRetable production. i he leaves are gathered and dried in the sun, and are chewed, mixed with quick- lime, which the Peruvians affirm renders its flavor sensible to the taste. The practice of chewing the leaf is attended with the most pernicious consequences, producing an intoxication like opium. Under the Inca reign it is said to have been exclusively reserved for the nobles. With a handful of roasted corn (maize> and a small supply of coca, the Indian of our day performs his weari- some journeys, day after day, without fatigue, or at least without complaint. I ■T OLD PERUVIAN ICULPTUIII. HI«D OP A MAK, lATINO A lAll OF COCA QRAV ORANITI. FOUND AT CABANA. CHAPTER LXIX. ^MANCISCO PIZANRO PREPARES FOR WAR. HI* MARCH TO CUZCO. DEFEAT AND EXECUTIOI* or ALMAQRO. VACA DE CABTRO APPOINTED GOVERNOR. REMARKABLE EXPEDITION OF OONZALO PIZARRO AND ORFLIANA IZARRO was still unacquainted with all the interesting events which had happened near Cuzco. Accounts of Alniagro's return, of the loss of the capital, of the death of one brother, of the imprisonment of the other two, and of the defeat of Alvarado, were brought to him at once. Such a tide of misfortunes almost overwhelmed a spirit which had continued firm and erect under the rudest shocks of adversity. But the necessity of attending to his own safety, as well as the desire of revenge, preserved him from sinking under it. He took measures for both with his wonted sagacity. As he had the command of the sea-coast, and expected considerable supplies both of men and military stores, it was no less his interest to gain time, and to avoid an action, than it was that of Almagro to precipitate operations, and bring the contest to a speedy issue. He had re- course to arts which he had formerly practiced with success; and Almagro was again weak enough to suffer himself to be amused with a prospect of terminating their differences by some amica- ble accommodation. By varying his overtures, and shifting his ground as often as it suited his purpose, sometimes seeming to yield to every thing which his rival could desire, and then re- tracting all that he had granted, Pizarro dexterously protracted the negotiation to such a length, that, though every day was pre- (Ui) 682 THK CONQUEST OP PERU. set cious to Almagro, several months elapsed without coming to any final agreement. While the attention of Ahnagro, and of the officers with whom he consulted, was occupied in detecting and eluding the fraudulent intentions of the governor, Gonzalo Pizarro and Alvarado found means to corrupt the soldiers to whose custody they were committed, and not only made their escape themselves, but persuaded sixty of the men who formerly guarded them to ac- company their flight. Fortune having thus delivered one of his brothers, the governor scrupled not at one act of perfidy more to procure the release of the other. He proposed that every point in controversy between Almagro and himself should be submitted to the decision of their sovereign ; that until his award was known, each should retain undisturbed possession of whatever part of the country he now occupied; that Ferdinand Pi/.arro should be set at liberty, and return instantly to Spain, together with the officers whom Almagro purposed to send thither to represent the justice of his claims. Obvious as the design of Pizarro was in those propositions, and familiar as his artifices might now have been to his opponent, Almagro, with a credulity approaching to infatua- tion, relied on his sincerity, and concluded an agreement on these terms. The moment that Ferdinand Pizarro recovered his liberty, the governor, no longer fettered in his operations by anxiety about his brother's life, threw off every disguise which his concern for it had obliged him to assume. The treaty was forgotten , pacific and conciliating measures were no more mentioned ; it was in the field, he openly declared, and not in the cabinet ; by arms, and not by negotiation, — that it must now be determined who should be master of Peru. The rapidity of his preparations suited such a decisive resolution. Seven hundred men were soon ready to march towards Cuzco. The command of these was given to his two brothers, in whom he could perfectly confide for the execution of his most vio- lent schemes, as they were urged on, not only by the enmity flow- ing from the rivalship between their family and Almagro, but ani- mated with the desire of vengeance, excited by recollection of their own recent disgrace and sufferings. After an unsuccessful attempt to cross the mountains in the direct road between Lima and Cuzco, they marched towards the south along the coast as far as Nasca, and then turning to the left, penetrated through the defiles in that ^i?*: THE CONQUKST OV PKRU. 683 llg to nd of ig and M/arro ustody iselves, I to ac- of his nore to joint iti itted to known, t of tlie )e set at ; officers e justice in those been to infatua- on these Derty, the about his or it had icific and the field, id not by be master .1 decisive h towards others, in most vio- inity flow- but ani- 11 of their 1 attempt .nd Cuzco, as Nasca, les in that branch of the Andes which lay between them and the capital. Alniagro, instead of hearkening to some of his officers, who ad- vised him to attempt the defense of tliosc difficult passes, waited the approach of the enemy in the plain of Cuzco. Two reasons seem to have induced him to take this resolution. His followers amounted hardly to five hundred, and he was afraid of weakening such a feeble body by sending any detachment towards the mount- ains. His cavalry far exceeded that of the adverse party, both in number and discipline, and it was only in an open country that he could avail himself of that advantage. The Pizarros advanced without any obstruction, but what arose from the nature of the desert and horrid regions through which they marched. As soon as they reached the plain, both factions were equally impatient to bring this long-protracted contest to an issue. Though countrymen and friends, the subjects of the same sovereign, and each with the royal standard displayed ; and though they beheld the mountains tliat surrounded the plain in which they were drawn up, covered with a vast multitude of Indians assembled to enjoy the spectacle of their mutual carnage, and pre- pared to attack whatever party remained master of the field ; so fell and implacable was the rancor which had taken possession of every breast, that not one pacific counsel, not a single overture towards accommodation proceeded from either side. Unfortunately for Almagro, he wa5 so worn out with the fatigues of service, to which his advanced age was unequal, that, at this crisis of his fate, he could not exert his wonted activity, and he was obliged to commit the leading of his troops to Orgofiez, who, though an officer of great merit, did not possess the same ascendant, either over the spirit or affections of the soldiers, as the chief whom they had long been accustomed to follow and revere. The conflict was fierce, and maintained by each party with equal courage [April 26J. On the side of Almagro, were more veteran soldiers, and a larger proportion of cavalry ; but these were counterbalanced by Pizarro's superiority in numbers, and by two companies of well-disciplined musketeers, which, on receiving an account of the insurrection of the Indians, the emperor had sent from Spain. As the use of firearms was not frequent among the adventurers in America, hastily equipped for service, at their own expense, this small band of soldiers, regularly trained end armed, 38 684 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. was a novelty in Peru, and decided the fate of the day. Wherever it advanced, the weight of a heavy and well-sustained fire bore down horse and foot before it; and Orgofiez, while he endeav- ored to rally and animate his troops, having received a danger- ous wound, the rout became general. The barbarity of the con- querors stained the glory which they acquired by this complete victory. The violence of civil rage hurried on some to slaughter their countrymen with indiscriminate cruelty ; the meanness of private revenge instigated others to single out individuals as the objects of their vengeance. Orgo- fiez and several ofl&cers of distinc- tion were massacred in cold blood ; above a hundred and forty soldiers fell in the field ; a large proportion, where the number of combatants was few, and the heat of the contest soon over. Almagro, though so feeble that he could not bear the motion of a horse, had insisted on being carried in a litter to an emi- nence which overlooked the field of battle. From thence, in the ut- most agitation of mind, he viewed the various movements of both parties, and, at last, beheld the total defeat of his own troops, with all the passionate indignation of a veteran leader long accustomed to victory. He endeavored to save himself by flight, but was taken prisoner, and guarded with the strictest vigilance. The Indians, instead of executing the resolution which the\'^ had formed, retired quietly after the battle was over; and in the history of the New World, there is not a more striking instance of the wonderful ascendant which the Spaniards had acquired over its inhabitants, than that, after seeing one of the contendin^^ parties ruined and dispersed, and the other weakened and fatigued, they had not the courage to fall upon their enemies, when fortuiu- nUHM'l WCLL-D'9C:PLINE0 BATr/tllOnS ACHIEVE A OECiaiVE VICTORY OVER THE VETERANS OF ALMAORO. THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 685 lerever e bore endeav- danger- :he con- oniplete aiighter mess of i others ; as the . Orgo- f distinc- Id blood; yr soldiers oportion, unbatants he contest hough so t bear the nsisted on to an emi- 1 the field in the ut- le viewed of both Id the total ,s, with all ition of a ustomed to d to save was taken which they and in the ug instance :quired over contending nd fatigued, hen fortune s presented an opportunity of attacking them with such advan- tage. Cuzco was pillaged by the victorious troops, who found there a considerable booty, consisting partly of the gleanings of the In- dian treasures, and partly of the wealth amassed by their antago- nists from the spoils of Peru and Chili. But so far did this, and whatever the bounty of their leader could add to it, fall below the high ideas of the recompense which they conceived to be due to their merit, that Ferdinand Pizarro, unable to gratify such ex- travagant expectations, had recourse to the same expedient which his brother had employed on a similar occasion, and endeavored to find occupation for this turbulent assuming spirit, in order to pre- vent it from breaking out into open mutiny. With this view, he encouraged his most active officers to attempt the discovery and reduction of various provinces which had not hitherto submitted to the Spaniards. To every standard erected by the leaders who undertook any of those new expeditions, volunteers resorted with the ardor and hope peculiar to the age. Several of Almagro's soldiers joined them, and thus Pizarro had the satisfaction of being delivered both from the importunity of his discontented friends, and the dread of his ancient enemies. Almagro himself remained for several months in custody, under all the anguish of suspense. For although his doom was determined by the Pizarros from the moment that he fell into their hands, prudence constrained them to defer gratifying their vengeance, until the soldiers who had served under him, as well as several of their own followers, in whom they could not perfectly confide, had left Cuzco. As soon as they set out upon their differ- ent expeditions, Almagro was impeached of treason, formally tried, aud condemned to die. The sentence astonished him ; and though he had often braved death with undaunted spirit in the field, its approach under this ignominious form appalled him so much, that he had recourse to abject supplications unworthy of his former fame. He besought the Pizarros to re- member the ancient friendship between their brother and him, aud how much MMAORO APPALLED WHEN HE«KINa SENTENCE OF DEATH PRONOUNCED AQAINST HIM. 1ili 686 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. he had contributed to the prosperity of their family; he reminded them of the humanity witli which, in opposition to the repeated remonstrances of his own most attached friends, he had spared their lives when he had them in his power; he conjured them to pity his age and infirmities, and to suffer him to pass the wretched remain- der of his days in bewailing his crimes, and in making his peace with Heaven. The entreaties, says a Spanish historian, of a man so much beloved, touched many an unfeeling heart, and drew tears from many a stern eye. But the brothers remained inflexible As soon as Almagro knew his fate to be inevitable, he met it with the dig- nity and fortitude of a veteran. He was strangled in prison, and afterwards publicly beheaded. He suff"ered in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and left one son by an Indian woman of Panama, whom, though at that time a prisoner in Lima, he named as suc- cessor to his government, pursuant to a power which the emperor had granted him. 1539.] As, during the civil dissensions i 1 Peru, all intercourse ■with Spain was suspended, the detail of th^: extraordinary transac- tions there did not soon reach the court. Unfortunately for the victorious faction, the first intelligence was brought thither by some of Almagro's officers, who left the country upon the ruin of their cause ; and they related what had happened, with every cir- cumstance, unfavorable to Pizarro and his brothers. Their ambi- tion, their breach of the most solemn engagements, their violence and cruelty, were painted with all the malignity and exaggeration of party-hatred. Ferdinand Pizarro, who arrived soon after, and appeared in court with extraordinary splendor, endeavored to efface the impression which their accusations had made, and to justify his brother and himself by representing Almagro as the aggressor. The emperor and his ministers, though they could not pronounce which of the contending factions was most criminal, clearly dis- cerned the fatal tendency of their dissensions. It was obvious, that while the leaders, intrusted with the conduct of two infant colo- nies, employed the arms which should have been turned against the common enemy, in destroying one another, all attention to the public good must cease, and there was reason to dread that the Indians might improve the advantage which the disunion of the Spaniards presented to them, and extirpate both the victors and vanquished. But the evil was more apparent than the remedy. THU CONQUEST OK I'ERU. 68; ^minded repeated red their pity his remaiti- lis peace :i man so ;ars from As soon the dig- ison, and enty-fifth Panama, d as suc- emperor itercourse y transac- ly for the hither by he ruin of every cir- heir ambi- [r violence iggeration after, and to efface to justify ntrprressor. pronounce nearly dis- vious, that Infant colo- d against Ition to the Id that the ion of the ictors and le remedy. Where the information which had been received was so defective and suspicious, and the scene of action so remote, it was almost impos- sible to chalk out the line of conduct that ought to be followed; and before any plan that should be approved of iu vSpain could be carried into execution, the situation of the parties, and the circum- stances of affairs, might alter so entirely as to render its effects extremely pernicious. Nothing, therefore, remained, but to send a person to Peru, vested with extensive and discretionary power, who, after viewing deliberately the posture of affairs with his own eyes, and inquiring upon the spot into the conduct of the different leaders, should be authorized to establish the government in that form which he deemed most conducive to the interest of the parent state, and the welfare of the colony. The man selected for this important charge was Christoval Vaca de Castro, a judge in the court of ro3'al audi- ence at Valladolid ; and his abilities, integrity, and firmness, justi- fied the choice. His instructions, though ample, were not such as to fetter him in his operations. According to the different aspect of affairs, he had power to take upon him different characters. If he found the governor still alive, he was to assume only the title of judge, to maintain the appearance of acting in concert with him, and to guard against giving any just cause of offense to a man who had merited so highly of his country. But if Pizarro were dead, he was intrusted with a commission that he might then produce, by which he was appointed his successor in the government of Peru. This attention to Pizarro, however, seems to have flowed rather from dread of his power than from any approbation of his measures ; for, at the very time that the court seemed so solicitous not to irritate him, his brother Ferdinand was arrested at Madrid, and confined to a prison, where he remained above twenty years. 1540]. While Vaca de Castro was preparing for his voyage, events of great moment happened in Peru. The governor, consid- ering himself, upon the death of Almagro, as the unrivalled pos- sessor of that vast empire, proceeded to parcel out its territories among the conquerors ; and had this division been made with any degree of impartiality, the extent of country which he had to be- stow was sufficient to have gratified his friends, and to have gained his enemies. But Pizarro conducted this transaction, not with the equity and candor of a judge attentive to discover and to reward 688 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. merit, but with the illiberal spirit of a party-leader. Large districts, in parts of the country most cultivated and populous, were set apart as his own property, or granted to his brothers, his adherents, and favorites. To others, lots less valuable and inviting were assigned. The followers of Almagro, among whom were many of the lorig- inal adventurers, to whose valor and perseverance Pizarro was in- debted for his success, were totally excluded from any portion in those lands, towards the acquisition of which they had contributed so largely. As the vanity of every individual set an immoderate value upon his own services, and the idea of each concerning the recompense due to them rose gradu- ally to a more exorbitant height in proportion as their conquests extended, all who were disappointed in their expectations exclaimed loud- ly against the rapaciousness and partiality of the governor. The partisans of Almagro murmured in secret, and meditated revenge. Rapid as the progress of the Spaniards in South America had been since Pizarro landed in Peru, their avidity of domin- ion was not yet satisfied. The officers to whom , Ferdinand Pizarro gave the command of different detachments, penetrated into several new prov- inces ; and though some of them were exposed to great hardships in the cold and barren regions of the Andes, and others suffered distress not inferior amidst the woods and marshes of the plains, they made discoveries and conquests which not only extended their knowledge of the country, but added considerably to the territories of Spain in the New World. Pedro de Valdivia resumed Almagro's scheme of invading Chili, and notwithstand- ing the fortitude of the natives in defending their possessions, made such progress in the conquest of the country, that he founded the city of St. Jago, and gave a beginning to the establishment of the Spanish dominion in that province. But of all the enterprises un- dertaken about this period, that of Gonzalo Pizarro was the most A CONQUISTADOR. (PANISH NAME QIVEN TO THE CONQUERORS OF THE TIME. 1^: THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 689 remarkable. The governor, who seems to have resolved that no person in Peru should possess any station of distinguished emi- nence or authority but those of his own family, had deprived Benal- cazar, the conqueror of Quito, of his command in- that kingdom, and appointed his brother Gonzalo to take the government of it. He instructed him to attempt the discovery and conquest of the country to the east of the Andes, which, according to the informa- tion of the Indians, abounded with cinnamon and other valuable spices, Gonzalo, not inferior to any of his brothers in courage, and no less ambitious of acquiring distinction, eagerly engaged in this difficult service. He set out from Quito at the head of three hundred and forty soldiers, near one-half of whom were horsemen ; with four thousand Indians to carry their provisions. In forcing their way through the defiles, or over the ridges of the Andes, ex- cessive cold and fatigue, to neither of which tliej^ were accustomed, proved fatal to the greater part of their wretched attendants. The Spaniards, though more robust, and inured to a variety of climates, suffered considerably, and lost some men ; but when they descended into the low country, their distress increased. During two months it rained incessantly, without any interval of fair weather long enough to dry their clothes. The immense plains upon which they were now entering, either altogether without in- habitants, or occupied by the rudest and least indus- trious tribes in the New World, yielded little subsist- ence. They could not advance a step but as they cut a road through woods, or made it through marshes. Such incessant toil, and continual scarcity of food, seem more than sufficient to have exhausted and dis- pirited any troops. But the fortitude and persever- ance of the Spaniards in the sixteenth century were insuperable. Allured by frequent but false accounts of rich countries before them, they persisted in strug- gling on, until they reached the banks of the Coca or Napo, one of the large rivers whose waters pour into the Maragnon, and contribute to its grandeur. There, with infinite labor, they built a bark, which they ex- pected would prove of great utility in conveying them over rivers," in procuring provisions, and in exploring the country. This was manned with fifty soldiers, under the command of Francis Orellana, AfiORlQiNES FROM THE NEIQHQORHOOD OF THE RIVER NAPO. 690 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. the officer next in rank to Pizarro. The stream carried them down with such rapidity, that they were soon far ahead of their country- men, who followed slowly and with difficulty by land. At this distance from his commander, Orellana, a young man of an aspiring mind, began to fancy himself independent ; and transported with the predominant passion of the age, he formed the scheme of distinguishing himself as a discoverer, by following the course of the Maragnon until it joined the ocean, and by sur- veying the vast regions through which it flows. This scheme of Orellana's was as bold as it was treacherous. For, if he be charge- able with the guilt of having violated his duty to his commander, and with having abandoned his fellow-soldiers in a pathless desert^ where they had hardly any hopes of success, or even of safety, but what were founded on the service which they expected from the bark ; his crime is, in some measure, balanced by the glory of hav- ing ventured upon a navigation of near two thousand leagues, through unknown nations, in a vessel hastily constructed, with green timber, and by very unskillful hands, without provisions, without a compass, or a pilot. But his courage and alacrity sup- plied every defect. Committing himself fearlessly to the guidance of the stream, the Napo bore him along to the south, until he reached the great channel of the Maragnon. Turning with it to- wards the coast, he held on his course in that direction. He made frequent descents upon both sides of the river, sometimes seizing by force of arms the provisions of the fierce savages seated on its banks ; and sometimes procuring a supply of food by a friendly intercourse with more gentle tribes. After a long series of dangers, which he encountered with amazing fortitude, and of distresses, which he supported with no less magnanimity, he reached the ocean, where new perils awaited him. These he likewise surmounted, and got safely to the Spanish settlement in the Island of ■^ Cubagua; from thence he sailed to Spain. The vanity natural to travellers who visit regions unknown to the rest of mankind, and the art of 'an adventurer solicitous to magnify his own merit, concurred in prompting him to mingle an extraordinary proportion of the mar- velous in the narrative of his voyage. He pretended to have INDIAN HUT ON THE AMAZON RIVER, (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.' I THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 691 ;m down country- iiig man gilt; and e formed following d by sur- :henie of e cliarge- nmander, ss desert, afety, but from the ry of hav- 1 leagues, :ted, with )rovisions, Lcrity sup- ; guidance , until he with it to- He made es seizing ted on its a friendly After a countered ses, which imity, he aited him. got safely Island of :ain. The t regions the art of curred in the mar- to have discovered nations so rich, that the roofs of their temples were covered with plates of gold ; and described a republic of women so warlike and powerful, as to have extended their dominion over a considerable tract of the fertile plains which he had visited. Ex- travagant as those tales were, they gave rise to an opinion, that a region abounding with gold, distinguished by the name of El Do- rado, and a community of Amazons, were to be found in this part of the world ; and such is the propensity of mankind to believe what is wonderful, that it has been slowly, and with difficulty, that reason and observation have exploded those fables. The voyage, however, even when stripped of every romantic embellishment, deserves to be recorded, not only as one of the most memorable occurrences in that adventurous age, but as the first event v/hich led to any certain knowledge of the extensive countries that stretch eastward from the Andes to the ocean. No words can describe the consternation of Pizarro, when he did not find the bark at the confluence of the Napo and Maragnon, where he had ordered Orellana to wait for him. He would not allow himself to suspect that a man, whom he had intrusted with such an important command, could be so base and unfeeling as to desert him at such a juncture. But imputing his absence from the place of rendezvous to some unknown accident, he advanced above fifty leagues along the banks of the Maragnon, expecting every moment to see the bark appear with a supply of provisions [1541]. At length he came up with an officer whom Orellana had left to perish in the desert, because he had the courage to remonstrate against his perfidy. From him he learned the extent of Orellana's crime, and his followers perceived at once their own desperate situation, when deprived of their only resource. The spirit of the stoutest-hearted veteran sunk within him, and all demanded to be led back instantly. Pizarro, though he assumed an appearance of tranquillity, did not oppose their inclination. But he was now twelve hun- dred miles from Quito ; and in that long march the Spaniards encountered hardships greater than those which they had endured in their progress outward, without the alluring hopes which then 692 THR CONQURST OF PERU. soothed and animated them under their sufferings. Hunger com- pelled them to feed on roots and berries, to eat all their dogs and horses, to devour the most loathsome reptiles, and even to gnaw the leather of their saddles and sword-belts. Four thousand Indi- ans, and two hundred and ten Spaniards, perished in this wild, dis- astrous expedition, which continued near two years; and as fifty men were aboard the bark with Orellana, only fourscore got back to Quito. These were naked like savages, and so emaciated with famine, or worn out with fatigue, that they had more the appear- ance of spectres than of men. C0N2AL0 PIZARRO'S DISASTROUS tXPtOlIION IN QUEST OF THE " EL DORADO." OENCRAL VIEW OF LIMA, WITH THE " HIAZA Dt MACMO " 1 BUU RINa; IN THE FORE&.^OUND, FROM A RECENT PHOTOQRAPH, CHAPTER LXX; DEATH OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. ARRIVAL OF VACA DE CASTRO. LAS CASA8 MOVES THE EMPEROR CHARLES V. TO CONSIDER THE WELFARE OF HIS INDIAN SUBJECTS. UT, instead of returning to enjoy the repose which his condition required, Pizarro, on enter- ing Quito, received accounts of a fatal event that threatened calamities more dreadful to him than those through which he had passed. From the time that his brother made that partial division of his conquests which had been mentioned, the adherents of Almagro, considering themselves as proscribed by the party in power, no longer en- tertained any hope of bettering their condition. Great numbers in despair resorted to Lima, where the house of 3'oung Almagro was always open to them, and the slender portion of his father's fortune, which the governor allowed him to enjoy, was spent in affording them sub- sistence. The warm attachment with which every person who had served under the elder Almagro devoted himself to his interests, was quickly transferred to his son, who was now grown up to the age of manhood, and possessed all the qualities which captivate the affections of soldiers. Of a graceful appearance, dexterous at all («93) i {i\ 694 THE CONQUK.ST ()I< I'KRU. martial exercises, bold, open, generous, he seemed lo be formed for command; and as his father, conscious of his own inferiority from the total want of education, had been extremely attentive to have him instructed in every science becoming a gentleman ; the accom- plishments which he had acquired heightened the respect of his followers, as they gave him distinction and eminence among illiter- ate adventurers. In this young man the Almagrians found a point of union which they wanted, and, looking up to him as their head, were ready to undertake anything for his advancement. Nor was affection for Almagro their only incitement ; they were urged on by their own distresses. Many of them, destitute of common nec- essaries and weary of loitering away life, a burden to their chief, or to such of their associates as had saved some remnant of their fortune from pillage and confiscation, longed impatiently for an oc- casion to exert their activity and courage, p.nd began to deliberate how they might be avenged on the author of all their misery. Their frequent cabals did not pass unobserved ; and the governor was warned to be on his guard against men who meditated some des- perate deed, and had resolution to execute it. But either from the native intrepidity of his mind, or from contempt of persons whose poverty seemed to render their machinations of little consequence, he disregarded the admonitions of his friends. "Be in no pain," said he carelessly, " about my life ; it is perfectly safe, as long as every man in Peru knows that I can in a moment cut off any head which dares to harbor a thought against it." This security gave the Almagrians full leisure to digest and ripen every part of their scheme ; and Juan de Herrada, an officer of great abilities, who had the charge of Almagro's education, took the direction of their con- sultations, with all the zeal which this connection inspired, and with all the authority which the ascendant that he was known to have over the mind of his pupil gave him. On Sunday, the twenty-sixth of June, at mid-day, the season of tranquillity and repose in alj sultry climates, Herrada, at the heed of eighteen of the most determined conspirators, sallied out of Almagro's house in complete armour ; and, drawing their swords, as they advanced hastily towards the governor's palace, cried out, ** Long live the king, but let the tyrant die ! " Their associates, warned of their motions by a signal, were in arms at diflferent sta- tions ready to support them. Though Pizarro was usually sur- THE CONQUEST OF PERU. r)95 mcd for ty from to have ; accom- t of his g illiter- l a point eir head, Nor was irged on non nec- nv chief, ; of their for an oc- leliberate ry. Their :rnor was some des- ■ from the ons whose iseqiience, no pain," is long as any head Arity gave t of their , who had Itheir con- )ii-ed, and known to Ithe season ida, at the Isallied out :ir swords, cried out, associates, Ferent sta- mally sur- rounded by such a nunierous train of attendants as snited the mag- nificence of the most opulent subject of the age in which he lived ; yet as he was just risen from table, and most of his domestics had retired to their own apartnients, the conspirators passed through the two outer courts of the palace unobserved. They were at the bottom of the staircase, before a page in waiting could give the alarm to his master, who was conversing with a few friends in a large hall. The governor, whose steady mind no form of danger could appal, starting u p, called for arms, and com- manded Francisco de Chaves to make fast the door. But that officer, who did not retain so much pres- ence of mind as to obey this prudent order, running to the top of the staircase, wildly asked the conspira- tors what they meant, and whither they were going? Instead of answering, they stabbed him to the heart, and burst into the hall. Some of the persons who were there threw themselves from the windows; others attempted to fly ; and a few drawing their swords, followed their leader into an inner apartment. The conspirators, animated with having the object of their vengeance now in view, rushed forward after them. Pizarro, with no other arms than his sword and buck- THE MURDER C^ PI7ARR0. 696 THE CONQUKST OF I'ERU. ler, defeuded the entry; and, supported by his half-brother Al- cantara, and his little knot of friends, he maintained the unequal contest with intrepidity worthy of his past exploits, and with the vigor cf a youthful combatant. "Courage," cries he, " companions f we are yet enough to make those traitors repent of their audacity." But the armor of the conspirators protected them, while every thrust they made took eflfect. Alcantara fell dead at his brother's feet ; his other defenders were mortally wounded. The governor^ so weary that he could hardly wield his sword, and no longer able to parry the many weapons furiously aimed at him, received a deadly thrust full in his throat, and sunk to the ground. " Jesu,"" exclaimed the dying man, and, tracing a cross with his finger on the bloody floor, he bent down his head to kiss it, when a stroke more friendly than the rest put an end to his existence. As soon as he was slain, the assassins ran out into the streets, and, waving their bloody swords, proclaimed the death of the tyrant. Above two hundred of their associates having joined them, they conducted young Almagro in solemn procession through the city^ and assembling the magistrates and principal citizens, compelled them to acknowledge him as lawful successor to his father in his government. The palace of Pizarro, together with the houses of several of his adherents, were pillaged by the soldiers, who had the satisfaction at once of being avenged on their enemies, and of en- riching themselves by the spoils of those through whose hands all the wealth of Peru had passed. The boldness and success of the conspiracy, as well as the name and popular q' ' > of Almagro, drew many soldiers to his standard. Every '• ^er of desperate fortune, all who were dis- satisfied with T , a,nd, from the rapaciousness of his govern- ment in the lat ^ears of his life, the number of malcontents was cor-oiderable, declared without hesitation in favor of Almagro, and he vv'as soon at the head of eight hundred of the most gallant vet- erans in Peru. As his youth and inexperience disqualified him from taking the command of them himself, he appointed Herrada to act as general. But though Almagro speedily collected such a respectable force, the acquiescence in his government was far from being general. Pizarro had left many friends to whom his memory was dear ; the barbaroixs assassination of a man to whom his country was so highly indebted, filled every impartial person with horror. THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 697 The ignominious birth of Almagro, as well as the doubtful title on which he founded his pretensions, led others to consider him as a usurper. The officers who commanded in some provinces refused to recognize his authority until it was confirmed by the emperor. In others, particularly at Cuzco, the royal standard was erected, and preparations were begun in order to re\enge the murder of their ancient leader. Those seeds of discord, which could not have lain long dor- mant, acquired great vigor and activity when the arrival of Vaca de Castro was known. After a long and disastrous voyage, he was driven by stress of weather into a small harbor in the province of Popayan ; and proceeding from thence by land after a journey no less tedious than difficult, he reached Quito. In his way he re- ceived accounts of Pizarro's death, and of the events which fol- lowed upon it. He immediately produced the royal commission appointing him governor of Peru, with the same privileges and authority; and his jurisdiction was acknowledged without hesita- tion by Benalcazar, Adelantado or lieutenant-general for the em- peror in Popayan, and by Pedro de Puelles, who, in the absence of Gonzalo Pizarro, had the command of the troops left in Quito. Vaca de Castro not only assumed the supreme authority, but showed that he possessed the talents which the exercise of it, at that juncture, required. By his influence and address he soon as- sembled such a body of troops, as not only to set him above all fear of being exposed to any insult from the adverse party, but enabled him to advance from Quito with the dignity which became his character. By despatching persons of confidence to the differ- ent settlements in Peru with a formal notification of hi-" arrival and of his commission, he communicated to his countrymen the royal pleasure with respect to the govern- ment of the country. By private emissaries, he excited such officers as had dis- covered their disapproba- ^bM. tion of Almagro's proceed- ings, to manifest their duty to their sovereign by sup- porting the person honored with his commission. Those measures were pro- THC RUINt C .C INCA PALACE IN LAKE TITICAOA. 