and minute attention to the duties of his command, gave him a complete afcendency over the minds of his men, and infpired that degree of confidence which would have maintained his authority in almost any poffible circumftances.

38. But here, from the nature of the undertaking, every man had leisure to feed his imagination with all the gloominess and uncertainty of the profpect. They found, every day, that the fame steady gales carried them with great rapidity from their native country, and indeed from all countries of which they had any knowledge.

39. Notwithstanding all the variety of management with which Columbus addreffed himself to their paffions, fometimes by foothing them with the prognoftics of discovering land, fometimes by flattering their ambition and feasting their avarice with the glory and wealth they would acquire from difcovering those rich countries beyond the Atlantic, and fometimes by threatening them the difpleasure of their fovereign, should timidity and disobedience defeat fo great an object, their uneafinefs ftill increased.

40. From fecret whifpering, it arofe to open mutiny and dangerous confpiracy. At length they determined to rid themselves of the remonftrances of Columbus, by throwing him into the fea. The infection spread from ship to fhip, and involved officers as well as common failors.

41. They finally lost all sense of subordination, and addres fed their commander in an infolent manner, demanding to be conducted immediately back to Spain; or, they affured him, they would seek their own fafety by taking away his life. Columbus, whofe fagacity and penetration had discovered every fymptom of the diforder, was prepared for this last stage of it, and was fufficiently apprised of the danger that awaited him. He found it vain to contend with paffions he could no longer control.

42. He therefore propofed that they should obey his orders for three days longer; and, should they not difcover land in that time, he would then direct his courfe for Spain.

43. They complied with this propofal; and, happily for mankind, in three days they difcovered land. This was a fmall island, to which Columbus gave the name of San Salvador. Their first interview with the natives was a scene of amusement and compaffion on the one part, and of astonish. ment and adoration on the other,

44. The natives were entirely naked, fimple and timorous; and they viewed the Sparlards as a fuperior order of beings, defcended from the fun, which, in that Ifland, and in moft parts of America, was worshipped as a Deity. By this it was eafy for Columbus to perceive the line of conduct proper to be obferved toward that fimple and inoffenfive people.

45. Had his companions and fucceffors, of the Spanish nation poffeffed the wifdom and humanity of that discoverer, the benevolent mind would feel no fenfations of regret, in Contemplating the extenfive advantages arifing to mankind, from the difcovery of America.

46. In this voyage, Columbus difcovered the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola; on the latter of which, he erected a fmall fort, and having left a garrifon of thirty-eight men, un der the command of an officer by the name of Araua; he fet fail for Spain. Returning across the Atlantic, he was overtaken by a violent ftorm, which lafted feveral days, and increafed to fuch a degree, as baffled all his naval fkill, and threatened immediate deftruction.

47. In this fituation, when all were in a ftate of despair, and is was expected that every fea would swallow up the crazy veffel, he manifefted a ferenity and prefence of mind perhaps never equalled in cafes of like extremity. He wrote a fhort account of his voyage, and the difcoveries he had made, wrapped it in an oiled cloth, enclosed it in a cake of wax, put it into an empty caík, and threw it overboard; in hopes that fome accident might preferve a deposit of fo much importance to the world.

48. The ftorm however abated, and he at length arrived in Spain; after having been driven, by ftrefs of weather, into the port of Lisbon, where he had an opportunity, in an interview with the King of Portugal, to prove the truth of his fyftem, by arguments more convincing than thofe he had before advanced, in the character of an humble and unfuccefsful fuitor. 49. He was received every where in Spain with royal honors, his family was ennobled, and his former ftipulations, refpecting his offices and emoluments, were ratified in the most folemn manner by Ferdinand and Ifabella; while all Europe refounded his praifes and recíprocated their joy and congratu lations on the difcovery of a new world.

50. The immediate confequence of this was a fecond voy

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age; in which Columbus took charge of a fquadron of fev. enteen fhips of confiderable burthen. Volunteers of all ranks and conditions folicited to be employed in this expedition. He carried over 1500 perfons, together with all the neceffaries for establishing a colony, and extending the discoveries.

51. In this voyage he explored most of the Weft-India iflands; but on his arrival at Hifpaniola, he found the garrison he had left there, had been totally deftroyed by the natives, and the fort demolished. He however proceeded in the planting of his colony; and by his prudent and humane conduct towards the natives, he effectually established the Spanish authority in that ifland.

52. But while he was thus laying the foundations of their future grandeur in South America, fome difcontented perfons, who had returned from the colony to Spain, together with his former enemies in that kingdom, confpired to accomplish

his ruin.

53. They reprefented his conduct in fuch a light at court, as to create an uneasiness and distrust in the jealous mind of Ferdinand, and made it neceffary for Columbus again to return to Spain, in order to counteract their machinations, and to obtain fuch further fupplies as were neceffary to his great political and benevolent purposes.

