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 NEW WORLD: 
 
 a U II H A I N o 
 
 AMERICAN IIISTOIIY. 
 
 OOMPRIAmo 
 
 ofVacu r,; ,, *="'""'^:an naticvh, with hki-auatk histoiues 
 
 or i..A(,u, .Ncu-mNo rm: vak,„„s „Kv.„,,rn.,.NM an., t„k ehection 
 
 OK IN1,KI.KN,,KNT BTATKS, TO TUB Pn£«KNT T.M«. 
 
 HENRY nOWAIU) " BROWNELL, A.M. 
 
 TWO VOLUMES IJ\r OJVE. 
 
 VOt. I. 
 
 Z TTr ^'""""^-»- '•'•o SP—O- m A^orloa: Mox.oo. Peru. OhlU Florid.. 
 
 InAmorloa. Br..U._4.Tho DutuH i,. America. _ 6. The Frenolir 
 AmorlOB : Oonocln, Aoadio. Loul.Una. *o. 
 
 WITH NUMEROUS AND DIVERSIFIED COLOrR|.;i) ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (BiiltrcIiT nclu, from (Ongiiiiil iltsigns, 
 
 EXECUTED m THE BEST STV..,;, uv TJ£E FIUST AUTI8T8 i.V AMEKICA. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 DAYTON AND WENTWORTH, 
 
 86 WASHINGTON STREET. 
 18 5 5. 
 

 /^ 3 77 
 
 ENTKRKD A C C O l( I) 1 N O TO ACT OK CONGRESS IN THE. YEAR 1854 BY 
 
 DAYTON AND WENTVVORTH, 
 
 IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 tv 
 
 n.'i 
 
 IlAnXFOBD : 
 
 FOUNDRY OF SIl.AS ANtiRl'S &. SON. 
 
 IV. C. .Irmstrungy Tijpographer, 
 
 W. B. WILLIAM! 
 Steam Presa 
 
 till 
 
 I S,. 
 
 It 
 
 
CONTENTlS. 
 
 PART I. 
 THE NORTHMEN IN AMERICA. 
 
 ANri«i,T.\horlKln(iiniiC(.« 
 
 
 lli«l)«aU.; All«mpt of ThorsleU J. " . . ' 'ho Voyage an.l l)i,cov,.,i™ „f tihmvk!.!- 
 
 PART II. 
 
 THE SPA\I,U1,S IN AMERICA. 
 
 THE nrsCOVBKIKS or CO.UMBUS .«„ SBXT.K.K«X OP XHK WKSX .-O.KS. 
 
 r'^v''''""' '''''''•''''''*'-'■'- -^-Sr^ 
 
 vnanvs w.ib ibe Cuunibul,, ........;' '""""-'"' "'""'"'""po, Porlo Uic, &e.; A.N 
 
 SO 
 
 ai 
 
 ';;''«'"''"""-S .,:.„„ 
 
 40 
 
 t-turn loSpuii) ^^ 
 
 ^'^ o 3^^ jy 
 
CONTKNTS. 
 
 riiAi'Tv.ii vn PAal 
 Th" I>i'cliiiliii{ I'lirlMiiiK ipf r,i|iiml)ii»; nininilllo In I'illiM«-(iiil nii Mxiiidllliiri; Hiilln on hi» TlnM 
 Vhjiiuii; tliii Di.-ciiviT) 111' H.Miih Ariii'iieiii llxtriiiiiiliimij llii'dr) ; ('(iliiinliiiM nrriviii ut IIh)Ii; 
 I)l.i(iiiliT,<lliiri. i Ihu lUUIIh.n oC llolilaii; lloalililliw with lliu li»lluh»- lliiir D.lcal, 03 
 
 I'll tlM'KH VIII 
 
 Trliitiiph 111' .Mil- Ui'IicIh; C'dliiiiilxia Kill 1 ill Uniirt; A|i|iiiliitim'Ml nf lldljiKlilhi— IIU IiiucpIi'ik'i' ; 
 
 ('■pIiiiiiImh i-cMl III f"!!!!!!! Ill CliiiliiH ; Hcti-iilidii dl' llm NmHiiii; Vfilml ll.'ilr<«» j A|i|<iiiiilihi'nt nf 
 (iMiiiil..; Kiiuilh 1111(1 l.iint ViijiiKii of CoIiiiiiIiiia In ilir New Worlil ; l)i>niiiii'tli>ii ol lil« Knomli'n 
 Iry I'l'iiiiK'sl i IIIh Criilnii on thii CoiictB of llniiiliirmi, C'okIii Hicii, tc, Ac. ; Huiiicli lur ii Wiriill ; lliit 
 lJiaii|i|)oliiliil(iil, (in 
 
 OlIAI'Tlril IX 
 
 Dbii^tn.in Mliinpl In Found a S.'ttlcmi'iil ; lloalililii'H wllli llio Iiiillnnii ; Ihii Wmclii niiiilly Himniliil 
 on I 111! ImIiiiiiI iil'.liiiiiiilcii; Kxlmonliimrj licvici' of rnliinilmn ; Mutiny of lii» ■■'nlliiwiT.'"; TifiicliiM) 
 ol' Dnwiilii ; Ki'pcuo of lliii C'icwh ; Aliocilli'it ooiiiinliiid on ih.^ Niillvi'H of May tl ; Iliilui n of Culuiii- 
 liiistu rt|min— llisTri'iitini'nt-III.H Diiiilij l)l!.|ini.al of lliu Iliinulnii 77 
 
 CHAPrKK X 
 
 Dl.-iiovi'iy mill Survey of riilm-il« Oonqui'sl liy Vi'liiwiiii'/, ; Momoriiblo Hpcicli of iin Iiiiliiin ; 
 l""i|ii(latiiiii of lliiviiim, fcc. ; t'onnur!<t of Porto Ulcp liy I'.iiico do l.ooii ; Wiimiilar Kxiicrlniiiil of 
 II t,'iici(iu(, ; Final, HuliJiiKiilion of lli« Inland ; Hii-covory of .liinialcii— il« lliiiiiaiio ('oiii|iK'iit liy Jiiiiii 
 do INqiiivil ; aubsiMiUunl Cruflllus of tliu HiiaiiiuiUs ; Aocoiiiit of Ainoriciia VcKpiiciUK, »I3 
 
 THE SKTTLF.I>1ENT OF THE ISTHMUS AND DlSCdVEKV OF THE I'ACIFIC, 
 
 I'll ATTKIt I 
 
 DlmiKlroiis Alli'mpts to found a HiitliMiifiit on tin' Islliiniin; Vimro Niiiii'z iln Itnilion! ttic Soltlcnii'iit 
 of n.n-liMi; Di'iiliiurswilli tho Iinliiins; Itiiiiioiiis of llu' Soiitli Hi'a ; Kxiu'dilioii of lliilboii; ronli'»n 
 wilii llio Indians; Disoovi'ry of tlui Pauillc, pg 
 
 I'll AlTKil II 
 
 Till' P.i'lurn March; AppoliilmiMit of PcdrnriiiH Oavilla— Mi* Rxpi'dllioii— lliu .IiHlmiKy if Riilliim; 
 Mi.il'oriuiu'11 of Iho Colony ; Fxpi'dition of Morali'H iind Piziirni; KiTuiiciinilinn of I'ldriirian mill 
 llulbou; Vi'cui'ls convcyi'd Uviiiluud to llio Pucillc ; Hiiddin Ancat, Trial, uml rxucullon of llulboii, 1)3 
 
 rIlA!"iI«H III, 
 
 I'.'nimido Miip'llnn— (lis Voyiiw (o tho foutli-wcst ; Wiiitcrx at Port Hi. .Iiiliaii ; llic PMtiii;i)nimii; 
 lli'<iMvi'ry and Pii!<!.iii,'n of Ihu Slraila of Mni-'i'lliiii ; Voyiiao tlii'ou«h lb« Phcillc to lliu Pliilippinii 
 l^ll•a; ItaHliiu'Bs and Dcalli of Mnst'llan ; tbi' Uiiriil CiiriiuiimviKali'd, 07 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND HISTOilY OF MEXICO. 
 
 CIl'I'TKH I, 
 
 Pri'Krc'Ha of 3|iiiiiUli rnnqui'St ; ni«covory of Yucatan— of Mi'xlco ; Ilornando Cnrli'K-IIiH Fxpcilltion ; 
 Ascent of till' liiu du Tubunco ; Uoiiteela with tbo Imlliiim; Arrival at fun Jiiaii do IJluii, |()1 
 
 ClIAl'TKK II, 
 
 The iMoxican Abiiriniiios— Ihi'ir Oriijin and Appcaraiico— thuir (Jovi'riimcnt, Tliciilnity, Miiiini'i-H and 
 Ciialonis, II,.; 
 
 CITAPTKH III, 
 
 Till' Knipcror Miiiiti'Ziiina ; I.midlnB of llio Hpniiiimls-lliiiir Neuiitintimi with MontHziima— His 
 Impolicy; Siileniiiil PrcsiMits; ('orli'9 li.'volts iiRiiinst Vi-hisiiucz— Forms an AIMiince with tlio 
 Totonacs— Destroys their Idols— Sets forth for Mexico, j HI 
 
 ClIAlTKH 17 
 
 The Miircli tnwnril Mexico; Spirited Resisliince of Iho Tliisciilans ; Siici-eKS of the Ppiiniards -their 
 I)i-i'oiiniui'iiii'iils; Kirniiicss of Cortes; Submission of the TIai-Chlaiia ; Piiiijiilar Clniiii,'e of Fei'liiin; 
 l)n|iiii.'iiy of Corles ; His Zeal for Conversion, 1 15 
 
 CU 4.1'TI' R V, 
 
 Siibini.'-ion of Provinces ; Corles iiinrch.'S on Choliihi ; Pkil Discovered ; Massacre ofthe Choliilaiis, 
 llio IMarch to Mi-xicu Hesumeil ; Weak Policy of .Miuiteziima ; the Kntrancu Into Mexico; Inter- 
 views wilh the Emperor— His Ceiierosily mid Atriibility i;a 
 
 niAPl'T-H VI 
 
 Description of the Ar.cient Capital of Tenm-btillan or Mexico ; the Palncosof Moiileziimii : His Collec- 
 tions of Niilurnl History ; Supi'r.-tition of tlie Spaihiiida; llidi'uiis Scenes of Sncrilli'e ; Uellectiuns, l-.M 
 
 Co 
 
pa 
 
 1)7 
 
 CONTKNTtt. 
 
 71 
 
 rnprliicl|.l.«l f>,-ti.mi.. of (;„ri,„j nu Tr.miil.Hr„i 
 i:iiiofii; OiilruKci „n iliii Kmimroi 
 "w.'Br AllcgliiricH to thu H).mi(,h On 
 Curluii, 
 
 i« liT-iMi; rruKlniiml 0„„,,i™ey „r 111., |',lMo.«i ih,. r,,ei,,„,., 
 -n.wi.i A(rMuiinKt<c„„«i <;r..ul T,ll)ul,M,rTa..i,ur.s UnimcM,' „r 
 
 1«8 
 
 UJfAPTEH vm 
 
 Mi'Xlciin.i ; Diiiiif 
 
 «..utl, ,m„.a.„;.;..,. : I . . , . .';; """ '""'"""■ ""• »''"""' «'•""""« «"«' Vlou-ry , III. |.-urc.„ 
 
 ":''r::':::;,r;;;' ,!;::?t;;!::,!'!",^-:-- — - "•■ -r"- h, x,., 
 
 i.;<ulM». N«,nu.« ; IhirHta hh.I l«k, n l.iin Hrl«,MH>r; III 
 
 139 
 
 *':::'i:::i;!;:r:rr:.':j:::':;';::':r'-'":'''^'-'-"^^ nM..M..x,e..,,n,A.,.. 
 
 ■> , ... • ,....,„ ,,.,,, i.iriiiiiui II tr initiiv 
 
 i:i7 
 
 "r:;zr;x:;:r;:;,?:dEE'£;^;^:,i:'i;"'"'" "'- 
 
 ■•■"• .K-B..~.i, .,,,.,:;,:;;:L:iZZ:::.T .:°''!':T'!°Z 
 
 ««xic«-Tuk«. up ..,,uuarler;rC;lI .!..!; '^"'""'" ''"'""' •'■-'='«•■ '" '"e Vall..y .,f 
 
 ll'i 
 
 ■UTKtt XII. 
 
 «t T:,c,.b«; ai„«„,„r ,>i„„„.y .'.f K.nJuX 7."!. " I. . . '"' "" "'"■"" '"""' ^'"lo-Arrlv.. 
 -, <^n*rTKii XIII 
 
 ^^^-^^^::^::z:::^:::::^^^ -^. ..nn,„.;i ..„. 
 
 C-llAPlTiK \-IV 
 
 I4n 
 
 1.50 
 
 I.'k) 
 
 OiiiiMiil .\nsniill .)ii i||(. ciiy; ,\r,r,.| I,,,.,, . , , ,,. ,. „ . 
 
 or t..e Aui.-.„ei, K„...,„ , , .j ^::::^j^:^;:^;^^';';;;"^^^^^^^^ """ »'"^-'- 
 
 Twrll)lii.SmriTiiiL'>i and .'Mnilnlltvi.rii, '' 
 
 »• "'> -'• '- v..,„„.;;';;:2:' .: ;'-:;^- :^^::-" «'■""•— -^'"-n.,..,. = « „. , 
 
 BMiom ,m lh« U,m.,»„.t, * ... . '' """" *''"'"""" ' Cupli.re of OuatoMw.zii, ; Re- 
 
 I5y 
 
 Tim Tiirliiri, of Ciuitemnz 
 
 I'MAl IKK XVI 
 
 a,r...o„c.,..H-ni»o...„,!:;;;;r;i;:;i::;;;:,:;;;;^'.^-';^"'' -;n„,c..an,iTn,.., 
 
 .. iiii 
 
 Mexico; K,,,,,.,;,,. Kxr..,li,i.,n ; c. ,,,"',,''''" ' " " '"""""'■•l "» >-. ; U,.„„„s ,„ 
 
 Heath; Hi, Chan,,.,,.. . [• ,....',"''"""" "■""•"" '" ^P""' ; V,m,cce,BUU at Curl; Hi, 
 
 liiiJ 
 
 'I-; I-alo„rih„Con,i,.,.ror.- *^ ' ' "*""-'™'»r"l "' Court; His 
 
 Condition ortli«Imli,i,i8nM.lth..S 
 
 Ki 
 
 dationa of lli,, llncanic 
 
 |>anishC„hinisl.t; Nalimial I'ri.lo • S- 
 
 i-"; ''"Mic U-..rk» f„r the p,.„|,.cii, 
 
 yclcnioffiovnrnnipnt; n.. 
 
 prp- 
 
 tVLizacized b^.l^rainont; J..,„i„ Ex,,eli.''i, • ' . . .™""" '"' ""=''■'''"""! '"'''''" R«V"Ma ; V,.,a 
 
 l-'I'AI-TKK >:i 
 
 '^^'.•.•^.".n.n^el!:::^';;;!;^:;;^;;,:;'^"'''"'''-'^^ 
 
 Cominencnn...nt of (h« First Revolmi 
 by fallija ; liny 
 of the Piiiriuls ; lliirbi.le,.. 
 
 no 
 
 • laratlonof ln.lepeiH|,.„c,,; Rrvcrl-,.. 
 
 
8 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 OHAPTIK XX. PAQK 
 
 Espousnl of the CauMof Independence by Iturbido; Proclnmntlon at latimla; Union wllh the Rovo- 
 luliuiinry Party ; TrHBly with the Viceroy, and Surrender of the Capital ; DimenHions ; Iturbido 
 made Kinper.ir j His Overthrow and Death ; Prlitlcal Factions ; Spunixh Attempts at RSconqueBt, 185 
 
 niAl'TEK XXI. 
 
 Overthrow of Guerrero by Snntn Anna and BustBinenle ; Tyrannical Procpedings during the Admin- 
 islriiiioii of Santa Anna ; Resistanco in the Provinces of Zacatocas and Texas; the Texan War ; 
 Delcat of Santa Anna; Difflcullics with France; Civil War; Santa Anna restored to Power ; Re- 
 volt, headed by Paredes ; llerrcra PresidunI, igg 
 
 CHAPTEa XX... 
 
 Annexation Of Tcxa.M to the tJiiitcd Stales; IndiKuatlon of Mexico; Slidell's CommlBsion ; Prepnrn- 
 tiohs BKahist Texas ; General Tnyhir's March to the Rio Grande ; Commencement of Iloatililies; 
 War neclnred ; Plan of the Mexican Oampalstn ; Bailie of Palo Alto— of Resaca de la Pulma ; M«t- 
 nnuiras Occuj.ied ; Return of Santa Anna to Mexico ; Reduction of Montert^, IKI 
 
 CHAPTER XXIir. 
 
 Paula Anna's Chaniie of Policy ; Heneral Scott's Plan of Campaign ; Defeat of the Mexican Army at 
 lluena Vi..|a ; Mexican Politics; Capture of Vera Cruz ; March into llie Interior; Hultte of Cerro 
 Guido; Occupation of Puebla; Guerilla Warfare; Fruitless Negotiations ; Advance on Ihe Capital, I!W 
 
 CBAPTZR XSIV. 
 
 Movements of Santa Anna; His Plans thwarted by Valencia; Battle of Contreras; Seizure of San 
 Antonio; Battle of Churubu.-co ; Negotiations; Storming of the Molino del Rey and the Casa 
 Malu-of the Fortress of Chapult.-pec ; Kvacuatiou of the City; its Occupation by the Americun 
 Forces ; Final Military Operations ; Treaty at Giiudulupo Hidalgo, 203 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Summary of Naval Operations ; Colonel Kearney's Proceedings In New Mexico ; Events In Califoi^ 
 nia; Union of Colonel Fremont wilh Commodore StockUm; Kearney's Arrival at San Diego; 
 Oiinpaign of Iho Combined Forces; Disputes Ijetweeii the American Commamlere; Colonel Doni- 
 plmn's Services ; Mexico, since Ihe Conclusion of Peace with the United States ; Return of Santa 
 Anna ; Difficulties relating to tho Mesilla Valley, gy,, 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND HISTOHT OF PERU. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Capital of Ihe Islhmus transferred to Panama; Account of Francisco Pizarro-His Confederates 
 -His First Voyage in Quest of Peru ; Grievous Loss and SulTering : Ills Return ; Ihe Voyage of 
 Alinagro ; Exiraordinary Contract of Pizarro, Almagro, and Luqiie, . . . . 'JI3 
 
 CHAPTFR II. 
 
 Second Voyairo of Pizarro and Almaaro-their Suiferings; Fresh Discoveries; Return of Almagro; 
 the Island <,f Gallo ; Resolution .if Pizarro and Twelve Otiiers-their Dii'Cov.'rv of Peru-its Trea- 
 sures : Pizarro repairs lo.><pain; Grant of tlie Crown ; Return of Piziirio with his Brothers; Ihe 
 T lord Kxpt'dition to Peru ; Batllo at Puna, 2in 
 
 CIIAPTKR JII 
 
 The AhoriRines of Per,,; the Rule of Ihe Incas; Refleclions; Airrlcullnral I,aboui-s ; Mamas; Im- 
 mense Public VVoiks ; VVa-like Operations; Public Records ; Religion; Traditions; Early History; 
 Condiliun of Ihe Race in Modern Times, o.il 
 
 rUAPTFR IV. 
 
 Pizarro lands at Tumhez-Marohe.^ Ponlhward, and founds San Miguel; Proceeds in Quest of the 
 liicji; Crosses tlie Andes; Friendly Mes.-ages ; Arrival at Caxumaica : Inteiview with Alahuallpa- 
 His U. serve; Strength of the Peruvians, ' „n~ 
 
 on ».rTT^H V, 
 
 Cniel ami A,id.icio,is Scheme of Pizarro: the Visit of Ihe Inca; Scene wilh the Friar Vhlverde ; 
 Terrilile Ma.ssacre of tho Peruvians ; Seizure of the Inca ; His Fnrliluilo ; Plunder of the City and 
 Camp ; F.xlraordinary Offer of Ransom ; tho Murder of Hiiasciir, o;),, 
 
 CHAPTFR VI 
 
 Tlie Expedilion to Pachacamnc ; the Spoils of Cuzco ; Division of Immense Treasur,- ; the AOocious 
 Trial. Sentence, and Murder of Alahuallpa ; Hypocrisy of Pizarro ; Re(lectionB ; Eventual Fate of 
 the Murderers, 
 
 Ex 
 
 Rail 
 O 
 V 
 
 Mori 
 tie 
 Ca 
 
 Caiip 
 Pai 
 
 Rene 
 the 
 tern 
 
 Junn r 
 Scco 
 -Af 
 Iholi 
 
nox 
 
 flVO- 
 
 
 bide 
 
 
 uest, 
 
 185 
 
 inin- 
 
 
 I'ar ; 
 
 
 Re- 
 
 
 .... 
 
 190 
 
 inrft- 
 
 
 tiea ; 
 
 
 Miit- 
 
 
 
 1!W 
 
 y lit 
 
 
 »!rro 
 
 
 litul, 
 
 IW 
 
 .Sun 
 
 Uasa 
 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 onAr-TKH vn. 
 
 9 
 
 Piiiarios ; Rieiiig of the Indlaiii, ; diege of Cuzc, M.^ \ ?"''*"' '"'*'"'" '^"""'<"' ""« ">e 
 the Spanish General,, Defeat a^d ZIoZm—'""' "" "'"'""""'' ^'-" ^^'"- "«'«-" 
 
 ' 238 
 
 CHAPTER Vlir, 
 
 AMssiiin Of Hernando ; His Fata • p»„o.j.. I ,„ 
 
 >'.« Amazon , Terri'ble SuS„ ^'r' ''T'" '"''"™ ' """^''^^^ "^ »"'» Voyage down 
 Assassination; IlisCharaSTc.'.. '!. ."^ '™ "*■""' P-"»"'» -f Al.ni^ro; His 
 
 CnAPTHH IX. 
 
 243 
 
 F<irces raisetl by Nunez • Hi» Pi,»K. w .v "f *^'"^^'* x. 
 
 «wpren,acyofpizar..:S Sra'G"::r:Ls^ 
 
 Pizurro at Cuzco, " '" *"""-" ' "'» P"l'"e PioceeUings ; Battle of Hiiarlna; 
 
 247 
 
 XI. 
 
 Cnntfous Movements of Gasca- His M«r-.h ,^n''^'^^? 
 ofCWb-,aiandP.a„o;Wi;e?dl'^:iL"^^^^^^ 
 tem; IheMltaand Repartlmiento ; InsurrecXn o^hso',. .^'l';!"' °'''''''''™' '"« Colonial S 
 
 Commencement of the Revolution; InvasI, 
 
 CHAPTER 211. 
 
 252 
 
 257 
 
 P.oclaimed; Keverses of tli^P;;.;,::";"!::;:^ :;';:;ri:. ^''""•'" "^^""'" '""^P-^-ca 
 
 • in Peru,. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 '~2r»S2:=— xs^s:,r£r'"'-~^^ 
 
 2C1 
 
 I Republic,. 
 
 265 
 
 CHILI. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 March Southward; the Araucania'; . . . '.' """'""=""" "f'"* Q"'"ot«n Mi„;^"V:,^;' ' 
 
 vla's 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 on of Arniicanin ; 
 
 iHltle at the Andalien • Tnvn.i 
 
 5 
 
 ^lortality amonff iho Tn^i ^. CHiriEK m. 
 
 269 
 
 Caupolicnn the Y,„,ng„ ; .SlirnRl S„po,. ^«*1'teb iv. 
 
 2t<(l 
 
 2S5 
 
 289 
 
 Renewal of War; Peace of I771. p ''"^i'tkh t. 
 
 FLORIDA. 
 
 ^ - imnnw, Cmitesta Willi 
 
 295 
 
10 
 
 CONTENTS, 
 
 nUAPTKIl II. P10E 
 
 Delusive Report of an Indian ; DiSBStroua Wiirch through the Interior ; King Tuscaloosa— His Stale 
 and Ilaughtineas ; His Secret Treachery ; Great Battle at Mauvila ; Conflagration of the Town, and 
 Victory of the Spaniards ; Mutinous Spirit of the Cavaliers ; Despondency of De Soto ; He resumes 
 the March, ^^ 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 De Soto marches Westward ; Losses from Indian Hostility ; Reaches and Crosses the MISBlsslppl ; 
 Marches to Arkansas ; Returns to the Mississippi ; His Death and Burial ; Fate of the Survivors ; 
 their Voyage lo Mexico, •'(12 
 
 OHAPTKK IV. 
 
 Early French Settlements ; Bloody Contests between the Spanish and French Colonists ; Spanish 
 Missions; English Depredations and Colonization on the Coast; Invasions of Florida by Gov- 
 ernor Moore, 3116 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TheYemasees; Invasion of Florida by Oglethorpe ; Cession to Great Britain ; Dr. Turnbull's Colony ; 
 Recession to Spain ; Invasion of East Florida from the United States ; Acquisition of Florida by 
 the United States, 31 J 
 
 SOUTH-AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS. 
 
 COLOMBIA. 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 Loyalty of the Spanish Colonists ; Arrogance and Tyranny of their Rulers ; Causes of the Revolution ; 
 tlie Establishment of Juntas; Massacre at Quito ; the Junta of Curacoas in Venezuela ; Commence- 
 ment of Uustilities; Declaration of Independence, 316 
 
 CHAPTBR II. 
 
 The Affairs of New Grenada; Expulsion of the Spaniards from Santa Fe and Quito; Dissensions 
 of the Republicans; Advantages of the Royalists— their Cruelly; the "Army of Death;" Fresh 
 Massacre at Quito ; Alteriiale Successes of the Patriots and Royalists ; the Earthqniiko at Caraccaa ; 
 its Effect; Overthrow of the Liberals, 319 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Simon Bolivar— His Generous and Patriotic Spirit; His Successes against the Royalists; Assisted l)y 
 New Granada ; He Reenters C'araccas ; " War to the Death ;" tlie Servile Insurrection and War ; 
 Cruel Deed of Bolivar ; Battles with the Royalists ; Renewed rruslration of the Republican Cause, 3*23 
 
 OHAPTFR IV. 
 
 Restoration of Ferdinand ; Extinction of Loyally in the Colcmies; Tyrannical Policy of the King; 
 Spirilcil Conduct of the Congress of New Granada ; Dissensions of the Republicans ; Injudicious 
 Conduct of Bolivar, 325 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Arrival of the Spanish Army, under Morlllo; Terrible Blockade of Carthagena; Renewed Exerlions 
 of the Patriots ; AlliToate Successes ; Morillo Conq\iera New (iraiuina ; Severities exercised on the 
 Vanquished; Marches into Venezuela; Successful Defence of Margarita by the Patriots, 3S8 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Altitude of Foreign Nations; British Volunteers; Campaign of Bolivar in New Granada ; Brilliant 
 Successes; Defeat and FliBht i>rilie Uoyalists; Gratitude of the People; Union of the Hliites of New 
 Granada and Venezuela under the title of Colombia ; Reverses and Successes of the Patriots, Xti 
 
 OHAPTKR VII. 
 
 Revolution in Spain; Overtures of the Spanish Leaders; Resolution of the Patriots; the Armistice; 
 the War renewed; Humane Policy of Bolivar; Signal Victories of Ibn Republicans; the Spaniards 
 Completely Expelled from Columbia ; independence of that State acknowledged, 3'ia 
 
 
 Dif 
 
 r 
 
 u 
 
 Urai 
 er 
 C( 
 
 Braz 
 Pn 
 an( 
 the 
 
 Fligh 
 Tra 
 Insi 
 Bru: 
 
 Impnl( 
 
 peiii 
 
 Dim. 
 
 Rio; 
 
 The Ch 
 the 9 
 Roya 
 
 BOLIVIA. 
 
 The Revolution in La Piiz ; a Junta established ; the City taken by the Royalisis— their Cruelties ; the 
 Patriot Army marches IVom Buenos Ayres— Us Success and Subsequent Defeat; Second Attempt 
 Bt Revoliiliiin ; Mass \erea in Cocbabnmba and Potosi ; Seccuid Expedition from Buenos Ayres— its 
 DiscumlUure; Guerilla Wtivfaie; Bolivia Kmiincipttted l.iy the Victory <>f Ayncucho, .,.,,.., 339 
 
Causes of the RHVoIutioii in Hue,,,,, Aj-ies: the Vicor.iv, : Im.™ „ ^ r>- ''*"» 
 
 With the Royalists i„ Upper Pen.-i„M,mBvl,n ^ '' ^'"'""'°'' "'""• '''"«; ^Var» 
 
 Video; i;iectionof Pueyredon a» SuproLe D.^c'ctor ' '' ""^ *""""' *^'"' "^ '*'"""' 
 
 ' .143 
 
 Continued ite8i,la„ce of the Banda Orllu.1 "" '"""'""«" '" ^''''" ' '^PP«^ P"™ i 
 
 ' 347 
 
 4ir ■ , «, CHAPTER III 
 
 316 
 
 in?; 
 
 ions I 
 
 .... 325 I 
 
 '• PART III. 
 
 THE PORTUGUESE U AMERICA. 
 
 BRAZIL. 
 
 Dutch; their Expulsion from B„-uiJ, "...... ®"™'''«'' '"" ««<=»"; Imp-'licy of the 
 
 3.53 
 
 Brazil a P«,al Colony; the Result; Ormresaio,? of Ih^v'^- 
 era. Appointed; Story of Caratn/nu B a 2 '-^t-Tv' "■I'"'"' '^^'™' '^~r-,en- 
 Orusade «t Cannlhaiisu, ; war ;ith th;S:„::^n;I™^:;;^^^^^ 
 
 359 
 
 363 
 
 Impolent Demonstration of ,he Portuguese G °ver7m^e" l^ n„„ p . 
 pendenco of Brazil declare.l; P,.,|ro proclnimJd P^' ^""^ ^''^'" proclaimed Protector; md,- 
 .inicuhies With the De„n,cr„cy; M,s,n,le ,n If ' ::;^; f '™' "^ "- •'"""Kue,e Troop ; 
 Ru. ; Abdication of Do,n Pedro, and his Retrea" to Ponut, ''" ' ''""""" '"'"'"''"" -^ 
 
 ' 306 
 
 The Child Dom Pedro It • the Trinl„ p ''"'^"'•« vi 
 - M^,ri,y Of the k;.:::^ itS^r^!;!!:^- ^ '-^o-or M.na; Presh Revolution; 
 Royal Marr.,«es; Capabilitie, and Nece»si,i;, of B^J"! . ^Z""''''''''-''''''''™"' ««-'»""; ">« 
 
 370 
 
 339 
 
■J2 CONTENTS. 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 THE DUTCH IN AMERICA. 
 
 THE NEW NETHERLANDS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. PAOR 
 
 Cnptnin Henry Hudson ; his Voyages in Search of ii Northerly Possnge to China; Employed by tlie 
 Dutch East India Company ; Sails in (ho Half-XInon ; Cruises along the American Coast in Search 
 of a North-west Passage; Discovers and Ascends the Hudson River; Dealings.wlth the Indians,.. . 373 
 
 OHAPTICn II. 
 
 Hudson turns Homeward; Murderous Hostilities with the Indiana; his Return to England; his I.a»t 
 Voyage and Discovery ; Sufferings during the Winter; HenryGreen; Mutinyof the Crew; Hudson 
 
 and Others set Adrift to Perish, 376 
 
 chai'TKH III. 
 
 Voyages of the Dutch to Mannahata; Expedition of Blok and Chrlstiaanse; New Amsterdam (New 
 York) founded; Colony Plunte<l on the Dilawnre— Singularly Destroyed; Governors Miniiitand 
 VanTwiiler; Settlement of the Pwedeson the Delaware, 3*9 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Governor Keifl; Governor Stnyvesant— his Character— he Subdues the Swedes ; Untenable Claims of 
 the English ; Grant by Charles II. to the Duke of York ; New Amsterdam taken by Colonel Nic- 
 oUs— Retaken by the Dutch; FimilCussiun to Eut'land, 382 
 
 PART V. 
 
 THE FRENCH IJI AMERICA. 
 
 CANADA. 
 
 CHAPTKH I, 
 
 Early Fishing Voyages ; Giovanni Verrnznno ; bin Voyage in the Dauphin ; Arrives at North America ; 
 Description of the Country; its Iiihabilanis ; Verriiziino coasts Northerly; Kidnapping; the Great 
 Harbour; Friendliness of the Indians; Verrazaiio sails to Labrador; Returns to France ; his Sub- 
 sequent Fate, 3d8 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Jacques Cartier Discovers the St. T.awrerce; his Second Voyage; Qnebec; Hochelngn, or Montreal ; 
 Friendly Indians; Treacherous Kidunpi>ing l)y Cartier; Expedition of Roberval and Cartier; Mis- 
 fortunes and Failure; Attempts under Henry IV.; Pontgravii, Champlain, and De .Moots; their 
 Expedition, 390 
 
 CHAPTKB III. 
 
 Champlain Founds Quebec— makes War on the Iroquois- Founds M(uitreal ; Expeditions with the 
 Ilurons ; his Discouragoments ; lnc(uisideriible Settlements ; Cninida taken by the English ; Rest(jred ; 
 the Company of Now Franco; Death of Champlain— his Character, 393 
 
 CHAPTKR IV. 
 
 Aduiinialratiim of Monlmngiiy; tJnpfosporous Condition of the Province; D'Areonson ; D'Avan- 
 gour; Tiiumpha of the Iroquois; Eailh(iunke; Riiintbixemenls from France; Mesey ; Tracy; de 
 C'ouiceiles; the Comte de Friuitenac— his Character; Turbulent Administration ; de la Itiirre— his 
 Expediliim aitainst ihe Iroquois— its Failure; Celebrated Speech of Garangula; Magnanimous 
 Conduct of the Iroquois, 397 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Do Nonville Governor; his Treachery to Ihe Iroquois; Renewed Hostilities ; Treaty of Peace ; Broken 
 by Treachery: Extraordinary Stnilngem of Le Tint, a lliinin riiicf; Terrible Invasion by the Ini- 
 quois, and Massacre of Ihi' French ; Desperate Condition (jf liie Colony, 403 
 
CONTKXTS. 
 
 I...dUion of Frontonuci. I^^'P''" Wi''^' Quebec ; Ke„uwed Wars wilh the Iroquois ; Ex- 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 4U5 
 
 TreMy or U,recht; Kx.e„«io„ „,/^ ,1 ;;;;^"-' "^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 Pn.8,,erityofOa,m.la, pi<'V.n,e„t of Ihe Province; De Beuuhariu.is ; Peace and 
 
 40S 
 
 E"cro,:cl.n,enl3 of (he Frencli • F„« r, ,^''"*''™" ^'" 
 r.H>.U a„d Dea.,.; Co,..:. U^.^r.^''^.! 'I^ "''":' "^'''^ ^^'>'^''^""" "^ nr„d,.ock-h,, 
 
 I^eicu. o, Aberorun.bie at T.conde o;, ' "' ""'""""'' "' ""> ^»«««h-.h«ir Surerlor Fore 
 
 411 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 PrepiimtiOMs r„r the C.nnuesI of rnn.,rl«. 4 ' 
 ;h.' .Venoh o„ the U^U of lb:' tr:; W.t' T: ■"""'"'•'«'' '" «'"'"- = n^^-t of 
 
 414 
 
 ACADIA, ETC. 
 
 Accniintof (he Acudians- th f chapter u. 
 
 "'^' '^fl^^'""'8 Memorial; their Fate, 420 
 CAPE BRETON, ETC. 
 Cession of the French Prov' chapteh i. 
 
 43C 
 
 I-OUISIANA. 
 
 L«fnlle-hisA..empta to reach China T ''"^""^^ " ^'^ 
 
 '"-"-.■oci.,.;::":!!:::-:'-:-'--~.ofj 
 
 430 
 
 Kxpedill.m of l,„ (Sail,, by "Sea In o ''"^pteu m 
 
u 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. PAflB 
 
 NcKlect of the Mlnaisslppl Valley; Expedition i)f I-eim-inr D'!hervillp-he Fornidd Hotllempnls nt 
 iiiloxi, Mobilu, Biid iBit) Diiuphine ; Tuiill ; Unpnwpeidua C.iii.liilon of houiauiim ; Deuth ol D'lhur- 
 villu ; hirt llroltier BiHiivill.! ; OiDZat ; Uiti .Mi»si»Bi|.pi C\inipuii> j (Jruiit lmniii;ruli<>n, Suffi'iiim, ""d 
 Aliirliility; Nuw Oileuiis Foiiiided; Coiilimied liiimlsraliuii; Vast ExIeiU of Luiiisinna, 4:18 
 
 CaATTKR '/. 
 
 Ilujlility of the Natchez; their Injuries; Vain Romimsirance ; PlanfortheDestrucllon of the French; 
 Massacio ul Fuit Rosalie; Campaisn npjiiin!.! tlic NHicbc?. ; Flight and Final UcMiuclion of the Trili.. ; 
 War with the Chlcaaaws; Diaaiitrous CanipniKii of D'.Vrtcgrotlo and Bienville ; (Jieat Lobs of the 
 Frsuch and thoir Allies ; Unsulislactory Uesult of a Second Cumpaign, 442 
 
 CHAPTKH VI. 
 
 Prdsperlly of Louisiana ; Undisturbed by War ; augiir-cune Inlrnducod ; Coinmnnccmpnt of Trou- 
 hlfs with the Englisli ; the Ohio Company ; Resisted by IJu Quesno; the Virginia Expedition nn.ler 
 Wiishinglon ; War with the French of Canada, &c. ; Tuliing of Fort D« Quusne ; Overtlirow of Ibo 
 French in Canada; PnblioReliminii'hment of a Part of liouiaiana to England, and Secr(^t Cession 
 of the Retnuiiider to Spain ; Vain Remonstrance, 
 
 OUAPTKR 711. 
 
 Arrival of ailonaa Spanish fiovcrnor-hls Olmtinacy-his Expulsion from the Conntry; Arrival of 
 O'Reilly-his Perfidy and Cruelly ; Five Citizens Executed ; Tyranny of O'Reilly ; Creat Emigration 
 from Louisiana— that Province Kucoded to france-doid by Napoioou to the United Stales, 
 
 445 
 
 448 
 
PART I. 
 
 THE JfOETHMEI II AMEEICA. 
 
 . CHAPTER L 
 
 ANCIENT ABORIGINAL RACES. — THE SCANDINAVIAN VOYAGERS 
 —DISCOVERY OF ICELAND. — EIREK THE RED, — DISCOVERY AND 
 SETTLEMENT OF GRE^LAND. — NORTH AMERICA ACCIDENT- 
 ALLY DISCOVERED BY BIARNI HERIULF80N. — VOYAGE ' 
 OF LEIF EIREK80N. — AMERICA NAMED VINLAND — 
 THE VOYAGE AND DISCOVERIES OF THORVALD.— 
 HIS DEATH. — ATTEMPT OF THORSTEIN. 
 
 . The history of those ancient races, :;^hich, before the coming of 
 Europeans, for immemorial ages, inhabited our continent, is for the 
 mo.t part, at this day dissolved in vague tradition, or locked un i„ 
 mscrutable hieroglyphic. Excepting the two great semi-civiLd 
 empires of Mexico and Peru, (to be noticed in their appropriate 
 place,) scarcely a record has survived of the nations, once'o numer- 
 ous and powerful, which, from limited but certain evidence ar^ known 
 to have existed in the Western Worid Thev "dipd nnf 7 
 sign/' beyond rude and massive erecti^ns'tS ct'f.Z' T^'^ 
 ni.ght ass,gn them to almost any race, that, after partially c imbi^i 
 
 ton, lapsed into barbarism or vanished altogether. Occasional 
 glimpses as we proceed, will be caught of the m^onuments aTdTr " 
 d t,ons of these long-vanished communities; but the true history of 
 the American continent may be said to date from the first aS on 
 Its shores of European discoverers. •arrival on 
 
 _ That arrival, for several centuries strangely ignored by the histor 
 .calworid^w.much^eariierthanh.asbcen^coL%nlysup'^^^^^^^ 
 
18 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 
 manuscriiits of unquestioned authenticity, by the most perfect con- 
 sistence and coincidence of details, and by a host of corroborative 
 facts, it lias been made evident that the American continent, five cen- 
 turies before the incmorablo voyage of Columbus, was discovered 
 and frequently visited by men of European race. Witliout delaying 
 to cite authorities or adduce evidence on a matter so fully elucidated 
 by others, we shall proceed briefly to present the facts as accepted by 
 the most exact and scrupulous antiquarians of our day. 
 
 Nine hundred years ago, the mariners of the Scandinavian penin- 
 sula were the most daring, skilful, and successful of their age. Their 
 voyages, distinguished by a strange mixture of commerce, piracy, 
 and discovery, added no little to the geogr.iphical knowledge of their 
 day. In tlie year 861, they discovered Iceland, and, fourteen years 
 afterwards, planted a colony there. The main stepping-stone to 
 America thus gained, a century elapsed before any further progress 
 was made in a western direction. At the end of that time, a Norwe- 
 gian named Thorvald, with his son, the famous Eirek the Red, flying 
 their country on account of homicide, took refuge in Iceland, ilero 
 Thorvald died, and Eirek, his hands again imbued with blood, was 
 forced again to take refuge on the high sens. lie sailed westward, 
 in quest of certain islands,* and ere long fell in with the shores of 
 Greenland (9S2). Coasting to its southern extremity, he selected 
 the site for a colony at a harbour which he called Eireksfiord (Eirek's 
 creek). lie then returned to Iceland, and by his inviting descrip- 
 tions of the newly-found land, (which he called Greenland) indueed 
 great numbers to join him in his projected settlement. With twenty- 
 five vessels, in 985, he again set sail, but on account of foul weather, 
 only eleven reached the destined harbour. A flourishing colony was 
 soon established, and as it increased in numbers, fresh explorations, 
 rivalling, and, considering the means, surpassing modern enterprise, 
 were made in the icy seas of the Arctic regions. The monuments 
 of these ancient explorers have been found as far north as latitude 
 73°, and it is su]iposcd that their surveys extended much farther. 
 
 One Ileriulf, a person of consideration, had sailed with Eirek in 
 his second expedition. His son, named Biarni, was absent in Nor- 
 way at the time, and on his return to Iceland, found that his father 
 had departed for the newly-discovered region. He was a man of 
 great courage and enterprise, and, vowing that he would spend the 
 
 * "The roeks of Gunnbiorn"— lost, for nine hundred years, to geography, and 
 only recovered by a recent expedition. 
 
THE NORTHMEN IN AMERICA. 
 
 19 
 
 was 
 
 winter with his father, as he had always done, set forth to find the 
 little settlement on the unknown shores of Greenland. A north- 
 east gale sj^rung up, and for many days he was driven before it, with- 
 out seeing land. At last ho fell in with a coast in the west, wooded 
 and somewhat hilly. No landing was made, and the anxious mari- 
 ners, sailing for two days to the northward, found another land, 
 low and level, and overgrown with woods. Not recognizing the 
 mountains and the icebergs which he expected to find, Biarni, with 
 a south-west wind, for three days more sailed northerly. Ho then 
 came upon a great island, with high mountains and much ice, but 
 made no attempt to land on its desolate and forbidding shores. 
 Four days more, driven before a violent wind from the south-west, 
 ho continued his voyage to higher latitudes, and at the end of that 
 time, by a piece of singular good fortune, chanced to light on the 
 very location of the Icelandic settlement. 
 
 From the internal evidence afforded by the dates and the courses 
 of this remarkable voyage, as well as from the corroboration of sub- 
 sequent expeditions, it would appear that these tempest-driven mar- 
 iners, long scudding before a north-east gale, yet heading to the 
 westward as much as possible, finally brought up somewhere on the 
 shores of New England. The first land seen, judging from the 
 descriptions, was probably Nantucket or Cape Cod. Two-days' - 
 sailing would easily bring them to the level and forest-covered 
 shores of Nova Scotia, and three more to the bleak and precipitous 
 coast of Newfoundland. From that island to the soutiiern extremity 
 of Greenland, the distance is but six hundred miles, which a vessel 
 running before a favourable gale, might readily accomplish within 
 the given time. To no other region of coast in the vicinity of 
 Greenland will the dates and descriptions so accurately apply, and 
 little doubt can exist that America, by this accidental voyage' was 
 first laid open to men of European race. 
 
 About ten years afterwards, Biarni made a voyage to Norway, 
 where the account of his discoveries excited much interest; ami 
 when Leif the son of Eric, four years later, went to the court of 
 Olaf Tryggvason, king of that country, he heard the adventurer 
 much blamed for neglecting to prosecute his discoveries. Stimulated 
 by these conferences, he resolved to attempt a voyage in quest of 
 the new lands; and having received baptism with all his crew, 
 returned to Greenland, bearing with him the germ of northern Chris- 
 tianity, and the spirit of enterprise and discovery. 
 
20 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 IIo bought the vessel of Biariii, and, with thirty-five men, some 
 of whom may have been on the former voyage, in the year 1000, 
 set sail in search of the desired region. lie first came in sight of 
 the mountainous and sterile coa.st last seen by Biarni, and landed, but 
 found little or no ti'accs of vegetation. Naming it Ilellu-land— "the 
 land of broad stones" (a name strikingly descriptive of the shores of 
 Newfoundland), he proceeded southerly to the low and wooded coasts 
 of Nova Scotia, which he called Markland— "the land of woods." 
 Next he came to an island (probably Nantucket) lying opposite to 
 a north-east projection of the main land. Between this island and 
 the promontory he steered westward, remarking the shoals and cur- 
 rents which still render difficult the navigation of that passage. 
 
 Keeping westward, the voyagers "passed up a river, and thence 
 into a lake." This channel, it would seem, was the Seaconnet river, 
 the eastern outlet of Narragansett bay, and leading to the beautiful 
 lake-like expanse of water now known as Mount Hope Bay. On 
 the shores of this lake, they built habitatiojis and passed the winter, 
 fishing for salmon, which abounded, and charmed with the compara- 
 tive mildness of the climate. On the shortest day, the sun remained 
 above the horizon from half-past seven in the morning to half-past 
 four in the afternoon — a circumstance indicating the latitude with 
 almost absolute certainty, and, allowing for slight inaccuracy in their 
 computation, corresponding to the situation of Mount Hope Bay. 
 
 In exploring the country on their arrival, one Tyrker, a German, 
 stayed late, and the others went in search of him. They found him 
 in ecstacies of joy at the discovery of a vine laden with fruit— tho 
 delicious flavor of which had so transported his thoughts to his 
 native land (the land of the grape) that for some time he could 
 answer them only in German. Great quantities of this pleasant 
 fruit were found, and these natives of the chilling north, deli<;htod 
 at the unaccustomed luxury, filled their large boat with a plentiful 
 supply. All the early voyagers to this coast, speak of the profusion 
 of wild grapes with which it abounds. Martha's Vineyard and the 
 Vineyard Sound, in tlie immediate vicinity, no doubt received their 
 names from this circumstance. Leif, in joy at its delicious produc- 
 tions, bestowed on it the name ofVinland the Good— a name which 
 it bears in all the ancient chronicles and geographies. In the sprinc' 
 of 1001, with his grapes and a freight of timber, lie made his way 
 back to Greenland, wiiere, in commemoraiion of his enterprise and 
 success, he w^is ever after called "Leif the Lucky," During the 
 
THE NORTHMEN IN AMERICA. gl 
 
 ensuing winter, by the death of his father, Eirek, he Huccecded to 
 the chief authority in Greenland. 
 
 When spring came on (1002) Thorvahl, his younger brother, a 
 man of great courage and enterprise, with thirty companion., set 
 sail for Vmland; but owing to his death on the return, r,w particu- 
 lars of this voyage, perhaps the most interesting and important of 
 his day, have survived. With his company, he arrived at Leif.bu- 
 d.r (Leifs booths), where his brother had encamped, and there 
 passed the winter. The next spring (1003) lie explored the coa^t 
 n a south-west direction for a great distance, proceeding, it has been 
 thought, a. far as the Carolinas. The coast, it is corr;etly stated, 
 was mostly wooded, with white, sandy shores 
 During the summer (1004) Thorvald, with a part of his crew 
 
 eries Here his vessel was stranded and compelled to ston for 
 repairs; and the adventurer, setting up the keel 'of ht hir o„ the 
 
 ofTetSnrThe" ""^t^""^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ '^ « l^tLn 
 ot the accident. Thence sailmg west, he soon made land, somewhere 
 
 would seem, not far from Boston. The Northmen landed on a 
 
 to me so p easant a place to f1w«ll ir.. \. , ^ wnicn seemed 
 
 ma„ds,Lturned to'leLjir^w^^^^^^^^^ '"^'"^^ ^"'^ -- 
 
 the next spring (1005 thov ^ f °''7^''^ ^ ^"'"^^ ^^ ^"«d grapes, 
 
 fiord. Suc'h ar'e Tbr I^tl "^h h"'"' " 'T' '' ""'^^ 
 no doubt the most extei ded t^elt rt ''' 7"'''"^ '^ "" ^^^"8^' 
 the Northmen enterprising of any undertaken by 
 
 of IcS;:^ ?S'd- tvS "1 rr' ''- ''-'-^' ^-^-- 
 
 his brother Rut after Z' ' '^ ^""^'"^ ^°">« '^' body of 
 
22 
 
 TIIK I' Kol'l, IC'H 1U)(»K OK HISTOUY. 
 
 |)oit oil tlio nistcrii i-oiiMt of (iriMMilaiid, wlicro, not loii^^ iiftnr, ho 
 (tit-d. (Iiidritt, Ills willow, fainouH lor lior hotiiity luul disorotion, 
 wont to tlwoll at Hnittiililid, iit tho houHO of Leif, lit-r brother-in-luw. 
 
 UiLltiixXiTiJii il* 
 
 TIIH VOYAdK OK THOIIVINN KAlll.HKKNl. — WOIISIIII' OP MK OOU 
 
 TIIOK IN AMKIUCA. — TUANSIKNT SKTTI.KM KNTH. — FHJIIT Wlfll 
 
 TIIK INIMANS --IIKTUHN, — NOIII, K CONDtM'T OP III A UN I (IKI- 
 
 M 1, F S N , — M K N T I N OH V 1 N I, A N l» IN MANY A \ U I K N T 
 
 CHU0N1CLK8. — TIIK 8T0IIY OK IllORN A8BIIANIIS0V 
 
 ICELANDIC IIKMAINS. — A OONJ KCTIMIKD WKI.HII COLONY. 
 
 Anoi'Iiku adviMituniiiH iiiariiicr, ore loiij^, uiidortook tlio (Mitorjiriso. 
 Tliorliiin Karlsrl'iii, or 'I'lic Arliifirr, an Ii-tdaiidcr of wealth and fam- 
 ily, in tho uutunin of lOOfl, saihul on a voyago of coinnien-e with a 
 huge oonipaiiy in two ships for (Ireenland. Tlioy mot with kind 
 oiitortaiiunont from Loif, and passed a merry winter, Thorllnn being 
 married to (.iudriil. Mueh talk was held eoneerning V^inland, and 
 as spring came on, a fresh oxpoilition was jilannod. Three vessels 
 were prepared, aln^ard whit-h went Thorfinn and his wife, with his 
 friends, Snorri Tliovhrandson, Hiarni Ciriii- >lfson and others, Frey- 
 dis, tho daughter of Kirek, with her husband Thorvani, and many 
 others, amounting in all to an hundivd and sixty souls. A variety 
 of live stock was taken on board, for tho w^o of tho projected colony ; 
 and in tho spring of 1007, the little (loot .set sail. 
 
 'Pouehing at several point.s, the v(\vagei"s eamo to TTdlu-land, with 
 its vast flat stone.s, theneo to Markland, and .so to Kialar-nes.s, wliero 
 they found tfio keel lately sot »ip by tho ill-fated Thorvald. Coast- 
 ing ahnig the desolate shores of Cape Cod fwhieh tliey called Fur- 
 dustvandir — "Long," or "Wondoi;-.'. P^.ore^,") they came to a bay, 
 and put on shore two Seot.s, a maM .and ;i v -man, wh( n; King Olaf 
 hail given Leif, and who were '-wifler ot loot," we are tohl, "than 
 wild aniiual.s." These light-footed eouriers ran a considerable distance 
 inland, and returned with a bunch of grapes and an ear of corn. 
 
 Keeping along shore, the explorers came to a bay, with an island 
 opposite -hich, on account of the strength of the current, they called 
 
 
 
TIIK NOKTHMEN IN AMKRICA. 23 
 
 Stmuin-flonl, or Bay of .StrcjuiiH, uml wliicli, it is probable, wiia what 
 in now known as IJiizzarcl'M Huy. Here, llndinj,' good pasturage for 
 their c'lttlo, they (li.sciiibarkeil, ami j)asMc<i tlio winter. Soon aller 
 tlu'ir huuling, a Kon wa« born to TiiorHiin and (Judrid. Thin 
 cliihl, Siiorri ThorlinnMon, probidily tlio flrst born in Anieriea of 
 European parents, beeauie the founder of a k)ng linoof di.stiiigui.shed 
 dcseiMukintM. Among tiiese may bo mentioned the k-arned bi.siiop 
 Thorhd< liunollHon, hia grandson, who prcbuhly eonipiled the 
 uceounta of these voyages, and Thorwaldscn, the famous seulptor of 
 our own day. 
 
 A singular ineidcnt illustrates the superstition of the ago and the 
 rceeney of tiio eonversion of these j)eoplc to Christiainty. The god 
 Tlior, for the first and jterhaps tiio last time, was worshipped in the 
 Western neniisj)l)ere. It luipj)ened in this wise. There liad sailed 
 m the expedition, aays the aiieient narrative, one "Tliorhall, cotn- 
 nionly eailed the Hunter, who had, f(.r many years, been tlu! iumts- 
 man of Kirek during the .summer, and his steward during the winter. 
 This Thorhall was a man of gigantic stature and of great strength 
 and swarthy in eomplexion; he wius a man of very lew words, anc! 
 when he did sj)eak, it was ehiefly in a railing way; to Kirek he liad 
 over given evil counsel; and ho was besides a very indilfrrent Chris- 
 tiaii. lie possessed, however, much knowledge of uninhabited lands " 
 rhe winter proving severe, the colonists endured much sufierin<r 
 from scai'city, and all their prayers appeared vain. In this time of 
 lamine, Thorhall disappeared, and for three days fruitless search was 
 made for hnn "On the morning of the fourth day," j.rocceds tho 
 narrative, rhorfinn and Biarni Grimolfson found him lying on the 
 top of a rock. There he lay, stretched out, with his eyes open 
 blowing through his mouth and nose, and mumbling somewhrlt to 
 nmsdf. riiey asked him why he had gone there. lie answered 
 that it was no business of theirs-that he was old enough to tuko 
 care of liimselt without their troubling themselves with his aifuirs. 
 Ihey asked h.m to return home with them, which he did. A short 
 nne after, a whale w.'is cast ashore, and they all ran down ca-erlv 
 to cut It up ; but none knew a. hat kind of whale it was; even Thor- 
 hnn, though well acquainted with whales, did not know it. The 
 cooks dressed the whale, and they all eat of it, but were all taken 
 sick immediately afterwards. Then said ThOrhall, 'Now you see 
 that Thor IS more ready to give aid than your Christ. This food is 
 the reward of a hymn which I composed to Thor, my god, who 
 
m 
 
 24 
 
 TlIK I'EorLK'S liOUK OF IlISTOKY. 
 
 mroly forsakes mc' Wlicu tlioy heard this, none would cat any 
 more; and so thoy threw all the remainder of tho flesh froir the 
 rocks, commending tliomselves to God." 
 
 'Fhis Thorhall, in tho spring of the following year (1008), sot forth 
 with a few companions to sail around Kialar-ness and make discov- 
 eries; but was driven to sea by westerly gales, and finally, it is said, 
 readied tlie shores of Ireland. Thorfinn, with the remainder, in all 
 an luimlred and fifty -one, pursued his course westward, and came to 
 Loifsbudir. The region in that vicinity was called by the North- 
 men, Ib^p. The Indian name was Ilaup, and the "lake" itself, to 
 this day, is called Mount Hope Bay— perhaps a mere coincitlence, 
 but certainly a curious one. Here they had sight of numerous sav- 
 agvs, who approached in their canoes, and, after landing and staring 
 at tlic strangers with astonishnK..„, .mbarkcd and retired beyond a 
 I^'omontory in the south-west. The summer and winter were passed 
 at Lcifsbudir, the latter season proving so temperate that the cattlo 
 remained in the open fields without shelter. The climate, it is prob- 
 able, in that remote period, was somewhat milder in those regions 
 than it is at present. 
 
 In the spring of 1009, great numbers of the natives resorted to 
 the colony for traffic— strips of red cloth being eagerly sought, and 
 viiUc jwrridrje affording them excessive delight. But the°sudden 
 a]iiie:u'ance and bellowing of a bull friglitoncd them all to their 
 canoes. A few weeks afterwards tliey returned in great force, rais- 
 ing a shrill cry (probably the war whoop)* and giving signals of 
 (lenancc. Thorfinn and his men raised the red shield (the northern 
 emblem of war) and a fierce battle coimnenced. In the midst of the 
 conflict, Freydis, the daughter of Kirek, seeing her countrymen give 
 way, rushed out of her dwelling, und re[)roached them. The Slra-l- 
 Ii)ii/s pursued her, ana being near lior time, slie could not run fast. 
 ''She saw," says the chronicle, "a man lying dead. This was Tlior- 
 brand the son of Snori'i, in whose head a jlat done was stickinj. His 
 sword lay naked by liis side. This she seized, and prepared to de- 
 fend herself. The Skn.'Ilings came up with her. She .-struck her 
 breast with the naked sword, whicli .so astonished tlie Sknrlling.s, 
 tliat they tied back to their canoes, and rowed oft^is fast as possil)le.'' 
 .Afany of the savages were killed, and it is worthy of remark that 
 the English, on their first arrival in this ]mrt of tlie countrv, found 
 among the Indians a \QYy distinct tradition of tiiis connic"t,'ol' the 
 * " Ukralinqi mlde acute ululcrunt," says tho I^itiii translation of the Norse MS. 
 
THE NORTHMEN IN AJIEKICA. o' 
 
 ship of the invaders, &c., though, of course, at a loss to what period 
 or wliat people to assign it. 
 
 Convinced that this place was too perilous for his colony, Thorfinn 
 now broke up his encampment, and returned to his former quarters 
 at Stmum-licrd. Abundant sui)plies w(;re found, and he sailed round 
 Ivialar-iiess in search of the missing Thorhall, but without success 
 In the spring of the following jear (1010) the whole, or a consider- 
 able portion of the company, in the two remaining shii)s, set sail for 
 Greenland. That of Thorfinn arrived safely at Eireksfiord; but the 
 other, commanded by Biarni Grimolfson, was driven to sea, and 
 being riddled with worms, began to sink. Biarni, with half the 
 ships company, gained by lot the privilege of taking to the boat- 
 but seeing the distress of a young Icelander left on board, relin- 
 quished his place, going back into the ship and placing the o her in 
 he boat-'.for I see," he said, quietly, ''that you are^nd of life " 
 I ii.s generous action, and these few words, the key of a brave and 
 meditative spirit are all that survive of this old Northern e i f of 
 vvhom one could wish to have known more. The boat arri el in 
 
 Thorfinn and his wife, having attained much fame by their adven- 
 tures, proeeeded to Iceland, where they took up their lesidei ce uid 
 
 :!T2Z!:lzr ''-'''' '-' ^---^-^ -^-^ ^^^^^^ 
 
 In 1011 Frcydis and her husband, with some Norway merchants 
 
 n^ade another voyage to the same region. Indeed, to <i e h ; ' 
 
 guagc o the Norse MS., "Expeditions to Vinlund beea ^no ve J 
 
 n.e.p,eii matters of consideration, for that expedition was e Zo t 
 
 esteemed both lucrative and honorable." In these ancient cor K 
 
 for severa centuries, re|.eated allusions are made to t couiitt' 
 
 whose existence appears to have been generallv known t tl, ^ ^' 
 
 to^Z Europe. In an old Far^se bl Xld: a'^r 
 
 t.^ Swedish princes, are chronicled as crusaders into Vinland ^ 
 
 th love of Ingeborge, daughter of the king of Irel-ui it i 
 
 entered on the "Annals of W1.„„1'V. . o "i ^rtiand. Jt is 
 
 that in 1121 Fir.l- fl . 1 • \ V ^' contemporaneous authority), 
 
26 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 Ill 1285, Adalbrand and Thorvald, two brothers, whose names are 
 well known in Icelandic chronicles, touched uj>on a coast which, 
 i\-om their description, seems to have been the Ilellu-land of Leif; 
 and the name of "Nyja-fundu-land," (Newfoundland) which they 
 gave it, indicates that it was considered as a country already discov- 
 ered. It bears the same name, in English, at the jiresent day. Three 
 years afterwards, Eirek of Norway, interested by the particulars of 
 their cruise, sent another expedition in the same direction, the details 
 of which have not survived. Many other voyages, casual or inten- 
 tional, though unrecorded or lost to history, were undoubtedly made 
 in the course of the four centuries during which Scandinavian col- 
 onies flourished in Greenland. 
 
 In the fate of those colonies was involved the history of Vinland, 
 excepting the few particulars preserved in Iceland, most of which 
 we have briefly stated. A vast barrier of ice, which, according to 
 philosophers, at certain periods advances southward from the pole, 
 early in the fifteenth century cut off all communication between the 
 parent-country and its distant colonies of Greenland. When last 
 heard of, these consisted of two hundred and eighty villages; but 
 from the year 140fi, for nearly three centuries, nothing was learned 
 of their fate, and hardly a bark, except that of some adventurous 
 whaler, approached the dreary shores of Greenland. Extensive 
 ruins have since been discovered along the whole line of coast, but 
 no record of the fate of their inhabitants has survived. Isolated 
 from any succour from Iceland or Europe, and pinched by the 
 increasing coldness of the seasons, they probably perished by degrees, 
 and finally became extinct. Early in the last century, some colonies 
 were again planted by Denmark in the same inhospitable region. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that personages whose existence is well 
 known to history, are occasionally described, in old Norse manu- 
 scripts, as having voyaged to Vinland and other lands lying west of 
 the Atlantic. "To the South of habitable Greenland," says an 
 ancient work on geography, "there are uninhabited and wild tracts, 
 and enormous icebergs. The country of the Skra'llings lies beyond 
 these; Markland bc3^ond this, and Vinland the Good beyoncl the 
 last. Next to this, and something beyond it, lies Albania, that is, 
 Iluitramannaland, whither, formerly, vessels came from Ireland. 
 There several Irishmen and Iceljinders saw and recognized Ari, the 
 son of Mar and Kotlu, of Eeykianess, concerning whom nothing 
 had been heard for a long time, and who had been made their chief 
 
THE NORTHMEN IN AMEEIOA. g? 
 
 lt'\" .^"tf '"*' 1'^' ^'"^•" '^^"^ ^''' ^^''''-' it is elsewhere 
 frokn/ ?' 7^^7!^" ^^ ^«™P««'« '^ ^ ^^Sion lying far west of 
 the gL') nuitramanualand, or Irland it Mikla (Ireland 
 
 A most romantic account is given, in another chronicle, of the 
 adventures and fate of Biorn Asbrandson, an Icelandic her^ noted 
 for his exploits m Pomerania and Denmark. Eeturning to his nat ve 
 sland, he fell m love with Thurid, wife of an insular magnate and 
 in the frays provoked by the jealousy of the latter, slew feveril of 
 his ass^.lants. Like Eirek the Red, he was compelled to betke 
 himself to the ocean, and accordingly, about the year 998 set s^l 
 
 Landmg, they were seized by the natives, and were carried b.f 
 a great assembly, that their fate might be decided Frf,,' 
 gerous situation they were rescued^y an aged man t T ^"Ji 
 
 people of Iceland: ^d Z:^ Z^r^^ZTT' ^ 
 golden ring to her, and a sword to hn. t-- ^ ^^"^ » 
 
 tell his name, and hastened Ljlre o^^^^^^^^ '"' "'"^' '' 
 dangerous coast. In the 'lutunu. fl ^ ? '" ^"""'^ ^'""'^ ^^^ 
 
 a.Hl tbenee, in ihe fbt^^l^ ^^^^^ 
 where they delivered the ring to tt t d T^?, T Tj' '"'"^^■>' 
 Kiartan, of whom Biorn bnd 1 ^ ""^ ^"'^ ^^'"^ «^^-"''^l to 
 
 «l.;"n,.,„„, „„d tl,at 11,0 coast „„ wld. , .^n „1 r n ? ' '""''"""° 
 
 j«.tei..g f,.„.„ ti,o .,oscrip.i„„, ,v„„ : w; :' °;:t''vr,'''''""''' 
 
 »f A,„or,o,, p,.„bably below Now K„„h,„i ° ~'"' 
 • ^ "• '"'^''I'^^ity, cummoiily 
 
28 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OV IIISTOEY. 
 
 I 
 
 called the "Written Rook," and recording, it seems more than prob- 
 able, the visits of the ancient Northmen to this region. The greater 
 portion consists of Indian hieroglyphics, but there is one genuine 
 Icelandic fragment, representing, with little question, "one hundred 
 and fifty-one men," the exact number, it may be remembered, with 
 which Thorfinn, after the sailing of Thorhall and his eight compan- 
 ions, came to this spot. Other portions, among which sanguine anti- 
 quarians have imagined that they discovered the name of Thorfinn 
 himself, remain undeciphered. 
 
 It has been thought probable by sagacious archaeologists that other 
 colonies of European origin, from choice or accident, may have been 
 founded in the New World, anterior to its discovery by Columbus. 
 Mr. Catlin, the eminent Indian painter and historian, has, in an 
 ingenious essay, made it evident, thai, the famous Mandan tribe, 
 lately extinguished by the ravages of small-pox, may have been, in 
 part, of Welsh origin, and perhaps descended from the adventurers, 
 who early in the fourteenth century sailed westward, with Madoc, 
 prince of Wales, and never regained their native land. The com- 
 plexion of these people, though somewhat modified by intermixture 
 with aboriginal blood, was light, and their hair and features resem- 
 bled those of Europeans. Their language, in some respects, bore an 
 extraordinary similitude to the Welsh, and their light boats, formed 
 of hides stretched upon a frame, were almost identical in their con- 
 struction with ihe "coracles" still used on the Severn and the Wye. 
 This hypothesis, supported by much ingenious argument and illus- 
 tration, is certainly coherent, and may, very likely, be correct. 
 
PART II. 
 
 THE SPAIIAEDS II AMEEICA. 
 
 €kt Umnnm of €nlmnbu5, unJi $mmtni ni tijf l\M Urn,' 
 
 GHAPTEB L 
 
 COUNCIL OP 8ALAMANCA.-ION0KANCE AND 
 BIGOTRY OP ITS MEMBiJls. 
 
 but rospect,bl p L 2c •] r' "■ ", "'" ^'"" "'"■ "f <">-"- 
 or hiB n4ve ;. ie wo ' o"*^::' , '.l'?:"' ''^---.of .he,„„.„ 
 
 »-'<•, .111.1 posse„e°l of •! LT; , r ■'^™'' ""''■ "''■''"'':>' "f ">i<l.lle 
 lii-elf to pZgll *" ""■" "' ■""""■"° '"'■"'''"'K''. he betook 
 
I 
 
 80 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 That nation, justly entitled to the glory of the first revival of dis- 
 ' covcry and geography, was then borne on in the full tide of enter- 
 prise and success. Under the auspices of the adventurous and 
 enlightened Prince TIenry, much of the African coast had been 
 explored, and the Azores and the Cape de Verd islands had been 
 rescued from the oblivion of the ocean. His grand and arduous 
 project, the circumnavigation of Africa, and a maritime intercourse 
 with the shores of India, deferred by his death (1573), was afterwards, 
 with brilliant success, completed by the sovereign who succeeded him. 
 
 The a2)pearance of Columbus, at this time, is described as replete 
 with dignity and courtesy. His hair was already quite white, and 
 his demeanour was distinguished by grave and gentle authority. lie 
 was a devout Catholic, and strictly attached to all the offices of reli- 
 gion. Soon after his arrival, he married the daughter of one Pales- 
 trello, a navigator distinguished in the service of Prince Henry, and 
 some time governor of Porto Santo, the lesser of the Madeiras. The 
 charts and journals of the deceased mariner, delivered into his pos- 
 session, awakened in his mind a -strong interest in African discovery, 
 lie sailed occasionally to that coast, and, with his wife, resided fo^- 
 some time at Porto Santo. Ilis means were narrow, and he gained 
 precarious living, for the most part, by making maps and charts, an 
 occupation for which, by his education, his extended exjjerience and 
 close observation, he was eminentl}' qualilicd. 
 
 In this obscure and humble way of life, his mind was gradually 
 and slowly elaborating a scheme the most grand and momentous 
 which has ever been conceived by human genius, or carried out by 
 human courage and perseverance. Ilis occupation naturally incited 
 his thoughts to conjecture and speculation concerning the vast tracts 
 of ocean in which no snil had ever been spread, and uf whose 
 unknown shores no chart had ever been et)nstructed. Again and 
 again had mariners, driven westward a little beyond tlicir accustomed 
 course, told wondrous stories of mountninons islands, dimlv looniiu"- 
 on the western hori/.on, but still retreating before the bark of the 
 e.\|)lnrer. Such accounts, delusive but inspiriting, lent continual 
 encouragement to the thenry wliieh he had formed and tlie vast 
 desii;!! which he was projecting. 
 
 Tliiiuuli firmly believing in the sphericity of the earth, he had 
 singularly umlcMTated its size* — an error shared by many of the 
 leaiiuvl of his day. Toseanelli, a distinguished Florentine savant, 
 
 * "Till' world," he wiitrs, "is little — far siiuilliT tliiiii is comindiily ,suiipose<l." 
 
-_ja 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMEEICA. g^ 
 
 . to wliom, ill 147-1, ho announced his intention of sailing westward 
 , in search of Cathay (China), gave the opinion that the distance could 
 , not exceed four thousand miles; and the vast extent of the Orient 
 I '•' ;}l''';^''^ ^'y ^^^'^^^ ^^^^^^ appeared to conf.rna this hypothesis. ' 
 , btill, all was uncertainty. The mysterious ocean intervening 
 
 , between the Asian and European shores might be of vast and innav'^ 
 I igable extent, and filled with new and unheard of terrors The sail 
 I might be spread for those unknown regions, but who could tell if it 
 I should ever retrace the hazardous way-if fearful seas and currents 
 I would not ingulph the audacious keel, or some fixed and awful law 
 I of nature forbid the pos.sibility of return. These very doubts and 
 I rnarvels served, perhaps, only as new incentives to a mind alike 
 I danng romantic, and practical. It is certain that from the time 
 when the project of sailing westward to solve the grand problem of 
 the earth first entered the mind of this obscure wan^derer.'tie e 1, 
 menced a career of patience, perseverance, sagacity, aid courr 
 sue as the world, it is probable, had ne;cr ^vitnLd Th o t h 
 
 irom the first, to have had a premonition of the vastness and r.n 
 grandeur of his future discovery " ^""^ 
 
 "When Columbus," says Mr. Irving, "had formed his theory itis 
 singular the firmness with which it became fixed in his IT nd 
 te effect It produced upon his character and conduct. H ne"' 
 
 ::^u:;dt:r:mSi;:^^ 
 
 afterwards diverJ him f^-om thesteS^X:;:^^ r!!; -r^V:;^: ' 
 rcI,g,ou.s sentiment mingled with his meditations, and .avt tltm ^t 
 unes a tmge of superstition, but it was of a sub ime .n lof 1 1 A 
 lie looked upon him.self as standing in the hand I Ve f'wen 
 from among men for the accomplishment of its hi-di Tr o.o Tt' 
 
 ^^;:;,ids:r^'f::rri?!^^^ 
 
 prophets. The ends of the ear mv 1 ' . T """^ "' ^''^ 
 
 ail nations and tongues and C^ I'd ^df ' V^T''^^' ^1 
 the Kedeemer." ° """•"' ^'"^ ^'•"'"er of 
 
 But between the conception and the fulfilment nf .1 • , • i 
 
 V>M„„, to commnn,! il,„ „,ean, llff,, .'" '"'"'»='"■» 
 

 82 
 
 TlIK rKOri.K'S HOOK OK IIISTOUY. 
 
 1477, lio voy(V}j[('tl an hundrod loagiios bcyoiid rccliind, piohnbly to 
 tlio wcstwiinl, mill, if, insiy be, wiuitcd but a littU; of reviving tlui 
 nncii'iit (lisoovorii's ol' tlio Norllinioii, and tracking llio Hteps oC'I'lior- 
 flnn to tlio long-IoNt .sliorcn of V inland. 
 
 With tlio accosaion of John IL, in 1481, to tho tlironoof Portugal, 
 a now and brilliant era of ontorpriso coninionocd. 'i'hat oidigiitcin^d 
 and ambitious .sovonngn had inhciriti'd from his prodocossor, I'rinwj 
 llonry, tho noblo passion for discovory and maritimo advonturo. 
 Tho schemo for circmnnavigating Africa was resumed — a schomo, 
 in duo tiino crownod with tho most brilliant and profitablo sucirss; 
 and tho invontion of tho astrolabo or (luadraiit -an invention under- 
 taken directly in furtherance of naval adviuituro — rewarded the inge- 
 nuity of tho men of Hoionce who surrounded him. 
 
 At this favourable eiH)eh, Columbus, his i)roject fully matured, 
 presented himself before the sovereign, olVering his services in explor- 
 ing the quickest route to the long-coveted shores of India, lie pro- 
 ])oscd to sail due westward, and expressed his confidence that a 
 voyage of a thousand leagues would bring him to the island of 
 Ci[)ango or .Japan, famed from the glowing descriptions of Marco 
 Polo. The compensation which he demanded, in event of success, 
 was of a princely and magnincent nature — tho same, it is i)rol)able, 
 which he afterwards obtained from the sovereigns of Spain, and of 
 which iHMiury, disappointment, and the weariness of hojie long 
 deferred never could I'oree him to abate one jot or tittle. 
 
 John, whose ear was ever ojum to the voice of enterprise, referred 
 the project to his learned men, by whom it was Hummarily con- 
 demned as chimerical. The king, unsatisfied, and stimidated by tho 
 advice of his unprincipled confessor, now had the meanness and per- 
 fidy to attempt defrauding tho projector of tho glory and reward 
 of his magnilieent invention. Having gained possession of the plans 
 and chart,s of Columbus, he jirivately dispatched a vessel in the pro- 
 posed direction. But t.lu)sc so hastily called on to uiuh'i'take tho 
 tremendous adventure, were not upheld by tho jiationt enthusiasm 
 of its original autlK)r. The crew, meeting with stormy weather, 
 became discouraged, and rmally, in despair, put back into Lisbon. 
 Indignant at tiiis mean afteiupt to forestall his honours, the ag- 
 grievtnl jirojector, refusing to hearken to further overtures, quitted 
 the court abruptly, taking with him his little son Diego (1484). 
 Nothing, for some time, is known of his moveinonts, but his reap- 
 pearance was in distress and poverty 
 
I L V M U U ^ U K FU It E T II H CU UJVCI L O F S .< L 1 M jI .V C 4 . 
 
\ 
 
 \ 
 
 r .V c A . 
 
 
 THE SI'ANIAKUS IN AMERICA. oo 
 
 Near the little sea-port of Palos, iu Andalusia, stood and still stands 
 n.i ancient eonvent, named Santa Maria do Kabida. Ono dav a 
 weaned foot-traveller, leading a l.oj, stopped at the gate, and re- 
 quested of the porter a little bread and water for his child The 
 prior, Juan Pere., a man of attainments and of quick discernment 
 passing by chance, was struck with his demeanour, and still more 
 with h,s conversation. On hearing the grand project of Columbus 
 (for the wayfarer was no other) he was iilled witli admiration. The 
 wanderer was honourably entertained at the convent, and in the 
 ^pnng o I486, fortified with a letter to Talavera, the queen' con^ 
 fessor, set forth to try his fortunes at the Spanish ^ourt 
 In that court the most brilliant, perhaps, in Europe, the cold and 
 
 i bcral spirit of his consort, the high-minded Isabella of Castile- 
 and It was on her well-known love of science literature .ml ' 
 
 pnse, that the adventurer founded his Jefl^^^:^ "^ 
 discouragement attended his first attempts. The con e so r looked 
 --th no favour on his scheme. It was long before he Zd obtl a 
 an audience before the sovereigns, their whole attention trowed 
 
 -en^nceandenthnsiasmfg.dX:^;r 
 
 obhS:ndT°' ""^"" '' '"■"' "" ^^'^^^-^ -'^'-- -- finally 
 sit rl: o : n3' --^ ^y '- f t--.ts, resolved t^ 
 
 nianea. At^ Z r n^^^ ^t'Tf 'ridi'r " """""'V' ^^'^■ 
 n^ost learned and eminent sclolrs in 1 "", ''''' ''''"^^''^ '^'' 
 
 church dignitaries before wl om Z "°''"'"' '""'"^ ^''''' ^^'^ 
 
 unfold his^rojectednrrtTldr ^'^f .^"^^'-^ ^^ ^^--andod to 
 speech, he^stid the p::^^;:^ o^ ^^ll^^rS'to V ^'T^" 
 disappointment was encountered on all ..nlrAl . '"''"'' 
 
 l.ero,i«l conception The 1 ' -'T " '°, '" '""'«-^»"y, 
 
 bo otherwise than flat inste-Ti „f T '"■?"' ^'^ '^""'' '=<»■''• "<>' 
 
 Voi,. Ill _3 ^ "' '°"°''' "^•"S '1«" in both tbe Old 
 
 — ^ _J 
 
84 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORT. 
 
 and New Testaments, tlie lieaveiis were compared to a tent extended 
 over its surface. Others, admitting the possibility of its sphericity, 
 maintained that it was encircled by the torrid zone, an impassable 
 barrier of heat, ))recluding all cninmnnieation between the antipodes. 
 Ejiicnrus ha<l aflirmed that the sonthern liemisphere was a mere 
 chaos, and Lactantius Kirmianns had denied that there were antipodes 
 at all. If there were, and if a ship could really slide in safety over 
 the enormons ronnd, how was she ever to get up hill again? Iii 
 short, the majority of his learned auditors "entrenched themselves 
 behind one dogged position ; that after so many profound philoso- 
 phers and cosmograpliers had been studying the form of the world, 
 and so many able navigators had been sailing about it for several 
 thousand years, it was great presumption in an ordinary man to sup- 
 jiose tliat there remained such a vast discovery for him to make." So 
 great, in fine, were the prejudice, bigotry, and ignorance of a major- 
 ity of the council, that, though a (ew of the more intelligent were 
 convinced by his arguments or jiersuaded by his eloquence, the great 
 body of the assembly, after several fruitless conferences, utterly 
 refused to risk their reputation by any countenance to such an 
 unheard-of innovation. 
 
 kJ JuJj buoj ill J/ Ju iLX XX* 
 
 DELAY AND DISAPPOINTMENT EXPERIENCED DY COLUMBUS. — HIS 
 PINAL SUCCESS AND TUEATY WITH THE COURT OP SPAIN. — 01)- 
 STACLES TO THE PROJECT. — THE PINZONS. — SAILING OP THE 
 EXPEDITION. — PARTICULARS OP THE VOYAfiE. — PERSE- 
 VERANCE OF COLUMBUS. DISCOVEliYOFGUANAHANI. — 
 
 THE NATIVES. — ERRONEOUS EXPECTATIONS OP COLUMBUS. 
 
 Yeat?s passed b}', and Columbus, the victim of hope deterred, 
 still protracted his attendance at the Spanish court, gleaning a pre- 
 carious support from his industry, and occasionally assisted by the 
 liberality of his patrons. He fought against the floors in the cam- 
 paign of 1-189, and, it is said, with distingnislicd courage; but was 
 repeatedly disappointed in his hopes of obtaining a fresh interview 
 with the sovereigns. Rejecting, from a stern remembrance of past 
 
t oxteixlod 
 Hphericity, 
 iinpaaaablo 
 luitipodca. 
 ras n mcro 
 i.^ antipodes 
 Hafoty over 
 igain? Ill 
 tlicinselvcs 
 ul pliiloHO- 
 the world, 
 for several 
 lan to sup- 
 iKike." So 
 )f a major- 
 igcnt were 
 \ the great 
 es, utterly 
 such au 
 
 JUS. — ins 
 
 I>f. — OD- 
 OP TlIK 
 EltSE- 
 
 ;i, — 
 
 [BUS. 
 
 ! deterred, 
 ling a pre- 
 tod by the 
 1 the eani- 
 !; but was 
 interview 
 oe of past 
 
 THE Sl'ANIAKDS IN A.MERICA. 
 
 85 
 
 treachery, the renewed overtures of John If., he despatched his 
 l^n.ther Jkrtholoinow to Enghind, to seek the nid of Henry VII 
 in pro.secution of his enterpri.se. IIo also made ap[)lication to tho 
 powerful dukes of Me<lina Sidonia and Medina Cu'Ii ; but, after receiv- 
 ing some cneouragernent, was again thwarted in his wishes, and sick 
 at heart, took his way back to tho convent of Habida. 
 
 The worthy prior, grieved and scandalized at his ill-success, again 
 bestirred himself. Mounting his mule, he beto(,k him.self to court 
 and by his eUxiuenee so wrougiit upon the queen (whoso confessor 
 he had formerly been) that she at once recalled Columbus to her 
 presence. The sovereigns, with their army, were then encamped 
 .cl<;ro Granada, the last stronghold of the unfi.rtunate Moors; and 
 1.0 arrived in time to witness its memorable surrender. This lon-r 
 and exhausting contest finally decided, they found more leisure 
 to listen to schemes of enterprise, and accordingly appointed a-ents 
 (-nong them Talavera, archbishop of Granada) to confer with tie 
 Ijensevenng projector. At first all negotiation seemed fruitless, for 
 the.se high dignitaries, offended at the conditions attached to his pro- 
 posal utterly refused acce.ling to terms which they considered pre- 
 umptuous and arrogant in the extreme. Argun^nt was in vain, 
 le would yield absolutely nothing. Seven years had been wasted 
 at he Spamsh court, and he was now far advanced in life; y Ij' 
 uidefatigable man, on learning their adverse decision, forthwit 
 mounted his beast, and set off, to carry his scheme and Lis serv 
 to the court of France. 
 
 At this unfortunate issue, the fov^ friends of science and enterprise 
 were overwhelmed with mortification. They hastened to the Z 
 a 1 besought her that no unnecessary scruples should transfer to 
 other hands a project so momentous to the interests of Sn.n.i 
 the extension of Christianity. Moved by their I e , V^ v 
 resolved m favour of the scheme, and with a gene/ous nd ouee W 
 cnthusnism resolved that, if needful, the ver;jewels of h 'o-o ' 
 should be pledged to procure means for the expedition. An expr s 
 
 -hin..if again to ti.e^r::;r;:rrr;is'r::^ 
 
 of Ins mule, and journeyed back to Granada. 
 
 1 he interest and ambition of the sovereigns were now fully excited 
 and the terms demanded by the adventurer were at once aLXl to 
 Ihese were, indeed, of a princely and magnificent nature, and h d 
 
THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HI8T0EY. 
 
 good faith been observed by the crown, would have resulted in the 
 foundation of family honours and authorities greater than any sub- 
 ject ever received at the hands of a sovereign. He and his heirs for 
 ever were to enjoy the .title of "High Admiral of the Ocean Sea" 
 in all the lands and seas Avhich he should discover, with the office 
 of viceroy and governor-general, invested with almost absolute 
 authority; and for the due support of these high dignities, were 
 to receive an eighth of all profits accruing from the anticipated dis- 
 coveries (April, 1492). To the honour of Columbus, it must be said, 
 that with him these splendid offices and prospective emoluments 
 were not, in themselves, the ultimate reward of his exertions; but 
 only the means by which grander and more worthy schemes (to his 
 view) were to be accomplished. The Grand Khan, with the immense 
 regions under his sway, was to be converted to Christianity — perhaps 
 brought under allegiance to their Most Catholic Majesties. The Holy 
 Sepulchre, by the aid of the expected treasure, was to be rescued 
 from the infidels, and the Faith was to triumph throughout the 
 remotest regions of the earth. 
 
 The little sea-port of Palos, in consequence of some ofTence to the 
 crown, had been condemned by the council to furnish, when re- 
 quired, two caravels, or small undecked vessels, for the public ser- 
 vice. These little craft, with their crews, were now, by a royal 
 order, placed at the disposition of Columbus. The mariners of that 
 port were among the boldest and most skilful of any who ventured 
 into the dreaded waters of the Atlantic, or coasted along the newly- 
 explored shores of Africa; but when the nature of the proposed 
 expedition was made known, a general thrill of horror ran through 
 the whole community. To sail into an unknown, untraversed sea, 
 with no certain land to steer to, seemed, even to the boldest, the 
 enterprise of madness and a mere tempting of Providence, Every 
 frightful contingency which ignorance and superstition could sug- 
 gest, or ancient rumor confirm, was eagerly adduced against the auda- 
 cious project. Neither vessels nor mariners, despite the peremptory 
 orders of a despotic court, could be procured, and the enterprise 
 seemed at a stand, Avhen the wealth and influence of a single family 
 came successfully to its aid. 
 
 Martin Alonzo Pinzon, one of the ablest navigators of the place, 
 and his brother Vicente, persuaded by the arguments of Columbus, 
 now came forward, and threw all their weight in favour of the under- 
 taking. They furnished at least one vessel from their private means, 
 

 ilted in the 
 ,n any sub- 
 is heirs for 
 •cean Sea" 
 . the office 
 it absolute 
 ities, were 
 ipated dis- 
 ist be said, 
 mohiments 
 rtions; but 
 tnes (to his 
 e immense 
 T — perhaps 
 The Holy 
 be rescued 
 ighout the 
 
 3iice to the 
 , when re- 
 public ser- 
 3y a royal 
 ers of that 
 3 ventured 
 the iiewly- 
 ! proposed 
 m through 
 .•ersed sea; 
 oldest, the 
 !e. Every 
 could sug- 
 t the auda- 
 ereniptory 
 enterprise 
 igle family 
 
 the place, 
 Columbus, 
 the un der- 
 ate means, 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 87 
 
 and by their influence and authority the work went rapidly forward. 
 Every encouragement to those engaged in the project, even to an 
 exemption from the consequences of crime, was afforded by the court, 
 and by the beginning of August, 1492, three small vessels were 
 ready for sea. Aboard the Santa Maria, th'e largest of these and the 
 only one completely decked, Columbus hoisted his flag; another, the 
 Pinta, which had been pressed into the service, was commanded by 
 Alonzo Pinzon; and the third, a little caravel called the Nina, by 
 his brother Vicente. The crews amounted to an hundred and 
 twenty souls. 
 
 Letters were prepared by the sovereigns for delivery to the Grand 
 Khan, on whose territories it was supposed the expedition would 
 first light, and whose conversion, (an object of pious, but unrequited 
 zeal to many devout sovereigns,) it was now confidently expected 
 would be :numphantly brought about. Columbus, with all his peo- 
 ple, performed the solemn rites of confession and communion, amid 
 the lamentations of the whole community, most of whom had rela- 
 tions aboard, and regarded them as sailing, on a cruise of insanity 
 to assured destruction. On Friday, the 3d of August, 1492, at ei^hj. 
 o clock in the morning, this little squadron set sail, on an enterprise 
 the most venturesome and momentous ever undertaken by man 
 
 By the 9th of August, Columbus arrived at the Canary islands 
 where he remained three weeks to repair and to take in supplier' 
 and whence, on the 6th of Septemjber, amid the tears and lamenta- 
 tions of his crews, he again set forth in quest of an undiscovered 
 world. He steered due westward, charging the other commanders 
 to keep m company with him, and, after sailing seven hundred 
 oagnes, to lay to at night, lest they should strike on the coast of 
 India or Japan. Besides his accurate rec-koning, he kept for inspec- 
 tion of he crew a fictitious record, in which a considerable distance 
 was daily subtracted from the actual progress, lost they shouWbe 
 come disheartened at seeing the entire tract of ocean which nt . 
 vened between them and their homes 
 
 After sailing two hundred leagues, a vnriation of the needle was 
 observed, and excited much alarm among his people; but a lus b e 
 explanation allayed their fears. They were soon in the trade-wh d 
 and for many days sped westward with a smooth and steady mo^on 
 which, almost imperceptibly, bore them hundreds of leagues recUv 
 on their course. Te weather was delightfully mild an3 refresl h g 
 Day after day passed by, and no land met thc^aze ' 
 
 of tl 
 
 ;ic eager and 
 
88 
 
 THE I'EOl'LK'B HOOK OV HISTORY. 
 
 anxious mariners. Tlicy begiin to I'eur tliut, in tlioso unknown 
 regions of llic ocean, the wind might alway.s blow from tlio eastward, 
 and forbid the {)ossibility of return. (Jreat alarm was also -excited 
 by tlio apj)earanee of vast meadows of iloating sea-weed, tlirougli 
 whoso thick and tangled masses the ships with dilliculty forced their 
 way. ln"volvod in theso treacherous nets of the sea, or stranded on 
 submerged rocks beneath, far from any firm land, they would never, 
 they ci'ied, be able to regain their liomes. 
 
 'J^ho ])osition of Columbus was now critical and i:>erilou8 in the 
 extreme. His ignoi-ant followers, regarding him as a nuvniac, or as 
 one whom and)ition had made careless of life, were repeatedly on 
 the verge of nmtiny. A plan, it is said, was R)ntied f(.)r throwing 
 him into the sea, and alleging, on their return, that he had fallen 
 overboard by chance while surveying the heavens and the altitudes 
 of the stars. Nothing saved him but the calm and resolute authority 
 which ho maintained, cheering the timid by i)orsuasive arguments, 
 inciting the sanguine with promises, and awing the refractory with 
 open threats. By the first of October ho had sailed seven hunch'cd 
 leagues west of the Canaries, though his ciew supposed the distance 
 to be considerably less. 
 
 Ou the 7th ho altereil his course, and steered for three dayssouth- 
 Avest. No land appeared, and the crews, in a nuitinous manner, 
 clamored for return. It has been told, and oilen repeated, that, to 
 appease their impatience, he promised, if no land appeared in three 
 days, to turn his })rows to the eastward; but this story ajipears to 
 have been reported without sufllcient ground. On the contrary, 
 fmding his j)crsuasions inellectual, he told them sternly that he had 
 been sent to seek the Indies, and, till they were found, nothing should 
 induce lum to retrace his course. Overawed by his firmness inid 
 dignity, they yielded a sullen submission. On the evening of the 
 11th, the course wiis again altered to the westward. 
 
 Occasional specimens of fresh vegetation, and a stalT artificially 
 carved, had been lately picked up, and added greatly to the encour- 
 agement of their hopes. Every eye was now strained with eager 
 expectation,. and Columbus passed the night on the high cabin of 
 his vessel, anxious to be the personal discoverer of the expected land. 
 About ten o'clock, he saw a faintly gleaming and occasionally hidden 
 light in the west, which he regarded as the certain indication of an 
 inhabited land. At two in the following morning (October 12th,) 
 the I'inta, which was ahead of tlie. rest, ilrod a run, th.'." sjtrnal of 
 

 THE SPANIAKDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 89 
 
 discovery, and all lay to, uwuitiiig with intcrue expectation the 
 approach of morning. 
 
 Aa the day slowly dawned, a green and beautiful island was .seen 
 stretching before tlicni. Numbers of people, quite naked, were run- 
 ning on the beach, fdled witli auiazcnient at the strange ^pectaclo 
 which the night had conjured up on their shores. The admiral, in 
 full dress, bearing the royal standard, and gallantly attended, entered 
 his boat, and rowed to shore. Kissing the earth, with tears of joy, 
 he returned thanks to God. His people followed the example, arid 
 all, overwhelmed with joy, thronged around him, with embraces, 
 kissing his hands, and, in the intoxication of the moment, almost 
 adoring him. He proceeded to take a solemn and ceremonious pos- 
 session of the island, in the name of the Spanish sovereigns, calling 
 it San Salvador. Its native name was Guanahani, and it is one of 
 that long chain of Bahamas extending from Florida to IFayti. 
 
 The natives, who at first, terrified by the armour and gorgeous 
 array of the strangers, had ficd into the woods, now ventured Ibrtli, 
 and ai)proaclied the Spaniards, with many prostrations and signs of 
 adoration. They suj)posed that these wonderful beings had floated 
 from some celestial region, and gazed, with eager curiosity, on their 
 beards, their raiment, and the whiteness of their complexions. The 
 islanders themselves were of a cojjpcr hue, nearly naked, and orna- 
 mented with fantastic paintings. Su])posing himself near the eastern 
 shore of Asia, Columbus gave these people the name of Indians— a 
 term since applied to all the native races of the western hemisphere. 
 Their disposition was singularly amiable and affectionate. 
 
 The admiral gave them little i)resents, such as coloured beads and 
 hawk's-bclls, the tinkling sound of which tickled their ears surpris- 
 ingly, and which they received with rapture as gifts from the celes- 
 tial land. They cried to each other, he says, "with loud voices, 
 ' Come and see the vien who have come from heavm. Brinrj them victuals 
 and drink.'' There came many of both sexes, every one bringing 
 something, giving thanks to God, prostrating themselves on the earth 
 and lifting up their hands to heaven." Great numbers came ofi' in 
 their canoes to the vessels, bringing tame parrots and balls of cotton 
 yarn as offerings to the wonderful visitors. 
 
 Strong interest was excited among the Spaniards by the sight of 
 small ornaments of gold, which the natives wore in their noses, and 
 which they averred, by signs, was jirocured from the south-west. 
 Columbus understood them as describing, iu this vague species of 
 
40 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 communication, a great prince, who was served on vessels of that 
 precious substance; and his ardent imagination at once inferred that 
 he must be in the neighbourhood of Cipango, and of its gorgeous 
 potentate, described by Marco Polo. 
 
 CHAPTEE IIL 
 
 DISCOVERY OP OTHER BAHAMA ISLANDS. — CONTINUED EXPECTA- 
 TIONS OF FINDING ASIA. — DISCOVERY OP C U D A. — DISCO V- 
 ERY OP HAYTI, OR H ISP A N 10 I, A . — 'C H ARACTER OP THE 
 INHABITANTS. — THE CACIQUE OUACANAOARI. — THE 
 SANTA MARIA WRECKED. — I, A NAVIDAD FORTI- 
 FIED. — COI.UMliUS SAILS FOR SPAIN. — FURTHER 
 ADVENTURES WITH THE NATIVES. 
 
 4 
 
 On the evening of the 14th of October, tlie admiral got under 
 way, and left San Salvador, steering amid green and beautiful 
 islands, which appeared innumerable. He at once concluffed that he 
 was in that great archipelago, reported by his favourite author as 
 consisting of seven thousand four hundred and fifty-eight spice-bearing 
 islands, and lying off the eastern coast of Asia. On the 1 6th he landed 
 on, and took possession of another island, which he devoutly named 
 "Santa ^laria do la Concepcion," and where lie found the natives 
 friendly and confiding as before. At the island of Exuma, where 
 he next went on shore, the inhabitants, as usual, thronged 'around 
 him with their little offerings. The disposition of all these islanders 
 appears to have been eminently simple, amiable and unsuspicious. 
 "I am of opinion," says Columbus, in his journ.al, "that they would 
 very readily become Christians, as they appear to have no religion." 
 In Exumeta, where, in search of his Japanese potentate, the admi- 
 ral next touched, his soul, ever keenly sensitive to the beauties of 
 nature, was filled with rapture at the loveliness of the scenery and 
 the climate. In his communication to the sovereigns, he says, "It 
 seems as if one would never desire to depart from hence. I know 
 not where first to go, nor are my eyes ever weary of gazin<- on the 
 beautiful verdure. * * * Here are large ]akes,''and the 
 groves about them are marvellous, and here and in all the isljind 
 
THE SPANIABD8 IN AMERICA. 
 
 41 
 
 every thing is green, find the herbage as in April in Andalusia. The 
 singing of the birds is such, that it seems as if ono would never 
 desire to depart hence. There are flocks of parrots which obscure 
 the sun, and other birds, large and small, of so many kinds and so 
 different from ours, that it is wonderful; and besides, there are trees 
 of a thousand species, each having its particular fruit, and all of 
 marvellous flavor, so that I am in the greatest trouble in the world 
 not to know them, for T am very certain that they are each of great 
 value. * * * As I arrived at this Cape, there came 
 off a fragrance so good and soft of the flowers or trees of the landy 
 that it was the sweetest thing in the world." 
 
 The Indians here told him, that in a great island named Cub-> to 
 the southward, much gold abounded, and he understood them' as 
 describing large ships which came there to trade for spices and the 
 precious metals. His sanguine imagination at onco sprang to the 
 exultant conclusion, that this was the desired Cipango- Siat the 
 .shi{)s in question were those of the Grand Klian; and°that the ex- 
 pected fruit of his expedition lay ripe before him. Forthwith he got 
 underway (October 24th), resolved first to visit the island, and then 
 to cross to the mainland, and deliver his letters to the Khan 
 
 Three days he sailed south-west, and on the fourth, beheld the 
 high and mountamous shores of Cuba stretching before him The 
 squadron anchored in ii beautiful river, and the commander in his 
 boat explored the country, delighted with its beauty. The most 
 graceful of palms, differing from those of the Old World every 
 where met the eye; and he fancied that amid the varied perfumes of 
 tropical vegetation, he could distinguish the flavour of oriental spices 
 Coasting westward, the voyagers fell in with several villages in 
 which were found implements evincing considerable art and^iivre- 
 nuity. By another strange mistake, the result of imperfect com- 
 munication with the natives, Columbus now concluded that he was 
 on the mainland of India, and, by his interpreters, endeavoured to 
 reassure the alarmed villagers, and to convince them that he had no 
 connection with the Khan, whom he supposed the object of their 
 especial terror. Encouraged by the friendly message, though part of 
 It only was mtelligible, they ventured, in great numbers, to the .ship. 
 Ihe admiral, supposing that the capital of Tartary, the seat of tlie 
 Great Khan, could lie at no great distance in the interior, dispatched 
 messengers in quest of it~among them a converted Jew, whom he 
 had taken out expressly to further conmmnicution with that poten- 
 
42 
 
 THE PEOl'LE'S BOOK OF HISTOKY. 
 
 tatc, ami wlio was equipped with a knowledge of Hebrew, Chaldaic, 
 and Arabic. Penetrating the country for some distance, this embassy 
 caiuo upon a village of a thousand inhabitants, from Avhoni they 
 received great reverence and hospitality, but on whom the oriental 
 learning of the interpreter wiis quite thrown away. These people 
 smoked a fragrant herb, prepared in rolls, which they called Taba- 
 cos— a name since universally applied to the plant itself. Much cot- 
 ton was cultivated by them, and manufactured into the simple articles 
 which a tropical climate requires. 
 In the south-east, Columbus was now informed, was a land called 
 " l^abccjuc, rich in gold, which the people there hammered into bars. 
 From this, and from the name Quisqueya, which they occasionally 
 used, he concluded at once that the latter could be no other than 
 Quisai, the celestial city of the Khan, described, with such lavish 
 ornament, by the enthusiastic Polo. Accordingly, turning from a 
 couise which would soon have taken him to the mainland of Amer- 
 ica, Columbus, on the 12th of October, retraced his way, sailing in 
 quest of the ever-fleeting Land of Promise. During this voyage, 
 rendered tedious by balUing winds, Martin Alonzo Pinzon, whose 
 vessel, the Pinta, was the fleetest of the squadron, deserted him, and 
 was st)on lost to sight. The admiral slowly worked his way east- 
 ward ah)ng the shore, making fresh surveys, and falling in with new 
 tribes of the natives. Their canoes, hollowed from the Ceyba-tree, 
 were of gigantic size— some of them, he says, being capable of accom- 
 modating an hundred and flfty persons. It was not until the 5th of 
 December, that the voyagers, having rounded the eastern extremity 
 of Cuba, beheld a new land, high and mountainous, rising in the 
 south-east. 
 
 It was the beautiful and unfortunate island of Ilayti, on which 
 Columbus, in honour of his adopted country, bestowed the name of 
 Ilisjianiola, but which has since resumed its native appellation. On 
 landing, a party was dispatched into the, interior, and found a large 
 village, the inhabitants of which fled at their approach. Encouraged 
 by the assurances of an interpreter, they at length ventured back, 
 to the number of two thousand, and with gestures of the deepest 
 reverence and submission, deceived the mysterious strangers. Every 
 tribute of simple hospitality was ailbrdcd them, and the Indians 
 brought, among other offerings, great numbers of tame parrots, as 
 presents for their guests. Some of these birds had yellow rings on 
 their necks, a peculiai'ity which Pliny had remarked of the parrots 
 
 
, Chaldaic, 
 is embassy 
 bom tbey 
 ac oriental 
 :;so people 
 lied Tuba- 
 Much cot- 
 jle articles 
 
 and called 
 into bars, 
 icasionally 
 )ther than 
 ich lavish 
 ig from a 
 of Arner- 
 sailing in 
 s voyage, 
 on, whoso 
 i him, and 
 way east- 
 with new 
 eyba-tree, 
 of accoin- 
 ho 5th of 
 extremity 
 ag in the 
 
 on which 
 ) name of 
 tion. On 
 id a large 
 , CO u raged 
 I'cd back, 
 e deepest 
 3. Every 
 3 Indians 
 arrets, as 
 rings on 
 e parrots 
 
 1 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 43 
 
 It h \ 1 ""^^'^r'"'''"^ ''" ^-'^"^'^"^^ «°"^i^*i°- -f Columbus 
 thathe had arrived on some unknown shore of the Orient The 
 
 opmion was not confined to him. "The popiniays and many oth r 
 tungs, afterwards wntes the learned Peter Martyr, "doe dee e 
 that these lands .arour somnokat of India, eyther bdng near vnl 
 It, or else of the same nature." 
 
 The voyagers were enchanted at the beauty of the island the 
 deheious mildness of the climate, and the gentle manners of t e 
 kindly inhabitants Seldom has the savage' life been found in a 
 form more hairpy innocent, and alluring, than that depicted by the 
 early voyagers to these fortunate shores. The continual struggb for 
 shelter warmth, and food, which in general forms the miser^ of an 
 uncivihzed people was here almost entirely unknown. Th^e milT 
 ness of the air and l^^ie exuberant fertility of the earth freed them 
 from the first evils of barbarism, and their mild and gentle temped 
 arnent of character allayed the usual ferocity of sfvage enn.i y 
 War was unfrequent and not sanguinary, and in general tlie varioT 
 tribes mingled together througliout the islands in perfect confid nee 
 and friendliness. Columbus is warm in their praise. "They are a 
 very loving race," he informs the sovereigns, "and without covetous- 
 tjess; they are adapted to any use, and I declare to your Ili^hntses 
 that there IS not a better country nor a better people in the .omZI 
 hese. They love their neighbours as they do themselves, and li 
 language is the smoothest and sweetest in the world bein^r alwTv. 
 uttered with smiles. They all, both men and wome'r^o Sy 
 naked; bu your Highnesses may be assured that thev possess my 
 commendable customs; their king is served with great reveren e 
 and every thing is practised with such decency that it is highly pleas^ 
 ang to witness It." ''They display," he says, dsewhere, "a fi, knots 
 an liberality in the r demeanour, which no one would believe ." h 
 ou witnessing ,t. No request of any thing from them is ever refused, 
 bu they rather invite acceptance of what they possess, and manife.s 
 such a generosity, they would give away their own hearts " He set 
 up crosses for their e,lification, and, from the readiness with which they 
 
 ma urely, that they were ripe and ready for conversion. They will- 
 ingly gave their guests what gold they had, and still repeated the allur- 
 ing accounts of islands, richer in the coveted ore, lying still beyond. 
 A cacique or native chief of high rank, named Guacanagar( had 
 dispatched an embassy of welcome to the strangers, and had enter- 
 
44 
 
 THE PEOPLE S BOOK OF IIISTOEY. 
 
 tained at his town, with great kindness and hospitality, the mes- 
 sengers sent in return. But while sailing to the residence of this 
 friendly chief, a great misfortune befell the admiral, in the loss of his 
 ship, which, owing to the carelessness of the marineis, ran on a shoal 
 in the night, and by the force of the sea and current, was soon reduced 
 to a wreck. The crews of both, vessels were now crowded into the 
 little caravel Nina, the only one remaining under his command. 
 
 The worthy cacique, with his people, did all he could to alleviate 
 the misfortune. In their light canoes, the Indians unladed the shat- 
 tered vessel, carrying its contents on shore, and religiously guarding 
 them, even to the smallest article, though in their eyes of inestimable 
 value, for the use of the owners. Guacanagari himself, shedding 
 tears of sympathy, went on board, comforting the admiral for his loss, 
 and generously offering all that he possessed. His people brought 
 in considerable gold, which they readily exchanged for trifles; and 
 tlie chief, observing the comforting effect of this circumstance on the 
 minds of his guests, assured them that in the mountains abundance 
 of that metal was to be found, at a place which he called Cibao, and 
 which Columbus, as a matter of course, concluded could be no other 
 than the long-sought Cipango. 
 
 So charmed were the crews with the gentleness and kindness of 
 their entertainers, that a number now besought of the admiral per- 
 mission to remain on the island, rather than voyage to Europe in the 
 crowded caravel. This scheme was approved, and all hands, with 
 the assistance of the natives, set eagerly to work at breaking up the 
 wrecked vessel, and constructing a fortress of its materials. Guns 
 were mounted for its defence, and the admiral bestowed on it the 
 pious title of La Navidad or "The Nativity." Thirty-nine volun- 
 teers, under command of Diego de Arana, composed the garrison, 
 and Columbus gave them strict directions for their conduct, espe- 
 cially enforcing the necessity of just and conciliatory treatment of 
 the nati ves. The good cacique promised his assistance and protection, 
 and with tears of regret took leave of his departing guests. The 
 little caravel Nina, freighted with the momentous tidings of the dis- 
 covery of a new world, on the 4th of January, 1493, set sail for the 
 shores of the old. 
 
 Two days afterwards, while slowly coasting along against bafUing 
 winds, to the surprise of Columbus, he saw the Pinta coming before 
 An easterly wind. The vessels joined company, and the admiral 
 thtiught best to accept the excuses of Pinzon, who averred thatncei-' 
 
THE SPANIARDS 1 iN AMERICA. 
 
 45 
 
 dent alone had prevented bis rejoining the squadron. But, in truth 
 he had sailed in quest of an island, which he supposed to abound in 
 gold; and had lately been engaged in collecting that metal at Hayti 
 and m kidnapping the Indians. These, however, the admiral com- 
 pelled hnn to restore to their homes. In his own vessel, he carried 
 six of the Indians, whom he had induced to accompany him, to 
 instruct as interpreters, as well as for presentation at the court of 
 Spain, as specimens of the inhabitants of the newly-discovered land 
 Proceeding along the shore, the returning voyagers anchored in 
 the gulf of Samana, and were presently engaged in combat with the 
 Ciguayans-a bold and warlike race of mountaineers, who.se arrows 
 and heavy swords of .palm-wood indeed proved of no avail against 
 the steel and fire-arms of the Spaniards. They were put to flight 
 and two of them were wounded— "and thus were spilt the first drops 
 of that vast ocean of blood, which for three centuries has been poured 
 out by the unhappy aborigines of all America, as a libation to the 
 cruelty and avarice of the European races." Despite this untoward 
 commencement of their acquaintance, peace and friendliness were 
 speedily restored between the combatants; and the Indian chief 
 having visited the ship, pleased with his entertainment, presented 
 to Columbus his coronet of gold-a token of royal generosity with 
 which Guacanagan had already complimented his visitor. 
 
46 
 
 THE I'EOPLE'S BOOK HISTORY. 
 
 CHAPTER I?, 
 
 THE VOY AOR TO SPAIN. 
 
 -rERII, PROM TEMPESTS. — llEFLECI. 
 
 TION.i OF COLUMBUS, — PERFIDIOUS CONDUCT OF A PORTU- 
 GUESE. — COLUMBUS ARRIVES AT LISBON. — MORTIFICA- 
 TION OP KINO JOHN. — THE ARRIVAL AT PALOS.— 
 DEATH OF PINZON. — SPLENDID RECEPTION OP THE 
 ADMIRAL AT COURT. — HONO RS CONFERRED ON 
 HIM. — HIS SECOND VOYAGE. — GREAT EXCITE- 
 MENT, — DISCOVERY OF DOMlNiCA, OUADA- 
 LOUPE, PORTO RICO, ETC. — ADVENTURES 
 WITH THE CANNIBALS. 
 
 On the Ifitli of January the vessels again set sail, but, until the 
 commcnooment of the following month, were delayed by adverse 
 winds. They then, for a time, made good headway, but on the 14th 
 of February, in a tremendous storm, the Pinta was lost sight of, and 
 all the nautical skill of Columbus, equal to that of any man of his 
 day, was required to keep his little open craft alive in the tempestuous 
 seas of the Atlantic. Many pious vows and penances were under- 
 taken—one being that, at the first land they touched, the admiral 
 and all the company, barefooted and in their shirts, should go to offer 
 up prayers to the Holy Virgin. That the tidings of his g"rand dis- 
 covery might by chance survive, if the vessel should founder, 
 Columbus now wrote briefly two accounts of his voyage, one of 
 which, imbedded in wax, he placed in a barrel and Hung overboard 
 —the other, secured in like manner, he placed on the stern, that it 
 might fl.^nt off, when the vessel should be ingulphed by the waves 
 
 His natural grief at the prospect of such an obscure and drearV 
 end to Ins noble achievements and still grander anticipations, was 
 heightened by the lamentations of his crew, and the remembrance 
 as he simply states, of the threats and menaces by which he had 
 compelled them to complete the voyage. "I could have supported 
 this evil fortune," he piou.sly writes to his patrons, "with le.^s grief, 
 had my person alone been in jeopardy, since I am a debtor for my 
 life to the Supreme Creator, and have at other times been within a 
 step of death. But it was a cause of infinite sorrow an.l trouble to 
 think that, after having been illuminated from on high with faith 
 
THE SPANIARDS IN AMKBICA. 
 
 47 
 
 and certainty to undcrtnko this enterprise; after iiaving victoriously 
 achieved it, and when on the point of convincing my upponcnts un'd 
 securing to your highnesses great glory and vast increase of doniin- 
 ion, it should please the divine majesty to defeat all Ijy my death 
 * * * * And although, on the one hand, I was com- 
 forted by a faith that the Deity would not permit a woik of such 
 great exaltation to his church, wrought through so many troubles 
 and contradictions, to remain imperfect; yet, on the other hand I 
 reflected on my sins, for which he might intend as a punishment that 
 I should be deprived of the glory which would redound to mo in 
 this world." 
 
 On the ir)th, during the continuance of the gale, the tempest-to'=scd 
 
 caravel finally made land; and, three days afterwards, w;is enabled 
 
 to anchor under the lee of St. Mary's, the most southern of tlic 
 
 Azore Kslands. Great curiosity was excited by her arrival and tlie 
 
 Portuguese governor dispatched jiresents and courteous messages to 
 
 the admiral, though with treacherous and m lignant intent This 
 
 presently appeared; for half the crew, while performing thei'r pious 
 
 vow in a chapel of the virgin, were set upon by a rabble route of 
 
 the islanders, horse and foot, headed by that functionary himself 
 
 who, however, was grievously di.sappointed at not getting possession 
 
 of the person of Columbus. It was not until the 2'6d that the 1-ittcr 
 
 could regain his men; and on the following day, wounded at' this 
 
 ungenerous reception at the hands of civilised men, (so different from 
 
 that of lus kindly entertainers the savage Ifaytians,) he again got 
 
 under way, and steered for Spain. j ,j ^ i^oi 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1493, the little craft, preserved amid so many 
 pe . Is, entered the mouth of the Tagus. The greatest curiosity and 
 exc temen immediately prevailed. The river was covered with 
 boats; and King John, aware of the magnitude of the achievement 
 received the discoverer with high honours, though secretl v devrred 
 with chagrin at the remembrance of the perfidy bv which he h 
 
 ^Z'^ZZ ^'^'" P '''•'^'''''' pri.o'now' rescued W 
 the depth of the ocean. Rejecting a proposal for the assassination 
 of Cokimbus, suggested by his more unprincipled advisers he re 
 so ved forthwith to dispatch a powerful force to anticipate Sp n n 
 the seizure of the tempting lands just brought to liHu ' 
 
 On the loth, Columbus once more cast anchoiMn the port of 
 ralos. whence a little more than seven months before he od'Taken 
 Ins departure on this most eventful of voyages. The whole om" 
 
48 
 
 THE PKOl'LK'8 UOOK UV HISTORY. 
 
 munity was entranced with joy; the bella wore rung, nnd a solemn 
 procession was made to the church. In the midst of these rejoicings, 
 the ririta reentered tlio harbour. Tinzon, who hud touclied at Buy- 
 onne, and thence, with the air of a great discoverer, had di.spatched 
 liis tidings to the court, was filled with consternation wheu he beheld 
 the vessel of his cominander, which he had supposed swallowed up 
 in the ocean, riding safely in the harbour. Ho kept in private, and 
 in a few days died of a broken heart, his end being hastened by a 
 reproachful letter which ho received from the sovereigns. Such wa8 
 the melancholy fate of a man whose daring, liberality, and enterprise 
 so materially contribuied to the discovery of the New World, but 
 all whose high qualities, by treachery and insubordination, missed of 
 the renown to which they would otherwise have been justly entitled. 
 The court of Spain, filled with exultation at the magnificent tid- 
 ings, summoned the successful adventurer to Barcelona; and, having 
 commenced his preparations for a second voyage, he journeyed 
 thither tlirough roads beset by crowds of curious and admiring 
 gazers. A great multitude, headed by nobles and cavaliers, went 
 forth from the city to meet him; and as he passed in triumphal pro- 
 cession through the streets, all gazed with intense curiosity on the 
 trophies of the unknown world— on coronets and ornaments of gold, 
 the gift of Indian kings— on the gay birds from the forests of the 
 Antilles— on the tawny natives of the new land— and most eagerly 
 on the majestic person of the great discoverer, already venerable 
 with years, and of a presence and demeanour whose natural nobility 
 seemed adequate to the magnitude and grandeur of his achievement. 
 The sovereigns, in a great public assembly, rose from their thrones 
 to receive him— an honour, in that proud and punctilious court, 
 accorded only to royal visitors. In an eloquent and touching nar- 
 rative, he recounted his adventures, and all present, moved to tears 
 by the extraordinary occasion, fell on their knees and returned thanks 
 to God, while a thrilling Te JJeum, chanted by the royal choir, went 
 up to Heaven. 
 
 The most splendid acknowledgment of his services was now made 
 by the grateful sovereigns to their long-neglected j^rotcje. In addi- 
 tion to the high honours and dignities already acquired by his suc- 
 cess, he was allowed to quarter the royal arms with his own, and to 
 add a group of islands surrounded by the waves, with the magni- 
 ficent legend: 
 
I a solemn 
 rejoicings, 
 ed at Bay- 
 liHpatcjlied 
 ho beheld 
 llowed up 
 ivatc, and 
 oncd by a 
 Such was 
 enterprise 
 'orld, but 
 missed of 
 y entitled, 
 ficcnt tid- 
 d, having 
 ourneyed 
 admiring 
 ers, went 
 phal pro- 
 ty on the 
 ;8 of gold, 
 sts of the 
 t eagerly 
 i'enerable 
 1 nobility 
 evement. 
 r thrones 
 us court, 
 ling nar- 
 i to tears 
 !d thanks 
 oir, went 
 
 ow made 
 In addi- 
 ' his suc- 
 n, and to 
 3 magni- 
 
!f' ''I i' 
 
 I I 
 
 <■ II i; I V •/■./ ; // ; /,■ , ,, i, , .,/ ,,. , .v, 
 
 T UK n I s c O V K II i: R Of- A M E II 1 r A . 
 
 '"'KN NKAR UKN..A AMOIT ua",; niSC.VKHKl) TliK WKST INDIIOS, OCTOBKH ,■> „■«; 
 DISCOVKKKO socril AMKKICA. AlinST 1, UIH; Dim MAV »1, ir-W. 
 
THE SPANIAKDS IN AMUKICA. 
 
 «POR CASTILLA Y POR LEON 
 NUEVO MUNDO HALLO COLON."* 
 
 49 
 
 Tlnoughout Europe the lutolligenee of his wonderful achievement 
 was received with the highe.t rapture and exultation-nor eou^d a 
 spnt akc his have des.red a litter reward than in the generous tar! 
 of joy and enthusiasm wliich men of learning ^nrl „ 
 reported to have shed on hearing of U.^tMt:rirE:i 
 htnd, says a contemporary, at the court of Henry VII., the whofe 
 u uir was commonly considered "a thing rather divine thin human " 
 Ihe real grandeur and importance of the discovery, indeed ^vet 
 were not even conjectured, and all this exultation'.ppe s'to have 
 been founded on the practical demonstration of the roundnes oHhe 
 earth, and the fact that its complete survpv n,wi 
 
 .!«. ,!.„,„ ., „,. _,,'."i."s; "■" "■" 
 
 invested with unlimited ri'dit of dic;pn,ro,.,, a fiiieady 
 
 time, brought L riv„l maio„rh " o Jt „ "^ 'V"" 
 
 the globe. John, indeed, a. this ver/ ,e ,° l't7"f -""« °' 
 ful armament, inten.Iod to anti,.in,f„^ °"' " 1*""™'- 
 
 Indies, bn. ^<=^tijl!lX^^^^^ ^T'T "' "'' """ 
 an infinity of iMri..„e and ati™ 1 P"''"-'' "'«' »""=■■ 
 
 settled for a time ^ZtZZt^TT'"" ";° '""'"' "•'•'^ 
 and seventy leagueJwest of the A 'l, """"^ '° "'™ '"'"'"'' 
 
 i.. mi™":,^ rtt!^' :z!.r™;t"' r "°" '"*™"^ ™=""'-' 
 
 impor.ar,ee of the diseoX! 'Tri: , de wT"'""* "'"' ''" 
 pa.io,,of„clneveme„tsstilln,orebrill^,;;f 't ■"';'7'''r"'r" 
 
 ^vhich had well-nlh proven frui' ^'^ ''■^•''"'"■^' «"^«'-««"^«»t, 
 
 .« on its oLi^-t:: t:-r tr :- ^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 * "For Castile nnd for Leon 
 
50 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOEY. 
 
 an uiKlertn,king already so prosperously begun. The only difficulty 
 was in selecting from the host of ardent volunteers, who, moved 
 by cupidity for wealth, ambition for fame, or zeal for conversion, 
 thronged eagerly to join their fortunes to the enterprise. "Ilere- 
 iipon," says Galvano, "there grewe such a common desire of trauaile 
 among the Spanyards that they were ready to leape into the sea to 
 swim, if it had been possible, to those new found parts." 
 
 With remarkable promptitude, seventeen vessels were equipped, 
 and loaded with materials for the foundation of a colony. Twelve 
 pious ecclesiastics were provided for the conversion of the natives — 
 an object deeply at heart with the benevolent Isabella. It had been 
 intended that only a thousand persons should embark in the expe- 
 dition; but by stealth, importunity, or favour, at least fifteen hun- 
 dred got on board. The multitudes of disappointed applicants wlio 
 thronged the shores and watched the departing sails, regarded them 
 as the most fortunate of mortals. On the 25th of September, 1493, 
 with all his honours confirmed and augmented, and with the happi- 
 est auspices of success, Columbus set sail, with favourable breezes 
 from the harbour of Cadiz. The commencement of this voyage, and 
 the busy days which preceded it, were undoubtedly the happiest of 
 his life. For one brief interval, the brilliant sunshine of prosperity 
 shone fairly on a life clouded, almost throughout its duration, by per- 
 secution, misfortune, or neglect. 
 
 At the Canary islands, with a provident forethought, M'hich added 
 greatly to the future wealth and comforts of the New Woi'ld, the 
 admiral took on board a variety of live stock, and a quantity of the 
 most useful plants and seeds; and then, on the 13th of October, once 
 more launched fortli into the Atlantic, now by his genius and bold- 
 ness for ever divested of its ancient imaginary terrors. The wind 
 was propitious and the fleet sped rapidly westward — keeping a course, 
 however, rather more to the soutliward than in the former voyage, 
 with a view to effecting fresh discoveries on its way. On Sunday, 
 the 3d of November, the lofty peaks of Dominica (so named in 
 honour of its discovery on the Loi'd's Day,) were hailed with shouts 
 of exultation. With a gentle breeze, the fleet swept onward into 
 that splendid archipelago, whose summer islands unite every beauty 
 and variety of tropical and mountainous scenery. One of these, at 
 which the admiral touched, is still called ^farigalantc, after the name 
 of his ship. 
 
 On the -Ith, he landed at Guadaloupe, where the natives fled in alarm 
 
 I 
 
y difficulty 
 ho, moved 
 jonversion, 
 e. " Here- 
 of trauaile 
 > the sea to 
 
 equipped, 
 '. Twelve 
 3 natives — 
 t had been 
 1 the expe- 
 fteen hun- 
 ieaiils wlio 
 irdod them 
 aber, 1498, 
 
 the hajjpi- 
 ole breezes 
 oyage, and 
 ■lappiest of 
 
 prosperity 
 oil, by per- 
 
 hich added 
 World, the 
 itit}' of the 
 tober, (Mice 
 3 and bi)ld- 
 
 The wind 
 ig a course, 
 ler voyage, 
 n Sunday, 
 
 named in 
 \'ith sliouts 
 iward into 
 ery beauty 
 )f these, at 
 ■r the name 
 
 ed in alarm 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 51 
 
 from the footsteps of the white men, leaving their villages deserted. 
 In their huts, whieh were neat and comfortable, the Spaniards found 
 various ingenious implements, and to secure the good-will of the 
 fugitives, bound hawk's-bells and other trinkets upon the children 
 which, in their hasty flight, had been left behind The vis tors' 
 however, ere long, were horrified at discovering numerous humln 
 remains, such as skulls converted into" drinking vessels and oSier 
 domestic utensils. ''Our men," says a contemporary, "found In S 
 houses all kinds o eart^iien vessels, not much v;i]ike unto or 
 1 h y fo ind also in their kytcliens, mans flesh, duckes flesh, & goose 
 flesh, dl m one pot, and other on the spits ready to be layd tf the 
 fire Entriiig into their inner lodginges, they found fa.^ottes of 
 he bones of mens armes and legges, which they reserue°fo mak 
 leades for their arrowes, because thej lack iron, the other bones 
 they cast a.^y when they have eaten the flesh. They found like 
 wise tlie head of a yong man fastened to a j.ost, and y^t bleeding' 
 Ihese people were the Caribs, a fierce race of cannibals, of whom 
 the Spaniards had heard on the former voyage, and from whom th^ 
 lands and the adjacent sea still take their name. The aecouilof 
 their enormities were received with lively interest in Europe as eon 
 firming the reality of cannibalism, which by many had been sun 
 posed a mere figment of poetry, engendered in the lively iniagTnat ons 
 of the ancient Greek writers. ""aginations 
 
 At tliis island tlio fleet was detaincl for several days, awaitin. the 
 
 lies and cruell countenances tlian do tiie li™,. , f r i • , 
 poreoine tliciselnes to bee boiin i "l vit rt!?-^''' "''"" "l? 
 .0 beliold t„™, but ,10 sliall feele lii:'^^: els gl tr^th^rtate 
 
52 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOEY. 
 
 • CHAPTER?. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE FLEET AT HAITI. — THE DESTRUCTION OF LA 
 
 NAVIDAD. — CITY OF ISABELLA FOUNDED. — EXPEDITIONS 
 
 TO THE INTERIOR. — SUFFERINGS AND DISCONTENT OF THE 
 
 COLONISTS. — EXPEDITION OF COLUMBUS TO THE WEST. 
 
 DISCOVERY OF JAMAICA. INTERCOURSE WITH THE 
 
 NATIVES. — TEDIOUS COASTING ALONG CUBA. — SUP- 
 POSED TO BE A PORTION OF ASIA. — EXTRAORDIN- 
 ARY PROCESS. — THE RETURN VOYAGE. 
 
 Still keeping north-west, the fleet discovered and touched at the 
 beautiful island of Boriquen or Porto liico, and after making further 
 discoveries, by the 22d arrived at the eastern extremity of ilayti. 
 The Indians came off to the ships with their accustomed confidence 
 and friendliness; but terrible misgivings were soon awakened by 
 the discovery of several bodies decaying on the shore, one of whicli, 
 from its beard, was evidently that of a Spaniard. On the 27th, in 
 the evening, the voyagers arrived off La Navidad, and fired cannon 
 as a signal to their friends on shore. No salute was given in reply, 
 and all on board remained in a state of grievous suspense, until the 
 arrival of messengers from Guacanagari, during the night, coulirmed 
 their worst apprehensions. 
 
 After the departure of Columbus, it would appear, the turbulent 
 and mutinous spirits, whom he had left behind, soon abandoned all 
 restraint, quarrelled with each other, and maltreated the Indians. 
 Eleven of tliem, athirst foi- the possession of treasure, had .set out for 
 the golden region of Cibao, a region ruled by the fierce Carib Caonabo, 
 who had obtained the sovereignty of that province, and was an object 
 of terror to all the surrounding chieftains. Jualous of the intru.sion, 
 he had massacred the adventurers, and tlien, joining his forces to 
 those of a 'leighbouring cacique, had stealthily marched to the attack 
 of the Ibi'tress. The garrison, surprised in the dead of niglit, after a 
 vain resi.staiice, were .shuightered to a man; and the village of Gua- 
 canagari, who faithfully stood by his guests, was burned to the ground. 
 These disastnjus tidings were ccjiiiirmed by the scene, which the 
 morning light revealed to the eyes of the Spaniards. The ibrtress 
 lay m ruins, ami the Indian village in ashes. Guacanagari was found 
 
 •^p— ^ 
 
 HHHIH 
 
 m 
 
 1 ■ M 
 
 
 " M 
 
 
 ' .« 
 
 
THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 Suffering from a wound received in the contest, and shed tears over 
 the misfortunes of his allies and his people. Several of the latter 
 were wounded, evidently by Indian weapons 
 
 Despite these confirmatory circumstances, many of the Spaniards 
 doubted the truth of the tale, and insisted that aLcanagariTmself 
 had shared m the destruction of his visitors. Father Boyl, the ch 
 01 the fnars, advised his immediate execution. But 6olumbus 
 believing him innocent exchanged presents with their accustomed 
 friendliness and invited him aboard ship. The chieftain and his 
 people were again fi led with amazement at the new and marvellou 
 productions of the old world, or, as they still supposed, of the distan 
 realms heaven; and gazed with especial wonder on the horsTs 
 now for the first time beheld , by Indian eyes. But he saw tl^ to 
 many he was an object of suspicion and hostility, and by refasii ' to 
 wear the cross, he increased the ill-will of the mte faZ!TZ^ 
 afterwards, he re rcated into the mountains, taking with him some 
 Indian women, whom the Spaniards had cap'tured on their v^y, and 
 whom he succeeded in enticing from the ships 
 
 Leaving this ilbomencd neighbourhood, on 'the 7th of December 
 the governor weighed anchor, and proceeded in quest of a more 
 favourable location for his settlement. About ten leagues eaTof 
 the lo% promontory which he named Monte Christi, alve se 1 
 compel cd him to put into a harbor. The place pres ntcd g ea nat 
 nral advantages, as well for building as fortification. Two r ve,s 
 flowed into 1 , and the golden mountains of Cibao lay but a mediate 
 distance in th. interior. Here, therefore, he determined to ]• y ^ 
 
 Si;r::i:2ir'i;?cs:-::i; 
 
 the wor. of disemb.l.ng :;:tr Si^ZZS^^^^^^^ 
 and squares were laid out; a church, a public magazine d a lout I 
 
 ms If was prostrated with illness; but in some measure to sa is^y 
 th d,sai,pomtcd expectants of inmiediate wealth, resolved to del 
 patch an expedition to the interior, to survey its resources nd to 
 % open the way to the anticipated region of treasure. A o, "o d^ 
 Oj da, a young cavalier distinguished for daring and activity ws 
 put in comnunid of a small force, well arined^and resd t 'w , 
 
54 
 
 THE TEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY, 
 
 wliicb, early in January, 1494, he set forth for the interior. Tlie 
 task of exploration proved difficult from the forests and mountains 
 tlirough which their course lay; but they were received, as usual, 
 with much kindness at the Indian vilhiges, and were elated at find- 
 ing in the sands of the mountain torrents glittering particles of the 
 coveted ore. Having been absent for a number of days, they 
 returned with encouraging reports. 
 
 Reassured by these favourable tidings, Columbus now dispatched 
 to Spain twelve of his vessels, with specimens of the gold and the 
 natural productions of the island, and a number of Caribs whom he 
 had captured in his cruise among the Cannibal Islands. These 
 pagans, he requested, might be instructed in Spanish and Christianity, 
 and thus become useful as missionaries and interpreters among their 
 anthropophagan bretliren. Further to promote the work of conver- 
 sion, he proposed to establish a regular trade with the mother-country, 
 by which live stock might be furnished to the colony in exchange for 
 a regular supply of cannibals, duly to be caught and sent home for 
 their spiritual good and the merely incidental value of their services 
 as slaves. This notable scheme, (by which, it was believed, "a vast 
 number of souls would be snatched from perdition and carried as it 
 were by main force to heaven,") fell through, from the benevolent 
 disapprobation of the queen. 
 
 Hardier had the vessels taken their departure, when the imjiatient 
 colonists, dispirited by work and sickness, and disai:)pointed in their 
 golden hopes, began to exhibit signs of mutiny and a desire to aban- 
 don the settlement. A scheme for seizing the ships was detected by 
 the vigilance of the governor. A slanderous memorial against him 
 was found concealed in one of the buoys. The chief ringleader was 
 sent home to Spain, atid others were moderately punished; but 
 enmities and resentments were awakened against the admiral, readily 
 obnoxious as a foreigner, which were destined greatly to thwart and 
 embarrass his future undertakings. On recovering from his illness, 
 his energetic spirit at once found employment in the task of explora- 
 tion. Leaving his brother Diego in command of the town, he set 
 forth, on the 12th of March, with four hundred men, well armed 
 and equipped, for the interior. Crossing the beautiful Y(>ga Real, 
 or Royal Plain, and every where received with wondering curiosity 
 and unbounded hospitality by the Indians, the expedition finally 
 entered the rugged passes of Cibao, or tlie " Region ofStones," through 
 which the heavy armed soldiers toiled with difliculty, though con- 
 
THE SPANIAED8 IN AMEKICA. 
 
 55 
 
 soled for the hurdslups of the ^^'ay by tlie sigl.t of golden particles 
 ghstcinng amid the sands of the streams. The most flattcrin- 
 accounts were given by the natives of treasures locked up still deeper 
 in the recesses of the mountains-lumps of gold, they said, were to 
 be found as big as an orange, or even as large as the head of a child 
 Ilaving marched eighteen leagues, n.ostly through a rugged and 
 d.mcult country, Columbus halted his forces, dispatchinga sin-ill 
 party to make further exploration, and employing the remainder in 
 the erection of a fortress. His scouts brought back fovourabl<3 reports 
 of the wealth of the country, and leaving fifty-six men, under coin- 
 mand of 1 edro Margarite, at the new post, he took his way to Isa- 
 bella, where he arrived after an absence of seventeen day.s. Here 
 much to h,s satisfaction, he found the E,iropean plants, which he 
 had committed to the earth, flourishing with remarkable exuberance 
 Wheat came to perfeeton in a little more than two months from the 
 sowing, and the sugar canes, destined in these islands, at no distant 
 day to supply the markets of half the world, had thriven most 
 kindly in the virgin soil and tropical climate of Uayti 
 
 But the influences so benign and propitious to vegetation, were 
 falling with deadly and withering effect on the frames of the colo- 
 nists, as yet unacclunated to the dangerous atmosphere of the island 
 Fevers and other tropical maladies prevailed; and that mali-ni dis- 
 order, the terror of licentiousness, contracted from the natives, filled 
 the hearts of the Spaniards with a novel affright and dismay. De- 
 spite these unfavourabe circumstances, the governor pusued on his 
 plans; the work of building and cultivation went forward; but by 
 compelling he hidalgos and cavaliers in his train to share in the 
 labours of the infant settlement, he awakened enmities which exor- 
 cised an unfavourable influence on his interests at court. Short 
 allowance became necessary, and Father Boyl, with his ghostly con- 
 lederates, was aggrieved and disgusted at being included in the gen- 
 eral or er for stnited rations. Many of the^nfortunate colo'^ s 
 perished from diseases incident to the climate, aggravated by uinc 
 customed labour, and by change and insufllciencrof diet ' 
 
 1 he ill-conduct.of the garrison of the inland fortress of St. Thomas 
 soon provoked the enmity of the Indians, and tidings came , o 
 
 countiy. To refresh the colonists by change of air, as well as to 
 over-awe and conciliate the natives, Columbus now pr pared a e^, a 
 grand expedition. Ojeda. with four hundred men w s sen toth 
 
''**^.. 
 
 M 
 
 66 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 fortress, with directions to assume the command, while ^^arga^ite, 
 witli the army, was to make fresh surveys of the country, visiting 
 the various caciques for the purpose of securing their good-will, as 
 well as displaying the power of the Spaniards. Caonabo and his 
 brothers were, if possible, to be secured, and any injuries com- 
 mitted by the Indians were to be summarily punished; but strict 
 injunctions were given that the natives, in general, should be treated 
 m the mildest and most conciliatory manner, and that no provisions 
 should be taken from them without a proper compensation. But 
 these just and politic instructions were little heeded by the rude 
 spirits once fieed from his personal control. The expedition, on the 
 9th of April, left Isabella. 
 
 Eager to pursue his more congenial vocation of maritime discovery, 
 Columbus now delegated his authority as governor to his brother 
 Diego, with a council, and on the 24th of Ai)ril, 1494, with the Nina 
 and two other small caravels, set forth on a new voyage of explora- 
 tion. Steering to the westward, he soon fell in with Cuba and coasted 
 along its southern shore, enjoying, wherever he landed, the most kind 
 and hospitable treatment from the native inhabitants. A great island 
 they informed him, lying to the southward, was rich in gold; and 
 therefore, on the od of Hay, he again turned his prow in quest of 
 the ever-fleeting Babeque. The lofty summit of Jamaica soon rose 
 above the horizon, and two days' sailing brought him to its shores. 
 The people of this island, brave and warlike, at first opposed the 
 landing of the strangers, assailing them from their canoes, and hnrl- 
 ing their javelins, in great numbers, from the beach. They were 
 put to flight, however, by the superiority of European weapons, and 
 tiie admiral, landing, took jiossession of the island, which he named 
 Santiago— a name, indeed, which has proved unable to supplant the 
 beautiful original. The Indians, with their usual placabilitv, were 
 soon on good terms with the victors; and the little squadron, as it 
 coasted along, was continually surnninded with their canoes. One 
 of these, hollowed fum a single tree, probably the Ceibn, was niiu-ty- 
 six feet in length, and eight in breadth. These people seemed moro 
 ingenious and industrious than any yet seen by the Europeans. 
 
 Finding no gold in Jamaica,' Columbus again took his way to 
 Cuba, where he found the curiosity and rcviTcnco of the natives 
 highl,y excited by the reports of tliose who had already met the 
 expedition. They knew of no end, tliey siiid, to the land in wliich 
 they dwelt, and ho therefore supposed it to be a portion of the main- 
 
 f 
 
^^'ItiSi 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 57 
 
 land of Asia Proceecl.ng westward, he pushed his way, with much 
 danger and d.fliculty, through the intricate navigation of that beau- 
 iful archipehago, winch he named the Queen's Garden, and wliich 
 he supposed to be the same as that described by his favourite author 
 Finally, gammg the open sea, he again landed, on the 3d of June 
 and hdd n.tcrcourso with the natives. Their reports confirmed his 
 error, and even mspred his mind with hopes that he was in the 
 ncighbou hood of that fabulous potentate, the renowned Proster 
 John, with whom ,t had been the fruitless aim of so many sover- 
 e,gns to cornmumcate. With sanguine hopes, he pressed on, meet- 
 ing the kinc OS reception from the inhabitants of the coast, who 
 thronged with debght about his vessel. He supposed that by keep- 
 ing along the shore he should, ere long, arrive at the Gulf^of tl e 
 Ganges and the Arabian Sea an.l thence pass to the straits of Babel- 
 mandel. He even conceived tne daring project, with his little fl^ct 
 of open vessels, of coasting around Africa, triumphing over the riV 
 
 tirglu'r '""""' "^ "'^"^ " *'" ''''' circumnavigator of 
 
 But this splendid design, had his theory been correct, must have 
 fallen through from the inefficient state of his command. Tl c ^r 
 avels were wretchedly leaky and sea-worn. His provision h id 
 nearly given out. The navigation had again beeomi pe i ou 
 intncate in the extreme, the coast consisting of low swamn . d' v s 
 thickets of mangrove, and being covered, for and nea " t ll 
 and archipelagos of innumerable islands. The crews, vo out bv 
 to, and exposure, earnestly remonstrated against procoklin. f.^.ef 
 Colninbns reluctantly admitted the necessity of retlirn ; but t^ autl 0": 
 fcate ns supposed ascertainment of the loca]it3, took a s^ "r 
 preeautum Being, it is supposed, somewhere nc. the B.'v o P H 
 PP-.-a all hands were solen.nly questioned, before a not Ty publ 
 as to the,r op.n.on of the coast they had surveyed. PrZt' d by 
 a desire for return, and probably placing implicit futh nZ t^I. 
 ment of then- commander, the whole command, includ n Vv tl 
 exj^eneneed gj^graphors and navigators, unanimously ^^^^i^' 
 .a the land t ey had so long followed was no other tl a tie o. [ 
 o Asia; and tl.e notary proclainunl grievous pcnalti J"a stTv 
 M-ho should afterwa-ds recant his opinion " " 
 
 At the time of this extraordinary process, Columbus was so near the 
 ostern extremity of the island, that two or three days' sail wouM l ve 
 brought him to the Gulf of Mexico - " •niuouidhave 
 
 I'o the day of his death he f: 
 
 inn 
 
 h' 
 
68 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S UO^K OF IIISTOKY 
 
 bclioved that Cuba was the eastern projection of tlic continent of Asia. 
 On the loth of June, lie turned his prow to tlie eastward, and ere long 
 discovered tlie Islo of Pines, wliich he named Evangelista. The re- 
 turn voyage, retarded by storms and contrary winds, occupied three 
 months, during which much friendly intercourse was held with the 
 natives of Culxa and Jamaica. It was not until the last of Septem- 
 ber that the squadron regained Isabella; Columbus, exhausted by 
 five months of continual anxiety, watching and exposure, being car- 
 ried ashore completely insensible, and apijareutly at the point of death. 
 
 CHAPTER ?L 
 
 IIISCOXDUCT OF THE SPANIARDS IX IIAYTI. — HOSTILITIES 
 r T li E INDIAN;! — THEIR D E F E A T A N D EN s\ A V E M E N T. 
 — INJURIOUS TREATMENT OF COLUMBUS. — APPOINT- 
 MENT OF AGUADO. — THEIR RETURN TO SPAIN. 
 
