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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Peter Parley's Tales About America and
+Australia, by Samuel Griswold Goodrich, Edited by Rev. T. Wilson,
+Illustrated by S. Williams
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Peter Parley's Tales About America and Australia
+
+
+Author: Samuel Griswold Goodrich
+
+Editor: Rev. T. Wilson
+
+Release Date: October 17, 2005  [eBook #16891]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER PARLEY'S TALES ABOUT AMERICA
+AND AUSTRALIA***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Janet Blenkinship, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) from
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+
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+
+
+TALES ABOUT AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA.
+
+by
+
+PETER PARLEY.
+
+A New Edition,
+
+Brought Down to the Present Time.
+
+Revised by The Rev. T. Wilson.
+
+With Illustrations by S. Williams.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+London:
+Darton and Hodge, Holborn Hill.
+1862.
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                                        PAGE
+
+  PARLEY TELLS HOW AMERICA WAS FIRST DISCOVERED,
+  AND ABOUT COLUMBUS                                      1
+
+  PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS                       12
+
+  COLUMBUS SETS SAIL TO RETURN TO SPAIN; ENCOUNTERS
+  A DREADFUL STORM                                       21
+
+  COLUMBUS PREPARES FOR ANOTHER VOYAGE                   35
+
+  PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE
+  CONTINENT OF AMERICA                                   45
+
+  PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS ROBBED OF THE
+  HONOUR OF GIVING HIS NAME TO AMERICA                   59
+
+  PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS SHIPWRECKED,
+  AND OF HIS DEATH                                       65
+
+  PARLEY TELLS OF OVANDO'S CRUEL TREATMENT OF
+  ANACAONA, THE PRINCESS OF HAYTI                        73
+
+  PARLEY DESCRIBES THE TREES, THE PLANTS, AND
+  FLOWERS OF THE NEW WORLD                               79
+
+  PARLEY TELLS OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO                 96
+
+  PARLEY RELATES HOW PIZARRO DISCOVERED AND
+  CONQUERED PERU                                        121
+
+  PARLEY DESCRIBES THE BEAUTIES OF AMERICA              133
+
+  PARLEY TELLS OF THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY IN
+  AMERICA                                               141
+
+  PARLEY TELLS OF THE ORIGINAL NATIVE AMERICANS         150
+
+  PARLEY SHOWS HOW THE UNITED STATES AROSE, AND
+  WHAT FOLLOWED THEIR ESTABLISHMENT                     165
+
+  PARLEY TELLS ABOUT NEW SOUTH WALES                    176
+
+  PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS OF AUSTRALIA--THE
+  BRITISH SETTLEMENTS--THE GOLD REGIONS--RECENT
+  EXPLORATIONS                                          183
+
+  CONCLUSION                                            205
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+PARLEY TELLS HOW AMERICA WAS FIRST DISCOVERED, AND ABOUT COLUMBUS THE
+DISCOVERER.
+
+
+Now that I have given you an account of European cities in my "Tales
+about Europe," I shall now furnish you with some description of America,
+with its flourishing cities, and its multitude of ships, its fertile
+fields, its mighty rivers, its vast forests, and its millions of happy
+and industrious inhabitants, of which I am quite certain you must be
+very curious to know something, when you are told that though the world
+has been created nearly six thousand years, and many powerful nations
+have flourished and decayed, and are now scarcely remembered, yet it is
+only three hundred and seventy years ago since it was known that such a
+country as America existed.
+
+It was in the year 1492, which you know is only 370 years since, on the
+third of August, a little before sunrise, that Christopher Columbus,
+undertaking the boldest enterprise that human genius ever conceived, or
+human talent and fortitude ever accomplished, set sail from Spain, for
+the discovery of the Western World.
+
+I will now give you a short account of Columbus, who was one of the
+greatest men the world ever produced. He was born in the city of Genoa,
+in Italy; his family were almost all sailors, and he was brought up for
+a sailor also, and after being taught geography and various other things
+necessary for a sea captain to know, he was sent on board ship at the
+age of fourteen. Columbus was tall, muscular, and of a commanding
+aspect; his hair, light in youth, turned prematurely grey, and ere he
+reached the age of thirty was white as snow.
+
+His first voyages were short ones, but after several years, desiring to
+see and learn more of distant countries, and thinking there were still
+new ones to be discovered, he went into the service of the King of
+Portugal and made many voyages to the western coast of Africa, and to
+the Canaries, and the Madeiras, and the Azores, islands lying off that
+coast, which were then the most westerly lands known to Europeans.
+
+In his visits to these parts, one person informed him that his ship,
+sailing out farther to the west than usual, had picked up out of the sea
+a piece of wood curiously carved, and that very thick canes, like those
+which travellers had found in India, had been seen floating on the
+waves; also that great trees, torn up by the roots, had often been cast
+on shore, and once two dead bodies of men, with strange features,
+neither like Europeans nor Africans, were driven on the coast of the
+Azores.
+
+All these stories set Columbus thinking and considering that these
+strange things had come drifting over the sea from the west, he looked
+upon them as tokens sent from some unknown countries lying far distant
+in that quarter: he was therefore eager to sail away and explore, but as
+he had not money enough himself to fit out ships and hire sailors, he
+determined to go and try to persuade some king or some state to be at
+the expense of the trial.
+
+First he went to his own countrymen the Genoese, but they would have
+nothing to say to him: he then submitted his plan to the Portuguese, but
+the King of Portugal, pretending to listen to him, got from him his
+plan, and perfidiously attempted to rob him of the honour of
+accomplishing it, by sending another person to pursue the same track
+which he had proposed.
+
+The person they so basely employed did not succeed, but returned to
+Lisbon, execrating a plan he had not abilities to execute.
+
+On discovering this treachery, Columbus quitted the kingdom in disgust
+and set out for Spain, to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He was now
+so poor that he was frequently obliged to beg as he went along.
+
+About half a league from Palos, a sea-port of Andalusia in Spain, on a
+solitary height, overlooking the sea-coast, and surrounded by a forest
+of pines, there stood, and now stands at the present day, an ancient
+convent of Franciscan friars.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A stranger, travelling on foot, accompanied by a young boy, stopped one
+day at the gate of the convent, and asked of the porter a little bread
+and water for his child.--That stranger was Columbus, accompanied by his
+son Diego.
+
+While receiving this humble refreshment, the guardian of the convent,
+Friar Juan Perez, happening to pass, was taken with the appearance of
+the stranger, and being an intelligent man and acquainted with
+geographical science, he became interested with the conversation of
+Columbus, and was so struck with the grandeur of his project that he
+detained him as his guest and invited a friend of his, Martin Alonzo
+Pinzon, a resident of the town of Palos, to come and hear Columbus
+explain his plan.
+
+Pinzon was one of the most intelligent sea captains of the day, and a
+distinguished navigator. He not only approved of his project, but
+offered to engage in it, and to assist him.
+
+Juan Perez now advised Columbus to repair to court. Pinzon generously
+furnished him with the money for the journey, and the friar kindly took
+charge of his youthful son Diego, to maintain and educate him in the
+convent, which I am sure you will think was the greatest kindness he
+could have done him at that time.
+
+Ferdinand and Isabella gave him hopes and promises, then they made
+difficulties and objections, and would do nothing. At last, after
+waiting five years, he was just setting off for England, where he had
+previously sent his brother Bartholomew, when he was induced to wait a
+little longer in Spain.
+
+This little longer was two years, but then at last he had his reward,
+for queen Isabella stood his friend, and even offered to part with her
+own jewels in order to raise money to enable him to make preparations
+for the voyage, so that he contrived to fit out three very small vessels
+which altogether carried but one hundred and twenty men.
+
+Two of the vessels were light _barques_, or barges built high at the
+prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins for the crew, but were
+without deck in the centre; only one of the three, the Santa Maria, was
+completely decked; on board of this, Columbus hoisted his flag. Martin
+Alonzo Pinzon commanded the Pinta, and his brother, Vincente Yanez
+Pinzon, the Nina. He set sail in the sight of a vast crowd, all praying
+for the success, but never expecting and scarcely hoping to see either
+him or any of his crews again.
+
+Columbus first made sail for the Canaries, where he repaired his
+vessels: then taking leave of these islands, he steered his course due
+west, across the great Atlantic ocean, where never ship had ploughed the
+waves before.
+
+No sooner had they lost sight of land than the sailors' hearts began to
+fail them, and they bewailed themselves like men condemned to die: but
+Columbus cheered them with the hopes of the rich countries they were to
+discover.
+
+After awhile they came within those regions where the trade-wind, as it
+is called, blows constantly from east to west without changing, which
+carried them on at a vast rate; but he judiciously concealed from his
+ignorant and timid crews the progress he made, lest they might be
+alarmed at the speed with which they were receding from home. After
+some time, they found the sea covered with weeds, as thick as a meadow
+with grass, and the sailors fancied that they should soon be stuck
+fast,--that they had reached the end of the navigable ocean, and that
+some strange thing would befal them.
+
+Still, however, Columbus cheered them on, and the sight of a flock of
+birds encouraged them: but when they had been three weeks at sea and no
+land appeared, they grew desperate with fear, and plotted among
+themselves to force their commander to turn back again, lest all their
+provisions should be spent, or, if he refused, to throw him overboard.
+
+Columbus, however, made them a speech which had such an effect upon them
+that they became tolerably quiet for a week longer; they then grew so
+violent again that at last he was obliged to promise them that if they
+did not see land in three days, he would consent to give it up and sail
+home again.