698 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. ductive of great effects. Encouraged by the approach of the new governor, or prepared by his machinations, the loyal were con- firmed in their principles, and avowed them with greater boldness; the timid ventured to declare their sentiments ; the neutral and wavering, finding it necessary to choose a side, began to lean to that which now appeared to be the safest as well as the most just. Almagro observed the rapid progress of this spirit of disaffec- tion to his cause; and in orde "^^o give an effectual check to it be- fore the arrival of Vaca de Castro, he set out at the head of his troops for CuzcO [1542], where the most considerable body of op- ponents had erected the royal standard, under the command of Pedro Alvarez Holguin. During his march thither, Herrada, the skillful guide of his youth and of his counsels, died; and from that time his measures were conspicuous for their violence, but concerted with little sagacity, and executed with no address. Hol- guin, who, with forces far inferior to those of the opposite party, was descending towards the coast at the very time that Almagro was on his way to Cuzco, deceived his inexperienced adversary by a very simple stratagem, avoided an engagement, and effected a junction with Alvarado, an officer of note, who had been the first to declare against Almagro as a usurper. Soon after, Vaca de Castro entered their camp with the troops which he brought from Quito; and erecting the royal standard before his own tent, he declared that, as governor, he would dis- charge in person all the func- tions of general of their com- bined forces. Though formed by the tenor of his past life to the habits of a sedentary and I pacific profession, he at once assumed the activity and dis- covered the decision of an offi- cer long accustomed to com- mand. Knowing his strength to be now far superior to that of the enemy, he was impa- tient to terminate the contest by a battle. Nor did the followers of Almagro, who had no hopes of obtaining a pardon for a crime so atrocious as the murder of the ARTILIERY IN ACTION. EARUV PART OF THE XVI. CENTURY. THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 699 the new ;re con- oldiiess ; tral and lean to ost just, disaffec- to it be- .d of his ly of op- .mand of rada, the md from snce, but iss. Hol- ite party, Almagro ersary by effected a . the first ;he troops standard ould dis- the func- leir com- h formed ,ast life to ntary and le at once y and dis- of an offi- i to com- s strength or to that vas impa- he contest no hopes [der of the governor, decline that mode of decision. They met at Chupaz [Sept. i6j, about two hundred miles from Cuzco, and fought with all the fierce animosity inspired by the violence of civil rage, the rancor of privat': enmity, the eagerness of revenge, and the last efforts of despair. Victory, after remaining long doubtful, de- clared at last for Vaca de Castro. The superior number of his troops, his own intrepidity, and the martial talents of Francisco de Carvajal, a veteran officer formed under the great captain in the wars of Italy, and who, on that day, laid the foundation of his future fame in Peru, triumphed over the bravery of his opponents, though led on by young Almagro with a gallant spirit worthy of a better cause, and deserving another fate. The carnage was great in proportion to the number of the combatants. Many of the vanquished, especially such as were conscious that they might be charged with being accessory to the assassination of Pizarro, rushing or the swords of the enemy, chose to fall like soldiers rather than wait an ignominious doom. Of fourteen hundred men, the total number of combatants on both sides, five hundred lay dead on the field, and the number of the wounded was still greater. If the military talents displayed by Vaca de Castro, both in the council and in the field, surprised the adventurers in Peru, they were still more astonished at his conduct after the victory. As he was by nature a rigid dispenser of justice, and persuaded that it required examples of extraordinary severity to restrain the licentious spirit of soldiers so far removed from the seat of gov- ernment, he proceeded directly to try his prisoners as rebels. Forty were condemned to suffer the death of traitors, others were banished fror" Peru. Their leader, who made his escape from the battle, being betrayed by some of his offi- cers, was publicly beheaded in Cuzco; and in him the name of Almagro, and the spirit of the party, was extinct. During those violent convulsions in Peru, the emperor and his ministers were intently employed in preparing regulations, || by which they hoped, not only to re-estab- lish tranquillity there, but to introduce a 39 IXeCUTION OF OIEOO ALMAORO, THE VOUNQEK, AT CUZCO, BV ORDtR OF VACA DC CAtTRO. pf> r.f 700 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. more perfect system of internal policy into all their settlements in the New World. It is manifest from all the events recorded in the history of America, that, rapid and extensive as the Span- ish conquests there had been, they were not carried on by any regular exertion of the national force, but by the occasional efforts of private adventurers. After fitting out a few of the first armaments for discovering new regions, the court of Spain, during the busy re'^^ns of Ferdinand and of Charles V., the former the most intriguing prince of the age, and the latter the most ambitious, was encumbered with such a multiplicity of schemes, and involved in war with so many nations of Europe, that it had not leisure to attend to distant and less interesting objects. The care of prosecuting discovery, or of attempting conquest, was abrndoned to individuals ; and with such ardor did men push for- ward in this new career, on which novelty, the spirit of adventure, avarice, ambition, and the hope of meriting heaven, prompted them with combined influence to enter, that in less than half a century almost the whole of that extensive empire which Spain possessed in the New World was subjected to its dominion. As the Spanish court contributed nothing towards the various expedi- tions undertaken in America, it was not entitled to claim much from their success. The sovereignty of the conquered provinces, with the fifth of the gold and silver, was reserved for the crown ; every thing else was seized by the associates in each expedition as their own right. The plunder of the countries which they invaded served to indemnify them for what they had expended in equip- ping themselves for the service, and the conquered territory was divided among them, according to rules which custom had intro. dnced, as permanent establishments which their successful valor merited. In the infancy of those settlements, when their extent as well as their value was unknown, many irregularities escaped observation, and it was found necessary to connive at many ex- cesses. The conquered people were frequently pillaged with de- structive rapacity, and their country parceled out among its new masters in exorbitant shares, far exceeding the highest recom- pense due to their services. The rude conquerors of America, in- capable of forming their establishments upon any general or ex- tensive plan of policy, attentive only to private interest, unwilling to forego present gain from the prospect of remote or public ben- ; ^ THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 701 tlenieiits recorded [le Spaii- i by any ccasional V of the of Spain, le former the most schemes, lat it had cts. The luest, was push for- adventure, prompted han half a tiich Spain linion. As ous expedi- laini much I provinces, the crown ; :pedition as ley invaded 1 in equip- rritory was I had intro- jssful valor :heir extent ies escaped .t many ex- ■ed with de- ,ng its new [lest recom- uierica, in- eral or ex- , unwilling public ben- efit, seem to ha-v'e had no object but to amass sudden wealth, with- out regarding what might be the cousequences of the means by which they acquired it. But when time at length discovered to the Spanish court the importance of its American possessions, the necessity of new-modeling their whole frame became obvious, and in place of the maxims and practices prevalent among military adventurers, it was found requisite to substitute the institutions of regular government. One evil in particular called for an immediate remed}'. The conquerors of Mexico and Peru imitated the fatal example of their countrymen settled in the islands, and employed themselves in searching for gold and silver with the same inconsiderate eager- ness. Similar effects followed. The natives employed in this labor by masters, who in imposing tasks had no regard either to what they felt or to what they were able to pertorm, pined away and perished so fast, that there was reason to apprehend that Spain, instead of possessing countries peopled to such a degree as to be susceptible of progressive improvement, would soon remain proprietor only of a vast, uninhabited desert. The emperor and his ministers were so sensible of this, and so solicitous to prevent the extinction of the Indian race, which threat- ened to render their acquisitions of no value, that, from time to time, various laws, which I have mentioned, had been made for securing to that unhappy people more gentle and equitable treatment. But the distance of America from the seat of empire, the feeblenees of government in the new colonies, the avarice and audacity of soldiers unaccustomed to restraint, prevented these salutary regulations from operating with any considerable influence. The evil continued to grow, and, at this time the emperor found an interval of leisure from the affairs of Europe to take it into attentive consideration. He consulted not only with his ministers and the members of the coun- cil of the Indies, but called upon several persons who had resided long in the New World to aid them with the result of their expe- rience and observation. Fortunately for the people of America, among these was Bartholomew de las Casas, who happened then to be at Madrid on a mission from a chapter of his order at Chiapa. Though, since the miscarriage of his former schemes for the relief of the Indians, he had continued shut up in his cloister, or occu- pied in religious functions, his zeal in behalf of the former objects I .% i!^ 702 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. ill of his pity was so far from abating, that, from an increased knowl- edge of their snfferings, its ardor had augmented. He seized ea- gerly this opportunity of reviving his favorite maxims concerning the treatment of the Indians. With the moving eloquence natural to a man on whose mind the scenes which he had beheld had made a deep impression, he described the irreparable waste of the human species in the New World, the Indian race almost totally swept away in the islands in less than fifty years, and hastening to ex- tinction on the continent with the same rapid decay. With the decisive tone of one strongly prepossessed with the truth of his own system, he imputed all this to a single cause, to the exactions and cruelty of his countrymen, and contended that nothing could prevent the de- population of America, but the declaring of its natives to be freemen, and treating them as subjects, not as slaves. Nor did he confide for the success of this proposal in the powers of his oratory alone. In order to en- force them, he composed his fa- mous treatise concerning the destruction of America, in which he relates, with many horrid cir- cumstances, but with apparent mirks of exaggerated descrip- tion, the devastation of every province which had been visited by the Spaniards. The emperor .vas deeply afflicted with the recital of so many actions shocking to humanity. But as his views extended far be- yond those of Las Casas, he perceivec that relieving the Indians from oppression was but one step towards rendering his possessions in the New World a valuable acquisition, and would be of little MONUMENT OF LAS CASAS, THE APOSTLE OF THE INDIANS. . MARBLE STATUE IN MADRID. D. ANTONIO MOLTO Y SUCH. knowl- Lzed ea- cerning natural id made I human ,rld, the ly swept ess than Lg to ex- jnt with With the strongly truth of ,puted all e, to the ty of his nded that t the de- 1, but the ^,es to he them as Nor did ess of this srs of his ler to en- sed his fa- ming the ^ in which horrid cir- apparent 1 descrip- of every f so many ied far be- he Indians )ossessions of little h h t i- o X 9 < S z z I' Q 2 s Q B z a rj a. ■J> u (703) flilfp^ rl THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 705 ■^ ' f' r!T si-*!H**r^' ^.-^^ I** avail, unless he could circumscribe the power and usurpations of his own subjects there. The conquerors of America, however great their merit had been towards their country, were mostly persons of such mean birth, and of such an abject rank in society, as gave no distinction in the eye of a monarch. The ex- orbitant wealth with which some of them returned, gave umbrage to an age not accustomed to see men in inferior condition elevated above their level, and rising to emulate or to sur pass the ancient nobility in splendor. The territories which their leaders had , appropriated to themselves were of such enormous extent, that, if the country should ever be improved in proportion to the fertility of the soil, they must grow too wealthy and too powerful for subjects. It appeared to Charles that this abuse required a remedy no less than the other, and that the reS'UlationS COnCerniner both must be ?Phe?e of their influence goes on widening forever. They bud, they O c> blossom, they bear fruit, from age to age. enforced by a mode of government more vigorous than had yet been introduced into America. With this view he framed a body of laws, containing many sal- utary appointments with respect to the constitution and powers of the supreme council of the Indies ; concerning the station and jurisdiction of the royal audiences in different parts of America ; the administration of justice ; the order of government, both eccle- siastical and civil. These were approved of by all ranks of men. But together with them were issued the following regulations, which excited universal alarm, and occasioned the most violent convul- sions : " That as the repartimientos or shares of land seized by sev- eral persons appeared to be excessive, the royal audiences are em- powered to reduce them to a moderate extent : That upon the death of any conqueror or planter, the lands and Indians granted to him shall not descend to his widow or children, but return to the crown : That the Indians shall henceforth be exempt from personal serv- ice, and shall not be compelled to carry the baggage of travelers. V' LAS CASAS. The editor of this book cannot forego the opportunity offered him here to quote the words of just tribute paid to Las Casas by that master- mind, John Fisice, in his work, '*The l)iscovery of America," vol.2, page 482 : *' In contemplating such a life as that of Las Casas, all words of eulogy seem weak and frivolous. The historian can only how in reverent awe before a figure which is in some respects the most beauti- ful and sublime in the annals of Chris! unity since the apostolic age. When now and then in the course of the centuries God's providence J brings such a life into this world, the memory of it must be cherished by mankind as one of its most precious and sacred possessions. For the thoughts, the words, the deeds of such a man, there is no death. The If 706 THE CONQUEvST OK PERU. 4. ' to labor in the mines, or to dive in the pearl fisheries : That the stated tribnte due by them to their superior shall be ascer- tained, and they shall be paid as servants for any work they voluntarily perform : That all persons who are or have been in public offices, all ecclesiastics of every denomination, all hospitals and monasteries, shall be deprived of the lands and Indians allotted to them, and these be annexed to the crown : That every person in Peru, who had any criminal concern in the con- tests between Pizarro and Almagro, should forfeit his lands and Indians." All the Spanish ministers who had hitherto been intrusted with the direction of American affairs, and who were best ac- quainted with the state of the country, remonstrated against those regulations as ruinous to their infant colonies. They represented, that the number of Spaniards who had hitherto emigrated to the New V/crld was so extremely small, that nothing could be expected from any effort of theirs towards improving the vast regions over which they were scattered ; that the success of every scheme for this purpose must depend upon the ministry and service of the Indians, whose native indolence and aversion to labor, no prospect of benefit or promise of reward could surmount; that the moment the right of imposing a task, and exacting the performance of it, was taken from their masters, every work of industry must cease. S^';!t\'*« t^-iti«v:;: and all the sources from which wealth began to pour in upon Spain must be stopped for ever. But Charles, tenacious at all times of his own opinions, and so much impressed at present with the view of the disorders which reigned in America, that he was willing to hazard the application even of a dangerous remedy, persisted in his resolution of publish- ing the laws. That they might be carried into execution with greater vigor and au- thority, he authorized Francisco Tello de Sandoval to repair to Mexico as Visitador^ or superintendent of that country, and to co- operate with Antonio de Mendoza, the Vice- roy, in enforcing them. He appointed Blasco Nunez Vela to be governor of Peru, with the THE EMPEROR CHARLES V. THE CONQUKST OF PERU. 707 title of viceroy ; and in order to strengtlieii his administration, he established a conrt of royal audience at Lima [ 1543J, in which four lawyers of eminence were to preside as Judges. Th^ viceroy and superintendent sailed at the same time; and an account of the laws which they were to enforce reached America before them. The entry of Sandoval into Mexico was viewed as the prelude of general ruin. The unlimited grant of liberty to the Indians aifectcd every Spaniard in America without distinction, and there was hardly one who might not, on some pretext, be in- cluded under the other regulations, and puffer by them. But the colony in New Spain haa now been so long accustomed to the re- straints of law and authority, under the steady and prudent admin- istration of Mendoxa, that, how much soever the spirit of the new statutes was detested and dreaded, no attempt was made to obstruct the application of them by any act of violence luibecoming subjects. The magistrates and principal inhabitants, however, presented dutiful addresses to the viceroy and superintendent, representing the fatal consequences of enforcing them. Happily for them, Mendoza, by long residence in the country, was so thoroughly ac- quainted with its state, that he knew what was for its interest as well as what it could bear ; and Sandoval, though new in office, dis- played a degree of moderation, seldom possessed bj- persons just entering upon the exercise of power. They engaged to suspend, for some time, the execution of what was offensive in the new laws, and not only consented that a deputation of citizens should be sent to Europe to lay before the emperor the apprehensions of his sub- jects in New Spain with respect to their tendency and effects, but they concurred with them in supporting their sentiments. Charles, moved by the opinion of men whose abilities and integrity entitled them to decide concerning what fell immediately under their own view, granted such a relaxation of the rigor of the laws as re-estab- lished the colony in its former tranquillity. In Peru the storm gathered with an aspect still more fierce and threatening, and was not so soon dispelled. The conquerors of Peru, of a rank much inferior to those who had subjected Mexico to the Spanish crown, farther removed from the inspection of the parent state, and intoxicated with the sudden acquisition of wealth, carried on all their operations with greater license and irregularity than any body of adventurers in the New World. Amidst the gen- • 7o8 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. lU: eral subversion of law and order, occasioned by two successive civil wars, when each individual was at liberty to decide for himself, without any guid*.' bjit his own interest or passions, this turbulent spirit rose above all sense of subordination. To men thus cor- rupted by anarchy, the introduction of regular government, the power of a viceroy, and the authority of a respectable court of judi- cature, would of tiiemselves have appeared formidable restraints, to which they would have submitted wi'th reluctance. But they re- volted with indignation against the idea of complying with laws, by which they were to be stripped at once of all they had earned so hardly during many years of service and suffering. As the ac- count of the new laws spread successively through the different settlements, the inhabitants ran together, the women in tears, and the men exclaiming against the injustice and ingratitude of their sovereign in depriving them, unheard and unconvicted, of their possessions. "Is this," cried they, "the recompense due to persons, who, without public aid, at their own expense, and by their own valor, have subjected to the crown of Castile, territories of such immense extent and opulence ? Are these the rewards bestowed for having endured unparalleled distress, for having encountered every species of danger in the service of their country? Whose merit is so great, whose conduct has been so irreproachable, that he may not be condemned by some penal clause in regulations, con- ceived in terms as loose and comprehensive, as if it had been in- tended that all should be entangled in their snare? Every Span- iard of note in Peru has held some public office, and all, without distinction, have been constrained to take an active part in the con- test between the two rival chiefs. Were the former to be robbed of their property because they had done their duty? Were the latter to be punished on account of what they could not avoid ? Shall the conquerors of this great empire, instead of receiving marks of distinction, be deprived of the natural consolation of pro- viding for their widows and children, and leave them to depend for subsistence on the scanty supply they can extort from unfeeling courtiers?" "We are not able now," continued they, "to explore unknown regions in quest of more secure settlements ; our consti- tutions debilitated with age, and our bodies covered with wounds, are no longer fit for active service ; but still we possess vigor suffi- cient to assert our just rights, and we will not tamely suffer them to be wrested from us." I THE CONQURST OF PERU. 709 e civil i nisei f, bnleiit LIS cor- iit, the )f judi- ints, to liey re- h laws, earned the ac- lifferent ars, and of their of their persons, leir own of such bestowed ountered Whose ble, that ons, con- been in- ry Span- without the con- le robbed Vere the avoid ? eceiving of pro- pend for nfeeling \) explore ,r consti- wounds, r suffi- •er them By discourses of this sort, uttered with vehemence, and lis- tened to with universal approbation, their passions were inflamed to such a pitch, that they were prepared for the most violent meas- ures ; and began to hold consultations in different places, how they might oppose the entrance of the viceroy and judges, and prevent not only the execution but the promulgation of the new laws. From this, however, they were diverted by the address of Vaca de Castro, who flattered them with hopes, that, as soon as the viceroy and judges should arrive, and had leisure to examine their peti- tions and remonstrances, they would concur with them in endeav- oring to procure some mitigation in the rigor of laws which had been framed without due attention either to the state of the coun- try, or to the sentiments of the people. A greater degree of ac- commodation to these, and even some concessions on the part of government, were now become requisite to compose the present feruient, and to soothe the colonists into submission, by inspiring them with confidence in their superiors. But without profound discernment, conciliating manners, and flexibility of temper, such a plan could not be carried on. The viceroy possessed none of these. Of all the qualities that fit men for high command, he was endowed only with integrity and courage ; the former harsh and uncomplying, the latter bordering so frequently on rashness or obstinacy, that, in his situation, they were defects rather than virtues. From the moment that he landed at Tunibez [March 4], Nuilez Vela seems to have considered himself merely as an ex- ecutive officer, without any discretionary power ; and, regardless of whatever he observed or heard concerning the state of the coun- try, he adhered to the letter of the regulations with unrelenting rigor. In all the towns through which he passed, the natives were declared to be free, every person in public office was deprived of his lands and servants ; and as an example of obedience to others, he would not suffer a single Indian to be employed in carrying his own baggage in his march towards Lima. Amazement and consternation went before him as he approached ; and so little solicitous was he to prevent these from augmenting, that, on enter- ing the capital, he openly avowed that he came to obey the orders of his sovereign, not to dispense with his laws. This harsh decla- ration was accompanied with what rendered it still more intoler- able, haughtiness in deportment, a tone of arrogance and decision 'Hii MB 710 THR CONQUEST OF PERU. /•' eriife:. THE QOVCRNO*, VAC* DI CASTRO, IMPRISONED IK THi COMMON JAIL. in discourse, and an insolence of office grievous to men little accustomed to hold civil authority in high respect. Every attempt to procure a suspension or mitigation of the new laws, the viceroy considered as flowing from a spirit of dis- affection that tended to rebellion. Several persons of rank were confined, and .some put to death, without any form of trial. Vaca de Castro was arrested ; and notwithstanding the dignity of his former rank, and his merit, in having prevented a general insurrec- tion in the colony, he was loaded with chains, and shut up in the common gaol. But, however general the indig- nation was against such proceedings, it is probable the hand of authority would have been strong enough to suppress it, or to prevent it bursting out with open violence, if the malcon- tents had not been provided with a leader of credit and eminence to unite and to direct their efforts. From the time that the purport of the new regulations was known in Peru, every Spaniard there turned his eyes toward Gonzalo Pizarro, as the only person able to avert the ruin with which they threatened the colony. From all quarters, letters and addresses were sent to him, conjuring him to stand forth as their common protector, and offering to support him in the attempt with their lives and fortunes. Gonzalo, though inferior in talents to his other brothers, was equally ambitious, and of courage no less daring. The behavior of an ungrateful court towards his brothers and himself dwelt con- : inually on his mind. Ferdinand a state-prisoner ill Europe, the children of the governor in cus- tody of the viceroy, and sent aboard his fleet, hini- i^elf reduced to the condition of a private citizen in a country for the discovery and conquest of which Spain was indebted to his family; CONZALO PI2ARR0. THE CONQUEST OK I'ERU. 711 HUINB OF THE 010 INCA FORTRESS OF 8ACSAHUAMAN. (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.) — these thoughts prompted him to seek for vengeance, and to assert the rights of his family, of which he now considered himself as the guardian and the heir. But as no Spaniard can easily sur- mount that veneration for his sovereign which seems to be inter- woven in his frame, the idea of marching iu arms against the royal standard filled him with horror. He hesitated long, and was still unresolved, when the violence of the viceroy, the uni- versal call of his countrymen, and the certainty of becoming soon a victim himself to the severity of the new laws, moved him to quit his residence at Chuquisaca de la Plata, and repair to Cuz- co. All the inhabitants went out to nieet him, and received him with transports of joy as the deliverer of the colony. In the fervor of their zeal, they elected him procurator-general of the Spanish nation in Peru, to solicit the repeal of the late regulations. They em- powered him to lay their remonstrances before the royal audience in Lima, and, upon pretext of danger from the Indians, au- thorized him to march thither in arms [1544]. Under sanction of this nomination Pizarro took possession of the royal treas- ure, appointed officers, levied soldiers, seized a large train of artillery which Vaca de Castro had deposited in Gumanga, and set out for Lima as if he had been advancing against a piiblic enemy. Disaffection having now assumed a regular form, and being united under a chief of such distinguished name, many persons of note resorted to his standard; and a considerable part of the troops, raised by the viceroy to oppose his progress, deserted to him in a body. Before Pizarro reached Lima, a revolution had happened there, which encouraged him to proceed with almost certainty of success. The violence of the viceroy's administration was not more formida- ble to the Spaniards of Peru, than his overbearing haughtiness was odious to his associates, the judges of the royal audience. During their voyage from Spain, some symptoms of coldness between the viceroy and them began to appear. But as soon as they entered '■- if I t5 i:*l r3, II 11 1 IP: -'9 712 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. upon the exercise of their respective offices, both parties were so much exasperated by frequent contests, arising from interference of jurisdiction and contrariety of opinion, that their mutual disgust soon grew into open enmity. The judges thwarted the viceroy in every measure, set at liberty prisoners whom he had confined, jus- tified the malcontents, and applauded their remonstrances. At a time when both departments of government should have united against the approaching enemy, they were contending with each other for superiority. The judges at length prevailed. The vice- roy, universally odious, and abandoned even by his own guards, was seized in his palace [Sept. i8], and carried to a desert island on the coast, to be kept there until he could be sent home to Spain. The judges, in consequence of this, having assumed the su- preme direction of affairs in their own hands, issued a proclama- tion suspending the execution of the obnoxious laws, and sent a message to Pizarro, requiring him, as they had already granted whatever he could request, to dismiss his troops, and to repair to Lima with fifteen or twenty attendants. They could hardly expect that a man so daring and ambitious would tamely comply with this requisition. It was made, probably, with no such intention, but only to throw a decent veil over their own conduct ; for Cepeda, the president of the court of audience, a pragmatical and aspiring lawyer, seems to have held a secret correspondence with Pizarro, and had already formed the plan, which he afterwards executed, of devoting himself to his service. The imprisonment of the viceroy, the usurpation of the judges, together with the universal confusion and anarchy consequent upon events so singular and unexpected, opened new and vast prospects to Pizarro. He now beheld the supreme power within his reach. Nor did he want courage to push on towards the object which fortune presented to his view. Carva- jal, the prompter of his resolutions, and guide of all his actions, had long fixed his eye upon it as the only end at which Pizarro ought to aim. Instead of the inferior function of procurator for the Spanish settlements in Peru, he openly demanded to be gov- ernor and captain-general of the whole province, and required the court of audience to grant him a commission to that effect. At the head of twelve hundred men, within a mile of Lima, where there was neither leader nor army to oppose him, such a request carried with it the authority of a command. But the judges, either from THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 713 irere so ference disgust :eroy in ed, jus- . At a united ith eacli *he vice- guards, sland on Spain. , the su- )roclania- id sent a ' granted repair to lly expect witli this itiou, but r Cepeda, fl aspiring 1 Pizarro, ecuted, of le viceroy, confusion lexpected, eheld the L^^e to push Carva- is actions, :h Pizarro urator for ;o be gov- uired the t. At the [here there :st carried lither from unwillingness to relinquish power, or from a desire of pieserving some attention to appearances, hesitated, or seemed to hesitate, about complying with what he demanded. Carvajal, impatient of delay, and impetuous in all his operations, marched into the city by night, seized several officers of distinction obnoxious to Pizarro, and hanged them without the formality of a trial. Next morning the court of audience issued a commission in the emperor's name, appointing Pizarro governor of Peru, with full powers, civil as well as military, and he entered the town that day with extraordinary pomp, to take possession of his new dignity. SUBTERRANEAN CANAL OF MOUNT 8IPA. Much of the country alnnj; the sea-coast of Pern suffereuikUp ClA. WW i Hottltr sliHiK *I H'»urfl, with in- cised .ind r*:(i i.fdnicf) <»rii;ii.irri(s. Ill ihr < iisr nf (lie larger *mt:, its upper hulf ii^cd in place of a lid or (.ovcnny. HEAD COVERINQ :'}■'-*■■ ■ t f" * f > ^iSm^; 1 > •T-t » .^ J* dt '* ' • :.':..:', . ....-^.^'/J^T^^fe ^ ,;-■■-■: . .....,■ ^ ■ - ' . ..f i TMF INf.A GATf AT CU/CO. $ ? 