 DuniXG the protracted absence of their commander, the mutinous 
 colonists, relieved from the weight of his pcisonal authority, had 
 fallen into much license and anarchy. Margarite, instead of fuHillino- 
 the duties of his important mission, by visiting the caciques, concili- 
 ating the doubtful and overawing the inimical, liad only sought the 
 gratilication of his own self iniijortance and licentiousness. Ilis peo- 
 ple were not slow to follow his example; and the natives, with alarm 
 and disgust, beheld their provisions, their little stock of gold, and 
 their women, forcibly wrested from them by those whom, so little 
 time before, they had welcomed as visitors from the celestial regions. 
 Diego Columbus, wanting suOicient energy, had been unable to re- 
 press these disorders; and finally Margarite and Father Boyl, hav- 
 ing plunged the whole colony into trouble, seized certain ol' the ships, 
 and, with their faction, dreading the return of the admiral, left hast- 
 ily for Spain. The army, abandoned by its leader, roved through 
 the country, committing all manner of outrages on the Indians, and 
 exciting their implacable enmity against the Eurojjeans. 
 
 The island of Ilayti, at this time, was divided into five native 
 principalities or kingdoms, each ruled by a separate eacicpie, to whom 
 all inferior chieftains in his district paid submission. That of ilarien, 
 
TIIK SI'AMAUIJS IN A.MKKICA. gg 
 
 iu the .orthorn part Of the island, and surrounding the settlement 
 c/lsubellu, was heklby Goacanagari, the Ibnacr irieud of CoUuubus. 
 Over he beautiful V e,a lea], or iioyul I'Jain, the riehest portion of 
 the .sland, ruled u powerful chief culled Guurionex. Thj province 
 01 Xaragua jnc.d.ng the lake of that nan.e, in the we.t. was .lov- 
 erned by Behecluo. Cotubanama held «way over the t rritorf of 
 Il.gucy, in the east, and the dreaded Caonabo ruled over Maguana 
 luclu nrg the golden n.ountu.ns of Cibao. The population of thJ 
 
 •n - !'^^ ' f "-^"^P^ -'^ exaggeration, to have amounted to a 
 millioa 01 souls. ""^ " 
 
 Tho.se people though, for the most part, placable and unwarlike 
 now, ollended by repeated injuries, had commenced reprisals- ■ nj 
 though not ven turiug on any open attack, had .ut oif s r gglcr: a 
 one instance to the number of ten, and otherwise harassed tll^nlr'ad 
 crs Caonabo alone, deeming the time propitious, and rememb i .. 
 Ins numph a La ^avidad, ventured on overt warfare. II. ,narc f 
 with a great force, against the fortress of St. Thomas, where 0,".; 
 was stationed with only fifty Spaniards; but the latter stronldv'ib 
 tified, made a gallant defence, and after a siege lasting thirty day 
 tne Indian, weary of the attempt, at last broke up and displed to 
 heir homes, aiieir indomitable cacique, still bent on the nu,- 
 lon of the invaders, now applied all his energies to form a I^' 1 
 confederacy agamst the common enemy. All the caciques ret urJd 
 favourable answers, exceut Gu-ip-i. ,■,,,.>,.; i • "1, ="*^''"riieu 
 
 lus white allies, and who hi conZl'^ ''""'T^ '""''"'''^ ^" 
 
 and depredation ii-om th^ :dX^:g;:;r^^^^^' ""^"^"'^^^'^ 
 Such was the condition of affairs, distracted by domestic .edition 
 and menaced by native hostility, when Cohuubusf prost 1 btd 
 gerous Illness, was borne into the harbour of Isabella. The wtt' 
 
 ZZ' B^tl 7 "" "^'^'' '"* ''' ^^- circumstance . " 
 biothei Bartholomew, a man of stern and energetic character ib 
 
 any ye.u-s the sharer of his hopes and disappointnicnts, Xr m ' li 
 abseee, had arrived at the port, in command of u snia 1 ^ dio 
 fre.«Ute with supplies. Incapacitated by illness fi^om d j^ n he 
 
 au-s the colony. Columbus conferred on this brother thom 
 of Ade antado or heutenant-governor-an office for which he w^! 
 
 t .e .cope of the admiral s authority~but a measure reoarded with 
 
 m 
 
60 THK I'KOl'l. K'H U(,i)K OF HISTORY. 
 
 Tlio now deputy took vij^orous inoasiircH for tlui (1cf(>nco of tlio 
 colony ami its ivstonitioii to order. A lio.stilo I'oreo of the IiidiiiriH 
 wiiH deleated, witli iiiueli loss, luid ji new fortress was erected in tlie 
 A*ei,'a. Ciioiiubo, the invoterato onctny of tlio whites, wns secured 
 hv an extraordinary pieeo of erafl and audacity prac^tised by Ojeda, 
 'I'iiat redoubted cavalier, with only ten eoinpanioiis, marching for sixty 
 leagues tiiroujj;h the forests, suddenly presented himself at the court 
 
 .f tl 
 
 le savaiio (Uiit 
 
 (lain. Tiie latter, chunned with his boldness, 
 
 received iiini well, and oven ajfreed to aeeom 
 
 ment. 
 
 iiev set lor 
 
 th 
 
 accon 
 
 liiiirb 
 
 pany 
 
 him to the .settli 
 
 y, with a large firce of warriors. 
 
 and on the way, tlu; wily Spaniard, under pretcn(ui of ornament, 
 contrivi>d to fasten on the wrists of his companion a pair of brilliant 
 steel shackles. Having induced the fettered caci((ue tt> mount behind 
 him, he gave spurs t*) his horse, and after a diilicult march, suceeeded 
 in bringing his prize safely to the settlement. The fierce eaiitive, 
 undaunted l>y liis misfortune, maintained a bold and hauglity de- 
 meanour, even to the admiral, and boasted of the destruction of La 
 Navidad. t)jeda, inde<'d, he treated with high respect, admiring, witli 
 true savage appreciation, tlie audacious tiick by which he had been 
 entrapped. One of his brothers, a brave and able warrior, resolved 
 to (>l1'cct his relea.se, raised a force of .several thousaml men, with 
 which ho mari'hed against the SjKinish settlement; but these unclad 
 and feebly-armed numbers wove unable to withstand the unwonted 
 terrors of cavalry and nni.sketry, and were defeated, with much 
 slaughter, by Ojeda. 
 
 In the autumn (M04\ much to the relief of the colony, four ves- 
 sels arrived i'mm Spain, bringing siipjilics^ nnd also a considerable 
 nnndu'r of mechanics and husb;indmen. On their return, Columbus 
 sent home a considerable quantity of gold, and, in accordance with 
 the barbarous usage of the day, by which all inlidels and j>agan.s 
 were held as ju'ojier subjects for oppre.'Jsion, five hundred Indian 
 captives, for sale in the sl;ivc-market ol' Seville. To the honour of 
 IsalH'Ua, on their arrival, slu> countermanded the order lor tlieir sale, 
 and directed that they should be returned to tlieir homos — dispatch- 
 ing at the .same time, unhappily with little efl'ect, strict cu'ders for 
 kind and conciliatory treatment toward the natives in general. 
 
 Indignant at the captivity ot'thcir fellow-sovereign, all the eaeiquos, 
 except (luacanagari, entered into a fresh and formidable confederacy 
 against the Spaniards. Tn March, llt'.'>, a great force, sufrieient, it 
 was thouj;ht, to oyerwhelm the feeble settlements of the whites, 
 
TlIK Hl'ANIAKDS IN AMKUK'A, 
 
 61 
 
 nuistcrcd not far from IhhIjoIIu, ColimibiiH, mm recovorod fmtn liin 
 illness, with nartliolomovv, ut tho lieail of only two hundred men, the 
 whole availuhlo lorcoof tho eolony, marched forth to give them 'bat- 
 tic. 'I'hc disparity of Ibrco was less than might he supposed, for his 
 men were armed to the teeth, aflor the European fashion, and were 
 provided with horses and bkxxlhounds— both objects of especial 
 terror to the Indians. He fell in with tlic ill-arrayed and undi.sci- 
 plincd masses of the enemy, near the site of tho town of St. dago; 
 and by a skilful manaiuvre, at once succeeded in throwing tlicni 
 into confusion. A charge of cavalry had its usual elfect; luid the 
 ferocious bloodhounds, the .lisgrace of Spanish warfare, sprin-in-r ia 
 their midst, and tearing their halfclad bodies, completed the^Jlribut 
 Many were slain and many more nuido prisoners; and tho Indian 
 army, seized with a panic, broke up, and took refuge in the mount- 
 ains. The i)ower of the confederacy was completely overthrown 
 Ouaean:.gan, who had taken part with the Spaniards, unable to 
 endure the general hatre.l of his countrymen, betook himself to -x 
 solitary place, where he perished of inortilicatiou and remorse 
 
 Nearly the whole island, after this decisive action, submitted to 
 the victors; and Columbus, marching through the eountrv, dictated 
 conditions of peace to the vanquished caciques, severe in tlfe extreme 
 J^ortresses were erected in their several provinces; and to sunplv the 
 heavy tribute demanded by tho con.pieror, their people, ii, elfeet 
 were reduced to complete slavery. Kaeh native over the a-e of 
 ou. teen was compelled to furnish, every three „,onths, a iKuvk's- 
 bc I 1, led with gold dust-these tinkling toys, which, so lit.Ie belo.e 
 -1 charmed them as the gifts of heaven, being, bv a pitiful eoinei! 
 donee, selected as the measure of their toil and enslavement The 
 jHl.H.ration which we feel for the genius ami tho virtues of Colum- 
 bus ,s most unpleasantly eheckod by tho remembrance of his sevcM- 
 1 ..s toward tlio..e who had welcomed him with such kind:,es, ,o 
 tlHMr shores, and whose feeble enmity had been excited onlv l,v 
 repea,e<l wrong and outrage. He was a man. undoubtediv, in advanJo 
 I lns,nn.Mn ld.rality and humanity; but, desirous tJ^ubsiai 
 
 cou-t In the t> ,ns,n,ss,ou of treasure, charged Ins conseienee with ,i,o 
 
 en. u.wnt of a w u,le people-^a light charge, he n.av have .hou .1, 
 - IKU day ol nUoleraiK-e and cruelty, when unbelievers were Md 
 o h.ive no nghts at all, or, ,f any, only to ,l,c dry exchange of .la. 
 oornoral serv.ees f .r ,hc priceless onportunitv of conversion 
 
62 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S ItOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 Ihe careless indolence find the gonial dependence on propitious 
 nature, which heretofore had made the happiness of these simple 
 people, was now for ever at an end. Their slender frames, unaccus- 
 tomed to toil, were exhausted by the weary task of searching the 
 sands of their rivulets for a scanty pittance of gold, or of raising food 
 a.Kl cotton for the use of their taslcmastcrs. Vainly hopin-^, bv ne- 
 cctmg these supplies, to induce their oppressors to depart," th "y 
 1-naIly abandoned their homes and plantations, and took refu/e 
 among the mountains. Thither their masters pursued them, to 
 enforce a return to their labours. Ti.ey wandered from one retreat 
 to another, vainly attempting to elude the vigilance of their merciless ' 
 pursuers. Many thousands perished of exposure and starvation, and 
 the remainder, despairing of escape, returned, and once more submit- 
 ted to tlie commands of their conquerors. 
 
 While these affairs were going on, the malcontents who had 
 returned to Spain, filled the ears of the court with clamorous com- 
 plaints or whispered slanders, fatal to the credit of Columbus His 
 rigiits were infringed by permitting others to fit out expeditions in 
 the same direction, and a commissioner was appointed to investi.vato 
 the aflairs of Ilispaniola. Juan Agua<lo, the person intrusted with 
 this deheate mission, and a man whom Columbus had much oblh^ed 
 set sail with four vessels, freighted with supplies, and in October' 
 ll.'o, while the governor was absent in the inferior, arrived at ihe 
 port of Isabella. Mindless of former obligations, and eager to exer- 
 cise his authority, he commenced with indecent haste his ta^k of 
 
 Hitermeddhng-collectingevery.speeiesof questionable evidence and 
 ending a ready ear to the Voice of complaint or calumnv. Coluin- 
 l"is, to avert fins hostile inlluei.ce, ju-eparcd to return with the eoni- 
 inissioner, to defend his character and his rights in person. Their 
 dei^irture was delayed by a terrilic hurricane, which ravaged the 
 island ,n a fearful manner, and destroyed every vessel in ,,ort 
 -x'vpt tl,e Nina. This delay was advantageous to the admiral' 
 ciial.lmg Inm to return under ihe favourable auspices of a valuable 
 dis.overv. A fugitive from the law, bv the favour of an Indian 
 ^v"inan, with whom he had taken refuge, discovered rich <soh\ mines 
 on the southern coast, and purchased his pardon with the intelli..ence 
 ^ -.Inn.bus, having confirmed the truth „f the tidings, at one? con' 
 o n, ed that these wen. no other than the mines of Ophir, so fluuous 
 HI tlie days of Kmg Solomon. 
 
 The Nina was repaired and a new caravel was built; and on fl c 
 
THE SPANIARDS IN AMEEICA. 
 
 10th of March, 1496. Columbus and Aguado, with more than two 
 hun.lred colomsts desirous of return, set sail in company for Spain 
 There were also tlnrty Indians, including Caonabo and his brihr' 
 The vessels, detained by head winds, were a whole month in get tn' 
 to Guada oupe. They loft that island on the 20th of April and for 
 a mont 1 longer ted.ously beat again.* the trades. The overlcrov dec 
 crews beset by the danger of famin were put on short allow nc 
 and, but or the stern interposition o: Columbus, would have th !wn 
 overboard or devoured their unhappy eaptives. The two chiefs 
 'dyed by the way, for very pensiveness and anguish of minde " ., 
 the vessels, on the 10th of June, in miserable phght, entered the ay 
 
 C H A I T E H ? I L 
 
 THE D.CLI.MXO FORTUNES OF CO UMIl, US.-D I FFIOFI TY IV 
 
 PITTINO OUT AN EX P K I. , T 1 N-S A 1 1, S ON „I.S T I n yOY 
 
 ,0E.-TO DISCOVEIU OF SOUTH AMEiaCA.-E,T7.V R- 
 
 DIXARY TnEOIU.-COr,UM,U-S ARUIVES AT If U T r - 
 
 DISORDEHS THERE.-TIIE REREI.LION OF ROI lUN 1 
 
 HOSTIEITIES WITH THE IN.IANS.-THEIR DEFEAT. 
 
 Pr.Mc opinion, disappointed in the returns of treasure which it 
 had expected now, with its usual renetioi, luul turnc'l . ' , 
 
 ^.;j;i.eh.i,bumi,:^^^ 
 
 rc.e,vod h,m graciously, and pLn.scd that si^l^l ' ^ t 
 oniirossiii'i' iiten>v!f< ,if TT,,, ,■• '"■ i^'h nuts, aiiu tlio 
 
 "^'Hi, .uui, a.s tai as she could, protected Lis. intercut? 
 
64 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 against tlie rajjacitj of rival aspirants. She even oriered to create 
 him duke, with an extensive principality in llispaniola; but, fearing 
 to excite fresh envy, he declined the tempting proposal. 
 
 'J'lie dinicnlty experienced in fitting out tlic desired exi)edition, 
 and tlie reluctance of adventurers to enibaik, formed a striking con- 
 trast with tlie disphvy of royal favour and popular enthusiasm, wliich 
 had marked liis last departure from the shores of Spain. The 
 intrigues of Fonseca, tlie superintendent of Indian affairs, and liis 
 secret enemy, produced delays intolerable to liis eager and adventur- 
 ous spirit; and the alarm excited by the reports of the disappointed 
 refugees, withheld volunteers fi'om hastily embarking on a doubtful 
 cx|iedition. Ai'bitrary orders were finally issued for the impress- 
 ment of vessels and their crews; and to supply the deficiency in the 
 required mnuber of colonists, resort was had to the miserable expc- 
 dient i)f embarking convicts anil other ill characters ibr the settle- 
 ment of the islands. It was not until the 80th of May, 1498, tliat 
 Columbus, w ilji six vessels, set sail from the port of San Lucar, on 
 bis third voyage to the Xew World. 
 
 Touching at the Canaries, he dispatched three of his vessels, 
 freighted with supplies, Ibr the use of the colony, and with the rc- 
 maiiuler, on the oth of June, again took his departure, steering 
 south-west, that he might make the .shores of Asia (as he supposed)" 
 in the neighbourhood of the evpiator. This course, ere long, led 
 him into that terrible region of heat and dead atmo.sphcre, extend- 
 ing lor several degrees on both sides of the line, and known to navi- 
 gators as "the calm latitudes." It seemed as if the old fables of the 
 torrid zone were to be verified, for, (says an ancient writer) "hee 
 was so vexed with maladies and heate, tluit his shippes were almost 
 set on fire." The tar boiled I'lom the seams, the ca.sks shrank and 
 iell to pieces, the provisions spoiled, and the crews were withered 
 and pro.strated by the heat. By the time he emerged frt)m this bale- 
 fid region into cooler waters and more favourable bre(.'zes, the ."Squad- 
 ron was in such a condition that it was neces.sary to seek land as 
 speedily as possible. Accordingly, having .steered westward a long 
 tune without seeing land, he headed more to the north in search of 
 the Canibean islands. There was only n single cask of water iu 
 each vessel, when, on the olst of July, land was seen from the 
 mast-liead. 
 
 The admiral had piously resolved to call the first land he should 
 fall in with after the most Holy Trinity; and that before him con- 
 
ed to creato 
 but, fearing 
 
 expedition, 
 iti'iking coii- 
 ;iasin, wliich 
 5pain. The 
 irs, and Jiis 
 id advcntur- 
 lisappointed 
 I a doubtful 
 he impress- 
 iency in the 
 'ruble ex})e- 
 ■ the t^ettle- 
 , 1498, that 
 I Luuar, ou 
 
 lii.s vessels, 
 nth the re- 
 re, steering 
 
 SUp])OSiHl), 
 
 .' long, kxl 
 fe, extend- 
 vu to navi- 
 d)les of the 
 liter) "hee 
 X're almost 
 hrank and 
 
 witliered 
 
 1 this bale- 
 the scpuul- 
 
 'k land as 
 
 ■ 
 
 ard a long 
 
 ■ 
 
 1 search of 
 
 ■ 
 
 f water in 
 
 ■ 
 
 I'roni the 
 
 1 
 
 lie should 
 
 1 
 
 i him cou- 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 . . DO 
 
 sisting of three mountainous summite, he re-irded fl,« • -^ 
 as a special providence, and according vfwthmuth. l'''"''^'r 
 stowed on it the title of La Trinidad-thVT ti i. u '''^"'""'tJ^' be- 
 The voyagers coasted alon. this b autif!l l 7^"^ '' '"'" '''^^^'■ 
 scener,, the .ate, and ^^a^S^^^t;''''^^^ ''' 
 perceived on its shores. The natives, a fof/^lT^/^'^^ *^«^ 
 came around the ships in their cinaoJ hJ ?, Ji«"dsome race, 
 venture on board. On the Is ofT ^^'^ "°* ^' ^"^^««d to 
 
 the, ..pposed to be anotl^e/tllC ^ .1^^^ h"^f ^''' 
 reality a part of the South AmovuL ' "* ^^'^'^ ^^s in 
 
 gerous strait which selmttsl "^ T^""'- ^''^"'"^ *^« ^-- 
 
 whichhecalled'-BocaSse^ tr fT '^' "^'-^^"-^^"d' «"^ 
 bus entered the Gulf of Pant^ ^ ' ^^^'"^^ ^' '^' S^^P^^*-) Colum- 
 
 As he advanced, the water orew frp<!l,o^ ^ i, • 
 that streams so copious as to affect such "''''"^ concluded 
 
 only be the outpouring of a contincn A '""P'"'' ""^ "'^ °°"'^ 
 now took possession of iiis mind Th ' 1 ^^^raordinary theory 
 tude so near the equator, was mild and ^T'T' '''^*^'°"^'' '"^ ^ ^^^'^ 
 for which he couhl aeeou'nt only y p/ot" H^^T':^ circumstance 
 the steady and Hxvourable influence Tth'f f ^"^ ''^'^'' ""^«^ 
 ascended an acclivitv leadino- tn n \ '''^''^' ^""^ gradually 
 
 vated above the .i Th! ru.Sii; ? ?f-"" "^^'^'^ ^"^^--^« 
 approaching the purer region of the hZ ^""^^crful eminence 
 
 be no other than the original G.rd IfTr'' Y ''"''^'''^'^' '^'^^'^ 
 dise, sought so long in vain L nr " '"' '''" ^^^^^^^"^^ P^^^' 
 
 and the pure streams around hr?,'^'""'"^'"^'^ '""^ *^^^«"«''«; 
 doubtlesi flowed from Jh^Ri T'^f ^r"?,/''^ "^^'^" --• ^^d 
 fountain by the Tree of Knowledge Tl' '^""^"'"« ^""^"^ '^ 
 
 (quite in accordance, however wifl, Ti " extraordinary theory, 
 
 i" a long and olabo;ate Z'ilit 1 1''?' ''''f'^"^'^ ^"'""''^- 
 -fortifying his conclusion viUcln'^" "^^"" '^'' '''''' «^ Sp^'» 
 from the saints and father tjtr' "^^^^^^^ 
 Pl-s, and of the learned of' ll^wnTr"'^'"^^ "' '""^''"^ P^""^'^^- 
 
 it poured into the oc^^^Tl^ :::'::; ^"')^'^""^^ '''"'' ^"^ 
 northern shore, were fiir i„ J. ' ™ ^'^ encountered on the 
 
 den>eanour. l^ec ved H^'^'' r'-1 '^ '^'^"^^ ^^^ '"-^-^ 
 and ^eadilyparted wkh treto ^^'^""^^^'^ ^^'^'^ Profound reverence, 
 
 tbo cupidi^of th i^ ti : rw""^''^""'' "^"^^ ^"^^^ -^"-^^ 
 
 Vol. hi -5 "^ ''''^"^^^^' *^« •'^^"^^^^5 P^od 
 
THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 out of the gulf by its northern outlet, a narrow and tumnltuons 
 strait, to which, on account of its perils, he gave the name of "Boca 
 del Di.-^on," (Mouth of the Dragon). Soon after, he discovered the 
 the islands of Margarita and Cubagua, famous for their pearls, and 
 would doubtless have prosecuted farther his search for the Terrestrial 
 Paradise, but for a painful disease of the eyes, rendering him inca- 
 pable of observation. Altering his course to the north-west, in five 
 days' sailing, he made the island of Ilispaniola, and by the 30lh of 
 August, cnme to the river Ozema, near the lately-discovered gold 
 district. Age, exposure, and constant anxiety, as before, had done 
 their work, and he came into port suffering grievously from a com- 
 plication of maladies. 
 
 During the absence of the governor, his brother Bartholomew, 
 whom he had left in command of the colony, had displayed great 
 energy and judgment in conducting its affairs; but the disorderly 
 elements of which, for the most part, it was composed, had proved 
 too turbulent and refractory even for his vigorous rule. His admin- 
 istration, indeed, commenced auspiciously. He founded the city of 
 St. Domingo, on the Ozema, near the new mines, and skilfully ap- 
 plied himself to developing the resources of the country. Tie made 
 a visit to Behechio, the powerful cacique of Xaragua, who, witli his 
 subjects, received him with much kindness and hospitality. These 
 kindly people left no means untried to cheer and divert their visitors, 
 and for their amusement performed their national games and tour- 
 naments, fighting with such spirit, that numbers were slain or 
 wounded. The cacique readily acknowledged the sovereignty of the 
 Spanish authorities, and agreed to pay a large tribute of cotton and 
 other valuable jjroduce; for his country ailonled no gold. "There 
 is something exceedingly atreeting in the cheerful and gcnerous'spirit 
 which these gentle beings always evinced towards their visitors, until 
 driven into resistance by oppression; and the readiness with which 
 they yielded their simple allegiance to the evident superiority of 
 this handful of strangers, proves the ease with which their hapi)incss 
 and the prosperity of the white men might have been reconciled by 
 a humane and considerate policy." 
 
 But while the adelantado wa^ absent on this visit, the brutal and 
 rapacious colonists inflicted such oppressions on the unhnppy natives, 
 (heir serfs and tributaries, that, as we have already mentioned, great 
 numbers took refuge in the mountains, hoping, by this abandonment 
 of their labours, to starve the oppressors into departure. Considera- 
 
tumultnons 
 ne of "Boca 
 icovercd the 
 ' pearls, and 
 e Terrestrial 
 !g liim inca- 
 west, in five 
 the 30th of 
 overed gold 
 'e, had done 
 from a com- 
 
 artholomew, 
 ;)layed great 
 e disorderly 
 had proved 
 His admin- 
 il the city of 
 skilfully np- 
 '. He made 
 'ho, with his 
 lily. These 
 lieir visitors, 
 ics and tour- 
 ere slain or 
 signty of the 
 f cotton and 
 ,ld. "There 
 nerous'spirit 
 visitors, until 
 ; with wliieh 
 ipcriority of 
 3ir hap[)incss 
 'econcile<l by 
 
 3 brutal and 
 ippy natives, 
 itioncd, great 
 ibandoninent 
 Considera- 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 67 
 
 b:e distress ensued, and Bartholemew, on his rpfnm a- -a i . 
 malcontents among a chain of miHtary voZ^ktoZ Ttv\ ^^ 
 and also removed a considerable number to ^ ^ ' ''''^'ll^^'^^' 
 difficulties were soon occasioned by the b go ed erue^tv clf"!" ' '"^ 
 who, to avenge the destruction of some imTes Tn f f 7?'''' 
 virgin, burned alive, after the merciless cu torn of their ' '^ , "' a""' 
 certain of the subjects of Guarionex Th .V . °' ''"'^ "'"^'"' 
 
 ..- »u„. ....„ .e on foot :i.J^:j^::^Tz:;j^ 
 
 advised of their scheme, marching by ste'l h fi .f •?'l'=l--"'Mo, 
 i,> the dead of night, and carried of f„{,rtoe" Ifft „ri„ ^^ ''""*™ 
 Two of these were executed and • „„ TS i principal caciques. 
 
 hastened to submit. Gna:;!;,:::^ iZ^:^7^: "'° r"™' 
 
 ries which he h.id received, wa,, with „o i.t d ^"''* '"J"- 
 
 the victor, and „eacc, for a'time; ^ r':t dtTSS'""^' "' 
 
 It was much easier, ndeed for tl.o cL. a "^'/^'""Cl. 
 .0 overawe and concibate 1 11 es Z^ "^ ?"f°™»« •'<'P'«y 
 over the mutinou., colonists, by Xom heT, ' T "'" """""'■'^ 
 
 and to whon, tl,e wholesome slric esTof I Tf '' "' ■'' ''""''e"'"-. 
 doubly odiou.,. One I'rancis ! r'Znth "' T'^'f '™ 
 
 of a menial in his kitchen r„I, i , ""'' f™™ "» P« 
 
 ™ised to the office „ Set :;:? ' 'T™",'^' f' •*'■'!-■ '-" 
 mover of sedition. Byp omi'f.,! °',"'' '■*"«'> "^ 'I"" '''■irf 
 J-ge band of idlers a d'^Z^.C l!; d TT' '? ™"'="'»'»'' " 
 nought the amiable but feeble d„?,t'' ''■>' "■'"'"■ '"= «" "' 
 bella. ri„,ally these reo,„l„, , "'.^'"li"' ™"' governor of Is.v 
 
 warelionsesofll tt^ °ds "^^ ""■,"'"■" °''" "■= f»Wic 
 
 •ook up their march S-'xlrrteT"" '"'"l" "'" ™"'™'^' 
 with fitting indignation " tldSi ? ^ ^ '''" """""■ "^ "le <'»}', 
 of ndsehict, robC V^^^^^ll^T ""'* '"'^'^ ■" »" ''"■^« 
 both wyves and vir°ins " Tl ' ° *, "'"""■<•.)•. ™<I ranishing 
 
 .0 ..og.iiatc with the i :„,.,! ;:':;:*; r '"= '--"b' -™p.i 
 
 J -uii jii cnjitiy uu a bar 
 
 'iissiug and desultc 
 
68 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 warfare against the whites. The indefatigable Bartholemew, with a 
 small force, made his way into their ahnost inaccessible mountain 
 fastnesses, defeating a large body of Indians, who opposed him at 
 the passage of a ford, and who, what with paint and the war-whoop, 
 seemed, says the chronicler, "so many deuills incarnat newly broke 
 out of hell." Despite this misfortune, the highland cacique refused 
 to surrender his guest, and when threatened with all the terrors of 
 fire and sword, in event of his obstinacy, replied to the messenger, 
 " Tell the Spaniards that they are bad men, cruel and tyrannical ; 
 usurpers of the territory of others, and shedders of innocent blood ; 
 I have no desire of the friendship of such men. Guarionex is a 
 good man, he is my friend, he is my guest, he has fled to me for 
 refuge, I have promised to protect him, and I will keep my word." 
 But after a long and harassing warfare, the unfortunate caciques, 
 their villages destroyed by fire, were compelled to take refuge among 
 the cliffs and caves, where, worn out with fatigue and hunger, they 
 were finally captured. Their lives were spared, and the adelautado 
 returned to St. Domingo. 
 
 There, after an absence of two years and a half, Columbus, wearied 
 by toil and exhausted by illness, had just arrived. An infinitude 
 of troubles inunediately beset him. The vessels, which he had dis- 
 patched from the Canaries, touching at Xaragua, had afforded the 
 rebels, by means of artifice, a large supply of arms and munitions, 
 and many of the convicts had joined them. Anxious, at all events, 
 to relieve the seltlcment of this crew of desperadoes, he offered a free 
 passage to Spain to all who desired it, and invited lloldan, assuring 
 him of safety, to a personal interview. But the latter dispatched an 
 insolent answer; and so widely had disaffection spread, that the gov- 
 ernor, on mustering his forces, found but u mere handful of men 
 under his flag. He was therelbre compelled to send off" his ships 
 without them, but wrote to the court, detailing his discoveries, send- 
 ing specimens of gold and pearls, and entreating assistance and 
 countenance. The rebels also forwarded a statement of their own, 
 which, backed by men of influence, was highly injurious to his 
 interests at court. 
 
lew, with a 
 e mountain 
 sed him at 
 war-whoop, 
 evvly broke 
 jue refused 
 ) terrors of 
 
 messenger, 
 tyrannical ; 
 cent blood; 
 rionex is a 
 [ to me for 
 
 my word." 
 te caciques, 
 fuge among 
 unger, they 
 
 adelautado 
 
 )us, wearied 
 1 infinitude 
 be had dis- 
 .fforded the 
 
 munitions, 
 ; all events, 
 tiered a free 
 m, assuring 
 jpatclicd an 
 lat the gov- 
 iful of men 
 fl" his ships 
 'eries, send- 
 stauce and 
 
 their own, 
 lous to his 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 69 
 
 CHAPTEH ?in. 
 
 TRIUMPH OP THE REBEIS—COLUMBUS RUINED AT COURT 
 APPOINTMENT OF DOB ADILL A.-H IS INSO I.LNCE -rnr nu" 
 BUS SENT TO SPAIN IN CII AINS.-SENSA Ti 'n 7p TH, 
 NATION.-VERBAL ODRESS.-APPOINTMENT OF OVAN 
 DO.-FOURTH AND LAST VOYAGE OF COLUMBU TO 
 
 T. ™r;r V"^^^"^^ - HIS ENEM .r 
 niti CRUISE ON THE CO\STS OP 
 HONDURAS, COSTA RICA, ETC-SEVR H 
 FOR A STRAIT.-HIS DISAPPOINTMENT 
 
 Prejudiced by the representations of his enemies th^ e. 
 hesitated to confirm the authoritv of ,,f'f '"'"''"'' *« sovereigns 
 
 insurgent faction; and he was ac2d ^ jTom'pXdTo ^ "^ 
 with the rebels on terms chshonourablel^rX ^1 tt?"" 
 which he represented. Eoldan wis r^in^fofi . ^''''^'' 
 
 and he and his followers to quictTeir Z . '" •' ^"'' "^ "^^"^^«' 
 of land, of Indian ZesZo^el 7 .'' ''T""^ '''^' ^"'-^"^ 
 lumbns'would now h^Je'e Ld t ZTl ' I T"''^"- ^«- 
 .gl.s a., ,,e.sts, but for a veilL^:::;^^:: Z^'l^!^ 
 iresh infringement Alon^n f^« n;„ i i- r '"'^'"o irom their 
 
 hira went ArnerHro Vesnucci xvhr, K,. „ ^ i i ""ecuon. With 
 
 the true discoverer tho o-lnrv nf r,^r.c ■ witbimgirom 
 
 --inent. This e^l^:^,^;^f:^\^^^^^ 
 the charts of Columbus, had constod along he' IhlLZl \l 
 America, and liad discovered the Gulf of Vene.^h T 1 
 
 governor <I.pa,ol,e<l ngai„«t tl,o intruder, eLpelled 2 t„Z L 
 
 ILrdly „.a, ,I,i, vexatious aPTair ,,i.„o.eJ of. ,vl,e„ a „o,v couspir- 
 
70 
 
 THE I'KOPLK'S BOOK OF lIISTUIiY. 
 
 acy of tlie colonists, headed by one Adrian de Moxica, broke out. 
 Columbus, with a few attendants, hastened to the scene, and, coin- 
 ing on the insurgents by night, seized the persons of the ringleaders. 
 Moxica w;xs ordered to be hanged on the summit of Fort Concepeion. 
 Hoping, perhaps, to save his own life, he accused some innocent per- 
 sons; on which the governor, in one of his rare but uncontrollable 
 fits of anger, commanded him to be flung headlong from the battle- 
 ments. The whole revolt was repressed with the utmost sternness 
 and promptitude, and Columbus, a part of the insurgents crushed, and 
 the rest conciliated, began to hope for an opportunity to establish 
 the government on a more stable footing. 
 
 But numerous ami powerful enemies, j)ossessing the ear of the 
 court, wore continually undermining his reputation; and troops of 
 discontented vagabonds, shipped from the colony, surrounded the 
 palace, and mnoyed its inmates by their clamours for pay, for reilress, 
 or for charity. By his pertinacity in enforcing the serfdom of the 
 natives, he had alienated the favour of Isabella, who now ceased to 
 protect his interests; and the jealous Ferdinand, long anxious for a 
 pretext to resume the high dignities which he had unwarily granted, 
 soon found the means to effect his purposes. Columbus had requested 
 that a judge and an umpire, learned in the law, for the purpose of 
 settling disputes, might be sent to the island; and the king, taking 
 advantage of this suggestion, appointed one Francisco Bobadilla, a 
 man of a passionate and vainglorious temper, to this office, provid- 
 ing hiin with a secret letter, to be produced if the culpability of 
 Columbus should be proved, and conferring on him the supreme 
 authority in the island. 
 
 On the 23d of August, loOO, he arrived at the port of St. Dimingo, 
 where, to his horror and indignation, he beheld the body of a Span- 
 iard hanging to a gibbet on either bank of the river, being those of 
 certain insurgents, executed by order of the governor. Many others 
 were in prison, and on his entrance into the town, he demanded of 
 Diego Columbus, then in command, that they should be delivered 
 over to himself. The latter refusing, he proceeded to church, where, 
 with prodigious pomposity, he read the secret missive of the sover- 
 eigns, and then, with a huge array of malcontents and loiterers, pro- 
 ceeded to the prison. Though no opposition was made, the doughty 
 knight, provided with scaling-ladders and battering inii)lemeiits, 
 made a ridiculous show of taking it by storm, and made seizure of 
 the prisoners with great assumption of importance, lla then took 
 
broke out. 
 aiul, cuiii- 
 ingleadors. 
 oncepcioii. 
 loceut })or- 
 jutiulliiblo 
 the buttle- 
 , sternness 
 uslied, and 
 establish 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMKItlOA. 
 
 71 
 
 possession of tlie house of the absent governor, and seized on all 
 his property; "and, in short, conducted himself with all the insolence 
 and rai)acity which might be exijccted from a man of his character, 
 whose elevation to office was dependent on his assertion of the guilt 
 of his predecessor." 
 
 Columbus, on liearing of the arrival of Bobadilla, and of certain 
 rash edicts, which, to secure i)opularity, the latter had issued, wrote 
 a letter of caution to him, supposing that he was imprudently ex- 
 ceeding his powers. The intruder, in reply, asserted the authority 
 he had received, and i)eremptorily ordered the deposed governor 
 to appear before him. Travelling in a lonely manner, stun- to the 
 heart by the ingratitude of his patrons, the injured admiral obeyed- 
 and on his arrival, the vile usurper of his rights, mindless of his 
 ago, his dignity, and his great name, ordered him to be ironed like a 
 common felon. This outrage he endured with the calmness of a 
 mind steeled by interior grief against any mere external manifesta- 
 tion of wrong. No word of impatience or resentment escaped him 
 "Columbus," says his biograi)her, "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 sov- 
 ereigns who employed him. It was their injustice and their 
 ingratitude alone that could wound his spirit; and he felt assured 
 that when the truth came to be known, they would blush to find 
 how greatly they had wronged him." His brothers were also 
 arrested, and all were separately confined on board of different 
 vessels, ignorant of the charges against them, while every species 
 of slanderous complaint and corrupt evidence, afforded by such as 
 had felt the strictness of his rule, was greedily received by the 
 new governor. '' 
 
 In October, 1500, manacled like the vilest of culprits, the most 
 
 faithful and eminent servant of the Spanish crown was sent home 
 
 from the island which he had discovered and the city he had founded 
 
 riie vessel once out at sea, the commander, a man of honour a.id 
 
 feeling, would have taken off his irons; but the admiral refused to 
 
 allow him "Their majesties," he said, with sternness and gravity 
 
 commanded me by letter to submit to wliatever Bobadilla should 
 
 order in the.r name; by their authority he has put upon me theie 
 
 chains; I will wear them until they shall order them to be taken off 
 
 and I will preserve them afterwards as relics and memorials of the 
 
 reward of my services." It is said that afterwards they were al wavs 
 
72 
 
 THE PKOPLE'S BOOK OF II18T0KY. 
 
 seen hanging in his cahinct; and ho charged that when Ik^ died they 
 should bo buried witli him in the grave.* 
 
 The vessel came into Cadiz, and these disgraceful fliots were soon 
 uiiiveiraDy known. The nation was shocked and indignant, and the 
 rf.iiif, eager to rcsoue itself from obloquy, wrote to Columbus at 
 once, deploring the unhappy results of their mission (which, indeed, 
 they had not anticipated), and inviting him honourably to court! 
 Accordingly, he appeared, with much state and dignity, before the 
 sovereigns at Granada, and was received with the highest consider- 
 ation. Isabella wi" looved to tears, and on beholding them, h s own 
 fortitude, which unshaken had withstood such rude assaults, gave 
 way, and he fell on his knee before her, speechless from weeping 
 and emotion. Eecovering himself, he entered on an eloquent vindi- 
 cation of his character, and the justice of his administration. He 
 had already written to a friend at court, defending his past career 
 and exposing the injustice of his treatment: "I have been much 
 aggrieved," i)rocceds this forcible document, "that a person should 
 be sent out to investigate my conduct, who knew that if the inquest 
 sent home should bo of a grave nature, he would remain in the gov- 
 ernment. ****#! j^^yg i^ggjj jjj^iggj ^^g ^ 
 
 governor who had been sent to take charge of a well-regulated city, 
 under the dominion of long-t'stablisho-l laws, where there was no 
 danger of every thing running to disorder and ruin ; but I ought to 
 be judged as a captain, sent to subdue a numerous and hostile peo- 
 ple, of manners and religion opposite to ours, living, not in regular 
 towns, but in forests and mountains. It ought to be considered tiuxt 
 I have brought all these under subjection to their mnjestios, giv'mcf 
 them dominion over another world, by which Spain, heretofore poor^ 
 has suddenly bec(^ine rich. Whatever errors I may have fallen into,' 
 they were not witli an evil intention." 
 This forcible appeal was not without effect on the minds of the 
 
 * In a letter to tho sovereigns, considered authentic, written from tlie scene of his 
 bbipurcek in Jamaica, he assifeas a singular reason for tliis resolve. "Alas!" ho 
 e.\ci;miis, "piety and justice ha^... retired to their habitations above, and it is a crime 
 tohuve iindcrtikenaiid perfoiiiu'dtoomuc 1. * * * O blessed mother 
 of God, that oomnnssionatos the miserable and oppressed, why did not cruel Roba- 
 dilla kill me when he robbed me and my brother of our dearly-purchased gold, and 
 sent us to Spain in chains without trial, crime, or shadow of misconduct? These 
 chams are all ihe treasures I have, and they shall be buried with me, if I dunce to 
 have a cofTin or gnwe; for I tcouhl have the remembrance of so unjust an action perish 
 with me, and fur the glory of the Sjianish name, be eternally forgotten." 
 

 (" died they 
 
 i were soon 
 mt, and the 
 aluiubus at 
 ell, indeed, 
 y to eourt. 
 before tlie 
 t corisider- 
 m, li s own 
 lults, gave 
 m weeping 
 uent vindi- 
 ation. ilo 
 last eareer 
 )een much 
 ion should 
 he inquest 
 in til e gov- 
 idged as a 
 ilated city, 
 re was no 
 I ought to 
 ostile peo- 
 in regular 
 dered tliat 
 les, giving 
 ifore ])oor, 
 iillen into, 
 
 ids of the 
 
 scene of iiia 
 "Alas!" he 
 it is a Clime 
 ssi'd mother 
 cruel Roba- 
 li gold, and 
 let? These 
 I cliaiice to 
 iction jterish 
 
 THE SPANIARDS IN AMEKIOA. 
 
 73 
 
 .«,,,e,. JO Co,,™,™,. B„. .Hi, cn',4:™:: iU%*: r, : f 
 
 luind, at least, never intended to fulfil. ^ ' ' 
 
 Ti>e value of his discoveries, and the immense powers which their 
 rule conferred on him, were becoming every d'w morJ 
 Private expeditions, dispatched in inf^ngem^t'^ ^ i^^'Tla 
 demonstrated the existence of immense territories lying in the west 
 ern ocean. Nnio, one of his pilo^ in 1499, sailing in a small Lnv ' 
 had voyaged along much of the northern coast of Sout lA "" ' 
 and had brought home a rich treasure of pearls and gold V 'en e 
 1 ni.on, in January of the following year, had crossed the "line m de 
 further surveys, and had discovered the mic^htv river A 
 Sebastian Cabot, in his voyage of 1497, had :sc lirU eT^- t 
 onc(> of an extensive continent at the north- and the P ? 
 
 ,'":^:;; s ■! ^";r;r -^ "- -"-"; -T' ^^^'^^ 
 
 m wu 1 MTA/Al All these regions, and those discovered bv Pnlnn, 
 bus h„„.el,; .ere, however, still roga,,le,l as ponio s 'L ^t 
 
 He promised the admiral that if ho would wait f„r , 
 ""''1 the troubles of the colony should be nuird bv ,n 'T"' 
 acceptable to all, he should, at the end of tha 1^ Tn "^'"'^ 
 stated n all his powers and dignities. AVi h h s S; n,, '' '"" 
 Columbus was compelled to ap^ar satisfied n N^e : '1^^^^^^ 
 a man of agreeable manners and of some ab litv b , f '^"' 
 
 n"d cruel in the evtr.Mno , f •^' "^ "''^''^"' ^'^P'leious, 
 
 O'^'-dy, by soi:mn irt^ hzt: c^''^^''^'"^ ^^--^^'-i 
 
 and islands discovered Iv^n , Columbus) over all lands 
 
 was trusted t it Til ;L5 " '"i ^'''? ^" '''' ^'^^ ^^'°^'^1- ^t 
 -ry outfit whi , '1^^^^^'^ -^'-'•'^>'. -J the extraordi- 
 
 ;^-ed V the mal-adSlTLn^ t SfCl^'^^r'^^V'^^- 
 hnt unprincipled rule the H,.pnt,-. ^^o'^adiiJa, under whose brief 
 
 ous excesses, and ex rcil d Z ^ ""'"'' ^'''^ i''""='-^^^ ''^ -^-- 
 
 -tives. On the ^x^ 5:::::'^jf ""If ;r"' '^^ """"^^'^'^ 
 
 t^venty-five hundred person "'f; of' T "''' ''^""^''"^ 
 
 tinction, and bearing^he "C of n i"" "' '''''^' "^'^ '^^^■ 
 
 t^Uure day, to be the ntin^f;;:"!^^^^ f-'o^, (destined, at . 
 
74 
 
 T;iK I'iiOl'LK'S IJOOK Of HISTORY. 
 
 Ill u U-niblo stoini, which aroao just after his doimrturc, oiio of 
 Ilia sliijjrf, with nu huii(h'oil nnd twenty souls, was swullowod up. 
 'i'lio shores of Spain wero strowod with artirles thrown overboard 
 by the rest; and tlio sovoreigiis, in anguish at tlic supposed loss of 
 the expedition, shut themselves up for niuny days, incapable of con- 
 solation. But the remainder of the fleet, reassembling at the Cana- 
 ries, held on their course, and in the month of April, arrived at 
 St. Domingo. 
 
 The restless spirit of Columbus, defrauded, for a time, of its con- 
 genial career, endeavoured vainly to engage his j)atrons in a crusade 
 for the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre; and failing in this, turned to a 
 scheme more honourable, useful, and suitable to his genius — a scheme 
 for fresh and brilliant disccjvery. The J'ortuguese, after many 
 futile attempts, had at last succeeded in reaching Indii by doubling' 
 Africa, and the value and importance of the newly-opened chamicl 
 of trade, excited emulation in all rival maritime nations, 'j'he ailini- 
 ral by this time, had come to the conclusion, that South America 
 was a main-land by itself, lying oif the shores of Asia, much in the 
 same manner as the insular continent of Australia does in realitv. 
 Cuba he still ilrmly held to be a portion of the great Eastern Con- 
 tinent; and the impetuous current which flows betrt-cen them, could 
 issue, he considered, from no other source than the Indian Sea, which 
 dischai-ged its waters into the Atlantic by a strait somewhere in 
 the neighbourhood of what is now known as the isthmus of Darieii. 
 This strait, opening, as he supposed, a direct communication with 
 the golden shores of the Orient, lie proposed to discover and ex{)lore; 
 and the sovereigns, the i)recedent for infringing his grants now fully 
 established, willingly lent their countenance to a j)roject for extend- 
 ing their d(nninions and increasing their wealth, conducti.'d by a iium 
 whom experience had shown them to be, of all others, most fitted 
 to the undertaking, lie was accordingly permitted to lit out an 
 expedition, and take with him his son Fernando and his brother 
 Bartholomew ; and interpreters, learned in Arabic, were provided to 
 assist in his expected negotiations with the Khan. But the intrigues 
 of his enemies, and especially of Fonscca, as usual, greatly retarded 
 his preparations; and it was not until the 9th of May, 1002, that, at 
 the age of sixty-six, with a frame broken by hardshij) and exposure, 
 and a mind de])ressed by ingratitude and persecution, he set sail from 
 Cadiz, on the last of his voyages of discovery. 
 
 Four small caravels and - i hundred and fifty men composed his 
 
rturo, Olio of 
 tvul lowed up. 
 ru overboard 
 [)oscd l().«a of 
 [jublc of coii- 
 at the Ciinu- 
 1, arrived at 
 
 c, of its con- 
 in a crnsndo 
 i, turned to a 
 IS — a sclionio 
 after many 
 by doubling 
 ined channel 
 The iidtiii- 
 uth Aiiieiicu 
 much in the 
 es in reality. 
 Eastern Con- 
 tlicm, could 
 u Sea, which 
 imewhere in 
 IS of Darien. 
 licatioii with 
 ind exj)lore; 
 ts now fully 
 ; for extend- 
 L'd by a man' 
 most fitted 
 J (it out an 
 his brother 
 provided to 
 he intrigues 
 tly retarded 
 u02, that, at 
 d exp(«urc, 
 set sail from j 
 
 mposcd Ilia j 
 
 THK SPANIARDS IN AMEKIOA. yg 
 
 command On the 2oth he left the CanaricH, and after touching at 
 the Caribbee IS ands, arnvcd at St. Domingo, where ho trusted to 
 re,, ace ono o his vessels, which was nearly unfit for use. IhU the 
 jealous Ovando, dreading his j.resenco, and fnhiUing the selfish cui- 
 nmn.ls of the sovereigns, ordered him out of the harbour. On this 
 Columbus, whose maritime experience foretold the at,„roaeh of a 
 jurncane entreated the governor at least to ,lclay the sailin-r cf the 
 fleet which was ready to return to Spain. His warning was unhecdc.l 
 .•uul he hastened to take refuge in some lonely harbour of the coast' 
 Ihe f eet .saile.l, and a earful tempest arose, in which many of the 
 vessds were lost, mcludnig the principal ship, i„ which were Iluldan 
 and Bobadilla, with the captive Guarionex, and a great amount of 
 treasure, extorted fr- m the sufferings of the Indians. Only one ves- 
 .sel was able to continue the voyage to Spain 
 
 Narrowly escaj.ing shipwreck, the admiral, in July, resumed his 
 tIJSonhlf '^rT""';?'- ^"' «'--« -"th-west, on 
 
 ;..ichhadprobaUy:Lj^:;'t-:;-^--^^^^ 
 
 a loutc, which, ,f followed, would soon have led him to the we-dthy 
 Fovmces lying westward of the Gulf of Mexico. Eager how vf 
 to discoyer the supposed strait, he passed over to the continenT a i 
 doubling Cape Honduras, stood eastward along the eoa t eeli 
 from the natives much kindness and hospitality. For t'ty 1 ' ? 
 succession of storms and hearl-wi,,,!. ... i i i ^ '•>'* '* 
 
 strug.din.r to the e.st ol t ''^ '^'^ squadron, slowly 
 
 ouuf^^un^ lo ine east, and U was not until tho l-ttl, ,.p g \ i 
 
 .l.at I. ,.„„„Jc<l C„„o Gracias a Dies (so . . c7i„ g . t„l'tti:: 
 
 Eiverof Di«., " V ', ^"''^' '^''^^'"^ ^^'I'at he called "The 
 
 S: :iui : I; ,:,;::;:';,;:"■ °' "-'-'"r- "-"--' "^ ""'- 
 
 at .Lis place .^^tJl ulT" """™"''" "■''"' "'° '"'"'"'' 
 tl». i,-,ii,,,..„. ""<-""P'<-'l Ijy tlio superslition of bolli parlies— 
 
 baneful efleet of l.is ineautations aLtrl^^^r , tZ rto 
 
76 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 supposed themselves bewitched, and attributed all their ill luck and 
 the storms they had encountered to some Indian enchantment. Co- 
 lumbus, in his dispatches, describes the people of this place (Cariari) 
 as great enchanters, and particularly states that two girls, who came 
 aboard his shij), had a magic powder concealed about their persons. 
 This strange bit of prejudice was not confined to the age or the nation 
 of Columbus and his people. A century later, we find honest John 
 Davis, voynging among the Esquimaux, thanking God that no harm 
 had come of their diabolical spells; and later still, a similar appre- 
 hension prevailed among the settlers of New England. 
 
 Following the shore of Costa Eica, early in October, Columbus 
 anchored in the great bay of Carnabaco, which he entered by a 
 channel still called "Boca del Almirante," (Mouth of the Admiral). 
 Abundance of gold, much of it in large plates, was found among 
 the natives, and was readily yielded by them in exchange for Eu- 
 ropean trifles. His people would gladly have remained to pursue 
 this lucrative trafiic, but the commander, intent on his projected dis- 
 covery, kei)t on, sailing along the coast of Veragua, and finding gold 
 plentiful, wherever he landed. Encouraged by the delusive and 
 misunderstood reports of the Indians, he now fancied that he was 
 on the long-eluding track to Asian civilization. , A kingdom to the 
 westward which they described in glowing terms, was probably the 
 distant emjiire of Peru; but Columbus, who, for a man so practical, 
 had certainly the greatest imagination of his time, understood them 
 as specifying fleets, cavalry, and artillery, and confirming his faith 
 in tlie vicinity of the Ganges and the everlasting Khan. On the 2d 
 of November, he came to anchor in that beautiful harbour on which 
 he bestowed the name of Porto Bello. 8oon after, he made Capo 
 Noinbre de Dios, where reverse winds and tempestuous weather 
 again forbade his advance. The crews were worn out with contending 
 against continual storm?, and the ships were so leaky, from the rav- 
 ages of worms, that it seemed impossible to keep tliem afloat much 
 longer. lie felt compelled therefore, for the time, to relinquish tlie 
 hope of effecting that grand discovery which should revive his fixme 
 and tlnow a halo around his old age and declining fortunes. Tlie 
 prows were turned for the golden shores of Veragua, and thus, in 
 the elegant language of Mr. Irving, "ended the l'>fty anticipations 
 which had elevated Columbus above all personal interests; which 
 had made liim regardless of hardships and perils; and had given a 
 heroic, character to the early part of his voyage. It is true he had 
 
THE SPANIARDS IN AMJiKlOA. 
 
 77 
 
 been ,n pursuit of a mere chimera, but it was the chimera of a 
 splendid imagination and a penetrating judgment. If he was disap- 
 pointed in his expectation of finding a strait through the isthmus of 
 Danen, it was because nature herself had been disappointed- fo 
 she appears to have attempted to make one, but to have attempted 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 riSASTROUS ATTEMPT TO POC^D A SETTLEONT.-HOSTI, ITIES 
 
 WITH THE INDIANS.-THE VESSELS EINALLY STIIaTded 4 
 
 THE ISLAND OP -- A M A IC A.-EX T lU OO I N A RyTe yjc p OF 
 
 ol\V^\7''\T' '' '''' ^OLLOWERS.-T.EACHE . ' 
 
 OF 0;aND0.— RESCUE OP THE C R EWS, — A TROCITI E3 
 
 COM.VITTED ON THE NATIVES OF HA YTI.-RZTURN 
 
 OF COLUMRUS TO SPAIN.-HIS TREATMENT - 
 
 HIS DEATH. — DISPOSAL OF HIS REMAINs'. 
 
 Involved in fresh tempests, the sea-worn squadron laboured back 
 and in January, 1503, arrived near the river of Veragua S 
 gold was colh-cted from the natives, and Bartho]omew,°with s^^ty 
 e.ght men, explored the country, whieli he reported ti be rich n 
 the piteous me^l. In this inviting region, which he supp To 
 
 he the Auroa Chcrsoncsus of the ancients, Columbus resolved o 
 found a se tlement. The erection of a f ,rtress and of dwel i Zl ^ 
 commenced with mucli energy, and eighty of the con.pa ^^ w ^ 
 selec e.l as colonists. This j.omising .scheme, howev r by ,1 e 
 onnnty of the natives, was presently disconcerted, with n uch lo 
 and embarrassment. 
 
 Quil>ia, the cacique of the country, a brave, fierce, and powerful 
 dneftam, ad .t first treated the intrn.lers wi;h civ litv, exZn 
 then- speedy departure. But on seeing these vrcmv.fd. ^^-MHUing 
 
 ;r':--''^>'^«''"'-;i"^'i-orritorieM.rXSr ::, i^^^ 
 
 gh once captured and twice defeated, sueceede.l in killi ^ 1 
 of the Spaniards, and hokling the remain.ler of the settleme.rt for 
 nuK. .lays in a state of alarming siege and <listress-tlie t m lot 
 weather, durnig that time, preventing the admiral from land'^f h 
 
78 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 reinforcements. The remainder of the colony, with much dan^rer 
 and difficulty, was finally reembarked, and Columbus, leaving one 
 of his caravels rotting in the river, put to sea with the others and 
 made his way to Porto Bello. There another, riddled by the worms 
 was abandoned, and with the crews crowded into the two remaining 
 vessels now little better than wrecks, he steered for Ilispaniohr 
 After long tossing about in renewed tempests, finding that they could 
 not be kept afloat much longer, he ran for the nearest land, and on 
 the 2-ith of June made a harbour of Jamaica, still called "Don Chris- 
 topher's Cove." He ran the vessels aground, and they soon filled 
 with water to the decks. Houses were built upon them as a shelter 
 for the crews, and a defence against attack, and the nei-hbourin- 
 caciques were induced to promise a regular supply of provisions ° 
 To escape, indeed, from this solitarv isle of the sea, lyinc. flxr from 
 the track even of the few and unfrequent voyages to Hispaniola, 
 seemed almost an hopeless undertaking. But one Diego Mendez a 
 notary, who, by his courage and policy, had already rendered the 
 most important services to the expedition, now volunteered on the 
 desperate enterprise of gaining the port of St. Domingo. In -ir 
 Indian canoe, manned by six natives, he boldly set forth, to cross 
 forty leagues of sea, perilous from furious currents; and although 
 coasting along the shore, he was taken prisoner bv the Indians con- 
 trived to effect his escape, regained the ships, and with one Fiesco 
 a Genoese, with two canoes, again set forth on his adventurous 
 undertaking. In a letter, which, by this precarious conveyance 
 Coliimbue dispatched to the sovereigns, he enthusiasticallv proffered 
 his services as a missionary in converting the Grand Klian, whom 
 in his next voyage, he confidently expected to find-then bv a sud- 
 d.a revulsion of feeling, awaking to the forlorn reality of I'lis con- 
 dition, he exclaims, "Until now, I have wept for others; have pity 
 i'|"|n n.e, Heaven, and weep for me, earth ! In my temporal coneen,. 
 ^^.tl.u,lt a farthing to give in offering; in s,)iritual concerns, cast 
 nway here in the Indies; isolated in my misery, infirm, expectii... 
 each .lay will be my last; surrounded oy cruel savages, separated 
 from the holy sacraments of the church, so that my soul will be lost 
 If separated here from my body. * * if it should please 
 God to deliver me from h^nce, I humbly supplicate your ma . slios 
 to permit me to repair to i?orne, and perform other pil-n-ima^/e. " 
 
 Many inontlis passed by, and no succour came, nor any^tidings 
 of the fate of his dauntless messengers. A mutiny, headcul by one 
 
THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 79 
 
 Francisco Torras sprung up. which the admiral, enfeebled by old 
 
 age and crippled by the gout, was unable to suppress. In January 
 o04, the nialcontents, forty-eight in number, seized canoes, and pj; 
 sea; bu a storrn commg up, put back to Jamaica, having mu 
 
 dered eighteen Induans whom they had taken as rowers, by dJZ. 
 
 t.em ov-erboard. They then commenced a system of plunder and 
 
 flopredation among the native villages ^ 
 
 The Jamaicans, provoked at these outrages, and, by decrees sati 
 
 atcd with European traffic, now discontinu^ed^hei/supp, ef andte 
 large body of men still under command of Columbus vas threatened 
 wiJi the horrors of starvntinn Ti^^ „, • • '">' ''"^t-utiiea 
 
 hv -1 most .nhtU T ^ cunning genius of their leader, 
 
 h a most subtle device, rescued them from the anticipated evil 
 Kno ying, from his observations, that an eclipse of the moon would 
 speedily occur, he announced to the cacioues in . ,rv.^A -7 , 
 
 the God of the Spaniards, enraged at tSrtr ^l" ^i^ If 
 pers, intended to visit their island with pestilence-in token v r o 
 
 he moon, that very mght, would grow dim, and leave her ^ce in 
 the heavens. At first they scoffed at the ominous intelligence b 
 as night drew on, watched witn some anxiety for the predict! «;' 
 
 uas cized with frantic and uncontrollable terror. The island re- 
 
 Ins cabin, and reapnoarino- ..ftp^ „ .1 . • , ' '^^"rea to 
 
 ♦1 f 1 • •. ^"l'l'<-a'iiife, alter a decent im^uva , informed tho.n 
 tiiat his suit was cranted •md +l,nf «i > '^uinitru lucm 
 
 * J . 1 , «= ''"'^'^'' '""^ that the moon would nrescntiv h^ 
 restored to her p ace in the lu>avpr,« it - presently be 
 
 Light months having elap.sed since the departure of Mender nnd 
 Iicsco, It was suppo.sed, cf course, that their slender b.ri s 1^1 h n 
 swallowed uri in the ocenn 'Pl.^,. i i , , ^ ^^^ " 
 
 after a voyal of 4 irfZ'^ffi ' "«y«rtheless succeeded, and 
 
 promised, mi^ht nfrisli ,-' ^.r..,.. i , ''^'-* ^'^^^ 
 
 o"'"to, in ji-pison, to the asswtance of his 
 
80 
 
 THE rKOl'LK'S HOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 shipwrockoil companions. At length (i)crl>aps to satisfy liiniself that 
 Cohunhus was tleaa) he sent a small vessel, whieh, after a brief stop- 
 pa^o, returned without taking a single man from the wrecks. 
 
 The rebels ashore, headeil by Porras, now resolved on plnnderinr. 
 the vessels and seizing the person of their commander, but Don Bar" 
 tholomew, with iifty men, eciual to the number of tlie hostile faction 
 met them on the roa.l, an.l routed them, seizing Porras, and killing 
 several with his own hand. The defeated liiction, with the mos°t 
 nb)(vt servility, now submitted, and took oath of allegiance on a 
 cross and a missal, imprecating terrible penalties on their heads in 
 case o( any future n,iseon<bu.t-"that the.v might die without con- 
 lossion or absolution Ironi the pope, or from any cardinal, archbishop 
 bisnop, or any manner of priest; that they s'h.,uld be deprived of 
 the holy sacraments; that their bodies should be cast into the fields 
 as renegades and iieretics; and, to make all Mire, that tliey should 
 take no benefit at their death from any bulls ami indulgonees." 
 
 It was not until a year after the shipwreck that the fiithful xMen- 
 dcz could obtain permission tosajl to the rescue of his sullering eoni- 
 inander and shipmates. On the 28th of .lune, loOi, they embarked 
 in two vessels, and, after a weary voyage of two months, ivached St 
 Domingo, where the people, their preju.Uees abated, welcomed tlie 
 great admiral with enlhusiastic rejoieing. The base Ovando also 
 I'aid many hypoeritieal attentions to tiie commander whom he had 
 so lately injured .and lelt to {lerish. 
 
 The admini.stration of this man, during the brief interval since 
 his appointment, had been marked l)y scenes hardly surpassed in 
 luuror and infamy by any even in the history of Spanish colonization. 
 Misfortune attended its eomnieneement in the death of more than a 
 thou.-^and of the eager adventurers whom he had bn.ught over, and 
 M-ho, in th.eir insane thirst for g..ld, exjx.sed themselves recklessly 
 to disea.se and lamine. The Indians w.-re held in the most intolera- 
 ble slavery, ami vast numbers perished under the tM-anny of their 
 new (ask-n;aster.s, rapacious of sudden wealth. ( )n the va-ue report 
 ol a meduated conspiracy in Xaragua, the governor marched there 
 \vitii an army, and was received by the queen, Anaeaona, tlie aneie.it 
 Inend oi the whues, and by her caciques, with the utmost confidence 
 and hospitality, l-or several days the craliv Spaniard, enjoviinr the 
 games and other exhibitions provided for his amusement, di^se.nl.led 
 his bloody ;>arpose; then, without a word of warning, he let loose 
 on the unarmed multitude his ferocious soldiery, which committed 
 
 J 
 
ft liorriblo massacre. The minor, w„„ u 
 
 »livc by firing „,c ,,„,acc in w| M, Tv . V"™' ™'-'' ''"™°'l 
 
 province w,. ravagll with «:':,' tlr::;;""""- . '^''» "'""" 
 ,.»., wore ro.I„ced .„ .he ™,t wrcS '.iTvtrv """""^ '"'«"" 
 
 resolution and nia-mnimifv 1, '":'^"'' ^"^'"^'t^J « most king! yr 
 
 numbers of Li. p ° :^' ;--:^ -» -f executed, and gr°ea^ 
 
 ^nents. Tl:e wl.olo native no'" ""'"' '^' "^°^^ «r««I tor- 
 
 Cohunbu, on bis arriv 7^:^10 ^1""" '"^'^'"^ °^ "^^^""'"'^^-l- 
 -.ce I left this island^si;; J°„^^^^^^^^^ "^ ^ ^"'"^"'^'^ ^''^^* 
 
 dead; f tbrongh iU-tr^atment 1 ^ .^X" s ''^ "f ^^^ ^^« 
 otiiers by blows and cniel us-.crn ', \y ' ""'"e ^>y the sword, 
 
 g.e:,t<.r part have peri.slJdt T^^^^J^'Tf ^'""°-- ''^he 
 hiid lied, from no bein-r able toT ? /""^ ^^''"■'' ^'^"^''«>- ^''oy 
 ^'-.." But the ample^re ;t :,r n ^"^^^^ "P- 
 
 quitics, were, with Ferdinand n, '! 1 ^ ', "^ ^"'^ ''^ ^^ese ini- 
 tio; -«I though l.is cZ ;,:iStr^rl'^^^^^^^^^-- 
 I.ro^uHe that Ovando should be d 1 ! ^^1° ^'''""'' ^'''""ed his 
 the trouble to fuKll it. ^^ ''''^^' ^^ "^^^^ g'-^ve himself 
 
 Columbus, without power to repress thp«<> nn • • 
 not without rejnorse at the fruitfof tha o, '" '"' '"'' ^'''"^"'''^■^ 
 
 l^een the first to practice Instead IW. '"'^''^^^«'"«»t which he had 
 exhausted in juxlviding 'f^T h t ^ ^ ^rT" '""^'^ ''' ''' ^^"''^ 
 1- always had especial\are, e J^^ £ 7'^ ''''''' '''' "^'^-« 
 
 Lucar. Thence, enfeebled by ol 1 a-e Ja r ' '''"^'*^ "* ^^''» 
 
 to Seville, where the few Z^^ ^::^';:;^'^ ''« ^ ^^rne 
 l«ss."d, while vainly attempting bv the Tnt ?• ' '''''' '"'^'^''■^ 
 
 - touch the honour or Justie:'o 7t ^^t ^^"i? ''V'^""-^'' 
 actual povertv, as ai.pears bv an ^mJ ^ '''''' ^^'^"^^'^ to 
 
 " I-i..lc have -l' profltLd ' l^^Htf ^t^r?'' ^" ^ '«"" ^<> ''- -• 
 --'' toils and perits, ^inee tr^^entVl" V"°'"^"^^' ^^"'' 
 Jf I <lesire to eat .. le^n I hlZ * ""''" '"^ ^'^^^ '» Spa'"- 
 
 -0^1 U,.., have n. ^i^^th^/' ^T' ^"' ^" '""' ^^^ ^' the 
 Leila, soon ^fter Hi. . i;" Sr^ m "''•" '''^^ '^^'^^ ^' ^- 
 r">d left him dependent on thl ^''^ ^'T' ^^"^^"^^^"^'^^"■"^i^^tiee, 
 
 Vo,. jn -(• "■°'"''"'^' «^ ^^'^ «^'fish Ferdinand. 
 
 I 
 
TJIK SPANIARDS IN AMKRICA. 
 
 88 
 
 CHAPTEH I. 
 
 DIHCOVKRY ANI. S llll V K Y OF CirDA, — ITS 
 
 CONQUEST IIY VKLAS-^ 
 
 • .VmaN. r '"'■~'''"^''"^''''''^' "" JAMAICA,!! T, 
 
 «'^«nKNT.UnK,,T,KSOF,„.S,.AX;iL^^"- 
 Af'<-OUNTOF AMKJtICUS VJiSPUCJUS. ' 
 
 H...i I.y most or I,is c.o,,t ti ^'^''''"' '''"' '■"^'■'^"^^•'^ ^y him 
 
 Asia. In im, anat^ ;: rr V"'"" "' '"' ^'^"''"-'^ "^ 
 cxt..nsivosu,.vo;Horii'; ;"i ""^ "'^'"^f ^' 1^^'^- 1- made 
 
 v^jagcof survey. Tl.,t c.<MnuKU,,i;r cin.wnun v' ' /^^^^^^ "" ^ 
 continent, proving it nn island, ar,d n,a<le eo s^W ' T^''""''^ 
 'vpMiring I.is vessels in the h,.,Mfi(nl ^"''■^'™« exploration, 
 
 ii-t <iisc.vered. (.unin, t i , c^!"'^^ "'"--'='' -'-^'' he 
 
 ^^''">'', with "tlHT natn 1 J] t i""''^ "'^' oonvenieneo of 
 
 ^<.;;.-...eonn::;i!,:^:,;;;;:r^^^^^^ 
 
 rl.")tin.M)vandoi,tlHMnle "'^'^'V^V" '"'^'''^''^■^' •'" ''^"t>- 
 
 ••'■''•- •'undrednu>n,n:;j;:r.r;:\i;;X 
 
 -'"I'-st and eol xation of the i t f> "^"''' '"' ''"' 
 
 tl-t island, had taken .1,, j,. (""j^ m •"' «"^^"'^'^^'<>" of 
 
 ■"-v-like, were easily dofc^te. 1 ' i r ''"' '''''^' ""'^ 
 
 capture,!, was senteneed Wh f. ' ""^'"•^""''t- ^^''ief; bein^, 
 
 nl.ve. IVin.r nr^ed a^ s fl '"^ '"'''"l"'^ ooncpu-ror to he hurned 
 nndseeuretf;/ n";;-,"" ;;V''r '^^'!'^^'/" ^h-ce Christian,tv, 
 be there; and I .1] /" '"'",T'' '^ -- Spaniards would 
 
 >',„ told that there wonld, nu.de the ever-memorable 
 
TIIK I'EOI'LK'S BOOK OV HISTORY. 
 
 .'iiiswcr, "I will not bo :i Christian then; for I would not go ngain to 
 a place where I mnst lind men so cruel." 
 
 Thanks, however, to the good odiccs of Las Casas, the generous 
 advocate of an oppressed race, who accompanied the forces, the eon- 
 quest of Cuba was disgi'aced by comparatively few of these atrocities. 
 Indeed, the gentle and unwarlike character of the natives induced 
 them to submit, with very little resistance, to the assumed authority 
 of the strangers, and to embrace the ])roflered religion with greater 
 readiness than any others of their race. The town of Baracoa was 
 first founded by the invaders, and by 1514, the whole island had 
 been overrun and examined by the increasing nundjcrs of emigrants. 
 The towns of Santiago and Trinidad, on the southern shore, were 
 founded, and tho.se of Bayamo, Puerto Principe, and Santi-Esjiiritus, 
 near the centre. Batabano, in the south, founded in July, 1515, at 
 first, in honour of the illustrious di.scovercr, received the name of 
 San Cristoval de la Havana — a name, however, transferred, in 1519, 
 to the capital at j)rescnt known under the last portion of the appel- 
 lation. The advantages of this s|)lendid site appear to have been 
 first duly appreciated by Hernando dc Soto, governor in 15JJS, who 
 erected a foitress, still standing, and otherwi.se improved the Havana, 
 ju.st before his memorable and fiital expedition to Florida. So rm- 
 idly did it increase in imimrtanec, that ten years afterwards, it was 
 adopted as a residence by the governors, and in 1589, was formally 
 cc<nstituted by the crown as the capital of the island. 
 
 The beautiful island of Porto Hico (called Boriquen by the native 
 inhabitants) wa.s, like all the most im])ortant of the Antilles, discov- 
 ered by Columbus, on his second voyage, in November, 1-193. 'J'he 
 natives were an ingenious and industrious people, living in greater 
 comfort and civilix;ation tlian any which tlie Spaniards had vet 
 encountered. 
 
 On the snlijngation of ILispaniola, Juan Ponce de Leon, a soldier 
 experienced in Nfoori.sh warfare, and a companion of Columbus in 
 his second expedition, receivcnl as tlie reward of his actlvitv in (piell- 
 ing the refractory natives, the government of Higuey, a province 
 lying directly opposite to the verdant mountains of Porto Rico. 
 Attracted by its beauty, and the reports of its wi-alth, he made, in 
 1508, an expedition of reconnoi.sance; and tlie following vear, hav- 
 ing obtained from the crown an appointment as gov(M-nor, made a 
 .'settlement there. Oppression of the natives, as usual, provoked 
 their hostility, but a beli-f that their invaders, of sui)ernatural ori- 
 
SCEyE I\ THE WEST ISIHE 
 
g 
 
 w 
 a 
 h 
 
 St 
 
 ti: 
 ib 
 
 A 
 
 slf 
 
 of 
 
 pa 
 
 wli 
 
 in 
 
 tioi 
 
 ron 
 
 acci 
 
 tlie 
 
 sec'c 
 
 shoi 
 
 the 
 
 159. 
 
 (lisai 
 
 the 
 
 aslio 
 
 tojili 
 
 year, 
 
 Ai 
 
 jus(i( 
 
 COUIK 
 
 and 1 
 that I 
 iiearlj 
 diiiani 
 mont 
 July, 
 ]<iiig 1 
 iestly 
 
THE SPANIARDS IN AMKUiOA. 
 
 gin, wore invulnomblo and incanihJp nC r^ *i i 
 
 .vMlo from ^i,t,.„cc. A ocSo" ,; „1r„t™ .7'' "• ™ '" " 
 and analytic turn, resolved tn in.f, / 'lovvever, of an inquiring 
 
 .strea,,,, ,„ hold thdr burden gcMy ulLlZ / T"^ " 
 
 time. Doubt beinif laid bv tl,„ L i. ° >!on».dcrable 
 
 lonncl for .he dctfuclTn „Y tbt S^a^'il'^d: '°'"™' ™"'""-""^ "» 
 
 thole island,,.^ c"„z.i7 Id:;/'''?:,""'' ™"'-''='''' """ "- 
 
 i» Hisraniol,,, ,o a «a, o of co, "kr 1 *'"''«''- '"luccd, a, 
 
 a«ndcxi,editio,,totheNeivWorl^> ir' ^°'""''^"'. "' l"s 
 J0.-0 of Cuba, that ».,„a„<H ^ J :«; ;";3,;^ -f™ 
 
 the south, turned his juoivs iii tint dinvt , , ' ■^^ "" '" 
 
 10(«, n.aehcd the ^L. „^ jZ^^^';^^^^":;;^' f.^'^y. 
 
 ;:rro™s '^.r;™""-' "-'■■ - ->'»"., :::i::i,';: 
 
 .™J revenue.. An illu.tr u- ^ f ''"«''l»'7 liignities 
 tliat e„,iueut bo e:,."";"=° '"■"'."■"'' '"» P-'l-e d 
 
 -»rl, ever, „oi„t\'„' li 'f X ""wi|r;™,' l"?' '^'I"".' '-''' 
 dinaud only partially eoiunli,, ' I nghtc.ona deeision Fer- 
 
 ...ont of Ili, Iniob Vro « 't '"\ ''"'""'"' '" ""= «-"-=™- 
 
 Ha. had allowed. Ii„, lin.Iin, t hat , f " /of ';'""'"" "' "''■' 
 
 -^-'rw....n. hi» „..n ju„.„ieti"„n, i,adte':'™i,;7;"rcr: 
 
 * Brynn Eilwjinis, Es((. 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
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 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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 4.^ «. 
 
 
 9." 
 
86 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 t4^ 
 
 #-»-^ 
 
 to Ojeda and Nicuesa (then busied with their schemes for the settle- 
 ment of the main land), he determined to anticipate their movements. 
 
 Accordingly, in November, 1509, a force of seventy men was dis- 
 patched thither, under Juan de Esquivel, a gallant cavalier, and a 
 man of humane and magnanimous temperament. To his eternal 
 honour, the occupation of the island was disgraced by none of those 
 atrocities which have left their indelible stain on the names of nearly 
 all other early Spanish adventurers. Though the island produced no 
 gold, a moderate and settled prosperity was the natural result. " The 
 affairs of Jamaica," says a Spanish historian, "went on prosperously, 
 because Juan de Esquivel having brought the natives to submission 
 wiihont any effusion of blood, they laboured in planting cotton, and 
 raising other commodities which yielded great profit." This humane 
 and honourable officer, however, having founded the town of New 
 Seville, and established a flourishing colony, died within a few years 
 of his appointment. 
 
 The settlement appears to have increased with surprising rapidity, 
 for, in 1523, only thirteen years after the arrival of Esquivel, Fran- 
 cis de Garay, then holding the command, fitted out an expedition 
 of eight hundred and fifty men, many of whom were cavalry, for 
 the conquest of Pauuco, a territory on the Gulf, which, however, 
 Cortes had already secured to the Spanish crown. The customary 
 scenes of cruelty and massacre followed hard on the death of the 
 first governor, and so rapidly did the work of extermination proceed, 
 that in little more than half a century, it is said, nearly the whole 
 native population, consisting of sixty thousand, had perished. Many 
 caves in the mountains, still thickly covered with human bones, attest 
 the miserable end of these unfortunates, who, fleeing from the sword 
 or lash of the oppressors, died from hunger in those dismal recesses. 
 
 Singular to state, the capital of New Seville, after attaining, in a 
 few years, considerable size and importance, was abandoned — accord- 
 ing to some accounts, by reason of a destructive attack of the natives, 
 and to others, on account of the invasion of an innumerable swarm 
 of ants. Neither of these legends are probable, but it is certain that 
 the ruins of extensive buildings, some unfinished, yet remain, iuid 
 that a new capital city, St. .Jago de la Vega, or, as it is now called, 
 Spanish Town, was founded at an earh' date in the history of the 
 country. The subsequent annals of the island present compara- 
 tively little of interest until its capture by the lilnglish, under the 
 active administration of Cromwell, in 1655 — an act of hostility 
 
THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 
 
 87 
 
 much decried by some writers, but which appears to have been only 
 a reasonable and moderate reprisal for numerous massacres and 
 atrocities committed by the Spaniards of the West Indies on the 
 inhabitants of all neighbouring colonies. 
 
 ACCOONT OF AfflERICUS VESPUCIUS. 
 
 The renown of the discovery of the Western Continent and the 
 eternal perpetuation of that renown by the adoption of a name were 
 certainly due_ to Christopher Columbus, whose grand geniu^ and 
 indefatigable industry laid open the pathway to its shores. The next 
 chum, m justice, would be that of its first actual discoverer, Sebastian 
 Cabot who, through a long life-time of enterprise and perseverance 
 proved himself not unworthy of the high honour which chance 
 accorded to his youth. But, siugular to state, a claim founded on 
 the most glaring imposture, and unrelieved either by original genius 
 ol- great achievement, has resulted in the eternal commemoration of 
 a name otherwise long since lapsed into obscurity-the name of 
 Amerigo Vespucci.* 
 
 He was born at Florence on the 9th of March, 1451, of noble 
 though decayed parentage, and received a good education under the 
 care of his uncle, an ecclesiastic. Renato, afterwards king of Sicily 
 was his fellow-pupil, and to their subsequent correspondence, or to 
 a fabrication of a portion thereof, America is indebted for its present 
 unsatisfactory name-a name representing no heroism of soul no 
 1 e-]ong devotedness to a great cause-but bearing in its every sylla- 
 ble the continual suggestion of fraud, usurpation and inaptitude 
 _ l^or many years Vespucci was engaged successfully in commerce 
 in "s natife city, but finally, meeting with reverses, was compelled 
 m 149o to accept an agency in Spain. At Seville ho became ac- 
 quamted with Columbus, and was employed by the sovereigns in 
 fitting out vessels for their exploring expeditions. He sailed with 
 Alonzo de Ojeda in his voyage of 1499, inflimous for treachery and 
 cruelty committed on the Indians, .and, with that daring but unnrin- 
 cipled coramande'r, coasted along a great extent of the shores of 
 South America. The appearance of this expedition on the coast of 
 Hispaniola, .nd the uneasiness which it caused the admiral have 
 been mentioned. 
 
 * L.itinized into Amerieus VoHpiicius, 
 
88 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOEY. 
 
 In 1501, and again in 1503, the Florentine adventurer sailed to 
 Brazil, in the Portuguese service; and from the interesting accounts 
 ■which he gave of the new continent, it became fashionable to com- 
 pliment him by giving it the title of America. In 1505, he returned 
 to Spain, and we find him in friendly communication with Colurtlbus, 
 and offering to use his influence with the Spanish court in behalf 
 of the rights of that injured commander — proof almost positive that 
 no claim to the discovery of America had then been broached by 
 him or by any one in his behalf. He received the ofl&ce of Grand 
 Pilot of Spain, which he held until his death in 1512. 
 
 "By a most extraordinary piece of imposture, if committed by 
 himself, or of forgery, if committed by another, the claims of Ves- 
 puc'us to the glory of the discovery of the New World have now, 
 for centuries, been seriously discussed — though, at the present day, 
 few, except his Florentine countrymen, will allow them even the 
 merit of plausibility, on grounds so utterly untenable. In a letter 
 which he is said to have written to King Eenato, and which was 
 published in 1507, (only a few months after the death of the great 
 admiral) an account is given of a voyage which he claims to have 
 made to the coast of South America in 1-197 — a year before the 
 memorable expedition of Columbus. No assertion ever stood more 
 entirely unsupported. By the unanimous testimony of a host of 
 witnesses, it has been proved that, except in this letter, none of his 
 contemporaries, or of those familiar with the Spanish marine, had 
 ever heard of any such voyage. His own conduct and the tenor of 
 his numerous remaining letters are all directly opposed to the reality 
 of any such exploit; and at this distance of time we are unable to 
 decide whether the account is a forgery of some other person, or 
 whether, actuated by a miserable vanity, he thought it possible, at 
 least with his correspondent, to arrogate to himself the discovery of 
 the continent. It is certainly more agreeable to suppose the former, 
 than to admit that a man of the real reputation of Vespucius, and to 
 whose good character Columbus himself has borne testimony, should 
 have been capable of such unblushing impudence and falsehood."* 
 * "Discoverers, &.e., of America." 
 
 Kysll^ 
 
THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ISTHMUS, 
 
 AND DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 DISASTROUS ATTEMPTS Tn pnir^r,, 
 
 >fITH THJ Il,IIH).s._DISCOrERy OF lEE f ICIPIC. 
 
 foring, lo. and rrppoi ::° ■ Ai°:r''!' "'* *5"'=™- ^f- 
 
 Sctastia,, was founded by Ablz'o <feoT •"."'"' ''■""^'' S"" 
 east side of Ihc Gulf of Uraba h f ^ .' '\ ^'"" '*•"*■ "" "'O 
 of the eommauder and ttl '^ ^ ?*'" *' ""P"'"""' bravery 
 
 in..aeab,ee„n,:?;o?tr:t;tre^e::d/:r'^''^ 
 
 Groat numbers were sliin on-l .1 '''*°'^^ ^^^^^^ its destruction. 
 
 Ni<«a, a, Nonibre do Di» reil, a t '"'™P''/"''" ^'"So de 
 
 "v..i.l arrest tarn b f 1 '",';'"''" ■"■""'K"" ■=''"■■«'■■■■ 'I'" 
 
 Istlunus in seareb oVt;,:e„l';;edr'"lte°er •"""■« '" '"^ 
 
 " -J-i'-i- -vucr experiencing .-uiiio 
 
90 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 misfortunes, the adventurers, under the guidance of Balboa, who 
 had before explored the coast, made their way to the Indian village 
 of Darien, on the gulf of that name, where they found much plunder 
 and established a settlement (1510). The active and intriguing 
 genius of Balboa soon succeeded in wresting the chief command 
 from Enciso; and desirous of propitiating the favour of the crown 
 by remittances of gold, as usual, he dispatched Francisco Pizarro, 
 afterwards so celebrated for the Conquest of Peru, with a small force 
 on a tour of exploration. This attempt, from native hostility, proved 
 a failure, but accident soon showed the way to profitable pillage. 
 
 Two Spanish refugees, who had been living on the hospitality of 
 Careta, a wealthy cacique, were found by the new settlers, and 
 treacherously suggested an attack on their late host. The governor, 
 accordingly, with a considerable force, marched upon his town and 
 plundered it, after the unscrupulous fashion of the age; but peace 
 was restored by the marriage of the chief's daughter to the conqueror, 
 and the latter made a campaign against the enemies of his father- 
 in-law, from which he also reaped a considerable booty. 
 
 More profitable still than these unprincipled forays was a peace- 
 able visit which he made to the great cacique of Comagre, who 
 received him with much honour, and whose son, a prince of spirit 
 and generosity, bestowed on him sij^ty slaves and four thousand 
 ounces of gold. The royal share deducted, Balboa, less anxious for 
 wealth than for renown and authority, commanded his followers to 
 divide the remainder. They wrangled noisily around the scales, till 
 the prince, moved with contempt, struck the instrument, and scattered 
 the gold over the floor. " Why should you quarrel for such a trifle ?" 
 he said : "Behold those lofty mountains. Beyond them lies a mighty 
 sea, which may be discerned from their summit. All the streams 
 which flow down the southern side of those mountains into that sea, 
 abound in gold; and the kings who reign upon its borders eat and 
 drink out of golden vessels. Gold, in fact, is as common and plenti- 
 ful among those people of the south, as iron is among you Spaniards." 
 The way to this tempting region, he added, was diflicult, and beset 
 with savage tribes ; but offered his services in a march thither. His 
 guest listened with eager interest, and his heart beat high with the 
 hope of achieving an exploit which should place his name high in 
 the list of discoverers and conquerors. 
 
 On his return to Darien, he dispatched a large sum of gold, for the 
 royal treasury, to Ilispaniola, and entreated assistance from Diego 
 
THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ISTHMUS. gj 
 
 Columbus, then viceroy of tlxat island. He next set forth with an 
 hundred and seventy men, to seareh for the famous temp e of Do 
 bayba, whose walls according to the native reports sho.e wiU. 
 golden ornaments of inestimable vilnp TT. 
 
 strange tract of marshes, inteCrsed with ieVr^ """"" "^^"^ ' 
 spreading branches the peopleTt't c^^l^^^^^^^^^ ^^'^r 
 
 ^:ani-'rir^::;t^-:^:-^ 
 
 , o y-i nis majesty by their mterpreters, and biddin^r l.in-, 
 
 come down. "But hep dpnirorl " o„ ^i , , , wuumg umi 
 
 ™,M come out of ^ itZ ,U * ,1 °'"'°'""'''' """"'■=« 
 after l.ia fashione . ""i '"C* 'T ^^f'' ''"" '" '^'« 
 »gai„e, .l,cy fell .o he„i„g 4^ ...e ^^ „t, I'Sl ""^ 
 ing Ihe ohippes fi.ll from the tree on evervs dT la,m 1 1?"' "°"' 
 pose and ea,,,e do„„e, with „„e„ .„„ oflrit-X'dt p'rXe' 
 insstoreof the nrec ous riiptil fi,£>c,.- i , ^'fecuio produce 
 
 ,1 ^'^''^^^s "'etal, the simple monarch replied that 'n^f^^ 
 had no golde, and that hee neuer had any neede tWpnf ! 
 
 regarded it any more then stones." But '"1!!™ ' v ' ^"' 
 
 with him," he promised to br!„„- .i / ^'^'"-^ '"^^'^"* 
 
 mountain's, and' toT^ d I e".""' T l'^ "^'^^^^^--g 
 guests refreshed themselves C the ro! T 1 ' ^'!. ^"^^^^^P^'^"" 
 latter, that the 'Svine " lore 3' H ^ T"^'' ""^ °'"^^' ^^"^^ 
 turbed by the osXiirof't e tf "" 7^ 
 vault at the foot of the tree tCJ^ 7\ '""" ?' ^" " '^''''' '^ 
 
 dere,, i„ the desolate mou„t°::idttd::.°' °" '"™' ""' ™- 
 
 spee..„ekd fol^h ^^l^Lfl "Siri: 'S^lt "'^ 
 
 ^ uy a letter Horn the treasurer of Hismninlo 
 gretX' ':":r' ",";' '"^ ""'™"- "^ "- eneZr „rt .a, 
 
 .»onn,ai„s, and t „ t Jl Jr?: *° ^n^" '"'^°"'' •"» 
 
92 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 to fight his way to the shores of the unexplored ocean. On the 20th 
 he left the teriitories of Ponca, a chief whom he had defeated and 
 conciliated, and was soon involved in a region perilous by its vast 
 marshes and other natural obstacles. Quaraqua, the chief of this 
 couiitry, with a great army, set on him, while entangled in these 
 difllculties; but the fire-arms and the ferocious blood-hounds of the 
 invaders were too much for the undisciplined courage and iucfTicient 
 weapons of the Indian multitudes; they were signally defeated, with 
 a loss of six hundred, including their cacique. Several of the pris- 
 oners, with a cruelty habitual to the Spaniards, were given to be torn 
 in pieces by the hounds; and considerable plunder, in gold and 
 jewels, was found in the conquered villages. 
 
 By this time, from wounds, fatigue and illness, so many of the 
 command had become disabled, that Balboa, with only sixty-seven 
 companions, commenced the ascent of the mountains. On the 26th 
 of September, 1513, as they approached the summit, the general 
 halted his force, and ordered that no man should stir from his place. 
 He ascended alone, and on gaining the highest point, beheld the 
 distant Pacific, never before surveyed by P]uropean eyes, glittering 
 in the south. Overcome with joy, he kneeled and returned fervent 
 thanks to God. His people, with uncontrollable eagerness, hastened 
 up. A solemn Te Demn was sung by all, and formal possession of 
 the new ocean, with all its coasts and islands, was made by proclama- 
 tion in the name of Castile. It is not a little singular that the first 
 European settlement on the Western Continent should have been at 
 the only spot from which the Great Western Ocean was accessible, and 
 that a discovery of such importance should have followed so closclv 
 on a report of its possibility; but this very circumstance tended 
 greatly to mislead future explorers, and to foster delusive hopes of 
 reaching it as easily in other latitudes—as witness the attempt of La 
 Salle by the St. Lawrence, and of Hudson by the North lliver, to 
 gain the shores of China— the belief of the Virginian settlers that the 
 Chesapeake led thither, and the confident expectation, so long enter- 
 tained, of finding an easy passage to India by the north of America. 
 Leaving a cross and a pile of stones to mark the scene of his 
 memorable discovery, Balboa hastened to the shore of the yet-dis- 
 tant ocean. He defeated many savages, and gained vast bootv in 
 gold on the way. Arrived at last on the sea-shore, he grasped a 
 banner, and, plunging into the waves, took solemn possession in the 
 name of the Spanish crown, vowing to maintain, against all chal- 
 
THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ISTHMUS. 
 
 93 
 
 lengers, Christian or infidel, its "empire and dominion over these 
 Indies, islands, and Terra Firma, northern and southern, with all 
 their seas, both at the Arctio and Antarctic poles, on either side of 
 the equinoctial lino, whether within or without the tronics of Cancer 
 and Capricorn, both now and in all times, as long as the world 
 cudures, and until the final judgpent of all mankind." Of all the 
 vast regions of sea and land included in this swelling annunciation, 
 what now remains to a nation whose conquests were stained with 
 such hideous murder and cruelty, and whose government was marked 
 by such oppression, rapacity, and illiberal exclusiveness! 
 
 CHAPTEH IL 
 
 THE RETURN M ARCH. — A rPOINTMENT OF PEDRARIAS DAVILA, 
 —HIS EXPEDITION.— HIS JEALOUSY OP BALBOA.— MISFOR- 
 TUNES OF THE COLONY. — E.XPEDITION OP MORALES AND PI- 
 ZARRO.— RECONCILIATION OF PEDRARIAS AND BALBOA. 
 
 — VESSELS CONVEYED OVERLAND TO THE PACIFIC, 
 
 SUDDEN ARREST, TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF BALBOA. 
 
 Seizing .some Indian canoes, which he found on the shore, Bal- 
 boa, with sixty men, launched boldly forth into the unknown ocean. 
 Storms, and the dangers of tlie coast, forbade any extensive voya-e 
 in these frail craft, but the adventurer learned of the natives enough 
 to fire his highest ambition and to excite his utmost energies. The 
 land, they assured him, had no end, and far in the south° gold was 
 to be found in abundance, and certain animals were used as beasts 
 of burden. They moulded in clay the figure of a lama, in confirm- 
 ation of their story, and readily furnished large quantities of gold 
 and pearls to their rapacious visitors. Early in November, the e.xpe- 
 dition set out on its return, taking many Indians to assist in carry- 
 ing the treasure, which had become too bulky for transportation by 
 Its owners. The march homeward was distinguished by extreme 
 suffering and great cruelty inflicted on the native inhabitants. Num- 
 bers of the Indian portens, burdened with gold, not being permitted 
 to carry sufficient food for tlieir support, peri.shed on the way; and 
 the atrocities inflicted on the people of those districts through which 
 
94 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOUY. 
 
 the Spaniards passed, may be inferred from the fact that, in a single 
 instance, they "gaue four Kings" (chiefs) "to be devoured by dogges." 
 Nearly three months were consumed in this teriible return march 
 but the relics of the force finally reached Darien with a treasure in 
 pearls and gold, which caat into the shade all booty acquired by 
 previous marauders. 
 
 Meanwhile, the enemies of Balboa, possessing the ear of the court, 
 had procured the appointment of Pedrarias Davila, a man of a cruel 
 and treacherous character, as governor of Darien. The accounts 
 already received of an ocean, and of wealthy kingdoms lying bevond 
 the mountains, had inflamed the public mind with sanguine expecta- 
 tion; and accordingly, for the first time since the memorably-disas- 
 trous voyage of Ovando, cavaliers and speculators flocked in crowds 
 to join an expedition to the New World. With fifteen sail, carry- 
 ing two thousand impatient adventurers, tbe new governor, on the 
 12tJi of April, 1514, took his departure. Just afterwards, arrived 
 a messenger from Balboa, announcing his splendid discovery, and 
 bearing dazzling specimens of the wealth of the isthmus. Pro])iti- 
 ated by these tidings, Ferdinand, regretting his precipitancy, at once 
 dispatched fresh instructions, constituting the fortunate discoverer 
 Lieutenant of the South Sea, and conferring on him the rule of 
 important provinces in the adjoining region. 
 
 Pedrarias, on his arrival, fcmnd the colony, by the indefatigable 
 exertions of his predecessor, in a state of considerable j)rosperity, 
 Darien already containing five hundred European inhabitants, with 
 thrice that number of natives. The de])osed governor readily sub- 
 mitted to the authority of his rival, and the latter, with excessive 
 meanness, having, by a pretended iriendliness, gained full informa- 
 tion of the late surveys and discoveries, began to attempt his ruin. 
 On the arrival of the royal missive, he wi^thheld it (or a time, and 
 finally, through the interposition of Qucvedo, bishop of the province 
 only so far relaxed his injustice as to permit its acceptance on con- 
 dition of the dependence of the Lieutenant on his own authority. 
 His jealous and irritable temper was further inflamed by the arrival 
 ot a vessel from Cuba, with seventy hardy adventurers, who had 
 come to accompany Balboa on a fresh expedition to the Pacific. He 
 arbitrarily forbade the projected excursion, and it is said was with dif- 
 ficulty dissuaded from confining the object of his suspicion in a cage. 
 His own administration, from the commencement, was marked by 
 ill-f(jrtune and mismanagement. Of the rash and improvident mul- 
 
THE SETTLEMENT OF THE I8TIIMD8. 
 
 06 
 
 titudo which ho had brought over, seven hundred soon perished of 
 dKseaao and hunger; others took refuge in Cuba, and manv, in n.iser- 
 able plight returned to Spain. A force of four hundred men, which 
 he dispatched to open a line of communication with the Pacific 
 failed, with much disaster, from the hostility of the Indians- and 
 .■mother, of two hundred, which, under Balboa and Luis Carillo 
 ngam set forth in quest of the temple of Dobayba, was compelled 
 by the same cause to retreat to Darien, with the loss of more than 
 liall their number. 
 
 A more fortunate expedition was m.'^de by Gaspar Morales, a rela- 
 tive of the governor, who, accompanied by Francisco Pizarro, a 
 spirit as fierce and cruel as himself, set forth, in command of sixty 
 men, to cross the mountains. Arriving at the South Sea, (whither 
 Pizarro had already journeyed with Balboa,) the two commanders, 
 with a small force, in four canoes, embarked for the Pearl Islands 
 lying some distance from the coa^t. The chief cacique, after a spir- 
 ited resistance, was defeated; and submitting with the best grace he 
 could assume, conducted the victors to his palace, where he received 
 baptism at their hands, and bestowed on them a basket of pearls of 
 more than a hundred weight, some of which were large as hazel-nuts. 
 He took the leaders to the summit of a tower, whence he showed them 
 the long line of coast stretching to the golden realms of the Incas- 
 the destined prey of an obscure adventurer then standing beside him 
 The return of this company, harassed by Indian hostilities, was 
 marked by the most frightful scenes of massacre and cruelty A 
 native force, attacked by surprise, in the dead of night, was cut off 
 to the number of seven hundred; and eighteen caciques, taken by 
 stratagem were devoured alive by blood hounds. The Spaniards 
 worn out by repeated attacks, retreated slowly, killing the r prison! 
 ers on the way, that the fierceness of the pursuit might be cl ocked 
 by the lamentations of their fri.nds over the bodies; and one o e 
 marauders, unable to keep up the march, hanged h mselfT. it 
 rather than fidl into the hands of the avenging natives, ift^; "e": 
 rome and wel -deserved suffering, the relies of the expedition, wiih 
 a vast hoard of ill-gotten treasure, arrived at Darien 
 
 The enmity of the surrounding tribes, now thoroughly aroused 
 kept the settlers m a state of constant anxietv. An tniifdred S 
 e.ghty men, well armed and supplied with artillery, attacked amo . 
 tangled forests and morasses, were cut off to a man. The town itself 
 was soon almost in a state of siege; and the governor was compelled 
 
06 
 
 TIIK TEOI'LE'S HOOK OF IIISTOIJY. 
 
 reluctantly to accept the services of his able and exjierienced rival, 
 as the only means of i)rcscrving the colony. To cement the doubt- 
 ful alliance, which was brought about by Quevcdo, it was agreed 
 that Balboa should receive in marriage a daughter of the governor, 
 to be sent for from Spain (1516). 
 
 That active commander, permitted to resume his ambitious career, 
 made strenuous exertions in preparing for a great expedition to the 
 South Sea. lie built two vessels on the shore of the Atlantic, which, 
 with almost incredible labour, were carried piecemeal over the mount- 
 ains, and put together on the shores of the Pacific. Numbers of the 
 natives perished in this exhausting task, but it was observed that the 
 Spaniards, and especially negroes, of hardier frame, endured the labour 
 with less distress and mortality. Two brigantines, the first of Eu- 
 ropean build that ever floated on the Pacific, were finally launched 
 upon the Hiver Balsas, and Balboa, with his companions, embarkin<r, 
 pushed with exultation into the waters of the unknown ocean. The 
 course which he pursued, along the shore of the isthmus, would have 
 brought him in time to the wealthy regions of Peru; but, after pass- 
 ing the great gulf of San Miguel, the winds proved so adverse that 
 he was compelled to retrace his course, lie landed on the main- 
 land, where he defeated a large force of Indians, and then, proceed- 
 ing to the Pearl Islands, set about building two additional vessels. 
 
 In the midst of his ardent and ambitious projects, sudden ruin 
 and destruction overtook the discoverer and intended explorer of 
 the Pacific. The falsehood and treachery of one Garabito, his secret 
 enemy, whom he had dispatched on business to the settlement, so 
 worked on the jealous mind of Pedrarias, that, supposing his rival 
 to aspire to a kingdom of his own, he resolved on his immediate 
 overthrow. The unsuspecting commander, by a friendly message, 
 requesting an interview, was induced to cross the mountains; and 
 was met on the way by an armed force under Pizarro, who put him 
 in chains, and conveyed him to the town of Ada. He was imme- 
 diately put on trial for treason, and though the evidence against him 
 was little more than the perjury of Garabito, the alcalde, overawed 
 by the governor, gave reluctantly a judgment of c(jnviction. The 
 latter, with sanguinary haste, ordered his immediate execution, and 
 that of four of his associates. The unfortunate man, after confessing 
 and partaking of the sacrament, laid his head, with his accustomed 
 courage, on the fotal block, and, at a single stroke, amid the lament- 
 ations of the people, it was severed from his body (1517). 
 
THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ISTHMUS. 97 
 
 TI,us perishccl, at the ago of forty-tvvo, one of the boldost most 
 
 Hagacuu., and or a br.of time, most fortunate, of the car rSpan 
 
 jHlven urens. How conHdent wore his hopes, ami how ar nt 1^^";! 
 
 or onterpr,so appears in the indignant vindication of hi conluro 
 
 the implacable governor '< I hnd fM.,,. d • ». l conauct to 
 
 wi,„.,,n.ii .0 d„ b„. toi^;::''! ''XTorrrVrSr™- 
 
 been anticit.ated am fl r v. , ' "''''' "^ ^ '^''^'''■o >vould have 
 
 uttii anutipaicci, and that the discoverer nP tli,. 7>„«'f n , 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Tiij WOULD cmcumiavioiiji, 
 
 vopge of Magellan, whoV.t™ tl b,' TZTS'T"' 
 J«Iy due the eredi. of fl,st circumnavigating .he it T .T " 
 of findmg a westerlv msMio-f. tr. i^.^ f ^ ^"^ ^^P^ 
 
 h.d been g™dnal,,relini„i,,,e7„:t ;«7r„?„n,";! r"^^'^' 
 
 contment became apparent ^nnJn , ^^ ^''*^"* ^^ ^^^^ American 
 
 wit., Ponnga, ,.e. tiSrunder tv^X^I; ITlZl f"'^"" 
 -0 Ma^e.a„, a 4eet%f .t^C^'Z^oi^dl/b- 
 
98 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 hopes of promotion for service in 3 dia, carried his brilliant talents, 
 his splendid courage, and invincible perseverance to the court oi 
 Charles V. There he strongly urged the feasibility of an attempt 
 once more to reach India from the west, and Ximenes, the enlight- 
 ened minister of that monarch, favoured his proposals. With five 
 small vessels and tvvo hundred and thirty men, on the 20th of Sep- 
 tember, 1519, he set sail from the port of San Lucar. 
 
 Coasting southerly along the shores of Brazil, he found a conve- 
 nient harbour, which he named Port St. Julian, in about the fi''tioth 
 degree of south latitude. Here he anchored his squadron, and passed 
 the winter of 15.20, which, extending from !May to September, jirovcd 
 exceedingly severe. A formidable mutiny, which broke out at this 
 place, was suppressed by Magellan with great pron ptness and sever- 
 ity; two of the ringleaders being put to death, and a third set on 
 shore to perish. For two months none of the natives were seen, 
 but one day a man of gigantic stature, nearly naked, vvjis seen danc- 
 ing violently on the beach, and throwing dust on his head, in token 
 of friendship or submission. Numbers of these people, all of great 
 size, soon appeared, "marvelling vastly to see such large ships and 
 such little men." From the uncouth covering of their feet, rudely 
 shaped from the hide of the guanaco, the Spaniards gave them the 
 name of Patagones, or "clumsy-hoofed" — a name by which they 
 have ever since been known. One of them learned to repeat the 
 Lord's Prayer, on which signal evidence of conversion he was bap- 
 tized under the name of Juan Gigante ("John Giant"). Two of 
 these poor savages were treacherously seized, as curiosities; but a 
 vile stratagem to get possession of some of the women (to propagate 
 a breed of giants in Spain) was deservedly defeated, and resulted 
 in the death of one of the invaders. 
 
 The Spring came on, and Magellan, getting his little squadron 
 under way, again stood southward. In the latter part of Oct(;ber, 
 to his great exultation, he beheld an opening in the westward through 
 the iron-bound coast which had hitherto seemed interminable. Into 
 this famous strait, which still bears his name, favoured by a strong 
 current, the dauntless discoverer, with three ships, boldly pushed 
 his way — though his crews, disheartened, were clamorous for I'eturn. 
 lie would press onward, he assured them, even if they were reduced 
 to eat the hides from the ships' rigging— an anticipation of famine 
 literally fulfilled; and reminding them of the fate of the late muti- 
 neers, sternly repressed all opposition. For thirty-seven days, amid 
 
THE SETTLEMENT OP THE ISTHMUS. 
 Storms and foul weather thf^ r+fi 
 
 throng tl.-s perilous and ;nttatl:r^'"' Tl'''' "^^^^^^ 
 ber, the open sea was seen stretch nTS^itaUvtV''' f '''^^^- 
 gellan burst into tears of iov anri ^^,"'^""^^^7 before them. Ma- 
 the memorable event. ^ ^' ^^ "''^""^^ ' P^^lic thanksgiving for 
 
 Having stood northward awhile i^ ■ 
 the httle fleet for four months wa^^^^^^^^^^^ ' Tt ^^""^^ «^-^*^. 
 and propitious, that the name of the ''plf "^ ^/. ^'"'''^ «« Bentll 
 to the great ocean he was exnl '"' '"^^^'^^^ Magellan gave 
 
 But famine pressed ^rrib ;t"t;rare1 ^^^^^ ^"-^'^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 secluded from the possibihi of obtafn ""' ""''"''''' «° ^°"g 
 
 the 16th of March, 1521 thev nrl" ? ,^ '"PP"'^' ^"^ when, on 
 ortheir number ^eredCaranrtS "''''• '^^'^P'"^ ^^^^ 
 •condition of suifering and ema'atiln T""f "^^^ ^'^ ^ ^-^-n 
 islands had been passed in thTs W J"^"' *" '''''' «"^^ ^^o 
 those so lonely and forbidding^ S ann """'''^' ^^^^-"^' ^^ 
 name of DesvaUaduras, or the TTnfn ''PP'^'^"^^ «« *« receive the 
 the ships arrived at the town nn^hrrb"''". ?"" ^'^ ''^ ^^ ^P^l! 
 of which island Magellan soon Joled. "' "' ^^^"' ^^^^^^ ^^e prfnc 
 WUh the customar' .eal for co^™ st" Z'^'^'^Y'^^^^^y ^niance. 
 propagatmg the faith, and by a mixtur' JV"'"''^"*"'^ commenced 
 gained great numbers of proseTt s Tl '' '''' '"'^"^^'^^P' -«- 
 "^l-t by an extraordinary pef of r.^" '"'"f"°^ ^^^^'^^^^^^ 
 sovereign of Matan, a nei4boul ? T''' ^"'^ hardihood. The 
 of Zebu, and to the\lcm nd of S"' '',"1 '' ^^'^ -^h the king 
 "to and allegiance to Spain, re urnST 1 '^ ^'""'^ ^'^'^ '^'■ 
 -ce and irritable, and'no; C "d ,4]!"' '^ "'"''^^- ^^^^"^^'^^ 
 fiery Portuguese determined to end T '"""' '"^ ''^'"'^'^'«"' «^e 
 ^^>;h forty-nine of his bravest mniT''""" ''''^ '^'' «^™rd. 
 "^-''^'^^-clingon the reWy Ihnd '^ ""^^^^^^ ^^™«-' ^^ 
 -Perate conflict with a force ofThret tit "' T" ""^ "'°"°^'^ ^ 
 was ob.tmately contested for manvTn '^ T''^''' ^^'^^^ ^^^^ttle 
 
 powered by numbers, were .t l^^T^n \^'' '^'' ^"^P'-^''''-^''^^^- over- 
 
 ti-ugh wounded by 'a poL r^roTfl ^'-f T "•^^'- ^<-"-. 
 
 oft,contuu,cdtofightwithdesp r r;I- r'' '"/"''"^"' ^^^^^ 
 he was beaten (o the CTonn,^ J J'^^'°"' ""til, his sword arm disabled 
 
 vivors, with difficulty reJn !'/.!• ^7 ^^^"^''^ ^vounded. TJie sur- 
 r^'-od the boldest ;:^:^^^:r^-^^;-bi« obscure skirnS 
 
 fortunate of that brilliant lin ot'n.yfJt \ '''''""'^' '^'^ ^""^^ 
 
 ot navigators who succeeded to the 
 
100 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOKY, 
 
 honours of Columbus. At the time of his death, he had nearly 
 completed the circumnavigation of the globe, having in a former 
 voyage, sailed far to the eastward. 
 
 The king of Zebu, seeing the misfortune of his allies, took ad- 
 vantage to commit a treacherous massacre on a number of them, 
 whom he had enticed into his palace, and the remainder of the 
 Spaniards, in precipitate alarm, hastened their departure from the 
 island. Only one vessel of the fleet, the Vitoria. a little bark of 
 sixty tons, succeeded in completing this extraordinary voyage. After 
 a cruise of three years, during which she traversed fifty thousand 
 miles of ocean, this slender craft, with the mere remnant of a crew, 
 on the 6th of September, 1522, arrived at San Lucar. She was 
 drawn ashore, and remained for many years a monument of the 
 most remarkable achievement of the century. Her commander, 
 Sebastian del Cano, inheriting, as survivor, the honours due to 
 the unfortunate Magellan, was ennobled by the emperor, and received 
 for his arms the device of a globe, with the memorable legend: 
 
 "PKIMUS ME CIRCUMDEDISTl," 
 {Thou first hasl encompassed me.) 
 
CONQUEST AWD HISTORY OF MEIICO. 
 
 'CHAPTER L 
 
 PROOllESS OF SPANISH CONQUEST. — DISCO VERT OF YUCATAN 
 
 —OF MEXICO.— HERNANDO CORTES. — HIS EXPEDITION 
 
 — ASCENT OF THE RIO DE TABASCO. — CONTESTS WITH 
 
 THE INDIANS.— ARRIVAL AT SAN JUAN DE ULUA. 
 
 The singular compound of crusading fanaticism and of practical 
 rapacity which distinguished the Spaniards in their conquest of the 
 New World, as well as the wonderfully-rapid successes which those 
 traits, so repulsively mingled, insured them, are hardly to be paral- 
 leled, except in the early career of Mahometanism. With the sword 
 in one hand and the missal in the other, leaving crosses and stakes 
 the tokens of his march, the Spaniard pressed on to plunder, to con- 
 quest, and conversion, with a fierceness and inflexibility which, to 
 tins day, have left their withering traces on the entire scene of action. 
 The feeble and unwarlike races of the archipelago had fallen an easy 
 prey before the invader; his footsteps were firmly planted on the 
 main-land; and in rapid succession the two great native empires of 
 the Northern and Southern Continents-empires strong in ancient 
 rule, and for advanced in civilization— were destined to vanish from 
 the earth witli a suddenness and a horror which, at this day, must 
 surprise and appal the historical spectator. 
 
 The island of Cuba, first colonized in 1511, had been settled with 
 extraordinary rapidity, and the ever-restless adventurers began soon 
 to look around for wider fields of conquest, and richer objects of 
 plunder. Ilenandez de Cordova, in 1517, sailing to the Bahamas in 
 quest of slaves to replace the half-depopulated tribes of that island 
 was driven westward by gales, and finally made land at Cape Catoche' 
 in \ ucatan. Ara..sive buildings, and other evidences of civilization 
 
102 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HI8T0BY. 
 
 were observed, but the discoverers, every where fiercely withstood 
 by the natives, were compelled to quit the coast, and, after losing 
 more than half their number, regained the shores of Cuba. In tlie 
 following year (May 1st, 1518) Velasquez, the Cuban governor, dis- 
 patched four vessels, under his nephew, Juan de Grijalva, iu the 
 same direction. That officer, after touching at the island of Cozu- 
 mel, coasted along the great southern peninsula, meeting, wherever 
 he landed, a fierce and determined resistance from the inhabitants. 
 Keeping westward, he arrived on the shores of Mexico, and engaged 
 in friendly traffic with the people of that country. Gold and jewels 
 were obtained in abundance, and after a voyage of six months, in 
 which a large extent of the main-land coast had been explored, the 
 squadron returned to Cuba. Stimulated by this success, and by the 
 flattering accounts of Grijalva, the governor proceeded to fit out an 
 expedition on a more extensive scale. 
 
 Hernando Cortes, to whom he had resolved to entrust the com- 
 mand, was a native of Medellin, in Estramadura, and was, at this 
 time, thirty-three years of age. From boyhood, he had been of a 
 reckless, adventurous disposition, and, at tlie age of nineteen, had 
 sailed for Hispaniola to seek his fortune. Arrived there, he was 
 kindly received by the governor, Ovando, who offered him a tract 
 of land. "I came to get gold," replied the haughty and rapacious 
 youth, "not to till the soil like a peasant." He accepted the grant, 
 however, with its accustomed quota of Indian slaves, and was fre- 
 • quently engaged, under Velasquez, in the defeat and enslavement of 
 the insurgent natives. He accompanied that commander, in 1512, 
 on the conquest of Cuba, and acquired, by mining and planting, con- 
 siderable prop: rty. During his residence on that island, he was 
 alternately under the favour and displeasure of his chief, who, at 
 one time, it is said, was so enraged against him as to have been on 
 the point of ordering his execution. They became reconciled, how- 
 ever, Cortes embarking all his means in the projected enterprise, 
 and Velasquez, acquainted with his courage and abilities, assuring 
 him of the command. Under tlie stimulus of ambition and oppor- 
 tunity, his character, marked before by levity, sensuality, and rash- 
 ness, underwent a marked change; and all the extraordinary faculties 
 of energy, policy, and perseverance, hitherto latent, took the com- 
 plete ascendency. 
 
 So splendid appeared the anticipated prize, tlial the colonists of 
 the island, though hardly settled in their new possessions, flocked in 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTOKY OF MEXICO. 103 
 
 great numbers to his standard. Three hundred volunteers were 
 soon assembled in the town of St. Jago, and preparations were rTade 
 wub great eagerness and abandonment. "Nothing was to be s^en " 
 says one of tne company, "or spoken of, but selling lands to pu;ch "se 
 arms and horses, quilting coats of mail, making bread and ,nU 
 pork, for sea-stores." Instructions were' made Lt^^C^j:"^^^^ 
 enjommg the conversion of the natives and the furtherance of traf- 
 fic with them They were also to be invited to give in theh- aU e 
 glance to his Most Catholic Majesty, "and to manifest it l^TeHl 
 him with such comfortable presents of gold, pearls, and pr^cli^: 
 
 But, when all was ready, Velasquez, of an irritable and iealous 
 disposition,, was sei.ed with a sudden distrust of his officer and 
 resolved to deprive him of the command. Cortes apnrred nf \ 
 nitention with all haste got his squadron under .^V ^nd Te, sa ul 
 n^dnight, he enraged governor arriving on the shore just Une 
 t witness his departure. He touched at several points on th coast 
 strengt ening his forces and equipment, and on the 10th of Feb 
 ruary, lol9, sailed from Havana for Cape San Antonio There he 
 .-as joined by fresh reinforcements, the whole command con 'i in. 
 e even vessels, manned by six hundred and sixty-three ^e" 
 
 iet;-^:::rslt:;a^^^^^^^ 
 
 AttheislandofCozumel, where thev first arrivpri tl, a • j 
 
 ^ enci atcd idol, and replaced it with a statue of the Virgin On tho 
 of March, the fleet again set sail, and soon arrived a "lie Roe 
 labasco, near the southern extremity of the gulf. This ver Co 
 
 es, with a part of his army, ascended in boat!, and, o tl s cond 
 day was encountered by a great body of India'ns, d'nl ^ Tt ' 
 bank to oppose his passage and defend their town of Tabasco A 
 notary public made solemn proclamation that the exi^di on w^ 
 
 on Cod s service and the King's," and invoked on theSs of Z 
 -tivos the responsibility of a contest-" all which," s^ C^t^ 
 
lOi 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 Diaz,* "being duly explained to tliem, produced no effect; they 
 seemed as determined to oppose us as they were before." They were 
 defeated, after a pretty sharp resistance, by the novel terror of fire- 
 arms, and the town was taken by the v ictors ; but to their great disgust, 
 all the treasure had been removed before their arrival. Cortes, with 
 much form, took possession of the country, drawing his sword and 
 giving three cuts upon a great Ceiba-tree, and vowing to defend the 
 claim of the Spanish monarch against all opponents. 
 
 Learning that a great force of Indians was assembled on the neigh- 
 bouring plain of Ceutla, he resolved, by striking the first blow, to 
 inspire terror through the country. Horses and artillery were accord- 
 ingly landed, and, on the 25th of March, he set forth against the 
 hostile camp. The main body, defiling over a long causeway, en- 
 gaged the enemy in front, while Cortes, with the slender squadron 
 of cavalry, drew a circuit to attack them in the rear. The Indians 
 fought with desperation for more than an hour, to the rude and dis- 
 cordant music of conchs, flutes of cane, and drums hollowed from 
 the trunks of trees; and flung clouds of dust into the air to conceal 
 the havoc which the cannon made in their crowded ranks. But when 
 taken in the rear by the novel and terrible apparition of armed 
 horsemen, sheathed in glittering steel, charging among them, a gen- 
 eral panic seized the whole multitude. The infantry renewed their 
 exertions, and the unwieldy mass of the Indian army was soon com- 
 pelled to a flight which it was considered imprudent to follow. 
 This signal victory was ascribed by some contemporary histori- 
 ans to the personal exertions of St. Jago, the patron of Spanish 
 conquest. Others held that the achievement was due to St. Peter; 
 but honest Diaz, who was present, says, " it might be the case, and 
 I, sinner as I am, was not worthy to be permitted to see it. * * 
 But although I, unworthy sinner that I am, was unfit to behold 
 either of those Holy Apostles — upwards of four hundred of us were 
 present ; let their testimony be taken." 
 
 Ere long, the caciques of the vanquished nation, completely over- 
 awed, presented themselves at the camp, bearing propitiatory offer- 
 ings, and tendering the submission of their people. They were filled 
 with wonder at all which they beheld — the strange persons and 
 accoutrements of the inv.idcrs, the terrible power of the cavalrv, 
 and the mystic celebration of Catholic ceremony. To the inquisitive 
 
 * A soldier distinguished in the Wnrs of the Conquest, His Memoirs are among 
 the most valuable, as well as amusing, of all original histories. 
 
L 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO.' iQo 
 
 demands of the Spaniards concerning the region of gold, they 
 answered, pointing to the west, "Culchua" and " Mexico "_a name 
 destined to a wide and unhappy celebrity 
 Coasting westward, after this triumph, "the expedition arrived at 
 
 r" t-t ^r *^"'" '^' ^^""' "PP°^^^^ *'^« P^«««»t «ite of Vera 
 Cruz. _\\ih the natives of this place, who, conciliated by the for- 
 mer visi of Grijalva, came off in numbers to the ships, Cortes was 
 enabled to communicate by the double interpretation of a Spaniard 
 once resident with the Indians of the South, and of Donna Marba 
 
 T.tr"s" ' "'' ''' '^^'^ S^^^^ ^-^ by the caciques o 
 Tabasco. She was young and beautiful, and of remarkable intelli- 
 gence, soon acquiring such a knowledge of Castilian as to spare the 
 necessity of a second interpreter. She became the mistress of Cortes 
 to whom she bore a son, and in all the eventful scenes which d^sS 
 guished the conquest, bore a conspicuous part, as his interprete Id 
 companion. But before proceeding to a narration of thT cer" 
 at IS proper to give some account of that singular nation, the fit 
 and, with one other exception, the only people encountered by S 
 opeans m the New World, possessed of regular government illus 
 trated by national history, and adorned with the afts of cSatn 
 
 CHAPTEH II. 
 
 THE MEXICAN ABORIOI NES.-TH EIR ORIGIN AND 
 APPEAKANCE.-THEIR GOVERNMENT. ll\oj 
 OOY, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 
 
 eret, 01 Amenca first held mtercourse, that the early l,i»twTu„ .,f 
 be C„„,„e,^ i|,e H-ca partaker, h^ the enterprise w e " 1„^ 
 or ,,g,,age , ,h, ,, .„ ,,,„^^, ^,^.^ admirajion.' 'I , , " 
 
 r;::-r„f ':,:■ 'r;::r j':,""''"^ 'r ''"'° "^"" ^- 
 
 mviiL *• T ""o'"i '^"^1 ot the rise and progress of their 
 
 iicxieo, and that, after a period of power and 
 
106 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 prosperity, bhey became reduced by pestilence and other causes, 
 and were succeeded or driven off by the barbarous Chichimecas. 
 Tliese, in turn, gave place to the seven tribes of the Nahuatlacas, to 
 which nation belonged the tribe of the Aztecs, the possessors of the 
 country at the period of European discovery. The foundation of 
 their capital upon the lake was commenced, according to their chro- 
 nology, ,in the year 1325. 
 
 The Aztecs, like their predecessors, came originally from the north, 
 and in their gradual progress southward formed many temporary 
 settlements upon the route — at least the character of the ruins still 
 to be seen between tlie Valley and the borders of Upper California 
 appears to corroborate the national tradition of the migration. 
 
 Of their general physical conformation, the following brief descrip- 
 tion, given by Pritchard, in his Natural History of Man, from Cla- 
 vigero, will sufHce: "The Mexicans are of a good stature, generally 
 rather exceeding than falling short of the middle size, and well pro- 
 portioned in all their limbs. They have good complexions, narrow 
 foreheads, black eyes, clean, firm, regular white teeth ; thick, black, 
 coarse, glossy hair; thin beards; and generally no hair upon their 
 legs, thighs, and arms: their skin is of an olive colour. 
 
 "There is scarcely a nation upon earth in which there are fewer 
 persons deformed; and it would be more diJRcult to find a single 
 hump-backed, lame, or squint-eyed man among a thousand ^Mexicans 
 than among a hundred of any other nation. Among the young 
 women of Mexico, there are many very beautiful and fair; whose 
 beauty is rendered more attractive by the sweetness and natural 
 modesty of their behaviour." 
 
 Their mental caj)acity was, without doubt, greatly superior to that 
 of the wilder races of North America. Their architectural skill 
 and their proficiency in the mechanic arts gave proof of no small 
 measure of ingenuity, industry, and enterprise, and notwithstanding 
 the ferocious cruelty and loathsome cannibalism attendant upon their 
 strange system of religion, they evinced, in many respects, a refine- 
 ment, a moral purity, and an intuitive perception of the proprieties 
 of life, superior to that of their European contemporaries. A gen- 
 eral idea of the national character and customs can be gathered from 
 the detail of the events of the conquest. 
 
 The sui'cession to the crown was not entirely hereditary, but 
 depended upon the decision of four electors, from among the nobles, 
 who were to decide which of the deceased monarch's brothers, or 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTOEY OF MEXICO. 107 
 
 nephews should be dovated to the vacant office; a peculiarity so 
 far as regards the exclusion of lineal descendants, singukrly ur form 
 among the aborigines of America. "x y unnorm 
 
 There appears to have existed a body of powerful nobles each 
 despotic within his own district, who held their estates or offiL by 
 a feudal tenure of military .service. The king ori-^inated Tkwf 
 Init the chief magistrates, or judges to whom was confid d ^ i' 
 adimnistra ion, although appointed by the crown, held office for li^ 
 and from their decision there was no appeal. The crimina cod<; 
 was severe, and severely enforced; many offences generally In ^^ 
 red as venial being punishable by death. As far as can be gaZ I 
 from the uncertain accounts of the old historians, an estab lisle 
 onlc. and system was observable in the whole mach n ^ of gov n^^ 
 men, m the collection of revenue, and the administration of thriaws 
 The sp endour of the monarch's court, with the punctiliou et " 
 quette and wearisome ceremonial by which he mainfain d Id l- 
 mty, are described at great length in the early accounts of M ^d o 
 Ivo prince ever exacted or received more obsequious homage from 
 his nobles and attendants; and, as may well be supposed, the e sub 
 ordinates were not behind-hand in ostentation and parad n he 
 presence of their inferiors. ^ ^" ^^® 
 
 In the Mexican system of religion and religious eeremoni-d 
 ^vere seen the strangest incongruities and contrad^cSoi^ iTs" e n 
 particulars most striking coincidences appeared between theiTform 
 of worslnp and their code of morals, and those of the Chr t In relT 
 g|on, in hideous contrast to which stands out their horr io s oni 
 of human sacrifice and cannibalism. The extent to whi h ^1 i v 
 practiced cannot now be correctly ascertained: early ompti. 
 
 exacted from some subordinate ldncrrIr.rr/„ ■ 
 
 nient for national ofroncer ° "'' P'"""'^'' '' '"^ «^-'^- 
 
 At tlie celebration of any great occurrence, as the domi.e of th. 
 
 ™v.ws n,., have ,„iiv: T^^z^zx:z'r'r""'i 
 
 <iepo.it devoted e.c,u.ive„ .„ „,e .ij^:^^^ fZ^ 
 
108 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIiaTORY. 
 
 L 
 
 variety of ceremonials preceded the ordinary performance of this 
 religious rite, but the mode of death was conunonly the same. At the 
 summit of the pyramidal temple, where was enshrined the image of 
 the deity to which it was devoted, the victim was stretched upon a 
 large block of stone, and there held by the assistant priests, while the 
 chief official cut open his breast with a sharp stone, and tore out 
 the heart. 
 
 The body was afterwards prepared for food, and devoured with 
 much ceremony at a grand entertainment. "This was not," says 
 Prescott, "the coarse repnst of famished cannibals, but a banquet 
 teeming with delicious beverages and delicate viands, prepared with 
 art and attended by both sexes, who, as we shall see hereafter, con- 
 ducted themselves with all the decorum of civilized life. Surely, 
 never were refinement and the extreme of barbarism brought so 
 closely in contact with each other!" De Solis speaks of the "Kites 
 and Ceremonies of these miserable Heathens," as "shocking and 
 horrible both to Reason and Nature — incongruous, stupid Absurdi- 
 ties, which seemed altogether incompatible with the Regularity and 
 admirable Oeconomy which was observed in the other parts of that 
 government; and would scarce be believed, were not Uistories full 
 of Examples of the like Weaknesses and Errors of Human Capacities 
 in other Nations, who are no less blind, tho' in Parts of the World 
 where they have the Means of being more enlighten'd." 
 
 'Jlie Aztecs had no system of writing, except by the hieroglyphic 
 paintings and symbols so generally adopted by a semi-barbarous 
 people, 'i'hese were executed upon skins, cotton cloth, or a species 
 of {)aper; and great numbers of books and rolls containing the 
 rocoids of the empire were carefully preserved, until they were mostly 
 involved in the universal destruction consequent upon the success of 
 the Spaniards. Those which still exist have been subjected to care- 
 ful and critical investigation, and although the key to most of them 
 is lost, probably beyond hope of recovery, some light has been thrown 
 upon Mexican history and civilization by the rude devices whose 
 meaning Ims been partially deciphered. 
 
 'i'iie astronomical attainments of the natives were extremely limited • 
 so mucli so as to excite surprise when compared with the wonderful 
 accuracy of their chronological cycles. They had devised a system 
 of computation by which the length of the year was so precisely 
 defined that, according to Prescott, "more than five centuries must 
 elapse before the loss of an entire day. Such was the astonishing 
 
 I 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOKY OK MEXICO. ^jQ 
 
 precision disjjlnyed by the Aztecs, or, porliaps, by their pioro pol- 
 islicd Tolteo predecessors, in these computations, sd difficult iia to 
 liave badled, till a comparatively recent period, the most enlightened 
 nations of Christendom." 
 
 In the mechanic arts they had made great proncicney; labouring 
 under the disadvantage of entire ignorance of the use of iron, and 
 compelled to resort to an alloy of copper, tin, &c., they erected 'such 
 massive edifices of hewn stone as to astonisli those familiar with the 
 magnificent monuments of the old world. Enormous masses of rock 
 were transported from quarries many miles distant from the edifices 
 for whose construction they were prepared, and this without the aid 
 of beasts of burden. To the skill of the Mexican goldsmiths and 
 lapidaries the contemporary artisans of Europe bore witness, eon- 
 fussing their own inferiority in certain branches of the profession. 
 The extraordinary beauty of workmansliip which enhanced the value 
 of their plundered treasures, excited admiration even at the court 
 of Spain, 
 
 Although polygamy was allowed, the tie of marriage was deemed 
 as sacred among the Aztecs as with the Christian nations of Europe 
 and tlie women were generally treated with a respect and tenderness 
 unknown in a purely barbarous community. Slavery was one of 
 the established institutions of the country, but the master was not 
 allowed an absolute power over the servant, whose privileges were 
 secured by many restrictive provisions of the laws. It seems that 
 no small number of those who occupied this inferior position entered 
 upon It voluntarily for the sake of securing a maintenance, and 
 among the poor, many relieved themselves from the burden of sup- 
 porting a family by a sale of their children. 
 
 The trade of the country was carried on altogether by travellin'r 
 merchants-a class of pedlers occupying a position very differen° 
 froni that of the present day. The goods were borne upon the backs 
 ol s ayes, themselves a most important portion of the investment. 
 OoJd-dust, cacao-nuts, and a species of tin coin served as the meiiium 
 of currency f but trading operations were extensively conducted 
 by barter and exchange. Very numerous articles of luxury and 
 comiort-such as rich cloths, feather-work, manufactures from the 
 precious metals, &c.-were in universal use among the wealthier 
 members of society. The variety and excellence of their cookery 
 and the sumptuous display at their feasts and entertainments, form a 
 copious theme fur the Spanish narrators. Drinking and smokin- 
 
110 
 
 TIIE PKOPLE'S HOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 were luxurioH generally indulged in, hut the inteniporato use of even 
 the mild fertiionted liquor which they niftnufactured was guarded 
 against by nevero penalties. These restrictiona were, however, con- 
 fined to the young. 
 
 Among the Mexican Indian population of the present day we look 
 in vain for the national pride, ferocity, energy, and ingenuity of their 
 ancestors. Centuries of slavery and suhordinatiori to the European 
 have denationalized them, and certain j.hysical peculiarities alono 
 remain to mark them as the descendants of the wonderful people 
 whoso habits wo have thus briefly sketched. 
 
 CHAPTEH III. 
 
 THE EMI'KJiOll MONTEZUMA. — LAXDINO OP THE SPANIARDS.— 
 THKIK XEOOTIATFOX WITH M X T EZ U M A. — H IS IMPOLICY.— 
 SPLENDID PRESENTS.— CORTES REVOLTS AGAINST VELAS- 
 QUEZ. — FORMS AN ALLIANCE WITH THE TOTONACS. 
 
 DESTROYS THEIR IDOLS.— SETS FORTH FOR MEXICO. 
 
 The throne of the Aztec empire, at this time, was held by Jkfon- 
 tezuma, renowned, beyond any other of the native American race, 
 for a life marked by strange vicissitudes and a most melancholy fate! 
 On the decease of his uncle, in 1502, he had been elected to the 
 sovereignty in acknowledgment of his services in war and his devo- 
 tion to the national theology— a theology whoso mystical tenets and 
 sanguinary rites were intimately blended with the entire system of 
 Mexican government and polity. His name, signifying the "sad" 
 or "severe," was derived from the grave and melancholy expression 
 of his countenance, an expression natural enough to the rvrncst 
 devotee of a religion so dark and cruel. The military genius of tl.e 
 young emperor soon extended his sway over wider regions of Ana- 
 huac* than had been ruled by the greatest of his predecessors; and 
 the justice of his administration, and the great public improvements 
 which he planned, equally evinced his talents for poli(- and gov- 
 
 ♦. * J,''''rT *''" ""f''" "PPe""tion of iUo:. cvtensive regionsslnce iu.a.ded under 
 till) title of New Spain. 
 
•f 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND ItlSTOKY OK 
 
 MEXICO. 
 
 ernment. But liia domninH, 
 grown HO grettt, nnd were con 
 
 n.s to 
 
 111 
 
 contimially cxtetiilcd by conquortt, had 
 
 Togencuns rnnterials, 
 
 rcjircasitni of 
 
 iiIKxsoilof.such Ir'U 
 
 nMiu.r<, a largo standing army and the frequent rcprms.on ot 
 .UHm-recfons; and tho Axt.-c .,„,,ir., „ot yet conHolidatJ.l by timo 
 and anUa.Mmg tl.o dements of dinorder witl.in, was ill fitted to with! 
 stand any vigorous nsaaidt from without 
 
 On tho 2Lst of April 1519, the Spanish army disembarked on a 
 8and> beach, the s,tc of the present V.ra Cruz, and tho general 
 pn.ently reccved a v.sit from T.uhtUo, the ehief eacique of the 
 u;l,..n.,.g region Ceremonious courtesies were interchanged, and 
 Cor s niormed h.s v.s.tor, that tho great king of Spain ha 1 lis- 
 patched Imn to he .- n.,y with presents and a message fcr its scv- 
 orcgn. I he e net expressed surprise on hearing tlmt there w s 
 another monareh equal in power to his master, the great Moute.u a 
 but prouused h.s good oflices, and bestowed on the strangers sple 1 id 
 present, beautdully wrought ir. gold and other n.aterials. A " I 
 Idtry ollermg, m con.purison, was all that the Spanianls eould d s 
 l..^h to the court of Mexico; and with it Te.itile sen^"^ ^ 
 l-tures, drawn and coloured by native artists, of the ships, the n- 
 
 Z'elnp^r' ^'"'■°^" ''^"'^'^^^^^' ^^*'- '-l-^'"" <'f 
 
 The visit of Grijalva, faithfully reported by the caciques whom 
 
 e encou'tered, had produced a ,leep and alarming impression o 
 
 U,e nund of Monte.un.a. There was an ancient predic io , f ^ 
 
 b oved m Anahuae, that Quet.aleoatl, the founder of the Ate 
 
 ehgon and government, a deity of fair complexion and )CZ 
 
 ji.. 0/ nature had at4::d^rmh:;;:j;:i;:f:^^^^ 
 
 by Ins express orders that, on the landing of the seco.u 'eo " .,1 o7 
 
 to s n,ulate the.r rapacity, curiosity, and ambitiqn, to the ulost ^ 
 
 The nnperud capital of Tenochtitlan, or Mexico, 1 v seven tvW^es 
 
 . n the coast ; yet eight days after the news w;.s ais^^^Z 
 
 ^ era Cru, an .nbassy fron. the Aztec sovereign, acc'on.pa iod by 
 
112 
 
 TIJK I'EOrLE'S «OOIC OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 II liuiidrocl slaves, bearing splendid presents, entered the Spanish 
 camp. The beauty and value of these royal gifts are described in 
 glowing terms by contemporary writers, especially those who beheld 
 tlicm. They consisted of fabrics admirably worked in cotton and 
 variegated feathers, mingled with gems; of gold and silver skilfully 
 wrought into the shape of animals, &c. ; and es})ecially of a great 
 golden sun, as large as a carriage-wheel, beautifully flishioncd, and 
 worth, according to the value of the metal in that day, nearly a 
 quarter of a million dollars of the present currency. A courteous 
 message was likewise delivered to the strangers, declining a visit, 
 and politely suggesting their return. 
 
 Cortcii, with mingled exultation and disappointment, received the 
 gifts, and the accompanying repulse; but, with his accustomed per- 
 severance, sent by the returning ambassadors a new present (miser- 
 ably small compared with the magnificent offerings of the emperor) 
 and a renewed request for permission to visit the court. A positive 
 denial, softened, however, by additional presents, was returned ; and 
 the Spanish leader, turning to his officers, said coldly, "Truly this is 
 a great monarch and a rich — by God's permission we must see him." 
 
 Before the next morning the Spanish camp was entirely deserted 
 by the Indians. Thirty of his people, encamped on a spot, reeking, 
 even at the present day, with pestilence and death, had already per- 
 ished ; and Cortes resolved to seek out a more favourable locality. 
 To his great joy, an embassy presently arrived from the Totonacs, 
 a powerful tribe lately subdued by the Aztecs, inviting him to visit 
 their capital of Cempoalla. An important and hazardous experi- 
 ment, however, was first to be attempted. 
 
 Whatever good faith to his patron and coadjutor he might have 
 cherished at the commencement of the enterprise, had been over- 
 come by the value of the anticipated prize; and he had resolved to 
 disown even a nominal allegiance to Velasquez in the wealthy region 
 which he proposed to conquer. The soldiers, by his machinations, 
 were induced to throng around his tent, and demand the foundation 
 of a settlement. With aftectcd reluctance, he assented, and, having 
 formally resigned his commission received from the governor, was 
 forthwith elected (by the officers and magistrates of his own appoint- 
 ment) as Captain-General of tue new colony of Vera Cruz. The 
 immediate friends and partisans of Valasquez, to quiet their indig- 
 nant remonstrances, were laid in irons; and, ere long, singular to 
 state, they joined heartily in su2)porting the authority of Cortes. 
 
d the Spanish 
 ■e described in 
 )se who hehcld 
 in cotton and 
 silver skilfully 
 illy of a great 
 fashioned, and 
 day, nearly a 
 A courteous 
 dining a visit, 
 
 t, received the 
 ^customed per- 
 present (niiser- 
 f the emperor) 
 rt. A positive 
 returned; and 
 
 "Truly this is 
 must see him." 
 tirely deserted 
 , spot, reeking, 
 id alread}' per- 
 rable locality. 
 
 the Totonacs, 
 ig him to visit 
 irdous experi- 
 
 le might have 
 ad been over- 
 ad resolved to 
 tvealthy region 
 machinations, 
 the foundation 
 J, and, having 
 governor, was 
 ! own appoint- 
 ■a Cruz. The 
 iet their indig- 
 ig, singular to 
 of Cortes. 
 
:^<^ 
 
 ^^ v4; 
 
 // /•■ /,' X.I .VI) (I I It II T r. s, 
 
 T M ¥. I (IV Q y K II I) II o y M K X 1 c o. 
 
 UOKN SEITKAIUKII 111. liWi; rniiK IHi; <J1 Vor MKXICi) IIY Sl'OKM, AtlOUBT \t, IHil ; 
 IIIKI) KHI-IAIUIII -J, ir.l? 
 