+
+But he was now almost sure that land was not far off: the sea grew
+shallower, and early every morning flocks of land birds began to flutter
+around them, and these all left the ship in the evening, as if to roost
+on shore. One of the vessels had picked up a cane newly cut, and another
+a branch covered with fresh red berries; and the air blew softer and
+warmer, and the wind began to vary.
+
+That very night, Columbus ordered the sails to be taken in, and strict
+watch to be kept, in all the ships, for fear of running aground; he and
+all his men remained standing on the deck, looking out eagerly: at
+length he spied a distant light; he showed it to two of his officers,
+and they all plainly perceived it moving, as if carried backwards and
+forwards, from house to house.
+
+Soon after the cry of "_Land! land!_" was heard from the foremost ship,
+and, at dawn of day, they plainly saw a beautiful island, green and
+woody, and watered with many pleasant streams, lying stretched before
+them.
+
+As soon as the sun rose, the boats of the vessel were lowered and
+manned, and Columbus, in a rich and splendid dress of scarlet, entered
+the principal one. They then rowed towards the island, with their
+colours displayed, and warlike music, and other martial pomp.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Columbus was the first to leap on shore, to kiss the earth, and to thank
+God on his knees: his men followed, and throwing themselves at his feet
+they all thanked him for leading them thither, and begged his
+forgiveness for their disrespectful and unruly behaviour.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS.
+
+
+The poor inhabitants, a simple and innocent people, with copper-coloured
+skins and long black hair, not curled, like the negroes, but floating on
+their shoulders, or bound in tresses round their heads, came flocking
+down to the beach and stood gazing in silent admiration.
+
+The dress of the Spaniards, the whiteness of their skins, their beards,
+their arms, and the vast machines that seemed to move upon the waters
+with wings, which they supposed had, during the night, risen out of the
+sea, or come down from the clouds; the sound and flash of the guns,
+which they mistook for thunder and lightning: all these things appeared
+to them strange and surprising; they considered the Spaniards as
+children of the sun, and paid homage to them as gods.
+
+The Europeans were hardly less amazed at the scene now before them.
+Every herb, and shrub, and tree, differed from those which flourished in
+Europe: the inhabitants appeared in the simple innocence of nature,
+entirely naked; their features were singular, but not disagreeable, and
+their manners gentle and timid.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The first act of Columbus was to take solemn and formal possession of
+the country in the name of his sovereign; this was done by planting the
+Spanish flag on the coast, and other ceremonies, which the poor natives
+looked upon with wonder, but could not understand.
+
+Nor could there be an act of greater cruelty and injustice; for the
+Spaniards could not have any right to drive these gentle and peaceful
+inhabitants (as they afterwards did) from their peaceful abodes, which
+had been theirs and their fathers before them, perhaps for thousands of
+years, and in the end, utterly to destroy them, and take their land for
+themselves.
+
+After performing this ceremony, of which Columbus himself could not
+foresee the consequences to the Indians, for he was very kind to them,
+he made them presents of trinkets and other trifles, with which they
+were greatly delighted, and brought him in return the fruits of their
+fields and groves, and a sort of bread called cassada, made from the
+root of the yuca; with whatever else their own simple mode of life might
+afford.
+
+Columbus then returned to his ship, accompanied by many of the
+islanders in their boats, which they called canoes; these simple and
+undiscerning children of nature having no foresight of the calamities
+and desolation which awaited their country.
+
+This island was called by the natives Guanahini, and by the Spaniards
+St. Salvador: it is one of that cluster of West India Islands called the
+Bahamas, and if you look on the map you will see that it is the very
+first island that would present itself to a ship sailing direct from
+Spain.
+
+Columbus did not continue his voyage for some days, as he wished to give
+all his sailors an opportunity of landing and seeing the wonders of the
+new-discovered world, and to take in a fresh supply of water, in which
+they were cheerfully assisted by the natives, who took them to the
+clearest springs and the sweetest and freshest streams, filling their
+casks and rolling them to the boats, and seeking in every way to gratify
+(as they believed) their celestial visitors.
+
+Columbus having thus refreshed his crews, and supplied his ships with
+water, proceeded on his voyage. After visiting several smaller islands
+he discovered a large island which the natives called Cuba, and which
+still retains that name. This was so large an island that he at first
+thought it to be a new continent.
+
+In proceeding along the coast, having observed that most of the people
+whom he had seen wore small plates of gold by way of ornament in their
+noses, he eagerly inquired, by signs, where they got that precious
+metal.
+
+The Indians, as much astonished at his eagerness in quest of gold as the
+Europeans were at their ignorance and simplicity, pointed towards the
+east, to an island which they called Hayti, in which this metal was more
+abundant.
+
+Columbus ordered his squadron to bend their course thither, but Martin
+Alonzo Pinzon, impatient to be the first who should take possession of
+the treasure which this country was supposed to contain, quitted his
+companions with his ship, the Pinta, and though Columbus made signals
+to slacken sail, he paid no regard to them.
+
+When they came in sight of Hayti, which you will see was no great
+distance, if you look on the map, Columbus having had no sleep the night
+before, had gone to his cabin to lie down and rest himself, having first
+given the charge of the vessel to an experienced sailor.
+
+This careless man, (this lazy lubber, the sailors would call him,)
+instead of performing his duty, and watching over the safety of the ship
+and the lives of his companions, which were entrusted to him, deserted
+his post and went to sleep, leaving the vessel to the management of a
+young and thoughtless boy.
+
+The rapid currents which prevail on that coast soon carried the vessel
+on a shoal, and Columbus was roused from his sleep by the striking of
+the ship and the cries of the terrified boy.
+
+They first endeavoured, by taking out an anchor, to warp the vessel off,
+but the strength of the current was more than a match for them, and the
+vessel was driven farther and farther on the shoal; they then cut away
+the mast and took out some of the stores to lighten her; but all their
+efforts were vain.
+
+Before sunset the next evening the vessel was a complete wreck.
+Fortunately the Nina was close at hand, and the shipwrecked mariners got
+on board of her; the inhabitants of the island came in their canoes and
+assisted them in preserving part of their stores.
+
+They found Hayti a very beautiful island, and were treated with the
+greatest kindness by the inhabitants; but, though delighted with the
+beauty of the scenes which everywhere presented themselves, and amazed
+at the luxuriance and fertility of the soil, Columbus did not find gold
+in such quantities as was sufficient to satisfy the avarice of his
+followers; he was nevertheless anxious to prolong his voyage, and
+explore those magnificent regions which seemed to invite them on every
+hand.
+
+But as the Pinta had never joined them again after parting from them, he
+had no vessel now left but the Nina; he did not therefore think it
+prudent to pursue his discoveries with one small vessel, and that a very
+crazy one, lest, if any accident should befal it, he might be left
+without the means of returning to Europe, and both the glory and benefit
+of his great discoveries might be lost; so he determined to prepare for
+his return.
+
+But as it was impossible for so small a vessel as the Nina to contain
+the crew of the ship that was wrecked in addition to its own, Columbus
+was greatly perplexed what to do.
+
+Many of his men were so delighted with the island and its inhabitants,
+that they begged of him to let them remain there, and Columbus consented
+to leave forty of them on the island, while he and the remainder made
+the voyage back.
+
+He promised to return to them speedily. He now built them a fort with
+the timber of the wreck, and fortified it with the guns of the Santa
+Maria, and did every thing in his power to provide for their comfort
+during his absence, particularly enjoining them to be kind and peaceful
+towards the Indians.
+
+This was the first colony of Europeans that settled in the new world,
+and Columbus gave it the name of Navidad.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+COLUMBUS SETS SAIL TO RETURN TO SPAIN, AND ENCOUNTERS A DREADFUL STORM.
+
+
+Having obtained a certain quantity of the precious metals, and other
+curious productions of the countries he had discovered, he set sail to
+recross the wide Atlantic Ocean.
+
+It was the second day after they had left the island that they saw a
+sail at a distance, which proved to be the Pinta.
+
+On joining the admiral, Pinzon made many excuses and endeavoured to
+account for his desertion, saying he had been separated by stress of
+weather. Columbus admitted his excuse, but he ascertained afterwards
+that Pinzon parted company intentionally, and had steered directly east
+in quest of a region where the Indians had assured him that he would
+find gold in abundance.
+
+They had guided him to Hayti, where he had been for some time, in a
+river about fifteen leagues from the part of the coast where Columbus
+had been wrecked.
+
+He had collected a large quantity of gold by trading with the natives,
+and on leaving the river he had carried off four Indian men and two
+girls to be sold in Spain.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Columbus immediately sailed back for this river, and ordered the four
+men and two girls to be dismissed well clothed and with many presents,
+to atone for the wrong they had experienced. This resolution was not
+carried into effect without great unwillingness and many angry words on
+the part of Pinzon.
+
+Columbus, being now joined by the Pinta, thought he might pursue his
+discoveries a little further, and on leaving this part of the coast he
+took with him four young Indians to guide him to the Carribean Islands,
+of which they gave him a very interesting account, as well as of another
+island said to be inhabited by Amazons.
+
+A favourable breeze, however, sprang up for the voyage homewards, and
+seeing gloom and impatience in the countenances of his men, he gave up
+his intention of visiting these islands, and made all sail for Spain,
+the young Indians having consented to accompany him that they might
+learn the Spanish language, and be his guides and interpreters when they
+should return.
+
+His voyage homeward was much more tedious; for those trade winds which
+had wafted him so rapidly westward, across the Atlantic, still blew
+from east to west, and Columbus did not then know that their influence
+only extends to a certain distance on each side of the Equator, so that
+if he had sailed a little farther north, on his return, he would very
+likely have met with a south-west wind, which was just what he wanted.