728 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. adorned with all the pride of military pomp. That of Gasca, though not so splendid, exhibited what was no less striking. He himself, accompanied by the archbishop of Lima, the bishops of Quite* and Cuzco, and a great number of ecclesiastics, marching along the lines, blessing the men, and encouraging them to a reso- lute discharge of their duty. When both armies were just ready to engage, Cepeda set spurs to his horse, galloped off, and surrendered himself to the president. Garcilasso de la Vega, and other officers of note, fol- lowed his example. The revolt of persons in such high rank struck all with amazement. The mutual confidence on which the union and strength of armies depend, ceased at once. Distrust and consternation spread from rank to rank. Some silently slipped away, others threw down their arms, the greatest number went over to the royalists. Pizarro, Carvajal, and some leaders, employed authority, threats, and entreaties, to stop them, but in vain. In less than half an hour, a body of men, which might have decided the fate of the Peruvian empire, was lotally dispersed. Pizarro, seeing all irretrievably lost, cried out in amazement to a few officers who still faithfully adhered to him, " What remains for us to do?" "Let us rush," replied one of them, "upon the en- emy's firmest battalion, and die like Romans." Dejected with such a reverse of fortune, he had not spirit to follow this soldierly counsel, and, with a tameness disgraceful to his former fame, he surrendered to one of Gasca's officers. Carvajal, endeavoring to escape, was overtaken and seized. Gasca, happy in this bloodless victory, did not stain it with cruelty. Pizarro, Carvajal, and a small number of the most dis- tinguished and notorious offenders, were punished capitally. Pi- zarro was beheaded the da^' after he surrendered. He submitted to his fate with a composed dignity, and seemed desirous to atone by repentance for the crimes which he had committed. The end of Carvajal was suitable to his life. On his trial he offered no de- fense. When the sentence adjudging him to be beheaded was pro- nounced, he carelessly replied, " One can die but once." During the interval between the sentence and execution, he discovered no sign either of remorse for the past, or of solicitude about the fu- ture ; scoffing at all who vi>iied him, in his usual sarcastic vein of mirth, with the same quickness of repartee and gross pleasantry ,"#i ' "^aff^^Bi^BS^ff^ THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 729 Gasca, r. He ops of .rcliing a reso- ida set to the )te, fol- rh rank lich the Distrust silently number leaders, , but in rht have spersed. ent to a nains for the en- ted with soldierly ame, he oring to it with lost dis- tlly. Pi- Libniitted to atone The end d no de- was pro- During vered no t the fu- stic vein easantry THE END OF CARVAJAL. as at any other period of his life. Cepeda, more criminal than either, ought to have shared the same fate ; but the merit of hav- ing deserted his associates at such a criti- cal moment, and with such decisive effect, saved him from immediate punishment. He was sent, however, as a prisoner to Spain, and died in confinement. In the minute details which the con- temporary historians have given of the civil dissensions that raged in Peru, with little interruption, during ten years, many circumstances occur so striking, and which indicate such an uncommon state of manners, as to merit particular atten- tion. Though the Spaniards who first invaded Peru were of the lowest order in society, and the greater part of those who after- wards joined them were persons of desperate fortune, yet in all the bodies of troops brought into the field by the different leaders who contended for superiority, not one man acted as a hired sol- dier, that follows his standard for pay. Every adventurer in Peru considered himself as a conqueror, entitled, by his services, to an establishment in that country which had been acquired by his valor. In the contests between the rival chiefs, each chose his side as he was directed by his own judgment or affections. He joined his commander as a companion of his fortunes, and dis- dained to degrade himself by receiving the wages of a mercenary. It was to their sword, not to the pre-eminence in office, or nobility of birth, that uiost of the leaders whom the}' followed were in- debted for their elevation; aud each of their adherents hoped, by the same means, to open a way for himself to the possession of power and wealth. But though the troops in Peru served without any regular pay, they were raised at immense expense. Among men accus- tomed to divide the spoils of an opulent country, the desire of ob- taining wealth acquired incredible force. The ardor of pursuit augmented in proportion to the hope of success. Where all were intent on the same object, and under the dominion of the same passion, there was but one mode of gaining men, or of securing mi |:-li i;| 730 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. their attachment. Officers of name and influence, besides the promise of future establishments, received in hand large gratuities from the chiefs with whom they engaged. Gonzalo Pizarro, in order to raise i,ooo men, advanced five hundred thousand pesos. Gasca expended in levying the troops which he led against Pizarro nine hundred thousand pesos. The distribution of property, bestowed as the reward of services, was still more exorbitant. Cepeda, as the recompense of his perfidy and address, in persuading the court of royal audience to give the sanction of its authority to the usurped jurisdiction of Pizarro, received a grant of lands which yielded an annual income of a hundred and fifty thousand pesos. Hinojosa, who by his early defection from Pizarro, and surrender of the fleet to Gasca, decided the fate of Peru, obtained a district of country affording two hundred thousand pesos of yearly value. While such rewards were dealt out to the principal officers, with more than royal munificence, proportional shares were conferred upon those of inferior rank. Such a rapid change of fortune produced its natural effects. It gave birth to new wants, and new desires. Veterans, long accus- tomed to hardships and toil, acquired of a sudden a taste for profuse and inconsiderate dissipation, and indulged in all the excesses of military licentiousness. The riot of low debauchery occupied some; a relish for expensive luxuries spread among others. The meanest soldier in Peru would have thought himself degraded by marching on foot ; and at a time when the prices of horses in that country were exorbitant, each insisted on being furnished with one before he would take the field. But though less patient under the fatigues and hardships of service, they were ready to face danger and death with as much intrepidity as ever; and animated by the hope of new rewards, they never failed, on the day of battle, to display all their ancient valor. Together with their courage, they retained all the ferocity by which they were originally distinguished. Civil discord never raged with a more fell spirit than among the {Spaniards in Peru. To all the passions which usually envenom contests among coun- trymen, avarice was added, and rendered tlieir enmity more rancor- ous. Eagerness to seize the valuable forfeitures, expected upon the death of ever}' opponent, shut the door against mercy. To be wealthy was of itself sufficient to expose a man to accusation, or to mm^^i^ iik THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 7i^ des the ratuities in order . Gasca rro nine jestowed jpeda, as Lhe court :y to the ds which lid pesos, mrrender a district rly value, cers, with conferred -al effects. :)iig accus- er profuse ixcesses of ^ied some ; e meanest marching it country )ne before le fatigues and death hope of isphiy all crocity hy :()rd never is in Peru, iong coun- [ire rancor- •cted upon cy. To be Hon, or to subject him to punishment. On the slightest suspicions, Pizarro condemned many of tlie most opulent inhabitants in Peru to death. Carvajal, without searching for any pretext to justify his cruelty, cut off many more. The number of those who suffered by the hands of the executioner, was not much inferior to what fell in the field; and the greater part was condemned without the formality of any legal trial. The violence with which the contending parties treated their opponents was not accompanied with its usual attendants, attach- ment, and fidelity to those with whom they acted. Tlie ties of honor, which ought to be held sacred among soldiers, and the principle of integrity interwoven as thoi >ughly in the Spanish character as in that of any nation, seem to have been equally for- gotten. Even regard for decency, and the sense of shame, were totally lost. During their dissensions, there was hardly a Spaniard in Peru who did not abandon the party which he had originally es- poused, betray the associates with whom he had united, and violate the engagements under which he had come. The viceroy Nunez Vela was ruined by the treachery of Cepeda and the other judges of the royal audience, who were bound by the duties of their func- tion to have supported his authority. The chief advisers and com- panions of Gonzalo Pizarro's revolt were the first to forsake him, and submit to his enemies. His fleet was given up to Gasca by the man whom he had singled out among his officers to intrust with that important command. On the day that was to decide his fate, an army of veterans, in sight of the enemy, threw down their arms without striking a blow, and deserted a leader who had often conducted them to victory. Instances of such general and avowed contempt of the principles and obligations whicli attach man to man, and bind them together in social union, rarely occur in history. It is only when men are far removed from the seat of government, where the restraints of law and order are little felt, where the prospect of gain is un- bounded, and where immense wealth may cover the crimes by which it is ac- quired, that we can find any parallel U, the levity, the rapaciousness, the per- fidy, and corruption prevalent among the Spaniards in Peru. V If fM l\ TMt «OMS«ENT» OK PIIABRO »T TMt Oltd CF THE DECAPlIATtD OMllfTAm. Ill 733 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. On the death of Pizarro, the malcontents in every corner of Pern laid down their arms, and tranquillity seemed to be perfectly re-established. But two very interesting objects still remained to occupy the president's attention. The one was to find immediately such employment for a multitude of turbulent and daring advent- urers, with which the country was filled, as might prevent them from exciting new commotions. The other, to bestow proper grat- ifications upon those to whose loyalty and valor he had been in- debted for his success. The former of these was in some measure accomplished by appointing Pedro de Valdivia to prosecute the conquest of Chili; and by empowering Diego Centeno to undertake the discovery of the vast regions bordering on the river de la Plata. The reputation of those leaders, together with the hopes of acquir- ing wealth, and of rising to consequence in some unexplored coun- try, alluring many of the most indigent and desperate soldiers to follow their standards, drained oflf no inconsiderable portion of that mutinous spirit which Gasca dreaded. The latter was an affair of greater difficulty, and to be adjusted with a more attentive and delicate hand. The rcpartimicntos^ or allotments of lands and Indians which fell to be distributed, in con- sequence of the death or forfeiture of the former possessors, ex- ceeded two millions of pesos of yearly rent. Gasca, when now ab- solute master of this immense property, retained the same disinter- ested sentiments which he had originally professed, and refused to reserve the smallest portion of it for himself. But the number of claimants was great ; and whilst the vanity or avarice of every in- dividual fixed the value of his own services, and estimated the re- compense which he thought due to him, the pretensions of each were so extravagant that it was impossible to satisfy all. Gasca listened to them one by one, with the most patient attention ; and that he might have leisure to w-eigh the comparative merit of their several claims with accuracy, he retired, with the archbi; hop of Lima and a single secretary, to a village twelve leagues from Cuzco. There he spent several days in alloting to each a district of lands and number of Indians, in proportion to his idea of their past ser\ - ices and future ir'.portance. But that he might get beyond the reach of the fierce storm of clamor and rage, which he foresaw would burst out on the publication of his decree, notwithstanding the impartial equity with which he had framed it, he set out for f THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 733 ner of rfectly iued to diately advent- t them er grat- )een in- iieasure lite the idertake [a Plata. f acquir- ed coun- Idiers to 11 of that adjusted icntos^ or d, in con- ssors, ex- 1 now ab- disinter- e fused to lumber of every in- d the re- ft of each 1 Gasca ion ; and t of their |bi. hop of m Cuzco. of lands past serv- yond the le foresaw standing t out for Lima, leaving the instrument of partition sealed up, with orders not to open it for some days after his departure. The indignation excited by publishing the decree of partition [Aug. 24J was not less than Gasca liad expected. Vanity, avarice, eaiulation, envy, shame, rage, and all the other passions which most vehementl}^ agitate the minds of men when both their honor and their interest are deeply affected, conspired in adding to its vio- lence. It broke out with all the fury of military insolence. Ca- lumny, threats, and curses, were poured out openly upon the pres- ident. He was accused of ingratitude, of partiality, and of injust- ice. Among soldiers prompt to action, such seditious discourse would have been soon followed by deeds no less violent, and they already began to turn their eyes towards some discontented lead- ers, expecting them to stand forth in redress of their wrongs. By some vigorous interpositions of government, a timely check was given to this mutinous spirit, and the danger of another civil war •was averted for the present. 1549.] Gasca, however, perceiving that the flame was sup- pressed rather than extinguished, labored with the utmost assidu- ity to soothe the malcontents, by bestowing large gratuities on some, by promising repartimientos, when they fell vacant, to others, .and by caressing and flattering all. But that the public security might rest on a foundation more stable than their good affection, he endeavored to strengthen the hands of his successors in ofiice, by re-establishing the regular administration of justice in every part of the empire. He introduced order and simplicity into the mode of collecting the royal revenue. He issued regulations con- cerning the treatment of the Indians, well calculated to protect them from oppression, and to provide for their instruction in the principles of religion, without depriving the Spaniards of the ben- efit accruing from their labor. Having now accomplished every object of his mission, Gasca, longing to return again to a private station, committed the government of Peru to the court of audi- ence, and set out for Spain [Feb. 1, 1550]. As, during the anarchy and turbulence of the four last years, there had been no remittance made of the royal revenue, he carried with him thirteen hundred thousand pesos of public money, which the economy and order of his administration enabled him to save, after paying all the ex- penses of the war. 41 -1^ r immi'iiTiT • • 'niTfT'-' iivf • i %^^s 734 THE CONQUEST OF PERU. ^« He was received in liis native country with universal admira- tioji of his abilities, and of his virtue. Both were, indeed, highly conspicuous. Without army, or fleet, or public funds ; with a train so simple, that only three thousand ducats were expended in equip- ping him, he set out to oppose a formidable rebellion. By his address and talents he supplied all those defects, and seemed to create instruments for executing his designs. He acquired such a naval force as gave him the command of the sea. He raised a body of men able to cope with the veteran bands which gave law to Peru. He vanquished their leader, on whose arms victory had hitherta attended and in place of anarchy and usurpation, he established the government of laws, and the authority of the rightful sover- eign. But the praise bestowed on his abilities was exceeded by that wh'ch his virtue merited. After residing in a country where wealth presented allurements which had seduced every person wha had hitherto possessed power there, he returned from that tr3ang station with integrity not only untainted, but unsuspected. After distributing among his countrymen possessions of greater extent and value than had ever been in the disposal of a subject in any age or nation, he himself remained in his original state of poverty ; and at the very time when he brought such a large recruit to the royal treasury, he was obliged to apply by petition for a small sum to discharge some petty debts, which he had contracted during the course of his service. Charles was not insensible to such disinter- ested merit. Gasca was received by him with the most distinguish- ing marks of esteem ; and being promoted to the bishopric of Palencia, he passed the remainder of his days in the tranquillity of retirement, respected by his country, honored by his sovereign, and beloved by all. Notwithstanding all Gasca's wise regulations, the tranquillity of Peru was not of long continuance. In a country where the authority of government had been almost forgotten, during the long prevalence of anarchy and misrule, where there were disap- pointed leaders ripe for revolt, and seditious soldiers ready to fol- low them, it was not difficult to raise combustion. Several suc- cessive insurrections desolated the country for some years. But as those, though fierce, were only transient storms, excited rather by the ambition and turbulciue of particular men, than by general or public motives, the detail of them is not the object of this his- THR CONQUKvST OF PERU. 735 adnnra- I, higl^^y [\ n train n equip- By tiis denied to :d such a »d a body r to Peru, hitherto 5tablished ful sover- ceeded by try where ersou who hat trying ed. After iter extent ect in any Df poverty ; ;ruit to the small sum during the ch disinter- istinguish- shopric of tranquillity sovereign, tranquillity where the during the were disap- ready to fol- Several suc- years. But .cited rather n by general of this his- tory. These commotions in Pern, like every thing of extreme violence, either in the natural or political body, were not of long duration ; and by carrying off the corrupted humors which had given rise to the disorders, they contributed in the end to strengthen the society which at first they threatened to destroy. During their fierce contests, several of the first invaders of Peru, and many of those licentious adventurers whom the fame of their success liad allured thither, fell by each other's hands. Each of the parties, as they alternately prevailed in the struggle, gradually cleared the country of a number of turbulent spirits, by c renting, proscrib- ing, or banishing their opponents. Men less enterprising, less desperate, and more accustomed to move in the paths of sober and peaceable industry, settled in Peru ; and the royal authority was gradually established as firmly there as in the other Spanish col- onies. ^^ The following note is called for, first : By the descriptive title under the picture of the nuinitnics from the Necropolis at Ancon, page 630, wherein Mr. Prescott is quoted, and makes the statement : that human sacrifices were performed during the reign of the Incas. Second: By the charge brought forward by the accusers of the unfortunate Atahualpa (page 661) that he commanded the offer- ing of human sacrifices ; and third, by the sub-title of the illustration on page 659: above one thousand^victims being doomed to accompany his father, Huana Capae, to the tomb, also cited by Prescott, " Conquest of Peru," V^ol. I, Chapter I., upon the strength of which the illustration is based. Note. — The Inca Garcilasso de la Vega, in his Comentarios Reales Liber III, Chap. XX, declares most positively that the Inca people " worshipped no other gods but the sun, although there are not wanting persons who state the contrary." The public worship was a Sun-worship. Some reverence was paid to the moon, the three brightest planets, and the Pleiades, but this was but acces- .sory to the adoration of the orb of day. This worship was celebrated chiefly at four great festivals at the solstices and equinoxes each year. At these festi- vals there were sacrifices of llamas or alpacas, and their lambs ; rabbits, birds,. maize (corn), the strength .sustaining herb coca, the exhilarating chica, or maize beer, and of fine cloths. As for human sacrifices, Garcilasso a.ssures us, and with evident knowledge of the subject, that there was nothing of the sort under the Incas. In the times before the Inca supremacy, and among many of the peoples whom the Incas conquered, there were human sacrifices accompanied by cannibalism ; but both these practices were sternly suppressed by the Incas. If some Spanish writers assert that there were human .sacrifices in Peru, it shows that they do not exerci.se proper discrimination. Within the vast Inca dominion there were included a number of peoples with whom such sacrifices had long been customary, and it might well be that the Incas had not completely suc- ceeded in stamping out the abomination. "I am witness," says the good Gar- 736 THK CONQUKvST OK THRU. cilasso, "to having heard my father (his father was a vSpaniard, his mother of Inca blood) and his contemporaries freciueiitly compan- tiie states of Mexico and Peru ; and in speaking of these sacrifices of men, and of the practice of eating hu- man flesh, they praised the Inoas of Peru, because they neither i)ractised nor per- mitted such acts." Mr. Prescott (Conquest of Peru, Book I, Chapter 3) was in- cHned to admit that humati sacrifices were performed, though very rarely, under the Incas, and quoted five contemporary authorities (including Cie/.a) against Garcilasso. But Mr. Markham has shown that Cieza and others were misled by supposing that the words yuyac and huahiia signified " men " and " children," ■whereas, as applied to the victims of sacrifice, these words signified " adult beasts" and "lambs." Mr. Markham also quotes seven other important con- temporary authorities (not mentioned by Pre.scott), in support of Garcilasso ; so that the question aiipcars to be settled in his favor. The duties and ceremonies of the Sun-worship were in charge of quite a hier- archy of ministering priests, confessors, .sacrificers, hermits, and soothsayers, at the head of all the high priest, or "Villac Umu ," and above him the Inca. The ministering priests received confessions and served as mouth-pieces of oracles. The hermits dwelt in solitary places, and were, in some instances if not always, organized into a kind of celibate monastic brotherhood, with a chief hermit at the head. To these remarkable coincidences, with various customs in the Old World may be added the coincidence of the kee])ing of the sacred fire. Each year at the autumnal e([uinox a new fire was kindled by collecting the sun's rays on a burn- ished mirror, and this fire was kept alive through the year by consecrated maid- ens (aclla-cuna) analagous to the Roman vestal nuns. These vestals lived in convents presided over by matrons (mama-cuna.) If the fire happened to go out it was an evil omen. If a nun broke her vow of chastity she was buried alive, just as in Rome. The Peruvian system of vestal-nuns was a much more exten- sive affair than in Rome. In Rome there were six priestesses of Vesta, who were treated with most signal deference. In Peru an aclla-cuna was treated with nuich deference, as a kind of superior being, but the number of them v.as very large, every temple of the Sun generally had such a convent attached to it. Their vow of perpetual celibacy meant that they were the Sun's wives ; whence it was quite natural that the punishment for infidelity should be burial in the dark grave out of the offended husband's sight. The Inca as representative of the Sun, was husband of all these consecrated women. The Inca did not visit them, but sent and took from them as many concubines as he wished ; those who were not thus taken remained virgins. It was absolutely required that the nuns at Cuzco should be of pure Inca blood ; and as every reigning Inca had two or three hundred enumerated children, the race seemed to be in no danger of dying out. The Inca was regarded as the human representative or incarnation of the solar deity. He was the Sun, made flesh and dwelling among men. Great pains were taken to keep the lineage of this august person as narrowly definite as pos- sible. The Inca could have but one legitimate wife, and it was imperatively re- quired that she should be his full sister — the child of the same father by the same mother. The children of the Inca by this ince.stuous marriage, were thus as completely and narrowly royal in blood as possible, and the eldest Son was the legitimate heir to the kingdom. — Extracts from John Fiske's " The Discovery of America." Vol. II. pages. 34°— 347- mother of exico and mating hu- d nor pc-r- 3) was iu- ely, under a) against misled by children," ed "adult rtant con- ilasso; so uite a hier- hsayers, at nca. The of oracles, lot always, " hermit at World may rear at the on a burn- rated maid- ils lived in d to go out iiried alive, tiore exten- a, who were reated with n was very ached to it. 3 ; whence it in the dark itive of the t visit them, ie who were the nuns at two or three f dying out. ation of the Great pains finite as pos- leratively re- atlier by the were thus as Son was the Discovery of Book IV, '73-') s.ai A/. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) t-c'- w. 1.0 I.I 1.25 S "^ IIIIIM :!^ 1^ 112.0 1.8 JL4 IIIIII.6 v] vQ c*! 'x^^^ ^V"!** // ■^ •> /A '-^i ,\ V 1. •N5 \\ ^\^ ^\ ^?;\ rv % n? % Z'^ 8>^ ^ iV BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. Aptbr the engraving i>y the Kakun Uksnoyfrs, made by him when Franklin acted as OUR Ambassador at the court of Versailles, (738) (739) '-■■\l -o. »^9| , , t • ■•■A ^ ■ irmn — n *;«-' 1 Complete History of the United States. VIKINO BOAT, OR DFAGON, rOUND IN THE MOOR IN JUTLAND. F the aboriginal inhabitants of North America — the races who built the mounds of the Ohio and Mississippi val- leys, and the ancient pueblos and cave dwellings of Ari- zona and New Mexico — we have no knowledge save that derived from their scattered and moldering monuments. Almost equally shadowy is the Norse legend that tells how Leif, son of Erik, a Viking rover from Iceland, about looo A. D., discovered, to the west of Greenland, a forest clad shore to which he gave the name of Vin- laud. The authentic annals of Amer- ica begin with the famous voyage of Christopher Columbus, " the most memo- rable maritime enterprise in the history of the world."* On October 12, 1492, Columbus, who had been dis- patched by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to discover a westward route from Europe to Asia, reached one of the Bahamas — probably Watling Island. Thence he sailed on to Cuba and Hayti, which he believed to be outlying islands of southern Asia, and whose native inhabitants he called Indians. Wherever he landed he raised the flag of Spain. The great discovery of Columbus was followed up by other navigators. In 1497 John and Sebastian Cabot, under the patron- age of Henry VII. of England, found the continent of North Amer- ica, *' probably in the latitude of about fifty-six degrees, along the dismal cliffs of Labrador."! They took possession of the newly discovered land in the name of the English king. Spain took the leading part in the exploration of the New World. Under her flag the northern coast of South America was * Bancroft's History of the United States, f ibid. "J IV- I l£ <74l) 742 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. discovered by Amerigo Vespucci, from whom the continent took its name. In 15 13 Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean, and Ponce de Leon found a land which he called Florida, because he sighted it " on Baster Sunday, which the Spaniards call Pascua Florida." * Ferdinand de Soto, also in the Spanish service, discovered the Mis- BURIAL OF DE SOTO IN THE VELIOW FLOODS OF THE MISSISSIPPI. sissippi River in 1542, in the waters of which he found his last resting place. France, too, was active in sending out expeditions. In 1524 Verrazani coasted from the Carolinas to New England, and ten years later Jacques Cartier entered the St. Lawrence. In 1603 Champlain followed Cartier, and penetrated what is now north- ern New York. In 1609 Henry Hudson, sailing under the flag of Holland, discovered the Hudson River. On these discoveries Spain, England, France, and Holland based conflicting claims to the territory of the New World, which * Bancroft's History of the United States. It took Ponce sighted rida." ♦ he Mis- his last In 1524 and ten In 1603 w north- Holland, Holland Id, which 'ttSsf-- m Copyright F. Tuch/nrhrr &• Co. isy^. THE RENOWNED POCOHONTAS, DAUGHTER Cr- POW Aj'lei- ihf i/niwing liy I'. A- ^' ',. ''• \'^^ \ ^f >^ • t-. < ( I 1 'jtL.'^ PI >-^^r' ^^Wi^ >i*-Oh' i V* " 'mf^ -".^S^i Is, DAUGHTER 0'- POWHATTAN. SAVES THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. r (h,i:,'iitg hy I'. .\- '•>,. "' """■'''.<: ■ ihf on'iiers of llu- cvpyii^hl . HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 747 THI OlD OATI AT ST. AUQUITINE, FLORIDA. •were only finally settled after nearly two hundred years, and much fighting. "The United States were sever- ally colonized by men in origin, re- ligious faith, and purposes as various as their climes." * The earliest per- manent settlement in North America was that of St. Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565 by a Spanish expedition under Pedro Melendez. The first English colony was Virginia, whose earliest settlement ■was on Roanoke Islind, to which Sir Walter Raleigh took a body of emigrants in 1584. Raleigh's enterprise proved a failure, but in 1607 an expedition sent out by the London Company built James- town, on the James River. This plantation prospered under the government of Captain John Smith, Lord De La Ware, and their successors. At Jamestown, in 1619, the first African slaves brought to Amer- ica were purchased from a Dutch vessel. New York, which "united the richest lands with the highest adaptation to for- eign and domestic commerce," f was founded by the Dutch, who shortly after Hudson's voyage planted the settlement of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, and Fort Or- ange, now Albany. In 1664 these were surrendered to the British, and the name of New Amsterdam was changed to New York. Massachusetts was colonized by a company of Puritans, whose * Bancroft's Hist. United States. f Ibid. 1: !,! IIR WAITIR RAIEIOH. 748 HISTORY OK THK rSITKI) STATES. emigration was "the result of implacable differences between Prot- estant dissenters in Knjjland and the established Anglican church."* Driven from England by religious persecution, they crossed the At- lantic in the little ship Mayflower, and landed at Plymouth. They *vere followed by an- other body, w h i c h founded Salem and Cliurlestown. These settlements formed the Massachusetts Bay colony, origi- nally distinct from the Plymouth colo- ny. The former also made a settlement at Poston in 1630. Hartford and Windsor, the first settlements of Con- necticut, were found- ed by pioneers from Massachusetts in 1633. A few years later the infant colo- ny passed through a severe struggle with the Indians, known historically as the Pequod War. In 1636 Roger Williams, a preach- er of Salem, was ban- ished from Mass a- chusetts for his independence of religious belief. He found refuge with the Narragansett Indians, and bought from them a tract of land on which he founded the plantation of Providence, Two years later another company founded Rhode Island, and in 1644 the two settlements were united. * Bancroft's History of the United States. CHARLES II. OF ENQLAND. PAINTING BY PETER LELV. ENGRAVED BV 0. VERTUE, 1736, HISTORY OK THK UNITKH STATKS. 749 cn Prot- uirch."* I the At- i. They ;d by an- \v h i c h lem and I. These formed chusetts y, origi- iict from uth coUv )rmer also tlemeut at 1630. ford and the first s of Con- fcre found- iieers from usetts in few years nfant colo- through a iiggle with ns, known lly as the ^ar. 636 Roger , a preach- ni, was ban- m Massa- und refuge a tract of Two years ) >44 the two In 1623 a post was established near what is now Portsmouth, New Hampshire, This was united with the Massachusetts colony, together with a few outlying settlements in Maine, until New Hampshire was, fifty years late , created a separate province. Maryland was founded by Leonard Calvert, brother of Lord Baltimore, as a Roman Catholic colony. The first settlen>ent was planted in 1634 ^t St. Mary's, near the mouth of the Potomac. A dispute at once arose with Virginia, which, according to its charter, "ex- tended two hundred miles north of Old Point Comfort, and therefore in- cluded the soil which forms the State of Maryland." * William Clayborne, who asserted the claim of Virginia, seized the government of the new colony, but was ultimately expelled. Delaware was first settled by Swedish emigrants, who established themselves on the Delaware River, below Philadelphia, and named their territory New Sweden. Their settle- ments were captured by the Dutch- men of New Amsterdam, under Peter Stuyvesant, shortly before New Am- sterdam was itself conquered by the British. In 1663 Charles II. granted the land between Florida and Virginia to Lord Clarendon, who named it Caro- lina. Settlers from Virginia had al- ready planted, at the mouth of the Chowan River, the Albemarle colony, which was the nucleus of North Carolina. South Carolina was first opened up by the Carteret colony, which founded Charles- ton in 1670. Its members were Englishmen and French Hugue- nots. New Jersey was claimed by the Dutch as a part of the territory of New Amsterdam. They had built a log fort at Camden, on the Delaware, in 1623, but the settlement of the country began when * Bancroft's History of the United States. WIllMM PENN. «FTEn THE PAINTING TV GOOFREV KNEllER (ieS«-l72t). 