54. On his arrival at court, and stating with his ufual dignity and confidence the whole hiftory of his tranfactions abroad, every thing wore a favorable appearance. He was received with ufual honors, and again folicited to take charge of another squadron, to carry out further fupplies, to purfue his difcoveries, and in every respect to use his discretion in extending the Spanish Empire in the New World. In this third voyage he difcovered the continent of America, at the mouth of ⚫ the river Oronoke.

55. He rectified many diforders in his government of Hifpaniola, which had happened in his abfcence; and every thing was going on in a profperous train, when an event was announced to him, which completed his own ruin, and gave a fatal turn to the Spanish policy and conduct in America. This was the arrival of Francis de Bovadilla, with a commiffion to fuperfede Columbus in his government; and with power to raign him as a criminal, and to judge of his former admini❤

36. It feems that by this time the enemies of Columbus, despairing to complete his overthrow by groundless infinuations of misconduct, had taken the more effectual method of exciting the jealoufy of their fovereigns.

57. From the promifing famples of gold and other valuable commodities brought from America, they took occafion to reprefent to the King and Queen, that the prodigious wealth. and extent of the countries he had difcovered, would foon throw fuch power into the hands of the Viceroy, that he would trample on the royal authority, and bid defiance to the Spanish power.

58. Thefe arguments were well calculated for the cold and fufpicious temper of Ferdinand, and they must have had fome effect upon the mind of Ifabella. The confequence was, the appointment of Bovadilla, who had been the inveterate enemy of Columbus, to take the government from his hands. This first tyrant of the Spanish nation in America, began his adminiftration by ordering Columbus to be put in chains on board a ship, and fending him prifoner to Spain.

59. By relaxing all difciplin, he introduced diforder and licentioufnefs throughout the colony. He fubjected the na tives to a moft miferable fervitude, and apportioned them out in large numbers among his adherents. Under this fevere treatment perished, in a fhort time, many thoufands of thofe innocent people.

60. Columbus was carried in his fetters to the Spanish court, where the King and Queen either feigned or felt a fufficient regret at the conduct of Bovadilla towards this illuftrious prifoner. He was not only releafed from confinement, but treated with all imaginable respect.

61. But altho the King endeavored to expiate the offense, by cenfuring and recalling Bovadilla, yet we may judge of his fincerity from his appointing Nicholas de Ovando, another bitter enemy of Columbus, to fucceed in the government and from his ever after refufing to reinftate Columbus, or to fulfil any of the conditions on which the difcoveries were under. taken.

62. After two years folicitation for this or fome other employment, he at length obtained a fquadron of four finall veffels, to attempt new discoveries. He now fet out with the ardor and enthusiasmn of a young adventurer, in quest of what

was always his favorite object, a paffage into the South Sea, by which he might fail to India. He touched at Hifpaniola, where Ovando, the governor, refused him admittance on fhore, even to take fhelter during a hurricane, the prognoftics of which his experience had taught him to difcern.

63. By putting into a fmall creek, he rode out the form and then bore away for the continent. Several months in the moft boisterous feafon of the year, he spent in exploring the coaft round the gulf of Mexico, in hopes of finding the intended navigation to India. At length he was fhiprecked and driven afhore, on the Island of Jamaica.

64. His cup of calamities feemed now completely full.-He was caft upon an island of favages, without provisions, without any veffel, and thirty leagues from any Spanish fettlements. But the greatest providential misfortunes are capable of being embittered by the infults of our fellow-creatures.

65. A few of his hardy companions generously offered, in two Indian canooes, to attempt a voyage to Hifpaniola, in hopes of obtaining a veffel for the relief of the unhappy crew. After fuffering every extremity of danger and hardship, they arrived at the Spanish colony in ten days. Ovando, through perfonal malice and jealoufy of Columbus, after having de tained thefe meffengers eight months, difpatched a veffel to Jamaica, in order to fpy out the condition of Columbus and with pofitive inftructions to the captain not to afford

lis crew,

them any relief.

66. This order was punctually executed. The captain approached the fhore, delivered a letter of empty compliments from Ovando to the Admiral, received his anfwer and returned. About four months afterwards a veffel came to their relief; and Columbus worn out with fatigues and broken with misfortunes, returned for the last time to Spain.

67. Here a new diftrefs awaited him, which he confidered as one of the greatest he had fuffered in his whole life. This was the death of Queen Ifabella, his last and greatest friend.

68. He did not fuddenly abandon himself to defpair. He called upon the gratitude and juftice of the king, and, in terms of dignity demanded the fulfilment of the former contract.

69. Notwithstanding his age and infirmities, he even folicited to be further employed in extending the career of difcovery, without a profpect of any other reward but the con