+
+On the 12th of February they had made such progress as led them to hope
+they should soon see land. The wind now came on to blow violently; on
+the following evening there were three flashes of lightning in the
+north-east, from which signs Columbus predicted an approaching tempest.
+
+It soon burst upon them with frightful violence. Their small and crazy
+vessels were little fitted for the wild storms of the Atlantic; all
+night they were obliged to scud under bare poles, at the mercy of the
+elements; as the morning dawned there was a transient pause and they
+made a little sail, but the wind rose with redoubled fury from the south
+and increased in the night, threatening each moment to overwhelm them or
+dash them to pieces.
+
+The admiral made signal-lights for the Pinta to keep in company, but
+she was separated by the violence of the storm, and her lights gleamed
+more and more distant till they ceased entirely.
+
+When the day dawned the sea presented a frightful waste of wild and
+broken waves. Columbus looked round anxiously for the Pinta, but she was
+nowhere to be seen, and he became apprehensive that Pinzon had borne
+away for Spain, that he might reach it before him, and by giving the
+first account of his discoveries, deprive him of his fame.
+
+Through a dreary day the helpless bark was driven along by the tempest.
+
+Seeing all human skill baffled and confounded, Columbus endeavoured to
+propitiate heaven by solemn vows, and various private vows were made by
+the seamen. The heavens, however, seemed deaf to their vows: the storm
+grew still more furious, and every one gave himself up for lost.
+
+During this long and awful conflict of the elements, the mind of
+Columbus was a prey to the most distressing anxiety.
+
+He was harassed by the repinings of his crew, who cursed the hour of
+their leaving their country.
+
+He was afflicted also with the thought of his two sons, who would be
+left destitute by his death.
+
+But he had another source of distress more intolerable than death
+itself. In case the Pinta should have foundered, as was highly probable,
+the history of his discovery would depend upon his own feeble bark. One
+surge of the ocean might bury it for ever in oblivion, and his name only
+be recorded as that of a desperate adventurer.
+
+At this crisis, when all was given up for lost, Columbus had presence of
+mind enough to retire to his cabin and to write upon parchment a short
+account of his voyage.
+
+This he wrapped in an oiled cloth, which he enclosed in a cake of wax,
+put it into a tight cask, and threw it into the sea, in hopes that some
+fortunate accident might preserve a deposit of so much importance to the
+world.
+
+But that being which had preserved him through so many dangers still
+protected him; and happily these precautions were superfluous.
+
+At sunset there was a streak of clear sky in the west; the wind shifted
+to that quarter, and on the morning of the 15th of February they came in
+sight of land.
+
+The transports of the crew at once more beholding the old world, were
+almost equal to those they had experienced on discovering the new. This
+proved to be the island of St. Mary, the most southern of the Azores.
+
+After remaining here a few days, the wind proving favourable he again
+set sail, on the 24th of February.
+
+After two or three days of pleasant sailing, there was a renewal of
+tempestuous weather. About midnight of the 2nd of March the caravel was
+struck by a squall, which rent all her sails and threatened instant
+destruction. The crew were again reduced to despair, and made vows of
+fasting and pilgrimages.
+
+The storm raged through the succeeding day, during which, from various
+signs they considered that land must be near. The turbulence of the
+following night was dreadful; the sea was broken, wild, and mountainous,
+the rain fell in torrents, and the lightning flashed and the thunder
+pealed from various parts of the heavens.
+
+In the first watch of this fearful night, the seamen gave the usual
+welcome cry of land--but it only increased their alarm, for they dreaded
+being driven on shore or dashed upon the rocks. Taking in sail,
+therefore, they endeavoured to keep to sea as much as possible. At
+day-break on the 4th of March they found themselves off the rock of
+Cintra at the mouth of the Tagus, which you know is the principal river
+of Portugal.
+
+Though distrustful of the Portuguese, he had no alternative but to run
+in for shelter. The inhabitants came off from various parts of the shore
+to congratulate him on what they deemed a miraculous preservation, for
+they had been watching the vessel the whole morning with great anxiety,
+and putting up prayers for her safety. The oldest mariners of the place
+assured him that they had never during the whole course of their lives
+known so tempestuous a winter.
+
+Such were the difficulties and perils with which Columbus had to contend
+on his return to Europe. Had one tenth part of them beset his outward
+voyage, his factious crew would have risen in arms against the
+enterprise, and he never would have discovered the new world.
+
+The king of Portugal must have been greatly mortified when he heard of
+the arrival of Columbus and the wonderful discoveries he had made, for
+he could not but reflect that all the advantages of these discoveries
+might have belonged to him if he had not treated Columbus as he did.
+
+But notwithstanding the envy which it was natural for the Portuguese to
+feel, he was allowed to come to Lisbon, and was treated with all the
+marks of distinction due to a man who had performed things so
+extraordinary and unexpected. The king admitted him into his presence,
+and listened with admiration to the account which he gave of his voyage,
+while Columbus enjoyed the satisfaction of being able to prove the
+solidity of his schemes to those very persons who had with disgraceful
+ignorance rejected them as the projects of a visionary adventurer.
+
+Columbus was so impatient to return to Spain that he remained only five
+days in Lisbon. On the 15th of March he arrived at Palos, seven months
+and eleven days from the time when he set out from thence upon his
+voyage.
+
+When the prosperous issue of it was known, when they beheld the strange
+people, the unknown animals, and singular productions brought from the
+countries he had discovered, the joy was unbounded; all the bells were
+rung, the cannons were fired, and he was welcomed with all the
+acclamations which the people are ever ready to bestow on great and
+glorious characters. They flocked in crowds to the harbour to see him
+land, and nothing but Columbus and the New World, as the Spaniards
+called it, was talked of.
+
+He was desired by Ferdinand and Isabella in the most respectful terms to
+repair to court, that they might receive from his own mouth, an account
+of his wonderful discoveries.
+
+On his arrival at Barcelona the king and queen received him clad in
+their royal robes, seated upon a throne, and surrounded by their nobles.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When he approached, they commanded him to take his seat upon a chair
+prepared for him, and to give a circumstantial account of his voyage,
+which he related with a gravity suitable to the dignity of the audience
+he addressed, and with that modesty which ever accompanies superior
+merit.
+
+Every mark of honour that gratitude or admiration could suggest, was
+conferred upon him; his family was ennobled, and, as a mark of
+particular favour, Isabella appointed his son Diego, the boy, who, you
+remember, had been left at the convent, page to prince Juan, the heir
+apparent, an honour only granted to sons of persons of distinguished
+rank.
+
+The king and queen, and, after their example, the courtiers treated him
+with all the respect paid to persons of the highest rank. Yet some of
+these courtiers were his bitterest enemies, and did every thing they
+could, in his absence, to poison the minds of the king and queen against
+him, and to cause his downfall.
+
+The favour shown Columbus by the sovereigns insured him for a time the
+caresses of the nobility, for in court every one is eager to lavish
+attentions upon the man "whom the king delighteth to honour."
+
+At one of the banquets which were given him occured the well known
+circumstance of the egg.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A shallow courtier present, impatient of the honours paid to Columbus,
+and meanly jealous of him as a foreigner, abruptly asked him, whether he
+thought that, in case he had not discovered the Indies, there would have
+been wanting men in Spain capable of the enterprise.
+
+To this Columbus made no direct reply but, taking an egg, invited the
+company to make it stand on one end. Every one attempted it, but in
+vain; whereupon he struck it upon the table, broke one end, and left it
+standing on the broken part; illustrating, in this simple manner, that
+when he had once shown the way to the new world, nothing was easier than
+to follow it.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+COLUMBUS PREPARES FOR ANOTHER VOYAGE.
+
+
+Columbus was now anxious to set out on another voyage to proceed with
+his discoveries, and the king and queen gave orders that every thing
+should be done to further his wishes.
+
+By his exertions a fleet of seventeen sail, large and small, was soon in
+a state of forwardness; labourers and artificers of all kinds were
+engaged for the projected colonies, and an ample supply was provided of
+whatever was necessary for the cultivation of the soil, the working of
+the mines, and for traffic with the natives.
+
+He now found no difficulty in getting sailors to accompany him, and the
+account he gave of the countries he had discovered, and particularly
+the intelligence that they abounded with gold, excited the avarice and
+rapacity of the Spaniards, and numbers of needy adventurers of ruined
+fortunes and desperate circumstances, were eager to share in the spoil.
+
+Many persons of distinction, thinking to become rich by the same means,
+also volunteered to enlist, and many got on board of the ships by
+stealth, so that about 1500 set sail in the fleet, though only a
+thousand were originally permitted to embark.
+
+The departure of Columbus on his second voyage presented a brilliant
+contrast to his gloomy embarkation at Palos.
+
+There were three large ships of heavy burden and fourteen smaller
+vessels, and the persons on board, instead of being regarded by the
+populace as devoted men, were looked upon with envy as favoured mortals,
+destined to golden regions and delightful climes, where nothing but
+wealth, and wonder, and enjoyment awaited them.
+
+At sunrise the whole fleet was under sail, on the 13th of October he
+lost sight of the Island of Ferro, and, favoured by the trade winds, was
+borne pleasantly along, till, on the 2nd of November, a lofty island was
+descried to the west, to which he gave the name of Dominica, from having
+discovered it on the Lord's day.
+
+As the ships moved gently onward, other islands arose to sight, one
+after another, covered with forests and enlivened by the flight of
+parrots and other tropical birds, while the whole air was sweetened by
+the fragrance of the breezes which passed over them.
+
+In one of these islands, to which the Spaniards gave the name of
+Guadaloupe, they first met with the delicious fruit, the Anana or
+pine-apple.