750 HISTORY OF THP: UNITED STATES. Charles 11. granted the land between the Hudson and Delaware rivers to Lord Berkele}' and Sir George Carteret, in 1664. The colonization of Pennsylvania also dates from a grant of Charles II., given to William Penn in 1681, in payment of a debt due to his father. Admiral Penn. Penn laid out Philadelphia, buy- ing the land from the Indians, and bringing to it two thousand Quakers from England. Dela- ware was united to his territory, \ but was finally separated from it in 1703. The last of the thir- teen colonies was Geor- gia. In 1732 George II. empowered James Ogle- thorpe to found, on the tract between the Savan- nah and Altamaha rivets, a colony for those who had been imprisoned for debt. Other immigrants gathered there, coming" from Scotland and Ger- many; and in 1736 John and Charles Wesley, the founders of ^lethodism^, went there to preach. The colony was not established ''^•^ without hostilities with the ■^', Spaniards at St. Augustine. But the northern colonies became in-olved in more serious wars. The settlers of New Eng- land were constantly harassed by the Indians. In King Philip's War, fought in 1675, the power of the Wampanoags and Narragansetts was broken. In King Will- iam's War, which lasted from 1689 to 1697, the aborigines were assisted by the French. A WAMPANOAQ INDIAN IN FUU WAR PAINT. w HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 75> laware ant of a debt Penii. a, buy- iidiaiis, ousaiul Dela- rritory, from it he thir- s Geor- orge II. :s Ogle- on the ; Savaii- 0. rivets, ose who oned for migrants coming^ md Ger- 736 John ley, the thodism^ ach. The tablished with the istine. colonies serious ew Eng- assed by power of ing Will- ines were French colonists had founded Quebec in 1608, and their fur traders and missionaries had pushed up the St. Lawrence to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi valley. Two Jesuits, Pere Mar- quette and Pere Joliet, discovered the upper course of the Missis- sippi. In 1682 Lasalle sailed down the Ohio and the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The vast region through which he passed he claimed for France, and named it Louisiana, in honor of King Louis XIV. New Orleans and Mobile were founded by French settlers a few 3'ears later. The uncertainty of intercolonial boundaries, and the frequent wars be- tween the parent countries, led to the long conflict that forms most of the En- glish colonies' annals for nearly a hun- dred years, " The history of the colo- nies, except for the great and romantic struggle with New France, would have been almost destitute of striking inci- dents." * Queen Anne's War (1702 to 1703) and King George's War (1744 to 1748), in both of which the French were assisted by the Indians, produced no im- portant results. The decisive struggle began in 1754, arising from a dispute between the Ohio Company and the French, into whose territory the Company had entered to trade in furs. The military career of George Washington began at this time, he being dispatched by Governor Din- widdle of Virginia with a letter to the French commander on the Ohio. The latter's reply was defiant, and two expeditions were sent against him — the first a regiment of Virginians, the second a British force under Braddock. Both were driven back from Fort Duquesne (on the present site of Pittsburgh), but in 1759 the war was decided by the capture of Quebec by Wolfe, at the head of a British expedition. Peace was signed in 1763, France abandoning all her territory in America, except the two islets of St. Pierre and * Fiske's American Revolution, chapter 1. LOUIS XIV. OF FRANCC. 752 ' -5j - HISTORY OF THK UNITED STATES. y^4^ BHAOOOCK MORTALLY WOUNOCO AT FORT DUQUtSNC. (lEi PRECtOINQ PAQI.) Miquelon, off Newfoundland, which she retains to-day. Her set- tlements east of the Mississippi were ceded to England, and the land west of the Mississippi to Spain, in return for the surrender of Florida to England. The next great event iu American history was the Revolution iJ *«■.■: HISTORY OF THK UNITKI) STATUS. 752, m [er set- and the liirrender fvolution of the thirteen colonics aj:^ainst Knglaiul. Discontent aj:>ainst the mother country had been growinj^ jj^radually, arising mainly from the unjust fiscal policy enforced by the British Parliament. The colonies were prohibited fjroni exporting j>^oods to any country but England. Duties were exacted upon llie goods they imported, and their efforts to establish their own manufactures were cru.^"hed. In 1765 the passage of the Stamp Act brought matters near to a crisis. This law required all documents needed in the colonies to be written upon stamped paper, which was to be bought from officers of the British revenue service. The measure aroused great public indignation in America. Six colonies united in a memorial of protest, wherein they " took their stand on the principle that as free-born Englishmen they could not rightfully be taxed by the House of Commons unless they were represented in that body." * In 1766 the Stamp Act was repealed, but a few months later Parliament imposed a duty on all glass, paper, paints, and tea brought into America. Great opposition being manifested against these taxes, a body of British troops, under General Gage, was - s i te Boston, and occupied Hunker Hill, whence they were driven by the Brit- ish in the first serious fight of t h e w a r, fought on the lytli of June, 1775 — a bat- tle "charac- terized, on both the British and the American sides, by heroism rather than by military skill or prudence." * Meanwhile, Ethan Allen had captured the British forts at Ticonderoga and Crov n * Fiske's American Revolution, Chapter 2. COLONEL OEORQE WASHINGTON, having liecn appointed <.y the CoiiiiiK-iital Coii^rcsH in session in Philadelphia, lalccH command of the patriot sol- diert under tlie elm tree at Camhridjjc, July 3, 1775. (Drawing by II. A, Ogileii.) Li^rcss, cheiucs \iglioul minute ady for I'olutioii assiiclui- his w:iy ires col- :l by the riots at lord, met :d rcsist- froiu the ute men, he 1 9th of ril, 1775- I colonial :cs g a t h - d at Cani- ige, oppo- ;e Boston, occupied iker Hill, |ence they ■c driven the Brit- ill the first inns fight I he war, Lrht on the .h of June, |75 - — a hat- " chavac- t)y heroism lile, Kthan land Crown (755) 7S(^ HISTORY OF THK UNITED .STATES. ■ "I Point, on Lake Champlain ; and the Second Continental Congress had met and appointed George Washington commander-in-chief of the colonial troops. In March, 1776, the British evacuated Boston, and in June, their at- tack, under General Clinton, on Charleston, S. Carolina, proved a failure. On the 4th of July, the Continent'l Congress, still in ses- sion at Phil- adelphia, finally sev- ered its al- legiance to England by adopting the Decla- r at ion of Independ- ence, drawn up by Thos. Jefferson, a delegate from Vir- ginia. King George's government now realized that the rebellion of the Colonies was a serious affair. An army of twenty-five thou- sand men, under Lord Howe, landed on Staten Island, defeated General Putnam in the Battle of Long Island, and drove Washing- ington out of New York. With only three thousand men, the American commodore retreated through New Jersey, pursued by the British under Cornwallis. THI RiTRUT or THE OONTINrN M. FORCES FROM lONO ISLAND AFTER THEIR DEFEAT ON THE 27TH OF AUQUST. IDRAWINO BV H. A. OODEN.) I; 1 r HISTORV OK THE UXITIvI) STATES. '57 igress lief of June, r at- under I e r a 1 ton, on rleston, arolina, ved a ire. On 4tli of iy, the itinent'l ngress, \ in ses- natPliil- elphia, ally sev- sd its al- riance to igland by opting le Decla- ition of adepend- ice, drawn pbyThos. :fferson, a elegate om Vir- inia. ;bellion of .five tbou- defeated Wasbing- nien, tbe )ursued by During the wintf of 1776-77 Washington twice crossed ihe Delaware, and made suLces.sful attacks upon the British at Trenton and at Princeton. But he was in need of men, money, and muni- tions of war, and when, in September, the British, landing in Ches- WAIHINQTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE. (PAINTINQ BY lEUTZE.) apeake Bay, marched upon Philadelphia, he was unable to p'revent the capture of the colonial capital. The winter of 1 777-78, during which Washington was in winter quarters at Valley Forge, on the Schuylkill, was the darkest period of the Revolution. ''Well might Thomas Paine declare, 'These are the times that try men's souls!'"* Meanwhile, however, the patriots had gained an important success in the north. General Burgoyne, invading New York by way of Lake Champlaiu, with a force of British troops, Hessians, and Indians, captured Ticonderoga, but was defeated by General Starke and General Gates, and on October 17 capitulated to the * Fiske's American Revolution, Chapter 5. 758 HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES. latter his surrender being called a convention, " a soothing phrase well remembered by British historians."* Early in 1778 the British evacuated Philadelphia and retreated to New York, followed by Washington. The inde:isive battle of Monmouth was fought during their retreat across New Jersey. WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE. "These are the times that try men's souls," declared the patriot Thomas Paine. (Drawing by H. A. OgJen.) In February, 1778, Benjamin Franklin, sent to Europe to rep- resent the colonies, signed a treaty of alliance with France. In ac- cordance with this treaty, which was a very important addition to the strength of the patriots, a French fleet arrived in July, and sailed to attack the British force at Newport. It was driven back by a storm. In December a British expedition captured Savannah, Georp-ia. ^ The year 1779 witnessed much desultory fighting at various * Fiske's American Revolution, Chapter 7. pVi^ase treated ittle of I ■ I ¥. A. OgdeH.) pe to rep- ce. In ac- iddition to July, and riven back Savannah, at various HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 759 points, but was chiefly distinguished by the exploits of Paul Joues, who, commanding the privateer Bon Homme Richard^ harried the coast of England, and captured the British frigate Srrapis^ after "one of the most obstinate and murderous struggles recorded in naval history." * In 1780 Benedict Arnold, in command of the important American post at West Point, entered into a traitorous agreement to surrender it to the British. His design was detected through the arrest of Andre, a British spy ; but Ar- nold escaped and joined the en- emy. Charleston was also cap- tured by the British under Clin- ton. A series of battles in the Carolinas and Virginia ensued, between the invaders, commanded by Cornwallis, and the Americans under Generals Gates, Morgan, and Greene. In October, Corn- wallis, intrenched at Yorktown, was surrounded by an army com- posed of Americans under Wash- ington and a French force under Rochambeau, together with a French fleet of which De Grasse was admiral. On the 19th of October Cornwallis surrendered with eight thousand men. After this disaster the British government made no further attempt to reconquer the colonies. A treaty of peace was negoti- ated, and finally signed on the 3rd of September, 1783, by which England recognized their independence, their boundaries being the Great Lakes on the north, the Mississippi on the west, and on the south Florida. Florida was re-ceded to Spain — " an event which was accounted by our forefathers a great gain to the new republic." f The colonies had now established their independence, but their political, social, and financial affairs were in great disorder. The Continental Congress had incurred a vast debt which it had no * Fiske's American Revolution, Chapter 3. f Blaine's Twenty Years of Congress. Vol. I, Chap. I. ./^o/yATT MAROUIS MAPie JOaEPH PAUL OE I* FAVETTE, WHO CAME OVEN IN THt FRENCH FltET, TO OFFER HID RWORO IN DEFENSE OF LIBCRTY, 760 HISTORY OK THK UNITED STATES. means of paying. Its paper currency was terribly depreciated. "To say that a thing was 'not worth a continental' became the strongest possible expression of contempt." * At one time during SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS TO GENERAL WASHINQTON As Cornwallis disdained to fiersnnally surrender his sword to '.lie American commander-in-chief, he ordered his adju- tant to hand the same to Washington, who, (juick to see the intended insult, pointed to his adjutant, to whom the tword was turned over. (See page 747.) the war " it took ten paper dollars to make a cent." f There were serious dissensions between the colonies, and great popular distress and discontent, which in Massachusetts broke out into Shay's Re- bellion. Under such discouraging circumstances took place "the most cheering act in the political history of mankind, when thir- teen republics, of which at least three reached from the sea to the Mississippi, formed themselves into one federal commonwealth." % * Fiske's American Revolution, Chapter ig. f Bancroft's History of the United States, \ Bancroft's History of the United States. .Am. HISTORY OK TIIK UNITKO STATKS. 761 'the The last British troops sailed from New York on the 25th of November, and "the same day that witnessed the departure of Sir Guy Carleton from New York also witnessed the entry into that city of the army of the States."* Thereupon Washington took a lited States- WASHINGTON BlOS FAREWELL TO HIS OFFICERS AFTER RESIGNING HIS COMMAND OF THE ARMV, formal leave of his troops and retired to his home at Mount Ver- non, Virginia. He and other leading patriots continued to urge the recoustitution of the government, and the union of the colonies in a strong and stable confederation. In September, 1786, a con- vention of delegates was summoned at Annapolis, Maryland, to frame a plan for a more perfect union ; but as only five states sent representatives the convention was adjourned until the following May.^ * McMastcr's History of the People of the United States, Chapter 2. 762 HISTORY OF THK UNITED STATES. In that month (May, 1787) delegates from all of the thirteen colonies except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia. The conven- tion sat for four months, choosing Washington as its president, and finally drafted and agreed upon a federal constitution. This instrument, which became the Constitution of the United States, provided for a legislative body, entitled Congress, and consisting of two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives; an executive department, with a President at its head; and the federal judiciary of the Supreme Court. While the constitutional convention was in session at Phila- delphia, the Continental Congress held its last sitting in New York — a sitting signalized by the organization of a government for the Northwestern Territory — the vast tract of land, hitherto claimed by Virginia, between the Ohio river, the upper Missis- sippi, and the Great Lakes, which now forms the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. General Arthur St. Clair was appointed the first governor of the Territory, with his headquarters at the settlement of Marietta, on the Ohio. The constitution framed at Philadelphia met with a by no means ready acceptance. In some of the colonies it "called forth the fiercest resistance that selfish interests could organize." * New York, unwilling to surrender to a central government the groat revenues that might be raised at her port, " of the thirteen States was the most stubborn in opposition." f The constitution was to become operative when accepted by nine States. Delaware, Penn- sylvania, and New Jersey ratified it in December, 1787; Georgia and Connecticut in January, 1788; Massachusetts in February, Maryland in April, South Carolina in May, and New Hampshire, the ninth State, on the 21st of June. Virginia and New York fol- lowed, but North Carolina held iloof until November, 1789, and Rhode Island to the 29th of May, 1790. The United States was now fully established as a Nation. " It is estimated that at the opening of the Revolutionary War there were in the country, both white and black, 2,75o,(xx) souls." X The total population had now increased to about three and a quarter millions. The area of the Union was eight hundred thousand square miles. * Bancroft's History of the United States. f Ibid. J McMaster's History of the People of the United States, Chapter i. 1 HISTORY OF THK UNITKD STATKS. 7^i New York had been designated as the seat of the federal gov- •crnment. The first election for President was held on the 6th of April, 1789, when the electors chosen by the several States named George Washington as President, and John Adams of Massachu- setts as Vice President. General Washington, who was now in his fifty-eighth year, journeyed from Mount Vernon to New York for his nauguration, being received with a great, popular ovation along his route. On the 30th of April he took the oath of office on the portico of the old City Hall, which stood at the corner of Wall and Broad streets. The leading members of Washing- ton's first cabinet were Thomas Jeffer- son, Secretary of State; Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury ; Edmund Randolph, Attorney-General, and General Henry Knox, Secretary of War. Able men were needed for the guidance of the government. The treas- ury was empty. Spain was excluding American ships from the mouth of the Mississippi, England had retained some forts in the West that should have been sur- rendered, and the Indians were waging war on the pioneers of the Northwestern Territory and liad defeated Governor St. Clair. The outbreak of the French Revolution had caused friction with the new repub- lican government of France, whose ambassador in America, M. Genet, had fitted out vessels of war in American ports, to be used against England, and had defied Washington's command to respect the neutrality of the United States. All these international difficulties were removed by diplomacy. The offending French minister war. v/ithdrawn. In 1795 a treaty was concluded with Spain, and in the same year John Jay negoti- ated another with Ei. , and. The Indian troubles in the West were ended by an expedition commanded by General Anthony WayiiS, who conquered the savages in a battle on the Maumee river. AlEXANOiR HAMILTON. I! fl 764 HISTORY Ol' THK UNITKD STATES. Tlic iv;rulaiion of tin Federal finances was the work of Alex- ander Hamilton. He fnnded the debt of the United States, and in 1791 estahlislied a mint and the United States Hank in Phila- delphia, which was then the larjj;^est city and chief financial centre of the country, and iiad recently been created the capital— for in 1790 the jj;overnment was removed to it from New York. To de- fray the charges of the national debt, duties were levied upon im- ported goods, and an internal revenue tax imposed upon the dis- tillation of whisky. These taxes were not entirely popular. Western Pennsylvania rose against the taxation of spirits, and the Whisky Rebellion, as it was called, was only snppres.sed by calling out a large force of militia. When Washington's term of four years in the Presidency expired, he wa.s elected for a second time, John Adams being also re-elected Vice-President. Washington's second inauguration took place at Philadelphia on the 4th of .March, 1793. On the approach of the expiration of his second term he issued a I'^arewell Address and refused to be a candidate for a third, thereby setting a precedent that has never since beea jjroken. During Washington's administration three new States were added to the original thirteen — A' -rmont (1791), Kentucky (1792), and Tennes.see (1796). The political sentiment of the nation was- divided into two schools or parties. The Republicans, of whom the Democrats are the modern successors, supported the rights of the individual States as against those of the general government. The P'ederalisis, who somewhat faintly correspond to the Re- publicans of to-day, held that the Federal power should be further extended. The Federalists had a majority of the electors who chose Washington's successor, and they named John Adams, of Massa- chusetts. Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, who was the author of iOHN ADAMI. iffi Uex- , :ukI •hila- eiitre or in de- ll im- e clis- pular. cation it was ; out a four le was Adams sident. )n took 4th of of the : issued 1 to be a ttiujr a beett itration Dn^iual (I792)r ion was- f whom ghts of rnnieut. .he Re- further [o chose Massa- luthor oC GEORGE WASHINGTON. ■iHlS S1.|...NI,1M InHTRAIT .,!• "I'aTKK I'aTKM," Is ,„m-., N<,« H.R THE FIRST TIMK AKTHK TDK KAMO.S ETCHING 1>V TUB FHEM .1 ARrisI lll.M,V l.|.;l,,|IT. Till' EKHHK T.MlK AS HIS MullEl. IMK T HKHKvr A HTRK FACE, HEAU. AM) KIAI'I.ETTKI) c IIM r.N I'NT A f I NIUlK MKI) 111 ST OF THE lORTKAIT BV GiLIIEKT STi ART, I)F WIIKH \VasH1N(.TUN AiISTmN WROTH: "A KOUIER lEHSOMKICA- riliN Ol- WISDIiM AND l.lillllNKSS, RKinslNci IN THE MAJESTY OF A SERENE lONbdENCU, Is NOT TO HE FOIN U ON CANVASh. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATEvS. 767 the Declaration of Independence, and had sc-ved as Washington's Secretary of State, was the candidate of the Republicans, and as he received the second highest number of votes he became Vice-Presi- dent, according to the rule then prevailing. Adams and Jefferson ■were inaugurated in Philadelphia on the 4th of March, 1797. The chief incident of John Adams' uneventful Presidency •was a brief war with France. The friction with the unstable government of that country had continued. War was finally precipitated by a demand from the Directory, then in power at Paris, that the United States should pay the sum of two hundred and £fty thousand dollars, before ;he questions at issue should be •considered. Congress declared "war, and organized an army, of which Washington was ap- pointed commander-in-chief. The only actual hostilities that took place, however, were two fights at sea between French and American frigates, the latter being victorious on each occasion. In 1800, the Di- rectory having been overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte, who estab- lished himself as First Consul of the French republic, the war was ended "by a treaty of peace that left the Corsi- can dictator free to pursue his plans of conquest on the continent of Europe. Shortly before the conclusion of peace George Washington died at Mount Vernon, on the 14th of December, 1799. Toward the close of his administration President Adams in- curred much unpopularity through the passage, at his instance, of the Alien and Sedition laws, which gave the government power to «xpel disloyal foreigners and punish all disaffected persons. These k NAPOLEON At CONIUU i.; ! > ■ 768 HISTORY OP THE UlJtlTED- STATES.. acts were denounced as unconstitutional by the Republicans, wbc were victorious in the Presidential election of 1800. Their Ic Hng candidates, Thomas Jefiferson and Aaron Burr, received an equal number of votes in the electoral college. The matter being re- ferred to the House of Representatives, Jefiferson was elected. In this year (1800) the seat of the Federal government was re- moved from Philadelphia to a new city established on territory ceded by Virginia and Maryland, and named Washington. In 1802, Ohio, the seventeenth State, was admitted to the Union. The great event of Jefferson's administration was the purchase of Louisiana, which then included all the land west of the Missis- ■IRD8EVE VIEW OF THE UNITED STATEI AND CANADA, SHOWING THE OREAT MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. sippi, stretching indefinitely westward. This vast territory, ceded by France to Spain in 1763, passed back to the French in 1800. In 1803, Jefferson, anxious to secure control of the mouth of the Mississippi, instructed Livingston, the American minister at Paris, to make a proposal for the purchase of New Orleans. Napoleon, needing money for his war against Austria and Prussia, offered to sell the whole of Louisiana to the United States. The offer, though unexpected, was accepted, the price agreed on being *' sixty millions of frnncs, or, as was calculated, $11,250,000," * besides the payment of certain claims which brought the total to nearly $15,000,000. * McMaster's History of the People of the United States, Chapter 13. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 769 r re- ceded 1800. of the Paris, poleon, ered to though There was some short-sighted criticism of this heavy outlay, hut "the mass of the people pronounced the purchase a bargain. "* In 1 801 an effort was made to punish the pirates of the north African coast, who had inflicted great damage upon American ship- ping in the Mediterranean. Commodore Preble attacked Tangiers in 1803, but the frigate Philadelphia, blockading Tripoli, was cap- tured by the pirates, and her crew was held in slavery until rescued by Decatur six months later. In 1804 Tripoli was bombarded and the Bey forced to sue for peace. In that same year the bitter political ani- mosity between Vice-President Burr and Alex- ander Hamilton culminated in a duel. *'In the early sunlight of a July morning the two were rowed across the Hudson river" from New York, "and met under the rocky heights of Weehawken." f Ham- ilton was shot and killed — an event that caused great public sorrow, and ruined Burr's career. In the ensuing election, while Jeff"erson was re-elected President, Burr was succeeded by George Clinton of New York. Before this election a constitutional amendment had been passed, whereby the electors voted separately for President and Vice- President. Two years later Burr was arrested on a charge of treason, and accused of a design of founding an empire west of the Alleghanies. He was not convicted. In 1807 Robert Fulton's first steamer, the Clermont, made its famous voyage from New York to Albany, marking the invention of steam navigation. The Napoleonic wars, which at this time were making Europe a great battle-field, seriously affected the United States. England, whose navy under Nelson had become mistress of the seas, claimed the so-called Right of Search over American vessels. Her men-of- war constantly stopped and boarded them, and impressed men from their crews, claiming that the men she took were British citizens. THOMAS JEFFERSON. * McMaster's History of the People of the United States, Chapter 13. flbid. 770 HISTORY OK THK UNITED STATES. h'k The American frigate Chesapeake was fired upon, in 1807, by the British man-of-war Leopard, and four of her seamen forcibly cap- tured as deserters. Americans also suffered from the blockades proclaimed by France and England. By the Orders in Council of 1807 the latter prohibited all trade with France and her allies. Napoleon retaliated with the Milan Decree, declaring an embargo against England and her colonies. American merchant vessels attempting to trade with either of the combatants were liable to seizure by the cruisers of the other. Congress did not mend matters by passing a law to prevent American ships from leaving the ports of the United States. The shipping industry, then very extensive, was seriously injured. Amid this political confusion Jefferson's V* A presidency ended. Following the example of Washington, he declined a third term, and in the election of i8u8 James Madison of Vir- I ginia, was chosen to succeed him, while Clin- V ton was re-elected Vice President. Madison 1 ... was one of the most distinguished leaders of the Republican party, and had been Jeffer- son's Secretary of State throughout the lat- ter's Presidenc^^ The relations of the United States to- ward France, and especially toward Eng- land, continued to be strained. In 18 10 Napoleon issued a special decree against American trade, and though this was shortly afterward revoked, both French and English men-of-war repeatedly seized American vessels. English ships even entered American ports to do so, and in 181 1 shots were exchanged between the British cruiser Little Belt and the American frigate President. Altogether, between 1803 and 181 2, nine hundred American ships were seized or searched by th^: British, and six thousand American sailors impressed into the British service In 181 1 there was a great rising of the Indians in the North- western Territory, under the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, whose headquarters were at tlie confluence of the Tippecanoe and Wa- bash rivers, in Indiana. General William Henry Harrison was sent JAMES MADISON. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. n^ I the cap- d by latter liated d and i -with ers of aw to : ports iustry, •ed. arson's iiple of ,aud in )f Vir- e Clin- ladison ders of Jeffer' :lie lat- ites to- Kug- 1810 igainst shortly )eatedly iiierican een the esidetit. m ships merican ; North- whose md Wa- Kvas sent to attack him, and met his messengers, who promised that on the next day Tecumseh would come to sign a treaty. That night the Indians assaulted General Harrison's camp, but in the fight that followed, called the Battle of the Tippecanoe, they were defeated and crushed. In June, i8iz, Louisiana was admitted into the Union as a new State. In the same month war was declared against Eng- land. The first fighting took place on the Northwestern frontier. General Hull, go-'^ernor of Michigan Territory, moved into Canada. His troops were defeated at Brownstown, and he was driven back across the St. Clair River to the fort at Detroit. He was pursued by a British force under General Brock, who had been joined by Tecumseh and his Shawnees. At Brock's first attack upon Detroit, Hull ran up a white flag, surrendering the fort with its garrison and its stores. For this cowardly act, which occurred on the i6th of August, 1812, Hull was afterward court-martialed and sentenced to be shot, but was pardoned by President Madison. The British had also captured Fort Mackiuawj and were now in possession of the whole of Michigan. Almost equally disastrous was an attempted invasion of Canada 43 aOVERNOR MULl, AFTIII Hli OtFIAT »T BROWNSTOWN, WITHDhAWS Ml» TROOP» TO FORT OtTROIT. 772 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. at Queenstown, on the Niagara River. A body of New York militia, under General Van Rensselaer, was stationed at Lewiston, on the American side. A detachment crossed the river, attacked the British force at Queenstown, and drove them back ; but reinforcements coming up, and the rest of the New York men refusing to go to> their comrades' assistance, the invaders were killed or captured al- most to a man. But while the American flag met with disasters on land, at sea it achieved creditable successes. No important naval battles were fought, but the British frigate Guerriere was captured and burned by the United States frigate Constitution in the Gulf of St. Law- rence. Later in the year the Constitution took a second British frigate, the Java, off the coast of Brazil. Captain Decatur, of the frigate United States, captured a third, the Macedonian, near the Azores. The sloop Wasp met and took the British brig Frolic, ofif North Carolina, but was in turn captured by an English man-of- war. American privateers were commissioned in great numbers^ and did great damage to British commerce, seizing three hundred vessels within a year. The successes over a nation whose boast it was that for fifty years she had never met defeat on the ocean gave great satisfaction in the United States. Popular approval of President Madison's- policy was testified by his re-election in the fall of 1812. In 1813 General Harrison, the victor of Tippecanoe, was placed in command of the army in the Northwest. His campaign opened disastrously. General Winchester, the leader of his advanced guard,, was surrounded on the Maumee River and captured, with a thou- sand men, bj^ the British and Indians under General Proctor. Proc- tor then besieged Harrison at Fort Meigs, but was driven off by the arrival of twelve hundred Kentuckians. In July Proctor lenewed his attack, but was again unsuccessful, and was also repulsed from Fort Stevenson, at Lower Sandusky. _ In September a fleet of nine small vessels, hastily equipped by the Americans, encountered the six British ships that had hitherto had control of Lake Erie. The latter were defeated and captured, and Perry, the American commander, sent to General Harrison the message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours !" Harrison's army was now carried across the lake to invade Canada. Proctor hurried back to the defense of the British settle- / HISTORY OF THE UNITED vSTATKS. Ill litia, I the •itish iients go to id al- at sea ; were lurned . Law- British of the- nar the (lie, off man-of- inibeis^ lundrc.d for fifty isfactictn adisoii's- ls placed opened |d guard,, a thou- \x. Proc- Iff by the lenewed. Ised from iqiiipped. that had ited and General I they are to invade bh settle- ments. The two forces met on the Thaines River, where, on the 5th of October, Proctor was defeated, and liis Shawnee ally, Te- cumseh, was killed. This success restored Michigan to the United States, and relieved the Northwestern Territory from fear of in- vasion. Meanwhile General Dearborn, in April, had crossed Lake Ontario and captured York (now Toronto), the capital of Upper Canada. Not attempting to retain the town, he next attacked Fort George, the British post on the Niagara River. The com- mander of the fort blew up his magazines and retreated, but in the ensuing battle, at Burlington Heights, the Americans were taken by surprise and forced to withdraw. A detachment of six hun- dred of Dearborn's men was surrounded and captured at Fort George. After this disaster Dearborn was recalled, and was succeeded by General Wilkinson, who planned an expedition against Mon- treal. In the battle of Chrysler's Farm, fought near the rapids of the St. Lawrence, he was successful, but he was unable to reach Montreal, going into winter quarters near St. Regis. There were also hostilities against the Indians in the South- west in 1813. In August the Creeks captured Fort Minis, on the Alabama River, and massacred its inhabitants. Other settlements were attacked, and, though troops from Tennessee and Georgia were called out, the Creek War was not ended until General Jack- son inflicted a crushing defeat on the Indians at the Horseshoe Bend of the Tallapoosa River, in March 1814. The chief naval actions of 1813 were the sinking of the British brig Peacock by the American sloop Hornet, and the capture of another British brig, the Boxer, by the Enterprise. On the other hand, the Chesapeake, commanded by Captain Lawrence, met the British frigate Shannon, off Boston, and was taken after a short fight, in which Lawrence was killed. His last words were " Don't give up the ship!" The battles of 1814 were the most important of the war. In June General Brown crossed the Niagara River with five thousand men, took Fort Erie, and on the 14th of July met and defeated a British force under General Riall, at Chippewa. On the 25th the two armies met again in the hard fought battle of Lundy's Lane. The Americans captured a hill on which the British had planted II 774 HISTORY OK THK UNITKD STATp:S. a battery, and held it against repeated assaults ; but though suc- cessful, their loss was so great that on the following day they were forced to retreat. In the battle the commander of the Amer- ican advance guard, Winfield Scott, " was seriously wounded in the shoulder."* During the summer the British, under General Drummond, besieged Fort Erie, which the Americans held until November, when its commandant, General Izard, blew it up and withdrew from Canada. In September a British expedition of twelve thousand men, under General Prevost, invaded the United States by way of Lake Champlain, and attacked Plattsburg, which was defended by Gen- eral Macomb, with three thousand men, and a squadron of vessels under Commodore McDonough. On the nth of September, Pre- vost, attempting to cross the Saranac River, was driven back with heavy loss. A British expedition against Baltimore and Washington was more successful. A fleet, under Admiral Cochrane, entered Chesa- peake Bay in August, and landed a force of 4,500 men on the Patuxent River, fifty miles from Washington. The capital was defended only by a body of militia under General Winder, and Commodore Barney's few small vessels; and "the British com- mander, General Robert Ross, boasted that he would wipe out Barney's fleet and dine in Washington the next Sunday." f March- ing upon the capital, Ross defeated its defenders at Bladensburg on the 24th of August, entered the city, burned the Capitol and the White House, and returned to the British fleet. Admiral Cochrane then moved toward Baltimore. He bom- barded Fort McHenry, and there was a skirmish on land at North Point, in which General Ross was killed. The fleet then withdrew. Another British ex- pedition in August occupied Pensacola, iu * Lossing's Cj clopzedia of U. S. History (Scott). f Ibid (Blad'^nsburg). THE WHITe HOUSE *T WABHINOTON -.1 1 ough suc- day they he Amer- mnded ia r General leld until it up and sand men, ly of Lake :d by Gen- i of vessels tnber, Pre- back with ington was :red Chesa- uen on the capital was /inder, and Iritish com- d wipe out "•|* March- Jladensburg apitol and He bom- McHenry, a skirmish lorth Point, ineral Ross The fleet |w. British ex- in August pnsacola, in |lop£Edia of U. S. Iburg). BATTLE BETWEEN THE ESSEX, UNDER CAPTAIN PORTEH, AND TWO ENGLISH SHIPS IN THE OFFING AT VALPARAISO, MARCH, 1813. c.