ftacles to protract the preparations for Columbus's expedition, that a year clapfed before he could procure two fhips to carry over a part of the fupplies deftined for the colony, and almost two years were spent before the small squadron was equipped of which he himfelf was to take the command.

This fquadron confifted of fix fhips only, of no great burden, and but indifferently provided for a long or dangerous navigation. This voyage which he now meditated was in a courfe different from any he had undertaken. As he was fully perfuaded that the fertile regions of India lay to the fouth-west of those countries which he had difcovered, he propofed, as the most certain method of finding out thefe, to fland direally fouth from the Canary or Cape de Verd islands, until he came under the equinoctial line, and then to ftretch to the weft before the favourable wind for fuch a courfe, which blows invariably between the tropics. With this idea he fet fail, on May the thirtieth, one thousand four hundred and ninety-eight, and touched firft at the Canary, and then at the Cape de Verd islands, on July the fourth. From the former he difpatched three of his fhips with a fupply of provifions for the colony in Hifpaniola: with the other three, he continued his voyage towards the fouth. No remarkable occurrence happened till July the nineteenth, when they arrived within five degrees of the line. There they were becalmed, and at the fame time the heat became fo exceffive, that many of their wine cafks burft, the liquor in others foured, and their provifions corrupted. The Spaniards, who had never ventured fo far to the fouth, were afraid that the fhips would take fire, and began to apprehend the reality of what the ancients had taught concerning the deftructive qualities of that torrid region of the globe. They were relieved, in fome meafure, from their fears by a feasonable fall of rain. This, however, though fo heavy and unintermitting that the men could hardly keep the deck, did not greatly mitigate the intenfenefs of the heat. The admiral, who with his ufual vigilance had in perfon directed every operation, from the beginning of the voyage, was so much exhausted by fatigue and want of fleep, that it brought on a violent fit of the gout, accompanied with a fever. All thefe circumftances conftrained him to yield to the importunities of his crew, and to alter his course to the north-weft, in order to reach fome of the Caribbee islands, where he might refit, and be fupplied with provifions.

On the first of Auguft, the man stationed in the round top furprised them with the joyful cry of land. They flood towards it, and difcovered a confiderable island, which the admiral called Trinidad, a name it ftill retains. It lies on the coaft of Guianà, near the mouth of the

Orinoco.

Orinoco. This, though a river only of the third or fourth magnitude in the New World, far furpaffes any of the ftreams in our hemifphere. It rolls towards the ocean fuch a vaft body of water, and rushes into it with fuch impetuous force, that when it meets the tide, which on that coaft rifes to an uncommon height, their collifion occafions a fwell and agitation of the waves no lefs furprifing than formidable. In this confict, the irrefitible torrent of the river fo far prevails, that it freshens the ocean many leagues with its flood. Columbus, before he could perceive the danger, was entangled among thofe adverfe currents and tempeftuous waves, and it was with the utmoft difficulty that he efcaped through a narrow ftrait, which appeared fo tremendous, that he called it La Boca del Drago. As foon as the confternation which this occafioned, permitted him to reflect upon the nature of an appearance fo extraordinary, he difcerned in it a fource of comfort and hope. He juftly concluded, that fuch a vaft body of water as this river contained, could not be fupplied by any ifland, but muft flow through a country of immenfe extent, and of confequence that he was now arrived at that continent which it had long been the object of his wishes to difcover. Full of this idea, he ftood to the weft along the coaft of those provinces which are now known by the names of Paria and Cumana. He landed in feveral places, and had fome intercourfe with the people, who refembled thofe of Hifpaniola in their appearance and manner of life. They wore, as ornaments, fmall plates of gold, and pearls of confiderable value, which they willingly exchanged for European toys. They feemed to poffefs a better understanding, and greater courage, than the inhabitants of the islands. The country produced four-footed animals of feveral kinds, as well as a great variety of fowls and fruits. The admiral was fo much delighted with its beauty and fertility, that with the warm enthusiasm of a difcoverer, he imagined it to be the paradife deferibed in Scripture, which the Almighty chofe for the refidence of man, while he retained innocence that rendered him worthy of fuch a habitation. Thus Columbus had the glory not only of difcovering to mankind the existence of a New World, but made confiderable progrefs towards a perfect knowledge of it; and was the first man who conducted the Spaniards to that vaft continent which has been the chief feat of their empire, and the fource of their treafures in this quarter of the globe. The fhattered condition of his fhips, fcarcity of provifions, his own infirmities, together with the impatience of his crew, prevented him from purfuing his difcoveries any farther, and made it neceflary to bear away for Hifpaniola. In his way thither he difcovered the islands of Cubagua and Margarita, which afterwards became remarkable for

4

their

their pearl-fishery. When he arrived at Hifpaniola, on the thirtieth of Auguft, he was wafted to an extreme degree with fatigue and sickness; But found the affairs of the colony in fuch a fituation, as afforded him no profpect of enjoying that repofe of which he ftood fo much in need.

Many revolutions had happened in that country during his abfence. His brother the adelantado, in confequence of the advice which the admiral gave before his departure, had removed the colony from Ifabella to a more commodious ftation, on the oppofite fide of the island, and laid the foundation of St. Domingo, which was long the most confiderable European town in the New World, and the feat of the fupreme courts in the Spanish dominions there. As foon as the Spaniards were established in this new 'fettlement, the adelantado, that they might neither languish in inactivity, nor have leifure to form new cabals, marched into those parts of the island which his brother had not yet vifited or reduced to obedience. As the people were unable to refift, they fub. mitted every where to the tribute which he impofed. But they foon found the burden to be fo intolerable, that, overawed as they were by the fuperior power of their oppreffors, they took arms against them. Thofe infurrections, however, were not formidable. A conflict with timid and naked Indians was neither dangerous nor of doubtful issue.