+
+Columbus now sailed in the direction of Hayti, to which he had given the
+name of Hispaniola, where he shortly arrived.
+
+In passing along the coast he set on shore one of the young Indians who
+had been taken from that neighbourhood and had accompanied him to Spain.
+He dismissed him finely apparelled, and loaded with trinkets, thinking
+he would impress his countrymen with favourable feelings towards the
+Spaniards, but he never heard anything of him afterwards.
+
+When he arrived on that part of the island where he had built the fort
+and taken leave of his companions, the evening growing dark, the land
+was hidden from their sight. Columbus watched for the dawn of day with
+the greatest anxiety; when at last the approach of the morning sun
+rendering the objects on shore visible, in the place where the fort had
+stood, nothing was to be seen. No human being was near, neither Indian
+nor European; he ordered a boat to be manned, and himself went, at the
+head of a party, to explore how things really were.
+
+The crew hastened to the place where the fortress had been erected; they
+found it burnt and demolished, the palisades beaten down, and the ground
+strewed with broken chests and fragments of European garments.
+
+The natives, at their approach, did not welcome them as they expected,
+like friends, but fled and concealed themselves as if afraid to be seen.
+
+Columbus, at length, with some difficulty, by signs of peace and
+friendship, persuaded a few of them to come forth to him. From them he
+learned, that scarcely had he set sail for Spain, when all his counsels
+and commands faded from the minds of those who remained behind. Instead
+of cultivating the good-will of the natives, they endeavoured, by all
+kinds of wrongful means, to get possession of their golden ornaments and
+other articles of value, and seduce from them their wives and daughters,
+and had also quarrelled among themselves.
+
+The consequences of this bad conduct were what might have been expected:
+some died by sickness caused by intemperance, some fell in brawls
+between themselves about their ill-gotten spoil, and others were cut off
+by the Indians, whom they had so shamefully treated, and who afterwards
+pulled dawn and burnt their fort.
+
+The misfortunes which had befallen the Spaniards in the vicinity of
+this harbour threw a gloom over the place, and it was considered by the
+superstitious mariners as under some baneful influence. The situation
+was low and unhealthy, and not capable of improvement; Columbus
+therefore determined to remove the settlement.
+
+With this view he made choice of a situation more healthy and commodious
+than that of Navidad, and having ordered the troops and the various
+persons to be employed in the colony to be immediately disembarked,
+together with the stores, ammunition, and all the cattle and live-stock,
+he traced out the plan of a town in a large plain near a spacious bay;
+and obliging every person to put his hand to the work, the houses were
+soon so far advanced as to afford them shelter, and forts were
+constructed for their defence.
+
+This rising city, the first that Europeans founded in the new world, he
+named Isabella, in honour of his patroness the Queen of Castile.
+
+As long as the Indians had any prospect that their sufferings might
+terminate by the voluntary departure of the invaders, they submitted in
+silence, and dissembled their sorrow; but now that the Spaniards had
+built a town--now that they had dug up the ground and planted it with
+corn--it became apparent that they came not to visit the country, but to
+settle in it.
+
+They were themselves naturally so abstemious and their wants so few,
+that they were easily satisfied with the fruits of the island, which,
+with a handful of maize or a little of the insipid bread made of the
+cassava root, were sufficient for their support.
+
+But it was with difficulty they could afford subsistence for the new
+guests. The Spaniards, though considered an abstemious people, appeared
+to them excessively voracious. One Spaniard consumed as much as several
+Indians; this keenness of appetite appeared so insatiable, that they
+supposed the Spaniards had left their own country because it did not
+produce enough to gratify their immoderate appetites, and had come among
+them in quest of nourishment.
+
+Columbus having taken all the steps which he thought necessary to
+ensure the prosperity of his new colony, entrusted the command of the
+military force to Margaritta, and set sail with three vessels to extend
+his discoveries; but, after a long and tedious voyage, in which he
+endured every hardship, the most important discovery he made was the
+island of Jamaica.
+
+Having been absent much longer than he had expected, he returned to his
+new settlement, but the colonists had become refractory and
+unmanageable.
+
+No sooner had he left the island on his voyage of discovery, than the
+soldiers under Margaritta dispersed in straggling parties over the
+island, lived at discretion upon the natives, wasted their property, and
+treated that inoffensive race with the insolence of military oppression.
+
+During the absence of Columbus, several unfavourable accounts of his
+conduct had been transmitted to Spain, and these accusations gained such
+credit in that jealous court, that Aguado, a person in every way
+unsuited for the purpose, was appointed to proceed to Hispaniola to
+observe the conduct of Columbus.
+
+This man listened with eagerness to every accusation of the discontented
+Spaniards, and fomented still further the spirit of dissension in the
+island.
+
+Columbus felt how humiliating it must be if he remained in the island
+with such a partial inspector to observe his motions and control his
+authority; he therefore took the resolution of returning to Spain, in
+order to lay a full account of his transactions before Ferdinand and
+Isabella.
+
+Having committed the government of the colony during his absence to Don
+Bartholomew, his brother, he appointed Roldan Chief Justice, a choice
+which afterwards caused great calamities to the colony.
+
+On his arrival in Spain, Columbus appeared at court with the confidence
+of a man, not only conscious of having done no wrong, but of having
+performed great services.
+
+Ferdinand and Isabella, ashamed of having listened to ill-founded
+accusations, received him with such marks of respect as silenced the
+calumnies of his enemies, and covered them with shame and confusion.
+
+The gold, the pearls, and other commodities of value which he had
+brought home, and the mines which he had found, fully proved the value
+and importance of his discoveries, though Columbus considered them only
+as preludes to future and more important acquisitions.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS DISCOVERS THE CONTINENT OF AMERICA.
+
+
+Columbus, having been furnished with six vessels of no great burden,
+departed on his third voyage. He touched at the Canaries and at the Cape
+de Verd islands; from the former he despatched three ships with a supply
+of provisions for the colony of Hispaniola; with the other three he
+continued his voyage to the south.
+
+Nothing remarkable occurred till they were within five degrees of the
+line; then they were becalmed, and the heat became so excessive, that
+the wine casks burst and their provisions were spoiled.
+
+The Spaniards, who had never ventured so far to the south, were afraid
+the ships would take fire, but they were relieved in some measure from
+their fear by a seasonable fall of rain.
+
+This, however, though so heavy and incessant that the men could hardly
+keep the deck, did not greatly mitigate the heat, and Columbus was at
+last constrained to yield to the importunities of his crew, and to alter
+his course to the north-west, in order to reach some of the Caribbee
+islands, where he might refit and be supplied with provisions.
+
+On the 1st of August, 1498, the man stationed at the round-top surprised
+them with the joyful cry of "Land!" They stood towards it, and
+discovered a considerable island, which the admiral called Trinidad, a
+name it still retains, and near it the mouth of a river, rolling towards
+the ocean such a vast body of water, and rushing into it with such
+impetuous force, that when it meets the tide, which on that coast rises
+to an uncommon height, their meeting occasions an extraordinary and
+dangerous swell of the waves.
+
+In this conflict, the irresistable torrent of the river so far
+prevails, that it freshens the ocean many leagues with its flood.
+
+Columbus, before he could perceive the danger, was entangled among these
+adverse currents and tempestuous waves; and it was with the utmost
+difficulty that he escaped through a narrow strait, which appeared so
+tremendous, that he called it "The Dragon's Mouth."
+
+As soon as his consternation permitted him to reflect on an appearance
+so extraordinary, he justly concluded that the land must be a part of
+some mighty continent, and not of an island, because all the springs
+that could rise, and all the rain that could fall on an island, could
+never, as he calculated, supply water enough to feed so prodigiously
+broad and deep a river; and he was right, the river was the Oronoko.
+
+Filled with this idea, he stood to the west, along the coast of those
+provinces which are now known by the name of Paria and Cumana. He landed
+in several places, and found the people to resemble those of Hispaniola
+in their appearance and manner of life.
+
+They wore as ornaments small plates of gold and pearls of considerable
+value, which they willingly exchanged for European toys. They seemed to
+possess greater courage and better understandings than the inhabitants
+of the islands.
+
+The country produced four-footed animals of several kinds, as well as a
+great variety of fowls and fruits.
+
+The admiral was so much delighted with its beauty and fertility, that,
+with the warm enthusiasm of a discoverer, he imagined it to be the
+Paradise described in Scripture.
+
+Thus Columbus had the glory of discovering the new world, and of
+conducting the Spaniards to that vast continent which has been the seat
+of their empire and the source of their treasure, in that quarter of the
+globe. The shattered condition of his ships and the scarcity of
+provisions, made it now necessary to bear away for Hispaniola, where he
+arrived wasted to an extreme degree with fatigue and sickness.
+
+Many revolutions had happened in that country during his absence, which
+had lasted more than two years.
+
+His brother, whom he had left in command, had, in compliance with advice
+which he had given him before his departure, removed the colony from
+Isabella to a more commodious station on the opposite side of the
+island, and laid the foundation of St. Domingo, which long continued to
+be the most considerable town in the new world.
+
+Such was the cruelty and oppression with which the Spaniards treated the
+Indians, and so intolerable the burden imposed upon them, that they at
+last took arms against their oppressors; but these insurrections were
+not formidable. In a conflict with timid and naked Indians, there was
+neither danger nor doubt of victory.
+
+A mutiny which broke out among the Spaniards, was of a more dangerous
+nature, the ringleader in which was Francisco Roldan, whom Columbus,
+when he sailed for Spain, had appointed chief judge, and whose duty it
+was to have maintained the laws, instead of breaking them.
