to Spain, the death of an unfuccefsful projector would excite little concern, and be inquired into with no curiofity.

Columbus was fully fenfible of his perilous fituation. He had obferved, with great une finets, the fatal operation of ignorance, and of fear in producing difaffection among his crew, and law that it was now ready to burst out into open mutiny. He retained, however, perfect prefence of mind. He affected to feem ignorant of their machinations. Notwithstanding the agitation and tolicitude of his own mind, he appeared with a cheerful countenance, like a man fatisfied with the progrets which he had made, and confident of success. Sometimes he employed all the arts of infinu ation to foothe his men. Sometimes he endeavoured to work upon their ambition or avarice, by magnificent defcriptions of the fame and wealth which they were about to acquire. On other occafions, he affumed a tone of authority, and threatened them with vengeance from their fovereign, if, by their daftardly behaviour, they fhould defeat this noble effort to promote the glory of God, and to exalt the Spanish name above that of every other nation. Even with feditious failors, the words of a man whom they had been accustomed to reverence, were weighty and perfuafive, and not only reitrained them from thofe violent excelles, which they meditated, but prevailed with them to accompany their admiral for fome time longer.

As they proceeded, the indications of approaching land feemed to be more certain, and excited hope in proportion. The birds began to appear in flocks, making towards the fouth-weft. Columbus, in imitation of the Portugucle navigators, who had been guided, in feveral of their dilcoveries, by the motion of birds, altered his courfe from due weft towards that quarter whither they pointed their flight. But, after holding on for feveral days in this new direction, without any better fuccefs than formerly, having leen. no object, during thirty days, but the fea and the fky, the hopes of his companions subsided faster than they had rifen; their fears revived with additional force; impatience, rage, and defpair, appeared in every countenance. All sense of subordination was loft; the officers, who had hitherto concurred with Columbus in opinion, and fupported his authority, now took part with the private men; they ailembled tumultuously on the deck, expoftulated with their commander, mingled threats with their expoftulations, and required him inftantly to tack about and to return to Europe. Columbus perceived that it would be of no avail to have recourse to any of his former arts, which having been tried so often, had loft their effect; and that it was impoffible to rekindle any zeal for the fuccefs of the expedition among men, in whose breasts fear had extinguished every generous fentiment. He faw that it was

no lefs vain to think of employing either gentle or fevere measures, to quell a mutiny fo general and fo violent. It was necessary, on all these accounts, to foothe paffions which he could no longer command, and to give way to a torrent too impetuous to be checked. He promised folemnly to his men that he would comply with their request, provided they would accompany him, and obey his commands for three days longer, and if, during that time, land were not difcovered, he would then abandon the enterprise, and direct his courfe towards Spain.

Enraged as the failors were, and impatient to turn their faces again towards their native country, this propofition did not appear to them unreasonable. Nor did Columbus hazard much in confining himself to a term fo fhort. The pretages of discovering land were now fo numerous and promifing, that he deemed them infallible. For fome days the founding line reached the bottom, and the foil which it brought up indicated land to be at no great diftance. The flocks of birds increated, and were composed not only of fea fowl, but of fuch land birds as could not be fuppofed to fly far from the fhore. The crew of the Pinta observed a cane floating which feemed to have been newly cut, and likewise a piece of timber artificially carved. The failors aboard the Nigna took up the branch of a tree with red berries, perfectly fresh. The clouds around the letting fun affumed a new appearance: the air was more mild and warm, and, during night, the wind became unequal and variable. From all thele lymptoms, Columbus was fo confident of being near land, that on the evening of the eleventh of October, after public prayers for success, he ordered the fails to be furled, and the fhips to lie to, keeping ftrict watch, left they fhould be driven afhore in the night. During this interval of fufpence and expectation, no man fhut his eyes, all kept upon deck, gazing intently towards that quarter where they expected to discover the land, which had been so long the object of their wishes.

About two hours before midnight, Columbus ftanding on the fore-caftle, obferved a light at a diftance, and privately pointed it out to Pedro Guttierez, a page of the Queen's wardrobe. Guttierez perceived it, and calling to Salcedo, comptroller of the fleet, all three faw it in motion as if it were carried from place to place. A little after midnight, the joyful found of land, land, was heard from the Pinta, which kept always ahead of the other fhips. But, having been fo often deceived by fallacious appearances, evey man was now hecome flow of belief, and waited, in all the anguish of uncertainty and impatience, for the return of day. As soon as morn. ing dawned, Friday, October 12, all doubts and fears were difpel. led. From every fhip an ifland was feen about two leagues to :

north, whofe flat and verdant fields, well ftored with wood, and watered with many rivulets, presented the aspect of a delightful country. The crew of the Pinta inftantly began the Te Deum, as a hymn of thanksgiving to God, and were joined by those of the other fhips, with tears of joy and transports of congratulation. This office of gratitude to Heaven was followed by an act of juftice to their commander. They threw themselves at the feet of Columbus, with feelings of felf-condemnation mingled with reverence. They implored him to pardon their ignorance, incredulity, and infolence, which had created him fo much unneceffary difquiet, and had so often obftructed the profecution of his well-concerted plan: and paffing, in the warmth of their admiration, from one extreme to another, they now pronounced the man, whom they had fo lately reviled and threatened, to be a perfon inspired by Heaven with fagacity and fortitude more than human, in order to accomplish a defign, fo far beyond the ideas and conception of all former ages.

