The name by which Columbus diftinguished the countries which he had discovered 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 exaggeratión natural to travellers, fo favourable, as to excite a wonderful fpirit of enterprise among the Spaniards. Though little accustomed to naval expeditions, they were impatient to set out the upon Volunteers of every voyage. 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 averse to every thing new and adventurous, he seems to have catched the fame spirit with his fubjects. Under its influence, preparations for a second expedition were carried on with a rapidity unusual in Spain, and to an extent that would be deemed not inconfiderable in the present age. The fleet confifted of feventeen fhips, 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 honourable ftations. The greater part of these being deftined to remain in the country, were furnished with every thing requifite for conqueft or fettlement, with all kinds of European domeftic animals, with fuch 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 such artificers as might be moft ufeful in an infant colony.

But, formidable and well provided as this fleet was, Ferdinand and Ifabella did not reft their title to the poffeffion of the newly-difcovered countries upon its operations alone. The example of the Portuguese, as well as the fuperftition of the age, made it neceffary to obtain from the Roman pontiff a grant of those territories which they wished to occupy. The Pope, as the vicar and representative of Jesus Christ, was supposed 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 subject, 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 cost 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 discovered, or fhould difcover; and, in virtue of that power which he derived from Jefus Chrift, he conferred on the crown of Caftile vaft regions, to the poffeffion of which he himself was so far

from

from having any title, that he was unacquainted with their fituation, and ignorant even of their exiftence. As it was neceffary to prevent this grant from interfering with that formerly made to the crown of Portugal, he appointed that a line, fuppofed to be drawn from pole to pole, a hundred leagues to the weftward of the Azores, should serve 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 manifest some concern for this laudable 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 persons of his court, ftanding as their godfathers. Those first fruits of the New World have not been followed by such an increase as pious men wished, and had reafon to expect.

Ferdinand and Isabella having thus acquired a title, which was then deemed completely valid, to extend their difcoveries, and to establish their dominion over fuch a confiderable portion of the globe, nothing now retarded the departure of the fleet. Columbus was extremely impatient to revisit the colony which he had left, and to pursue that career of glory upon which he had entered. He fet fail from the bay of Cadiz on the twenty-fifth 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 fteadily the benefit of the regular winds, which reign within the tropics, and was carried towards a large cluster of islands, fituated confiderably to the eaft 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 Leeward islands, to which he gave the name of Defeada, on account of the impatience of his crew to discover fome part of the New World. After this he vifited fucceffively Dominica, Marigalante, Antigua, San Juan de Puerto Rico, and feveral other iflands, fcattered in his way as he advanced towards the north-weft. All these 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 ata tempted

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tempted to land without meeting with fuch a reception, as difcovered the martial and daring fpirit 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 ftate 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 thofe iflands, and proceeded directly to Hifpaniola. When he arrived off Navidad, the ftation in which he had left the thirty-eight men under the command of Arada, he was aftonished that none of them appeared, and expected every moment to fee them running with tranfports of joy to welcome their countrymen. Full of folicitude about their fafety, and foreboding in his mind what had befallen them, he rowed inftantly 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 fcattered 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 fellowcitizens, 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 infpired that fimple people. By their own indifcretion and ill conduct, the Spaniards fpeedily effaced thofe favourable impreffions, and foon convinced the natives, that they had all the wants, and weakneffes, and paffions of men. As foon as the powerful restraint which the prefence and authority of Columbus impofed was withdrawn, the garrifon threw off all regard for the officer whom he had invefted with command. Regardless of the prudent inftructions 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 those licentious oppreffors. They roamed in small parties over the island, extending their rapacity and infolence to every corner of it. Gentle and timid as the people were, thofe unprovoked injuries at length exhaufted their patience, and rouzed their courage. The cazique of Cibao, whofe country the Spaniards chiefly infefted on account of the gold which it contained, furprised and cut off feveral of them, while they ftraggled in as perfect fecurity as if their conduct had been altogether inoffenfive. He then affembled his fubjects, and furrounding the fort, fet it on fire. Some of the Spaniards were killed in defending it, the reft perished in attempting

to make their efcape by croffing an arm of the fea. Gaacanahari, whom all their exactions had not alienated from the Spaniards, took arms in their behalf, and, in endeavouring to protect them, had received a wound, by which he was ftill confined.