+
+This rebellion of Roldan, which threatened the whole country with ruin,
+was only subdued by the most wise and prudent conduct on the part of
+Columbus; but order and tranquillity were at length apparently restored.
+
+As soon as his affairs would permit, he sent some of his ships to Spain,
+with a journal of the voyage which he had made, and a description of the
+new continent which he had discovered, and also a chart of the coast
+along which he had sailed, and of which I shall have something more to
+tell you presently.
+
+He at the same time sent specimens of the gold, the pearls, and other
+curious and valuable productions which he had acquired by trafficking
+with the natives.
+
+He also transmitted an account of the insurrection in Hispaniola, and
+accused the mutineers of having, by their unprovoked rebellion, almost
+ruined the colony.
+
+Roldan and his associates took care to send to Spain, by the same
+ships, apologies for their mutinous conduct, and unfortunately for the
+happiness of Columbus, their story gained most credit in the court of
+Ferdinand and Isabella.
+
+By these ships Columbus granted the liberty of returning to Spain to all
+those, who, from sickness or disappointment, were disgusted with the
+country. A good number of such as were most dissatisfied, embraced this
+opportunity of returning to Europe. The disappointment of their
+unreasonable hopes inflamed their rage against Columbus to the utmost
+pitch, and their distress made their accusations be believed.
+
+A gang of these disorderly ruffians, who had been shipped off to free
+the island from their seditions, found their way to the court at
+Grenada. Whenever the king or queen appeared in public, they surrounded
+them, insisting, with importunate clamours, on the payment of arrears
+due to them, and demanding vengeance on the author of their sufferings.
+
+These endeavours to ruin Columbus were seconded by Fonseca, who was now
+made bishop of Badajos, and who was entrusted with the chief direction
+of Indian affairs. This man had always been an implacable enemy of
+Columbus, and with others of his enemies who were about the court,
+having continual access to the sovereign, they were enabled to aggravate
+all the complaints that were urged against him, while they carefully
+suppressed his vindications of himself.
+
+By these means Ferdinand was at last induced to send out Bobadilla, an
+officer of the royal household, to inquire into the conduct of Columbus,
+and if he should think the charges against him proved, to supersede him
+in his command, that is, to send him home, and make himself governor in
+his stead; so that it was the interest of the judge to pronounce the
+person guilty whom he was sent to try.
+
+On his arrival he found Columbus absent in the interior of the island;
+and as he had, before he landed, made up his mind to treat him as a
+criminal, he proceeded at once, without any inquiry, to supersede him
+in his command.
+
+He took up his residence in Columbus' house, from which the owner was
+absent, seized upon his arms, gold, plate, jewels, books, and even his
+letters and most secret manuscripts, giving no account of the property
+thus seized, but disposing of it as if already confiscated to the crown;
+at the same time he used the most unqualified language when speaking of
+Columbus, and hinted that he was empowered to send him home in chains;
+thus acting as if he had been sent out to degrade the admiral, not to
+inquire into his conduct.
+
+As soon as Columbus arrived from the interior, Bobadilla gave orders to
+put him in irons and confine him in the fortress, and so far from
+hearing him in his defence, he would not even admit him to his presence;
+but having collected from his enemies what he thought sufficient
+evidence, he determined to send both him and his brother home in chains.
+
+The charge of conducting the prisoners to Spain was committed to Alonzo
+Villejo, a man of honourable conduct and generous feelings. When Villejo
+entered with the guard to conduct him on board the caravel, Columbus
+thought it was to conduct him to the scaffold. "Villejo" said he,
+"whither are you taking me?" "To the ship, your excellency, to embark,"
+replied the other. "To embark!" repeated the admiral, earnestly,
+"Villejo, do you speak the truth?" "By the life of your excellency,"
+replied the honest officer, "it is true."
+
+With these words the admiral was comforted, and felt as restored from
+death to life, for he now knew he should have an opportunity of
+vindicating his conduct. The caravel set sail in October, bearing off
+Columbus shackled like the vilest criminal.
+
+The worthy Villejo, as well as Andries Martin, the master of the
+caravel, would have taken off his irons, but to this he would not
+consent. "No," said he proudly, "their majesties commanded me, by
+letter, to submit to whatever Bobadilla should order in their name; by
+their authority he has put upon me these chains; I will wear them till
+they shall order them to be taken off, and I will afterwards preserve
+them as relics and memorials of the reward of my services."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The arrival of Columbus, a prisoner and in chains, produced almost as
+great a sensation as his triumphant return on his first voyage.
+
+A general burst of indignation arose in Cadiz and in Seville, which was
+echoed through all Spain, that Columbus was brought home in chains from
+the world he had discovered.
+
+The tidings reached the court of Grenada, and filled the halls of the
+Alhambra with murmurs of astonishment.
+
+On the arrival of the ships at Cadiz, Columbus, full of his wrongs, but
+not knowing how far they had been authorized by his sovereigns, forbare
+to write to them; but he sent a long letter to a lady of the court, high
+in favour with the queen, containing, in eloquent and touching language,
+an ample vindication of his conduct.
+
+When it was read to the noble-minded Isabella, and she found how grossly
+Columbus had been wronged, and the royal authority abused, her heart was
+filled with sympathy and indignation.
+
+Without waiting for any documents that might arrive from Bobadilla,
+Ferdinand and Isabella sent orders to Cadiz, that he should be instantly
+set at liberty, and treated with all distinction, and sent him two
+thousand ducats to defray his expenses to court. They wrote him a
+letter at the same time, expressing their grief at all that had
+happened, and inviting him to Grenada.
+
+He was received by their majesties with the greatest favour and
+distinction. When the queen beheld this venerable man approach, and
+thought on all he had deserved and all he had suffered, she was moved to
+tears.
+
+Columbus had borne up firmly against the injuries and wrongs of the
+world, but when he found himself thus kindly treated, and beheld tears
+in the benign eyes of Isabella, his long suppressed feelings burst
+forth, he threw himself upon his knees, and for some time could not
+utter a word for the violence of his tears and sobbings.
+
+Ferdinand and Isabella raised him from the ground and endeavoured to
+encourage him by the most gracious expressions.
+
+As soon as he had recovered his self-possession, he entered into an
+eloquent and high-minded vindication of his conduct, and his zeal for
+the glory and advantage of the Spanish crown.
+
+The king and queen expressed their indignation at the proceedings of
+Bobadilla, and promised he should be immediately dismissed from his
+command.
+
+The person chosen to supersede Bobadilla was Nicholas de Ovando. While
+his departure was delayed by various circumstances, every arrival
+brought intelligence of the disasterous state of the island under the
+administration of Bobadilla.
+
+He encouraged the Spaniards in the exercise of the most wanton cruelties
+towards the natives, to obtain from them large quantities of gold. "Make
+the most of your time," he would say, "there is no knowing how long it
+will last;" and the colonists were not backward in following his advice.
+In the meantime the poor Indians sunk under the toils imposed upon them,
+and the severities with which they were enforced.
+
+These accounts hastened the departure of Ovando, and a person sailed
+with him, in order to secure what he could of the wreck of Columbus'
+property.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS ROBBED OF THE HONOUR OF GIVING HIS NAME TO
+AMERICA.
+
+
+I have told you that Columbus, as soon as he arrived at Hispaniola,
+after discovering the new continent, sent a ship to Spain with a journal
+of the voyage he had made, and a description of the new continent which
+he had discovered, together with a chart of the coast of Paria and
+Cumana, along which he had sailed.
+
+This journal, with the charts and description, and Columbus' letters on
+the subject, were placed in the custody of Fonseca, he being minister
+for Indian affairs.
+
+No sooner had the particulars of this discovery been communicated by
+Columbus, than a separate commission of discovery, signed by Fonseca,
+but not by the sovereigns, was granted to Alonzo de Ojeda, who had
+accompanied Columbus on his second voyage, and whom Columbus had
+instructed in all his plans. Ojeda was accompanied on this voyage by a
+Florentine, whose name was Amerigo Vespucci.
+
+To these adventurers Fonseca communicated Columbus' journal, his
+description of the country, his charts, and all his private letters.
+
+This expedition sailed from Spain while Columbus was still at
+Hispaniola, and wholly ignorant of what was taking place; and Ojeda,
+without touching at the colony, steered his course direct for Paria,
+following the very track which Columbus had marked out.
+
+Having extended their discoveries very little farther than Columbus had
+gone before them, Vespucci, on returning to Spain, published an account
+of his adventures and discoveries, and had the address and confidence
+so to frame his narrative, as to make it appear that the glory of having
+discovered the new continent belonged to him.
+
+Thus the bold pretensions of an impostor have robbed the discoverer of
+his just reward, and the caprice of fame has unjustly assigned to him an
+honour far above the renown of the greatest conquerors--that of
+indelibly impressing his name upon this vast portion of the earth, which
+ought in justice to have been called Columbia.
+
+Two years had now been spent in soliciting the favour of an ungrateful
+court, and notwithstanding all his merits and services, he solicited in
+vain; but even this ungracious return did not lessen his ardour in his
+favourite pursuits, and his anxiety to pursue those discoveries in which
+he felt he had yet only made a beginning.
+
+Ferdinand at last consented to grant him four small vessels, the largest
+of which did not exceed seventy tons in burden; but, accustomed to brave
+danger and endure hardships, he did not hesitate to accept the command
+of this pitiful squadron, and he sailed from Cadiz on his fourth voyage
+on the 9th of May.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Having touched, as usual, at the Canaries, he intended to have sailed
+direct for this new discovered continent; but his largest vessel was so
+clumsy and unfit for service, that he determined to bear away for
+Hispaniola, in hopes of exchanging her for some ship of the fleet that
+had carried out Ovando.