THE CONQVKST AND IIISTOKY OF MEXICO 
 
 * -lid 
 
 That nclivc cmnnmndcr, secure in hia nn^ o„.i. ■. 
 ,vitl, all his troops to Cempoalh At at ^ ^;'."'"""""'°'""' 
 about thirty thouLd i„l,„C tit sty r "'''* ™"'»'»"' 
 friendly and hospitable ree S ZiT'f '"""7'"' "«= "■»«' 
 throbbed high a. the pros; ^o";: m'^ 'J"' "'. '•>* '-1- 
 ambitious schemes. He exrihin J ,r.u V "'S's'^noe in his 
 
 rortly dignitary, the po^e of h't^er he ''"""" "'l'^"''-"' " 
 for the salvation of souls and Imf ! , 'T'"'' ""'' ''''" '='"'' 
 
 doctrinal disquisition on ^ hi i h " ..T »™"!.'™«* '""> '^ 
 had heard him ont," savs a wi net "1 ^''°'"'"' "■« '« "»«iqilo 
 plained l*„rly of 1 JL^ra^l' hi Xl^stS'ttt """■ 
 
 This disaffection^™::^ " cTl'tt : 27rT'- ^'T""""'" 
 arrival of live officers from the „ .7,7 '""""■"g day, the 
 
 nacs .ith dismay. Tr I it, If H""""" *■"'"=" "o ^oto- 
 imperial enn-ssarL, "'Ctr^ i ^^ „tt ri^h J;"""';" "■" 
 state no, deigning to east a look on tl,eVf^Zl \ZT 7 
 gantly attired, and each hohl in i • ^ ^;^l'''"i'^rcls. Ihey were cJg- 
 
 Sonailv s„.elt' at-a "t u p e ' o^r ^ "T"^' "'^^'^ '^^ -- 
 their errand. This was no hn ^ess t ^rt^I ''7'' ^"^"'^^""^^ 
 people for sacrifice to their c.ods in c' io f '"'^"i^^^'^^^^' yo""S 
 
 i..g the Spaniards But s ^oh '" ?'^^ ''^i'^" °f ^lie offence of recei v- 
 
 Cortes, tlit tl^T^ton ; at h !" " ^.'"^ "^^^"^^ ^^^'^^^ ^ 
 a.nba.4adors in the oc S-tfa T'f' '""'"'^^' ^"^ ^'^^^ ''^'^^ 
 iey, savin, their liv and seer^"; ' 'T""''''^''' ^y ^''^^^ I-'" 
 pitiato the emperor ' ^ ^^'«Patch,ng them home to pro- 
 
 de El Vera Cru. (aHot Z.''" V ""^ V""" ^''^"'-^^^ ^^'"''' ^^'^^ 
 name) was founded^ I^S^^ :^^ ^7/'^ ?--"' city of that 
 
 die! present.., soon arrived frZT I ''"^"''^'' ''''^' 'l'^'^'' 
 
 ^-^b-ciispia^ed to r'c^rf r:z;;: ^r^^^' ^'^^^"^;^"- 
 
 ^■^;j".-atetl his intention of visi^ng tl^ir::::^;' ''^'"^"" ^^''^^^• 
 
 ^i ":^:^;^^^^^^^ ::r i^^ ^-- -^«- p-ised ., 
 
 witl. crusading .ea] hf u ll T ^e'no„stranee. Inflamed 
 
 destruction of the Idd T 1 ^ 'T''^ "'"^^'^ ^^'' ^''« ^"^'"-''"''to 
 
 seized, and Cort(>s nndo . '^"'' ""^'^ '"''"''''''•d ^^'^''O 
 
 V... Vrr "!'^^" '" ^«"S '^'^^^on to the aghast multit-J» 
 
114 
 
 TIIK PEOPLK'S BOOK OF lUSTOKY. 
 
 assuring tlicm of the protection of tlio Virgin, " with many other 
 good and holy reasons and arguments, which could not be better 
 expressed by any one, and all which the people listened to with 
 much attention." Mass was performed, and all the principal persons 
 of the neighbourhood, with respectful, but, no doubt, with grcatly- 
 puzjiled attention, participated in the ceremony. To propitiate the 
 crown, and to secure its protection against the anticipated vengeance 
 of A'^elasqucz, Cortes now resolved to dispatch the whole of the splen- 
 did presents of Montezuma as an offering to the emperor (Charles V.), 
 and, by his almost-unbounded influence with the soldiery, prevailed 
 on them to relinquish their share of the treasure. A letter, entreat- 
 ing a confirmation of his authority, seconded by the petitions of the 
 Avholc army, was written; and, with wonderful audacity, he assured 
 the emperor that in a brief time the Aztec sovereign .should be made 
 to own his sway, or, dead or alive, be placed at his disposal. On the 
 2(ith of July, a vessel, bearing the treasure and these momentous 
 tidings, was dispatched to Spain; but, by the indiscretion of her 
 commander, in touching at Cuba, Velasquez became informed of the 
 whole proceedings. With indescribable rage and fury, he set to 
 work to prepare a fresh expedition for the purpose of rcilucing his 
 refractory officer, and gaining possession of the wealthy realms 
 of Mexico. 
 
 A few malcontents in the army had plotted to seize a vessel and 
 return to the island. This piece of defection was punished with 
 merciless severity; and, to-guard against any retiewal of the attempt, 
 Cortes now took the extraordinary resolution of destroying his lloet. 
 Accordingly, all except one small vessel were privately scuttled and 
 sunk. The alarm and indignation of the soldiers were allayed, and 
 their courage inflamed by a harangue so stirring and eloquent, that, 
 ■when it was finished, they cried eagerly, "To ^fexico! to Mexico!'' 
 All, indeed, could see that there was no chance of drawing back, and 
 that the only hope of safety itself lay in victory and conquest. 
 Active preparations were now made for the expected campaign. 
 Juan de Escalente, a sure friend of the general's, wa-^ left in command 
 of a small garrison at Cempoalhi. With a little more than four hun- 
 dred Spaniards and two thousand Totonacs, on the IGth of August, 
 1519, Cortes set forth on the most wonderful of martial entcr[)risc3 
 recorded iu history — the iMarch to Mexico. 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. 
 
 CHAPTEB I?. 
 
 116 
 
 THE UfARCH TOWARD MEXim QPTm-r,,. 
 
 COUItAOEMENTS. — PunrNEss 0. rnA ''^ "^'^- 
 
 OPTJIETr^SCArAvr M. ^»'^TE«.— SUBMISSION 
 
 Ui' int ff'A.SCALAAS.— siNouf^.,v,ic„^ PFVrr>:a 
 
 of Ja,ap.,a„d Na„,i„co, :S eT r f T"n^r *°;"'" 
 ivhiel, tlicv rmrhed after several ,Iav. f "•■"'""qnitepco, 
 
 ma„y.eocalIie,or„„u„d.to„T fdi^ .:""'"! ""'"''■ """ 
 
 romonstrances of the reverend F..fln.. ni i , , ' ^'^ *'^^ 
 
 oxpeciition, who, to his honour, often interfered in iJl.nlf f .u 
 natives, and who now assured h m that flTT "^ ^^' 
 
 for making proselytes ''^' '^"'" ''''' ""P^«Pitious 
 
 itproteot.dby.,7,Ii!^^^^^^^^^^ ^"^P^i^'^d to f5nd 
 
 J_ ^ -^ '"*''^^'''*' '^'^^ "^ masonry, built between two mount- 
 
116 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOUY. 
 
 ains, and having but a single entrance, curiously constructed for 
 defence. No one, however, appeared to oppose them, and the little 
 army, defiling through the gate-way, pushed on toward the capital. 
 Their hopes of a friendly reception were soon grievously disappointed, 
 A force of three thousand Tlascalans appeared to dispute tlieir pass- 
 age, and though compelled to give ground before the discharge of 
 artillery and the charge of cavalry, retreated in good order. On the 
 next day (Seiitcmber 2d) a fresh body of the enemy appeared, who, 
 to a formal protest, recorded as usual by a notary, replied only with 
 a shower of missiles. A fight commenced, and the Indians, artfully 
 retreating, decoyed their invaders into a narrow defile, where Xicoten- 
 catl, the greatest general of Tlascala, with an army of many thousand 
 warriors, was waiting to receive them. 
 
 Amid the hideous roar of barbarian drums, the shrill notes of flutes 
 and a terrific outbreak of cries and whistlings, the little army of 
 Cortes engaged the enemy— his Indian allies, now three thousand 
 in number, standing stoutly b}-^ him. Destruction, indeed, seemed 
 almost inevitable. "I see nothing but death before us," said one of 
 tlie chiefs; "we shall never get through the pass alive." But the 
 little body of cavalry, Cortes at their head, charging with the despe- 
 ration of men whose lives were at stuke, at length cleared a way for 
 the artillery, whicli played with terrible cfl'eet on the crowded ranks 
 of the enemy. Eight of the bravest Tlascalan chiefs and a great 
 number of their followers fell, and Xicoteiicatl, discouraged, at last 
 drew oft" his forces. The Spaniards retreated, for safe encamjirnent 
 to an eminence called the "ITill of Tzompach,'' on which stood a 
 temple, the ruins of which yet remain. Their loss had been sinull, 
 owing to the anxiety of the enemy to take them alive for .sacrifice; 
 but an abundance of cruel wounds were distributeil among them 
 which, with the revolting aid of a chirurgery common in tliese wars, 
 they dressed with the fat of the Indians who had fallen. 
 
 Overtures of peace, which Cortes now made to the Tlascalans, 
 were fiercely and peremptorily rejected ; and news came that Xieotcn- 
 catl, with fifty thousand men, was awaiting the invaders on the road 
 to Tlascala. On hearing these portentous tidings, .'savs the honest 
 chronicler, "being but mortals, and like all others fearing death, 
 we prepared for battle by confessing to our reverenil fathers, who 
 were occupied during the whole niglit in that holy oniec." On the 
 morning of September 15th, the little host, resolved on conquest or 
 death, again took the road to Tlascala. 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. ^7 
 
 The Indian army, drawn up in a vast meadoiv ru. ■ ■ • 
 
 no great distance. It formed a splendid ^ ^C^^""^ •' '' 
 ben,g decorated with armour of gold and silver TdM 7"'"°'' 
 
 be.ng gorgeous with mantles of feather-wo , Ch "r^'r^^-^"^^ 
 unnimerable standards. Their weaoons w.r ^"ttenng of 
 
 arrow, headed with copper or ^r's one^il^ v"'^' ^T' ^"' 
 made, but feeble and inefficient in co„>n.r In w ith f "- .elegantly 
 mnskets, and the sabres of their European foe fjll 7 "^^ *'" 
 was their onset, that by mere force of nu^s tilk ^.'^^™'"«'l 
 at first driven back in confusion TW n "^^''' *''« Spaniards were 
 
 room was f.,ally cleared ft th'alle^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 among the dense ranks of the assailant' ilf ' \'''''' '''' "^'^^« 
 tes, charged fiercely wherever thev W l.n '7' '-'' '''''^'' ^«'- • 
 
 assailants with much slaug . er ^^i "^^ l' '"^- ^^°^^ "^^''^ ^^e 
 loss, did the Tlascalans close Tiou^l^ m/"""' "f ^^^^'^^^ 
 and Totonacs; and, but for disVZi *''™^ "^ Spaniards 
 
 probably, by their o^l!Z^Z:i<Z^ '"7^^? ^^^'^' 
 ried the day. But two nowerfnl nl.T r ^ ^ numbers, have car- 
 retreated .L their :es^ec:":''^^^^^^^^^^ ''"': ^^r--ti, 
 
 test of four hours, during which he had i llfr ' *''''"' t-^^" 
 reus courage, was flvin to draw off ,hT T'^^,^'^ ^''« "^"st chival- 
 
 The Spaniards, exhausted ^^ wo /frt-^' ''''^ ^^"^^'^"^• 
 
 tion, the dcfoated\nrmy mde a S ' Z '"*"^^r"°^'""'^' ^'^«*^- 
 ca.p. But these 1.^ adtni: t ll^t T '^ '^^'^^'^'^ 
 arms, were instantly on the alert J^^°\ "^^' ^" t''^'''" 
 
 loss the advancing assailan s-jL T^ '''''''^''^ '''''' considerable 
 
 I. sacrificing two;fthei;:L-i;^:°;:X' ^^^f r^^^ 
 cl would now have made peace and fovf\Z' f' '"" '^""■ 
 
 the Christian camp an en^L^oft^ o :^ '7'? ^^"'^''^' ^° 
 ">teroepted on the way by XicLnca en; fotcte 7"'' "' 
 .ve defoats which he had encountered Tho ^ ? " '""'"''• 
 
 %-'lvo c^whom had perished s!^ Lw'^::^; ! '^^'"f"^' 
 ily weaned of fi<ditin<r .,,1,1 nri, .• m ° '^^'^' ^^^''<^ ^^eart- 
 
 «i.l. Cor.c, ».ai;;t 1; '"";, T^->: ^'-'olv remonstrated 
 
 attemjitiiig to reach Mexico tl 
 
 ', tlie name of which 
 
118 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY, 
 
 had become a cornnion jest in the army, or even Tlascala. But 
 their indomitable commandei-, in a stern and eloquent harangue, 
 revived their spirits, and assured them of the divine protection, 
 "Wherever we have come," he said, "we have preached to the igno- 
 rant natives the doctrines of our holy faith ; wherefore I trust we 
 shall still receive the divine assistance, and that of my patron, St. 
 Peter; * * * j^j^j jjg jq y^\y■^^ y^^^ gj^y ^f losses, deaths 
 and fatigues, such is the fortune of war, and we did not come here 
 in search of pastimes and amusements." Any further remonstrances 
 he cut short by quoting from an old song, that " it was better to die 
 at once than to live dishonoured," and by the firmness of his character, 
 and the vehemence of his tone, bore down all opposition. 
 
 A large embassy which Xicotencatl had dispatched to the Span- 
 ish camp, being discovered to be spies, were dismissed with cruel 
 mutilation; and that commander, suddenly abandoning his hopes 
 of resistance, betook himself, with the intercepted envoys, to the 
 presence of the invaders. He took on him.self the entire reponsi- 
 bility of the war, and tendered the submission of his countrymen. 
 Almost at the same time a new embassy, of five nobles, with two 
 hundred attendants, bearing magnificent presents, arrived from Mon- 
 tezuma. That unhappy sovereign now offered to furnish regular 
 tribute to the king of Spain, if the dreaded strangers would forego 
 their intended march to his capital — an impolitic overture, which 
 only stimulated the hopes and ambition of Cortes, already fortified 
 by the enmity which he observed to prevail between the two embas- 
 sies, " I was not a little pleased," be writes to the emperor (Charles 
 v.) "on seeing their want of harmony, as it seemed fixvourable to my 
 designs, and would enable me to bring them the more easily into 
 subjection, according to the old saying 'De monte,^ &c. I likewise 
 applied to this case the authority of tlie Evangelist, who says, 'Every 
 kingdom divided against itself shall be rendered desolate,' and I 
 dissembled with both parties" — an avowal of complacent du]ilicity 
 hardly to be paralleled even in private diplomatic correspondence. 
 
 On the 23d of September, a day still observed as a festival in that 
 city, the Spanish army entered Tlascala. The inhabitants, with a 
 strange revulsion of feeling, thronged around it, covering man and 
 horse with fi-esh roses, and exhibiting cxcvy token of the heartiest 
 welcome. This extraordinary change was doubtless due to the 
 respect which valour and superior power always commands from a 
 half civilized race, and also to their hope of a resistless ally in war 
 
THE CONUUKST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. ^q 
 
 against their ancient enemies, the Aztecs. The city proved to bo 
 large and populo.i^-thirty thousand persons, it is said, beinc. on 
 pubhc days, assemb ed m the market-place; and many evidences of 
 rehncment, such as baths and a police, awakened the admiration of 
 the strangers. Cortes n> his dispatches, a.Iduces an odd proof of 
 the advancement of the natives of New Smin: "There were hZ 
 gars in the streets," he says, "as among any civilized people." °" 
 Jha zealous polenue, with his accustomed promptitude, at once 
 en ered or, the work of converting his new Allies.' IlollinV ' 
 before hem "a beauteous image of our Lady, with her precious 
 Son n. her arms," he, made a long discourse, no doubt of an ed fy 
 ,ng nature on the Chr.st.an faith, and the rewards of i.s votarie s- 
 "whereas, he eontmued "by persisting in the worslnp of you iLs 
 vduch are devds, you wdl be drawn by them into their i.fern.^^ n ' 
 there to burn eternally in flames of iire." All he could obtain how 
 ever, was an assent to the display arnl exercise of his own faith a'd 
 he release of v.etnns destined for saerifice-the latter, how'cv r 
 b.ng of httle effect, the Tlascalans quietly perpetrating Iheir Zi 
 rites, whenever their guests were out of the way. 
 
 suBirrs.sioN op provixoes.-cortks MARcrrEs on choiuia 
 
 -PLOT l)ISCOVKRK,..-,rAS,SAC,tE OP THE CUOJ.V ,^ 1 
 
 THE MARCH TO MEXICO RESU MEl,. -WE A K POUCY OP MON- 
 
 TEU'MA.-THE ENTRANCE INTO MEXICO. -INTE R VP J" 
 
 WITH THE EMPEROR.-HIS GENEROSITY AND APPABIIITY. 
 
 TiiRoroK fear of the invincible strangers or from Intn.,! f .1. 
 A.^c rule, embassies were now sent to C;;tes ^^^m^ r" r^ . i ^ 
 endermg submission and tribute. But the people of C o I'n 
 lent and ce ebra.ed city, the most sacred' in'all Anah (t e 
 
 eeca of the Mexican races,) and still famous for its great p";,; 
 and other massive relics of tlio A„f^ i • ^"•"rj'-cnm, 
 
 mind "Tl,Pv J\ [ ^^"^ worship, were of a different 
 
 rnnid 1 hey sent a very dry and nncourteous answer to our mes- 
 
 f ; T '^' '"'^^'-^ Captain T)iaz, "a.^ n-!0.o„t al; ZZ 
 «/'--." Determined to overawe this refractorv and illibea co^ 
 
120 
 
 TIIK I'EIH'LK'S BOOK OF IIISTOUY. 
 
 niunity, Cortes, iti'tcr a sojourn of three weeks in Tlascala, aceom- 
 psuiied by six thousand warriors from that city, took up his march 
 for Cholula, which hiy at no great distance. On his arrival, the cit- 
 izens, witli ap{)arent readiness, gave in their submission, only request- 
 ing that the Tlascalans, with whom they were at feud, should encamp 
 without the city; but welcomed the Spaniards with every appearance 
 of joy and congratulation. 
 
 Nevertheless, in a few days, it was evident that secret enmity was 
 plotting their destruction. A sacrifice to the war-god, including five 
 children, intimated some notable attempt of a martial nature; and 
 ere long, the visitors were utterly neglected by their hosts — the few 
 citizens, whom they met in the streets, drawing aside, "with a mys- 
 terious kind of sneer on their faces." Through the agency of 
 Marina, the whole particulars of the plot were discovered, and Cortes 
 resolved to make a terrible example of the hostile city. Under 
 pretext of taking his leave, on the following morning he assembled 
 in the great square a largo number of the chiefs and citizens. When 
 all was ready, he suddenly broke forth into a fierce address, reproach- 
 ing them with tlieir treason. The caciques admitted the plot, but laid 
 the blame on ]\[ontczuma — with what truth docs not cxai.'tly appear. 
 
 lie then at once gave the signal for slaughter, and his soldiers 
 with artillery and musketry, committed a frightful massacre on the 
 multitude eutrapi)ed within the square. The Tlascalans also swarmed 
 in, and before the fury of these ancient enemies could be staved, six 
 thousand of the Cholulans had perished, and tlie whole city was 
 ravaged and plundered. This terrible example of the power and 
 vengeance of the Spaniards struck dread throughout all Anahuac. 
 ^fontezuma, trembling in his distant capital, again dispatched splen- 
 did presents to the victors, and, after a fortnight passed in the de- 
 vastated city, elate with triumph, and strengthened by a force of 
 six thousand of the bravest warriors of Tlascala, they resumed the 
 march to ^Texico. 
 
 It was useless, indeed, to disguise from their minds that. aIthou"-h 
 so far successful to a degree unheard of, they were entering on new 
 and terrible dangers, ^^nrching with con.stant watchfninoss, ("the 
 beard ever on the shoulder," says one of them) they gradually 
 ascended the chain of mountains which surrounds the groat Mexican 
 Yalley. After much sutTcring from fatigue, and from tlie cold aif 
 of those elcvat(>d regions, they attained the summit, and cast their 
 eyes over "that magnificent prospect, which, to -this day, charms 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOUY OK MEXICO. igl 
 
 every beholder into rapture. Before ti.em, stretching for many a 
 league, and environed on all sides by lofty mountains, ky th. ValL 
 of Mexico-perhaps, after that of Granada, tin, richc t and love lio^ 
 ,n the world. C usters of glistening towns and villages su.mu lo 
 the lakes; and fur m the distance lay that might, city tho fi a 
 pn.e of the.r adventurous career." Alarmed at L 'id otos o 
 the power and population of the empire into which th.y w ore so 
 darmgly mtrudmg, .ome would fain have retreated; but CoHos wi h 
 words of eager cncouragcnent, lod them down the mountain A 
 new embassy, w.th a great present from Montezuma, was soon In^ 
 red, bearmg anew the impolitic offering of treasure and t 1m to 
 
 ^ :; rr^ 'tl 'T ^--^-^^^ -trance il ^ 
 capital. But the Spanish leader, his ambitious ima^rination now 
 thoroughly mtlamed, resolved, at whatever rish fn i 
 
 intended enterprise vvnatcvcr ri.U, to complete h,s 
 
 ■0 moans of concilia.,-" ".S 1,^1™',"! ',""''■ '" '■="" 
 
 brother, „i„ „c„„c„, a,,., «t>::tr^J7Z::^zz:fi "' 
 
 we c„,„c ,l,c visito^ ae .l,c ,mL station, I h' ^ " ™" •■"" 
 As the Spaniards annronehprl th^ -. , , . 
 
 n»...ivoly conamctcl of l,o„n *n' 1 f °" ""'^ """'""^y^. 
 
 ..latinn, a„,l all tl,o evi.lenc J of Tv'.n . IT 'TT' "'"'' '""P" 
 tW 811, of November 15W tho.rfi .' '""'''■""'' ■''■''"emcnt On 
 «-»v, aretchin,, aero,, the 1 J t °Z "''■" ™™'°""'l^- »a..,e. 
 
 chielsonthern accrt^ttc : V :r "^orj:,';;';" ^'"r *"<■ 
 ing the surface of fha ,,rof " ''^"^'^- ^''" ^'t'lor hand, obscur- 
 
 Sii *:-;;;: ::~r-- «.'~4r=^ 
 
 thron. ,v,,i,h no,, gl ' ; '™"''"- "» "'7 "^ "- "™.=o 
 
 «i»ery, the pale Ice, an;r;:;;„";lt: "" '"" "•"'-'""•■'"■ '"= 
 
 US 
 
 and 
 
 ijards of Europe. They 
 
 u 
 
122 
 
 THE I'KOl'LIi'S BOOK 01" 1U8TOUV. 
 
 would Iianlly trust their hoiihcs. " Wo coukl comparo it to notliing," 
 Bays till! oiil oliroiiiclor, "but tliu eucluiiitcil scoiios wo hail read of 
 in Auiadis do Ga.n\, I'roni tho grout towors iviid tomplos and othor 
 oililioo.s whioh socniod to rise out of tho wator. To many of us it 
 appeared di)id)tful wlu'thor we wore asloop or awalvo; # * * 
 never yet did man hco or dream of any thing oipial to the spectacle 
 whieh appeared to our eyes on this day." 
 
 As the little hody of Spaiuards, followed by the Tlascalan army, 
 entered on tho great .street of the city, Montezuma in per.son, attended 
 by a great erowd of hi.s nobles, a{)peared to welcome them. IIo was 
 borne on a .splendid litter, froni which, at the approach of hi.s vi.sitora, 
 ho alighted. Cortes also dismounted, and those two men, the repre- 
 sentatives of tho Old World and the New, each the object of such 
 interest to tho other, stood face to face. Tho emperor, at this time, 
 was about forty years of age, and appeared, says a witness of tho 
 scene, "of good stature, well jiroportionod and thin; his complexion 
 was much fairer than that of the Indians; ho wore his hair short, 
 just covering his car-s, with very little beard, well-arranged, thin and 
 black. His face was rather long, with a ploa.sant countenance and 
 good eyes. Gravity and good humour were blended together when 
 ho spoke." With tho utmost courtesy, and with apparent cordirditv, 
 he welcomed the strangers to his capital, and Cortes could not but 
 express, in fitting terms, his thanks for the repeated instances of 
 royal generosity which he had so often experienced. 
 
 After a brief interview, the Spaniards and their allies were con- 
 ducted through an immense multitude, to their destined quarters, 
 in a great i)alace built by the emperor's father Axayacatl. Every 
 terrace and houseto]) was crowded with human beings, gazing with 
 in.satiate curiosity on tho strangers, and marvelling at the entrance 
 of a great army of their hereditary foes. Montezuma was already 
 in the court-yard, waiting their arrival. He hung a massive chain 
 of gold around tho neck of Cortes, repeated his welcome, and then, 
 with refined civility, left him to repose. But that wary general 
 turned his first attention to fortifying the palace, and to planting 
 cannon for its defence, with every ])rccaution against a surpri.sc. 
 "Such was the entrance of this little band, animated by an invinci- 
 ble hardihood, into the renowned Tenochtitlan* — the fairest and 
 most jTOwerfid city in the Western Continent; and whether we con- 
 sider tho audacity of the attemjit, its wonderful success, or the 
 
 * The native appellation of the iiiicieiit city of Mexico. 
 
n uivinci- 
 
 Hlran... ami exciting novelty .W the attendant eire.nnsfancvs it nnnt 
 
 bo re«anl(j.l a« tho most reniarkahlu evolnit ..11 
 
 "...1 drHperate coura,.., in tl e r „s^^ '-I'tary ..niu.s 
 
 «eiroon,..acency, -who «ave ns conra^el::;' ^ J 1 : /Z 
 gers, and brought us safely through then,.' * * ^ * . r'"" 
 ends, 1,0 ,,roeoe.Ls, 'the true and full aecountof our adventurous uul 
 
 Av.itn.o.ti.ee:;i^^ii:::;^;-;;,;^^ 
 
 c udod tins eventful d.^. On the next, CortCh^ l^^iZ. 
 olhco... ropa,.-ed to tho royal paluee, where all wcTe -u, "a 1 
 luuntaiiis, the tapo-strv of .mv ,.i,„ 1 . '""a/.oil at the 
 
 .«.» set nWut tl,o w,rk „f clvt , 'T;'^"'''' '" "■■"'"'■ "' 
 
 evil tountenancos and worse deck" .,„ 1 • "»'Viis, ol 
 
 l»,w and thoao of his subiccta from il,„ „,,',',, "'V'"" 
 
 .»>™l tl,ogo„craI tl,„.l,„.,„a w,, nmir l„a arrnlll T 
 .•c,l. , a„tl,„rit, „„., ,i,„i.^. A f„,v u,.r», .„u" t o .Z ' M 
 from 1,,., eyes as lie iii-oiiouiieeil tlieso won, , fl... . , , , 
 
 aiicicnl lioiiours to the diorn.„ „f ""■'"= """I'. «''« surren.Icr of l,is 
 
 -vcro,. his chetrf^,^rc . Led" , rZt'r"''.''""^ •"" '" 
 
 ■-' ^"'^fy J fl i;.i«ni" 1^ ir,^t™;;;:rrf 
 
124 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK HI8T0EY. 
 
 CHAPTER.?!. 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE ANCIENT CAPITAL OF TENOCHTITLAN OR 
 
 IIEIICO. THE PALACES OP MONTEZUMA. — HIS COLLECTIONS 
 
 OP NATUIIAL HISTORY. SUPERSTITION OF THE SPANIARDS. 
 
 — HIDEOUS SCENES OF SACRIFICE. — REFLECTIONS 
 
 Before entering on a relation of tlie memorable events which 
 followed the entrance of the Spaniards into Tenochtitlan, and before 
 recording the utter destruction to which those events were the pre- 
 lude, it is proper to give some description of that ill-fated city, as it 
 appeared to Europeans in the brief interval preceding its ruin and 
 annihilation. "The present city of Mexico occupies the site of this 
 ancient capital of the Aztecs, and the long causeways which led 
 through the water still form its principal approaches. But the 
 waters of Lake Tezcuco, by drainage, have shrunk away, and the 
 Indian Venice which they environed is now surrounded by (Justv 
 fields, miles from the shore. At the time of the Conquest, it wa's 
 probably one of the most beautiful and picturesque of cities. The 
 houses were of reddish stone or brick, and numerous canals, with 
 bridges, intersected it throughout. The number of houses is reported 
 to have been sixty thousand, and the population, it is probable, was 
 nearly half a million. Forty thousand persons are said to have 
 assembled in the market on public days. The extent of its vestiges, 
 at the present day, indicates a city of great population. 
 
 "Sanitary rules were carefully observed. The aqueduct of Cha- 
 pul tepee brought a copious supply of fresh water into the city, and 
 n thousand persons were daily employed in cleaning the streets. 
 Among the peculiar ornaments of this marine capital, were the 
 numerous floaljjng islands, of artificial construction, which supported, 
 not only a great variety of flowers and vegetables, but trees of con- 
 siderable size, and the cottages of their proprietors. 
 
 "The palaces of the emperor were of vast extent, and contained 
 almost innumerable apartments. Many of these were devoted to the 
 aeeornmodation of a menagerie, the most complete and extensive, it 
 is probable, in the possession of any sovereign of the day. Wild 
 animals, collected throughout the most distant regions of Anahuac, 
 
THE CONQUEST AND lIIbTuliV OE MEXICO. 125 
 
 were here lodged in numerous and convenient receptacles; and the 
 rarest and most beautiful birds, in vast numbers, were housed in 
 magnificent aviaries, with every convenience to render their confine- 
 ment endurable. But the fierce aspect of the caged animals and 
 reptiles struck the half-civilized conquerors rather with horror than 
 admiration. ' In this accursed house,' says one of them, ' were man v 
 vipers and other poisonous serpents, which have in their tail some- 
 what that sounds like castanets, and they are the worst of all vipers 
 * * These beasts and horrid reptiles were retained to keep 
 company with their infernal gods, and when the lions and tygers 
 roared, and the foxes and jackals howled, and the snakes liissed 
 twas a grim thing to hear, and seemed like hell itself.' In this par- 
 ticular, at least, the science and liberality of the Indian naturalist 
 stand m strong contrast with European prejudice and superstition 
 Even the earned De Soils, writing a century and a half later, could 
 hardly believe it possible that any prince should have cherished 
 'this poisonous Article of Magnificence,' but conceives the report to 
 have been a vulgar error, founded on the fierce and tyrannic dispo- 
 sition oi the Aztec sovereign. 
 
 "A more barbarous, but perhaps not less royal taste, was exhibited 
 in a very extensive collection of monstrosities. 'Muteczuma ' savs 
 a writer of the day 'hath three great houses in a solitary place out 
 of the way to refreshe and recreate himself in the heate of summer- 
 in one of these he hath great plcntie of monstrous men, as dwarfes' 
 crookebackesandrnenwithoneleggeortwoheades, &c &c ' The 
 vast extent and admirable arrangement of the Botanic Gardens of 
 the emperor, as well as of other great lords, indicate refinement 
 of a certain character, to which no European nation, at that a^e 
 had attained. ° ' 
 
 "The state maintained by the emperor, the populous condition of 
 h.s harem, and the number of his attendants, who amounted to sev- 
 eral thousands, all bore a strong resemblance to the luxurious court 
 of an Oriental sovereign. 'No one of the Soldans,' says Cortes in 
 his dispatches, 'nor any other infidel Signior, of whom I ever heard 
 has, to my beliel, a court so stately and ceremonious.' In the 
 minute ceseriptions of the day, handed down by curious observers 
 ue luid the great Montezuma, after his dinner, smoking tobacco fron 
 an ornamented pipe-apparently a novelty to his guests, though 
 Co u,„bus, many years before, had found the natives of CuLa in the 
 
 liabit ol using the same herb in the f.-rm of ci'^ars. 
 
 J 
 
126 
 
 THE PEOl'LK'S BOOK OF IIISTOEY. 
 
 ''^Nothing surprised the Spaniards more than the gloomy 'House 
 of Sorrow, to which the emperor was accustomed to retire, on the 
 death of any of his relations, or in event of any public calamity or 
 failure. It was colored entirely black, and hardly a ray of light 
 cou d penetrate through the little windows to the funereal apartment 
 vitlun Inthis dismal Habitation he used to continue until the 
 time of Mourning was over, and often,' continues the fanatical Solis 
 here the Devil appeared to him; whether it be that the Prince of 
 Darkness took de ight in this abode of Horror, or for the Sympathy 
 there is between that malignant Spirit and a melancholy Humour ' "* 
 Tlie emperor, to gratify the curiosity of his guests, four days after 
 tl^.r arrival, conducted them to the most remarkable objects in the 
 ci y. Among these were the great tianguez or market-place, inter- 
 esting from the multitude of its traders and the variety and r/chness 
 of their wares and the principal teoealli, or mound-temple, which 
 hey ascended by a winding path, a mile in length, and whicli, from 
 
 been n* P^""^f '-^ ^'''^ ^^ magnificent, that those who had 
 been at Eome and Constantinople exclaimed that they had never 
 
 Ttle h ;• V^'r T''""'^ "^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^'^^ ^-^^. pointed 
 ou the chief objects of interest; but that zealous champi^i of the 
 
 i .xith, eager for an opportunity to vindicate his creed, requested that 
 ].e m,g lit be introduced to the presence of the Aztec deities 
 
 I he ndeous scenes of sacrifice to which the Spaniards were ac- 
 cordingly conducted, described with revolting paiticularitv by tie 
 observers may be briefly represented. First, on the snmm"it of the 
 teocalh, they were shown the terrible Stone of Sacrifice, on which 
 housands c^ living bodies had been stretclied, with the brea ip 
 Wved ,n the air, while the priest, wit,h a sharp flint knife, laid o, I 
 
 ^.n'rthetff" 'Ti?^' '"' P^"^'''"^ ''''''' by main' force t 
 
 .toll 1 ? 'a' S^ "' "P '"^"^'"^^ ^" ^'" ^^'"^'^'"^ «« «n offer- 
 ing to the deity A hideous figure, resembling a dragon, presided 
 
 r^'^firusl^'"^' ^"' ^""^ ""'-'^ ^-%«piltfatt'efted1he 
 In a shrine which crowned the summit of the teoealli, were hu^e 
 m-ss apen figures, hideous in their distortion, but brilliant ith 
 J |;;vels and gold Of these Huitzilopoch.li, theAztec god o r 
 h wore anecklace composed of human hearts and heads, wrol I 
 in the precious metals, and Tczeatepuca, the god of the infe^. 
 world, "covered with little serpe.t-tailed devils," were the mosU::! 
 ♦ Discoverers, &c., of Amenen. 
 
TTE COSaUlST AND HISTOIiT OF MEXICO 1,7 
 
 nnd .he wall, of ,tl fhri„e\!°T "*"*''■ '"^ ''"""o™ "'™. 
 
 gers. Struck wi.l, horror a. .he "^olti g' 1^1"^;°' '"°.^°; 
 
 Ins voice in vehement remnn«fron„. ■ ^ fP^-^^cle, Cortes raised 
 
 but only succeedeTfn shTcZl T. T"'' '^''' ''"°"^"^^^ ^^^^^^^^. 
 who, affer the departure of ^f*?'' ^ ^^"'"' ^"^'^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^«i 
 renewed saer.eef th:^^!:^ ^L:^::?!^^ ^-^' ^^ 
 
 orrZ^?:-r-i^^^^^^^ -nee. 
 
 innuiriblfsacriC ^We ::::Vv^^ ''''' '}' '^'^ ^' 
 
 says Diaz, "any name ex^^ that o'TeH ' ' -cursed building," 
 which they visited wa. . ^.Z r " ''"''^^«'' t^ocalli 
 
 of more th'ln a hundred tholn^^^^^^^ T""' ^^'''^ ^^« ^^^'^'^ 
 n.ent may seem "in th. « ""'• ^"^''^dible as the state- 
 
 enormities, wer^'ex en sive nd' ^'"T. "'"'^ "'"^^'"^^ '-^^ ^1'- 
 tion of theVouthTf bo;i"^^^^^^^ ^^'^"""^ '^^ ^''^ ^^-- 
 
 estimate ofthe horrors of Mexican theolnL ^^'^^ggerated an 
 
 at this very time and ]on. SZ ;^^' '"' """'* remember that, 
 
 revolting fL, ^:::i^:^^;^::;c'-^-^^ ': 'r "^--^ 
 
 of Europe. On the score of {,^^'^'''f ^^,^3^ ^''^ most refined nations 
 
 heart of\heA.:er:i:;^;^:;::r^^ 
 
 stake of the Spaniard; while Vrtho •""■^'"''^ ^"^ *^« 
 
 see little to choose b;twe 1 J h f ^^".""^^^^ ^"^^l^e^^. one can 
 
 fierce Huitzilopocltli o to 1. f T° '" *''^ ^^'"•'""^ "^ ^'^^ 
 
 the Heal Presence" ' ''"' '' ^^"^^ ^'^'^^^^^^ ^heo.y, sueh as 
 
128 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 CHAPTEH ?IL 
 
 UNPRINCIPLED SCHEME OF CORTES. — HIS TREACHEROUS 
 
 SEIZURE OF MONTEZUMA. — BURNING OF THE AZTEC 
 
 CHIEFS. — OUTRAGE ON THE EMPEROR'S PERSON. — 
 
 FRUSTRATED CONSPIRACY OF THE PRINCES. — THE 
 
 CACIQUES SAVEAR ALLEGIANCE TO THE SPANISH 
 
 CROWN. — AFFECTING SCENE. — GREAT TRIBUTE 
 
 OF TREASURE. — RAPACITY OF CORTES. 
 
 A chapel was erected in the palace of Axayacatl, and mass was 
 daily performed, with unusual decorum and solemnity of deport- 
 ment, for the edification of the Aztecs. These, though little moved 
 by the mysterious spectacle, continued to pay the most assiduous 
 and hospitable attention to the thousands of strangers, botli Spaniards 
 and hostile Tlascalans, who, uninvited, had thrust themselves within 
 the walls of the capital. But the ambitious mind of the Spanish 
 leader, aiming at the immediate subjugation of the country, as the 
 only means of attaining the countenance of his sovereign and eludintr 
 the vengeance of the incensed Velasquez, was ill at ease, and darkly 
 revolved a plot, "the most daring, politic, and utterly unprincipled, 
 which the mind of man could devise." This was to seize the person 
 of his host, the generous and hospitable Montezuma, and thus gain 
 instant possession of his realm. 
 
 Solemn prayer and religious service, as usual in any case of extreme 
 audacity or villany, was maintained by the Spaniards all the night 
 previous to the attempt; and Cortes, during the same time, was 
 heard pacing his room unquietly like one unable to rest from anxiety. 
 In the morning, after ma.ss and benediction, the general, with Alva- 
 rado, Sandoval, Lujo, Leon, and Avila, five of hi.s bravest captains, 
 repaired to the palace. The emperor was in a joyous mood, and, 
 with his usual liberality, bestowed rich presents on his guests. A 
 number of soldiers, by instruction, had gradually assembled in the 
 court-yard, and Cortes (to use his own words), "after conversing with 
 him in a sportive manner on agreeable topics, and receiving at his 
 hand some jewels of gold, and one of his orvn dmtgllers," abruptly 
 changed his tone, and accused his host of the murder of two Span- 
 
jaoffTF.z yjwjj. 
 
THE CONQUKST AND HISTORY OF 
 
 MKXICO. 
 
 129 
 
 .un,ri», deCared Aatt w rjlel'l '="^"^ W-anco'of 
 Lis signet, dispatched ordc,-, Tt ,^lT ,°""'' ""'' P""'"e "T 
 
 be tra„s,„i..„d for trial to the c"piHl "^^ '" ""' '"'" *<>"M 
 
 he^Htrdi^rt •if;'^''.'^"''' -^^ '-■ -'"- >"'- civih-., 
 
 n,ari.of;„„ad„„„ ;™x ; PTV""'T« ""^ '"-P™'' - « 
 
 Perceiving his danger it^m T ''° '" ""> ^P""!* ^'Wrtem 
 
 e.%. witf a ha„;x^thts::™'':";ir'«. '- .- 
 
 heard that a great prince, like m^selt; ^totarilv lift L , """"• 
 Ijeeome a prisoner in the hands of st an2s? If T J , f """ '" 
 to such a desradation » h. „„ .■ 7™"8ersr If I should consent 
 
 ■■n,ysuhjec^%t:r lu ftrl''ir'T '° ** "'^"-""^ 
 importunity, but at lcn«h fl, J T , , ''" '''^'*'' "'eir vile 
 
 jeUc. i lei^r 'rptn:?:" ;ri""''7 ^^ "■" «-- 
 
 dense ranks of the Snaniard. C .. il ^'^^^ovtod amid the 
 
 •nd the people, .hoi" 'Sat ^ St-f'"'' ""^^ ""j '""■•■• 
 .ssurance (which to or^orv. „ T , ' "^"° '!""=''=') by the 
 
 then.) that the Spklr^r rfriel' °M, ''^ ■''8"''^' •■= Save 
 then, of his own accord, h ust, iT„ P f "',"' ''" """ ^oing with 
 omitted „o attention or how „f1 r ^°«<'''.'>'» '^"'1 »«ained, he 
 
 •le r„,al establish.en wa7rcmov*rr°f ,%"?*" *'"* "' 
 jacati, where he held hhZZ T ^"'^'""'^ P"'"™ °f Axa- 
 
 .™-.' The nob,»l :„: i;:tfraZ;^::;r'''; "°"^'^"' 
 
 appear to have inspired ?!,. l,;„i . ■ ?""'"'"■>' °f '"" demeanour, 
 captors; but the^gifrd d iS''" T'°" '"" ""''=°«"" '" >>'» 
 knowing that if their imllolt' """<»"?"«'--. -ell 
 
 A..popn,a.onw„uHrL™\'rS,:::rr '""■ '"^ ""* 
 
 ««e"::rii:f:rp?rSr%r° '--^ -'^-^ ■" -^ "'* 
 
 was committed fe, Cortes "r rati J " "I f '""'''"^■- ™"''- '»'" 
 aeruelty, the continu^^y ™ rr^'of I, '.'? """, P""«™« 
 caused them all to be burner! ,lL f 1 ^''■'""* '"""'■ he 
 f"ncral pyres were eomnZl „r '" ""' "' ""= J'"'"'^''- '"'''"i' 
 
 lin. taten from he roj." ar nal'T T""'"^. "l""'"™ """^ J"™" 
 attack from the citizens Wl,°rt' '"''""'»■-* "><» ''anger of au 
 
 victims underwent with tr,,Jr V ™''°"' """"=■"="■ >''"* «>e 
 cation, Oorte wia a' ,,, ;™/T"°''°' "™ "'"'™'' i-" '^^«- 
 
 =h»hcr of th^ uTtult'S: ;,r*lith t''', '""-' «"" 
 _ Vol. III._9 ""^'^'"ima- With harsh reproaches, 
 
130 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOliY. 
 
 he ordered them to bo fastened to the feet of liis captive, and then 
 abruptly quitted him. That unhappy prince, for the first time really 
 awakened to the terrific nature of his fall, uttered low and half-sup- 
 pressed moans, while his attendants, weeping, held his feet in their 
 arms, and tried, by inserting their mantles, to mitigate the harsh 
 contact of the naked iron. The chiefs reduced to ashes, Cortes reen- 
 tered the apartment, and took oft' the chains with his own hands. 
 Tlie spirit of his captive was completely broken, and he thencefor- 
 ward submitted like a child to nearly every requirement of his 
 conqueror. 
 
 "There is, perhaps, hardly a passage in history more curious than 
 this transaction in the capital of the Aztecs— and could the damning 
 accompaniments of treachery, ingratitude, and cruelty be left out,, it 
 might stand as the most splendid example of policy, boldness, and 
 success that ever was- recorded. Its effect, for a time, was certainly to 
 put the Spaniards in complete possession of the government of all 
 Mexico. Little compunction seems to have been felt by the actors 
 exultant in success. Diaz, fifty years afterwards, writes: 'Now that 
 I am old, I frequently revolve and reflect on the events of that da}^, 
 which appear to me as fresh as if they had just passed, such is the 
 impression they have made upon my mind. I say, it was not we 
 who did these things, but that all was guided by the hand of God. 
 * * * There is much food for meditation in this,' " &c. 
 
 The caciques and princes of Mexico, unprepared to prevent the 
 unexpected seizure of their lord, and still uncertain of his exact 
 relations with the Spaniards, though deeply concerned at his deten- 
 tion, continued, for the most part, to pay him the most loyal obe- 
 dience. Chief among the few who felt the true degradation of the 
 empire, and resolved on attempting its deliverance, was his young 
 nephew Cacama, the prince of Tezcuco. Next to Montezuma, he 
 was the most powerful lord in Mexico, his capital (Tezcuco) contain- 
 ing an hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, and though by the 
 ambition of his brother Ixtlilxochitl, despoiled of a portion of his 
 territory, was an enemy by no means to be despised. With the 
 brother of the emperor and a few other great lords, he now con- 
 spired to restore the imprisoned monarch to liberty, and drive the 
 wizard Spaniards and the hated Tlascalans from the land. To the 
 demands of Cortes that he should give in his allegiance to the king, 
 and to his treacherous invitations to visit the capital, this high-spir- 
 ited prince replied that "he knew nothing of the Spanish sovereign 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOKY OP MKXICO. igj 
 
 nor his people, nor did he wish to know anv tliinc of fhmn fl . i 
 would 00.0 to Tenoehtitlan indeed, bn. :^':Z^^i:^^ 
 to rescue the emperor and the Aztec ™d,s from slaver. ' 7 . i , ' 
 pr^>nringtoiulfilthispatriotiethreat,iw^ri;^^l,i^;:^^^^^^ 
 anc w,th Ins pnncpal confederates, carried in chains to^MeS ' 
 Urte , now feehng secure in his position, proceeded rapidly with 
 tl c wo k of survey and eolonization-his tusk being aided by a n np 
 admirably dehneated of an handled and forty leagues o he eo's ' 
 presented to lum by Montezuma. He next exacted from that Tv! 
 e.c>gn a formal recognition of the authority of the Spunlh crown 
 The eacque., summoned from all parts of L empire,' Lps' 
 
 be transferred to these strangers-the same, he informed them whoso 
 
 onnng had so long been foretold. -'I now beseech you're a d 
 give them some token of submission; they requie it of me ' 
 
 et no one refuse. For eighteen years th^i I have reigned I hav^ 
 been a kn.d monarch to you, you have been faithful su^'e ts to m 
 since my gods wdl have it so, indulge me with this one in ane of 
 jour obedience." Tears fell from his eyes, and the caciques also 
 weepmg bitterly, assured him that his will'had always been th r 
 
 aw, and should be at once complied with. All took'^the requ ed 
 oath, m presence of many officers and soldiers, "not one of Tom " 
 says a witness, "could refrain from weeping, ^n behold ng heTo^i- 
 tation and distress of the great and generous Montezuma'" W^th 
 excessive rapacity and impudence, Cortes now suggested that a splen 
 
 ■d present be prepared for his master, the king ofspain, ad act - 
 
 Tn addition to the tribute thus obtained, the emperor bestowed 
 upon liis gaoler a great hoard of jewels Ind gold wrou-Tt with 
 .easterly skill, which had been amasled by Axa.^eat'l, Ind^'e exit 
 
 1 covered. lake tins gold," he said, "which is all that could be 
 olleeted on so short a notice, and also the treasure which I d 'ive 
 ..m my ancestors and which you have seen. And this wh c7 
 
 reman of his regalia with the rest, "is the last of the treasure 
 which has remained with me." The whole amounted to the v «e 
 of SIX or seven millions of dollars at the present day, but the a^! 
 men soldiers hardly received a thousand dollars a-pLe, tl 7] "ns 
 
182 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF lUSTOKY. 
 
 share being reserved for the crown, for Vclusque;^, and for Cortes 
 and his fovourites. All the eloquence and all the promises of tlio 
 general could hardly reconcile these rough spirits to their jjalpablo 
 defraudmcnt, and induce their acceptance of the paltry share allotted 
 to them ; but with the true national passion for gambling, they made 
 cards from their drum-heads, and passed day and night in staking 
 all that they possessed. 
 
 CEAPTEB ?nL 
 
 RELIGIOUS ZEAL OF CORTES. — DISCONTENT OF THE SIEXICANS. 
 — DANGEROUS POSITION OF THE SPANIARDS. — TRANSAC- 
 TIONS AT THE COURT OF SPAIN. — VELASQUEZ DISPATCHES 
 AN EXPEDITION AGAINST CORTES, — CORTES MARCHES 
 AGAINST NARVAEZ. — DEFEATS AND TAKES HIM 
 PRISONER. — HIS POLITIC CONDUCT AFTER VIC- 
 TOivY. — HIS FORCES GREATLY AUGMENTED: 
 
 Amid these miserable reverses and spoliations, the emiieror, de- 
 throned in all but name, preserved, for the most part, a truly royal 
 yet affable demeanour. " It is impossible," says Diaz, " to describe how 
 noble he was in every thing he did, nor the respect in which he was 
 held by every one around him." On the point of religion, however, he 
 stood firm, and all the arguments and persuasions of the friars, as 
 M'ell as of Cortes himself, who daily introduced the subject, were of 
 no effect either on his heart or understanding. " The Devil," argues 
 De Solis, "had got such an Ascendant over his Mind that no Argu- 
 ments were of force enough to touch his obdurate Heart. It was 
 not known whether he had a Communication from the Devil, or if 
 he continued to apjjcar to him, as usual, after the SjHuu'anls arrived 
 at Mexico; on the contrary, it was believed as certain, that from the 
 first appearance of the Cross of Christ in that City, all those infernal 
 Invocations lost their Force, and the Oracles became silent." It may 
 be imagined, then, how every feeling of religion, of association, and 
 of superstition, w:us shocked when Cortes prcjposcd that tlie great 
 icocaVi, the most venerated structure in all Analiuac, should be 
 yielded up for the use of the Christian wonship. "Why, oh Malin- 
 
TliK CONtiUKST ANB illSTOUV OF MKXICO. j.^g 
 
 Che-'* be said "will you urge matters to ar. extremity that must 
 surely brmg down the vengear.ce of our go.ls, and stir un an insu 
 rect.on among the people?" But, after a conferenee with hi n ies" 
 'with much aguafon and the appearanee of deep sorrow he hJav J 
 consented" that the Christians should occunv ono nf fl ^ 
 
 on its summit. Aeeordingly, an ima^ V g" ^ ^TZ 
 the Mass and other Catholic rites wore now solemnT ^efo me 
 
 Thus fur the people, with extraordinary patience, and unable to 
 ivorce m the^ m.nds the ancient authority of the emperor t,m 
 us nsurpa .on by the Spaniards, had meekly submitted to' every ex 
 action and encroachment. But mankind will far more reld lyput 
 up vv.th any other species of grievance and oppression than with To 
 least ailront to old hereditary faith or superstition. Om nou indf 
 cufons of an approaching storm were soon visible. The Tci n 
 an nobles held long and gloomy conferences with their sovere" 
 and the latter finally announced to Cortes (by direct inZma fon 
 fro. Satan says a Spanish historian) that the'^A.tec d^r^ir 
 s^nunes profaned were preparing the destruction of the nvad 
 For the,r ovvn sake, he counselled the Spaniards to leave the X 'i 
 
 01 escape To allay the public excitement, the general now promised 
 to leave he country a3 soon as vessels could be procured an o 
 
 he coast ILs real object, it is probable, was to gain time for the 
 arrival of expected reinforcements 
 Meanwhile, the Spanish camp was filled with gloom and annre 
 ensuMi, and the strictest vigilance was used to prevent an p'ris" 
 ho horses Stood night and day ready caparison d for servi '"nd 
 e soldiers slept on their arms, as if i„ the very presen o b.'tL 
 Uhile thus harassed by constant fonr nr,rl • • , 
 
 *• , , "^ ^""'''^^"'^ lear and suspicion, the r onnrll 
 
 , ...H.I loucning at Uiba, contrary to orders h-id hplrl 
 .m Lucnr. The „ew8 which she brought, „„.l ,],„ ,„,,„„i„ce„i aj,. 
 
lU 
 
 THE I'KOI'LK'a HOOK OK IIISTOUY. 
 
 pluy of trciwuro, (tho early gifts of Monte/uMui,) now, for the first 
 time, reuliziiig tho gulden visi(Mi,s of Western lunbitioti, threw till 
 Sjmiii into a fever of exeitenient; but owing to the iulver.se inlhi- 
 enecof Hislu)p Fonseeii and others, the agents of Cortes were unable 
 to eifect any thing in his favour with the emperor, Charles V.; and 
 in May, lu'iO, allured by .seheincs of European aggrandizement, that 
 sovereign left his kingdom without attempting to si'ttli; the eotnniand 
 of Mexieo, or to further the daring and ill-supplied enterprise for its 
 ctjnquest. As for Velasquez, from tho moment ho learned tho value 
 of the invaded provinee, and the defection of his general, he set to 
 work with indeseribable fury and energy to wrest l)aek the authority 
 whieli he had so ineautiously bestowed, and to aehievc an adequate 
 revenge upon his treacherous ally and revolted vassal. By extra- 
 ordinary exertions, he fitted out a fleet of eighteen sail, well provided 
 with artillery and other munitions of war, and miumed by nine 
 hundred men, eager to share in the antieipated spoil of the wealthiest 
 kingdom in the Indies. Pamphilo de Narvacz, the governor's fa- 
 vourite oflieer — a bold, rash, and arrogant man — was placed in com- 
 mand, and the fleet, sailing in March, 1620, arrived at San Juan do 
 Ulua in the latter part of April. 
 
 The Tage of Narvaez, on learning of the indepeiulencc and the 
 extraordinary success of Cortes, was extreme. lie proclaimed him 
 a traitor, uiul sent a priest and a notary to domaiul the surrender of 
 the fortress of A'era Cruz. But Sandoval, the youthful commander 
 of that post, one of tho bravest and fiercest leaders of the conquest, 
 was a devoted adherent of Cortes. He set up a gallows, avowing 
 that he would suspend from it any who might show a sign of disaf- 
 fection; and, on the arrival of his legal and clerical visitors, bound 
 thera hand and foot, and sent them post haste ("like so many damned 
 souls," says the narrative) on the backs of Indian porters, to Mexico, 
 lielays, as usual, were waiting to receive them every few miles, and 
 thus they were transferred from back to back, and hurried, bewil- 
 dered by their strange conveyance, in a wonderfully-short time, to 
 the capital, .\ccuratc pictures, as usual, of the fleet and tlie 
 strangers had been dispatched to Montezuma by his ofliciab, and 
 though most of the soldiers exulted in the supposed riMiiforeenicnt, 
 Cortrs shrewdly suspected the real nature of the cxjicdition, and 
 resolved, at every hazard, to hold fast to the brilliant i)rize which 
 he had won. 
 
 Ou the arrival of the alarmed and bewildered messengers, he 
 
\ 
 
 TIIK OONdUKST AND IIISTOKV (. K MKXICO. jyg 
 
 treated thorn in tho most grnciouM manner, "sni.l m many dvil 
 tlm.gs to then,, au.l anointcl their lingers so well with goM, that in 
 a ew days he sent baelc,u. tractable as lambs, those who had ,s..t 
 out a,amst hnn hko marn.g lions." Uy their hands ho disputola.d . 
 concnhatory n,essago to Narvaez, ten.lering subn.ission, if he latt.; 
 were prov.ded w.th u royal eo.nnnssion. well knowing that he inul 
 none, lie also sent the worthy Father Ohnedo, an ecelsiastic n.,,, ,. 
 lar (rem lus w,t and gooddnunonr, as well as formidable fro,,, his 
 powers of pohcy and intrigue, with a liberal snpply of gold, to .nalcc 
 a party m h,s favour a.nong the new eon.ers. JIo next reiol ve.l , 
 a step oextrao,.d.nary boldness an.l ha.ard. It was nothing h.s 
 than to (hng h,n.sel boldly into tho enemy's camp, and trust To hi 
 own popularity and the tried valour of his soldiers, to gain to 
 entire eotrunand of Mexico. 
 
 Leaving an hundred and forty mon, under chargo of Pedro do 
 AIva,.a o, to hold the city and tho captive omperorf l.o e fonV . 
 t e ncldle ol A ay, w.th only seventy n.e.,, on his ; ay to tho oo. 
 kunlorced at Cholula by Velasque. de Leon, whon., with n hu ' 
 dred a,.d twe..ty he had lately di.spatehed to foun.l a certain colo y 
 he n,.rched to Tlaseala, a.,d was soon joined by sixty more, be .: 
 he late garnson ol Vera Cruz, under eo.mnand of thcfdevotcl Sa .^ 
 duval. As ho approached Cen.poalla, whe,-o tho force of Narva . 
 was quartered, he sent forward Velasquez de Leon, a relation 7Z 
 governor, but a staunch a.lherent to his own faction on a fresh omu,^ 
 of msmuat.on ain.n.g the hostile forces. 
 
 On a da,k and .stormy night, he arrived before tho citv, and ha.- 
 angued h.s troops in a strain of rude a.nl forcible eloc/u ,^^0 ^ io 
 recounted the.r perils, their losses, their wonderful ac , v .".en 
 
 atcl) upon la.Kl.ng procla.ms war against us, with fire, swonl a-,d 
 I.,, as . we were infidel Moo.-s." So tired ;ere the ^oldi '.; 
 Ins roug . bu, st.rr,ng address, that all cried out that they we o 
 .uKed to conquer or die, a..d that if he again spoko of dfvidil 
 e ou,^ w„h h,s nval. they would plunge their swords into his 
 J. Meanwh.lo the cacique of Cen.poalla vainly remo,.strated 
 ;' 1 ^arvacz on h.s sup.nenes.s. "What are you doing?" he .ried 
 an 1 how careless are you I Do you think Malincho and his Teules* 
 arc ,so; I tell you that when you least expect it, he will come u,.on 
 3 ou and put you all to death." But that co.nn.ander, confiding in 
 * Spirits or supernatural boliigs— diutnons. 
 
136 
 
 THE PEOPLK'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 the number of his troops and the strength of his position, treated 
 the alarm lightly, and even boasted, it is said, that he would cut off 
 Cortes' ears, broil them, and eat them. 
 
 In the dead of night, his adversary, with two hundred and sixty 
 men, shrouded by the storm, moved warily into the town. As he 
 approached the camp of Narvaez, the alarm was given, and the 
 invaders, shouting "Santo Spiritol Santo Spirito!" rushed on to the 
 attack. Before the garrison could get foirly on their guard, the 
 enemy were in their midst, and though Narvaez and many of his 
 people made a gallant resistance, yet by firing the sanctuary, which 
 they were defending, they were compelled to yield. Their leader 
 receiving a disabling blow, crie;l, "Holy Mary, assist me! they have 
 killed me, and struck out one of my eyes." The party of Cortes 
 caught up the word. "Narvaez is killed! victory, for the Holy 
 Spirit!" was shouted by all, and the remaining portions of the garri- 
 son, which still held out, supposing their leader killed, surrendered. 
 "With a loss of only six of his men, and twice that number of the 
 enemy, Cortes had succeeded in overcoming a force three times 
 greater than his own, strongly intrenched and provided with artillery. 
 This remarkable result was owing partly to the fivourable circum- 
 stances of the night, partly to the suddenness and fury of his attack, 
 and still more, perhaps, to the interest which his gold had pnjcured 
 him among the new levies. 
 
 '"By this time,' says a witness, 'it was clear day. Cortes, seated 
 m an arm-chair, a mantle of orange colour thrown over his shoulders 
 his arms by his side, and surrounded by his officers and soldieiv' 
 received the salutations of the cavaliers, who, as thev dismounted' 
 came up to kiss his hand. It was wonderful to see the affabilitv and 
 the kindness with which he spoke to and embraced them, and the 
 compliments which he made to them.' Nearly all, both onicers and 
 soldiers, took the oath of allegiance to him as Captain-General, and 
 were assured that they should share in the fruits of the Conquest 
 Ihus, by an extraordinary concurrence of policv, audacity and -ood 
 fortune, he suddenly found himself, as if bv magic, from a desperate 
 adventurer, the commander of a large and well-appointed force for the 
 retention and extension of his conquests." The new recruits were 
 still further proj.itiated by the restoration of all their horses, arms and 
 other articles which had been seized on the night of the attack ; and 
 such liberal presents were showered ujion them as to excite the envy 
 and discontent of the successful faction. They compared the conduct 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTOKY OP MEXICO. 137 
 
 of their genera] to that of Alexanr^Pr t„t,^ v 
 
 ished more favours on the vamZtiZ ' T '"'^' ^^^''^^^ ^^^• 
 him the victory. ^^^n^^^ed than on those who had won 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The exultation which Cortes had evid^nfl,. r u . ■■ • 
 success was almost imnaediately damped bvl^ "' ^'s wonderful 
 the capital. Alvarado hi, c\LZ f..^ T^'''''^ ^'"^"'S^ ^rom 
 
 miss.0.1 to a great number of the Aztec nob.1 fv / f '^ ^'''■" 
 
 court of the chief teocalli, frontirt tie Sn 7l "^'''' "^ '^'' 
 
 dance in honour of their Z U • n ^ ''"''''''''^' '' ^r^''^ 
 
 number, unarmed a d att ireffn f ?^^'^^P«^''^''- Six hundred in 
 
 ;ui;es of Aii, the; :;!:::;' :2;^';^r ^^'jiij^^ ^^■- 
 
 fully engaged in this solemnity Alv.rado . . u '^ "^"'^ 
 
 report ofconspiracy, with a erueitvnnrrt; T ^^ '^'^ ^^8'^^ 
 
 l^ad fallen on^hes^lefencele ^ 4.gs Juf ^ '""^^^'^^' 
 
 and had butchered them to a m.n I tVo ''°'^°^' ^^^'^^'^^>^ 
 
 as with water after a heavy r' in a„dT T"l' f'" "'^'' ^^'^°J. 
 
 in 80lden ornaments, wcTe " ^dld ^ithtr f " "^^'"^' ^^"^^ 
 their murderers. Maddened 0/^'. « '^"^<^'ess rapacity, by 
 
 peaceful and subn' t^ ;^^^^^^^^^ f'' ''' ^^^"^' '''^'^^^ ^ 
 Seven of the Spaniardlwe fl-nT!! 1'""''' '^"'"'' ^'^« g^-^'-^i^on- 
 Twobrigantinet;S reyh;^^^^^^^ ' T* --ber wounded. 
 
 f ' -ilauts, at 'the intJ^Z!:f^t;rZ:r^:t';;' \ '^" ' 'r^'' 
 the attack it w-m nnlv . r ^'lo'uczuma, tinally desisted from 
 
 hundred 
 
 Vera 
 
138 
 
 TJIK rEOI'LK'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 dred horscraen, marched rapidly to tlie relief of tlic garrison. At 
 Tlascala he was reinforced by two thousand of the hardy warriors 
 of that republic. Thus strengthened, he ])ushcd on to the Valley 
 with all speed, and soon i-eachcd the great city of Tezcuco. Every 
 thing betokened an ominous change. Ver}'^ few inhabitants were to 
 be seen, and the cold, unfriendly looks of those evinced, in despite 
 of prudence, the extent of their animosity. On the 24th of June, 
 1520, crossing the causeway, Cortes, riding gloomily at the head of 
 his columns, reentered Mexico. The utter desertion and silence of 
 the streets aflbrded a striking contrast to the eager and multitudinoiia 
 manner in which they had been thronged on his first memorable 
 entrance iiito that ill-fated city. Arrived at the palace, he answered 
 sternly to the relation of Alvarado, "You have done badl>'. You 
 have been false to your trust. Your conduct has been that of a 
 madman." He refused to listen or speak to Montezuma, who came 
 to offer his welcome, and the captive emperor, deeply wounded and 
 offended, retired to his apartment. The conduct of Cortes, on this 
 his second visit to the capital, evinces a degree of passion and irri- 
 tabili , of which we find few exhibitions in his whole career, and 
 wliicli was due partly to the insolence of suddenly-acquired power, 
 and in part to the extraordinary perplexities of his position. 
 
 More than twelve hundred Spaniards and eight thousand Tlasca- 
 lans were now crowded in the jialace of Axayacatl, scantily supjjlied 
 with food, and utterly shunned by the ALexican jwjjulation. 'J^o a 
 renewed request for an interview by Montezuma, Cortes, to the dis- 
 pleasure of his own captains, fiercely answered, "Away with hin>! 
 the dog! why does he neglect to supply us? * * What do 
 I owe," he liercely continued, in answer to their remonstrances, "to 
 a dog who ti'eated secretly with Narvaez, and who neglects to send 
 provisions? Go tell your master and his jieoDle," he said, turning 
 furiously to the Aztec caciques, "to open the markets, or we will do 
 it ibr them, and to their cost." This haughty message, faithfallv 
 reported, increased the sullennoss of the aggrieved Mexicans; and 
 Cortes, at a suggestion of Montezuma, dismissed his brother Cuitla- 
 hua, who had been captured with Cacama, to treat with the jiopulacc 
 in behalf of the Spaniaivls. 
 
 I'ut the released cacique, a man of brave and patriotic (diaraeter, 
 and the destined .successor to the throne, so far from fulfillinn' his 
 invidious oommission, at once took command of the insurgents, and 
 encouraged them to a general assault. The effect was almost iinnic- 
 
ition. "JV) a 
 
 diate. Every roof and terrace surroundin<. tl... i 
 covered with a dense tJironL^ of aZT ■ ^'^''''' "''^^ """^'^ 
 
 of nu«siles an,ong the garr L id "'"''' ^'^^^ ^^"* '^"^^^^^^•^ 
 
 sti'ong eolumn. movin/o? with ' fi '^^'^■^,^^^"^« ^^^s fiiled with a 
 ™l. I^e.a;dle.oArCe?^L-^^;:^ to t,. 
 
 edgment, "under tC very cltl '' ^'^'^^ disparaging acknowl- 
 Eesohxtion, .naking Uslo^ ^1.^1^"'''^' "^'^' ^""-'^^'^^^ 
 Gates, and piek fhe Tval s W '^^ Instruments to break the 
 Shoulders to eome wi l.in ii""? ,t T " ''"^ Companions' 
 
 Ladders of their own Cei and Pil ^ ^"^'"'"' ^''^'^'^ '"^^'^^ 
 Terraces; and ail in ge'rexl ^fd'f '" f" ^^" ^^^^"^^^ --^ 
 I^^e e , .easts. ^ ^^^^^^TaXr^-^^^^l 
 ?^/i«A ',mr^/U have jjtmed for nallunt Action, h /,t /""''•*'^. "'''^ 
 
 All day the contest raged with irreat fnru i ' ?"'^- 
 the ran.parts with tin.bc°rs, and ' „! ^ "t'" '^^"^""° 
 
 "KKie in their dense ranks bv the a ■ t H ° ""V^^'^^^'^ «f I'-voe 
 bustible portion of the pd^ td r t7i J'f T'"^ ^'^^ ^°"'- 
 under Diego Ordaz, nude a determined ..II •<^^"' ^iy^^n^^^^^, who, 
 NiglUfall, according to the custn of v ^ ^''''^' considerable loss, 
 but early the next mornin' tTe Zo i "''' '^^^^^"^ '^' ^^^^^^'^ 
 
 iilled with warriors, Z^ ^^ ""''''' f^'^^^^^^^ -^ro a,. ^ 
 
 Mexico, and comn^^ndJ^T^^ T W 'Suif ''''' ''''''^'' "^ 
 Spanish general, as they approached 1 1 "' ^" ^^^■'''""- '^'^'^ 
 
 musketry and u tillery .^ h . ' .1'''^ '" ^'""''"''^^ ^^''^^^'^^'S'e of 
 I'isarm^- sallied fotf;; el' "'f •^''^"-^^ ^^'--^t portion of 
 of the enen.y. II Xf t^Tt T"^' T ''^ ^^^'"'^^ -'--- 
 by tbe artill^, and a ^n!^ ^ tdtl^'r' T ^^^^^'^^ 
 peration and recklessness of life .s the S ! 7 ! ' ^'^''^ '"^•'' '^''■ 
 before. " Some of our Soh i J , " ^ "^ "f "'^'"' "'^'^'^-^ 
 Wa, "that neither amonJ S^i^ ^i' ^ T^V ''^ T^"'^' ' ^^'^^^ 
 iM'ance's artillery, IukI they ever s n sul ' ""' '"'' ^^'"" '^^ 
 
 f-ted in the attacks of th.L I, l''-? '^''^'''^''^^^ -^ ^^as nuni- 
 tbo Mexicans, that no a,n L o i ^''''' ^'^^ '''« ""'"l^^''' of 
 
 -^-b warriors co.::;.^ ; 1^- ^ij^';;;: ^^-'--^^ ^f- ---^th 
 
 «-"nni„g uith canoes, re^. to ^, , '''r" '"' '"'^ -very eanal 
 Nearly the whole day was pent h ' r . ^"T''' ^"^ «^^^^''''^'^^- 
 Spaniards and Tlascdu aft V ''"^'" '""^'^^ ''"^ ^he 
 
 Joscaluns, after burnnig several hundred houses 
 
140 
 
 THE TEOI'LE'S 1500K OF HISTORY. 
 
 finally, with mucli loss, reguined tlicir fortress. At nightfall, as 
 usual, the besiegers ceased hostilities, with the exception of showers 
 of arrows, which they kept up during the night, with shrill cries 
 and whistlings. Their wild .ininr:als, they assured the Spaniards, 
 had been kept fasting for two days, to devour them. They made 
 many other threat^, equally terrifying to the imagination, and, at 
 times, with a child-like vacillation of feeling, would plaintively en- 
 treat that their king might be released to them. 
 
 Another desperate attempt was made, the next morning, to take 
 the palace by storm; but all who succeeded in scaling the walls were 
 slain by those within. Cortes, founding some hope on the devoted 
 loyalty which the people exhibited, now resolved to try the effect 
 of the emperor's intercession in person. The unfortunate Monte- 
 zuma was exceedingly reluctant to make the attempt, alleging that 
 the i)eople would never listen to him, nor suffer a Spaniard to leave 
 the walls alive. Overpowered at length by repeated persuasion, he 
 put on, for the last time, his magnificent rolics of state, and with a 
 few A'/tee nobles, who still faithfully attended on his i)erson, pro- 
 ceeded to the battlements. "A change, like magic, came over the 
 scene. The clang of instrumcnt.s, the fierce cries of the assailants 
 were hushed, and a death-like stillness pervaded the whole assembly, 
 so fiercely agitated, but a few moments before, by the wild tumult 
 of war. Many prostrated themselves on the ground; others bent tlio 
 knee; and all turned with eager expectation toward the monarch 
 whom they had been taught to reverence."* 
 
 Montezuma, in a composed, royal, and paternal manner, addressed 
 the vast multitude, which listened in the most aksolute silence. The 
 Spaniards, he a.ssured them, would defiart as soon as a way was peace- 
 fully opened. He commanded them to lay down their arms and 
 retire to their homes; the strangers should return to their own laiul 
 and all should be well again in the walls of Tenochtitlan. As lie 
 concluded, four principal caciques came forward, and, with toucliiii" 
 loyalty, lamented his misfortunes and captivity. Their prayers, they 
 said, were daily offered for his safety; but tliey had sworn to their 
 gods the destruction of every Si)aniard. They would yet rescue him, 
 and venerate him as before, and trusted that he would pardon their 
 boldness. 15ut the more ferocious spirits in the crowd, enra"ed at 
 seeing their emperor in the hands of the enem}'-, now raised a storm 
 
 of invective. Stones bt 
 
 ;an to fly, and though the Spaniards hastily 
 
 * Piescott's CiiiiqiK'st of Jle.vk'o. 
 
TUE CONQUKST AND lUSTOUY OF MKXICO. j^^ 
 
 put up their bucklers to shield his person, the unhappy prince re- 
 coivcd three wounds, one in the head, wldch laid him senseless on 
 the rampart. Horror-stricken at this act of sacrilege, the vast mul- 
 titude simultaneously uttered a terrible ery or groan, which resounded 
 through the whole eity, and then, dispersing in all directions, left 
 the square utterly deserted. Their ill-fated monarch, borne to his 
 apartment, was recovered from his swoon, but only to fall into an 
 agony of grief at the treatment he had undergone. He tore the 
 bandages from his head as often as they were applied, refused all 
 food or medicine, and was evidently determined to end his life and 
 dignity together. 
 
 The attack, awhile suspended by this melancholy incident, was 
 ere long renewed with fresh fury, and from the great toca^^^ com- 
 manding the palace, a perfect tempest of stones and arrows was 
 showered upon the garrison. With the boldness of desperation 
 Cortes resolved on taking it by storm, and with three hundred c-iv- 
 ahers, and several thousand Tlascalans, made a furious sortie from 
 his fort. The summit was only to be gained by a winding pathway 
 a .n,le in length, four times encircling the vast edifice; and as the 
 Spaniards slowly forced their way along, huge stones, beams, and 
 every species of missile, came thundering on their heads from above 
 By desperate exertions they finally gained the great plateau of the 
 temple, where, in full view of the whole city and the belcM-merod 
 garrison, a combat, hand to hand, was maintained with the utmost 
 valour and resolution by both parties, for the space of three hours 
 There was no parapet on its verge, and the combatants, in the heat of 
 their engagement, frequently missed their footing, and met a horrible 
 death on the rocky pavement below. "Here," says Diaz, with enthu- 
 siasm, Cortes showed himself the man he really was! wliat n des- 
 perate engagement we had therel every man of us covered with 
 blood, and above forty <lead upon the spot." Victory finally declared 
 for the Spaniards and their allies, every one of the many hundreds I 
 of Aztec warriors who had manned the post being slain or lunled ' 
 from tiie summit. The image of the war-god was also flung down 
 among US worshippers, and the sanctuary was fired; after which 
 many of his men being dead, and all badly wounded, CoUrs, with 
 grea difficulty, regained his quarters. That same ni-dit, h- nndc 
 another sally, and burned three hundred houses-no easy task 'a« 
 from the nature of their construction, each dwelling was necessarily 
 nred separately. •' 
 
142 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF UISTORY. 
 
 CHAPTER I, 
 
 CORTES PREPARES TO LEAVE THE CITY. — DEATH OP MONTE 
 
 ZUMA. — THE "NOCHE TRISTE," OR MISERABLE NIGHT, 
 
 GREAT SLAUGHTER OF SPANIARDS AND TLASCALANS ON 
 
 THE CAUSEWAY OF TACUBA. — THE RETREAT TO TLAS- 
 
 CALA. — BATTLE OF OTUMBA, AND EXTRAORDINARY 
 
 VICTORY OF THE SPANIARDS. 
 
 Though his situation was evidently getting desperate, the Spanish 
 leader thought it prudent to preserve a confident demeanour, and 
 accordingly proposed peace to the Mexicans, but only on the condi- 
 tion of their submission, threatening that otherwise he would destroy 
 thAr city and every soul of its inhabitants. But the besiegers, with 
 equal spirit, answered, that if they could only kill a single Spaniard 
 for the loss of every thousand of their own people, it would be 
 enough, for they had computed his number and their own. "The 
 bridges," they added, "are broken down, and you cannot escape. 
 There will be too few of you left to glut the vengeance of our gods." 
 An immediate retreat, though involving the utmost hazard, was now 
 resolved on ; and it was determined to attempt forcing an outlet by 
 the causeway of Tlacopan or Tacuba, the shortest, and therefore the 
 safest of the several approaches to the city. To clear the principal 
 street, leading to this precarious moans of egress, a huge tower on 
 wheels was constructed, and, filled with armed Spaniards, was rolled 
 along to attack the enemy on the terraces, After sore days of des- 
 perately hard fighting, in which Cortes and the otlKi cavaliers dis- 
 tinguished themselves by the utmost bravery, ■ less than seven 
 canals, by which the street was crossed, had been filled uj), and the 
 passage to the causeway was at last considered clear. 
 
 The life of the unhappy Montezuma, who, pi-escrving an utter 
 silence, firmly rejected all food or medicine, was fast drawing to its 
 close. The worthy Father Olmedo and others, with a generous, 
 though mistaken anxiety for his salvation, used every cdbrt to induce 
 him to profess the faith ; but he waved the crucifix aside, and inially 
 said, coldly, "I have but a few moments to live, and will not at this 
 hour desert the fiiith of my fathers." ITe then entreated Cortes to 
 
was now 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND HISTOEV OF MEXICO. I43 
 
 prolect his children, and endeavour to secure to them, from the 
 
 bpanush monarch, some portion of their inheritance. "YouTlord 
 
 W>1 do luV lie sa,d "if it were onl^ for the friendly offices/ have 
 
 rendered to he Spaniards, and the love I have shown then.-thouJh 
 
 i . 1'- bro^ight me to this condition! But for this I bear them no 
 
 i , I.wdl Ilavmg spoken these words, he expired, on the 30t" of 
 
 , .T.me,^1520, at the age of forty-one, after a reign of eighteen years 
 
 i ' Sad stories of the death of kings,' 
 
 none, perhaps, is more strange and affecting than that of this ill-fated 
 ^ sovercgn of a half civil i.cl empire, in the midst of a univer al r v 
 rence, hardly short of adoration, so suddenly struck down by the 
 , hand of a mystenous Destiny, and doomed, after drinking theiT" 
 I of hum:hat,on at the hands of his oj.pressors, to perish by tho of 
 , h. own detracted people. Fierce and rude as were the dd ^on- 
 I qu>stadors,' they appear to have felt some natural compunction at the 
 
 ne ancho ly fate of one whose generous and hospitable spirit hy 
 
 lad occasioned. Cortes and our captains wept for him,' says Diaz 
 and he was lamented by them and all the sokliers who hd known 
 Inrn as ,f he had been their father; nor is it to be wonde d a T 
 y I., oood he ^.as: His remains, royally attired, wer d hver d 
 h,s people, and were borne away. A distant s ,und of wd , 
 nd lamentation was heard; but, to this day, the restin.-plaee o 1 ^ 
 Las of the Montezumas is forgotten and uninown."- ° ^ 
 
 \.^^S:^!^''^''^''f ^ ^'^"'^ ^^^) P^-'"g ^^-k and stormy, 
 ■and eighty T ascalans were loaded with treasure : but a vast au.ntitv 
 « .11 rcmamed scattered on the floor of the palace, "lit ve^ of 
 dior take what he will," said Cortes; "bett r so, than that i^ should 
 emam for these dogs of Mexicans." Most of thL soldie r^ 1 ' 
 
 umbiance though the veterans were more wary in assumin- 1 
 burden which m ght nrove so fntnl Ar , , asbummg a 
 
 and in the dead oVni ht he rehc of r^" '""^^ ^'"■'"'"'"^' 
 nossihlo .1,-fli 1 • . "V "'^ *^^° ''^™"-''^' "s quietly as 
 
 i a Iks had emerged on to the causeway, when the alarm was 
 g'ven by a sentinel. "The Teules are going!" was yelled bja 
 
 * DiscoviMCTs, &(.., of Amurica. 
 
144 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOEY. 
 
 hundred voices. The great drum on the teocalli* sent forth its 
 dismal sound, and with the swiftness of enchantment an innumer- 
 able swarm of Aztec warriors, with fierce whoops and whistlings 
 closed round the devoted columns both hy land and water. With 
 admirable strategy, though doubtless fully prepared, they had 
 deferred their assault until the moment when it could be made with 
 the most fatal effect. 
 
 Fighting their way valiantly, the Spaniards soon came to a breach 
 in the causeway, and, in the midst of a storm of missiles, succeeded 
 in laying across it a strong portable bridge, constructed for such an 
 emergency. Over this the whole army slowly defiled, defending them- 
 selves with desperate valour against the Aztecs, who, from both sides 
 attacked them fiercely, running their canoes against the causeway 
 with such fury as to dash them asunder. Another breach, ere long, 
 arrested their progress, and when the rear-gun -.d attempted to raise 
 the bridge, it was found, by the pressure of the heavy artillery, to 
 be immovably wedged between the piers. The Indians redoubled 
 their attacks, and the whole mass of fugitives pressing forward, forced 
 the front ranks into the second chasm, which gradually became filled 
 with cannon, wagons, and the bodies of men and horses. Over this 
 horribb wreck the survivors slowly struggled, but only to be stopped 
 by a third breach, which finally was filled up in the same hideous man- 
 ner. During all this time, the Mexicans were busy in dragging victims 
 into their canoes and hurrying them off for sacrifice. Indeed, to the 
 intense anxiety which they felt for this object, the Spaniards, in 
 these wars, were frequently indebted for their lives; for the hope of 
 offering the hearts of the detested strangers to their gods frequently 
 induced them to relinquish the certainty of slaughter for a bare 
 chance of making prisoners. 
 
 During all the remainder of this terrible night (still known as the 
 NocJie Trisk-\) the relics of the Spanish and Tlascalan force, using 
 their weapons with the resolution of despair, worked their way 
 onward, and by day-light gained the firm land. Cortes, on beholding 
 how ^iiw were left, covered his face with his hands, and burst into 
 tears. Four hundred and fifty Spaniards, in this friglitful passage, 
 had been slain or carried off for sacrifice, and, with the previous 
 
 * This drum, of immense size, was made of tlie skins of serpents, and was beaten 
 only on tlie most solemn ocensiona. Its deep and melancholy tones could bu heard 
 for lengups. 
 
 t "Sad," or "Terrible Night." 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. 145 
 
 losses onlj a third of the number whieh had entered the city re- 
 mained, lour thousand Tlascakns had met the same fate, and tins 
 with their losses m the siege, reduced their ranks to less than a fourth 
 of heir original number. All the artillery and muskets were lost, 
 and nothing was eft the weaned and wounded adventurers hut the 
 swords wih whieh they had hewed their way through the enemy 
 
 But for the exultation of the victors, and the eagerness with whih 
 they rroceeded to celebrate their ti^iumph by sacrifice, the feeble 
 remains of e invading force might easily have been overwhelmed 
 In the middle of the following night, Cortes led forth his men W 
 a temple in which they had taken refuge, and marched by a circuit- 
 ous route toward TIaseala. Suffering grievously from wounds, hun- 
 ger, and fatigue, and diminished in number by desultory attacks of 
 the enemy, on the 7th of July they arrived' at the summ of 
 mountan. overlooking the Valley of Otumba. The view it afforded 
 .•as enough, it might seem, to quench the last hope of ever reaching 
 their homes in safety. An immense army, prepared to intercept 
 hem, filled the valley, and being clad in white cotton doublets Ive 
 itheappearanceofafleldofsnow. Nothing remained for h' al^e 
 bu h courage o desperation ; and Cortes, after a brief but stirrin ' 
 address, invoked he protection of the Virgin and St. Jago, and leS 
 his people down the mountain. ^ ' 
 
 thatit'broTe inTo^h' t"^' "' '''' '"'^ ^^'""'''^ ^"^ ^lascalan force, 
 
 that t broke into the dense mass of the Aztec army, and there sur 
 
 rounded on all sides by overwhelming numbers, fo^ht hand to h ml 
 
 ith the fury of despair All were determined to sell their livi 
 
 as dear y as possible, and the enemy, exultant with their recent vi^ 
 
 tory attacked with extraordinary fierceness. "Oh, whatTt ll '- 
 
 sa3-s honest D.az, "to see this tremendous battle! how 1 elsed 
 
 foot to oot, and with what fury the dogs fought us!" Thlgrtund 
 
 was fortunately level, which enabled the lit°tle band of sumv n^ 
 
 eavahers Cortes, 01 d, Sandoval and others-to charge wT. | 
 
 effect; and by directing their assault entirely against the chiei^. who 
 
 were conspicuous by their plumes, rich arms, and golden orramJnt" 
 
 hey succeeded in greatly disordering the .Wxican'ranks. Thfcon: 
 
 e t raged for several hours, and the allies, fainting with wou. dsand 
 
 ^r;T nf TP«--^' -^-» ^ brillia,:; exploU^ 1^ 
 leadei redeemed the day. Looking eagerly for the diief cacique 
 Cortes at last espied him, in a litter, accompanied by the great s.uk' 
 M d-ting ^^^^^^^^^ Followed by the otlr horse'men.1iei:^d 
 
146 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 with fury, broke through the ranks of liis atteiulants, and, with a blow 
 of his Lance, dashed him to the earth. The banner was taken, and 
 so groat a panic seized his forces at this ominous misfortune, that they 
 gave ground and retreated, leaving the field cumbered with dead 
 bodies, yielding the richest spoil. This victory over a foe so vastly 
 superior in numbers, is perhaps the most remarkable of any in these 
 wars, as it was gained withoyit the almost resistless advantage of 
 artillery or any description of fire-arms. 
 
 UiLXttliiTitliiai. <A<<t* 
 
 FIDELITY OP THE TLA8CALAN CHIEFS. — RESOLUTION OF CORTES. 
 — THE WAR RENEWED. — GREAT SUCCESSES OF THE SPAN- 
 IARDS. — SAGACIOUS POLICY OF CORTES. — HE ACQUIRES 
 A GREAT FORCE OP NATIVR ALLIES. — DEATH OP CUITLA- 
 HUA, AND ACCESSION OF GUATEMOZIN TO THE AZTEC 
 THRONE. — CORTES MARCHES TO THE VALLEY OF 
 MEXICO. — TAKES UP HIS QUARTERS AT TEZCUCO. 
 
 Arrived at Tlascala, the relics of the force were received with 
 unbounded kindness and hospitality, and the chiefs of that nation 
 assured Cortes that they would stand by him to the death. Eecov- 
 ering with difficulty from a dangerous fever, brought on by his 
 wounds, he learned of fresh misfortunes — forty-five of the garrison 
 of Vera Cruz, marching to join him, having been cut off, with the 
 loss of much treasure — and twelve others having been slain in Tep- 
 eaca. Ilis followers, "cursing the gold they had lefl in the ditches 
 of Atexico," clamored for a return to Cuba, and sent in a formal 
 remonstrance, attested by a notary, against attempting any thing 
 further. But despite these discouraging circumstances and his own 
 feeble condition, their iron-souled general had determined oh using 
 every effort to wrest back the splendid prize, gained by such daring 
 and fortune, and lost with such ruinous defeat. With his accustomed 
 fire and eloquence, lie replied to the malcontents, "giving at least 
 ten reasons for his plan, to every one which they alleged against it." 
 His commanding influence reasserted its wonted authority, and the 
 
 II 
 
THE CONQUKST AND iI,STOUy OF MKXICO. 1^7 
 
 veterans attaclu-d to l.is person, overawed by their resol.,tinn tl 
 iiiurnmrings of the disailbcted. resolution the 
 
 On the death of Monte.umn, his brother Cultlahua, the lo.der of 
 the ,nsurreet.on, had been duly elected monarch o'f L (it;' 
 That brave and patnofc cacique, his capital repaired and forttL ' 
 no. sent an e.nbassy bear ng presents, to the Tlasealan senr p o! 
 posHjg that past enmmes should be forgotten, and that all Amllunc 
 .hould nse to complete the sacrifice (brilliantly eomn^oced a hi! 
 own coronation) of the detested strangers, /fter f rt d^b ^ 
 among the caciques, X.cotencatl stron.rly ur-ini? nn n,v ? . 
 
 U. proposed alliance, -ancient enmit/ZrovSTn: J :;r, ; 
 the claims of policy or religion." The overtures of Cuitlah n we e 
 perenaptonly rejected, and the young chief who had advo . d the 
 acceptance, narrowly escaped with life from the hand. nflT , 
 
 fellow-counsellors. ^"^^ ""^ ^^ enraged 
 
 Cortes, recovered from his illness lost nn Hmn • 
 of.nsive. With four hundred S;:ir^^^^ 
 Ila alans, he marched against Tcpeaca, defeated the peo^.le of " ,at 
 hostile province m two sanguinary emn<rpmpr.f« . ? , 
 ital in triumph, and reduced o-rcatnumtrsfr' ! "^ '^'"' ''^'- 
 Established in this post, he rnact f^q J ^J,^:: IT::::^'''- 
 provinces, taking several stron.r nl J. V ^ adjoining 
 
 garrisons to the sword On o .i ^ "'T' '"^ P""'"^ ^^^^'^ 
 
 thirty thousand Mexians who IT'"' " '^'^^^^'' ''''''' '' 
 
 oflis disastrous ral«t wl „Z ° " °'""' ""= "="''"*<■-"»' 
 
 who remained, thou<Th the snrnri«o r.f '^an^'lul ot Spaniards 
 
 fo..e 0.,,.,,, i„sig„^f,„„„.. B„r. t-mi" , :,: :r,f 'v 
 
148 
 
 THK PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 lie tlierefore dispatched his ship-builder, Martin Loijez, to Tlascala 
 with orders to construct thirteen brigantinea, using tlie iron and ri.r! 
 gnig which, with wonderful forethought, ho had saved from the two 
 fleets destroyed at Vera Cruz."* 
 
 A few of his people, who could not be reconciled to persever- 
 ance in the enterprise, he now dismissed, and by rare good fortune 
 his ranks were speedily recruited. From two additional vessels 
 which Velasquez had dispatched, and which his partisans entrapped 
 at Vera Cruz, and from an unsuccessful expedition from Jamaica 
 he gained the reinforcement of an hundred and fifty soldiers, with 
 a good supply of horses, arms, and ammunition. Ho again wrote 
 to the emperor, of whose inclinations he yet remained totally i-mo- 
 rant, narrating his exploits and misfortunes, avowin^r his imcn- 
 turn of persevering in the conquest, and requesting that" the regions 
 added by his arms to the Spanish crown might be honoured with 
 the title of New Spain. A petition for tho confirmation of his 
 authority, signed by nearly every Spaniard in the country, was dis- 
 patched at the same time. Having thus, as far as possible, fortified 
 Ins interests at court, the Spanish general devoted his undivided 
 energy to the task of avenging his humiliation and cnmplctin.r 
 the conquest. ° 
 
 The small-pox, imported in the fleet of Narvaez, had, as u«ual 
 among a people unaccustomed to its virulence, committed terrible 
 ravages throughout all Anahuac. Among Mie victims was Cu itiulma 
 who perished afler a reign of only four months, distinguished, indeed' 
 by policy, patriotism, and success. The caciques then elected to 
 the sovereignty the famous Guatemozin, a nephew of the two late 
 emperors, and, though young, already distinguished for his coura-e 
 patriotism, aud inveterate enmity to the Spaniards. "He was" a 
 young man," says one who often saw him, "about the age of twenty- 
 hve years, of elegant appearance, very brave, and so terrible to his 
 own subjects that they all trembled at the sight of him." This fierce 
 and patriotic prince, from the moment of his accession, devotc.l every 
 Jaculty to the defence of his country and the extirpation of the in- 
 vaders. Il.gh rewards were ofl^ered for every Spaniard who should 
 be slain, and still higher, if captured for sacrifice. The crarrison of 
 Mexico was strengthened and disciplined, and his .subjects were evory 
 where commanded to hold out against the invaders to tlie last The 
 whole nation, animated by his intrepid spirit, resolved on resistin.^ 
 to the death. * n- p „ ° 
 
 * Uiscoverers, &c., of America. 
 
THE C0NQDE8T AND IIISTOHY OK MEXICO. 149 
 
 Tho army of CortcH, risinforcc.l as we have mentioned, now 
 amounted to less than six hundred SpaniardH, witli forty horses 
 and nine cannon-a force in itself preposterously ina.le.mutc to the 
 vast explmt of subjectir.g the A.tec empire. But from Tlascala, 
 Cholula lepeaca, and other conquered or allied provinces, a vasl 
 swarm of native warriors, amounting, it is said, to a hundred thou- 
 sand, and a.ready partially trained in European discipline, Hocked 
 to l„s standard. Leaving the greater part of those levies at Tlascala. 
 to await his orders, the Spanish chief, on the 28th of December 
 1020, set forth on his second invasion of the Valley of Mexico 
 _ Crossing the mountains by rugged and difficult passes, the Span- 
 lan s once more came in view of that beautiful scene, the theatre of 
 such marvellous adventure and fatal misfortune. "We could see " 
 writes Cortes to the emperor, "all the provinces of Mexico and 
 lemixtitau, both on the lakes and around them. But although wo 
 regarded them with^great satisfaction, this feeling waa not unmixed 
 with sadness, when we recalled the losses we had experienced there 
 and we all resolved never to quit the country again without victory' 
 even shou d it cost us our lives." Meeting little opposition, excepi 
 from desultory parties of skirmishers, the invaders approached the 
 city of I ezcuco, vv hich was destined for their head-quarters Coan- 
 aco, sovereign of that city, (brother to Cacama, who perished in the 
 Noche rriste,") sent a friendly message to the advancing army; and 
 on the 30th of December, it entered the city. It appeared almost 
 deserted and from the summit of the great tcocaUi, the Spaniards 
 beheld the citizens pouring forth in multitudes, both by land and 
 water. Great numbers, and among them Coanaco himself, had taken 
 refuge in Mexico. Many relics of the victims of sacrifice, suspended 
 in the temples-the heads and hands of Spaniards, and the shoes 
 and skins of their horses-horrified the survivors, and increased 
 tneir desire for vengeance. 
 
150 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 O JjOl Jim Ji tL JLl (Lci t/oj Jf J» • 
 
 THBCAJIPAION AGAINST MEXICO RENEWED. — IZTAP» LAP AN 
 
 AND OTHER CITIES TAKEN BY STORM. — GREAT ACCESSIONS 
 
 TO THE POWER OF CORTES. — BRIOANTINES TRANSPORTED 
 
 OVERLAND FROM TLASCALA. — MANY BATTLES WITH 
 
 THE AZTECS. — THEIR RESOLUTION. — CORTES 
 
 MARCHES AROUND THE LAKES, AND STORMS 
 
 MANY CITIES. ARRIVES AT TACUBA." 
 
 — SINGULAR DISPLAY OF EMOTION. 
 
 IxTLiLXOCiiiTL, a fierce and warlike chieftain, who had wrested 
 from his brother Cacama no small portion of territory, presently 
 succeeded, by the authority of Cortes, to the sovereignty of the 
 entire province of Tezcuco. Influenced by ambition and ancient 
 enmity, he became a firm ally of the Spaniards, and, with his people, 
 in the events which followed, rendered them the most important 
 services. All was now eager and active preparation for the cam- 
 paign. Eight thousand Indians were employed in digging a canal 
 to the lake, which was half a league from the city, for the purpose 
 of securely launching the brigantines, when completed. Cortes re- 
 solved to commence operations, by overpowering, one at a time, the 
 many cities surrounding the lakes, in the hands of the Aztecs, and 
 thus gradually compelling them to take refuge in their capital. lie 
 first marched with a strong force against Iztapalapan, formerly the 
 capital of Ciiitlahua, a city of fifty thousand inhabitants; and first 
 defeating a large force wliich defended it without, took the jilace by 
 storm. Six tliousand, including women and children, perished under 
 the vengeful weapons of the Spaniards and their allies. The town 
 was also set on fire ; but the exultation of the victors was damped 
 by the despair of the vanquished, who, as a last resourc(>, destroyed 
 their dikes, and flooded the i)lace with water. So sudden w.ns the 
 inundation, that they escaped with much difiiculty, wet to the skin, 
 with the lo.ss of all their ammunition and plunder. ^Moreover, a 
 large detaclunent from the garri.son of Mexico, crossing in canoes, 
 attacked them fiercely at daybreak, and they returned, with consid- 
 erable loss, to Tezcuco. 
 
 Many cities and provinces now, from dread of his arms or enmity 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTOKY OF MEXICO. 
 
 151 
 
 to the Aztec rule, gave in their adhesion to Cortes; among them tho 
 city of Chalco, lying on the lake of that name, a place of considera- 
 ble importance. To his demands for the surrender of the capital, 
 Guatemozin returned an obstinate silence ; but sufficiently showed 
 his determination by energetic efforts for the defence of his city and 
 the retention of his tributaries, as well as by sacrificing every Span- 
 iard who fell into his hands. His people, however, crossing the lake 
 iu canoes, sustained several severe defeats from the allied forces. 
 
 Early in tie spring of 1521, tht brigantines, thirteen in number, 
 were completed at Tluscala. Protected by ten thousand warriors, 
 under the cacique Chichemecatl, they were carried piecemeal, by 
 nearly as many labourers, over the mountains, and safely deposited 
 in Tezcuco. For half a day, the long lines of porters and their 
 escort continued to file into that city, with shouts of "Castile and 
 Tlascala! Long live the emperor!" This extraordinary undertaking, 
 as we have seen, had been already achieved, on a smaller scale, by 
 the unfortunate Balboa, who, five years before, had transported his 
 vessels over the Isthmus, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 
 
 Strengthened by the arrival of these auxiliaries, Cortes resolved, 
 while the vessels were being put together, on making a brisk cam- 
 paign against the enemy. \\/ith rather more than half his Spaniards 
 and the whole force of natives, he attacked Xaltocan, a strong city, 
 lying in the lake of that name, and accessible from the land only by 
 causeways. The assailants, stopped by an impassable breach in that 
 which they attempted to cross, were surrounded on all sides by 
 canoes, and, overwhelmed with showers of missiles, were compelled 
 to retreat. By means of a ford, however, they finally gained the 
 town, which they took by storm, putting the garrison to the sword, 
 and devoting the place to plunder and conflagration. 
 
 Next, the allies marched, with little resistance, to Tacuba, where, 
 after twice defeating the Aztec force which protected it, they took 
 up their temporary quarters. The Mexicans, undiscouraged by their 
 misfortunes, engaged them daily, with various success. Once, by uu 
 artful nuuucuvre, they decoyed the Spanish general on the causeway 
 so fatal to him the year before, and closing on his column, with a 
 multitude of canoes, compelled him, with much loss, to reti-cat. The 
 caciiiues fiercely rejected all attempts at negotiation, and sneeriugly 
 asked when he would pay them another visit. "They often pre- 
 tended," he writes, "to invite us to enter the city, saying, 'Go in, 
 go in, and enjoy yourselves!' and at another time they said to us, 
 
152 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 •Do you think there is now a second Montezuma, to do every thing 
 you wish?'" After remaining in Tacuba for six days, enlivened by 
 continuous skirmishing, and many cliivalrous personal combats, he 
 led back his forces, considerably annoyed by the way, to their quar- 
 ters in Tezcuco. 
 
 Perceiving that any attempt against the capital, strongly fortified, 
 valiantly garrisoned, and accessible only by water, must at present 
 be futile, he busied his people with lesser enterprises. Sandoval, one 
 of his bravest and most skilful captains, marched, with a considera- 
 ble force, against Huaxtepec, a strong fortress of the enemy, and 
 took it by storm. Here was a splendid palace, with royal gardens, 
 two leagues in circumference, stocked with every variety of plants! 
 Thence this active commander proceeded to Jacapichtla, a fortress 
 perched upon a huge rock, and almost inaccessible. The garrison 
 defended themselves with desperation, rolling huge stones on the 
 heads of the assailants; but the place was finally taken by storm, 
 and all were put to the sword—the stream below running discoloured 
 Avith blood, for the space of an hour. The people of Chalco, about 
 this time, also defeated a large force of Aztecs, dispatched by Guate- 
 mozin, in two thousand canoes, against their city. Overawed, or 
 encouraged by these successes, and by the probable" downfiill of Mex- 
 ico, numerous provinces, some lying on the Gulf, now dispatched 
 embassies, with a tender of their service and allegiance, to the Span- 
 ish general. But the Aztecs, unterrified at the circle of enemies 
 daily closing around them, still fiercely maintained hostilities, and 
 even made three desperate attempts to burn the brigantines on the 
 stocks at Tezcuco. 
 
 A reinforcement of two hundred Spaniards, with eighty horses 
 probably from Ilispaniola, now arrived at Vera Cruz, and thence 
 took their way to head-quarters. Among them was Julian de Aide- 
 rete, treasurer of the crown, and a Dominican friar. Fray Pedro 
 Malgarejo de Urrea, who, in anticipation of uncomfortai)le con- 
 sciences, had laid in a goodly suj)ply of papal indulgences. So 
 great was the demand for tlu>se consolatory wares, that the reverend 
 gentleman, at the end of a few months, returned to Spain with a 
 handsome fortune. 
 
 Cortes now determined, during the interval which must elapse 
 before the completion of the canal and the building of the brigan- 
 tines, to make the complete circuit of tlic lakes, subduing numer- 
 ous hostile cities by which they were still environed, wlth three 
 
r 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. 
 
 153 
 
 hundred and thirty Spaniards and a force of natives, on the 5th of 
 Aprd 521. he set out for Chalco. At that city he was joined by 
 H'enty thousand warriors, dispatched by his allies of the neighbour 
 hood, 'and certainly attracted," says Captain Diaz, "by the hope of 
 spoil and a voracious appetite for human flesh, just Is the scald- 
 crows and other birds of prey follow our arn.i;s'in Italy in olr 
 to feed on he dead bodies after a battle." Proceeding southerly, the 
 anny slowly forced its way over rugged sierras, experiencing^ con- 
 siderable loss in attempting, with various success, the capture of 
 several mountain fortresses, bravely defended by the Aztecs 
 
 The towns were mostly deserted at the approach of the invaders 
 Init on the ninth day, their advance was stopped at Cuernavaca a 
 strong and wea thy city, subject to the Aztec emperor, and, from its 
 situation a mos impregnable. A narrow ravine, of fr.htfd dcn^t 
 lay just before the wall, from which the defenders kept°up a show ' 
 of missiles, greatly annoying the perplexed assailai's. A darh . 
 feat relieved the latter from the embarrassment of their situS 
 Two great trees, growing on opposite sides of the abyss ^^id lea in; 
 ogether, interlocked their branches in mid-air. By-'this 1^^^^^^^ 
 ootnig, an active Tkscalan succeeded in secretly pLng. T IV 
 his countrymen and thirty of the Spaniards followed him-three 
 only being lost in this frightful passage. Taken by surprise the 
 garrison were disconcerted; and Cortes, having effected anothS 
 approach, poured in his forces, and drove them^from tie ^^7 
 was delivered to plunder, but the lives of the inhabitants .i the 
 jntereession of their caciciue, were spared. This plac m^ a 1 
 
 Crossing the mountains, the allies next fell on a large and beauti- 
 u city on the lake, named Xochimilco, or "the iieW of flow I" 
 
 attempted by the causeway, was repulsed by the Aztecs- but bv 
 fordmg the shallo... despite a spirited resistance, the invader^ cnti'd 
 the eity. Here a desperate battle ensued, in which Cortes arlX 
 escaped with his hie. Ilis horse fell, and half-stunned by a b ow ^ 
 tl e head, he was dragged away by the enemy, who mauifeste I an 
 intense anxiety to carry him off alive for sacrifice. He w nllv 
 
 rescued by the valour of the TIa.calans, and during a pa t^ 
 
 battle, ascended the teocalli to reconnoitre the scene of Ltion T lie 
 eauscways leading from the capital were crowded with troops ad 
 
154 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK HISTORY. 
 
 . the lake was alive witli canoes, all hurrying to the rescue of 
 Xochimilco. 
 
 During the night, as usual, no attack was made, but in the moi-n- 
 ing, the Aztec army, increased by strong reinforcements, forced its 
 way, with great courage, into the city. They were, however, re- 
 pulsed by the artillery, and pursued by the Spanish cavalry ; but 
 the latter, in its turn, overwhelmed by the .multitude of the enemy, 
 was compelled to make a hasty retreat. Both armies soon became 
 thoroughly engaged, and an obstinate battle, fought hand to hand, 
 was long maintained. The Spaniards and Tlascalans were finally 
 triumphant, and pursued the defeated Aztecs, with terrible slaughter, 
 on the road to Mexico. The town afforded much plunder; but the 
 triumph was much alloyed by the sudden seizure of several Span- 
 iards, who, taken unawares near the shore, were surprised by the 
 canoes of the enemy, and carried off for sacrifice. The town was 
 burned, and the army set out for Tacuba. 
 
 On the way, considerable fighting occurred. Once, overpowered 
 by numbers, on a certain causeway, the Spaniards were compelled 
 to retreat; and again, Cortes, with the cavalry, being decoyed into 
 an ambush, owed his safety only to the most desperate exertions. 
 Two of his favourite attendants were carried off alive — a circum- 
 stance which so affected him, that he rejoined the army "very sad 
 and weeping." Arrived at Tacuba, he ascended the teocalli with his 
 officers, and all were struck with the magnificence of the cities lyin^ 
 around the lake, and the vast number of canoes employed in fishinfr 
 or rapidly passing to and fro. The grief of Cortes, on beholding 
 the scenes of his former misfortunes, the strength of the enemy, 
 and the prospect of renewed conflict and crime, was redoubled, and 
 the emotion which he displayed became the subject of a rude ballad 
 which, or a portion of it, still survives.* The friar and his officers 
 attempted to console him, assuring him that he was not Nero re- 
 joicing in the conflagration of Home. Ilis answer curiously betrays 
 the secret working of a mind compunctious, perhaps, for past vio- 
 lence, yet seeking apology for its renewal. " You are my witnes.ses," 
 
 * " En Tacuba estd Corlis, 
 cC) su esqitadron esforcadv 
 Irisle estana, y muy penoso 
 triste, y am gran cuidado, 
 la vnn mnmi en la mexillo 
 y la ulra en el coslado" tpc. 
 
 "In Tttcuba was Cortes 
 With all Ills valiant crew. 
 
 Sad lie stoul .'".d very niouriifiil, 
 Sad, with mighty cares opprest; 
 
 One hand lilted to his ehcek, 
 And the other on his breast," &c. 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. 155 
 
 he said "how often I have endeavoured to persuade yonder capital 
 peacefully to subn.it. It fills me with grief when I think of the toils 
 and dangers my brave followers have yet to encounter before we 
 
 tTthe work "" ' *'"' ^^ '^"^ "'^^ ^« °^-* ^-' °- i-dH 
 
 CEAPTEH III I. 
 
 HETUEN TO lEZCFCO.-CONSPIEACT AGAINST COETES -HIS 
 
 EXTRAOEDINARY POLICY AND SELE-COMMAND.-LAUNCHINa 
 
 OP THE PLEET.-EXECUTION OF XICOTENC ATL.-DEPeIt 
 
 OP A GREAT MEXICAN FLOTILLA BY THE FLEET.-MEXICO 
 
 BLOCKADED.-CONTINUAL ASSAULTS ON THE CITY 
 
 — COITHAGE AND OBSTINACY OF THE COMBATANTS. " 
 
 AFTER an absence Of three weeks, the allied army, "fatigued, worn 
 out, and dimnushed in numbers," regained its quarters at Tezcuco 
 A conspiracy, of the most dangerous nature, for the assassination of 
 Cortes and his chief officers, had been matured during his absence- 
 but one of those engaged in it, moved by remorse, on the day befo e 
 Uia appointed for its execution, disclosed to him the whole matter. 
 Forthwith he privately arrested ViUafana, the chief of the conspira- 
 tors, and found on h,s person a paper containing the names of all 
 coi^erned in the p ot. The culprit, by summary trial, was found 
 guilty and after duly receiving the consolations of the church, was 
 hanged from a window of the apartment. Cortes, after glai cing 
 over the scroll, and indelibly impressing on his mind the nLes of 
 lus secret enemies, had destroyed it, and thert, with extraordinary 
 pohcy and presence of mind, gave out, in a public speech, that the 
 
 Z'T 1 '^" "'""'' ""^ '^"'"°^^"- ^^ thus avoided com! 
 for of tl "• "'"'*' TTT' "• '•^^'"^•"S his already scanty 
 force of their services;- while he was enabled to take precautions 
 against their enmity by employing them at a distance from'^^iis perr 
 
 The eana ] after two months' labour, was now completed, and the 
 ve se Is, amid tlie firing of cannon, the celebration of mass, k De.^ 
 and other imposing ceremonies, were launched into the lake. A lar-e 
 sua was nl.ao..l n,, board of each vessel, and throe hundred Spaniard,' 
 
 J 
 
156 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOEY. 
 
 ■were detailed for the management of the fleet. The force, in all, 
 with late reinforcements, amounted to eighty-seven horse, and more 
 than eight hundred foot; and a vast swarm of native allies, exultant 
 in the prospect of conquest and plunder, summoned from all quarters 
 flocked to Tezcuco and Chalco. The Tlascalans alone, under Xico- 
 tencatl and Chichemecatl, numbered fifty thousand men. Half of 
 these, with two hundred Spaniards, under Alvarado, were ordoivd to • 
 occupy Tacuba, and command the causeway of the "Noche Triste," 
 while Olid, with an equal force, was dispatched to Cojohuacan, the 
 terminus of another avenue leading from the capital. Cortes deter- 
 mined to take charge of the fleet in person, and to commence opera- 
 tions by a fresh attack on Iztapalapan, from the causeway of which 
 he had been recently repulsed. 
 
 A singular instance of the fidelity of the Tlascalans presently 
 occurred. Xicotencatl, between whom and Cortes there had never 
 been any real cordiality, prompted by soiuc private motive, suddenly 
 left his command and hastened to TIascaia. This act of desertion 
 was punished by his arrest, and speedily afterwards by his execution 
 on the gallows, in the great square of Tezcuco; and, singular to 
 state, this act of unscrupulous violence, committed against their 
 bravest and most patriotic chief, does not appear to have alienated, 
 in any serious manner, the attachment which that warlike people 
 had conceived to the Spanish commander. 
 
 The campaign opened disastrously. Alvarado and Olid, setting 
 forth in company, on the 10th of May (1521), soon reached Tacuba, 
 where they took up their quarters. After some hard fighting, they 
 succeeded in destroying a portion of the aqueduct of Chapultepre, 
 and cutting off the copious supply of water which it had hitherto 
 afforded to the capital. The next day they marched boldly on to 
 the fatal causeway, the scene of the "Noche Triste." It was strongly 
 fortified, and bravely defended by a multitude of Aztec warriors. 
 Swarms of canoes, on either side, poured in a storm of missiles. 
 Both Spaniards and Tlascalans fought long and obstinately, but were' 
 at last compelled, from the natural dilhculty of the place and the 
 valour of the defenders, to retreat, with much loss and grief, to their 
 quarters in Tacuba. Olid, with his forces, the next day, marched, 
 according to his orders, to Cojohuacan. 
 
 The assault under Cortes, in person, was more successful, and the 
 terrors of a fleet under sail, provided with artillery, were now first 
 displayed to the astonished Aztecs. Sandoval, by hard fighting, had 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. 157 
 
 taken a portion of Iztapalapan, and Cortes, sailing with the fleet to 
 assist him, gained a signal victory on the way rtin. .0 1 T ? 
 missiles from a fort perehed on a'lteep e lifH" Th!S o'ft T' 
 quess,") he landed, and taking the poLion'^Jtom pttt^^^^^^^^^ 
 ers to the sword. As he reembarked, a vast nlLr of 
 (four thousand, according to some accounts) crl:;'!^^ 
 to give him battle. From their multitude ind tLT llfanTy « T 
 native arms and plumage, they formed a spectacle bo h Lutift 
 and terrible. Favoured, however, by a sudden gust of wtd the b^^ 
 aiitmes bore down among these frail craft nn,l T , .' ^^"^ f ^S" 
 
 asunder successively, whelmed thpiror !' ?, ' "^'^""^ *^«™ 
 
 .u 1 • ^\ ^"^^^^"^^^ tJieir crews in the lake. " We hmW » 
 
 says the general m h s dispatches "nn imr.. 1 ^' 
 
 I Those who escaped took refuge in tho canals of Mexico and O™ 
 
 I tes, followmg up liis adrantage, sailed round H,. ,• "''" ^^■ 
 
 and terrace of which was covereXilH 3 if ll ""' '"^•'' 
 
 .atoldngwith awe these r,.:7'j:^,2ZZ7lf:o::!7P 
 
 haughty strancers A t\or fir;«„ , power ot the 
 
 b..^ado^hanlta;k,r:i^Tol^^^^^^^^ 
 
 causeway was intersected by that of 6oJ^Z'l %Z '" 
 
 winch occupied this important nn.t wn/ ? ; ^ gamson 
 
 and the Spaniards too/up'tirTulr. 3 " l^ itr'h" '' 
 ever, with invincible courage endp,v™,™j . -""c Aztecs, how- 
 
 nigh,,c.pcciall^from tl.ose K^ins w -rrc '" T="'",?' '"^ ""'' 
 feeping up sueh .^owe.of arroTtt \ e CuTdo^S IT'"' 
 eomplclelj covered with them. " Tho inultit';^ . r. ^ """ 
 
 Ji^ove'red so s.ronl' atr "i l^^'S ^^ and that the, 
 T inferred two thinrrs- fir>.t fl,of i / *^'^^'^«lve.s or perish, 
 
 .1.0 wealth „/„*-:;xt; tr.: r n "t- '"t °^ "™' °f 
 
 1-1 given us occasion Ll con^^^^ us'IlZ T'""^' "'-" ""^ 
 This terrible -ivowil „.„. r , ,^ *" """ni'inate them." 1 
 
 '0 ensure ils 1 hn , Th P T "'' "" ""^ ''""°" '"■^' •'"'"l""' 
 
 •^e north, hit„ertr;:^t ^'^t T'::^^:^ ^ ^'H ™ 
 
 --^'•i"<-a DJ' a large force i 
 
153 
 
 TIIK PEOPLE'S BOOK OV HISTOIIY 
 
 under Randov.il, and the city was thus completely blockaded. A 
 general assault was then made from each of these three approaches 
 Cortes, on foot, leading a heavy column over the great southern 
 causeway, while his generals attempted those allotted to their charge. 
 Neither Alvarado nor Sandoval, de&perately opposed, were able to 
 penetrate the city ; but the force led by Cortes, assisted by the brig- 
 antines sailing on either aide, despite the valiant defence of the 
 Aztecs, carried barrier after barrier, and filled up breach after breach 
 in the long dike which led to the great street of Mexico. As they 
 forced their way, fighting furiously, up that splendid avenue, the scene, 
 two years before, of their peaceful and triumphant entry, a tempest 
 of missiles, from every roof and terrace, was showered upon their 
 heads. They entered the houses, and by destroying the partitions, 
 slowly forced their way into the heart of the city. They were held 
 at bay for two hours before a strong stone barricade, which, however 
 was finally broken down by the artillery, and at last gained the great 
 square. Here Cortes, with a number of his companions, ascended 
 the teocalli, and with his own hand tore from the face of the idol 
 again enshrined in his gory dwelling, a mask of gold and jewels. 
 As he rejoined his force below, the Aztecs made an attack so furious 
 that the whole allied army, Spaniards and Tlascalans, were driven 
 in confusion down the street. Nothing saved them from utter defeat 
 except the exertions of the cavalry, who in some measure were 
 enabled to protect their retreat to their quarters. That this daring 
 and obstinate assault should have met with so much success as it did 
 is certainly wonderful. 
 
 The besieging force was soon augmented by fifty thousand Tez- 
 cucans, under Ixtlilxochitl, and, with the aid of these forces, which 
 he distributed among the three camps, Cortes planned a fresh gen- 
 eral assault. After a repetition of the scenes already described, he 
 once more made his way into the square, and fired the palace of 
 Axayacatl, his former quarters, and a magnificent aviary, called 
 '•The House of Birds," one of the finest ornaments of the city. 
 "Although it grieved me much," he writes, "yet, as it grieved the 
 enemy more, I determined to burn these palaces; whereupon tliey 
 manifested great sorrow, as well as their allies from the cities on the 
 lake, because none of them had supposed we should be able to pen- 
 etrate so far into the city. This filled them with terrible dismay"— 
 a dismay not a little increased, he adds, when his allies "displayed 
 to the inhabitants of the city the bodies of their countrymen cut 
 
TI,E CONCiUEST AND niSTOliV OF MEXICO. jr, 
 
 .he c.e." Wee,, .,.„„,H„„. <>:^Jc:!;^:::^z2: ^ 
 
 from „eces,,ty and from ,l,e ,,„biL, of tl,o e„,„bal,,„., „ «;. to 
 
 ;;rjfrLr:rj:rn:'':r ■;,:;' ;; '» --■' '"" --^ 
 
 ...e .icfenee »„,, „ h.ole'eZt^f X^r™" ^'"''"■'■ 
 Ixll, Lvocl,,.!, ,!,„ fierce y„u„g prince of Tccuco, s .„ali,e,l him 
 
 and roproacics from his Aytoo «^„ * ^^h-lh, auiiu _j,ciJ3 
 
 eral wilh his own hand Alt Jo T"' ""1 ''"•^'""^ ^^"''' ^«"- 
 ma,lc the most des Tr t'c c1- rZl ' "" T' '^"'""^ '"''^ "^«" '''"^'l 
 and C<.-tcs In-msoir; ,;^: \-:"^^^^^^ *" «"-^ »" entrance, 
 Tl)c Mexicans Inm^ on l^s rear V!l^ ^'^ ''"''"* '° ^''' «'-*'"?• 
 
 Icssncss of life, that^nearU: a l,o°S ° T ''"'^'^ '"^^ ^"^ '''''■ 
 tl.cy could reg.;in thei^'i , Thi^^r^^^ ^^«^« ^""-'-^ ^e^o- 
 ensuing days,^ortes eo^tiC^ ^^^2^:"?^'^' "^^^"^ 
 way, and the Mexicans, thoui cLTdlS f' '.'^^ ^•'°'" ^.s cause- 
 cavalry and the superio,' nrn sof fh^ ^'^' '""^ ^^"^'^'"^ *''« 
 ret..af with great S.::^ ^ ' T ^ ::St^ T 7'''''' ''' 
 himself, "was certainly worthy of admirnZ r' T^' ''"' ^^"""^'"'''^ 
 evils and losses to which the;Vere " ^^^ '/r '"""'" ^""'^^ ^''« 
 
 they did not .eiax their pur^it tiu 2;^'::::::7^-^^^' 
 
 CHAPTER 117. 
 
 GENERAL ASSAULT ON THE CITY Ap.r„,rr 
 
 OllABlAllBSTlillctlONOPTHEciTy. 
 t«ee and eapi.n,;,™, a b nt i i/" '' "^■"'"' "" °™""- ^r 
 
100 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIIHTOKV. 
 
 camps, osjjcciivlly tlioso wliere Cortea did not command in itcrson, 
 and onco aucccodod in soiziiig two of tho brigantiiiPB. A numherof 
 tlio Sjumiurds, to the inexpressible delight of hifs people, had botni 
 taken alive for siierilice, and the dread i.ispirod by this eireumstunoc 
 iiid>iced the survivors to fight to tlie di'iith rather than encounter a 
 similar fate. A vast swarm of Indian allies, (a hundred and lifty 
 thousand in number, according to Cortes,) attracted by the hope of 
 sharing the plunder of the Aztec capital, now flocked ititu t'"- 
 Christian cani}is, and assisted in rendering the siege mure strict. 
 They were also employed, with good effect, against the outposts and 
 detached strongholds of the Mexican emperor, and such cities as yet 
 remained faithfui to his sway. 
 
 On the three causeways, the fighting was almost continual, and 
 many gallant actions, both by besiegers and besieged, for want of 
 space, are necessarily omitted in this account. "For ninety-three 
 days together," says Diaz, who was with Alvarado, "we were en- 
 gaged in the siege of this gr(!at and strong city, and every day and 
 night we were engaged with the enemy. "Were I to extend niv 
 narrative to include every action which took place, it would bo 
 almost endless, and my history would resemble that of Amadis and 
 the other books of chivalry." Cortes, his army swelled by vast 
 reinforcements, at last resolved on a grand attempt to take the city 
 by storm. Alvarado and Sandoval were instructed to use every 
 exertion to ellect an entrance by the causeway of Tacuba, while ho 
 attempted that of the south, and all were to endeavour to guiu pos- 
 session of the great market-place, that a conununication migiit bo 
 opened between the oi)positc camps. 
 
 "On the following morning, the army of Cortes having entered 
 the city, moved in three great bodies along the same number of 
 parallel avenues, or cnuseway.s, flanked by deep can;ds, all leading 
 to the market-place. The Mexicans made no very formidable resist- 
 ance; barricade after barricade was carried; and the <litehes, except 
 in one lamentable instance, were carefully filled up. But when tlio 
 desired goal was nearly gained, all of a sudden, the horn of Cruate- 
 iiiozin sent forth its shrill blast from the summit of the tenculli. At 
 the sound, as if by magic, swarms of Aztec waj-riors closed around 
 the advancing columns. The water was covcuhI with their canoes, 
 and the air was darkened by their missiles. The foremost colunin, 
 driven back in confusion, was arrested by a deep gap, which they 
 had neglected properly to fill up. Plunged into the water by the 
 
THE C0NQUK8T AND UI8T0KY OF MEXICO. jgi 
 
 fury of tlxnr purauenn, they vainly attempted to croHs the fatal breach 
 Great numbers wore 8 lu.n or drowned, and others, a more horrible 
 fate, were curried ofFulive. 
 
 "CorteH, who had hastened to the spot, in vain endeavoured to 
 aasiBt Ins unfor unate comparuons. - At the moment I reaehed this 
 brulgo of troubles,' he re ates, 'I discovered some Spaniards and 
 many of our allies flying back in groat haste, and the enemy like 
 
 ''U H ;7/" 1 r, T' '"^ ^^''" ^ ^'^^ «"«'' " ^"•^^ I began U> 
 cry Tlodl IJo dl and on approaching the water, I beheld it full of 
 
 Span.ards and Indians, m so dense a mass that it seemed as if there 
 was not room for a straw to float. » « * rpj^ 
 w^y.' he continues, 'was small and narrow, and on the sameTvd 
 vith ,,,e water, which had been efl-octcd by these dogs, on purpose 
 to annoy us; and as the road w,us also crowded with our allL who 
 
 ivT '" ' ''"'^ '?^^'7" ''''''''y ^^•••'^^-"-^ --^bling the 
 enemy to come up on both sides by water, and to take and dcltroy 
 as many as they pleased.' uoauoy 
 
 "Cortes himself barely escajied becoming, in person a notable 
 sacrifice to the idols. Seized by six A.tec'diief' he 1" dr gl^d 
 oward n canoe, and was rescued only by the loss of several of h^s 
 f . hful attcn, ants, who laid down their lives in his defence Ge tine 
 nt last to the bttle boc.y of cavalry on firm ground, ho led them on 
 a fierce charge against the enemy, and brought oi the remnant Tf 
 his unfortunate companions. All the divisions retreated fror^ the 
 city, and were fiercely attacked in their own quarters 
 
 "Alvarado and Sandoval, who had also penetrated nearly to the 
 rendozvoiis, were likewise soon compelled to retreat before tli fur' 
 ous assault of the Aztecs, who flung before them five bloody lad 
 exclaiming that one of them was that of Malinehe (Cortes) wS 
 retn^atuig, hotly pressed, 'we heard,' says Diaz, 'the dismal sound 
 the great drum, from the top of the principal temple o^he god 
 war, which overlooked the whole city. Its mour^iful no se w^ 
 su. . as may be imagined the music of the infern ,1 gods, and i miV} 
 be heard almost to the distance of three leagues. Th y wereTn 
 
 t^ti^'w e then' t't.kTtl^"' ^^^"^ "^^'^^ '^ ''^ ^I^*-' 
 ity were men to take their enemies prisoners or die in the 
 
 a temp, j, ,, ^^le to describe the fur/with which th I clo ed 
 
 upon us, when they heard this signall ' ^ 
 
 "On tJ^j^^disastr^us^day. besides the loss of cannon and hoi.es, 
 
U2 
 
 THE I'KOI'I,K'H lU.OK OK HI8T0RT. 
 
 many of the Spiitiinrds Imtl been killo.l, mwl nearly all wonnded 
 
 Worst of all, sixty-two (mostly under Cortes), and a ni.iltitiido of 
 
 tlioir Indian allies, Imd fhll.-n alive into the hands of the enemy, and 
 
 been carried oil" for sae,riti(>e. That very evening, the dismal roar of 
 
 tiio great drum was again heard; and the last rays of the setting sun 
 
 fell on a long procession winding up the sides of the huge frumlU 
 
 Among the victims, stripped to their waists, several were seen to bo 
 
 white men; an»l the Spaiiinrds, with unntterahle horror, heh.-Id their 
 
 miserable comrades, with fans in their hands, and gaudily dcek-cd 
 
 with plumes, compelled to dance before the hideous idol, an.l tlien 
 
 stretched upon the fearful Stone of Sacrifice. As heart after heart 
 
 was plucked out and laid before the altar, the bodies were hurled 
 
 down the steej) sides of the j.yramid, and prepared by the priesta 
 
 below for n grand cannibal festivity, 
 
 "Night after night, these hideous scenes were repeated in full view 
 of the camp of Alvarado; and the Spaniards, with sickening hearts 
 wore compelled to witness the fearful solemnities of a fate which any 
 day might bo their own. " During each night of this period " m.|v» 
 a horrified witness, "the enemy continued beating their accursed 
 drum in the great temple. Nothing can equal the dismal impression 
 Its sound conveyed. They were then in the execution of their infer- 
 nal ceremonies; the whole place was illuminated, and their slirielcs 
 at certain intervals pierced the air. * « * j^^^^ ^, 
 reader imagine what were our sensations! 'Oh, licavenly God ' wo 
 said to^ourselves, 'do not {)ermit us to be sacrificed by these wretches! 
 For ten nights together were they thus emplovcd in i)iit- 
 ting to death our unfortunate companions.' The priests ea-'cr in 
 their horrid ministry, seemed, amid the glare of sacrificial fires like 
 demons flitting about in their native element, and busied with the 
 torments of the condemned."* 
 
 Exulting in their victory, the besieged, every morning, made 
 lunous assaults upon the several camps, exclaiming, with loud re- 
 vilings, to the Spaniards, that their flesh was too bitter to be eaten- 
 "and truly," says honest Diaz, "it seems that such a miracle was 
 wrought. The Mexican priests now predicted that within ei-dit 
 days the gods would deliver the enemy into their hands. Terrified 
 at this ominous announcement, the fulfilment of which seemed her- 
 alded by their late misfortunes, aU the vast swarm of allies .ave 
 those of Tlascala and Tezcuco, smitten with a superstitious panic, 
 * Discoverers, &c., of America. 
 
TIIK C0NQUK8T AND HIBTOKY OF MKXICO. igg 
 
 melted away n.ul iMnpemnl to thoir l.omcs. li,,t, with tho oflsiHtanco 
 of these fa.tlidil and poweifi.I comljiitons, the ChriHtiariH still man- 
 aged to hold poHscsHion of tho causeways, n,,,! thrir l.rigantines coj,,. 
 inanding the lakcH, cut oH" nearly all Hn|.i)li(.H fn„n tho holeag.iero.l 
 city. Tho nppoinfod i)crio(l having pussod without witnesaing their 
 .loHtriielion, the allies flocktHl biu-k; ,md the Spanish captains, bv a 
 short hut suecessiid campaign against the few provinces Ktill faiflifnl 
 to (Juateniozin, conlincd all hostility or resistance to tho limits of tho 
 heroic, but solitary capital. Tho arrival of a fresli vessel at Vera 
 Cruz strengthened the assailants, and tho siege was vigorously pressed 
 It seemed, however, that nothing short of its complete destruction 
 could break the invincib:., spirit of tho Azt(«cs; and acc^ordingly as 
 the assailants gamed ground, building after btiihling was levelle.! to 
 tho earth. The nuiterials were used to fill up the canals and an 
 open desolate space, suited to tho charge of tho cavalry was thus 
 gradually formed within the limits of tho hitherto ahnost-impeno- 
 trablo city. The inhabitants, in despair at tho destruction of th.-ir 
 homes and ,)alaccs, cried aloud to the allies, who carried (,n tho work 
 "Go on I the more you destroy, tho more you will have to build up 
 again hereafter. If wo conquer, you shall build for us- if your 
 white friends conquer, they will make you do as much fbr'thcrn " 
 
 Guatemo/.,n, remembering the uidmppy fate of his uncle, Monte- 
 zuma, still sternly rejected all overtures for capitul.-ition "Let no 
 man henceforth," he said to the chiefs, "who values his life fxlk of 
 surrender. We can at least die like warriors." Once more 'fi-ht 
 mg under the eye of their emperor, tho enfeebled garri.son, with des- 
 pcrate valour, attacked the hostile camps; but every dike was swei'.t 
 by artillery, and after terrible hxsses they wore driven back into the 
 city. Despite their determined resistance, the palace of Guafemozin 
 In.nself was lovelled to tho ground, and a free communication was 
 at last opened through tho city with the opposite camp of Tacuba 
 
164 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OV IIIBTOBY. 
 
 LiiAiriJoii aV. 
 
 TERRIPLE SUFFEUIN08 AND MORTALITY OF THE BESIEO E I).— - 
 
 OBSTINATE RKSKSTANCE OF (I U AT EMO /, I N . — COURAGE AND 
 
 FIDELITY OF HIS PEOPLE. — MEXICO TAKEN BY STORM. 
 
 FEARFUL MASSACRE. CAPTURE OF OUATEMO- 
 
 Z I N . — REFLECTIONS ON THE CONQUEST. 
 
 As the destruction of tlic city gradually went on, the most fear- 
 ful scenes of death, disease, and starvation, were constantly disclosed. 
 Tlic canals were clioked and the narrow streets were strewn with 
 cor|wos. Tlic allies, eager to avenge i)ast injuries, massacred indis- 
 criminately all tluu loll alive into their hands. Alvarado, carr^^^ing 
 on the same system of levelling and destruction, finally penetrated 
 to the great tiaiujuez or market-place, and took by storm the tcocalli 
 which commanded it. Many of the heads of the sacriliccd Span- 
 iards weie found in the sanctuary, alTixed to beams, witli their hair 
 and bca.ds much grown, and tears cam.i into the eyes of those who 
 rocogni/.od their friends. As the oi)po3ite divisions met in tlie long- 
 desired rendezvous, Cortes, with a few cavaliers, i-ode through the 
 great square, now abaiuloncd by the warriors. Kvc-y roof and ter- 
 race which surn/unded it was crowded with the starving j»opulace 
 gazing sullenly on their triumphant enemies. Seveii-dghths of the 
 city, by this 'ime, had been destroyed, and in the portion yet stand- 
 ing was crowded u vast Tuultitude ol' wretches, sulfering all the 
 agonies of famine, disease, and despair. 
 
 Guatemozin still held out, and liis brave warriors, enfeebled by 
 hunger, made a vain .ttempt to drive the enemy from tlie S(iuare. 
 His position was still tolerably strong, and the 8j)aniards, their am- 
 munition failing, were unable to dislodge liim by means of artillery, 
 in this emergency, a soldier named Sotelo, who liad served in the 
 wars of Italy, and wlio "was eternally boasting of the wonderful 
 military machines which he knew the art of constructing," j)ersuaded 
 Cortes to make trial of a species of catapult or mangonel, for throw- 
 ing huge stones or other missiles, liut when, after infinite pains, 
 the engine had been built, and a stone as large as a bushel had 
 been launched into the air, instead of Hying in the direction of the 
 enemy, it returned exactly to the ].lace whence it started, and, amid 
 
%im i,:iff|*fii|Lj-r;, I,,.,-;- 
 
 '■'Ill"'" 1', fj' i'"' '■ " , 
 
 '■»;' 
 
 
 ''^■'''^'^iiJpl, 
 
 
 I, I' 
 
 

THE CONQ..ST AND niSTOKV O.MEXICO .^^ 
 
 :^h^r ;L:^ ^°^'^^^ ^^^ *^« -^« °^ ^he gen... dashed J 
 
 that no one co'uld st p ^^'^^^ V'^'t' "^^^ ^^^^^-^' 
 body. The emperor appe^Vlt^ilt^t^^ '°? °" '^ '^^^ 
 the last relics of the Aztec name t ' ^"'^ ^^'"^'^^^' ^^^h 
 
 .o.sternl,refusedtoHst:r;;Xr^^^^^^^^ 
 
 even sacrificed one of his own n.W T , P^'^^^' ^"^' ^^^^said, 
 
 to demand a surrender srr'tt^l" "1 l"" ""* '^ ^°^^- 
 sonal conference with the SnlZdr/r^^' ^' '^''^ *« ^ P^^" 
 
 Ilis people, with aSu h td^^^ 
 obedience, though assured ot w! / ^ ^' '"" '""'"^^^^^^^ t^eir 
 Cortes ten's us, fs he r^I nl tl t ,?"" ^he Aztec chiefs, 
 to be the Child of the Sun but the sI ""' '?' "^^'^ ^^« ^^^^ 
 his course over all the world-^wt win' V ""^^' ''^^' ^^"^i'^^^^ 
 us, and relieve our suffering's? for " ^? '' ^^'^'^^^' ^^'^'roy 
 
 Orchilobus(IIuitzilopoS) ITo ::i i^t^ ''^' "^"' ^^" *" ^^^^ ^^"^ 
 
 The fate they invoked was C^lt^?^'"^' "''"'' '"^'^^^«"-" 
 
 August, 152^ the over:,:,^^ ^ f ^.^ I^^'' ''^ !!" '''' ^' 
 
 wore ordered to storm the remainder " L cit Th"'T"' '' ?"'''' 
 
 without a shadow of hone Ibu^rhf n . V % "^ '^'^^'''^'' ^'^'^"Sli 
 
 and warlike nation. TW p f ;I?"r" *'' ^"' ^''^^^^^ °^ '"^ ^'^-' 
 
 and wielded their rude wea-mn. '""°'''' ^^'^"'"^^'^ '" t'^« van, 
 
 -ted for the feeblenesrT huZ^^ o7^'^ 
 
 numbers, and by the superior "^tthfH^^^^^ ''''''''''' '' 
 
 and repulsed, and the allies in . i • ' ^''"^-^ ^^ere slain 
 
 »n,l c„;:,„e„;.od the I^'^f I"™:''" .""'^ ""'r^^. «-'<-' i". 
 
 ws Cortes, "and e,ncd-,IIv ofT "'''" ™ "'" '''V," 
 
 «li"e l.c i,, but will 1,„1,1 „„ i„,„,;„; J -;• G"»<"™».„ „.,ll ,lic 
 *r„ly, "a„<I ,„,,,,„„ ,.„ „ „ , ; .'' *"' "'° <^""'I°"" 
 
 'Tnieii for drvitl, 
 
 Tlieir 1 
 
 luur 13 
 
 ^mm 
 
 \;: » -^ 
 
^^i 
 
 I 
 
 166 
 
 THE I'EOPLK'S BOOK OF IIISTOUY. 
 
 COMIC." A -fresh and furious assault, both by hmd and water, was 
 accordingly made, and the wretched Aztecs, men, women, and chil- 
 dren, enfeebled by famine and disease, and crowded in helpless 
 masses on the water's edge, were massacred in fearful numbers. Tho 
 bi-igaiitines, scouring the lake, intercc])tcd the canoes in which some 
 endeavoured to escape, and gained the greatest prize of the day. As 
 tiicy attacked one of these frail craft, a young warrior, armed witli 
 sword and buckler, stood prepared to beat off the assailants; hut 
 when the Spanish captain forbade his men to lire, lowered his weapons 
 and said, with dignity, "I am Guatemozin; lead me to Malinclie 
 l^Cortes); I am his prisoner; but let no harm come to my wife and 
 my followers." Elated with the greatness of their prize, the captors 
 hurried with him to their general. The noble prince, with a calm 
 and resolute air, ap[)roached closely to him, and said, "Malinclie, I 
 have done that which was my duty, in defence of my kingdom and 
 my people. My etlbrls have failed; and since I am your prisoner," 
 (laying his hand on the hilt of the Spaniard's dagger) "draw that 
 ])oniard from your side, and strike me to the heart." The victor 
 admiring his heroic demeanour, assured him of kindness and pro- 
 tection ibr himself, as well as for all his household. 
 
 'J'lie garrii-on, on learning the capture of their emperor, abandoned 
 all further resistance, and the conquerors, having committed a fright- 
 ful slaughter among them, were compelled, by the terrible effluvia 
 from the corpses, to withdraw from the city. With the night there 
 came on, says a witness, "the greatest tempest of rain, thunder, and 
 lightning, especially about midnight, that ever was known," as if 
 the very elements of naturt; were convulsed in sympathy with this 
 terrible fall of an ancient dynasty and nation. This memorable day, 
 the 13lh of August, 1021, chanced to be that of St. llypolito, who, 
 on this account, was selected by the victors as the guardian saint of 
 their new empire. 
 
 A hushed and terrible silence succeeded the clamorous and dis- 
 cordant uproar, which, day and night, for so many weeks, liad been 
 raging around the devoted city. So deafened had the soldiers become 
 with this continued clamour, that they felt, according to their account, 
 like men who had long been confined in a steeple, with the bells 
 ringing about their ears. On the next day, the forlorn rciics of the 
 garrison and the citizens, varioi.sly estimated at thirty to seventy 
 tliousand in number, were permitted to piiss out of the city. For 
 three day.s, the several causeways were covered each with its file of 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOKY OF MEXICO. 137 
 
 wrotcl.ecl, emaciated beings, draggit.g ti.eir feeble limbs with such 
 pan. and weanne«s that, s.ys a witness, "it was misery to behold 
 them. Ihe populafon of many adjacent cities and provinces nd 
 een crowded into the capital, and the number which peris "du:" 
 he siege can never be accurately known. It has been estimated at 
 least at a hundred ar.d twenty thousand, and by some nearly as hid 
 as a quarter o a mdlion Dia. says that he ha^d read of he d" .' 
 tion Jerusalem and th.nks that the mortality in that ill-iated c ly 
 was fully equalled by that which occurred in Mexico. Great nunt 
 hers of he a hes had also perished during the siege-amon-^ U n 
 n . sa,d no less than tlnrty thousar>d of the Tezcucans. A n:>rtali tJ 
 so ternble dunng a s.ege of only three months, suilicier.tly iu^Z 
 he valour and ruthlessness of the besiegers, the constancy of u" 
 besK.ged and the sanguinary nature of the combat, in which they 
 were daily engaged. vvun.u moy 
 
 Jfhus terminated a series of events, undoubtedly the most remark- 
 able in the whole range of American history A n-ition whi 1 
 valour, by natural genius, and by the far-sighted po^: e f 
 
 h a gamed complete ascendancy over all surroundhig province ' 
 whose power uid become, in great measure, consolidat by iTe 
 and strong m hereditary a/fection, in less than two years was\os 
 trated to he earth, enslaved, and half exterminated by a lil^ eo n. 
 pany of strangers, so small in number as almost to reiser t beli f 
 
 Conquest in a moral view, regarded as'a niilftary SL 
 must hll us with astonishment. That a handfJof advert 
 indiirerently armed and equipped, should have landed on th E 
 of a power u empire, inhabited by a fierce and warlike ra e and ^ 
 chance of the r.;,erated prohibitions of its sovereign, hav^ fore d 
 heir way into the mterior;-that they should have do e Z wh 
 
 out know edge ol the language of the land, without chart or c^ pat 
 guide them without any idea of the difficulties th " w e ^ 
 
 enco nter totally uncertain whether the next step .ni,dit brir he. 
 
 on a hostile nation or on a desert, feeling their way .lot, ,,? 7 
 
 " r;;r'n' Tf "r ^ ---'-"ned by Lir .list e : '; 
 
 ^vltl the inhabitants, they shouhl have still pressed on to tlie canita 
 of the empire, and, having reached it, thrLvn themselveruXd. 
 
168 
 
 THE PEOl'LJC'S 1!(J0K OF IIISTOKV. 
 
 tatingly into the midst of their enemies; that so far from bein" 
 daunted by the extraordinary spectacle there exhibited of powe°r 
 and civilization, they should have been but more confirmed in their 
 original design;— that they should have seized the monarch, have 
 executed his ministers before the eyes of his subjects, and when 
 driven forth witli ruin from the gates, have gathered their scattered 
 wreck together, and, after a system of operations, pursued with con- 
 summate policy and daring, have succeeded in overturning the cap- 
 ital, and establishing their sway over the country ;— that all this 
 should have been so effected by a mere handful of indigent adven- 
 turers, is a fact little short of the miraculous— too startling for the 
 probabilities demanded by fiction, and without a parallel in the paires 
 of history." ^ ^ 
 
 CHAPTEH X?I. 
 
 THE TORTURE OP G F A TESf OZIN, — SEXTL EMENT OF THE COUN- 
 TRY.— FRESH ENTERPRISES.— OFFICES AND TITLES CON- 
 FERRED ON CORTES. — HIS OSTENTATION. — HIS SAGACIOUS 
 POLICY. GREAT EXTENSION OF THE SPANISH TERRI- 
 TORY.— THE REVOLT OF OLID. — TERRIBLE MARCH 
 TO HONDURAS. — THE MURDEI^ OP GUATEMOZIN. 
 
 Success so wonderful might well seem to excuse a commensurate 
 exultation. The victors, their sanguinary triumph comj)leted, sat 
 down to a feast, enlivened by the generous wine of Spain, their lon-r 
 abstmenoe from which, while it gave a double zest to the genial 
 draught, heiglitened its exhileruting effect. The revelry at list 
 waxed so frantic, that Father Olmedo, scandalized at the scene, inter- 
 fered, and a solemn religious ceremonial, by his direction, was per- 
 formed as the litter celel)ratiou of the triumph of the fliith. 
 
