where with admiration and applause. His entrance into the city was conducted, by order of Ferdinand and Ifabella, with pomp fuitable to the great event, which added such distinguished lustre to their reign. The people whom he brought along with him. from the countries which he had discovered, marched first, and by their fingular complexion, the wild peculiarity of their features, and uncouth finery, appeared like men of another species. Next to them were carried the ornaments of gold, fashioned by the rude art of the natives, the grains of gold found in the mountains, and duft of the fame metal gathered in the rivers. After thele appeared the various commodities of the new difcovered countries, together with their curious productions. Columbus himself cloied the proceffion, and attracted the eyes of all the fpectators, who gazed with admiration on the extraordinary man, whofe fuperior fagacity and fortitude had conducted their countrymen, by a route concealed from past ages, to the knowledge of a new world. Ferdinand and Ifabella received him clad in their royal robes, and feated upon a throne, under a magnificent canopy. When he approached they stood up, and raising him as he kneeled to kils their hands, commanded him to take his feat upon a chair prepared for him, and to give a circumftantial account of his voyage. He delivered it with gravity and compofure no lefs fuitable to the difpofition of the Spanifh nation, than to the dignity of the audience in which he spoke, and with that modeft fimplicity which characterises men of iuperior minds; who, fatisfied with having performed great actions, court not vain applaufe by an oftentatious difplay of their exploits. When he had finished his narration, the King and Queen, kneeling down, offered up folemn thanks to Almighty God for the difcovery of thofe new regions, from which they expected so many advantages to flow in upon the kingdoms fubject to their government. Every mark of honour that gratitude or admiration could luggest was conferred upon Columbus. Letters patent were if fued, confirming to him and to his heirs all the privileges contained in the capitulation concluded at Santa Fé; his family was ennobled; the King and Queen, and, after their example, the courtiers, treated him, on every occafion, with all the ceremonious refpect paid to perfons of the highest rank. But what pleafed him inoft, as it gratified his active mind, bent continually upon great objects, was, an order to equip, without delay, an armament of fuch force, as might enable him not only to take poffeffion of the countries which he had already discovered, but to go in feare' of thofe more opulent regions, which he ftill confidently e ed to find.

While preparations were making for this expedition, the fame of Columbus's fuccefsful voyage fpread over Europe, and excited general attention. The multitude, ftruck with amazement when they heard that a new world had been found, could hardly believe an event fo much above their conception. Men of science, capable of comprehending the nature, and of difcerning the effects of this great discovery, received the account of it with admiration and joy. They spoke of his voyage with rapture, and congratulated one another upon their felicity, in having lived in the period when, by this extraordinary event, the boundaries of humin knowledge were fo much extended, and fuch a new field of inquiry and obfervation opened, as would lead mankind to a perfect acquaintance with the ftructure and productions of the habitable globe. Various opinions and conjectures were formed concerning the new-found countries, and what divifion of the earth they belonged to. Columbus adhered tenaciously to his original opinion, that they should be reckoned a part of those vast regions in Afia, comprehended under the general name of India. This fentiment was confirmed by the oblervations which he made concerning the productions of the countries he had difcovered. Gold was known to abound in India, and he had met with such promifing famples of it in the flands which he vifited, as led him to believe that rich mines of it might be found. Cotton, another production of the Eaft Indies, was common there. The pimento of the Islands he imagined to be a fpecies of the East-India pepper. He mistook a root, fomewhat refembling rhubarb, for that valuable drug, which was then supposed to be a plant peculiar to the Eaft-Indies. The birds brought home by him were adorned with the fame rich plumage which diftinguishes thofe of India. The alligator of the one country appeared to be the fame with the crocodile of the other. After weighing all thefe circumstances, not only the Spaniards, but the other nations of Europe, feem to have adopted the opinion of Columbus. The countries which he had difcovered were confidered as a part of India. In confequence of this notion, the name of Indies is given to them by Ferdinand and Ifabella, in a ratification of their former agreement, which was granted to Columbus upon his return. Even after the error which gave rife to this opinion was detected, and the true pofition of the New World was afcertained, the name has remained, and the appellation of West Indies is given by ali the people of Europe to the country, and that of Indians to its inhabitants.

The name by which Columbus diftinguifhed the countries which he had difcovered was fo inviting, the fpecimens of their riches and fertility, which he produced, were fo confiderable, and the reports of his companions, delivered frequently with the exaggeration natural to travellers, fo favourable, as to excite a wonderful spirit of enterprise among the Spaniards. Though little accustomed to naval expeditions, they were impatient to fet out upon the voyage. Volunteers of every rank folicited to be employed. Allured by the inviting profpects which opened to their ambition and avarice, neither the length nor danger of the navigation intimidated them. Cautious as Ferdinand was, and averle to every thing new and adventurous, he seems to have catched the fame spirit with his fubjects. Under its influence, preparations for a fecond expedition were carried on with a rapidity unusual in Spain, and to an extent that would be deemed not inconfiderable in the prefent age. The fleet confifted of seventeen ships, fome of which were of good burden. It had on board fifteen hundred perfons, among whom were many of noble families, who had ferved in honorable stations. The greater part of these being destined to remain in the country, were furnished with every thing requifite for conqueft or settlement, with all kinds of European domestic animals, with such feeds and plants as were moft likely to thrive in the climate of the West Indies, with utenfils and inftruments of every fort, and with fuch artificers as might be most useful in an infant colony.