+
+The fleet that had brought out Ovando lay in the harbour ready to put
+to sea, and was to take home Bobadilla, together with Roldan and many of
+his adherents, to be tried in Spain for rebellion. Bobadilla was to
+embark in the principal ship, on board of which he had put an immense
+amount of gold, which he hoped would atone for all his faults.
+
+Among the presents intended for his sovereign was one mass of virgin
+gold, which was famous in the Spanish chronicles; it was said to weigh
+3600 castillanos. Large quantities of gold had been shipped in the fleet
+by Roldan and other adventurers--the wealth gained by the sufferings of
+the unhappy natives.
+
+Columbus sent an officer on shore to request permission to shelter his
+squadron in the river, as he apprehended an approaching storm. He also
+cautioned them not to let the fleet sail, but his request was refused by
+Ovando, and his advice disregarded.
+
+The fleet put to sea, and Columbus kept his feeble squadron close to
+shore, and sought for shelter in some wild bay or river of the island.
+
+Within two days, one of those tremendous storms which sometimes sweep
+those latitudes gathered up, and began to blow. Columbus sheltered his
+little squadron as well as he could, and sustained no damage. A
+different fate befel the other armament.
+
+The ship in which were Bobadilla, Roldan, and a number of the most
+inveterate enemies of Columbus, was swallowed up with all its crew,
+together with the principal part of the ill-gotten treasure, gained by
+the miseries of the Indians.
+
+Some of the ships returned to St. Domingo, and only one was able to
+continue her voyage to Spain; that one had on board four thousand pieces
+of gold, the property of Columbus, which had been recovered by the agent
+whom he sent out with Ovando.
+
+Thus, while the enemies of the admiral were swallowed up as it were
+before his eyes, the only ship enabled to pursue her voyage was the
+frail bark freighted with his property.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS SHIPWRECKED, AND ALSO OF THE MANNER OF HIS
+DEATH.
+
+
+Columbus soon left Hispaniola where he met with so inhospitable a
+reception, and steering towards the west, he arrived on the coast of
+Honduras. There he had an interview with some of the inhabitants of the
+continent, who came off in a large canoe; they appeared to be more
+civilized than any whom he had hitherto discovered.
+
+In return to the inquiries which the Spaniards made with their usual
+eagerness, where the Indians got the gold which they wore by way of
+ornaments, they directed him to countries situated to the west, in which
+gold was found in such profusion that it was applied to the most common
+uses.
+
+Well would it have been for Columbus had he followed their advice.
+Within a day or two he would have arrived at Yucatan; the discovery of
+Mexico and the other opulent countries of New Spain would have
+necessarily followed, the Southern Ocean would have been disclosed to
+him, and a succession of splendid discoveries would have shed fresh
+glory on his declining age.
+
+But the admiral's mind was bent upon discovering the supposed strait
+that was to lead to the Indian Ocean. In this navigation he explored a
+great extent of coast from Cape Gracios à Dios till he came to a
+harbour, which on account of its beauty and security, he called Porto
+Bello.
+
+On quitting this harbour he steered for the south, and he had not
+followed this course many days when he was overtaken by storms more
+terrible than any he had yet encountered.
+
+For nine days the vessels were tossed about at the mercy of a raging
+tempest. The sea, according to the description of Columbus, boiled at
+times like a cauldron, at other times it ran in mountain waves covered
+with foam: at night the raging billows sparkled with luminous particles,
+which made them resemble great surges of flame.
+
+For a day and a night the heavens glowed like a furnace with incessant
+flashes of lightning, while the loud claps of thunder were often
+mistaken for signal guns of their foundering companions.
+
+In the midst of this wild tumult of the elements, they beheld a new
+object of alarm. The ocean, in one place, became strangely agitated; the
+water was whirled up into a kind of pyramid or cone; while a livid
+cloud, tapering to a point, bent down to meet it; joining together, they
+formed a column, which rapidly approached the ship, spinning along the
+surface of the deep, and drawing up the water with a rushing sound, it
+passed the ship without injury.
+
+His leaky vessels were not able to withstand storms like these. One of
+them foundered, and he was obliged to abandon another.
+
+With the remaining two he bore away for Hispaniola, but in the tempest
+his ships falling foul of each other, it was with the greatest
+difficulty he reached the island of Jamaica.
+
+His two vessels were in such a shattered condition, that, to prevent
+them from sinking, and to save the lives of his crews, he was obliged to
+run them on shore.
+
+Having no ship now left, he had no means of reaching Hispaniola, or of
+making his situation known. In this juncture he had recourse to the
+hospitable kindness of the natives, who, considering the Spaniards as
+beings of a superior nature, were eager, on every occasion to assist
+them.
+
+From them he obtained two canoes, each formed out of a single tree
+hollowed with fire. In these, which were only fit for creeping along the
+coast, two of his brave and faithful companions, assisted by a few
+Indians, gallantly offered to set out for Hispaniola; this voyage they
+accomplished in ten days, after encountering incredible fatigues and
+dangers.
+
+By them he wrote letters to Ovando, describing his situation and
+requesting him to send ships to bring off him and his crews; but what
+will you think of the unfeeling cruelty of this man, when I tell you
+that he suffered these brave men to wait eight months before he would
+give them any hopes of relieving their companions: and what must have
+been the feelings of Columbus during this period.
+
+At last the ships arrived which were to take them from the island, where
+the unfeeling Ovando had suffered them to languish above a year, exposed
+to misery in all its various forms. When he arrived at St. Domingo,
+Ovando treated him with every kind of insult and injustice. Columbus
+submitted in silence, but became extremely impatient to quit a country
+where he had been treated with such barbarity.
+
+The preparations were soon finished, and he set sail for Spain with two
+ships, but disaster still pursued him to the end of his course. He
+suffered acutely from a painful and dangerous disease, and his mind was
+kept uneasy and anxious by a continued succession of storms. One of the
+vessels being disabled, was forced back to St. Domingo, and in the other
+he sailed 700 leagues with jury-masts, and reached with difficulty the
+port of St. Lucar in Spain, 1504.
+
+On his arrival he received the fatal news of the death of his patroness
+queen Isabella, from whom he had hoped for the redress of his wrongs.
+
+He applied to the king, who, instead of confirming the titles and
+honours which he had formerly conferred upon him, insulted him with the
+proposal of renouncing them all for a pension.
+
+Disgusted with the ingratitude of a monarch whom he had served with
+fidelity and success, exhausted with the calamities which he had
+endured, and broken with infirmities, this great and good man breathed
+his last at Valladolid, a.d. 1506, in the 69th year of his age.
+
+He was buried in the cathedral at Seville, and on his tomb was engraved
+an epitaph commemorating his discovery of a New World.
+
+  Christobal Colon, obiit 1506,
+
+  Ætat 69.
+
+  A Castilla y a Leon
+  Neubo Mundo dio Colon.[A]
+
+Thus much for Columbus; those who are the greatest benefactors of
+mankind seldom meet with much gratitude from men in their lives; they
+must look to God for their reward, and leave future generations to do
+justice to their memory.
+
+It was very unfortunate for the natives of America, that the country
+fell into the hands of such a cruel, covetous, and bigoted nation as the
+Spaniards were. Their thirst for gold was insatiable, and the cruelties
+they exercised upon the natives are too horrible to recite. After the
+death of Columbus, the Indians were no longer treated with gentleness,
+for it was his defence of the property and lives of these harmless
+natives that brought down upon his head such bitter hatred. You will now
+look into your map and follow Columbus in some of his discoveries. You
+will see a great number of islands extending in a curve from Florida,
+which is the southernmost part of the United States, to the mouth of the
+river Oronoko in South America; and, as Columbus firmly believed these
+islands, when he discovered them, to be a part of India, the name of
+Indies was given to them by Ferdinand and Isabella; and, even after the
+error was detected, and the true position of the new world ascertained,
+the name has remained, and the appellation of Indies is given to the
+country, and that of Indians to the inhabitants.
+
+[Footnote A: To Castile and to Leon Columbus gave a New World.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+PARLEY TELLS OF OVANDO'S CRUEL TREATMENT OF ANACAONA, THE PRINCESS OF
+HAYTI.
+
+
+Columbus discovered and gave names to some of these islands, and on
+several of them he settled colonies, and did all he could to make them
+the abodes of peace and happiness.
+
+On his taking leave of them for the last time, Ovando continued governor
+of Hayti.
+
+The cruelties exercised by this unfeeling man it would take a volume to
+describe, but I will mention only one or two instances.
+
+When the natives were unable to pay the tribute which he exacted from
+them, he always accused them of insurrection, and it was to punish a
+slight insurrection of this kind in the eastern part of the island that
+he sent his troops, who ravaged the country with fire and sword. He
+showed no mercy to age or sex, putting many to death with horrible
+tortures, and brought off the brave Catabanama, one of the five
+sovereign caziques of the island, in chains to St. Domingo, where he was
+ignominiously hanged by Ovando, for the crime of defending his territory
+and his native soil against usurping strangers.
+
+But the most atrocious act of Ovando, and one that must heap odium on
+his name, wherever the woes of the gentle natives of Hayti are heard of,
+was the cruelty he was guilty of towards the province of Xaragua for one
+of those pretended conspiracies.
+
+Ovando set out at the head of nearly four hundred well armed soldiers,
+seventy of whom were steel-clad horsemen; giving out that he was coming
+on a visit of friendship, to make arrangements for the payment of
+tribute.