 A mo..t disgraceful scene was presently enacted. Disappointed by 
 the smallness of the booty (for the garrison, as a last revenge, had 
 sunk or destroyed tlieir treasures) the rapacious soldiery demanded 
 that Guatemozin should be tortured to effect a discovery Coi'tcs 
 feanng to irritate them by refusal, and perhaps sharin- in tlieir 
 raprcious cruelty, to his eternal dishonour, complied. But the youn- 
 
emperor witlistood tlieir diabolical devices with tl,„ ., 
 
 and firmness which he had di.„l.. i ™', ""^ "lo s»me courage 
 
 chief of Tacuba 1 i rchtivl "^ f '" *" '^''^"'"' "^ ^'' ''^'y- '"'= 
 groaned alo„d, iZCZJ^l^ZfT^ •'" *= ^"-^ '-=' 
 iiess by the significant rem,rr"Ti!,^ ''■^Pn'ssion of feeble- 
 my pleasure iu theta 1 " n' ,h^^ ^°" '"''' ""="' "'"' ^ "" '"'''"8 
 ...elvowal that .>.e tlurefh ^ r™:^* ht M 'T '"^°"'' 
 all attempts to find the lost valuabl cs^Z^fr "it o s "' ''°' "T^ 
 ™. ^^.scov^ed iu a pond in the p ^ bol^ltrhfri^t;: 
 
 the old imperial ini" a„7 le Win" Tr"""' ^""'"'"'''"S 
 overawed opposition in near - all tf ' '""*'" ""•^""-'^ 
 
 former A.tcc'^etnpire. and" l^l^bl t ./bTrs'To 77' ^^ "= 
 immediate submission to the victors Tn, !, '"'"^ '" 
 
 indeed, a formidable opposition u^' , ''"""°' "^ ^'••'"™». 
 
 will, gieat ferocity and cru kv bv T'""""f- '""«■•■"' ™PFOssed 
 tl.an .our "-dreLa',: tlg^eJe TS :"n':;' 'r,""™'' "" ''=^' 
 Iows-"by which means, God if- pra ° , »? n " "' "'" «"'• 
 I'k report, "the province wl ,X d ' T^' °u°'' P'"'"''^'' '» 
 immediately after his trinml I '°f°"='',"' '■■'"Kluillity." Almost 
 
 n.n..e .hcir^vay ^^Til^i'l/Z'^r^"^ '^^'T '"'° 
 
 course, were speedily reduced V^'':''' ""T' "' » ">'""=' »f 
 ■.lone, on account of th "r c, "v ,' fl ^r'^S-^-'l- Tl-eala„s 
 "-■l, perhaps, as their » lit id Tub, "r' T'"' "*'''>•' <- 
 c.np.e.i Fulfilling the clespl^g .^ ^ l," H'"'' '"'"^ r 
 -Izrces, Cortes at once emplovcd a vL, , vanquished 
 
 ,W^li%', ou a nn.gniflcen'; i „;r ;r r^ °^^^-'» "' '■^■ 
 
 Mex,colVitl,in four years, an„,Lr,";itvwr" ""'""' "' 
 ilrals, ami fortresses » a, „„,„„i „, ° •>' "'"' P»laecs, calho. 
 
 '"f opoiis so .erribivrd'Xx:,:!;:}' '"^ °' '■- ^■'-"■"•> 
 
 received li-om tl>o Spanish conlttU r \ >"°''"''' ^"'^^^'' '^^^^ ""* 
 or disapproval. Thi v ' \ " '"^^'^'''^'^■'^^ '"^''-^^'0" of Us ra^•our 
 
 — ' ° ^' '"^ prize al 
 
 J 
 
170 
 
 TIIK I'KOl'LE'S HOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 stal<r, till' course of tlio govenunout scciiia to Imvo been unusually 
 diliitory and indccMsivc. FoiiHcca, who Hlill lieUl llic control of 
 Indian alVairs, lind indeed, at the instigalion of Velasquez, appointed 
 a eoinniissioner, with authority to examine th.-.' alTairH of the province 
 and even to seize the person and property of the general; but that 
 olReer, arriving not long after the conquest, was induced, partly by 
 force and partly by bribery, to rid the country of hia i)reaence. On 
 tlu; return of Charles V., in July, 1522, to his Spanish dominions, 
 his ears were immediately fdled with clamorous accusation and lierco 
 vindication of the conduct of Cortes. He referred the whole all'uir 
 to a High Commi.ssion, which, after an im})artial investigatiuii, 
 impressed with the extraordinary achievements of the Conqueror, 
 decided nearly every thing in his favour. In October of the saino 
 year, he was aj^pointed governor, captain-general, and judge i)f all 
 New SjKiin, almost the entire authority, both military and civil 
 being centred in his single person. His favourite ofliccrs were pro- 
 jiortionably rewarded, and the common .soldiers received an abuml- 
 anee of flallering promi.ses. JJoth Fonseca and Vehusquez died shorily 
 after this signal di-scomfiture— it is said, of chagrin and mortilicatiuu 
 at the triunq)h of their adversary. 
 
 The victor, even before the receipt of these welcome tidings, took 
 thc most prompt and energetic measures for the settlemtmt and 
 extension of his realms. Numerous adventurers, attracted by his 
 liberal ollens, flocked to the shores of iMexico, and Spanish colonies 
 were planted in all directions, even as far as California. ^IVj increase 
 the population, all married men were obliged to bring their wives 
 and all bachelors, under stringent liabilities, to marry— a sumptuary 
 measure, professedly for the good oi' their souls, and to which the 
 legislator himself, with some chagrin, was compelled to conform, by the 
 unexpected arrival of his own wife. Donna C.italina, Irom Cuba. She 
 did not long survive her arrival Elated wiUi triumj)!], the governor, 
 immediately on receiving his commissions, assumed an alnmst re<ral 
 state and dignity. Every where lie wenc, .'ittended by an immeSo 
 retinue, fit for a king, with conquered cav'iqaes riding in his train 
 and all the populace, as in the days of thth ancient sovereigns, cast 
 themselves on their flices by the road.-side as he passed. 
 
 Abounding in natural wealth, cvm stocked with a vast multitude 
 of submissive laborers, the great colony of New Spain s])eedily 
 became the most valuable i)ossession of the Spanish crown. Within 
 three years from the destruction of the capital, a vast extent of 
 
country ,no.usuring according tc, Cortes, four hun.lml loa-n.os on 
 tl.0 I acl.c coast and live hundred on tl.at of the Atlantic, l.a.l Le 
 bmug^.t under tl.e «way of tl.e Spanianls, an,l the native i . 1 i H,^ 
 HCt led n. obcd.ence to their conquerons. These peopl. ^ 
 
 Htato,(cons,denngtho reluctance of n.ankind to .din. n,;, 
 horrors,) rece.ved Christianity with remarkable readi. e s ^ « 
 PrancKscan fnars, of whon> the ilrst deputation arrived in" 10' 
 boasted that, n. less than twenty year, nine n.illions ^ , "i, ^^ 
 gr ^ cxaggerafon) had been gathered within the pale of th Zh 
 Ihe governor, his ambition unquenched bv •> «,„ ' ;"""^"- 
 
 U^hantof Insage, continually agiLS.e^t::~te^^^ 
 ;l.t.on wh.ch he ntted out, under the ferocious aZ.^ ^^Z 
 
 inunense expense of human life and sun-cring brou-d^u h i 
 the wealthy regions of Guatemala TTo .V . ^ Ins sway 
 
 ni;i * II 1 V '^"'"^■"'i^a. lie dispatched another under 
 
 Ohd, to IJondura., and made vain attempts to discover the Ion en 
 joctured strait which should unite the Atlantic ."^tr'"" 
 la ter oilicer of a haughty and seditious nature, after es i iun' 
 colony on the shore nf iUn „-,.., • ^■luiujihuing a 
 
 ««i.o*y of .1 „ gZnt d „,';:::"«' "'^"V""^'"-' "■" 
 
 AVI n . , ° , , ,' J^'^'^'^'^'^priiioipa tyof hisown 
 
 AVI en Urtes heard of this daring defection, the veins of 1.17 In, i 
 
 n-ing to i^nduras through ^:::iczz::i2:2j 
 
 It was m Oetober, 1524, that, with ordy a hundred elv dry ,d 
 three or four thousand Indians, he set forth on this terrible ad vitu 
 the toils and penis of .hich were too numerous to be r o^ 1^ 
 those pages. For many months, enduring every extrernUvo L 
 
 rveis. Ills mind distracted by weariness and obstacles .t l.st 
 became moody and irritable, and by a fresh crime he ir pri ^d a 
 1 ew and m.lelible stain on his memory. The unf^rtunrCn t 
 .n . o,., Ureading his innuenee witlfth- n^i::!^';: ^^^l^ 
 ^Mth him, was accused, on the most false and frivolous oround of 
 a ])ro,,octed conspiracy; and Cortes, anxious, no dou " to b Hd of 
 
 an object o perpetual jealousy, after the mere prete «; of an vc^ 
 |g.U.on, or ered his execution. The prince, with the c" I f" 
 
 couiage and innocence, said, "Malinehe! here your false woX d 
 onuses have ended in my death. I should have fallen i;" own 
 
 l>and, n. n.y city of Mexico, rather than have trusted myself to vou 
 
172 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 Why do you unjustly take my life? May God demand of you tins 
 innocent blood!" lie was hanged, with the caeic^ue of Tacuba, and 
 other ehiefri, upon a huge Ceiba-tree. They died, we are told, "like 
 good Christians, ami, for Indians, most piously;" and among even 
 the rough spirits by whom Cortes w;n surrounded, there was but 
 one oj)inion, that the sentence was unjust and cruel in the extreme. 
 
 uiiAiriiliii AVii. 
 
 ARRIVAL AT HONDURAS. — USURPATION IN MEXICO, — OBSE- 
 
 aUIKS AND MASSES PERVORMKD FOR CORTES. HIS RETURN. 
 
 — SUSPICION O.P THE COURT. CORTES SA1J,S TO SPAIN. 
 
 HONOURS BESTOWED ON HIM. — RETURNS TO MEXICO. — 
 EXPENSIVE EXPEDITIONS. — CORTES AGAIN RETURNS 
 
 TO SPAIN. UNSUCCESSFUL AT COURT. — HIS DEATH. 
 
 HIS CHARACTER. — PATE OF THE CONQUERORS. 
 
 After enduring extreme suffering, the relics of the Sj)anish force 
 finally arrived at Honduras, where Cortes learned that his authority 
 had already been restored by a counter-revolution, planned by his 
 friends, and that Olid was already beheaded. With his accustomed 
 energy, he immediately busied himself in fresh exploration, but was 
 arretted in the midst of extensive schemes of discovery and conquest 
 b}^ the tidings that his deputies in Mexico had usurped the govern- 
 ment. Catching at a vague rumour, that, with his army, he had 
 perished in the swamps of Chiajias, they had seized all his property, 
 with a part of which they propitiated the church by the purchase 
 of eternal masses for his soul. Further to colour the report, the fac- 
 tor, with great ceremony, erected a monument to his memory, "and 
 then," says Diaz, "proclaimed himself governor and captain-general 
 of Xew Spain, with the sound of Kettle-drums and trumpets, and 
 issued out an order that all women who had any regard for their 
 souls, and whose hu.sbands had gone with Cortes, should consider 
 them doad in law, and marry again forthwith." On learning of 
 tliese high-handed proceoding.s, the governor at once embarked for 
 Mexico, lie encountered severe tempests in the Gulf, and was twice 
 
 [ 
 
THE CONUUKST AN. UXSTOKV OK MEXICO 173 
 
 driven back, ami it was not until oftr.» t 
 
 y»., u,a. i„ June, :.2„, rrLtl"" S'^nl' r"?'^ r^ 
 
 been irreat V iniurPfl !>,, ♦!. ^»pum. iim fortune bad 
 
 Iho govcrmncnt tliey l,a,l usurped opposition, 
 
 ,,i"z::^t ^rruiirediir: 't:-' t-' "■' ""■"■™ -^ 
 
 sioner was dispatched from ShaIm /'.""'' '^"t' » ^^^^"1^, a conunis- 
 province. Tli functi ."^jTJ ^'^" f'^^ "'' ^I- 
 
 another, who had been aj/oin;: su^ta hLTu: 'tr' " ,''' 
 to be attributed to the iisalubritv of tl 1 ' ,''"'' '"'^ '' 
 encn.ios of Cortes insinuated tnn \''« '^^'""'te, and not, as the 
 
 The person next P, el ^^L's ""''"' '""'""^ '' '''■ 
 solved to appear bcle tl e ctur l^V '^""°^"'^?'. *''^^ ^^ -• 
 
 s...stain his waning interests Wif ^ ' ^"''""'' "''^••«"^«' ^'^ 
 jewels, and rnanyLtu a curiosilil pT' '"''""'^' '" ^'"''^ '-^'"i 
 l-e arrived at th Jlittle sea p^^^^^^^ 1^28, 
 
 years before, had witnessed the m.n.o^ n . '"'"' ^^'''^' ^''''-^-^-'^''-^ 
 Here, at the convent of La 11^*^ Tf"" '' ^°'""'^"-^- 
 di-uverer, l,e fell in with iwf^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^'^^ ^' ^^-^ ^--t 
 
 viding means for the Conquest of I^r^,' ^'" ''"'^'^''^ '" l"'- 
 he furthered by liberal .dvnnl Z\ '^ ''^""'^ ^^'''''' '^ ^^ ^--^''d, 
 
 -t faithful, iriiii:: 1 a ;nt:d 'v'r ''i ';"''^^"^' ^'^ 
 
 o^crsb, whom his a^ieven;:::^^^!^^^^^ '^"^ ^^ 
 Ihe journey of Cortes to the court nt .p^ , "^^^• 
 
 t""-l'i.. and the most honouraUe Td cl st n , T ' '""'""^'^ 
 nccorde.! to him. lie wis ere f ,^ ■ M '^"^ "^^"'^''^^'i ^«^^Ption was 
 
 ilumlies o[ Spain. ' ^!^ u:^;^:' Z"" ^^ '' ''' -^''- 
 ousy, stimulated by the slanders oTl;. 5 ' '^'' '"^P'^^^U^^'^^l- 
 
 to allow of full justice to ^deserL 111^7' 'T'^ ''' ''^^'^ 
 he was allowed to retain but thatif "" ""^ captain-gn.eral 
 
 crown, lest such an accumuktion °^^"".^!'"«^ '^-^^ ^-^-""-I by the 
 po.'erful for a sul^'oc ' ' '' f'T''' '^''''^'^ ''^"^'- '^^^^ *«« 
 
 -'n-sts and disci^ties r\:::^t; b!7^? " "^^'- ^^-'^ 
 
 a n.ind inspired with tl,e hope of frl 1 " ''' ""^' "'^'^ 
 
 of 1530, he took his .lepart,!^ t M:xi:: "^""^"^^' " ''^ ^^^^--"^ 
 

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174 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 by his late subjects, both Spanish and Indian; but he soon retired 
 to his city of Cuernavaca, and there busied himself with improving 
 the country, and fitting out expeditions of discovery. By one of 
 these the peninsula of California was discovered, and Cortes himself 
 in an arduous voyage on the coast of that region, underwent the 
 greatest dangers and hardships. These and other expeditions, highly 
 conducive to geographical knowledge, but unremunerative in a 
 pecuniary view, cost him a great part of his fortune, none of which 
 was ever made good to him by the goveiiiment. To obtain compen- 
 sation and to support his rights, in 1540, he once more betook him- 
 self to the Spanish court. He was received with empty honours but 
 prospered little in his suit, and the following year, to his great per- 
 sonal loss and misfortune, was engaged in the disastrous expedition 
 against Algiers, undertaken by Charles V. Several years longer he 
 haunted the court, vainly seeking the satisfaction of his claims and 
 the acknowledgment of his services. He besought the emperor to 
 order his council to come to some decision, seeing that (in the words 
 of his memorial) "he was too old to wander about like a vagrant 
 but ought rather, during the brief remainder of his life, to stay at 
 home and settle his account with Heaven, occupied with the concerns 
 of his soul, rather than with his substance." Meeting little encour- 
 agement, he prepared to return to his estate in Mexico; but, on the 
 way, was seized with a mortal illness at Seville, where, having re- 
 ceived the comforts of the church, he expired, with much tranquil- 
 lity, on the 2d of December, 1547. He was in his sixty-third year 
 His remains were transported to the citv of Mexico, where they lon<^ 
 reposed in the vault of a certain chapel; but in 1823, it was found 
 necessary secretly to remove them, for security against the fury of 
 the revolutionists. 
 
 Thus died, as usunl, amid neglect and ingratitude, another ilhis- 
 trions servant of the Spanish crown. Whatever were his fault, the 
 Conqueror of Mexico had been only too faithful to the selfish 'and 
 miftvliug monarch, who, like his predecessor, looked with jealous 
 distrust on any man who hnd dared "to deserve too much '"' Not 
 onlv In- feats of unprecedented daring, stratogv and perseverance 
 had lie overcome numerous and hostile nations, and brou-ht them 
 in Mil.jecf.on to the imperial sway, but by his extraordinarv policy 
 and talents for government he had united both victors and vanquished 
 in one powerful state, submissive to its rulers, and yieldin- splendid 
 revenues both to the nation and the crown. Hi., character, continuil'y 
 
T..K CONQUEST AND HlSTOBV OF MEXICO. ^S 
 
 exlMbiting anlitheses the strangest and most diffleult to reconcile is 
 Cot"el '^^ITty *' "'**" "' "^ '- «-t ATcrica: 
 
 nnnin, conneoust'l'S t\tX^„~;?V:S 
 Stern; kx in his not bns of monlitv ^r^t /'v,f* "^ . inexorably 
 
 T.e great feature in Kis cL^rrL^tttror;: ^ a^'^ 
 staney not to be dannted by danger, nor baffled by Zpri'ntJn"" 
 nor iveaned out by impedimenta or delays " "■='>PP<""nient, 
 
 a speedy deXi^"a wf ?°?""'' *' "'""^ ^''^ f'-l -*cr 
 r a?d De T.L ''""."'"'/'™"™- While some, like Sandoval, 
 
 By far th; greater porU „ ZljZZsTiZ- ''7°'''°"""- 
 .e. with untimely deaths, in war, ofoHhl^lVS acTTrt 
 
 59:^.:^f:^r^ip--— -£S 
 
 »hoIc armament,) "I tell you that their tombs JreHmalst 
 camnba Indians, who devoured their limbs, and of tyge ! Soents 
 and b,rds of prey, which feasted on their mangled'^bo5'es%"h 
 were thc.r sepulchres, and such their monumcftsi Bu .„ met 
 pj^ar, that the names of those ought to be written! 1 1" 'of 
 5*1, who d,ed so cruel a death, for the service of oid t d tt 
 .Majesty, to give light to those who sat in /l.,^!-. , 
 
 aoeurately, than by the unconscious n.^et/:f ' I ^±!;::l -- 
 
176 
 
 THE PEOl'LE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 CHAPTEH I?nL 
 
 CONBITION OF THE INDIANS, AND OP THE SPANISH COLONISTS. 
 — NATIONAL PRIDE. — SYSTEM OF GOYERNMENT. — DEPREDA- 
 TIONS OF THE BUCANIERS. — PUBLIC WORKS FOR THE PRO- 
 TECTION OF THE CAPITAL. — INDIAN REVOLTS. — VERA 
 CRUZ SEIZED 1)Y AGRAMONT. — JESUITS EXPELLED, 
 
 The condition of ifexico under the sway of the Spanish viceroys 
 was hopeless in the extreme. The aboriginal population, siibjected 
 to every oppression by the cruel and avaricious masters of the soil, 
 diminished in number year by year, and gradually lost nearly every 
 trace of the spirit and energy which characterized the subjects of 
 the ^fontezumas. Their attempts to shake off the servitude imposed 
 upon them by the Spaniards were promptly crushed, and, in most 
 instances, were followed by bloody massacres and aggravated im- 
 positions. 
 
 The established European inhabitants, and the mixed race sprung 
 from their union with the native women, were constantly compelled 
 to feel their entire subservience to the monarch of the parent-coun- 
 try. Foreign viceroys and minor officials held the supreme control 
 over all public affairs, and hordes of bigoted priests lent their pow- 
 erful influence to keep the superstitious minds of the inhabitants 
 from independent thoughts and plans. Apathy and a total want of 
 enterprise thus became characteristic of the nation, and still appear 
 in the weakness and uncertainty of its government, and its steady 
 decline in prosperity and political importance. The extent and 
 severity of the restrictions imposed by royal decrees, upon education 
 commerce, agriculture, and manufactures, in the province of Mexico, 
 almost exceed belief. Whatever industrial enterprise appeared likely 
 to interfere with the monopolies of the Spanish producers in the old 
 world was promptly interdicted. Every thing which Spain could 
 furnish must be imported, in order to insure a diligent working of 
 the mines, and a steady supply of gold and silver in exchange for 
 European commodities. 
 
 In the midst of these oppressions and exactions, pride and super- 
 stition still combined to impress all classes, of Spanish descent, with 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. I77 
 
 a reverence for the parent-country, which took the place of a natural 
 patriotic love of their own birth-place. "The only object," says a 
 writer in the Quarterly Review, "to which they looked 'up with 
 respect, was Spain and its monarch. The only subject of pride 
 which they dwelt upon with complacency was that they were 
 Spaniards. They believed (for it had been artfully and sedulously 
 impressed on their minds) that the king of Spain was the chief 
 monarch of the universe, in whose dominions the sun never set 
 and that France, Italy, and the other countries of Europe, were 
 tributaries to the nation of which they formed a part. The lowest 
 of the Creoles, if but a tenth-part of the blood that circulated in 
 their veins was of Spanish origin, would exclaim, Somos Espanioles, 
 with a tone and emphasis that bespoke a sense of the dignity which 
 they imagined to be derived from that nation." 
 
 The supreme authority of government was vested in a viceroy, 
 almost universally sent out from old Spain, whose acts were more 
 or less under the supervision of the Council of Audience. The 
 members of this body were also Spaniards, and in ;,i matters they 
 appear to have acted solely for the advantage oi the patrons to 
 whom they owed their offices, regardless of the welfare of the 
 unfortunate country over which they were established. The utmost 
 venality and corruption prevailed i- the procurement and retention 
 of every valuable office in the gift of the crown. 
 
 In the early days of the viceroyalty, some efforts were made to 
 relieve the miserable aborigines from the intolerable oppression and 
 cruelties under which they were wasting away; but the powerful 
 influence of the landed proprietors, whose wealth consisted chiefly 
 in tlieir slaves, rendered the provisions for this purpose nearly 
 nugatory. Being themselves subjected to the control of tyrannical 
 officials, in whose appointment they had no voice or influence, the 
 white inhabitants of Mexico were the more tenacious of their irre- 
 sponsible claims to the servitude of the conquered Mexicans. 
 
 Towards the close of the sixteenth century, during the adminis- 
 tration of Don Pedro de Contreras, sixth viceroy of Mexico, and 
 the first who held office as a servant of the holy inquisition in ihat 
 country, stringent examination was made into the conduct of the 
 corrupt officers of government, and severe measures werfi resorted 
 to in punishment of their iniquitous courses. At this period also 
 the power of the church was further strengthened by the operations 
 ofthe indefatigable Jesuits, who, with their usual zeal and ehertrv 
 Vol. III.— 12 ""°"' 
 
178 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 in behalf of their faith, commenced a regular system of instructing 
 the Indian population. 
 
 Under the government of Don Pedro's successor, Mexico suffered 
 severely from the depredations of the bucaniers, who ravaged por- 
 tions of the western coast and plundered the rich galeons freighted 
 with precious metal, or with cargoes of rare goods from the East 
 bound for Mexican ports. The names of Drake and Cavendish' 
 among others, were a terror to the defenceless population, who, from 
 the restrictions against bearing arms imposed by the government, 
 were prevented from opposing any effectual resistance. A galeon 
 laden with commodities from the Philippine islands, and destined 
 for the port of Acapulco, was captured by Drake near the entrance 
 of the gulf of California, and, after being plundered, was set on fire 
 and abandoned. This loss was heavily felt, as the restrictive policy 
 of Spain precluded any commerce with the East Indies, further than 
 the cargo of a single vessel in the course of a year. Such tyrannical 
 ordinances necessarily induced an extensive system of smugglintr 
 which was conducted, especially in later times, with extraordinary 
 boldness, by armed vessels from different European countries. These 
 illicit traders were often sufficiently strong to cope successfully with 
 the Spanish gtiarda castas, whose employment was the protection of 
 the revenue and the exclusion of forbidden traffic. 
 
 The year 1607 was memorable for the commencement of the 
 gigantic works by which the city of Mexico has been secured against 
 the disastrous inundations to which it was formerly liable. Enrique 
 Martinez, a distinguished engineer, was commissioned for the under- 
 taking by the viceroy, Don Louis Velasco. The waters of the upper 
 lakes, Zumpango and San Christoval, had been with partial success 
 excluded by dikes from overflowing the city, when swollen by the 
 rise of their tributary streams. It was proposed to carry off the 
 excess of water by a canal through the lower portion of the elevated 
 or mountainous region which hems in the Valley of Mexico. Some 
 fifteen thousand Indians were compelled to enter upon the labours 
 of this stupendous, undertaking, and the main obstacle, the hill of 
 Nochistongo, Avas tunnelled in less than a year. The canal was 
 finished, and might have fully answered its purpose but for tlie 
 imperfect construction of the subterraneous works. Beeomin"- re- 
 peatedly clogged and out of re[)air, it was abandoned for a series of 
 years, and the old dikes were rebuilt. In 1629 ifartinez was again 
 directed to open the canal. While the work was in progress, "this 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. 179 
 
 engineer caused the entrance of the gallery to be closed, in order, as 
 he afterwards averred, to protect his unfinished work's from destruc- 
 tion by an anticipated rise of water. "In one night," says Ward 
 "the whole town of Mexico was laid under water, with the exception 
 of the great square and one of the suburbs. In all the other streets 
 the water rose upwards of three feet; and during five years, from 
 1629 to 1634, canoes formed the only medium of communication 
 between them. The foundations of many of the principal houses 
 were destroyed; trade was paralyzed; the lower classes reduced to 
 the lowest state of misery; and orders were actually given by the 
 court of Madrid to abandon the town, and build a new capital in 
 the elevated plains between Tacuba and Tacubaya, to which the 
 waters of the lakes, even before the Conquest, had never been 
 known to extend." 
 
 At a subsequent period an immense embankment or dyke was 
 constructed between the lakes of Tezcuco and San Christoval, and 
 the gallery of Nochistongo was converted into an open channel, by 
 removing an enormous amount of superincumbent earth. To com- 
 plete this canal, known as the Desague of Iluehuetoca, and the dpm 
 wliich separated the two lakes, involved an immense expenditure of 
 life and suffering. In the words of the writer above quoted: "In 
 tlio?e days the sacrifice of life, and particularly of Indian life, in 
 public works, was not regarded. Many thousands of the nati'ves 
 perished before the desague wps completed; and to their loss, as 
 well as to the hardships endured by the survivors, may be ascribed 
 the horror with which the name of Huehuetoca is pronounced by 
 their descendants." 
 
 Little of general interest pertains to Mexican history from this 
 time until the occurrence of the events connected with the first rev- 
 olution. The resources of the country were still constantly drained 
 to supply the demands of Spain ; the bloody sacrifices of the inquis- 
 itorial system were enacted where in earlier times the altars smoked 
 ^vlth human ofierings to the Aztec divinities; and tyranny and mis- 
 rule only became the more open and the more insuflerable. Until 
 the year 1670, the warlike Tarahumaras made a stand against the 
 Spaniards, waging a desultory but vexatious war with the white 
 settlers. They were at last surprised and defeated through the 
 treachery of one of their own people. Ten years later a more seri- 
 ous revolt occurred among the Indians of New Mexico. With the 
 aid of the rude monntain tribes, they overran the country, destroying 
 
180 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OK HISTORY. 
 
 the unprotected and scattered plantations and settlements of the 
 colonists, and reduced Santa Fe by siege. The garrison and inhab- 
 itants made their escape by night, but the place was plundered and 
 completely destroyed. An expedition, sent out in the following year 
 by the Marquis de Laguna, then viceroy, found no enemies to 
 encounter, as the Indians had retired to their own quarters in the 
 wilderness. The only means which proved effectual in regaining 
 possession of the country was the establishment of numerous garri- 
 sons at various military posts provided for the protection of the 
 inhabitants. A force was thus constantly in readiness to meet and 
 ward off an unexpected attack. 
 
 Towards the close of Laguna's viceroyalty Mexico suffered unu- 
 sual loss by the seizure of the richly freighted galeons laden with 
 treasure for the old world, by English and French privateers. These 
 lawless and audacious rovers did not confine their operations to the 
 plundering of vessels at sea, but kept the towns upon the coast in 
 contmual terror. In May, 1683, Vera Cruz was seized upon by 
 Nicholas Agramont and his companions, who enriched themselves 
 with an enormous booty. 
 
 One of the most important events which occurred in Mexico during 
 the eighteenth century was the expulsion ofthe Jesuits by order of 
 Charles III. This zealous and powerful body of ecclesiastics was 
 highly popular in New Spain, where its teachera had so loner been 
 engaged in extending civilization to the natives, and in the exercise 
 of their professional duties among the whites. Whatever may have 
 been th« evils and dangers attendant upon such an extensive com- 
 bination of enthusiastic devotees to a religious cause, certain it is that 
 the conduct of the Jesuits in America was generally conscientious 
 and benevolent. The sympathy of the Mexican populace was in 
 vam extended towards the proscribed order, and under the vicerov- 
 alty of the Marques de Croix, the colleges of the Jesuits were seized 
 upon by the government, and their inmates shipped to the old world 
 only to be superseded by a more mercenary, intolerant, and selfish 
 priesthood. 
 
THE CONdBESI AND HISTOST OF MEIICO. Igl 
 
 CHAPTEEXII. 
 
 • 
 
 COMMENCEMENT OF THE FIRST REVOLUTION.— ITURRIOARAY — 
 
 HIDALO0.-FIR.ST OUTBRE A K.-INSURO ENTS DEFEATED BY 
 
 CAILEJA.— RAYON AND MORELOS.— CONO RE8S AT CIIIL- 
 
 PANZINOO.— DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.-RE- 
 
 VERSE8 OP THE PATRIOTS.— ITURBIDE. 
 
 The overthrovv Of the Spanish monarchy by Napoleon, and the 
 estabhshment of his brother Joseph upon the throne of Chirles IV 
 gave the oragmal injpulse to that independent movement which 
 resulted m the first Mexican revolution. Don Jose Iturrigaray who 
 came out as viceroy in 1803. distracted by contradictory order^ from 
 the dfterent claimants of authority in Spain, attempted to secur^ 
 himself by sharing the responsibility of making choice with a body 
 of he principal inhabitants, whom he proposed to assemble as an extra 
 or inary cmnicil. This convention was to be composed partly of 
 native inhabitants; and the powerful party of Spanish-born immt 
 grants immeduitely took the alarm, and endeavoured to check by 
 violence their first demonstration of independent action. They seized 
 upon the person of the viceroy, and sent him, a prisoner, to Spa n 
 
 The Creole population of Mexico had by this time begun to per- 
 ceive that Spain was no longer invincible; that, instead of being as 
 hey had ever been taught, the mightiest kingdom of the earth.^Lhe 
 was f s sinking to insignificance; and, for the first time, they b gan 
 to indulge hopes of freedom. It is to be observed, hiwever that 
 uponthe deposition of Ferdinand VII., the Spania ds in Me^'o 
 
 he actual government, generally favoured the cause of Joseph 
 ml acquiesced m the authority of his ministers; while the Creoles 
 
 retained their loyalty to the legitimate mona^h, and forwrrded 
 
 he.ont m Old Spam. Between the two races, the natives and the 
 Spanish immigrants, old feelings of jealousy and enmity now became 
 grea ly embittered by political differences, and in ISlo'a Z.j^Zy 
 
 1 r tTo/r^f " "^""'^ '°^ ^'" P^^^P^^^ °^ overthrowing he 
 autliority of their foreign tyrants. 
 
182 
 
 THE I'EOPLE'S HOOK OP H18T0BY. 
 
 A premature development of the plot only hastened the upriaincr 
 The secret of the contemplated outbreak having been communicated 
 to the government by a priest, who had learned the particulars hy 
 the confession of a dying man, the (viceroy immediately took mea- 
 sures to secure the principal persons concerned in the rebellion The 
 most noted of these was one Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, an ecclesius- 
 tic, residing near the town of San Miguel el Grande in Guanajuanto 
 llidalgo received intimation of his danger in time to avoid arrest 
 and, with the aid of Ignacio Allende, a military commandant at San 
 Miguel, instantly put himself at the head of a motlev force of Indians 
 and Creoles, and openly marched into the neighbouring town, and 
 proclaimed his revolutionary purpose. 
 
 A civil war ensued, which, for the ferocity and cruelty exhibited 
 by both parties, has seldom been surpassed in the history of the 
 world. The Spaniards were the first objects of attack bv the insur- 
 gents; but so large a portion of these were of aboriginal descent 
 and so reckless and unsparing was the conduct of the revolted faction' 
 that the Creole population, to no small extent, united in opposin-r 
 their progress. The city of Guanajuanto first fell before the rebellious 
 army, and, after a terrible scene of slaughter, was delivered over to be 
 plundered. The followers of Hidalgo already amounted, it is said to 
 twenty thousand men. At Las Cruces, the army of the government 
 under Truxillo, was completely routed, and nothing but an over- 
 estimate of Its defences Appears to have prevented Hidalrro from 
 seizing upon the city of Mexico. 
 
 After having encamped for a few days in the vicinity of the cani- 
 tal, he drew off his forces, leaving leisure and opportunity to the 
 viceroy for the collection and equii)ment of a formidable army The 
 royal troops, under command of the notorious Calleja, were soon in 
 pursuit of the insurgents. A pitched battle took place at Aculco 
 in which the artillery and discipline of the Sj^aniards more than 
 compensated for their inferiority in numbers. The Indians fou-^Lt 
 with their usual desperate courage, but after immense loss w°ere 
 compelled to retreat. Pushing on to Guanajuanto, Calleja wreaked 
 his vengeance upon those among the inhabitants who were supposed 
 o favour the rebellion, by a brutal massacre of men, women and 
 children. Thousands of these wretched victims, we are told, were led 
 into the public square, and put to death by cutting their throats. Hi- 
 dalgo s pnrty retaliated by the commission of similar atrocities when- 
 ever Spaniards or those of pure Spanish descent fell into their hands 
 
 I 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTOKY OF MEXICO. 
 
 183 
 
 In January, 1811, another battle was fought, at the bridge of 
 Ciilderon, near Guanajuanto, in wliich the insurgents were utterly 
 defeated, and their leaders with the remnant of their forces retreated 
 to Saltillo. Two months later, while preparing to visit tho United 
 States for the i)urpose of purchasing arms and ammunition for a 
 future attempt, llidalgo and his principal associates were betrayed 
 by one of their own number into the hands of the Spaniards. The 
 rebel chief had little mercy to expect from his captors: he was shot 
 in the month of July following. 
 
 After the death of llidalgo, most prominent among the revolu- 
 tionists appeared Rayon, one of his companions in arms, and the 
 distinguislied Morelos, also an ecclesiastic. A year passed away in 
 disturbance and uncertainty, but without any very important mili- 
 tary operations. There was no longer a powerful and concentrated 
 body of armed rebels to excite the terror of the friends of the gov- 
 ernment, but the seditious and independent spirit awakened by what 
 had already passed, was constantly on the increase. A junta was 
 formed at Zitacuuro, then in possession of the insurgents, in Septem- 
 ber, 1811, and negotiations were vainly opened with the viceroy, 
 Venegas, for the purpose of a peaceful settlement of the government! 
 It was proposed to offer the throne of Mexico to the disgraced king 
 of Spain, and to establish a government independent °of the old 
 country so long as the latter should remain subject, in effect, to 
 foreign dominion. 
 
 These overtures were received with utter contempt, and with the 
 commencement of the year 1812, hostilities were renewed on a 
 larger scale. After pushing his way triumphantly until within a 
 few miles of the city of Mexico, Morelos established himself at 
 Cuautla de Amilpas in the "tierra caliente," to await the expected 
 attack of the government forces, under Calleja. That energetic 
 ollicei-, after seizing upon Zitacuara, from which the revolutionary 
 council, or junta, escaped by a timely flight, and butchering a great 
 number of its inhabitants, marched against Morelos, and laid siege 
 to Cuautla. All supi)lies being cut oft', nothing remained for the 
 besieged but flight, as little was to be hoped from a pitched battle. 
 
 This retreat, which took place at the beginning of May, 1812, 
 proved but the commencement of a series of brilliant successes! 
 Morelos made his head-quarters at Oaxaca, and with little difficulty 
 extended his authority throughout the province. Acapulco was taken 
 in August, 1813. In the month of November following, a congress, 
 
184 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OP HISTORY. 
 
 consisting of the incmbors of the former junta, togctlior with 
 deputies from the conquered or revolutionized province of Oaxaca 
 convened at Chilpanzingo, and openly made declaration of thd 
 independence of Mexico. 
 
 The bright prospects of the insurgents were, however, soon clouded 
 Morelos, having undertaken an expedition against Valladolid, was 
 defeated by the government troops under Llano and the celebrated 
 Agustindo Iturbide; his bravest and most trust- worthy associates 
 in the revolutionary movement, Don Miguel Bravo, Galeana, and 
 Matamoros, perished in battle, or by the hands of the executioner- 
 and the new congress, like the junta at Zitacuaro, was driven from 
 Its temporary capital. Oaxaca waa reconquered by the government 
 The brave and devoted Morelos was taken prisoner, and shot about 
 the close of the year 1815. 
 ' From this period until the espousal of the patriotic cause by Itur- 
 bide, in February of 1821, however the revolutionary spirit may 
 have spread among the masses of the people, outward demonstration 
 was of little avail. The power of the royalists was established 
 throughout the greater portion of the country, and the military 
 chieftains who still maintained a hostile attitude, unable to unite 
 their forces, were content to maintain their position as best they mi-ht 
 m the different districts where they were stationed. In Ward's 
 Mexico, the following summary is given of the position of the prin- 
 cipal insurgent leaders subsequent to tlie death of Morelos- 
 "Guerrero occupied the west coast, where he maintained himself 
 until the year 1821, when he joined Iturbide. Rayon commanded 
 in the vicinity of Tlalpujahua, where he successively maintained 
 two fortified cami)s on the Cerra del Gallo and on Coporo Teran 
 held the district of Tehuacan in Puebla. Bravo was a wanderer 
 tliroughout the country. The Bajio was tyrannized over by the 
 ladre Torres, while Guadalupe Victoria occupied the important 
 province of Vera Cruz." 
 
 The officer last mentioned had done good service to the cau^e of 
 the patriots under Morelos, and in after-times filled the first office 
 of the republic. At the dark period of which we are now speakin- 
 he was reduced to the last extremity by the persecution of the royaT 
 ists. Deserted by his re^y remaining followers, and of too incorrupt- 
 ible a spirit to be seduced from the cause to which he had devoted 
 himself, he was compelled to seek safety by a solitary life in the 
 wilderness. He "departed for the mountains, where he wandered 
 
ether with 
 of Oaxaca, 
 ion of tho 
 
 3n clouded, 
 idol id, VVU8 
 celebrated 
 ' associates 
 leaiia, and 
 ;ecutioner; 
 'iven from 
 ivernmcnt. 
 shot about 
 
 56 by Itur- 
 ipirit may 
 oiistration 
 stablished 
 5 military 
 5 to unite 
 hey might 
 n Ward's 
 the prin- 
 Morelos: 
 1 himself 
 ininanded 
 aintained 
 >. Teran 
 wanderer 
 r by the 
 mportant 
 
 cause of 
 rst ofTicc 
 ipeaking, 
 he royal- 
 1 corrupt- 
 devoted 
 e in the 
 i^andered 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND HISTOKY OF MEXICO. 186 
 
 for thirty months living on tho fruits of the forest, and gnawing 
 the bonea of dead animals found in their recesses. Nor did ho 
 emerge from this impenetrable concealment until two faithful In- 
 dian., whom he had known in prosperous days, sought him out 
 uMth great (bmculty; and, communicating the joyous intelligence 
 of tho revolution of 1821, brought him back once more to their 
 villages, where he was received with enthu.sia.stio reverence, as a 
 piitriot raised from tho dead."* 
 
 The most interesting events of tho year 1817 are those connected 
 with the gallant but unprofitable career of Xavier Minn, a Spanish 
 adventurer, who, with a small force, espoused tho cause of the Mex- 
 ican revolution. After various successes, he was taken prisoner, 
 and shot in the month of November of the same year 
 
 CHAPTEB II. 
 
 ESPOUSAL OP THE CAUSE OP INDEPENDENCE BY ITURDIDE — 
 PllOCLAMATION AT lOUALA,— UNION WITH THE REVOLU- 
 TIONARY PARTY.— TREATY WITH THE VICEROY, AND 
 
 SURRENDER OF THE CAPITAL. — DISSENSIONS. 
 
 ITURBIDE MADE EMPEROR.— Ills OVERTHROW 
 
 AND DEATH. — POLITICAL FACTIONS, — 
 
 SPANISH ATTEMPTS AT RECONUUEST. 
 
 Uxpeh the viceroy alty of Don Juan Euiz de Apodaca, the sixty- 
 first Spanish governor of .\rexico, the prospects of the revolutionists 
 wore so unfavourable, that a convenient opportunity aiiiiearcd to 
 be presented for the restoration of the ancient system ')f absolute 
 tyranny. Certain franchises and a partial representation had been 
 secured to the people by the provisions of the constitution promul- 
 gated by the Spanish Cortes in 1812: in endeavourin- to annul 
 tliese privilege.., and to ri5establish the irresponsible and\i„ehoc-ked 
 power of royalty, Apodaca only hastened the final overthrow of 
 Spaiii.sh rule in Mexico. 
 
 Agustin de Iturbidc, as being a gallant and efficient soldier, and 
 tlioroughly fovourable to the royal cause, was selected to assume 
 
 « Mexico, A/tw, Siw,,ish, nnd Republican, by Enintz Mayer. 
 
186 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 the command of the western provinces, and at the same time to 
 proclaim the king's absolute authority, and to put an end to the 
 constitutional system. The views of Iturbide had, however, under- 
 gone a great change since his successful campaign against the patri- 
 ots; and he only accepted the high office conferred upon hin^ the 
 more efficiently to carry out his own secret purposes. These were 
 first made known by his celebrated proclamation, issued at the town 
 of Iguala, where he was encamped in the month of February, 1821 
 on his march westward. The "plan of Iguala," as this manifesto 
 was termed, contained, among other provisions, the following bold 
 and comprehensive declaration, as given by Mr. Mayer in his history 
 of Mexico: 
 
 "Article I. — Tlie Mexican nation is independent of the Spanish nation, and of 
 
 every other, even on its own continent. 
 "Art. II,— Its religion shall be the Catholic, which all its inhabitants profess. 
 "Art. III.— They shall all be united, without any distinction between Americans 
 
 and Europeans. 
 "Art. IV. — The government shall be a constitutional monarchy." 
 
 A junta was to be formed, under the presidency of the existino' 
 viceroy, by which a congress should be convoked; Ferdinand VII., 
 or, in deflxult of his acceptance, one of his brothers, was to be invited 
 to the throne ; public officers of every grade, who should profess 
 themselves in favour of independence, were to be continued in office 
 while banishment, "without taking with them their families and 
 effects," awaited npn-conformist officials; and in support of these 
 principles an army was to be formed, to be called "the Army of the 
 Three Guaranties," viz: "Independence, the maintenance of Roman 
 Catholicity, and Union." 
 
 Iturbide's little army of eight hundred men readily embarked in 
 his enterprise, and, marching to the western coast, he effijcted a 
 union with Guerrero and his insurgent forces. The revolutionists 
 throughout Mexico, with singular unanimity, espoused the cause of 
 the new popular leader, eager to secure independence of Spain upon 
 any terms, and hopeless of carrying out their designs for individual 
 liberty in the then present posture of affiiirs. Apodaca exhibited 
 no energy or determination in a crisis which called for vigorous 
 acti'on, and the Spanish portion of the population of the capital 
 seized ujwn him, and threw him into confinement, as being unfit for 
 his responsible office. 
 
 Ilis successor, Juan O'Donoju, found the great mass of the people 
 
ation, and of 
 
 THE CONQUEST ANBHISTOKY OF MEXICO. jgy 
 
 eager in support of Iturbicle Tint onnn^o f i 
 
 tions to th/Lro, for a ^^^^^^f^^^r^^^f 
 
 treaty; and a. nothing remained subject to Spanish doln' ^ 
 tl,e city of Mexico and the strong fortress SnTiTT; """''^^ 
 offers were accepted. The caoital ZT i '^"''" ^^ ^"°^' ^''' 
 
 September (182?), and a t::;'or^y^^^^^^^ of 
 
 proceeded to enter upon the duties ogovlnlj^^^^^^^^ ^^ '^^'' 
 met on the 24th of the ensuing February '°''°'''' 
 
 This body, composed as it was of conflipfincr «i 
 into great disorder. The renuhlin!! ''°"'°* "« elements, soon fell 
 
 archie' 1 provisions of^e ne'~ "2 "'f "'• '' *^^ ^"^"■ 
 no less opposed to any innovation ?'l • """"''''''^'^onalists were 
 
 away by enthusiasm for thrie 2' led a't TT' T^' ''"''' 
 elevation to the supreme authority The ll ^? ^'^^ '^''' ^"^ 
 prevailed, and by an irre^^ular anTvlnl . . ' ^"'^'^'^ ultimately 
 Lrbide ;mperor of Sexico demonstration proclaimed 
 
 his favour, - being the^j;;r;C':::'eSy^^^^^^^^^^^ T 
 
 ence of the nation, that, with wise and in • ' ^"depend- 
 
 might perhaps have gained ove^^ 1 ' enem rye""""rl' '' 
 ever, to be unfitted for power TT^iZTl \ . P'°''''^' ^'°^^- 
 decisions of the congress L^'n n f f ^''''^^^ ^^'^' ^he 
 
 to the throne, dissolved that bod v ^T,!^°'?^^^ '^'^ 1"« recession 
 own nomination. ^''^^' ^'^bst^tutmg an assembly of his 
 
 The Mexican people were ill-preDarPfl h.r o ^ , ■ 
 
 to submit to a mere change of tyrlnt '0!^^'''''^'^ ''"'^'^^'°"' 
 and soon ripened into open revo Gp. 1 n " "^"''^ ''^'"^^y^ 
 Santa Anna, who was go™ f Ver P '"tj '"^ *'^ ^°^^''' 
 officials headed the insurrection Til "' ""^ ""'^'^ "^^^We 
 
 -b, and in March, lS2S:i;^.2^:Z:: ::^^-' '' -'' 
 m a vessel provided by the members of tl ? ^ ''""''^'•>' 
 
 he had convened for the pur^re of . / T'' '""°^^^^' ^^^^^m 
 leaders of the new re.llufio f tooL 1 " "° ^ ' ''"^"''''"- ^^'^^^ 
 a^-^ Pr-:^ed to U^^^l^^:: ^^ ^'^ ^^^^ of Mexico, 
 
 on th:r 'o^srid r ks t^s :r^^" ^'^^ -^^^^^ 
 
 quickly reassembled, as a triumvir r* ^ '°"STCss, which 
 
 po'.e.. until the ««; coL ss \^ In" ^'T ^'^^"^"" ^'^^^"^^^^ 
 In October IS'^i thiTl l^r „ ''^ "^ ^^^^ following Au-^ust 
 
 ^ ^er, lS.i, thzs body hnally sanctioned the federal constiturion; 
 
188 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOEY. 
 
 which, after various revolutions, overthrows, and reforms, was 
 readopted in the year 1847." 
 
 The unwise and unfortunate emperor returned to Mexico in July 
 1824, in disguise, probably in the hope of restoring his fallen fortunes! 
 He was recognized, taken prisoner, and delivered over by General 
 Garza to the authorities of the province of Tamaulipas. In conformity 
 with a decree previously passed by the general congress, the provin- 
 cial legislative body at once condemned the returned exile to death 
 and he was accordingly shot on the 19th of the same month. 
 
 Upon the convention of the Mexican congress in 1825, the patri- 
 otic Guadalupe Victoria received the appropriate reward for his suf. 
 ferings and self-devotion in the cause of freedom, by being declared 
 president of the republic. At this period the party in favour of a 
 free federal government was completely in the ascendancy; various 
 seditious attempts to overturn the constitution of the previous year 
 had been promptly and forcibly suppressed; and so completely had 
 the power and influence of the old Spaniards declined, that they were 
 mostly removed from office, and their places were supplied by native- 
 born inhabitants. The last hold of Spain upon her immense North 
 American provinces was by her retention of the strong fortress of 
 San Juan de UUoa. 
 
 Opposed to the existing.constitution, and anxious to secure a form 
 of government less dependent upon the will of the masses, was a 
 strong minority, consisting mainly of landed proprietors, those con- 
 nected with the church, and others intimately associated with the 
 interests of these powerful portions of the community. The move- 
 ments of this opposition were centralized by the establishment of a 
 secret society, of Masonic formation, denominated the Escocesses. 
 A formidable insurrection, headed by Nicolas Bravo, who had es- 
 poused this side of the question, was quelled by the instrumentality 
 of Guerrero, without an engagement, although the insurgents had 
 gathered in great force, with the apparent determination to make a 
 desperate ciiort for the overthrow of the federal government. ' ' 
 
 Goinez Pedraza, the successor to Victoria in the presidential chair, 
 was, notwithstanding, a member of this obnoxious party. At this 
 iuncture it was confidently hoped, in Spain, that these dissensions i 
 between different factions in Mexico had so weakened the power of ' 
 the republic as to offer the opportunity for a hostile demonstra- ' 
 tion upon the coast. Such efficient measures were, however, resorted ' 
 to by the rej)ublic, that these attempts proved abortive. The Me.xi- ' 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. 
 
 189 
 
 can fleet, under command of Commodore Porter, of the United 
 States' navy, not only proved sufficient to ward off the attack of the 
 Spanish vessels, but succeeded in taking numerous valuable prizes 
 from the enemy. 
 
 An army of about four thousand men, under command of Gen- 
 eral Barradas, was landed at Tampico for the purpose of marching 
 into the interior, and taking advantage of the unsettled state of 
 affairs at the capital, to reestablish the Spanish dominion. This 
 force, much reduced, it is said, by the sickness attendant upon a 
 summer spent near the Mexican sea-board, was attacked and defeated 
 in September of 1830, by the republican army under General 
 Santa Anna. 
 
 Pedraza, being opposed in principles to the great mass of the 
 community, was unable to retain his position. He had been elected 
 by a majority of but two votes, and the leaders of the popular party, 
 feeling assured that their course would be sustained by the country,' 
 violently and unconstitutionally overturned his administration. The 
 chief of these new revolutionists were Generals Antoiuo Lopez de 
 Santa Anna, Guerrero, Montezuma, and Lobald, and Lorenzo de 
 Zavala, the grand master of the masonic lodge called the Yorkinos, 
 and opposed to that of the Escocesses. 
 
 After a season of sanguinary tumult, order was restored in the 
 capital. With the commencement of the year 1829, congress again 
 assembled, and formally installed Guerrero, Pedraza's opposing can- 
 didate, in the office of president. 
 
190 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOBY. 
 
 CEAPTEH III. 
 
 OVERTHROW OF GUERRERO BY SANTA ANNA ANDBUSTAMENTE.— 
 
 TYRANNICAL PROCEEDINGS DURING THE ADMINISTRATION 
 
 OF SANTA ANNA. — RESISTANCE IN THE PROVINCES OF ZAC-' 
 
 ATECAS AND TEXAS. — THE TEXAN WAR. — DEFEAT OF 
 
 SANTA ANNA. — DIFFICULTIES WITH FRANCE. — CIVIL 
 
 WAR. — SANTA ANNA REST0RJ5D TO POWER. — REVOLT 
 
 HEADED BY PAREDES. — HERRERA PRESIDENT. 
 
 Guerrero was not long permitted to hold the reins of government. 
 So disturbed were the times, and so unsettled were the minds of the 
 people, that it was easy for any subtle and politic intriguer to create 
 a popular commotion, and certain unwarrantable or injudicious 
 assumptions of authority on the part of the president gave opportu- 
 nity for the formation of a new faction, whose object was his destruc- 
 tion. At the head of this movement were Santa Anna and the vice- 
 president, Bustamente. Mexico was soon distracted by the renewed 
 horrors of civil war. The unfortunate Guerrero, driven from the 
 seat of government, defeated at all points, and a fugitive on the 
 western sea coast, was finally seized, tried by a court martial for 
 trea.sonably levying war against the republic, and shot in the month 
 of February, 1831. 
 
 Bustamente had assumed supreme power in the republic, but was 
 enabled to retain his position no longer than suited the views of his 
 more celebrated and able associate Santa Anna. This arch intriguer 
 was among the first to excite an insurrection against the usur^per, 
 and, although defeated in the first engagement, had so far gained 
 tire favour of the people, that he was enabled to bring about his ends. 
 Bu.-tamcnte was forced to yield, and Santa Anna, probably for the 
 pur]K.se of gaining over the party of the "Escocesses," restored 
 IVdraza to his lawful position of president. The politic and suc- 
 cessful general was himself elevated to that ofRce in May of 18-'!3. 
 
 One year later, the president, relying upon the adherence of the 
 army, and careless of longer cloaking his own inordinate ambition 
 for self aggrandizement with an assumed spirit of repnblicam'sm, dis- 
 solved c.ngress, and, nullifying the constitution, attcmjited to phiee 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOEY OF MEXICO. 
 
 191 
 
 the whole of the Mexican states under the control of a central mili- 
 tary despotism. Every province was speedily compelled to submit, 
 with the exception of Zacatecas and Texas. The reduction of the 
 former was conducted with great cruelty and ferocity. The inhab- 
 itants, after enduring every enormity from an unscrupulous and 
 rapacious soldiery, were disarmed, and compelled to submit to the 
 rule of a military governor. 
 
 The proceedings in Texas, both at this period and during the 
 more important and eventful campaign of the spring of 1836 will 
 be found more fully detailed in our sketch of the history of that 
 state. The Mexican army, under General Cos, overran the refrac- 
 tory province, and without difficulty broke up the legislative assem- 
 bly, and bore down for the time all opposition. The so-called "Plan 
 of Toluca," by which the legislative power of the separate Mexican 
 states was annulled, and a central form of government established 
 went into operation; but the Texans, instead of yielding to their 
 flxte, assumed an attitude of sterner and more determined resistance 
 A series of brilliant victories left them free from Mexican usurpation' 
 and the tyrannical president, a prisoner in the hands of his enemies' 
 saw his prospects of ambition blighted, as then appeared, for ever 
 In 1838 he had opportunities for retrieving his military reputation' 
 upon the occasion of the revolt headed by the unfortunate Mexia' 
 for the purpose of restoring the old republican system. ' 
 
 During the following winter, the claims of France to remuneration 
 for former injuries received by French subjects in Mexico, and in 
 respect to various other unsettled questions in dispute between the 
 two nations, were enforced by a hostile demonstration. The town 
 of Vera Cruz was blockaded, and the castle of San Juan de Ulloa 
 deemed impregnable by its :Mexican possessors, was taken after a 
 SIX hours' cannonade. Santa Anna's services on this occasion in 
 defending the town from tlic forces landed by the Frencli, are spoken 
 of in terms of high commendation. The loss of liis leir, by a small 
 cannon-shot, also served, so far as such a circumstance ^'nlH.t afreet 
 popular fe.-ling, to secure him a greater degree of symmthy and 
 lavour from his countrymen. 
 
 Bustamente was at tliis period president of Afexico. The success- 
 ful revolution in Texas, nnd insurrections in the eastern provinces of 
 toMhuila, laniauhpas, and Durango, and in Yucatan, disturbed the 
 peace of the nation; while the grievous burden of supporting the 
 heavy expenses of the government and the armv, aroused a -x^.cfil 
 
192 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOEY. 
 
 discontent. The president became unpopular, and weighty influences 
 were brought to bear for his overthrow. Santa Anna, supported by 
 Paredes, Valencia, and Lombardini, had organized a powerful party 
 and again aspired to the presidency. The outbreak occurred in the 
 month of August, 1841 ; the capital itself was the scene of action. 
 
 As described by Mr. Mayer: "For a whole month the contest was 
 carried on with balls and grape-shot in the streets of Mexico; whilst 
 the rebels, who held the citadel outside the city, finished the shame- 
 less drama by throwing a shower of bombs into the metropolis 
 shattering the houses, and involving innocent and guilty, citizens 
 strangers, combatants and non-combatants, in a common fate. This 
 cowardly assault, under the orders of Valencia, was made solely with 
 a view of forcing the citizens, who were unconcerned in the quarrel 
 between the factions, into insisting upon the surrender of Mexico, in 
 order to save their town and families from destruction." 
 
 An interview was finally brought about between the leaders of 
 the two parties, and the result of their negotiations was the " Plan 
 of Tacubaya," under the provisions of which supreme power was 
 placed in the hands of General Santa Anna, until a congress should 
 be chosen, and assembled to establish a new constitution. That any 
 really independent action could be taken by a convention of dele- 
 gates under such circumstances, was scarcely to be expected. The 
 dictator, perceiving that he could not carry out his original plans 
 for maintaining a central government, again dissolved the assembly, 
 and assumed the entire control of affairs, through a junta of his own 
 appointment. A constitution was formed by this body in 1843, of 
 a character widely variant from that of 1824, and little calculated to 
 meet the approval or acceptance of the people. 
 
 In the winter of 1844, congress having been convened, a large 
 appropriation was made for the purpose of a renewed attempt upon 
 the liberties of the victorious colonists of Texas. Before, however, 
 any eftectual measures were adopted for carrying out this project, 
 the opponents of the president, under the direction of General Pa- 
 redes, rose against the existing government. A year passed by, 
 during which the country was distracted by a contest between three 
 parties; for Santa Anna, having violated a provision of the new 
 constitution, by assuming military power without special authority 
 from the congress, had created new opponents upon constitutional 
 grounds. 
 
 In January of 1845 the party of Paredes was successful: Santa 
 
influences 
 aported by 
 rful party, 
 rred in the 
 f action, 
 jontest was 
 co; wliilst 
 tlie sluame- 
 netropolis, 
 y, citizens^ 
 ate. This 
 solely with 
 he quarrel 
 ^Iexico, in 
 
 leaders of 
 the "Plan 
 )ower was 
 ess should 
 
 That any 
 n of dele- 
 ted. The 
 inal plans 
 assembly, 
 )f his own 
 
 1843, of 
 culated to 
 
 I, a large 
 npt upon 
 however, 
 3 project, 
 neral Pa- 
 assed by, 
 een three 
 the new 
 authority 
 titutional 
 
 il: Santa 
 
Am 
 : the 
 j of tl 
 
 ancc 
 
 I ANN] 
 ! OP ] 
 TE 
 
 I Tm 
 
 i 1836 ( 
 
 : were fi 
 
 ; union 
 
 I point I 
 
 j and b} 
 
 March, 
 
 j success 
 
 I the ne^ 
 
 I Tliis 
 
 j indignr 
 
 I from M 
 
 I passpor 
 
 ments v 
 
 governr 
 
 Black, I 
 
 the pur] 
 
 Mr. Joh 
 
 mediateJ 
 
 Gener 
 
 opposed 
 

 THE C0NQUK8T AND HI8Tn«Y OF MEXICO. 193 
 
 Anna wa« taken prisoner while qndeavouring to make his escape to 
 the eastward and General Jos6 Joaquin^ de Ilerrera, being president 
 of the counc.1, suceecded to the highest offiee of the state, ii accord 
 ance with the provision of a previous enactment 
 
 CHAPTER nil. ^ 
 
 ANNEXATION OP TEXAS TO THE UNITED STATES—INDIGNATION 
 OF MEXICO.-SLIDKLL.S COMMISSION._rR,r,n,,ioNS IgaIN 
 TEXAS.-OENERAL TAYLOR'S MARCH TO THE RIO , AN . 
 -COMMENCE.MENT OF HOSTILITIES.-WAR DECLAR D- 
 PLAN OP THE MEXICAN CAMPAION.-BATTLE OP PALO 
 ALTO: OPRESACADELAPALMA.-MATAMORAS 
 OCCUPIED.— RETURN OF SANTA ANNA TO MEX- 
 ICO. — REDUCTION OF MONTEREY 
 I 
 
 ' mZ f "'^'!r'r ,°^ •^'^"'' '^'^'''^^' '^'y ^^'^^ «^^r since the year 
 I 1836 enjoyed the blessings of u free and independent government 
 ! were anxious to socure the political and commercial adv' iil rof a 
 union with the United States. Their independence of M lo ," 
 point fact, had long since been recognized by the United St^e 
 
 March 1840, the negotiations for annexation were brouoht to a 
 successful issue by the passage of a resolution, by con-^rc. admittL ' 
 the new state upon conditions afterwards compHed wYt^by Texr' 
 Tins measure, as might naturally be expected, excited the utmost 
 .donation of the Mexican authorities. General' Almont mi X 
 
 X^r^AU J::;r'^"'' ""^^ ^^ angry protest, dem^ndedtl 
 passports. All friendly communication between the two govern 
 ments was suspended until the ensuing October, when the 4x " . 
 g vernment, upon application through the American consu M 
 Black, agreed to receive a commissioner from the United States fo i"- 
 
 jZsri ir ^""^''^^'— g--t of the disputed q:5io 
 Mr John Shdell was appointed to this responsible service and irn 
 mediately proceeded to Vera Cru. on his way to the c^. 
 
 General Paredes had in the mean time organized a party of those 
 opposed to^a peaceful .ttlement, and so fonnidable L ^U^: 
 
194 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 of this movement, tlmt the Mexican ministry, prolmbly to propitiate 
 the tnalooritents, postponed negotiations with Mr. Slidell u[)on friv- 
 olous pretexts of irregularity in his coinniiHsion. At tlic close of 
 tiie following December, President Ilcrrcra resigned liis oflice to 
 Paredes, and nil efforts of the United States' envoy to oj)en, in 
 accordance with further instructions from home, friendly communi- 
 cations with the new government, proved fruitless. He therefore 
 left Mexico, leaving the jiurpoaes of his mission unaccomplished. 
 
 Under the military dictator who now wielded the destinies of 
 Mexico, immediate preparations were made for the reeonquest of 
 Texas. A considerable force was already stationed at Matunioras, 
 and thither General Ampudia was dispatched, in April, IS-K), with 
 a body of cavalry. Two thousand more troops were ordered to the 
 same station. 
 
 General Zachary Taylor, who had been for some months previous 
 stationed, in command of United States' troops, at Cor[)us Cliristi 
 having received orders to march to the mouth of the liio Grande 
 reached Point Isabel on the 25th of March ; and leaving a portion 
 of his troops to occupy a position at that place, moved up the river 
 until opposite Matamoras. lie there caused works to l)e erected 
 and stationed a battery which commanded the town. Generals 
 Arista and Ampudia were soon upon the spot, in command of a 
 large and constantly-increasing force. Upon communication being 
 established between the commanding officers of the respective forces 
 General Taylor was commanded to draw off his troops, as havifig 
 infringed the Mexican rights of territory. 
 
 Although, as has been truly remarked, the claims of Mexico ex- 
 tended not only to the district lying between the Nueces and the 
 Rio Grande, and traversed by the United States' forces on their 
 march to Matamoras, but to every portion of the revolted province 
 of Texas, the occupation of this tract by the United States has been 
 laid down by many as the true cause of the Mexican w Tin re h 
 some slight conflict of authorities upon the question of 'h* ■'!'. 'UA' 
 boundaries of Texas, but the weight of authority seepifi <c. pjint ,o 
 the Rio Grande as the dividing line. The Texans had always 
 claimed this as the limit of their territory since the time of the 
 revolt, and had included the dis])uted ground in their assignments 
 of representative districts. 
 
 Thai k -va3 ever deliberate! proposed by the Mexican govern- 
 ment io rdertake a war with so powerful a nation as the United 
 
THK CONQUEST AND iUSTORV OF MKXICO. 195 
 
 States for tlio pnrposo of miintnini.,ry ;♦„ 1 ■ 
 
 cliHtrict, ns <li«tL.tV,.om I^ "^ ' 1 7^^ '''" ""^''"'^'^^ 
 a rn ,. iiuuoimi sense of ipniry siiHtained l.v 
 
 the lexan annexation can,.ot l,e for a nu.rr.ent liieve d "t 
 true ongm o he Mex.can war." «a.ys Mayer, "was not this mu 
 of lay or an.l h.s troopH from the Nueces to the Hie Grand hZh 
 l,e debatable land: the American an.l Mexican troops were 2.t 
 face to fiux. by the act, and hostilities were the natural ro!u u 
 the exc, mK annoyances on the part of the Mexican gover u en 
 .Inch fallowed the un.on of Texas with our confederacy " 
 Ihe first encounter took place on tlm onu .r \ -. 1 
 Danv of United ^f,.f«=' 1 "^ ^f""''' ^'^"^n ^ com- 
 
 ( pany ot Un ted States dragoons, under Captain Thornton were 
 
 wnyhud wlnle out upon a scouting expedition up the river bin k 
 , n after some ght.ng. in which sixteen of tlfeir numW v 
 I killed or wounded were obliged to surrender. A «mall parw om 
 
 m..s,oned on s.rndar service, had been, previous to th s' ufoft' 
 
 taken prisoners by the Mexicans 
 
 GcLl Taylor-sUll^.r td tr:S :^' tll^^ C^^ 
 merely a. a check upon precipitate action by t e Me 1 :" 
 
 i; t v;"^''^^'' "■^' ""''^'"^'"" ''''' ^'"-'^^^« result T.:^ 
 
 out the Union op.mons were various, both in regard to the nZv of 
 Texan annexation and to the wisdom of tl,„ nie j olicy of 
 
 direct occasion for a ruptur Tut hen t Tl'' ^*""'' ^'^"^ 
 
 shed was spread through tL cou t t o' """ f/'r ""' '^""'■ 
 the honour nf fl.„ ■ ^"""*'.y. the general feelmg was that 
 
 fienor,! T,rt,r nf , f provinces wa, to be assigned to 
 
 Gu S -pac fic"'r' ''"" t"""'"""^" ''■^'^'' '""^ '" "-^ 
 lion in the wan ' "'' «"""•"' '"'"<*''"'» ^"^ "'"Po™- 
 
196 ■ 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOEY. 
 
 General Taylor, meantime, threatened as he was by a vastly supe- 
 rior force, in accordance with his instructions in case of emergency, 
 made a requisition upon the states of Louisiana and Texas for a 
 reinforcement of volunteers. He then marched to Point Isabel with 
 the most effective portion of his army, to procure provisions and 
 supplies for tlie forces opposite Matamoras. While this service was 
 being effected, General Arista transported his army across the river 
 to intercept the escort upon its return. He was in command of some 
 six thousand regular troops, besides a very considerable body of raw- 
 recruits. On the 8th of May, the day after its departure from Point 
 Isabel, the army under General Taylor, numbering only two thou- 
 sand two hundred and eighty-eight men, was encoun' . _ ■ at Palo 
 Alto by the forces of Arista. 
 
 Against such overwhelming odds our troops maintained their posi- 
 tion from two o'clock P. M. until night-fall. The Mexicans, havino' 
 drawn off their forces, a council was held, at which there was some 
 conflict of opinion as to the prudence of further advance. I^he o-aj- 
 lant commander decided, however, that the necessity for affordiii" 
 relief to the garrison Avas sufficient to justify the hazard of the 
 attempt, while the day's experience of the comparative efficiency of 
 the two armies gave reasonable encouragement of success. 
 
 On the day following, Arista was found to have retreated to a 
 strong position at the "Pesaca de la Palma," a ravine through wliicli 
 the road led, and which was almost impenetrable on cither side from 
 tlie rank growth of tropical plants and underwood, commonly called 
 the "chapparal." Notwithstanding tlieir favourable jiosition and 
 superior numbers, the Mexicans Avere unable to defend tlie pa>s, 
 Bi-oken and disordered by the lire of the artillery and infontry, they 
 gave way in mass before a charge of cavalry, and, retreating to tlie 
 river, left the way open for the passage of the army with its supplies 
 to the fort. The 18th of May saw INlatamoras in [lossession of the 
 American forces. 
 
 During the summer, which was passed by General Taylor in 
 strengtboning his position, establishing lines of communication, and 
 gradually extending his occujiation of the coinitry, an impurtaiit 
 politic.a change took place in Mexico. A revolutionary movement 
 in favour of Santa Aniin, then an exile in the \V(>st Indies, over- 
 threw the jiower of the usurper Parcdcs. 'ilie ex-presidciit was 
 allowed to pass the United States' blockading siiuadron by espro'S 
 orders from government, in the hope that his influence would he 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HisTOKY OF MEXICO. 197 
 
 exerted to restore a friendly communication between the belligerent 
 countnes and to cement an honourable peace. This nieoo nf f 1 
 
 smcc evinced by Santa Anna towards the United States has con- 
 nbuted to render .t unpopular. There can, however, be no doubt 
 but that the act was in accordance with what then appeared the 
 exigencies of the case, so far as information could be pro^rcd 1 to 
 he purposes and probable conduct of the able buf unpr ncrpled 
 leader, who has so lonsr hold t]m m^.„f • , ""punoipiea 
 
 history. prominent place in Mexican 
 
 In the month of September, the divisions under Generals Worth 
 nd Tayk>r, having penetrated to their future head quT ers te 
 l^alnut Springs, not far from Monterey, the capital of nZt 
 preparations were made for an attack upon this h ^ t- t ci ^^ 
 p ace was well defended by artillery, and the flower f the Mexic n 
 
 r 1 A^T ,, . "^° divisions to the attack of thp oit^ 
 
 f... : ■, -^ ^''^ enemy, who were enabled to fi.rlif 
 
 ..n covert, and whose artillery .deed the streets, c 'i„uedt 
 extend their occuimtion until night-fall. On tl,e '>9a th.T 
 troops^ taking possession of ti.e buildim. on ^l^rti^lfT'''""" 
 
 As tlie city was now virtually in the nower of ih. ■ [ 
 
 lie had gainuJ :m important post; 
 
198 
 
 TlIK I'KOl'LE'S BOOK () l<' ItlSTOKY, 
 
 his forces wore sUlI miiucriciilly inlbrior to tliosc of the enemy; and 
 from what coukl bo gathered from the reports of tlie Mexiean olfieorfl, 
 there api)eared reason to hope for tlie speedy establishment of a 
 peaee, witnout fnrtlier bloodsliod. A temjjorary armistice was there- 
 fore arranged between the belligerent armies. 
 
 SANTA ANNA'S C I[ A N (!!•; OP POLICY. — (I E N K U A I, SCOTT'S PLAN 
 OF CAMPAIGN. — 1) K P M A T OF TIlK MEXICAN ARMY AT IIUKNA 
 
 VISTA. MEXICAN POLITICS. CAPTlMiK OP V P 11 A CllUZ. 
 
 M.\lU'iI INTO TlIK INTPUIOR. — llATTI.li OP CKRRO 
 
 OOROO. — OCCPPATION OP PUKDI.A. — 0U.KR1LI,A WAR- 
 
 P A RE. F R U IT!, K S S N K (1 T 1 A T I N S. ADVANCE 
 
 UPON THE CAPITAL. 
 
 Santa Anna, on liis rotnrn to Mexico, soon perceived that tlie 
 views of centraliziitii)n which he had ever entertained must now be 
 abandoned, if he would nuiintain his position as a popular leader. 
 lie therefore })nblished his intentions to favour the fqderal system 
 and the reestablishnient of tlie constitution of 182-1. With an 
 aircctation of modesty and of. self sacrificing devotion to his country, 
 lie declined the acceptance of prolfcred dictatorial powers in the civil 
 govcrnnient, and avowed his determination to lend his whole ener- 
 gies to the duties of a military commander. After a most enthusi- 
 astic reception at the capital, and a prompt and ciu'rgctic response 
 to his rcipiisitions for troops, he established liimself at San Luis 
 Potosi, withdrawing liimself for the time from the political agitations 
 which distracted the city of Mexico, and spending his time in pre- 
 paring and equipping his line army. Early in the winter ol' 1816 
 his availal)K' force amounted to about twenty thousand men, and he 
 rightly judged that by eonlirming his military authority he more 
 elVcctnally secured supremacy than by mingling actively in factions 
 politics. He nevertheless accepted oilice upon his election to the 
 l)rovisi()nal presidency, which took jilace on the 2iid of December. 
 
 The L'nited States' government having ajiptjinted General Winfield 
 
jncmy; and 
 ican oll'icora, 
 hmcnt of a 
 ;o was there- 
 
 OTT'S I'LAN 
 AT IIUKNA 
 
 I A (MIUZ. 
 (! \'. K it 
 WAR- 
 
 NCK 
 
 c(l that tlie 
 lust now bo 
 ular leader, 
 oral system 
 AVitli an 
 his country, 
 
 in the civil 
 whole eiicr- 
 ost enthusi- 
 ic response 
 t San Luis 
 il agitations 
 iine in pre- 
 tcr of 18-16 
 nen, and he 
 ty ho more 
 
 in factious 
 !tion to the 
 DeconilxT. 
 •al Wii.liel.l 
 
L_ 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND HI8T0KY OF MEXICO. 199 
 
 Scott commander^n-chief of tlie army in Mexico, extensive prepara- 
 tions were made for a new campaign, to be conducted in accordance 
 with the views of that veteran chief. It was proposed to seze 0" 
 Vera Cruz, and thence to march direct for the capital. In cXctin^ 
 
 General Taylor's best troops were drawn off from the conquered 
 d>stnct on the Eio Grande, leaving the army of occupation in a col 
 d:tion me capable of resisting so formidaJe a forceCha eon 1 
 trated at San Luis, were there no disparity between the respective 
 armies other than that of numbers. ■i«'>pt;cnve 
 
 By the interception of a dispatch,' the Mexican commander-in-chief 
 in the month of December, 1846, obtained information respec^^l 
 he intended descent upon Vera Cruz, and it was soon known that 
 he was busily engaged m preparations for an attack upon the reduced 
 division on the Rio Grande. Knowing that he nLt prepare to 
 encounter an army more than quadruple the troops under his com- 
 Z''frV'''"' concentrated his scattered'regiments at the 
 Pass of Angostura, a point in which either flank waT protected bv 
 nioun ains, ravines and gullies impassable for cavalry, and s eely 
 
 at Agua Nuev., thirteen miles from the pass, under General Wool 
 to gain intelligence of the expected approach of the enemy. ' 
 
 huSr The litf " " "' 'r° '' ^'°"* ''^' *^— d -V- 
 
 skill and in so f T/ """"' ^'^'^''' ^'^^^^^^ ''^'^^ «"«^ "^'^^tary 
 skill, and in so favourable a position, that for two days Santa Anna 
 
 n vain endeavoured to force a passage. He came up'ln the Ameri- 
 can encampment on the afternoon of February 22d, 1847, and un i 
 n.gh -fal and throughout the following day' kep the Americ 
 constantly engaged. The astonishing result of this hard-fought b 1 
 
 vas cluefly owing to the admirable management of the L piec I 
 
 tt? 7Jrr' '^ '" '''''''''' ^^^^- P'-- On the nil of 
 u tai^;] commenced a retreat to San Luis Potosi, l^avin. 
 
 sustained an immense loss, and having witnessed the total fa lure of 
 h s attemp against the weakened army of occupation. The n in 
 of the neighbouring hacienda of Buena Vista has always since been 
 applied to d.s.nguish tliis memorable and important e, ^"1'; 
 
 S^ns " '?''"'"' °' '^' vice-president Farias, and the 
 
 re en Iv" '^'"•^''' f""''^ "^ ^^»--^ Pnvilegcs and emoluments 
 
 had recently been curtailed. Civil war was added anew to the dan- 
 
200 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 ger and anxieties attendant upon foreign invasion. At the close of 
 the ensuing month, the friends of the church carried their points in 
 congress : the office of the vice-president was annulled ; the president 
 himself was formally put in command of the armies—his place to bo 
 supplied by a substitute during his employment in the field; and a 
 new president was to be elected on the 15th of the ensuing month 
 of May, according to the provisions of the constitution of 1824. 
 Don Pedro Anaya was chosen as the temporary executive. 
 
 Meanwhile, important operations were in progress on the coast. 
 The main body of the American army, under General Scott, sailed 
 from the rendezvous at the island of Lobos, for Vera Cruz, on the 
 7th of March, 1847. Notwithstanding the overwhelming force 
 brought to bear upon the place, the authorities refused to surrender 
 trusting perhaps to the strength of their renowned fortress, or willing 
 to see their town battered to pieces, rather than permit the hated 
 foreigners to pursue their career of conquest unmolested. A can- 
 nonade was commenced on the 18th, from the ships lying off the 
 harbour and from the batteries planted on the land, which continued, 
 with little intermission, until the 2Gth, when the garrison capitulated. 
 The town was terribly shattered, and the needless destruction of 
 nearly one thousand of the inhabitants, of every age and sex, was the 
 result of the obstinacy or inflituation of the commanding officers. 
 During the continuance of the bombardment "it is estimated that 
 our army and navy threw into the town about six thousand shot 
 and shells, weighing upwards of 463,000 pounds." 
 
 The castle of San Juan de Ulloa was at the same time surrendered- 
 and a great amount of arms and artillery was taken possession of by 
 the victors: some five thousand prisoners of war were set at liberty 
 upon parole. The command of Vera Cruz was assigned to General 
 Worth, and the commander-in-chief, with between eiglit and nine 
 thousand troops, took up his line of march for the interior. 
 
 President Santa Anna, having now hastened to the future scene 
 of action, commenced a reconnoissance of the road for the selection 
 of a suitable spot for a stand to be made against tlie invaders. lie 
 decided upon taking a position at Cerro Gordo, where the higlnvay 
 enters the mountain country. 1'he locality is thus described hv Mr. 
 Mayer: "About seven leagues from Jalapa the edge of one of the 
 table lands of the Cordillei'a sweeps down fi'om the west abi'uptly 
 into this pass of the river Plan. On both sides of this i)reci])itou.s 
 elevation the mountains tower majestically. The road winds slowly 
 
he close of 
 r points in 
 e president 
 place to be 
 eld; and a 
 ing month 
 1 of 1824. 
 a. 
 
 the coast, 
 cott, sailed 
 uz, on the 
 ning force 
 surrender, 
 or willing 
 the hated 
 I. A can- 
 ng off the 
 continued, 
 apitulated, 
 ruction of 
 ;x, was the 
 ig officers, 
 nated that 
 ;sand shot 
 
 •rendered; 
 sion of by 
 at liberty 
 General 
 and nine 
 
 ;ure scene 
 
 ' selection 
 der.s. He 
 
 highway 
 ed hy Mr. 
 tie of the 
 
 abruptly 
 ri'ci])it(>us 
 ids slowly 
 
THE 0ON«UE8T AND U.STOBY OP MEXICO. JOI 
 
 .«d r„„gl,ly „l„„g ,1,0 «„„t M,, „,,i„,, ^,^^^ ^^^^ 
 
 o.i.e. side .,. -o,.,„,otC;:'ri:^;;*fx ■ " ;;" ;;:: 
 
 „„i,e »d ph,„gc dow„w„rdH S: i^-^^^S:, :t'''''''°';'';f •>»!» 
 
 ad" j:;::r;r„:ra";.a't;tixf rr-' -'"r "^ -'"'"^ 
 
 .l.ou,a,,dmonfeLl„»i;„A,r,rLLtTa:.:'T" ■■"'" '""f 
 an attack. The fan.ouB battle of Oorro G„T' t!, "" '"'""f '^ 
 
 centre and either flank h the f ' ' f , ."^ n""?™;'"^"'' "''"" "«= 
 on, batterie.,, and cond e L u w ove d, ?"/™".*" """"'■ 
 gave the a^ilant. a con,plete «o; i "'Z'!';, '" '"'f'"™' 
 onen, were taken, among whom were Ave .t "' '"'"" 
 
 hundred minor offleers JalZ !,T,..f ''''';.'""' ""•"'^ """ 
 submitted without re. toatr A^ tl e"h "T '"'"'^ "'■'"'""■"" 
 
 ->c, .hieh. with all i. .«n,ef;j:;:,i ,rs,.Zr;^f :? 
 
 Genera. Worth, and „„ the 2%°orti:' e s t!": , 73,;:'''" 
 
 =l^tt,:;rs;r:£H^ -= 
 
 of >ts dofoncos, and to tl.c arousal hyeZl n ' .^ t """"'"? 
 
 tbo natmnal hatred against the invudL A bin ^^'. , ^""^^^^^^ ^^ 
 
 in w],ieh savao-e cruStv on i}JT. i ^'°"Jy g"enlhi warfare, 
 
 attended the onward rnar .^^A « t" tl^ ''"''"^ ""^^'"■"- 
 ______^ '^^"^ '^^"y > ^^" J the maintenance of the 
 
202 
 
 TflK PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 garrisons and military lines of communication throughout the con- 
 quered districts. 
 
 While General Seott was stationed at Puebla, a negotiation was 
 opened, by the assistance of the British minister, between the Amer- 
 ican commissioner, Mr. Trist, and the Mexican president. Certain 
 violent denunciations in a recent decree of congress against any who 
 should propose or entertain any plans for the conclusion of a treaty 
 with the United States, rendered both the president and the legisla- 
 tive members exceedingly cautious respecting their movements in 
 this emergency. The negotiation proved entirely fruitless, but it led 
 to a singular secret correspondence between Santa Anna and the 
 American commanding officers. The former made propositions for 
 the appointment of commissioners to negotiate a peace, conditionally 
 upon the placing at his own disposal of a considerable sum of money, 
 and the promise of a much larger payment upon the satisfactory con- 
 clusion of a treaty. General Scott, in accordance with the opinions 
 of a majority of his principal military associates, consented to this 
 first payment— amounting to ten thousand dollars— out of a "secret 
 service" fund at his disposal, continuing meanwhile his preparations 
 against the capital. As nothing of importance resulted from this 
 correspondence, it remains merely a matter of curious inquiry 
 whether the Mexican dictator was really influenced by any other 
 motives, in his conduct relating to this affair, than by the hope of 
 private emolument. 
 
 General Scott's army, recruited to about the number of ten thou- 
 sand men, by the middle of August lay encamped at Ayotla, Chalco, 
 and in the vicinity, within the valley of Mexico, and upon the bor- 
 ders of the marshy lake of Chalco. Santa Anna, who had collected 
 three times this number of troops, had not been idle in preparing for 
 the defence of every available route to the city. The exteiit to 
 which arms and ammunition had been manufactured in the country 
 to meet the exigency of the occasion, and the strength and scientific 
 structure of the fortifications, ar.jused the admiration of those unac- 
 quainted with the resources of the nation. 
 
 After a thorough reconnoissance of the Mexican defences, the 
 American commander-in-chief decided upon pursuing his march 
 around the southern border of the hike to Tlalpam, or San Agustin, 
 where the road joins the great southern highway leading to the 
 capital. This position was accordingly occupied," little opposition 
 having been experienced upon the route, on the 17th and 18th of 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTORV 
 
 OF MEXICO. 
 
 203 
 
 the month. The Mexican commander hiboured under the disadvan- 
 tago of be.ng compelled to distribute his forces among the various 
 forfficafons on either of the four routes by which General Scott 
 might make a descent upon the city, and these posts were at such a 
 distance rorn each other that several days must elapse before the 
 mam body of the army could be concentrated at any threatened point 
 
 CHAPTEE IXI?. 
 
 "v'IrT:? 'V'' ^'^^^-«IS r^ANS THWARTEI. BY 
 VALENCIA.— BATTLE AT CONTRER AS.— SEIZURE OP SAX 
 ANTONIO.-BATTLE OF CHURUBUSCO.-NEOOTIATIONS.-' 
 STORMING OF THE MOLINO DEL REY AND THE CAS. 
 MATA.— OP THE FORTRESS OP CHAPULTEPEC — 
 EVACUATION OF THE CITY. — ITS OCCUPATION BY 
 THE AMERICAN FORC ES.— FIN AL MILITARY OP- 
 ERATIONS.— TREATY AT GUADALUPE HIDALGO. 
 
 Santa Anna, upon learning the movement of the Americans 
 hastened to collect the detached divisions of his army in Ze To 
 intercept the passage of the southern route to the eity^He took his 
 own position at the hacienda of San Antonio upon the main ro.d 
 and dispatched General Valencia to the defence of the llj oS^f; 
 practicable route, that by San Angel and Cayacan, leading by a mule 
 patl, across the rugged plain of lava called the Pedregai; and it 
 the base of the western mountain range ° 
 
 According to the arrangements of the Mexican commander-in-chief 
 a vastly superior force could be brought into action at either poh^ 
 where the invaders might attempt to force a passage; but his ph s 
 were disconcerted by the disobedience and obstina^v of is , ubo'i 
 nate. Valencia, in defiance of orders, n.oved southward w t h h i^ 
 fo ees, and erected works of defence at Contreras, or pldi rn" 
 between the Pedregal and the mountains; thus cutti . off coZu- 
 n.ca ion with the army at San Antonio, a^d renderin^lnfcomnv "l 
 nearly useless by the occupation of ground said to hav beeTp o 
 nounced indefensible by competent engineers. ^ 
 
 I he result proved the fblly of his conduct. On the 19th of Au- 
 gust, one division of the American army, unaided bv 
 
 eav 
 
 airy 
 
 or 
 
20t 
 
 THE rEOPLE'S BOOK OK ItlSTOUY. 
 
 nrtillory, forced n piissago over tli(< rough plain of Inva, nrul attacked 
 tlio Mexican fortiflcatioiis. Night caiiio on, with cold and heavy 
 rain, lu-forc any ilcciMivo rcsnif, hut on the next morning the works 
 wore Htonned, and a complete victory was gained by the Aincricians. 
 'I'lio M(!xican loss, of those who fell upon the field, or were taken 
 ]u-iHont!rs, was not far from (Iftcen hundred, and great stores of artil- 
 lery and small-arms, together with nudes, horses, &c., fell into tlio 
 hands of the victors. 
 
 The victory at Controras was hut the comtncnccmont of the bril- 
 liant achievements of the American army on this eventful 2()th of 
 Aligns!. Santa Anna, with a {)owcrfnl reserve, had np])roached tho 
 scene of action during the contest, but too late to offer any eflectiml 
 assistance. The works at the hacienda of San Antonio were forml 
 and occupied by a masterly movement of the division under General 
 Wocth, and the garrison of about three thousand men, in full retreat 
 towards the capital, was met, and a second time defeated by the forces 
 under Colonel Clarke, who had mado a circuit through tho Pedregal 
 from tlie western road. 
 
 At the village of Churubusco, on tho great road, hetweon San 
 Antonio and the city of Mexico, strong military works had been 
 erected. The convent of StNi Pablo, at that spot, was garrisoned 
 and strongly fortified; the bridge by which the road there crosses a 
 stri'am was protected by a "<.fc ik 2W7it;" and every thing connected 
 with the locality offered advantages for a stand against the invadinir 
 army. Little time was given to the Mexicans to collect and dispose 
 their forces at this stronghold ere it was attacked with the greatest 
 impetuosity. The hk de j>otit was forced at the point of the bayonet 
 and, aOer several hours' hard fighting, the convent shared the .-jinio 
 fate. A detachment under Generals Picrco and Shields had mean- 
 time been engaged in making a detour to cat off retr(\it to the cap- 
 ital. As the division of the latter approached the main road, it was 
 encountered by some four thousand of the enemy. A severe en- 
 gagement ensued, in which the fortune of the day was slill with tho 
 Americans. The victorious troops under Generals Worth and Pil- 
 low, after the reduction of Churubusco, continued to press on towards 
 the capital; and, falling in with Shields' division, assisted in tlio 
 punsuii of the fugitive Mexicans. The latter were now deprived of 
 every means of defence by the sontliern route up to the walls of tlie 
 city, and the ancient capital itself appeared already within the grasp 
 of the American commander. 
 
tul nttftckod 
 iitul liwivy 
 tlio workH 
 Airuiricriviis. 
 wvro tak(!ii 
 ro8 of artil- 
 ill into tliu 
 
 )f tlio hril- 
 111 2()tli of 
 (mclicd tlio 
 \y ell'octun! 
 vcro furcal 
 lor Qeucral 
 full retroat 
 ^ tliii forces 
 10 I'ed regal 
 
 twoon San 
 
 liiul Ik-cii 
 
 garriHOMcd 
 
 '(! crossoH a 
 
 connected 
 
 invading 
 nd dispose 
 lie greatest 
 e bayonet 
 
 1 tlH> f-anic 
 liad mean- 
 to the (-ap- 
 oad, it was 
 severe en- 
 il with the 
 h and Pil- 
 3n towards 
 tod in tlio 
 ?privod of 
 .'alls of the 
 1 the grasp 
 
• . " ».^;^.. Ji^~^T. 
 
 GENERAL SCOTT. 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOKY OF MEXICO. 205 
 
 On the 21st, as General Scott was already engaged in arrangements 
 for commencing an assault upon the city, proposals for an armistice 
 were received from the Mexican authorities. Willing to spare fur- 
 ther effusion of blood, and conscious of the extreme difficulty and 
 danger of entering a crowded city, strongly built, and still contain- 
 ing a large force of regular soldiery, the American commander-in- 
 cluef wisely consented to the temporary cessation of hostilities for 
 the purpose of negotiating a treaty that might end the war. 
 
 In the beleaguered capital all was tumult and confusion The 
 congress could hardly be said to exist, as many of its members had 
 already left the city. Intrigues and private animosity precluded any 
 combined and sober action, while an isnorant and infuriated mob 
 continued to cry out for resistance to the last. The Mexicans had 
 begun to lose faith in their president, and powerful parties were at 
 work for his overthrow. In the negotiations which occupied the 
 interval of truce, the American demands were considered extrava-ant 
 by the Mexican commissioners and their superiors, and the Latter 
 appear to have only sought delay, by means of which they micrht 
 in defiance of stipulations, strengthen their works and reorgaiiize^r 
 the defence of their city. 
 
 General Scott therefore gave notice to the president, on the 6th of 
 bopteinber, that hostilities would recommence on the followin<r d'ly 
 unless atonement were previously made for these breaches of °reaty 
 He received, in reply, but threats and defiance. The American gen- 
 era s head-quarters were fixed at Tacubaya, a few miles south-west 
 of the city, ai.proach to which from that quarter was intercepted by 
 tlic strong castle of Chapultepec, situated upon a hill, and by stron.^ 
 military works at the foundry called the Molino del Ecy,"and the 
 Oasa Mata, both occupying commanding positions iu the immediate 
 vicinity at the westward. 
 
 To force and occupy these all-important positions became necessary 
 before an attack could .safely be made upon the city itself lost in 
 cnse of successful assault, the enemy should have a stron-hokl 'for 
 rctieat, from which the divided and weakened forces of the victors 
 nnght iail to dislodge them. The plan of General Scott was to carry 
 what maybe considered the out-works of Chapultepec at Molino del' 
 Key and Casa Mata; then to make a demonstration upon the south 
 of the city; and, having diverted the attention of the besieged, to 
 storm Chapultepec, and enter the ca],ital from the south-west. 
 
 ihe roinlorced division under General Worth was accordingly 
 
 J 
 
206 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 placed in position before day-liglit on the morning of the 8th of 
 September. The attack commenced with the first dawn, and after 
 several hours' hard fighting, the object was attained. The fortifica- 
 tions at the Casa Mata were blown up, and the moulds and ammu- 
 nition at the Molino were destroyed. So remarkable an action 
 deserves a more particular account than we have space to bestow 
 Mr. Mayer remarks upon it: "This was a great but a rash victory' 
 ihe American infantry, relying chiefly on the bayonet, and expect- 
 ing to effect its object by surprise, and even at an earlier hour of the 
 morning, advanced with portions of the three thousand two hundred 
 and fifty-one men, to attack at least eleven or twelve thousand Mex- 
 icans, upon a field selected by themselves, protected by stone walls 
 and ditches, commanded by the fortress of Chapultepec, and the 
 ground swept by artillery, while four thousand cavalry threatened 
 an overwhelming charge!" 
 
 The attention of Santa Anna was fully occupied bv the apparent 
 preparations for an attack upon the south, until the 13th. So well 
 were these movements planned and conducted, that it was impossible 
 for him to penetrate the intentions of the American commander al- 
 though throughout the 12th a heavy cannonade was kept up a-ainst 
 the fortress at Chapultepec. The troops stationed at Molino del 
 Eey occupied a convenient position for following up any advanta^^e 
 gained by the operations of the artillery, and by them the assault 
 was commenced on the morning of the 13th. A portion of the divi- 
 sions which had been previously threatening the southern entrance 
 to the city, hastened to join in the attack, and tlie fortress was 
 stormed. About a thousand prisoners were taken, and the fu^ritives 
 were driven f.umultuously within the walls of the citv. NoUvith- 
 standing the rapid concentration of troops at the assaulted quarter 
 General Quitman forced his way into the city by the gate of Belen 
 early in the afternoon; and the forces under Worth gained a secure 
 position for the night in the buildings on the street of San Cosm^ 
 before the gate of that name. ' 
 
 On the morning of the 14th, intelligence was received, by a com- 
 munication from the civil authorities, that the capital had been evac- 
 uated during the night by the army and the officers of government 
 Promptly rejecting all proposals for capitulation, General Scott im- 
 mediately proceeded to the military occupation of the city Grrit 
 diiriculty was at first experienced in subduing the canaille of the 
 capital, who for two days continued to fire upon the Americans from 
 
L 
 
 THE CONQUEST AND niSTORY OF MEXICO. 207 
 
 places of concealment A great number of infamous wretches, who 
 had been turned loose from the prisons on the night of the evacuation 
 were the prmcipal actors in this murderous work 
 
 Of the whole force with which General Scott left Puebla, amounting 
 to ess than eleven thousand men, the number of those kil ed in ba uf 
 before the complete occupation of the capital is set down at thr e 
 hundred and eighty-three, and the entire loss, in killed, wounded 
 and missmg, at two thousand seven hundred and three 
 
 General Quitman was appointed governor of the city, and the 
 commander-m-chief engaged with great energy, though vith pru- 
 dence and moderation, in the necessary laboi of eonfirmin.^ or 
 estabhshmg some system of law and order. Santa Anna, having 
 summoned acongress to meet at Querdtaro, resigned the pr sidencf 
 to the chief justice Pena-y-Pefia, and with a strong body of c.v Z 
 pushed on to Puebla to fall upon the garrison in occupa'io 7Z 
 city He was there joined by General Pea, with sonie three thou 
 sand additional troops. The little band of the besieged suit n,'l 
 their position with wonderful firmness and success Itil" J 
 by the arrival of General Lane, with fresh forces from Vera C ' 
 This officer gained a complete victory over each division of the 
 Mexican army, the first, under Santa Anna, who had marched east 
 wanl from Puebla to oppose his advance, and the second under Pea 
 who had retreated from Puebla, and was in occupation of At 'x o 
 These ,,re the last important engagements of the war. The w"k 
 of reducing or aisbanding the bodies of banditti who still mainta n d 
 a guerilla warfare was successfully accomplished '"'^'^^'^^^^^ 
 
 In the month of November a congress was assembled, but such 
 ^v s the animosity of the factions represented, that no impomnt 
 action was taken. Anaya was chosen president until tZ " 
 nieeting of congress which was to take place in the ensuing J nu"v 
 
 1 ena y-1 ena, now ac ing as his minister, opened communiculH.n with 
 ^1 American commissioner in regard to the arrangement of a trel 
 Although he had already received notice from the United St' i' 
 
 s::;:;:::n^*r- ""^^^-^ ^^ --^---— 
 
 At ll,e January session of congress, as Hero was not a snmoienf 
 
 zt:^:Z:" '" 'r •" ^"°"™' '"^^^ """« be „: :,« 
 
 +],„,,. „„,. .,' o -^ " ^^^"•■'HtiiLiunai provision, as; 
 
 tlic vacant, presidency as chief justice. Commis.s[oncr,s havi.i: 
 
 jccn 
 
r 
 
 208 
 
 THE I'EOrLK'S BOOK OP HISTORY. 
 
 appointed by the Mexican government, a meeting was arranged with 
 the United States' envoy, and on tlie 2d of February, 1848, a treaty 
 was signed at the town of Guadalupe Hidalgo, three miles to the 
 northward of tlie city of Mexico. 
 
 By the provisions of this important treaty, which, with little alter- 
 ation, was approved and ratified by the United States' senate in the 
 month of March ensuing, the disputed territory between the Nueces 
 and Eio Grande was relinquished by Mexico, and the whole of 
 U]ii)cr California and New IMexico was ceded to the United States. 
 On the other hand, the exhausted cofl'ers of the conquered nation 
 were to be replenished by the payment of fifteen millions of dollars 
 vis the i>rice of ceded territory; Mexican liabilities for the private 
 claims of American citizens were to be assumed to the amount of 
 three millions two hundred and fifty thousand dollars; and the faith 
 of the United States was pledged to protect the northern Mexican 
 frontier from Indian invasion. On the last of lAfay the ratification 
 of this treaty by the Mexican congress left the belligerent nations at 
 peace, and the United States' troops were withdrawn from the country. 
 Perhaps in no instance in the history of the world has a victorious 
 invading army remained so long in occupation of conquered territorv 
 without proving a burden to the inhabitanL^^. 'J'iirougliout the 
 campaign the provisions for the army were mostly {laid for at fair 
 prices, and the only contributions drawn from the resources of tlic 
 defeated nation, with the exception of some very moderate imi>osi- 
 tions, to meet particular exigencies, were derived fi'om duties upon 
 goods landed at the sea-porls in our possession. These duties were 
 moreover, on an average, less in amount than those formerly levied 
 by the ^lexican customs. 
 
 The ex-))resident Santa Anna had, upon his own application, pre- 
 viously received his pa.ssports, and permission from the Arexicau 
 authorities and the American commander to leave the country. Ho 
 sailed for Jamaica on the oth of the preceding month of April. 
 General Ilerrera was soon after elected president of the republic. 
 
1 
 
su: 
 
 C] 
 
 1 
 
 E 
 can 
 
 oper 
 exte 
 detai 
 perfc 
 little 
 
 U] 
 
 ■the ] 
 
 pend 
 
 Gulf 
 
 by a 
 
 sion. 
 
 Calift 
 
 depei 
 
 such 
 
 As 
 
 assigr 
 
 Leave 
 
 Ilegf 
 
 ance, 
 
 able I 
 
 wildei 
 
 been i 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTOKY OF MEXICO. 209 
 
 CHAPTER IX?. 
 
 SUMMARY OF NATAL OPERATIONS.— COLONEL KEARNEY'S PRO- 
 CEEDINGS IN NEW MEXICO.— EVENTS IN CALIFORNIA- 
 UNION OF COLONEL FREMONT WITH COMMODORE STOCK- 
 TON.— KEARNEY'S ARRIVAL AT SAN DIEGO.— CAMPAIGN 
 OF THE COMBINED FORCES.— DISPUTES BETWEEN 
 THE AMERICAN COMMA NDERS.—COLONE L DONI- 
 PHAN'S SERVICES.— MEXICO, SINCE THE CON- 
 CLUSION OF PEACE WITH THE UNITED STATES. 
 — RETURN OF SANTA ANNA, — DIFFICULTIES 
 RELATING TO THE MESILLA VALLEY. 
 
 Having now followed out the more important events of the Mexi- 
 can campaign to the close of the war, we recur briefly to tlie military 
 operations in the more remote provinces. The field" of action was so 
 extensive, and so sparsely populated, that the adventures of the little 
 detachments of American troops by which tho.se operations were 
 perfortned, although replete with interest, had for the most part too 
 httle bearing upon the grand result to require minute detail 
 
 Upon the coast our navy had not been idle: besides its share in 
 ■the reduction of the imi)ortant stronghold at Vera Cruz its inde- 
 pendent operation resulted in the seizure of every port 'upon the 
 Gulf of sufficient importance to justify retention, and, in the Pacific 
 by a strict blockade, trade was cut off with those not in our posses- 
 sion To the unfortunate conflict of claims, upon the occupation of 
 Cnhfornia by the naval and miliary forces of the United State- 
 depending upon martial technicalities, and in the discussion of which 
 such infinite confusion has arisen, we can barely allude 
 
 As early as June, 1846, Colonel Kearney, to whom was first 
 assigned the duty of invading New Mexico and California, left Fort 
 Leavenworth, with sixteen hundred men, en route for Santa Fe 
 He gained possession of the capital of New Mexico without resist- 
 ance, and having recruited his force by the collection of a consider- 
 able body of emigrants, commenced his march through the western 
 wilderness. Receiving intelligence while on the road that he had 
 been anticipated in his intended military operations, he ordered the 
 
 V^OL. III. — 14 
 
210 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 return of the principal portion of his command, and pushed on with 
 a small mounted company. 
 
 That hardy pioneer and gallant officer, Captain (since Colonel) J. 
 C. Fremont, was the first active agent in the reduction of California." 
 In conformity with private orders from government, received in 
 ifa}', 1846, he hastened from Oregon for the Sacramento valley. 
 The American settlers in that region eagerly lent their assistance to 
 the overthrow of Mexican authority. Few as were their numbers, 
 this portion of the community made open declaration of indepeni' 
 ence of Mexico, early in July, and just before the reception of the 
 news of the opening campaign in Mexico. The revolutionary char- 
 acter of the movement was at once abandoned, and the insurgents 
 gladly devoted themselves to the cause of their parent-country. 
 
 The ports of San Francisco and Monterey having been occupied 
 by the naval forces of the United States, under command of Com- 
 modore Stockton, Fremont joined his forces with those of that officer 
 for the purpose of an attack on Los Angelos. The Mexican troops, 
 under Caatro, abandoned the city, which was occupied without a 
 struggle, on the 13th of August. In the following month. General 
 Castro, with recruited forces, regained possession. 
 
 General Kearney, (he had been raised to this rank on receiving 
 his last commission,) with his little band, after a wearisome and dan- 
 gerous march, reached San Diego towards the middle of December, 
 having lost thirty-one men in killed and wounded at San Pascual,' 
 where his progress was opposed by a mounted force of the enemy! 
 The command would probably have been entirely cut off but for 
 relief sent out from San Diego. 
 
 General Kearney and Commodore Stockton, after some discussion 
 as to their several powers and appropriate position in command, 
 joined forces, and took up their line of march northward. At the 
 banks of the river San Gabriel they encountered and defeated the 
 Mexicans under Flores. That commander rallied his forces, and 
 made a second stand at the level prairie of the xMesa. A second time 
 compelled to retreat, he proceeded to the plain of Couenga to oppose 
 the advance of Fremont. A parley was held between the respective 
 commanders, and the Mexican general finally agreed upon a cessa- 
 tion of hostilities. His troops were to deliver up their arms, and 
 durmg the continuance of the war, to submit to the jurisdiction of the 
 United States. The occupation of Los Angelos was resumed, and 
 California remained subject to the American government. Colonel 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF MEXICO. 211 
 
 Fremont, having been appointed governor by Commodore Stockton 
 became entangled in the-controversy between that officer and Gen- 
 eral Kearney relative to their respective powers and duties in the 
 occupation and government of the conquered territory. His loner 
 and wearisome trial, during the winter of 1847-8, "on charcres of 
 mntiny, disobedience, and conduct to the prejudice of good°order 
 and military discipline," notwithstanding its unfavourable result 
 appears to have left no stain upon his character, nor to have at all 
 diminished his deserved popularity. 
 
 At New Mexico, subsequent to the departure of General Kearney 
 one of the first objects accomplished was the reduction of the Navahd 
 Indians, who had assumed a hostile attitude. This service was per- 
 formed by Colonel Doniphan, in command of a body of mounted 
 Missourians. With this force he afterwards made his way to Chi- 
 huahua, and having forcibly taken possession of the country, contin- 
 ued his route to the Rio Grande. This march has been not inaptly 
 compared, from its exhibition of endurance, and the skill and pru- 
 dence with which it was conducted, to the famous "Eetreat of the 
 Ten Thousand." 
 
 The command of the forces remaining in New Mexico was at this 
 period committed to Colonel Price, upon whose energy and courage 
 the preservation of the province was soon to depend. A formidable 
 insurrection broke out on the 19th of January, 1847, after the 
 departure of Doniphan, which was not quelle^ without great sacrifice 
 of life. 
 
 The foregoing outline of the principal events connected with the 
 war between Mexico and the United States, although confined to 
 the leading incidents, may appear to have occupied an undue share 
 of our attention, when compared with the preceding sketch of colo- 
 nial history. The importance of the results of this war already wit- 
 nessed, and the still more momentous changes to which it may 
 probably lead, justify this apparent disproportion. Who can over- 
 estimate the influence upon the destinies of the nations of either 
 hemisphere consequent upon the extension of the jurisdiction of the 
 United States over the recent wilderness of California? or who can 
 offer a probable conjecture as to how long the immense resources of 
 this new state might have remained undeveloped under the weak 
 government of Mexico, occupied only by a scattered population, 
 born and bred in national apathy and want of enterprise? 
 Since the conclusion of peace with the United States the political 
 
212 
 
 THE PKOPLK'S BOOK OF HISTOKY. 
 
 history of tho Mexicun republic presents little of pcnnnnent interest. 
 No stability of govcrnmeiit 1ms been yet attained: a "Moxiean rev- 
 olution" has beeome a by-word: with crippled finances, a constant 
 change of rulers, unceasing diHafVection among diilerent factions and 
 provinces, and the decline of every source of national i)ros])erity, 
 unless by some unforeseen concurrence of events her prosiKicts shall 
 brighten, she must continue to decline until, as a separate state, 
 blotted from tho list of nations. 
 
 The strong arm, the subtle craft, and the iron will of Santa Anna, 
 have recently been once more brought into requisition, to regulate 
 and guide the disturbed affairs of the republic. If the same "confi- 
 dence could be reposed in his good faith and patrigtism, as in his 
 firmness and ability, no living man were better fitted to restore his 
 country's languishing prosperity. He has commenced his administra- 
 tion by prompt and decided measures for ensuring his own suprem- 
 acy; whether his foreign policy, particularly in intercourse with the 
 United States, is to be just and conciliatory, remains to be seen. 
 
 A new disi)ute has arisen upon a question of boundary between 
 this country and Mexico, which threatens to breed further di/lieulty, 
 unless the controversy be conducted in a different spirit from thiit 
 at first evinced by the governors of the contending provinces. The 
 tract in dispute is the Mesilla valley, claimed by the authorities of 
 New Mexico to have belonged to that province, and to have been 
 conseguently included in the district ceded to the United States at 
 the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, although by an erroneous survey 
 laid down as part of tho territory of the adjoining Mexican state. 
 
 The movements of both parties may perhaps be considered rather 
 precipitate, in a matter which should certainly in tho first instance 
 be made the subject of negotiation between the respective federal gov- 
 ernments. It is to be hoped, however, that the hasty action which 
 led to an armed occupation of the valley, may not so flir blind the 
 minds of the parties in interest as to make that a question of feeling 
 which should be one of right and policy; and that such action may 
 be taken in the premises as shall avert the monstrous folly of au 
 appeal to arms. 
 
CONQUEST AID HISTOKY OF PERU. 
 
 CHAPTEH I. 
 
 THE CAPITAL OP THE ISTHMUS TRANSPER RED TO PANAMA — 
 ACCOUNT OP FRANCISCO PIZARRO.— HIS CONFEDERATES 
 —HIS FIRST VOYAGE IN QUEST OP PERU.— RIE VOUS 
 LOSS AND SUFFERING. — HIS RETURN.— THE VOY- 
 AGE OF ALMAORO.— EXTRAORDINARY CONTRACT 
 OP PIZARRO, ALMAGRO, AND LUUUE. 
 
 The daring enterprise and indefatigable exertions of Balboa 
 stunulatod by the rumour of golden realms on the Pacific, south of 
 the sthmu.s, had laid open the way to those regions of conjectured 
 wealth and splendor. The grand schemes of adventure and ambition 
 winch had seemed to perish with him, were, after a brief interval 
 revved by one fully his equal in genius, courage, and endurance! 
 and, If possib e, his superior in fierceness, in rapine, and in cruelty 
 Francisco 1 izarro, one of the most renowned and infamous of 
 niankmd, was born at Truxillo, in Estrainadura, about the year 1471 
 He was the illegitimate son of Gonzalo Pixarro, an officer of the 
 faiauus Cordova, and at his birth, by a piece of inhuman abandon- 
 ment, was exposed at the ehurcli-door and left as a foundlin- Nav 
 It .s said that for some days the oidy nourishment he received i'^ 
 denved from a sow, which, in default of a more fitting nurse, was 
 provided lor his sustenance. He was bred up to the calling of a 
 swineherd, and never learned to read or write. It is from souls of 
 high natural genius, degraded in youth by ignorance, privation, and 
 unnatural Ignominy, that great criminals are most aptly made; and 
 the candid observer will bestow a portion of his pity on the forlorn 
 circumstances of T>iz..rro's youth, and a portion of his indignation 
 
214 
 
 THE PEOPLK'S HOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 on the authors of those circuin.staiiccs, which in great degree made 
 him wliat ho was. 
 
 At ail early agQ ho ran away from his ignoble charge, and niado 
 liis way to the Now World. Only occasional glimjwos are caught 
 of his career, but they are such aa reveal sternness, endurance, and 
 talent for command. Wo have already mentioned that he accompa- 
 nied Jialboa and afterwards Aforalos on their memorable expeditions 
 to the South Soa^ and that, at the command of Podrarias, lie had 
 arrested the former, and brought him to Acla for execution. Soon 
 after, the governor transferred his cai)ital from Darien, on tlio 
 Atlantic coa.st, to a site on the Pacific, called Panama, some distance 
 eastward from the present city of that name. In 1521, an expedition 
 had been dispatched to the southward, in quest of the region of gold 
 but it proceeded only a little way along the coast. The splendid 
 achievements and wonderful successes of Ctjrtea, however, sooii gave 
 a fresh impulse to adventure, and a few daring men, in the capital 
 of the Isthmus, resolved on reviving the neglected enterprise of 
 Balboa. 
 
 Of these the foremost was Pizarro, who, after a life of great vicis- 
 situdos, now, at the age of fifty, was cultivating a little estate near 
 Panama; Diego de Almagro, also a foundling and an old soldier of 
 fortune, was another; and Hernando de Luque, a priest, of an enter- 
 prising spirit, and provided with funds by a wealthy friend, brought 
 his important aid to the project. These three ob.scure and uninflu- 
 ential individuals, after several conferences, resolved on prosecuting 
 an enterprise, the magnitude of which, contrasted with the slender 
 means of its projectors, sufficiently evinces their boldness and energy 
 of purpose. This was nothing less than the discovery and conquest 
 of that golden empire, the existence of which had first been indicated 
 in the vague rumours of the Indiahs of Comagre, and which had 
 afterwards occasionally been confirmed by authority no more exact 
 or reliable. Two small vessels were procured, in one of which 
 Pizarro, with a hundred men, in the middle of November, 1524, set 
 sail, leaving Almagro to follow in the other, aa soon as it could be 
 made ready. 
 
 Crossing the Gulf of San Miguel, and following the coast, he first 
 entered the river Biru, and made a disastrous attempt at exploring 
 the marshes, of which the country ajjpeared entirely to consist. 
 Foiled in this endeavour, he again stood southward, during the rainy 
 season, through a succession of gales and thunder-storms, which well 
 
THK OONCiUEST AND IIISTOKY OF I'ERU. 215 
 
 nigli sent Lis frail bark to tho bottom. Tho sl.oro was still found 
 to coM«,st of vast swamps and intricate forests. His men, worn out 
 an.) half-hunished, were ehunorous for return, but tbcir conunan.ler 
 .efused to rel.n<iui.sh his project. Landing, with a portion of his 
 force, ho dispatched tho vessel, with the reuiainder, homeward to 
 procure .supplies. ' 
 
 Ilalfof his command soon perished from hunger and exjiosure 
 and the rest were saved only by a scanty supply of maize, obtained 
 from an Indian village in the interior. Tho vessel, after a voyayo 
 rendered terr.ole by similar .sulTering.s, at last returned with supplies 
 and took oft tho half-starvcd wretches who still survived. At their 
 next landing, Pizarro discovered an Indian village, deserted by tho 
 alrighted inhabitants, in which he found considerable gold, and saw 
 the unmistakable evidences of cannibalism. At another point fiir- 
 ther on which he called Panta (iuemada, he took possession 'of a 
 fortified vdlage, deserted, as usual, at the approach of the strangers 
 intending to despatch the vessel to Panama Ibr repairs. But a furi- 
 ous attack of the Indians, in which five of the Spaniards were killed 
 and a great number wounded, rendered the plan too hazardous All 
 therefore, went on board, and .set sail homeward-Pizarro with most 
 of his company, disembarking a little before reaching the town 
 
 Almagro, with the other vessel, and with sixty or seventy addi- 
 tional recruits, after great delays, hud set forth, before this return 
 and coasting southward, had touched at various points, wliore by the 
 notching of trees, he perceived the late visits of his consort. At 
 Quemada he also had a fight with the Indian.s, in which he lost an 
 eye; but had pushed on, making several landings, and seizin- con- 
 siderable gold, as far as the mouth of the San Juan, four dcorees 
 north latitude. The appearances of civilization increased, and fresh 
 accounts of the empire in the south continually reached him Finding 
 nothing of his j>artner, however, he turned northward, and rejoined 
 him at his quarters near Panama. Exultant in the prospect of real- 
 izing their ambitious project, each made fresh pledges to prosecute 
 the adventure to an end. 
 
 The countenance of Pedrarias had been secured, at the outset by 
 admitting him to a share of the anticipated profits; but, thoucdAhe 
 scheme now seemed more feasible than before, he obstinately refused 
 to contribute any thing in aid of the enterprise; and greedy for 
 pr.si.nt gain, relinquished his share in the future wealth of Peru 
 on receiving a boiid, with security, for the pavment nf a thousand 
 
216 
 
 TlIK I'KOl'LK'H HOOK Ob' II IS TO UV 
 
 p>:^sos (twolvo thouaaiul dolliirs). This iiuiubuH romovcd, "the threo 
 coiilodomtea mot at Paiiainn, ami with much form juui .solemnity 
 cxociitcil that momorablo contract for the spoliation md divinion of 
 tho unknown nmlm.s and treasures of the soutli. 'In the Name of 
 the most Holy 'i'rinity,' eon)men(!os this singular document, 'Fatlicr 
 Son, and Holy Ghost, three distinct persons, and one only true God' 
 an,l of tho most Holy Virgin, our l.ady, wo lorm tliis partnership.' 
 Neither VW.nrro nor Ahnagro could wHte, and their names, therefore 
 were subscribed by tho haiuls of the witnesses; wiiilo, tho mtu'o 
 strongly to bind them to its observance, thoy took tjath upon a 
 jnissal, tracing a cross thoroon, in tho name of God and tho Holy 
 l^lvaugelists. To mako all sure, tho worthy Father Luquo then 
 administered the sacrament, giving each a portion of tho consecrated 
 wafer, and taking tho aamo himself. So impressive was tho scene 
 that the bystanders were molted to tears; but all these ghostly pre' 
 cautions for amity and fair play eventually proved to be of no more 
 value than is usual where solemn vows and lengthy protestations are 
 used to cover lurking rivalry and distrust. (March lOth, lo2().)"* 
 
 CHAPTSB IL 
 
 S K X 1) V Y A (i |.; V r I Z A 1! I! A N D A I, M A (i I! . — T II l^, 1 1! S I' V r E II- 
 
 INOS— FKKSII l)lS(M)VKI!li:s,~. UKTl'liN 0\' A 1, M A (li!0. — Til E 
 
 KSLANIl OF (iAl.r.O— ItKSOI.niON OV I'IZAIiliO AM. TWKI.VK 
 
 OTIli;iiS.— TIIKIl! DISCOVVMiY OP I'M li l'.— ITS Tl! K ASU I! KS — 
 
 I'IZAIiliO lilM'AllIS TO SPAIN. — (JJiANT OF Till; CliOWN. 
 
 KETl'liN OF ri/.AliliO UITII HIS IliiOTHliliS. THE 
 
 T II I u I) F X r i: 11 1 r i o n r o r !■: li r , — ii \ t t i, f a t f v x a . 
 
 With the funds furnislied bv Lnquo, two vessels were now fitted 
 ont anew, nnd ellorts were made to enlist adventurers for the enter- 
 pnse. Some diflieulty was experienced, on account of the fatal result 
 ot tlie former expedition; but, singular to state, nearlv all the Mir- 
 vivors again enlisted, resolved to see it to an end, and" enough more 
 wore at hu^t enrolled to make up the number of an hundred and 
 ♦ Discovi'iLTs, &i-., ol" Aiiierica. 
 
le tlireo 
 
 'lemnity 
 iHioii of 
 nrno of 
 ' Futlier, 
 
 110 (u)(l, 
 
 icrshij).' 
 orofore, 
 moro 
 ujKin a 
 Uoly 
 then 
 ecratcd 
 scene, 
 ■Ay pro- 
 o more 
 ODH are 
 Hi.)"* 
 
 -T]IE 
 
 1- V 1{ 
 
 (it tod 
 LMitor- 
 result 
 ' siir- 
 more 
 [ and 
 
THE C o N Q „ E „ o „ ov P E „ „. 
 
 ASSASSINATED JDNK 2f,, ,541. '^' 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF PERU. 217 
 
 Sixty. AVith this insignificant force, supplied with a few }:orses and 
 hre-arms, the two adventurers, each in uis own vessel, again se saU 
 from Panama. ^^ ,tlu3ut touching on the coast, they 1 efd theTr way 
 to the San Juan, where, by plunder of the native villages tly 
 obtained a considerable quantity of gold. With this spoil ll'mTZ 
 .as dispatched homeward to allure fresh recruits; Piza ro, with mrt 
 of ,s force, remained on shore; and Ruiz, an experienced rH t p 
 sued discovery southward. That voyager found the shores po hi Is 
 and well cultivated, and gained fresh information of the wealth and 
 splendour o Peru, where gold and silver, he was told, wle Intv 
 as wood in the royal palaces. Having crossed the line, and ca.'ed 
 from an Indian hum two natives of th-^t i-,-,, i . i^ip^urea 
 
 pret^rs, he returned to .he etampleSr ^ ""' *" """ "' ""»'■ 
 IWro, during his absenee, in a march through the tangled forests 
 of the mtenor had lost many of his men from the attiteks of tl ! 
 
 '*::;.r"^ e' :r:,'irs-:rdTS"r r" f '-^ " -^ 
 
 con.e„ed to hury ...emi^rtW^lt'-s/rraTotdT 
 msurerable annoyance of the musquiloes. Itevived by, h™', rn 
 of Iiu,z and Almagro, (the latter with eighty reeruits Ul ev ! 
 
 iul tempests, approached the shores of Quito Here ,. T,„ 
 
 ;r t:^re^r:f v^tierr '-[ ^-^ -- -• 
 
 The .soldiers, dreading starvation in this desolate scene w 
 
 -3;^? sir ; rir'-'-'t °T-' vt:s.::::ss!a::3 
 
 Ihcir friend, d T "'""™'"''='-. wntriyed to send clandestinely to 
 
 inoe, no. only „f„°id !™ l^^te":; Sle fo '' vL'::: 
 but sent two ve«9ols ^^■n^.^r. ^ ei- "-^ihuinte to AJmagro 
 
 malcontents fntihiy'dit;? l":„T4;;s sSd'" tI"^' ""■'": 
 
 ""' °™"'' '^'°"' "-^l"-- -"•' privation ; but rizarro, encouraged 
 
218 
 
 TlIK I'EOl'LE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 by a letter from his associates in Panama, pledging speedy assistance 
 resolved to hold out to the last. Drawing a lino with his sword 
 upon the sand, he addressed the men in a lew words of harsh but 
 elucpient truth. "Comrades and friends," he said, "this side is that 
 of death, of toils, of famine, of nakedness, of storms and homeless- 
 ness; the other is that of ejiae: on that lies Panama and its poverty 
 on this Peru and its riches. Let each man choose what becomes a 
 good Castilian." Having uttered these memorable words, he stepped 
 over the lino to the southward, and was followed by Euiz and twelve 
 others— a number singularly great, considering the desperation of 
 the n^^olve. A more signal instance of hardihood or perseverance 
 is hardly to be found in history. 
 
 After the departure of the vessels, the little band of resolute 
 adventurers who remained, passed on a raft to the distant island of 
 Gorgona, and there, for seven long months, suffering great extretni- 
 ties, and sui)porting their spirits with frequent and regular religious 
 exercises, watched wearily for the expected sail of Almagro. But 
 the latter and his coniederate, after much delay and using everv 
 exertion, could only prevail on the governor to allow the dispatch 
 of a small vessel with orders to bring off the obstinate adventurers 
 wlu) had ronuiined. But on its arrival, they joyfully embarked, and 
 under the pilotage of Ruiz, at once steered southward. Crossing tlio 
 line, at the end of twenty days they entered the Gulf of Guayaquil 
 and behold before them the Peruvian town of Tumbez, backed by 
 the Andes, and exhibiting strong tokens of wealth and population. 
 The Indians, in multitudes, gathered on the shore to behold the 
 stranger ship, and numbers soon came off' in their balms or native 
 boats, bearing oilerings of fruit and several llamas, an animal before 
 unknown to Kuropoans. 
 
 Among these visitoi's was a Peruvian noble, to whom Pizarro, by 
 an interpreter, explained that he was come to claim the alle<'-iance 
 of the country in behalf of his master, the king of Spain, and to 
 rescue the people from the perdition to which their evil spirits, 
 which they called gods, were conducting them. However surprised 
 at this impudent announcement, the chief preserved an attitude of 
 discreet non-committal. A Greek knight, one Pedro de Caudia, 
 was now sent ashore, where he was hospitably received, and soon 
 returned to astonish his companions by the report ol' the treasures he 
 had beheld. 'J'he Temjile of the Sun, to which he had been conducted, 
 was covered, he said, with plates of gold and silver; and in the gar- 
 
THE CONQUKST AND IlISTOEY OF PERU. 219 
 
 dens of a species of nunnery, were fruits and /lowers, exquisitely 
 represented ,n the same precious metals. Overwhelmed with joy 
 at these weleome tu hngs the Spaniards weighed anehor, and stood 
 along the coast to eHect fresh discoveries. 
 
 They were every where treated with 'the greatest kindness and 
 attenfon by the natives, who, from their fair complexions and bril- 
 liant armour, gave them the name of "Children of the Sun "-their 
 own most venerated deity. Fresh aceour.ts of the great Inca, whose 
 capital, resplendent w.th gold, was said to lie among the mountains 
 and fresh evidcr.ces of wealth and civilization, such as stone house 
 and well-cultivated fields, continually cheered the spirits of the 
 adventurers, and convinced thcni that they had arrived at last at the 
 ong-sought region. After cruising to the ninth degree of south lati- 
 tudc, they turned northward, and bore the brilliant tidings to Panama. 
 
 face of these splend,,! omens of success, absolutely refused his coun- 
 tenance to any new expedition, declaring that "he did not mean to 
 deiHjpu ate his own province to people New Lands, nor to cause the 
 death of any more people than had been killed already; for a show 
 of Sheep (llamas) Gold, and Silver, which had been brought home " 
 t was therefore resolved by the confederates that Pizarrofhould sail 
 Spam and apply in person to the crown for assistance adequl 
 he eiiterprise. Furnished with fifteen hundred duea^ to aid h ! 
 suit, and bearing specimens of the production, of Peru, i^ the s«m- 
 
 Z l.e,!S ::u:r^ -' '-'''- ^-'-^ *^« emperorCChanes V, 
 Illiterate but eloquent by nature, he related his story, and pleaded 
 h.s cause with extraordinary effect. The sovereign, f is sdd w4 
 n^oved o tears by the recital, and his interest and cupid y w" o 
 powerfully awakened by the sight of the Peruvian treas re nd the 
 p ospec grasping the unimaginable wealth of that distant re'iln 
 
 to r;l:nd :;tl Tf""''/^''^' ^^^^^^^^^^ recommeiidatL:; 
 nl 1 . r "^'''' ^""^ accordingly, after a year's delay 
 
 u powe,, of discovery and conquest in a vast extend of countr; 
 
 weie granted to ,m, with the ofilces of governor, captain-generl^ 
 
 htd ? ''T'"'" ''''^'''''y' "^ '^'''' ^^-' vested in his 
 
 f W :. fr ^'•"°" "^' ^"'l"^ b-'= acknowledged 
 only by Hhght appointments. To secure the possession of these 
 cl.gnit.es and privileges, howeve, he was boun . .mn ^[^2 
 
220 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HiaTOEY. 
 
 time, to provide two hundred and fifty men, and with them to sail 
 for Panama. 
 
 "With all the prestige of his new importance, the adventurer betook 
 him to his native place, where many of his townsmen were found 
 ready to embark in the enterprise. Among these were four of his 
 brothers, of whom IlernaiKlo alone was legitimate, Gonzalo and Juan 
 Pizarro owning the same parents as himself, and Francisco de Alcan- 
 tara being connected with him only by the mother. All were men 
 of extraordinary courage and resolution. The requisite funds were 
 obtained with difficulty, and it is said that but for the opportune 
 assistance of Cortes, with whom, as we have seen, Pizarro became 
 acquainted at Palos, the scheme might have failed altogether. As 
 it was, he was unable fully to complete his stipulated armament; 
 and in January, 1530, with only a portion of the required force, 
 hurriedly put to sea, and sailed for Nombre de Dios. 
 
 Alrnagro and Luque, who were there eagerly awaiting his arrival, 
 were exceedingly angered and disappointed at the perfidious conduct 
 of their confederate; but he promised solemnly that all the terms of 
 the compact should be fulfilled; and, a hollow truce being thus 
 patched up, all betook themselves to Panama. 
 
 Yery few recruits could be obtained at that place, and early in 
 Januar}', 1531, with an hundred and eighty-three men and twenty- 
 seven horses, in three vessels, leaving Almagro to gather reinforce- 
 ments, Pizarro set forth to effect the Conquest of Peru. After a 
 voyage of thirteen daj-s, he disembarked at the Bay of St, Matthew, 
 a little north of the equator, and with most of his men, marched 
 southward along the shore, accompanied by the vessels. At an 
 Indian village in Coaque, which they took by surprii^e, these ma- 
 rauders got a great booty in g-^ld and emeralds, part of which Pizarro 
 sent back to Panama, as a'l allurement for recruits. The march 
 proved excessively sever -tlie sun, in these low latitudes, striking 
 with terrible power on the soldiers cased in steel armour, or half- 
 smothered in their thick doublets of quilted cotton. Several per- 
 ished on the way, and the remainder were much relieved by the 
 arrival of a vessel from the Isthmus, containing supplies and a small 
 reinforcement. 
 
 Tiie invading force finally reached the Gulf of Guayaquil, and 
 passed over to the isle of Puna, opposite Tumbez, where it encamped. 
 The people of that city came over in a friendly wa\', to visit them, 
 but the islanders, provoked by an act of hostility, gathering, to the 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTOKY OF PEBU. 221 
 
 number of several thousands atfnpl-P,l fi,« g • , 
 
 a .,..d„.con...a «,H, .He; rtfp^tXt IvX^/r 
 
 arms— a result attributed by the oietvof tl.^ ni .• .'"'^*^'^^,^"^^ "'^e* 
 
 e.„nhc™,.„,e. Michael wL^r:^:,^^^^^^^^ 
 
 angel,o ho*, %h.n,g i„ He air agai,„t a mul.itudnf d It 
 
 rt»o defeat wa, s.mu taneou, wiih that of the Indian,. I„ honZ 
 
 vo. .hse,„ent,, r„,ru jaftre:e:ti„t'' rsirCfgr-r 
 
 despite their losses, the islandpr* «f;il ^ ■ . ■ , , "S"*^'- ■^^"» 
 and'the Spaniards' hailed ^fhj^'hTl^r^r^^^^^^^ T'''' 
 
 under Hernando de Soto, the future inv.de o F.^i ^^^^ i "'"' 
 erer of the Mississippi. Thus stremtf ^ IP ^ ''"'^ '^"'°^- 
 
 to the mainland, and pro eed at on- 1 • ' '"' '"'^^'^ *^ '^^^^^ 
 the Conciuest of Peru '" ^'' ^'^''^"'^° undertaking- 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 in the refinements of social^^^s f:!^:;^ZZ oA,rV"^' 
 cans; but wide dissimilarities evi.hvl h\ , '^ ^^''-'''■ 
 
 - traces of a common r.n^^^ ^^ "'^^-"«. -^^ 
 
 between them, have been diseo^-er'd n ' ""^ ^-'^rnunication 
 given 1„ the old .Z^Z^ 1 s^X"^' '' 'T"''" '^ 
 evinces a greater de<.ree of o, " , '' repuhivo, and 
 
 tl^at presented of the ^ordiuLo ■^^'"'^T''. ""^^ ^"^'*"^*' ^'^^^" 
 
 is true that by the i " h l^fr f .T' ""'" ''" ^^^-'^-"--- ^t 
 no room was left for^n tiV fe'^ver,„nent of the Ineas, 
 
 of individual ;,>l;'7br^ 'T'^'T "^ ''' ^•'^ developmeni 
 
 -r the general U^L^nZt;^^!: ^^^^ ^ 
 
 - "P'li rmcnt. Agrarian laws 
 
— I 
 
 222 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 liave never been maintained for any length of time, except in Peru 
 where a yearly division took place of the portion of the soil not 
 reserved for the use of tlie church and the government. 
 
 The perfection and exactitude of this extraordinary system, con- 
 sidering the variety of races and the vast extent of territory subject 
 to the Peruvian monarchs, are almost incredible. It was unques- 
 tionably "the most perfect specimen of a 'paternal despotism' which 
 has ever been presented to the eye of the world. The inca was 
 absolute, and all the inhabitants of liis vast dominions did not pos- 
 sess the shadow of a right or law apart from his sovereign will. Nor 
 was this portentous assertion of authority a mere instrument of terror 
 produced only on state occasions, to overawe the refractory or min- 
 ister to the caprice of the sovereign. It formed an integral and 
 engrossing portion of the life of every man, woman, and child 
 throughout the Peruvian domains. Industry, food, clothing, shelter, 
 domestic relations, amusements, every thing, were under the direct 
 siijiervision of government. No one was allowed to be idle. No 
 one was permitted to suffer from want. Education, marriage, social 
 intercourse, wore all under strict regulation. In such a place the 
 subject must reside; such and such work, at stated times, he must 
 perform; at such an ago he must take a certain wife; and he must 
 bring up his children in a fixed and certain manner. 'The impera- 
 tive spirit of despotism would not allow them to be hiippy or miser- 
 able in any way but that established by l.iw. The power of free 
 agency— the inestimable and in-born right of every human bcin<r— 
 was annihilated in Peru.' ° 
 
 "Despotism, says a profound, but popular writer, may be borne 
 but the intermeddling of a royal busy-body is too much for human 
 nature. This rule, accurately enough applied to the sprightlier peo- 
 ple of Europe, may have its exceptions; for, strange to say, among 
 the Peruvians, this apparently vexatious systen. seems to have imrhd 
 ivell. It was indeed remarkably accordant with the gentle, industri- 
 ous, and custom-loving disposition of the races to which it was 
 applied, and few more pleasing pictures of rural quiet and tranquil- 
 hty exist, than those which are given of this people under its prim- 
 itive government."* 
 
 The curaca or governor of each district exercised a constaiit per- 
 sonal supervision over his people, making periodical reports to his 
 superiors of the most minute details of the labours accomplished, and 
 * Discoverers, &u., of Amorica. 
 
THE CONQUEST ^NB HISTORY OF PERU. 223 
 
 of the agricultural Vroductionq Tim no • i 
 
 ■oil w.,8 iMTsuea i„ l.e fact of nataral ' ?'" °""'™"°" "'' ""= 
 
 want of rain, which nevor flZo i„ 7 """^ ''■■"''■''" f''™ 
 
 for .he i.i.,a.io„ of .„: s:zv^rz::z:^ 
 
 channc. .lough .ho oZlTZi^-'^CiZZTT'': 
 inaccessible sidos of .he mounliin.w.™ • .'"""^'■P ""J 'llniost 
 wi.h luxurious crops oTZTZT Zu!'""^' "" """'■'" 
 pro<luc.ionsof.heeoun.ry. SrS 1 „r2 ' '^""'°''- ""^ °"'°' 
 
 b, .he use of guano f™ [he coastcts n':srb::ri::;i'r 
 
 .h:«:rrrasT2i,rrc,:r"V 'i '°"''""'° 
 
 nation was derived, and rhM, 1 jL ,T "* °f "f"'^ "'^ "'"•'° 
 i mal food used in Peru. TTeeZ nu.it ^'""T !"""'"" "'' "'"■ 
 of burden I<now„ in ,he eoun r ™Z 7 '' "' ""'^ ^"""' 
 I .he .ountoin, where .he;TaS;rd7„r2 7'.'°™° r°"« 
 care of their keepers and secure from 1, ,"'° f' °"''''"' "'= 
 for shearing. Afappointed;™ "hcTw:' drii:: i '"^ w" 
 .he fleece was secured, and a portion of r^ll rerlcdt r r T 
 were again set a. liberty. The fleece w„. „ c , ,^"'*™'' f""^ f"oJ. 
 .he people, to be ™an„todt.rcTI "t^'f/'''''"''"'"'' "™"= 
 entire disposition of this valuable ««^„l''-^ • "■°'""'' """' ""> 
 regulated by govern JLiiJr ™ '■"''•"''""^ •>»' ^"-"'^ 
 
 stored in extensive cMp ." rpo^ h J^ rjotT'T""' "'''"'' ""' 
 ties of provision were aeeunfuhte in ,h "'""'"■'"' I""""" 
 
 .naehi„..r/a:d t:,': sr^''^^ wh'oi:7T' "'•' ^"■" 
 
 ve.ed b, broad and eonvenientlgi:;:^: , 'r^- - 
 
224 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOBY. 
 
 which the most disheartening obstacles were successfully overcome. 
 The main road from Quito to Cuzco, and thence to the soutliern 
 portions of the kingdom, was led along the mountain ridges for a 
 distance estimated at not much less than tw« thousand miles. It 
 was massively built of stone, or hewn out from the native rock, and, 
 although only about twenty feet broad, afforded a smooth and easy 
 passage between the great cities, for foot-passengers or trains of 
 loaded llamas. The highway second in importance was conducted 
 through the level plains, parallel vath the sea-coast, and consisted of 
 an embankment, or causeway, lined, where the soil was fruitful, with 
 ornamental trees and shrubs. 
 
 All these public works, as well as the massive palaces and religious 
 temjjles, of hewn stone, seem the more marvellous when we consider 
 that the materials were wrought without any iron instrument, as the 
 Peruvians, like the Mexicans, had no harder tools than those manu- 
 factured from an alloy of copper and tin. 
 
 It may be readily perceived what immense facilities were afforded 
 for military opei'ations by these roads, and by the granaries which 
 were built and stored at regular intervals throughout the routes. The 
 government pursued a warlike policy towards neighbouring nations, 
 and the successes of the Peruvian armies resulted in vast additions 
 to the empire. Wlien a province was subdued, the first steps taken 
 were to introduce the national worship of the Sun, to establish the 
 laws of Peru, giving to the conquered people equal privileges with 
 their conquerors, and to introduce colonies of Peruvians into the 
 new country, by whose association and example the natives mifrlit 
 the sooner perceive the advantages of quietly submitting to the des- 
 potic but paternal care of the inca. The native nobies and governors 
 were often continued in oflice, and conciliated by favours and lion- 
 ours, and a decent respect was })aid to the religious belief and pop- 
 ular usages of the newly-acquired territory. 
 
 In the conduct of the complicated machinery of government, ref- 
 ularity and precision were maintained by a sj)ecics of record, crude 
 indeed, as compared with a written language, but ingenious, and 
 well adapted to secure accuracy in numerical computations. This 
 was the "quipu," which consisted simply of a series of Variously 
 coloured threads, attached at regular intervals to a cord. Knots tied 
 in these threads, according to a certain prescribed order, sup])lied all 
 the requisite means for registering the pojnilation of the country, the 
 births, deaths, and marriages, the public resources, the revenue, and 
 
TIIKC0NQUK8T AND HISTORY OF PERU 
 oven a clironological liistory of the emi)iro Ar^ 
 
 ti.o,c vc.,,„j in .,,„ an,,„^vi„:„ r:;2™r,r'«'"''«p' 
 
 cultivable lands was sequestered Jthe u o ot th"/ f ,"' "" 
 ample revenue was furnislied for ti« * "^ '=''"''°^'' '''' 
 
 of Ihe most magnifieerelt td Th" "'" '"' ^'"^"'"^"* 
 priesthood. Chief amon^ thishor ^ T^'^"'' "^ ^ ""^«''°»« 
 Leendants from tlTr yal lei ^st^^^^^ '" V '^' "^"^^'^ ^' 
 ciated personal,, on grei aTd t lte""„f"-'^' ^'l^ ««^- 
 objects of adoration were the sun and thT« i- ' ^"""'P''^^ 
 stars; but we are told that beti Z'tl ^^^ ^^^o^dmate moon and 
 
 and ;„perior to t'em a^ tt GoV^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 invisible ereator of all d;i " i\lt7T ""'' "'°^^' "' ''^' 
 
 ancient date, standing in rXLart/'^ V-""''' *^"P'^' «^ 
 devoted ; but for various reaso.^l 1 ; P''''"* '"^ °^ ^""«' >^a« 
 orthe religion of ri^Jt^^^ :^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 a theology more ancient than the date of thlTr o '"''"■l"' "^ 
 
 writers give minute and tedious deser nt on r P "^"''''- ^""'^^ 
 rites and ceremonies, details ^^TL^^rZTJlT' 
 ineamng and origin are no longer to b! asee" ed' "" '"* ^'^" 
 
 The national traditions concerning ihf^ nnn. 
 gress of civilization in Peru throwTiftl! l Z "'''''^'''' "^'^ P^^ 
 tion. The mythoWical 7ol.nT p . ^^ ' ''P^" "^"^'^^'^ «P««»la- 
 Capac. a chil'd ofX L^S;: tifT '' ''^ T"^^ ^^"- 
 Uuaco, was said to have f m Sted T e . '"'" .^^"' ^^"^ 
 and taught the arts of a^ricritre and 1 f f '^ «>-"i-^tion, 
 
 inl-abitunts of the vale oTcuzco T "''''f'''^''' '^ the barbarous 
 
 «toclcasd,stinctasrol iblewlha "oftrr '""7^ ^'^ ^^^^^ 
 in later times, always married 1.1; *^^", f "^'"^"'''Ity, the inca, 
 
 ..on was stritly P^^St^Ln ^^^^or ::nr"^^"^^^ 
 Yupunqui, father to IZv! r '"'' 7'*^ '^'^ '^'^n of Topa Inca 
 
 ti- of\; first spi:i:r;^^^^^^^^^ ^^-- - the 
 
 America. Under these t.wn w^j ,^' ZlJl T t"" '°'''^* "^ ^^^^^ 
 
 warlike monarchs the Peruvian territorv 
 
 III. 
 