-rt; 776 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. ill Florida (at this time Spanish territory), and moved thence against Fort Bowyer, at the mouth of Mobile Bay. Major Lawrence, in command of the post, repelled the attack with heavy loss. General Jackson, who was at the head of military operations in the South, pursued the invaders to Pensacola and drove them out. New Orleans was the next point of attack. In December the British ships entered Lake Borgne and threatened New Orleans. They captured a flotilla of American vessels, and landed an army of twelve thousand men on the banks of the Mississippi, below New Orleans. Among these soldiers were "some of the best of Wellington's troops that fought on the Spanish peninsula," * and their commander was General Pakenham, who was known as the Hero of Vittoria, from the important part he had played in that battle, fought in Spain the year before. General Jackson had but half as many men, mostly hastily levied and untrained militia. He intrenched himself in a strong position four miles below the city, where, to attack him, the en- emy must move along a narrow and exposed space. Pakenham, who regarded Jackson's forces as nothing better than "a handful of backwoodsmen," ordered his men to assault. They did this in the face of a terrible fire, which mowed down their ranks and finally routed them. In this battle of New Orleans **the British lost 2,600 men, killed, wounded, and made prisoners; while the Americans, shel- tered by their breastworks, lost only eight killed and thirteen wounded. The history of human warfare presents no parallel to this disparity in loss."f Pakenham himself was among the slain. General Lambert, who succeeded him, at once retreated to his ships. The only notable sea fight of 1814 was that in which the American frigate Essex was captured by two British vessels oflF Valparaiso. On the 14th of December, 1814, a treaty of peace was signed at Ghent, in Belgium, by British and American commissioners. In those days news traveled slowly, and ii; was three weeks after the signature of the treaty that the battle of New Orleans was fought. Intelligence of the conclusion of peace reached America * Lossing's Cyclopicdia o. U. S. History (New Orleans). t Ibid. rainst ce, in Mieral jouth, er the rleans. army below jest of * and as the in that hastily strong the en- enham, liandful [id this Qks and )0 men, s, shel- hirteen allel to e slain. to his lich the tsels oflF signed Isioners. :s after ms was imerica HISTORY OF THE UNITRD vSTATRS. in •on the nth of February, 1815, and was thereupon proclaimed by the President. At sea, fighting went on much later. In February the frigate Constitution captured two British sloops off Lisbon. Ii' March the Hornet sank the British brig Penguin near the Cape <,f Good Hope. In June, four months after the proclamation of peace, the Peacock took the British vessel Nautilus in the Straits of Sunda. The end of the war was hailed with great joy in America. The Federalist party had all along opposed a war policy, and it had been especially unpopular in New England. Just before the peace, a convention of New England Federalists met to protest against the continuance of hostilities and to set forth their griev- ances. The delegates were charged by their political opponents with intending to desert the Union and make a separate peace with England. The commerce of the country had been greatly injured. The paper currency was much depreciated, and little gold was in ■circulation. But the New England States had suffered most heav- ily. Their coasts had been blockaded and devastated, their fisher- ies suppressed, and their coasting vessels swept from off the sea. Sd completely was their ocean trade destroyed that the lighthouses along their shores had been ordered to extinguish th ;ir signals, be- •cause they were of service to none but British ships. The land operations of the American forces during the "war ■of 1812," as the second war against Great Britain is generally termed, were directed mainly toward repelling British invasions, and to attacking Canada. The commanders who won the greatest distinction were Generals Jackson and Harrison, both of whom be- came Presidents ; Brown and Winfield Scott, afterwards commander- in-chief of the army ; and Macomb, the victor of Plattsburg. The sea-fights of the war, though fewer and less important, were more signally creditable to the flag than were the land battles. The American navy performed another notable achievement in June, 1815, when Decatur, with nine ships, occupied the harbor of Algiers, and compelled the piratical Dey to release all the Ameri- •cans among the slaves captured by his cruisers. The last important event of Madison's administration was the admission to the Union of Indiana, the nineteenth State, in Decern-' ber, 1816. In the following March he retired from office, having gained the reputation of one who "had done much in the establish- n^ HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. ment of the nation on a firm foundation," * and went into private life. "Before the close 'of Madison's administration, the Federal party had so much declined in strength that a nomination for office by the Republican party was equivalent to an election." f In the preceding year the Presidential nomination had fallen upon James Monroe, of Virginia, who was elected, with Daniel D. Tompkins, of New York, as Vice-President. Monroe had performed high public service as an officer in the Revolutionary War, a Congressman, and as Secretary of War under Madison. His eight years' administra- tion was marked by peaceful relations with foreign powers. Its most important domestic event was the beginning of the agitation of the Slavery question. In December, 1817, the western half of the Mississippi Territory was created into a State,, the eastern being formed into Alabama Territory. In this latter there was immediately afterward an Indian rising, the Creeks renewing their attacks on white settlers, and being assisted by the Senii- noles of Florida. General Gaines, in command of the troops in Alabama, could not suppress the outbreak, and General Jackson called out the Tennessee militia. He attacked uid took the Indian villages, and then, finding that the rising had been instigated from beyond the frontier of Spanish territory, he " did not hesitate to march across the line, capture Pensacola, and seize the parrancas," % a neighboring fort. This invasion of Florida created great indignation in Spain. Her government had for some time been more or less unfriendly to "America, for she "had always been dissatisfied with Bonaparte's transfer of Louisiana to the United States." § In the following year, however, the matter was adjusted, and all occasion for future difficulties at this point removed, by a treaty which, with many gains, entailed some signal losses on the United States." || Spain agreed to sell Florida for five million dollars — " an acquisition which proved of great value to us from every point of view."^ JAMU MONROE. • Lossing's Cyclopedia of U. S. History (Madison). X Blaine's Twenty Years of Congress, Vol, I, Chap. i. f Ibid. (Monroe). J Ibid. !1 Ibid. | Ibid. •gf.;- \ HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 779 private federal )r office In the I James ciiis, of I public I an, and linistra- rs. Its ginning f of the a State^ erritory. rward an r attacks he Semi- lomniand Dress the out the took the e rising" ontier of Ito march eize the n Spain. iendly to |naparte's following tor future 'vernment, which had agreed to pay five million dollars as an indemnity for the damage done to American vessels during the wars of Napo- leon, but had withheld payment. Jackson's urgent demand pre- vented further delay. In 1835 the Seminole Indians of Florida began a war which lasted for seven years, and cost the lk pro- for the :l thrice reniem- 5 hardly 1 fifteen iruary of the first Captain :r anient o y created I rush of ty-niners, d, had to : Isthmus rous jour- ly Mount- mch num- ,,cxx), and nsin, the |ion (May, la led to a 1848 the \,n\ Butler, ^aylor, of lident, and jCongress- Ire ability I candidate libition of le canvass President Taylor had a " blunt, honest, and stern character, that endeared him to the masses of the people." * His brief ad- ministration was mainly occupied by the dispute over the admis- sion of California. The constitution provisionally adopted had a clause forbidding slavery, and this was opposed by the representa- tives of the Southern States in Congress. The question was de- bated with a vehemence that foreshadowed the civil war, until in May, 1850, the Senate appointed a committee to devise a plan of compromise. Henry Clay, the great Whig statesmau, was chair- man of the committee, and the chief author of the bill it drew up, which was nicknamed the Omnibus Bill, on account of the varied nature of its provisions. It admitted California with a free constitution. On the other hand, it provided for the arrest and re- turn to their masters of all slaves who might escape to a free State. At the same time, it abolished slavery in the District of Columbia, and created the Territories of Utah and New Mexico, slavery being prohibited in the former but not in the latter. The bill was ac- cepted by Congress, and became a law in September, 1850. On the 9th of July President Taylor died after a brief illness, and was succeeded in office by Mr. Fillmore, the Vice-President. President Fillmore conscientiously enforced the provisions of the Omnibus Bill ; but it became evident that the compromise was only partially successful, and that the views of the extremists on both sides were irreconcilable. In 1 85 1 our relations with Spain were imperiled by a filibus- tering invasion of Cuba, organized by one Lopez, who enlisted five hundred men in the South and Southwest. On landing in Cuba, Lopez's expedition was captured by the Spaniards, and some of its riembers were shot. Another difficulty with England arose in the following year. ♦Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 2. HENRV CLAY. 792 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. if! MIILAHO FILLMORE. It had been agreed in 1818 that American vessels should not fish within three miles of the Cana- dian shore. The Canadians claimed that by the treaty the Americans had no right to enter the gulfs and bays of the coast. Our fishermen held that they might do so, providing they kept three miles from land. In 1852 'the dispute became so serious that British ^nd American war-ships were ordered to the -^anadian coast. The diffi- culty was arranged, however, without hostilities, although the question was not finally settled. In the Presidential campaign of that year the Democratic candidates were Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire, and William R. King of Alabama. The Whigs nominated General Win- field Scott of New Jersey, the conqueror of Meviro, and William A. Graham of North Caro- lina. Both of these leading political parties indorsed the Omnibus Bill, though it was thoroughly popular with neither. It was openly opposed by the Free-Soilers, whose candidate for the Presidency was John P. Hale of New Hamp- shire. Mr. Pierce, who had served with distinc- tion in the Mexican war and in the United States Senate, was successfu'l, receiving a large majority of the electoral vote. Two great statesmen died in 1852 — Henry Clay, the Whig leader, and Daniel Webster, the Massachusetts Senator. Webster's fame was as an orator and jurist. The speech he delivered in the Senate, in reply to Hayne of South Caro- lina, is *' considered the most correct and com- plete exposition ever given of the true powers and functions of the national government." * In March, 1853, President Fillmore retired from oflRce, ** leaving the country in a state of peace within and without, and every department of industry flourishing," f although the bitterness of political par- tisanship was very great. The earliest acts of his successor's ad- * Lossing's Cyclopaedia of U. S. History (Webster). f Ibid. (Fillmore). FRANKUN miltCE "M HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 793 jssels i!!^ana- »y the :r the 1 held three ime so :-ships £ diffi- ilities, id. it year Pierce ing of il Win- ?ror of h Caro- )mnibus 3 openly idate for r Hamp- distinc- ;d States [majority Henry |ster, the was as lelivered Lth Caro- ind com- |e powers )> * [e retired state of [partment Itical par- Issor's ad- e). ministration were the creation of the Territory of Arizona, and the sending out of expeditions to survey a route for a railroad to the Pacific coast. Commodore Perry, who had been despatched to Japan by Presi- dent Fillmore to endeavor to open that country to American com- merce, reached Jeddo with his squadron in the summer of 1S53. He siicceeded in negotiating a treaty with the emperor, by which Amer- ica was the first western nation to be admitted to Japanese ports. The conflict of parties in and out of Congress was renewed by the Kansas-Nebraska bill, brought forward in 1853 by Senator Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois. It created the Territories of Kansas and Ne- braska, and left the question of slavery to be decided b}'^ their inhabitants, or by ^' Squatter Sovereignty," as it was gf^tier- ally termed. This was contrary to the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited slavery in all territories north of latitude 36° 30'. Neverthe- less, in spite of strenuous opposition, the bill passed through Congress and became a law in May, 1854. A violent struggle ensued in Kan- sas between the advocates and the op- ponents of slavery in the Territory. So much blood was shed in the contest that the Territory was termed " Bleeding Kansas," and the civil war of its hostile parties created great excitement throughout the country. The conflict in Kansas was still in progress when the time came for the election of 1856. In the summer the Democrats nominated James Buchannn, of Pennsylvania, for Presi- dent, and John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, for Vice-President, and indorsed the Kansas-Nebraska act. Th? Whig party had become disintegrated, the great majority of its members having joined the new Republican party. This had sprung into existence on the issue of slavery, and declared that all the Territories should be free— the doctrine of the old Free-Soilers. The Republican candidates were John C. Fremont, of California, whose successful DANIEL WEBSTER. 794 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. explorations in the far West had won him the sobriquet of the "Path-finder," and William L. Dayton, of New Jersey. The small American, or " Know-Nothing" party, which advocated the restric- tion of foreign immigration, nominated ex-President Fillmore. At the polls Buchanan and Breckinridge were victorious. President Buchanan's term of office was marked chiefly by the alarming increase of sectional animosities. The Fugitive Slave Law — that part of the Omnibus Bill compromise which provided for the arrest of escaped slaves — w s extremely unpopular in the North. The opponents of slavery maintained a system known as the " Un- derground Railroad," by which slaves were secretly aided to escape. Several Northern legislatures met the Federal law with Personal Liberty Bills, securing a trial to fugitive negroes. These bills, in turn, aroused much indignation in the South, Avhere thpy Avere regarded as being in violation of the Constitution. In 1857 the Mormons of Salt Lake Cit}', led by Brigham Young, expelled a United States judge from Utah, and openly defied the Federal author- ities. Troops were sent to suppress the rebellion, which subsided upon their arrival. Minnesota was admitted as a State in May, 1858, and Oregon in the following February. This finally destroyed the balance in the number of free and slave States, long maintained by the admission of States in pairs, a Northern and a Southern State being created at about the same time. There were now eighteen Northern and fifteen Southern States, giving the former a majority of six in the Senate. In the House of Representatives its majority was sixty, owing to the rapid expansion of population in the North, whither immigrants were flocking in rapidly increasing numbers. In October, 1859, occurred an incident that greatly embittered the feeling between North and South. John Brown, a Free-Soil ex- tremist in Kansas, organized a raiding party of twenty-one men and seized the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, with the avowed object of causing a rising of the slaves. In this he was unsuccessful. After holding the arsenal for two days, he was attacked by a body of State and National troops, and his men, JAMES BUCHANAN, HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 795 May, ruary. lumber y the and a same 11 and in the sixty, hither Ittered )il ex- men hginia, In this |ys, he men, except two, who escaped, were killed or captured. Brown was tried by the State of Virginia, convicted, and hanged. The one great issue of the Presidential campaign of i860 was the slavery question. The foreign relations of the country were at this time uniformly peaceful. "The long series of irritating and dangerous questions which had disturbed the relations of the United States and Great Britain, from the time of the Declara- tion of Independence, had reached final and friendly solution." * But while foreign affairs were on so satisfactory a footing, the political prospect at home was a troubled one. In April, the Democratic nominating convention met at Charleston, S. C. The delegates of extreme Southern views, finding themselves unable to control the convention, left it in a body, and nominated John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky. The delegates who remained in the convention named Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, while a third section, which termed itself the Union party, put forward John Bell, of Tennessee. While the Democrats were thus hopelessly split, the Republicans were united for Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, for President, and Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, for Vice-President. The result was the election of Lincoln in No- vember. Throughout the canvass Southern extremists had threatened that if Lincoln should be elected the South would leave the Union, and declared that they would not tolerate the administration of a President who was avowedly opposed to slavery. When the re- sult of the election was known they proceeded to prove that they meant what they said. On the 17th of December a convention met at Charleston, which, on the 20th, declared that South Caro- lina was no longer one of the United States. Six others — Missis- sippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, — took similar steps before the end of January, and on the 4th of Febru- ary a convention met at Montgomery, Alabama, and formed a new government under the name of the Confederate States of America. It elected Jefferson Davis, up to that time United States Senator from Mississippi, President, and Alexander H. Stephens, of Geor- gia, Vice-President. Almost all the United States forts and posts throughout the Southern States had fallen into the hands of the secessionists, with * Blaine's Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. I, Chapter 26. 796 HISTORY OF the; UNITED STATES. a vast quantity of arms and stores, valued in all at nearly twenty millions of dollars. The government at Washington did nothing. The President's cabinet was largely composed of Southern sympa- thizers. General Cass, the Secretary of State, who favored an ac- tive policy, was forced to resign by the President's apathy. Neither section understood the other. The general opinion in the North was that the South would not take up arms when it had four millions of slaves in its population. The South believed that the North would not fight for the maintenance of the Union. But meanwhile the country was drifting into civil war. On the 9th of January, 1861, the steamer Star of the West, despatched to relieve Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor — one of the few Southern forts still held by the Federal government — was fired upon and driven off. Even after this overt act of hostility, President Buchanan adopted no decided plan of action. He declared that he had "no authority to decide what shall be the relations between the Federal government and South Carolina." * In January, 1861, Kansas, where the anti-slavery party had finally been victorious, was admitted into the Union as a State. Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, the President elect, and one of the most remarkable figures of American history, was a man of humble origin. Born in Kentucky in 1809, he grew to manhood in what was then the backwoods of Indiana. At twenty-one, mov- ing to Illinois, he became the keeper of a store. Then, a self- taught lawyer, he was elected to the State Legislature and to Con- gress. He was brought into national prominence by his unsuccess- ful contest against Stephen A. Douglas for a seat in the Senate. Since his election to the Presidency, so bitter had been the speeches of his extreme opponents, that fears were entertained for his personal safety on his journey to Washington. But after mak- ing **a quick and secret night journey through Baltimore to the Federal capital," f he was inaugurated without disturbance on the 4th of March, 1861. For his cabinet, "Mr. Lincoln chose his ablest friends," $ the most noted members being William H. Seward, Secretary of State; Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War; and Sal- mon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury. Expecting that Fort Sumter would be reinforced by the Fed- ♦Nicolay & Hay's Lincoln, Vol. Ill, Chapter 5. t Ibid, Vol. Ill, Chapter 20. J Ibid, Vol. Ill, Chapter 22. venty hing. /iiipa- an ac- pinion hen it ;lieved Juion. West, ■one of t — was istility, eclared ilations rty had I State. . one of man of lanhood le, mov- a self- to Con- success- nate. een the ined for er mak- |e to the on the lis ablest Seward, and Sal- the Fed- ii' i lyy^U'^iuc/rl^ FROM A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN BEFORE HIS ELECTION IN 1860. (m) 798 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. iv, eral government, the Confederate forces at Charleston decided to attack it. On the 12th of April, "at about half-past four, as the dim outline of Fort Sumter began to define itself in the morning twilight," * the bombardment began, and on the 13th Major Ander- son, commanding the fort, surrendered it. The news that the Con- federates had thus made "active, aggressive war upon the United States " t caused great excitement throughout the country. Presi- dent Lincoln at once issued a call for 75,000 volunteers, to serve three months, and the summons met with a ready response in the North. The fall of Sumter heightened the enthusiasm of the South. On the 17th of April Virginia passed a secession ordinance. Bodies of State militia were immediately despatched to seize the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry, and the great navy yard at Nor- folk. The commander of the arsenal abandoned it, after firing the buildings and destroying a part of the stores. The same course was taken by the Federal officers at the Norfolk navy yard, the war ships there being sunk or burned, and the cannon spiked. The Confederates, however, captured an immense amount of guns and stores, and afterwards raised some of the sunken vessels. Three more States followed their Southern sisters out of the Union — Arkansas, May 6; North Carolina, May 20; and Tennes- see, June 6. This raised the number of the Confederate States to eleven. The first volunteer regiment to arrive in Washington was the Sixth Massachusetts. While passing through Baltimore on its way to the capital, on the 19th of April, it was attacked by a mob, and "lost four men killed and thirty-six wounded.";}; Other reg- iments rapidly followed, and on the 3rd of May the President is- sued a call for eighty thousand additional troops, to serve for three years, "swelling the entire military establishment of the nation to an army of 156,861, and a navy of 25,600."^ At this time "Lieutenant-General Scott commanded the army in chief." || The conqueror of Mexico, although a Virginian, and though he personally "deprecated war,"^ had adhered to the Fed- eral cause. So quickly had the Northern States answered President *Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. IV, Chapter 3. f Ibid, Vol. IV, Chapter 3. I Ibid, Vol. IV. Chapter 6. ? Ibid, Vol. IV, Chapter 14. II Sherman's Memoirs, Chapter 8, *[ Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. IV., Chapter 5. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 799 army |n, and Fed- sident pter 5. Lincoln's call that "all fears for the safety of the capital had ceased, and quite a large force of regulars and volunteers had been col- lected in and about Washingtou." * On the 23rd of May, a brigade commanded by General Irwiu McDowell crossed the Potomac and occupied Alexandria. After two months of drilliug and organizing the recruits, " the cry of * On to Richmond ! ' forced General Scott to hasten his preparations and order a general advance about the middle of July."t As yet the Federal troops were " far from being soldiers." J General Shermau, who was under McDowell, asserts that on the march, " with all his personal efforts, he could not prevent the men from straggling for water, blackberries, or any thing on the way they fancied." § Richmond had been selected as the capital of the seceded States, whose government was to assemble there on the 20th of July. At the beginning of the month the Confederates " had two armies in front of Washington; the one at Manassas Junction, commanded by General Beauregard ; the other, commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston, was at Winchester." 1| On the 21st of July McDowell attacked Beauregard. The ensuing battle of Bull Run was "one of the best planned battles of the war, but one of the worst fought."^ Johnston arriving to reinforce Beauregard, Mc- Dowell's troops became panic-stricken and fled in disorder. Had the Confederate army pursued them, it might have entered the Federal capital. Indeed, Johnston's " failure to capture Washing- ton received strong and general condemnation in the South." ** Meanwhile hostilities had begun at other points. General George B. McClellan, who after serving in the Mexican war had retired, and had become "president of the Ohio and Mississippi railroad, "ft was placed in command of a Union force in western Vir- ginia. He defeated the Confederates at Philippi on June 3, and at Rich Mountain on July 11. He was then called to Washington to take command of the army, there. General Rosecrans, who succeeded him in Western Virginia, won the battles of Carnifex Ferry and Cheat Mountain, and drove the Confederates from that part of the State west of the Alleghany Mountains. * Sherman's Memoirs, Chapter 8. f Ibid, Chapter 8. t Ibid, Chapter 8. § Ibid, Chapter 8. || Ibid, Chapter 8. T Ibid, Chapter 8. ** Johnston's Narrative of Military Oper.itions, Chapter 2. tt Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. IV, Chapter i6. ■fe;^"' 800 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. Kentucky and Missouri, although slave holding States, had not joined the Confederacy. The sympathies of their citizens were di- vided. General Polk, ordered by the Richmond government to occupy Kentucky, blocked the Mississippi by fortifying Columbus. In Missouri, the secession party made a great effort to carry the State out of the Union. "Governor Jackson, having decided on revolution, formed at St. Louis a nominal camp of instruction under the State Militia laws," * where he designed to assemble a Confederate army. But the camp was broken up by General Lyon, who defeated Jackson's forces at Booneville on June 17, 1861. Jack- son was again defeated by Colonel Siegel at Carthage on July 5th. General Lyon was killed at Wilson's Creek on the loth of August, and the Confederate General Price on September 20th captured 2,600 Union troops at Lexington. In November, General Halleck, a man "not only practically accomplished in his profession as a soldier, but also distinguished as a writer on military art and science," f was appointed to command the Federal army of the West, and drove Price southward toward Arkansas. A brigade of Halleck's army was stationed at Cairo, " the mili- tary key of the Mississippi Valley." $ From this point 3,000 men nnder General Ulysses S. Grant were sent to attack the Confederate camp at Belmont, on the Mississippi opposite Columbus, but re- treated after fighting "a drawn battle," ^ November 7, 1861. On taking command at Washington, General McClellan busied himself during the fall and winter in drilling and organizing his army of recruits. The only battle fought during the remainder of the year was that of Ball's Bluff, on the Potomac, in which 1,900 Union troops under Colonel Baker were defeated with heavy loss by General Evans, October 21. At sea, the Federal government had in April proclaimed a blockade of all the Southern ports. Almost all the forts and de- fenses on the coast had been seized by the Confederates at the out- break of the war. Fort Pickens, at Pensaccla, had been held by its commander. The fortifications at Hatteras Inlet were captured by Commodore Stringham and General Butler in August, and in No- vember the important harbor of Port Royal, South Carolina, was taken. *Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. IV; Chapter ii. f Ibid, Vol. V, Chapter 5. X Ibid, Vol. IV, Chapter 10. § Ibid, Vol. V, Chapter 7. iml HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 8oi id not jre di- mt to mbus. ry the led on uction iible a Lyon, Jack- ly 5^'^' LUgUSt, :d 2,600 , a man soldier, mce," t d drove he mili- )00 men 'ederate but re- busied ymg his inder of [h 1,900 ivy loss limed a and de- Ithe out- Id by its jured by in No- tna, was ler 5. In October the Richmond government despatched two com- missioners, Mason and Slidell, to treat with the French and British governments. After running the blockade from Charleston, they reached Cuba, and took passage for England on the British ship Trent. Captain Wilkes, in the United States steamer San Ja- cinto, stopped the Trent, seized Mason and Slidell, and carried them to Boston. His action, of doubtful legality, caused great excitement in England, and " seriouslj-^ threatened to embroil the nation in a war with Great Britain." * Mr. Seward, Secretary of State, at once declared that Captain Wilkes had acted without authority, and the two commissioners were allowed to sail for England from Boston. Their missions proved entirely fruitless. The year 1862 '^brought stirring events to the armies in the West." f The fighting opened in Kentucky. General Sherman, ordered to Louisville in the preceding fall, had complained that his ** force was out of all proportion to the importance of the posi- tion." J A large army had now been stationed in that section, under General Buell. Two of Buell's subordinates. Colonel Gar- field and General Thomas, won the battles of the Big Sandy and Mill Spring, respectively, in January, 1862. General Grant, in command of a brigade of Halleck's army, had suggested to that officer that, **if permitted, he could take and hold Fort Henry, on the Tennessee," § an important Confed- erate position. He was ordered to advance on the fort, while a fleet of gunboats, under Commodore Foote, was ordered to attack it from the river. Before Grant reached the fort it had surrendered to the gunboats, February 6. Most of its garrison had escaped to Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River, twelve miles away. General Grant, " knowing the importance of the place," || pushed on to attack it. He was obliged to wait until February 14 before the gunboats could steam down the Tennessee to Cairo, and up the Cumberland to Fort Don- elson. The fort was a strong post. To reduce it Grant had "15,000 men, including eight batteries," If while it was "probable that the Confederate force was 21,000."** On the 15th the defend- ers attempted to break Grant's lines, but were repulsed, and their * Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. V, Chapter 2. f Ibid., Vol. V, Chapter 7. X Sherman's Memoirs, Chapter 8. ? Grant's Memoirs, Chapter 21. II Ibid., Chapter 21. H Ibid., Chapter 21. ** Ibid., Chapter 22. 802 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES- Generals, Floyd and Pillow, fled with a part of the garrison. Next day General Buckner, on whom the command had devolved, offered to treat with Grant, who returned the famous message, " No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works." * Buckner thereupon surrendered the fort, with 12,000 men — the greatest success yet achieved by the Federal forces. Owing to a misunderstanding with Halleck, Grant was for a time, after the capture of Fort Donelson, "virtually under arrest and without a command," f althongh he "had done so much that General Halleck should have been patient." % He was, however, speedily reinstated, and moved his forces southward toward Cor- inth, " the great stragetic position being the Tennessee and Missis- sippi Rivers, and between Nashville and Vicksburg." § At this time " all the Confederate troops west of the Alle- ghany Mountains, with the exception of those in the extreme South," II were commanded by General Albert Sidney Johnston, " a man of high character and ability, but vacillating and undecided in his actions." % After the fall of Fort Donelson, General John- ston "abandoned Nashville and fell back into northern Missis- sippi." ** On April 6, 1862, he suddenly a.ttacked Grant's army, which was at Shiloh Church, near Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee. The ensuing battle of Shiloh "was the severest bat- tle fought in the West during the war," ff and one that has been the subject of a great deal of controversy." $;}: The Union forces, whose " effective strength was 33,000," ^§ were during the first day driven back, after some desperate fighting in which General John- ston was killed. On the 7th Grant was reinforced by General Lewis Wallace, who "did not arrive in time to take part in the first day's fight." || || The Federal troops recovered their lost ground and drove the Confederates from the field — a success which *' gave the men that achieved it great confidence." %% Meanwhile " the Army of the Mississippi, commanded by Major-General John M. Pope, was moving directly down the Mis- sissippi River, against that portion of the Confederate line which, * Grant's Memoirs, Chap. 22. f Ibid., Chap. 23. J Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 9. g Grant's Memoirs, Chap. 24. || Ibid., Chap. 23. 1[ Ibid., Chap. 25. ** Ibid., Chap. 23. ff Grant's Memoirs, Chap. 25. XX Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 9. II Grant's Memoirs, Chap. 25. |||| Ibid., Chap. 24. n[ Ibid., Chap. 25. iMiij-iiiMiiiiiMiliT^s Jilt W'^n^ tiff rtiiTiiiMUMi HISTORY OK THK UNITKD STATES. 