+
+Behechio, the ancient cazique of the province, was dead, and his
+sister, Anacaona, wife of the late formidable chief Caonabo, had
+succeeded to the government.
+
+She was one of the most beautiful females in the island; of great
+natural grace and dignity, and superior intelligence; her name in the
+Indian language signified "Golden Flower."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She came forth to meet Ovando, according to the custom of her nation,
+attended by her most distinguished subjects, and her train of damsels
+waving palm branches, and dancing to the cadence of their popular
+ayretos.
+
+All her principal caziques had been assembled to do honour to the
+guests, who, for several days were entertained with banquets, and
+national games and dances.
+
+In return for these exhibitions, Ovando invited Anacaona, with her
+beautiful daughter Higuenamata, and her principal subjects, to witness a
+tilting match in the public square.
+
+When all were assembled, and the square crowded with unarmed Indians,
+Ovando gave a signal, and instantly the horsemen rushed into the midst
+of the naked and defenceless throng, trampling them under foot, cutting
+them down with their swords, transfixing them with their lances, and
+sparing neither age nor sex.
+
+Above eighty caziques had been assembled in one of the principal houses:
+it was surrounded by troops, the caziques were bound to the posts which
+supported the roof, and put to cruel tortures, until in the extremity of
+anguish they were made to admit as true what their queen and themselves
+had been charged with.
+
+When they had thus been made, by torture, to accuse themselves, a
+horrible punishment was immediately inflicted. Fire was set to the
+house, and they all perished miserably in the flames.
+
+As to Anacaona, she was carried to St. Domingo, where, after the mockery
+of a trial, she was pronounced guilty on the testimony of the Spaniards,
+and was barbarously hanged by the people whom she had so long and so
+greatly befriended.
+
+After the massacre of Xaragua, the destruction of its inhabitants went
+on. They were hunted for six months amid the fastnesses of the
+mountains, and their country ravaged by horse and foot, until, all being
+reduced to deplorable misery and abject submission, Ovando pronounced
+the province restored to order; and in remembrance of his triumph,
+founded a town near the lake, which he called Santa Maria de la
+Verdadera Pas (St. Mary of the true peace.)
+
+Such was the tragical fate of the beautiful Anacaona, once extolled as
+the Golden Flower of Hayti; and such the story of the delightful region
+of Xaragua, which the Spaniards, by their own account, found a perfect
+paradise, but which, by their vile passions, they filled with horror and
+desolation.
+
+After this work of destruction, they made slaves of the remaining
+inhabitants, and divided them amongst them, and many of the sanguinary
+contests among themselves arose out of quarrels about the distribution.
+
+We cannot help pausing to cast back a look of pity and admiration over
+these beautiful but devoted regions.
+
+The white man had penetrated the land! In his train came avarice, pride,
+and ambition; sordid care, and pining labour, were soon to follow, and
+the paradise of the Indian was about to disappear for ever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+PARLEY DESCRIBES THE TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS OF THE NEW WORLD.
+
+
+When once the way had been pointed out, it was easy for other navigators
+to follow, and accordingly many Spaniards undertook voyages of further
+discovery.
+
+Among others, Yanez Pinzon, one of the brave companions of Columbus,
+undertook a voyage to the new world in 1499.
+
+This navigator suffered much from storms, and having sailed southward,
+he crossed the equator and lost sight of the polar star.
+
+The sailors were exceedingly alarmed at this circumstance, as the polar
+star was relied upon by them as one of their surest guides; not knowing
+the shape of the earth, they thought that some prominence hid this star
+from their view.
+
+The first land that Pinzon discovered, after crossing the line, was Cape
+St. Augustine, in eight degrees south latitude, the most projecting part
+of the extensive country of Brazil.
+
+As the fierceness of the natives made it unsafe to land on this coast,
+he continued his voyage to the north-west, and fell in with the mighty
+river Amazon, which is nearly under the equinoctial line.
+
+The mouth of this river is more than thirty leagues in breadth, and its
+waters enter more than forty leagues into the ocean without losing its
+freshness.
+
+He now recrossed the line, and coming again in sight of the polar star,
+he pursued his course along the coast, passed the mouth of the Oronoko,
+and entered the Gulph of Paria, after which he returned to Spain.
+
+Ojeda also undertook a voyage expressly to found a settlement; but as
+the character of the Spaniards was now well known to the inhabitants of
+these parts, they determined to oppose their landing, and being a
+numerous and warlike people, Ojeda nearly lost his life in the attempt.
+
+Many of his companions were slain; the survivors, however, succeeding in
+making good their retreat on board the ships.
+
+Shortly afterwards he landed on the eastern side of the Gulph of Darien,
+and built a fortress which they called San Sebastian.
+
+Ojeda had with him in this expedition Francisco Pizarro, about whom I
+shall have to tell you something more presently.
+
+About the same time another Spaniard, of the name of Nicuessa, formed a
+settlement on that part of the coast, and built a fortress there, which
+he called Nombre de Dios, not very distant from the harbour of
+Portobello.
+
+Thus, by degrees, the whole coast of America, on the side of the
+Atlantic, was discovered and explored.
+
+But the Spaniards did not know that in the part where they were, it was
+only a narrow neck of land (which you know is called an Isthmus) that
+separated them from another vast ocean; and this, when they discovered
+the ocean on the other side, was called the Isthmus of Darien.
+
+I will now give you a short account of the discovery of this ocean.
+
+Nothing having been heard of Ojeda and his new colony of San Sebastian,
+another expedition, commanded by Enciso, set sail in search of them.
+
+Among the ship's company was a man, by name Vasco Ninez de Balboa, who,
+although of a rich family, had, by his bad habits, not only become very
+poor, but also very much in debt.
+
+To avoid being thrown into prison for the debts that he owed, he
+contrived to get on board Enciso's ship, concealed in a cask, which was
+taken on board the vessel as a cask of provisions.
+
+When the ship was far from St. Domingo, Balboa came out from his cask to
+the astonishment of all on board.
+
+Enciso at first was angry at the way he had escaped from the punishment
+which his bad conduct had deserved; yet, as he thought that he might be
+of service to him, he pardoned him.
+
+The settlement of St. Sebastian, however, had been broken up, the
+Spaniards having suffered much from the repeated attacks of the natives,
+who would no longer patiently submit to their unjust treatment.
+
+Soon after Enciso arrived at Carthagena he was joined by Pizarro, with
+the wretched remains of the colony; he determined nevertheless, to
+continue his voyage to the settlement.
+
+Upon his arrival there he found Pizarro's account was too true, for
+where St. Sebastian had stood, nothing was to be seen but a heap of
+ruins.
+
+Here misfortune followed misfortune, his own ship was wrecked and then
+he was attacked by the natives.
+
+In despair at these disasters Enciso was at a loss what to do, or where
+to go, when Balboa advised him to continue his course along the coast in
+Pizarro's little vessel.
+
+He stated that he had once before been on an expedition in this same
+gulf, and on the western side he well remembered an Indian village, on
+the banks of a river, called by the natives Darien.
+
+Enciso pleased with Balboa's advice, resolved to take possession of this
+village, and to drive out all the Indians.
+
+Arrived at the river, he landed his men, and, without giving the
+unfortunate people of the village any notice, he attacked them, killed
+several, drove the rest out, and robbed them of all their possessions.
+
+He then made the village the chief place of his new government, and
+called it Santa Maria del Darien. Balboa assisted in this work of
+cruelty and injustice.
+
+The Spaniards had not been long here when they became tired with Enciso,
+and they refused to obey him, and sent him off in a ship to Spain. Upon
+his departure, Balboa took the command.
+
+In one of his expeditions into the interior parts of the country in
+search of gold, he first heard of a sea to the west, as yet unknown to
+Europeans.
+
+He had received a large quantity of gold from an Indian cazique, or
+chief, and was weighing it into shares for the purpose of dividing it
+among his men when a quarrel arose as to the exactness of the weight.
+
+One of the sons of the Indian cazique was present, and he felt so
+disgusted at the sordid behaviour of the Spaniards that he struck the
+scales with his fist and scattered the glittering gold about the place.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Before the Spaniards could recover from their astonishment at this
+sudden act, he said to them, "why should you quarrel for such a trifle?
+If you really esteem gold to be so precious as to abandon your homes,
+and come and seize the lands and dwellings of others for the sake of it,
+I can tell you of a land not far distant where you may find it in
+plenty."
+
+"Beyond those lofty mountains," he continued, pointing to the south,
+"lies a mighty sea, all the streams that flow into which down the
+southern side of those mountains, abound in gold, and all the utensils
+the people have, are made of gold."
+
+Balboa was struck with this account of the young Indian, and eagerly
+inquired the best way of penetrating to this sea, and this land of gold.
+
+The young Indian warned him of the dangers he would meet with from the
+fierce race of Indians inhabiting these mountains, who were cannibals,
+or eaters of human flesh, but Balboa was not to be deterred by accounts
+of difficulties and dangers.
+
+He was, besides, desirous of getting possession of the gold, and of
+obtaining, by the merits of the discovery, the pardon of the King of
+Spain, for taking from Enciso the command of the settlement.
+
+He resolved, therefore, to penetrate to this sea, and immediately began
+to make preparations for the journey.
+
+He first sent to Hispaniola for an additional number of soldiers, to
+assist him in the perilous adventure, but instead of receiving these,
+the only news that reached him by the return of his messengers was, that
+he would most probably have the command of Darien taken from him, and be
+punished for assisting to dispossess Enciso.
+
+This news made him determine no longer to delay his departure. All the
+men he could muster for the expedition amounted only to one hundred and
+ninety; but these were hardy and resolute, and much attached to him. He
+armed them with swords and targets; cross-bows and arquebusses; besides
+this little band, Balboa took with him a few of the Indians of Darien
+whom he had won by kindness, to serve him.