 -Jo 
 
228 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OK HISTOKY. 
 
 wns extended from i\w. country of tlio unconquerftblo Araucanians 
 in southern Chili, to the nortliern confines of modern Kquador. The 
 latter province was subdued by lluayna Capac, who established 
 himself at Quito, its ancient capital, and formed a connection with 
 the daughter of its last native prince. He died about a year after 
 the first expedition of Pizarro, and by tlie regular laws of descent 
 his whole dominions should have passed to his legitimate son, Iluas- 
 car. ' Atahuallpa, his son by the princess of Quito, possessed, how- 
 ever, so strong a hold upon his affections, that he had determined to 
 bestow upon him that portion which had belonged to his maternal 
 ancestors. 
 
 The two princes commenced their reigns with favourable auspices 
 for long-continued peace, but, in the course of a few years, mutual 
 jealousies and encroachments involved the country in a fierce civil 
 war. Atahuallpa marched for the ancient capital of tlie incas, deter- 
 mined, if possible, to dethrone his brother, and constitute himself solo 
 monarch of the Peruvian empire. At Ambato, near the great moun- 
 tain Chimborazo, only sixty miles from Quito, he was encountered 
 by the forces of Iluascar, and a severe engagement ensued. Atahu- 
 allpa was completely successful, and having annihilated his oppo- 
 nents, pressed on to the southward, wreaking terrible vengeance on 
 the revolted province of Cafiaris. 
 
 Another great and decisive battle was fought in the vicinity of 
 Cuzco, and the unfortunate Iluascar found himself stripped of his 
 kingdom, and a prisoner in the hands of his rival. The successful 
 invader established himself in the village of Caxamalca, the modern 
 Caxamarca, where he still held his court when Pizarro landed on the 
 Peruvian coast. Although he had no open opponent to his schemes 
 of aggrandizement, the whole country was necessarily in an unsettled 
 state, and he was in no condition to make a successful defence against 
 the handful of fierce and warlike adventurers who came to lay waste 
 his territory, and deprive him of power, liberty, and life. 
 
 The remainder of the native history of Peru is but a mournful detail 
 of the effects of foreign oppression, cruelty, and avarice. On several 
 occasions the miserable aborigines, reduced and degraded as tliey 
 were by ages of cruelty and oppression, rose against their enslavers, 
 and fought for their liberty with all the courage of desperation. As 
 late as the year 1781, one Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui, a lineal 
 descendant of the old line of incas, headed a formidable insurrection 
 against the Spanish authorities. The numbers of both races who 
 
TIIKCONQirKST AND HISTORY OK PERU. 227 
 
 perished in this civil wiir bpfnrfl flm ,.«^., »• „ , 
 
 ally „„w„ „, Tupac A™.,, .h„ ,^.„,„t ; h « "1 r'T' 
 wa. ,i„„,l, ukcn prisoner, and w„ puu'icl, ,„ Sd 1'^ ,7''^' 
 
 CHAPTER I?. 
 
 P U A R R L A N D 8 A T T r w u D ■/ 
 
 ».S»F» THE AM.S^Zr^;" "";"»""« '"*- 
 
 HISHE8BRVE.— STUKNOTH OP THE 
 
 PERUVIANS. 
 
 A P»rt,of I„i„. ave ,;;l::V„ : :e;wt:tt'"°''"''°'• 
 r«l,imated, it is said, by a note writi™ nlT , P°" '""■" 
 
 oo.n^...at it eoL. re\r a^^r r t::Let i^ ^^^^^ 
 
 ated by gentle treatment i f ^^'' '^^"^"^ ^« ^""'''ili- 
 
 wasm'd?i:th n^ proclarnation, at every village, 
 
 the emperor and the pon^ ^'^^^^^^^^^^ '""^ eccles,,.st,cal supremacy of 
 ing a word of the rnvX^l " '?'' *^^""°'^ ""* comprehend- 
 
 consent, werfdulyeZ d^^^^^^^^ their silence being held for 
 
 leagues south of Tumb .5 ^ "Tj "' "'^"^ ^' ^P'^'"' Tln'rty 
 of his vow San Mirelnnl T 'V'^' "''^'"^^' ^" ^"^^^"^^"t 
 region, distritlS I 'n^tr s^:f , "^'T '' '^ '^"^"^"'"°^ 
 assigned was. "that it wouTd rfdtndr H '% n^^' ^""°" 
 
 - of the natives themselve^" / '" *' "';['?;' ^°'' f "^^^ 
 tain the settlers, and that tl.o Pi,.- r ■ , ' '^^ ""°^* «"^- 
 
 our Holy Faith" Con!; ilnir',""'"''' 'ndoctrinate them in 
 
 the troops. Srro ': i^Uhff to '1 f ,^-" -^^'-^ ^y 
 1 i.uaaea them to send back to Panama, as a 
 
228 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOBT. 
 
 means of enticing fresh volunteers to share the arduous enterprise 
 in which they were engaged. 
 
 In this marcli lie had learned much of the state of the country, 
 and the reports of its wealth had been confirmed beyond all reason- 
 able doubt. He now resolved to set forth on a visit to the Inca 
 Atahuallpa, probably with no definite ideas of immediate conquest, 
 but from eager desire to behold the extraordinary state and riches, 
 with glimpses of which his imagination had been so long- inflamed. 
 Leaving a small garrison at San Miguel, on the 24th of September, 
 with the Vemoinder of his little army, he set forth in quest of the 
 distant and unknown capital of the Peruvian monarch. After a 
 march of five days through a most beautiful country, cultivated with 
 the perfection of agricultural skill, he halted, and with politic bold- 
 ness, invited all who were averse to the expedition to return. Only 
 nine accepted the offer, and the rest, by declining it, were irrevoca- 
 bly pledged to prosecute the adventure. With an hundred and sixty- 
 eight men, a third of whom were cavalry, he continued his march 
 to the mountains. 
 
 At a place called Zaran, he halted for a week, and dispatched De 
 Soto to a Peruvian military post, further on. That officer, on his 
 return, was accompanied by an emissary from the inca himself, bear- 
 ing presents for the Spanish general, and a friendly message, inviting 
 him to court. By the aid of interpreters much civility was exchanged, 
 and a courteous answer Avas dispatched to the Peruvian court. A 
 few days' march brought the Spaniards to the foot of the Andes, 
 behind which, at the town of Caxamalca, they were informed, Ata- 
 huallpa, with his army, lay encamped. 
 
 An easy and level road, leading to Cuzco, the Indian capital, con- 
 trasted with the terrors of the ascent, and the dangers which might 
 lie beyond, caused many of the soldiers to waver in their resolution; 
 but Pizarro, with his customary eloquence, urged them on, entreat- 
 ing that they would not expose themselves to the contempt of tlie 
 inca by drawing back, and assuring them that the Lord would ever 
 be found fighting on their side. The march up the mountain proved 
 toilsome and dangerous in the extreme, the cavaliers being compelled 
 to lead their horses along frightful ledges and precipices, where a 
 single mis-step would prove destruction; and where a few resolute 
 men might have withstood their march altogether. They also suffered 
 greatly from cold. At night they lodged in a strong fortress of stone, 
 and at day break resumed the march. A friendly embassv from the 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOKY OF PERU. 229 
 
 inca, bearing presents, met them on the wav nn.l oft 
 march of seven days, deseending with dSltv 1 ' "'•'°'"' 
 thej came in view of CaxamaJca ^ '"^'='^ ''''''^> 
 
 That citj, inhabited bv a refinprl on^ ,-v,/i ^ • 
 
 ams; and at the hot ba^hs a lea-np ri;=fo V ^ -^ ™°''''*- 
 
 • 1 . ""'"^ 'i league distant, was encamnnd th^ ;„ 
 
 penal armv, covering the hill.^ifU.= fx. -i '*.=' ^''^'impcU the im- 
 
 cotton, /'feeling Icltyt^^'XZ,^ '"T °V"°"^ 
 visilois. "So many did thev »„n!!, » ™ "'^ audaciona 
 
 ecrtain we were fllfed wi h dreT for T^T "' "'?' ""'"' '"' 
 tlie Indians eould have held ^ n / """" "^"""^"■^ """ 
 
 pitched with such skill rt.e hS where f """' "^ "" """^ '""''■ 
 the Indies, and ca.sed in all it Sm 1""" """"' '"=''°"= '="" '" 
 howbeit, it would neve" have dte to ,1*"^"' '■"".'""'' '=°''f"™"-- 
 recoil, for if „„y sim of weT I ^ "• °' '" "«" '«"■■" '» 
 
 -cdintfthevalleXt^^^^ 
 
 The town was deserted, and Piznrrn fnH^, i • 
 
 great square, dispatched lis brot ^11; fjl^ '" ^'^^ 
 
 few of the cavalry, to the camn nf tl r ' '''"' ^' ^^'-^ ^"^^ « 
 
 lightsummer-ho'e, .t tL bad. t :: Tn '-^ ''^ ^""^^ '^^ ^ 
 low cushion, surrou'nded by 1 s l^s T f ""'' "^^1 °" ^ 
 he w^re on his forehead tl.Lrimson L«" f ' ?' ""^^^^' ^"' 
 imperial dignity. Uls demc^ rCltr/; 'el^^^^ r""^^'" '' 
 even apathy. Without dismounti^ t I V . ""''' ""^ 
 
 native interpreter named Fe lin .V ^7t '"'''''^'•^' ^^ '^^ 
 included aciunts of tUgr^r^^^ ^"^^"^' "^'^^ 
 
 of instruction in the Foith Tnd L / ^7 ™""''''^' P^°^^^''« 
 
 Spanish camp One of ^ nit 1 ^^"'''. °^ '" ''"^'''^ ^'^^^ ^^ ^he , 
 
 1 11 ' ^"^ "^"^^s answered, "it is wpll-" K„f A* 
 
 iHialipa preserved an appearance of entire a ntl v .n 1 ' " ■' 
 
 ne.« till Hernando entreated a persorn ren v U u»conscu,us- 
 
 Bmile, he turned his head, and !Z^ "Til"' "'^^ ' f'''' 
 keeping a fast, <vhich wil last fU^T' ^ ' '"^-'*"" ^ ^"^ 
 
 VKsit hmi, witl CO tan "v ''" /""^"J^- "^°''"i"g; I -ill then 
 the pubh- bnihl, " / ' "^'''- ^f«'™^vl"l«. let him occupy 
 he snol-o IioT T , ''!""'■''' ""^ "^^"« "ther, till I come " is 
 
 plain, aisph.yi,X Z r^X 1 ^^.^-'^^^ !-'|^>' -- the 
 - - , w.r uui speed of his animal. Returning in 
 
230 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HlSTUliY. 
 
 full career, he reined the impatient charger short upon his haunches, 
 so near the person of the inca, that the foam from his mouth lighted 
 on the imperial garments; but Atahuallpa still preserved a demean- 
 our of calm and almost unconscious apathy. Returning, the emissa- 
 ries dismayed their companions with an account of the power and 
 state of the inca, and the formidable number of his army — an alarm- 
 ing report, fully confirmed at night by the sight of iunilmerable 
 watch-fires in the camp of the Peruvians. 
 
 CHAPTER?. 
 
 CRUEL AND AUDACIOUS SCHEME OF PIZARRO. — THE VISIT OF 
 THE INCA. SCENE AVITH THE FRIAR VALVERDE. TER- 
 RIBLE MASSACRE OF THE PERUVIANS. — SEIZURE OF 
 THE INCA. — HIS FORTITUDE. — PLUNDER OF THE 
 CITY AND CAMP. — EXTRAORDINARY OFFER OF RAN- 
 SOM. — THE MURDER OF HUASCAR. 
 
 Whether Pizarro had undertaken his march with any definite 
 purpose of violence or attempted conquest, it is not easy to conjec- 
 ture; but, his followers once placed in a position whence there could 
 be no retreat, he resolved on a course the most audacious, perfidiou.s 
 and perhaps hazardous that could be conceived. This was notliin-^ 
 less than to follow the daring example of Cortes in that conquest 
 which doubtless seemed a model to all adventurers of his day— to 
 seize the person of the inca, and thus at once to secure the obedi- 
 ence of his realms. He neglected nothing which could animate the 
 courage, rai)acity and fanaticism of his soldiers; and the chaplains 
 of the expedition, well knowing the fearfully hazardous nature of 
 the attempt, spent the whole night in "discipline" (self-llngellation, it 
 would seem), in weeping, and in prayer "tliat God wouldliward due 
 success to his most sacred service, the exaltation of the faith, and the 
 salvation of .such a number of .souls!" 
 
 Pizarro then made his f)rce "a right Christian har/mgne," and all 
 rai.sed their voices in the solemn chant, "Arise, oh Lord, and judge 
 thy cause!" "One might have suppo.sed them," .siys Mr. ProscoU, 
 "a company of martyrs, about to lay down their lives in defence of 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOEY OF PERU. 231 
 
 their fuith, instead of a licentious band of adventurers, meditating 
 one of the most atrocious acts of perfidy on the record of history!" 
 These pious prehminaries adjusted, Pizarro posted them, sword in 
 hand, m the numerous halls and passages opening into the square 
 with orders, at the discharge of a musket, to rush forth, and make 
 an indiscriminate slaughter of the Peruvian nobles. 
 
 All day these fierce and cruel men, in a fever of impatience, re- 
 mained on their arms-for the inca did not take up his march till 
 noon, and the cumbrous pomp of the imperial progress delayed his 
 journey so long that he proposed to defer his entrance until niornincr 
 15ut an artful message from Pizarro induced him to proceed and 
 surrounded by an immense crowd of nobles, resplendent with golden 
 ornaments, he approached the city. At the gate-way, as a token of 
 good faith, he ordered all his attendants to lay aside their arms 
 
 "A little before sunset, he entered the great square, borne on a 
 si)Ieiidid throne of massive gold, overshadowed with the plumes of 
 the guy birds of the tropics. Before him went four hundred menials 
 clearing the way, and singing their national chants, 'which in our 
 ears,' says one of the Spaniards, 'sounded like the Songs of Hell ' 
 Prom liis lofty position, the inca calmly surveyed the multitude of 
 his followers, who formed around him in courtly order When 
 about six thousand of them had entered the square, he looked around 
 itiquinngly, and said, ' Where are the strangers?' At this word came 
 forward the reverend Father Valverde, Pizarro's chaplain, with a 
 crucifix in one hand and a breviary in the other, and made a Ion- 
 harangue, commencing with the Creation, and thence proceeding 
 through the fall of Adam, the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrec- 
 tion, the appointment of St. Peter as God's vicar on earth, the apos- 
 tolical succession of Popes, the bull in favor of Castile, and endin- 
 logically with a formal demand that the inca should submit his spir° 
 itual guidance to the Pope, and his temporal allegiance to the kin- 
 of Spain. All this was duly translated by the interpreter, Felipillo" 
 who, by way of expounding the doctrine of the Trinity, explained 
 to his royal auditor that 'The Christians had Three Gods and One 
 God, making Four in all.' 
 
 '"To the which words,' says a bystander, 'and much besides that 
 the Reverend Father said, he remained silenc without returning a 
 reply. He then said lie would see what God had commanded" as 
 he was told, m the book; so he took the book and opened it, and 
 looked It over, examining the form and arrangement.' lie next held 
 
232 
 
 THE PEOrLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 it to his ear, nnd saying contemptuously 'this tells ine nothing,' flung 
 it angrily away. 'I'hen, with a couutenanee flushed with emotion, 
 he made answer to sueh portions of the address as he had been able 
 to com{)rehend. lie would be no man's tributary, he said; and as 
 for the great j^riost beyond the waters, he must be nu\d to talk of 
 giving away countries whieh he had never seen. Nor would he 
 change his faith. The God of the Christians, according to their own 
 account, had been slain by his own creatures, but the eternal Sun, the 
 great Deity of Peru, still shone on his glorious and beneficent course 
 through the firmament. Excited by the insults he had received, he 
 declared that the Spaniards should render a strict account of their 
 doings in his territories. The di.scomlited friar, seeing the ill suc- 
 cess of his eloquence, picked up the book, bowed his head, and hivs- 
 tencd to Piziirro. 'Did you see what passed?' he cried— 'while we 
 waste time in fooleries and arguments v/ith this dog, full of pride 
 the square is fdling with Indians. Set on them at once! I absolve 
 you.' The fatal gun, the signal of slaughter, was fired, and the 
 S[)aniards. horse and foot, rushed furiously irom their lurking-places. 
 'J'akcn by surprise, utterly unarmed, and bewildered by the unwonted 
 discharge of artillery and fire-arms, the unliaj)py victims were slauidi- 
 terod without the slightest means of resistance. The nobles, with 
 afiecting devotion, flung themselves before their master, to receive 
 the blows of the nmrdorers, and, by clinging to the legs of their 
 horses, and striving to pull the riders from their saddles, for some 
 time, kept back the press from his jierson. But they died by hun- 
 dreds around him, and Piicarro, darting through the throng, seized 
 his captive with his own hand. A most wanton and merciless 
 slaughter was still kept up, and did not cease till the shades of night 
 blinded the assassins, and 
 
 'Till' iiaiid wliieli slew till it ooiild sliiy no more 
 W;is glued to the sword-hilt with Indian gore.' 
 
 ■\Vithin less than an hour, four thousand of the unarmed and harm- 
 less multitude that had so gaily entered the .square, with their songs 
 and their holiday attire, li;y nmrdered on the pavement. A more 
 atrocious and unprovoked massacre is not recorded in history. Not 
 one of the Sjianiards liad ncei/ed an injury."* 
 
 Atahuallpa, with true Incuan stoieism, despite this tremendous 
 reverse and all its appalling concomitants, maintained his accustomed 
 ♦ Discoverers, Sic, of Anierieiu 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF PERU. 233 
 
 serenity. As he sat at supper with the victor, he remarked simply, 
 'I IS ho fortune of war," but no expression of emotion escaped hi^ 
 statue-hke hps, or betrayed itself in the nsual stern gravity of his 
 face 1 he next day, the prisoners, of whom a great number had 
 been taken, after having been compelled to cleanse the square and 
 bury the corpses of the victims, were mostly dismissed. Numbers 
 however, were retained by the Spaniards as attendants; and the 
 army of the inca, terrified at the seizure of their sovereign and the 
 massacre of the nobles, gradually melted away and dispersed without 
 any attempt to avc;ige the outrage. The plunder of the city and the 
 camp was exceedingly valuable, and it is said that in the royal mag- 
 azines the quantity of fabrics delicately wrought in wool was suf- 
 flcient to freight several ships. 
 
 The captive inca espied a hope in the greediness for gold with 
 wWch he saw the invaders possessed; and he offered, if Pi^-^rro 
 would re ease him, to cover the floor of the apartment in which ley 
 stood with gold. Seeing the indecision of his captor, he redoubled 
 his oflers, and standing on tiptoe, pledged himself to fill it with the 
 preoous metal as high as he could reach. Pi.arro, hoping, at least 
 to secure a portion of this magnificent bribe, at once accepted the 
 proposition, and a line, nine feet from the floor, was drawn around 
 the room, which was twenty-two feet long and seventeen broad A 
 smaller apartment was also to be twice filled with silver, and a solemn 
 contract, assuring the inca his liberty on payment of this unheard- 
 of ransom, wns drawn up. He issued orders, forthwith, to his officers 
 that the golden ornaments from the palaces and temples throughout 
 the empire, should be sent to Caxamalca. 
 
 The ill-fated Iluascar, who was confined in a city not far distant, 
 now, by allurmg offers, endeavoured to secure the favour of the Span! 
 lards, hoping by their means to regain the throne; but Atahuallpa. 
 with a dark and cruel policy, availing himself of the power ve 
 remaming in his hands, avenged the attempted intrigue by an order 
 for his secret execution. He was privately drowned in the river 
 
 t^^^{'T'^ 1 ^'?'"'' '"^^'""^ '^'' ^''' ^''-^^ -variably 
 sel cted by the royal authors of such deeds, affected deep sorrow 
 and laid all the blame on his officers. ""I'ow, 
 
284 
 
 THE PBOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 CHAPTEH ?L 
 
 THE EXPEDITION TO PACHACAMAC. — THE SPOILS OP CtTZCO. 
 
 DIVISION OF IMMENSE TllEASUUE. — THE ATROCIOUS TRIAI,, 
 SENTENCE, AND MURDER OP ATAHUALLPA. — HYPOCRISY ' 
 OF PIZARRO, — REFLECTIONS. — FATE OF THE MURDERERS. 
 
 IIerxando Pizauro, with a small force, was now dispatched to 
 Pachacamac, the Peruvian Mecca, a liundred leagues distant. On 
 tlie way he was struck with admiration at the massive excellence of 
 the road, the innumerable herds of llamas which pastured in the 
 hills, and the frequent signs of industry and dense population. The 
 treasures of the temple, however, had been removed by the priests 
 and the only satisfaction he had was in the destruction of their most 
 venerated idol, lie also ("in defliult of a better," he modestly re- 
 marks) made a sermon to the people, and taught them the sign of 
 the cross, as a charm against the devil. He then marched to Xauxa 
 whore a portion of the Peruvian army lay encamped, under Challcu- 
 chima, the inca's chief general; and that commander, to' secure 
 whose person the Spaniard was anxious, willingly accompanied him 
 to Caxamalca. In spite of Indian stoicism, the old chief was affected 
 to tears at the sight of his impri-soned master. "Would that I had 
 been here!" he exclaimed; "this would not then have happened." 
 
 Great quantities of gold, in plates or wrought into ornaments con- 
 tinued to pour into the Spanish camp; and, at the instance of 
 Atahuallpa, Pizarro dispatched a small embassy fo Cuzco to secure 
 the treasures of that ancient cai)ital of the incas. Borne on the 
 shoulders of the nati\-os for six hundred miles, these emissaries 
 apparently a coarse and brutal-minded set, arrived at the city, where 
 they were bewildered with the sj)lendour of its treasures — though not 
 to such an extent as to preclude their instant seizure of all that 
 appeared portable. Seven hundred plates of gold were stripped 
 from the Temple of the Sun alone, and with eight hundred Indians, 
 Indcn with gold and silver, they took their way back to the Spanish 
 camp. ^Meanwhile, Ahnngro, with a reinforcement of two hundred 
 men, had arrived at San Miguel, and on learning tiio startling events 
 whicli h;i(l transpired, hastened, with liii, command, to the camp at 
 Caxamalca. (Fobruar^^, 1533). 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF PrRu. 235 
 
 Though the room was not quite filled with gold to the stir.ulated 
 he.ghM'izarro thought ,t prudent to satisfy the elan.ours of I is n^n 
 by an ™medmte d.vKs.on of the spoil. A fifth part was set asid! 
 for the Spanish sovereign, and with it were selected some sple dhl 
 specnnens of Peruvmn art^among them beautiful imitationiof the 
 Luhan eorn, the ear being composed of yellow gold, and the husk 
 partly open, with the beard or tassel, of silver' With the^e lit 
 nando was to proceed to Spain, and fortify the interests of his family 
 at court The remainder of the treasure was mostly melted lo 
 bar, and It. value, on estunation, proved equal to that of fifteen 
 nnlhons of dollars at the present day-being the greatest amount oJ 
 plunder, m proportion to the number of marauders, ever acquired 
 by n^htury violence. The share of Pi..arro, including the thron of 
 the inea, formed of solid gold, amounted to nearfy a million. The 
 cavalry received an hundre<l thousand each, and the infantry half 
 t at amount. Despite of ancient agreement and present renl.> 
 trance. Almagro and his people were not permitted to receive more 
 than a nominal share of the spoil. 
 
 Meanwhile, the inca wa. still d'ctained in captivity, and was even 
 secured with a chain; while Pizarro darkfy r volved the Ta'sof 
 n ding himself of one who could yield him' no further s rvice and 
 whose very ex^tence. considering the devoted loyalty of his pe'ol 
 was a source of constant uneasiness to his gaolers Atahn.lln! V' 
 treasure distributed, haJ earnestfy demandrlTs^hbel ^^^^^^ Z 
 Spanish general, with a vile affectation of good faith, which makes 
 his treachery and cruelty more hideous stUl, caused his nota^to 
 execute a full receipt for the stipulated ransim. But p'telff r 
 the destruction of the unfortunate sovereign was already'p pa J" 
 nd Pizarro to secure himself from interference, dispatehifDe Soto' 
 avaher of L,gh qualilies, and a friend of the intLded vi^tL on 
 d,stant expc.l:t,on. lie then taxed his captive with a pre tended 
 plot for u.surn.t,on, and the latter, secretly alarmed, but w h n 
 -r of gayety, replied, "You are always jesting with n e. A ," 
 
 Jt::Lf;£;/^^^\-t:^ -— ---..-^ -^ - 
 
 at, , . amazed, says Pizarro, in his account 
 
 to see such cunning in an Indian." account. 
 
 Nevertheless, a villanous indictment, charging the prisoner with 
 -at y usurpation, adultery, and intended insurrection, was 21 
 e ty l,acnedup-.-a badly-contrived and worse-written ioeu n -' 
 ->s a Spanish contemporary, "devised by a factious and unpr nei- 
 
236 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 pled priest, n clumsy notary without conscience, and others of the 
 like stamp, who were all concerned in this villany." On the strength 
 of this shameful inst,i'.,i( ni, ri/.urroand Almagro, sitting as judges, 
 with the assistance,,*; the i ' nl-rous Friar Vulverde, went through 
 the mockery of a trial. The testimony of Indian witnesses, (falsified 
 by the interpretation of Felipillo, a creature of Pizarro's, and a jier- 
 sonal enemy of the inca,) was taken, and judgment was given that 
 the victim should be burned alive the same night in the square of 
 Caxamulca. The honourable remons!trnr,.< . ..f <ieveral Spanish offi. 
 cers, who handed in a written protest against this atrocity, were of 
 no avail. The unhapi)y prisoner, on hearing the cruel sentence 
 exclaimed, with tears, "What have-I done, or mv children, that I 
 should meet such a fate? and from your hands, too," he said, turn- 
 ing to Pizarro; "you, who have met with friendship and kinduerfs 
 from my people, with whom I have shared my treasures, who have 
 received nothing but benefits at my hands!" 
 
 Then, with alfecting eagerness, he offered fresh treasures; but 
 Pizarro, turning aside in refusal, (with tear.s, it is said, but with his 
 cruel purpose unchanged,) the victim resumed the stoicism which, 
 but for a moment, had forsaken him, and thenceforward displayed 
 only calmness and fortitude. 
 
 In the evening (August 29th) he was conducted, in presence of 
 the whole army, by torch-light, to the stake. Valverde, with eager 
 importunity, continued to urge that he should embrace the Christilin 
 faith, promising that, if he would comply, the milder death of the 
 garrnte* should be substituted for the agonies of cremation. Pi- 
 zarro confirmed the offer, and the incn, from a singular but affecting 
 superstition, complied. He believed, we arc told by one who was 
 present, that if his body was not destroyed by fire, "the Sun, his 
 father, would the next morning restore him to life." Accordi'ngly 
 he received the travesty of baptism, with the name of .Juan, ("in 
 honour of St. John the Baptist!") and turning to Pizarro, besought 
 lum to protect his orphan children. He then, with calmness, sub- 
 mitted to his fate, while the Spaniards, muttering pniyers fur Iiis 
 salvation, beheld the last of the incas perish by the death of the 
 vilest of malefactors. The body was laid out in state in the church, 
 and the obsequies of the royal convert were celebrated with much 
 solemnity. Ue Soto, on his return, horrified by the tidings, rushed 
 
 * An instrument contrived to effect strangulatio,. and rupture of ti.e vertebra) of 
 the neek— still used in the Spanish provinces. 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF PERU, 
 
 237 
 
 into the presence of Pizarro, whom he found, says a writer of the 
 day, "exhibiting niiicli sentiment, with a great felt hat dapped on 
 liis head, and well pulled over his eyes." To the indignant com- 
 plaints ol that olTieer, the agents in this devilish act replied by 
 mutual accusations, and attempts to throw the entire blame on the 
 shoulders of each other. 
 
 "Thus ends one of the very darkest pages of Spanish and Amer- 
 ican history. No reader of feeling or rellection will require comment 
 on a deed bearing in its face the brand of such odious perfidy, 
 ingratitude and cruelty. In return for his own good faith, for the 
 submission of his empire, for the surrender of unhoped treasure, the 
 unhappy victim met with imprisonment, chains, and the sentence to 
 a cruel and revolting death. Despite his i)ompous affectation of 
 regret, (remorse he may well have felt,) the burden of this damning 
 infamy rests almost entirely on the head of Pizarro. Whatever 
 instruments he emifloycd, the deed was his own— a deed which 
 could never have been committed by any but such as himself— men 
 nntuially fierce, rapacious and cruel, uneducated, save in the super- 
 stitions of a wretched dogmatism, and trained from childhood to 
 scenes of blood, ojipression, and violence. J doubtless a dark and 
 cruel policy was his main and prompting motive; but it is said that 
 the inconlive of personal ])ique was not wanting. The imprisoned 
 inca, delighting in the mysterious art of writing', (which he regarded 
 as a new sense,) had caused the name of God to be inscribed on his 
 nail, and had presented it to each of the sohlicrs, charmed with 
 their ready and concurrent response. Pizarro, who had never learned 
 to read, was unable to answer him; and the ill-concealed contempt 
 of the inca, it is said, awakened a hatred in the heart of his con- 
 queror, that ere long found its bloody gratification. 
 
 "To one who, like the ancient Greek, believes in an aven'nn;'- 
 Nemesis, there is something very comfortable in recalling the vi.rien^ 
 deaths which befell nearly all the actors in this dolefid tragedy— 
 though little reflec on is needed to show that the evil wislR<s and 
 undisciplined passions which prompted the crime, only worked out 
 their legitimate end in involving its authors in fresh and fatal 
 adventures. Old Purehas (abating one or two mistakes in fact, such 
 as the complicity of Soto,) gives, in a few words, a more terse and 
 edilying version of their end than any writer on the subject. 'But 
 0<4 the righteous Judge, seeing this villanous aet, sufiered none of 
 those Spaniards to die by the cour.sc of nature, but brought thein to 
 
288 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOnY. 
 
 cinll and shamefull ondB. * » # Ilia' (Atub-iallpa's) 
 Murtherers dyed, it is said, the like bloudy ends; ^A/m^m was 
 cxecutcMl by Pi,:arro, and hoe slaine by yong Ahnar,ro; and him 
 \cicca de Castro did likewise put to death. John Pl,:arro was slaine 
 of the Indians. Martiii an other of the brethren was slaine with 
 J^rancis. Ferdmamlus was imprisoned in Spaino and his end vn- 
 knowne; Oonzales was done to death by Oasca. Soto dyed of 
 thought in Florida; and ciuill warres eate vp the resto in Perii.'*"f 
 
 CHAPTER ?n. 
 
 EXECUTION OP CHAT,T,CUCirnrA. — INDIAN HOSTILITIES - 
 ENTRANCE OF THE SPANIARDS INTO CUZCO.— Jf RE TREAS- 
 URl?.— INAUGURATION OP THE INCA MANCO CAPAC — 
 LIMA FOUNDED. — DISPUTES BETWEEN ALMAORO AND 
 THE PIZARROS. — RISING OP THE I N D I A N S.— SIEGE 
 OF CUZCO,— MASSACRE OP THE SPANIARDS- 
 CIVIL WAR BETWEEN THE SP A NISH EN ERAL9. 
 — DEFEAT AND EXECUTION OF ALMAORO. 
 
 His crime accomplished, 
 
 "The most arch deed of piteous mnssncre 
 Thiit ever yet tliis land was guilty of," 
 
 Pizarro, with five hundred Spaniards and many Indians, set out for 
 Cuzco, defeatinor on the way, at Xauxa, a large hostile native force 
 but sustaining some loss in an unlucky expedition, hca.lod by De 
 
 Tnl 1, \ '"Stance of cruelty disgraced his march in the mnnler 
 oi Ohallcuchima, to whose encouragement he attributed these ho.til- 
 rties, and whom with habitual cruelty, he ordered to be burned alive 
 ihe old chief, despite the exhortations of Valverde, at the stake 
 dec med conversion, saying only, "I do not understand the reliction 
 of he white men," and undergoing his cruel fate with true Indian 
 fortitude, the name of "Pachacamac," the last word upon his lips. 
 
 » Discoverers, &c., of Ameriea. 
 
 t Valvo.de, periiaps as culpable ns any, j^ained the bishopric of Cuzco, the grand 
 
THE C0NUUK8T ANT) lU s T O R Y OF PERT. 239 
 
 To countervail the nnarcliy which hnd already begun to prevail 
 among the numoroua trii,os of i'eru, the Spanish co.ninandor, with 
 all practicable ceremony, had inv(;Hted Toparca, a brother of his 
 chief victim, with the imperial <lignity. But tliis youth died on the 
 march, and soon afterwards, a young Peruvian noble, numerously 
 attended, presented himself in the Spanish camp. This was Manco 
 Capac, a brotlier of Uuascar, who now claimed the throne and to 
 whom the general, hoping to find him a i)liable tool, returned en- 
 couraging replies. On the loth of November, 1533, the Spanish 
 and Indian army entered Cuzco, amid the eager gaze of a vast mul- 
 titudc of natives, who had thronged to behold the terrible stran-n-rs 
 The population of the city alone, it is said, .vas some hundreds of 
 thousands, and the Spaniards were surprised at the evidences of art 
 and relinement-the forts and houses of stone, admirably wrou-dit 
 the pavement of the same material, and the aqueduct supplyin-'^tho 
 city with water. ° 
 
 Fresh plunder, much of it obtained by torture, repaid the cruelty 
 of the invaders, though the amount was less than had already been 
 gained as the ransom of the unfortunate inca. Vast hoards of treasure 
 It IS said, were buried in various j.arts of the country by the Peru- 
 vians, who thus defrauded the rapacity of their conquerors. Enough 
 however, was obtained to enhance the value of European articles to 
 almost fabulous prices, and to gratify the national passion for gaming 
 to Its wildest and most ruinous extent. 
 
 Pizarro, supposing his obedience reliable, now invested the young 
 Inca Manco with the imperial title, the national ceremonies being 
 solemnly performed; an<l then immediately proceeded with his plans 
 for the subjection and settlemetit of the countrv. The people 
 apparently satisfied with the nominal coronation of anativesovereirrn' 
 opposed little and ineffectual resistance to the supremacy of The 
 invaders. Near Pachacamac, in the beautiful valley of Kimac the 
 victor in January, 1535, commenced the foundation of a stately 'cao- 
 ital, which he called "Ciudad de los Keyes" (City of the Kin4 but 
 which, under the name of Lima, still retains^early its original 
 appellation. Under the toiling hands of a vast multitude of I.ulian 
 labourers a massive city, with pahices, churches, and public build- 
 ings, rapuly arose, and to this day it remains one of the fairest and 
 most populous capitals of the New World. 
 
 Hernando, in January, 1532, with an immense treasure, arrived 
 in Spam, where he readily procured from the empnror a full cnn 
 
240 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 firmation of the acts and authority of his brother; and with a 
 numerous and well-appointed force of adventurers, attracted by the 
 brilliant tidings of plunder and conquest, again set sail for the isth- 
 mus. A royal grant was likewise made to Almagro, empowering 
 him to conquer and rule a principality of his own, extending two 
 hundred leagues south of that of Pizarro. That ambitious and ill- 
 used commander, on receiving the news, insisted that Cuzco, where 
 he was quartered, lay within the limits of his jurisdiction; and a 
 civil war between the two factions was only prevented by the address 
 of Pizarro, who hastened to the scene, and once more patched up a 
 hollow treaty with his rival. It was especially provided that neither 
 should malign or disparage the other in their dispatches to the court 
 and both parties once more invoked the curses of Heaven on their 
 heaJs, if they should violate the agreement. Their jealous enmity 
 thus, for the moment, appeased, Almagro set forth on his expedition 
 for the conquest of the realms of the South. (See History of Chili ) 
 The young inca, Manco Capac, though he had readily accepted 
 and even solicited elevation to power at the hands of the Conqueror' 
 was not blind to the degradation of his name or the enslavement of 
 his country. Plotting the extermination of the invaders he had 
 entrusted to his brother pnd the High-priest of the Sun, who accom- 
 panied Almagro, a secret errand of insurrection to the distant caciques 
 Suspicion being excited, he was arrested, and i)laced in close confine^ 
 ment; but, by an ingenious stratagem, efFocted his escape. Having 
 won the confidence of Hernan.do Piiarro, his guardian, by successive 
 disclosures of concealed treasure, he was suffered to depart, with a 
 small escort, to bring to Cuzco a statue of his falher, the Inca Iluayna 
 Capac, of pure gold, which he said had been deposited in a cave of 
 the Andes. Hernando, soon finding himself duped, dispatclied his 
 brotlier Juan, with sixty horse, in pursuit of the fugitive; but that 
 officer was presently met by an army of several thousand Indian- 
 under command of Afanco himself, and was compelled to retreat' 
 hotly pursued, to the native capital. ' 
 
 He found that city surrounded by an immense force of Peruvians 
 --It IS said, two hundred thousand strong-which, armed with cop- 
 per-headed spears and axes, presented a brilliant and terrible ap,)ear- 
 ance. Singular to state, this overwhelming array opened its ranks 
 and allowed tlie little body of Spanish cavaliers to pass unmolested 
 into the town-their object, most likely, being to serure the destruo-' 
 tion of as many of the invaders as possible. (February, 15C6 ) 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF PERU. 241 
 
 On the following morning they assaulted the citj with innumer. 
 ble missiles, and by burning arrows fired the roofs wh IT 
 mostly composed of thatch, were peculiarly 1 ill?' . ' "° 
 For several days the fire ra^ed deZ J l , ° conflagration. 
 
 than half the city. The Spfntrds on ? T^'""'"'"^^^ "^«^« 
 with a thousand^ndian alLs s 1' 7 ^ .^"."^'■'^ ^" """^^^^' 
 and being well suppled S^vafi" H' '^'V"* '^^^^'>'' 
 .uch efi^t, upon t^thick rl^^J^^J^^'^l,:;^ 
 was great, on perceivino- fmm th^ t, j i ■ ? -^"eiraistiess 
 
 and wielding a lo,,/Ll Itir"*'""^''''™*'''^ "™"'"'. 
 
 were »„„„3,ed b, showe. of S f C HeZ rVv" '^*""' 
 m the night, after desperate figh,i„J t^k i.T °' ^ " 'rPV* 
 
 flnng hin,.elf headlong from the s™Li! ' ^« "" ™ '" ""'■ 
 
 hundred, none of horn htw/verr '.T""'''® '" ""■ '" f"" 
 a.taeked and mostl/cur^^iXcordm l" ?""""« "■ ''°'"« 
 forces of the Peruvians PiVll ^o <i,lleras, by the overwhelming 
 
 ing assistance from AIvar^^TT; T " ''T';, """ ''="°"'' '="'™«- 
 
 some fortunate sunnlip« L i 1 1 superiority of their arms, and 
 
 "■hioh th^r, e^ u roL d ", ,°=r'? *''■ """X"-""' '.« by 
 
 eaing, and'a. le^g^'X ^.V^;; *"„ "o Tr"™-^' "T" '°^ 
 
 ottarrirr-'-™^'-^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 V.'L. llf.—i,; 
 
2'12 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY, 
 
 TIic Tnca Munco, with a portion of his force, withdrew to Tambo, 
 a stroMghold not far fioni the city, and hostilities were still briskly 
 carried on. Hernando, who attempted to storm this place in a night 
 attack, was repulsed, after three desperate assaults, by the inca, and 
 was compelled, with the enemy hanging closely on his rear, to regain, 
 by a forced march, his quarters at Cuzco. The triumphant Peru- 
 vians, however, falling upon Almagro, on his return from the dis- 
 astrous expedition to Chili, in the valley of Yucay, met with a 
 signal defeat. 
 
 That active and ambitious commander, the old grudge against his 
 false associate still rankling in his mind, now determined on reas- 
 serting by force his claim to the Peruvian capital. Accordingly, on 
 a dark and stormy night, he succeeded in taking the garrison by 
 surprise, and made prisoners of Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro. 
 Immediately after this signal success, he marched against one Alva- 
 rado, a general of Pizarro's, defeated liim, and brought him, with 
 nearly all his force of five hundred men, prisoners to Cuzco. The 
 governor, enraged and alarmed at these misfortunes, was unable, for 
 the time, to avenge them. He dispatched Kspinosa, one of the chief 
 patrons of his original enterprise, to Cuzco, to attempt negotiation?, 
 awaiting, meanwhile, the strengthening of his forces, donzalo and 
 Alvarado contrived to eftect their escape, and Almagro hnally con- 
 sented to refer the matters in dispute to a friar, named 'Pobadilla. 
 This \unpire, the creature of Pizarro, decided every point in favour 
 of the latter, who, however, was enabled to obtain the release of 
 Hernando only by assenting to more liberal conditions. 
 
 Tiiis object once attained, without the slightest regard to stipula- 
 tions, he at once recommenced hostilities, and dispatched Hernando, 
 with an army of seven hundred men, against his detested rival. 
 Almagro, with a somewhat smaller force, encountered him not far 
 from the city; but being disabled, by old age and inlirniities, from 
 leading his troops, was compelled to survey the scene of conflict 
 from a litter. His lieutenant, Orgonez, a cavalier of great ferocity 
 and bravery, took tlie command, and contested the battle, whieli 
 was desperate in the extreme. Two hundred were killed on the 
 field, but the partisans of Pizarro finally triumphed. Almagro was 
 made prisoner, and Orgofiez, with others, was ferociously murdered 
 aflcr surrender — a circumstance demonstrating the extreme hatred 
 and rancour which prevailed between the two factions. (April, 1538.) 
 The defeated general, after the mockery of a protracted trial, con- 
 
 I 
 
THE CONQUEST AKI>,nsxORV OK PEKU. 243 
 
 <lncted by Hernando, was sentenced to execution. He bad alvv.vs 
 been no od for Ins extreme daring, and had probably si more 
 liard ijgliting tlian any other man in Peru V, f J 
 he begged „i.eo„s„ L ,,, ..Te-a Clatiln^U'S^; ".JmI^ 
 
 CHiPTEBVlII. 
 
 ""''""— 1118 CilAIlACri'Il, ETC. 
 
 .0 *patch u:r:iz.^:i^j:^zr\:tr^r:r "■*"'* 
 
 by all the wealth of Peru fo ^ ' , "''"' '^""^''' ^'''^'^ 
 
 ^^ ^u tnat time all his brothers were dead, and Pern Iv.,? 
 passed under the rule of others *^* 
 
 «"n, was BO hard pres^d a , he , "? T'"" """ °"™- 
 
 only a single fe.. e Ipal ™. „n!;:"'"' '" '°^"f"="'' -"> 
 savage recesses of the A^ IhII f 7'" ''"'■'■■''' '" ""' 
 lying at inu^rval, fron, I^ L,,ll ^ " "^^ ""--' ""'' '"'■ 
 
 ™« '-SO on .,,„ Span? ds'dp;:™::™' '«"'"'*'' 
 
 tortured to death one of ,l,e wiv s "f t.^ ,,,""• "'' "'""^^^• 
 
 «:r!cr^on,r-''"'^^^^^^^ 
 
244 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 r 
 
 I! 
 
 of Peru appeared completely overawod by the continually-increasing 
 force of the Spaniards. 
 
 The country, of course, from the brilliant attractions presented by 
 its wealth and enhanced by the sagacious policy of Pizarro, was 
 settled with extraordinary rapidity. The government of Quito had 
 been assigned to his brother Gonzalo, a man of high enterprise, who 
 Iiresontly made great preparations for fresh discovery. With three 
 hundred and fifty Spaniards and four thou.sand Indians, driving a 
 vast herd of swine, as a resource against famine, in the year 1540 
 he set forth for the eastward. Crossing the Andes, amid terrible 
 difficulties, he entered the Land of Cinnamon, and thence, attracted 
 by alluring reports of treasure, pressed onward to the Napo, one of 
 the tributaries of the Amazon. By this time, all the swine, as well 
 as a thousand dogs provided for warfare witli the natives, had been 
 devoured or lost, or had perished on the way; and the adventurers, 
 suffering grievously from famine, wore compelled to feed on wild 
 roots, on toads and other loathsome reptiles, and finally even on the 
 leather of their belts and saddles. 
 
 To evade the almost insurmountable difficulties of following the 
 river, Gonzalo commenced the building of a vessel, converting the 
 shoes of the horses into nails, and the ragged garments of the sol- 
 diers into oakum. By two months of constant labour, it was com- 
 pleted, and Francisco de Orcllana, with a small crew, was put in 
 command, with directions to proceed down the river and procure 
 supplies. After waiting a long time in vain for his return, the 
 army again took up its march along the banks, and, after two montlis 
 mor> of extreme toil and suffering, reached the Amazon. From a 
 Spaniard who had here been set ashore by Orellana, they learned 
 lliat that commander, carried downward by a fierce current, had 
 reached the Great liiver in only three days; that finding it imj)o.«si- 
 ble to return against it, he had abandoned his companions to their 
 fate, and continued his course down the Amazon. Extraordinary 
 to relate, after the most memorable inland voyage on record, he 
 reached the sea, and arrived safely in Spain. No cour.se now re- 
 mained for Gonzalo l)ut to retrace his stejis, antl accord in "-I v after 
 more than a year consnnied in this terrible 'nareh, and an equal 
 time in the return, in .Inne, lAJ'i, wit', the remnant of his eonimai)d, 
 he snceeed(>d in re;i2aiiiiii<r his cnjiital of Quito. Only eiglity of the 
 
 <-; 
 
 panianls and 
 
 ilf till' IndiMus had snrviv(!(]. 
 
 The triumph of Tiz ,110 sit the (lownfall of his ancient rival, was 
 
r n r. I) t: /•■ /; .% 
 
 N,'> ^ 
 
 
11 
 
 
 <l 
 
 tl 
 
 C£ 
 
 tl 
 
 th 
 
 si( 
 
 th 
 ev 
 
 th^ 
 
 ba 
 
 un 
 
 "a 
 
 kn^ 
 
 a tl 
 
 '] 
 
 of^ 
 
 trat 
 
 tlie 
 
 com 
 
 fess( 
 
 Pizf 
 
 a bii 
 
 at h 
 
 
 
 num 
 
 the >j 
 
 tliat 
 
 (lesp( 
 
 deatl 
 
 numl 
 
 cryiii 
 
 Marq 
 
 the g, 
 
 tlie ch 
 
 atteii) 
 
 bodv 
 
 half-b 
 
THE CONQUEST AND 
 
 HISTORY OF PERU. 
 
 245 
 
 called, were mercilessl?oonfl«. t'd J!'X r^""" '""''"' ""' 
 that once powerful pany witS' """^ *« »'>a'tered remains of 
 
 them^elvef to Lima "her! 1! iT5 °'''''^.''' "'* ^•"^' ^<^^ 
 »idera.io„. Sunk .^ fte L't l-S '" ™'" '■°''."'"'" "' ~"- 
 which was aggravated b^r slel rf .LTf^' *? "^-'"'"^ "^ 
 
 these unfortunate partisan' finall/weXe™' P°' '"T""- 
 ever, treated ther enmitv with im,v 7=1"=""«- Pizarro, how- 
 
 tho. who cautioned ht'^dll ^^ "Slrd^Tr;^"'^™^ "^ 
 bad luc. enough. We wiS not ttuble *! to t' '"F '^ ""^ 
 
 under no concern " he hni:fTJit;i,r „ i ^ "luie, ^^ ^^^ 
 
 "ahout n,, life, 'it L^ff irri': 'r''" «"°"*--. 
 
 trator of these civil discords 1 ■,, 1,.7? ,i ^ "°"'" "^ "* 
 the as.,assination of rXv 0„"c T.r'"""'^' "'"°"^'' "" 
 conscientious scruples, rtvIledL „kt in T """''''' ""■°"='' 
 fessor „..te„ed tol/tbe partl^.^':;:;^!::;:"!? B„"; 
 Pizarro, deeming the statement impossible said -tZ I' 
 
 a bishopric," and was with difficulty pruaieSbv hi f '^T. '''"*' 
 at home on the day appointed for L-fdL^tfiorf "^"'^ '^ ^^^^ 
 
 Un that day (Sunday, June 2fi l^^ll ^ ♦!.. 
 nn,nber, were assembl^J at .he 1'^ f'ltar'^r^dtf'f '" 
 the governor as he returned from mas,. Perceiv ni- f^Lt , ° 
 t .at their plot was discovered or a. leas sustS „ a "^^ 
 
 faporation, they rushed into the street cr , r?.Lo'„L,i f' ° 
 
 death to the tvrant!" Pizarro it ,l! ,^ *' ^""gl'-^U'ekingl 
 ."■n,ber of his'friends, wh n a L«« e T' "" "' ''''""'• "'"' " 
 cO'in,., "Help! help! 'a„ t "e Me „ CMitr""™'™' "" """"• 
 -Marouisl" Most nf ih. .,„. . t " °°"""8 '» '""'•der the 
 
 .;.o ,Lden, .r;C^X;,^Srret"l^T''''"'"'^ '"^ 
 ll.e d«>r, while he buckled on his arni t1 1 ■'""l '° '' 
 
 '-.brother, wL was asTJ^'J^; I'm" | 
 
m 
 
 L 
 
 246 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OK HISTOliV. 
 
 sprang to the door, and, with a few of the governor's household 
 defended it vaUantly; but, after doing some execution, was over- 
 powered and slain. 
 
 Pizarro now flung tway his cuirass, which he had vainly endeav- 
 oured to buckle on, and, with a cloak wrapped round his left arm 
 sword in hand, sprang like a lion into the fray. "Ha, traitors 1" 
 shouted the old viceroy, "have you come to kill me in my own 
 house 1 Courage, my friends, we are yet enough to make them 
 repeut their audacity.'' He killed three of the conspirators with his 
 own hand, but was at last struck to the e-irth by the numerous 
 weapons of his enemies. Seeing his death, he besought a confessor, 
 but none was at hand ; and, tracing a cross on the floor with his own 
 blood, and attempting to kiss it, he murmured, " Jesu!" and yielded 
 up his soul under numerous sword- thrusts. The triumphant assas- 
 sins rushed into the street, brandishing their bloody swords and 
 crying, "The tyrant is dead! Long live the emperor and his gov- 
 ernor, Almagro." 
 
 The Men of Chili, still three hundred in number, at once rallied 
 around their youthful chief, and proclaimed him governor — the par- 
 tisans of Pizarro, completely overawed, venturing on no opposition. 
 That same night, the remains of the victim, wrapped in a coarse 
 cotton cloth, and attended only by his wife and a few black servants, 
 wei-e huddled into an obscure grave in the corner of the cathedral. 
 They were afterwards, however, removed to a more honourable place, 
 and commemorated by a monument suitable to his high rank and 
 great achievements. 
 
 " Thus, at the age of about sixty -five, perished Francisco Pizarro, 
 the Conqueror of Peru, the most remarkable and perhaps the worst 
 man of that host of discoverers and conquerors by whom the early 
 history of America has been illustrated and disgraced. His career 
 forms the best commentary onliis character. Ambition and rapacity 
 appear to have been his ruling traits; but he was not avaricious; for 
 his immense acquisitions were devoted not merely to his own 
 aggrandizement, but to the nobler ofRce of building cities, settling 
 colonies, and laying the foundations of an empire. Though bigott'd 
 in the extreme, he had none of that crusading zeal which so emi- 
 nently distinguished Cortes, and he was far more anxious to seize 
 the treasures and to enslave the bodies of the Indians than to con- 
 vert their souls. Doubtless, he was as brave as a man can be, and 
 possessed of a fortitude and perseverance perhaps surpassing that 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF PERU. 
 
 247 
 
 of any character recorded in history. But he was cruel, remorseless, 
 and perfidious to the very extrernest degree; and his name has ever 
 been held in deserved execration by the great majority of mankind "* 
 
 CH AFTER II. 
 
 VACA DE CASTRO.— DEFEAT OF YOUNG ALMAORO AT CHUPAS -^ 
 
 BLASCO NUNEZ DE VELA,— UNPOPULAR DECREES. — REBELLION 
 
 HEADED BY OONZ. -^ PIZARRO— OVERTHROW OF THE VICEROY. 
 
 By a singular coincidence, devoutly ascribed by an early writer 
 to the special interposition of Providence, a legitimate successor to 
 the viceroyalty of Peru had already arrived in the New World at the 
 time of Pizarro's assa.ssination. This was the Licentiate Vaca de 
 Castro who came over from Spain ostensibly as a royal commissioner 
 to lend the aid of his legal knowledge and ability in the adminis- 
 tration of government; but with private instructions to keep close 
 watch over Pizarro's conduct, and to make report to the Spanish 
 court of any undue assumption of power, or threatened infringement 
 of the royal prerogative. He was also provided with formal authority 
 to succeed to the government, in case of the death of the reignine 
 viceroy. ° = 
 
 The timely approach of this official gave opportunity to the 
 opponents of the rebellious Men of Chili, to unite their forces and 
 take a definitive position. Alonzo de Alvarado, and Alvarez de 
 Ilolgum, two of the principal military officers of Pizarro, were both 
 m command of trusty and veteran troops, and readilv lent their 
 assistance in opposition to the Almagran faction. Vau Je Castro 
 had not been bred to arms, but the courage and spirit natural to a 
 Spanish cavalier su.cained him in his dangerous position. He has- 
 tened to Qui.o, and collecting what forces he could muster, proclaimed 
 bis comnHss.on. and prepared to enter upon a forcible assertion of 
 his rights. Messengers were dispatched in various directions to set 
 lorth his clauns in the more important towns. 
 
 Young Almagro, in the mean time, having furnished his little 
 army at Luna with abundance ol' martial equipments and with 
 
 * Disiiovcrers, &c.. of Auieiica. 
 
248 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 lioraes, hastened to out off the approach of Ilolguin, who, having 
 established the legitimate authority at Cuzco, was on his march to 
 join the forces of Alvarado. At this juncture the cause of the 
 insurgents suftered heavy loss by the death of the chief conspirator, 
 Juan de Rada. The quarrels between two rival claimants to his 
 position in the army occasioned such difficulties and delay, that 
 Ilolguin completed his march without impediment. 
 
 Almagro therefore proceeded to Cuzco, and having taken posses- 
 sion of the city, devoted himself to preparing his forces for the 
 anticipated struggle Cannon were cast, under the superintendence 
 of Pedro de Candia himself, who had espoused Almagro's cause, and 
 gun-powder was manufactured, saltpetre being procured in the 
 vicinity. Arms plundered at the former siege of Cuzco were also 
 brought in and delivered to the troops by the subjects of Manco the 
 Inca. In the midst of his preparations, the young commander vainly 
 endeavoured to negotiate with the new viceroy, offering to confine 
 himself to the occupation of his paternal inheritance of New Toledo. 
 Vaca de Castro having joined the forces of Ilolguin and Alvarado 
 and having personally assumed the command of the army, moved 
 forward towards Xauxa. With a small escort he visited Lima, where 
 he was enthusiastically received, and where he procured fresh recruits 
 and supplies of arms and ammunition. From Xauxa he marched to 
 Guamanga, thirty leagues distant, and thence to the plains of Chupas, 
 where, on the 16th of September, 1542, he encountered the army of 
 Almagro. The latter was posted in a favourable oosition, v/here 
 the artillery, of which he possessed sixteen effective pieces, could be 
 brought to bear upon the assailants. His forces were numerically 
 inferior to those of the viceroy, whose whole array amounted to 
 about seven hundred men, but in arms and equipments his troops 
 had greatly the advantage. 
 
 As the forces of tlic viceroy approached, the battle commenced by 
 a discharge of artillery ; but, as was supposed, from the treachery 
 of Pedro de Candia, the guns were so misdirected or mismana<red 
 that little effect was produced upon the assailants. Almagro, with 
 his own hand, took the life of the offender upon the field. A bloody 
 and obstinately contested fray ensued, and was maintained with 
 unabated fury until long after night-fall, when victory declared in 
 favour of the viceroy. Almagro and his remaining followers were 
 driven from the field in total rout. The unfortunate but gallant 
 young chieftain was seized at Cuzco, and, after a military trial, was 
 
THE CONQUEST AND III8T0UV OF PEBU. 249 
 
 condemned to deatl,. He met his fate with great heroism. Multi- 
 tudes of h.s partisans were also hunted from their places of conceal- 
 ment or refuge, and jjerinhed, like their leader, on the scaffold' 
 
 Vaca de Castro did not long remain in possession of the dignity 
 maintained with such distinguished courage on the field of Chunas 
 and such unrelenting severity in the day of success. He was super- 
 seded by an aged knight by the name of Blasco Nunez Vela who 
 arrived at Peru in the month of March, 1544. The appointm^ntof 
 this oflicnd, was due to the unwearied exertions of Las Casas and 
 other philanthropists, who had laboriously collected evidenc^o of the 
 enormities practiced in the colonics, and pres.sed it upon the con- 
 science of the emperor The manner in which the aborigines were 
 I enslaved and destroyed to enrich their rapacious masters; the waste 
 of the national resou.ces in the wanton destruction of the flocks of 
 llamas; the consequent poverty and misery of the Indians, who ill- 
 fed, unhoused, and nearly naked, were condemned to hopeless and 
 unceasing toil in the mines; and the general misrule and corruption 
 were laid open and eloquently animadverted upon before a roya 
 council, convened at Valhulolid for the purpose of framing laws for 
 the colonies in the New World. 
 
 A code was accordingly prepared, and received the royal sanction 
 by which, among other j,rovisions, the prospective freedom of all 
 ndian slaves was provided for, and many regulations were laid 
 down or their protection Public officers and ecclesiastics, together 
 Mth al] ,vho had shared in the cause of the insurgents against the 
 k^gu.mate government, were absolutely forbidden to h.Jd slaves 
 Other acts of misconduct were also to work a forfeiture of this species 
 of property. To enforce the new code, Blasco Nunez was sent over 
 h'om Spain, ,n comi.any with four judges, armed with the imperial 
 commission to assist in the administration of the government. • 
 
 1 he new viceroy commenced the execution of his orders with the 
 jatmost promptitude and severity. He liberated some hundreds of 
 Peruvian s aves at Panama, when on his way, and had no sooner 
 reached his destined port than he ,.ursued a hke course, upon tie 
 representations of some native chiefs. When his character and 
 mission were made public, the whole community was in a ferment 
 
 sw tt if , ^"'^'"'7 '"^ ^'"" ^"'^"^^^^^ -^^^^ ^he mining interest 
 ; I u '^''""'-f ^^'^^"t to be curtailed to such an extent, that ruin 
 stared hem ,n the face, and a general determination was ;vinced to 
 resist the execution of the new civil code 
 
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 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
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 (716) 872-4503 
 

 
250 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 Gonzalo Pizarro, who had been for some time living in compara- 
 tive retirement, devoting his attention to the opening and working 
 of the newly-discovered silver mines of Potosi, was now called upon 
 to head the malcontents. Disappointed ambition, mercenary inter- 
 est in preserving the old order of things, and fear of being held 
 responsible for his share in the former feud, combined to incline 
 him in favour of the insurgent faction, and he accordingly proceeded 
 to Cuzco, accompanied by a few trusty companions-in-arms, and 
 provided with abundant funds — the result of his successful mining 
 operations. At Cuzco he was enthusiastically received, and was 
 proclaimed "Procurator-General of Peru" and "Captain General," 
 with express authority to raise and command a military force. 
 
 Blasco Nunez was received at the capital with all outward cere- 
 monials of respect, by his predecessor, Vaca de Castro, and by the 
 city officials. He publicly announced his determination to enforce 
 the new code, but at the same time agreed to cooperate with the 
 inhabitants of Peru in procuring its repeal. He appeared to be little 
 aware of the formidable nature of the preparations at Cuzco, under 
 the superintendence of Gouzalo Pizarro, or of the feebleness of the 
 empty title of viceroy, unsupported by the loyalty of the great mass 
 of the population. 
 
 The latter chief, having organized and equipped an army of about 
 four hundred Spanish soldiers, with sixteen pieces of artillery 
 brought by Indian vassals over the mountains from Guamanga, and 
 a great body of native auxiliaries, marched out of Cuzco, and took 
 the road towards Lima. The first occurrences in his march were 
 rather disheartening. In raising his force he had held out as one 
 essential object the holding in check the belligerent natives under 
 the wandering inca, Munco, whose noble and warlike spirit had 
 never yet been subdued by the prowess or craft of his adversaries. 
 He had also professed the utmost loyalty to the crown, and an ardent 
 desire for a pacific arrangement of the existing difficulties. The 
 death of Manco, who was slain by a straggling party of the "Men 
 of Chili," then in hiding among the Indians, removed one avowed 
 pretext for raising an army, and the unscrupulous manner in which 
 the ambitious leader seized upon the public funds in equipping the 
 troops, disabused his followers in respect to his loyalty and freedom 
 fi-nin a desire of personal aggrandizement. Numerous desertions took 
 place among those whose hearts failed them at the thought of open 
 rebellion against legitimate authority. But as he approached Lima, 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOKY or PEBU. 
 
 251 
 
 Ever, thing »ee Jl ^.tt; elt ^A ™ "'"^ ™''''^- 
 plele the ruin of NuSe.. TlieTnet .en " ''A?"'''?" '"'' '»™- 
 and arbitrary. Upon a v-^J^S^Tl j ? ' ™°''°'=' ""^ ™1' 
 
 he threw Va'ea de 'cXrrnl"ete::"dr'":™ °^ '--''-^^ 
 jealousy, alienated othera who mi^, T ' 7 ^'™^ '"'"' '" ^ia 
 
 .0 his « One S IhL nam f CarraTrl *"°* """""^'^ 
 slain in the heat of an alte'rXn wrfch^l^' tZ " "T" ^"^ 
 ence. To add to the nernlexilv n»,l i, P"™** """fe'- 
 
 .he Judges of the AnS trio we et^tdTh™' "'."^ f™^' 
 emment, having arrived at ,u ° 1 V? ""''"""' Sov- 
 
 .e.s.e., and iLguedtthethS l;^.^-^' "^ 
 
 in h^™: n'„ :r„tnThe"7°''"'"''^»'' f-""« - -"^™« 
 
 for an aban lorentTthe "!" "•'f"""'' °^''"-"™' i^-^-^orfers 
 
 capital and ther^ven tog oulrl: tT\'° ^™f' °- ''"^^ 
 forees of the insursents mial7^ ""^^','* devastated, that the 
 
 Cepe'd^ one of X own „2b!r""""™'' """ *= P''"^'»"^ "' 
 
 o/a\7getiirs.a«,;rrsi;trr^i '""™'- »* "^ --^ 
 
 advanee, to prepare for hu ° °°'"" f"' '" ''•'""<"' f™*. i" 
 
 ».ry eo„;me„'ed ope«i„„ w ^ r"" """ ""' "'•'■• '''''' ™''- 
 Kveral of the desTrLTsfrl^ir "* °'" "'"^ P""'"« '" *"* 
 i" the eapital SuT^!!^ v ""'^'' """^ '""'' «»'^™ "f"?" 
 
 n>inds of the iule and , ,"" "V"^ " ""'"'■•'■' ""«" i» '1- 
 the eonoueror b, !!;i™ "^ i""™'"^ "> ^l'™"''"' «"' "'rath of 
 aimed. GoTio en" " , "h ■' '""" '''■" ""= "»'"°" •■" "'""h he 
 and was f„™ yt , .^ ""'' , "7"' »^"° -^ -•-"'ony, 
 f"rthereom„,„„i„„Z , ,1? ' "■'""'' ''" "■»' '" '"''^ ""til 
 
 His aceession ™ Si bv "i ^T"'"' '""" "'« «''»"'■'" -»«■ 
 '""ted by the inhabitants with general rejoicing. 
 
If • 
 
 252 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 CHAPTEH I. 
 
 FORCES RAISED BY NUNEZ.— HIS FLIGHT NORTHWARD,— DECISIVE 
 BATTLE NEAR QUITO. — DEATH OP THE VICEROY. — SUFREM- 
 
 ACY OF PIZARRO. MISSION OF PEDRO DE LA GASCA. — 
 
 HIS POLITIC PROCEEDINGS. — BATTLE OF HUA- 
 aiNA. — PIZARRO AT CUZCO. 
 
 Although the new governor was now apparently at the summit 
 of his expectations, circumstances speedily arose to embarrass him 
 and call for the exertion of all his skill and energy to maintain his 
 position. Yaca de Castro, by the assistance of the captain of the 
 vessel on board which he was confined, contrived to make his es- 
 cajie. The result of this proceeding did not, however, materially 
 aftect the interests of the governor. The fugitive reached Spain 
 only to be thrown into prison upon various charges of mal-adminis- 
 tration in his colonial office. After twelve years of imprisonment 
 his innocence was finally recognised, and he was raised to an hon- 
 ourable position in old Spain. An active enemy to the new govern- 
 ment of Peru yet remained to be crushed. Blasco ]Sruiiez,°by the 
 favour of Alvarez,, one of the judges who had been commissioned 
 to conduct him to Spain, returned to Peru, and, proclaiming Gonzalo 
 and his adherents rebels and traitors, commenced the enlistment of 
 forces for the reassertion of his own legitimate supremacy. 
 
 Ilis quarters were successively at Tumbez, Quito, and San Mio-uel 
 from which latter town he moved precipitately upon the approach 
 of Pizarro with a superior force. Sebastian Benalcazar, the com- 
 mander at Popayan, had communicated his determination to the 
 viceroy to lend his assistance for the support of the royal cause, and 
 towards the district under that officer's jurisdiction Nunez conducted 
 his little band, with Pizarro and his forces in hot pursuit. The 
 sufferings of either army during this terrible retreat, in which every 
 imnginablc difficulty, from the inhospitable nature of the country 
 traversed, was added to the horrors of war, would have disheart- 
 ened troops less accustomed to danger and privation than the old 
 Spanish adventurers. Nunez made his way to Popayan, and 
 Pizarro, after having followed his enemy into the territory of 
 Benalcazar, without having been able to draw him into a decisive 
 
THE CONQUEST AND HISTORY OF PERU. 
 
 253 
 
 conflict, returned to Quito to await his approach with the expected 
 reinforcements. 
 
 By a feigned retreat from the ancient capital, Pizarro succeeded 
 in deceiving his opponent, and in drawing him from his distant 
 place of security. Just without the city, on the 18th of January, 
 1546, the fate of the viceroy was decided by a final engagement. 
 He fell, fighting bravely, and his followers being slain or dispersed, 
 none remained to dispute the supremacy of the popular usurper, 
 Gonzalo was possessed of many qualities calculated to secure the 
 favour of the colonists. He was in every respect a man of the age, 
 and his gallant and chivalrous bearing, combined with the remem- 
 brance of his share in the conquest, aroused the admiration of a 
 people accustomed to look upon military excellence as the grand 
 essential for a ruler. 
 
 An insurrection, headed by Diego Centeno, in the southern 
 provinces, having been crushed by the efficient and unscrupulous 
 Carbajal, nearly simultaneously with his successes tt the north, 
 Pizarro was for the time complete arbiter of the de ^nies of Peru. 
 He maintained his position with great pomp and magnificence, yet 
 in the midst of his success and popularity, must have brooded 
 with no little anxiety over the probable results of the reception of 
 intelligence respecting his movements at the Spanish court. Car- 
 bajal openly advised him to throw aside all thoughts of obtaining 
 favour and countenance from Spain, and to depend upon force alone 
 for the retention of his power. 
 
 Unwilling to hazard such an extreme measure, Gonzalo neverthe- 
 less took the greatest precautions to guard against the entry into his 
 dominions of any emissary from the royal court, and prepared to 
 send an ambassador to Spain, charged with the vindication of his 
 conduct and the request ofgconfirmation in his government. 
 
 When news of the rebellion arrived in Spain, Charles V., afler 
 deliberate consultation with the principal officers of his kingdom 
 determined upon essaying gentle means for the restoration of his 
 colony to allegiance. A learned and sagacious ecclesiastic, named 
 Pedro de la Gasca, was nominated by the council as commissioner 
 to settle the affiiirs of Peru, and such confidence was reposed in him 
 by the emperor, that he was armed with the most unlimited discre- 
 tionary powers. As the first essential to a cordial reception on the 
 part of the colonists, he was authorized to revoke the unpopular 
 decrees which liad caused the ruin of Nunez, and to grant complete 
 
254 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 pardon to all offenders, particularly those concerned in the insur- 
 rection Under the title of "President of the Eoyal Audience," he 
 was in effect clothed with all the powers of royalty, being responsible 
 only to the Spanish court. 
 
 _ When Gasca arrived in the New World, in July, 1546, and received 
 mtelligence of Pizarro's complete supremacy, he employed the most 
 judicious and artful policy to gain over the people before making an 
 open demonstration. In accordance with his own wishes and advice 
 he came without any military force; he made no ostentatious display 
 of authority ; but relying upon the loyalty natural to the Spaniard 
 and holding forth the royal promises of amnesty and protection, he 
 ca ed on all true subjects of the empire to join him in a peaceful 
 settlement of the disturbed affairs of the colony. Despite Pizarro's 
 caution he succeeded in distributing missives and proclamations 
 throughout the principal cities, and occupied himself in the mean 
 time in gaming over those officials to whom he could obtain access 
 Uernan Mexia, the commandant at Nombre de Dios, -received the 
 royal commissioner and espoused his cause. The next effort was to 
 Avin the favour and assistance of Hinojosa, the governor of Panama 
 at which port the Peruvian fleet then lay. ' 
 
 Gasca proceeded thither in person, and although at first unable 
 to overcome the scruples of the governor, had opportunity to open 
 direct communication with Pizarro, and to further the extension of 
 his own influence. The usurper would listen to no proposals which 
 did not favour his own retention of supremacy. He sent his reply 
 by one of his most trust-worthy adherents, Lorenzo de Aldana who 
 was commissioned to represent to the Spanish court the state of the 
 country, the existing quiet in the province, and the satisfaction of 
 the inhabitants at their condition and prospects, should the governor 
 be confirmed in his powers by the emperor. 
 
 Arriving at Panama, Aldana had audience with the commissioner 
 and was so awed by the extent of his legitimate authority, and 
 struck by^his wisdom and moderation, that he speedily abandoned 
 his master s cause, and joined the partisans of Gasca. Hinojosa and 
 the principal naval commanders at Panama followed this example 
 and on the 19th of November, 1546, the whole fleet was puW^ 
 and formally placed at the disposal of Gasca, and its officers; receiv- 
 ing anew their commissions from his hands, took oaths of obh^ation 
 to the crown. ° 
 
 The president's course was now plain. He began to collect forces 
 
THE OONCUESI ANB HISTOEV O, PERU. ^j. 
 
 for open hctiMe^ ushg y, „„|i„ij^3 ° 
 
 ™,„g fortunes of the ro.al party. Jthe »,„thern Z „^e Dieto 
 
 f„. acco^ioa to hU force f„™ .he'^r^udt Xlr/rr 
 sequences o „dhermg to the popular ruler i„ hi. co "l« with the 
 crown, or who now dared for the first tim^ t„ .i 7 
 
 .nets, he posted himself by Lake Titi^I "' '"^^ """■ 
 
 Pizarro's chief counsellors and offloers m fl,:. „ ■ j 
 
 Z H7u ^ " 'coadjutors of the unfortunate NuOez The 
 
 fa. of these, generally as prudent in council as savage an" Lorse 
 less m war, advised compliance with the roval „ffi., ■ ., 
 feeling himself, perhaps, to'o deeply irrjl^^^^^^^j;^:^ 
 death of he viceroy (especially when considered in XencelTis 
 own posmon under the rule of that olHcer,) to hope for a share in til 
 
 =^^r;s;:fT«^:lrrhTmn^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 ^d hazardous cou.e: he theretrdetted ht Z:j1Z-^Z 
 the arming and recruiting of his diminished forces a. the caS 
 
 comrnd'tf rfriefe-mC'lM-^ T' ''^•^'- 
 Lima, and marched to tl ^ T ?1^ t,"' H™ """"": '"'" 
 
 capitaland fts™ nit^w rZlT'"' '' *° '"'""'■'•■'"''"f «1- 
 still greater enthJ^ltair hi Zdtrrr' "*°~' '"^ 
 
 F tne mountain passes with a vastly superior force. 
 
256 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HI8T0EY. 
 
 That staunch loyalist was too well aware of his advantage to allow 
 the enemy to escape from the toils by which he was surrounded 
 He would listen to nothing but an unconditional surrender, offering 
 however, his personal influence to propitiate the clemency of the 
 government in behalf of those who should lay down their arms 
 Pizarro, therefore, collected all his energies for a desperate and 
 decisive struggle. 
 
 Near the small town of Huarina, by Lake Titicaca, he was met by 
 Centeno on the 26th of October, 1547. The latter was in command 
 of about a thousand men, while Pizarro's whole force was less than 
 five hundred. When the two armies joined battle, the cavalry of 
 the royalists completely overpowered and routed that of their oppo- 
 nents, and the fortune of the day seemed for the time decided in 
 their favour. Carbajal, however, maintained his position with the 
 little band of musqueteers, and having received and successfully 
 repelled the charge of Centeno's infantiy, was prepared to oppose 
 the attack of the formidable body of cavalrv. After various disor- 
 derly and futile attempts to break the squares into which the enemy 
 were formed, and after sustaining heavy loss from the constant fire 
 kept up from within the protecting lines of spearmen, the royalists 
 were thrown into utter confusion, and were driven from the field. 
 
 Elated by so brilliant and decisive a victory, and justly deeming 
 that the prestige of the achievement would reassure the minds of 
 those who at heart favour^^d his c.t^ase, Pizarro abandoned his inten- 
 tion of seeking an asylunp. in Chili, and marched to Cuzco He was 
 received with enthusiasm by the inhabitants, and having taken up 
 his quarters in the city, he resolved to await the arrival of rein- 
 forcements from the neighbouring districts, and to strike only where 
 a favourable opportunity might present, or when he should be com- 
 pelled by the movements of the enemy. 
 
THE CONQUEST AND IIISTOEY OF 
 
 PERU. 
 
 26'/ 
 
 CHAPTEH II. 
 
 CAUTIOUS MOVEMENTS OF 0A8CA.-HI8 MARCH TO CUZCO 
 BLOODLESS VICTORY AT XAQUIir A on . v » I CU/,CO.-- 
 
 rARBATAT awtT^ ■^^'^^^^aouana.— execution op 
 
 OP OASCA ll\'^^'-''^^^ ADMINISTRATION 
 OP GASCA.— SUBSEQUENT DISORDERS — THR 
 COLONIAL SYSTEM.-THE MITA AND BE 
 PARTIMIENTO.— INSURRECTION OP 1780. 
 
 ..d .„ whosa judgment ha sabmitted in n,u^rTletZJ: 
 
 engaged in gathering fresh adventurers to air! in *l f ^ 
 
 his conquests in Chili venturers to aid in the extension of 
 
 The followers of Pi "ar^ S . " T'^ "=" ^'"Sularly obviated, 
 with a .uperi^^! :::U tlHt f'f %T"' °'""'™*"« 
 
 ft.s o.a.^p. op.^ waa .he faiehle. Jpeda X, Il'-^^T^t 
 
 1 
 
258 
 
 THK PEOPLE'S BOOK OF JIiaTORY. 
 
 advance of his troops, suddenly put spurs to liis horse, and notwith- 
 standing a hot pursuit, niade his way in safety to the enemy, 
 
 A complete panic and confusion presently ensued: the army of 
 Gonzalo was disi)orscd without a battle, and the rebellious chief 
 delivered himself up a prisoner. Those of his followers who feared 
 at the last moment to trust to the mercy of the president, scattered 
 in various' directions, and sought safety in flight. His old and faith- 
 ful lieutenant, Carbajal, was seized by some of hia own party, and 
 carried captive to the enemy's camp. This veteran chief was no less 
 than eighty-four years old, but although his body was enfeebled by 
 the infirmities of age, his mind retained all its original energy and 
 stern determination. When condemned to the disgraceful death of 
 a traitor, he manifested no emotion, but submitted to his fate with 
 the utmost apparent indifference, maintaining to the last the vein of 
 dry, coarse humour which was ever habitual to him. The most 
 remarkablo circumstance attendant upon his execution, considerin<' 
 the age in which he lived, was his refusal to make confession, or 
 to receive ghostly consolation from the priests. He asseverated that 
 he had nothing on his conscience except his remissness in leaving a 
 debt of a half-real unpaid to a shopkeeper of Seville. While behig 
 drawn in a hurdle to the fatal .spot, "the priest who went with him 
 exhorted him to recommend himself to God, and to say the Pater 
 Koster and the Ave Marin^ and they .say that he said, 'Pater Noster' 
 and 'Ave Maria,' and that he would not speak another word," 
 
 Gonzalo Pizarro also perished by the hands of the executioner 
 but without the circumstances of indignity which attended the death 
 of his lieutenant. He spent the short interval between his con- 
 demnation and death in devout exercises, and met his fate with such 
 calm intrepidity that a strong feeling of sympathy was excited in the 
 breasts of the stern and rude soldiery in attendance. The recollection 
 of the important part enacted by him during the war of the Conquest 
 was also remembered with respect and gratitude by those whose 
 prosperity had been secured by the overthrow of the ancient dynasty, 
 
 A number of Pizarro's inferior officers were also put to death ; and 
 banishment, confiscation of estates, and the fate of the galley-.slave, 
 sternly awarded to others, served to convince the nation that the 
 new government, if mild and clement to the loyal or submissive, 
 could execute rigorous justice upon offenders. 
 
 The manner in which Gasca reduced the unsettled aflfliirs of the 
 country to order and system; his cautious and conciliatory, but 
 
THE00N,UKSTAND„I8T0KV0KPKRU. 259 
 
 eflective legislation ; and his e/Torts in behalf of t>,n . i • 
 
 of the soil, gained him universal respec Wi ^ ^^'''" ""'"'' 
 for the acquisition of wealth and Tn \ '"'^'"^ opp,.rt.Mnty 
 
 personal ambition, ho sZ on"f fo h T'"^\'' "^"""-^ ^- 
 Ltted to his chlrgeanTfrr'thth '/''"' '"'°"^'=''"^- 
 
 crown. When his m ssTon waV^m ',"1 '"^^'""^^^ °^ ^'"^ 
 
 reiinqu.hedhisves;r:;:;e^;.:":— ^^^^^ 
 
 large sum of mL;;:: e^^t^^^rt ll^^^^^^^ ^ 
 
 tinued tribute to the rojal treasury. long-d.scon- 
 
 Ilis distinguished services and uneonnllpri cnir 7 • i 
 ■their appropriate reward, in «ecurL tie "SI u'fh"' "'' "''^ 
 and the favour of the emperor Hp 1 ^'''^Y'" f '^'^ countrymen 
 
 iJurmg the long continuance of Spanish rnlo in A • 
 enactment respecting trade and infercou s ° " H ^f "'l''^^ ''''^^ 
 
 a co„.i„„a, J,:, riir:: : ;; :r:r,;?^r'r '^•"' "■'" 
 
 "^Uves. By a regular conscription, called ,l,e ..Jri..,," one«™ ,h 
 
200 
 
 TIIK I'KOI'LK'S BOOK OF 1I18T0KV. 
 
 of the Indian jxipulation, from the ngoof ciglitoon to llfty, wiw con- 
 fltantly kept cinployod in tlio ininos. Tho term of Hcrvico for eiich 
 division wiw noiniimlly Hix rnontliH, altliongh fiwiuontly oxtondcd • 
 and HO wvcro waa tlio labour enforced, and bo influnicientthe Hupport 
 l)rov»4led by their Uiak-iniwterH, that a largo niiyority of the lal)onr('i\s 
 are said to have periwlied before the expiration of a Hingk) period of 
 Hervico. The intrtiduction of spirituous liquors also proved as diHiw- 
 trous aa in nil other portions of America, to the native population- 
 and from the combined eflects of this destructivo agent, of labour in 
 the mines, and of that deadly pcatilenco the small-pox, the deercaso 
 of the Indian inhabitants of IVru, during the two centuries succood- 
 ing the Concpiest, is computed by millions. 
 
 Olio grievous form of imposition practised upon the luitives, waa 
 that known as the system of tho rcpanimiento. This was a Hpecioa 
 of monopoly, by which tho Si)ani8h governors, or eorregidora of tlio 
 dilVcrcnt ditllricts woro empowered to furnish tho Indians with Kii- 
 ropoan commodities. These they were compelled to receive, and to 
 pay for at cxhorbitant prices, whether in want of tho articles fur- 
 iiislit'd or not. It is .said that the })lan waa first devi.sed with the 
 benevolent intention of securing tho ignorant natives from tiio 
 deceptions practised by unprincipled traders, but that the temptation 
 to take advantage of their exclusive privilege })rovod too strong for 
 the integrity of those to whom the charge was committed, until tho 
 whole system became i)ne of barefaced frauil and oppression. 
 
 In addition to the great wrongs sanctioned by law, tho Indian.*) 
 had none, or tho most insuirieient redress, for every sijccies of 
 enormity which was privately indicled upon them by tho usuri)crs 
 of the soil. For more than two centuries they laboured under this 
 juaupportablo tyranny without any combined cfibrt to obtain thoir 
 freedom. An unsuccessful revolt took place, indeed, in 1741, amomr 
 .several of the dilTercnt tribes. At Uust, in the year 1780, the cae'que 
 of Tungasuca, Jos6 Gabriel Condorcanqui, claiming descent from. 
 Tupac Amaru, the son of the Inca Manco, stood forth as tho cham- 
 pion of his people. Multitudes of tho natives thronged to enlist 
 under his command, and in the battles which ensued, displayed nil 
 the energy and courage of their anccstons. !^^ore experienced in 
 European warfare than these, they were not subdued without mucli 
 bloodshed. The very women took part in these contests, and evinced 
 surprising bravery and determination. The death of their leader, 
 who was taken i)risonor, and, together with his wife and children, 
 
 w 
 
THE CONQUEHT AND HISTORY OF PERU. gfll 
 
 put t., ,lo«th with barlmrous cruelty, gave no check to the rebellion 
 A Kucnliu warluro wuH still waged with unrcMutting perncvcn c 
 and a nephew of Condorcan.,ui, named Andron, collected a s ./lie 
 force to lH.Hct t e town of Sorata. The place wan defended by 
 cart en c.ubanlcM.ent, behin<l which artillery wan Htationed/To 
 efloct a breach a uge body of water w«h collected by .lan.H upon 
 an adjonung he.ght, and suddenly let loose upon t^.c defc. ch 
 in-ough the open.ngthuH n.ade, the Indian wa/riorH poure<l w i t i 
 the ut,nost fury and revenged the murder of their inea by an in.lin- 
 ennnnu e Hiaughtor. It ,« «aid that of the twenty thousaml inhabit- 
 an^ of the town, none of the males were spared except the priesr 
 Notwthstandmg th h brilliant success, the India, comma dl 
 were not .sulhcently skdled in the science of war or government to 
 take advantage of their position. They were betn^c Z t,^ 
 hands o the enemy by some of their own people who had been wo^ 
 over by br.bes and the Spaniards speedily nistablished their n^" 
 over the country. In consequence of this rebellion, howevir Ihe 
 odious mor.opoly of the r.partimicnto was done away ^ith 
 
 CHAPTEB in. 
 
 COMMKNCKMKNT OP THK REVOLUTION.-r NVASIOX BY SAN 
 
 MARTIN.-OCMMiPATrON OF M M A.-I ND E P KN DENCB 
 
 PR0CLAIMKI)--REVER8E8 OP THE PATRIOTS.— 
 
 ARRIVAL OF BOLIVAR IN PERU. 
 
 T.r. great struggle for independence in the Spanish provinces of 
 
 South America hud l.en elsewhere, for the most part, crowned wi^ 
 
 suceess before Peru became the theatre for importan acXn H e 
 
 he Spaniards ma.ntained po.sse.ssion of their last stronghold upo' 
 
 the contment and, but for a.ssistance from the neighbou h « S 
 
 :;S: !:• ;:r;i''^^^ T' '-'''' ^^^^ -^^-^^ ^ ~ 'f 
 
 ovcniirowmg the vieeroyal government. 
 
 from Bn^T ^''""\'' '^'' ^^^'^^"^--' >" October, 1810. an army 
 
 ' , " ''" ' ^"-'- """ gamed inifortant v dories over tlia 
 
 rojal,.„s a, C„u,garU> and Tupiaza. Thisofflcer took up his quartet 
 
2&J, 
 
 'I'll !■; I'lioi- 1. K',s UdoK () K II isi'oii V 
 
 Wl 
 
 til a I 
 
 oirti (if Ml I' lour tliou.siful men, jit tlni oiitlot of l,iil<i^ 'I 
 
 ili- 
 
 cuoii, mill inaiiitiiiiinl ponscHHiiui oi' tlic (ioiKiucnHl liTiitory until 
 
 till! I'ollow iiij^ siiinuu'i, u Ih'm I 
 
 wiiw ill iiirii tloloiitnl by the S])aiii,sli 
 
 troops miller lio^fiit'i 111', who iillaeked liini iincxiurtclly (luring tl 
 
 g tlio 
 
 I'ontiiiiiaiK'c of a tru.r. ihiU'unr'H iliiliuc i,s attribiiteil in no .small 
 
 niotiMure to tlif violcnoeand recklewne.ss of liiseivil asHociatc, Cawtt'lli. 
 
 tiu' rnonlli of Auj^iisl, 1S2(), indtpemlciu'c having boon cstab- 
 
 li.HlH.l in riiili, an army ol' bctwcoii fun r and livo ll 
 
 aH.Monit)lo(l 
 
 lousand inuii wuh 
 III \'al|iaiai.so lor tho |iiirpoH(< oC lircaking up of llu' royal- 
 ist .strongholds ol iVni, and «.|' IVe.'ing that provimv IVoiu the domin. 
 ion of Spain. The eommand was liel.l hy (ieiieral .Joho <le 8au 
 Martin, the <Mnaneipator ol" C^hili, to whoso oxi-rtioiis the e.xpeditiou 
 was inainly alliihulable. Siieh v».s.sels of war as e,,idd be proeuivd, 
 were lilted out and plaeed under eommand of Lord t'oehrami. Jn iho 
 month Ibllowing, the whole loree was landed aiuhpiarlered at Tiseo. 
 oil the Teruvian eoa.sl, without opposition i'roin the royalist I 
 
 wliieh retreated to I 
 
 orces. 
 
 ■ima, about one hundred miles northward. 
 
 All attempt at liegoliatioii having lailed, ll 
 
 le army of invasion w 
 
 lUS 
 
 again in motion in the month oj'Oetol 
 
 ler, 
 
 'riu> naval loree a 
 
 lu'liored 
 
 /onl 
 
 Coel 
 
 iraiie, 
 
 otV Callao, where, on the night of November f.lh, 
 eommandmg in per.son, sueeeeded in eutting out and eai)turiiig tho 
 Spanish iVigate Ksmeralda, whieh lav under tho protection ol' tho 
 gnus ol' the I'orl, and in I'ompaiiy with a number of smaller armed 
 vessels. 'I'liis o.xploii is eonsidored as one of the luo.st brilliant 
 aohievemenis of the kind on reeord. 
 
 The main body of Chilian troojm wa.s traii.sported to Iluara, about 
 seventy-live miles north of tho eapital, while a d 
 
 oral 
 
 Ar 
 
 1 vision, under (ieii- 
 
 Aronales, was maivlied into the interior, with the intention of 
 
 elV-etiiig a iuiieii 
 
 th 
 
 Irish ollicer C 
 
 every day brighter. They guiiicil large a'eoessions 
 
 >n with the prineipal force by land. On the routo 
 IS commaiuler defeated a superior Ibivc of the rovalist.s, under the 
 
 leiicral O'Reilly. The }U'o.sj)ects of the pat 
 
 tl 
 
 lose of the inhabitants wlio f 
 
 of 
 
 riots yrew 
 
 recruits from 
 
 ivoiired a revolution, and it was pi 
 
 that tho great body o( tho people hailed their arrival with tl 
 joyful aiilieipatioiis. On the []d of DecemI 
 tho Sfiauish battalion of Numancia, consist 
 Columbians, joined the invaders. 
 
 un 
 
 le most 
 
 icr, ail entire regiment, 
 iiig in groat measure of 
 
 As San Martin, after 
 
 1 
 
 .iin«, the city was thrown into the utmost 
 
 iome months' delay at Iluara, tidvancod 
 
 ipoti 
 confusion. The Spanish 
 
 authorities fuuiui it ueoessiu-y to evacuate the place, and the inhabit- 
 
 r? 
 
TlIK CONCiUEHT AND H18T0KY OF PERU. 
 
 263 
 
 a.itH, m tt goncrul panic, .iiul ui.cortiiin as to what was to take nluoo 
 bcKaii to lly with their cllbets towards Caliao an.l other places of 
 .Mup,H.mi Heeurity. Throi.^lu.ut tl>e night preceding the evacuation 
 by the Spanhsh troops, the narrow streets were nearly inipaasablo 
 from the multitude of veliicles in which tl", terrilleil inhabitants 
 wore convoying away their e/fects. Captain Hasil JIail, who was 
 upon the spot, says: "For an h<.ur or two uRer the viceroy's do- 
 imrtiire, the streeUs were iiUed with fugitives; ],ut Uy mid-day 
 scarcely an individual was to be seen; and in the course of the 
 afternoon, I accompanied one of the English merchants durin- a 
 walk of more than a mile through the most p.^jjulous part« of Lima 
 withcutmeeliiig a single individual: the doors were all barred thd 
 window-shutters closed, and it really seemed 'some vast citv of 
 the dead.'" '' 
 
 The old Marquis of Montemir^-., who had been left in authority 
 called together the principal inhabitant.s, and aft.Tsome er)„,sultation' 
 with the lussent of the town council, an invitation was extended to 
 Han Martin to occupy the city, nominally for the purpo,He of j)ro- 
 tcctnig the inh;a)itants from a suspected uprising of the slaves from 
 the Indian allies (,f the patriots who threateiuMl a descent from' with- 
 out, and from a lawless mob of the lower orders within the walls 
 The general entered the city on the 12th of .July, 1821, unaccom- 
 ]iaiuod by his army, and experienced litth; difl-iculty in satisfying 
 the terrified inhabitants as to his good fuith and the lionesty of his 
 mtention.s. All went on prosperously for the cause, and on the 28th 
 the independence of Peru was formally proclaimed, amid the great- 
 cat exhibition of enthusiasm on the part of the poj)ulace. On the 
 M of the ensuing month San Martin assumed the title of Protector 
 of J'eru. 
 
 No important military movements took place during a considerable 
 sub.sequent period, 'i'he fortress at Caliao remained in i)osHession of 
 the royalists, whither the division under Canterac the viceroy, quar- 
 tered atXauxa, was marched in the latter part of August. These 
 troops were soon afterwards withdrawn, and the stronghol.l, left 
 under command of General La Mar, capitulated to the protector on 
 the 2lst of September. The independent army remained at Lima, 
 for the most part unemployed, during a nundjer of months sub-se- 
 quent to these events, and their ju-esence began to be felt as a burden 
 by "le inhabitants. In April, 1822, a severe reverse was felt in the 
 surprise and caj^ture, by Canterac, of a very considerable body of 
 
264 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOKY. 
 
 the revolutionary forces, at lea. More than a thousand prisoners 
 were taken, and a great amount of arms and military stores fell into 
 the hands of the rojaliata. 
 
 An interview toolc place in the month of July, of this year 
 between the Protector and the great champion of freedom in South 
 America, Bolivar, then in tlie full pride of success in the northern 
 provinces. The result of the meeting was the augmentation of the 
 force at Lima by two tliousand Columbian troops. During San 
 Martin's absence the tyranny of his minister, Monteagudo, who°mudo 
 the de{)uty protector, the Marquis of Truxillo, a mere tool for the 
 execution of his private projects, excited an outbreak, which was 
 only quelled by the arrest and removal of the offending party. 
 
 In the succeeding montli the first independent congress was 
 assembled at the capital, and San Martin, having resigned his author- 
 ity, soon after took his departure for Chili. Congress appointed a 
 junta of three persons to discharge the duties of the executive. 
 Under this administration the affairs of the new republic fell into 
 great disorder. A miserably futile attemi)t, by sea and land, against 
 the royalists in the southern provinces, created great public discon- 
 tent, and on the 2Cth of February, 1823, the principal officera of the 
 army, in a remonstrance to Congress, demanded the appointment of 
 Colonel Jose de la Hiva Aguero as president. After some opposition, 
 that body complied with the proposition, backed as it was by all the 
 real power of the republic, and Eiva Aguero was proclaimed accord- 
 mgly. General Santa Cruz, a Peruvian, and partly of Indian descent, 
 then second in command, shortly after, upon the departure of Are- 
 nalos for Chili, assumed the position of commander-in-chief of the 
 army. A second expedition to the southward against the royalists 
 of the Puvrtos Intermcdios, left the capital insufliciently guarded, 
 although three thousand additional troops had been marched to the 
 city by the Columbian general, Sucre. Canterac seized the opportu- 
 nity to possess himself of Lima, and with nine thousand men, on the 
 18th of June, er.tered that city. Tlie patriot forces were insufficient 
 to make any effectual resistance, and they evacuated the capital on 
 the approach of the enemy. 
 
 ^ The Congress, holding its session at Callao, now invested General 
 Sucre with dictatorial powers. Upon the fortress at this place, Can- 
 terac was unable to make any impression, and considering it useless 
 to imuntain possession of the capital, he withdrew his troops on the 
 17th of the succeeding month of July. The division of the patriot 
 
forces at the south fared no hpUny ^v, xi. . , . 
 A disastrous and disorder]; 'l^^^^^^^^^^^ Y' ^"^^^^^ ^*- 
 
 the almost entire dissolution of reariv 'llT'^^'^ ^«-^'«d in 
 the enterprise of the revolution now seemed to resTunonth"'"'' '". 
 of foreign assistance, and this wn«. f^.f., * i , P°" ^^"^ ''^''^^val 
 ivar, the liberator o Venlreirand t "^.'^ "^- ^'"°" ^^^■ 
 champions of freedom in Sou L a1 " "^^^^'^^'^S-^i^hed of the 
 
 affairs ofthe recently constituted norfT; T '° ^^^ "'^"^'^^ ^he 
 that he was enabled to t^r^l s Zl^ TT'r'^'''''^'''^^'y^ 
 of the Peruvian patriots L 1 oel^^^ ''" ''f """^ ^-^^*'- 
 and entered Liiil on the ill TsllZ::?^^^ ^^^^ 
 his i,revious brilliant successes and th?.r'fi , .T "^ ^'''^'-^ ^^ 
 as a general and statesman, give rLwim/"" '^' ^" ^'^ '-^b"'''- 
 He was received with ^rea reLl^-n" 7 " *° '^'' P^*'''^^'^ «^^"«e. 
 supreme power, both ^a^Z^' "" ^^ °"- "--^^d with 
 
 CHAPTEH I in. 
 
 I SUCCESSES OP THE ROYALISTS if.,,r„ 
 
 at hi, removal from a.uhorilj, was carrvL „ ? '^■T"' '"'"='"»"' 
 
 ...t" oxilo ll,„,c .vl,., remam,.,! firm to 117 °?°™' ""'"'"S 
 
 A*c.i„„ prccto,. atr, blX^rN" 7"'"" ""'"'""• '"' 
 avail, but by the treachery of ™?,7i,i,'''8°"""? 1™>""1 <'f "o 
 
 «™.a.io,,of.oi:i;r^:;:;;:::-:;:;; --"-^ 
 
2(ifl 
 
 TIIK TKOl'liK'S nooK OF IIISTOUY. 
 
 sUvto of iillairs only served to cull forth the full energies of the groat 
 genorul. lie had under his cotninand about ten thousiiiul troops, 
 the niiijorify of whom wore Columbians, stationed near I'ataviica, 
 'I'lie available foreea of the royalists were at this periixl nutiiorieully 
 far aujH'rior to those of the j)atriots, but confidonee in the triod abil- 
 ities of their leader nu)ro than eomi)ensatoil the latter for their info- 
 rioritv in numbers. "'Phere was a eharm," says Miller, "in tlio 
 nanui of IU)livar, and ho was looked u]) to as the only man eapablo 
 of saving tho republic." 
 
 The army of tho royalists was quartered nt Xauxa, and no elVort 
 was made to cheek tho advance of tho independent forces until they 
 had elVeeted tho dangerous passage of tho mountains, and were in full 
 march lor Piuseo, Great praise is awarded to General Suei'o, tlio 
 chief of tho sUdl", for tho admirable Ibrothought and prudent precau- 
 tions by which the diniculties of this march were met and safely 
 overcome. An action, which, however, did not become general, took 
 place on the j)lains of .lunin, in which the patriots gained a decided 
 advantage, further inerojised by numerous subseciuent desertions froiu 
 the eiuMuy. 
 
 lUiIivar was at this period unwilling to risk the chances of a deci- 
 sive battle, and maile little opposition to the retreat of Canlcrac to 
 Cuzco. At Guanianga a numth's halt was made by the patriots. In 
 October, the eornn>ander-in-chief, supposing that, on account of tlio 
 .reason, no present attempt would be made by the enemy, returned 
 to the coast, having directed Sucre to take up his quarters at Aiula- 
 huaylos and Abancay. Contrary to Bolivar's expectations, tlio 
 Sinmish viceroy, having ell'eeted a union of his main divisions and 
 nuule the most strenuous exertions to collect an overwhehniiig force, 
 now reconuueneed hostilities. Sucre was placed in an embarrassinif 
 position: his forces were greatly reduced by sickness, privation, 
 skirmishes, and Indian hostilities, but with his usual militarv skill 
 he so ordered counter movements and retreats that the greatly supe- 
 rior force of the royalists was unable to attack him at a disadvantage. 
 
 Ko general ongageinent took place until the Dth of J\>cember, 
 when the decisive battle of Ayacueho, one of the most remarkable 
 in its details, and imjiortant in its results over fought in South 
 America, gave a death-blow to Spanish power in Peru. The attack 
 was commenced by the royalists, under command of tho viceroy. 
 Their numbers very considerably exceeded those of tho patriots, 
 being set down at over nine thousand, while those of the latter fell 
 
Til K CON (; II KM'ii 1 1. . 
 
 ' '"' ^^'^ nis'roHY OKI.KKU. 267 
 
 wliort of Hix thouaand. It w»u i\u i 
 
 or the day waa to ,l..,oido tirit'V 7'"'"''/'-^ "" '^'"* ^'^" ^"^^uno 
 <t brief but inHj.iriting addros ,..1 r-'"'"^"''''"' '*"^' "^'^'^^'1 ''7 
 fouglUwitharu™,tI.n,glnrot o < --'""-dor, the ,,atriots 
 
 Aaorudnglobour^sC H /;;r^ 
 driven baek to tl.e heights o Con W i""' ^^""^ ''"•^^'^^1 ^^"1 
 
 '-^^■''•. <'-y I.a.1 taken a li^.^r a "'T'' ^''"'''' ^"''^•"'>« ^^> ''- 
 
 -clvv<.undedaliUlole«sthanono tand 1^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^f " '^'"^■'' 
 renamed of his seattered forces C- Z ";'^'^' ->"^"«tc><l what 
 
 outnund)ered, and must be uSil v ^'"'"'"'^ '^'"' ^'« ^"« "^vv 
 cr .ho day, tllen^bro ho rode S •;"^""""\ '^^'^"^« *'- «'-« 
 --t, and in the tent of t^c 1^^ V '" ''"'"''' '^"-'"i" 
 whole ren.aining anny bee-uno "'^'"'^ *' -^l>'t"l'^tion. U .s 
 
 tl.e capituIution°dl Z ^ii^'i^r^' " 7"' ' ^"'^ ^^^ the tenns of 
 .surrender. These re,ai« t^^ /"^ '" / T' -^'"^ "''^^ ^"""^ *<> 
 at Cu.eo and Are,uipa, S .r^ ,"T^f ' ^'"^ '^ *''« «---"« 
 t'oups under Oh.Li. i;/(J ^ 't^' '^ ^ f 7'^^ ^"^^ ^^^^ ^l-'i^l* 
 forced to yield in April, mio their I i'^- ^"' '^'^'^"«" ^^''■'•« 
 
 an insurreetion of hii o;.. foiwls "' '^' ^''" ''^''" '" 
 
 -a'^^iaiS Jr ';: -ir t tr ^^ ^^"- ^^^" ^^«- 
 
 l^ca and land; buts.Lh C'the e X^trVf '^ '''''''' 
 de cnnination of the Spanish co,ni,,audf 1 1 ^ '' ""^ *^'« 
 
 ""t'l the 19th of January 1826 Tl ' , ""^^ "^' ^^^'"''^'I 
 
 was agreed up<,n. Throughouf h,^ '" ^'""""^-^'« capitulation 
 -u and the royalist ^it^^ZoZ^2T'^ ^' «'^«« ^'^ t-'i" 
 stronghold of Spain upon tlTeeot h f F'''"'''"''' ^" ^^^^ J"«t 
 fron. disease and fan.ina Tho " 1 ? ' "''""' ^^^^^ -^^--'^r 
 ^'-I Porished previous to the surS^ '"^"^'"" ^' ''' '^^^^^ 
 
 liohvar was still elothed with fho .,^ 
 and his position as goveno of Coh 7"' "' ' ^'^^'^'^^ ''" J'-"- 
 and extended his inH^enc nd Lt r ^ov'Tf'^ strengthened 
 cpatod territory in the northel p^t^n' "so' H a" ''""'^'^ ^^'-"■ 
 anxious to bring about the adopS bv fl p ""'"'■ "« ^^"'^ 
 
 code known as the Bolivia "K,.^ i ""'"' "^ '^'' -'^''l 
 
 unsatisfaetory. While he rlaC' r' '"' ^^ ^'^^^^^ ^'^-'-"7 
 
 P-p;ooverwhelmedlun.withpXL ^' '^ '^••^'''' "^'- 
 
 ^:"» ■" language unsuitable to Z bo n T i^' ^'''' '"^"^ '^^^^''^ssed 
 
 t'on took plaee notwithsta.K^,! (.^j" u , " ''" ''"■^^•" ^ ^-- 
 
 ^""o, and iiunibeng wore found ready 
 
268 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 I 
 
 accuse this truly great man of selfish personal ambition, of careless- 
 ness for the true interest of his country, and to impute to him the 
 most unworthy motives in all his efforts for colonial independence. 
 
 The continued presence of Columbian troops, who remained quar- 
 tered at Lima, was a cause of great complaint, both from the expense 
 of their maintenance and the prevalent idea that they were kept there 
 to suppress any free and independent action of the people, and to 
 render perpetual those extraordinary powers conferred upon the 
 commander-in-chief to meet the exigencies of civil war. These 
 apprehensions were removed, during the year following the reduction 
 of Callao, by the revolt and removal of the obnoxious forces, and by 
 the election of General La Mar to the presidency of Peru. 
 
 The government had not, however, the elements of stability, and 
 the country remained a prey to factious disturbance and civil war. 
 In the words of Commander Wilkes, the history of the state "may 
 be said to be merged in biographical memoirs of its several rulers, 
 who have, without an exception, acted for self-aggrandizement, with- 
 out ever looking to the benefit of their country, its peace, or happi- 
 ness. They have, in their public decrees and acts, been lavish and 
 prodigal of the words honour, liberty, justice, &c., in order to extol 
 themselves and decry their opponents; yet, without exception, the 
 moment they have attained power, they have pursued the very course 
 they before reprobated, and the country has continued to suffer." 
 
 At the present time Peru is involved in difficulties with Bolivia, 
 threatening, if not indeed amounting to an actual state of war. The 
 limited extent of available sea-coast belonging to the latter country 
 renders her peculiarly dependent upon Peru for commercial facilities; 
 and among other offensive acts, a heavy transit duty has been levied 
 on all goods destined for Bolivia. Possession has also been taken 
 of the port of Cobija by a Peruvian squadron. 
 
CHILI. 
 
 CHAPTEH I. 
 
 EXPEDITION OP ALMAGR0.-C0MMI8SI0N OP PEDRO DE VALDIYIA 
 
 -ST. JAOO FOUNDED. — BATTLE WITH THE MAPOCHINIANS. 
 
 — EMBA.'^SY OF MIRANDA AND MONROY.— DESTRUCTION 
 
 OF THE QUILLOTAN MINERS. — VALDIVIA'S MARCH 
 
 SOUTHWARD.— THE ARAUCANIANS. 
 
 Elated by their triumphant successes in Peru, and with their 
 thirst for riches unappeased by the possession of tl>e untold treasure 
 the inca, the Spanisl, invaders turned their attention to the unex- 
 plored sea-coast at the south, as a further field for their rapacity. 
 
 rDiZ";'"A 1 " 7^"'^*'"" *° ^^"'^ '''' accordingly assumc'l 
 by D ego de Almagro, the comrade in arnjs and rival of pfzarro and 
 a well-appomted band of adventurers, numbering, as is stated five 
 
 close of r ^^^^"^i'/«\f-«> -"der his guidance, towards the 
 d se of the year 1536. A vast army of native Peruvians, com- 
 m ded by a brother of the new inca, accompanied him, hop ful of 
 better fortune under a European leader, than their countrymen Ind 
 
 Ins d of following the sea-coast, Almagro took his course over the 
 moun a.ns, as being the shortest route, a choice which resujted in 
 ernble de.strnction to his forces. The snow-eovcred Andes were 
 be crowed by an army worn out by long marches, insuffic end - "o! 
 
 SmZd, '^^.f ,Pf •\-''^"/--iliaries and about .ne-fourth of the 
 bpaniards perished during the pas,sage. 
 In the province of Copiapo, one o°f those formerly brought under 
 
 strength and sp.nt of the army. According to the historians of the 
 
270 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 expedition, the invaders were received by the native Cliilians with 
 respect and hospitality, but opportunity was not long wanting for a 
 full display of Spanish cruelty and revenge. Two straggling sol- 
 diers—for what offence is not known— were put to death at Guasco 
 and, as a lesson to the inhabitants, Almagro caused Marcando the 
 ulmen, or chief of Coquimbo, together with more than twenty of 
 the most considerable persons in the community, to be seized and 
 burned alive, without the shadow of trial, or even the accusation* of 
 having taken part in the offence. It appears that the general 
 conduct of the Spaniards on their march was replete with cruelty 
 towards the harmless peasantry of the villages through which 
 they passed. 
 
 Fresh forces had now arrived from Peru, under command of 
 Rodrigo de Orgonez, and Almagro directed his course southward 
 through the rich and flourishing districts heretofore rendered tri- 
 butary to Pern. Still another reinforcement of recruits was brou-ht 
 out by Juan de Rada, who bore dispatches to the commander-in-chtef 
 of a nature to turn the current of his thoughts from the present 
 theatre of warlike operations. These containe.l his formal appoint- 
 ment, by the crown of Spain, to the government of a large dis- 
 trict lying next south of that already confirmed to Pizarro! The 
 imperfect surveys of the period had not definitely fixed the "line of 
 division, and Almagro was assured, by letters from his friends in 
 Peru, that the capital itself lay within his newly-acquired territory 
 That active soldier would not, however, immediately give up h'is 
 dreams of conquest, although the extravagant hopes of his compan- 
 ions in adventure, as to the acquisition of further treasures in gold 
 and silver, were by this time greatly damped. He pushed on to the 
 banks of the Pio Claro, where tlie warlike Promaucians rallied to 
 oppose his further advance. To their astonishment, the Spaniards 
 found themselves engage<l with an enemy whose courage and forti- 
 tude might compare favourably with that of veteran soldiery. After 
 some useless fighting, resulting in little advantage to either party 
 Almagro was not unwilling to listen to the entreaties of his followers' 
 that an enterprise offering little prospect of any thimr but h'lrd 
 blows, should now be abandoned. He took his course'northw.'.rd 
 across the extensive desert of Atacama, avoiding tlie perils of a 
 march over the mountains, but expoi^ed to great suffering from the 
 and and inhospitable nature of the j.lains to be traversed Ilia 
 return and seizure of Cuzco, in 1538, with his fiulher adventures in 
 
 if 
 
CHILI. 
 
 271 
 
 the bloody civil war which ensued, and his final d.f. f i 
 
 tion, have been n^ontioned in the history of ptu ' "''''"• 
 
 rilZ^^^f::,^^'^ ^i^^^ -panion and rival. 
 
 lead another expeSorifoC irpfn^/jhth^d^^^''^^ 
 come out from Spain with the rovnl ,!^^ '^^'^ ^^^ previously 
 
 exploit, was assii;:^^;:^^^^^^^^^^^^ '^ -^-^^« t^i« 
 
 ro/owetirtL"^^^^^^^^ '^ ^r^-. conducted his 
 
 than that chosen by hLs pj decXo/'ur ' """V' '" ^^^^ 
 trifling loss upon the route Th? «°n«equently met with 
 
 tin., was comU of dT^e^nt mat ^X^^^^^^^^^^^ ^f' '' *^'^ 
 it was proposed to form a permanpn^ ! i ""^ Almagro, as 
 
 point, in order to acquTre ffoXl, .^''"'"* '* '''"^ ^^^^"''''^ble 
 quest and colonization TLre wet I" .' ''""^'^ '^^ '"^^^^^^^ ^«^^- 
 cient force of two hundred SnTn' f 7"' '" "^^'''°" ^« '^'^ ^■^^^ 
 number of women aXtsts^C, :•"'•' ^^ of Peruvians, a 
 for the use of the infanCrny *" """^'^ ^''' ^^^° P^^^^^ 
 
 buta;yprovintrfr 'recoTr^ttL^rT^' ''T''' " ^^'^ ^^^• 
 invaders found themselves res id 1 ,^'"^'P''"''"^^- ^^''^ 
 as no united effort was made bf 1- 1 ^ '* """""^ P°'"*' ^"* 
 
 ;l^ey .ere enabled ZT^t!: ::^Z^ ^^'^^ '^-^^-^> 
 Cop.apo, Coquimbo, Quillota, and M li ] ^ ^^^ m ^?"T "^ 
 tility and beauty of the cnujJ , ,^'r' ^ ^^apocho, the for- 
 
 bis first settlemL upon he b-k o"f tl "T?'" *" ^^^'-^^"'^'^ 
 
 of the province. The citv of St T '"'' ''^'''^ ^'^^^ *''^ "'''"^^ 
 
 tl.e 24th of February 15fi "^'"^ ^'"^ accordingly founded on 
 
 the •^:f;::;s;:^n:^:sSrT: ^^^^^-^^^ °^^^''^^' -^ 
 
 intruders Thp inn -i ^""^'^'^^ ^''"^^ 'leternimation to expel the 
 
 to prevent their stlZ.' 7' ' „■ ■■' '""''' °'^"'«^ """■ C"<=li« ."»l, 
 adv.,t.ge of t^, c,o;:.„ J ,* X: ::r- •;3'» «"«..». "t»l<in, 
 
 =r:^i:^^:;i-tr"f-^-^ 
 wi.i.e.e, defend. tw;::;:L:s;:r:"rr:::^^ 
 
 J 
 
272 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 Suarez, nnimnted with a spirit more cruel tlinn courageous, seized 
 an axe, and beat out the brains of the captive chiefs, who had at- 
 tempted to break their fetters and regain their liberty." The return 
 of Valdivia, with the cavalry, turned the scale, and after the slaughter 
 of an immense number of native warriors, the survivors fled to the 
 mountains. From these places of retreat, for years thereafter, they 
 sallied forth to annoy the Spaniards and prevent their obtaining 
 supplies. The country around St. Jago, which had been the garden 
 of Chili, was now deserted and uncultivated, as the colonists were 
 unable to extend their agricultural operations beyond the bounds 
 protected by their fort. Great suffering ensued from want of suffi- 
 cient and wholesome food. 
 
 A new source of wealth was finally developed by the opening of 
 gold mines in the valley of Quillota, a region to which Valdivia's 
 attention had been directed by the reports of the natives. Unfor- 
 tunately for the convenience and interest of the city, it had no 
 navigable communication with the sea; but to secure a means of 
 intercourse with Peru, a vessel was built at the debouchement of the 
 river Chile. To excite further interest in the colony, the governor, 
 Valdivia, commissioned two officers of his band, Alonzo jNlonroy 
 and Pedro Miranda, with six associates, and an escort of thirty 
 mounted men, to proceed by land to Peru. The trappings and stir- 
 rups of the ambassadors were directed to be made of gold, as an 
 ostentatious display of wealth, calculated to attract the attention of 
 fresh adventurers. This party was attacked on the road by a body of 
 native archers, led by Coteo, an officer of the ulmen of Copiapo, and 
 ever}' man was slain except the two envoys. These were taken 
 before the chief, grievously wounded, and would have been promptly 
 put to death but for the intercession of the ulmena, or wife of the 
 ulmen. This kind-hearted woman took the utmost care of her pro- 
 tdgds, and, having healed their wounds, manifested her confidence 
 in their good faith by entrusting them with the instruction of her 
 son in the art of horsemanship. The two Spaniards, perceiving that 
 a way of escape lay open to them, did not scruple, at a favourable 
 opportunity, to slay the young prince, and, dashing through the un- 
 mounted attendant archers, were soon beyond pursuit. It is not 
 pretended that this cruel and ungrateful murder was any further 
 essential to their proposed plan of escape, than as creating a mo- 
 mentary panic and confusion among the guards. They made their 
 way ill safety across the intervening deserts, and, reaching Peru, bore 
 
IS, seized 
 had at- 
 le return 
 slaughter 
 id to the 
 ^er, they 
 )btaining 
 e garden 
 ists were 
 s bounds 
 ■ of suffi- 
 
 ening of 
 aldivia's 
 Unfor- 
 ' had no 
 (leans of 
 nt of the 
 overnor, 
 Monroy 
 )f thirty 
 and stir- 
 Id, as an 
 ntion of 
 body of 
 apo, and 
 re taken 
 >romptly 
 "e of the 
 her pro- 
 nfidence 
 n of her 
 ing that 
 rourable 
 the un- 
 t is not 
 further 
 g a mo- 
 de their 
 !ru, bore 
 
OH I LI. 
 
 273 
 
 intelligence oftho condition of thnPl.n; . ..i 
 
 di^oHtcrs, to the governor Vacate]' "^^''^'^^'^^^anJof their own 
 
 Kccruit« were at on o^o el T v'' "'""""'^ ^" ^'^''^'"^■ 
 by land and «ca. In Lo of ""^'''fr'"'^'-! to St. J„go, both 
 fered Hcverely from t I T r^'n'urcemont«, the coltny „ui: 
 
 Nearly the en'ir ""00" Ced'atTh' o'^n'" "" ^' *^'" -'-- 
 by an ambuscade into 2rthe^'^;,^"''''^'^"^ '"''"" "«« «"* ««" 
 by one of the Indians Thf.v . v '? ""^ "''""''' "^^'^ <^«-«^" 
 the information t abunirnce m '" '' "l^ ^"^ '"" ^^ ««^^'' -•>' 
 locali.-.so excited tTro^ZZZr^^^^^^^^ 
 
 of any kind, they hurried o^ { ^'^hout order or precaution 
 s.royciatadiHad7„ntge V ;:i^^ 'T' "'"^ -- easily de- 
 
 "lander and a noL^ro foth nf J "'^ ^^^^'^^''I'^'^' ^'^^ ««'" 
 
 Valdivia sustained' aM'otr hTr'f '''' "^" ^«""^«^^- 
 «nd of the armed vessel bui t rC Je ^ H^^^^'"" "' ''^ T""''' 
 by the- natives. ' ^"*'^ ^^ ^^'I'^l* were burned 
 
 preparations for pushing his onZ T f "'"■^''' ^' '"*'^d« 
 
 proiincesatthesouthwLl Zn rr." p" ''''"'° ""^^^^''^^^^ 
 who had broud.t oTn "*"*^ ^''''*'""' '^ "^^«1 o^^cor, 
 
 mro now rngi„„ and the n,nir "■= "cas became involved, 
 
 PrcsWent Git, T. governor lent his assistance to ll,o 
 
 »f J™ »d Lr";:::T:a:rr"'°' ■'' "'""■'"" """"■»' 
 
274 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF lUSTOKY. 
 
 Several years passed away without further attempts against the 
 unsubdued tribes of the south. Meantime, the settlement at Co- 
 quimbo had been destroyed, and the settlers in that province had 
 perished by the assaults of the Indians. The city was rebuilt in 
 1549. In 1560 Valdivia collected an army of Spaniards and Promau- 
 cians, and set out in hopes to accomplish his long-cherished scheme 
 of southern conquest. In the month of October, having reached the 
 bay of Penca, the natural advantages of the place induced him to 
 pause, and lay the foundation of a new city, to be called Conception. 
 While the Spaniards were engaged in this work, an opportunity was 
 afforded to the natives of the vicinity to effect a coalition with allies 
 of M'hose courage, fortitude and military skill, no adequate concep- 
 tion had been hitherto formed. These were -the celebrated A - -.na- 
 nians, who derived their name from Arauco, one of their smaliti 
 provinces. The power of the incas had never been extended so far 
 as the district in which the Spaniards were now establishing a foot- 
 hold, and the Araucanians, who had from time immemorial main 
 tained complete independence of every other nation, promptly 
 determined to march at once against the invaders, and not to wait 
 the expected violation of their own rights of territory. 
 
 Of this singular people, the early historian of Chili, Don J. Ignatius 
 Molina, gives accounts so highly coloured, that his veracity has been 
 called in question, but he solemnly avers that all which he gives as 
 fact was drawn from reliable authority. The apparent exaggeration 
 of his eulogium may be confined to the imaginative conclusio'ns which 
 he has drawn from correct premises, and may arise from the enthu- 
 siasm naturally excited by the detail and contemplation of the won- 
 derful intrepidity, and unequalled spirit of endurance which have 
 ever characterized these hardy mountaineers. 
 
 Their country was separated from that of the Penconeo by the 
 river Bio-bio, and across this stream an Araucanian army was led by 
 Aillavilu the Toqui, a military chieftain of the country. 
 
CHILI. 
 
 276 
 
 not to wait 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 U 
 
 A PITCHED battle took place on the V..„v. „f .i. . _, ,. 
 the tot time the Spar,h,^Zl,, , ° ^''^''^''''- "''''' f''' 
 
 novelty of eavalryatrarlT^trnei^h 'T' '" "'■°™ "'^ 
 With true ™ili J, ,m AiZnr.: , he /a„t;°fT ^"'"''°''- 
 and fell upon them in front and rear with tL . <'PP'="en^ 
 
 As the foremost ranks of the a^Ztltr^l^T^rrrr- 
 their places. The deatlof'the C u "'"' ''""'P"""- '° '"PP'/ 
 
 a. e„e.y, and profe^ed :oti 'a rr,, ZZ ^f ""'""'l 
 
 the salvation of the armv fnr +1, a ^' ^^'^ P^'^^ed 
 
 .;;;;o-«..er.n„lestatio„t„eontirr^^^ 
 
 itiiiiur_y. lie crossed the Bio-bb n 1 ''i'i9 nn,i i>. '^ 
 pa^ed .hrough the prov.ncos of E c d" P ef ^11:7^ 
 
 fo..nda„o„s of the eit„ „f „„,„™, „„ ,,, ,„„, ^^ r":! Cant™ 
 
 ossessiou of the country, (for Lincovan did 
 
 [secure 
 
276 
 
 THE I'KOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 not venture to measure liis strength with that of the Spaniards,) Yal- 
 divia made extensive assignments of territory to his subordinates. 
 He commissioned Alderete, an officer in the army, with sixty followers 
 to commence a settlement on the lake of Lauquen, and, with recruited 
 forces, continued his march to the southern bounds of Araucanin. 
 The river Caliacalla divided this country from that of the Cunches 
 who at first made great demonstration of resistance, but, after some 
 negotiation, laid aside their hostile attitude, and permitted the army 
 to pass the stream. Upon its southern ban'v was founded the ill- 
 fated city on which the governor bestowed his own name, Valdivia. 
 
 Without proceeding farther, the commander now took measures to 
 secure his supposed conquests, and returning through Puren, Tucapel 
 and Arauco, he built a fort in each province. No efiicient resistaiiee 
 was made by the natives to these offensive operations, although many 
 battles or skirmishes took place during their progress. Historians 
 ati,ribute this uncharacteristic want of energy to the stupidity or over- 
 caution of the Toqui Lincoyan. Valdivia, considering the country 
 as subdued, and the natives as permanently overawed, thought only 
 of increasing the number of his settlements and extending his terri- 
 torial occupation. In the district of Encol, he founded his seventh 
 colony, calling the new city the City of the Frontiers. It afterwardtj 
 went by the name of Angol, and previous to its destruction is spoken 
 of as having become prosperous and wealthy, Alderete was at this 
 time sent to Spain with magnificent reports concernino- the con- 
 quered country, and with instructions to procure for his superior, if 
 possible, from the emperor, a special commission of authority.. Tliese 
 events took place in the year 1553. 
 
 Meanwhile, an important movement was going on amono- the 
 Arancanians, An aged ulmen of Arauco, named Colocolo, di.sgusted 
 with the supincncss of the Toqui Lincoyan, exhorted his countrymen 
 to combine lor the expulsion of the foreigners. He travelled through- 
 out Araucanin, boldly advocating tlie deposition of a leader who had 
 proved himself without capacity for his responsible office, and the 
 appointment of one whose valour and energies rnigiitsave his people 
 from Spanish tyranny and aggression. Great matters of state, 
 involving the interest of the nation at large, were decided, anion" 
 these primitive people, by a council of the ulmenes, or caciques of 
 the difibrent provinces, held in an open field. Such a meeting was 
 therefore appoint-d, and discussion ran high as to the fittest successor 
 to the dictatorship, to be vacated by tlie removal of Lincoyan. 
 
CHILI. 
 
 One Tucapel, a chief of a-rpnt miKfn., 
 
 nent candidate, but as his electl ^ ^ ''"'^"' ^^^ *^« '^^^^^ P^-^^i" 
 it was finally determfned to .nh ?? "T"'^ ^^ " P^^^^^-^^ P^^^^, 
 old chief no^inateTcl Xt' 1^^^^^ Colocolo %i^ 
 
 accordingly installed amid univesaTZLl^n %?"'"' ^^° ""'' 
 candidates, including the famon^ t7 , ^'".''?'°"- ^he unsuccessful 
 from envy .r iealo!sv aZ ^^^^''^'^'"""^^"^^b^^fr^^dom 
 new toqui^ ' ^' ''°'P*^'^ subordinate positions under the 
 
 All were now ea^er for war bnf On,,^ v 
 petuosity until he could make Lnl? ^1'''^" ''''''''''^ '^'^' ^"^■ 
 blow. The fort at AraZ w^r « "l^' '"'^^'^"^ ^° unexpected 
 the Indian auxiliaries to the S • f '^f '* '' '-^"^^k" Eighty of 
 collect forage f^he ho t ^'"'''^^' ^^^° ^^^ ^een sent ouMo 
 back to the^fort tupo'an Z%T^'^ ^"^""^^^ «^ ^^^^^ ^7 
 best warriors, who wirthe L, ' ^^'"'^^ ^^ '"^""'^ "^^^er of his 
 and hay, eas/ly effete Vn^^^^^^^^^^ ^ ^'^ trusses of grass 
 before the Araucanian army could ,^1 .» '^"'''* '"'"^^' ^^^ 
 assailants were driven out and ^h , v ''/ '''"' "^ ^«*^«"' ^he 
 a fruitless endeavour to Lm^^^^^^^^^^ -« -i-d. After 
 
 content himself with reduci^c, i? T 1/ ^''"P<^^'^^" ^«« obliged to 
 but the garrison escaped at"??h ch"". '^ '''" "«^ ^^-^^d. 
 
 the full speed of theif horl fnl '1^"!'^'°"^'^ '^'' ^^«'«8-« -t 
 tiou to Puren. ' ^ '""'"'^S *^^^^ ^^3^ ^^ithout obstruc- 
 
 ^:^^i!z:::^z!^: --''] *^« -- ^- with that of 
 
 Tucapel, Caupolican "d ^^^^ff "^"^^^' ^^ ^^^^"^ ^' 
 part of the Spaniards. ValdivTa'I. nT'' 7''''''"' °" *^^« 
 amounting, it appears to spvI. M '^''"J^''''^^« ^^^^lected his forces, 
 
 sands of his InZ aUos and Irch ,'' '^"""^'^ ^"^ ^°'- *'-- 
 i.^ «till greater force, J r' pr p" " fo^.T '"■' '^^ ^"^^'^^^^"^' -'-> 
 t- armies met before the fort a Tut , ■"^''? ^^S'-^gement. The 
 155;i As the Spaniards appltell'Ilc'' ". ''■"' ^^'^^"^^^^' 
 stricken with comster,,ationTt , f f"' ""^ ^'^'""' ^^'^^^ ^^^re 
 
 of their number, w lo h d been Tf "'^ ^^'^'"^ ^'^^^« ^^ ^'^-^^ 
 -:;,bungfrom\het:et'bX wt^^^^^^^ ^^ ''''''''''''' '^' ^^^' 
 
 Ma:;L;:f:;i:;::::;::^\t[:^TT ^t ^^^ -^- — -^ of 
 
 Marianta'comm c d e , r ^T 'f '^ ^'" ^'-^"-'^ '^'-^Pel- 
 ;;;ee^^i. engaged in ^ :tt ^ ^ ^l! ;f 1^^ f ^^T 7^ 
 0- ^....r oecasi.. that the thunder ^::;i^e^ ::n:;^^ 
 
278 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOEY. 
 
 produced no confusion or dismay on the part of the Araucanians 
 those behind pressing forward with the utmost eagerness to take the 
 places of those who fell. Again and again they made an orderly- 
 retreat, only to form anew, and rush with renewed fury to the attack. 
 Victory at last seemed in the hands of the Spaniards; an immense 
 number of the enemy had fallen, while the rest were in disorder, and 
 began to crowd confusedly together in their retreat from the chari>o 
 of the armed and disciplined soldiers of Valdivia. 
 
 Among the Spanish troops was an Araucanian youth, only sixteen 
 years of age, named Lautaro, who had fallen into the hands of Val- 
 divia on some former occasion, and who served as his personal 
 attendant. Excited by the discomfiture of his countrymen, at the 
 moment Vhen the Spaniards were rushing forward with exultiii'-- 
 shouts, this young Indian threw himself amop.g the fugitives, and 
 seizing a lance, exhorted them to rally and preserve the honour ami 
 safety of their country. lie hastily represented that the Spaniards 
 were worn out with fatigue, and must give way if the contest could 
 be longer maintained. "The Araucanians," says Molina, "ashamed 
 at being surpassed by a boy, turned with such fury upon their ene- 
 mies, that at the first shock they put them to rout, cutting in pieces 
 the Spaniards and their allies, so that of the whole of this army, 
 only two Promaucians had the fortune to escape, by fleeing to a 
 neighbouring wood." 
 
 Valdivia was taken prisoner, and when brought into the presence 
 of Caupolican, made supplication for his life, promising to abandon 
 all his undertakings, and remove with his people from the country, 
 if he were set at liberty. Lautaro, retaining a regard for his former 
 master, joined in these entreaties, and Caupolican appeared about 
 to yield, when an old chief among the bystanders put an end to 
 the discussion, by striking the prisoner dead with his war-club. 
 He then justified himself, with the remark, "that they must be mad 
 to trust to the promises of an ambitious enemy, who, as soon as he 
 had escaped from this danger, would make a mock of them, and 
 laugh at his oaths." 
 
 On the succeeding day the victorious Araucanians gathered with 
 their friends from far and near, to celebrate their success. The heads 
 of the slain Spaniards and Promaucians were hung from trees as 
 ghastly trophies, while the toqui and his officers, decked in the 
 arms and habiliments of the Europeans, presided over the fes- 
 tivities of the day. 
 
en ILL 
 
 279 
 
 and Vniarica, they shu. .he Jelve?"" ' u,?rSt'«°'' ''"™' 
 
 divia and Conceotion Tn *i 7 tortifled towns of Val- 
 
 -lege. La«a.o O!, Zl '^.^ "XrtiZr TT '"'" 
 
 command in the army as a rownr^ f I- ^''V °^^* ^"^^'''^'nate 
 was posted, with a 'poZmZe ton T^"^ ^1 r'"''-' 
 Mariguenu, a mountain which mu^ft^iK '"°^'^ heights of 
 into Arauco from the r:!;^:^^^^^' '''''' "^^^^^^ 
 
 marched without dday to the rX tf hTh ^ '."^'""^ ^«'"^^' 
 tance southward from the Biotio I "^"^- ^ ^^^«" ^is- 
 
 guard of Lautaro's division w ici L 1 TTv'''^' ^''^' *'^^'^"««'l 
 of three fours' duration;^;;" Jel t,^^^ contest 
 
 Araucanians were protected hvoi ^ '^'' '"ountain. The 
 
 sible to force their pCi b^uU IVn ' " '' ^"^^^ ^'"P- 
 to bear upon the entrenchmcn.rri ' f ^'f ^'I^^^^cs were brought 
 kept up at a eonvenien d L^^^^^^^^^ telTr,'" f " ^' ™^^'^^^^^ -« 
 the cannon, Lautaro ordered one of hTsoffi. ."r" ^""^'^ ^^ 
 
 storm the battery and brin^ ntnw '' """'''^ I^eucoton, to 
 
 ^eturn without LcolXS.^ ^JP^^T' ''"' "^^ ^^ 
 pletely successful- the cannnn , \ ^ ''"''"'P* ^^« ^om- 
 
 a sudden and simlneorjhltT '-"f 'f ^'^^^^ ^^' *^"^^' ^^ 
 utterly routed, and driven n conLi ^°'"?' *' ^P""'^^^« ^^^'^« 
 mountain. A party pr'ious v 1 " .T". '^' "''^^" P^^'^ ^^ ^^e 
 mander had thrown ZZlZ rT f ^^' '^'' ^^^mcanian com- 
 
 defile, and the fu^Uives h„ 1 1^ ^^ "'' '' ''"" """ ''' 
 
 The governor, wtth a\w " "„! "" iT^*' "-^tly perished, 
 forcing his way throu<.h the enTmvT /°^^^^^«' succeeded in 
 At that city their arrival f''''^^'^^^""^^P^'°'^^"'^^f^'ty. 
 Molina, "indeLb bl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ P^^^^^^' - the words o'f 
 
 family but had the loss of ol i T '"'''''''''■ ^^^'^ ^^« "ot a 
 greatly heightened ; the nXslfte '" '^^^"^- ^^^-^— s 
 Villagran, who thoult t ,n f , "'"' ^PP'^^^^ ^^ ^^'-^^'aro. 
 
 P-i;itat;iy thetSn rme":^^ l^^tf 1 ^H '^^' T^'^"^^'^^ 
 two ships that were then fr.rf,, . , '• , ''^"'''''''° «" ^'""'"'1 "f 
 
 the captains to co due p^o^^^^^^ ^ '\' ^^'^^'^"^' ^^^ ^^^ to 
 Paraiso; while wi h th/ I r *^ Imperial and part to Val- 
 
 land to Santlac:o." ''' "' *^^^ ^"^^^'^'^-^^«' ^^ Proceeded by 
 
t' 
 
 280 
 
 THE I'KOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 Lautaro and liis forces entered the deserted city, and, after collect- 
 ing much valuable bcjoty, left behind by the inhabitants at their 
 hasty departure, entirely destroyed the place, levelling the fortress 
 with the ground, and reducing the wooden buildings to ashes. Vil- 
 lagran was enabled to throw frcsli troops and supplies into the he- 
 sieged cities of A'aldi via and Imperial ; and Caupolican perceiving that 
 the reduction of these places would involve great loss of time and men 
 drew off his army, and effected a junction with that under Lautaro. ' 
 
 CHAPTER II L 
 
 MORTALITY AMONG THE INDIANS. — DISPUTES RESPECTING THE 
 VICEROYAI.TY.— SECOND DESTRUCTION OF CONCEPTION.— 
 
 LAUTARO'S EXPEDITION AGAINST SANTIAGO. DON 
 
 GARCIA DE MENDOZA, INVASION OP ARAUCA- 
 
 N I A . — C ADPOI.ICAN'S DISCOMFITURE. 
 — EXPEDITION TO CIIILOE. 
 
 The Spaniards in Imperial proceeded 'to plunder and lay waste 
 the country in their vicinity, storing within the walls all the pro- 
 visions on which they could lay their hands. In their excursions 
 for this purpose, some of their number, being infected with the small- 
 pox, communicated that disejise to the natives, and a mortality more 
 fearful than the sword tjf the enemy ensued. There was one prov- 
 ince, the population of which amounted, it is said, "to twelve thou- 
 sand persons, of which number, not more than one hundred escaned 
 with life." ^ 
 
 In accordance with the settlement enjoined by Valdivia, two offi- 
 cers of note, Alderetc and one Francis Aiguirre, had precedence of 
 Villagran in the government, but their absence at the time ofthe 
 first viceroy's decease, hft him without a rival. The return of 
 Aiguirre to Chili threatened to involve the country in a civil war, 
 but it was finally agi-eed to submit the question to the Koyal Audi- 
 ence of Lima, a tribunal of supreme authority over the Spanii^h 
 provinces of South America. In the course of the year (1555) Vil- 
 higran was formally confirmed in his viceroyalty, and was specially 
 instructed to rebuild the ruined city of Conception. lie complied 
 
CHILI. 
 
 281 
 
 w.th tl>o order although against his own bettor judgment, and had 
 as.coMd tunc he morfficution of hearing tha^ tlfe Anlucanian.^ 
 under Lautaro, had roade a descent upon the city, had shun or expelled 
 the jnhab.tants, and had left the place a smoking waste of ruin's 
 
 llus success encouraged the natives to renew their efforts against 
 
 he colonies Caupohcan again invested Imperial and Valdivia, while 
 
 Lautaro w.th the most audacious self-confidence, undertook to n.areh 
 
 tl, Bio-m>, and proceeded northward, his appearance being hailed 
 with acclamations by tlie natives of the districts which he traversed 
 laving crossed the river Ma.ule. and reache<l Tromaucia, his poh-cy,' 
 hitherto peaceful suddenly changed, and instead of endeavouring to 
 gam over the inhabitants from the Spanish interest, he fell up-n 
 hem with all the fury of revenge, and, after ravaging the nelh- 
 bounng country, fortified himself upon the bank of the Eio Claro 
 
 Villagran was at this tfhie sick and disabled, but his former expe- 
 rience of Araucanian valour and determination, taught him to lise 
 no fme in strengthening the defences of the city. He also forth- 
 with dispatched his son Pedro, with all his available force, to attack 
 Lautaro a h,s encampment. A pretended flight on the part of tlio 
 invaders drew the Spaniards within the enclosed space of the camp 
 where rallying suddenly, the Araucanians routed them with greai 
 slaughter only those who were mounted being enabled to escape 
 Three subsequent assaults proved equally unsuccessful, and Pedro 
 encamped on the plain overlooked by the hostile fort 
 
 Upon his recovery, the old governor, in the year 1556, undertook 
 in person the expulsion of the intruders. He led an armv of one 
 hundred and ninety-six Spaniards, and a large force of Indians by 
 a secret route, upon Lautaro's camp, and succeeded in reaching U 
 about day-break, without discovery. "Lautaro," says the ChiHan 
 nstonan, "who at that moment had retired to rest, after having 
 been upon guard, as was his custom during the night, leaped from 
 h.s od a the first alarm of the sentinels, and ran to the e'ntrer eh 
 ments to okserve the enemy. At the same time a dart, hurled by 
 one of the Indian auxiliaries, pierced his heart, and he fell lifbless 
 in the arms of his companions." The whole of his Araucanian 
 wnrrion, unable to form and oppose any effectual resistance, were 
 cut off to a man. They refused quarter, and fought to the las with 
 dc^^perate fury. The death of Lautaro was a ^.vere blow to the 
 Araucanian patriots; the toqui, Caupolican. disheartened bv so 
 
282 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 Bcvere a reverse, drevy ofF his forces from Imperial as soon aa the 
 news reached him, and took up a position where he might cut off 
 further supplies'by hand from Peru. The esteem in which the young 
 and valiant Lautaro wa.s held by his countrymen, and the respect 
 paid to his memory by the European soldiery, to whom he had 
 proved so dangerous an enemy, are still commemorated in the 
 works of contemporary poets and historians. "His enemies them- 
 selves," says Molina, "highly applauded his valour and military 
 talent, and compared him to the most celebrated generals that have 
 appeared in the world. They even called him the Chilian Han- 
 nibal, from a fancied resemblance between his character and that 
 of the famous Carthaginian general, although, in some respects it 
 had a much greater similarity to that of Scipio." 
 
 When news of Valdivia's discomfiture and death reached Spain 
 Alderete received a commission from Philip II., as his successor; but 
 as he died before entering upon his office, it was conferred by the 
 Peruvian viceroy, the Marquis of Canete, upon his own son, Don 
 Garcia de Mendoza. With a considerable fleet, freighted with 
 abundant provisions and stores, and accompanied by a numerous 
 band of those military adventurers who were left unemployed by 
 the cessation of the civil war, the new viceroy directed his course to 
 the bay of Conception. He landed at the island of Quiriquina in 
 the month of April, 1557, where, after driving out the native inhab- 
 itants, he fortified himself, resolved to await the arrival of his cav- 
 alry and additional recruits from Peru, before engaging in active 
 operations upon the main. 
 
 Several Araucanian pri.soners were set at liberty, with instructions 
 to make known to the native authorities the disposition of the Span- 
 iards to arrange terms for a permanent peace. At a general assembly 
 of the ulmenes, it was concluded that no reliance could be placed 
 upon these fair promises and specious proposals; but a wary and 
 sagacious chief, named Millalauco, was commissioned to return an 
 answer, and to take especial note of the number and equipment of the 
 foreigners. With a proud and independent bearing, the envoy made 
 his appearance before Don Garcia, and, with a protest that his people 
 were in no wise intimidated by the apparent force of the Spanish 
 armament, expressed the readiness of the ulmenes to conclude an 
 honourable peace. Upon hearing his report, the Araucanians made 
 diligent preparations for war, and established a regular system of 
 espionage on the movements of the Spaniards. 
 