803 •ison. )lved, isage, r can ks." * L— the for a arrest h that wever, d Cor- Missis- e Alle- xtreine hnston, decided il John- Missis- s army, on the est bat- as been forces, first day lal John- General in the ^eir lost ,S which ided by the Mis- which, jhap. as- under Generals Polk and Pillow, had fallen back from Columbus, Kentucky, to Island No. 10 and New Madrid." * Pope, who, '' though still a young man, was a veteran soldier," and " had served with great distinction in the Mexican war," f captured Isl- and No. 10, with 5000 prisoners, on the 7th of April, 1862. The Union gunboats captured Fort Pillow on June 4, and two days later Memphis surrendered to them. In August the Confederates made another attempt to conquer Kentucky. " Two Confederate armies, under General Kirby Smith and General Braxton Bragg, penetrated " [J; into that State from eastern Tennessee. Sniith defeated a Union force at Richmond* Kentucky (August 30), and Bragg captured a body of 4500 men at Mumfordsville (September 17). After threatening Cincinnati and Louisville, the two Confederate armies united at Frankfort, and on the 8th of October met Buell's forces in the severe battle of Perry- ville. Buell had the best of the fight, but Bragg's troops " retired in good order," § and took a vast quantity of captured stores into Tennessee. After the battle of Shiloh General Halleck " reorganized and rearranged the whole army" || on the Tennessee, reinforcing Grant's troops with those of General Pope. Corinth, evacuated by the Con- federates, was occupied on the 30th of May. Halleck was then sum- moned to Washington to become general in chief, and was succeeded by Grant, who prepared to move against the Confederate stronghold at Vicksburg, Mississippi. He sent Sherman down the Mississippi with 40,000 men and Admiral Porter's gunboats, while he himself pushed forward by land. But the Confederate General Van Dorn got into Grant's rear, cut off his supplies at Holly Springs, and forced him to retreat. Sherman embarked at Memphis, landed north of Vicksburg, and attacked the works at Chickasaw Bayou, where he was decisively repulsed (December 29, 1862). Meanwhile General Rosecrans, in command at Corinth, had been attacked (October 4) by Generals Price and Van Dorn, but had driven them off with heavy loss. He then marched against Bragg, who had just retreated from Kentucky. They met in the bloody battle of Stone River, near Murfreesboro (December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863), which although "a negative victory so far as con- * Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. lo. f Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln. Vol. VI, Chap. i. X Sheridan's Memoirs, Vol. I. Chap. 11. g Ibid. || Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 10. I 45 8o4 HISTORY OF TIIK UNITKI) STATKS. V cenied the result on the battle-field," * was on the whole a Federal success, and " West Tennessee and Kentucky were never again seri- ously threatened by the armies of the Confederacy." f • In Missouri there was fighting during the early part of 1862 between the Confederates under Price, McCullough, and Van Dorn, and a Union force under General Curtis, whose "strength through- out the campaign was about fifteen thousand men." [J; The latter was victorious in the important battle of Pea Ridge, fought in Arkansas, March 7. Early iti the year a Federal fleet and army assembled at Ship Island, off the mouth of the Mississippi, to operate against the southern coast of the Confederacy. " New Orleans, being the most important prize, both military and political, became the principal objective point," ^ and in April the attack was begun. The fleet was commanded by Admiral Fa ragut, a man "sixty years of age, forty-eight of which had been spent in the naval service." || On the 24th of April he ran past Forts St. Philip and Jackson, which de- fended the entrance to the Mississippi, attacked and destroyed a Confederate squadron, and on the following day reached New Or- leans, of which the troops under General Butler at once took pos- session. Farragut went on to Baton Rouge, and, passing Vicksburg, joined the squadron of the upper Mississippi at Memphis. In January, 1862, an expedition under General Burnside sailed to attack Roanoke Island, on the North Carolina coast. It was completely successful, capturing the island, destroying the Con- federate fleet in Albemarle Sound, and taking Fort Macon and Newbern. In March another expedition, from Port Royal, took Jacksonville, Florida, Brunswick, Georgia, and other towns on the coast. On the 8th of March the Federal fleet that lay in Hampton Roads, off Fortress Monroe, was attacked by the Merrimac. This was one of the ships sunk at the surrender of the Norfolk navy yard. The Confederates had raised her, covered her deck with railroad iron, fitted her with a ram, and named her the Virginia. She now rammed and sank the Union ship Cumberland, and drove * Sheridan's Memoirs, Vol. I, Chap. 13. fNicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. VI, Chap. 13. {Sheridan's Memoirs, Vol. I, Chap. 13. i Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. V, Chap. 15. || Ibid. Pcdcral liu Sfii- • of 1862 u Doni, hrougli- le latter light in at Sliip iiist the the most principal rhe fleet s of age, On the ,vhich de- stroyed a New Or- Look pos- icksburg, ide sailed It was the Con- aeon and yal, took Ins on the [Hampton Lc. This [folk navy eck with Virginia, md drove HI (8.-5/ 8o6 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. the Congress ashore. At sunset she returned to Norfolk. On the following day, returning to complete the destruction of the Federal fleet, she was met by the Monitor, an iron turret ship of novel con- struction, which had just arrived from the North. In the duel that followed, the Merrimac was disabled and driven back to Norfolk. In April, the capture of Fort Pulaski by the Federals, under General Hunter, closed the port of Savannah. Of all the campaigns of 1862 the most important was fought ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE MONITOR AND MERRIMAC IN HAMPTON ROADS ON MARCH 8, 1862. in northern and eastern Virginia. On the loth of March Mc- Clellan crossed the Potomac, but after advancing a short distance he decided "that operations would best be undertaken from Old Point Comfort, between the York and James rivers." * The bulk of his army was transported thither by April 2, and he moved up the peninsula between the rivers, toward Richmond. At Yorktown Magruder, with 10,000 Confederate troops, held him at bay for a month, but evacuated the place on May 4. McClellan then advanced rapidly, winning the battles of Williamsburg (May 5) and West *Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. V, Chapter lo. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. S07 •h Mc- listance nil Old e bulk 'ed up ■ktown for a anced West Point (May 9). At the end of the month his advance guard was only seven miles from Richmond. Confederate forces were hastily collected from all quarters .for the defense of their capital. The navy yard at Norfolk was de- stroyed and abandoned, the Virginia, or Merriniac, being blown up. With all the troops he could gather General Joseph E. John- ston attacked McClellan at Seven Pines and Fair Oaks (May 31 and June i), but was defeated and severely wounded. Notwithstanding his success, McClellan delayed moving upon Richmond. He overrated his opponent's strength, " as was gener- ally done by the opposing commanders during the war,"* and "kept up a continual cry for reinforcements." f His inactivity gave the Confederates time to make their army "stronger in numbers than it had ever been before." J General Robert E. Lee, who had succeeded Johnston, attacked him on the 25th of June in the first of the " seven days' battles." Though he repelled Lee's as- saults on the first two days, McClellan fell back toward the James River. On the 27th, at Gaines' Mill, he was: heavily defeated. After two more inde- cisive battles he reached Malvern Hill, on the James, where Lee was driven back by the fire of the Union gun- boats. McClellan's Peninsula campaign had proved a failure. The stubborn "re- sistance of the Confederates compelled the Federal general to abandon his plan of operatic-is," ^ and his army was withdrawn down the James. At the same time General " Stonewall " Jackson, with 20,000 Confederate troops, had successfully defied the Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley. In May he captured a Union force at Front Royal, and chased General Banks .t of the Valley. Banks only ♦Johnston's Narrative of Milit.ir)' Operations, Chapter I. f Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. V, Chapter 23. I Johnston's Narrative of Military Operations, Chapter 4. I Ibid, Chapter 5. II I ROSERT e. LEE. s 8o8 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. J ft saved his command by a hasty retreat across the Potomac. Gen- erals Shields and Fremont were sent against Jackson, who fell back before them and then defeated them separately at Cross Keys and Port Republic, June 8 and 9, 1862. He then moved to Richmond to join Lee. At the beginning of August Lee marched northward toward Washington. On the 9th he met and defeated General Banks at Cedar Mountain. An army of 40,000 men under General Pope still lay between Lee and the Potomac, but fell back before the Con- federates' advance. On August 26, Lee attacked the Federal force at Manassas Junction, and captured a great quantity of stores. The rest of the month was spent in severe but indecisive fighting at Centreville, Gainesville, and Chantilly, nearly opposite Wash- ington. After losing 30,000 men in the campaign. Pope retreated across the Potomac. The President had ordered a fresh levy of 300,000 troops (July I, 1862) and the Federal forces at Washington were reorganized and greatly strengthened, McClellan succeeding Pope in the com- mand. The time "for training and drilling was brief; for within a few days the news came that Lee had crossed the Potomac into Maryland." * The Confederate commander detached Jackson to attack Harper's Ferry, which was held by Colonel Miles with 13,000 men. Miles surrendered to Jackson, after a weak resistance, Sep- tember 15. On the previous day McClellan had marched between the armies of Lee and Jackson and defeated the former at South Mountain. Lee, whose situation was perilous, retreated towards the Poto- mac, halting near Sharpsburgh, Maryland, to await Jackson, who was hurrying back from Harper's Ferry. The Confederate forces had had time to reunite when McClellan attacked them at Antiet^m Creek. The battle, one of the bloodiest of the war, was indecisive, but on the next day Lee withdrew across the Potomac. McClellan did not pursue him, and after six weeks of in- activity President Lincoln removed him from command, replacing him with General Burnside. Burnside moved forward, crossed the Rappahannock, and attacked Lee at Fredericksburg, where he was repulsed with great slaughter. In September, 1862, President Lincoln had warned the se- Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. 'VI, Chapter 7. 'ip-'r Poto- |i, who forces ietnm lisive, lacing rossed tre he be se- n > -J -> «r m (9 u UJ S ul o z o z o ul X < UJ (9 C < I u u :< o a. -I < UJ z ^■'' 11 (8:. ..». kp. 13. (8X8) 8i6 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. by to widen the gap in the Confederacy." * In spite of a defeat inflicted upon a part of his forces at Meridian by General Forrest, he returned to Vicksburg, after doing great damage to the Con- federate communications. Forrest pushed on into Tennessee, cap- tured Union City (March 24), fruitlessly assaulted Paducah, and on the 1 2th of April took Fort Pillow, near Memphis. Some negroes among its garrison were shot after the surrender. In March another expedition from Vicksburg moved up the Red River, in Louisiana, with 10,000 troops under General Smith, and a gunboat squadron under Admiral Porter. After the capture of Natchitoches (March 21), General Banks joined the expedition with a force from New Orleans, and took command. Advancing toward Shreveport, he was attacked and severely defeated at Sabine Cross Roads (April 8), and fell back to Alexandria. Tlie gunboats were caught above the rapids at Alexandria by the fall of the river, and must have been abandoned had not Colonel Bailey, a Wisconsin lumberman, constructed a great dam, that so deepened the water as to allow the fleet to pass. Meanwhile Gen- eral Steele had moved from Arkansas to join Banks, at Shreve- port Hearing of the latter's defeat, he fell back, severely pressed by the Confederates. The Red River expedition had ended in failure, and General Banks was superseded by General Canby. At the beginning of March, Grant was summoned to Wash- ington from the West, to take command of all the Federal forces. Sherman " accompanied him as far as Cincinnati on his way " f to the capital, to arrange plans for concerted action. Grant's inten- tion was " to employ the full strength of the army in a simulta- neous movement all along the line." X He himself designed to advance on Richmond with the Army of the Potomac, while Sher- man struck at Atlanta with a force composed of the three Western armies — those of the Ohio, the Cumberland, and the Tennessee. The main forces of the Confederacy were grouped before Rich- mond, under Lee, and in northern Georgia, under Johnston. On the 7th of May, 1864, Sherman moved out of Chattanooga with 100,000 men. Johnston confronted him with 70,000 men^ and a series of battles followed, Sherman gradually pushing for- ward. After two days of desperate fighting at Resaca, May 14. * Sherman's Memoirs, Chapter 14. f Ibid., Chapter 15. t Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. VIII, Chapter 14. iff- sstsssa^aas- HISTORY OK THE UNITED STATEvS. 817 and 15, Johnston fell back to Dallas, where vSherman defeated him and turned Allatoona Pass (May 25 to 28). At the end of May Sherman " had advanced over nearly a hundred miles of as diffi- cult country as was ever fought over by civilized armies." * The wooded hills of Georgia were so defensible that Sherman reported that "the whole country was one vast fort."t There was heavy fighting at Lost Mountain on June 15, 16, and 17, and again on the 22d at Kenesaw Mountain, where Joh.iston had taken up a strong position. On the morning of June 27 Sherman ordered an attack. " By half-past eleven the assault was over and had failed," X the Federal troops having beCi^ repelled by Johnston's " intrenched infantry, unsurpassed by that of Napoleon's Old Guard." § Sherman still pressed forward, however, and on the loth of July he forced Johnston to retire within the fortifications of Atlanta. The Richmond government, dissatisfied with Johnston's fail- ure to arrest Sherman's advance, now removed him from his com- mand, substituting General Hood. For some time the siege of Atlanta made "slow and steady progress," || Sherman being "held in check by the stubborn defense " ^ of the garrison. Near the end of July Hood three times attacked the Federal lines, but was three times driven back, and in the last of these battles (July 28) his forces were divided and he was compelled to abandon the city, retreating northward. On the 2nd of September Sherman entered Atlanta, where he rested to prepare for his intended march through Georgia to Savannah. " While Sherman was planning his march to the sea, General Hood was devising a counter-scheme of invasion." ** He moved into Tennessee, where he was confronted by a Union force under General Thomas. On the 30th of November he defeated a part of Thomas' army, under General Schofield, at Franklin. Thomas withdrew to Nashville, and the Confederates were preparing to assault the city when he suddenly moved against Hood, defeated him and almost destroyed his army (December 15 and 16, 1864). * Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 25. f Ibid., Chap. 16. % Ibid., Chap. 16. g Johnston's Narrative of Mihtary Operations, Chapter il. II Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 18. 1[ Ibid., Chap. i». ^W^Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. 10, Chap. i. 8i8 HIvSTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. I On the 1 2th of November Sherman's railroad and telejr^ ph comnuinications with the rear were broken, and the arn^j stood dependent on its own resources and snpplies." * With 60,000 men he marched through Georgia, meeting little resistance, and reaching Savannah a month after leaving Atlanta. On the 13th of Decem- ber he stormed Fort Mc- Allister, and on the 2' ; entered the city, which had been evacuated by the Confeder .es. Here he remained for a month. Meanwhile Grant had "started upon the cam- paign destined to result in the capture of the Confederate capital and the army defending it." f Crossing the Rapidan, " on the 4th of May the army of the Potomac moved against Lee,":}: who, on the 5th, attacked GraHt in a tract called the Wilderness. "More desperate fighting has not been witnessed on this Continent " § than the three days' battle that ensued. The slaughter in both armies was great. On the Confederate side General Longstreet was wounded, and " his loss was a severe one to Lee." || From the Wilderness Lee fell back to Spottsylvania Court House, where the fighting was renewed, Grant telegraphing to * Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 20. f Grant's Memoirs, Chap. 50. J Sheridan's Memoirs, Vol. I, Chap. 18. g Grant's Memoirs, Chap. 50. 1| Ibid., Chap. 50. GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 819 Washington tliat he "proposed to fight it out on this line if it took all summer." At the same time Sheridan was despatched •' to proceed against the enemy's cavalry," * and to break Lee's railroad communications. Grant then moved to the left, to out- flank Lee, and on the ist of Tune attacked the Confederate army at Cold Harbor. He was drA.en back from their intrenchments, and by a second assault, made two days later, " no advantage what- ev r was gained to compensate for the heavy loss." f He had, however, no difficulty in securing reinforcements, while the Con- federates, whose resources were rapidly becoming exhausted, could no longer strengthen their forces. Crossing the James River, on the i8th of June he attacked Petersburg, but after four days' fight- ing was repulsed with heavy loss. He then intrenched himself before Petersburg and Richmond, where he remained during the rest of the year 1864. Sheridan's raid on the railroads in the rear of Richmond was effectively carried out. Two other subsidiary movements of the Federal forces were less successful. General Butler, advancing to- ward Richmond from Fortress Monroe, was defeated at Bermuda Hundred (May 7), and an expedition sent to the Shenandoah Val- ley, under Generals Sigel and Hunter, after a defeat at Newmarket (May 15) and a victory at Piedmont (June 5), was forced to retreat into West Virginia. This left Washington unprotected, and Lee despatched 20,000 men under General Jubal Early to strike at the national capital. Crossing the Potomac into Maryland, Early defeated General Wallace at Monocacy (July 9) and advanced within gunshot of Washington. If he "had been but one day earlier he might have entered the capital before the arrival of reinforcements." ;{: Find- ing Washington well defended, he retired into the Shenandoah \ alley, pursued by General Wright. At Winchester Early turned on Wright, defeated him, and advanced through Maryland into Pennsylvania. After burning the town of Chambersburg (July 30) he retreated into Virginia. In September Grant ordered Sheridan to the Shenandoah Val- ley, to drive off Early and "to destroy all the forage and subsist- ence the country afforded," § so as to prevent the possibility of * Sheridan's Memoirs, Vol. I, Chap. i8. f^-^rant's Memoirs, Chap. 55. J Ibid., Chap. 57. {Sheridan's Memoirs, Vol. I, Chap. 24. 46 i:i 820 HISTORY OK THK UNITED STATES. ri Confederate raids from that (jiiarter. On the 19th of September Sheridan runted the Confederates in ** the battle of the Opcquon^ or Winchester, as it has been unofficially called,"* and "sent Early's army whirling np the Shenandoah Valley." f On the 19th of October, Sheridan, having been tenipoi-arily called to Washing- ton, Early attacked the Federal Forces at Cedar Creek, and drove them back. Sheridan, hnrrying back to his post, was met by " the appalling spectacle of a panic-stricken army." ;}; He rallied his men, led them forward, and tnrncd defeat into a cohiplcte victory, Early's troops being ronted and scattered. One of the lesser military movements of 1864 was General Seymonr's expedition to the coast of Florida, which ended disastrously at the battle of Olnstee (Febrnary 20), where the Federal force ^ was defeated. In Jnly, Mobile, one of the most strongly fortified places of the Confeder- acy-, was attacked by a fleet under Ad- miral Farragnt and a land force com- manded by General Granger. On the 5tli of Angust, P\arragnt ran into ]\Iol)ile Bay, passing Forts Morgan and Gaines at its entrance, and captnring the Con- federate ram Tennessee. The forts soon afterward surrendered to General Gran- ger. One of the few Confederate ports- that still remained open was that of Wil- mington, North Carolina, which was defended by Fort Fisher. In. December, 7864, an expedition nnder Admiral Porter and General Butler was despatched to reduce the fort, but after bombarding it they found it too strong to be carried by assault, and withdrew. In April, 1S64, the Confederates had captured Plymouth, North Carolina, with the formidable iron ram Albemarle. On the night of October 27 the Albemarle was sunk by a torpedo attached to it by Lieutenant Cushing, who crept up in a small steamer manned * Sheridan's Memoirs, \'()1. 11, Chap. i. flbid., Vol. II. thai). '• tibid.. Vol. II. Ch.ip. 3. AOVIRAL FARrtAGUT. Miiber " sent e 19th shing- drove Y " the ed liis ictory, ,f 1864 oast of ittle of 1 force ic most iiifcdcr- Icr Ad- ;c coin- On the » Mobile Gaines le Con- ■ts soon 1 Gran- |;e ports of Wil- ier, lu General -ding it Idrew. L North le night led to it manned .: < a SHERIDAN'S FAMOUS RIDE FROM WINCHESTER TO CEDAR CREEK, OCTOBER 19, 1B64, WHERE HE RALLIED HIS PANIC-STRICKEN T F.OOPS AND TURNED DEFEAT INTO COMPLETE VICTORY. "And there, ihnnigh ihu llu'.li nf the mnrniiig liglit, A steed as black as tlir steeds of nij;ht M'as seen to pass, as with eaj^le tlij^ht, As if he knew the terrible need ; lie slrelched away with liis uttnust speed" — (8ji) w 822 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. by a volunteer crew, only two members of which escaped. Ply- mouth surrendered four days later. In 1864 the depredations of Confederate privateers were brought to a close, after the infliction of great damage upon American ocean commerce during the four years of the war. In May, 186 1, the Sum- ter, commanded by Captain Semmes, sailed from New Orleans, and captured and burned a number of merchantmen before being block- aded at Cadiz by the Uu'ted States ship Tuscarora. Semmes then discharged his crew and sold his vessel. The Nashville left Charles- ton in October, 1861, and returned, running the blockade, with a valuable cargo of stores from England. She was destroyed in the Savannah River by the Federal ironclads, in March, 1863. Several of the Confederate cruisers were built in British ports. Such was the Florida, which sailed into Mobile Bay under British colors in August, 1862. Ii. January, 1863, she ran through the block- ade, and cruised in the Atlantic for three months, taking fifteen American ships. She was then captured in the harbor of Bahia, Brazil. The Georgia, built at Glasgow, was also capturec in 1863. Most notorious and destructive of all was the Alabama, wh ch sailed from Liverpool in 1862. Her builders had "made no special effort to dissemble her object and purpose," * and the American minister in England had protested against her being allowed to put to sea. She cruised for two years, capturing sixty-five merchant ships, and destroying property valued at ten millions of dollars. Her captain was Semmes, who had commanded the Sumter. She never entered a Confederate port, and was finally blockaded by the Kearsarge in the harbor of Cherbourg, France. Being ordered by the French government to leave Cherbourg, the Kearsarge attacked and sank her (June 19, 1864). In the summer of 1864 nominations were made for the Presi- dential election. During the first two years of the war the serious disasters suffered by the Union cause had created much dissatisfac- tion with the policy of the President; but the later successes of the Federal armies had made it clear that "nothing could prevent Lin- coln's renomination."f The Republican convention coupled to his name that, of Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, as their candidate for Vice-President, The Democrats nominated General George B. . * Nicolay and Hay's Lincc :i;, Vol. VI, Chap. 3. f ibid., Vol. IX, Chap. 2, ^f;-'r HISTORY OP THR UNITRD STATES. 823 Ply- rought I ocean e Sum- US, and [ block- es then ^harles- with a I in the h ports. British le block- r fifteen f Bahia, in 1863. ch sailed ial effort minister it to sea. ;nps, and ir captain entered sarge in French ud sank Ihe Presi- le serious Issatisfac- ;es of the rent Lin- led to his lidate for icorge B. McClellan, of New Jersey, and George H. Pendleton, of Ohio, At the polls Lincoln and Johnson received a large majoniy. In October, 1864, Nevada, the thirty-sixth State, was admitted to the Union. The year 1865 opened with the capture of Fort Fisher by a second expedition, commanded by Admiral Porter and General Terry. The fort was bombarded and taken by storm on the 15th of January, and on the 22ud of February the Union forces occupied Wilmington — a port that had been "of immense importance to the Confederates, because it formed their principal inlet for blockade runners." * By this time "the Southern cause appeared hopeless to all intelligent and dispassionate Southern men."f The situation of Lee's army at Petersburg and Richmond was growing desperate under the pressure of Grant's superior strength. To oppose Sher- man's northward march from Savannah there were only "scattered and inconsiderable forces.";}; The Carolinas and Virginia were the only States that still remained to the Confederacy. It was in the Shenandoah Valley "that the first gleams of the final victory shone upon the Union arms." § Sheridan was again ordered there by Grant in February, 1865, to strike at Lee's com- munications. At Waynesboro he met a Confederate force under Early, which he attacked and routed — a defeat that " finished Early as a military leader." || After a successful raid Sheridan rejoined Grant before Petersburg in March. Sherman moved from Savannah at the end of January, and marched through South Carolina to Columbia, the State capital, which he entered on the 17th of February. General Joseph Py. Johnston was ordered by the Confederate government to collect the forces scattered through North and South Carolina, and to endeavor to arrest Sherman's progress. This, however, he was unable to do. The Federal army entered Gold.sboro, North Caro- lina, on the 2 1 St of March, after a s./ere engagement. Generals Schofield and Terry were bringing up reinforcemenfi from the ♦Grant's Memoirs, Chap. 6i. t Johnston's Narrative of Mihtary Operations, Chap. I2. X Sherman's Memoirs, Ch.ip. 22. ^ g Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. IX, Chap. 7. II Lossing's Cyclop,x-dia of U. S. History (Sheridan's Raid). wr 824 HISTORY OF THK UNITED STATES. coast, and their forces and those of Sherman "effected" a junction in and about Goldsboro during the 22ud and 23rd of March." * Johnston had withdrawn his troops to Raleigh. On the 25th of March, L,ee attacked Grant's lines at Fort Steadman, but was repulsed, and a week later his position at Five Forks was assaulted and carried by Slieridan. Grant followed up this success by an attack all along Lee's front, and the Confederate defenses were pierced at several points. Lee's situation was now hopeless, and he evacuated Petersburg and Richmond, which were at once occupied by the Federal army (April 3, 1865). Lee's retreating forces were closely pursued by Grant and Sheridan. "Let the thing be pressed,""}* the President telegraphed to Grant on the 6th of April, and on the same day, at Sailor's Creek, Sheridan gained "a victory which led to the annihilation of one corps of Lee's army." J The end of the war was evidently at hand, although it was generally expected that either Sherman or Grant "would have to fight one more bloody battle." § In order " to shift from himself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood," II Grant sent a message to Lee, pointing out "the hopeless- ness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Vir- ginia,"^ and suggesting a surrender. Lee, in reply, inquired what terms Grant would offer, and several notes passed between the com- manders. Meanwhile Sheridan had moved around Lee's army, and on the morning of April 9 attacked it from the rear, near Appomat- tox Court House. A white flag was displayed by the Confederate general, who requested a suspension of hostilities that he might have an interview with Grant. At that interview, which took place in the house of a Mr. McLean, it was arranged that Lee's soldiers " should lay down their arms, not to take them up again unless ex- changed,"** and that they should " be allowed to return to their homes." ft Grant then telegraphed to the Secretary of War, at Washington, " General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia this afternoon on terms proposed by myself." JJ The surrender of Lee's army practically closed the war. John- tlbitl., Vol.11. Chap. 7. * Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 23. f Sheridan's Memoirs, Vol. II, Chap. 8. 2 Sherman's Memoirs, Chap. 23. II Grant's Memoirs, Chap. 66. ^ Ibid., Chap. 66. ** Ibid., Chap. 67. ft Ibid., Chap. 67. H Ibid., Chap. 6/. Ltiction rch." * t Fort at Five ived up ederate as now :h were nt and rraphed Sailor's tiilatioii ddently -man or n order ision of opeless- ern Vir- ed what he com- my, and pponiat- federate might 3k place soldiers iless ex- to their War, at orthern John- c a. < 3 o X I- (E O o < o < > < o a. 3 u < t- Z < a ac UJ X to ^82S) i li Uii 826 HISTORY OP THK UNITED STATKS. Hi % ston had just evacuated Raleigh, and was retreating before Sherman, when he heard the news of Appomattox. He thereupon sent a message to Sherman proposing "to make a suspension of active operations." * Before the negotiations were concluded the country was shocked by the assassination of President Lincoln. The 14th of April " was a day of deep and tranquil happiness throughout the United States." f The President, relieved of the terrible burden of the war, that evening attended Ford's theater in Washington. While there he was shot by Wilkes Booth, an actor, and "at twenty-two minutes after seven o'clock on the morning of April 15 "ij: he expired. On the same morning Mr. Seward was wounded by another assassin who broke into his house. A few days later Booth was shot in a barn in Maryland where he had been hiding. Johnston's surrender was signed on the 26th of April, and no Confederate army remained in the field except inconsiderable forces beyond the Mississippi. Jefferson Davis, endeavoring to escape in that direction, was captured at Irwins- ville, Georgia, on the loth of May, and sent as a prisoner to Fortress Monroe. On the 26th of May the last of the Confederate forces in the southwest surrendered, aud the civil war was over. Three hours after the death of Lincoln " the oath of office as President of the United States was administered to Andrew Johnson by Chief Justice Chase." § Born in North Carolina of humble parentage, and unable to read and write until after his marriage, Johnson had risen to be United States Senator from Tennessee (i860) and military governor of the State (1862) before his election to the Vice-Presidency in 1864. His administration was at once confronted with several important questions. On the 7th of April, 1865, Mr. Adams, the American minister at Loudon, presented to the British government a claim for repara- * Johnston's Narrat'-e of Military Operations, Chap. I2, t Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. X, Chap. 14. I Elaine's Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. II, Chap. i. gibid., Vol. II, Chap. 1. ANDREW JOHNSON. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 837 rman, sent a active mntry piness of the iter in actor, orniiig rd was tito his a barn le 26th ned in Dnd the ing to Irwins- mt as a :6th of in the ar was In the States Chief ina of Iftcr his ,r from |) before ;tration Ininister repara- tion for the damages done to the commerce of the United States by the Alabama and other Confederate cruisers equipped in En- gland. The diplomatic dispute that ensued was not settled for some years. On the I St of February Congress framed an amendment to the Constitution declaring that slavery should not exist within the United States. During 1865 this, the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution, was ratified by all the States then in the Union. The war had left a debt of almost two and three-quarter billions of dollars. To meet the interest heavy import duties and internal revenue taxes had been imposed. The country proved its ability to sustain the burden without difi&culty, and, to increase confidence, Congress, in December, 1865, formally resolved that " the public debt ought and must be paid, principal and interest." On the question of reconstruction, or the reorganization of the seceded States, serious differences arose between President John- son and Congress. The former maintained, in opposition to the views of Congress, that no State could of its own act leave the Union, and that therefore the Confederate States need not and could not be readmitted. An international question with France arose out of that coun- try's attempt, during the civil war, to establish an empire in Mex- ico under the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. President Lincoln had protested against this European interference, and " no one will question the wisdom of the attitude assumed and consistently maintained " * by him and Secretary Seward. It was impossible to do more than protest while the country's entire energies were oc- cupied in the prosecution of the war. On its conclusion the gov- ernment demanded of Napoleon III. that his troops, which had placed Maximilian on the throne, should be withdrawn from Mex- ico. The French emperor acceded to the demand, with the result that Maximilian was dethroned by the Mexican republicans and shot (June 19, 1867). In July, 1866, repeated attempts to lay a telegraph cable from Europe to America reached a successful conclusion. The enterprise was undertaken in 1857, mainly through the efforts of Cyrus W. Field, of New York, who persevered with his project in spite of four failures, which cost about six millions of dollars. The cable »Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. VII, Chap. 14. E?:::::3C3:!!--;:sBSBE3S5i?'— asssESS JiMAJi 828 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. THE GREAT EASTERN LANOINQ IN TRINITY BAV, NEWFOUNDLAND, WITH THE END OF THE FIRST OCEAN CABLE. ran from Valencia, in Ireland, to Trinity Bay, Newfonndland, a distance of 1,700 miles. In March, 1867, Secretary Seward negotiated a treaty with Russia, whereby the latter agreed to sell Alaska to the United States for the sum of seven million dollars. This great northern territory, with an area of 577,000 square miles, was then almost unknown and thought to be of very little value, and " it required all Seward's skill and influence to accomplish the ratification of the Alaska purchase." * The Senate accepted it, however, on the 9th of April, 1867. The disagreement between President Johnson and Congress was becoming more and more marked. He vetoed a bill establish- ing a military government in some of the Southern States, a bill admitting Nebraska to the Union, and the Reconstruction Bill, providing for the reorganization of the seceded States. All of these measures, however, were passed over his veto by a two-thirds vote, and in Janiiary, 1868, the House of Representatives ordered his impeachment. On being tried before the Senate, the President was acquitted, though only one vote was lacking of the two-thirds vote necessary for his conviction (May 23, 1868). The settlement of affairs in the South made steady progress. * Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, Vol. I, Chap. ij. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 829 ^ % 1/^J- llaud, a ty with United rtheni almost equired n of the the 9th Congress tablish- abiU on Bill, of these ■ds vote, !red his re;udent 'o-thirds n-Qgress. In May, 1867, Jefferson Davis, who had been imprisoned at Fortress Monroe for two years, was released on bail. He was never brought to trial. In September the President issued a proclamation of *' amnesty to all engaged in the Rebellion," with a few exceptions. In June, 1868, the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and North and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union. An Indian war, that had lasted for four years in Colorado and the Indian Territory, was terminated in the fall of 1868 by the battle of the Wacheta, in which the chief Black Kettle was de- feated and killed by General Custer's cavalry. As the Presidential election of 1868 approached, the Republi- can party placed in nomination General Ulj^sses S. Grant, the hero of the civil war, with Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, as their candidate for Vice- President. The Democrats selected Horatio Seymour, who, as Governor of New York during the war, "had been a great favorite of the peace party,"* and Frank P. Blair, of IMissouri. At the election in November Grant was successful by a large majority, Seymour carrying New York and only five other States. General Grant, who thus became the eigh- teenth President of the United States, was born at Point Pleasan*., Ohio, in 1822. He was edu- cated at West Point, entered the army, and served with credit as a subordinate officer under General Scott in Mexico. After the Mexican war he retired into civil life, but on President Lincoln's call for troops he at once volunteered for service. Two months after Grant's inauguration the first transconti- nental railroad was completed. This great enterprise, which had been six years in progress, was undertaken partly as a government work, in order to cement the distant Pacific coast to the rest of the Union. The line from the Missouri to San Francisco, nearly eighteen hundred miles in length, was built by two companies, the Union Pacific working westward, the Central Pacific eastward. The two met near Salt Lake, Utah, where the last spike was driven on the 10th of May, 1869. * Blaine's Twenty Years of PRESIDENT ULYSSES S. GRANT. i i ■:rcss, 830 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. To insure the civil status of the emancipated negroes, the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution was framed by Congress in February, 1869, and was ratified by the States during the fol- lowing twelve months. It provided that the suffrage should not be restricted "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." In May, 1871, was signed the treaty of Washington, whereby the British government agreed to refer the claims arising from the Alabama affair to a tribunal of arbitration, whose settlement should be accepted as final. The tribunal was to consist of five members, named respectively by the President of the United States, the Queen of England, the President of Switzerland, the King of Italy, and the P)mpcror of Brazil. The court thus con- stituted met at Geneva in December, 1871, and after sitting for nine months it decided that Great Britain should pay to the United States $15,500,000 in gold. That sum was thereupon paid by the British government. Another international question with England was settled by arbitration in 1872. The island of San Juan, lying between Van- couver's Island and the mainland, was claimed both by Great Britain and by the United States. On being referred by mutual agreement to the Emperor of Germany, the dispute was decided in favor of the United States. In the summer of 1872 President Grant was renominated b}'- the Republicans, with Henry Wilson, of Massachusetts, as a can- didate for the Vice-Presidency. A small section of the party, dis- satisfied with Grant's administration, took the name of Liberal Republicans, and placed in nomination Horace Greeley, the cele- brated founder of the New York Tribune, and Gratz Brown, of Missouri. The Democratic convention indorsed the Liberal can- didates, but at the election in November Grant and Wilson were successful by a considerable majority. Shortly before the election the city of Chicago was swept by a terrible conflagration, which destroyed property valued at $200,000,000, and left 100,000 people homeless (October 4 to 6, 1872). A little more than a year later there was a fire in Boston, second onh' to that of Chicago in its destructiveness. It burned over sixty acres of buildings, and caused a loss of $80,000,000, November 9 and 10, 1873. •oes, the 'oiigress the fol- d not be litioii of whereby ng from ttlenient t of five ; United land, the hus con- :ting for y to the pon paid ittled by sen Van- by Great V mutual 5 decided nated by IS a can- irty, dis- Liberal the cele- rown, of cral can- on were wept by lued at r 4 to 6, Boston, t burned ooo,ooo> 1 *' L I MASSACRE OF GENERAL CUSTER AND COMMAND ON THE LITTLE BIQ HORN RIVER, JUNE 2S, 1876. BY THE SIOUX INDIANS UNDER SITTIN" BULL. (See Next Page.) ">->x) IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) Y // {/ Mi y ^' 1.0 I.I 1.25 l^|2.8 2: IAS iilio M 2.2 \A. ill 1.6 V] <^ /a "cr-l c^l %.T*> hris ?> ^;; ■> > M "'W V ^ ^% ^ v> ^ \ ^\ ^ ^1% V ?17 w [^ & 1^ vV 832 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. The commercial expansion that followed the civil war culmi- nated in a period of over-speculi^tion, and this, in the fall of 1873, led to a disastrous financial panic. Business throughout the country was prostrated by widespread bankruptcy, and great in- dustrial distress resulted. Four years passed before the effects of the crash disappeared. Throughout Grant's second term there were more or less seri- ous Indian troubles in the West. In 1872, the Modocs, occupying a reservation in California, went on the warpath, and murdered General Canby and Dr. Thomas, the government commissioners sent to confer with them. After a tedious campaign the rising was put down by United States troops, and the chief, Captain Jack, was hanged for the murder of the commissioners. The next out- break was among the Sioux, in the Black Hills, on the border of Dakota and Wyoming. Gold had been discovered «in their reser- vation, and the government had not been able to keep out the rush of gold-seekers. The Sioux, indignant at the invasion, rose in rebellion, and on June 25, 1876, they surrounded a body of 261 . troopers, under General Custer, on the Little Big Horn River, and . killed them, A.fter this success Sitting Bull, the leader of the hostiles, fled into Canadian territor3\ On the loth of May, 1876, the Centennial Exposition in Fair- mount Park, Philadelphia, was opened by President Grant, For six years preparations had been in progress, the exhibition being designed to commemorate the centennial of American Independ- ence, and illustrate the Nation's progress during the first hundred years of existence. It was the largest display of the kind that had been held up to that time, the covered space being sixty acres, and the cost of the buildings more than $4,000,000, It remained open for four months, the number of visitors being over ten millions, and the receipts for admission nearly $4,000,000. There were more than thirty thousand exhibitors, and thirty-three for- eign countries were represented, Colorado, the thirty-eighth State, was admitted to the Union on the ist of August, 1876, In the Presidential conventions of that year, the Republicans nominated Rutherford B, Hayes, of Ohio, and William A, Wheeler, of New York; the Democrats, Samuel J. Tilden, of New York, and Thomas A, Hendricks, of Indiana, The contest was very tmm HISTORY OF THB UNITED STATES. 833 mltni- 1873, It the at in- lets of ,s seri- ipying rdered jioners rising 1 Jack, xt out- rder of : reser- DUt the >n, rose of 261 /er, and , of the n Fair- It. For being- llepend- undred d that acres, Imained /er ten There |-ee for- Union Iblicans jheeler, York, Is very close, and when Congress came to count the vote it was found that several States had sent conflicting certificates. To settle the dispute, which for a time caused great excitement, Congress ap- pointed an Electoral Commission of fifteen members — five Sena- tors, five Representatives, and five Judges of the Supreme Court. By a strict party vote, the Commission declared that Rutherford B. Hayes was elected to the Presidency. The administration of President Hayes opened with the with- drawal from Louisiana and South Carolina of the Federal troops stationed there since the conclusion of the war, the President hav- ing declared in his inaugural address that the self-government of the Southern States should be completely re- stored. The greatest strikes ever known in America occurred in the summer of 1877. They were caused by a general reduction in the wages of railroad employees, and began on the Baltimore and Ohio lines, whence they spread to the men on other railroad systems and to the coal miners of Pennsylvania. There were serious riots at several points, and the running of trains was temporarily stopped throughout a great part of the country. The rioters were finally overpowered by State and Federal troops, after the destruction of much property and the loss of many lives. Two notable financial events took place during Mr. Hayes' Presidency. Congress having passed a bill to make the silver dollar a legal tender for all debts, unless otherwise stipulated by contract, the President vetoed the measure, February 28, 1878. On the same day it was passed over his veto by a two-thirds majority of both houses. Specie payments were resumed by the government, after seven- teen years' suspension, on the first day of 1879. During the war it was forced to make payments in currency, which became so much depreciated that in 1864 a dollar in gold was worth ^2.85 in paper. The premium on gold became small at the end of the war, and was now entirely extinguished. The immigration of Chinese laborers to the Pacific coast had RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 834 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. become so serious a grievance to the American labor of that sec- tion, that a treaty was negotiated with the Pekin government, whereby restrictions were placed upon the importation of China- men to this country. The treaty, secured through the diplomacy of Mr. Burlingame, the American minister to China^ was ratified by the Senate on the i6th of July, 1878. In that summer there was a destructive outbreak of yellow- fever in the cities and villages along the lower Mississippi. The total number of deaths caused by the epidemic was nearly fourteen thousand. New Orleans and Mempliis suffering most severely. Lib- eral money contributions and other assistances were received from all parts of the country and distributed by the Howard Association. The treaty of Washington, negotiated in 1871 for the settle- ment of the Alabama question, also provided for a Fishery Com- mission, to adjust the disputes that had arisen between the British and American governments with reference to the Canadian fisher- ies. The commission met at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and on the 23rd of November, 1878, decided that the United States should pay Great Britain $5,500,000 for infringements of the latter's rights. As the time approached for the selection of candidates for the Presidential election of 1880, the Republicans were mainly divided between Ex-President Grant, who had just returned from a tour around the world, and Senator Blaine of Maine. The proposal to nominate Grant was in contravention of the tradition against third terms in the Presidency, and after his eight years in office "Grant himself had discountenanced the movement." * In the convention it was narrowly defeated by a combination of the opposition forces, which nominated James A. Garfield, of Ohio, and Chester A. Ar- thur, of New York. The Democratic candidates were General Win- field S. Hancock, of Pennsylvania, and W^illiam H. English, of Indiana. The popular vote was very close, but the Republicans secured a majority of fifty-nine in the electoral college. General Garfield, who thus became the twentieth President of the United States, was born in Ohio in 183 1, and brought up in very humble circumstances. He worked his way through college, served with distinction in the war, and was a member of Congress from 1863 up to the time of his election to the Presidency. His tenancy of that office was brief Scarcely four months after hir * Blaine's Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. II., Chap. 29. liat sec- ■nnient, China- ilomacy ratified " yellow li. The fourteen ly. Lib- 'ed from ociation. e settle- iry Com- e British in fisher- the 23rd )ay Great I s for the divided n a tour 3osal to St third " Grant )nvention ^n forces, er A. Ar- ral Win- glish, of publicans sident of rht up in college, Congress icy. His after hi". JNAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD ON THE EAST PORTICO OF THE WHITE HOUSE, MARCH 4, 1801. 47 (835) 836 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. I JAMES A. OARFIELO. inauguration he was shot by a worthless char- acter named Charles J. Guiteau, in the Balti- more and Ohio railroad station at Washing- ton, July 2, 1881. He lingered for eleven weeks before his death, which occurred at Elberon, near Long Branch, New Jersey, on the 19th of Sep- tember. On the following day Vice-President Arthur took the oath of office. He had been a well- known lawyer and politician in New York, where he had served as Collector of the Port. His char- acter and abilities were but little known to the nation before his unexpected elevation to the chief magistracy. President Arthur's administration was an uneventful one.. It was marked by a continued expansion of the country's material prosperity, and by some notable triumphs of the American inventive faculty. The telephone was perfected by Professor Alexander Graham Bell, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a similar instrument on a different principle was produced by Thomas A. Edison, who also in- vented the phonograph. On the 24th of May, 1883, the great bridge spanning the East River, and connecting the cities of New York and Brooklyn, was opened. The largest structure of its kind in the world, it was designed by John A. Roebling, and had been thirteen years in building, at a cost of fifteen million dollars. Two notable centenaries of Revolutionary events were celebrated during Arthur's Presi- dency. One was that of the surrender of Corn- wallis at Yorktown, which was attended by a great gathering of officials, soldiers, citizens and foreigners (October 19, 1881). The other celebra- tion was in New York, and commemorated the evacuation of the city by King George III.'s troops (November 26, 1883). A broiize statue of Washington was unveiled in Wall Street on that occasion. CHeSTEn A. ARTHUR. HISTORY OK THR UNITED STATES. 837 IS cliar- '. Balti- ashing- I weeks >n, near of Sep- , Arthur a well- i, where lis char- II to the to the was an Dntinued osperity. : faculty, lam Bell, hnology, principle D also in- Lt bridge ing the opened, world, and had f fifteen utionary ; Presi- f Corn- d by a zens and celebra- 3n of the A broiize occasion. The Revolutionary centennials also led to the completion of the great Washington Monument at the national capital, which, commenced fifty years before, had been allowed to languish for lack of funds. It was completed and dedicated on the 21st of February, 1885. To succeed President Arthur the Republicans placed in nom- , ination, in the summer of 1884, James G. Blaine, of Maine, who had been Secretarj'^ of State under Garfield, with John A. Logan, of Illinois, as their candidate for Vice-President. The Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland, of New York, and Thomas A. Hen- dricks, of Indiana, and for the first time since the election of Buchanan in 1856 they were successful at the polls. Mr. Cleveland's political rise had been re- markably rapid. Born at Caldwell, New Jerse}^ in 1837, h^ practiced law at Buffalo until elected sheriff of Erie County. In 1881 he became mayor of Buffalo, and a year later Avas elected Governor of New York by a phenomenally large majority, which led to his nomination for the Presidency. - President Cleveland's administration, like that of his predecessor, was a period of compara- tively uneventful prosperity. The Democrats had carried the country upon a platform which demanded the reform and reduction of the tariff upon imports. The chief legislative event of the administration was the effort of the Demo- crats in Congress to effect this reduction of duties by a measure known as the Mills bill, from the name of its chief author, Congressman Mills, of Texas. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives (July 21, 1888), but failed in the Senate, where there was a Republican majority. An attempt was made to bring to an end the still unsettled questions of the Canadian fisheries by a treaty with Great Britain, negotiated at Washington in February, 1888. The treaty was, however, rejected by the Senate. A bill to effect the more complete exclusion of Chinese immigrants was passed in the same year. During Cleveland's Presidency two of the great Federal gener- als of the civil war passed away — Grant and Sheridan. Ex- GROVen CLEVELAND. fi IM 838 HISTORY OF THK UNITKD STATKS. President Grant died at Mount McGregor, New York, after n long and painful struggle with a cancerous r'" --o^ July 23d, 1885. Gen- eral Sheridan, who was comniandcr-in-chiet of the United States Army, died at Nonquit, Massachusetts, August 5, 1888. Another death was that of \'icc-President Hendricks, on the 25th of No\em- ber, 18S5, which left the Vice-Presidential office vacant. In the summer of 1888 Mr. Cleveland was renominated by the Democrats, who named Allen G. Thurman, of Ohio, for the Vice- Presidency. The Republican candidates were General Benjamin Harrison, of Indiana, and Levi P. Morton, of New York. An un- pleasant incident of the canvass was the disclosure, just before the election, of the fact that Lord Sackville, the British minister at Washington, had been en- trapped into an expression of partisanship. P^or this breach of diplomatic rules his recall was demanded (October 30, 1888). The election resulted in the victory of the Repub- lican candidates. Benjamin Harrison, the twenty-third President of the United States, was a graml- son of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President. Born at North Bend, Ohio, in 1S33, he distinguished himself as one of Sherman's officers in Georgia, became a suc- cessful lawyer in Indianapolis, and represent- ed Indiana in the United States Senate from 1881 to 1887. The first year of President Harrison's administration was rendered remarkable by the admission to the Union of six new States — North and South Dakota, ^lontana and Washington (November, 1889), and Idaho and Wyoming (July, 1890). The total area of these comr lonwealths was more than 600,000 square miles — half as large ag-.ni as that of the thirteen original colonies, and completing an unbroken line of States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. * The tariff question again occupied the attention of Congress during 1890. The Re', iblicans having a majority in both branches, a bill, known as the McKinley bill, was passed by the House of Representatives (May 21) and by the Senate (September 30), and GENJAMIN HARRISON I*V}\ 840 HISTORY OK THK UNITRD STATRS. signed by the President (October i), to increase the duties on a •ge number of manufactured articles, including especially tin plate, woolen goods, and articles of apparel. The duty on sugar was at the same time removed. The F'ifty-first Congress was also notable for the strong resistance offered by the minority to the rulings of Jie Speaker, Thomas B. Reed, of Maine, who, his oppo- nents claimed, violated parliamentary law and traditions by count- ing a quorunv from members who declined to vote. The State Department, to which President Harrison called Mr. Blaine as Secretary, has had three troublesome international questions to deal with during the past two years. One, the long standing question of the Behring Sea seal fisheries, the American and British governments have now agreed to refer to arbitrators, meanwhile continuing a modus vivcndi that restricts poaching. A second arose from the lynching (March 14, 1891) of eleven Italians, who had been thrown into jail at New Orleans on a charge of murdering a police official. As some of the victims were Italian citizens, the government of that country demanded reparation. The Federal authorities being, under the Constitution, unable to interfere in a matter that was within the sole jurisdiction of the State of Louisiana, the Italian minister was hastily withdrawn from Washington (March 31). The matter was recently settled by the voting of an imdemnity of $25,000 by Congress. The last and most serious complication was with Chili. A civil war broke out in that republic in January, 1891, between the dicta- tor Balmaceda, and the Congressional party, in which the latter was ultimately successful. The United States men-of-war, sent to the Chilian coast to protect American property, became very un- popular with the victorious party, on account of their supposed friendliness to Balmaceda, and because the Itata, a Congressional transport, had been pursued and captured on a charge of infringing the neutrality of the tJnited States. This resentment culminated in the mobbing, on the 'streets of Valparaiso, of some seamen be- longing to the steamer Baltimore, of whom two were killed and sev- eral wounded. The government demanded an apology and repara- tion (October 26, 1891). Unsatisfactory and dilatory replies were received until on the 23rd of January, 1892, an ultimatum was pre- sented to the Chilian government, demanding that it should im- tnediately apologize for the outrage and withdraw an insulting cir- HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 841 ciilar that hxid been issued by Seflor Matta, its foreign secretary. The apparent imminence of war created considerable excitement, but the Chilian government acceded to the ultimatum, and on Jan- uary 28 the President informed Congress that a satisfactory reply had been received, thus terminating the difficulty. In order to celebrate the four hu idredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, an act was passed by Congress, and approved by the President April 25th, 1890, pro- viding for a great international World's Fair, to be held in Chicago. Preparations for the exhibition are now well under way, on a scale of unprecedented magnitude and magnificence. There is to be an elaborate dedicatory ceremony on the 12th of October, 1892, the exact date of the anniversary of Columbus' landing. The buildings will not be completed and equipped until the summer of 1893, during which the Fair will be held. lADOe OF THE ORDER OF CINCINNATUS. LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. Book I. — Life and Voyages of Columdus. PAGV. 1. The Muse of History, seated on a Toltec altar, inscribing the names of America's greatest historians in the book of fate. Beside her, the lamp of Christianity, Title page. 2. Initial W, drawn by H. L. Bridwell ix 3. Fac-simile of signature of Hon. Murat Halstead, xv 4. Headpiece : Pegasus, drawn by Prof R. Seitz 5j 5. 'nitial W, drawn by H. L. Bridwell. The Viking standing in the prow of his dragon, drawn by Prof. J. Gehrts . -53 6. The Saga ; her foot resting on an i;rn containing the remains of Leif Eric ; the hem of her dress em- broidered with the titles of the Sagas, which tell of his travels and adventures, drawn by Prof, William Kaulbach jj 7. Ornament, copied from an edition of Montanus, 56 8. House in Cogoletto ; one of the many buildings claimed to have been the birthplace of the illustrious navigator, Columbus, 57 9. Initial C, with Yanez portrait of Columbus, drawn by H. L. Bridwell, 57 10. Monument of Columbus at (^enoa, from a photograph jg 11. Naval fight between Mohammedan and Christian galleys, 5^ 12. Medal of Alphonse the Wise, of Naples. Berlin 60 13. Medal of King Ren6 and his wife, Johanna. Berlin, 61 14. Naval Battle in the XV. Century. Copied from a miniature in the Breslau copy of the " Froissart," . 61 15. Naval battle between galleys, fustae and seagoing vessels, 63 16. Headpiece : Wisdom (the owl), holding diploma in her talons, 64 17. Initial T, drawn by H. L. Bridwell 64 18. Coat of arms of Portugal 64 19. Portrait of Prince Henry the Navigator. From a miniature in the National Library, Paris, . . -65 20. Statue of Prince Henry the Navigator, over the portal of the cloister of Belem, 66 21. Portrait of Columbus in the Marine Museum, Madrid 67 22. View of Lisbon from the Tagus. From an engraving of the XVI. century 68 23. Saint engaged in prayer 69 24. Part of Sir Martin Behem's (Behaims) Globus, showing the supposed location of the Island of St. Brandan, -70 25. The Legend of the celebration of the offices of the Holy Mass by St. Brandan on the back of a mon- strous whale ; from an old print, 70 26. Headpiece : Cosmographer in deep study ; child chasing bubbles 71 27. Initial W, by H. L. Bridwell 71 28. Portrait of Marco Polo, in the Gallery Badia, Rome 72 29. The ocean side of Sir Martin Behem's (Behaim) Globus preserved in Nuremberg; the proper position of the American continent indicated by dotted lines 73 , (843) 4^" 844 LIST OF TEXT' ILLUSTRATIONS. • PAGB. 30. House said to have been occupied by Columbus on the island of Porto Santo. From a photograph, . 74 31. Portrait of Columbus, known as the " Yanez." Nationjil Library, Madrid 75 32. Tailpiece ; Globus, documents, bullae, etc., drawn by Prof. R. Seitz, 76 33. Front and rear of an Arabian astrolabe, preserved in the National Library, Paris 77 34. Initial W, drawn by H. L. Hridwell 77 35. Cross Staff and its application, 79 36. Audience of Columbus with King John of Portugal 80 37. Sepulchre of King Don Juan (John) and Dofia Isabella, of Portugal ; cloister of Miraflores, Burgos. From a photograph, 81 38. The Grand Canal in \^enice. After a pen-drawing by H. Foote, 82 39. Seal of King Henry VII. of England. Berlin Archives, 83 40. View of the town of Palos and the convent of La Rabida, 85 41. Columbus at the gate of the cloister of LS Rabida. In front of the cloister the peculiarly-shaped obelisk surmounted with a cross. From a painting in the convent. Initial T, drawn by O. Graeff, 85 42. Ideal portrait of Father Juan Perez de Marchena, 86 43. The consultation in the convent ; painting by F. Maso, 86 44. The cell of the Prior Juan Perez de Marchena, in the convent of La Rabida. From a photograph, . 87 45. View of the town of Cordova and the old Roman bridge. From a photograph 87 46. Ideal portrait of Feidinand the Catholic; painting by Bequer. S. Telmo, Seville, . . . .88 47. Ideal portrait of Isabella the Catholic ; painting by Bequer. S. Telmo, Seville 89 48. Tailpiece: Conventionalized Eagle, 89' 49. Knights in full armor leaving a feudal castle; drawing by A, de Neuville, 90 50. Columbus' sojourn in Cordova 91 51. The Church of S. Domingo at Salamanca. From a photograph 95 52. Headpiece : Astronomy 96 53. Principal entrance to the University of Salamanca. From a photograph, 97 54. Columbus distinguishes himself in one of the severest campaigns against the Moors, by his personal prowess, 103 55. The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, . . . . ' 104 56. The castle of the Alhambra. From a photograph, . 104 57. Tailpiece: Columbus before the Doctors at Salamanca. From the bas-relief of the statue at Genoa, . 105 58. Portrait of King Charles VIII. of France. Unknown artist 106 59. The Prior of La Rabida prevails upon Columbus to delay his departure for Paris. Painting by Don Juan Llimona y Bruguera 107 60. Sword of Boabdil " El Chico." Royal Arsenal, Madrid 108 61. Portrait of Boabdil. Flemish painting of the XVII. century, iil 62. Coat of mail of Boabdil. Royal Arsenal, Madrid ill 63. The recall of Columbus at the bridge of Pinos. Drawing by F. H. Lungren 115 64. Portrait of Isabella the Catholic. (Accepted as authentic.) Flemish school, 116 65. Pages in waiting. Drawing by Prof. A. Wagner, 120 66. Page of the XVI. century 121 67. Notary public reading royal order. Drawing by Vierge .• .12a 68. Hull of a large ocean boat on the dry-do^-k. Copied from a XV. century woodcut, .... 12a 69. The ships of Columbus. The Santa Maria, the Nifia and Pinta. Restored from models in the Marine Museum, Madrid, 126 70. Columbus notices for the first time the variation of the needle. Painting by Pr^'f. C. v Piloty, . . 129 71. The eager and anxious watch from the masthead 130 72. Becalmed in the Sargasso sea 131 73. Martin Alonzo Pinzon mistakes an evening cloud for land 133 74. Columbus and Pedro Gutierrez watching the glimmering light on the night of Oct. 11, 1492. Marble statue, by Don D. Amore. Escu.'al, 137 75. Initial W, drawn by H. L. Bridwell 140 76. Natives of the Lucayos. Drawn by C. Riou 144 77. Columbus oistributes hawks-bells and other trifles among the natives of Guanahani, .... 145 78. Arrival of the embassy to the imaginary Cublay Khan at an Indian village. Drawn by C. Riou, . .150 79. Indian producing fire. Drawn by C. Riou, 151 LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGB. • 74 75 76 77 77 79 80 'OS 81 . 82 . 83 ■ 85 ped eflf. 85 . 86 . 86 . 87 . 87 . 88 . 89 . 89 • 90 • 91 • 95 . 96 • 97 )nal . 103 . 104 . 104 . 105 . 106 :)on . 107 . 108 . Ill . Ill • "5 . 116 . 120 . 121 . 122 . 122 rine . 126 . 129 . 130 • 131 . "33 rble • 137 . 140 • 144 . 145 • 150 • «5' 80 81, 82, 83. 84. 85 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93- 94. 95- 96. 97- 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. io8. 109. no. III. 112. »I3- 114. 115 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. »23- 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. Drawn Indian woman taking a bath. Drawn by C. Riou, Hospitable reception of the shipwrecked Columbus by the cacique Guacanagari. Reinhardt Three sailors of Columbus succeed in overtaking a young and handsome Indian girl, and captive beauty to the ship. Drawn by O. Graeff, Spanish ducat of the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella The communal evening meal. Drawn by C. Riou, Arquebuses with crane attachment. Artillery Museum, Paris, . . .' . Indians preparing for one of their ceremonial dances. Drawn by C. Riou, . Tailpiece : Minerva with rudder and crown, accompanied by the Genius of Fame, Initial I. Drawn by H. L. Hridwell Skirmish of Columbus with the natives of the bay of Samana, drawn by C. Riou, Procession of penitents. Historical Museum of Costumes, Paris, Columbus throws a brief summary of the ship's log overboard. Drawn by Ed. Johnson, The governor of St. Mary's attempts to arrest Columbus . The royal castle of Hclem. From a photograph Fac-simile of first page of the first Latin pamphlet which brought the news to the world, of covery of the New World. British Museum Columbus escorted back to his ships by the Portuguese cavaliers. Drawing by Vierge, Arrival of the ships of Columbus in the harbor of Palos. Drawing by ^. de Neuville, The Church of St. George at Palos. From a Photograph Monument of Isabella, the Catholic, at Madrid, Spain. From a photograph, Headpiece : Entry of Columbus into Barcelona. Drawing by J. Paso, Initial T, with coat of arms of Columbus. Drawing by H. L. Bridwell, Interior of the cathedral of Barcelona. From a photograph, .... Armor of Columbus. Royal Arsenal, Madrid. From a photograph, . Fac-simile of an Italian pamphlet, printed at Florence, 1493, representing the landing British Museum, Headpiece : Supremacy of the Papal power over all mundane things and aflairs. Initial I, with medal of Pope Alexaiider \'I. Berlin. Drawn by H. L. Bridwell, Portrait of Pope Alexander VI Don Alonzo de Ojeda cxhi)}its his skill and prowess on the Giralda at Seville. Drawn Headpiece : with Jomard portrait of Columbus Initial T. Drawn by H. L. Bridwell Caribs torturing a prisoner whose flesh they devour while he is still alive. Tailpiece : Columbus in Barcelona. Bas-Relief from the monument at Genoa, Initial O. Indian native, drawing by C. Riou. Initial by H. L. Bridwell, . Columbus with the assistance of his Indians from Santa Cruz finds the bodies of the slain of La Navidad . . . % ■ Father Boyle. Drawn by Leopold Flameng, The conspirator, Bernal Diaz de Pisa, anested and confined on one of the ships, Tailpiece: Parrots, Initial A. Drawn by H. L. Bridwell Columbus and his army crossing the Puerto de los Hidalgos, .... Columbus builds the fort St. Thomas in the golden regions of Cibao. Drawing by A. Tailpiece, Indian fashioning a bow. Drawing by C. Riou Zemi, found in various parts of the West Indies Indian hut in the Antilles. Drawing by C. Riou, Indian dance. Drawing by C. Riou Natives of Hayti. Drawing by C. Riou Tailpiece : The church militant. Drawing by Gyula Benczur Initial C by bring of Columb by O Father Boyle receives the news that himself and associates are included in the order " to upon allowance," with irritation A public execution in the fifteenth century C. F. the dis- gamson de Neuville, be their us. Graeflf, put 845 rAGE. •53 '54 '55 156 '58 '59 '6' 165 166 167 169 170 171 '73 '74 '77 178 '79 181 182 182 185 187 188 191 191 192 196 '97 197 '99 204. 205 207 210 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 223 226 227 228 229 230 232 3J?-^%. 846 LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. PACE. 130. First map of Cuba 235 131. The expedition in quest of the inhabitants of Mangon, 236 132. The Emperor (chief-of-men) Montezuma. The picture reconstructed from data furnished by the Ram- irez MSS. and Clavigero's research. Drawing by P. Fritel 237 133. Tailpiece : Alligator basking in the sun 238 134. Initial C, with the Capriolo portrait of Columbus. Drawn by H. L. Bridwell from a copy contained in an Italian work published in 1596 239 135. A Cuban cacique addresses Columbus on the immortality of the soul, 240 136. Plus Ultra. The discovery of America. Christian Spain (the lion) stepping across the Atlantic to carry its civilization and blessings to the Indians 244 137. Tailpiece 245 138. Initial A : Columbus is greeted by the sight of his long absent brother Don Bartholomew, at his bedside, 246 139. Portrait of Charles VIII of France, 247 140. Seal of Charles VIII of France, 247 141. Alonzo de Ojeda 250 142. Tailpiece: Ojeda 257 143. Ducat, natural size, time of Ferdinand and Isabella, 260 144. Battle of the Vega, 261 145. Medal with the Spanish coat of arms, time of Ferdinand and Isabella, 261 146. Idyllic life of the natives of Hayti, drawn by C. Riou 262 147. The cruel and relentless pursuit of the famished Indians, . 263 148. Tailpiece : Death, 264 149. Initial W. Indian mother and children, drawn by C. Riou 265 150. The Junto of pious theologians discussing the subject of human slavery, ...... 266 151. Columbus on the eve of departure overtaken by a hurricane 269 152. View of the city of San Domingo, reproduced from a print of the i6th Century, 270 153. Initial T, drawn by H. L. Bridwell. Natives of the Island of Guadaloupe, drawn by C. Riou, . . 271 154.. Death of the Cacique Caonabo on board of the caravel Santa Cruz, bewailed only by one of his wild native heroines, drawn by O. Graeff, 273 155. Columbus, clad in the habit of a franciscan monk, makes his entry into Burgos on his return from his second voyage 274. 156. Secretary in the door of the antechamber to his Eminence the Bishop of Burgos, 277 157. Columbus personally castigates a minion of bishop Fonseca, by striking tjie despicable dependent to the ground, 278 158. Tailpiece 278 159. Initial O : Columbus on the pearl coast 279 160. Columbus nearly swept from his anchors by a sudden rush and swell of the sea 281 161. Tailpiece: Mermaid bringing the riches of America to the shores of Spain 284 162. Initial C : Indian porter, drawn by H. L. Bridwell 285 163. Modern plan of the city of .San Domingo 285 164. Inhabitants of the province of Xaragua, drawn by C. Riou 286 165. The Adelantado sets out with a body of troops for the relief of Fort Conception 290 166. Ocean boat end of the XV. century, tacking before the wind, 291 167. Francisco Roldan, 292 168. The pursuit of the cacique Ciuarionex 295 169. A mountaineer of Ciguay, drawn by C. Riou 296 170. Tailpiece : Knight of the XV. century in full armor 297 171. The trusty Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal lands among the rebels in order to conciliate them to the Ad- miral, 3C«> 172. Meeting of Miguel Ballester with the outposts of the rebels 301 173. Carvajal delivers the letter of the Admiral to the rebels, 303 174. The riotous and licentious life of the followers of Roldan, 304 175. Initial A, with portrait of Amerigo Vespucci 307 176. Roldan intercepts Ojeda 308 177. Facsimile of the page in WaldseemuUer's Cosmografia Introductio, wherein the name of America is first suggested as the name to be given to the newly discovered continent 311 . 235 • 236 lam- . 237 . 238 :d in • 239 . 240 ic to . 244 . 245 side, 246 . 247 . 347 . 250 . . 257 . 260 . 