But while the adelantado was employed against them in the field, a mutiny, of an afpect far more alarming, broke out among the Spaniards. The ringleader of it was Francis Roldan, whom Columbus had placed in a ftation which required him to be the guardian of order and tranquility in the colony. A turbulent and inconfiderate ambition precipitated him into this defperate meafure, fo unbecoming his rank. The arguments which he employed to feduce his countrymen were frivolous and ill-founded. He accufed Columbus and his two brothers of arrogance and feverity; he pretended that they aimed at establishing an independent dominion in the country; he taxed them with an intention of cutting off part of the Spaniards by hunger and fatigue, that they might more cafily reduce the remainder to fubjection; he reprefented it as unworthy of Caftilians, to remain the tame and paffive flaves, of three Geonefe adventurers. As men have always a propenfity to impute the hardships of which they feel the preffure, to the mifconduct of their rulers; as every nation views with a jealous eye the power and exaltation of foreigners, Roldan's infinuations made a deep impreffion on his countrymen. His character and rank added weight to them. A confiderable number of the Spaniards made choice of him as their leader, and taking arms against the adelantado and his brother, feized the king's magazine of previfions, and endeavoured to surprise

the

the fort at St. Domingo. This was preferved by the vigilance and courage of Don Diego Columbus. The mutineers were obliged to retire to the province of Xaragua, where they continued not only to dif claim the adelantado's authority themselves, but excited the Indians to throw off the yoke.

Such was the distracted state of the colony when Columbus landed at St. Domingo. He was aftonished to find that the three ships which he had dispatched from the Canaries were not yet arrived. By the unskila fulness of the pilots, and the violence of currents, they had been carried a hundred and fixty miles to the west of St. Domingo, and forced to take shelter in a harbour of the province of Xaragua, where Roldan and his feditious followers were cantoned. Roldan carefully concealed from the commanders of the fhips his infurrection against the adelantado, and employing his utmost addrefs to gain their confidence, perfuaded them to fet on fhore a confiderable part of the new fettlers whom they brought over, that they might proceed by land to St. Domingo. It required but few arguments to prevail with those men to espouse his caufe. They were the refufe of the jails of Spain, to whom idleness, licentioufness, and deeds of violence were familiar; and they returned eagerly to a courfe of life nearly refembling that to which they had been accustomed. The commanders of the fhips perceiving, when it was too late, their imprudence in difembarking fo many of their men, stood away for St. Domingo, and got fafe into the port a few days after the admiral; but their stock of provifions was fo wafted during a voyage of fuch long continuance, that they brought little relief to the colony.

By this junction with a band of such bold and defperate affociates, Roldan became extremely formidable, and no lefs extravagant in his demands. Columbus, though filled with refentment at his ingratitude, and highly exafperated by the infolence of his followers, made no hafte to take the field. He trembled at the thoughts of kindling the flames. of a civil war, in which, whatever party prevailed, the power and trength of both must be fo much wafted, as might encourage the common enemy to unite and complete their deftruction. At the fame time, he observed, that the prejudices and paffions which incited the rebels to take arms, had fo far infected those who still adhered to him, that many of them were adverse, and all cold to the fervice. From fuch sentiments with refpect to the public intereft, as well as from this view of his own fituation, he chofe to negociate rather than to fight. By a feasonable proclamation, offering free pardon to fuch as fhould merit it by returning to their duty, he made impreffion upon fome of the malcontents. By engaging to grant fuch as fhould defite it the liberty of returning to No. II, I

Spain,

Spain, he allured all thofe unfortunate adventurers, who, from ficknes and disappointment, were difgufted with the country. By promifing to re-establish Roldan in his former office, he foothed his pride; and by complying with most of his demands in behalf of his followers, he fatisfied their avarice. Thus, gradually and without bloodshed, but after many tedious negociations, he diffolved this dangerous combination which threatened the colony with rain; and restored the appearance of order, regular government, and tranquillity.

In confequence of this agreement with the mutineers, lands were al loted them in different parts of the island, and the Indians fettled in each district were appointed to cultivate a certain portion of ground for the use of those new masters *. The performance of this work was fubftituted in place of the tribute formerly impofed; and how neceffary foever fuch a regulation might be in a fickly and feeble colony, it introduced among the Spaniards the Repartimientos, or distributions of Indians established by them in all their fettlements, which brought numberless calamities upon that unhappy people, and fubjected them to the most grievous oppreffion. This was not the only bad effect of the infurrection in Hispaniola; it prevented Columbus from profecuting his difcoveries on the continent, as felf-prefervation obliged him to keep near his perfon his brother the adelantado, and the failors whom he intended to have employed in that fervice. As foon as his affairs would permit, he fent fome of his fhips to Spain with a journal of the voyage which he had made, a description of the new countries which he had difcovered, a chart of the coaft along which he had failed, and speci mens of the gold, the pearls, and other curious or valuable productions which he had acquired by trafficking with the natives. At the fame time he transmitted an account of the infurrection in Hifpaniola; he accused the mutineers not only of having thrown the colony into fuck violent convulfions as threatened its diffolution, but of having obstructed every attempt towards difcovery and improvement, by their unprovoked rebellion against their fuperiors, and proposed several regula tions for the better government of the island, as well as the extinction of that mutinous fpirit, which, though fuppreffed at prefent, might foon burft out with additional rage. Roldan and his affociates did not neglect to convey to Spain, by the fame fhips, an apology for their own conduct, together with their recriminations upon the admiral and his brothers. Unfortunately for the honour of Spain, and the happiness of Columbus, the latter gained moft credit in the court of Ferdinand and Habella, and produced unexpected effects.