283 
 
 .he bay. Three dl, 1 ^^'TJ:, ""'""' '"i""'' °-*'*'"=- 
 attacked the place Althouril ff"^ °' "'"' ° Sreat force, 
 
 the, India, la .otlSLro't^ITJtttr l""^ T"""' 
 their eagerness and self-devntinn +u . battery, and such was 
 
 threw th°e.selves wit" the lit S df^^- ''^ ^^^"^'^^' 
 to the la^t. Tucape] in nerLn^ ' ^^ ^^h^mg with fury 
 
 their lives, but hTs great' S^^^^ ^^° *^-« -P-^ 
 
 the iate of his co.p'an nsThe alT^ d ^' ''" *° ''^^'^ 
 after a whole day's fi.htin^ C.LT ^ f unsuccessful, and 
 Immediately af J this°enga^^^^^^^^^^^ f'^^' to withdraw, 
 
 a great hody of well-ar^ed^S^ .::,:rort el^ '^'^''^^ 
 
 Caupoliean was unable to ob tructT' ? '''°'' '^'^ ^^«-bi«- 
 
 being completely defeated in on. """''^ ^"*" '^'^'^^^' ""^ ^^^^ 
 
 the itvaders b/sk „n thi ^aTtr^^^^^^^ ^'" ^^^^ °"^^ ^« l-''^-^ 
 
 add to the rage'and'TignloTo^^^^^ ''' '^"' ^"^ ^^^^- ^'« 
 
 the barbarity to cut off the hrd, 1 f^'^^''^'^^ ^on Garcia had 
 
 Galverino. ai.d dismls ll':^" :':„t:!rr "' P^^"""' "^"^^^ 
 Melipuru, the Spanish 00^^116^"?^ • '"""*7"^^°- ^^ 
 vainly endeavoured to extrrtfnforlr^ .T"^' ''"^'"^^ P^^'^°"^^«' 
 rolican. On the day fo^L " Z t^" -'^^ ^^'^^^^^ of Cau- 
 up his army for a pitched bS '^^f ^^"^^^^ ^'"''^' ^^^^^ ^''-^ 
 tl'e strong Ly ofLai:;, w,^^^^^^ defeat; 
 
 too great an advantage over nativp vnf^ of Europeans, proving 
 chier,amongthemth!braverd:ni^^^^^ ^^^ve 
 
 by order of Don Garcia hpCnr« v Galverino, were hanged 
 
 In the province of Tuc.n.f" '™^ ^''""'''^''^ °" ^^« '""^^h. 
 risoned a fort and laid outT'. TTf""^ ^""^^^^ ^uilt and gar- 
 
 ^^ent that LZZZZtr:^^^^:'^ 
 reduced. From Imnerial «\ 7 f effectually humbled and 
 
 visions and stoL wL '1 IM / '^ """"P^' ^^'^'^ ''^^""'^•'^»«e of pro- 
 new citv. Sraro n an '^.f^f'^.^'T' ^^ '^"^'^"'^ ""^ -^PP-^'the 
 
 possessed them^setr:?': tot' ^ CV^^" ^ Tf' ^^ 
 completely routed 'uul nnt i a i ' '^ Spaniards, although 
 
 safety. cLpo Lan ' it n f' I "'"^^"' "^ '^'^'^'^S Canete in 
 ^^rcient, aiaXd t li: nW ^I ^"".^^ ^''-"-^' ^^ this r.in 
 
 ! place, but was unable to force o 
 
 introiic.linicnta 
 
284 
 
 TIIK PEOI'LE'R BOOK OF 1II8T0KY, 
 
 aubstnntially constructed, and defended by artillerv. His troops 
 It IS said, "supported a continual fire for five hours, now scalin-r the 
 rampart, now pulling up or burning the j)alisades." ° 
 
 Endeavouring subsequently to obtain an entrance into the fort by 
 means of intriguing with a native Chilian in the Spanish service 
 the toqui was entirely outwitted. The double traitor, while ho 
 pretended to have arranged a plan for the admittance of the besiegers 
 at an unguarded hour, in reality kept the Spanish commandant fully 
 informed of the proposed attack; and cannon, heavily loaded with 
 grape, were so brought to bear as completely to command the en- 
 trance. At the appointed time, the gate was left open, and the 
 Araucanians, anticipating an easy victory, poured into the fort 
 As the fire opened upon their crowded ranks, and the Spaniards" 
 fully prepared, fell upon them with great fury, a total rout ensued' 
 Caupolican himself escaped, and fled to the mountains, but his army 
 was utterly destroyed. The unfortunate chief never recovered from 
 this disaster; Alonzo Reynoso, after long search, by the treachery of 
 a native, discovered his place of retreat, and dispatched a party who 
 succeeded in surprising and taking him captive. The royal prisoner 
 was immediately ordered by the Spanish commander to be impaled 
 and shot to death with arrows, a sentence which was accordingly car- 
 ned into effect. ° -^ 
 
 Don Garcia was at this time absent on his celebrated expedition 
 to the Archipelago of Chiloe. He set out from Conception, which 
 he had directed to be rebuilt, in the year 1558, for tte purpose of 
 making a campaign against the Cunches. Arriving amon- these 
 people, whose character and condition was as yet unknown" to the 
 Spaniards, his designs were frustrated, and his attention diverted 
 from further schemes of occupation by a sagacious manccuvre for 
 which the Cunches were indebted to an exiled Araucanian This 
 man, named Tunconobal, advised them to conceal all si-^ns of wealth 
 and to impress the Spaniards with an idea that the^country'and 
 people were utterly poor and destitute. Tunconobal was therefore 
 sent with nine comrades, to meet the Spanish commander " Cloath- 
 ing iiimseif and companions in wretched rags, he anneared with 
 every mark of fear before that officer, and after complimenting him 
 in rude terms presented him with a basket containing some roasted 
 lizards and wild fruits."* ° 
 
 Hopeless of obtaining any booty from such a people, Don Garcia 
 
 Molina's History of Ciiili. 
 
CHILI. 
 
 285 
 
 procured a gu.de o conduct him southward. The man whom the 
 Cunches furn,shed for this service, in accordance with his instrue 
 t|ons, led the army t^,rough the most wild und inhospitable pa of 
 he country and made his escape, after involving the way-woUlrd 
 fumislnng soldiers m apparently inextricable difficulties among des r 
 and prec.p.tous mountains. At the close of the month of January 
 l.o9, they came m s.ght of the beautiful Archipelago of Chiloe a7d 
 the bnlhant spectacle of its fertile islands, teem^^ng°with an imLti 
 
 ous population and the land-locked waters, coverfd with c^oC 
 .a.l-boat., g addened thc.r eyes, and promised rest and refreshment 
 after their toilsome journeying. The natives received the Span 
 lards with the greatest kindness and hospitality, and after Tel 
 •strength was recruited, furnished them witl/provis'ions, ^nVa g ide 
 to direct them upon an easy route homeward. The return ma ch 
 through the provinces of the Iluilliches, was accomplish d^'S 
 or no dilTicu ty, as the road lay through a level country, where pk^ 
 visions could easily be obtained. ^ 
 
 CHAPTER I?. 
 
 CAUPOLICAN THE YOUNOl^R.-lsiONAL SUCCESSES OP THE SPAN- 
 lARDS.-WARLIKE OPKiiATIONS OP ANTIOUEXU -OP PAi' 
 LAITACHU. — RECOVERY OF ARAUCANIA BY THE 
 NATIVES. — PEACE CONCLUJJEI) IN 1C41. 
 
 Upon^ the death of Canpolican, the assembled ulmenes of Arau- 
 cama elected Ins eldest son to the vacant dictatorship. Tueapel was 
 -ade v,ce-toqu,, and an army was instantly raised to prosecute The 
 ^^a. ..gainst tlie murderous intruders. L. the first engagements the 
 Spannn-ds met with signal defeat, and Don Garcia, havTng mard d 
 ftom Conception to rmperial, found hi.nsclf clo.^Iy beJeged by 
 Cnipoliean the younger, with his whole armv. The Araucanians 
 ^vere una e to force the entreneh.n.ents, and, after various as!:.! 
 he the young chu.f exhibited the most astonishing prowess ani 
 pe sonal couragt, thoy were eon.pelled to raise the sie-e 
 
 in the ensuing campaigns ofthis year (l.^r,{)) the Spaniards steadily 
 Sauied ground, as the native forces were continually growing weak«r^ 
 
266 
 
 THE I'EOl'l.K'N BOOK OK IIIRTORY. 
 
 L 
 
 wlnl. tho arrival „f recruits hy «cu m co.mtnt.tly incren«cd the 
 rm.urocs oJ the furrnor. Tl.c (ittul battle of guip.., .rn»l..a for tl o 
 tune all tho l.opcH of th« Arauoaniar.H. Thvir last arn.y w«h .m t" 
 piocos; tlu-ir l.rav.st and ,no«t infLiontial oflicors w.ro siuin; a.nonir 
 otl.ons luonp.!, Manantu, Colocoio, a.,,1 Lu.coyan; mul tho bravt 
 U.,polK-aM, to Hvui.l falling i„to the hand« of liis cnon,ie«, poriMlKd 
 uy Illy own hand. ' 
 
 Don Garcia now rc-l,uilt the fort, in Arauco, Angol, and other 
 provinoos IIo also nk,penod the lonK-nogloctod gol.l and Hilver 
 nunoH, and sont a body of troops, nndor IVdro (^astillo, across tlm 
 
 11.. t olluer lonndod tho c.tie« of St. .luai. and Mc.ndo.u on the 
 castorii slopi! of the great mountain range. 
 
 Francis Villagran being reinstated in the viecroyalty of Chili Dun 
 (.are.a returned to 1'ctu, having, as was generally 'believed 'eon, 
 l.I.tely established the Spanish power in the former country ' Tl, . 
 Araueanians notwithstanding their terrible reverses, still ci.erislu,! 
 
 the hope of liberty, nn.I hnvingehosen a .listinguishc>d warrior, named 
 Anfiguenu lor then- toqui, retreated t<. the nu.rshy wilderness of 
 
 ;;;;;'";;'• J".t'"« ^^-^^'-e pi-"-' of eoneeulment, Antiguenu devote,! 
 i'.'M«ll (o diseiplining the youth enlisted to take tho j.laee of 
 the veteran warriors who ha.l perished in tho lato disastrous war 
 «nd soon began to commit depre.Iaiio.us „„ the m.,re e.N.,osnl 
 Spanish settlements. When his force had inerea.sed suHicienlly ,o 
 J..stify open hostilities, he fortified himself upon M<,unt M.^riouemi 
 
 tlu-scencM.f the brilliant exploit <>fLautaro, and had the good fbrtu,^ 
 ; '^ ."t.aeked III this stronghold by a Spanish army, under a son of 
 
 S „•;:;■•'• ^'" /^''-'-"';'- --- -^-Hy succcsslul, and tho 
 ^I'iiiiish ft)rce was almost entirely destroyed. 
 
 Without delay, Antiguenu now fell upol, ami reduced the fortress of 
 Unete, and dispatched a large army to make a new attempt upon the 
 my of Conception. At the same time, he laid siege to the fort , 
 Arauco, then in command of Lorenzo Bernal. The city proved t.'-o 
 
 f dis blocUd.d but the obnoxious fort at A rauco was taken and ,K- 
 ti^ed. '1 hus far the Indians were successful, but, (in the year 1. , 4 ) 
 ^ An iguenu ..s upon his march against Angol, he wa^on,.,,' 
 to engage the wnole Spanish army, under Bernal, who attacked him 
 TO., .he bank of the Bio-bio, near the mouth o/the Ver^osr Tli 
 brave toqu. was slain, and his followers were destroyed or'dispersed. 
 
287 
 
 •an., C„j„„c,.rn, „,„1 a„k.gu„l„, „or. ll,„ ..J, .li.,ii„.„w,° S' 
 till! pcaccublo islotidcrs siili.niltcil i„ r..r,^i,„, »"'(]'<-■«"■, ai«l 
 
 1.. 11.0 j.„ar inmi ti,„ ii,i„ „rs,,„„i,i, .„„„«,„« k™„ to m™ 
 
 ».-./..«....,,,». ;:rL,r:;r,irj r-^::;;^-- 
 
 be the only plZ' ' "^ ''^'^^"""f '"^ ^hcse might eventually 
 
 all in. .- ttrnclants jhtisI..,!. Simultaneously viti, this evl l 
 
 the n.lnnrahly concerted arran.rcrnents of tho V ""' '''"'"^'. ^^ 
 
 throughout Araucania, as well as 1^ Cun h 7n' • ", ""'^^"' 
 
 in muss " Rrnr,, « ■ , , '-^•"^■'"■s iuid IIuillidicH, rose 
 
 V'lldivi. Viii • '^^''^. 1*"^ ^^^ <l^"'tli; nnd the cites of (l.sonio 
 at A „?";,'■'';"'"'• '':"'"'°' '^"«"'- C"3-, a,.d .!,„ f,«2 
 
 .w ll.o ut.ca of Co,icc,,t.ou ai.il Chilian, laij waslo 
 
288 
 
 THE I'EOl'LE'S 15U0K OF 
 
 li i:>Tu ;; V 
 
 the provinces in their dependence, and returned loaded with spoil 
 to his country."* 
 
 During the three years succeeding, all tlie Spanish settlements in 
 Araucania were destroyed, and the whole country south of the Bio- 
 bio was regained by the natives. A singular mixture of races 
 resulted from the adoption by the Araucanian conquerors of the 
 prisoners taken at the reduction of the principal towns. It appears 
 that the half-breeds who thereafter formed a portion of the inde- 
 pendent population of Chili, were the most implacable enemies of 
 the Europeans. From this time until the year 1618, the Bio-bio 
 constituted the boundary between the hostile races. Many ineffectual 
 attempts were made by the Spanish viceroys to recover the lost ter- 
 ritory, and equally futile proposals for the establishment of a peaceful 
 communication, for the purj)ose of missionary enterprise, were set 
 on foot, in conformity with the wishes of the zealous but bicroted 
 monarch of Spain. ° 
 
 From 1618 to 1632 the office of toqui was held by the warlike 
 chieftains Lientur and Putapichion, who not only maintained pos- 
 session of their own territory, but made continual inroads upon the 
 Spanish settlements, bearing off prisoner.'^, horses, and other valuable 
 booty. The Araucaniuns were at tliis time luibituating themselves 
 to the art of riding, and to the use of fire-arms, as far as they could 
 be procured. I'he war continued until the year 1640, when the 
 viceroyalty of Chili was conferred upon Don Francisco Zuniga, 
 Marquis of Baydes, who had before done good service for SpaiiHiI 
 the wars of tlib Low Countries. Tliis officer perceived that little was 
 to be gained by continued hostilities with an enemy whom no 
 reverses could dispirit— no .severity subdue. The Spanish army 
 was greatly reduced, altliougli from time to time reinforced by 
 fresh arrivals from Peru; and the Araucanians, in the midst of the 
 misery and destitution consequent upon such long and bloody con- 
 tests, appeared no less determined than when they fir.st made a stand 
 against the invasion by Valdivia. Always well versed in military 
 tactics, they had now become far more dangerous opponents, from their 
 acquisition of horses and from their experience of European warfare. 
 ImnuMliately on his arrival, the marquis took measures to procure 
 a personal interview with Lineopichion, the toqui, and preliminary 
 arrangements f.,r a pea<-e uas agreed upon. A great meeting was 
 held, lor the purpose of ratifying and concluding the treaty, at 
 
 * Molina's History of Chili. 
 
CHILI. 
 
 289 
 
 that no foreimera of n„v „,!,.„ '""' P'^'^™""" 'o inssrl a proviso 
 upon the ALca ia„ cLt ThH- 1°,"" '" """"'^ '° '-1 
 f™ effort, of the DutcTL av!u Cst^rofZ c^'^'T '' 
 
 the native inhabitants in thpJr nffo " ^^^^^^ °^ ^^^e cooperation of 
 In 1643, a Dutch C Lm B^ 7 ."^T"^ '^' ^"^'^"'^'^ i" Chi)i. 
 and fortifications we comlfo.. T ' *'f ^-bour of Valdivia, 
 thus secured. andTe ass^treof l". ""'' *'"'* ' '^^^'^^^^ '^^'^ b 
 ing it. The good faith of ir A "'*'^'' "^^^'"^^ ^» ^^^ntain- 
 
 rendered this fit lli';^""^™^ ^--^« the Spaniards 
 
 CHAPTEB ?, 
 
 RENEWAL OF WAR.— peatf op ,^,, 
 
 OF THE ARAIICANIAN8 -T r. 1'"— ^^^^^^^ CONDITION 
 
 CIVIL WARS.— ATTEMPT OP RAMON FREYRE 
 
 REBELLION UNDER TIDAURRE.-EsJab 
 
 LISHMENT OP THE REPUBLIC. 
 
 agi™ etnlrat^nlC; :'/T ''' ^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^■^-^t'- 
 the miseries of a ten y S it ""t.^ T '"' "'^^^^^'^ ^^^^^^ -" 
 season of hostility, tL Cuf Clen " ''"P"°"^' ^"^''"^^'^^ 
 
 defeated the Span ards in a nV . i T "^"'""^^ ^"'^^^^f^^- ^e 
 Colcura, St. PeTo "nd othe t J ^'^'^^^ the fort, at Arauco, 
 
 -,ed the city oi^i^'jnX:7l! Z^T' '^ 
 Estancia del Eej. Nothing hnf t},. ! Christopher and 
 
 prominent -on.^f t,,if :ia't:te";i:3 1:,-'!'."" "' '"^ 
 
 Wive, whose dimtistaion LX 1 d .1 °''^,'""', '"""'^ "^ "'^ 
 "ont peace was effected bo, c 2 tf im" iT • ".?'";■""■ 
 ■Merval,,l,cgr„,vtl,ofthosel,l„,„JtC,,\"H ! 7^ " '""" 
 Vol.. m._l9 •'"""""JeJ, and an enormous 
 
290 
 
 TIIK I'EOl'LE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 expense incurred by the government. Useless campaigns, wlaich 
 resulted in loss to both parties, and in which no definite or perma- 
 nent advantage was gained on either side, furnish but a wearisome 
 theme for the historian. Under the government of Francisco Xavier 
 de IMorales, a lasting peace was concluded. The toqui, Curignancu 
 having consented to a conference, to be held, in accordance with his 
 demands, at St. Jago, exhibited a skill and firmness in negotiation 
 equal to his bravery in the field. The old treaties were renewed 
 and, in spite of much opposition, it was agreed that thereafter a resi- 
 dent minister from Araucania should be allowed at St. Jago. 
 
 At the close of the eighteenth century, the only possessions of the 
 Spaniards south of the Bio-bio, were the fortification of Valdivia, sit- 
 uated in the Cunchese territory, the island of Juan Fernandez, and 
 the Archipelago of Chiloe.' In the northern provinces of Chili, their 
 settlements increased and prospered, while the Araucanians remained 
 in peaceable and triumphant possession of their original territory, a 
 possession maiTitained and secured by more than a century of lios- 
 tilities. No uncivilized nation, of equal numbers and resources, lias 
 ever in the history of the world maintained so protracted a struggle 
 with European armies, provided with all the means and appliances 
 of modern warfare. It is remarkable to what a degree these brave 
 and chivalrous people differed from the generality of the aborio-jnal 
 Americans in their system of strategy. Their campaigns did not 
 consist merely of a series of secret manoeuvres and midnight sur- 
 prises, nor did they offer battle only in situations which would fur- 
 nish ready places for retreat, or supply coverts from which the 
 warrior might discharge his weapons in safety. 
 
 In the words of Kobertson, "they attack their enemies in the open 
 field; their troops are disposed in regular order, and their battalions 
 advance to action, not only with courage, but with discipline. The 
 North Americans, although many of tiiem have substituted the 
 fire-arms of Europe in place of their bows and arrows, are notwith- 
 standing still attached to their ancient method of making war, and 
 carry it on according to their own system; but the Chilians resemble 
 the warlike nations of Europe and Asia in their military operations." 
 
 Such ardent feelings of patriotism as have ever distinguished the 
 Araucanians, are naturally associated with strotig attachment to the 
 customs and manners of life peculiar to their ancestors. This is par- 
 ticularly noticeable in the doubtful success met witli by the Catholic 
 missionaries whose efforts, from time to time, have been directed to 
 
 If-' 
 
CHILI. 
 
 291 
 
 tlieir conversion' ancl in +i.« . • 
 
 conspicuous in their go'rlenffrf'' ""P^'^^*^ -^'«^ - «till 
 
 I oipal addition to thdr rerrcr:'/^^^^^^^ ^'^^ P"- 
 
 occupation and pursuits consTsts in t1 '°"^^^1"^"^ ^''^"ge in their 
 
 cattle, to the raiing of whTch hei ^^^'/"'f''^"'^*'^'^ ^^ Worses and 
 
 The European colonitof Ch '^^' ^'" '^^^^^°^- 
 
 the period of confusircoLealr'^'^^"'^'"^ ^° ^^^^^ ""^^1 
 ea..paisns; a period orig n rnHat T" f''''' P^'""«"^- 
 resultod in the loss to the ^tt'e ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^-^ 
 
 tuicntal possessions. Bv the ^ir.n, a American con- 
 
 Conquista, the captain-g'^^ntl Chih "T °' u" ^°""* ^« '^ 
 a-.bl, of landeS propriety's t^'lZnTZt:' ''''' ^? 
 concerting measures for an overthrow of th^qu P^^P««e of 
 
 having for its president the eoun himself ^ ^7''- "^ J""*^' 
 
 and an election was ordered t^llf' """' ^^^^^^ingly formed, 
 Entering upon their o^nZ:^:j'Z:\^^^^^^-^^^- 
 bers of the mdenendpnt ^^„„ , ujooasfiect, the mem- 
 
 t'^e court of roy!rX::ZTrZtt *^ ^"""' ''' ''-''' ^' 
 equahty to the inhabitants. ^'''' '"'^"""^ liberty and 
 
 Three brothers, named Carrera, who had fnV.n 
 in opposing the partial system J ''''':. *'^«° ^ promment part 
 tricts, after Lt abuse h d C eo/reI7b ? ' ''' '^"*^"' ''^^ 
 a new disturbance, and, gain ng ove^ 1 'if.^'" .^°"^^^««' ^^'--^ted 
 party, succeeded iL disLlvin^first tl ' 'f ^' ' considerable 
 
 wards the congress itself, leavLth^r^^t!rr'.T •'""''' '""^ '''''■ 
 in the hands of a coun il of three amon! f" '"^^^^*^°^ ^^ ^^-^3 
 own number. ' """"^ ^'^'^"^ ^^s one of their 
 
 . m .hro„ing off L fl. with WW * etrr:'',°*r'' "™ 
 tnei Tl,c disaflbaion of ,l,e inhartTJ ami ,f r "* "" ''"• 
 «ak-e„ed the power of the solf-crerdlTe Irf nr"'""'' "''"'' 
 "itoipositio.1 of the Peruvian »„tl,„ . f ? °'"''' """""I ""e 
 
 -ording,, dispatched a;;:;trLl, p' """'^ "' ^""" 
 the country. That officer in IRl T I / '"'"^'^ '" "«i^e "1'"" 
 
 over the tip, „ CoZ.Ton ' 1 Tl , '"1° ""'"'• "'"'■ «»"'"'8 
 
 -ted a. hi, -ca.p,„c:r:i,r::^^t"r;iu2"fh.'j^ "": " 
 
 Jicnorai Gorcr^ co„.in„i„g ,„ ^arr, ,„a.t„r, „,th a high haud, 
 
'■I* 
 ' -Ml 
 
 292 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOKY. 
 
 and making use of his military commission to commit many acts of 
 tyranny and oppression, was deposed from his command, and the 
 office of commander-in-chief was bestowed upon the celebrated Col 
 onel O'Higgins. With his brother Luis Carrera, he was shortly 
 afterwards taken prisoner by the royalists. The patriots, under 
 their new general, eftected little or nothing until the spring of 1814 
 when such signal advantages were gained over the invaders, that a 
 treaty was negotiated, by the terms of which the Peruvian forces 
 were to be withdrawn. Meantime, Chili was distracted by new 
 revolutions and disturbances. The junta was dissolved, and Lastra 
 the governor of Valparaiso, was created dictator, only to be dis- 
 placed by the intrigues and influence of the Carreras, who had made 
 their escape from captivity. 
 
 The royalist general neglected to comply with the treaty, and 
 maintained his position until autumn, when powerful reinforcements 
 having arrived from Peru, he overran the whole country, and com- 
 pelled the rebellious provinces to submit once more to Spanish 
 oppression. "The inhabitants became the victims of royal ven- 
 geance; arrests, imprisonments, punishments, and banishments fol- 
 lowed, filling the country with terror, sufl'ering, and horror. More 
 than one hundred patriots were exiled to the desert island of Juan 
 Fernandez, three hundred and eight}' miles from the coast."* 
 
 For the final establishment of their independence, the Chilians 
 were indebted to foreign assistance. An army of republicans, under 
 General San Martin, governor of the province of Cuyo, in the eaily 
 part of the year 1817, was marched across the Andes, and, joining 
 the patriots, annihilated the Spanish power in Chili for ever. The 
 subsequent campaigns of the combined armies of that country and 
 of Buenos A^'res, e.-^pccially those connected with the liistory of the 
 establishment of Peruvian independence, will be found briefly nar- 
 rated in another portion of our history. 
 
 In the year 1825, a constitution was framed by the congress of 
 Chili, in accordance with the provisions of which the country has 
 been subsequently governed. 
 
 O'Higgins remained at the head of aflairs in Chili for the term of 
 six years from the jjcriod of his elevation, April, 1817. lie was 
 generally esteemed, both for his military services, and his good in- 
 tentions in the conduct of the civil adiniiiistratii)n; but the unsettled 
 condition of the country in those early days of the republic, required 
 * Nilus' History of Scmtli America and Mfxioo. 
 
CHILI. 
 
 298 
 
 a i5rmer hand in the correction of nh , ^^' 
 
 Bight and control over subordinate nffl'^'rl '" '"°'' thorough over- 
 the patriotic, but negligen dTeet iT f'-'" "^^^ ^-'^----t-^ V 
 to Peru, where he was rece ved w.» r '' '^'^"^'^'^^ ^« ^^^-^-l 
 where his services in the caZo{7eluT"' "' ^'^^^"^^'^"' -'^ 
 an appropriation from the governmenr '"" """'' '"^"'^^'^ ^y 
 
 For several years nft«r r»TT- • 
 
 turbed and tumultuousstte tS' "' '^'^"^"'•^' ""''''' ^^ - - ^lis- 
 to maintain order, or to carry ^ J'.^ '''"t'^'^^^ P'-esidents were unable 
 the government. la 182980 o • ?'"' ^'^ giving stability to 
 
 of legislation being claimed CplrvTlvf "^..'"^^ '"*' ^'^ ^^^^^ 
 president, and by a junta appoi S h ^ ^ ^'^^ '°"S^^^«' ^^^^ the 
 from the various disaffectedTown 1n^^ '^"'^^ ^^"* ^^ ^« Santiago 
 General Prieto, flavoured the "nta an,"'- "':' ^'^ ^™^' ■-^°- 
 gressional forces, under General R '". '^^"^^' ^^^0' ^^e con- 
 
 O'Higgins' successor in the rreir^r°" '''^''' ^^° ^^^ been 
 At a general election, held immed hpl Vv ^""^P^^^^^J defeated. 
 was chosen president of the rubhc ^ ' engagement, Prieto 
 
 Under the vio-nrnna ^ i • • 
 advice andassis^anr ft::j;;::f^^«^ ''''' °^^^^^' -^-. ^y the 
 avoided the errors and con 00"; T "^^'"^^' ^'^°- ^-^^^-^ 
 powers of government we reTo^d fl?'"' "' ^"'^ P^^^^^^^^«^°^«' ^'' 
 1-hed. The organi.atioroVrmt ^/f"'°^^'^"^^^ -'^ -tub- 
 effectual check to the enterprise ':::,• '" "^T"'' ^^^^^^^^ - 
 J«d.c.ous financial measures revived I "i;"'^''"'^ adventurers; 
 -stent course of firn., and necei L ! ^"''^ "•^'^'' ^"^ a con! 
 ^a^vs;, gave security to life and prope fv ^'"' administration of the 
 
 The year 1836 was memonlX f •^" 
 ox-director, Ramon Freyre to hi '^ unsuccessful attempt by the 
 ^^-- L.ma for Chilocrt'efding folr^ I ^T^^^^^""" ^« ^^^^ 
 -"-ast of Chili, but Iho gov nLe„t " * "^^''^ '^'' ^-^^l'--" 
 a';t;c.pated the moven.ent 1 w w ^'^"^ "'^'^^ "^ ^^« ^^-S"«, 
 -; h,s shipa fell into the handtof trcTr '" '^'""^' '''' <'- 
 
 1 f'e d.sa/lection of Colonel vtl ^'^'*'"'- 
 
 anny of Chili, produced more 2aT' '''"",^ ^" '^"'"'"''^"^^ '» the 
 
 ;^-^- of rebellion was t s " ^of T^''^- '''''''' ^^^™- 
 
 'e was reviewing the troops ', ""' ^''''^''' "^ 
 
 )^;'v,I war. Vidaurre atta k^d y.Unn "'" ;"""^^^^^^^'^3^ fo"owed 
 
 ^'^' -x'ed, and he saw his followers ', ^"' '^"^ ^^^^ ^«« ^^^'^ 
 
 "■'^«''^'">ate Portales loll , "-^n^ "^'^''f ^"^ scattered. The 
 
 •'^•^''"tothedisappomtedrageofhis 
 
2t)4 
 
 •ni K I'KOI'I.K'S IK. OK Ol'' lUKTOIiV. 
 
 OMptors. He liml rcCiiscil to liMul liiinst'll'tit Urn viows oflliti rcvolu- 
 iioiiiHfs, iillliouiili Wiiriu'il thut his lilb (U'luMulcd upon liiHtclccision. 
 NVIicii l-lic Hill' of the (liiy wius lU'oidod, the ciiptivo iiiiiiistcr was Hliot, 
 aiitl, tlic lii'Ml lilt' not, i'nily tiikiiifj; od'ci-t., wiih dispiitcluMl hy bnyoiu'lH. 
 His hiuly was louml lyinj; in tlui roivil \v1um> the insnrgcnt IbrcrM had 
 (lispiMsod. 'rii(> principal loniontcrsoC this ontbivuk })ai(l tlio roilbit 
 of (hiMr ivlu'llion with tlioir lives. 
 
 'I'li(< natnral n-sonrci's of the Chilian ropnltlie are groat. Tlio soil 
 is exi'<>etlingly IVniti'iil, and the peenliar conformation ol'tlK" eoniitry 
 renders n system of irrigation extensively availal)le. The niines of 
 the preeious metals aro rich and pnxluetive, wiiile those of copper 
 are among the most valuahle ever disoovered. (lood harbours and 
 a, favourable geograjthieal position alVord facilities for an (>xt(Misivo 
 eon\meree. Sueii advantages, combined with a delightful variety 
 oi' elimaU' and seeni'ry, render Chili a desirable place of residence 
 but it.s growili lias been hardly in proportion to its resouives. It 
 apjiears that the government has lately held out new inducenieuts 
 to iinmigrant.s from other countries, and has olTered faeililies for 
 their estublishuient, well calculated to attract the enterprising uud 
 industrious. 
 
 ^'1 
 
I" L 11 I D A. 
 
 CHAl'TEB, I. 
 
 J lU N r N K hf. ],]>() K I, , « V n V . 
 
 -IIIN inUTII. — l.rsAHTUOIJH AT 
 AN I. NAItVAia.~||,,;,(,K,\,^.„o I, K 
 
 A. — HIH KXl'K- 
 «AIU;|( TO TIIK I, NT Kir I a It. 
 — CONTIiSTS WITH TIIK INlMANs, 
 
 I' T II H 
 HIH 
 
 TKMI'TS ov AYM.ON 
 
 HOTO. — AIM'OINTKI. (n.VKIINOUoKriMI 
 DITION TO P 1,0 II I DA. 
 
 TiiK ])ejuitifu] name of Florida rpstrir.fml r 
 <•> -^ «ingle province, and rJVT^ st^"" •'•" "\""""'^' 
 Insto,^ of America, applied to a v.^t'Sr^.""? '" '^ ^'"'■^^ 
 'H-arly all the eastern portion of .1 , ""*''^' «"''"■'''^'>'^' 
 
 Af ■ r ' "' ^''" W""ifi'it, ])etwc('n r.it..„1.. , I 
 
 Mexico. In narrating tl.c settlen.ent of the wlTj \ 
 ]i;i« hcen made of Tn-m TV>. i t "^ '"'^'^■^> ""^"'"'ii 
 
 tlio.sc wjio bathed in it T r , restore youth to 
 
29(] 
 
 TlIK rKOl'I.K'H HOOK OK IlISToUV, 
 
 cii'imil S(i iilliiriii;:-, hy rciulj voliiiitoni'M, on tlui .'M of ^^il^■ll initj 
 lie set sail iVom I'orlo Ifico. 'I'oiicliing at (iuanaliaiii, uml iiiakiiMr 
 in(|iiiri('s willioiit .success, Cor lJuMli'sin>(l rc|^noii, lie liciil on to fja. 
 n..rlli-\vcst, and on I he L'Ttli, canui in n\'^h\, of land. On \\\(\ 'Jd of 
 April, lii> anclmrc'l near the inonlli orwliat. is now culled tlie, St. 
 .lohn's river, and landin.i^', on tlic followinfr day, took po.sscssion of 
 the country in tlic^ name of the Spanish sovereigns. It, was Pulm 
 Sunday (Pascnii Florida), on ucooiitifc ofwliicli, a.s well as oCtlu; gay 
 and (lowery nppoaran<'e of tlu^ eounlry, lie bestowed on it tlie namn 
 <■>{' I''loiida. For ,s(>veral weeks lie stood .southward along the sliore 
 rre<iiiently landing, and .searching in vain Cor his Couiitain oC youth 
 and tlie gold witli wliieh the labled land abounded. On the 1 1th of 
 .luiie, ho sot sail I'or home, and arrived, after tedious navigation, tho 
 victim of di.-^appointment, in Porto Rico. Tlieneo the old eavalicr 
 repaired to Spain, where lie underwent some raillery from tlie wits 
 about court, but obtained the appoiiitnumt of governor of the lunvly- 
 di.^covered region, and tinally regained the comnmml of Porto iiico. 
 At that island he remained until ITi'Jl, when, stimulated by the 
 renown of Cortes, he again fitted out two vo.s,sels, and made a Crc.sli 
 voyage to the land oC his di.scovery. With a consiilcrable Corce, ho 
 laiuleil (Ml t!ieeo;ist, and was soon engaged in combat with the In- 
 diaii.s, who bravely deCended their eounlry against tlie invaders. 
 "Wounded by an arrow, the governor was carried on board his .ship, 
 and sailed for Cuba, where, soon alVcr his arrival, he expired from 
 the elVeet of his wt>uiid, aggravated by mental uneasiness and di.sap- 
 liointincnf. .V Latin (>pitapli chronicled hi:- name and exploits: 
 ".l/o/f sitli lute Jiirtis irijitirscan! ossii Leimis, 
 Qui licit J'liclis wmiina imif^jia siiis." 
 Boiu'iitli tliis iiKiiiiid ri'st the bones of tlii> viilijiiit I.ion, 
 Who ill \m doi'ds 8ui-|mssi'(l tho niinu'.s of l\w t'iimous. 
 
 Snliseciuent expeditions to this land of natural beauty and imagin- 
 ary expectation, I'ov a long pi>riod, {ire.^ent but a repetition of sulfcr- 
 ings ;ind di.-^asters. f.ucas Vas(|ue/, de Ayllon, .sailing, with three 
 hundreil men, to what is now known as South Carolina, was cut oil', 
 with nearly all his command, by the hostile Indians. Pamphilo de 
 Narvaez (def att-d and captured by Cortes at Cempoalla, in ^fexieo) 
 in lo'JS, with four liundied men, landed on tlu> western coast of 
 l""lorida, and penetrated, in the vain hope of treasure, through the 
 marshes, to Appalachee. A third of his command jierished of liun- 
 

 '\ 
 
FLOUIDA. 
 
 297 
 
 gcr, or were slain by tl.e r.nli.ns, on their rotnrn, and ti.e rem.inclcr 
 ]osu,g he,r way, were iinally stopped by an ann of tl Ja ' 
 
 In tins extremity, the almost hmolis task w.s nn.W l 
 con.tn.c.ing vesse^ wherewith to rO^in th J:^;,;^^ : ^t:^ J 
 m act the rehcs of a cavalcade into a squadron, i> po«sib fo CS 
 jfll. Sfrrups, spurs, and every article of iro, wroucd.t on a r"de 
 forge, were converted nto nails; the tails and manes °o the hor es 
 wisted wuh d)res of the palm, were used for rigging, and heir sS 
 for water-casks. The shirts of fl,r> 0^1 r ° "^ 
 
 *i, 4- -11 ^'^^ soldiers, cut open and sewed to 
 
 Am.imn) live miserable barks were natel,e,l tn™il ,., , ^ 
 
 whiel, forty or my „en, elosoly ero v e ' °t ll '".T'' "' 
 d»p,.r,c<l and s„„„„wed „p by'te„,,,e,.s 'a' e „ en e"* 
 
 =,^:s:::?:s^be-s::^rr=-::x 
 
 rlrry ■ °""""'*"«'« "o-itoeJ, i. hardly r-ecorded 
 
 HetlTd'etrr T'"™"° ""'' ""'"""""' ='"' ™« "■»' of 
 
 ofTu T ,,.t:, '; ' '' T""°r' '" ""•• "'""'"'■ of "-« Conquest 
 N„, w' 1 1 """''™/f™''«'-. "loio whole estate, or, reaebi,,.- the 
 
 • « ed ^JTr '° '""" "'"■ ■''" "'"" '"' -1'ieve.ent 
 
 laj. ,„en«„„ed, had applied to the crolt "^h j ; 't^^lIT 
 
 ceutr tlie ollices of governor and captain-creneral both nf n„i i 
 
298 
 
 TUE PfiOFLK'8 HOOK OV HIBTOKY. 
 
 making frcah preparations for his enterprise, and finally, on the 18th 
 of Alay, 1580, with nine vcsboIh, set sail from Havana. In a. fo^ 
 days ho landed at Tampa Bay, whore ho was soon involved in war 
 with Iliriga, a native caci(iue, who had sullercd much wrong at tho 
 hands of Narvaez. Among tho hostile Indians ho discovered one 
 Juan Ortiz, a soldier of that commander, who for many years had 
 been captive with them, and who proved exceedingly useful as an 
 interpreter. By hib good oflices and his acquaintance with tho coun- 
 try, several desirable alliances with native chiefs were affected; and 
 the army, as it marched into the interior, was abundantly supplied 
 by them with provisions. 
 
 The town of Ochili, situated on an ancient mound, and containing 
 five hundred houses, was taken by surprise, and tho invaders pro- 
 ceeded to Vitaehucco, the capital of a province of the same name. 
 For three days an apparently friendly intercourse was rnaiiitiiinod 
 witli the inhabitants; but on the fourth, as the Spaniards were quit- 
 ting tlie town, the chief, who marched by the side of Ue Soto, sud- 
 denly snatched the sword from his sheath, and attempted to run him 
 through tho body. His warriors, (to the number of six thousand 
 we are told) posted in the wood, at this signal, rushed on their guests 
 and attacked them furiously; but the latter, assisted by their native 
 allies, after fighting nearly all day, repulsed them with much loss. 
 Marching onward, they took the town of Osichili (Tallahasoche) after 
 a sharp fight, and thence proceeded to Appalachee. In a swami) 
 before this place, the natives, gathered in great numbers, gave them 
 battle, but were defeated, and the town was won. Hero the Spanish 
 general took up his winter-quarters, his vessels being brought around 
 into the Appalachee river. 
 
 i 
 
TLOUIDA. 
 
 290 
 
 CHAPTER U. 
 
 TIIU0UOKTHKlNTKUIOU, — KIN(iTU«CAL00HA, — HIS STATE 
 
 AM) iIAUai,T,N,.;H,S.-HIS 8KCRKT T R K A C ,. E U Y -OHM' 
 
 MTTLE AT M A U V I L A.-CON FL AOUAT.ON OP THE ! WX 
 
 AXD VICTOUY OF THE 81' A N I A K D..-M U iVous 
 
 SPIRIT OF THE CAVALIEUs,_,,sroNl.ENCY or 
 J)E SOTO. — HE RESUMES THE MAKCH. 
 
 A GOOD harbour, with i.ulications of gohl, was reported by an 
 explonng party to ex.st an hundred and eight; miles westw dXnd 
 a young Jnd.an pnsoner also averred that in his eountry u. tl e 
 eastward, was an aburulanee of the precious n.etal. " W er'eupon " 
 says one of the Portuguese who wrote a history of the " Z) 
 
 and re u.c(l, as f he had seen it done a hundred times or as if thp 
 Dev.1 had taught him; insomueh that all who understood t^e n^ 
 or of working m the Mines, averred that it was impossible for hi 
 
 V'lStiTn^oTttl'r''""^''^^'''^' ''^^ ^•'' --= -^i" 
 le delation of that Indian passed lor a real truth, because of 
 
 t c crcunis anees wherewith he confirmed it." Dependingon tl " 
 
 agam took up its march on an enterprise perhaps the most .lis-.s 
 
 rous ,n Amenean history. No gold was found, n m.lyZJsof 
 
 .-eansorne travel through marsh and forest, and great suffrini was 
 
 con mually endured by the explorers and inflictel on tre na v^es " 
 
 the drudgery of carrying them further A ]Lth j 
 
 their course to the north a^id west tC i ^^ ^ ^ ''"'"^^^^ 
 
 '•'^ ^"^ ^^^st, the invaders, crossing the Cher- 
 
800 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 okee country, by the 1st of September, came to the domain of a 
 chieftain named Tuscaloosa, of gigantic size and desperate courage 
 who ruled over a great territory. A river and even a state capilal 
 still bear his name, which, probably, according to frequent custom 
 was identical with that of his province. ' 
 
 This powerful chief dispatched his son to the Spanish commander 
 with a friendly message and an invitation to his court. Seated 
 before his door, surrounded by attendants, those of the highest 
 . quality being nearest his person, he received the strangers. A hu^e 
 umbrella, of deer-skin, was held over his head, and the Spaniards 
 could not avoid admiring his state, his gravity, and the splendid 
 proportions of his frame. Strange and wonderful as the fiery evo 
 lutions of cavalry, studiously displayed, must have appeared to him 
 he maintained a composure as rigid as that of the inca, under simi- 
 lar circumstances, nor would he even rise to meet De Soto, thouoh 
 he seated that commander by his side, and addressed him with court 
 eous civility. When the discoverers again took up their march 
 he accompanied them, mounted on a strong war-horse, and guided 
 them to his chief capital of Mauvila or ^faubila, (whence, doubtless 
 the present name of Mobile,) situated at the junction of the Alabama 
 and Tombigbee rivers. It consisted of some eighty houses, of'im- 
 mense size, some of them sufficing to lodge fifteen hundred persons 
 and was surrounded by a strong rampart of living trees, closely 
 planted and impene*"ably interwoven. ' 
 
 All the fair show of amity and hospitality which the chief h\d 
 displayed, were but a cover, it seems, for deadly treachery and hos- 
 tility. Ecsolved to exterminate the invaders, he had issued secret 
 charge to all his subjects to repair to Mauvila, and no less than ten 
 thousand warriors, if we may trust the Spanish account, were assem- 
 bled m the houses. As soon as the strangers arrived there Tusca- 
 loosa, abruptly quitting his guests, entered his palace, and to many 
 requests, through Ortiz, that he would rejoin them, returned' no 
 reply. Dinner being finally ready, a more peremptory invitation 
 was sent in, on which an Indian chief, his eyes flashing fire, stepped 
 fortli from the royal premises, and cried fiercely, "Who are these 
 robbers! these vagabonds! who keep calling to my chief Tusea 
 loosa, 'come out! come out!' with as little reverence as if 'he were 
 one of them? By tlie Sun and Moon, this insolence is no longer to 
 be borne. Let us cut them to j.ioces on the spot, and put an end to 
 their wickedness and tyranny." As he bent his bow, a Spaniard cut 
 
FliOBIDA. 
 
 BOl 
 
 him down and forthwith swarms of warriors, armed to the teeth 
 poured out of every lodging. "" "'e leein, 
 
 A furious battle within the town, immediately commenced the 
 soldiers umJer heir redoubted leader, fighting valiantly, and striv 
 n.g to hold out tni the main body of their comrades s.ould come 
 up With some loss, they finally made their way out of the ram 
 part, whore they were jomed by an addition to [heir forces. For 
 three hours the contest raged with great violence without, the sLn- 
 lards, chargmg w>th thcr lances, now forcing the enemy back to the 
 gate and now m turn repulsed by missiles from the rampart. T vv o 
 hundred cavahers finally dismounted, and, leading a desperate charge 
 forced their way :nto the town. The houses were fired, and in the 
 midst of a terrific conilagration, the battle raged wi h unabat d 
 ury-the Spaniar s, choked with heat and smoL, quenchim ttir 
 durst from a small pool, half blood, half water, near the pdis d 
 The rear-guard, under Luis de Moscoso, hastened by the sound o 
 I he conflict, at last came up, and after a desperate struggle, lasting 
 I for nine hours, victory fell to the Spaniards ^ 
 
 The whole town had been destroyed by the conflagration, in which 
 gea numbers of Indians also perished-among tircm, it is proba 
 ble, Tuscaloosa himself, lor nothing more was heard of him. Tw nty- 
 five hundred bodies wore scattered without the walls. Eigluy-tni> 
 of he Spaniards had fallen, and seventeen hundred woutds^^re 
 (hstranited among the survivors. All their baggage and treasure 
 was destroyed, and the.r slaves had escaped. Sufli^H^g grievouslv 
 ior want of surgical aid, the, dressed their wounds (like'tCe sdd rs 
 of Cortes inhis Mexican campaigns) with the fat of the dead In- 
 dians. To do them justice, they treate.l with kindness the wounded 
 and dying enemy, of whom great numbers lay around. No further 
 .s.gn of hostility appeared, for the Tuscaloosau warriors had mostly 
 ponshed or been disabled in the battle. ^ 
 
 Lingering amid the ruins of Mauvila, De Soto heard of the arrival 
 of sInpH upon the coast, supposed to be his own fleet, which he Ind 
 ordered to rendezvous at Pensacola. To his despair and indio,„tioi 
 :;;::;::' --'-.'-f ^h,. ..avallers propose to seize them a°nd pro-' 
 ud u, Mexico 'Ihis inutmous .lisposition, combined witli for ner 
 osses and misfortunes, completely overcame his spirit. "AH his 
 OS soon... to have been in vain; the sacrifice of ills Immense J 
 
 lor nothm. 1 hore nas no treasure to s.,i ! to ('„l,a to attract fi-esh 
 
 for nothiiirr, 
 
 D 
 
302 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 volunteers; he became a moody and disappointed man; but in his 
 secret soul resolved never to return without having accomplished 
 something commensurate to his former fame and anticipations. But 
 the fire of ambitious enthusiasm was burnt out, or quenched by dis- 
 appointment. 'He no longer pretended to strike out any grand 
 undertaking; but, stung with secret disappointment, went recklessly 
 wandering from place to place, without order or object, as if careless 
 of time and life, and only anxious to finish his existence.'" Qa 
 the 18th of November, 1540, overawing the seditious by the stern- 
 ness of his demeanour, he again set forth for the interior. 
 
 CHAPT-EH IIL 
 
 DE SOTO MARCHES WESTWARD. LOSSES FROM INDIAN HOSTIL- 
 ITY. — REACHES AND CROSSES THE MISSISSIPPI. — MARCHES 
 
 TO ARKANSAS. — RETURNS TO THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 HIS DEATH AND BURIAL, — FATE OF THE SUR- 
 VIVORS. — THEIR VOYAGE TO MEXICO. 
 
 Crossing the Black Warrior and Tombigbee rivers, at the end 
 of thirty days, De Soto arrived at the village of Chicaza (Chicka- 
 saw), where, for two months, he encamped, on friendly terms with 
 the surrounding tribes. At length, to avenge certain injuries, the 
 latter, by night, made a fierce attack upon his quarters, which they 
 fired with burning arrows. They were finally repulsed, but the 
 Spaniards lost forty men and fifty horses in the fight and conflagra- 
 tion, and during the remainder of the winter, the survivors, their 
 lodgings destroyed, suffered terribly from cold. On the 1st of April, 
 they again took up their march, and on the way lost fifteen more in 
 storming a strong Indian fortress, named Alihamo, defended by a 
 gre-^t force of the enemy. Still pushing their toilsome journey 
 through desolate and marshy regions, the Spaniards at last came upon 
 a mighty river, which Soto called the Eio Grande, and which is 
 now known as the Mississippi. 
 
 Here the invaders took a village, named Chisca, to the intense 
 rage of its cacique, a little, withered, diminutive old man, who, how- 
 ever, had been a mighty warrior in his youth, and who now' ruled 
 
FLORIDA. 
 
 303 
 
 L_ 
 
 hi. by yielding „p W, p,„„,,, and "tn™, p IS ^tK 
 aiong tte.; and pn^'^I^, aCrnier::!:.;^^ 
 
 s^cators, "to see IhL InTJ ^'""^''"V'sH" «ays one of the 
 Le, aad very k ge wTth .heir pl^r' **,«'« ">»»' "»"% 
 
 Standard, Iha^loofekrLte.^rgaS' "^ '"^'*' ™' 
 
 The Spaniards, however, crossed the river* witlnnnf 
 and resumed their mareh t^ the westward TheTot T°' I'"' 
 , encountered, appear to have berd::;^ i«TitI tl 7 
 g:ous ceremonies of the strangers, and.Vuring a g eatlo^^^^^^ 
 
 rain to the God te bh LZs' " Got ''' T'^ " ^P"^^^ '''' 
 i pious Las Casas, " willingto how th. t Z " T'^" ^'^^ '^' 
 ! to them that ca 1 to hTm n trut^ f ^j^^^*^^"^' '^^' ^^ l^^teneth 
 
 ■ ensuing niglit a t^entrus . .' T ''''"' '" *^^ "^^"^^^^ ^^ ^'^^ 
 o "b"!', it plenteous rain, to the ffrent inv r^f fU« t j- .. 
 
 L,e,e;.re,i„;r;,^;rnni„rdr:L:2^;;t-rr 
 
 (the Mississ np ), and thoro huUrV, u • / ^ ™" Grande 
 
 Cuba for .a,';^,^ If ':::^l:*t^„r Tz liii^rt^ 
 
 with the caciu of , i, ttT , T ~'" °" ''"'-■■"'li' '«""» 
 
 ^'.--, .. «,e,y p_„,, a:.i"::;-e.. '::,r:;- :- 
 
 *At the Lower Chickisiw Uli.ff •♦ u "^ 
 
 places; bet.eon t,. 3.th and SStLtlnrrn^IS;" "' '"^ ""'"' '^^"^^'"^ 
 
304: 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY, 
 
 was dispatched across the river, to endeavour to gain intelligence of 
 the distance and direction of the sea. At the end of eight davs, the 
 messengers returned, with the report that the whole country ap- 
 peared to consist of vast swamps and forests, through which the 
 river, with many windings, made its way. 
 
 What with toil, disappointment and anxiety, the unfortunate Soto 
 now fell ill; but, to maintain his accustomed ascendency over the 
 natives, dispatched an embassy to Quigaltanqui, the cacique of a 
 great province bearing the same name, on the opposite side of the 
 river, with the customary announcement that he was the oiTdpring 
 of the Sun, and requiring submission and a visit. But the shrewd 
 and haughty chieftain sent back the reply, "That whereas he said 
 he was the Child of the Sunnc, if he would drie vp the Riuer he 
 would believe him; and touching the rest, that he was wont to visit 
 none; therefore, if hee desired to see him, it were best hee should 
 come thither; that if hee came in peace, hee would receive him with 
 speciall good will ; and if in warre, in like maimer hee would attend 
 him in the town where he was, and for him or any other hee would 
 not shrinke one foote backe." This proud and magnanimous re- 
 pulse aggravated the illness of the disabled general, who, says the 
 old history, "had betaken himselfe to bed, being euill handled with 
 fevers, and was much aggrieved that he was not in case to passe 
 presently the River and seeke him, to see if he could abate that 
 pride of his." 
 
 Death, however, was at hand, to relieve his humbled pride, and 
 to quench the feeble rays of hope and enterprise that might yet be 
 lingering in his bosom. Seeing his end at hand, lie appointed Luis 
 de MoBCoso to succeed him in the command; and taking an affection- 
 ate leave of his surviving comrades, entreated their prayers for his 
 soul, and charged them to be loyal to the crown, and peaceful and 
 loving with one another. "Next day," says the old Portuguese, 
 "being the One and Twentieth day of May, the Magnanimous, Vir- 
 tu ou.s, and Valiant Ca]itain, Don FcriK.mh de Solo, Governour of 
 Ciihn, and General of Florida, yielded his soul to God." In this 
 forlorn and miserable situation, at the early ago of forty-two, perished 
 one of the bravest and most enterprising leaders of adventure in tlie 
 New World — the gradual decay and melancholy extinction of his 
 fortunes strangely contnisting with the suddenness and brilliancy of 
 their culmination. 
 
 "Uis burial was a strange one; but not unworthy of his extraor- 
 
'LOBIDA. 
 
 805 
 
 dinary career and of his great discoveries TJ,« Q • ^ 
 conoealed his death from tho Tnr) ? Spaniards carefully 
 
 encouraged to rise again! h.,:Z' 'T"^;-*/^^^ should be 
 oak was cut down, and a ho wTa "e if Z t"^^' '"/^^^^"^'^ 
 trunk. In this singular coffin thi hT ^.^ '"*'^ °^ '^^ ^^^^7 
 carefully secured, a'nd in the dead of nUt aJ^ ^^^ 'T""' ^^^ 
 and chief cavaliers, was solemnlv Inched tto.f '^-^'^ ^""^ 
 river, nineteen fathoms in depth Tw! T ' ''"*''" °^ *h« 
 hundred feet below the surf! e" and Ton^ *^- -^e receptacle, a 
 wreck and drift of three centuir ni ^ ""'' "^^"''^"^ ^"^ the 
 renowned adventurer and the " ''^°'' *' '^'"^^"^ «^ *h« 
 
 rolling over the bones' of is d icoXl^T "Ir' ''' f''^'''^'^' 
 monument to his fame "* '°°^^^«^. ^rms a fittmg and enduring 
 
 we».w»rd, hopi„gtore*VeTo„Trier''f M™""- *° '"^ 
 1% to October, thev pursuod .1,1,1 """'=.'"™'= "f M™eo. From 
 
 in.0 the rece«; of S ; WorH tT'""™'^'^-'™''"* ^^P 
 distant viow of the EockTMo„,^L":'' r '"'"f '' ""'"' '=™' " 
 l«,*sMhe, <!„„„, rstra^d ZiXs a":? "r"'""' 
 
 much fighting with the Indinn., .^ • ^ , ^" December, after 
 
 near Guachoya. Here "h ! !' ''^''"^' '\' ^^^^^ «f t^e Mississippi, 
 
 every partiole'ofi^Vee^^^^^^^ ^--'^' ^^"^ 
 
 rups of the cavalry in the dimluT ^ P"soners and the stir- 
 were at last finisLd and ^"^^^^^^^^^ Se-n small brigantines 
 
 Spaniards, now reduced to he tlber.flf h^' '^''^ ''''' ''' 
 embarked. The nlidit of tl.;! iv.? ''^ hundred and fifty, 
 
 original number^ Stlt f tl""^^^^ ^°"J^ ^ *^^^^ °^ ^^^^ 
 battered and rus ed -mTthel ^!- '''*''"''' *^'^^'" ^™°^^ being 
 
 replaced by the ^^^^'"'^ ^' ^''^ ^^^^d to rags of 
 
 di^ie^InTriZ!?^^^^^^ -^-^-«^ ^natural 
 
 finally reached itS outlet id si 1 ' '"'""^' ^^« ^^^-^»-- 
 for Mexico. For iifu th'el T ^''*^''^^^' ^^«"S *b« o^'-^*. 
 «fter encountering 1^.1''' /^ "''*'' ^^'^"^' ^'^^ ^* ^-^ 
 Panuco, near the town of thT "" ' ^'^'' "^^^« ^^^ ^iver 
 
 Mexico. Leaping on shore Cid'"?. " *'"/""^'^^ °^ Spanish 
 again and aga n and return!!^! ^^ J"^' '^'^ ^'"''^^ '^^ ^^^th 
 
 They then p^roce'ed ' to the 'v^ ' h' '" i'"' '" ''""^ '^"™°^- 
 
 the town, where all were greatly affected on 
 
306 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 beholding them; for, wc are told, "they were blackened, haggard, 
 shrivelled, and half-naked, being clad only with the skins of deer, 
 buffaloes, bears, and other animals, so that they looked more like wild 
 beasts than human beings." Such was the deplorable result of an 
 enterprise sustained by such ample means, undertaken with such 
 sanguine confidence, and carried out with such indomitable courage 
 and perseverance; but the true interests of humanity, after all, per- 
 haps suffered less than if the full measure of expected success had 
 been attained — than if the valiant Soto had rivalled the career of 
 Cortes and Pizarro, and spread desolation over realms as wealthy 
 and populous as Mexico or Peru, 
 
 CHAPTEHI?. 
 
 EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS — BLOODY CONTESTS BETWEEN 
 
 THE SPANISH AND FRENCH COLONISTS. — SPANISH MISSIONS. 
 
 — ENGLISH DEPREDATIONS AND COLONIZATION ON THE 
 
 COAST. — INVASIONS OF FLORIDA BY GOVERNOR MOORE. 
 
 After the utter failure of the last-mentioned expedition, so fatal 
 in its results both to the invaders and their victims, the persecuted 
 natives of Florida enjoyed a season of repose. The river St. John's 
 was visited, as is supposed, and named May river, by a party of 
 Huguenots, who came over from France, in two vessels commanded 
 by John Ribault, in 1562. This company commenced a settlement 
 on the Carolina coast, but from their own misconduct, and a failure 
 of su{)plies or assistance from home, the project fell through. In 
 their attempt to return, in a -fssel of their own construction, they 
 were disabled; and, fallin^ in with an English ship, were taken to 
 England. 
 
 In 1564, Een^ Lardoniere, a companion of Ribault, was entrusted 
 by Admiral Coligny, the patron of the first enterprise, with the 
 command of a new expedition. This party, which was better pro- 
 vided with the es.sentials for an establishment in the wilderness than 
 the former, after landing at the abandoned fort, sailed southward, 
 and, entering May river, commenced a settlement upon it.-^ left bank, 
 a few leagues from i's mouth. A friendly intercourse was established 
 
FLORIDA. 
 
 807 
 
 with the natives, anrl thp pr>lr.r,-.r ™; i.^ i 
 
 the precious melala were eherlh d 'L"''.'!' '"' "'"'"S '"^"""■■'"f 
 necessar/husbandry Before Wn , fH'" °' '""^''^ ""'' 
 
 .areathLe.t.erM„(w'?r„ e;Ter:.h1*!rf\""7"^ 
 the country, when Ribanll lrri„.j "f '"''P'""'°f'''""idoimig 
 
 flee, and aWndantXptr'"' °" *'' °™'' '"* ^ welLappointed 
 
 Eardlj had the sufferino- coloni^tq t.'nn.. ♦ • • 
 able reinforcement, when th^; wercatd iTJ^ TJ "J' ""™- 
 against an enemy more cruel 3 i " i T ^ ''"'^"^ them.«lve, 
 wU territory they were Mabliaher*^ A^t ■'T.""' """-S^' '" 
 Pedro Menend^e. d/Ayil,re*,''off it:: fl'e" -^ "Z 
 after an attempt at the seizure of some of Rib-inlt'« 1- u t ' 
 
 :rri;Se^'n";hr"""'^"'^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 01 OL Augustine On this occasion was founded the town of thit 
 name, whose ancient and dilapidated walls, narrow streerand Fu 
 ropean architecture, notwithstanding modern improveme ts s^ill" 
 carr, us back to the earliest settlement of the country The lar'e 
 
 ...d^o.ingthehLL"«:j:S2r^ 
 
 Eibault did not wait for another attack, bnt, hopeful of securing 
 iSre'^He:::'^ --„»„. .,le, in ;,Z. with hH 
 
 treacherous coast. Menendez tool !d!rn *\''''"««™»'' "'"I 
 
 .« elapse before the .renci 2', ttr f \- ' ^ it'irriatT 
 to make a rap.d advance on the unprotected for^ on May rive ' 
 No effectual resistance could be made, and the whole of the oZ 
 ».s were taken captive or slain in the encounter. A, The men 
 
 *p:rr:.re'bir;iS'r'^ ^"' '° ^-"■-•' - 
 ;™ placed, i„.,cribcd J:^^:2^^^:^^^l^rT""' 
 
 but as heretics." ^ ' ^°* "^ Frenchman, 
 
 -!Srpatroftba;:,'r:r°' ^ "■? -'"^— ■ "■» '"'i- 
 
 l>aiiy oi itiDauJt, althou<<;h numberintr n^t- p.,.. <• • 
 
 liuiK red men mide nn ^ffi^.f * 'mmoenng not far from six 
 
 deternrined 2 l^c cd b tnd t^lT^r U ''' /""""'J " ''" 
 an u„c„„d,.,onal surrender to the Spaniards. ° •'n^^l't^r:^. 
 

 308 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 two companies; the first, consisting of two hundred men, proceeded 
 up the coast as far as Matanzaa Inlet. Here they were met by Me- 
 nendez, who had, with forty soldiers, sailed up the sound to recon- 
 noitre. A French soldier was sent across the inlet to learn what 
 terms could be obtained; the messenger was detained. The boat 
 was then sent across for ten Frenchmen, who were taken behind a 
 sand-hill and murdered. And in this manner were the two hundred 
 men decoyed across the stream by tens, and all massacred and left 
 on the sand, to be devoured by the birds and beasts of prey."* 
 
 Ribault, with one hundred and fifty of his followers, gave them- 
 selves up a few days subsequent, only to share the fate of their mur- 
 dered countrymen. The remainder of the party fortified themselves 
 upon the coast, and were engaged in the construction of a vessel 
 from the wrecks of the fleet, when they were set upon by Menendez 
 and driven from their position. Terms of favour were now proffered 
 by the conqueror, and were accepted by all, except a few who still 
 feared to trust to the promises of the treacherous Spaniard and 
 who betook themselves to the wilderness in the interior, where they 
 probably perished. 
 
 The outrages perpetrated upon the ill-fated French colony were 
 in a measure revenged in 1569, by a private expedition, fitted out 
 and commanded by the noted Dominique de Gourges. With a small 
 but effective force of adventurous volunteers, he came upon the 
 coast, and under the guidance of one of the old companions of Lardo- 
 niere, attacked the forts which had been taken from the Frencli 
 four years previous. These posts were surprised and carried by 
 storm, although garrisoned by a superior Spanish force, and little 
 mercy was shown to those who fell into the hands of the assailants. 
 The remains of several of those put to death by Aleneadez, still 
 hanging upon the trees, were taken down and buried by the orders of 
 Gourges, who directed Spanish prisoners to be h mg in their places 
 and aflixed this label, "Not as Spaniards, but as murderers." Hav- 
 ing dismantled the forts, the invaders made good their retreat, and 
 sailed for France. 
 
 Menendez remained in undisturbed possession of St. Augustine 
 and as no fartlier attempt was made, for a long period of years, by 
 any other European nation to encroach upon the Spanish possessions 
 on this coa.st, full opportunity was afforded for carrying out the 
 views of the colonists in the propagation of their faith among the 
 
 * Williams's Florid/i. 
 
FLOKlJvA. 
 
 809 
 
 natives, and the extenm'nn r.f *i. . 
 
 furtherance of tins object confro.:; °^'° missionaries, in 
 
 events which preceded CsuToeZ <£?"''' "^^^ *^« blo;dy 
 sy^- They dispersed thrs^e^ J r^S"' °' ^'f P^^^^' 
 and, trustmg entirely to their {^ood fni^J, . T^"^ *^« ^"^ians, 
 
 «ion from society, a.d in ardno boir'^fo' f^^^^r ^" -'- 
 conversion of the natives. Thev succ;p7^ / ' civilization and 
 'n gaining over the confidence of thZ a ""^ '^'^^"'^^'"g extent 
 the Atlantic sea-coast far into the uo!,.' ^^^ertainers, and from 
 numberless tribes were brc^Lht to ,, ? ^ '""'" '' *^^ ^««*' 
 the Catholic faith. ^ *° ^* ^"^'* ^ "0">inal acceptance of 
 
 In 1586, and again as late a^ iflfiR *t- « 
 Florida suffered from the a ttaekVof 1 .^^'"f ""'«'"«"*« of 
 er-nsers. On the latter oco Jon h/b '"^ '^^'««« English 
 
 •''"'i plundered the town o T A.tt '°'T' ""^^^ ^^^^«. ^^^-d 
 an Knglish colony was founded on trt "f T ^""«" «^^---^<^« 
 country like Florida, where tt buVl ^^' "^ ^'"^^ ^'-«^- I" '^^ 
 
 Pe-hable nature, and where thV:!! Xt'l"^ '"^^"^ "^ '^ 
 the necessity for any impression on the ToH in th """'' ^'''^''^'' 
 a few years of desertion suffice to oh 1 ''''''°" of houses, 
 
 -ttlement. A new growth of wootf? ^T'' '^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ « 
 acterfrom the original, serves to mfl?"!"*^^ '^' ^'^^^«"* «har- 
 flelds; but the traveller unlllto Jd\ ' '""'^'^^^ °^ ^^^ ^^^'^^^ed 
 pancy, would scarcely suppo e t^.^fj^ ^.^^'^^^'^^^ ^^ ^rmer occu- 
 ^0 him the primeval fo est tht he ^"r° """^^'^ ''^'' ^PP«-« 
 ever echoed to the busy .ouUstftili:?^^^^^ around hi.\ad 
 
 f;^quent changes of Jurisd^' o^ I S:, ^^t"'" ^^^ ^«'^^^*' '^ 
 changes. Thriving villnc.es or to^n!? I- ^"* "^''*"^ "f those 
 or English colonist; ux-rf L " J M /^'^^ ^^^"^^' Spanish, 
 -J -rce a vestige now rem'JZ; t , t^te ^ ^'^^^^ P^^-^-. 
 J he commencement of tv,. • l '*-''^ existence. 
 
 I.™<1. Every thing promised Z!,^ "'"' •■^'»''»'' V sea and 
 
 gnn ,„.„ p„„.^^j^| reiulbreements Lad 
 
810 
 
 Tll K TEOriiK'S HOOK OK IIISTOKV. 
 
 nrrlvcil from Spain. Two ixrined vcsscIh apjx'nrcd oll'tlio const, and 
 Mouio ciVoctod an iininodiato ri'troiit, leaving his licet and stores a 
 j>ivy to tlio enemy. Ilis principal ollicer, Colonel Daniels, to whoao 
 ciiergv the first successriil operations of the cxjiedition wcro due, 
 was at this time absent, having been sent to Janiaiea for a snp|)ly of 
 artillery, prior to an attack on the fort of St. Marks. Ho returned 
 only to find the position of the English abandoned, and the Span- 
 iards in complete possession. 
 
 The sci'ond attemj)t, in 1704, was iijmm) the Spanish and Indian 
 towns in West Florida. Unable to ])roeurc assistance from the legis- 
 lature of the territory, Mooro collected a few companions, and, pro- 
 ceeding to (he head-quarters of the diflerent tribes of friendly Creeks, 
 readily secured their cooperation in the proposed campaign against 
 their old enemies, the Yemasecs, Appalaches, &c. A post known 
 as Lewis' Fort, ami garrisoned by a consideiablo body of Spaniards, 
 under command of Juan Mexia, the colonial governor, was the first 
 point of attack. Mexia imprudently gave battle without the walls 
 of the fort, and was completely ovcrj)owered. Ilis followers were 
 mostly slain, and the place was destroyed. Following up their ad- 
 vantage, the invaders ravaged the Avhole of that portion of the 
 country, breaking up the missionary establishments, and dispersing 
 or destroying the Spanish occupants. Vivst numbers of the native 
 inhabitants were carried oil' as prisoners, and those who were not 
 doomed to slavery, were settled in the vicinity of the English colony, 
 to the northward of the Savannah river. The jjower of the Span- 
 iards was afterwards mostly confined to their settlements in Eiist 
 Florida. A garrison was nevertheless maintained by them at St. 
 Marks on the Appalaohe. 
 
FLOKIDA. 
 
 811 
 
 CHAPTER ?. 
 
 THE YKMASKKS.— INVASION OP FLORIDA II 
 
 OKSSION TO OltKAT IlltlTAIN 
 
 V OOLKTIIOIU'K.— 
 ■""■ TUItN HUM, '8 L'OI OM V 
 -^CESSION TOS,.A,N._,NVA.S.ONOP KAST P,', 
 
 inAPHOMTirKHMTKH STATES -AC.mrio; 
 OF FLOIUI.A HY TUP UNITKI) 8TATK8. 
 
 In the frontier Indian war of 1717, ti.o Vumasees of Flori.!-' who 
 bad at one period favoured the English colonics un tl, . 7' 
 ;i- ..into .. general eon.binatioJ of ^o^ZZ'^Z^'X 
 t cr dcloat by General Craven, they settled in East Flor da ... r 
 ther h|,a..Ksh allies a,.d proteet<.rs. They we.-e, howev .'c u 
 w.t severity by t^.e territorial governor, Ayola, and vv"e ";, Ijl d 
 to aba..d().i their first settlements, where thev h ..1 ),„iu '^"" I'^^'^'f 
 a.ul to ta.e u, their .narters H.rU.er I^J!;:^^::;' A ' C £!; 
 th..s co,npu sory migration, the less able-bodied, t<.gc.ther wk hr 
 
 :'Th::":L:^nr.f'''''^''^"' ^-'^ '-' upo.r Ame^ 1!:^ 
 
 l.cse, says Will a.ns, "wore presently discovered by the Knulish 
 ^^l.o pursued the fugitives in their launches, on which tev hid 
 . ountod swivels; these they brought to beilr on tlie rn si I 
 •starving rabble, who had not a tree or bush to protect tZ W 
 were murdered ni col,: blood. Four hundred weiJthus a Iter^ 
 ■H of three thcnisand that now survived, more than two t^Js 
 ched m k.s than a year, by hunger and discLes." ^' 
 
 n 1719 the fort at Pensacola was the scene of some hard nghti... 
 
 g.irr..on. 1 he fort was taken and retaken ; but after several severe 
 llle I'jench, and wns destroyed. 
 
 The enmity of more dangerous neighbours at the north was sul«e 
 <)»M,lly exerted to active hostilities. Tl,e Indian allies ofTl I" 
 »« were in the habit of making inenrsil' ""t ,e X ' ^nt^ 
 
 giouing English colony to encroach upon Spanish territory 
 
812 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 The marauding expedition of the Yemasees was promptly revenged. 
 A body of volunteers and Indians, commanded by Colonel Palmer 
 maruhcd southward, and destroyed most of the Spanish settlements 
 north of St. Augustine. 
 
 A period of comparative quiet ensued, but an old ground of quar- 
 rel still remained. Many of the negro slaves employed on the 
 Englirth plantations continued to find an asylum in Florida, and the 
 refusal of the Spaniards to give them up to their owners, coinbineil 
 with the recollection of other wrongs, finally determined the colonics 
 upon a systematic invasion of the peninsula. The plan was set on 
 foot by Governor Oglethorpe, the most noted of the pioneers of 
 Georgia ; and, as the coast was clear as far as the mouth of the St. 
 John's, he collected at that point (in May, 1740) not far from two 
 thousand whites and Creek Indians. Marching thence, ho seized 
 upon the Spanish forts, Diego and Mo^a, but did not follow up his 
 advantage with sufficient celerity to make an effective demonstration 
 upon the capital. Delay in the operations of the English naval force 
 also gave opportunity for the introduction of supplies of artillery 
 and j)rovi8ions into the harbours. No impression could be made 
 upon the Spanish fortifications by storm or battery, and in the 
 attempt to reduce the place by siege, sickness broke out amoiiir the 
 troops, and compelled a retreat to Georgia. In retaliation for this 
 invasion, a large force, concentrating at St. Augustine, and placed 
 under command of Manuel Monteano, governor of East Florida 
 proceeded in 1742 to attack the English colonies. With no loss tliaa 
 thirty-two vessels, bearing some three thousand men, the governor 
 entered the Altamaha. Oglethorpe was driven from his position 
 on the island of St. Simon's, but retreating to Frederica, he made an 
 effectual stand against the greatly superior force brought to bear 
 upon him. Nothing was eftected by the expedition. 
 
 At the period of the cession of Florida to the British crown in 
 17fi,3, its prosperity had completely declined. The few remaining 
 Spanish inhabitants for the most part removed to the West Indies 
 leaving the experiment of colonization to immigrants from Great 
 Britain. One of the most remarkable transactions in the modern 
 history of the country is connected with the introduction of this new 
 population. One Dr. Turnbull, in 1767, proceeded to the Levant, 
 and engaged a considerable number of Greek families to accompany 
 him to Florida. Touching, on his return, at Corsica and Minorca, 
 he procured a further supply of emigrants, and sailed for the New 
 
FLOaiDA. 
 
 838 
 
 Wurl.1 with about fifteen Imndred .souls aboard his vessels. A term 
 of throe years service on their part was to be the equivalent for the 
 expense of transportation, of present support, a..d of a bounty of 
 land at the expiration of the contract. 
 
 A grant of lands wn. obtained near Mosquito inlet, and plantations 
 were hud ou on an extensive scale. The principal crop raised 
 cxc usive of the necessary reservations for supplying thecoh.ny witli 
 foo.l, was inc igo, and this proved exceedingly profitable to the pro 
 pr,e or. 1 aking advantage of the ignorance, simplicity, and isolLd 
 romtion of his employees, the doctor ere long reduced thorn to a 
 .■omhtion of hopeless servitude. For nine years they were kept at 
 the severest labour, on the most scanty allowance of food, and n arly 
 .Institute of clothing. Cruel and excessive puni.shment ;as inflicted 
 or any neglect in the.r task.s, or for any triHing offence against their 
 yrant or his overseers. At the period of their emancipation, in 
 In J, their numbers were reduced to about six hundred 
 
 he manner in which they obtained their freedom is "very graph- 
 ically described by Mr. J. L. Williams in his history of Florida. It 
 appears that several Englishmen, while on a visit to New Smvrna 
 c name of Turnbull's settlement,) were engaged in conversation 
 spectmg the imposition practised on the immigrants-" some of 
 them made the remark that,.if the people knew their rights they 
 would not sufTer under such slavery. Vhis was remarktd l.y n 
 intelligent boy, who told it to his mother. The ohl lady summoned 
 a council of her friends in the night, and they devised a plan to Z 
 .0. ,,.tel gence.''_ Emissaries were secretly dispatched\o St Au 
 gustine, who, naving communicated, by good fortune with the 
 nttorney-general, Mr. Younge, and received encouragement flm h 
 returned, and reported to their companions 
 It was promptly concluded to march in a body to St. Augustine 
 
 w ifohl r "«^^««'rP'-^>«^^• "The women and children, 
 
 d witilZ l' ""■' P^'^^' " ^'^ ^«"*^«' ""^ th« stoutest men 
 armed with wooden spears, were placed in front and rear In this 
 
 d^a^^ T' T' P'°"f ^' ^^"^ "^"^^ b^f-« the ovc^eers 
 «M.overed tl at the place was deserted. Some of these were well 
 
 r eased, and jcnned them. Others informed the tyrant, vhowa 
 
 some distance from the place. He rode after the fugiti;es, anc W 
 
81-i 
 
 TllK rKOlM.K'S IJOOK OF IIISTOIJV, 
 
 t,()ok tluMu before tlu'j rciiolicd St. Augustine, unci uaed every exer- 
 tion to persuade them to return, but in vain." The rights of thu.so 
 jiersecuted people were speedily established, and a tract of land in 
 the north part of tlie eity was granted to them by the authorities, 
 'i'heir descendants, at this day, ibrni no ineonsidcrable portion of the 
 inhabitants of St. Augustine. 
 
 When Spain came again into poasessiou of Florida, at the close of 
 the war (jf American revolution, these Greeks and Minoi'cans were 
 almost the only portion of the population that remained in the conn. 
 try. 'i'he establishments of the Englisli were generally deserted, and 
 in a few years the greater portion of the cultivated districts were little 
 less a wilderness, than when white men first set foot on their shores. 
 Movements were set on foot by the government of the United 
 States, in the year 1811, for tlie aetpiisition of the Floridas from 
 S])ain. Commissioners were apjjointed to confer with the goverudr 
 of i'ensaeola relative to a cession of the western province, :>nd powers 
 to proceed to hostile measures, both re.S])eeting East and West Fl.ividn 
 were conditionally conferred upon them: the intention of our gov- 
 ernment being to prevent at all risks the acquisition of Florida by 
 any other foreign power. Mistaken reports concerning this proceed- 
 ing became jirevalent; and, in accordance with tin; idea that the 
 jurisdiction of the United States was to be at once forcibly extended 
 over tlie peninsula, a large number of Georgians and American 
 inhabitants of Florida, congregated near St. I»L;ry's, and organized 
 jilans for an immediate hostile demonstration. Proceeding by wnter 
 to the Spanish town of Fernandina on Amelia Island, their formi- 
 dable array induced an immediate capitulation. The revohuiom'sfs 
 had made appointments for a jmwisional government, under which 
 John II. Mcintosh assmncd the ofTiee of director. 
 
 The Seminole Indians at first jirollercd their assistance to the rev- 
 olutionary party, but, from motives of hu-nanity, the leaders of {'le 
 movement, acting now in concert with General Mathews, one of tlic 
 commissioners deputed to We«t Florida, declined availing themselves 
 of their services. The con.'^ecpience was, that the Indians took up 
 arms in favour of the Spanish government, and their depredations, 
 and the cxjvditions fitted out against them, formed the most iinpoit- 
 ant incidents in the snbsecpient hostilities. The question of the 
 invasion was nn.dc a matter of dipilomatie adjustment between the 
 governments of Spain, Great Britain and the United States. The 
 overt acts of hostility were disavowed by the latter power, and, in 
 
l''l-OI{I]>A. 
 
 815 
 
 May, 1813, tl)c C.w rcnannng American troops were withdrawn from 
 1,0 country, an amnesty being at the «ame time proclaimed by Z 
 log, nuue governn.ont, for all olFenees connected witli the atternpted 
 rcvolu .on. JJunng the long period of. desultory hostilities, the se, 
 t]c.nonts and j> antat.ons of East Florida were extensively dsstroye, 
 
 I)unr)g the last war with Great Britain the western districts of 
 ]' .rula were nuule the scene of some important encounters, and many 
 >ne.ust.ng particulars of the Indian campaigns of that period are 
 rel tod, the natives having generally been enlisted against the United 
 States. About the middle of November, 1814, thetown and Zf: 
 cations at I'en.saeola, strongly garrisoned by Spanish aiul E„.]i.sh 
 roops were taken by the Americans, under General Jackson,°an. 
 the nuhtary works were destroyed. The Seminoles continued hostile 
 to the Ameneans after the conclusion of war with Engh! .d a J 
 proved formidable enemies to the border settlers, until the year 1818 
 when their territory in the northern and western districts of Fiori.l.; 
 was completely overrun by the forces under command of General 
 Jackson. In this war the negroes, who for many years had been 
 incroasmg m number by accessions of fugitives from the plantations 
 of the adjoining states, enacted an important part. They had formed 
 .:xier.s,ve settlements in the Indian territory, and in defence of their 
 possessions and fortifications, not unfrequently fought with .lesperafe 
 courage and determination. It appeared that the Indians had been 
 fiinnshecl with supplies and munitions of war by the Spanish author- 
 n,os at Pensacola, and in the month of May, 1818, General Jackson 
 with httle opposition, again took possession of the town and fortifi- 
 calions J he governor and the Spanish garrison were compelled to 
 htxwii the country. •' 
 
 The Fk)ridas were ceded to the United States by treaty concluded 
 .th Spain, 11. the summer of 1821, and General Jackson received 
 he appointment of governor of the newly-acquired country. In the 
 following year, ,t was regularly constitute,! a territory, with ai.p,.o- 
 pnate rcj>resentative powers. The population is so sparse that Flor- 
 Hla would probably have enjoyed at least equal prosperity, had she 
 continued to remain under a territorial government. In the opinion 
 of inany of the most intelligent inhabitants, the .satisfaction of enioy- 
 ^ng the independent position of a sovereign state has hardly com- 
 I'cnsated for the increased expenditures rendered necessary by the 
 change of government. This state was admitted i.ito the Union at 
 the session of Congress held in the vo.-ir iS-i-^. 
 
[TTie Revolutions of Mexico, Peru and Chili, and (he erection of those Provinces 
 into independent States, have been already described in the preceding articles.] 
 
 COLOMBIA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 LOYALTY OF THE SPANISH COLONISTS.— ARROGANCE AND TYRANNY 
 
 OF THEIR RULERS. — CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. THE 
 
 ^ ESTABLISHMENT OF JUNTAS.— MASSACRE AT QUITO. - 
 
 THE JUNTA OF CARACCAS IN VENEZUELA. 
 
 COMMENCEMENT OF HOSTILITIES. — DE- 
 CLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 
 
 The principle of loyalty and national feeling, so inveterate in the 
 Spanish character, had preserved to Spain the attachment of her 
 numerous colonies through centuries of oppression and mi.sgovern- 
 ment; and nothing except the most fatuous arrogance, cruelty, and 
 obstinacy on the part of that nation and its colonial agents, iJuld 
 possibly, in so brief a space of time, have alienated a people so 
 attached to the land of their origin. When the distracted and im- 
 poverished condition of the mother-country, at the commencement 
 of its contests with the French under Napoleon, afforded the fairest 
 opportunity of throwing off the yoke, so far from availing themselves 
 of It, the Spanish-American colonies, with devoted loyalty, loner 
 continued to furnish supplies of treasure to the state, and to exhibi't 
 the liveliest interest in behalf of the fortunes of their rulers. 
 
 In default, however, of any settled government in Spain, the colo- 
 nist.s, in emulation of their countrymen at home, began to agitate the 
 formation of juntas or associations for national defence; and these 
 attempts being suppressed with great severity by the colonial govern- 
 
8PANISH-AMEKICAN REVOLUTIONS. 3^7 
 
 ors, first sowed the seeds of disaffection. The viceroys of New Gran- 
 ada and Peru, cornbimng their forees, revenged, with'^.avageXooitv 
 a scheme of tbs kmd matured at Quito, committing ITJZToi 
 three hundred of the citizens, and delivering up t'he town to the 
 rapmeof a terocious soldiery. This and other similar actsof oppres 
 mn, smgular to state, did not suffice completely to alienate thl 
 affecfons of the people from the provincial governLnt but 1 L J 
 the apparently complete ascendency of France, the co oniste wer! 
 anx>ous to adopt measures to secure their independence against the 
 encroachments of the latter. Actuated by this feeling, the ci tz .! 
 of Caraccas, m Venezuela, in the year 1810-proceedlng, how ver 
 in the name of Ferd.nand Vll.-deposed their colonial officerrind 
 appomted a junta of their own. ^^y^cm, ana 
 
 The imprudent arrogance of the old Spaniards towards the pro- 
 vincals, first diverted this current of independence into a li loval 
 channel and the vindictive measures of the nominal Spanish 'otrn 
 ment, which on the news of tlii^ and other similar demonstrations 
 hastened to declare war against the refractory provinces nrecinitr'i 
 hostilUies The w,,,e Spanish nation, indee'da;;ear;o^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 exceedingly indignant, and although unable to contend successfullv 
 w, h the French at home, managed to ship off considerab bod"^ 
 of troops for the purpose of suppressing by force the spirit of ince 
 pendence abroad. Th,s movement increased still further'the popu t 
 disaffection, and Venezuela first took the lead in assertinropea 
 
 811, the delegates from the various provinces of that state in i^^ 
 
 ation of that memorable conv.nti<m held, just thirtyfive y Trs 
 
 fore, m British North America-published a declaration of fnd 
 
 speed,, .Howed by New Granadat: Ale'c^ ^^^ t^ iri^^^r 
 by the f)rovince of Buenos Ayres ' 
 
 .<>!', pr..|,»,„g („,i|, „ucre*d oommcrc.ial polioy) „ s^mZ^C 
 ■""'"'"'•'■■ -■ ''^ '- *■"'». "-J ev„r,exe,.ti„„ to favor h^ it 
 
818 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOEY. 
 
 of insurrection in the Spanish- American provinces. The govern- 
 ment of the United States, to whicL m envoy had been dispatched 
 hesitated to commit itself by openly countenancing the cause of the 
 liberals, though the sentiments of the people were ardently in their 
 favor; and the British ministers, their overtures repulsed, announced 
 that they should observe neutrality, but with a reservation in favour 
 of the Spanish crown, as represented by Ferdinand VII, 
 ^ The original junta of Caraccas, of 1810, after deposing the author- 
 ities, and dispatching several of them to the United States, had made 
 many useful regulations, of a liberal nature, but had experienced 
 some difficulties, arising from the unsettled state of the country. A 
 hostile collision with the royalist party in Maracaibo, resulted in 
 considerable fighting, without any decisive result, and dangerous 
 conspiracies, fomented by the agents of the Spanish government 
 rendered that of the junta insecure in the extreme. But the decla- 
 ration of independence, and the regular appointment of a popular 
 government, as already mentioned, infused fresh energy into the 
 councils of the leaders of the revolution. An alarming scheme for 
 their overthrow and slaughter was detected, and ten of the conspira- 
 tors, after trial, were executed, and their heads, after the barbarous 
 custom of the people, placed on poles at the entrance of the city. 
 
 At the same time, Valencia, in the interior, had been secured by 
 the royalists, and General Toro, who was dispatched to regain it, 
 had experienced much loss in taking possession of an outpost. 
 General Miranda, already famed for his repeated attempts to excite 
 insurrection against the Spanish rule in Venezuela, who was next 
 dispatched thither, took the town by storm, and entered with his 
 forces. But the Spanish garrison, fighting with courage in tlieir 
 barracks, finally repulsed the patriots with much loss; and the roy- 
 alists in the town, from the towers of churches and convents, anrl 
 from the roofs and terraces of houses, discharged such destructive 
 Vulleys of nm.sketry, that he was compelled to evacuate the place, 
 and retire to a fortified position at some distance. Being reinforced 
 in the following month, he again assaulted the town with four thou- 
 sand troops, gained posession of it, and dispersed the enemy. 
 
 After the declaration of independence, public attention was deeply 
 engrossed by the formation of a constitution; and the phin of a 
 feilerative rt^public, similar to I'lat of the United States, was warmly 
 urged by the most enlightened friends of freedom. An instrument, 
 resembling in form the celebrated constitution of that republic, but 
 
SPANISH-AKEKICAN REVOLUTIONS. gjg 
 
 quite inferior in principle, was Drenarp.l h^r +i.. 
 23d of Pece.,er, preLued ^T^^^t"^^^::^::^ 
 provided for a senate and representatives, a judiciary and other 
 bmnches of government, with an executive of three person^- I.T 
 •sad torture, the slave-trade, and the tribute o the' di^. and 
 estabhshed the Catholic religion as that of the state. Tl to;n o^ 
 •Valencia was ceded to the federal govern.nent thus organized and 
 t:tZS:i^'' ''' new constitution held itslirst ^2t 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 THE AFPAIRS OF NEW ORA N A DA.-EX PULSION OF THE SPAN 
 lAKBS FROM SANTA FE AND QUITO.-BISSENSIONS op TH E 
 
 i MEITr"T7E^':r""" '' '^"^ ^OrAUSTs'iniEir 
 
 A QUITr r.; ' '' ^^ATir.-.-FRESH MASSACRE 
 AT QUITO. — ALTERNATE SUCCESSES OF THE PATRIOTS 
 AND ROTALISTS.-THE EARTHQUAKE AT CARACcls 
 -ITS EFFECT.-OVERTHROW OF THE LIBERALS. " 
 
 Having thus briefly sketched the progress of events in Venezuela 
 we cc>rne to those of Xew Granada, soon destined to be clo ly coa! 
 nee ted with its sister-province. In July, 1810, on receipt of uVwe - 
 come t,dings from Spam, a >«^a had been formed at Santa Fede 
 B gotu, the capital of that state, which had arrested the viceroy lu 
 oher royal officers, and had dispatched them home to Spa n "^ Ou 
 of the twentytwo provinces of which this colony was'c'ompo d 
 nu,e responded to the call for erecting a provisional go e. 
 Otes espoused the royal.st faction, and a civil war ahnost in.n e 
 ,a^>ly bn.ke out. Tacon, the royalist governor of Popaya ^ s 
 defeated by the patriots; and the people of Quito, in A.^ust soo 
 afu^rthe massacre already mentioned, exasperated bv the Ijn vZ 
 ^ ^i.unsh commissioner, armed only with clubs and knives, att icked 
 
 luuard the close of the year, the ja.la of Santa Ke entered into au 
 alliance for mutual protection with that ofCaraccas. 
 
 of X'iT T' f ""7 ^""^''''' '^'^'^''^'^'s - '^ t'-^ ^-- 
 
 ui government to be adonted \vi« .,m. ;, . i i • t 
 
 V. auupitu, was jon involved in a disgrucel'ul 
 
i I 
 
 320 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 i menial feud. The forces of the congress, in attempting to take by 
 storm Santa Fe, where Narino, the president of Cundinumarca 
 was quartered, were repulsed with terrible loss, and the royalists' 
 taking advantage of these dissensions, inflicted great atrocities on 
 the defenceless country. In Cuenca, an army, raised and commanded 
 by the royalist bishop, and officered in great part by priests, carried 
 black standards, and assumed the terrible name of "The Army of 
 Death." This force having defeated tlie troops of Quito, the Peru- 
 vian army, which hud lately retreated from that city to Guayaquil 
 on the 6th of November, 1812, under the ferocious Monies, reen- 
 tered the city, and murdered one-fifth of the inhabitants who re- 
 mained. The prisoners taken by the royalists in their successes 
 were, with unsparing vengeance, put to death. 
 
 lieealled to their senses by this dangerous movement, and the 
 friglitful scenes of massacre by which it was accompanied, the con- 
 tending republicans at length saw the necessity of laying aside their 
 feuds and providing ibr the common safety. Their forces, eio-lit 
 thousand in number, were accordingly united, and placed under the 
 command of Narino, who marched against Sainano, the successor of 
 Monies in command, and defeated him at El Atto del Palace. The 
 royalists, ri-inforced, again offered battle; and at Calivia, in Popayan 
 a most obstinate battle, contested with all tlie fury that disgraces civil 
 warfare, resulted in their renewed discomfiture and retreat. Narino 
 gained, thougli with severe loss, several other victories over the 
 tyrannical faction, but finally, inarching to Pastas, in pursuit of tlie 
 enemy, being deprived, by an artful stratagem, of the support of his 
 rear-division, was in turn defeated and made prisoner. Cabal, who 
 succeeded him in the command, was compelled to retreat to Popayan, 
 hotly pursued by tlie victorious royalists. Most of their prisoners 
 were murdered by the successful party. (June, 1814.) These disas- 
 ters, occurring at the same time that the bigoted Ferdinand was 
 restored to the throne of Spain, threw an aspect of deep gloom over 
 the cause of freedom in New Granada. 
 
 Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the republican cause, at first so prosper- 
 ous, by a strange accident of nature had been plunged into ruin and 
 defeat. On Holy Thursday, the 2()tli of March, 1812, when the 
 troops and jieople, throughout the state, were crowding into chnpel 
 and cathedral to participate in one of the most impressive cere! in nits 
 of the church, that terrible earthquake, one of the most fatal k >:or(lcd 
 in history, in a single minute laid waste the ill-fated province, and 
 
crushed the cause of liberty, for a time, to the earth C 
 
 Guira, Menda. and many other towns ^ere kidTn i ''°''' ^^ 
 
 ru.n. Nearly twenty thousand souls^r Id-lot Th ""^^''^^ 
 
 bigoted cler^,reS;rht^^^^^^^^^^ -^ the 
 
 ism, assured the people from tLil^i ! / ^"^ '"'^"^^^ of despot- 
 occurring on an'oeeliotTo o!l'n C a sP'^'r^^^'^^'^"^^^^' 
 the wrath of Heaven a-ain,M>.!' '^'^Z ^'g"^! manifestation of 
 and his troop were fted 1 '""^''"'^ '^ «^I%overnment. Korah 
 people, thoroU .^n^ byllE^^^^^ ''' ''' ^^« 
 a ready ear to the miserable assumZn of ^^ superstition, lent 
 
 Public credit rapidly depr"3 and .1^ ?."*"'^ ^'^^''*«^«- 
 peared so alarming tlfat lecZreT^^^^^ ^'''^''' ^P" 
 
 Miranda dictator for the time withful' ' '" ^''^'''' '''^''^ 
 
 commonwealth, in similar erne Le„eL '' t ' "" ? '^^ ''^ ^^"^^^ 
 took no injury." Thev then n!r !' '"" *^'"* ^^« Republic 
 
 traverse tht p'ovinclC "inf bTelo '' T^ ^" *'^ ^^"'^' ^ ^« 
 .spirit of the people. With S] f'"* harangues, the fallen 
 
 saved from tL 'u ns Th r l„l7'?^ """' ^™^ ^^^^^ -u«kets 
 
 who, on learning thesL t stCt ifglTad'ml T^ '''. ^"^'"^" 
 teverde, toward Caraccas, overcomiriw "^' ""^°'" ^^«"- 
 cient attempts of the liberal foZf ^ '"^'''°' ^"'^^' *"« i^^^- 
 
 were continually reinLSom ho .?fP''' *'""• '^^^'^ ''-ks 
 who thought to avert the div^ ^'' '"P'^''^'^'^"«P'-°-i"«ials, 
 
 banners oJancienTo^tsfoT ^^^ ^"^ 
 
 cult pass on the roid tn Pnm J , ^^ ^"^ Cabrera, a diffi- 
 
 ofpie .he advlr o^h?™^"!'. t:° : ," i"*^. >■« -■"-. 'o 
 ™s tic mountain bv a diS'f„ . .t ^''^ ™"""'S '■^"''" «? 
 .0 Victoria o„„ a%':t * te''f iSX'"'"',"""'"' 
 ntbcked the town with n,„ch sli, 1,?,.^ v "'^"'"" ''™7 
 •ere repulsed with loss Mil f ^ i '°'"= '"'''''='•>' ""'.i'lood, 
 Cabello desert™ of tm„„r °, J '°"''™' '" "'= '« »f Port<^ 
 
 »«t iu the ruins o C.r 'c„° 1 °«™"/<^.<i«P''irrf even of holding 
 -^i«S.y agreed S.TnX f^lorrtTs:"" """^-'"^ - 
 
 """■""""""" " •" •<"» permitted .„ „..„ .t. „,.,^ ^ . 
 
322 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF 11 1 S T O U V 
 
 The Venezuelan capital and the slender remains of the liberal army 
 thus surrendered, the Spanish rule was once more completely in the 
 ascendent in that unfortunate state. Once reestablished in power 
 the royalist government shamelessly broke through every article of 
 the capitulation. Miranda and a thousand other patriots were thrown 
 into dungeons, and numbers were condemned by the Spanish Cortos 
 to perpetual imprisonment. Monteverde, who now had the complete 
 authority in his hands, continued to push the work of oppression. 
 At length, the whole liberal party of Venezuela was proscribed, and 
 Caraccas and other cities were converted into mere prisons. Nearly 
 the whole republican population, it is said, was under confinement. 
 The ministry of Spain, unsatisfied with these severities, complained 
 "of the indulgence which had been shown to the insurgents of 
 Caraccas." The reaction caused by these acts of perfidy and cruelty 
 was not long in approaching. In Cumana, the young Marino, raising 
 a force of liberals, renewed the war by seizing the town of Maturin- 
 and two atttempts. by the Spaniards to regain it, the last under 
 Monteverde himself, proved fruitless. 
 
 kj J}Ji iZutf iL X Ju uTii X X X • 
 
 SIMON BOLIVAR. — HIS GENEROUS AND PATRIOTIC SPIRIT.— 
 
 HIS SUCCESSES AGAINST THE ROYALISTS. — ASSISTED BY 
 
 NEW GRANADA. — HE REENTERS CARACCAS. — "WAR TO 
 
 THE DEATH." — THE SERVILE INSURRECTION AND 
 
 WAR. — CRUEL DEED OF BOLIVAR. — BATTLES WITH 
 
 THE ROYALISTS. — RENEWED PROSTRATION 
 
 OP THE REPUBLICAN CAUSE. 
 
 The name most famous in the South American wars of independ- 
 ence, is that of Simon Bolivar. He was a native of Caraccas, of 
 wealth and of good family, and during his travels in Europe, while 
 yet a youth, had enlarged his mind, enjoyed the friendship of 
 eminent men, and attracted attention by his talents and learning. 
 From familiarity with the comparatively free institutions of England 
 and Switzerland, he had imbibed an ardent love for liberty in its 
 noblest signification — a love which, on his return to Venezuela, just 
 
SPANISH-AMKIUCAN REVOLUTIONS. 333 
 
 at the commencement of the revolution hp A\.r.^ 1 1 
 
 more than a thousand slave/wirh t f K ^ ^''"''' P'''"° 
 
 burking his princely fortunlh. T v, "''''"^''^' ""^ ^^y «"^- 
 
 of the royalists he had h.Z v f ' "''^'' ^* *^« *''i""^Ph 
 
 MagJaleua^where, wift a small force, m fte latter part o 1812 ll 
 ■"f "" f «■>"' """d «g»ins. the dominant party 
 
 : announce that th^ 3an,a ^^^.^^ itltytolT °"T"1 '" 
 , retaliation. The war thcncefLafd became lit'r,,, T "' '" 
 i <=.llcd-& :,„.„„ „ „„^fc_,.„„ ,0 ,he dTaA " S' ' , ".:" 
 J superstitious feara supplanted bv irritT.- . lu P^fple, their 
 
 ties of the royal pa"y now IwA "■" '"'"''"'"«' ""<»=!■ 
 
 standard of BoW^Ve Lill .,'" ?'"' "'°'"''™ "'o""'' ">» 
 
 I the ISth of Au^s ISlsTnf' ' T"- """"" *" "'<"'•«• On 
 
 I oppressed liberXeScto:ar,;l%r:.^sT/:-'''^'°r 
 ; extreme, and the dungeons bei„„ \.J ""snffeotmg ,n the 
 
 'ive, were restored .0?^, t\ o Zth""""' l'" """""S ""f 
 .... eastern provinces, the rLl yoSw al,„T' ^l" "' "°""° '" 
 
 :t:Se'.::ei:^h;ffr^^^^^ 
 
 -ihie los. ne:rrh;rJstrcttr;TiL^r::!f '">' -"" 
 «:rh;r:;'a ".^rsXrr '- '^^ -~> <: sl'r.r. 
 
 i-Iicedg^tcruettsn^ 1 °°'"""'"'' "^ P°"° C»b«"", and 
 
 fortress. % nTI , ™v! TT-""' ''"""""^ ""«'"»' '" "'"' 
 
 wie e.pose"'d :fI^rl;a?:;i*1„tn:^s^t /" ''^ ^ 
 
 "J (jfar tlie patriots from ilrino- 
 
824 
 
 T 11 K 1' K O r L K ' 8 HOOK U F i: 1 S T O V. V 
 
 Tho luttor rctortocl with similar crueltioH, and tho war of extermina- 
 tion rugcd more fiercely h, .. i . . 'Rolivar gained possession of the 
 town, but wuH unablo i/» disJofl.^c tno garrison, on account of tho 
 strength of tho fortn- 's, and the desperation of its defenders. Tim 
 loyalists of the pruvi'ice t)f Coro, the staunchest stronghold of des- 
 potism, rt'inforeed by Spanish troops from Porto Rico, marched into 
 the territory of Caraccas, hut, after gaining some advantages, were 
 routed, in three actions, by the Liberator. To avoid the evil;! of a 
 continued military rule, Bolivar now iamiiioued all th<> iirincipal 
 persons of the state, with the intention to resign his auU, rity int., 
 their hands; but it was judged expedient, in view of the critical 
 position of affairs, that he should hold the authority of dictator for 
 some time longer. (January, 1814.) 
 
 Tho royal i)arty, burning with revenge at their successive discom- 
 fitures, now took the mad and desperate resolution of exciting the 
 slaves, seventy thousand in number, to insurrectiim. This nefarioua 
 project, for a time, met with complete success. The blacks, attracted 
 !)>' the hope of freedom and of plunder, enlisted with great zeal 
 under the incendiary agents. Puy, a Spaniard, and Pulomo, a 
 mulatto and outlawetl assassin, at the head of such a force, carried 
 desolation through Barinas, Guiana, and other towns; while Boves 
 and Rosette, with an army composed of similar materials, laid waste 
 a vast tract of country in anotlier direction, killing every inlmbitant 
 who refused to join them. Their force, amounting to eight thousand, 
 consisted almost eutirely of slaves, and with such suddenness ami 
 fury was the rising effected, that a portion of the servile army ad- 
 vanced within ten leagues of the capital. 
 
 The Spanish prisoners at thaV place and at La Guira, encouraged 
 by these circumstances, concerted a revolt; and Bolivar, excited by 
 the atrocities of the royalists, and dreading the result of the insur- 
 rectionary movement, cau.sed them, eight hundred in ininiber, to be 
 executed without mercy. This cruel and impolitic dei'i' was resented 
 by an act of equal ferocity at Porto Cabello, all tlio republican pris- 
 oners there, several hundred, suffering a similar fate. This massa- 
 cre committed, Bolivar marched against the enemy, and gained .><ome 
 advantages, though with .severe loss. Marino marched from Cuniana 
 to lii.s assistance, and the patriot forces, thus strengthened, gained 
 two important victorie.s. Defeated in turn, they retreated to ValoMcia, 
 where, on the 2ytl> of May, 181 1, Cigigal, the new royalist captain- 
 general ol' V'eiiezuela, with forces largely strengthened by cunceii- 
 
r 
 
 BPANISn-AMEUiCAN REVOLUTIONS. 
 
 The patnot general, by .n indiscreet <Hvision of his force was in 
 turn, dofcu od by a large body of cavalry, under Boves and Marinn 
 ex,.cnencod a Huuilar disaster. With that striking siddennel cu 
 
 the enemy, followlrCr ^^^' -^ J^"? ^^^ "^"^^'^"^^ ^^ 
 
 were taken, the latter urrenll?^; ^"•^"'^'^ ^'^^^ ^^'«"«'«' 
 
 oath taken bv , ^^^ '"!^'^f "^*^""g «''lj m cons.deration of a solemn 
 oath, taken by the Spanish general in assurance of good faith and 
 fort;f,ed by he celebration of .n.us,s. But no sooner had I'eg S pos 
 session of the town than he caused the officers and nearly a the 
 soldiers of the garrison to be shot. The remains of iVT!- . 
 after twice repulsing the victorious enemy aXtuH'^^^^r^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 saving hisLuntry, ri^d to'^rcirrrrnl o^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 which were gladly accepted, to the con^^ioTilu: e'"'''^^"^^^^' 
 
 CHAPTER I?, 
 
 TIIECOLONIES.-TYRANNrCAL POLICY OF THE KINO — 
 
 ADA. — DISSENSIONS OHTHK REPUBLICANS — 
 INJUDICIOUS CONDUCT OF BOLIVAR. 
 
 The overthrow of Nanolpon in 1«1 i i ^u 
 bigoted tvrinni,..,! r/ • , ' ,' ^"^ ^^« restoration of the 
 
320 
 
 THE I'Kol'MC'S It I) OK (»K lllSTOKY. 
 
 continual outrngc and cruelty, especially by the SjwuiHli parly, Imd 
 now quite extinguished the ilamo of loyalty in the breasts of tlio 
 South American })atriot9. It was, therefore, with the greutest dis- 
 may tliat the congress of New Granada, at tlie same time, heard of 
 the restoration of Ferdinand, the renewed subjection of Venezuela, 
 and the entire defeat of their own army, under Narino. 
 
 The intelligence from Europe, (says Mr. Niles,*) "entirely 
 changed the general aspect of things, and in some measure the char- 
 acter of tlie revolution.' The resistance in America comniciieed 
 against the authority of the regency of Spain, and in most of tlio 
 provinces the authority of Ferdinand was cxprcH.sly acknowledged. 
 Ferdinand was now on the throne, and if resistanee was continued, 
 it mu.st bo against the power of the legitimate sovereign of Spain. 
 The I'estoration of the king, therefore, changed the relations between 
 the colonies and the parent-country, as well lus placed the latter in a 
 condition to direct all its strength against the rebellious Americans, 
 being relieved from the war at home, and having no longer any 
 employment for her armies in the peninsula. At an earlier period 
 of the contest, the restoration of Ferdinand would have greatly 
 damped, if not eflectually checked, the spirit of the revolution; but 
 after the struggle had continued nearly five years, and the minds of 
 the Americans become exasperated by the cruelties and massacres 
 of the Spanish colonial rulers, it was calculated to have but compar- 
 atively little influence. Had Ferdinand, however, pursued a con- 
 ciliatory line of conduct towards America; had lie condemned tho 
 rashness of the colonial chiefs, who had driven the people into 
 resistance; reformed the abuses and removed the oppressi(Mi of 
 which the colonies justly comi)lained, probably ho might have so far 
 revived the sentiments of loyalty as to have checked, if not extin- 
 guished, the flame of the revolution. But instead of this course, the 
 first official intelligence the Americans had of his being reinstated 
 on the throne, was a decree, treating them as rebels, and command- 
 ing them to lay down their arms." Another decree (June, 1814,) 
 directed the equipment of a formidable armament, for the suppres- 
 sion of the insurrection. 
 
 Amid all these disheartening circumstances, the congress of New 
 Granada, true to their trust, presented a bold front to their men- 
 acing destiny. In a proclamation, detailing with the most naked 
 distinctness, the losses and misfortunes of the republican .ause in 
 
 * History of South Auieriea. 
 
Sl'ANlSII-AMKUie.VN li E Vu L U T I (• N S. 307 
 
 the two statcH, and presenting the .ILsustrous pn.speet of sul.iec-tioa 
 ■n .ts ullct hght, thoy nobly conclude, " LlHeloL shall be tl'dcx a a 
 ^n of our .ndepondence. if we have ,u,t resolution to h Ipor t 
 VV possesH withm oursel ves the mean, of attaining this great IL' 
 and no power whatever will be strong enough to' onqu'": ; ^o 
 avud ourselves of our own strength ; our exertions must unque ic" 
 ably be great and our sacrifices for the common cause ur.boun 
 But such efforts are worthy of mou raised to the dignity of a ft^eo 
 people, and are absolutely necessary, since wo have nothing to h p! 
 and „>uch to fear fron. the Kuropear. nations. Notwithstandil t L 
 cessions at Bay on ne, an.l the torrents of blood which the F !n h 
 have shed by the war in the Peninsula. Ferdinand Uas been r Lto h1 
 to .pan; and the country, now freed from the French, will lu ve 
 
 sutlue L!""' '"' ''" ^'' '^ ''''' ' ''^--^^^'^ --V again :: 
 "Ye people of New Granadal contemplate your fate, and that 
 ofyourposteruy; you may easily judge of it; and let yc^ur reso 
 t.on be formed accordingly and nobly. Again, we repeat, Toul 
 clc«t ny depends upon your own exertions." (September 1st 1814 
 
 btnngent measures, dictated by necessity, were taken for the 
 
 connnon safety. The chiefs of the province of bundinaalvn. 
 
 refused to join the confederacy, Bolivar, in December, 1814 w°s 
 
 .patched to us capital, Santa Fe de Bogota, to force a compllare 
 
 He took the suburbs by storm, and the president, Alvarez, mak nt 
 
 cdcracy. Ihe federal government, thus strengthened, appointed a 
 tr-ple executive, and proceeded to pass many" ibcral and Iht ry 
 acts. Monopolies and tribute of the Indians were abolisl d foT 
 eigners were invited to the country, and the liberty of the p res ' was 
 assured. Among the clergy, many of the more intelli|en not 
 .nbraccd the popular cause; and the friars of St. Dominic ii TZ 
 t.ular>owed their patriotism by presenting to the nationa Ur asu^ 
 the uealth which they had long hoarded in their sanctuary ^ 
 
 Caba and Urdeneta, with reinforcements, were employed in dif 
 fe ent a-ections, against the enemy; and Bolivar, with the ap oh t 
 me t of captain-general of New Granada and Venezuela, in com n"nd 
 of three thousand men, raised by great exertions, marched Jw 
 
 t^::ST^ ^T '"'T'"- '''' '''^' ^^'"'"-^^'^ with sSS ^ 
 
 commander of Carthagena, h,s i,ersonal enemy, delayed his march 
 
M 
 
 328 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 to besiege that city and bring the refractory officer to terms. This 
 civil contest, entirely breaking up the original enterprise, and per- 
 mitting the royalists to gain great advantages, was carried on till 
 news arrived that the great Spanish expedition, prepared at Cadiz 
 to crush the republican cause, had arrived off Venezuela. Recalled 
 to his judgment by this alarming intelligence, Bolivar ceased the 
 unnatural contest, and, leaving the remains of his army for the 
 defence of the city he had besieged, betook himself to Jamaica to fit 
 out an expedition for its relief. 
 
 CHAPTEB ?, 
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH ARMY, UNDER MORILLO. — TERRIBLE 
 BLOCKADE OF CARTHAOENA. — RENEWED EXERTIONS OP THE 
 PATRIOTS. — ALTERNATE SUCCESSES. — MORILLO CONQUERS 
 NEW GRANADA. — SEVERITIES EXERCISED ON THE VAN- 
 QUISHED. — MARCHES INTO VENEZUELA. — SUCCESSFUL 
 DEFENCE OF MARGARITA BY THE PATRIOTS. 
 
 The armament of Span, the most formidable which that nation 
 had over dispatched to the shores of the New World, consisted of 
 to)i thousand of her best troops, conveyed in fifty traii.sports. The 
 f(jel)le resources of the country, e.\liaustcd by war with the French 
 had been almost entirely expci'dod in preparing it. Morillo, the 
 conunander, first took tliv; i-land (jf Margarita, where tuaiiy of the 
 patriots of Vonozucla, u; -lor H-.-rmuda."*, had taken refuge; and 
 thence proceeiod in Uarac-'as, where, and at other cities on the 
 coast, he laovl'd two :;'.ousani.i. men. In August, ISlo, he laiil siege 
 to Cartliagcni;. Tliat city, stvongly fortified, and bravely defended, 
 stood a siege of four '-notith.s inohiding two bombardments; but 
 being strictly invest".], bofa l>y laud atid water, the garri.son suf- 
 fered terribly from far.iine. On the fith of December, the deaths 
 amounting to a hundred a ilay, they evacuated the city, two thou- 
 sand in numl)er, in eleven .sliip.s, making good their retreat, and 
 "epulsing the Spanish arinament, by which they were attacked. 
 They mostly proceeded to Aux Caycs. "Tlie horrible appearance 
 of the city," says Montalvo, the captain-genera!, "is scarcely to be 
 
SPANISII-AMKKICA.N l: K V O L U TI O NS. 329 
 
 described; the streets, and even the houses, were heaped up with 
 dead bodies, or with those who were expiring; the atmosphere was 
 in a pestilential state, which nearly stopped respiration; groans and 
 lamentations assailed our ears." Castillo and other distinguished 
 patriots were executed. ° 
 
 Before Bolivar could mature his scheme for the relief of Cartha- 
 goiia, that city had fallen; and he once more turned his attention 
 to Venezuela. Many rjuerllla parties, as in the peninsula war, were 
 now formed, and inflicted much annoyance on the enemy. In com- 
 pany with a wealthy and patriotic Curacoan, named Brion, he fitted 
 out an expedition of a thousand troops from Aux Cayes, and pro- 
 ceeded to Margarita, where the standard of revolt had been success- 
 fully raised. On the way he took two Spanish men-of-war, and 
 early in May, 1816, landing on the island, gained complete possession 
 of It. He next took Carupano, on the main-land, and proceeding to 
 other ports, issued a proclamation, declaring that "justice and policy 
 demand the emancipation of the slaves, and henceforth there shall 
 be but one class of people in Venezuela— all shall be citizens." At 
 these unexpected successes of the patriots, the rage of the royalists 
 was unbounded, and they inflicted the greatest cruelties on all 
 within their power. 
 
 Bolivar now unfortunately divided his little army, placing a part 
 under the command of McGregor, a Scotchman, and being attacked 
 by the Spanish troops, under Morales, was defeated, with a loss of 
 two hundred men, and of nearly all his best officers. The victor 
 then pursued McGregor, with such confidence of success, that he 
 dispatched to Caraccas, in advance, official accounts of the defeat 
 and death of that officer, and the capture of his entire force; never- 
 theless, coming up with him at last, was himself completely beaten 
 m the two actions of Alacran and Juncal, and the republican oflicer 
 tc^v possession of Barcelona. Bolivar, after his defeat, proceeded 
 ih.rgarita, where he summoned a congress, and then repairin.r to 
 iiarcelona, formed a provisional government, and repulsed the attacks 
 of Morales and Kcal with great loss. Most of Guiana had also now 
 been gained by the patriots, under Piar. 
 
 Morillo, after taking Carthagena, had invaded New Granada with 
 an overwhelming force, in three several directions. The con-ress 
 of that state had bravely opposed what resistance they could, eTther 
 entering the army or traversing the provinces to excite the people 
 A muuber of batth-s ..„,d skinnishos wore fought, in most of which 
 
380 
 
 Til K I' Ko 1' I, K'S lioolv OK IIISTOUY. 
 
 tlio royiilisls luul llio iidviuiliigd; iiiul liiiiilly, in the Haiif^uinuiy con. 
 flictof Ciu'liiru, tlio llowor of tlio (iruiuultiii army ])erislit)(l, uiid tlio 
 survivora find to Loh LIumom. In .luno, 181(5, Morillo oiitorod iSiinta 
 Vo do Hogotu, tun], witli tlic ciiHtomiiry jiolity of tlio coloiiijil agciiita 
 lit oiu'o coinincnooil tlio worlc of prosiM-iptioii and oxiscution. Moro 
 tlmn six Imtidrcd juuvsons, ])i'OMiin(!iit in the iilliiirH of the govorn- 
 nient or tho iiriny, were shot, hiuiged, or exiltMl, and the prisons 
 wore fiUed with otliers, awaiting tlieir fate. Yet, in his dispatclies 
 that coinniaMvler vaunts of having "displayed that elenieney, ao 
 much reeoniniended by tho king, which was unbonnded." 
 
 Many of the victims wore men of peace, eminent for their science 
 and learning, but had incurred the hatred of the .Spanish authorities 
 by their elocpient denunciations of tyranny. " In Santa Fe," writes 
 tho victor, "there are hut few blacks and mulattoes. Fn Venezuela 
 a eoiisidi-rable jiart of the white jiopulation has perished in tho revo- 
 lution. 'Pho itdml»itants of Santa Kc are timid, those of Venezuela 
 bold and sanguinary. In Santa Ke niueh has been published diiriii" 
 the revolution, and tlie learned have ruled all with their pens; but 
 in Caraee.'is they displayed earli(>r the naked sword. * * * wi 
 is etVeeted by tln^ rebels from Venezuela. They are like ferocioius 
 beasts wIkmi they fight in their own country; and if they get ablo 
 commander.-^, it will require many years to subdue them, and even 
 then it will be done at tho expense of much blood and considcrablo 
 sums of money." 
 
 In November, 18 1(5, to suppress the Venezuelans, Morillo, witli 
 two thou.'^and men, took up his march for (^araecas. lie was attacked 
 on the way by tlu> patriots, under I'aez, with considerable sueceas; 
 but in the absence of Bolivar, the town of Uarceiona, the only post 
 of importance held by the republicans, on the 7th of April, 1817, 
 was taken by the nn'alists. In the following month, thev were 
 reinforced by the arrival of sixteen hundre<l iniMi from Spain. This 
 loss was in some degree comjiensatcd 'oy the fall of Angostura, the 
 capital of Guiana, which surrendered to the united arms of Bolivar 
 and Piar, and the seizure of the whole province by the patriot forces. 
 This acquisition was of the highest importance to tho cause of tho 
 republicans, as it enabled them to cut olVthe supplies of the enemy, 
 to hold free communication witli their stronghold of Margarita, and 
 to receive S'.ipjtlics from the West Indies. T(> subdue that refractory 
 island, the scene of their earliest repulses, tho Sjianiards, in June, 
 disp.'itchcd an e\p(>dition of seven vessels; and in the following 
 
KJ-ANlKir-AMKUJCAN It K V OLUTIO NS. gSl 
 
 n.o„tl. (Inly Mtl, 1817) Morill. in perso,,, with three thousand flvo 
 nndrod roop.s and a.hhtK,n,d n.vul /brccs. prococclo.l there in per on 
 Ho too. by .storn,, nitor u dcsponUe rosiHtancc, the fortress oVlZ' 
 l.atar tl,e strongest on the ishuul. and resolved utterly to e:^..; ^ 
 ale a 1 who resisted. The entire j.opulation of the island was t 
 
 t<. the lust. With such gallantry an.l ohstinm^y did they contest the 
 ca.npa,gn t at, after fighting live battles, and inflicting on 
 atrocious butcheries on all who fell into his hands, the savage Moril lo 
 avn,, los a thousand of his troops, was compelled to°e]inqu h 
 the aucn.pt at subjecting them. A n.ore signal instance of patriot! m 
 aiK detonmnatK,n has seldom been witnessed on a theatre so s aT 
 as. .hU^eish^id, the earnest of the provinces .nsucecs^^^^ 
 
 I;' ')c't''l-r, 1817, a lamentable incident occurred in the treason 
 ofOciiora Piar, who had fought with bravery and good succ rfb^ 
 t n,.ub can cause, and who suflen3d execuLn aAhe ,^y . 
 Ins amb, lous schemes. On the 11th of the follow Lg m^t 
 tl \ eiiczuu an congress o.ice mor3 assembled at Angostnr-r i 
 rcelec tec J3ohvar as presi.lent of the republic. The prot e ■ ll ' 
 patriots had b.ghter.ed exceedingly-Guiana, G^inarerPanpl 
 
 innas and portions of other provinces havhi been r eoC^^ b 
 hciu, but Bohvar, who, ,n conjunction with the bravfc JV. rnad o 
 
 vigorous campaign against the enemy, was unable, as yet to exp 
 Loin frorn Venezuela, and, after considerable fight n./ ret un.ed'^ 
 
332 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOEY. 
 
 CEAPTEH ?I. 
 
 ATTITUDE OF FOREIGN NATIONS. — BRITISH VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 CAMPAIGN OF B I, I V A R IN NEW GRANADA. BRILLIANT 
 
 SUCCESSES. DEFEAT AND FLIGHT OF THE ROYALISTS. 
 
 GRATITUDE OF THE PEOPLE. UNION OF THE STATES 
 
 OF NEW GRANADA AND VENEZUELA UNDER THE TITLE 
 
 OF COLOMBIA. REVERSES AND SUCCESSES 
 
 OF TEE PATRIOTS. 
 
 During this terrible internecine warfare, which had now lasted 
 for nearly nine yeans, the patriots of Venezuela and New Granada 
 had sustained themselves, unaided, against the powerful royalist fac- 
 tions and the forces dispatched from Spain to effect their resubiusja- 
 tion. Unsuccessful application for assistance had been made to the 
 British government, and several missions, with no better fortune 
 had been dispatched to the United States of America— that country 
 still feeble and in its infancy, not daring, as yet, to hazard its newly- 
 acquired liberties by any unnecessary step, involving a war with the 
 European powers. Overtures for the same purpose were finally 
 made to Napoleon himself, the very enemy to resist whom the ini- 
 tiatory steps of revolution had been taken; but when arrangements 
 were actually making for the effective aid of the republicans, the 
 battle of Leipsic, crippling the power of the emperor at home, left him 
 without the means of aiding tlie ciiuse of freedom in South America. 
 
 Some tardy movements in favour of acknowledging the independ- 
 ence of the suffering provinces at length took place in the United 
 States, and some volunteers, with supplies of munitions, were afforded 
 by private sympathy. To the honour of the Briti.sh nation, consid- 
 erable numbers of its people embarked in the same genorous cause. 
 In 1818 and 1819, several hundred volunteers, with large supplies 
 of arms and munitions, and commanded by experienced officers 
 arrived at Margaritn, and were .soon transpo ted ;o the main-land. 
 
 Bolivar now resolved on carrying the war into New Granada, 
 where the royalists, for some time, l;,id been completely in the 
 ascendant. Tlie particulars of this remarkable campaign, one of the 
 most brilliant, considering the small forces engaged, on record, rnii.st 
 be briefly detailed. Taking with him a force of picked troops, 
 
SPANI8H-AMEKICAN KEVOLUTIONS. 333 
 
 including the British auxiharies, the president, in the month of 
 April, commenced a march obstructed by extraordinary difficulties 
 "The rainy season," he reports, "had commenced, and the plains 
 presented only vast sheets of inundation; the frozen summits of the 
 Andes lay ui our route; the sudden mutations of adverse climates 
 were to be encountered; a well-disciplined army, three times our 
 own number were in front of us, and occupying all the military 
 posuions of those regions." At Casanare, where he was joined by 
 Saiitander, he issued an eloquent proclamation to the people of Neu- 
 Granada. In a terrible march, lasting an entire month, through tint 
 provmee, the patriots underwent the greatest hardships and sufferings. 
 J hey finally came upon the enemy at La Guya, on the 27th of June, 
 619, and dislodged them from a strong position, which might have 
 been made good, even against an overwhelming force. A succession 
 of bnlhant victories ensued. On the 1st of July, in the Valley of 
 Saga.noso, in Tunja, Bolivar encountered the royalist army, under 
 Bureyro, and after an obstinate conflict, protracted till late in the 
 night, compelled it, in great disorder, to retreat. On the 2oth of the 
 same month, at Pantano de Bargas, after a battle of five hours, con- 
 tested with great desperation, the royal forces were again defeated, 
 and fled in confusion, leaving their artillery, baggage, and treasure^ 
 on the field. Pursued by tlie army of liberation, they were over- 
 taken, on the 7th of August, at the bridge of Bovaca, and again 
 sufiered a defeat so overwhelming as almost to decide the fate of the 
 war Ihe.r general, with a great number of officers and sixteen 
 hundred men (more than half their number), were made prisoners- 
 a great quantity of munitions of war fell into the hands of the patri- 
 oLs; and the rehcs of the royalist troops, pursued by Santander fled 
 h'oni the scene of action. 
 
 On receipt of this startling intelligence, the viceroy, Samana, pre- 
 cpuulely quitted Santa Fe, leaving all his military stores and a trea- 
 sure of so„,e millions of dollars. The whole fell into the hands of 
 tlie patriot army, who were received at the capital of New Granada 
 with the utmost exultation; and Bolivar, his title of Lberator con- 
 '"•mod by these extraordinary exploits and tl !: .plendid result, was 
 -•coined by the people with a l-ansport . ,,; and enthusiasm. 
 1^,1''", nuhrd, well earned their gratitude anu admiration, havin.r 
 •" i- brief space of three niont.s, in the face of innumerable natural 
 'l-l--l.'>-, defeated and .lispcrsed an army three times greater , mi 
 '"■^ "« li, and Iiherated, in rapid succession, the mo.st oppressed prov- 
 
384: 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 inces of New Granada. Improving with the greatest diligence these 
 advantages, by the 20th of September, he had two armies on foot for 
 the hberation of the provinces of the north and south, still in posses 
 sion of the enemy ; and having established a provisional government 
 he posted with Avonderful rapidity to Angostura, where the Venezu' 
 elan congress was in session. (December, 1819.) 
 
 In an address to that body, after commemorating the achievements 
 of his little army, he announced the desire of New Granada for a 
 political union of the two states, and his own conviction of the 
 necessity of the measure in ensuring the Independence of South 
 America. So great was the weight of his personal influence, and so 
 apparent were the advantages likely to result from the arrangement 
 that on the 17th of the month a law was passed, providing °for the 
 union of the two provinces, under the title of the "Eepublic of Co- 
 lombia," consolidating the national debts, ordaining the erection of 
 a capital, to bear the name of their deliverer, and summoninrr a 
 general congress, to meet in January, 1821, with power to form a 
 constitution for the new commonwealth. This resolution bein<r 
 communicated to the republican authorities of New Granada the 
 step was unanimously approved, and in the midst of universal exult- 
 ation, the new commonwealth was solemnly proclaimed at Santa Fe 
 de Bogota. Ten liberated provinces joyfully acceded to the Union 
 Tins important measure accomplished, the president, with forces 
 recruited to the number often or twelve thousand men, again devoted 
 his energies to the war. 
 
 On the coast, considerable disasters had attended the patriot arms 
 .AlcGregor, in April, 1819, after having captured Porto Bello and 
 held It for three weeks, was overcome by a royalist force, and lost 
 his entire command of one thousand men, except a few whoe^eiped 
 with him by swimming to their vessels. Another small detachment ' 
 which he afterwards left at Rio de la Ilacha, being also overpowered' I 
 blew up the fort, to their own destruction, rather than fall into the I 
 hands of tlie Spaniards. '■ 
 
 Of the British auxiliaries, about five hundred in number en- i 
 gaged in Bolivar's last campaign, only a quarter had survived- yet ' 
 fresh reinforcements continued to arrive from the same quarier ' 
 General D'Evreux, a native of Ireland, (naturalized a citizen of the 
 I nit.'d States,) raised a f.rrc of one thousand of his countrvnicn | 
 M-.th whom he arrived at Colombia in season for the campai'.ni of 
 lN-0. Bohvar, after repairing to the ca^-ital of Now Granada, in 
 
SPANISH-AMERICAN KEV0LUTI0N8. 
 
 
 March of that year, encouraging the hopes of the republicans, and 
 ceme.itnig the union by his eloquence, repairo.l to his army on the 
 Apure Eio de la Hacha was presently taken, and the southern 
 army of Isew Granada, with similar success, assailed the enemy and 
 expelled them from the province of Popayan. . 
 
 CHAPTSH?IL . 
 
 REVOLUTION IH SPAIN.— OVERTURES OF THE SPANISH LEOERS 
 -RESOLUTION OF THE PATRIOTS.— THE ARMISTICE.- THE ' 
 WAR RENEWED. — HUMANE POLICY OF BOLIVAR —SIGNAL 
 VICTORIES OF THE REPUB LIC A NS.— THE SPANIARDS 
 COMPLETELY EXPELLED FROM COLOMBIA —INDE- 
 PENDENCE OF THAT STATE ACKNOWLEDGED. 
 
 Meanwhile, the revolution in Spain, reestablishing the Corte-^ 
 had taken place, and Morillo, in accordance with instructions from 
 the new government, proposed a suspension of hostilities and the 
 open.ng of negotiations. The Colombian congress, which convened 
 in May, declared, in reply, that they would with pleasure terminate 
 hostilities, but on no other condition than that of national independ- 
 ence. Bohvar, in answer to the official announcement of Morillo 
 replied in the same strain. "The republic of Colombia " he say.' 
 "most sincerely congratulates itself on- seeing the day in which lib- 
 ertv extends her beneficent influence over unhappy Spain and to 
 sec her ancient metropolis treading in the steps of Colombia -md 
 fn the path of reason. The people of Colombia, more tliau tea 
 years ago, resolved to consecrate the last of its members to the only 
 cause worthy of the sacrifice of peace-that is, the cause of an on- 
 pressed country; and confiding in the sacredncss of their cause in 
 the most solemn manner, on the 20th of November, 181 S re.solved 
 to combat perpetually against all exterior domination, and'not to be 
 recon^cilcd to peace but upon the recognition of absolute independ- 
 ence. He enclosed the law referred to, and avowed his readiness 
 to receive the royalist commissioners. 
 
 The arms of the republicans, meanwhile, though no verv decisive 
 batt e took place, were continually gaining ground, and the hope. 
 01 t.ie Spaniards to regain ascendency were proportionablv dimin- 
 
336 
 
 THE PEOl'LE'S BOOK O ¥ IIISTOIiY 
 
 ishing. Besides these advantages, Guayaquil, witli a iiuinber of tlic 
 adjacent provinces, succeeded in throwing ofT the Spanish yoke. 
 Maracaibo followed the example; and all the northern part of New 
 Gr.inada, except the city of Garth agen a, and the isthmus of Panama 
 by the beginning of 1821, wasin the hands of the patriots. Despite 
 the triumphant success in arms which these events portended Boli- 
 var, willing to spare the effusion of blood, in November, 1820 had 
 consented to an armistice, while negotiations should be attempted. 
 It was resolved, however, that no terms, save those of absolute inde- 
 pendence, should be accepted from Spain, and the congress, with 
 cogent argument, in their manifesto, assign reasons for this deter- 
 mination. "On commencing hostilities," affirms that document 
 "Colombia neither had great armies nor the materials to form them' 
 to-day she has skillful generals, expert officers, veteran soldiers 
 inured to war, and plenty of arms and ammunition. 
 
 "Many citizens were then afraid of being soldiers; now they are 
 all in arms, and delight in being so. Colombians are no hwer 
 what they were; and the population of Colombia are a new people 
 regenerated by a ten years' contest, in which have disappeared those 
 physical and moral disqualifications which rendered her independence 
 doubtful, and arc become worthy and fit to govern themselves, instead 
 of obeying another's will, or any sovereignty but their own." 
 
 Morillo, after the ratification of the armistice, returned to Spain 
 where the cruelties which he had exercised toward the patriots were 
 rewai'ded with the title of Count of Carthagena. Negotiation had 
 proved unsuccessful, and in the month of April, 1821, both parties 
 the Spanish under Morales and La Torre, prepared for hostilities! 
 Tlie Colombian government had sentconimi'sioners to Spain, where 
 in May, 1821, a project for bestowing a representative government 
 on tiie refractory colonies was agitated in the Cortes, but was fiiuilly 
 rejected on account of the determined objections of Ferdinand. On 
 the 17th of April, 1821, Bolivar issued a proclamation to the army, 
 affirming that Spain, thou,^h herself in possession of a representative 
 government, was still inclined to establish tyranny over the prov- 
 inces. He appointed hostilities to recommence at the end of the 
 month, commanding, however, that the war should be conducted 
 according to the law of nations, on jienalty of capit!>l punishment 
 against all transgressors; "if the enemy," 'he adds, "should disre- 
 gard these regulations, we shall not imitate them; the glory of 
 Colombia shall not be stained with blood dislionourably shed," 
 
SI'A»,8„.A„KK,C*N KBV0LCT.0N8. 337 
 
 : command i but yield ^ ^ " '""'°f ■■"'''° «""> «'= chief ™ili,„j, 
 I oonsontcd for a to cTcoVn „ .P<^-'-»»ions of tl,at body, 
 
 ; dernrt^el in bi» IglJ C™ ™"'" "" ""'"'P"™ "' l"'* 
 
 , Core. Another Son u'r? "t' ''^''^"^^'''' ^^^^^^ "P- 
 session of Caraccos'^lf b tl '"^ n' f"^^ ^^^''^^^^^ ?«- 
 
 ' I" the month of jun^l ; :: :7f^' '^ T: '^ '''''''''• 
 
 an army of six thousand me^i nn 1 • . ""'''' '"''^ «on«^'»trated 
 
 of liberation, nearir he Ta in ^ T'^ "' ^'^'■"'^^'^- ^^'^ ^"'7 
 
 ' brave Paez/on the 04 ,' ofT, ""'"^'''' ""^'^^ ^°''^«'' «nd the 
 
 , mountains, on^a^ed them 9,f l"'' ^"f '"° '^'"^"Sh a defile in tho 
 
 ! t..ttber;.alSttc^:;,f^^-:^^^^ 
 
 in Porto Cabello. were com,.lnf.l ^[7^'°" ^^ --^ few, who took refuge 
 of the patriots, in S Cl wo Yf ''^ ^^"'"""^- ^^'^ ^»- 
 
 ; i"^orLdi4rtoc::;:in:t: rS::r:^^ ^^^^ 
 
 "pirist ll,e discomfited eno.nv 11 "'"i '"l-ra other measurea 
 
 I .„ieh eity, abandoned tt^',.::: tl"' u' I'T', ""'''"^ 
 
 : amid tho cxultino- tran^norf, ni . "' '^""''' ''« »"tored 
 
 On the 23,1 of SepteX c! ^ '"' ""^"""^^ ^^ ^''^^ P^P^- 
 ' under Prion, Cuf^an wa^ ^J T" '^"^^^"^'-^^ *" ^he ^quadror. 
 
 tlie istlimus of Paiiam-i Th. i.., i '•'''olio, Qmto and 
 
 , in<loi,ondont„f,l,;Lv;;i* ' '" ^'^'"^x". 'iedared itself 
 
 I erty to diree. s , ;:";/!' ."'T , '''""■" ""' "'"' "' 'i"' 
 
 a~d, accordingly, in ,e ^1 'I' ^ ^''"f ■''"^^ "^ *» »onth, 
 
 <fco.,sa,)d men, l,o gave Intt e ?„" >t ' ' "" "'""^ "^ ""°" 
 
 .l.on. forces .a. Piehitell Sercst^^Vara"''' "^ '"^'""™"^^^^^ 
 
 i^"vic.ory,d„e,i„g.eatn.ea:„;T\ e :eZ tnT'b''™™'''''" 
 fa'neral .Sucre; and the libenatin^ army a,„i t . '!"" ^.'""'' 
 
 Morale X ,;'LT:iri:ri '^^-''^--^^^ --"-t-o by 
 
 ftrc. but who e flee. I^ ^n an d , T ." 'T " "'' '"""'°»l "- 
 
 ■«^'8, was utterly de;ClT:'lX:dXr Cof f °""'T' 
 
 i-on, under General l^adilhi Tl,. q , T (^olombian squad- 
 
 and prisoners, nearly two ^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 Vol. mUT '""' '"'^ ^°'''^^^^' ^" consequence; 
 
388 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOBY. 
 
 was compelled to surrender at Marncaibo. Despite the atrocitiea 
 wliicli lie had committed, and the forfeiture of hia rights m a 
 prisoner of war, he was treated humanely, and, with his men, was 
 I)erniittod to embark for Cuba. ]*orto Cabollo, the Spanish fleet 
 destroyed, was closely invested both by land and sea; and on the 
 1st of December, 1823, La Torre, who commanded it, was compelled 
 to capitulate. 
 
 With this event ended a civil war, lasting for twelve years, con- 
 tested in a hundred battles, and distinguished f(jr almost innumera- 
 blo scenes of courage, of cruelty, of indomitable patriotism and 
 obstinate tyranny. Though the arms of the patriots were disgraced 
 by numy excesses, it must be remendjcred that they were the last to 
 adopt and the first to relirKpiish that savage system of internecine 
 vengeance which converts warfare into murder, and reduces man to 
 the wild elements of his barbarous nature. These excesses on the 
 part of the republicans, may be palliated, in some degree, by the 
 insidious, but not altogether inadmissable plea of necessity, while 
 the wonderful qualities of bravery, endurance, and i)i'rseverance 
 displayed in their protracted struggle, must always .secure the 
 respect and admiration of the historical reader. 
 
 In August of 1821, the congress had adopted a constitution, and 
 Bolivar had been elected president under its provisions. The nation 
 first to recognize the independence of the new republic of Colombia 
 was, of right, that which had first .set the exanij)le of resistance to 
 foreign domination — the United States of America, The European 
 powers, though in general tacitly admitting the actual existence of 
 the new state, were more tardy in nuiking formal acknowledgment 
 of its independence. 
 
 The transactions of Bolivar in Peru, after the liberation of his 
 own people, have already, in the history of that country, been briefly 
 described. Having traced the Colombian revolution from its com- 
 mencement to its final success, to the expulsion of the Spaniards, 
 and the establishment of a rc})ubli(!an goveriunent, we leave it— the 
 subsequent domestic troubles of the new republic, and its separation 
 into the independent states of Equador, New (Jranada, and Vene- 
 zuela, not coming proj)erly within the limits of our subject. Of late 
 year.s, indeed, in the South American .states, revolutions anil pro- 
 nuncmmentos have .succeeded each other with such startling rai'idity 
 as almost to bafile the compiler of news, and to warrant their pres- 
 ent exclusion from the province of history. 
 
BOLIVIA. 
 
 TlIK RhVOLtrTION ,N ,a PAZ.-A JUNTA ESTABLISHED -THE 
 CITY TAKEN ,, V THE UO Y .LISTS.-TH KIR CRUEI.T. E.^ -TO 
 PATRIOT ARMY MARCHES FROM liUENOS AYRES— ITS 
 SUCCESS AND SUBSEQUENT DEFEAT— SECOND ATTEMPT 
 AT ItEVOLUTION.-MASSACRES IN COCHAIiAMRA AND 
 POTOSI.— SECOND EXPEDITION FROM BLENOS 
 AYRES, — ITS DISCOMFITURE.— GUERILLA WAR- 
 FARE.— BOLIVIA EMANCIPATED BY THE 
 I VICTORY OF ATACUCHO. 
 
 TUK seven provinces now known ns Bolivia, and formerly as 
 I Lpperleru, were the earliest theatre of war between the patriots 
 a.Hl the tyrants of South America; but, the operations in the.se terri- 
 tones havn.g been mainly carrie.l on by the republicans of Buenos 
 Ayres, (or the Un.te.l J'rovinces,) their relation ,.ay be mostly 
 deferred o the account of the revolution in that countrv. Other 
 our"titie ' "'*"'"'*' ^''""^' '"'*'' exclusively to the subject of 
 
 The citizens of La Paz, deservedly distin,n,i.shed for their conrac^e 
 a d mtelhgence, on the 2oth of March, 1«09, excited by the exa.nnle 
 
 ;; :ir t" 7 V"''"'"" ^^^'^^•""-"^ J^^I^ a pubHc meetin. in 
 
 th t c,ty to consider the.r political prospect. Having deposed the 
 colo,na author.t,es and created a provi.sional exeeutive,'tlu v p " 
 kmned the,r n^t to an elective government, in the same ma.Lr 
 exercsed by bpa.n Uself. To suj.press this popular movement 
 ar,ny, under C.eto, was dispatched against them by Cisneros, the 
 viceroy of Buenos Ayres, and another fron. Peru, unck-r the fero io 
 Goyeneche The latter, arriving first before J.a Paz, to<,k it 
 a resolute defence, ar.d executed numbers of the principal citi s 
 C neros, to whom he ar,,lied for directions, commanded that a In 
 P^.on should be put to |eath; but fortunately, before this .san-nun- 
 rv n>easure was accomplished, the revolution .n Buenos Avres over 
 thrown,. h,s authority, s.ved the lives of a portion of the .iZ 
 
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 TliK PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HI8T0BY. 
 
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 La Paz, however, was almost completely depopulated; and the 
 inhabitantg who escaped, betaking themselves to the mountains and 
 forests, maintained a desperate defence against the royal forces until 
 they perished b}'^ famine or in battle. 
 
 The revolution in Buenos Ayres having broken out, and a popular 
 government being established there, an army was dispatched against 
 the royalists in Upper Peru. Balcarce, the commander, alter gaining 
 several victories, and exercising some sanguinary reprisals, with six 
 thousand men approached the royal army, somewhat less, under 
 Goyeneche, at the village of Desaguedero. An armistice for forty 
 days, however, was concluded, which enabled the latter to strengthen 
 his forces, and by appealing to the religious fanaticism of his igno- 
 rant soldiery, (assuring them that the Buenos Ayreans had come 
 to take away their religion, and that the Virgin in person had taken 
 charge of their own ranks,) inflamed their zeal and courage to the 
 highest point. His object effected, on the 20th of July, 1811, with- 
 out waiting for the concUision of the armistice, he attacked the 
 patriot army at Guaqui with such suddenness and fury, that they 
 were completely routed, and fled from the field, leaving all their 
 artilli>ry and baggage in the hands of the enemy. Upper Peru, after 
 this decisive defeat, remained, for the most part, in the hands of the 
 royalists until the memorable victory of Sucre, at Ayacucho, in 182i 
 and his liberation of the long-o])i)ressed provinces of Peru. 
 