As foon as the fun arofe, all their boats were manned and armed. They rowed towards the island with their colours difplayed, with warlike mufic, and other martial pomp. As they approached the coaft, they faw it covered with a multitude of people, whom the novelty of the spectacle had drawn together, whofe attitudes and geftures expreffed wonder and astonishment at the ftrange objects which presented themselves to their view. Columbus was the first European who fet foot in the New World which he had discovered. He landed in a rich dress, and with a naked fword in his hand. His men followed and kneeling down, they all kiffed the ground which they had fo long defired to fee. They next erected a crucifix, and proftrating themselves before it, returned thanks to God for conducting their voyage to fuch an happy iffue. They then took folemn poffeffion of the country for the Crown of Caftile and Leon, with all the formalities which the Portuguese were accuftomed to obferve in acts of this kind, in their new discoveries.

The Spaniards, while thus employed, were furrounded by many of the natives, who gazed, in filent admiration, upon actions which they could not comprehend, and of which they did not foresee the confequences. The drefs of the Spaniards, the whiteness of their skins, their beards, their arms appeared ftrange and surprising. The vast machines in which they had traversed the ocean, that feemed to move upon the waters with wings, and uttered a dreadful found resembling thunder, accompanied with lightning and fmoke, ftruck them with fuch terror, that they began to refpect their new guests as a fuperior order of beings, and concluded that they were children of the Sun, who had defcended to visit the earth.

The Europeans were hardly lefs amazed at the scene now before them. Every herb, and fhrub, and tree, was different from thofe which flourished in Europe. The foil feemed to be rich, but bore few marks of cultivation. The climate, even to Spaniards, felt warm, though extremely delightful. The inhabitants appear ed in the fimple innocence of nature, entirely naked. Their black hair, long and uncurled, floated upon their fhoulders, or was bound in treffes around their heads. They had no beards, and every part of their bodies was perfectly fmooth. Their complexion was a dusky copper colour, their features fingular, rather than difagreeable, their afpeft gentle and timid. Though not all, they were well fhaped, and active. Their faces, and several parts of their body, were fantastically painted with glaring colours. They were fhy at first through fear, but foon become familiar with the Spaniards, and with transports of joy received from them hawks-bells, glafs beads, or other baubles, in return for which they gave fuch provifions as they had, and fome cotton yarn, the only commodity of value that they could produce. Towards evening, Columbus returned to his fhips, accompanied by many of the illanders in their boats, which they called canoes, and though rudely formed out of the trunk of a single tree, they rowed them with furprising dexterity. Thus, in the first interview between the inhabitants of the old and new worlds, every thing was conducted amicably, and to their mutual fatisfaction: The former, enlightened and ambitious, formed already vaft ideas with respect to the advantages which they might derive from the regions that began to open to their view. The latter, fimple and undiscerning, had no forefight of the calamities and defolation which were approaching their country.

Columbus, who now affumed the title and authority of admiral and viceroy, called the island which he had discovered San Salvador. It is better known by the name of Guanahani, which the natives gave to it, and is one of that large clufter of islands called the Lucaya or Bahama ifles. It is fituated above three thousand miles to the weft of Gomera, from which the fquadron took its departure, and only four degrees to the fouth of

Columbus deviated from the wefterly courfe, which as the most proper.

Columbus employed the next d inland; and from the univerfal pov terved that this was not the rich But, conformably to his theory con regions of Afia which firetched to. that San Salvador was one of thei

ed as fituated in the great ocean adjacent to India. Having obferved that most of the people whom he had feen wore small plates of gold, by way of ornament, in their noftrils, he eagerly inquired where they got that precious metal. They pointed towards the fouth, and made hini comprehend by figns, that gold abounded in countries fituated in that quarter. Thither he immediately determined to direct his courfe, in full confidence of finding there thofe opulent regions which had been the object of his voyage, and would be a recompence for all his toils and dangers. He took along with him feven of the natives of San Salvador, that, by acquiring the Spanish language, they might ferve as guides and interpreters; and those innocent people confidered it as a mark of distinction when they were felected to accompany him.

He faw feveral iflands, and touched at three of the largest, on which he bestowed the names of St. Mary of the Conception, Fernandina, and Ifabella. But as their foil, productions, and inhabitants, nearly refembled thofe of San Salvador, he made no stay in any of them. He inquired every where for gold, and the figns that were uniformly made by way of anfwer, confirmed him in the opinion that it was brought from the fouth. He followed that courie, and foon discovered a country which appeared very extensive, not perfectly level, like thofe which he had already visited, but fo diverfified with rifing grounds, hills, rivers, woods and plains, that he was uncertain whether it might prove an ifland, or part of the continent. The natives of San Salvador, whom he had on board, called it Cuba; Columbus gave it the name of Juanna. He entered the mouth of a large river with his fquadron, and all the inhabitants fled to the mountains as he approached the shore. But as he refolved to careen his fhips in that place, he fent fome Spaniards, together with one of the people of San Salvador, to view the interior parts of the country. They, having advanced above fixty miles from the shore, reported upon their return, that the foil was richer and more cultivated than any they had hitherto difcovered; that, befides many fcattered cottages, they had found one village, containing above a thousand inhabitants; that the people though naked, feemed to be more intelligent than thofe of San Salvador, but had treated them with the fame respectful attention, kissing their feet, and honouring them as facred beings allied to Heaven; that they had given them to eat a certain root, the taste of which refembled roafted chefnuts, and likewife a fingular fpecies of corn called maize, which, either when roafted whole or ground in meal, was abundantly palatable; that there feemed to be no four-footed animals in the country, but a fpecies of dogs, which could not bark, and a creature relembling a rabbit, but of a much smaller fize; that they had obferved fome ornaments of gold among the people, but of no great value,