But, formidable and well provided as this fleet was, Ferdinand and Isabella did not reft their title to the poffeffion of the newlydiscovered countries upon its operations alone. The example of the Portuguese, as well as the fuperftition of the age, made it necessary to obtain from the Roman pontiff a grant of those territories which they wished to occupy. The Pope, as the vicar and reprefentative of Jefus Chrift, was fuppofed to have a right of dominion over all the kingdoms of the earth. Alexander VI. a pontiff infamous for every crime which difgraces humanity, filled the papal throne at that time. As he was born Ferdinand's fubject, and very folicitous to fecure the protection of Spain, in order to facilitate the execution of his ambitious fchemes in favour of his own family, he was extremely willing to gratify the Spanish monarchs. By an act of liberality which coft him nothing, and that ferved to establish the jurifdiction and pretenfions of the papal fee, he granted in full right to Ferdinand and Ifabella all the countries inhabited by Infidels, which they had difcovered, or fhould difcover; and, in virtue of that power which he derived from Jefus Chrift, he conferred on the ro of Caftile vaft regions, to the poffeflion of which he t

fo far from having any title, that he was unacquainted with their fituation, and ignorant even of their exiflence. As it was neceffary to prevent this grant from interfering with that formerly made to the crown of Portugil, he appointed that a line, fuppofed to be drawn from pole to pole, a hundred leagues to the weftward of the Azores, fhould ferve as the limit between them; and in the plenitude of his power, bestowed all to the east of this imaginary line upon the Portuguese, and all to the weft of it upon the Spaniards. Zeal for propagating the Chriftian faith was the confideration employed by Ferdinand in foliciting this bull, and is mentioned by Alexander as his chief motive for iffuing it. In order to manifeft fome concern for this laudible object, feveral friars, under the direction of Father Boyl, a Catalonian monk of great reputation, as apoftolical vicar, were appointed to accompany Columbus, and to devote themselves to the inftruction of the natives. The Indians whom Columbus had brought along with him, having received fome tincture of Chriftian knowledge, were baptized with much folemnity, the king himself, the prince his fon, and the chief perfons of his court, ftanding as their godfathers. Thole fift fruits of the New World have not been followed by fuch an increafe as pious men wifhed, and had reafon to expect.

Ferdinand and fabella, having thus acquired a title, which was then deemed completely valid, to extend their dilcoveries, and to eftablish their dominion over fuch a confiderable portion of the globe, nothing now retarded the departure of the fleet. Columbus was extremely impatient to revifit the colony which he had left, and to purfue the career of glory upon which he had entered. He fet fail from the bay of Cadiz on the twentyfifth of September, and touching again at the ifland of Gomera, he fteered farther towards the fouth than in his former voyage. By holding this courfe, he enjoyed more steadily the benefit of the regular winds, which reign within the tropics, and was carried towards a large clufter of iflands, fituated confiderably to the east of those which he had already difcovered. On the twenty-fixth day, Nov. 2, after his departure from Gomera, he made land. It was one of the Caribbee or Lecward iflands, to which he gave the name of Defeada, on account of the impatience of his crew to difcover fome part of the New World. After this he vifited fucceffively Dominica, Marigilante, Antigua, San Juan de Puerto Rico, and feveral other iflands, fcattered in his way as he advanced towards the north-weft. All thefe he found to be inhabited by that fierce race of people whom Guacanahari had painted in fuch frightful colours. His defcriptions appeared not to have been exaggerated. The Spaniards never attempted

to land without meeting with fuch a reception, as discovered the martial and daring spirit of the natives; and in their habitations were found relics of those horrid feafts which they had made upon the bodies of their enemies taken in war.

But as Columbus was eager to know the state of the colony' which he had planted, and to fupply it with the neceffaries of which he fuppofed it to be in want, he made no ftay in any of those lands, and proceeded directly to Hifpaniola. When he arrived off Navidad, the station in which he had left the thirty-eight men under the command of Arada, he was astonished that none of them appeared, and expected every moment to see them running with transports of joy to welcome their country

Full of folicitude about their fafety, and foreboding in his mind what had befallen them, he rowed instantly to land. All the natives from whom he might have received information had fled. But the fort which he had built was entirely demolished, and the tattered garments, the broken arms and utenfils scattered about it, left no room to doubt concerning the unhappy fate of the garrifon. While the Spaniards were fhedding tears

over thofe fad memorials of their fellow-citizens, a brother of the cazique Guacanahari arrived. From him Columbus received a particular detail of what had happened after his departure from the island. The familiar intercourfe of the Indians with the Spaniards tended gradually to diminish the fuperftitious veneration with which their first appearance had inspired that fimple people. By their own indifcretion and ill conduct, the Spaniards fpeedily effaced those favourable impreffions, and foon convinced the natives, that they had all the wants, and weakneffes, and paffions of men. As foon as the powerful reftraint which the presence and authority of Columbus impofed was withdrawn, the garrifon threw off all regard for the officer whom he had invested with command. Regardless of the prudent instructions which he had given them, every man became independent, and gratified his defires without controul. The gold, the women, the provifions of the natives, were all the prey of thofe licentious oppreffors. They roamed in finall parties over the island, extending their rapacity and infolence to every corner of it. Gentle and timid as the people were, those unprovoked injuries at length exhausted their patience, and rouzed their courage. The cazique of Cibao, whofe country the Spaniards chiefly infefted on account of the gold which it contained, surprised and cut off feveral of them, while they ftraggled in as 1 perfect fecurity as if their conduct had been altogether inoffenfive. He then assembled his fubjects, and furrounded the fort, fet it on

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