 In 1818, enkindled by the victory of Belgrano, in Salta, over the 
 royalist army, the flame of revolution again broke out in the depart- 
 ments of La Paz and Cochabamba. The Spaniards were expelled 
 from the latter by the patriots under Arce, and a junta was established 
 in its capital. Goyeneche, with tlie flower of his army, marched 
 against that city, and, though the junta w(juld have submitted to his 
 superior force, the inhabitants, preferring every extremity of war to 
 Spanish mercy, resolved to hold out to the last. "The city was 
 defended with matchless valour and resolution ; the inhabitants ibuulit 
 with a fury and desperation which nothing but tyranny and cruelly 
 could inspire; the women mixed promiscuously with the men, and 
 combatted with equal ardour and courage, regardless alike of hanl- 
 ships and dangers. But the patriots had more bravery than discipline; 
 their efforts were irregular, and they were iu a great measure desti- 
 tute of arms, but they fought with the b"l weapons they e;)uld 
 obtain. After a most fearful struggle, the royalists entered tiie 
 city over the dead bodies of its inhabitants; such as survived were 
 

 SPANISH-AMERICAN U E VO L L' TI NS. g^j 
 
 devoted to massacre and raninp TKn ,.:» i ,. 
 
 lawless plunder of a ferocrsolcS^a^d"^^^^^^^^^ ''' '^ ^^« 
 
 desolation and horror."* ' ^' ^-^^ibited a picture of 
 
 While these atrocities were enapfin^ in p^ i, i. , 
 insurrection, which had broken out nPoto.?''' '"'^^'^ 
 Emas, an officer of Goyeneche with h. ' ^^^/"PPressed by 
 
 . .„ '-'"j'enecue, with the same savage fernnitv at 
 
 .h»n ..xty vniage, were laid waste, and the con^^^LZZl 
 into a d«rti and the brutal commander, when flnaV satiated ,v^th 
 massacre, amused himself by cutting oS the ean, of ttrm. i* 
 .hom he captured, and setting them, thus disfigured al ClT 
 Reinforced by troops from Liim tV,o>.^„„v * r -, „ ' ""^"7- 
 
 and tl,e army of Lenos A vrl in ?' °™' ''*'''"'' ^'^'='™'''> 
 The survivorl from T n astCe „ o-h TT"''' »"««gements. 
 Valla Grande, and unitin; vTh he pSTf =' 'TV' '"'" "" 
 indeed, »me signal advalges; and r^C .fw^;^, Sr^gS 
 by great rancour and cruelty on both sides, was wace 1 „ th it^ 
 success to the republican arms. La Paz was re.ak™rl;™ tl.e rov 
 absls, who m the.r malice poisoned all the sprin»s of water n Z 
 
 ::r;i?irs:^eh\!::ThXtS'^ 
 
 ra^e, that they cut the Jo^^f Z^l :i;::a'ne''ii ^^^ °"'- 
 E verses soon overtook the insurgents in their defeat by Pezueh 
 and tl,e„ forced retreat toward Cu.co. Conspicuous in the r ranks 
 was an Ind.an named Pomakagna, who, in the war wiTh Tu"! 
 Amaru, had taken the royal side, and had been rewarded with the 
 
 %.,.. he defeated u.Voyaii;;::*',": r' r::^,,^: ;tT 
 
 governor and comm^der-in-chief; bn. was Una ly defeated' Tte 
 fcplaymg the most heroic valour, by Pe.ucia an'd R mfr ; Z 
 w.d, other pnsoners sn/Iered death by execution at Cuzeo ' 
 Kondeau, commandinnr an army of Rnpur^o A ,,„ 
 
 "gnal defeat, the Buenos Ayreans were unable to tn.intain pfslio" 
 • Nile.' HiMor, „f K„„ll, A,»,.*a ,„rf Mexito. 
 
842 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HI8T0EY. 
 
 I '' 
 
 of the upper provinces, and the war was reduced to a guerilla con- 
 test, in which Padilla, Warnes, and other popular leaders, still main- 
 tained the cause of independence. • 
 
 The great victory of I3olivar's general, Sucre, over the royal army 
 at Ayacucho, in 1824, was decisive, not only of the fate of Peru 
 but of the adjoining provinces. The victorious general marched into 
 Upper Peru, where many of the royalist garrisons surrendered with- 
 out opposition, or declared in favour of independence. Olaneta, the 
 chief commander in that region, after an ineffectual resistance, wag 
 slain, and all the troops in the country, to ihe number of five or six 
 thousand, surrendered. The total result of that splendid victory 
 indeed, was a loss to the enemy, in the two Perus, of more than 
 eighteen thousand men, in killed, wounded, and prisoners. The 
 Brazilians, who had commenced aggressions against the distracted 
 state, were comjielled, by the prompt resistance of the patriot general 
 to withdraw their forces. 
 
 The country freed from foreign domination, a general congress 
 convened at Chiquisaca, on the 6th of August, 1825, published a 
 declaration of independence, averring that "the happy day has 
 arrived when Upper Peru has become liberated from unjust power 
 from the tyrannic and wretched Ferdinand VII., and this fertile 
 region has escaped the debasing relation of a colony of Spain; 
 that it is important to its welfare not to incorporate itself with any 
 of the co-terminous republics, but to erect itself into a sovereign and 
 independent state, in relation to the new as well as the old world* 
 that the provinces of Upper Peru, firm and unanimous in their reso- 
 lution, proclaim to the whole earth that they will govern themselves) 
 under their own constitution, laws, and authorities, in that way 
 which they may think most conducive to the prosperity of the nation 
 the inviolable support of the Catholic religion, and the maintenance 
 of the sacred rights of honour, life, liberty, equality, property and 
 security. To carry into effect this determination, they bind themselves 
 through this sovereign representation, by their lives, jjroperty, and 
 sacred honour." It is supposed that Bolivar, whose armies had accom- 
 plished their liberation, had desired the union of these provinces with 
 those of Lower Peru; but he offered no interference with the free 
 action of the people he had served. In honour of the Liberator of 
 South America, the title of Bolivia was adopted by the new state, and 
 suitable rewards and honours were decreed to Sucre, and to the patriot 
 army to which it waS indebted for its rescue from Spanish tyranny. 
 
UNITED PROVINCES OF LA PLATA. 
 
 uitiAirxiliiiJ,, 
 
 CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION IN BUENOS AYRES. — THE VICEROYS 
 LINIERS AND CISNEROS. — THEIR EATE. — WARS WITH THE 
 ROYALISTS IN UPPER PERU: IN MONTE VIDEO, — DISSEN- 
 SIONS AMONG THE PATRIOTS. — RAPID CHANGES OF 
 GOVERNMENT. — ALTERNATE SUCCESSES OF THE 
 
 PATRIOTS AND ROYALISTS. S^iN MARTIN. 
 
 FALL OF MONTE VIDEO. — ELECTION OF 
 PUEYBEDON AS SUPREME DIRECTOR. 
 
 The almost interminable civil feuds — the innumerable succession 
 of general or local rulers, and the inextricably tangled condition of 
 domestic politics in the government or governments of those exten- 
 sive provinces, watered by the Eio de la Plata, and since known as- 
 tlie Argentine Eepublic, (or Republic of La Plata,) during their pro- 
 tracted revolution, will iiecessaiily confine the account of that strug- 
 gle to the facts most important in their emancipation from Spanish 
 authority. The first impulse to that emancipation was given, as 
 with all the South American states, by the disturbed condition of 
 the government at home. 
 
 When, in July, 1808, news arrived at Buenos Ayres of the 
 "cessions of Bayonne," and the consequent ascendency of the French 
 interest in Spain, the viceroy, Liniers, exerted his influence in favor 
 of Napoleon. Elio, the governor of Monte Video, accusing him of 
 treason, separated his own province from its allegiance, and found 
 his conduct approved by Goyeneche, agent of the Spanish revolu- 
 tionary junta. The latter, as we have seen, however, used every 
 exertion, and committed every cruelty in attemjiting to suppress a 
 spirit of revolution in the colonies. 
 
i 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 344 
 
 TIIK PEOPLK'S HOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 The leaders of the patriot j)arty in Buenos Ayrcs— Castelli, Uel- 
 gratu), Cliiclaiiu, 'I'lionipson, and others — undeterred by the terrihle, 
 exainph; of tlie jiatricits at La I'a/, resolved to take advantage of 
 these disturbances to creet u popular government. By secret iiidu- 
 once, they gained over three reginienta quartered in the city, to the 
 popular cause, and when, in May, ISIO, news arrived of tlie proba- 
 ble subjugation of tlie peninsula by the French, the municipal 
 authorities summoned u ine(>ting of the citizens^to consider their 
 condition. At this assembly, after long and animated debate, the 
 peo{)]c, protected by an armed guard, i)asscd resolutions deposing the 
 viceroy, Cisneros, and creating a j)rovisional government. 
 
 At a meeting of the citizens of Monte Video, these procccdino's 
 were approved, and adhesion was promised to the new governmeii"- 
 but the Spaniards in that city, landing troops from the vessels in tlio 
 harbour, were enabled, by the aid of the deposed vicerovs, Liniers 
 and Cisneros, and the Spanish governors of Paraguay\ii'id otlior 
 provinces, to create a formidable opposition. 'I'liey were, however 
 defeated by the popular forces; Cisneros and others were compelled 
 to (piit the country, while Liniers and other commanders who'hiul 
 openly levied war and ravaged the country, were executed. 
 
 The patriot army, which, under General Balcarce, had been dis. 
 patched against the Spaniards of Upper i'eru, at first n.et with 
 complete success, defeating the royalist army, though strongly 
 posted, after an obstinate action, at Suypaeha,' and executing the 
 captive generals Nieto, Sanz, and Cordova. The victory of 'I'Spiza 
 followed, atid the Buenos Ayrean army was in possession of a great 
 part of the country; but Goyeneehe, violating, as we have seen"^ the 
 armistice agreed upon, defeated them, afid regained possession of 
 most of the country. His army, however, was greatly annoyed by 
 numerous j^arties of guerillas, wnich harassed it with continued 
 desultory attacks, and prevente<l his complete occupation of the 
 country; and, although he issued the savage order that every pris- 
 oner should be shot, he was unable to repress this last resource of 
 a wronged and desperate people. 
 
 Elio, who had now been appointed by the Spanish government 
 as viceroy over the provinces of Kio de la Plata, held that of Monte 
 Video or the Banda Oriental, (since known as the state of Uraguav,) 
 and opposed a formidable hostility to the republican cause; but the 
 patriot troops, under Bonde.m and Artigas, having gained a signal 
 victory over the royalists of Las Piedras, marched against his capital, 
 
SPANI8II-AMEUICAN REVOLUTIONS. 
 
 345 
 
 I to winch they kid siege. TIic viceroy, in despair, applied for as- 
 I distance to the PortugucHe government in Bra/il, and tlirongl. the 
 iiillnen'-; of the Princess Cliurlotte, sister to Ferdinand V 1 1, obtained 
 j four thonsund men, whieh, utuler General Sousa, were dispatched 
 I to liis assistance. Un the arrival of these levies, a trnee was eon- 
 ■ eluded, the patriots and the Portuguese both engaging to return to 
 j their homes— an agreement, however, violated by the latter, who 
 continued hostilities in the provinces of the Rio de la Plata. Ihienos 
 Ayres was now threatened, both by the latter and by the royalists 
 of Upper Peru, who had defeated the republican army disi)atehed 
 tlntlier, and had gained possession of the province of Salta- but the 
 advance of the Portuguese was checked by Sarratice, a member f.f 
 the government, who, with four thousand troops, marched agait.st 
 them. Py a treaty with the Brazilian minister, (June, 1812,) an 
 indefinite armistice was agreed on, and the foreign troops were witli- 
 druwii from the territory. Belgrano, with the army of Peru, havin^r 
 retreated before the royalist general, Tristan, to Tacuman, made a 
 stand there, and on the 24th of December, defeated his anta".jnist 
 with a loss of eleven hundred men, in killed, wounded, and prisoners. 
 During these transactions, it is almost impossible to keep track of 
 the continual changes in the popular government of Buenos Ayres. 
 Conspiracies and treasons were rile, and, on one occasion, f„r formiivT 
 a plot to defeat the revolution and ])ut to death the prinei])al leaden^ 
 twenty citizen.s, some of them wealthy and influential, were tried and 
 executed. Elio having violated the treaty, IVfonte Video was a-^iin 
 besieged, and, in the course of the eami)aign, Colonel San Martin 
 afterwards so famous as the Liberator of Chili, first distinguished 
 himself by defeating the enemy on the river Parana. (February, 
 1813.) At the same time, Belgrano, being reinforced, attacked the 
 royahsts under Tristan, in Salta, and, after a hard-fought action of 
 four houns, again defeated them, and, in eflect, made prisoners of the 
 whole army. This advantage, however, was lost to the patriot 
 arms, in consequence of the treachery of Tristan, who, with his 
 troops, having been permitted to depart on taking oath not to serve 
 against the republicans, nevertheless immediately joined the army 
 of Goyeneche. 
 
 Pezuela, who succeeded the latter, again engaged the victorious 
 general, not ftir from Potosi, and gained the advantage. In an.nhor 
 action, near the close of November, the patriots, alter fightin-r with 
 admirable courage and obstinacy, were again defeated, and' were 
 
846 
 
 Til K I'KOl'LE'H ItOOK OF IIIBTOKY. 
 
 compelled onco moro to rclinq\u8h Upper Porn to the enemy. 
 IJueiioH Ayres wiw onco uguin tlirealened with the march of hostilo 
 iirniios Croni opposite directions. 
 
 In this dJHiustroiis and ominous condition of alUiirs, the valour and 
 genius of San Martin, who succeeded IJelgrano, came most ojjpor- 
 tunely to the service of the patriot cause. In a brief time, he raised 
 a fresh army of three thousand five hundred men, for the defciieo 
 of the country, and so skillfully directed the operations of the guer- 
 illas that the enemy, continually harassed and deprived of provisions 
 were compelled to relinquish Salta aud other provinces to tlie rejjub- 
 licans. This success was attended by others ecpuilly cheering. The 
 little lleet of Jhienos Ayres, commanded by Mr. JJrovvu, an Kngli.sh 
 merchant of that city, gained a decided victory over that of the 
 enemy, and assisted in pressing the siege of Monte Video. Vigodot 
 who had succeeded Elio, was finally compelled to surrender to the 
 besieging forces, \inder Alvear, and live thousand five hmulred 
 prisoners, witii eleven thousand muskets, and an immense (piantity 
 of other military stores, fell into the hands of the victors. 
 
 This success led to an instant renewal of anarchy among the 
 j>atriots. Artigas claimed and .seized the government of Monte 
 ^'ideo, and Alvear (.lanuiirv, 1815) gave deep discontent by ohtiiininiT 
 the chief ilireetorship of lUienos Ayres. Civil dissensions prevailed 
 until tlie latter, an object of jH)pular odium, was compelled to leave 
 the country. Foreign disasters succeeded these (h)mestic (piarrels, 
 By the victory ol' Sipesipe, in November, lyio, the most important 
 provinces in Upper IVru were again thrown into possession of the 
 rovalists, aud linally, after revolution on revolution, the supreme 
 directorship, under better auspices, in March, 181H, was conferred 
 on Juan Martin I'ueyrcdon, whose election quieted the factions ia 
 the capital, and for a time gave stability to the government. 
 
8PANIBU-AMJSKI0AN REVOLUTIONS. 847 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 PKOS OP THE PATRIOTS.— OBSTINACY OP ARTIOAS— THE 
 PORTUGUESE TAKE MONTE VIDEO, AND DEPEAT THE 
 .REPUDLICAN ARMY. — SAN MARTIN, — HIS PASSAGE 
 OP THE ANDES AND VICTORIOUS CAMPAIGN IN 
 CHIU. — UPPER PERU.— CONTINUED RE- 
 SISTANCE OP THE UANDA ORIENTAL. 
 
 After providing for tl.e defence of the eountry against its external 
 cneniicH, the director turned bis attention to reconciling or crusiiin-r 
 Its Jon.cst.c foes JIc sent a supply of arms and munitions to ArtU 
 gas, at Monte Video, to assist him in repelling the Portuguese; but 
 that officer, liavmg received them, refused to listen to overtures of 
 liiendsh,,). At Santa Fe, despite the attempts of the capital to over- 
 awe ur negotuue, the citi/.ens maintained an attitude of determined 
 hostihty to the general government. Notwithstanding these untoward 
 circumstances, the congress, convened from a number of states on the 
 
 , "! '^"'{'„^^^^' ^'^"^"'^ * rnanifesto, declaring the independence of 
 the Lnited rrovmces of the liio de la Plata 
 
 Meanwhile, in Upper Peru, the arms of the patriots again met 
 ^mh considerable success. Colonel Padilla, attacked by a division 
 of the royalist army, entrusted the command of several posts to his 
 captauis, and one to his roij,. The enemy assaulted furiously, but 
 were co.npletely repulsed and defeated, and were pursued by the 
 victors till they arrived at a place of defence. The lady presented 
 her husband a standard of the enemy, taken with her own hands 
 and was afterwards api.ropriately rewarded by government with the 
 cornnnssion and pay of a lieutenant-colonel. Another victory was 
 obtained by Warnes over a body of a thousand men, commanded 
 by the bloody lacon, in which the latter were almost entirely de- 
 stroyed. In the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, Guemes and other 
 guenl a leaders waged a desultory, but highly successful warfare. 
 
 In December, 1816, the Portu^n^cse made a grand demonstration 
 against the new commonwealth, droops were shipped from Lisbon 
 a.id an army of ten thousand men was collected at liio Grande! 
 iliKS iorce, m three divisions, under Generals Lecor, Silviera, and 
 Urau, invaded the Banda Oriental. Desp.ite some spirited local 
 
348 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY, 
 
 opposition, this overwhelming force took possession of the capital 
 Monte Video, and Artigns was reduced to practice a guerilla wurfuro 
 against the invaders in the o[)en country. These disasters were suc- 
 ceeded by a severe defeat of the patriot army, under La Torre wiio 
 after a sanguinary action at Arayo de los Catalanos, were routed 
 with great loss. In the face of these miserable reverses, and of the 
 gener.'d desire of the inhabitants of his province, Artigas still refused 
 to unite with the confederacy. 
 
 These misfortunes on the sea-board were in some degree compen- 
 sated by the splendid success of San Martin, in his memorable cam- 
 paign of Chili. The latter country had assisted the United Provinces 
 with men and money, against Elio; and San Martin, now governor 
 of Cuyo or Mendozn, conceived the project of serving the cause of 
 freedom in both countries, by a vigorous assault on the common enemy 
 in their strongholds of Cliili. Though his province was thinlv peo- 
 pled, and much wasted and impoverished by the Spaniards, so" great 
 was the personal devotion of the people to their chief, that they 
 placed all their means and services at his disposal. Six hundred 
 slaves, three hundred horses, and ten thousand mules were provided for 
 the service of the expedition ; troops were transported from Buenos 
 Ayres: and after a year spent in preparation and discipline, the darin,"' 
 commander set forth on an expedition, from its difTicullies and extra- 
 ordiViary success, one of the most memorable in martial history. 
 
 "He had to cross tlie majestic Andes, with an army accotiiiianied 
 with baggage and artillery, which for three hundred miles presented 
 rugged and almost inaccessible summits and narrow defiles, adrnittiinT 
 of two persons only abreast, along the giddy verge of frightful pre- 
 cipices, where eternal frosts hold their undisputed reign. This pass- 
 age with an army over the highest mountains in the world, is an 
 achievement more daring and difficult than that of the renowned 
 Hannibal in crossing the Alps; and perhaps there is notliing on the 
 page of history that surpasses it. But no obstacles could shake the 
 purpose of San Martin ; no difficulties were too great for liis genius to 
 overcome. In thirteen days the frozen Andes were vanquislied and 
 passed, with the loss of five thousand horses and mules and of a few 
 men. The liberating army, soon after, encountered the enemy at 
 Chacabuco; and the veterans who had conquered the Ande?, expe- 
 rienced no difficulty in vanquishing the instruments of tyranny. 
 Seldom has a victory been more complete or a triumph more splen- 
 did. 'In twenty-four days,' said the commander, 'we have crossed 
 
SPANISII-AMERICAN KKVuLUTlONS. 
 
 849 
 
 the most elevated mountains of tlic globe, terminated the campaign, 
 put an end to the sway of tyrants and given liberty to Chili.' The 
 rcnuiaiit of the royalists took refuge iiv Taleahuano. Tlic inhabitants 
 forriKHl a junta at Santiago, and as a reward for his services offered 
 to San Martin the dictatorsliip of Chili, which he declined, and this 
 power was vested in Picrnardo O'lliggins. 
 
 "After this splendid victory, thr General of the Andes, as San Martin 
 Win now called, returned to Bnmios Ayres to concert a i)lan with 
 the f^'ovornment to direct the victorious arms of the republic against 
 Peni. As he approached Mendoj5a,the capital of Cuyo, all the in- 
 liMhilanlP of the town flocked out to meet him; the youth strewed 
 tlio rcnid with roses, and all demonstrated the most lively sensations 
 ot'iianiiration^and joy at beholding the hero of the Andes and the 
 Liberator of Chili. At Buenos Ayres, ihe same sentiments prevailed, 
 and proj.arations were making to receive him with every mark of 
 respect and honour; but being apprized of what was intended, he 
 stole into the city unobserved, to the no small disappointment of 
 the people."* 
 
 In r].per Pern, the talent and energy of Belgrano had now, in 
 greut measure, redeemed the re]>ublican cause. Serna, the chief 
 commander of the royalist forces, was compelled to retreat bef.i'e the 
 attacks of the guerillas, and the ferocious Facon was destroyed, acci- 
 (lently (or iirovidentially), by a .stroke of lightning. The Banda 
 Oriental, under Artigas, still maintained an attitude^ of hostility to 
 the rest of the republic; and two successive detachment.s, dispatched 
 by tbe director to red ice the refractory province, under Jtlontes de 
 Oca and Colonel Balearce, were furiou.sly attacked by the Monte 
 Videan chief, and completely defeated. 
 
 * Niles' South America. 
 
3uO 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK 0? BIBTOBY. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 AFFAIRS IN Clliri —DISASTERS OP THE PATRIOTS. —ncTORT 
 OP SAN MARTIN AT TUB PLAINS OF M A Y PH — I N D E PEN D- 
 ENCE OF CHILI SECUP E D.— CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED 
 PROVINCES— RESIGNATION OF P U E Y R E DO N.— CON- 
 TINUED CIVIL DISSENSIONS,— FINAL RESTORATION 
 OP HARMONY— THE REPUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGED 
 BY THE UNITED STATES, 
 
 In Chili, San Martin and O'Higgina were now strenuously attemnt 
 ing to reduce the strong fortress of Talcnhuano, the last'refucre of 
 the royalists in that country. But the viceroy of Lima contriv^ed to 
 throw a force of fifteen hundred men into the disputed post; and 
 not long after, resolved to anticipate tlie intended attack of San 
 Martin in Peru, landed five thousand troops, under General Osorio 
 at the same place. That commander, with a force of eight thousand 
 men, now assumed the offensive, and marched for the capital of Chili 
 San Martin, after somewhat annoying his march, on the 19th of 
 March, made a successful attack on the enemy, whose van was driven 
 into the streets of Talca. But that same night the rovalist general in 
 turn attacked the encampment of the patriots with such suddenness 
 and fury that they were completely routed, and San Martin, with the 
 relics of his army, was compelled to retreat to the pass of AnTiilcnni 
 Undismayed by this disaster, he betook himself to the "capital' 
 where, by extraordinary exertion.s, a fresh army was rais.Hl whicV 
 on the 6th of April, 1818, on the Plait.a of Muvpn, again en-a-rcd 
 the enemy. A most splendid victory, in which the sliani,sh "armv 
 was nearly annihilated, was the result. The independence of Chiii 
 and Pern was secured, and San Martin, the object of enthusiastic 
 gratiturlc and admiration, his project fully accomplished, returned to 
 Buenos Ay res. 
 
 On the 25th of May, 1819, the congress of the United Provinces 
 publicly proclaimed a constitution, of a federal nature, and not ma- 
 terially differing from that of the United States of America. Le-rig. 
 lation was vested in two houses, one composed of deputies electcd'by 
 the people, and the other of senators elected by the provinces. The 
 exrcutiv(^ pcnver was placed in the hands of a single person,' called 
 
I "''A^'^J'-AMKKICAN REVOLUTIONS. 351 
 
 tl>e .liroctor. Equality of nil citizens, freedom of the proas, &o, were 
 niuionnce,! Soon after, Pueyredon. eonaiderablo diHuflection to hig 
 rers,,n existing roH.gncd the office of supreme director, an.l Jo.seph 
 
 , Rondeau was chosen temporarily to fill his place, until the election 
 of a new director under the constitution. 
 
 I ny a singular complication of hostilities, Artigns, who had lon« 
 
 c..n bravely defending the Banda Oriental against the overwhelming 
 
 forces of Brazil, afler receiving the assistance and rejecting the uilf 
 
 Zl f ZZT'f^'' '''" '""i"t'^i"«^l hi« ^lubious position, 
 n February 1820, the director was defeated by the guerilhL culled 
 the Monteneros headed by Ramire., an officer of Artigas, and such 
 was the effect of this disaster that the authority of the central «ov. 
 ernmont was completely prostrated. The victor, with three thousand 
 nion, advanced wnh.n seventy miles of Buenos Ayres; and Puevre- 
 ■lon, with \n. friends, the chief objects of enmity, fled to the Portu- 
 guese for safety. Rondeau, after his defeat, returned to the capital, 
 but his authority was at once overthrown, and a provisional govern- 
 ment was ai,pointed by the municipality. Treaty was then made 
 with Ramirez, an.l a most rapid succession of revolutions placed the 
 capital in the hands of one ambitious chief after another. A disgrace- 
 ful secret negotiation with France by the late congress was discovere.l 
 intomled to place the republic under the control of that country and 
 all the members who had favoured it were put under arre»t 
 
 The state of anarchy, especially in the capital, which succeeded 
 these events is almost beyond description, and the lives of manv 
 estimable citi/ens were sacrificed in the civil feuds by which the 
 whole state was distracted. The various factions under Ramirez 
 Carrera, and Alvear, and under Dorego and Rodriguez, were en- 
 gaged in civil war, which finally, after various vicissitudes, resulted 
 in the ascendancy of the latter at the seat of government. (October, 
 1820.) Carrera, indeed, still continued dcsper.ately to rava-e the 
 country; and Ramirez, the army of Artigas having been defeated and 
 almost destroyed by the Portuguese, supplanted that chief in the 
 command of the Banda Oriental, and threatened the citv of Buenos 
 Ayres. On the 21st of July, 1821, however, he was completely 
 defeated by the government troops, at Francisco, and died on the 
 field of battle, only two hundred of his men escaping. Carrera 
 whose whole career had been distinguished bv great ferocity and 
 carnage, was also defeated, in the following month, and on the 4th 
 of September was shot in the public square of Mendoza. Two of 
 
352 
 
 TlIK l'K(jrLE"g r.OOK OF IIISTOEY. 
 
 his brothers had perished on the same spot, and the only flivour he 
 askcv. was a burial in the same grave with them. 
 
 These civil wars at last brought to a close, the legislative junta 
 and the executive, to quiet the rancour of the contending factions 
 passed an act of amnesty, and turned their attention to reforming tlie 
 administration of affairs. In September, 1821, a congre- from the 
 several provinces assembled at Cordova, and eflbrts were made to 
 bnngabouta federal union, but various sectional jealousies prevented 
 tlie adoption of the plan. "The commencement of the year 1802 
 found the affairs of the United Provinces in a more prosperous cw' 
 dition; the internal enemies of the republic had been destroyed or 
 driven out of the country; ihc voice of faction was silenced- the 
 government had acquired energy and respect?, and was en<racred in 
 works of improvement, in forming schools and establishing. libraries 
 calcukted to prepare the people for the appreciation and enjovment 
 of liberty. The papers discussed freely, and often ably, im,,ortant 
 political questions connected with their new situation. A splendid 
 edifice for a congressional hall was erected on the same spot where 
 in 1780, were reared the dungeons of Oruro, in which were immured 
 those accused of promoting the independence of Peru."* Peace 
 was restored with Santa Fe and with other provinces heretofore' at 
 enmity with Buenos Ayres, and treaties of mutual defence and -illi 
 anco were made. Tlie Bnnda Oriental and its capital, Monte Video 
 were still retained by the Portuguese forces. ' 
 
 In July, 1823, strenuous attempts were made to negotiate a treatr 
 of peace with Spain; but despite the liberal conduct of the con-ro«« 
 which offered twenty millions of dollars to the mother-country 'to 
 secure her against foreign invasion, the Spanish government refused 
 to come to terms. In autumn of the same year, Mr. Rodney the 
 minister from the Fnited States, and the first envov received by the 
 republic from any foreign 'power, arrived at Buenos Ayre.'^. His 
 presentation to the government took place with extraordinary stnte 
 and parade, and was hailed with much enthusiasm by the peopic- 
 but he did not long survive his arrival, dying early in the followiii^r 
 year. Jn October, 1824, Alvear, the minister dispatched in return' 
 was presented to the executive of the United States; but his term 
 of office was equally brief, Iiis government recalling him to commaiul 
 the army destined against the royalists in Upper Peru. 
 
 • Niles' South America. 
 
ily favour he 
 
 islative junta 
 ling factions, 
 reforming tlie 
 ■P' - from the 
 'ere made to 
 ies prevented 
 Q year 1822, 
 Jsperous con- 
 destroyed or 
 silenced; the 
 ! engaged in 
 ling libraries, 
 d enjoyment 
 y, imj)ortant 
 A splendid 
 spot where, 
 ere immured 
 '»."* Peace 
 heretofore at 
 ^te and alii- 
 loute Video, 
 
 iato a treaty 
 he congress, 
 '-country, to 
 iient refused 
 Rodney, the 
 3ived by the 
 !^yres. His 
 dinary state 
 the people; 
 le following 
 1 in return, 
 Lit Jiis term 
 o command 
 
•r^^: 
 
 I! 
 
 I 
 
 -aNi*s:*^3^/»'. 
 
 
 r^ 
 
 ^y, ^; -^ ■■ .-^i-. ? 
 
 
 VKj.i:ii/i.rjiu.Y ur riiK 
 
 
 
 ^^i^2>i 
 
 .ly.y.vs y.v i'UEsK.VLE of 
 
 THE ij\ia u.va. 
 
PART III. 
 
 ^t piin^um k %\\mm. 
 
 BE AZIL. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 BISCOVERY OF BRAZIL BY CABRAL.-OF RIO DE JANEIRO BY 
 SOUSA. — FRENCH COLONY.— AGGRESSIONS OF THE DUTCH — 
 THEIR CONQUESTS.— COUNT MAURICE OF NASSAU— HIS 
 SUCCESSES.— HIS RECALL.— IMPOLIC Y OF THE DUTCH 
 —THEIR EXPULSION FROM BRAZIL. 
 
 In pursuing their splendid career of African and East Indian dis- 
 covery, the Portuguese, by chance, came upon a region vastly more 
 extansive and valuable than their most coveted acquisitions in the 
 opposite direction. Alvarez de Cabral, in 1500, sailing with thirteen 
 vessels, on the route to India, to avoid the calms experienced on a 
 former voyage took a cou,se more to the south-west, and accident- 
 ally discovered the coast of Brazil. On the 3d of May he lauded 
 .a about seventeen degrees of south latitude, at a harbour which he 
 cal ed Porto Seguro, erected a cross, performed mass, took possession 
 ot the country, and named it "Terra Nova de la Vera Cruz " The 
 natives appeared of a gentle and kindly disposition, and their com- 
 plexion strongly resembled that of their visitors. He sent home 
 a vessel, with an account of the discovery, and left on shore two 
 convicts to learn the language of the people 
 
 Expedi^tions were soon dispatched from Portugal to the newly- 
 Vol. hi, — 23 
 
364 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 discovered land, and territorial disputes with Spain were settled by 
 an agreement that Portugal should possess all the country between 
 the two great rivers Amazon and La Plata. A dye-wood of great 
 value was soon discovered, and imported in quantities to Portugal- 
 and from the name of this commodity, (Pag Erases, or wood of fire ) 
 the appellation of the territory, by degrees, was changed to Brazil. 
 On_^the 1st of January, 1535, Martin Alphonso de Sousa, sailin" to 
 this coast, discovered that splendid harbour, called by the natives 
 Nitherohy, and which, supposing it to be the mouth of a great river 
 he called Rio de Janeiro — the River of January. Various settle- 
 ments, however — as those of San Salvador, Pernarabuco, St. Vicente 
 and others — were founded before the natural advantages of this ad- 
 mirable locality were turned to account. A colony of French Prot- 
 estants, dispatched by Coligni, was planted in the new country; but 
 the clergy, by their indiscreet zeal, became embroiled with the Por- 
 tuguese, and their establishment, in 1578, was attacked and broken 
 up by the latter. 
 
 The work of settlement by the Portuguese proceeded slowly, but 
 uninterrupiedly till the year 1626, when the Dutch, ambitious of 
 inheriting a share in the New World, established a West India 
 Company, and dispatched a fleet to Brazil. The intruders took 
 possession of its capital, San Salvador, and the surrounding country. 
 War with Spain and Portugal immediately ensued, and San Sal- 
 vador was recaptured by a powerful Portuguese fleet. In 1630 
 forty-six Dutch vessels arrived off Pernambuco, where they landed 
 three thousand troops. That province and several others were sub- 
 dued and acquired by the invaders; and so successful were they in 
 naval operations that, it is said, during the war, they captured five 
 hundred and forty-seven ships, fitted out against them by Spain, 
 together with a treasure of forty-five millions of florins. 
 
 In 1636, John Maurice, count of Nassau, with the imposing title 
 of "Governor of Brazil and South America," dispatched from llol. 
 land with a large force, landed four thousand men on the coa.st. 
 and defeated the Portuguese, afler an obstinate battle, near tlie for- 
 tress of Porto Calvo, which, with other places, he soon after took. 
 Four years afterwards, a fleet of ninety ships was dispatched by 
 Spain to expel the Dutch from Brazil. A desperate action with the 
 fleet of the lattei', under IIuygen.s, lasting for three days, ensued; but 
 the Spaniards were at last terribly defeated, and being driven on the 
 shoals off the coast, great numbers perished by shipwreck and of 
 
^:^:^L^'^' "-* -™"^. only «ve V J, 
 
 cended the Ihrone. Count SlrioTh'!"' "^ "' ''™8an.a, a,- 
 harbinger of peace be:: „''p:r::U iTll ''r"' '°/= "■= 
 exertion, to extend h« conquered Zr 1 ' '•"="'™*'W 1>« 
 (pace in Europe, and a ^^^ ^J^tt t^T'^ "^' 
 plished, he had taken vr1„,m« America) was accom- 
 
 hold, both in BraS and Afrt """""' ''°'' ""i"*"' """J" 
 
 thilaLTntanL 'Itiorf "^'"'^ °' ^°"»^- *-" V 
 policy and n,isn,ra3n7hrr°' ""t™" '« ''^ "■o ™ 
 Lpany. That corporat „n W '^™'^ """ ^"'"'^ ^« I-'-i" 
 exaction, on ,he pZIu"'s^I,:,':'::'7 ■'"'''"' ""'' '"'J"'''-'' 
 excited groat discontent? a"dM«nC ^^ri™"") P'-inoe,. 
 
 .bi. nnjnst and hazardou^ polie "r^^a^ed wTTf ''f"" 
 ofwar, and the greater part of hi forceTrnT644Te 1 *'f=",*'P- 
 tliat time, seven provinces lhi«„ .„ ' j ^ ' ° '"" ^™^''- ^t 
 bee. broight b/hilS untr^ f'S'^d '"":rr '''^ 
 the native inhabitants and the sold ei I„d sailors r ' "'"* ^''^'' 
 thoas.,nd Dutch citiiasns and siilv^l,? j ' """""""'y 
 ne.ly.acqnired territory -^ °"™'* "=«'-° "^""^ » *« 
 
 The government of the colony was next entr„.f.j . 
 of wronij.headed citizens wl,„ 1, entrusted to a commission 
 
 ious mefsure, sool Zve £ C""' "'""'*''" '"" "«= <">°'"'- 
 connivance of the PoZelJ'T""""' 'o '«*™«- By the 
 
 Feraande. Veira, a J^Tota T;i:ir;ut''o'ir .""^ T .■^""" 
 ence, was commenced .,n,l .» i ! ? ° ,' ^^''^^^^ »"^1 inAu- 
 
 tl-atriollanrrspteLerutrnof ."''^ ''"^^ '^'^"' and bravery, 
 She dispatch d flee a fl T T^f "'' ^''*' "°^^^^ *° ^^P''^^^ ^^ 
 expense^ndlo enf L 7n ^^".^''''Pr^^ ^^-i^^^J. and, at vast 
 l4her^rt.y--i;:— -^-^^^^ 
 her possessions in Bru.il to the enemy. 8i„ce th^ll 1 P 
 guese have remained, almost without dispmrm^tersof th "' 
 
 empire of Bnril n,, « • , i^"''^' "''^ters of the immense 
 
 «tLti..n t e^t^^^^^^^^^^^^ nearly a hundred times greater in 
 .n our own darerel i to \f "'f' ''/'' long a colony, and 
 extent and cap li iS t leL 1 "''''''T''''' «*''*«' -calling, in 
 Old World or the New ' '""'' P"^'^'^'^^ ^^"P^^«« «f tl^« 
 
So6 
 
 TUK rKOi'L,K'ii BOOK OF lUSTOBY. 
 
 CE AFTER n. 
 
 r 
 
 BRAZIL A PENAL COLONY— THE RESULT. — OPPRE-SSION OP ^HB 
 NATIVES. THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. — OOVERNOR-OENEKAL AP- 
 POINTED. — STORY OF CARAMURU. — BAHIA. — THE JESUITS. 
 
 WAR WITH THE CAHETE8. MEM DE 8A. — HIS 
 
 CRUSADE AGAINST CANNIBALISM. — WAR WITH THE 
 AYMORES. — THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 The contest between the Dutch and the Portuguese for the occu- 
 pation of Brazil, and the final !u«cendoncy of the latter having been 
 briefly sketched, we revert to tlie domestic condition of the colonies 
 first planted there by the saccessful nation. At an early day, con- 
 victs and criminals were transported thither, who, by their violence 
 an(i oppression, exasperated the natives, at lirst kindly disposed to 
 the new comers. Retaliation thus provoked, the usual career of 
 mas.'^acre and enslavement went rapidly forward; the old women 
 and children in the villages they subdued, being butchered by the 
 Tortuguese, and the adults being reserved as slaves. 
 
 The sovereign of Portugal, by a singular policy, first colonized 
 Brazil on the feudal system, bestowing extensive cH^j^unurs (captain- 
 cies or provinces) on grandees who' had rendered services to the 
 crown. Thus, Martin Alphonso de Sousa, the discoverer of Rio 
 Janeiro, and Pedro Lopez, his brother, ea(;h received allotments 
 extending for fifty leagues along the coast, and similar spacious 
 tracts were ceded to others. These capilanias were hereditary, and 
 Ihe lord of eacii had supreme jurisdiction, both civil and criminal, 
 in his extended domains, and made war with tlie native tribes, issued 
 laws, and exacted taxes at his pleasure. The despotic exercise of 
 this authority, at length occasioned its resumption by the crown, 
 the lands, however, being left in possession of the grantees; and a 
 governor-general, Thome de Sousa, in April, 1549, accompanied by 
 the first Jesuits who ever came to America, landed in All Saints' 
 Bay,* and a.ssumed the general jurisdiction. 
 
 At that place he found an aged settler, named Diogo Alvarez, 
 who, in youth, having been wrecked tliere, and having seen liia 
 companions devoured by tlie savages, had become a slave to the 
 
 * Bahi.i de toJoa os Santos. 
 
tor the occu- 
 
 THE P0RTUGUK8K IN AMERICA. gg^ 
 
 latter. He had saved from the wreck a musket and some barrels 
 of powder, and ook oeeasion, by shooting a bird, to exhibit to h 
 masters the terr.i.c power whieh was lodged in tlK,;e utensi s They 
 cried Qaramuru! Caramurul" (man of fire I) and, filled with respS 
 for the deadly instrument and its owner, made him their eh ?Ta 
 war, and, finally, their sovereign. By his native wives he had a 
 numerous family, and it is said that the best families in Bahia trace 
 
 loaded her with Brazd-wood, and sailed to France- but not bein! 
 
 which he fortified, and where Be Sousa found him. He was o) 
 great service to the governor in his dealings with the native tribes 
 
 Houses were iMiilt and a cathedral was begun at this, the 1 st 
 roya settlement in the country, fortifications were made and hi 
 new town of Bahia or San Salvador, was made the capital of Brazi 
 Ihe Jesuits, with laudable zeal, dispersed themselves amon J tl e 
 natives, and by the extraordinary fi^culties of persuasion and loZ 
 verance, in which they have never been surpassed by any order of 
 men, mplanted a species of religion and civilization ii, their breasts 
 withstood the oppressions of the colonists, and pioneered the wiy o 
 resh settlement and colonization. The disinterested and self-I " 
 ficing eflors of these much-calumniated men, at that period are 
 worthy of the highest praise. ^ ' ^ 
 
 The first Brazilian bishop, appointed in 1562, soon foil into a dis- 
 pute wi h Da Costa, the successor of De Sousa, and embarked for 
 
 ortugal to plead his case before the king. Being shipwrecked on • 
 the coast he was murdered, with about a hundred oLrs by the 
 savage tribe of the Cahetes-in revenge of which outrage they and 
 their posterity were proscribed, and were hunted and but'ehered'till 
 nearly all were exterminated. In 1558, the celebrated Mem de Sa 
 succeeded to the vieeroyalty, and endeavoured by all mearin his 
 power to reclaim the natives from their barbarous propositi \td 
 to protect them from unlawful oppression. The hou'eo '''i h 
 colonist who had refused to release certain of them, wr Lgf y 
 en aved, was levelled to the ground by the governor's order ^ ^ 
 
 bir""S f "r^.^'T^'^"^ ^"« ^Wcssion of eanni- 
 bali m Three friendly Indians," says Mr. Southey,* " were seized 
 vhile fishing, by their enemies, carried off, and devoured. The 
 governor sent to the offending tribe, commanding them to give .'' 
 
 * History of Brazil. 
 
So8 
 
 TJiK l'Kuri.K'8 HOOK OF IIISTOKV 
 
 tlio criminiils, that they might be put to death. The chiefa would 
 liiive consented, but the persons implicated were powerful; the 
 adjoining clans made a common cause with them; two humlred 
 hordes, who dwelt on the banks of the Paraguazu, united in defence 
 (if their favourite custom; and the answer returned was, that if tl,L. 
 governor wanted the offenders, ho must come and take them. T\m 
 ill despite of the opposition made by the settlers, he<rc8olved to d,,' 
 The allied natives took the field with them, with a Jesuit at tlujr 
 head, and with a cross for a standard. They found the enemy well 
 posted and in considerable strength, but they put them to fli^r),, 
 After the battle, it was discovered that an arm had been cut oil" fro,,, 
 one of the dead: as this was evidently taken by one of the idlies to 
 eat in secret, proclamation was made that the arm must be laid by the 
 body before the arnxy took food or rested after the battle. The next 
 morning the enemy were pursued, and suffered a second and more 
 severe defeat; after which, they delivered up the criminals, and peti- 
 tioned to be received as allies on the same terms as the other tribes." 
 With all these successes, much danger and annoyance was experi- 
 enced from the Aymores, a liereo and barbarous tribe, who invaded 
 several of the provinces, and threatened San Salvador itself. " Their 
 mode of warfare," says the author just quoted, "was as savage as 
 their habits of life; they had no chief or leader; they never weiit in 
 large companies; they never .stood \w against an enemy face to foee 
 but lay in wait like wild beasts, and took their deadly aim from'tiie 
 thickets. In one point they were greatly inferior to the other tribes; 
 for, being an inland people, they could not swim, and such was 
 their ignorance or dread of the water, that any stream which thev 
 could not ford was considered a sufficient defence against them. It 
 may well be supposed that such men would be impatient of slavery; 
 some who were taken by the Portuguese refused to eat, and died by 
 that slowest and most resolute motle of suicide." These ferocious 
 and dangerous enemie.«, by the aid of the native allies, were finally 
 repulsed; yet, it is said, but for the influence already acquired by 
 the Jesuits over the minds of the natives, the Portuguese would 
 have been exterminated by the overwhelming number of their ene- 
 mies. Mem de Sa, after an acitive and successful administration of 
 fourteen years, died just at the arrival of his successor. 
 
TUK P0BTUGUK8B IN AMERICA. ggg 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 BRAZIL UNDER SPANISH INFLUENCE —ENO llSil PIRATICAL BX- 
 
 PBDITIONS.-ODIUM INCURRED i, Y THE JESUITS IN PRO 
 
 TKCTINO THE INDI A NS.-RE VO LTS,-W A R WITH THE 
 
 NKORO NATION. THE PALMARESE; THEIR SUBDUAL- 
 
 O0I,D AND DIAMONDS. — FRENCH HOSTILITIES — ' 
 
 DEFEAT OF DU CLEHC — ,tio JANEIRO TAKEN BY 
 
 DUOUAY DE TROUIN— THE CRUEL AND IMPOLITIC 
 
 EXPULSION OP THE JESUITS FROM BRAZIL. 
 
 j Colonization proceeded so rapidly, that Brazil at one time was 
 divided mto wo governments, and Bio de Janeiro wa« made the 
 j capital of all the i)rovmce8 8outh of Porto Scguro. They were again 
 ujnted under a single administration in 1578, the year in which 
 King Sebastian, with the flower of his court and army, perished in 
 bat le with he Moors. I„ consequence of that dis^trous event 
 I or ug.d with her colonies, for .ixty years, came under the plwe 
 of the Spanish crown. Philip II. oUWed to the duke of Braganza 
 If he would relinquish his claim to the throne of Portugal, the sov- 
 ercgiity ot Bra.il, but the overture was rejected. In tonsSquonL 
 ft IS change of ma.stcr.s, Brazil wa« exposed to the hostility of tho 
 b.g]sh, and tho freebootmg expeditions of Cavendish, Lancaster 
 and others against its eo.-.ts, resulted in much loss bv pi atical spol ! 
 ation. The contest with the Dutch, and their iinaleipulsion have 
 een already briefly described. After that event, Johif IV o'f Por- 
 ugal, conlerred on his eldest son the title of Prince of Brazil-a 
 title afterwards customarily pertaining to the heir-apparent 
 
 Despite the humane exertions of the Jesuits, the natives aa the 
 colonies nicreased, were continually enslaved and persecuted tTll in 
 e provinces on the sea-coa.st, they were nearly exterminated, 'so 
 great was the enmity incurred by these intrepid and benevol^it 
 men, m their attempts to relieve the sufferings of the oppressed r" 
 that an actual revolution was excited against the government whiS 
 Fotceted them. The Paul.U., a mixed breed of Portrguirand 
 origme, were inveterate slave-hunters and enemies of the jLit 
 that 1 n n'T'"'";*^ - deposing the governor, who countenanced 
 that unpopular order. In 1673, a revolt broke out in Maranhan, 
 
860 
 
 TIIK PEOl'LK'R no OK OK II 1 8 T GUY. 
 
 I 
 
 headed by a Pauloae, naincd nccikmuri. " Expc^l tlio Joauital nbolish 
 monopolicH!" was tlio cry. ^I'lio iiiHurgeiits Hoizod tlio town and fort 
 and hold thorn till roduood by u Hiijjcrior foron I'min Fjisbon. 
 
 A (!onto«t far nioro datigoronH, about the chwe of the oontury, was 
 waged with a gront body of insurgent negroes, in tlio provinee of 
 Pernambuoo. Some of these had been armed in the contest with 
 the Dutch, and had afterwards taken u[) a strong jiosition in tlio 
 woods west of Porto do Calvo, which all the fugitive negroes soon 
 made their rendezvous. "Their numbers soon became formidable. 
 Like the fir.'^t Romans, tliey were without women; but they sup 
 plied this want by descending suddenly on the plantation.s, and car- 
 rying off violently every wonum of colour. They established equal 
 laws among thomselvea; they occuj)ied a fertile boundary; their 
 numbers increased with astonishing rapidity; they made no scruple 
 in plundering the Portuguese settlements; and they finally consti- 
 tuted a nation under the name of the Palmarese (from the great palm 
 forests of their region). They formed a government under an elector 
 or monarch, named Zombi. They siirrounded their chief town and 
 villages with stockades, and managed to procure, even from the Por- 
 tuguese planters, abundance of lire and other arms, and of ainnuuii- 
 tion. During a period of forty years, they remained unattackcd and 
 unmolested; but having increased to the number of more than 
 twenty thousaiul, the Portuguese government became so thoroughly 
 impressed with the forniiihible ptnver of tliis new nation, that in 
 !()!)(), it was determined to extirpate the Palinarcsc, at whatever cost 
 of money or of men. 
 
 "John de Lancastro, with an army of six thousand men, well 
 provided and armed, marched against the city of the Palmarosc. The 
 hitter, unable to meet the former in the field, retired, to the number 
 altogether of about ten thousand, within the defences of the town. 
 The Portuguese advanced, and laid sieg(! to the place; but they were 
 greatly di.'^heartencd on beholding the f()rinidable condition of the 
 defoticcs; and, being without artillery, they were unprepared to 
 besiege the town in regular form. They were soon greatly harassed 
 by murderous sallies from the town. Whenever the Portuguese 
 approached, they were dismayed by a furious resistance on the part 
 of the negroes; who, not only with tire-arms and bows and arrows, 
 but with spouting scalding water, galled, and frequently repulsed 
 their assailants. 
 
 "This was an apparently hopeless siege on the part of the Portu- 
 
TH!0 I'OIJTUOUESK IN AMUIICA. 
 
 801 
 
 gucsc, unfl tho unununition of tho l,csi«gc.l was cxhaustcHl, and 
 
 thcr Huppl.c. of provisions wore cut off. Scarcity was nsBurning 
 
 ho aspect of fam.no wthm tho town, and a strong nii,.force,nont 
 
 av.ng arnvocl ,„ aul of Do Lancastro, the place was stormed and 
 
 aken Jl.c ku.g /omb., and his chief adherents, resolved not to 
 
 be captured ahve, leaped over tho high rocky i,reeipices (,f the fort 
 
 and were instantly dM to death. The captured inhabitants were 
 
 'lerica'^ '' terminated tho first negro kingdom in 
 
 The original wealth of thjp vast province ha.l consisted in its 
 ■nexhanstible supply of dye-woods, and not long after its setth.nent, 
 t!>c Jews banished fro.n Portugal by the Inquisition, introduced the 
 cu tare of the sugar-cane, ad.ling greatly to the wealth and resources 
 ofthe country. Gold was not discovered until the close of the sev- 
 enteenth century, nor tho abundance of diamonds which the country 
 adords, unt, tlurty years later. Tho former discovery entailed im 
 mechate nusfortune on the province, both in the check which it gave 
 to a,n;.culturo and really productive industry, and in the hostile' 
 cnpuhty which it excited among foreign powors. In 1710, a French 
 squadron co,nmanded by I)u Clerc. appeared oft" the ^.ast, and 
 aude, a th,n,sand men not far from Hio Janeiro, which hitherto had 
 been (ree a hke from domestic sedition and foreign violeiice. By an 
 artifice of the governor, De Castro, the hostile force was permitted* 
 to enter the city without molestation; but when they wcie fairly i„ 
 the streets, he fell upon them with the garrison, kille.] and wounded 
 a great nuial.er, an.l captured the rest. The unfortunate Du Clerc 
 an. most of his ofTicers were secretly murdered in prison 
 lo avenge this defeat and outrage, private enterprise supplied tho 
 ^ n,eans for a powerful armament, which, under the famous Du-^uay 
 ^ e Irou.n.on the 12th of September, 1711, appeared before^iio 
 •'anouu .ie l,,st nearly three hundred men from the fire of the 
 attenes in the harbour; but landed his troops, erected works, a 
 demanded of the governor, who had entrenched himself in the city 
 an unconditional surrender. The latter refusing, he opened a 0'; 
 nonade on the town, in the midst of a tremendous stori of thu.Ir 
 arid hg 1 nmg, which combination of noises, says a French author 
 
 ha bo, t'l "'"':;"''' '""^' '^-^ ^^^""°'^ '^«^^'^"' -'•^'-. -^' ind 
 tains, the 1 ortugucse troops evacuated their post; the captives of 
 * McGri'gotB Pro-jresa of America. 
 
n i 
 
 862 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 Du Clorc's expedition, who yet survivod, broke forth from prison 
 and the victors entered tiunultuouHly, niul sacked the city. Three- 
 fourths oftlie buildings, it is said, were broken open, and tlieir con- 
 tents thrown into the utreets, and 'iVouin, endeavouring to stay tbe 
 work of rapine, caused numbers of his men to bo executed, but in 
 vain. A great ransom was paid to save tlie town from conflngrution- 
 and besides tlie enormous h)8s from pilhigo, five ships of war and 
 more than thirty merchantmen were taken or burned by the French. 
 On tlie 4th of November, Trouin sailed I'rom Kio, inti'udingto attack 
 Bahia, but was prevented by adverse winds, and finally returned to 
 France. Two of his ships, with twelve hundred men, and a great 
 tr(>a.sure, foundered at sea; yet the proceeds of what remained, repaid 
 the fitters-out of the enterprise with a profit nearly equal to tlieir 
 capital. No ho.stilc expedition has-sincc entered the harbour of Jim 
 Janeiro, which, in 1703, was made the seat of government for Hmzil 
 in place of Baliia. 
 
 After the emancipation of Portugal from the control of Spain, 
 frequent disputes occurred between the two nations as to the bound- 
 aries of their respective provinces in South America. In 1750, the 
 Portuguese settlement of San Sacramento was exchanged by treaty 
 for a number of Jesuit missionary stations on the Uraguay, tind 
 about thirty thousand- converts of the Guarany tribe, with their 
 families, were ordered to abandon their homes and remove to a 
 strange territory. 
 
 The oppressed natives resisted this arbitrary decree, but after great 
 slaughter, were compelled to submit; though eleven years afterwards 
 the treaty was annulled, and the Guaranicia were permitted to return. 
 During the enactment of this jiiece of oppression, the Jesuits had 
 stood their friends, and had endeavoured to obtain reparation for 
 their wrong.s, and thus increased the odium into which their order, 
 for some time, had been lapsing. Jforeovcr, Pombal, the minister 
 of Charles III. of Portugal, a man of great energ'- ;; 'd eagerness for 
 reform, but equally short-sighfed and wrong-headed in tiic icans he 
 adopted, considering this extensive institution a? • Hiding i' i,hewav 
 of his schemes of colonial aggrandizement, took the rash, unjust, and 
 impolitic resolution of expelling from Brazil a class of men to whom, 
 more than to any other, it was indebted for safety in the time of its 
 weakness, for friendly ir ' "course with vast tribes of the aborigines, and 
 fv. ' tlio extension of civii ition and Christianity among them. (1760.) 
 ^'is br,)Lher P'iutado, a man of similar stamp, accomplisiied tbe 
 
r" 
 
 THKP0BTU0UE8E IN AMEKICA. 
 
 868 
 
 work with much severity an.l cruelty. All the churches colle«.c« 
 ou... and other property of the pn^cribcd order, wen^ 1, Sed 
 to the u.se o. the crow,, and great harshness wa.s u^ed in tLe W 
 men o( th.s v.oIcnt nu.«„ure. The unfortu,.ato eccIcHiu«tiea oiled 
 and transported to Europ., ahno«t like victims in the hold oTkZe 
 «lMp were thrown u.to prison at Lisbon (where the survivors Ian- 
 ,M for e.ghteen years, till the death of the king and 1 e fid of 
 Pun d, or were landed in Italy without means ofsuppor Tld 
 true! uikI impolitic measure, it is said tend...] irrfotlv ♦« J u \ 
 
 0, .» arbitrary „.i„i..er, i„clu.li„g „„prc»ivc m„„„p:^ ^^ ^ 
 on the col„,„«^ rc8„lte,I in .imilar ovil ami docadonco 
 
 During il,„ l„„,r part „1 tl,„ cigl.tconth .K,„tury;„„ event, of 
 tnatcna „n,,ortanee oc'cnrrod i„ Brazil, ..,„,,t tiJ\r^,Z r\u 
 
 ^ ui uic uuaranies those tribes, wearv of tli« 
 tyranny and cruelty of their new masters, welcomed t2 firm 
 oppressors, the Portuguese, as liberators; and the disputed erirv 
 mis agam acquired by the latter. ^ territory 
 
 CHAPTER 17. 
 
 fHE CARTA RhOIA."— BRAZIL P R N E D TO FOREIOV TRADE 
 
 I)O.M JOIIX vr. — CORRUPTION A NI), D ISCO NT F V T — 
 INSURRKCTIOXS.-.KTURN OP THE KINO TO P^ ,7 
 OAL.-TYRANNY OP THE PORTUGUESE CORTES- 
 IRRITATION OP THE BRAZILIANS.— RESISTAN-K 
 OF DOM PEDRO AND HIS CAPITAL. "' 
 
 realv, but witl, ,,i„ greater^ „a tm "l"'""'^"' '"'''• 
 
 province, of America, were „o. ^i^^tlt!: ZZ:rZ7:l 
 
864 
 
 THK rKOI'I.K'S BOOK OK HlSTOliY 
 
 5 
 
 [*Ji2iM^^Al. 
 
 colony of Brazil — a colony wliicli, l)y cionsoqncnico of tliosn events 
 Av:iH di'sliiii'd liniilly to erection into an indejKiiHlent empire, vyin/r 
 in its extent and natural resources, with the greatest and most pow- 
 erful states on tlie globe. VVlien, on tlic 29tli of November, 1807 
 the van of the Kreneh army, under the headlong Junot, aj)pearc(l 
 on the heights alH)ve Lisbon, the })riMcc-regent, with the rest of tlio 
 royal family, hurriedly emliurked on board a Mritisii and Portn-nicso 
 fleet, taking all the valuables they could hastily seize; and with a 
 great crowd of nobles and other adh<'reiits, put to sea, and steered 
 for their distant province ol' Wnv/M. On the 28th of January, 1808 
 they landed amid enthusiastic n^joielng, at Bahia, where tlie prince 
 granted the celebrated "Carta Regia," by whic' '' » ports of Brazil 
 were opened to foreign commeree; and tiiiis, in the .anguage of the 
 ollieial liistorian of Brazil, "by that immortal diploma conferred an 
 inestimable inheritance on tliis terrestrial paradise, where llourish 
 the crowned heads of the veget;d>!e world ; trees that blossom from 
 the truidc to the vertex; health-giving plants, that banish death to 
 a remote old age; and, besides a thousand other equivalents for the 
 riches of the globe, those [)rincely fruits which the j)octs and enthu- 
 siasts of natural history have named ambrosia — food for the "-ods" 
 &c., <fcc. In the March following, he proceeded to Rio Janeiro. 
 
 This famous edict was the signal for an eager revival of coniriierce 
 and no less than ninety foreign ships, ehiedy British, in the following 
 year, came into the last-named port, entrance to which (as to ail 
 others) had heretofore been interdicted in the severest manner. 
 Civilization and improvement followed in the train of free inferconrsc 
 and Brazil, so long noted, even among Soutli American colonies, for 
 the slavish ignorance of its people, began to take some steps in a 
 forward direction. In 1815, it was erecte<l into a kingdom by the 
 royal family who had there found refuge, and on the olh of Fehrnnrv 
 1818, Dom John VI. was crowned as king of the uiuted kingdom of 
 Portugal, Algarves, and Brazil. This event, though consideivd by 
 the people as an extraordin:;,T honour and advantage, was injurious 
 to the national character by exciting an insane desire for titles ami 
 honours, (which soon, by excessive multiplication, lost their value,) 
 and by introducing all tlu> corruptions of a Kuropean court. Tlio 
 inhabitants, at llrst so enthusiastically loya! as to have placed their 
 lands, houses, and money at the disposal of the royal suite, gradually 
 lapsed into discontent at the gross misgovernmcnt of the favoured 
 ollk'iids. About this time, the warfare already mentioned in the last 
 
TlIK I'OlJTUOUEaK IN AMKIUCA. 
 
 865 
 
 article was earned on against Artigas of tbc Batula Oriental and 
 against the republicans of l.a Plata. In 1809, Portuguese Guiana, 
 winch in 1«02, by the treaty of Amiens, had been ceded to 1^'ranco 
 was recovered, by the assistance of the Knglish. ' 
 
 Insurrections broke out, in 1817, in Pernambuco and Bahia, and 
 after much bloodshed, the whole country appearing on the verge of 
 rov(;lulion, the king, in 1821, appointed a commission to inquire into 
 the expediency of extending the Portuguese constitution to tlu; Bra- 
 zilian government; and soon after, the prince, Doin Pedro, read to 
 the people of the capital a royal proclamation, assuring them oi' the 
 gruiit of such a constitution as should be ibrmed by the Cortes (jf 
 Lisbon. In the same year, the king, by invitation from that body, 
 to preserve the integrity of his dominions, leaving his eldest son, iJoni 
 J'cdio, as regent of Bn.zi], visited the mother-country, when; the 
 people were impatient at his protracted absence. Brazilian deputies 
 were also summoned to attend the Cortes; but before they arrived, 
 that assembly, with insane tyranny, had resolved on the revival of 
 the ancient colonial system in its worst form of dependence, monoi)- 
 oly, and exclusion of foreign tralTic, 
 
 The prince, who, on assuming the regency, was only twenty-three 
 years of age, in despite of his earnest attempts to reform the govern- 
 ment, and the rigid self-denial which he practised, soon found his 
 authority set at naught by the provinces, and was reduced to a con- 
 dition little better than that of governor of Rio Janeiro. Thwarted 
 oil every side, and, despairing of .success, he had entreated to be re- 
 called to Europe, when, "at length," it is said, "the Brazilians were 
 disarmed by this noble conduct; they recognized his activity, his 
 henelicenec, his assiduity in the affairs of government; and the 
 habitual feelings of affection and resi)ect for the House of Bniganza^ 
 which for a moment had been laid asleep by distrust, were r.^u- 
 wakencd with increased strength. 'J'o these was joined an alnH.-t 
 idolatroussentimcntofattachmentfor the virtues and the splendid 
 as well as amiable qualities of the young areliduehess, Leopoldiii;., 
 the daughter of the emperor of Austria, and the beloved wife of the 
 regent." 
 
 The king, on his arrival in Portugal, was in a manner compellcl 
 to sanction the illiberal views of the Cortes concerning Brazil. 'J'he 
 consequence was renewed disaffection to the parent-country, and in 
 1821, an attempt was made at Bio to proclaim tlic regent emperor; 
 but this was promptly suppressed, the country in general bcHi.g un- 
 
8Q6 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 prepared for a step so decided. Two months afterwards (December 
 10th) arrived a rash and oppressive decree of the Cortes, reinstating 
 the old abuses, denationalizing Brazil, and recalling the prince, with 
 orders to travel incoijnlto in Europe. The utmost irritation was ex- 
 cited by the receipt of these tidings, and several provinces presented 
 strong remonstrances to the prince against obedience, the municipnl- 
 ity of Eio declaring, in their address, "The departure of your lioynl 
 Highness from the states of Brazil will be the decree that will seal 
 for ever the independence of this kingdom," implying the determin- 
 ation, in that event, to throw off the yoke of Portugal. The prince 
 seeing the condition of affairs, and consulting his own interests n.s 
 well as those of the kingdom, decided to remain— a decision which 
 filled the people with enthusiastic joy. (.January 9th, 1822.) A 
 battle between the Portuguese troops and the citizens was only pre- 
 vented by the retreat of the former, who, however, waiting for rein- 
 forcements from home, took up a hostile position on the opposite 
 side of the bay. Surrounded by the forces of the prince, who man- 
 aged the affiiir in person, they were presently compelled to embark 
 for Europe; and a force of eighteen hundred men, which immedi- 
 ately afterwards appeared on the coast, dispatched to bring back 
 Dom Pedro, was forthwith ordered home again, without even beino^ 
 permitted to land. ° 
 
 CHAPTER?, 
 
 IMPOTENT DEMONSTRATION OP THE PORTUOUESE ffOVERNMENT.— 
 DOM PEDRO PROCLAIMED PROTECTOR, — INDEPENDENCE OF 
 
 BRAZIL DECLARED. PEDRO PROCLAIMED EMPEROR.— 
 
 RETREAT OF THE PORTUGUESE TROOPS, — DIFFICULTIES 
 
 WITH THE DEMOCRACY, INSURRECTION UNDER CAR- 
 
 VALHO SUPPRESSED. POPULAR REVOLUTION AT 
 
 RIO. ABDICATION OF DOM PEDRO, AND HIS 
 
 RETREAT TO PORTUGAL. 
 
 Alakmed too late by the determined attitude of the injured prov- 
 ince, the Portuguese govertinient began to witlidraw 'its otlensive 
 measures, but in vain. Many of the captaincies gave in their adhe- 
 sion to the revolutionary cau.se, and all the southern departments, 
 
THE PORTUGUESE IN AMERICA. gg^ 
 
 forming a majority of the wl.ole, assumed the title of "The Allied 
 , rovmces." On the 13lh of May, 1822, at Rio Janeiro i^'^ 
 
 Pedro was proclam.ed by the people. " Perpetual Protecto of B " 
 
 as an hereditary title; and whereas they would formerly have been 
 j .atKsiaed with free trade and a moderate share of representative and 
 
 domestic nght of government, they now resolved on havir.g I se, ! 
 
 rate legislature, and no union with Portugal, except that afforded 
 I 1^.^ ^''77"- n -1% to the assertion of these rights, the Cor^s 
 I ,n September, fulminated a sounding decree against all concerned in 
 
 he new order of hings; nevertheless, a general assembly, convok d 
 j by tl,e prince, met in the following year, and transformed lie rde icy 
 
 nitoun imperial government; and the authority of the prinet'^ 
 
 implicitly obeyed on all hands. ^ 
 
 A squadron from PortU"-a] with nil th^ +„^ ■, ■ ^ , 
 
 . '■ ,, °'' ^^"" "'' t"e troops which that feeble 
 
 nation could muster, arrived at Bahia, and occupied the town bu 
 so complete was the popular disaffection to the old rule that the 
 aut lioiity of the c.nimander, Madeira, was not extendedtyord 
 hnnt of the waHs. A resh angry and impotent decree of tlfe Corte 
 now menaced Dom Pedro with exclusion from the throne, and p o 
 claimed a paper blockade of the whole Brazilian coast. The pri e 
 on b.s part, by manifesto, accused the Cortes of tyranny and LZ' 
 t,on an lormally proclaiined to foreign n.UoJt^jX^^^e 
 of Brazil-dec anng, however, that he regarded the durance m w ch 
 his august father was held in Portugal, as only temporarily u" 
 pendmg his authority, and expressing his hope (hat a sin-de mon- 
 archy would yet unite the two nations.' (August 6th, 1822 ) 
 
 lie popular mind appearing ripe for such a measm-e the muni 
 cpal senate of Kio declared that, on the 12th of o'ctober e 
 pnnee wonl,l be formally proclaimed as constitutional emperor- \^ 
 accordingly, on that day, in a number of the provinces h s acc'es ll; 
 
 -uaui to dcfbnd th J J^^.^i:tt^z^:;;^:::^^ ';: 
 
 hould be worthy of Brazil and of him. No increase of po e o 
 revenue attended this elevation to the imperial dignitv kfo ,h 
 with summoned a constituent a.ssembly, to meet "t Ko , ^^^'''^• 
 the 3d of \f..v nQOs \ ii • ^ ^^"^ Jeneiro on 
 
 try by Cabraf ^ '^ -""^versary of the discovery of the coun- 
 
 Meanwhile, the Portuguese force at Bahia was surrounded bv 
 twenty thousand Brazilian troops, ami the oilicer. a..i,:^of:'^^ 
 
368 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOEY. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 from the country. Accordingly, having pillaged the city, and strip- 
 ped the churches of their gold and silver ornanaents, the whole com- 
 nuind, on the 2d of July, embarked on board of eighty vessels and 
 set sail. Owing to the width of the bay, and the favourable wind 
 the Brazilian fleet, of sixty ships, under Lord Cochrane, was unable to 
 intercept them, though sailing in pursuit, it captured several vessels. 
 The imperial army entered the city and proclaimed Dom Pedro. 
 
 The government, installed with such general satisfaction, was not 
 long in encountering difficulties from the more democratic element 
 in Brazilian politics; and the absolute veto, the strongest safc"-uard 
 of the imperial power, was refused by a majority of the assembly. 
 The emperor, in reply, declared his intention of practically enforcino' 
 the disputed point, and issued a proclamation, avowi:ig his abhor- 
 rence of despotism, whether that of one or of many. This position 
 of the new sovereign was sustained by the army, the navy, and a 
 majority of the people. In November, debate in the assembly be- 
 came so stormy, and, it was declared, showed such tendencies to 
 anarchy, that a body of troops was dispatched by the government 
 to dissolve the sitting by violence. This was done, and several of 
 the members were arrested, while Uom Pedro, in the midst of general 
 acclamation, rode through the city. He published a proclamation 
 promising to provide a constitution worthy of the nation and of 
 himself. The draft of such an instrument was circulated through 
 the empire, and a legislative assembly was snmrnoned. 
 
 In Pernambuco, the revolutionary spirit assumed a more formida- 
 ble aspect. A j)lan to erect a republican government there, with a 
 young man, named Carvallio Paes, as president, was toinporarily 
 su[ipressed by the imperial forces; but the troops, revolting, rein- 
 stated him in the office, and for a time his administration paid an 
 assumed deference to the imperial government. But, 'takin<»' advan- 
 tage of a proclamation of the emperor's, that he was unable to guard 
 the const against Portugal, the president and his partisans proclaimed 
 the latter a traitor leagued with the Portuguese, and called on the 
 provinces of the north to form a republic, to be entitled "The Con- 
 federation of the Equator." Many gave in their adhenjnco to this 
 scheme, but the movement was not general, and a partisan warfare 
 was commenced by the republican and imperial factions. To snp- 
 press this revolt, a squadron, under Lord Cochrane, cirrying twelve 
 hundred men, commanded by Dt3 Lima, was dispatched to the dis- 
 tracted district. The undisciplined forces of the republicans were 
 
TIIKPOKTU.UrrcSE IN AMERICA 
 •11, • *>^^ 
 
 vanqu.sl.ed, and Carvalho was compelled to fl^n f 
 
 the country. "'npeiiea to flee, for a time, from 
 
 ! On the 24th of Octol-ipr l «o i ♦!, 
 
 ' stitutional charter, t k oa h^^ ^ 
 
 ' sworn to throughout tL en, rP ^^i'%/^'''^^ ''' ^"^ ^' ^^-^ 
 
 : government. Dur"! his S " " '^'"'^^ ^'^"^^"'^"^ ^' ^^c 
 ten years, Brazil made t e^^^^^^^^ ""'^''''' ^'^''^•^ ^"«^«^ ^^^ about 
 
 ' haa done during threCd'ar'" '.""T^ "^"■^'^^'^ ^'-^ ^t 
 
 ^ "eglectingtoeofciliatep;:,!"^^^^^^ B«t f.-om 
 
 j ciently with the BraziliL'^atlot • Jf^.^^ J^^ {'X-'' ''""''^"^• 
 
 .ative jealousy of foreigninflueneebcameTl^^ ^T"' ^"^ ^ 
 On the 6th of April, 1831 the veoZnJl ^V ^'"'''^"^ ^^«'t«^- 
 den.a..ded the dL ssal of ceS minw" T'' "^^"^'«^'' ^^ 
 appointed to office, and the r . 1^^^^^^^^^^^ '"^^ '^-' -vvly 
 
 During the whole day this civic tumi : ^^^^^^^^^^ '^'-^^^^'- 
 
 obstinately refused compliance with f I.. ,™' but the emperor 
 
 : every thi4> the peopirhe'bS^^ "^^'"^^ 
 
 : This speech, repoJted to the meeting LTeW " ''T'" 
 t,on and the troops began to side with^ile pe", e Tl'' ""'"^^ '^^''" 
 battalion," and the imperial ^uard nf 1 ^ ^ ''^ "emperor's 
 
 , and the multitude wat iid^y ;p S" ::;\r::' ^t ^'' ^""^^^' 
 I racks. "The emperor, in thes'e tryh J^'n s "? ^'^ ^'^'- 
 
 evinced a dignity and magnanimity unknown n I "l "^ ''^^^ 
 prosperity. On the one hand the em 1" ^''^" °^ ^''^ 
 
 a...i aiy^hending the most ^^'0^^,^ Til "' T'""'^ 
 
 envoy from the combined assemblage of r^oils nn 1 '""' "" 
 "rg.ng him to a final answer. Sesert d hT -^'"P"'''' "''^^ 
 fatigued beyond measure, he at length foudTn' '""''"'' ^'^"'^ 
 to circumstances." At t vo o'clock in t ''''"'^ '" ^''^'^ 
 
 announcing his intention to hi mini rs heTo':r°' ^^"""^ ^^^^" 
 fe. words as possible, abdicated the hrone in f ' ^'"V:"^'' '" ^" 
 ^on, Dom Pedro de Alcantara. "I er "Ts dT";,'" '"'^ '"'"'' 
 "is niy abdication. May you be hnl'v! T f n ' "'"•"'^"^' 
 and leave the country that I hZ ^i I ^'" '^^''^ ''^ ^"'•«P''- 
 Having uttered thel'wo ds uZ tiln: 7' ""! '''^^ ' '''' '--" 
 -' -^^^er arranging his doVesr atrf ^thl'^ "''"' ""^ ^^■•"■■^' 
 eldest daughter, went aboard an Fn u ""^"'^''^ ''"'^' '"-^ I 
 
 the harbour. Soon f'erh" Return frV''""'"''^''' "^'''"•'^ ^'^.>' - 
 a-tance, he succeeded 'nt^l'to^ hT :''"^' ^'^^ ^'"'^''^'^ 
 the crown of Portugal. ^ ' ^'^^'^'''■' ^^«"^ ^^'S-^el. j 
 
 Vol. ni._24 
 
1 
 
 u 
 
 870 THE I'KOPLK'S BOOK OF II18T0HY. 
 
 CilAPTEE ?L 
 
 THK CUII.l) DOM I'KDRO II. — THE TRIPLE RKOKNCY.: — THE 
 
 RKOKNCY 01'' I'KIJO: 01' LIMA. FRK8H RKVOLUTION. — THK 
 
 ilAJORITY 01'' TIIK K.MI'KUOR P U 00 1, A I M K 1). POPULAR 
 
 T R i:H I, K S KKNUWKl); 1) 1 S A 8T RO U S RESU I, T. — THK 
 
 ROY A I, MARRIAOKa. — C A P A HI I, I T 1 K8 AND 
 
 NKOKSSITlKa OF BRAZIL. 
 
 Tn tlie Ciimpo (1(1 Smitii Anna, where the popular aascmhly was 
 still ill full iii^italioii, the news of the abdieiitioii was received with 
 onthusiastic joy, ami with slioutH of "Long live Doin Pedro 11. |" 
 and the little priuee, (only six years old,) in whose favour the instru- 
 iiieiit had been drawn, was borne in triumph through the city, and 
 reeeived iin enthusiastie aeelaination us (Muperor. On the !)tli of 
 7\|iril, a grand court-day was held for the little sovereign, Dom 
 Pedro ir., whoso aeeessiun was celebrated with much display and 
 appearance of loyalty. A provisional iTgeney, on the morning of 
 the abdication, had IxHin provided by the d(>puties and senator.'^, with 
 the late ministers of 8tat(>, and on the 17th, the general as,seiiibly 
 elected, as a permanent regency, Lima, Costa Carvalho, and Joao 
 ^luni/. These iinportMUt political changes were ell'eetcd with re- 
 markable order and traniidillily. In 18.'}4, liow(n'er, a law whs 
 jiassed, vesting the regency in the hands of a single jHU-son, to be 
 elcctinl for four years; and Diogo Keijo, a bishop and a senator, 
 accordingly, on the I'Jth of October, 1885, was installed as sold 
 regent. His administration was troubled with insurrections in Per- 
 uambueo, Kio (irande, and l^ira — the pnvsident of the latter pliice 
 ln>ing a.^sa.s.-iinated, and the Portuguese then; indi.seriininatclv iinir- 
 dered. The assembly was slow in supporting iiis aulhoritv, and, 
 disheartened by these obstacles, in September, l.SoT, he resigiunl the 
 regency. In October of the following year, Pedro ijim;i, already, by 
 a clause of the constitution, jirovisionally regent, was contirincd in 
 that olhee by election. 
 
 Weary of his authority, a party of the as.sembly, in July, 1840, 
 began to agitate the (piestion of declaring the young emperor of age, 
 and eonimitting the imperial aulhorify into his own hands. Furious 
 debate and great agitation ensued, and the citizens, eager, iis usual, 
 
XlIEPOKTUOUKSKlNAMEinCA. g^^ 
 
 .lc|.utics, in joint »u»«i„„ „„„„;„,,?'' ""'' "'« «"•■"<> "nJ 
 p. 'or, a„a obtain l.ij »:' " ."f "'™'','.''™ '° -"' «" '1- cm- 
 .1. i...cn«c delight and c" . l^:; 2"f ""« IJ^'^-'ion. To 
 »,*rcd tl,o roKont to-rovoh tL V '^"'' °' ''° '=°»»™'»1, and 
 
 The next moriiin'' (July 9?,(] ift4n\ ^u 
 roundel by an assona lie of dl !! 1^ .! ^enatcl.onsc wa.s sur- 
 
 : shouts of the multitude without .^t'?i .1 """'• *'" "PProvir.g 
 
 : boyon.1 bounds, and continual W ^ It t « ^'u " '"r"""'' 
 
 I before the two houses to sunr.ort \ J ^^"^ *""'^' '^=^»'' 
 
 i religion, and a Vro^aZTC ':7T''''- ^'1 ^^^^ ^^^'''^^*« 
 
 ' TI.0 city was brilliantly iUumU Id nd 1 " "'""'^' ^''' ^^««^''^«'""- 
 
 ' festivity prevailed, in this sW^ "^' ^'^^'^test rej.ieing and 
 
 , -. w. a youth or 1,..^':!: i^'7z::fi:7^' '-'- 
 
 : throne of J}ra;5il. His coronntl.u, ^'^-v.ited to the irnpenul 
 
 "»;;,.*»•»-, in.,n!;\ar::::i;r;:r'"'"^ -'* «-' .»■".■ 
 
 •imml liv the trc-iti„„nt ";"."'•"""•• ^ «>'»"g« "I miiiiateia („„„. 
 
 ■ Uo revolt, oecurrecl, and i„ i " it ! , ," ^"'"""^- '' "■'""'- 
 
 -7 co„ce„ed, a i^e^Lt' i ^^ ,,'' '::,f ," 7°"*""" 
 "illiiig on tlie Lcoiile ",„ f,™ .1 ° ' ■" "'° 8'reot corners, 
 
 - .;» o„„.,.itnti„'n flrTe Ll" „ LS 'I; "'^ "'™- 
 '«! a inoclaniation, si.mod hv the ,.„ . , '"""■'"■■»■ 
 llio l.a« Ao„|,l ,,„ n, i„Li e, ^t ' I ' 7' '", "'" ""'"■"""'■J' "'' 
 
 - --« on .,,ie,„n, and Lanthed 'SSl " Th:aX' 
 
v& 
 
 ^ 
 
 l( 
 
 8. 
 
 h 
 
 -? 14", 
 
 If 
 
 372 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 ity of the government was at last reasserted, but with the loss of 
 many lives, and great daniage to the public credit and revenue. 
 
 In 1842, a contract of marriage had been made between the young 
 emperor and the Princess Theresa, sister of the king of the two 
 Sicilies, and on the 3d of September of the following year, a Brazilian 
 squadron brought her to Kio Janeiro. In the spring preceding tliis 
 last event, the Prince de Joinville, arriving in command of a French 
 squadron, had married and taken to Europe the Princess Francisca, 
 sister of the emperor. The next year, the Princess Januaria, another 
 sister, was married to the count of Aquila, brother of the empress; the 
 imperial house of Brazil thus being strengthened, as it was consid- 
 ered, by three alliances, within a year, with the royal famihes of 
 Europe. 
 
 " There is no part of the habitable globe," says Mr. McGregor,* 
 "which possesses a greater variety of, or more splendidly munificent 
 resources than the empire of Brazil — an empire in its area as large 
 as seventy-seven kingdoms of the same area with Portugal, and 
 nearly as extensive as all Europe. If we estimate its soil, climate 
 and water-courses, Brazil appears capable of being rendered, proba- 
 bly three-fold, more productive than all the regions from tlie Atlan- 
 tic to the Oural mountains, from the Mediterranean to the Arctic 
 This empire, however, does not possess in its population (which 
 
 sea. 
 
 is little, if any, more in number than the inhabitants of Belgium) the 
 power of becoming great, wealthy, or powerful, for a long period to 
 come; unless every facility and security be afforded to the immigra- 
 tion of industrious Europeans, or of the citizens of the United States 
 of North America; — unless the utmost security is guaranteed to per- 
 son and property; — unless the prejudices against the persons and the 
 religion of foreigners be forgotten; — unless the bigoted attachment 
 of the Brazilians for hereditary customs, and for a make-shift system 
 of agriculture and handicraft-trades, be supplanted by intelligence, 
 industry, and enterprise; — and unless the trade and navigation, of 
 every part and port of Brazil is relieved from restrictive commercinl 
 laws, and from high duties on commodities. Then, and not till 
 then, can they advance in that path of wealth, greatness, and power, 
 of which they have so marvellous an example in Anglo-Saxon 
 North America." 
 
 * "Progress of America" — an able .ind elaborate work of American statistics, to 
 which the writer, in preparing this article, has been chielly indebted. 
 
PART IV. 
 
 ^t iutti ill gmmra. 
 
 THE NEW lETHERLAIDS 
 
 CHAPTEH I. 
 
 CAPTAIN HENRY HFDS0N.-HI8 VOYAGES IN SEARCH OP A 
 
 NORTHERLY PASSAGE TO C HIN A,-EMPLO YEI, R. II ^ CH 
 
 EAST INDIA C0MPANY.-SAIL8 IN THE HALF-' OON- 
 
 CRUISES ALONG THE AMERICAN COAST IN SEARcH OF 
 
 A north-west passage -discovers and ascend 
 
 THEHUDSONRIVER.-DEALINGSWITHTHEINDIANS. 
 
 The arduous endeavours of Holland to gain a footing, in the 
 wealthy reg.ons of Brazil, her protracted struggle with 1^41 and 
 Spa,n, and the final expulsion of her eolonil^ fi-om the drsputed 
 
 -ntory, have been described in the preceding article. He Ce 
 P acefu and successful enterprise of planting a°colony on the sho" 
 
 f North America, and her brief tenure of the most vau.be 
 
 1 nnrfi 1 ° ^ "^"^y- "'-'' attempts to reach India bv 
 
 1 :,t r''^' T''''''^ ^'^ insignificance of his mean are 
 ^ ZZu'f'''T "'"^^'-^i-t exploits in the way of'dis- 
 ^"3 that ],ave ever been undertaken. On the 1st of m/ 
 
 lay, 1607, 
 
?l 
 
 i 
 
 f 
 i, 
 
 r 
 
 ; 1 
 I 1 
 
 1 1 
 
 874 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOUV, 
 
 being employed, as lio sjvys, "by certaine worshipfall uuirehants of 
 Tiondon for to discover u piissiige by the North Polo to -Inpaii aiul 
 Ciiiiia," with only ten men and his little Hon, ho sailed in a small 
 vesHol from Graveaend. On the 13th of .luno, ho made the const of 
 Greenland, which he explored for aconsidoral)lo di.stanco, and thence 
 proceeded to Spitzbcrgen, where, in seventy-eight degrees north lat- 
 itude, entangled among huge masses of ice, for a long time, ho vainly' 
 endeavoured to Ibrce his way northward. Ho attained a latitude of 
 eighty-two degrees, surjiassing any one who had preceded hini, and 
 rivalling the most successful expeditions of modern times. Finding 
 it impossible to proceed in the desired direction, he made an equally 
 futile attemjjt to pass to the north of Greenland, and in September 
 returned to the Thames. In the following year, with a like slender 
 company, on the 22d of April, he renewed the attempt, trying to 
 pass to the north of Nova Zembla; but after displaying much forti- 
 tude and perseverance, was comj)clled to relinquish the design, and 
 at the close of summer to return to England. The "worsliipfnH 
 merchants," discouraged by these failures, refused to fit out any more 
 ex{)editions, even of the insufficient kind they had already vouchsafed 
 to him. 
 
 Undismayed either by disappointment or neglect, "the bold Enf^. 
 lishman," (as he was called,) betook himself to Holland, where his 
 reputation had preceded him, and sought employment from tlio 
 Dutch East India Company. That ambitious corporation, ea"-er to 
 extend its traffic and gain a footing in the east, furnished liiin with 
 a little vessel, called the Ilalf-Afoon, and a crew of twenty men, with 
 which, on the 25th of March, 1609, he again sailed on the expected 
 track to India through the Arctic sea. Op{)oscd by continual "ales 
 fogs, and ice, he finally steered in a westerly direction, and on the 
 2d of July, reached the bank of Newfoundland. Keeping on along 
 the coast, he soon after entered Penobscot bay. Here he cut down 
 a tree and replaced his foremast, which had been carried away in a 
 storm, and traded with the Indians for furs. Despite the friendly 
 demeanour of the latter, the whites, conceiving a vague suspicion of 
 treachery, at their departure, committed an act of brutal spoliation 
 on their unfortunate hosts. "In the morning," says Juet, who kept 
 the log, "wee manned our scute with four Muskets and six men, and 
 took one of their Shallops," (canoes), "and brought it aboord. Then 
 we manned our boat and scute with twelve men and Muskets, and 
 two Stone Peeces or Murderers," (very appropriately), "and drave 
 
 m^^i^. 
 
THE DUTCH IN AMERICA. 
 
 875 
 
 the Salvages from their houses, and took the spoylo of them as they 
 would have dcjiie of vs." ' ^ 
 
 Ilud,son hacl been informed by his friend, the famous Captain John 
 Sm.th, t at a httle south of Virginia he would probably find IZs- 
 age to he nd..s and aecordingly he kept southward alonJ o 
 coant. On Cape Cod he found "goodly grapes and rose trees," a 
 a nendly, eonhdu.g people. About the nuddle of Augu.st he a riv d 
 oti Chesapeake Bay where Smith, at this tin.e, was c^.gaged in Ihe 
 mcn.orable foundation of the first English settlement in Ameri a 
 but, on aeeount of contrary winds, passed without entering. Hayin.: 
 proceeded as far south as thirty-six degrees north latitudorarul seL-n^ 
 n» .nd>cat.on of a pas..nge to the Paeifle, he turned northward. anS 
 discovered Delaware buy. Keeping on this eourse, on the 2d of 
 S,.p ember, he eame to the Highlands of Neversink, since the chief 
 aiHlmark of commerce in the Western Continent-"a good land to 
 fa with, and a pleasant land to see," says the journul-"a sentiment 
 echoed in succeeding centuries, by many an anxious and sea-worn 
 ■nanner. He rounded Sandy Hook, an.I eume to anchor in what is 
 now known as the Lower J3ay of New York 
 
 The Indians, friendly in their demeanour", thronged around the 
 vessel in their canoes, bringing tobacco, which they exchanged for 
 knives and beads. A party sent up the bay to explore, declared 
 iMt the Lands were as pleasant with Grasse and Flowers and -oodlv 
 rees, as ever they had seene, and very sweet smells came from them " 
 As they returned in the evening, ,hey were attacked by two canoes 
 hlled with Lul.ans, twenty-six in all; two of their number were 
 wouMcled, and one slain outright by an arrow in the throat The 
 next cay the natives came alongside as usual, and Hudson, detaining 
 two of them as hostages, weighed anchor, and on the 11th of Sen- 
 tember passed the Narrows, and entered New York harbour "On 
 us r^ht was the lovely island of Mannaliata, now the site" of the 
 airest city m the New World; and before him lay invitingly the 
 beautiful and majestic river whi<.h still bears his name. For manv 
 leagues it is rather an estuary than a stream, and it is said that he 
 was cheered with the belief that it w<m.1,1 prove to be the lon-.-souoht 
 passage to India." On the 12,h he stood u,> the river, trading with ' 
 he liuhans, and by the evening of the second day had ascended to 
 the Highlands. Here his two hostages, whom he had arrayed in 
 reel coats, made their escape and swam to shore. 
 Anchoring, on the evening of the 15th, somewhere nnor f},. bfloe 
 
I'^l 
 
 6; I 
 
 UTG 
 
 TIIK I'K()1'I,K'« UUDK OK IIISTDKY. 
 
 of tliu CatlHlvillH, ho IouikI "vory loving pcoplo, und very old men " 
 anil was kindly ('ntrciiUMJ. Tlio Indiiins l)ron;^'lit corn, I'nrH, tobacco 
 grnpcs, and pnnijtkin.s I'or exchange!, and tnillic waH briskly carriiMl 
 on alon;; the river. Sonio way further up, "our Master's Mate" 
 Bjiys tiie journal, "wont on land with un oldo Sauago, u (louornour 
 of tho Cuunlrcy; who carried him to liis house, and made him good 
 ehecre. * * * Our Master" (Hudson) "and his Mate" 
 ])roeeeds the narrative, "determined to trio somo of tho chielb men 
 of the Countrcy, whether they had any troachorio in thom. So they 
 tu.>lM> iheiM down into tho ('abbin, ami gauo thom ho much Wine and 
 Ai/iKi \'itiv that th(>v were all nu*rrie; and ono of them had his wife 
 with liini, which sate so inoilostly as any of our Countrcy women 
 w.ii;l.l doe iu a strange place, in tho cml onoof thom wasdrunkc," 
 Ac, iS;e., but nothing transpired to confirm the suspicion with which 
 Hudson .seems I'ontinually to have) regarded the natives. AllVighted 
 at the apparent death of their companion, tho chiefs wont on shore 
 but tin- next day, seeing him ulive, "camo abord," saya tho jouriuil 
 "and lirought tobacco and more Bcadt-a, and gave thorn to our Master 
 and made an Oration, and shelved him all the Countrcy round about. 
 Then they .si'nt one of their Company on land, who presently rcturnod 
 und brought a great platter full of vcni.son, dressed by themselves 
 and they causeil hiui to eato with them. Then they nuido him rev- 
 erence anil de[)arted." 
 
 \j didt bUM X (L JU vbli JL df % 
 
 HUDSON TfltNS II M K W .\ R 1). — MURDEROUS HOSTI L ITIE8 WITH 
 
 THE INDIANS. IMS RETURN TO ENOLAND. — HIS LAST VOY- 
 
 AOE AND DISCOVERY. — SUFEERINOS I) U R I N THE WIN- 
 TER. — llENUY OREEN. — MUTINY OF THE CREW. — HUD- 
 SON AND OTHERS SET ADRIFT TO PERISH. 
 
 Aktkr ascending the river in the ITalf-Moon for about an hundred 
 and fifty miles, and exploring the contracted channel with his boats 
 ^<ome distance farther, Hud.son began to perceive that the track to 
 India wa.s yet undiscovered; and accordingly he turned liis prow 
 southward, and beat slowly down the stream. Two old men came 
 
 L__ 
 
TlIK I.UTCll IN AMKKICA. 
 
 877 
 
 ulmn, ono of wl.om, .ay, tin, journal, "l,n,-,Kht n.om Ih'.uh;, a,..l 
 gauo the... to our MuHtcr, «,h1 hI,owo<1 l.i.n all tl.o Cuuntrcy ll.ero 
 ubout ,us tl.ouM h «t were at I.Ih co.an.atul. So he u.adc the Uvo old 
 n.o,i -lino with h.ni aud the ol.l man's wife; Ibr they brought two 
 oKI w..nu.u ami two ^ ong nuudons of tho age ofHixt.H.ne or Heventeenc 
 ycerc'H with theiri, who hehavcMl therrmelviJH very modestly " 
 
 The intercourhe with the natives of the river, heretofore ho friendly 
 mul agrccabl.., was soon converted, by a eruel arxl violent .lee<l, into 
 (lea. ly wurlure. U„ the 1st of Uetobor, just below the Highlands, 
 th. Hall-Moon eurnc to an an.-.hor. "The people of the Mountaynes," 
 BU)H the i.armt.ve, "eame aboord vs, wondring at our ship and 
 weaiioiis. W e l«,ught some small Skinnes of them for 'JVilles This 
 nfturnounc ..ne Canoo kept hanging vuder our ster.,e with on<' mar. 
 in It wh.eh wo eould not keepe from thenee, who got vp by our 
 Ku.lder to the ( abin window, and stole out my I'illow and two Shirts 
 uiid uvo HarMlaleeros. Our Master's Mate shot at him and strooko 
 . liun ou the breast and killed him. VVliereupon all the rest (led 
 uwuy, some m their Canoes and so leapt out of them into the water 
 AVc manned our Boat and got our thh.gs againe. Then o.ie of them 
 tliat suunime g(.t hold of our Boat, thinking to ouerthrow it. But 
 our Cooke tooke u Sword, and cut oil' one ,jf his hands ami he was 
 drowned." The next day, seven leagues lurther down, hostilities 
 were renewed. Many savages appeared, an.l would lain have con>e 
 aboard : " but wee pereeived their intent, and suffered none of them " 
 contmues the log, " to enter our ship. Whereupon, two CanoesTdled 
 with men, with their Bowes and Arrowes shot at us after our sterne- 
 in recompense whereof wee diseharged sixe Muskets, and killed tw.l 
 or three of them. Then above a hundred of them came to a Point 
 ofland to shoote at vs. There I shot a KalcMi," (small eannon,) "at 
 ^.en, an<I killed two of them; whereupon the rest fle.l to the Woods 
 Ut they manned olf another Canoe with nine or ten men, whi..h 
 came to ineet vs. So I shot at it also a Falcon, and shot it thron.d. 
 ami killed one of them. Then our men, with their Muskets, killed 
 tliioe or lour more of them. So they went their way " 
 
 On the 4th of October, Hudson took his departure from New 
 ^ork Bay, and, after a month's voyage, arrived at Dartmouth, in 
 J^ngland. lere he was detained by ,,n order of the English court, 
 ealousof the enterprise of the Dutch, but contrived to dispatch to 
 h s eniployers the journals of his voyage, and charts of the country 
 iie had explored. ■^ 
 
 ii' 
 
878 
 
 TlIK I'KOI-LK'a HOOK OK HISTORY. 
 
 , * 
 
 Tlio last voyago and dispovory, and tlio mcliiiiclioly fato of tliis 
 I'auioiis tiavigator may bo bricMy iiarniU'd. In April of tlio next 
 year (KilO) ho again sailed, with twonty-threo men, for an Knghsli 
 Coinpany, in srurch of tiic Nortli-wrat Piis^ago. llo first stopiieil 
 at Ici'huid, and thon donhling the sonthern extremity of Greenland 
 was involved in masses of floating ieo. (letting elcar of this obstrim- 
 tion, in duly, he passed tlirough the strait, and entered the <'ro.'it 
 iidantl sea, both of whieli still cominemorato his name. For a month 
 he steered sondierly, and then was brought up by the land. Tlio 
 vessel was hauled aground, and a most dismal winter was passed by 
 the erev/. (irievous sulfering was endured from cold anil liun<'-cr 
 and mutinous diseontent among tlie men, aggravated by the iinna- 
 tienei! and irritability of tiieir commander, soon ripened into a tra- 
 gical eonsinnmation. 
 
 " Yon shall vnderatand," aaya Ilabakkuk IVieket, (who wrote a 
 narrative of the voyage,) "that our Master kt^pt (in his house at Imi- 
 :i'»i) a young man named //niric (rrcciir, borne in /Cent, of Worship- 
 full Parents, but by his lend life and conversation lieo Inid lost the 
 goo(i-will of all Ilia friends and spent all that hee had. This man 
 our Master would have to Sea with him, because hee could write 
 well; our Master gave him meate, and drinke, and lodging, and by 
 in(>anes of one Master Vni/iO)i, with much adoe, got four poundes of 
 his Mother to buy him clothes, wherewith ^faster Voisou would not 
 trust him, but sawe it layed out himselfe ***** So 
 I/ciirir (iirciic stood vpright and very inward with the M.-ister, and 
 was a serviceable man every way for maidiood; but for Religion hoe 
 would say hee was cleane paper, whereon he might wl-ite what hoe 
 w.ndd." During the winter, the elfects of the gunner (who had 
 died early in the season), were put up for sale at the main-mast, tis 
 usual, !\nd Cireene wished to purchase a certain "gray gowne," bo- 
 longing to the deceased, and no doubt very desirable in the rigor 
 of an arctic winter. Hut Hudson, being dissatisfied with him, said 
 he should not have it, and ahari)ly reminded him that none of his 
 friends at home would trust him with the value of twenty shillinijs. 
 
 "The jealous and irritable temper of mariners, long jjcnt together 
 in disastrous voyages, is well known; and when to this source of 
 dissension are superadded privation, sniVering, and the constant 
 dread of starvation, it is hardly surprising that their minds should 
 be tilled with morbid imaginings, and that trifles should assume 
 unnatural importance. In many a dreary narrative of the seas, we 
 
 ._J 
 
TlIK DUT-UII I N AMKKIOA. 
 
 379 
 
 /in.! rnattorfl of no greater moment tlian this wretched 'gray gowne ' 
 „K,gn,lie.l into in.portanoe, a.ul the eause of tlio most lamtntabl'e 
 4u.no.s and mutunos" -'You shall see," says Muster J'ri.ket, 
 "iiow tlio Demll out of this wrought with Iknvk (hronc " 
 
 About the middle of June, the little crew of forlorn adventurers 
 again got under way, but were soon once more fast in the ire The 
 scanty reimuuder of ship-stores had been already .livided by the can- 
 tarn, ''(aa.l iu-e wept when hce gaue it,)" and he now incurred fresh 
 ili-vvill by compelling the crew to produce for the comm.m benelit 
 any rcnmant of private stores which they might still have in their 
 flic'sts. A barbarous plot was now liatched up by Greene and Wil- 
 son the boatswain, to set the cai.tain, with the sick and disabled 
 adrift m the ship's boat, as the most likely mode of saving the lives 
 of the remainder; and, accordingly, the unfortunate Hudson with 
 his young son and six others, (mostly sick or lame,) were treacher- 
 ously sei/ed and put aboard the boat towing astern. Belbre tlie 
 ship was clear of the ice, the mutineers cut the line, and left their 
 unli.rtiinate victims to perish of cold and iiiinger. On their wiv 
 homeward, four of them, including Greene and Wilson, were killed 
 by the savages, and old Juet, whose crime, as well as that of Greene 
 was enhanced by past friendship and favours received from JIuds(Mi' 
 perished of hunger on the voyage. The company, the next year' 
 dispatched the same vessel, under Captain Thomas lUitton to searc-h 
 for the deserted commander, and to complete the supposed discovery 
 of the North-west passage ; but neither object was accomplished 
 
 ■ CHAPTEH HL 
 
 VOYAGES 01' TJIK DUTCH TO HANNAH ATA.— EXPKDITIOX OP I.LOK 
 ANl) CnilFSTlAANSE.— NEW AMSTERDAM (NEW YORK) FOUNDED 
 —COLONY PLANTED ON THE DELAWARE: SINGULARLY DE- 
 STROY E D.— 00 VERNORS MINUIT AND VAN TWILLER — 
 SETTLEMENT OF THE SWEDES ON THE DELAWARE. 
 
 In the year 1810, following the discovery of the Ifud.on, private 
 indivKluals m Holland dispatched a vessel to traflic for furs with the 
 Indians inhabiting its shores; the success of this expedition led to 
 
380 
 
 Tllii PEOTLK'S 1500K OF HISTORY. 
 
 several others; and some little trading stations were established on the 
 island of Mannahata (Manhattan or New York). In 1614, a corpora- 
 tion, entitled "The Amsterdam Licensed Trading West India Compa- 
 ny," was cha'-tji'cd, (with a monopoly of commerce in the newly-found 
 region,) which, that same year, dispatched thither two vessels, under 
 Adrian Blok and Ilendrick Christiaanse, The former, arriving first 
 at Mannahata, and losing his vessel by fire, set to work with much 
 energy to build another, in which he again set forth on a voya"-e of 
 discovery. Passing through that narrow strait, which, from its furious 
 tides, his crew called Ilelle-gadt (Hell's Gap) — ^a name which with 
 slight alteration, it still retains — he passed through Long Island 
 Sound, and proceeded as far as Cape Cod, where he found his con- 
 sort. The two captains cruised westward along shore in company 
 surveying the coast, and naming the islands. They discovered 
 Narraganset Bay and the Connecticut and Ilousatonic rivers- and 
 Block island, which they passed, still commemorates the name of 
 its discoverer. 
 
 Ascending the Hudson, they built a fort on Castle Island, a little 
 below the present city of Albany ; and in the following year another 
 was erected on Manhattan, where New York now stands, and 
 whither lor many years the Dutch vessels came regularly to receive 
 their cargoes of furs. Their powerful neighbours, the Iroquois or 
 Five Nations, long at deadly feud with the Canadian French, viewed 
 with satisfaction the establishment of rival settlements, and main- 
 tained friendly rela<^ions in general, both with the Dutch and English. 
 Though once disturbed by a visit from Captain Argall, from Vir- 
 ginia, who claimed the country in behalf of his government, and 
 occasionally by the bucaniers, the Dutch continued to maintain 
 their traflic, and slowly to extend their settlements. In lfi21, a new 
 corporation, entitled "The West Indian Company of the New Neth- 
 erlands," was chartered by the States-General of Holland, which, in 
 1623, dispatched a large number of settlers, under Captain Mey, to 
 their colony of Mannaliata. He relieved the wants of that little settle- 
 ment, (which no ship had visited for two years,) and, after exploring 
 the coast some way to the eastward, turned south, and finally entered 
 Delaware river. Cape May, named after him, conmicmoratcs the visit. 
 Ho passed up the river, and, on Gloucester point, a few miles below 
 the preseiit city of Philadelphia, founded a settlement, which he 
 named Fort Nassau, but which, after a brief tenancy, was abandoned. 
 Fort Orange, on the site of Albany, was built the same year. 
 
)lished on the 
 14, a corpora- 
 tndia Compa- 
 ! newly-found 
 /^essels, under 
 arriving first 
 k with much 
 a voyage of 
 >in its furious 
 ! which, with 
 Long Island 
 und his con- 
 in company, 
 y discovered 
 3 rivers; and 
 the name of 
 
 sland, a little 
 year another 
 stands, and 
 'ly to receive 
 J Iroquois or 
 ench, viewed 
 s, and main- 
 and English, 
 dl, from Vir- 
 ^rnment, and 
 to maintain 
 1621, a new 
 3 New Neth- 
 id, which, in 
 tain Mey, to 
 ,t little settle- 
 ,er exj)loring 
 lally entered 
 ates the visit. 
 miles below 
 t, wliich he 
 s abandoned. 
 ) year. 
 
■,"") ■ ■ ' ■ 
 
 1 
 
 ti,: 
 
 i i 
 
 
 
 Is} 
 
 !l 
 
 ! ; 
 
 '. : ? 
 
 ^■! 
 
 ■ ^i 
 
 ■ i 
 
 -' " ' ■ r 
 
 T 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1| 
 
THE DUTCH IN AMERICA. 
 
 881 
 
 Two years afterwards, (1625,) the company sent two more sl.ips 
 under command of Peter Minuit, the first governor of "The New 
 Netherlands," (as the country was now called,) with a number of 
 Walloon emiirants, who settled on Long Island, where the " Walla- 
 bout," or "Walloon-bend" still distinguishes the place of their selec- 
 tion. In 1630, De Vriez, a skillful navigator, who had served in 
 the East Indies, was sent, with thirty or forty peopfe, to found a 
 new colony on the Delaware. On the site of what is now known as 
 Levvistown, on the southern shore, he built a small fort, which he 
 called Iloeren-kill, and having landed the settlers, with their stock 
 and supplies, sailed for Holland, leaving one Gillis Osset in connnand 
 "The new settlement had but a brief existence, and owe^ its de- 
 struction to an incident singular enough. The Dutch, by way of 
 taking formal possession of the country, had erected a pillar to 
 which was affixed a piece of tin, inscribed with the arms of Holland 
 This tinsel bit of heraldry, ere long, was appropriated by an Indian 
 chief, who, unconscious of its high import, converted it into tobacco- 
 pipes for his private smoking. At this insult, as he deemed it to 
 'Their High Mightinesses, the States General,' Osset became ridicu- 
 lously enraged. Vindication of outraged dignity is generally vehe- 
 ment in p.oportion to the paucity of the aggrieved attribute; and 
 the Dutch commander, with strange inflitnation, refused to be satisfied 
 with any excuse or reparation which the Indians could oiler. ^eein<^ 
 hirn thus unappeasable, and perhaps supposing the crime to be of 
 a heinous religious nature, they finally cut olf the head of the of- 
 fending chief, and brought it, a grisly token of submission, to the fort. 
 "Osset stood aghast at the consequences of his obstinate sulkiness 
 and told the Indians that they should only have brought the culprit 
 before him for reproval. But the mischief had been done, and the 
 friends and relations of the murdered chief resolved on a sweeping 
 and terrible revenge. All was contrived with savage artifice and 
 secrecy. The colonists were mostly engaged in tillaiie, and only a fow 
 remained at the fort. These were massacred by some warriors who 
 entered under pretence of selling beaver-skins. The Indians then 
 walked slowly to those in the fields, and foil to eonversin.r in a 
 friendly manner. Not the slightest suspicion was awakened°until 
 "t a given signal, the savages foil on them, and butchered them to a 
 man I he entire colony, consisting of thirty-four men, perished 
 at a blow. 
 
 "In December, De Vriez returned from Holland, and the utter 
 

 Til K rKOn.K'S IIOOIC OK II iSTdUV 
 
 HiK-iuv of 111,' .IwolliiigH fon-warnod liim of misforltuuv 1{,„wh -uu] 
 hI<iiIIs l.MV hlciu-liin^r on tlio shore. The IndimiH, witli wlioi,,* 1h, 
 WHS soon in (lii-iHlly inloivonrso, inlonncd Iiiui, willi uU tho oirciuri. 
 ulanccs, of the nuinh'r of his counlrynuin."'* 
 
 I" Kl.S.S, Minnil, was itlphiTOd in ofllco by Woutor Van TwilU-r 
 
 un.l,«:- wiioni Kort AnistiMdatn (tho sctthnnont at MainialiatM)(!ontiii' 
 
 ikhI Io iiuTwiso. Wind-iMJIls, in onudation of tho inothcr-oountry 
 
 W(>ro hnilt, and iiofrro slaves w.to iinpoilcrd. A church and il 
 
 species of statediouse Were also orecited. IMinuit, d(>pose(l from 
 
 odie.-, entered tho servieo of (Miristina of S\vcd(Mi. Her father tlio 
 
 Mieat (instavus, had alrea.lv planned tlu. fo.mdation of a settle.nent 
 
 111 Ameriea. ami had ,h«voled a large sum ($1(H),()00) to the ol,j,vt 
 
 Oxeiistiern, the Swedish niinisfor, prompted hy this ciromnstaneo' 
 
 mul hy the persuasions of Minuit, readily eanu> into tho scheme' 
 
 and, ahout tho year l(i;m, an expedition was (lispateh(>.] to the l),i 
 
 aware, wineh iMvoted a tort, ealle.l alU-r the ,pie.Mi, C'hristinn and 
 
 made a settlenuM.t near Wilmington. The footing thus obtained hv 
 
 the Swedes was allerwanls a source of no small trouble and uneiusi. 
 
 ness to their Dutch neighbours. 
 
 ■ 
 
 C H A V T E H I ?„ 
 
 OOyKKXOU KKIPT, — OOyERNOR STUYVKSANT: HIS T II A IMCTF R. 
 
 MK SrUDl-KS THE MVKUKS.— UNTKN A HI.K CLAIMS OV TlIK KNO- 
 
 MSI!.— OlIANT IIY CIIAHI.K.S II. TO TlIK D f K K OP YOKK 
 
 — \KW AMSTKUIIAM TAKKX HY OOI.ONKI, NICOI.I.S: lUi- 
 
 TAKKN HY TlIK IM' TOII — FIN AI, CliSSION TO KNOT, AND. 
 
 Ix 1038, William Keii>, in jdaoe of Va„ Twiller, was appointed 
 .aovernor o( the New Netherlands, and wns spee.lilv involved ia 
 ilUheulties with the gradually encroaching JMinlish" He forh^ulo 
 tlu>in to trade at the fort of Good Tloiu<, (a s.nall 'l)utch post in Con- 
 ■noet.eut. whore the city of Hartford nou- stan.ls,) and broke up hy 
 loroo a settlement whirl, they had made on Long Island. In 1(518 
 the English colonies, now greatly superior in strenoth to their nei..!i! 
 bours. entered into a league against th.-in. The horrors of Ind'iiui 
 warfare were .-^oon added to the ,^t her troubles of the ouuutry. Koil^, 
 ♦ Dist'ovorora, &c., olWniorica. 
 
Til I. iu;t(jii j,\ amkkkja. 
 
 383 
 
 on HUHj.idor, c.f l.o«tiIe intcntioMH, had uttucko.l u party of tho „ati vo8 
 , uii.l l.iul niuHHucml nearly a hundred of them. An Indian wir' 
 I I,.sLmg lur two years, md elfectually cheeking the progreHs of thd 
 I BCU1.-IH..1, was the result; but was finally terminated by treaty. 
 I lo Ke. I, m l.-h «ueeeeded l>eter Stuyv-sant, the last and n.ont 
 lunnm ol the Duteh governons. Jlis n.emory, inmiortaliz,.! by the 
 unnv coinie muse of Irving, always {.resents itself in the shape of ■! 
 wt;,tli.T-hn,ne.l, (Icwee-I.K.king, silver-legged old warrior, with an air 
 ol obstinate detennination, qu.te suilieient to justify his popular .s.- 
 Ln^d of //«,v/%,^./y ./v,,, or I'<,ter the JJeadstrong. He beeamo 
 ,siKH.li ly en.bro.Ied with all his neighbours; but justiec must a.hnit 
 tn:,l the right was on his side-that the ])uteh were the aggrieved 
 l.:..t.y .md that ,n the contests whieh troubled his adn.inistration, 
 1,0 .hsplaved all the .p.alities of a gallant soldirr, an energetic n.a-nsl 
 tratc, iin.l a faithful servant of his employers." J{y his wise -md 
 Inii.iane government, he maintained peace with the Indians; and" by 
 .vMH.vmg oppnusive n-strictions on eommeree, greatly fbrwanh.d 
 tlu. in ens s of h.s colony. The cnnpany, with a liberal and far- 
 .siKlit.'d po hey, in advance (,f the age, prohibited all reli-nous i.erse- 
 cutiun.and sought to nuikc the New ^'etherlands a refuge for the 
 exiled beli.vers of any creed. " KVom France, the J.ow Countries, 
 the Mime, Northern Oermany, IJohemia, the mountains of Piedmont 
 llio Huflermg I'rotestanUs flocked to this trans-atianlie asylum " 
 
 The new governor, a man of quick temper and of military ardour 
 wxs not likely to submit to aggression from his neighbours- and ■[ 
 pure ol ireaeherous violence, committed by Ifis.ngh, the Swe.li.h 
 Kovnior, allorded him an opportunity t., wi'est ba-k the territory 
 -f <1- );'tU'-- l;ad gained by a species of encroachment. On the 
 Delaware .•.ver, where Newcastle now stands, the Duteh had ,,Ianted 
 a ,K.st, nan.ed ort Casimir-an object of tnt.ch jealousy to ,he 
 bunloH Hismgh, with thirty me.., u..der pretext <,f a friendly visit, 
 -1 -<-- this fort, and had been hospitably entertaimd; In.; 
 tiva.herously seized it, with all the houses and other pn,pe,ty ,.'■ di. 
 company, wmeh it protected. To avenge this outrage, tlie sturdy 
 governor, w.th a force of six hnndred nien, sailed up the Delaware^ 
 ■f, alUT i-otak.ng Fort CVsimir, nia,-ehed into ".\..w Sweden " as 
 tla) couiiti-y was called, and laid siege to Fort ( M, ristina itself! Kisimd. 
 .•a« coinpe ed to s,,.-rende,-, and the whole settlement .as in.o,;.- 
 cd w.th the Dutch i.rovi..ce-n,ost of the settle,, .eniaini.ig and 
 Mibinitt.ng peaceably to the rule of the .lew government. 
 
384 
 
 THK PEOPLK'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 
 The lustre of this triumph was soon overshaded by the successful 
 rapacity of a more formidable foe; and the little province, so peace- 
 fully settled, and, for the most part, so moderately and wisely troy- 
 crned, was destined to be absorbed in the overwhelming progress of 
 a people the most active, aggressive, and retentive of conquest which 
 the world has ever seen. The tn)ubles with the eastern Kntrlish 
 Colonies had, for a time, been settled by a treaty, wliich admitted the 
 latter to a share of Long Island. "But, as the importance of the 
 trans-atlantic possessions became more obvious, these questions of 
 priority of settlement were merged in the more decisive contest be- 
 tween the arrogant assumption of the British crown, and the just 
 but feebly-defended rights of the states-general. There could hardly 
 be a claim more untenable than that advanced by England to the 
 possession of the little settlements which the Dutch, with such m- 
 tiont and persevering industry, had reclaimed from the wildernc.'i 
 The whole country which they occupied had been unquestionably 
 first explored by Hudson, sailing in the service of the Dutcli l<;n,st 
 India Company, and had immediately afterwards been settled by 
 Hollanders in advance of any other nation. Purchase and treaty with 
 the natives had added confirmation to their title. These peifectly 
 unassailable grounds of possession the English attempted to invade, 
 by claiming that Hudson was an Englishman, whose discovery must 
 therefore enure to the benefit of his own country, and that Cabot, 
 sailing by these coasts an hundred and fifty years before, had tims 
 secured the right to the whole to those who employed h'im. This 
 proposition, it is needless to say, was of a self-stultifying nature, for 
 if Hudson was an Englishman, Cabot was a Venetian, and, according 
 to this rule, the whole country must have belonged to the little 
 republic of Venice. Moreover, there was no evidence that Cabot 
 had ever even seen the inlets and recesses which the Dutch had 
 selected for the site of their settlements."* ' ■ 
 
 Charles II., of England, not long after his restoration to the throne, ' 
 prompted by enmity to Holland, and a desire to extend his terii' 
 tories in North America, made a grant to his brother, the duke of 
 York and Albany, (afterwards James II.,) of a vast tract of land 
 including all the Dutch settlements. To put the grantee in posses' 
 sion, a fleet, carrying three hundred soldiers, under command of '' 
 Colonel Richard Nicolls, with Sir George Carteret and Sir liobert ! 
 Carr, was dispatched to America; and in August of 1664, came to : 
 * Discoverers, &c., of America. i 
 
THE DUTCH IN AMEEICA 
 
 885 
 
 anchor before the httle capital of New Amsterdam. The governor 
 cnanclmg the purport of this armament, was informed by nTcoIs 
 tlrat hs orders were to taice possession of the town and country Tnd 
 offered the fa.rest terms in case of surrender. Stuy vesant wXut 
 a force suftcent to repel the hostile squadron, and beset bytlL 
 clamorous cowardice of the council and the citizens, rem ined f 
 some days in a state of great perplexity and irritation, rTsin /to 
 consent to a capitulation, and keeping the town in grievo^ su p^n o 
 and agitation. Compelled by circumstances, be fintlly signed fs" 
 render on the most honourable terms, and then, disgusted with forZ 
 aggression and domestic pusillanimity, retired in writh m ° 
 
 t^y-seatin the Bou.er,, wi.ere be .^.at^Z:^:^^ Z ' 
 II. English, taking undisputed possession of the country inS" 
 
 loiK, .inu tiiat ot l^ort Orano'e to Allnmr Tv, ^■ 
 
 family of Carteret, wbich eam°e f^Ll^^e o^Jer;'::'!?, '" 
 
 portion of the New Netherlands received the lle^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 Ihe new rulers of the country, Nicolls and his successor Lovekce 
 governed in aii arbitrary manner, admitting no autho Ity Ixce J 
 such as was lodged in their own hands and In the offi ^e s of thX 
 appcn nient, and imposing grievous and unreasonable taxes on e 
 onguial colonists. The latter governor, it is said, even avoid te 
 ohcy of exacting such burdensome impos^ that " the peopTn i! t 
 Java no leisure to think of any thing exiept how to pt t m '- 
 The greatest discontent, consequently, prevailed, and renfc^L 1 1 
 vehemen were sent in, that they were condemned to b bu " 
 
 -aercommand.ofEvertse;t;::re7^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 with the same facility with S. tLlnT7 "? ''^""^^ 
 cIiuM )■ I { , ^'^'' ^^owever, a treaty of peace was con 
 
 Vol. III._2o I 
 
W-r 
 
 
 PART V. 
 
 ^t imxtl} iu l^mrrita. 
 
 CANADA/ 
 
 EARLY FISHING VOYAGES. — GIOVANNI V E R H AZ A N 0.— HIS 
 
 VOYAGE IN THE DAUPHIN. ARRIVES AT NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY. — ITS INHABITANTS. 
 
 VERRAZANO COASTS NORTHERTY. KIDNAPPING, 
 
 THE GREAT HARBOUR. — FRIENDLINESS OF THE 
 
 INDIANS. VERRAZANO SAILS TO LABRADOR. — 
 
 RETURNS TO FRANCE, — HIS SUBSEQUENT FATE. 
 
 For some time after the discovery of the New World, no national 
 attempt seems to have been made by the French to secure a fouthuld 
 on its shores. The Basque and Breton fishermen, the most hardy 
 and enterprising of their day, not long after the memorable voyiige 
 of Cabot, discovered and turned to account that mine of wealth- 
 more certain and enduring than those of Potosi or Mexico— the 
 
 ♦ The origin of this word is uncert:rm. "In 1635, one Stephano Gomez sailed 
 from Spain to the island of Newfoundliind, and, it would .seem, entered th« Gulf of 
 St. Liiwreiice, and traded on its shores. Aecording to the Spanish aeeouiits, hispeo- 
 pie, disappointed in their expectations of treasure, frequently repeated the words 
 ' Aca nuda,' ('here is nothing.') and thus conferred on the whole province the n;ime 
 of Canada, 'i'liis title, however, is more probably derived from the Iroijuuis word, 
 'Karniata,' s'giiifyniif a cluster of cabins." 
 
T""; KKKNon JN AMKKICA. 
 
 Great Rank of Newfoundland r„. n ^^^ 
 
 ^^r;^^— -;^^"-e ha;d,^!;H:^" -'' "^^- ^^ ^- -- 
 
 Spanish and /Ct^ugu^'sr^HvIl!: ^^1T ""^"''''^ by jealousy of his 
 fitted out four vessels, th e"! a 'ro"flf 1"^^ ^^"^ ^^ ^^'-ver; 
 vanni Vcrra.ano. a noble Fbrenrne In' T ''""^''^'^ ^« ^iol 
 com.tryrnen, Cokunbus, Cabot, and Vesnucin!' ""'"'"' ^'""'"^ 
 and encouragement at home, had carri Jv ' ''""""^' Weciation 
 the service of a foreign cou t Tl L r^'"'"' '"^' '^"^n^ri^^ to 
 
 ofana.lversestorm,butthee„;ernri I'"'^' '"" ^"'''''' "" «^««""t 
 yenr, in a vessel called the Cp'hiw •?."«?"'"' "^ ^'^ ^""owing 
 from the island of Madeira an «? ' T ^"^ '"^"' ^^^i" «et sail 
 
 M..^y, (1524,) 've w:::'::ei:r. -"r' ^" *'>« ^oth ;;j 
 
 of report to the king,) '• with as sharpe anTlIrirr""' ^'" ^'^ '^"^'' 
 any sayiers sullered, whereof, with the^f *"'f ^"^ ^^'''P^^t as ever 
 assistance of Almighty God and LT 7 '"'^^ ^"^ '"^'^^-'if-'H 
 
 panied with the good happ ' o ^'^^f '^^ ^' »- ^'^'Ppe, accom- 
 
 s-on.) "we were delivered and with "'"''' ^'"^ ^^'^''^ly allu- 
 
 our course West and bv North A a ^"^'^f ""« ^'"de followed 
 above 400 leagues mor^, when " we d. "' "'^^ '' ^^^« '^'^ "^«Je 
 ^ejojeseeneofany man;i.ht^::Lr::i^^ '''''' '^^^ 
 
 )-; Maiesrie may not think ^^ ^ '" r''''' ^"^ 
 or the Wilde deserts of 2hrtarv aZ ^''V'^"^'*^^ «^' ^^^'•-^"'« 
 
 '•'•uitlesse trees; but they ar tfl' of f ' ""'''^"^^ «°''«t«. f^" of 
 cypresse trees, and many . L; sorts'^- 7 "' ^'^ '''''' ^^ high 
 -l^'^hveeld rr,ost sweet savos ?^' '" """^'""^^^^ i« ^--/°e, 
 
 -'-'-f we could not ^."Z^Z^'' ^''^ f'^^-^' ^he prope/ty 
 
 7 «picery, and other riches of "1 d ' ^''''''- ^^^'^^ ^^ drugs 
 
 'lo;h so much argue it." Tl^eh^t^?' '''' "'""'• "^ "- ^-'d 
 -;>l'yin the imn^ediate vicinity o the k^st'T'r' '" '^'''''' '"'^ -P'^" 
 all early voyagers to America fromC.^; if ' '''' ""« ^^ ^^''"«h 
 "t'nost difficulty disabused. ^"'"^"' ^°^^". ^^ere with the 
 
 After sailinar in vain fifM. i 
 4e c„m„,„„cU,; .g, , " ^/"T '°;'«> -"'l- in <I«es. of a port 
 
 '""• '" 8™' '"""bm, came to meel 
 
388 
 
 TIIK !• i;ur I.K'S IIOOK OK lllH'I'dUY 
 
 1 II iVit'inUv mill li(W|)it.!il)li< Hi>iiil. Tlioy 
 
 llio (lim'ovi'iiM-H, ivtitl oviiicci 
 
 art' .lrs.>Mlu-.l iim l.M.lviiiK "ii'>l. miu'li m.liko tlio Simu-oi.H," "willi u 
 
 olir.Mlull luui .sU'iidv ItH'Ut", <'"l ««'""K "'" l»"l.V, .V't Hliarpo-wiUcd, 
 
 „itnl.l,<, nii.l oxomliuK gmit n.i.i.ors." TlM-ir .n.Iy .'loUrniK w,m a 
 
 Hiurics oC .'iiu'lmv, nia.l.- ..f Muall I'm'H, "wlucli Uioy laHl.-n." sayn 
 
 V.-rra/aiio, "ui.lo a narrow nuaic iiia.lo of khisho vory anilliMally 
 
 wrou,ut,l, liang.Ml about with tlio tayli>Horot,lior bfast.-H, wliidi .laii«l« 
 
 to llii'ir Uiit'cs. Somo o 
 
 tlnMS." Still pursuiii^i tlio uraiul /,'/ 
 
 rtliiMii woam K.irlamls iiiado of liynli's lea- 
 niis /'iitiiii.i oi' lii.M (lay, lie holds 
 
 lliat tlioy an' 
 osjuviallv lo llu'iu ( 
 
 liU(> lo i1m> pcopU- ol'tlio cast parts of tlio vvorltl, uiul 
 
 it tilt' iillormost partH ofChiiui.' 
 
 Sailing iDrthoastorly aloti.ir tlit< roast, lio "saw cv-ry wli.<n« I'lvat 
 
 r tilt' iimltiliiilc of tin- iiiliabilauls," luil I'loiu tlio 
 
 111 not riV.'ft a laiuliiiK'. -^ yoiiiiK man, who 
 
 t.stoamiillitiitliM)r intliaiisaslioro, 
 
 lin's, hv n'asoii o 
 
 want of harbours, con 
 
 8wan\ throngli the surf with pirwn 
 
 .1 by thftn from tin' waves, and 
 
 oarru't 
 
 at 
 
 boiiiK itoarlv .Irowiu'd, was rosi'iK't 
 
 n-Wi\ ashoiv with j'lvat kindnt'ss; "tlioii settin;' him on tlm ^umA 
 ..„ Iho footc of a litllo hil against tlio siimu', tln-y bcKaii to hchold 
 iihu with Kivat admii-ation, marv.'illins at tlu'. whitoiu'sso of his ih'sho; 
 and putting olV his rlothos, they mado him warm at a jj;rcat.- tire, 
 uot without oiir givat I'catv wliivh rcmaiiu'd in the boatc, that they 
 would havo rostod him at that tiiv, and have ratcn him." With 
 all maniu'r of oarossos iiiul kiiidnoas, thoy revived him, and restored 
 him t>> his eomi^anions. 
 
 The usual return (or this kindly treatment was sjieedily iii;ulo. 
 Suilum farther on, the Kreneh lamh'il, and twenty of them explomi 
 the eountrv. Thov f'>'»i»il in the woods an oKl woimiii and a young 
 one. oaeh with three ehihlren on her shouhlers. "Our men," says 
 thooool commander, "tooko a childe IV.MU the oh'-' ™>" •- '"'i"" 
 into Fram 
 vorv boautifn 
 
 and going about to take the yung woman, which \v;is 
 1 and of tall stature, they could not possibly, for tho 
 p,...ja outcries she made, bring her to tho sea; and especially," (lie 
 contiimes apologetically.) "hauing great woods t(» passe lliorow iiiid 
 bcintx farre from thcsliippc, we purjuwed to leave her behind, heamg 
 
 <jir<i)/ thcchihli'0}icl!/ 
 
 Still keeping a 
 
 ]Kn\iX the shore, he found the land well peopled. 
 
 iiiul 
 
 i a irrcat harbour, which he describes as lying "in the 
 
 tinally entcrct 
 
 raralcle oi' Home, in 41 degrees and 2 tcrci 
 
 and which, from m 
 
 description, may 
 
 have been either tho entire region of waters lyii'.!: 
 
 around New York, or those af Narraganseit bay. Many canoes came 
 
TIIK KKKNCII IN A mi: in.: A. jj^j, 
 
 ofl'to Ins vrsM..!, (ill..,| will, |„.li„„H uuionK Uwm,,, I„. m„vh, "2 l<in«H 
 cf HO >,M«).ll.y Htiitiir,. nn.l hlmp,, m \h pumUU' U, ,U'r\aiv" Hrtv Im, 
 Htni.l nn.T.i .lu.vH, „„J..yinK tl.o rnoHt fri.u..lly wtnv,mm'. with l,l,o 
 ,mtivrH--"..(l..nt,i,M..,V 1.. s,tv„, ".„„, oI'M,,. two ki„KH roMMning witl, 
 liiH (|urcim aiMi many ^.r,dU'uu'n, for lli.-ir pI,,,Hiir.., lu h.m, iih * * » 
 Tho Q.U-CM.0 .tn.l hor jnai.ln Htai.l in a v-ry liKl.t, boat, at an llainl u 
 .piaifT o a I.N.KU.' oli; wliil,, tl,« K !„« al.o.|., a lon^ H,.a.io in o„r ship 
 i.H..m,K .l,v.;rH ....nrnls, with Kostun-s, vi.winK with un-at ml.nirati.in 
 "" ""• '""'liUuv ol th., Shi,,,,,., ,|,.,„a„,|iM,r M„. ,,n.,„.rty" (usr) "of 
 .very th.n^^ ,,arti..„laHy. II. t,.ol< li|<..wis,. fr,vat [.IrasMn, in h,.ho|,|. 
 ..ig our a|.,mn.ll, an.l in taHtin^ our moutM, un.l 8o,.,nrt..onHly taking 
 lim oav.. .I..,,art,..|." (hvat ..o,„,,a„i..s (,r tho In.lianH m,no ahoanl 
 inthnrcaiiocM, wilh all (Vi..n.lliMnsH an.l hoM|,itality. "TImt arc v-^ry 
 lihorul," Hays the narrator, " (or they givr what tl.ry have'" 
 
 From this havon, on tho Hth of May, ho took his ,lo,,artnr.. an,I 
 sml.MJIor a Inin.lr.Ml ,uh1 my |,,,^m,(.,s al.,,,^. the oonHt, nofi,,.. JtH 
 vanata.iiH, an.l tho .lillWrnoo of ..lin.at...- Tho ,,,.o,,l,, wore n-n,.!, 
 rmmi Havago than tho.so lio had lat.Oy Hoon. "I.ooko" )„. mxH 
 "h.,w n.n.'h th,. li.rn.or nrnnvd t,. hv o.Mirtoon.s and ^..nt'h,, „o nni..h' 
 were Ihosi! full ,,| ni. Ion. "Hs an.] ill-rrianorH. * * * |,. 
 
 at any tinio wc .Icsiro.l l.y oxohan-o to havo any of thoir oornmo.li- 
 tics, thoy usod to oon.o to tho HoaHh..ro u,,on CTiaino ora^'-y r.u-kH 
 nml wo Htandn.K in our bontH, tlioy lot down., with u ro,:o"what \l 
 I)Ica«..d thorn togivo uh, oi ung oontinually that w,- .shoul.l „„t ,„,- 
 pr.)iioli to tho lan.l, .l.nnafi.iing itnn.odiat..|y tlu! oxohaiigo fukin.^ 
 notlung but knivos, lish hookH, an.l tooloH to cut withall, ,,n/(/.r £l 
 they make any arcowU of our amrtvH,,. An.l whon wo ha.l' nothing 
 left to oxohango with thon., whon wo .lopar..-,l from thoin thoy 
 8li.)we<l all Higno-s of .li.soourtosio an.l .lis.htino, m w.^ro poHsibIc for 
 any c.roaturo to invont." Th.-so ill-.;ondi,iono.l ,u.o,,Io, w, d.-fioiont 
 n. n|,proouition of Frcn(;h politeness, probably in'lmbitod tho rugged 
 coast oi Maine. * 
 
 Vcrrazano oruisod along the shr^ro, it would sooni, for about two 
 thouHand ,n,k-s, as far as the desolate ooasts of Lat.-ra.lor or Now- 
 foundland and thon, his provisions being mostly spent, roturruMl to 
 l^ranee. Iho subso.iuent fate of this old navigator is involved in 
 muclunystery. "A short time after his arrival," says Charlevoix, 
 lie littod out another expedition, with tho .losign of establishing a 
 colony in America. All that we know of this ontorprisc is, that 
 iiavuig embarked, ho was never sc(jn more, and that it never ban 
 
■I'll K I'Kol'l.i:','^ lUMiK OK II IHTOUY 
 
 Ixvii asi'crtiiiii.'d wlml, iK-cimu- (.1' liim." It, is uHsortod, howovor ii, 
 Uiiiimsio's colIoctioM of voyi\^(^H, 1,1ml Vt.-rni/iiiu) and tluwo wlio vv'nii, 
 iislioro vvitli liiin, woro killod ami iIcvoiiiimI by tlin siiva^'ca oil" (;„,„. 
 llr(>t()ii; mill it, is said t>Is(>wli(Wo that, tlio HuinocatuHlroplio liuppoiicd 
 on sliiphoanl. Uiit, iiotliiiif? ciortiiiii Ims v.ouw down to u.s mspcctin.. 
 tlio natiiro ol' lius i<x|HHlitioii or the I'ato ol' liiniMoU'aud luHcoinpanioiih" 
 
 CHAPTEH IL 
 
 J A cm' MS (• A ItTI i:i! niSCOVKIlH Til K ST. I, A W It K N C K. — 111 8 SKC 
 
 ONI> VOYAdK— (JllKllKO.- IIOCIIKI.AO A. OH MONTIIKAI,. 
 
 FlMKMll, V I N HI A NS. ■— THKACII HHOrs K 1 1) N A 1' P 1 N (I ItT 
 
 CAirriKu— K.\i'i;i)tTi().N op uoiiukvai. and cautikh, 
 — mis i'o I! T r N |.;s a n d i' a i i, u it k — a tt k m i'ts u n dkii 
 
 IlKNUY IV — I'ONTOllAVK, (' H A M I'l. A I N , AND DK 
 MO. NTS. — Til Kl It KX rUDITION. 
 
 Ix lo.Sl, at tho instan(M>of Hioh .Admii-al 01ial)ot, tlio kinjr pro- 
 vidod incaiis lor aiiotlior voyagv ol' discovrrv in llu> saiiu; dinu'lioii. 
 Jaoques Cartior, flio oomniandcr, on tin- L>()il, of April, with i,wn 
 small vsols, and a hundred and twiMity men, sailo(i from St. Mali; 
 jnid ill twcntv da.vs mado tho rocky hoighis of Nowroiindliiiul'. 
 I'assiiij,' throu.uh the Straits of M.llo Ish-, ho cntoivd tho (liilfof 8l. 
 l-awriMUT, and ooastod alon^r ii,s .slior.s, doliohtrd wiili ,|n, hcmty 
 of tho soonorv niid tho .i;viitlonoss ,.1' tho nativo inhahitants. llo 
 oiitorod tho rivor St. Lawronoo, and took formal po.-^sossion of the 
 fountrv, aOor tho usual fashion, in tho namo of his mastor; and having 
 i<K'\/.<.\], by strata,Liom, on two of tho mitivos, sailod lor Kiaiioo. Tlio 
 oourt, onoouia-od l-v his favourahlo report, dotormiiKHl to found a 
 colony in the nowlyi-xplorod i-egion. 
 
 Aeeordin<<ly, in May of tho Killowinjj; year, with throe vessels, lie 
 aoain prooeotloil to tho groat rivor whidi lie ha<l dis.'ovored. ami 
 passing up it, early in tho autumn, arrived at a hoauiiful islan.l', oev- 
 orod with viuo.s, whieh he oalb d tho Isle of l!ae, hus. It is' mnv 
 known as tho Isle of Orloan.^, lying a little below (,,)iiobee* At the 
 The <lrriv.ition ..fthis iuku- li.is 1„.,.|. oIIcm ,(h,i, ,st,(l. Some H:,y it i.s luMrly 
 tho original in.iian (eu.i Qurhiii..; olli.rs, i|,„t ji j., ,|,,.iv..,l f,.„m Camirh..... .„, (ho 
 
TilK I'UKNCII IN AMKIMCA. 
 
 891 
 
 L 
 
 ni.aill. ..r U.o nv.T St. (JharlcH, juHt bolow tlio liigl. and rocky pro- 
 iii.mtory on which that city now Htan.ln, the Krcch rcjHolvod to take 
 ..p M.o.r wmtcr-quarlerH. An Indmn chici; nan.ed Do.umcona, 
 nttoiKlcd with many canoes, can.o to welcome then., placiny his urn. 
 :u..inul the a.hniral's neck, and cxhil.iliB^. ,„,icl, courtrsy a„d kind 
 nrsM. Wiicn th.* Htran-ers landed (near Sta-lac.na, his villa.rc, ) thin 
 (Vini.lly chief, with /ive hu.ulred of hi.s irib.. was waitin^^on tlw 
 .shoro 10 receive them; and the Kirwich, who had never «een (nor 
 l.rob:d.ly heard of) the euHtom of smoking, ho widely prevalent among 
 tlie native trihcH of America, were aHtonished to behold their hosts 
 viK<.rou.ly iml.ihM.g from lo„g reed pip.n the potent fumes of U>baeeo 
 'Iho m.strnmont one; lighted, reports Cartier, (a better sailor than 
 
 ""•'^ '"^') "^'"'y «"«''^- 'It the other end ho long that thoy fill their 
 
 boaios lull of smok.., till it comes out of their mouth and nostrils m 
 (roin the chimney of a hoii.se." 
 
 boarning that a largo town, called Iloehelaga. lay at some dis- 
 tHiic(^ up the river, Cartier determined to proceed to it, and with 
 tlurty-live ,.l his ,mm, ascended the stream, receiving much kiiuh.eas 
 and liaspitality from the natives who inhabited its shores At Iloch- 
 ohi^a, where he arrived on the 2d of October, more than a thousand 
 IiKhuiis were waiting on the shore U) give him welcome. Their 
 town, circular in form, and surrounded by a strong rampart of pali- 
 Hiuk's, c(.nsist(!<l of fifty gnat houses, which were w.,.ll supplied with 
 iMilian corn, l.euns, dried fish, and other simple articles of native 
 faro. Jt stood m a vast field of corn, un.l hanl by was a mountain 
 to winch the l<'rench gave; the name ..f Mont Uoyale, since corrupted 
 iMlo Muutrcal, and applied to the Kun.j.ean city which has renlaee.l 
 .ho rude village of Iloch,.Iag..i. These people, I'cgarding the white 
 men with a superstitions veneration, brought their sick— among them 
 their king, Agohanna, a paralyti(v-t. their guests, entreating that 
 tluy nnght be li.alcd. Cartier, disclaiming the powers attributed 
 to liiiu, made, however, the sign of the cross over the sufferers gav(. 
 them chaplets, and read a portion of the gospel of St. John, prayii..' 
 for tlu'ir conversion. r j n 
 
 Ketuniing to Qju^bce, the voyagers sufTered terribly from the 
 extreme cold of winter, and twenty-five of them perished of scurvy. 
 
 Sein,.; wl,i|., otlu-r m.thors n.m„tain that it had its origin in the oxch.m,.tion of Cnr- 
 tiers ,„l„t, „„ l,r«t h..h<,l.iinfr th,, ,n,>j..«lic «:.,..>, 'Quo! I,,..-!' ('what a beak" or 
 Pio-nnntory;) /.v, i„ ,ho Norma.,, c.orr«..,,o.,di„K to the old EngVish Ae» or No8e. 
 iw u gfiuiial tfiiii lor any reiiiaikablu huadland." 
 
> '/ 
 
 fUlf 
 
 V I I 
 
 m 
 
 892 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK 0¥ IIlSTORt. 
 
 They experienced groat kindness from the natives, which, as usual 
 they repaid by a piece of atrocious perfidy. Their kindly host 
 Donnacona, with several other Indians, was entrapped aboard ship 
 and made prisoner; on which, says Cartier, his people were incon- 
 solable with grief, and canfe howling round the vessel like so many 
 wolves. Leaving their encampment in May, 1530, these cruel and 
 ungrateful men returned to France. 
 
 Attracted by reports of the beauty and fertility of the country 
 watered by the Great River, the Sicur do Roborval, in 1540, procured 
 from the king the office of viceroy over "New France," as the lately- 
 discovered region was now termed. Cartier, his lieutenant, with 
 several vessels, sailed in May, 15-11, and at the end of three months 
 arrived at Quebec. The Indians, renienibcriiig past injuries were 
 unfriendly, and he passed an uncomfortable winter, continually 
 dreading attack, at Cape Rouge, a ihw miles further up the river. 
 Tn June of the following year, Roborval, with three vessels, came to 
 the Road of St. Johns, in Newfouiidlaiul, where, to his surprise, he 
 was joined by Cartier. l)isaj)pointod and moody, the latter refused 
 to prosecute the enterprise, and, with his people, sailed silently away 
 in the night He died not long after his return to France. Robor- 
 val, with his innnediatc command, proceeded up the river and 
 passed the winter in the quarters of his lieutenant, losing iiftv of 
 his men by scurvy. Other losses succeeded; the crews were sick 
 discontented, and seditious; in 1543 he made his way back to France. 
 Si.K years afterwards, he again sailed on a fresh expenlition to the 
 country ; but nothing was ever learned of the fate of him or his 
 companions. 
 