Though this account was far from removing the fufpicions which the Spaniards entertained with respect to the fidelity of Guacanahari, Columbus perceived fo clearly that this was not a proper juncture for inquiring into his conduct with fcrupulous accuracy, that he rejected the advice of feveral of his officers, who urged him to feize the perfon of that prince, and to revenge the death of their countrymen by attacking his fubjects. He reprefented to them the neceflity of fecuring the friendship of fome potentate of the country, in order to facilitate the fettlement which they intended, and the danger of driving the natives to unite in fome defperate attempt again them, by fuch an illtimed and unavailing exercife of rigour. Inftead of wasting his time in punishing paft wrongs, he tock precaution for preventing any future injury. With this view, he made choice of a fituation more healthy and commodious than that of Navidad. He traced out the plan of a town in a large plain near a fpacious bay, and obliging every perfon to put his hand to a work on which their common fafety depended, the houfes and ramparts were foon fo far advanced by their united labour, as to afford them flielter and fecurity. This rifing city, the first that the Europeans founded in the New World, he named Ifabella, in honour of his patronefs the queen of Caftile.

In carrying on this neceffary work, Columbus had not only to fuftain. all the hardships, and to encounter all the difficulties, to which infant colonies are expofed when they fettle in an uncultivated country, but he had to contend with what was more infuperable, the laziness, the impatience, and mutinous difpofition of his followers. By the enervating influence of a hot climate, the natural inactivity of the Spaniards feemed to increase. Many of them were gentlemen, unaccustomed to the fatigue of bodily labour, and all had engaged in the enterprife with the fanguine hopes excited by the fplendid and exaggerated descriptions of their countrymen who returned from the first voyage, or by the miftaken opinion of Columbus, that the country which he had difcovered was either the Cipango of Marco Polo, or the Ophir, from which Selomon imported thofe precious commodities which fuddenly diffufed fuch extraordinary riches through his kingdom. But when, inftead of that golden harveft which they had expected to reap without toil or pains, the Spaniards faw their profpect of wealth was remote as well as uncertain, and that it could not be attained but by the flow and per

fevering

fevering efforts of industry, the disappointment of those chimerical hopes occafioned fuch dejection of mind as bordered on despair, and led to general difcontent. In vain did Columbus endeavour to revive their fpirits by pointing out the fertility of the foil, and exhibiting the fpecimens of gold daily brought in from different parts of the island. They had not patience to wait for the gradual returns which the former might yield, and the latter they defpifed as feanty and inconfiderable. The spirit of difaffection fpread, and a confpiracy was formed, which might have been fatal to Columbus and the colony, Happily he difcovered it, and feizing the ring-leaders, punished fome of them, fent others prifoners into Spain whither he difpatched twelve of the fhips which had ferved as tranfports, with an earnest request for a reinforcement of men and a large fupply of provisions,

Meanwhile, in order to banish that idlenefs which, by allowing his people leisure to brood over their difappointment, nourished the fpirit of difcontent, Columbus planned feveral expeditions into the interior part of the country, He fent a detachment, under the command of Alonso de Ojeda, a vigilant and enterprifing officer, to vifit the district of Cibao, which was faid to yield the greateft quantity of gold, and followed him in perfon with the main body of his troops. In this expedition, March 12, 1494, he difplayed all the pomp of military magnificence that he could exhibit, in order to ftrike the imagination of the natives. He marched with colours flying, with martial mufic, and with a fmall body of cavalry that paraded fometimes in the front and fometimes in the rear. As those were the first horfes which appeared in the New World, they were objects of terror no lefs than of admiration to the Indians, who having no tame animals themfelves, were unacquainted with that vaft acceffion of power, which man hath acquired by fubjecting them to his dominion. They fuppofed them to be rational creatures. They imagined that the horfe and the rider formed one animal, with whofe fpeed they were astonished, and whofe impetuofity and ftrength they confidered as irrefiftible. But while Columbus endeavoured to inspire the natives with a dread of his power, he did not neglect the arts of gaining their love and confidence. He adhered ferupaloufly to the principles of integrity and juftice in all his tranfactions with them, and treated them, on every occafion, not only with humanity, but with indulgence. The diftrict of Cibao answered the defcription given of it by the natives. It was mountainous and uncultivated, but in every river, and brook, gold was gathered either in duft or in grains, fome of which were of confiderable fize. The Indians had never opened any mines in fearch of gold, To penetrate into the