261 . 261 . 262 . 263 . 264 . . 265 . 266 . 269 . 270 . 271 /ild • 273 274 277 to . 278 . 278 • 279 . 281 . 284 . 285 . 285 . 286 . 29a . 291 . 292 • 295 . 296 ■ 297 Ad- 300 301 303 304 307 308 ■ca IS 178. '79- 1 80. 181. 182. .83. 184. 185. 186. 187. 188. 189. 190. 191. 192. 193 194. 195. 196. 197. 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203. 204. 205. 206. 207. 208. 209. 210. 211. 212. 213- 214. 215. 216. 217. 218. 219. 220. 221. 222. 223. 224. 225. 226. 227. 228. 229. 230. LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 847 PACK. Fac-Simile of last lines of a letter addressed by Amerigo Vespucci to the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo; dated Seville, Dec. 9, 1508 31 1 Diego de Kscobar ; 312 The conspirator Adrian de Moxica suddenly surprised and arrested 316 Statue of Columbuij in the city of Mexico 317 Initial \V, drawn by H. L. Hridwell 318 The bishop of Flaccntia, Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, 318 Isabella orders the Indian slaves brought to Spain to be immediately returned to their native lands, . 320 Francisco de IJobadilla causes his letters of credence to be proclaimed 321 The rabble of San Domingo on the road to the prison, 322 Ruins of the castle of Columbus in Hispaniola, ' 323 Tailpiece : Might grasping the regal power (the sword) 323 Columbus in chains aboard the Gorda, painting by Mareschal, 325 Manaclns in use in the XV. century ; Museum Cluny, Paris, 326 Columb- s refuses to permit the fetters with which he is loaded to be removed, 328 Tailpieci: Columbus loaded with chains ; from the bas-relief of the statue at Genoa 331 Monuinent of Columbus in front of the Cathedral at San Domingo. From a photograph, . . . 335 Repartimlentos of Indians washing gold 338 A Spanish cavalier of the XV. century traveling through the Island of San Domingo 339 Tailpiece: Saddle from the early part of the XVI. century. Armory, Madrid 340 Initial C, drawn by H. L. I5ridwcll 341 Carthusian friar, drawn by Leopold Flameng 341 Portrait of Vasco de Gama, from a MSS. in the British Museum, 342 Coat of arms of Vasco de Gama 343 Signature of Vasco de Gama, Archives, Lisbon, 343 Corso delas Delicias, Seville 344 The destruction of the fleet of Hobadilla 347 Indian potters from the coast of Honduras 348 Indian woman of Ciguare spinning, drawn by C. Riou, 350 Indian from the Mosquito coast, drawn by C Riou, 352 Don Bartholomew Columbus on the road through the virgin forests of Veragua, to the reputed gold mines, 356 Diego Mendez approaching the village of the cacique (2uibian, drawn by C. Riou, .... 357 Violent struggle of the cacique Quibian and the Adelantado, 359 Tailpiece : Bottom of enameled cup found in the cemetery of Tenenepango, Mexico 360 The Adelantado wounded by one of Quibian's warriors, .......... 361 Indian prisoners make a break for liberty, by throwing themselves headlong into the sea from the fore- castle of the caravel, 363 Tailpiece : Death ; a soldier's accoutrements, 3^5 Headpiece: American fruit and cereals ' "... 366 Columbus runs the caravel aground on the Island of Jamaica 367 Indians bringing provisions for barter to the shipwrecked crew of Columbus, 368 Diego Mendez visiting the Indian villages to obtain a regular supply of provisions for the shipwrecked crew, drawn by C. Riou 3^ Leguans 3^9 Columbus thanks his noble and zealous follower, Diego Mendez, for his devotion to his cause, . . 370 Indian Fight. After an engraving by Jean de Levy, 37i Monument of Columbus at Barcelona 372 Initial M, drawn by H. L. Bridvvell 373 The Adelantado, sword in hand, braves the fury of the mutineers, ,-375 Columbus and the eclipse, ... 377 Tailpiece: Globus and astronomical instruments 37° Inhial E, drawn by H. L. Bridwell • • 379 Revolt ; Porras leading the rebels towards the harbor 381 Porras. Drawing by Mariano Fortuny, 382 Diego Mendez importunes Ovando to send succor to the shipwrecked Columbus 387 Indians making birch bark canoes .». . 3°9 3«» 11 848 UST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. FAGS. 231. Ovando sets out for Xaragua at the head of an army of 400 men, 392 232. Anacaona, the Golden Flower of Xaragua, 393 233. Armor of the XV. century, Artillery Museum, Paris 395 234. The golden tower of Seville, from a photograph, 397 235. Isabella dictates her last will and testament, painting by Edward Rosales, ' 399 236. Queen Isabella in the armor of a knight 400 237. Sepulchre of the catholic king and queen in the Cathedral of Granada, from a photograph, . . . 401 238. Bronze statue of Ferdinand in the cathedral of Malaga 403 239. House in Valladolid where Columbus died, 407 240. Columbus monument in the convent of Las Cuevas, Seville, 408 241. Leaden coffin with the remains of Columbus (?) found in the Cathedral of San Domingo, . . . 409 242. Memorial Tablet in the Cathedral of the Havana 409 243. Silver plates, with inscription, found on the leaden box, which is supposed to contain the remains of Co- lumbus, . . . ■ 410 244. Inscriptions on the lid of the leaden box found in the Cathedral of San Domingo, 410- 245. Marble monument of Columbus at Madrid, executed by Don Jeronimo Sufiol, . . . . ..411 246. Headpiece: Muse of History, with a pair of balances in hand, . . 412 247. The Parmegiano portrait of Columbus (?) 413 248. Tailpiece: Coat of Arms of Columbus 41& T Book II. — The Conquest of Mexico. PAGE. 249. Headpiece: The Conquest of Mexico, 421 250. The ignoblt and cruel death of the caciq 'e Hatuey 422 251. Lacondan (Yucatan) chief and family, dr> ing by P. Fritel 424 252. Principal facade of the palace of the nuns at Chichen-Itza, Yucatan, from Charnay's Ancient Cities, . 425 253. Left wing of the palace of the nuns at Chichcn-Itza, Yucatan, from Charnay's Ancient Cities, . . 426 254. Initial Letter N, drawing by H. L. Bridwell 427 255. Exterior of the palace at Palenque, Yucatan 428 256. The house of the dwarfs at Uxmal, Yucatan, from Charnay's Ancient Cities, 431 257. Italian armor of the XVI. century 432 258. Initial W, with ideal head of DoHa Marina, drawn by H. L. Bridwell 433 259. The gateway of the archives of the University of Salamanca 435 260. Velasquez gives his last orders to Cortes on the eve of his departure 437 261. Spanish Eagle 439 262. The flag under which Cortes fought 440 263. A modern Toltec (Yucatan) maiden, from a photograph, 444 264. The Spanish camp at San Juan de UUoa, 445 265. A page from the Maya manuscript preserved in the Royal Library at Dresden, 446 266. Terra-cotta heads and masks found at Teotihuacan, Mexico 447 267. Ancient Mexican vases 448 268. Helmets, incrusted with turquoises ; Hertz collection, Paris, copied from Brasseur de Bourbourg's, Pa- lenque, 449 269. Initial A, with portrait of Montezuma II. ; initial drawn by H. L. Bridwell. The portrait, said to be one executed at the command of Cortes .... 450 270. Kneeling Lacondan idol . . . ./ . . . 451 271. The Temalacatl or gladiatorial stone, from the Ramirez MSS 452 272. Mexican Calendar stone, National Museum, Mexico, from a photograph 452 273. Terra-cotta vases found at Tenenepango, Mexico 455 274. Pottery, with the figure of the god Tlaloc 456 275. Cortes declares, amidst the shouts of applause from his soldiers, that he will conduct them to victory and glory, .......; 457 ♦ UST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 849 PAUt 376. Cross from the temple of the cross, Palenque, Yucatan 458 277. Tailpiece: Soldier with halberts, double-handed sword, etc 459 278. The pyramid of Tehuantepec , _. . 461 279. Priest fighting with a prisoner fastened to the tcmalacatl, 462 280. Aztec priest skinning a human victim, 463 281. The Techcatl, or stone of sacrifice ' 462 282. The Emperor Charles V. in his 31st year, after the engraving of Hartel Behaim 465 283. Cortes plants the Christian symbol of redemption on a Mexican altar. Marble statue by D. Antonio Molto y Such 473 284. Initial C, with armor worn by Cortes. Arsenal, Madrid , 474 285. Profile of a warrior, cut in mother of pearl. Found at Tula 475 286. Ruins- of the fortress of Mitla 475 287. Mexican altar. After Stephens. (Incidents and Travels, etc.) ' . . . 476 288. An Aztec tiger knight. Copied from the model in the museum of the Trocadero, Paris, . , . 480 289. Priests offering a sacrifice to Cuculcan. (Quetzalcoatl), . . ... . . . . . . 481 290. Mexican Gods and Goddesses ♦....,.. 484 291. Mexican Gods and Goddesses, 485 292. Sculpture from the temple of the cross, Palenque. Priest sacrificing before a cross, . . • . 485 293. Priests before an altar, surmounted with a cross, from the temple (No. 2) of the cross at Palenque, . 486 294. Reception of Cortes hy the Aztec dignitaries, upon his entry into Cholula, ..'... 487 295. Cortes releases the imprisoned Cholulan magistrates, and admonishes them to recall the fugitive citizens, 489 296. Cortes and his army see the city of Mexico spread out before their enchanted vision, upon reaching the heights of Chalco 490 297. The stone of the sun, or Tizoc, in the National Museum, Mexico 491 298. First meeting of Cortes with the Emperor (chicf-of-men) Montezuma, on the 8th of November, 15 19, . 493 299. Palace of the Governor at Uxmal, Yucatan, 494 300. Plan of the City of Mexico. From the Nuremberg original. The letters of Cortes to Charles V, . 495 301. The great Teocalli buildings in the city of Mexico. Restored by O. Mothes, after Gomara's descrip- tion 495 302. Detail from the eastern facade of the palace of the nuns at Uxmal, 496 303. Quetzalcoatl or Cuculan, . 497 304. Montezumr.'s general, Qualpopoca, engages Escalante and his Mexican allies 498 305. The Emperor (chief-of-men) Montezuma. From Montanus' Neuwe en Onbekende VVeereld, . . 499 306. Sculpture from Copan, to.show dress, armor and ornaments, 500 307. Tailpiece: The Spanish eagle on the prostrate Mexico, - 591 308. Headpiece : Mayan architecture, • . . . 502 309. Panel in the rear of the altar of the sun, at Tikal • 506 310. The volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, Mexico ' 507 311. Mexican tamenes (porters), 5^8 312. Cortes declares before the assembled Mexican nobles that his master does not intend to deprive Mon- tezuma of his dignities, . . 5^9 313. Priests with Quetzalcoatl's emblei.i in hand, officiating before an altar. From Lorillard, Yucatan, .511 314. Cortes overthrows a Mexican altar on the top of the great teocalli, 5'2 315. Front and rear view of bust of a priestess, found at Palenque, 5'3 316 Initial A, with knights in full armor, drawn by H. L. Bridwell, 514 317. Cortes marches out of Mexico to give battle to the army of Narvaez 519 318. Modern Mexican Indians enameling earthenware 520 319. Cortes passing the swollen river of Canoas under great difficulty 522 320 The capitulation of Narvaez' .army 5^5 321. Tailpiece: a musketeer of the XVI. century, 5^6 322. Initial B : knights charging. Drawing by H. L. Bridwell, . 527 323. Surrounding wall of the great teocalli and temple, showing the great entry gate. Restoration after Mothes, 528 324. The Spaniards besieged in their own quarters by the infuriated Mexicans 530 325. Montezuma mortally wounded on the battlements of the Spanish quarters, 532 850 UST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. PACK. 326. Cortes, in imminent danger of his own life, saved by his strength and agility, 534 327. The "-Noche tribte " (the sorrowful night), 535 328. Tailpiece, 541 329. The Noche triste tree at I'opotlan, from a photograph ' . . 542 330. Strategy of Cortes at the battle of Otumba, 544 331. Mexican soldiers waylay the treasure-laden Spaniards in the mountains, and utterly annihilate them, . 545 332. Tlascalans cutting down timber for the construction of the brigaatines, 546 333. The Spaniards, assisted by their Tlascalan allies, reduce the Tepeacans to subjection, .... 548 334. The garrison of Vera Cruz sight the vessels sent by the governor o*" Cuba in aid of i'arvaei and decoy them into the harbor 548 335. Initial N, figure of Guatemotzin, drawn by H. L. Bridwell, 550 336. Cortes and his allies take the city of Tezcuco by storm, 552 337. Execution of Villefafia in the presence of some of his fellow conspirators, , . . . . . 555 338. Modern Mexican porter, 556 339. The Sagrario adjoining the Cathedral of Mexico, . . . , '. , . . . . . 559 340. The house of Cortes in the city of Mexico (from a photogroph) 560 341. The Spaniards forcing their way over ditches and canals into the beleaguered city, .... 560 342. Huitzilopochtli, the God of war, 561 343. The priests on the top of the great teocalli sounding the snakeskin drum consecrated to Huitzilopochtli. 561 344. Sacrifice of forty Spaniards and hundreds of Tlascalans captured by Guatemotzin during the assault upon the c'U'j .... . . • 562 345. Statue of Huitzilopochtli, found near Mitla 563 346. Tailpiece: Aztec and Spanish arms, trophies, etc., 563 347. Statue of the god Tlaloc, Museum of Mexico 564 348. The heroic Guatemotzin defends the palladium of his country with obstinate resolution, disputing every inch of ground 565 349. Guatemotzin requests Cortes to end his own useless life with his poniard, .,*... 569 350. Father Olmedo celebrates mass amidst the ruins of Guatemotzin's capital, ... . . . 570 351. Guatemotzin and his favorite officer put to torture, . . - . . 571 352. Portrait of Fernao M.-igalhacs (Magellan), after t' '^ engraving by Ferd. Sclma, 572 353. In the Straits of Magellan (from a photograph), 575 354. The death of Magellan on the island of Mactan, , . 576 355. Natives of the Ladrone Islands, 578 356. The Emperor Charles V., after Titian 580 357. Church and Hospital of Jesus in Mexico, 581 358. Galleries and patios of the Hospital of Jesus, Mexico, 581 359. Ignominious and excruciating torture of a Mexican cacique . . . . 582 360. Statue of Guatemotzin, Mexico (from a photograph) 583 361. Abject homage paid to Cortes by the Mexican magistrates upon his sudden return from the expedition to Honduras, 585 362. Entry of Cortes into Toledo, surrounded with the pomp and splendor suited the conqueror of a mighty kingdom 586 363. Coat of Arms granted Cortes by Charles V 587 364. Castle of Cuesta, in Seville, where Cortes died 588 365. Monument erected to Cortes in the Hospital of Jesus, Mexico, 589 ^66. Tailpiece: Captive fastened to the temalacatl, fighting a gladiator, both armed with serrated itztli swords Sgo T LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 851 565 569 570 571 572 575 576 578 580 581 581 582 583 I 58S 586 587 588 589 . 590 Book III. — Conquest of Peru. PAGI. 367. Francisco Pizarro, Conqueror of Peru. From the original painting in the palace of the Viceroys at Lima 592 368. Tedro dc la Gasca, Viceroy of Peru. From a portrait in the sacristy of the Santa Maria Magdalena at Valladolid 592 369. Title-page: The Conquest of Peru, 593 370. Headpiece: Papal . ara (triple crown), stola. and breviary (prayer book), 595 371. 13oa-constrictor fishing 599 372. ISalboa, armed with sword and buckler, waist deep in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, claims it, with all it contains, for the King of Castile 60I 373. Llama, or Peruvian sheep, 603 374. Pedrarias' raiding expedition among the caciques of the isthmus of Uarien (Panama) 605 375. Costume of executioner .W. and XVI. century, 607 376. Tailpiece : Hollow terra-cotta figures, so-called Chibcha-anticiuities. Ethnographical Museum, Berlin, . 607 377. Initial F: Condor devouring a llama. Drawn by H. L. Pridwell 608 378. Pizarro, Almagro, and Father Luque ratify their compact before the altar of the Most High, . , . 610 379. Peruvian antiquities : Necklace made of nacre ; sling made of human hair and the fibre of the aloe. From the Necropolis at Ancon 612 380. Head-dress made of feathers, found at Facala 612 381. I'oncho-like shirt found at Viracochapampa 612 382. P"oot-gear found at Caxamalca (the modern Cajamarca) and Viracochapampa, 612 383. Sandals found at Cajabamba 61 j 384. Painted terra-cotta vases from the Necropolis at Ancon 615 385. Yellow terra-cotta vases with red designs, from Huantar 615 386. Quipus, or knotted cords, found at Paramango 617 387. Abaccus, or counting stone, found at Chucana ' . . . 617 388. Seat with top made of the maguey tree 618 389. Idols and sceptres (?) found in the guano deposits of the Macabi Islands. Christy collection, London, . 618 390. Types of face-urns. Ethnographical Museum, Berlin 618 391. Old Peruvian dies for decorating (tattooing) the body. Ethnographical Museum, Berlin, . . .621 392. Headpiece: Ear ornament made of terra-cotta, found at Chancay, 622 393. Initial E. Drawn by H. L. Bridwell, 622 394. Terra-cotta water pitchers found at Ancon and the neighborhood of Tr-.ijillo 623 395. Terra-cotta vases found in the ruins of Huaullang, 623 396. Terra-cotta vase decorated with battle scenes. Ethnographical Museum, Berlin 623 397. Battle-clubs and lance from the Necropolis at Ancon 624 398. Exterior wall of the fortress of Sacsahuaman, near Cuzco (Cyclopean style), 627 399. Wall from the fortress of Ollantaitambo 627 400. Wall from the northern facade of the palace of the I nca, Lake Titicaca . 627 401. Woolen bag, and work-basket made of reeds, from the Necropolis at Ancon 628 402. Chulpas, or sepulchres, near Pimo, 630 403. Mummies from the Necropolis at Ancon (Stuebel and Reiss : The Necropolis at Ancon), . . . 630 404. The Inca Manco Ccapac, 631 405. The Coya Mama OcUo Huacco 631 406. The Inca Sinchi Rocca, 631 407. The Coya Mama Cora Occllo 631 408. The Inca Lloque Yupanqui, 631 409. The Coya Mama Ccahuana, 631 410. The Inca M.-iyta Ccapac 632 411. The Coya Mcima Cuca 632 412. The Inca Ccapac Yupanqui 632 413. The Coya Mama Curihillpa 632 414. The Inca Rocca, 632 48 • 852 LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 41 S 410. 417. 418. 419. 420. 421. 422. 423- 424. 425. 426. 427- 428. 429. 430. 43'- 432. 433- 434- 435- 436. 437- 438. 439- 440. 441. 442. 443- 444- 445- 446. 447- 448. 449. 450. 451. 452. 453- 454- 455- 456. 457- 458. 459- 460. 461. 462. 463- 464. 465. 466. 467. 468. The Coya Mama Michay Chimpo The Inca Yahuar-Huaccac, The Coya Cchoque Cchicya Hillpai, The Inca Hiiira Ccoch i (Viracocha), The Coya Mama Runto The Inca I'acha Ccutic, The Coya Mama Anahuarqui The Inca Yiipanqui The Coya Mama Chimpo Ocllo, • . . . . The Inca Tupac Yupanqui, The Coya Mama Chimpu Ocllu The Inca Huayna Ccapac, The Coya Mama Pillco Huacco Interior of Chulpa, Warriors during the reign of the Incas. Vase painting, The Inca Inti-Cusihualpa Chuascar (Huascar), The Coya Mama Choqui The old Inca fortress of Paramanga (from a photograph), Fernando Pizarro following with the rear guard no the steep incline of the mountain pass, The Church of Belen at Cajamarca (formerly Caxamalca), from a photograph, Initial A : Indian woman spinning ; initial drawn by H. L. Hridwell, the figure by C. Riou, House in Cajamarca (Caxamalca) where the Inca was kept confined (from a photograph), The murder of the Inca Huascar by order of Atahualpa, ...... Atahualpa, from an engraving in Montanus' Nieuwe en onbekende VVecrcId, Mummy hand, found at Chimbote The heartless Pizarro orders the unfortunate Atahualpa to be lea instantly to execution, Interior of the Temple of the Sun, during the latter reigns of the Incas Convent of San Domingo at Cuzco, erected over the ruins of the Temple of the Sun (from a h) graph). Branches of the Cinchona Lancifolia, .......... Headpiece : Peruvian Sculpture, head of man at Cabana, . . ... do granite head from Pashash do do do do do Initial W, drawn by H. L. Bridwell The excessive cold reigning supreme in the high latitudes of the Andes, nearly annihilates Alvarado's army photo Cathedral of Cuzco, Plaza Mayor (from a photograph) Bridge over the river Pachachaca, made of the fibre of the maguey (from a photograph) The cathedral at Lima (from a photograph) Almagro crossing the Cordilleras on his march to Chill Araucanians (from a photograph) The assault upon the Inca fortress of Sacsahuaman by the Spaniards, .... Church of the Jesuits at Cuzco (from a photograph), Sculpture from the Inca gate at Cuzco Sculpture from the Inca gate at Cuzco Alonzo de Alvarado, at the head of five hundred men, crosses a pontoon bridge, on the road to Alvarado taken prisoner by the troops of Almagro Erythroxylon Coca Headpiece : Old Peruvian sculpture — head of a man eating a ball of coca. Initial P, drawn by H. L. Bridwell Pizarro's well-disciplined battalions achieve a decisive victory over the veterans of Almagro, Almagro appalled when hearing sentence of death pronounced against him, . A conquistador, Aborigines from the neighborhood of the river Napo, Indian hut on the Amazon River (from a photograph), , . Toucans, , . . . uzro 632 63.^ 633 635 633 633 633 634 634 644 634 634- 634 635 635 636 636 642 642 647 653 653 655 658 661 662 663 664 665 666 666 666 666 667 669 67O 670 67. 672 674 677 678 678 679 679 680 681 681 684 685, 688 689. 690 69 1' . ^ - - .fyac B KJir r ^ LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 853 rAGii. .469. Gonzalo Pizarro's disastrous expedition m quest of " El Dorado," 692 470. (leneral view of Lima, with the plaza de Hacho (bull ring), from a photograph 693 471. Initial B, drawn by H. L. Uridwell . . 693 472. The murder of Pizarro, , 695 473. The ruins of the Inca palace in T,; 'e Titijaca, 697 474. Artillery in action, early part ol the XVI. century 698 475. Execution of Diego Almagro the younger, at Cui.co, by order of Vaca de Castro 699 476. Monument of Las Casas, executed by D. Antonio Molto y Such 702 477. Portrait of Las Casas, • 705 478. The emperor Charles V 706 479. The governor, Vaca de Castro, imprisoned in the common gaol • , 710 480. Knight in full armor (Gonzalo Pizarro) 710 481. Ruins of the old Inca fortress of Sacsahuaman, 711 482. Subterranean canal of Mount Sipa 713 583. Headpiece: Old Peruvian textile fabric. Found in the huaca of Granchimu, 714 484. Assassination of Pizarro's lieutenant-governor of Charcas by Diego Centeno, . . . . .714 485. Juan Alvarez, touched by remorse, or moved by fear, declares his prisoner, Vaca de. Castro, to be hence- forward free, 715 486. Battle of Quito, between the adherents of the Viceroy, NuHez Vela, and the rebels, under the leadership of Pizarro and Carvajal, ............... 716 487. Pizarro's valor and Carvajal's superior military talents gain the victory over Centeno at Huarina, . 725 488. Peruvian antiquities from the Necropolis at Ancon (Stuebel and Reis), 726 489. Initial B, Carvajal 726 490. The Inca gate at Cuzco, . 727 491. The end of Carvajal, 729 .492 The adherents of Pizarro at the bier of the decapitated chieftain 731 r Book IV. — History of the United States. .493. Viking boat, or dragon, found in the moor in Juetland, 741 494. Burial of De Soto in the yellow floods of the Mississippi, 742 495. The old gate at St. Augustine, Florida 747 496. Sir Walter Raleigh, • 747 497. Charles 11. of England; painting by Peter Lely 747 498. William Penn. After the painting by Godfrey Kneller (1659-1723), 749 499. A Wampanoag Indian in full war paint "... 750 500. Louis XIV. of France 751 501. Braddock mortally wounded at Fort Duquesne. Drawn by H. A. Ogden 752 502. Washington takes command of the Continental army at Cambridge, Mass., July 3, 1775. Drawn by H. A. Ogden 754 503. The retreat of the Continental forces from Long Island. Drawn by H. A. Ogden, . . . . . 756 504. Washington crossing the Delaware. Painting by Leutze 757 505. Washington at Valley Forge. Drawn by H. A. Ogden 758 506. Marquis Marie Joseph Paul de La Fayette 759 507. Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Drawn by H. A. Ogden 760 508. Washington bids faiewell to his officers. Drawn by H. A. Ogden, 761 509. Portrait of Alexander Hamilton, 7^3 510. Portrait of John Adams ; 7^4 511. Portrait of Napoleon Buonaparte, . . ; 7^7 512. Birdseye view of the United States and Canada, 768 513. Portrait of Thomas Jefferson, > 7^9 i forces of Osceola. Drawn by A. R . VVaud, 854 LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS 514. Portrait of James Madison, 515. I'lovcrnor Hull, after his defeat at Hrownstown, withdraws his troops to Foit Detroit, 516. The White Mouse at Washington, 517. Portrait of James Monroe, . 518. Portrait of John Qi'incy Adams, 519. Portrait cf Andrew Jackson, 520. The attack upon Fort King by the Indian 521. Portrait of Martin Van Hurcn, . 522. Portrait of Wm. Henry Harrison, 523. Portrait of John Tyler, , . . 524. Portrait of Sam Houston, 525. The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas, 526. Portrait of John C. Calhoun, 527. Portrait of Zachary Taylor, 528. Portrait of James K. Polk, . 529. Portrait of Henry Clay, 530. Portrait of Millard Fillmore, 531. Portrait of Franklin Pierce, 532. Portrait of Daniel Webster, 533. Portrait of James liuchanan, 534. Encounter between the Monitor and Merr 535. Portrait of General Robert E. Lee, 536. Portrait of General W. T. Sherman, 537. Portrait of Admiral Farragut, , 538. Portrait of Andrew Johnson, 539. The Great Eastern landing in Trinity Bay 540. Portrait of Ulysses S. Grant as President, 541. Portrait of President Rutherford B. Hayes 542. Portrait of President James A. Garfield, 543. Portrait of President Chester A. Arthur, 544. Portrait of President Grover Cleveland, 545. Portrait of President Benjamin Harrison, 546. Badge of the Order of the Cincinnatus, 547. Tailpiece, mac in Hampton Roads, Newfoundland, with the end of the on March 8, 1862 first cable, 770 77 1 774 778 780 781 783 783 784 7H 785 785 786 787 790 79 « 792 792 793 794- 806 807 818 820 826 828 829 833 836- 836- 837 838 841 8sr FULL PAGE MONOCHROME ILLUSTRATIONS. In Books I, II, III, and IV. 1. Portrait of Columbus, known as the "Glovio," supposed to have been painted by Del Piombo. On the upper portion of the picture are the words: Cohtmbus Ligur Novi Orbis Reptor (Repertor) — The Genoese Columbus, discoverer of the New World; underneath, last lines of a letter, dated Granada, Feb. 6, 1502, containing his peculiar signature, Opp. Title-page. 2. Emblematical Title-page, " Voyages and Discoveries," with copyright imprint, 8 3. Portrait of Washington Irving. The emblematical surroundings drawn by M. Leloir ; the portrait copied from a dauguerreotype, 50- 4. Title-page : " The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus." Drawn by Prof. L. C. Lutz, School of Design, Cincinnati . . . 51 5. Naval fight between Mohammedan and Christian galleys, 59 6. Naval battle between galleys, fustae, and sea-going vessels 6^ fACK 77 1 778 780 781 782 783 784 784 785 78s 786 787 790 79« 79» 792 793 794 806 807 818 820 826 828 829 833 836 836 837 838 841 \ 4i\ LIST OF FULL-PAGE MONOCHROMP: ILLUSTRATIONS. 855 rAGB. 7. The vision of Columbus while be^KinK his way from court to court. Painting; by Don Manuel Picolo . 84 8. Columbus submits his proposal to Kcrdinaiul and Isabella in the city of Cranad.i. Painting by Francisco Jovcr, (-*//. page 92 9. The conference at Salamanca. I'aintinp by Nicolo Harabino in the Orsini palace, CIcnoa, . Ofip. /> Arburu y Morell, Opp. 240 24. Alonzo de OJeda brings the wild Indian chief Caonabo, bound behind him, a captive to Isabella. Drawn by F. H. Lungren, (^^PP- P<^iif 254 2S- Don Bartholomew Columbus received by the Golden FlowerofXaragua, drawn by F. H. Lungren, Opp. p 289 26. Roldan's shameless rabble, with the Indian slaves distributed among them, move into their new homes in Bonao, and tlie Vega Real 29S 27. Don Alonzo de OJeda proposes to the old adherents of Roldan to march at their head to San Domingo, drawn by N. Maurin (^PP- P'^S^ 308 28. Anacaona, pleased with the gallant appearance and ingratiating manners of Hernando de Guevara, favors his attachment for her daughter Higuenamota, drawn by A. Deveria, . . .Opp. page 315 29. The Homenaje, or castle at San Domingo, where Columbus was confined 324 30. Villejo informs the fettered Columbus that he has peremptory orders to take him a prisoner to Spain, Fresco by Luigi Gregori Opp. page 331 31. The ships of Columbus threatened with entire destruction by water-spouts 354 32. Diego Mendez braves the terrors of the open ocean in an Indian canoe, drawn by F. H. Lungren, Opp. 384 33. The city of Granada, and the castle of the Alhambra, 396 34. The death of Columbus, painting by F. Ortega, Opp. page 407 35. Portrait of Ferdinaiid Cortes, in possession of the Marquis of Salamanca 418 36. Title page : " The Conquest of Mexico," 419 37. Aztec priests offering up a living human heart to their deity, the great luminary of the heavens, redrawn by P. Fritel, from data obtained from Clavigero and the Ramirez MSS, ...... 429 38. The Cacique of Tabasco presents Cortes with twenty female slaves, among them Dofla Marina, drawn by N. Maurin .Opp. pages 443 39. Teutile, Montezuma's ambassador, quits the Spanish camp with looks and gestures which strongly ex- press his resentment, drawn by N. Maurin, Opp. page \^^ 40. Cortes commands the priests of Cempoala to desist from the horrid practice of sacrificing human victims, drawn by N. Maurin Opp. page 473 41. The Emperor (chief-of-men) Montezuma Xocotzin subjected to the degradation of having fetters put upon him, drawn by N. Maurin Opp, page 505 42. Cortes offers to take the vanquished troops of Narvaez into his service as partners in his fortune, and on equal terms with his own soldiers, drawn by N. Maurin, Opp. page ^Z^ 1856 LIST OF FULL-PAGE MONOCHROMK AND COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS. rAQi 43. Guatemotzin, unable to stop the career of the enemy and disdaining the idea of submitting to the op pressors of his country, determines not to survive its ruin, drawn by C. Colin . .Opp. page 566 44 Title page ; " The Conquest of I'eru," 593 45. Only sixlcen daring veterans cross the line Francisco Pizarro draws in the sand on the island of (iallo, to follow their trusty leader south, to the conquest of I'eru and immortal glory, painting by A. Liz- cano opp. page 615 46. rizarro before the Emperor Charles V., painting by A. Lizcano page 619 47. The islanders of Puna defend themselves with such obstinate valor, that Pizarro requires six months in subjugating them, drawn by A. Deveria, Opp. page ti\ J48. The Inca (Kmperor) and Coya (Kmpress), accompanied by their Ccumillu (dwarO, redrawn from de- scription furnished by the Inca (larcilasso de la Vega, 629 49. 'Ferdinand Cortes and Hernando de Sotoin the campof the Inca atCaxamaIca, drawn by C. Colin, Opp. p 647 ■-50. Atahualpa orders the sacrifice of a virgin of the sun, and above a thousand victims are doomed to ac- company his father Muana Capac, to the tomb (see note page 735), drawing by A, Deveria, Op. p. 661 -51. Manco Capac lays siege to the city of Cuzco, painting by O. Graeff, Opp. page dj^ •52. The sickness of Las Casas, painting by Hcbert, Opp. page 702 '53. Portrait of Henjamin Franklin, after the engraving by the Baron Desnoyers ; made while Franklin acted as our ambassador at the court at Versailles 738 '54, Title page : "History of the United States," drawn by L F. Plympton 739 55. Signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, painting by Trumbull 755 56. Portrait of George Washington, after Henry Lefort's engraving Opp. page 76/^ 57. Battle between the Essex and two English ships off Valparaiso, March, 1813 775 58. Portrait of A. Lincoln, after a photograph made in i860 /",C^ 797 59. Admiral Farragut, with his victorious squadron, reaches New Orleans after capturing forts St. Philip and Jackson, drawn by A. R. Waud 805 <5o. General Pickett's gallant charge against the Union forces on Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, drawn by A. R. Waud, 809 61. Portrait of General Ulysses S. Grant 812 62. Hombardment of Fort Sumter and adjacent forts, in the harbor of Charleston, S. C, by the Union fleet under Admiral Dupont, April 7, 1863, drawn by A. R. Waud, . 815 63. Sheridan's famous ride from Winchester to Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864, 821 64. Sheridan's attack upon Lee's army at Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865, drawn by A. R. Waud, . 825 65. Massacre of General Custer and command, on the Little Big Horn River, June 25, 1876, drawn by A. R. Waud 831 66. Inauguration of President Garfield on the east portico of the White House, March 4, 1881, . . . 835 67. Battleships of i8cx>, and modern ironclad, drawn by H. L. Bridwell 839 r FULL AND DOUBLE PAGE COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS In Books I, II, III, and IV. 1. Embarkation and departure of Columbus from the port of Palos. Painting by Ricardo Balaca, . Opp. 125 2. The landing of Columbus on the island of Guanahani, Oct. 12, 1492. Painting by Dioscoro Puebla, Opp. 143 3. Reception of Columbus, on his return from his first voyage, by their catholic majesties in Barcelona. Painting by Ricardo Balaca Opp. page 1%^ 4. The battle of Santa Cruz. Painting by O. Graeff. Opp. page 2oy 5. Affectionate reception of Columbus by Ferdinand and Isabella after his arrival in Spain, loaded with chains by order of Bobadilla. Painting by Francisco Jover, Opp. page ^-^^ LIST OF COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS. ONS. rAoi to the op Opp. pai;e 566 • 593 (I of (lallo, ; by A. Liz- Opp. page 615 months in Opp. page 624 n fiom de- . <>29 lin, Opp. p 647 jmed to ac- Eria, op. p. 661 .Opp. page 674 .Opp. page 702 inklin acted . . . 738 • 739 ■ 755 .Opp. page 764 • 775 • /".C-? 797 ts St. I'hilip 857 July 3. 1863, I Union fleet R Waud. wn by A. K 80s 809 812 815 821 825 83< 835 839 iriONS ca, . Opp- 125 uebla, Opp. 143 Barcelona. .Opp. page \^i • Opp. page 201 loaded with .Opp. page 11^ \ Cortes cuts ofT all chances of his discontented followers abandoning the enterprise, by scuttling his ships. I'ainling by (). Ciraeff, Opp. page 466 7- 8. 9- 10. II. Cortes meets with obstinate resistance on entering TIascalan territory, .• The " Noche Tristc" (The night of sorrows). Fainting by <). (Iraeff, >• .. Perilous ascent of the Cordilleras de los Andes by Pizarro .1.1 Father Valverde addresses the Inca Atahualpa in the plaza at Caxamalca. 1 .tinting by (). Craeff, " " The daughter of Powhattan, renowned Pocahontas, saves the life of Captain Smith. After the painting by V. Nehlig Opp. page t\i 3. 5- 6. 7- 8. 9' 10. II. 12. 479 536 641 651 r MAPS. rAGB. The Juan de la Cosa Map. The first map made of the New Discoveries. Naval Museum, Madrid. Inside J'ront cover Nautical map of Diego Ribero, made in 1529. Supposed to be a copy of the one on which Pope Alex- ander V'l. made his famous line of demarkaiion. Grand Ducal Library at Weimar. Opp. inside front cover Ocean side of Sir Martin liehem's (Hehaim) Globus. The proper position of the American continent indicated by dotted lines. Preserved in Nuicmbcrj;. 75 Landfall and discoveries of Columbus on his first trip, according to various authorities. The map copied from No. 761 of the English Admiralty charts 146 Place of shipwreck of the Santa Maria. Copied from the map in 'he Hydrographic ottice, Washington, D.C. 1 57 The first map made of the island of Cuba 235 Map of the island of Hispaniola and its provinces, at the time of its discovery and conquest. . . . 2JI South America, according to the Globus constructed by J. Schocnei, 1515 603 Lake Titicaca, or Chucuito. 725 AL'p showing the routes of Columbus on his four voyages between Spain and America. Opp. rear inside cover Map showing the march of conquest of Fernando Cortes to Mexico. .... Rear inside cover Map of Peru at the period of the Spanish Conquest Rear inside cover ITU— nriiifTr-T> V II fiiiiiitMiiiiiiiiiiiii mmmm 11 3 1225 00083 2061 ill Ce volume doaet.e rendu a la dern.eie date indiquee C( dessous This hook must De returned to the last date indicated helow. Si1.S. 9 AVR 1S80 I I ¥f it r f\ b\ I [ r •mt C Tula P Iji A T EVA F /Teolihuacii Mcoinnii ■iri«»I>"';^TE.\OCIITlTC,lS, .IIKXIIIO H.A- ■^ -- '■- > "„K" O >?^ r o Apnni- iXlfuejoflipan ■.♦4. Vjtticamfi i \T li A S C A Ti A. ' >i' '"^"^ / ,\ ' ^dTadncro Mnvch nf (^mqvrxt of T'KUNANIX) tOIlTEZ T<. MKXICO iril!» 15S3 Nrair I: S.IIOO.OOO ---^ %■ — - ntUUrprtl Tadanquitcpec tlitlan >,^^?5^\ Cofre do Perot© Paso del Opilfeo^^ Wjulinco \..'-^'- Cliiahuizlatlfl TOTONAKES ViUa Kica f*e Veta Cnis ^1 ^alapa | , 181»>iHj« ' rrrniMNilll^ •* ^»J. NAN Tfr«rnii Jioevii* ^^ ilkM Dt LOI iMN'miM Medelind eC9rdov& OOdzaba. •^>.„^^ '. '^ . C ' , i«r»»- 1 ^^.YoroA of FltmaHtlo Oarttt'a ^ 7mpor(