 Discouraged by these repeated failures and losses, the French, for 
 half a coritni-y, made no further attempts to colonize this inhospitable 
 province, but confined themselves to fishing and trallie with the 
 natives on the coast. It was not until 1598, that the spirit of enter- 
 prise, under the auspices of Henry IV., was once more awakened. 
 In that year, the Marquis de la Roche, as viceroy of New France 
 sailed for Nova Scotia, but accomplished nothing in the way of set- 
 tlement, except to leave forty wretched convicts on Sable island 
 where most of them, in a few years, perished from want and ex- 
 posure. Private enterprise proved more fortunate, and led the way 
 to better judged and more suceossfiil oObrts on the part of govern- 
 ment, Pontgrav^, a merchant of St. Malo, a man of great enterprise 
 and judgment, had for several ycais voyaged to the Sagucnay, and 
 
THE FRENCH IN AMKKICA. 
 
 898 
 
 brought cargoes of valuable furs, obtained by traffic mth the Indians. 
 In im, under the patronage of De Chatte, governor of Dieppe, and 
 successor in office to De la Eocho, he fitted out an expedftiin to 
 New I ranee, taking with him, as associate in command, Samuel de 
 Charnplam, a naval officer, of high repute for his services in tlie 
 East Indies. 
 
 Arriving in the St. Lawrence, and leaving their ships at Tadousao 
 the voyagers ascended as far as Eochelaga or Montreal-but thl 
 hd.an village, so thrifty and populous in the days of Carticr had 
 by this time, it would seem, nearly, if „ot quite, disappeared. War 
 or pestilence had probably terminated the brief and uncertain tenure 
 by which this, like all uncivilized tribes, held its po.ssession of a 
 liomc The explorers returned to France, where the Sieur de Monts, 
 wl:o had succeeded I)e Chatte in office, fitted out four ships to effec 
 the colonization of New France. With Champluin, Potrincourt, and 
 many other adventurers, in 1604, he proceeded to the Bay of F^ndv 
 where on a small island, he wintered-the scurvy, as before, making 
 tcrnble ravages a.nong his people. At Port Koyal (now Annapolisl 
 ui Acud,a now Is ova Scotia) he built a fort and plunted a settle- 
 n>en , which fur ten years, continued to increase and prosper, but 
 which, in 16 4, was attacked by a force from N'irginia, u.lde; Sir 
 Samuel Argall, and was broken up. (See Acadia.) 
 
 C E A P T E H H L 
 
 CHAMPLAIN POUNDS QUEBEC: .MAKES WAR ON THE IIIOQUOIS. 
 POINDS MONTREAL.— EXPEDITIONS WITH THE HURONS -HIS ' 
 DISCOLUAOEMENTS. — INCONSIDERABLE SETTLEMENTS — 
 CANADA TAKEN BY THE KNO L 1 SH. — RESTO R ED — 
 THE COMPANY OF NEW PR A NCE.— D E A TH OF 
 CHAMPLAIN: HIS CHARACTER. 
 
 In im Champlain dispatched from France with two vessels, to 
 
 trade at Tadous.c, took advantage of the opportunity to found a 
 
 pennanerit colony on the shores of the St. Lawrence. After a d 
 
 u -'rvey of its shores, he selected for the site of his settlement that 
 
 .l.laulul hoadlancl, knon'n, even at that early dny, =. Quebec, the 
 
;!iit 
 
 TllK PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTUKV. 
 
 stitiu' wlu'iv Ciirtier had jiassod his lirst winter. This was in July 
 ami (hiriiii^ tlic brio!" remaiMilcr of a Canadian Hununor, buildings 
 wiTo L'lvoted, ami i)iT[)aration8 were made for iho long winter. 
 Whon the s()ring camo on, (^haniplain, dcsirouH of ctrooting fresh 
 oxploration, and little scru{»nlons in his choice of nieaiKS, accompa- 
 nied a party of Algoncpiins, with whom ho had made friends, on a 
 hostile expedition against their ancient enemies, the Iroquois. Piusa- 
 ing up the St. Lawrence, they reached a river running from the 
 houtii, and by this outlet made their way to that beautiful lake which 
 still bears the name of its first Kuropean discoverer— the Champlaiii. 
 Near the southern extremity of this lake they entered a smaller one 
 now known as Lake (leorge, and on its banks had a desperate fi'dit 
 wilh some two hundred of the Iroquois, who were entrenched in a 
 rude fort. The lire-arms and the skillful manceuvres of the French 
 secured the victory to their allies; a luunber of the enemy were 
 killed, and ten or twelve were taken prisoners; the latter, despite 
 the remonstrances of Cluunplain, were put to death with the cruel 
 tortures customarily practised among these barbarous tribes. 
 
 Keturning to France, the adventurer was received with much 
 favt>ur by Henry IV., and in the ibllowing year (1(310) again sailed 
 for the St. Lawrence, reaching the mouth of the Saguenay in the 
 wonderfully brief [>assage, considering the age, of eighteen days. 
 Quebec was in u prosperous condition, and he now laid the Ibunda- 
 tiou of a small settlement at Montreal — destined, in time, to become 
 one of the fairest cities in America. Strangely regardless of princi- 
 ple or policy, he continued his sy.stcm of accompanying and as.sist- 
 ing the savages in their wars with the Iroqu()is, thus incurring for 
 himself anil his peoph" the deadly enmity of those powerful tribes— 
 an enmity fated, at a future day, to result almost in the ruin of the 
 colonies planted with such toil and perseverance. Having once 
 more gone to France, and incorporated a company to further his 
 plans of colonization, he returned to Montreal, where the llurons 
 and other Indian allies o.' the French were preparing for a grand 
 cxjH'ditiou against their ancient enemies. As usual, he joined them; 
 but this time the expiedition was defeated, and the allies retreated 
 in disgrace, carrying otf their wounded, among whom the Freuch- 
 num was one, in a singular manner. "Their bodies were bent into a 
 circular form, bound with cords, and thrown into a basket, where 
 they lay like infants in swaddling clothes, unable to stir hand or 
 foot. Chanqdain feelingly describes the 'agonies he endured while 
 
TilK J.-UKNCII IN AMKRICA. 
 
 being curricl twcnty./i ve or thirty leagues i„ this position • on bein^ 
 ; ; ''^'^7* /^"" ."^ ""''- •'« ^^It a« ir ho had con.e out of T du Jeo " 
 ^ JJesp.to h,s nnsfortunes. he explored, on this cxped tion "'^It 
 
 extn. o country, even reaelung Lake Nipis^in^ Ld Luke Hu , ! 
 I i.| "1 iK'Ho arduous eflbrts in behalf of the new prov ee d : 
 
 w ,ch he repeatedly went to Frunee, he obtained li tie" nt :f 
 I cutu,,. ot ins schemes, either fron. the erown or the eo,n a y^ i 
 , ks tmos energ,es at tunes, were recpnred to prevent the' n^^, ,^ 
 
 irn b eakn.g up the.r settlements, and relinyiishing alto^e .: .« 
 i attempt to eolonize those inelement regions b^^>a^ihulho 
 
 , Jiehgious dissensions between the Catholies and ITu-n.enots soon 
 
 , tier .-iK.m they inilieted a eonsiderable n.assaere. A s^ e i' ^ 
 
 , uui^Kuits. Jn 1(,27, the "Company „f New Kranee " eh^irtf-n.,! 
 un or the ausp.ees of the iiunous liiehelL, went intc;^ ku w h 
 
 iricnrs lo tne crown) ovor ri(>'irl»r ..ii ti. . • " 
 
 I) ■.■ I , • ^ iiuirly all the vast regions now known -w 
 
 ^nU^^An^nc., with the right to confer titles^f a h glTor i. 
 
 sclc. governors and other officers t. rule their prot l^s ^^ . 
 
 , r .1 ' "'"' ''""-^'^'"^ ^^^•''^'""'^' ^•"'""■■«ts should be truns 
 
 tun, and in lhJ|>, the little settlement of Quebec was ^.ken bv 
 
 i^ftnisT'f '^"^''^ ^"' ^-"^'^^'^^ ^" «ubnn;r tS^ 
 
 tl e die .ettle.nents thinly scattered over that inhospitable re-ion 
 
 rc-i, the like at Ihree Rivers ami Ta<lousac, and a kw lishermen's 
 loff-liouses elsewhere on the banks of tl,,. 4 I "''"'-'•nien s 
 
 1 /> . . I'liiiKM oi uie ot. Lawrence vi<;>r« ♦ w> 
 only fruits of the discoveries of V,.r,. i ^'"'^'^"^'' ^^^-re tlie 
 vil .,,.,1 r^l ^."''^'o^^"^" *^J \ crra/.ano, Jac(pies Curlier, iiober- 
 
 ' ^ -!"!• am the great outlay of La lioche and D Mon 
 
 an 0, ..and sullenngs of then- /i.llowc,s for nearlv a century- 
 LiMM tlie ac'tive administration ,,f ranliual lU 
 
 iicr 
 
 now ever 
 
;;it(i 
 
 'I'lIK I' I'.or I.K'H HOOK OK UIKTOICY. 
 
 (•n'K'il'Mt. iiioiuiH Imtl luHMi tiiknn to promote llui proHporitv of tlio 
 rccovcidtl I'olony; niul tho coniinmy, wIioho operations Imd l)(.,,n 
 siispoiitlcd liy tho Into diHUHtorH, in tlio following your (Ulli.M) nguin 
 pIiu'(Ml Cliiinipliiiii in «'oninmn(l of tlio colonics, nnil dispiitclu'd uii 
 oxpcdition, ciirryinfj; more property, it was suppiw'd, llian tlic eiitiro 
 jirovinoo at that tiini^ contained. 'I'Iuh expedition inereaHcd tiio 
 population, and materially protnot(>(| tlm prosperity of New l^'ranco- 
 but the death of ( 'lianiiilain, which took place soon after, was u 
 severe blow (o \\w infant colony. "He died in 1(1.'!;'), Icavinf.,' a liii'li 
 renown for courage, for jiatient and indefatigable industry, and for 
 fervent piety — tho latter, it Hoonis to us, hardly dosorvod, considor- 
 ing his unprincipled interfer(>n<'o in Indian warliire, and his bi-rotdd 
 exclusion of I'rolestant .s(>ttlcrs from the forlorn refuge of the Cuiiii- 
 dian wilderness. lie certainly bc(pu'athcd to the state which lu; Im,! 
 founded with siu'h pains and persovoranee, iv deej> ami deadly nativo 
 hostility, destined to involve it, at a later jx-riod, in almost total 
 destruction." "To him, however," says an elegant author,* "boloiiirs 
 the glory of planting Christianity and eivili/ation among the snows 
 ofthe.se northern forests; during his life, iiulecd, a feeble germ- Imt 
 sheltered by his vigorous arm nursed by his tcn(icr caro— the root 
 struck deep. And now a million and a half of Christian poonlo 
 dwell in peace anti plenty upon that nnignifuicnt ttM'ritory, which 
 his zeal and wisdom first redeomod from tho desolation of tho 
 wiUlorno.ss." 
 
 * Wnrl>urton — "Coiuiaeat of Cniiiidii." 
 
TllK ]!"1{KN(JJ1 IN AMKIUOA. 
 
 807 
 
 CIIAPTEH I?. 
 
 ADMINIHTIlATrON OP MONTMAONY. UN IMIOSPKROUS CONDITION 
 
 OF iJi )■; ritovi NOK, — D'aiuiknhon. — d'a v a no our. — xiti- 
 
 II 11 I- IIS OP TllK IROUUOIH. — KARTIICIUAKE. — RHiN- 
 
 PORCKJIKNTS PUOM I'RANCK. MKSKY. — TRACY. — 1) K 
 
 C (I iJ R C K I, I, !•; a — Til K C M T I-) I) K P R N T K N A C : III H 
 
 CHARACTER. — T U R 11 1/ 1, H N T A I) M I N I IS T R A T 1 N . — 
 
 DE LA IIARRE; IN H KXI'KDITION AOAINHT TllK 
 
 IROUUOIH; ITH PAll.URK. — C K I, K H R A T E « 
 
 Sl'KKCJl OP OARANOULA.- MA0NANIM0U8 
 
 CONDUCT OP THE IROQUOIS. 
 
 MoNTMAONV, tlie HUcccHHor of Cliarnplain in the government of 
 CiiiiiKlii, wanting in tin; (MitliUHiustn and experience of tiiat farnouH 
 coiiiiiiaiuU'r, was unable cnieicntly to jiroinotc! the inerease and j)ros- 
 IK'iity of tlie province. Tlie founihition of the college of the Jesuits 
 and ofotlKsr religious establishments, which, j)roinpted by the pious 
 will of French ecclesiastics and of ladies of rank, took place about 
 this time, were the most important events which distingui.shed the 
 ('iirly ,y(!ars of his administration. Tlie company, after the death of 
 Clianiplain, did nothing towards settling or cultivating the country 
 l)ut conlined themselves to the more profitable trade in furs, and 
 erected forts only for the eonvcniiince and protection (>{ that enter- 
 l)nse. The alfairs of the colony languished, and tiie Iroquois, with 
 very natural enmity, continued to harass the weaker settlements. 
 Montreal, it is said, would have been completely destroyed or aban- 
 doned, but for the timely arrival, in 1047, of an hundred emigrants 
 from France, under M. D'Aillebout. 
 
 When, in 1(558, the Manpiia d'Argenson arrived in Canada as 
 governor-general, the condition of tliat province was miserable in 
 the extreme. Neglected by the company, its prosperity had con- 
 tinued to decline, even the fur-trade becoming almost extinct; and 
 tlie Iroquois, having wreaked terrible vengeance on their ancient 
 foe.s, the Ilurons and Algonc^uins, seemed on the point of overj)ow- 
 ering the French altogether. A great number of settlers were miis- 
 suered by them at Montreal, and Qucdx^c itself, surrounded by a 
 force of several hundred warriors, was nearly in a state of actual 
 
398 
 
 TIIK PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 
 8iege. To D'Argenson, in lOfil, succeeded the Baron D'AvanTour 
 a man of stern, inflexible character, whose prompt action saved tiie 
 settlements from destruction. His urgent representations to Louis 
 XIV. of the importance of the province and its defenceless condition 
 induced that sovereign to dispatch a force of four hundred men for 
 its protection — the timely arrival of which inspired fresh hope and 
 courage in the almost despairing colonists. 
 
 In the year KJHS, a tremendous earthquake, continuing at inter- 
 vals for the space of six months, spread dismay among the settlers 
 and extraordinary convulsions of the earth and the rivers are said 
 to have taken place. The St. Lawrence, for a hundred and thirty 
 miles, was discolored and inqpregnated with sulphurous matter. 
 
 Tlie company of New France, by their mismanagement and imbe- 
 cility, having reduced the colony to the lowest state, in 16()4 sur- 
 rendered their charter, which was transferred to another almost 
 equally incapable as.sociation, the Company of the West Lulies. 
 The Baron d'Avangour, recalled at his own request, was replaced 
 by M. de Mesey, who, quarrelling with the bishop of the province 
 was also deposed, and the Marquis de Tracy, for some time viceroy 
 over the French possessions in America, in June, 1665, arrived in 
 Canada from the West Indies, as governor in his stead. The arrival 
 of a regiment of French soldiers, provided for the defence of tiie 
 colotiy, enabled him to take more efficient means of defence against 
 the Iroquois, and three forts were erected on the river Richelieu 
 (Sorel or St. John's) to check the incursions which they habitually 
 made by that passage from Lake Champlain. Nevertheless, by other 
 routes they renewed their ravages with such fury, that all tlie vm- 
 lance of the governor arid all the force of the colony was required 
 to protect it from destruction. Having provided in the best manner 
 possible for its defence, in 1668 he returned to France, leaving M. 
 de Courcelles governor in his stead 
 
 Many of the military ofRcer.s, having received grants of land, with 
 seignorial rights, settled in the province, and many of the soldiers 
 were also distributed among the settlements, adding materially to 
 the stretigth of the inhabitants. Three hundred courtesans, "dis- 
 patched from France, were all disposed of in marriage within a fort- 
 night after their arrival; and n-mch encouragement was given by 
 the government to the formation of families and the increase of a 
 legitimate population. During the administration of Courcelles, 
 much of Canada was explored; and the original inhabitants, by the 
 
THE FRENCH IN AMERICA. 
 
 399 
 
 ravages of small-pox and the introduction of ardont spirits, wcro 
 terribly diminished in number. His influence had been wisely and 
 huinanely exerted to check hostilities among the Indians, and the 
 result hud been favourable to the peace of the colony itself 
 
 The Count de Frontenac, who, in 1«72, succeeded De Courcelles 
 built, in the same year, the ii'iportant fort which bore his name oil 
 the site of the present town of Kingston. lie was an able soldier, 
 ami a man of high qualities; but violent and obstinate in the prose- 
 cution of his plans. He was soon involved in dispute with the 
 clergy and with the inferior officers of the colony, and resorted to 
 extreme measures to enforce obedience. "The intcndant-general, 
 M. de Chezneau, having neglected some orders, was imprisoned; the 
 procureur-general was exiled; the governor of Montreal was put 
 under arrest; and the Abbe de Salignac Fenelon, at that time in 
 Canada, superintending the seminary of St. Sulpicius at xMontrea! 
 was imprisoned, under pretence of having preached against M. de 
 Frontenac." In one point of controversy, the clergy, to their hon- 
 our, were in the right— that respecting the traffic of brandy for 
 furs with the savages, which the governor insisted on continuing 
 but which, through the influence of the bishop, was finally sup- 
 pre.-ised by an order from the king. After remaining in oilice for 
 ten years, this able and patriotic, but too unscrupulous man, was 
 recalled to France. During his administration, considerable' })ro- 
 gress was made in discovery and settlement, and, in especial, the 
 wonderful expeditions of Marquette and La Salle resulted in the 
 opening to mankind of a region the most important in North 
 America. (See Louisiana.) 
 
 Soon after the accession of M. de la Barre, who was next ap- 
 pointed governor, Indian hostilities, of a most serious nature, were 
 renewed. The English, anxious to engross the trade in furs, had 
 formed an alliance with the Iroquois or Five Nation.s, and the rivalry 
 between the colonial agents involved the French in new difficulty 
 with their ancient foes. That powerful confederacy had recom- 
 menced hostilities, by plundering the French traders who were sup- 
 pljnig the rival tribes with arms, and had made such formidable 
 preparations, that the destruction of the French settlements (at this 
 tniie numbering only nine thousand inhabitants) seemed far from 
 improbable. To avert or anticipate the threatened evil, the wvernor 
 with a force of a thousand men, marched toward their country, at the 
 same time, however, making overtures of peace to the hostile con- 
 
I'" ■' 'f 
 
 ¥fMn 
 
 •il)0 
 
 THE PKOrLK'8 BOOK Ob' IIISTUUY. 
 
 I'l'donu!}'. Sickness broke out among liis troopH, and UMulorcd the 
 coniMiiind unlit for sorvico; yet, wlien he met (Jarangula, tlio old 
 Hucliem of tlio Onondagas, witli otlier deputies Irom the Five Nations 
 at Kailioage, on Lake Onlaric, whciv a conlbrence had been up- 
 pointed, ho assumed u lofty and exacting tone. .Uecupitulatin" tho 
 injuries received by the French, ho demanded satisfaclion, and 
 threatened the destruction of the olleiiding tribes, in event of refusal. 
 The speech of the old chief, in reply, is justly considered — for spirit 
 jbr satire, and forcible expression — us one of the most striking spoci- 
 mens of Indian eloquence. Having heard the Krenchman to an end 
 he took two or tliree turns about the apartment, then stood before 
 the goveinor, and, after a courteous and Ibrmal preamble, addres.sed 
 him thus: 
 
 " Vonondio,*you must have believed, when yon left Quebec, that 
 the sun had burnt u[) all the forests which render our country inac- 
 cessible to the French, or that the lakes had so far overflowed the 
 banks, that they had surrounded our ciustles, and that it was impos- 
 sible for us to get out of them. Yes, surely you must have dreamed 
 so, and the curiosity of seeing so great a wonder has brought you so 
 far. Now you are undeceived, since 1, and the warriors here present 
 are como to assure you that the Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Onui- 
 das, and ^^ohawks are yet alive. 1 thank you in their name for 
 bringing back into their country the calumet which your predecessor 
 received from their hands. It was happy for you that you left 
 under ground that murdering hatchet which hat been so often dyed 
 in the blood of the French. 
 
 "Hear, Yonoiulio: I do not sleep; I have my eyes open; and the 
 sun which enlightens me, discovers to me a great captain, at the 
 head of a company of soldiers, who speaks as if he were dreamia". 
 lie says that he only came to the lake to smoke on the great calumet 
 with the Onondagas. But (Jarangula .say.s, that he sees the contrary; 
 that it was to knock them on the head, if sickness had not weakened 
 the arms of the French. 1 see Yonondio raving in a eainp of sick 
 men, whose lives the Great Spirit has saved by inflicting this sick- 
 ness upon them. 
 
 "Hear, Yonondio: our women had taken their club§, our ehililren 
 and old men had carried their bows and arrow s into the heart of yoiu- 
 camp, if our warriors had not disarmed them and kept them back, ; 
 
 * A torni jipplii'd by the Indiana to the governor of the French, us that of Corlaer 
 to the governor of tlie English. 
 
TIIK FKKNCII IN AMKHICA. ^^^ 
 
 tHai":::^^;::';:;;/;;;;;;^ 
 
 thorn on tl.o heu.l (),u v In '"," ^"''"^"''' •'''*""''^ ^<""^^k 
 
 i"viti>,gallproHcntU.a,:cM>t'rtZ nt / ^'''"' "'^'"•^' "'"^ 
 
 Lis ex,K.,]i,L„, the .ov ;.n V "n«-tKsfactory torm.nation of 
 
 finding the e .cn.y J ! ' ,f "^ ^ ^"r"'^' '^"^''-^ ^^e war 
 
 peopl. with equal C,< 1 "f '"'■ '"' '"^* '''^''-piritoj 
 
 i«o'"- r.tlH.r, and C^ uf 'nagnan.nuty, replied, "Yonondio 
 
 '^..H.ot,.e;; ^^n.^!iZJz:!::z:rnlT ^""^^ 
 
 the world, mivo ns the I.„h1 wi • , ""^ '""''''''^- ■'Je who created 
 
 tl'is alllu, the den.ean uTaC . t "r!/"" '■'"' "'''''''''■' ^'^ 
 t^e ..i.lu.. advant.,e Z ^Inti ^ ^ ^ ::!:;;:t^ ^i'l^ ^ 
 Cither nation. Shrewdness „..t;, . i • '^ I^^uroj.eans of 
 
 f.i::;;::w;i'-::r3.:;t;;:::ri'r™''''- 
 
 .f CI..1 p.rli„„. ' ""'l'""' "> ^ k«P« i» P.'p.lud remc-Bb™,,; 
 
 Voi,. III._26 
 
 Jiut of Curluer 
 
,jj).j TIIK I'KtU'l.lC'H lUloK UK IIIHTOUY. 
 
 i! If A V T }\ }\ ?. 
 
 UN NON V II, l,K (lOV KIINdll, ■ II I H T II K A t" II Kll V TO T II K IIIIIi||'ii|h 
 
 HKNKWKII IIONTII.ITIKS T II K M' V OKPHMK, llltOKHN 
 
 \\X TKKACIIKIIY — KXTIUOKUIN AltV HTUATAdKM (IK I, K 
 
 IIAT. A II II It ON Olll^l', — TKUIIIIII.K INVAMION II Y T II K 
 
 IttOUllOIH. A N It MAHHAlMlK OK T II K K III': N II , l> KM • 
 
 V K II A T K (' N l> I T ION OK T II K I. N Y , 
 
 N»>r long \\\\<'V llio «>x|u«»lifit>ii of l.a Hmio, ami ilH iliMMHliDiiH 
 ivHull, till' M«n|uiM ili< Noiivilli', willi HHlronn; ri^iiiroivi«iiii«iii, iiniviMl 
 in t'lininlu «?» govoruurnonoriil. Willi two lluniHantl ti(io|is lu« |in). 
 cooili^il to l'\»rl «\ilaranui, or l-'ronliimo, and at nni-o nMicwcil tim 
 qMarn'l Willi llio Iromiois, on tlio rinoloiiM |>r('li'\l tlial. llioy Mloml in 
 tlio wav >>ril»M>oii\oisiom»riluu)thor Aiiu>rican Irilit's. \,o\\\h \\\'\ 
 had Koiit a oruol and nu'ansoidod nMjiu'sl lor a iiuniluTorwiurioiHor 
 llii.s ii'donl>t(<vl nation a« slaves lo nuiii liis (.'iillcvs; and IK' N.invilli>, 
 tho ruling agvnl ol'siwli a niastor, iindor various pn-lciu'oH, iinliuvii 
 a iinnil>t>r of tlio lioniu>is ohiol's lo nii'cl liiiii at l''t>rl. l''ni!iliMiiu\ 
 wlioro ihry woro nnnn>dial»'lv soi/.tvl, loaded willi irons, and iiis|mlclii'(l 
 lo Ki-aiii'o. Tins tieaolionMis deed, the cltMiial dishonour of nil con- 
 oornoil in il, again lil np llic ilamo of n'vonge among tin- mjiiivil 
 nation; tluM'onnIn- was ravagvd »n>und tlu< loil, and a Kfoia-li visxcl, 
 on I alxo Ontario, ladon with stoiw and provisions, was oa|>tiiivtl liy 
 a gi'wit \W\ ot'ianoos, 'I'ho gov«M'nor, with a fywvi- of tliriv tiioiisainl 
 Kivin-hand Indians, inaivln'd into ihoSoncv'a coniiliv, Inil wasciiaMoii 
 to luring tho oiumhv inloaotion only onco, wlu-n, viwiiig to tlio iiiti'iior- 
 itv ot" thoir uund>or, tliov woiv doll'ali'd. Nt-vcrtlioli'ss, a fort wliioli 
 tho g\>vornv>r had onvlod at Niagara, was dcHtiovcd, and Froiili-iKu- 
 itsoll" was hosiogod, Kiv long, twohi' liuiulivd warnoi-s wtMV within 
 a short distiuivv ot" NKnitival. and. appivhonding tlio iinmoiliiilo 
 dostnvotion ot' that sottUMnonl. tho lalso hoartovl govornor listonoii to 
 o\ortn»\\s tor )>oaiV, 'I'lio Itwpiois dopntios, pn>ttH't(>d hv livo liiui- 
 diYvl warrioi-s. assumed a K't\y tono; and IV Nonvillo, toiwd to 
 ^vmply with thoir OvMuhtions, agtvod to stMul at onoo for thoir oliiofs 
 whv> had Invn shippod xo Vvwkw and woiv thon ohainod to tlio p!- 
 lo\s ot" l.oviis \IV. An o\travM\linary pitw of tivachory muI i-uii- 
 
IM I 111)11 IMIIN 
 
 — II II K K N 
 M tlK |,K 
 
 II Y T II K 
 
 — IlKM 
 
 Im lliHllHtlitllH 
 
 iiiciit, iirrivml 
 nopH lii« pro. 
 
 llii'v Mtooil in 
 Imiis XIV, 
 il'wuiriofNol' 
 Oi' Nonvilli', 
 lii'CH, iiidiuvd 
 1. l'V(>iitt'iiiu\ 
 
 lul(liH|>iltf||0(i 
 
 Mf 111' all I'on- 
 •; llu> uijmvil 
 '"roiu'h vfssi't, 
 I oaplmvil liy 
 iivo tlionsaiiil 
 It \va8 0iiiil>lod 
 [> tl>o iiilfridr- 
 , !i fort wliii'h 
 ml KrontriKU' 
 "s woro willim 
 u" immtHiiato 
 or listoiu'tl to 
 by llvo liiiii- 
 111', t'onvtl to 
 >r thoir oil ids 
 otl to the pi'- 
 
 \IM'V IA\k\ ouii- 
 
401 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S nOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 revenge by the destruction of the French settlements. The Iroquois 
 beHeved Le Hat; and his apparent elenienoy in setting them at lib- 
 erty so i'ully persuaded them of hi.s sincerity, that they assured bin. 
 that the Five Nations would immediately ratify such terms of peace 
 with the Ilurons as they might the., agree upon. lie then gave tbem 
 fusils, powder, and ball, to defmid them on their way back; and, 
 under the pretence of replacing one man whom he had lost in attack- 
 ing the Iroquois, he retained an Indian of the Chouanan tribe, with 
 whom he returned to Makilimakinak. 
 
 "This unlbrtunate prisoner, who believed himself safe, from Le 
 Eat telling the Iroquois that he would retain him as an adopted son, 
 was delivered to tlie French commandant of that post, who was still 
 ignorant of the proceedings of M. de Nonville, and who, through 
 the statements made by Le Hat, condemned the unhappy wretch to 
 
 be shot. 
 
 i'Le Rat had an old Iroquois slave, for a long time in his posses- 
 sion, to whom he afforded the opportunity of witnessing the execution 
 of his adoi)ted countryman by the French, all the circumstances of 
 which, however, he carefully concealed from him. He then told 
 the Iroquois, 'I now give you your liberty; return to your country, 
 and there spend the remainder of your days in peace. Relate to 
 your people the barbarous and unjust conduct of the French, who, 
 while they are amusing your nation with offers of peace, seize every 
 opportunity of betraying and murdering you; and that all my per- 
 suasions could not save the life even of one man of your tribe, whom 
 I adopted to replace the warrior I lost at the cascades.' 
 
 "The Iroquois returned to his country, and related what be had 
 witnessed, together with all that Le Rat had told him. The Iroquois 
 warriors, as might be anticipated, were even before this sufficiently 
 exasperated; but this last stroke of Le Rat's policy made their very 
 blood boil furiously for revenge; yet they dissembled their feelings 
 of resentment so completely, that M. de Nonville (who declared tiiat 
 he would hang Le Rat whenever he could be captured) still expected 
 dei)uties from the Iroquois to ratify a peace." 
 
 These de})uties presently arrived at the island of Montreal in the 
 shape of twelve hundred warriors, armed to the teeth, and inflamed 
 to madness by fury and revenge. All the houses and corn-fiehU of 
 the settlement were burned; men, women, and children were massa- 
 cred indiscriminately; a hundred regular troops, with a small force 
 of Huron allies, were defeated and cut to pieces; and the triumphant 
 
Tlie Iroquois 
 ig them at lib- 
 ey assured hiu. 
 terms of peace 
 then gave tliem 
 vay back; and, 
 id lost in attaclc- 
 inan tribe, with 
 
 THE FRENCH IN AMERICA. 
 
 405 
 
 enemy, having laid waste the island with fire and sword, and having 
 lost only three of their number, departed, carrying off two hundred 
 prisoners, reserved for death and torture. Nearly a thousand of the 
 French aro said to have perished or been captured in this terrible 
 invasion. The governor found it impossible to disabuse tL offended 
 tribes of their belief in his treachery, thus reaping in full the bitter 
 fruits of his original perfidy. The war was continued, and famine 
 and disease were added to the calamities of the French. Fort Niag- 
 arc and Fort Frontenac were successively abandoned by their garri- 
 sons, and the unfortunate colony, devastated by pestilence, involved in 
 war with the English, and exposed to the still more terrible ravages 
 of Indian hostility, seemed reduced to an almost desperate condition. 
 
 e in his posses- 
 ng the execution 
 nrcinnstances of 
 lie then told 
 to your country, 
 eace. Relate to 
 he French, who, 
 icace, seize every 
 that all my per- 
 y^our tribe, whom 
 es.' 
 
 ted what he liad 
 11. The Iroquois 
 this sufficiently 
 made their very 
 ed their t'eelings 
 /ho declared tiiat 
 •ed) still expected 
 
 Montreal in the 
 ;th, and inflameil 
 md corn-fieldn of 
 dren were massa- 
 ith a small force 
 id the triumphant 
 
 I CHAPTEH?!. 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 I REAPPOINTMENT OP M. DE FRONTEN AC— NEGOTIATIONS WITH 
 ; THE IROaUOIS. — DESTRUCTION OP SCHENECTADY, ETC, 
 
 I —UNSUCCESSFUL EXPEDITION OP PH1PP8 AGAINST 
 
 QUEBEC. — RENEWED WARS WITH THE IROQUOIS. 
 — EXPEDITION OF PRONTENA(;. 
 
 In this extremity, it was found absolutely indispensable, that a 
 man of the first order of talents should be placed at the head of 
 alliiirsiii Canada; and the Count de Frontenac, whose former ad- 
 ministriitiou, though self-willed and arbitrary, had been marked by 
 enterprise, energy, and policy, was at once reinstated in the office of 
 governor. (1689.) He brought with him to America the Iroquois 
 chiefs, so treacluirously seized by his predecessor, and such was the 
 fascination of his manners, that he completely won their friendship 
 -Oureouhar(5, the principal of them, ever after remaining stronglv 
 attaclicl to his person. By the advice of that chief, he sent four of 
 thein as a deputation to their people, with overtures of peace; and 
 the friendly adviser, adding a persuasive niossage, announced his 
 nitention not to quit the count till tho affair was satisfactorily adjusted. 
 But the hostile nation, embittered by ancient wrong, and haughty 
 with recent triumph, replied iu lofty terms. The tree of peace, they 
 said, planted by Yonoiidio Uhe governor) at Frontenac, had been 
 
40(5 
 
 THE PKUl'LK'8 HOe)K OK 11I8T0UY. 
 
 i 
 
 wiitereil witli blood and polluted by treachery. Let atonement be 
 inade, and all tlio cai)tives bo delivered, and he might then "plant 
 again the tree of peace, but not in the same spot." Hostilities were 
 presently renewed, and Frontenac, perceiving how greatly tI\o enomv 
 were encouraged by the alliance and instigation of the English (now 
 at oj)on war with France,) resolved to make the latter feel in turn 
 the terrors of savage enmity. An expedition, which, in ItiiH) ho 
 iitted out from Quebec, consisting of a hundred French, and a. fbrcc, 
 of Indian allies, surprised Schenectady, then the frontier town of tho 
 New York settlements. Si.\ty-three of the inhabitanla were massa- 
 cred, and tho rest carried prisoners into Canada. The English vil- 
 lage of Sementela was also surprised and destroyed by another party 
 and the Iroquois in their turn also met with a signal defeat. 'J'Ihh 
 active and cruel policy coniirmeii tho latter in their hatred hut 
 increased the fidelity and attachment of tho Ilurons, Ottawa'^ and 
 other Jndian allies of the French, who rejoiced in the return and tho 
 bharp measures of "their great father," the count. 
 
 In tho same year (1(590) an expedition of thirty-four vtissels fitted 
 out for the conquest of Quebec, under Sir William Pliipps, sailed 
 from Boston, and, having captured all the ports of Newfoundland and 
 Acadia, entered the St. Lawrence. On learning this disastrous news 
 the count hastened to put the town in a stale oi' defence, and perenin- 
 torily rejected a summons to surrender, which the English connnauder 
 dispatched in advance of his fleet. On the 18th of October, theKii<'lisli 
 sustaining mueli loss from tho sharp shooting of their enemies dis- 
 end)arked near the river St. Charles, not far from the city. An action 
 ensued, in which the assailants had at fin^^t the advantage, but were 
 iinally re]mlsed by the garrison, though the latter were very inferior 
 both in nund)er and appointments. The English were finally com- 
 pelled to abandon tin; attempt, and to reembark, leaving their cannon 
 and ammunition. Despite this mortilying result, there is little doubt 
 that Phipps, from the viu?t superiority of his forces, both military and 
 naval, by a well-directed attack, could have carried the place; and the 
 French, it is said, devoutly returned thanks to God for having, by a 
 special providence, deprived the enemy of common sense. On the 
 2;5d the hostile lleet sailed down tho river, and seven or eight of the 
 vessels were soon after lost in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
 
 The Iroquois, the next yestr, renewed hostilities, landing, with a 
 thousand warriors, on the i.sland of Montreal, burning houses, and 
 carrying oil' prisoners, whom they put to death with cruel tortures. 
 
THE FKENCIl IN AMKKH'A. 
 
 407 
 
 ; Otlicr incursions were made, and in the skirn.i.shcs which ensued 
 many hvcs were lost on botl. sidcs-among tlii^ni, those of several 
 
 , French olliccrs of high rank; and the French at last, by way of 
 retaliation, almost vied with the savages in the cruelties inflicted 
 
 : on tl.eir eiiptives. Under their famous chief, Black Kettle the Iro- 
 quois made continual forays into tlic Krencli territory rendering 
 seed-time and harvest extremely dangerous, making the forts the onW 
 phux-s of safety, and boasting that their enemies should have no rest 
 except in the grave. Nevertheless, Krontenac, by his unremitting 
 vigilance and vigour, so far kept them at bay, that, in 1092 the 
 cultivation of the land was resumed, and the trafrie in furs once 
 more renewed. 
 
 Two years afterwards, the hostile tribes made overtures of pe-.c' 
 and Oureouharf-', who went into their country, returned with thirteen 
 French prisoners, some of them persons of distinction, who had lon.r 
 been held in captivity; but owing to'the insidious interference of 
 the English, nothing .J importance was finally efleeted. The next 
 year (1095) Fort Catnratpii, or Frontenne, w'hich had been aban- 
 doned and destroyed, was rebuilt, and in June of 1090 the French 
 hiivnig mustered all their forces-regular, provincial, and Indian-' 
 made a grand invaHion of the enemy's country. "De Callieres 
 loriunanded the left wing, the Chevalier de Vaudreuil the right- 
 while the count, then seventy-six years of age, was carried in the 
 centre m an elbow-chair." No warriors, however, appeared to oppose 
 the march of this f<HTnidable force, and the principal fort of the Five 
 Nations was found already reduced to ashes. Only a single prisoner 
 was taken, an aged warrh.r, nearly a hundred years ohCwhom the 
 I'rench, with almost inconceivable barbarity, delivered to their sav- 
 age allies to be tortured to death. With unmoved fortitude ho 
 endured their utmost cruelty, deriding them to the last us shvves of 
 a contemptible race of intruders. Nothing of moment was accom- 
 plished by this expedition, the Iroquois retreating without ofFerin.r 
 battle during the advance, but harassing the invaders severely on 
 their return. '' 
 
 They prosecuted the war with vigour, but with tlieir allies, the 
 I'^nghsh, met with repeated disasters; and the fiim'ous Black Kettle 
 was surprised and killed while hunting, by a party of Algonquins 
 Negotiations for peace were again opened, but were retarded by the 
 death ot Oureouhar,'., the friendly mediator between his countrymen 
 and the F rench. The peace between France and England, conelndod 
 
 L__ 
 
408 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 in 1698, opened the way for a more successful attempt, and a jeal- 
 ousy against the EnglLh, lately sprung up among the Iroquois 
 furthered the advancement of the project. Just as the neo'otiatiou 
 was being concluded, on the 29th of November, 1698, the Count de 
 Frontenac died, at the age of seventy-eight yeans, twenty of which 
 had been passed in Canada, during an administratitm, from important 
 and interesting incidents, the most memorable in the history of that 
 province. Though the commencement of his official career was 
 marked by violence and self-will, yet, with little assistance from the 
 mother-country, he had preserved a colony which he found on the 
 verge of destruction, and ore its close he had regained the confidence 
 of the king, the respect of his subordinates, and in a great measure 
 the esteem and good-will of the long-hostile savages. 
 
 CH'APTEH ?IL 
 
 DE CAI.LIERES. — PEACE WITH THE IttOQUOIS. — SINGULAR RESOLU- 
 TION OF THE FRENCH PRISONERS. — DE VAUDREUIL. — EXPEDITION 
 AGAINST CANADA: DISCONCERTED BY THE IROQUOIS — UNSUC- 
 CESSFUL EXPEDITION OF NICHOLSON. TREATY OF UTRECHT. 
 
 EXTENSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PROVINCE, — DE 
 
 BBAUHARNOIS. — PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF CANADA. 
 
 The office of governor, left vacant by the death of Frontenac, was 
 conferred on De Callieres, an able officer, who had been commandant 
 of Montreal, and who was high in jfiivour with the Indian allies of 
 the French. It is said that on war parties and other solemn occasions 
 he would dance the war-dance with them, brandishing his hatchet 
 and enacting all the savage pantomime of a warrior bound against 
 his foes. His administration was marked by excellent prudence and 
 policy; and by the year 1700, a treaty of peace was finally effected 
 with the Five Nations, for so many years involved in such deadly 
 hostility with the Canadians. Numerous prisoners, on both sides 
 were restored; but, singularly encgli, while the savages souf^ht 
 their forest-homer- with eagerness, " the greater part of the French 
 captives were found to have contracted such an attachment to the 
 wild freedom of the woods, that neither the commands of the king 
 
 ;»fc'«.ii..iii 
 
THE FRENCH IN AMERICA. 
 
 409 
 
 nor the tears and entreaties of their friends could induce them to 
 quit the savage associates with whom they were united " 
 
 The memorable war waged by Louis XIV. for the oppression of 
 Europe, and its disastrous results to the French, at Blenheim Ramil- 
 hcs, and other defeats, left the Canadian colonies dependant on their 
 own resources; and the death of the able De Callieres, which occur- 
 red in 1 < 03, was a misfortune which was severely felt. " His loss was 
 great to Canada; and although his powers of mind wanted the 
 splendid points which cast such brilliant lustre on the government 
 of M de Frontenac, yet, from his great excellence of character he 
 : was beloved and respected by all; and having never violated his 
 word to the Indians, he always retained their impli.it conHdence." 
 The Count de Vau.lreuil, agreeably to the general wish of the people 
 was appointed to succeed him. ' 
 
 The English now confident of expelling their rivals from Amer- 
 ica, called on the Iroquois to renew hostilities ; but that high-spirited 
 people, with honourable feeling, replied that when they made a 
 treaty they did so to keep it ; whereas the English and the French 
 seemed to do so only for the purpose of breaking it; and one chief 
 plainly intimated his opinion that both nations were drunk Some 
 minor hostile operations having occurred, the EncrlJsh in 1709 
 dispatched a groat force from New York to eifect the conquest of 
 Canada; and a large body of Iroquois and Michigans, according to 
 requisiton, joined the expedition. A singular story is told of the 
 artful means used by the latter to disconcert the project of their 
 allies. A force dispatched by the governor to interrupt their pro- 
 gress having failed to accomplish its object, and the English bein-^ 
 exultant with the prospect of success, an Iroquois chief harangued 
 his countrymen on the impolicy of permitting the latter to com- 
 plctoly overwhelm their enemies. "What will become of us" he 
 said, 'It we destroy the French, who keep the English in check? 
 rhe latter will then assuredly crush us, in order to possess our coun- 
 try. Let us not, therefore, foolishly bring certain ruin on ourselves 
 merely to indulge our passions or please the English. Let us rathe,' 
 leave the Irencli and English in a position which will make either 
 ot them set a high value on our friendship." 
 
 The allied army halted on the bank of a small river, waitin.. for , 
 artillery and ammunition, and the Iroquois busied themselve°s ia ' 
 liuiiting-casting, U is said, the skins of various wild beasts into the ! 
 stream above the encampi ent, and thus poisoninir its wator- to the ' 
 
|!l 
 
 i 
 i. 
 
 mf. 
 
 
 410 T"^ PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 great detriment of their English confederates. This story, so often 
 
 repeated by historians, may foirly be doubted, both on grounds of 
 
 moral probability and physical possibility; but it is certain that a 
 
 llual disease, carrying off many of the whites, appeared in the 
 
 camp, and that this, with the want of cordial cooperation among 
 
 their 'indian auxiliaries, caused them to relinquish the enterprise 
 
 and return to New York. A second expedition of a formidable 
 
 nature, under General Nicholson, in 1710, was dispatched against 
 
 Canada; but that commander, learning that a fleet destined to aid 
 
 his operations and besiege Quebec, had been dispersed, with the loss 
 
 of eight large vessels, was compelled to abandon the attempt and 
 
 retrace his steps. The treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, restored peace to 
 
 the contending nations, though only by the cession to the English 
 
 of Acadia and Newlluu'.dland. That the French, unassisted by the 
 
 mother-country, should have been able to retain their possessions in 
 
 Canada .gainst the overwhelming forces of their allied enemies, is 
 
 something^wonderful; for there were at this time only four thousand 
 
 five hundred men, between the ages of fourteen and sixty, capable 
 
 of bearing arms, in the whole province; while the effective force of 
 
 their rivaTs was about sixty thousand. This improbable result was 
 
 due in part to the valour and genius of their officers, in part to the 
 
 incapacity and sluggishness of the English commanders, and still 
 
 more, no doubt, to the strength of their position and the inhospitable 
 
 nature of the climate and the country. 
 
 During the remainder of De Vaudreuil's administration, which 
 lasted tilt his death in 1725, the colony enjoyed peace and prosper- 
 ity, and cultivation and traffic were extended. For the twenty-one 
 years in which he held office, he enjoyed the confidence of his gov- 
 ernment and the deserved attachment and esteem of the people 
 committed to his charge. 
 
 The Chevalier de Beauharnois, who succeeded him, also held the 
 ofTicc of governor for twenty years— a period which, under his active 
 attention to the interests of the province, was characterized by 
 marked improvement and extension of colonization. From Quebec 
 to Montreal the St. Lawrence was now fringed with cultivated farms; 
 the important fortress of Crown Point, with others, was erected for the 
 protection of the province, and the settlement at Detroit was raised into 
 some importance. The enmity in which the Freiicli had so long been 
 involved \N ii.h various powerful tribes of TndiaiK- , was now overcome; 
 and the amiable and courteous manners of ^nc former, and their fre- 
 
>w overcome; 
 
 THE FRENCH IN AMERICA. ^, ^ 
 
 qucnt intermarriages with the natives, had secured them the friend- 
 
 CHAPTER YIIL 
 
 ^ ENCROACHMENTS OP THE PRENCH.-PORT DU QOSNE -THE 
 
 DEATH. — COLONEL WASH INOTON.— Jix I'E D I HON AGAINST 
 I CROWN POINT.-DKPEAT OF DIES K AU.-THE M tl QI is 
 
 DE MONTCALM: HIS SHCC ESSES -0 REAT EXERTIONS 
 
 OP THE ENGLISH: THE, R SUPERIOR PORCE-Te 
 PEAT OP ABERCROMBIE AT TICONDEROCA. 
 
 n4?ri7r''''''" "^ governors, after the death of Beauharnois 
 1-40,) he d the province of Canada, the Marquis Du Quesne I^ 
 
 f urth of them, arriving in 1752. This able and ambitious offil of 
 he crown pursued a steady system of encroachment on the Eng is, 
 olomes, and even erected a fort, bearing his own name, witliwt 
 on mos of Virginia. General alarm was excited among th iv d 
 
 S T \ I r"'"'-'^ '''" ^""' ''"^ ^'^^''y increased^i popul - 
 .on, the inhabitants, it was said, numbering ninety thousa.fd In 
 1500 the marquis was succeeded by De Vaudreuif Cavagn 1 " an 
 
 !n^::^^^ '^ ^'T ^^--b'-^^'- French-lmeri::' 
 uais broke out. Ihe unfortunate General Braddock a min of 
 
 grea energy and bravery, but obstinate and wrong-h Lied " the 
 
 cad of twenty-two hundred regular and provinciaUroo it o 1 
 
 on an exi.ed.tion against the French on the Ohio. Thetl<^^!Z 
 
 an anillery being delayed by the roughness of the c u.u^ h 
 
 pushed ahead witli thirteen hundred picked men, despising' te 
 
 a nings of danger which he received from those better acquainted 
 
 h the coun.ry and the system of warfare. He had approached 
 
 Mthm five indes of Fort I.i Qnesne, and was just crlng he 
 
412 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 MonongaheLn, when a deadly fire was opened on his ranks by a force 
 , of two hundred French and six hundred Indians, lurking in the 
 covert of a wood. The main body hastened up, with the artillery 
 and Braddock used every exertion to inspirit his men. Five horses 
 were shot under hirn, and he soon fell, with a mortal wound. Sixty 
 of his officers were killed or disabled; and his troops, falling on all 
 sides from the fire of their invisible opponents, were thrown into 
 hopeless panic and confusion. The provincials, under Colonel 
 Washington, a young officer who had accompanied Braddock as aid 
 alone made effectual resistance, and covered the retreat of the dis- 
 comfited regulars. On this terrible occasion, the loss of the English 
 in killed and wounded was seven hundred men, while that of the en- 
 emy was only about sixty. The expedition was entirely abandoned. 
 In the same year an army of six thousand men, under General 
 Johnson, was dispatched against the French fortress of Crown Point, 
 on Lake Champlain. To oppose this force, Baron Dieskau, with 
 two thousand men, was sent from Montreal, and after passing to the 
 upper extremity of Lake Champlain, landed his troops, and marched 
 toward the camp of the enemy. In a narrow defile he defeated a 
 large force of English and Mohawk Indians, sent in advance to inter- 
 cept him, and then proceeded to assault the English camp. It was 
 however, protected by a breastwork of fallen trees, and by an almost 
 impenetrable swamp. The assailants were repulsed, with the less 
 of a thousand men, and the survivors retreated to Crown Point. 
 Dieskau, mortally wounded, fell into the hands of the English. 
 Nevertheless, the successful general did not proceed against Crown 
 Point; and even suffered the French to fortify tliemselves at 
 Ticonderoga. 
 
 In the two succeeding years (1756, 1757) the gallant Marquis de 
 iloiitcalm, placed at the head of military affairs in Canada, gained ' 
 a series of brilliant successes, ending with the reduction of Forts 
 Oswego and William Henry. The garrison of the latter, two thou- 
 sand in number, after the surrender, were attacked by the Indians 
 of Montcalm's army, and a number were killed ; but the reports of 
 the massacre appear to have been extraordinarily exaggerated. Most ] 
 of the command found protection in the French camp, and the ; 
 greater part of the remainder, who fled into the woods, reached Fort ] 
 Edward in safety. At the close of this period, in spite of the exer- i 
 tions of the English, the French still held possession of nearly all \ 
 the disputed territory, except Acadia; and a long chain of military | 
 
>ks by a force 
 rkiiig in the 
 the artillery, 
 Five horses 
 ound. Sixty 
 falling on all 
 thrown into 
 ider Colonel 
 Idock as aid, 
 it of the dis- 
 f the English 
 lat of the en- 
 Y abandoned, 
 ider General 
 >own Point, 
 ieskau, with 
 assing to the 
 xnd inarched 
 e defeated a 
 .nee to inter- 
 Tip. It was, 
 )y an almost 
 ith the less 
 rown Point, 
 ho English, 
 ainst Crown 
 emselves at 
 
 Marquis de 
 lada, gnined ' 
 on of Forts 
 r, two thou- 
 thc Indians 
 reports of 
 ated. Most 
 ip, and the 
 cached Fort 
 3f the exer- 
 f nearly all j 
 of military I 
 
i- I l!!f 
 
 ■ . 
 
 ■ 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 
THE FKENCJI IN AMEKICA, 
 
 418 
 
 posts, oxtemhng from the mouth of the St. "Lawrence to the head- 
 waters of the Ohio, still remained ia their hands, and protected their 
 acquisitions I hey had driven the English from Lake George and 
 coriipellf d the Iroquois to observe neutrality. A terrible Indian war 
 was also devastating the north-western frontier of the British colonies 
 Lnder the vigorous administration of Pitt, however, the war waa 
 prosecuted with energy; and the British- American colonies, stimu- 
 lated by his promises and requisitions, made extraordinary prepara- 
 tions for the conquest of the French provinces. Including a lar«e 
 force of regulars which had been shipped from England, the entire 
 levies available for this object amounted to fifty thousand troops- 
 vvhereas the whole population of Canada, capable of bearing arms 
 did not exceed twenty thousand. The first operation of this over- 
 whelming force waa the capture of the strong fortress and town of 
 Louisburg (see Cape Breton, Acadia, &c.), and the result was that 
 the entire control of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the adjacent 
 islands, passed finally into the hands of the English. 
 
 Meanwhile, General Abercrombie, with sixteen * thousand men 
 passing down Lake George, made a fierce assault on Ticondero-/ 
 garrisoned by some two thousand French soldiers. But the defences 
 proved much stronger than had been supposed ; and after a desperate 
 struggle, lasting for four hours, and the loss of two thousand men 
 in killed and wounded, the British commander drew off his forces 
 and retreated, with disorder and precipitation, to Fort William 
 Ilenry. Fort Fronteuac, feebly garrisoned, was not long after taken 
 T)y a force of English provincials, who, however, lost five hundred 
 of their number from sickness. Another force dispatched against 
 Fort Du Quesne, after meeting with some reverses, succeeded in 
 compelling the French to evacuate that important post 
 
!; f ' I 
 
 414 
 
 THE l'EOPLK'8 BOOK OF 1II8T0KY, 
 
 LjlIxIi xj!jiU xJL» 
 
 PIIEPAIIATIONS POIl THK OONQUKST OP CANADA. — AllMAMENT 
 
 ONDKll WOLFE I) I H P A TC II K I) TO UUEHKC. — DEFEAT OF THK 
 
 FIIENCH ON THE HEIOIITR OF ABllAHAM. — DEATH OF 
 
 WOI,FK AND MONTOAI.M. — 8U 11 11 E N 1) E 11 OP UUEIIEC: HE- 
 
 8IEUED HY DE LEVI. CONCENTRATION OF THE 
 
 ENGLISH FORCES — FALL OP MONTREAL AND 
 OF CANADA: CESSION TO ENGLAND. 
 
 
 Encoituaokd by tlio fall of r^juisburg, and exaaperated by defeat 
 and loss in otlitT quarters, the English now made extraordinary ex- 
 ertions for the linal conquest of Canada. (Jcncral Amherst with 
 twelve thousand troops, advanced by way of Lake Chami)lain, and 
 the important stations of Ticonderoga and Crown Point were aban- 
 doned by the French, obliged to coiK^cntrate their comparatively 
 Tcelile forces for the protection of Quebec. To attack this ancient 
 capital and stronghold of the Canadian Freticli, General Wolfe, a 
 young officer, who had distinguished himself at the siege of Louis- 
 burg, was entrusted with the command of eight thousand men, aided 
 by a powerful iieet, with which, in June, 1759, he made his appear- 
 ance in the St. Lawrence. 
 
 The brave Montcalm had made every exertion for the defence of 
 the city, and had concentrated there an army nearly as large as that 
 of the enemy, but composed mainly of Canadians and Lidians. The 
 supply of jirovisions was also very limited. Wolfe landed on the 
 isle of Orleans, and first attempted the French camp at Montmorency, 
 near the city, the fire of the ships-of-war covering his disembarka- 
 tion. (,Tuly 31st.) But the French, strongly posted, and lighting 
 giillantly, repulsed the assailants, who were compelled to retire with 
 the loss of an hundred and eighty-two killed, and more than six 
 hundred wounded. 
 
 At a council of the officers of the invading army, it was now 
 re.«olved to make an attempt on the opposite side of the citv, where 
 the lofty heights of Abraham present their almost inaccessible front 
 upon the river. To mislead the enemy, the ships moved a number 
 of miles above Quebec, and De Bougainville, who, with a force of fif- 
 
THE FRENCH IN AMEKIOA. 
 
 415 
 
 teen hum red men, had been dispatched by Montcahn to opposo thorn 
 deemed by this rnanoouvre, also n>uved up the river. On the nighi 
 of the 12th u September, the vesHels, droppi„g Hilently down the 
 Htream, diHembarke.l the whole force of Uritish troops at VVoKb's 
 Cove, just below the face of the preeipifms blun: (Jraspinjr the 
 bushes to aid their perilous ascent, the soldiers succeeded in cVunhiuu 
 to the surniMit, and on the plains above were soon arrayed in order 
 of hattlr Monteahn, on learning the disastrous intelligence, at .,nco 
 IKTceivod th.,t nothing but an immediate victory could save the city 
 and marched with all spcu'd to the scene of action 
 
 Some fifteen hundre.l skirmishers and Indians, who arrived first 
 kept up a desult<,ry discharge of nmsk.try from the bushes; but tl.e 
 British army mostly reserv.-d its fire until the main body of the 
 enemy, advancing briskly, had approached within forty yards of 
 their lines. Almo.st at the first volley, both generals fell, mortally 
 wounded an.I the French were immediately thrown into Confusion 
 1 cir de eat was completed by frequent charges of the bayonet.' 
 aided by the Highland broadsword. Wolfe, carried to the roar am 
 hcanng the cry, "they run," inquired "who run?" and being' told 
 that It was the enemy, gave directions for ensuring the victory, and 
 exclaimed, "Now, God be praisedl I die happy." U.nlly wVs the 
 battle over, when De Bougainville, who hurried to the scene of ac- 
 lon, and whose presence a little earlier, might have changed the 
 fate of the day, appeared; but seeing the defeat of his commander 
 at onee retreated On the 18th, the city capitulated on honourable 
 terms the trench troops not being made prisoners of war, but con- 
 veyed to their own country. 
 
 Amherst who had taken Crown Point and Ticonderoga, and ' 
 
 Johnson, who had taken Fort Niagara, were unable, from the late- 
 
 .ness of the season, to join, according to the plan of the campaign 
 
 Jie victorious forces of Quebec. General De Levi, now the ch'ie; 
 
 Freeh commander, had, meantime, assembled ten thousand troops 
 
 Montrea and in the following spring (April 27th, 1760) landin. 
 
 iLTthr'^ '' 'rr"'"" "^ '''' ^'''^^'' "^ Abraham, and lai3 
 eg to the -city. The garrison, under General Murray, eon.sisted 
 
 Iv ha If oTtf ""' ^«' '":■ «°-^q-"- «f the ravages of scurvy, 
 event of the siege doubtful, resolved to anticipate matters and 
 enemy at Sillery. Overwhelmed by superior numbers, he was 
 
*, n 
 
 416 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTOKY. 
 
 repulsed with great loss, and, retreating to Quebec, directed all his 
 energies toward putting that stronghold in a state of defence. The 
 arrival of a fleet, under Admiral Scranton, in the middle of May 
 compelled the French to raise the siege. 
 
 They retreated to Montreal, where the Marquis de Vaudreuil, 
 having concentrated his troops, made an effort to hold out against 
 the combined forces of General Amherst and those of Quebec and 
 Niagara, which had now united in offensive operations. He was 
 compelled, however, on the 8th of September, of the same year, to 
 sign a capitulation, surrendering the city and the whole of Canada 
 to the British, Very liberal terms were accorded by the victors, the 
 free exercise of the Cath6lic faith being guaranteed to the inhabitants, 
 and the property of the religious communities preserved inviolate 
 By the treaty of Paris, concluded in 1763, the possession of Canada, 
 as well as of the other conquered provinces, was formally ceded by 
 the French court to the British government. 
 
 'Pm» 
 
ACADIA, ETC. 
 
 CHAP TEE I. 
 
 EXPEDITION OF DE MONTS AND CUkvvt at.t 
 
 ''JiouaitiJAr, — THE JESUITS — SFTTr pirr^TT- 
 AT MOUNT DESERT: EROXEN UP Ry THE ENOI 5 
 DESTRUCTION OF PORT KO Y AL.-aLEX AN DEr ~ 
 
 TOUR.-CESSIONS AND RECESSIONS OF ac^DU 
 HOSTILITIES OF THE ENGLISH CoIoK E -T 
 PIRATICAL EXPEDITIONS.-FINAL SURJEC- 
 TION OF ACADIA TO THE ENGLISH. 
 
 msssssm 
 
 the beaut, and convenience of this location, Po^i.t To" oM 
 companions, was so charmed, that he resolved on mkin. L som 
 there, naming it Port Royal. ° settlement 
 
 De Monts next discovered the rivpr nf Qf t i. 
 of the bay, and immediately I ^^^^^ ^t 0;^ *^^ -«* -d« 
 
 -'and at the mouth of which he reX d t wlnte^ T,°" " ''"'" 
 proved unfavourable nnd ont J'"'"^'^'/" .^^"ter. The situation 
 
418 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 L 
 
 leaving Champlain, Pontgrav('', and Campdoro in command of the 
 colony, and did not return until tlie summer of 1606. In August 
 of that year he again sailed homeward. The settlement owed its 
 existence, in these early days, almost entirely to the perseverance 
 and sagacity of Lcscarbot, a lawyer, who had accompanied Potrin- 
 court, and who insisted on the necessity of d(>pending on the culti- 
 vation of the soil for subsistence, and not on supplies from Europe, 
 or a precarious traffic with the Indians. The succeeding winter 
 proved mild, and the colonists employed themselves in hunting and 
 in building; but, with the spring, arrived the disagreeable news tliat 
 the charter given to De Monts had been revoked, and that the colony 
 could no longer depend on his assistance. 
 
 Potrincourt now sailed for France, where he obtained from the 
 king a grant of Port Royal, on condition of taking out two Jesuits, 
 to convert the savages. These gentlemen he strictly excluded frcT. 
 any share in the management of the colony, informing them "that 
 their duty was limited to teaching men the way to heaven, and that 
 it remained for him to govern and direct those under him on earth." 
 In consequence of this treatment, they dispatched an ill account of 
 him to France; and in 1618 a vessel sent from that country, with 
 two more priests and some emigrants, carried away the Jesuits from 
 Port Royal, and sailed to tlie island of Mount Desert, not far from 
 Penobscot Bay. Here a settlement, named St. Saviour's, was founded, 
 and the erection of buildings was commenced; but while thus en- 
 gaged, the peaceful colonists were surprised by an English shin-of- 
 wa'r, under Captain Argall, of Virginia, who seized all their property, 
 and' m.ide them prisoners. One of the Jesuits, while urging Ids peo- 
 ple to defend themselves, was shot through the head; and two ves- 
 sels, at anchor off the port, were seized, in one of which a part (if 
 the colonists were sent to France, and the rest in the other to Yir-iiiiia. 
 Despite the peace existing between the two nations, the same 
 piratical commander, in 1615, again set forth from A'irginia to com- 
 plete the destruction of the feeble colonies of the French. Piloteil 
 by one of the Jesuit;^, he iiroc(MHled to Port Royal, then commanded 
 by Biencourt, the son of Potrincourt, and levelled the fort, the gov- 
 ernor vainly attempting to propitiate liiin by negotiation iUid fair 
 offers. S(mie of the French fled to Canada, some joined llic native 
 tribes, and the rest were sent prisoners to England. "This outrage- 
 ous destruction of Port Royal," says an I'higlish author, "during a 
 tine of profound peace between England and h'riince, coidd never 
 
i«ft i^KJt^tJl IN AMERICA. 
 
 419 
 
 prospenng for ten year, and without experiencing a hare of tb! 
 ferocious opposition, from the nntivpo ,„v u / ""•* 
 
 .nd .raHin, with .he na.^ ^^S W srlr''"''';- ''T "t^^ 
 James I. liad given a natent of LZ ^l':^-»">fer, to whom 
 
 «a,™a,,eaJ:„e.eeCr4rZ::[;::;^L^^^ 
 
 with a French C»lv,ni.,t, nnmetl Kireht (Kirk) he «,iL L rt ' 
 
 province, (where Per, Roya, had eon,„,e„ee., „ jj "d fe ^ Vftt 
 
 l:«:i; 'rii""' °"'°'f '™'''"'»' coined r::rs 
 
 settlement and lor Quebec, again reduced the dIacp TTo r>, i 
 settlement, however, to replace those whic^het Tdest; f a:; 
 two years afterwards, transferred the province to f . Ton rT ' 
 Protestant, who had formed En.Iisli com ct 1 T^" ' i''"''' 
 P..eded to Nova Scotia, where his ^o^ZZ,]^: i:;^:Z 
 t French at Cape Sable, but was unable to enforce his sTbn "in 
 
 W1.-C einof Lihshment „," „ tl ^ ive S ,""7'"?.^^" ''-""•. 
 
 a t 
 
 Th(; 
 
 L 
 
 ,-»». of l,i» Ian*, *c., fron, ,h„°l,„n.,» of .£ 1 : ,, '' „,„ 
 
 Whole however, bv the tronfi,- r,r 7^. i • '"-""-'^'g"- J rie 
 
 ;i 
 
 
420 
 
 TIIF. PEOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 ni 
 
 had built to protect their mradows from the sea. In 1704, that ener- 
 getic, but cruel and unscrupulous commander, with six hundred 
 troops, made a second piratical excursion from New England to the 
 devoted colony. He seized all the property and burned all tiie 
 houses at Passamaquoddy, and sent an expedition in boats, which 
 plundered and destroyed three thriving villages at Minas. The fort- 
 ress at Port Eoyal, which had been rebuilt, proved too strong for 
 him, and after sailing up the Basin of Minas, and laying waste all 
 the settlements there, he returned with his plunder to Massachusetts. 
 In 1707, a thousand troops, with two ships of war, were again dis- 
 patched from New England against Port Koyal, but were repulsed 
 with spirit by the governor, M. Subercase; and a second attempt, 
 afterwards made by the same force, proved equally futile. 
 
 The English, their pride piqued by these successive failures, now 
 made preparations on a scale which should ensure success; and in 
 1710 an armament consisting of nineteen vessels, bearing five regi- 
 ments, under command of General Nicholson, arrived at Port Eoyal. 
 
 The troops were landed and batteries were erected; and after a 
 heavy cannonade on both sides, the brave governor, compelled by 
 superior force, capitulated on honourable terms. Acadia thus again 
 came finally into possession of the English. The cruel treatment of 
 the inhabitants and their lamentable expulsion from their homes will 
 be briefly described iu the succeeding chapter. 
 
 \j dj'M JjM (L Jf <XJ (i>6 cb iX < 
 
 ACCOUNT OF TIIE ACADIANS. — TIIEIU INXOCE.NCE, SIMPJJCITT, 
 AND HAPPINESS. — DESCRIPTION IIY IIAYNAL. — ENMITY OF 
 THE ENGLISH. — liASSACllE AT KENNEBEC; REVENGED 
 BY THE INDIANS. — FURTHER HOSTILITIES. — CRUEL 
 EXPULSION Ol' THE ACADIANS. — THEIR TRANS- 
 PORTATION AND SVrrL'RINOS. — APEECTING 
 MEMORIAL. — THEIR FATE. 
 
 According to the accounts of contemporary writers, there has 
 schlom been a community so prosperous in its simplicity or so happy 
 in its isolation and obscurity as the little colony of Acadia. The 
 
THE FBENCH IN AMERICA. 
 
 subsistence to all the i -habitams; and th t^C^^t' •'" ''"^^^ 
 course left their affections and banners hTsh o'fT 'T 
 ingenuousness. Thourrh fir fmm ,. ^'" 'Estate of pnniitive 
 
 patriotism and attachmen o Te - I " *^"" ^'^'*^' ' ^P'"* ^^ 
 lanted in their mind n th"^^^^^ ^^^°"°'^ -^■ 
 
 .^as the attachment which the Fr^ h ,1 ^ ff ^'^"'^' "'"'^^^ 
 their count.-,, that the Icadi n^Tho nTubm tt :! ^ '^"^",°^ 
 had sworn never to bear arms aLninst' heir f ^ ^"''" ^'"^^'' 
 called French neutrals. ^ ^°'^'' standards, were 
 
 "No magistrate was ever appointed to rule over them and thov 
 were never acqua.nted with the laws of Fnol / a"' ^ 
 
 taxes of any kind were ever exact dfonftLft """ ""'^' °^ 
 eign seemed to have forgotten them n mU "''" '"'^''■ 
 
 to him. * * ^* * '"' t"'^ *^^7 ^^^;« ^quajly strangers 
 
 "Their manners were, of course, extremely sLple^ Thel w.! 
 never a cause, either civil or crirnhml rC • ^'"'P^®. mere was 
 
 carried befor; the Cour of T ' ''''^'T'''' '"°"^^^ ^« ^« 
 
 Whatever little differe s fronT " rT f ''^'^'^^' ^^^ ^""-^l-^-- 
 were amicably adjusted by't e . Wen ^11^1 '^""'^T^'^ ^''-. 
 drawn by their pastor, who ,n.^ n . '" P''^''" ^'^"^^ ^^«^« 
 
 forwhich, and f^ tl!:^; ti i;^r^^^T^^ ^''^^'^ ^'"^' 
 gave them a twenty-seventh ^^IS J!!::::;:^ ^'^"^ ^^^^^^^^ 
 
 ^e-o,;nce preveS'I < WmHPpr ^^^ t::^r7;^"'^ 
 was rel eved before it wi« f»u j poverty, j^.vcry misfortune 
 
 S^:rr;::: ts^r-^v'r "™'""^''" '™ ™ -^ 
 
422 
 
 TIIK I'KoriiK'S BOOK OF IIISTOKV. 
 
 1j 
 
 '1 
 
 4"" . 
 
 IKirtnor wlioiu lie liail clioseii, and who brouglit liiin lior portion of 
 lior fiitlior's llocka.. This family grew uj), niul i)r()S])orecl like the 
 others. They altoj^ether amomited to aViout eighteen thousaml souls. 
 
 "Who will not be alVeeted," ho continnes, "with the iiiuoceiit 
 manners and the tran(iuillity of this fortunate colony? Wlio will 
 not wish for the duration of its happiness? Who will not construct, 
 in i magi nation, an impenetrable wall, that may separate these colo- 
 nies from their unjust and liirbulent neighbours? The calamities of 
 the people have no period; but, oq the contrary, the end of their 
 felicity is always ut hand." 
 
 This peaceful and happy association, so eloquently describcMl, was 
 destined to a brief tenure of its innocent {)rosperity. The neighbour- 
 ing British settlers, harassed by Indian hostilities, and ascribing them 
 to the inlluonce of the French, were not long in taking a sharp ami 
 I'ruel revenge. A force sent fi'oin Massachusetts surjii-ised tiie l''re'icli 
 and Indian establishment at Kennebec, and slaughtered most of the 
 inhabitants. Among them was the venerable Father Uallc, who 
 had lived for forty years as a missionary among the Indians, ami 
 who was murdered at tlie foot of a cross erected in the centre of the 
 village. Tn revenge for this deed, an Indian force committed equal 
 cruelties at Canseau, Dartmouth, and Halifax, selling their i>risouers 
 to the French at Louisburg. The governor of that town, in answer 
 to the remonstrances of the English, replied, and probably with trutli, 
 "that he had no control over the savages, and that the ])reniiums 
 given for English ])ri.soners were paid from feelings of humanity, to 
 2)revent the horrible tortures and death whi(.'h the savages would 
 inflict." The latter still continued hostilities, "incessantly coumiit- 
 ting murdei'S along the coast; and it was impossible to guard tlic 
 colonists elVectually against enemies, who sprung with the ngility 
 and fury of tigers from the thickets, or who came along silently in 
 their birch canoes during night." 
 
 An Engli."-'!! expeditioti being di.spatched to Chignecto, the inhab- 
 itants, dreiiding the I'alo of Kennebec, buiiied their lio\ises and joined 
 J^a Come, the commander of a Canadian force, who had come down 
 to Acadia, and had ei'*>eted several ibrts there. In ITo-i an English 
 force reduced several of these hostile stations, and Major Lawrence, 
 the English governor of Nova !^i;,otia, resolved, unless the Acadians 
 would take the oath of allegiame to the English crown in the fullei^t 
 terms, they should be transported from the country. The unfor- 
 tunate inhabitants, most of wh(>m had jieaeeably submitted to the 
 
TIIK FKKNCII IN AMKKICA. 
 
 423 
 
 new rule, entreated that tliey might be allowed to remove into Can. 
 uda or Oa2.e Urelon; aiul oflered to swear full ulk-giuneo to tlio 
 IJntisl.. sovereign, if pcnnilted to reinain, only exeepting bearing 
 arms ugamst their countrynien and the Indiana. 
 
 But a eruel j.olicy, fearing to strengtiien the otlier Freneh colonics 
 prevented the authorities from acee.ling to either of these requests' 
 and Clone] W i„sk;vv, without any intimation of his purpose sum- 
 moned the Acadians to appear befbre him at Grand Pre About 
 four hundred men, who com].lied with this re.iuisition, were impris- 
 oned ,n the chureh at that place, and, to their consternation, were 
 inloinied that all their lands and lloeks were confiscated, and that 
 they and their families were to be transported to the ]5ritish colonics 
 At this time the stationary population of Acadia amounted to 
 about twenty thon.san.l, who were living in ease and prosperity on 
 thuirianns, when thus ruthlessly sunmioned to exile and separation 
 On learning tlie terrible decree, "many of them," says Mr. McGre-or" 
 "lied to the woods, and joined ihe Indians; others found their mxy 
 to Canada, and to the island .;f St. John's, near J'rince Edward's 
 ll.e settlements at Chigneeto and iMinas were subjected to conflagra- 
 tion; and all their villages and farms laid waste, and their houses 
 and churches reduced to ashes. The wretched inhabitants, deprived 
 ol food or shelter, were obliged to surrender, or II y to the woods in 
 order to escape finally to Canada, the island of St. John's or cLpe 
 Breton. Some Ibund their way to, and established themselves in 
 JIavti and Louisiana. From seven to eight thousand surrendered ' 
 ut discretion; and Colonel Winslow, in sending them away from a 
 country to which tlu,y were so mucit attached, acted with far more 
 kindness and delicacy than his orders strictly allowed. Their trcit- 
 .uent m the southern colonies, to which they were transported was 
 cruel and undeserved; they experienced the treatment, not of 
 prisoners ol war, but of condemned convicts. Several families found 
 lueir way to .1 'ranee, where they arrived utterly destitute " 
 
 I>| an affecting, but, it is almost nee.llcss to say futile, memorial to 
 the i.ntish sovereign, (CJeorge 111.,) tiie exiled Acadians, from their 
 places of banishment, stated the inhumanily of their treatment, their 
 con.c,entious scruples as to the required oath, and besought redress 
 liius they conclude, "we, our ancient j-arents and grand-parents, 
 (men of great integrity, and approve.! fidelity tu vour majesty,) and 
 our uinocent wives and children, became the unhappy victims of 
 those groundless lears; we were tran.sported into the Enulish colonies, 
 
424 
 
 TllK P KDl'LIC'H ISOOK OK IllSToliV. 
 
 and tliis wiis doiio with .so iimi'li liaslo, iiiiil wo little remind to our 
 iu'ct's.silii's luul the tciuli'ivst ties of iiiiturt^, tliui, iVoiii tlio most 
 social cnjoyimMits .•iiul allliiiMit circuniHtanccH, many Ibinid tlieiiiHclvea 
 dostitutr oi'llio iioci'ssaiii'H of'lilb; jnirriitH W'-iv «c|)aiatod IVom uhij. 
 droii, and husbands iVoni wives, sonio of whom have not, to ihij) 
 day, mot again; and wo woro si) erowdod in tho traiisport- vessels 
 that we had not room even lor all our bodies to lie down at once 
 nnd eonsei[nently were jiri-vented from eanying with us jji-oner 
 iiocessaries, espei'lally lor the eondbrt and snjtport of the iit^^ed and 
 weak, many of whom (|niekly end(>d their misery with their lives' 
 and even those among us who had snlVered most deeply from yiMir 
 majesty's enenues, on aeeount of their attachment to your majesty's 
 government, were equally involved in tlie common ciilanuty — of 
 which .l\ene Li'bhnu', the notary public, belore mentioned, is a re- 
 markable instance: hewassci/cd, eoiiliiicd, ami bi'onght awav aiiioin' 
 the rest of the peoj^Ie, and his liuuily, consisting of twenty children 
 and about an huiulred ami lifty grand-children, were scattered in 
 dilVerent colonies; — so that he was jiut ashore at New V(Hk, with 
 only his wife and two youngest children, in an infirm stale ol heultli 
 from whence he joined three more of his children at riiiladelphia, 
 wdiere he died, without any more notice being taken of him tlian of 
 us, notwithstanding his many years' labour and deep stilVerinns for 
 your majesty's service. 
 
 "The nusi>ries we have since endured are scarce sulTiciently to be 
 oxi^'cssod, being reduced, for a livelihood, to toil and hard labour in 
 a southern clime, st) disagreeing with our constitutions that most of 
 us have been prevented by sickness front, obtaining the necessury 
 subsistence for our families, and are therefore threatened with tli;it 
 whit'h we esteem the greatest aggravation of all our sullerings, own 
 of having our childriMi forced from us, and bound out to sti'an"ers,and 
 exposed to contagious distemjH'rs, unknou n in our native country. 
 
 "This, compared with the ease and allluence wx enjoyed, shows 
 our condition to be extremely wretched. We have alreadv seen, 
 in this province of Pennsylvania, two hundrt-d and lifty of our poo- 
 ]de, which is more than half the nundier that were landed hero, 
 jierish through misery and various diseases. In this great distress 
 and misery, we have, under God, none but your majesty to look to, 
 with luipes of relief and redress. We, therefore, hei'eby implore 
 your gracious protection, and recpiest you may be plea.sed to lot the 
 justice of our complaints be truly and impartially inquired into, and 
 
•iii'il, IS ii re. 
 
 THE KKKNcn IN AMKUrOA. 
 
 , 425 
 
 flint your mnjosty would p|„,so to {.runt us hupI, .r r ■ 
 
 Siu;]i \v;i,s t i(« tr;ii' cul Pif.. ,,r ., • , '"Viidcrs. 
 
 .Imost realising ll,c /!,},l„l ,, , ' , '" '"■■"'"■>' »"'! 
 
 H a» m, l,i„t,„.i»l „v,. : ™ " "'" "™""" '^"»1«' i'«li: 
 
 int..,.,. „l,ic.|, inv,. ; , , :;n,^ -""l-^'ivoly „„.„ll, tl,„ 
 
 k«,, .1,0 ,„.,„r„f„l C,c., ,",,''■'"''' ■""«'«""- will ya 
 
 u_ 
 
CAPE BKETON, ETC. 
 
 UKSBION OP TlIK FRENCH PROVINCES TO ENGLAND. — LOCISBUUO 
 
 FOUNDED ON CAFE ItRETON: ITS IMPORTANCE, — EXPEDITION 
 
 OF PEPPERALL. — L0UI8BIJR0 TAKEN BY THE ENGLISH; 
 
 RECEDED TO FRANCE. — EXPEDITION OF AMHERST. — 
 
 BRAVE DEFENCE OF LOUISBURO: ITS SURRENDER AND 
 
 DESTRUCTION. — ST. JOHN'S: CAPTURED BY THE 
 
 ENGLISH. — INDIAN TROPHIES DISCOVERED THERE. 
 
 TiTE early ivsort of the French fishermen to the bank of Now- 
 foundhind has been mentioned. On tlie island of the same name 
 at Placentia Bay, they made n small settlement, and were in tho 
 habit of frequenting other portions of the coast; but the whole, by 
 the treaty of Utrecht^ was ceded to Great Britain. The \Aiini\ of 
 Cape Breton, (a name lirst applied by the early French voyagers to 
 its eastern point, and afterwards extended to the whole,) was first 
 settled in the year 1714, by some colonists from Newfoundland fiiij 
 Acadia, jirineipally for convenience of fishing. By the treaty of 
 Utrecht, in the following year, Acadia, Newfoundland, and other 
 portions of "New France," were ceded to England; but Canada, Cape 
 Breton, and St. John's island (Prince Edward's) were retained by tlie 
 mother-country. 
 
 These diminislied possessions now assumed fresh importance in 
 the eyes of the French; and especially with a view to conmianding 
 the mouth of the St. Lawrence and protecting the fisheries, it was 
 determined to found a military post on Cape Breton. Accordingly, 
 in the year 1720, the town and harbour of Louisburg were fortified, 
 and were eventually made one of the most important strongholds of 
 the French in all America. Its value to that people was great, 
 especially from the commanding position which it occupied near the 
 fisheries — in which, at some times, six hundred vessels and twenty- 
 eight thousand seamen were constantly emi)loyed. No pains r 
 outlay was spared b}' the P'reneh government in providing for its 
 strengtli and defence. "There is hardly a settlement," says a writer 
 
eries, it was 
 
 TllK KUKNCIl I.N AMKJiiCA. 
 
 427 
 
 of the day, tlut Las h,m attcMi,]..! with ,norc expense to the French 
 nation tlia.i tins of Louishurg. It is certain that they have laid out 
 about thirty milho.iH of livre.s; and so cogent were tl,e motives winch 
 induced thein to put this scheme into execution, that the preserva- 
 Hon of LouiHhurg will always bo considei-ed as an object of too rrrcat 
 importance not to sacrifice every thing to it. Cape Breton protects 
 I the whole French trade of North America, and is of equal conse- 
 quence in regard to their commerce with the West Indies If they 
 had no settlement in this part of North America, their vessels re- 
 turning from St. Domingo or Martinique, would no longer be safe 
 on the Great Bank of Newfoundland, j,articularly in time of war- 
 lastly, as It IS situated at tho entrance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence' 
 It absolutely commands the river of that name." ' 
 
 The English, continually engaged in warlarc with their neicdi- 
 bours,were not long in making demonstrations against a place^f 
 sucli VMlue to the enemy, and so easily accessible by sea. In 1745 
 a force of four thousand men, under command of Colonel Willianl 
 Pepperall, was dis])atchc<l against Louisburg from New Kn-LindLi 
 spirit of ilmatical enmity to the French and to Catliolicisml,cin.^ it 
 IS «ud one of the i.rincipal exciting causes. Their banner bore'he 
 e^cn, lA./ despcra»,/n,n, Chnsto due," supplied by the famous 
 \ hitheld; and a species of crusading si)irit distinguished the exr.e- 
 (htion. This force, conveyed to the scene of action in transncts 
 was joined by an Ihiglish squadron, under Commodore Warren' 
 u-l.o had just captured a French seventy -four, with a great supplJ 
 of stores; and the whole armament, both naval and military l!dd 
 siege to Louisburg. On the 18th of June, after a brave resis'tance 
 of fort.y-n,nc days, the garrison was compelled to surrender, and the 
 JMioI.sh took possession of the town, with stores and merchandise 
 of nninense value Some time afterwards, by hoisting the French 
 fl;.K, they decoyed into the harbour and captured several ships 
 nc ly huU.n, their value being estimated at several millions of 
 Jolhus. St John s (Prince Edward's) also fell into the hands of the 
 i^i)^hsli, and many „f the inhabitants were transported to France 
 
 ch.!L f" V\ "' ^''-^■'^^■^''-P'-'"«' i" 1-^8. Cape Breton, in Ex- 
 change for Madras, was restored to France, witli which power it 
 reniauie until the memorable expedition 'under Boscawc" n 
 
 ^ St^^f tl " "'' '^""""^' '' ^''^ >'^^'^ 1-S. This arma- 
 m..t, one of the most powerful ever dispatched to America, con- 
 -sted of twenty-three ships of the line, eighteen iVigates, and s loo; - 
 

 
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428 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOEY. 
 
 of-war and transports amounting to an hundred and fifty-seven 
 ships, and of sixteen thousand soldiers. From the 8th to the 26th 
 of July, the garrison, under their governor, M. de Drucourt, defended 
 the place with extraordinary bravery; and Madame de Drucourt, 
 the intrepid wife of the commander, appeared every day upon the 
 ramparts, animating the soldiers to fresh vigilance and exertion. 
 Despite these heroic efforts, the French, overpowered by the vastly 
 superior force of the besiegers, were finally compelled to surrender 
 and thus, on the 26th of July, 1758, Cape Breton passed finally inio 
 the hands of the English. 
 
 At that time, the population of Louisburg, exclusive of the troops, 
 w^as about five thousand. The merchants and the greater part of 
 the inhabitants were sent to France in English vessels; but all the 
 officers of government, both civil and military, and all the troops, 
 numbering nearly six thousand, were dispatched to England as 
 prisoners of war. More than two hundred pieces of artillery, be- 
 sides stores and munitions of great value, fell into the hands of the 
 victors. Fearing lest this important post might be recovered by the 
 French, the British government caused the town and the massive 
 fortifications to be demolished, and, desjnte the natural advantages 
 of the place, they have ever since remained in ruins, 
 
 The island of St, John's, or Prince Edward's, discovered, it is said, 
 by Cabot, and afterwards seen by Verrazano, was not colonized by 
 the French, except in some unimportant fishing stations, until after 
 the treaty of Utrecht. Considerable numbers then flocked thither 
 from Acadia and Cape Breton; and the colony became of some im- 
 portance, both for its fisheries and for supplying Louisburg with 
 provisions. At Port La Joye, (now Charlotte Town,) a small garri- 
 son was stationed. At the time of its surrender to the iMiglish, in 
 1758, the population was about six thousand. This island had been 
 £<)v many years the resort of the Mic-Mac Indians, noted for their 
 murderous and continued hostility to the English. The latter 
 averred that even during time of peace, the^'e aggressions and mas- 
 sacres were encouraged by the French of St. John's; and Colonel 
 Hollo, who, after after the surrender of Louisburg, was dispatched by 
 General Amherst to take possession of the island, asserted that on its 
 capture, a vast number of scalps, the trophies of Indian cruelty, 
 were found hung up in the house of the French g^.vernor. On the 
 conclusion of peace in 1763, this colony and that of Cape Breton 
 were annexed to the government of Nova Scotia. 
 
 J 
 
LOUISIANA. 
 
 CHAPTEH L 
 
 THE RIO GRANDE.— THE CANADIAN FRENC H,— REPORTS OP 
 THE INDIANS.— FATHER MARQUETTE AND M. JOLIET' THEIR 
 EXPEDITION IN SEARCH OP THE MISSISSIPPI; VOYAGE 
 DOWN ITS STREAM --PAINTED MONSTERS.— THE MIS- 
 SOURI.— OHIO.— A RK A NS AS.— RETFRN VOYAGE. 
 
 DEATH OP FATHER M ABQUETTE. — ENTHUSIASM 
 OF TH^ FRENCH AT HIS DISCOVERY. 
 
 In the account of Florida, mention has been made of a majestic 
 river, discovered by the famous De Soto, in 1541, and described as 
 the Rio Grande. The disastrous fate of the expedition which he 
 commanded, seems to have deterred the Spaniards for more than a 
 century from making any further attempt in the same direction. For 
 an hundred and thirty years nothing more was known of that mighty 
 stream, the effluence of a continent, and now, without question" the 
 most important in the world. The enterprising spirit of the Cana- 
 dian French, in their expeditions of war, of traffic, or of survey, 
 bad made them acquainted with extensive regions lying around the 
 great lakes, and the streams which flow into them. From the reports 
 of the India'-.d dwelling in those remote territories, the existence of 
 a great river in the west was ascertained; and the opinion of .-eo- 
 graphers was divided as to the probable place of its disembo-ue- 
 ment. It was thought by some that it must flow into the Gulf of 
 California; by others, into the Atlantic, near the coast of Virginia- 
 and by others, on better grounds, that its outlet could be in no 
 other region than the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 Under the enterprising administration of Count Frontcnao, two 
 men were found daring enough to attempt the task of its discovery 
 and survey. These were Father Marquette, a missionary, eminent 
 lor his piety and his zeal in the conversion of the natives, a great 
 
 J 
 
li. : 
 
 430 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY, 
 
 traveller, and familiar with their languages, and M. Joliet, an ad- 
 venturous citizen of Quebec. With five other Frenchmen, on the 
 13th of May, 1673, these venturous explorers, in two canoes took 
 their departure from the remote outpost of Michilimackinac. Pass- 
 ing the tribes of the "Folles Avoines" or Wild Rice, (so called from 
 the native grain on which they chiefly subsisted,) the voyagers 
 received many warnings from that friendly people, of the perils to 
 be encountered on their proposed journey— "of the dangers of the 
 river, of the savage tribes which dwelt on its banks, and of the ter- 
 rible monsters (alligators) which swarmed in that region of heat 
 whither it flowed." But the pious father only replied, that he had no 
 fear of these terrors, and would gladly lay down his life to further 
 the salvation of souls in those distant regions. 
 
 Entering Green Bay, at the north-west of Lake Michigan, the 
 adventurers ascended the Fox river, and found friendly entertain- 
 ment among the Miamis, a people already in a degree converted by 
 the exertions of a zealous missionary, the Father AUouez. In the 
 centre of their principal village was a large cross, covered with offer- 
 ings to the Great Spirit, in token of thankfulness for success in 
 hunting. On the 10th of June, the associates left this river, and 
 guided by the natives, transported their canoes to another, runuin-^ 
 in a different direction, which, they were told, would lead them to 
 the Great Eiver, the object of their search. Down this stream (the 
 Wi^^consin) they paddled for forty leagues, observing deer and buf- 
 falo on the banks, and on the ITth entered tlie majestic "^leate 
 Chassipi," or Father of Waters, which, under the name of the Mis- 
 sissippi, still retains nearly its original native appellation. 
 
 Down this great stream they floated for sixty leagues, without 
 seeing any sign of human habitation— landing, toward evening, to 
 cook their food, and anchoring in the river, for security, during the 
 niglit. At length, seeing foot-prints on the shore, they landed" and 
 Alai'tpiette and Joliet, following a path wliieli led, for two lea-nies 
 tlirough the prairie, came to three villages of tlie Illinois, who re'- 
 ocived them with much kindness. The pipe of peace was solemnly 
 smoked, presents were interchanged, and on the following day more 
 than six hundred of this friendly people accompanied them to their 
 canoes, and bade them adieu with every token of good-will. Pur- 
 suing their course, they beheld, on the face of a lofty precipice, 
 fronting the river, and apparently inaccessible to man, the figures 
 of 'Mwo monsters," ])aintrd 
 
 m green, red, and blue, an'd so well exe- 
 
THE FRENCH IN AMERICA. , ,, 
 
 cuted that it seemed doubtful if they were the work of sava-es 
 These effigies are or were recently, ia a state of good preservatio°n. ' 
 They had now learned of the existence of a great river, called the 
 Pekitanoni, or Missouri, flowing into the Mississippi, and ere Ion- 
 were involved in its turbid flood, which, swelled with rains, rushed 
 furiously down, bearing great masses of driftwood. From a villaoe 
 named Oumissouri, on the shore of this stream, its present namels 
 derived. At the mouth of the Ohio, to their surprise, they found 
 savages armed with muskets, which, with other European articles 
 the Indians said, had been purchased of white men from the east' 
 Entering their dwellings. Father Marquette smoked with them the 
 calumet of peace, as usual, and gave them what instruction he could 
 m Christianity. Still floating southward, about the thirty-third de- 
 gree of latitude, he came to an Indian village, named Metchicmmea 
 The people here were at first hostile, but being propitiated by the un- 
 failing calumet, listened to such religious instruction as the good father 
 was able to impart. Ten leagues below this place, at a villa-e called 
 Akamsca, (Arkansas,) he was inform-l by the aid of an interpreter 
 that the sea was only five days distant. Concluding that the object 
 of their expedition was secured by this supposed ascertainment of 
 the debouchement of the stream into the Gulf of Mexico, and dread- 
 ing the cruelties of the Spaniards who dwelt upon its shores the 
 explorers thought it prudent to return. ' 
 
 Ascending with great toil and difficulty against the current, they 
 finally came to the Illinois river, up which they passed with greater 
 ease to Lake Michigan, where they arrived in Sci)tember. In the 
 four months which they had consumed in their arduous expedition a 
 vast accession ha.i been made togcograi)]iical knowledge, and the w'ly 
 to one of the richest and most valuable regions on earth had been 
 laid open to mankind. More than two thousand five hundred miles 
 had been traversed, in their frail barks, amid a tliousand dan-ers 
 by these adventurous uu-n. Father Marquette dn.nv up a'briel'lnr- 
 rative of the expedition, and constructed a map of the route which 
 represents, with tolerable distinctness, all the great features' of the 
 river and the country he had explored. 
 
 At the lake, he partclTrom J,)liet, who hastened with tiie tidin-s 
 to Quebec, while the good missionary remained witli his sava°e 
 fnends. "Indifferent to renown, and zealously occupied with the 
 salvation of souls, he again took liis wav to the wilderness, and 
 busied himself as a missionary among the Miamis. Death soon 
 
I 
 
 432 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 overtook him in his pious pilgrimage. On the 18th of May, 1675 
 coasting in his canoe along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, he 
 entered a small river. Here he landed, built an altar, and performed 
 the mass, saying that his voyage, he believed, was destined to end 
 there. He then retired into the wood, desiring his two companions 
 to leave him alone for the space of half an hour. At the end of 
 that time they made search, and found the good father, his present- 
 iment fulfilled, lying quietly dead in the shade of the eternal forest. 
 In this obscure, but not unfitting manner, perished a man, illustrious 
 for his courage, endurance, and enterprise, and endeared to remem- 
 brance by his pious and philanthropic labours for the souls of his 
 fellow-men." 
 
 At Quebec, the tidings brought by Joliet were received with 
 extraordinary enthusiasm, and the achievement of the two associates 
 was justly considered the greatest and most important discovery of 
 the age. All day the bells rang aloud, and the bishop and clergy, 
 with all the authorities of the city, went in solemn procession to the 
 cathedral, where a Te Deum was sung,, and a high mass performed, 
 in honour of the memorable occasion. 
 
 vjiLJjiAi^jjr iL (III Jib iL Ji « 
 
 lA SALLE: HIS ATTEMPTS TO REACH CHINA. — GRANT OF THE 
 KING. — TONTI; THEIR EXPEDITION TO THE WEST: DISCON- 
 CERTED BY TREACHERY. — ACTUAL AND PRETENDED DIS- 
 COVERIES OF FATHER HENNEPIN. — VOYAGE OP LA 
 SALLE TO THE OUTLET OP THE MISSISSIPPI: HE 
 TAKES POSSESSION OF THE VALLEY. — THE RE- 
 TURN. — IMITATION OF INDIAN FEROCITY. 
 
 The magnificent enterprise so splendidly commenced by Mar- 
 quette, was ere long completed by an adventurer, his equal in cour- 
 age, enthusiasm, and patient endurance. Eobert Cavalier, Sieur de la 
 Salle, a young man who had been a member of the order of Jesuits, 
 was at this time in Canada, engaged in the undertaking of findings 
 westerly passage to China. He proceeded, however, on this chimer- 
 ical expedition no further than the spot now known as La Chine, 
 
THEFKENCH INAMEBICA 
 
 ' 433 
 
 (China,) a name attesting his e\'npptoti-^»o j i- 
 coming possessed with an eouarv ft ' '"^.f '•^*^PP°'"t'"ent. Be- 
 flowing from the westward, Su d Tim fl^ ''l ''' '^'^^°""' 
 he offered his services to Count'lio nao 1 ' " t "^ ^^°^^°"' 
 for aid at the court of France. Ito din^t'^ 1 "'^ "^^"^ '^ «PP'^ 
 I and, by the favour of Colbert nnd f]Tv ■ 'J'^'J'^''"''^^ *^^'*er, 
 Louis the desired cquipn.' t Thel ""'',^' ^°"''' "^'^''^«'^ of 
 and a monopoly of tlLa^tl if , ""^ °^ ^'<^''* I^^^'°"*«"a«. 
 
 to him, and'wL the CheX IW Tf "' T '^'"^^^^ ^^'^^'^^ 
 only one arm, he repaired to Quebec ' ^''^''" °^^^^' ^^^^^ 
 
 tember, 1679, the t;oassoStestntl^t^^^^^^^^^^^ /» 4- 
 
 takmg forty-four men-among them "the p .'V* ^^"'^^'^ ^"«' 
 
 pin, famous for his discoveries and n '^ '*'^'' ^^""«- 
 
 sitions." At the river sZoseToXl'VT- '''^ ''^^ «"'^ ™P- 
 afort, and thence passed toT^lCo^t^T^^' "-^ ^'^"^ ^^'^ 
 country proved fertile and populous 'no ! ^^, '^^'^^^'^^^-d- The 
 houses being found in one vilCe 'nd th " ^'' ^^""^''^^ 
 
 and hospitable. The treason of s°ome of ^ ^T^"' ''''' '"«"d^>^ 
 disconcerted this promising el, n. ^ ""''■"''' ^^^ ^^'^ time, 
 
 destruction of all L^e'd 1^ I' t^ roT 1^ ''T' ''" '^^ 
 tempted to excite opposition amon^X I.d'hnTb "' '"^ '"^ ^^■ 
 La Salle was a spy of their enemies fllT^^' '"smualing that 
 proving of no avail, these wretchr' ^'^'''''' ^"^ '^^' ^^«vioe 
 
 his chief adherents t a Chr ^^ ?«-» ^^ ^-n and 
 
 renuHlies, the suffer rsrecove^eTandr''-- ^*'^' *^'^^'->^ ^'^ -^ 
 into the wilderness, beyond the r.f . T ^"''"^^'^ "^"^^^^'^^^ A-' 
 this reduction of h s W to 1 . u^"''"'' ^«'^^P^"^^. V 
 Salle left Tonti in comtl^i ^ ?"VL '^ P-^?.^ --i^ U 
 
 I Salle left Tonti in command of TV? P"'^' ^^' ^^^ 
 
 '■■"■111 •■"lotlier version „?T„ ^ M,ss,ss.pp,, „„., dead, he „„s 
 
 Vol. II1I2V "' "" °'"''"' •■"" *« «*i'y of 
 
434 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOBY. 
 
 which is sufficiently proved, by the fact that ho pretends to have < 
 ascended it from the Gulf of Mexico to the Illinois river, in a canoe, 
 with only two men, in twenty-two days. So notorious, indeed, was 
 his bad faith in these transactions, that his common epithet in Can- 
 ada, we arc told, was "Xe Orand Menteur" (the Great Liar). "By 
 this impudent fabrication, he secured to himself a reputation some- 
 what like that of Vespucius, whose fraudulent attempt (or that of 
 his admirers) to wrest the glory from a true discoverer, obscures the 
 renown of his real and meritorious achievements." 
 
 La Salle, having collected twenty men at his posts, resumed his 
 enterprise, and on the 2d of February, 1682, embarked on the Mis- 
 sissippi. He pai^sed the Missouri and the Ohio, as well as the Ar- 
 kansas, the termination of the voyage of Marquette. The river 
 seemed interminable in its windings, yet he kept on, and was kindly 
 received by the powerful tribe of the Natchez. On the 27th of 
 March he passed the mouth of Red River, and on the 7th of April 
 arrived at that strange region, neither land nor water, where, through 
 many channels, the turbid torrent of the Mississippi mingles with 
 the gulf "The country immediately around the outlet of this vast 
 stream was desolate and uninteresting. Far as the eye could reiich, 
 Bwampy flats and inundated morasses filled the dreary prospect. 
 Under the ardent rays of the tropical sun, noisome vapours exhaled 
 from the rank soil and sluggish waters, poisoning the breezes from 
 the southern seas, and corrupting them with the breath of pestilence. 
 Masses of floating trees, whose large branches were scathed by 
 months of alternate immersion and exposure, during hundreds of 
 leagues of travel, choked up many of the numerous outlets of the 
 river, and, cemented together by the, alluvial deposits of the muddy 
 stream, gradually became fixed and solid, throwing up a rank 
 vegetation."* 
 
 The discoverer, exulting in the completion of his achievement, 
 proceeded to take formal possession of the vast regions watered by 
 the river he bad explored— bestowing on them, in honour of liis 
 sovereign, the name of Louisiana. From the top of a high tree a 
 cross was suspended ; a shield, bearing the arms of France, was set 
 up; and a solemn Te Deum was chanted, in gratitude to Heaven for 
 the success of this memorable enterprise. The more important ope- 
 ration of attempting to ascertain the latitude, produced a rosult en- 
 tirely fallacious. 
 
 * Wtirbnrton — "Conquest of Cannda." 
 
THE FRKNCII 1 N A M K U I C A . 
 
 Eeturning with groat difficulty against the flcrco current of the 
 tapp, swollen, It IS probable, at this season, with floods Je 
 French expenoneed mueh annoyanee from the attacks of t^Te treach 
 erous Quunp,ssas, whose hostility they had already tasted 100"^^ 
 do. Uuving slam several of these assailants; the adventurers^ 
 emula Ung te savage custom of their foes, scalpei the ^0^ Td 
 earned oft the usual ghastly trophies of Indian warfare. Sfero 
 oouspract.ce, mdeed, seems always to have had a singula flTna 
 Uon for men once thoroughly committed in hostility witE the savaTes 
 Near ha fa century later, if the old ballad may be trusted we Id 
 th English (and especially their chaplain, the Reverend Mr Frvei 
 in uiging a similar taste at a battle on the frontier of Maine fnd^ 
 ,«deed ata much later date, our backwoodsmen were fr«^ 
 the habit of emulating, n this resnprt the. ^ * ^ "equentJy in 
 whieh they encountered. ^ ' ^' "'^'* ^"^^^^*^"« ^"^es 
 
 CHAPTSH HI. 
 
 moinON OP LA SALLE BY SEA IX aUKST OP TUB MISSIS 
 
 Zr^nZT'"' ^"«-'^«-r-XBS AT THE Ay 
 OP ST. BERNARD. — POUNDS A COLON Y.—misforthn p/ 
 AO BISCOURAOEMENTS.-HE SETS FORTH OVe" AND 
 PR CANADA.-HIS DEATH.-p^TE OP THE S RVivo ,' 
 OP THE EXPEDITION,-OP THE COLONY OP ST I oVls 
 
 LaRochelle for the mouth of the Misstinni Th ' V ^""^ 
 
 mutinous disoositinn ^f P Mississippi. The sullenness and 
 
 early day produe d loi ^'"^"V^' '"P^"" "^ '^'^ '^'S^'^' «* an 
 ated in i[ entil dfseomfir f' '^ '''' ^"P^'^'*''^"' ^'^ ^-n^u- 
 
 -LI nie expected outlet. "Nothing is 
 
 1 
 
436 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF I1I8T0KY 
 
 II-. I 
 
 i 
 
 more dlflicult than to discover, from sea, the entrance even of the 
 largest river, on an unknown coast, unless the position has been 
 accurately determined beforehand, and the attempt is doubly embar- 
 rassing, where the stream, like that of which he was in search, de- 
 bouches, through numerous outlets, upon a marshy shore." 
 
 Accordingly, after a long and fruitless search for the desired 
 entrance (which, it seems, they passed on the 10th of January, 1685) 
 Beanjeu, disregarding the orders of La Salle, kept westward for a hun- 
 dred leagues, and anchored in the Bay of St. Bernard, not for from tbe 
 present site of Galveston. Finding a large stream flowing into this 
 bay, the governor supposed that it might be one of the western mouths 
 of the Mississippi, and concluded to make a landing. His expecta- 
 tions, indeed, had been miserably disappointed on discovering the 
 nature of his outflt. The alleged artisans proved mere impostors; 
 the soldiers were decrepid and worn-out invalids, disbanded as unfit 
 for service. This heterogeneous and ill-assorted crowd, to the number 
 of two hundred and twenty, being landed, Beaujeu hastily deserted 
 them, and sailed reckles.sly away. The commander, though much 
 discouraged by these untoward circumstances, set to work and built 
 a fort, whicli he called St. Louis. Ue next spent four months in 
 coasting along the shore with canoes, vainly seeking tlie Mississippi, 
 and unable to obtain any information from the unfriendly savages. 
 In April, he set forth towards New Mexico, in hopes of discovering 
 mines, but with equal ill-success. 
 
 Tonti, who had been left in command of a fort on the Illinois, 
 according to previous agreement with La Salle, now descended the 
 Mississippi to the sea, where he expected to find his associate and 
 the projected colony; but, after searching the shores of the gulf for 
 months in vain, sadly relinquished the attempt, and returned to his 
 station on the Illinois. 
 
 The unfortunate little colony founded by La Salle, its numbers 
 diminished by losses in every expedition, was fast verging to ex- 
 tinction. In less than two years from its foundation, only thirty- 
 seven men were alive, and famine and Indian hostility threatened 
 the speedy destruction of the whole. The dauntless commander, his 
 spirit unbroken by misfortune or disappointment, continued to pro- 
 ject fresh schemes uf adventure and discovery. With sixteen com- 
 pani(Mis, on the 12th of January, 1686, he set forth on tbe terrible 
 enterprise of traversing -the wilderness, and penetrating over- 
 land to Canada. Among them was his young nephew Moranger, 
 
'i'llK KKKNCH IX AMKUnv 
 
 437 
 a youth of haugl.ty temper, who inorrcHl the enn.itv of tl . i 
 a mutmoua spirit soon broke out Or,„ r.i "^ ""^ '■*'"'^*' '"^"'1 
 
 two days' Journey from the fort, be J taken' i7' "'""' '"'"^'"^' 
 return. liis brother earnestly d sirecHo be!r > ' ^^'""'"'^'^ '" 
 
 Salle refused to allow it on aceo.nT f ,u " ««"^P«"y, but La 
 
 8arvivin<' l)rothc'r from ll...t ,„^ "^' eieu hy the Indians; and the 
 
 ada, he nourid.od sohcmc of v2.f ^ ""I ° '" ""^ """"■'' Can- 
 r«. .he,„ in execution WifuZ™"'' T'"'""' "■= Wort-ni.y lo 
 
 canc-bral,,, .,l,„r,l, after thev'fil^ f '"* T"™'"' "''■"'slve, i„ „ 
 
 con,™,,*; .rci°r::; X I nZl td"-"' "' "r ""''"""""'° 
 Mil, of May, 1688 it is „:,} !„ T ' P^-^Mly <liod, on tl,e 
 
 il™. have won renown a, pioSr I",!! ^.v" MtT/'T' °' '"* 
 
 The assassins, to avoid the ven^einPPr.ffi r • •, 
 hastily quitted the party, and strulan T T-^' "^ ''"''' "^«^''"' 
 They all perished, either at tl el l . '"''' '" '^'' wilderness, 
 savages. ^The litile co.; n ' o I li ' '''"' "^ "' ^^'^ '^'^^'^^ 
 
 «tiina>pt on their toilsomeTo^urnertoT"^ "7 "^'"^^^^ ^-^ --"' 
 through whose country they p. seVtre TJ^'T' ^^^^ ^'"^'^"« 
 months after the death of the r' ^ ""^ ^■'"^'^'- «"J ^^^^^ 
 
 fluence of the Ark ,s. and M ""•'"' "^ "''""' '"^^ '^' ^°"- 
 they found a cros "h had^:"'"'"^" "^"' ^^ ^^^'^ «-P-«. 
 ofTonti, whom, i . a endtf th"T'-"? '^^ ^"^'-^'^ ^'""'P--'- 
 place. Encourai^ed by th 'S, ^^''^'^'«f PI"' >'« ^^d left at this 
 
 tion. they pursued thfor^^C:^^^ ""T'^'Y '''' -'^'-^• 
 finally succeeded in reaching I ' '' ' ^^^"^^^^^^^ ^o state, 
 
 The miserable remn-inf- nf +i.„ i , „ 
 I-.is, soon perished under hrn-7' '1 ^^ '^''^ ^^"« '-^^ ^^^ St. 
 that little station. Firelikren " "' ''' ^"'"'' --rounding 
 
 ^•'IIi'.g into the hands oft Sn?^^^."""' 'P'''^' ^'^° '-^^^^^^'-^^^^ 
 ofthesettlement. Of the tvohnT'T ' r^''^^'^ *^^^ unhappy fate 
 these, and the seyen corn7.2^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 Canada, alone survLd^g T- ^" "'" ""'^ ^'"■'- ^'^^^^ ^<^ 
 
 attempt to colonizeThe "riehe? T " "^''^'''^^'^ ^^'^"'^ ^^ ^he first 
 
 the richest and most valuable region of all North 
 
488 
 
 THE I'Korl.K'H 1U)()K OK IIISTOUY. 
 
 Amciica— an attempt, unhappily, only the prototype of suoceRsive 
 efforts in the satno direction. The colonization of Louisiana, like 
 that of its neighbour, Florida, for a long series of years preacnits little 
 except continually renewed misfortune, suffering, and mortality. 
 
 CEAPTEH I?. 
 
 NKOLEOT OP THE MISSISSIPPI VALLBY. — KXPKDITION OP LEMOINE 
 D'lDKIlVIIJ.K: HE FOUN DS SETTLEMENTS AT 1111,0X1, M01)II,E,AND 
 
 ISLE DAUPHINE. TONTI. — U NPKOSPE IIOUS CONDITION OP 
 
 LOUISIANA. — DEATH OP D'lBERVlLLE. — HIS BllOTHEH 
 BIENVILLE. — CKO/AT. — THE MISSISSIPPI COMPANY. 
 
 OIIEAT IMMIORATION, SUPPEIUNO, AND MOllTAL- 
 
 ITY — >fji\v ORLEANS FOUNDED. — CONTINUED 
 IMMIOIIATION. — VAST EXTENT OF LOUISIANA. 
 
 Foil ten years after the death of La Salle and the destruction of 
 his colony, the French made no attempt to settle the Mississippi Valley 
 
 the few adventurous voyagers who had resorted there from Canada 
 
 betaking themselves to hunting and to traffic in furs, and gradually 
 assimilating with the Indians in character and habits. In 1697, 
 Lemoine D'Ibcrville, a brave Canadian, distinguished for his naval 
 services, represented to the court of France the importance of tlii.s 
 neo'lected region, and obtained the means for a fresh attempt at set- 
 tlement on the Gulf With two vessels, on the 17th of October, of 
 that year, he set sail from Rochefort, and directed his course to tlie 
 Bay of Pensacola. The Spaniards there remonstrated against his 
 alleged intrusion, yet he proceeded, and examined the harbour of 
 Mobile, the river Pascagoula and the Bay of Biloxi, and finally 
 arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi. The certainty of this dis- 
 covery was confirmed by the extraordinary incident of a letter, 
 ■written by Tonti thirteen years before, giving an account of the 
 country, with most valuable directions, being preserved by the 
 Indians, and handed to D'Ibervillc. 
 
 He passed up the Mississippi, and, entering the outlet still bearing 
 his name, discovered Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, and the 
 
THE KKKNOII IN AMEKICA. 
 
 489 
 
 Bay ol Uiloxi. Uero ho fo.UKlod ii small HctUomci.t, which, however, 
 on account of the diaadvantagcs of the Bite, wiw aftiirwuids removed 
 to the Bay of Mobile, and tlioiicc again to the Lslo Dauphino, .where it 
 fiiuilly found a resting- place. A fort called Ikli/e was also erected at 
 the mouth of thoMis3issi])pi; and afler completing these and other 
 works in furtherance of colonization, D'Iberville, leaving his brothers 
 Siuirolle and JJienvillo in command, proceeded to France for fresh 
 a.Hsistance in his entcrprine. In December, IflOi), ho returned, and 
 soon after received a visit from the brave and adventurous ^J'onti 
 who, having heard of the foundation of the new colony, with only 
 seven companions, had descended the Mississippi to greet him. After 
 a few years of doubtful i)rosperity, a terrible fever desolatod the little 
 colony, carrying off Saurolle and eventually D'Iberville, and leavin" 
 only a hundred and fifty-five .souls alive. The.se were in a misera° 
 lie condition, tlie .spots on wliich they were located—Biloxi, Isle 
 Dauphino, and the Balize— being little more than deserts. 'tIio 
 fruitless search for gold and the trade in furs eng,.„s,cd their atten- 
 tion, to the neglect of husbandry or permanent occupation of the 
 country. Bienville, the surviving brother, by his perseverance and 
 talent for command, still managed to sustain the feeble interest of 
 France in these distant regions. A considerable extent of the vast 
 wilderncs.s, now so populous, was surveyed. Red River and the 
 Missouri had been a.scended to great distances by enterprising advon- 
 turer.s, and small settlements were planted on the Yazoo and the 
 Washita. 
 
 The Protestant exiles, driven from their homes bv the cruelty of 
 Louis XIV., but still retaining the true French loyalty and afleJtion 
 tor thoir country, now offered that, if tolerated in t'he exercise of 
 their religion, four hundred families of them would remove to Louis- 
 iana, But that bigoted sovereign, by nature and education on(>. of 
 the vilest and most tyrannical that ever disgraced a throne, replied 
 that he had not expelled them from his kingdom to form a repub- 
 ac of them." ^ 
 
 By 1712, there were only twenty families in Louisiana, living in the 
 most abject poverty, and destitute of the means of escaping from their 
 forlorn situation. I„ that year Antoine Crozat, who had amassed 
 a vast fortune by trading to the East Indies, purchased from the 
 crown a grant of the entire country, with a monopoly of commerce 
 or sixteen years. His object was not colonization, but contraband 
 traffic with Mexico, in order to secure a return of the precious metals; 
 
440 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 and tins project failing, from the dishonesty of his agents, in 1717 
 he tt'ansferrcd his privileges to that famous or infamous coiupuny 
 whose history, both in Europe and Amerioa, is one tissue ol' gross 
 ignorance, of stupendous fraud, of suffering, and of ruin. At this 
 time, thougii numerous emigrants, at dillereut periods, had arrived 
 the whole poi)ulation — so great had been the mortality — was only 
 seven hundred. 
 
 The Mi.ssit:si2)pi Company, under the guidance of the notorious John 
 Law, had procured a euarter, conveying entire control, except a mere 
 nominal reservation of sovereignty, over the ill-starred province- and 
 by the artful management of that subtle schemer, a mania, wilder 
 than had ever been known in France, was excited for speculation in 
 the new enterprise. Fabulous stories of gold and silver mines of 
 unimaginable riches, were eagerly circulated: the stock of the com- 
 pany rose enormously; and an immense quantity of paper money 
 amounting to more than two hundred millions of dollars, was put 
 into circulation. The history of the wide-spread ruin and national 
 bankruptcy in which France was involved by the collapsing of this 
 famous bubble, does not immediately pertain to our subject. No 
 single scheme of speculation, it is probable, ever entailed suck 
 universal misfortune on a community. 
 
 During the years 1717 and 1718, the company, with rash and iudis- 
 criminating haste, dispatched to Louisiana several thou'^and emigrants, 
 French and foreigners. Those unfortunate people, crowded on ship- 
 board, ill provided with food and necessaries, arriving at their place of 
 destination, ibund that the pin'ts of Old Mobile and the Isle Dauphine 
 were completely destroyed, the latter in consoi|uence of the accumu- 
 lation of vast saud-bauks. They were set on sliore at Biloxi, without 
 provisions or nieans of future support, and uttjrly ignorant of the 
 country to which they had been so rashly transported. Crowded ou 
 tliis barren shore, they mostly perished, of want, exposure ami dis- 
 ease; and the few who survived were linally transported to the Missis- 
 sippi. Discouraged by these niisfortunes, and regarding the land us 
 better fitted for a penal scltlemcnt than lor a prosperous colony, the 
 h'rench added to the misery of the unfortunate lew who still inliub- 
 iicd Louisiana, by sending out none but convicts and felons to that 
 miserable country. " Hundreds," we are told, " of the most degraded 
 and miserable objects, in a complete state of nakedness, prcsenled 
 themselves at some Spanish and English trading posts: others 
 perished of a disease which they themselves had introduced; but 
 
Tll£ FKENCH IN AAIKRICA. 
 
 441 
 
 the far grccater number wauderet] thrnu,rh *i x- 
 and ihtigue tonninated their w"t d t "if"'' ""tij hunger 
 the garrisons, at one tin., were com pell d to re rel/- Zl 7^' 
 villages, to avoid perishing of hunger. '^'''" 
 
 IJienville, to whose sanguine ener.rv tli« ,,^1^ 
 debted for its preservation in ITl^f ,7 ''"' ^"^""^^ '"' 
 Orleans, as tha/of thr e ^J s^^, 'If "1' f" ^"^ °^' ^^^^ 
 hisf...i,ht and JudgnTent. W^-^^i^^tJ^' ''^.^"l^ -'"- 
 Pensacola, the same gailuaL c^-oer llletin!' r";"''l' '''""^' 
 
 French soldiers in Louisiana in nl ? " '''"''"' ^"'"^'^ "^ 
 
 ment; and after a seri Z'-otra^^ed T'^fr' " "'" '""" ^'^''^^ -"^- 
 hands three times du ng ^ " rt ' T^'"' ^^ ^^^^ 
 aisputed territory. It w^s Weve ,'.""' P"''''^''''"" "'' '^^ 
 to Spain, ats origial p^^or ' *'" ^""^ °' ''''' ^^--^ 
 In 1720, twelve hundred more settlers arrived from Fm. 
 
 pn!loxtf„ritsf„r,„„li„„- ™, »■""■« wh.ch l,acl bcon the 
 
 tan, f,,„„ „,. Ji ;; ;:rM%:r" '""'""""■'• "- ■' •'"" 
 
 """l-.y ,„st s„,„™o di c°„; „f.'2'""''-""'V'l'l'"""-l Vtl.o 
 
 «l..r .1,0 ox.o„«i„,', „r i,r. r°, rv . f ;^ "' '■'"""'"'"' ^'"'S'" 
 oliaractor or i.ro.m.rilv n, , "",„,,v,.„,„t .,f its 
 
 ft»m.l.»,livW,,,,; lli 7°f"'"''-"''f-"'-"yl.oj,,d„e,l 
 
 ■'ivlid™.rvi,Ja' ':;'''. "•;'■' •"': '■--'»f'i i" ..nice ,« 
 

 fl 
 
 mm 
 
 ■I 
 
 442 
 
 TIIK I'EOPLE'S BOOK OF HISTORY. 
 
 having devoted twenty-nine years of his life to the care of this 
 remote province, of which he had been one of the earliest founders, 
 returned to France, leaving M. Perier to succeed him in the command. 
 
 tjiliiliiiJail, V. 
 
 HOSTILITY OP THE NATCHEZ. — THEIR INJURIES. — VAIN RE- 
 MONSTRANCE. — PLAN POR THE DESTRUCTION OP THE FRENCH. 
 — MASSACRE AT PORT ROSALIE. — CAMPAIGN AGAINST 
 THE NATCHEZ. — PLIGHT AND FINAL DESTRUCTION OF 
 THE TRIDE. — WAR WITH THE CHICASAWS. — DISAS- 
 TROUS CAMPAIGN OF D'ARTEGRETTE AND BIEN- 
 VILLE. — GREAT LOSS OF THE FRENCH AND 
 THEIR ALLIES. — UNSATISFACTORY RESULT 
 OF A SECOND CAMPAIGN. 
 
 The erection of Fort Rosalie, on the Mississippi, was viewed with 
 some jealousy by the Natchez, a pov/erful tribe of neighbouring 
 Indians; injudicious attempts to collect tribute had given them ad- 
 ditional offence; and in alliance with the Chicasaws and other tribes 
 of Louisiana, they concerted a general attack on the French. The 
 latter, having succeeded in detaching the Choctaws from the hostile 
 league, the Chicasaws also deferred their intended campaign, but the 
 Natchez, excited by fresh injury, rushed at once into a war of exter- 
 mination. Chepar, the commandant of the fort in question, wi.shing 
 to lay out a plantation, with equal cn^elty and impolicy, ordered the 
 chief of a neighbouring village to yield it up for his use. In vain did 
 the latter remonstrate. "When you and your brothers," he said, 
 "came here to ask us for land, we did not refuse it; there was enough 
 for you and for us; we might have hunted in the same forests, and 
 been buried in the same place. Why will you drive us from the cabins 
 where we have received you with kindness, and smoked witli you 
 the calumet of peace?" The commandant, however, was blindly 
 inexorable in his demand; and the injured tribe, in close council, 
 resolved on signal vengeance. A singular device for ensuring con- 
 cert in the intended assault was adopted — a bundle of reeds being 
 
close council 
 
 of rccds being 
 
 THE FRENCH IN AMEIilCA. 
 
 448 
 
 sent to each of the allied chiefs-one, commencing with the next 
 new moon to be drawn daily from the stock, and the last to mark 
 the day of retribution. 
 
 On the 28th of November, 1729, the Indians, each bearin.. his 
 tribute of corn, presented themselves before the fort. Permitted to 
 enter, in great numbers, without any precaution, they dispersed 
 tliemselves through the fortress and among the dwellings; and at a 
 given signal, raising their tomahawks, fell on the garrison, and com- 
 mitted an indiscriminate slaughter. Taken by surprise, nearly all 
 the I^;en«^nien were put to death; eighty women and a hundred 
 and fifty children were made prisoners; and the negro slaves joined 
 the ranks of the assailants. Seven hundred of ti.e Frencli, it is said 
 thus perished at a single blow; and the Yahoos, emulating the 
 example of their Natchez allies, surprised the fort in their terrUorv 
 and put all its tenants to death. 
 
 The French, burning for revenge, first massacred a company of 
 Chonchas, dwelling near New Orleans, who were put to death by 
 the negro slaves, with great cruelty. The Choctaws, enraged at the 
 engrossment of spoil by the Natchez, now proffered their services to 
 Per:er and twelve hundred of them, commanded by a Frenchman 
 were dispatched against Fort Eosalie, which the Natchez had recon- 
 structed and occupied. This army defeated them, with the loss of 
 eighty warriors, and recovered fifty of the women and children A 
 iorce of colonists, of equal number, provided with artillery' and 
 attended by a body of friendly Indians, soon followed, and for sev- 
 eral days the assault was fiercely pressed, the besieged defending 
 themselves with great resolution. Terms of capitulation were finally 
 agreed on, and the rest of the prisoners were restored; but the 
 ^atchez seeing that Loubois, the French commander, intended to 
 b.eak faith with hem, privately escaped by night across the river 
 ma portion of tlie.n joined the Chicasaws. The rest of the fugitiy; 
 tribe, having concealed themselves in the woods near Black Eivcr 
 were pursued by Perier, the governor, in the winter of 1731 and 
 jvere mostly killed, in attempting to escape from their fort or w" e 
 forced to surrender. The prisoners were seat to St. Dom n'o a d 
 old as slaves. The remainder of tlie tribe, on learning thee" lis 
 ^ous tuhngs fell with great f^i.y on the Tuul.. and t.d^^ I ^ , 
 Icsof he Lreneh, and committed much slaughter anion, th ni 
 
 1l 
 
 their chief, the Great Sun. being among the kill.-d. 
 
 The i 
 
 ew sur- 
 
444 
 
 THE I'KOrLK'S HOOK OK II IS TdUV 
 
 
 'I 
 
 I'm 
 
 vivora of this onco pi^worfiil tribe took rcfiige (ittioiiif tlio Cliioasawa 
 and other iiutions, by whom tliey wore mloptod; ;iiul the iiumc of 
 tlio Nulehez, as a peoj)lo, beeaino extinct; though, like that of Tusca- 
 loosa, of Mauvihv, and many another cuplionious Indian title, still 
 perpetuated in the apiwllatiou of a modern city. 
 
 In 1732, **ie Mississippi Company abandoned their charter, leaving 
 Louisiana with a population of about iivc thousand white inhabitants 
 and half that number of blacks. The prosperity of the colony, 
 desjjite its terrible misfortunes and losses, was now settled on a per- 
 manent base— agriculture, which in those fertile regions so amply 
 repays the planter, having become its principal occupation. Indian 
 hostilities, however, with hardly an interval of peace, were presently 
 res\uned. The Chieasaws had allbrded an asylum to the Yazoos, 
 to the survivors of the Natchez, and to the runaway negroes; nay, 
 they even hatched a plot for the destruction of the white settlements 
 by exciting an insurrection of the slaves. Other acts of open hos- 
 tility were eonnnitted, and Bienville, who in 1735 returned and 
 resumed the olliee of governor, ])ereeived the necessity of conciliation 
 or war. All his cftbrts at the former having failed, he sent for 
 D'Ai'tegrette, the commandant of Fort Chartres, on the Illinois, to 
 join him with all his available force. That oflicer, already distin- 
 guished for his activity in the war with the Natchez, with a force of 
 twelve hundred men, mostly Illinois Indian.s, ra{)idly descended the 
 Mississippi, and marched into the country of the hostile nation. The 
 Chieasaws were well entrenched, and were cotnmanded by English 
 officers. IVArtegrette, after waiting ten days in vain for Bienville, 
 attacked tlu'm, but aft(4r taking two of their forts, was wounded and 
 taken prisoner, with several of his friends. The Illinois fled, and 
 Bienville, arriving just too late, attacked a fort defended by a body 
 of iMi'dish, before which, it is said, he lost two thousand of his fol- 
 lowers, and was eonipelled to make a miserable retreat, marching for 
 a hundred miles without food, and the enemy being in hot pursuit. 
 The unfortunate D'Artrgrette and his fellow-prisoners, after the 
 defeat of their friends, were tortured to death at the stake, after the 
 customary cruelty of tlie savages. 
 
 In 1739, Bienville, acting in concert with Beauharnois, the gov- 
 ernor of Canada, and aided by a strong force of French and Indians 
 from that province, set forth on a fresh campaign against the Cliica- 
 saws. The united forces of the two colonies, amounting to three 
 thousand six hundred men, i>f which one-third were PJuropeans, 
 
negroes; nay, 
 
 TIIK FKENOIl IN AMKKICA. 
 
 445 
 
 rende.vou.ecl ,n AuguHtut the site of the present town of Me.npl.is 
 After bu.Mn.g u fort, named L'Aasomptio.., a .series of nunfortunes 
 overtook then, in tl.e failure of provisions, the exeessivc I.eut, and a 
 iata disease, winch earned oJf numbers of them and disabled many 
 the survivors Nevertheless, a considerable body of the armv 
 advancmg toward the Chicasaw eour.try, that people, struek with 
 dismay, rnade overtures of peaee, alleging, in apology, that they had 
 been exe.ted to host.hty by the English of Carolina. They gave ud 
 two of the latter who were among them; and a treaty being eon- 
 eluded the pipe of peaee was solemnly smoked and the tomahawk 
 iorrnally buried. Nevertheless, the Chieasaws still continued after- 
 wards to g.vo much trouble to the French, and, assisted by their 
 English alhes, maintained possession of a very extensive territory 
 
 CHAPTER ?I. ■ 
 
 PRORPEIUTY OP r-OUISIANA.-UNDISTURl,ED])V WAR-SUOVR- 
 CA.E INTROliUCKD-COMMENCEMEXT OP TROUBLES WITH 
 TilE ENOM«,r.-THE OHIO COM P A N Y.-R E,S. ST E D BY li / 
 UUESNE, — THE VIRGINIA EXPEDITION UNDER WASH- 
 INGTON.— WAR WITH THE FRENCH OP CANADA ETC 
 -TAKING OP PORT DU QUESNE.— OVERTHROW OP ' 
 THE PRKNCH IN C A N A D A, — P U B L I C REMN- 
 Ql'ISHMENT OP A PART OP LOUISIANA TO ENG- 
 LAND, AND SECRET CESSION OP THE RE- 
 MAINDER TO «PAIN. — VAIN remonstrance'. 
 
 In the year 1741, Bienville, who for so many years had held com- 
 ma, d of the provi.K-e, to the regret of all the ii.habitant,., took his 
 final departure The country, howeve., eontiuued to p.iper, and 
 co„une,ee, freed fi.>,a restrietions, bega.i to assun.e so.ne lUi^t^nce. 
 Ih obstinate u.,im.e wag.d between the English colonies and the 
 Cu ,l,a,i iM^eneh, at tins tnne, did not mueh aOect the tnu>m.illitv 
 o^ k mnote province of" Louisiana. In 17ol, a niost valuable 
 a ,-Mo.. to the wealth ol the country was n.ade, in the infoduetion 
 
 t^n^'""7V ■ """" '^^""'^ "^^^- ^^'^•"'"^^" -^ to their 
 biothion on the Mississippi, and which, in our own dav h-i- .^-n,,,,! 
 
446 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF IIISTOKY. 
 
 the first importance, as the staple of that productive region which 
 fringes its shores. 
 
 In the following year, the Chicasaws having recommenced their 
 3'avagcs, Yaudreuil, the successor of Bienville, marched against them 
 with a force of seven hundred French soldiers and a large body of 
 Indian allies. He laid waste their country, and left an additional 
 force at the Fort of Tombeckbee, to keep tliem in check, but, for 
 want of artillery, was unable to take their fortified places. 
 
 The provinces of Canada and Louisiana, nearly as distant from 
 each other as from the mother-country, had now, with admirable 
 military skill, been almost completely connected by a chain of posts 
 extending from the mouth of the St. Lawrence to that of the Missis- 
 sippi. The extent of country over which the French asserted their 
 claim, and great part of which, however sparsely, they occupied 
 was vastly greater than that of their neighbours, the powerful Encr. 
 lish colonies — though the population of the latter now exceeded a 
 million, while that of both the French provinces was but little more 
 than a twentieth of that amount. It may well be supposed that the 
 former, so long and obstinately striving to wrest Canada from the 
 few but valiant hands which held it, would not entirely overlook 
 the for richer and more feebly-defended regions of Louisiana. 
 
 After the conclusion of peace between the rival nations, in the 
 middle of the eighteenth century, an association, called the Ohio 
 Company, had obtained from the English crown a large "rant of 
 land lying within a district to which both had laid claim. The 
 governor of Canada, Du Quesne, having remonstrated in vain against 
 its occupation, made prisoners of tlie company's servants; and pro- 
 ceeded vigorously in the work of completing his cordon of military 
 posts. In 1754, the province of Virginia dispatched Washington, 
 then a young officer of twenty-one, with a provincial regiment, to 
 check what was in turn considered an encroachment on its territorial 
 right; and in a skirmish with the French, the commander of a small 
 force of that people, with ten of his men, was killed. The Virgin- 
 ians, entrenching themselves against a larger force, were in tnrn 
 compelled to capitulate. War was at once vigorously rccoin- 
 menced, the eventful progress of which against the French of Nova 
 Scotia and Canada has been already detailed. In 1758, the year 
 before the fall of Quebec, Port Du Quesne, the connecting link 
 between the two Frencli provinces, was taken by the English, the 
 gariison setting it on fire, and escaping in boats down the Ohio, and 
 
THE FKENCII IN AMEEIOA. 
 
 447 
 
 proccca.ng to Ivcvv Orleans. The victors rebuilt it, .„d named it 
 after tlie cclebm ed minister then at the head of British affairs- and 
 at the present day, under the name of Pittsburgh, it is one of the 
 most flourishing cities of the interior of America 
 
 With the capture of Quebec and the overthrow of their power in 
 Canad;,, the rrench seem to have lost that enterprising spiril, which, 
 with such fooblc means, had brought such immense territories unde; 
 thor su'ay; and Louisiana, its wealth and resources not yet appre- 
 ciated was regarded as only the poor remnant of a oncof powerful 
 Kronch-American empire. At the treaty of Paris, which soon fol- 
 cnved that event, they yielded to the English nearly all eas^ of the 
 Mississippi, reserving only the island of New Orleans, and making 
 that river with Lakes Pontehartrain and Maurepas, the boundary 
 between the possessions of the two nations. By the surrender of 
 Acadia, Canada, and other northern possessions, the population of 
 Louisiana received a considerable accession-many of the French 
 colonists, expelled from their homes, or declining the rule of strangers 
 taking refuge there. ° ' 
 
 A lar heavier blow to the nationality of the diminished province 
 ollowed spoe.l,y afterwards. By a secret article of the treaty of 
 laris Lmiis XV. had agreed to surrender the remainder of Louis- 
 iana to .V-n, as a compensation for the loss of Florida, which the 
 latter had been compelled to cede to England. For some time this 
 arrangement was kept private, but when it eventually transpired 
 he unfortunate eo onists were seized with dismay and mortification: 
 n he general grief and excitement, all occupations were abandoned, 
 and at a meeting of the most respectable inhabitants of the province 
 at i\ew Orleans, it was resolved to remonstrate strongly with the 
 home government. M. Milhet, the wealthiest and most bfluentid 
 nierchantof that city, was dispatehed to France, and with the aid 
 of the aged Bienville, then eighty-seven years old, but still warmly 
 ataehod to the colony he had founded, pressed his suit with the 
 Dal e de Choiseul. But that minister, who was himself the author 
 of the obnoxious measure, parried all his attempts, and the unfortu- 
 nate envoy could not even obtain an audience with the kin. 
 
448 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK 01' IIISTOBY. 
 
 ullili' iJtlj Irl V i i , 
 
 ARRIVAL OF ULI.OA AS SPANISH OOVEUNOR; HIS OBSTINACY; 
 
 HIS EXPULSION FROM THE COUNTRY. ARRIVAL OP O'REILLY: 
 
 HIS PERFIDY AND CRUELTY. — FIVE CITIZENS EXECUTED. 
 
 — TYRANNY OF O'REILLY. GREAT EMIGRATION FROM 
 
 LOUISIANA: THAT PROVINCE RECEDED TO FRANCE; 
 SOLD BY NAPOLEON TO THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 A YEAR after the treaty, D'Abbadie, tbc governor of Louisiana, 
 bad received orders from bis court to surrender that province to any 
 Spanish olTicer empowered to receive it; yet, singular to state, 
 wbetlier from policy or mere, carelessness, two more years elapsed 
 before any such claimant appeared. The unfortunate colonists were 
 beginning to cherish the hope that they might yet be spared, when 
 the return of Milhet, with an account of bis failure, ami tlie recep- 
 tion of a letter from Don Antonio de Ulloa, announcing his arrivul 
 as Spanish governor, (1766,) put an end to these fallacious expecta- 
 tions. The citizens, exasperated at being thus involuntarily trans- 
 ferred to a foreign power, now resolved on opposing it to the extent 
 of their feeble ability; and Lafrcniere, the attorney-general, encour- 
 aged this spirit of resistance, citing the example of the English North 
 American colonies, then just involved in controversy with the 
 mother-country. It was strenuously demanded of the council that 
 they should warn Ulloa to quit the country. That officer, who had 
 landed, with only two companies of infantry, at New Orleans, did 
 not for some time, it seems, aim at any thing more than a species of 
 toleration of his presence there. The force he brought was large 
 enough to excite odium, but not awe in the people; and the yellow 
 i'cxcr, which now for the first time made its appearance iu New 
 Orleans, and which was ascribed by the citizens to the coming of these 
 intruders, increased the popular ill-will. As yet Ulh)a liad pro- 
 duced no credentials of authority to the French officials, and tlie 
 council, pressed by public opinion, at length, in 1767, dcmnnded 
 that he should present them or quit the country. With true Span- 
 ish obstinaoy, not having sufficient force to compel obedience, he 
 preferred the latter, and embarlced on board a vessel of his own 
 
aular to state. 
 
 THE FRENCH IN AMKKICA. 
 
 449 
 
 country The same night her cables were cut by a partv of .^v 
 
 young iM-enchinen, excited by wine and «hp rUU^ a, ,^ ^"^ 
 
 After liis departure the ciLT 1 '^\^''^^^^ d«^vn the stream. 
 
 to the French ou wittfre h rI"T'"'' '"' ''^^"^'^^"^ '^'-">- 
 tion, but iu vain; anj n J^ v mr "i '',"" '^"'"'^ ^'''^^^ ^^P^^"- 
 that' the Spanish r;^ai -'^^^^^ .^f ^ -"'^^--tio. 
 
 Spaniard by choice,) with a for t of I ^; «" f"'''' ^'^ ^''''^' ' 
 entered the Mi.ssiss ppi BeW v, ^^'' *'^°^'^""^' "^^"' ^'^^ 
 tion, the feeble pXe 1.7 „^^" ''7''^'"'"° ''""'^'■^^^ 
 d.J.ies were aeLdin^^ X^^Xi^t o!;;:!^"'^^ 
 
 governn.cnt for the fnu^eZTet^^^^^^ 
 
 hatred against the French Jill \ ,^' '^''''^'"^ "^ ^'^'^'^ 
 
 and cruelty, was not W l^;' k ' "ff^^^'f ^^ -^-'^^ -o.-nce 
 
 Taking on himself alUhTstatand^TT"""'"^^^^^^ 
 sign, he soon had under aVr fa nuX^oT^r ^'°"^ ""^^^^ 
 citizcna in the state esiwi^ll,, .k °"""" " 'he most pronimcnt 
 
 ..ration of ^st^noVTSertldT""^^^^ ""' *= '"'^ "^'"°"- 
 of a trial, „ere senteneedtThu " Z r' "n' "" "'"'■^'>' 
 
 the laws of Castile for iZTjfraT' ZZ^'"' 'T'^'''^'^ 
 these oppressions, rendered a sulW i ^ ^^ '' ""'"^'^ '" '■^«'«t 
 of the wealthy and enterp"!;;' ,L"of U:""" , ''" f ""^^^ ^''^^^ 
 taken refuge in St. Domingo ^0^ a f ^'^'."^ '^^''^"^^ 
 tide of fugitive, driven hA , ' ''''' ^''''''' ^^erwards, the I 
 to flow to' Lo i;iana i'""^^ --rreetion, was destined .^gaia 
 
 order of the gotZ; ll' hi!T'T' " 'T '"^"^ ^^"^^^^ ^y" an ' 
 ^^ted. In 1770, he t^di l^de an^^^^^^^ ! °"'^ ^« ^"^^^ ^^'P^^P- 
 to the captain-generalship 7cub?' Tl' " ''"""" -as annexed 
 tration, Nuzaga crovernpi ? V, . S"ccessor m the adminis- 
 
 restricted in irs ioX' , " ^ '''"' '"^ *'" ^''""•^' ^''-°'^ 
 It )nly remains to n? T"^ '"'"^ ^^^ree of prosperity. ° 
 
 Vol lllisi' P'"" ^'"^ "^•'■^'^'^ ^" ^<-^«tore Louisiana to 
 
450 
 
 THE PEOPLE'S BOOK OF lUSTOKY. 
 
 «?fTi 
 
 France; but this article, for reasons of state, was kept sccrefc until 
 1803, when, to the groat joy of the colonists, who hud never relin- 
 quished their attaclnnent to the parent-country, it was made public. 
 But the United States, having a far deeper interest at stake than 
 either of the foreign powers which thus transferred the province 
 from hand to hand, lost no time in opening negotiations with the 
 French government for its cession to their own jurisdiction. Napo- 
 leon, aware of the difficulty (considering the inferiority of the French 
 marine to the English,) in retaining this distant territory, was not 
 unwilling to see it transferred into the hands of a friendly, or at 
 least neutral power, rather than be exposed to capture by the 
 enemy. Accordingly, on the 30th of April, 1803, a treaty was 
 signed, by which the United States were to acquire the whole of 
 Louisiana, paying the inconsiderable sum of fifteen millions of 
 dollars, and admitting the vessels of France and Spain, duty free, 
 for twelve years, into the ports of that province. An article of this 
 instrument, drawn up by the hand of the First Consul himself, as- 
 sured the iidiabitants of full equality with all other citizens of the 
 Union, and provided for their speedy incorporation into the confed- 
 eracy. In delivering the document, he remarked, "Make it known 
 to the people of Louisiana that we regret to part with them ; that 
 we have stipulated for all the advantages they could desire; and 
 that France, in giving them up, has ensured to them the greatest of 
 all. They could never have prospered under any European govern- 
 ment as tiiey will when they become independent. But, while they 
 enjoy the privileges of liberty, let them remember that they arc 
 French, and preserve for their mother-country that affection which 
 a common origin inspires." 
 
 On the 30th of November, 1803, the Spanish commissioners gave 
 formal possession of the country to the French prefect, Laussat, 
 presenting him with the keys of the capital. For thirty-four years 
 it had been under possession of the Spaniards, but had in no degree 
 lost its nationality or affection for the parent-country. For twenty 
 days the tri-coloured flag, disj)layed with a melancholy pleasure, 
 waved over the recovered city, the last of those splendid possessions 
 once held by the French in North America. At the end of that 
 time (December 20th) it was lowered, and replaced by the stripes 
 and stars, and quiet possession of the territory was taken by tlie 
 United Slates' authorities. 
 
secret until 
 never reliu- | 
 Tiade public, 
 it stake than 
 the province , 
 ons with the 
 tion. Napo- 
 )f the French ! 
 tory, was not 
 riendly, or at 
 pture by the ; 
 a treaty was 
 the whole of 
 i millions of ; 
 lin, duty free, 
 article of this 
 il himself, as- 
 jitizens of the ! 
 to the confed- • 
 [akc it known 
 th them; that 
 1 desire; and 
 lie greatest of ' 
 opean govern- | 
 lit, while they , 
 that they arc 
 flection which 
 
 lissioners gave 
 c'fect, Laussat, 
 rty-four years 
 d in no degree 
 . For twenty 
 holy pleasure, 
 lid possessions . 
 be end of that 
 by the stripes 
 taken by the