+
+On the 1st of September, 1513, Balboa set out from Darien, first to the
+residence of the Indian cazique, from whose son he first heard of the
+sea.
+
+From this chief he obtained the assistance of guides and some warriors,
+and with this force he prepared to penetrate the wilderness before him.
+
+It was on the 6th of September that he began his march for the mountains
+which separated him from the great Pacific Ocean, he set out with a
+resolution to endure patiently all the miseries, and to combat boldly
+all the difficulties that he might meet with, and he contrived to rouse
+the same determination in his followers.
+
+Their journey was through a broken rocky country covered with forest
+trees and underwood, so thick and close as to be quite matted together
+and every here and there deep foaming streams, some of which they were
+forced to cross on rafts.
+
+So wearisome was the journey, that in four days they had not advanced
+more than ten leagues, and they began to suffer much from hunger.
+
+They had now arrived in the province of a warlike tribe of Indians who,
+instead of flying and hiding themselves, came forth to the attack. They
+set upon the Spaniards with furious yells, thinking to overpower them at
+once. They were armed with bows and arrows, and clubs made of palm-wood
+almost as hard as iron. But the first shock of the report from the
+fire-arms of the Spaniards struck them with terror. They took to flight,
+but were closely pursued by the Spaniards with their blood-hounds. The
+Cazique and six hundred of his people were left dead upon the field of
+battle.
+
+After the battle the Spaniards entered the adjoining village, which was
+at the foot of the last mountain that remained to be climbed; this
+village they robbed of every thing valuable. There was much gold and
+many jewels.
+
+Balboa shared the booty among his band of followers. But this victory
+was not gained without some loss on the side of the Spaniards.
+
+Balboa found that several of his men had been wounded by the arrows of
+the Indians, and many also, overcome with fatigue, had fallen sick,
+these he was obliged to leave in the village, while he ascended the
+mountain.
+
+At the cool and fresh hour of day-break he assembled his scanty band,
+and began to climb the height, wishing to reach the top before the heat
+of noon.
+
+About ten o'clock they came out from the thick forest through which they
+had been struggling ever since day-break: the change from the closeness
+of the woods to the pleasant breeze from the mountain, was delightful.
+But they were still further encouraged. "From that spot" exclaimed one
+of the Indian guides, pointing to the height above them "may be seen the
+great sea of which you are in search."
+
+When Balboa heard this, he commanded his men to halt, and forbade any
+one to stir from his place. He was resolved to be the first European who
+should look upon that sea, which he had been the first to discover.
+
+Accordingly he ascended the mountain height alone, and when he reached
+the summit he beheld the wide sea glittering in the morning sun.
+
+Balboa called to his little troop to ascend the height and look upon the
+glorious prospect; and they joined him without delay.
+
+"Behold, my friends," said he, "the reward of all our toils, a sight
+upon which the eye of Spaniard never rested before."
+
+He now took possession of the sea-coast and the surrounding country in
+the name of the king of Spain.
+
+He then had a tree cut down, and made into the form of a cross, and
+planted it on the spot from which he had first beheld the sea. He also
+made a mound by heaping up large stones upon which he carved the names
+of the king of Spain.
+
+The Indians saw all this done, and while they helped to pile the stones
+and set up the cross, they little thought that they were assisting to
+deprive themselves of their homes and their country.
+
+You remember the noble reproof of Canute in the "History of England," to
+his flatterers, when they assured him that even the waves of the sea
+would obey him: but this arrogant and weak minded Spaniard waded into
+the waves of the great Pacific Ocean, up to his knees, and absurdly took
+possession of it in the name of the Spanish monarch.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Balboa was some time employed in fighting with the Indian tribes that
+inhabited the sea-coast, and in hunting them with blood-hounds.
+
+He soon made these helpless people submit. From them he got some
+further accounts of the rich country which the Indian prince had
+mentioned, and which proved afterwards to be Peru.
+
+He now quitted the shores of the Pacific Ocean on his return across the
+mountains of Darien. His route homewards was different from that which
+he had before pursued, and the sufferings of his troops much greater.
+
+Often they could find no water, the heat having dried up the pools and
+brooks. Many died from thirst, and those who survived, although loaded
+with gold, were exhausted for want of food; for the poor Indians brought
+gold and jewels, instead of food, as peace offerings to the Spaniards.
+
+At length, after much slaughter of the Indians that dwelt in the
+mountains, and burning of the villages, Balboa and his troops arrived at
+Darien; having robbed the Indians of all the gold and silver they could
+find. The Spaniards at Darien received with great delight and praise the
+news of his success and discovery--a discovery gained at the expense of
+much unnecessary cruelty and injustice.
+
+He now despatched a ship to Spain, with the news of his discovery, and
+by it he sent part of the gold he had carried off from the different
+Indian tribes.
+
+A few days before this ship reached Spain a new governor had been sent
+out, by name Padrarias Davila, to take Balboa's place, and with orders
+to punish Balboa for his conduct to Enciso.
+
+But when he arrived at Darien, and saw how much the discoverer of the
+Pacific was beloved by all the Spaniards of the settlement he hesitated
+through fear, and finally resolved to defer the execution of the orders
+which he had brought with him.
+
+Davila permitted Balboa to depart from Darien for the purpose of
+building brigantines with a view to navigate and explore the Pacific
+Ocean. Three years had elapsed since he discovered this ocean, and with
+joy he now prepared to build the ships which were to be the first
+belonging to Europeans to sail upon it.
+
+Balboa having overcome all his difficulties, had the satisfaction of
+seeing two brigantines finished and floating on a river which they
+called the Balsas.
+
+As soon as they had been made ready for sea, he embarked with some of
+his followers, and sailing down the river, was the first to launch into
+the ocean that he had been the first to discover. But his death was now
+about to put a stop to his further discoveries.
+
+The new governor, Davila, who was a bad and cruel man, and envious of
+Balboa, on account of the discoveries he had made, had long resolved to
+put him to death.
+
+The time having, as he thought, arrived, which was favourable for his
+villanous design, he sent for Balboa to return, and on his arrival he
+had him seized by one of his early friends and followers, Franciso
+Pizarro, and then, after throwing him into prison, he ordered him to be
+put to death by having his head cut off.
+
+This unjust sentence was executed, and Balboa, after a mock trial, was
+publicly beheaded, in the 48th year of his age.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+PARLEY TELLS OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO.
+
+
+Not long after this another expedition sailed from Cuba, under the
+command of Cordova, to make further discoveries on the new continent.
+
+The first land they saw proved to be the eastern cape of that large
+peninsula which you see in the map projecting into the gulf of Mexico,
+and which still retains its original name of Yucatan.
+
+As they approached the shore, five canoes came off full of people
+decently clad in cotton garments; this excited the wonder of the
+Spaniards, who had found every other part they had yet visited,
+possessed by naked savages.
+
+Cordova endeavoured to gain their good-will by presents, but perceived
+they were preparing to attack him; and, as his water began to fail, he
+sailed further along the coast in hopes of procuring a supply, but not a
+single river did he find all along that coast till he came to Potonchon,
+in the bay of Campeachy, which is on the western side of the peninsula.
+
+Here Cordova landed all his troops, in order to protect the sailors
+while filling their casks; but, notwithstanding, the natives rushed down
+upon them with such fury and in such numbers, that forty-seven of the
+Spaniards were killed upon the spot, and one man only of the whole body
+escaped unhurt.
+
+Cordova, though wounded in twelve places, led off his wounded men with
+great presence of mind and fortitude, and with much difficulty they
+reached their ships, and hastened back to Cuba. Cordova died of his
+wounds soon after his arrival.
+
+Notwithstanding the ill success of this expedition, another was shortly
+after fitted out under the command of Grijalva, a young man of known
+merit and courage. He directed his course to the bay of Campeachy, to
+the part from which Cordova had returned, and as they advanced they saw
+many villages scattered along the coast, in which they could distinguish
+houses of stone that appeared white and lofty at a distance.
+
+In the warmth of their admiration, they fancied these to be cities,
+adorned with towers and pinnacles; and one of the soldiers happening to
+remark that this country resembled Spain in appearance, Grijalva, with
+universal applause, called it New Spain; the name which still
+distinguishes this extensive and opulent province of the Spanish
+dominions.
+
+They landed to the west of Tabasco, where they were received with the
+respect due to superior beings; the people perfumed them as they landed
+with incense of gum copal, and presented to them offerings of the
+choicest delicacies of their country.
+
+They were extremely fond of trading with their new visitants, and in six
+days, the Spaniards obtained ornaments of gold, and of curious
+workmanship, to the amount of fifteen thousand pesoes, an immense sum,
+in exchange for European toys of small price.
+
+They learned from the natives that they were the subjects of a great
+monarch, whose dominions extended over that and many other provinces.
+
+Grijalva now returned with a full account of the important discoveries
+he had made, and with all the treasure he had acquired by trafficking
+with the natives.
+
+The favourable account of New Spain brought by Grijalva, determined
+Velasquez, the governor of Cuba, seriously to undertake the conquest of
+that country, but as he did not wish to take the command himself, he
+endeavoured to find a person who would act under his directions.
+
+After much deliberation he fixed upon Fernando Cortez, a man of restless
+and ardent spirit, on whom he had conferred many benefits; but these
+Cortez soon forgot, and was no sooner invested with the command than he
+threw off the authority of Velasquez altogether.
+
+The greatest force that could be collected for the conquest of a great
+empire, amounted to no more than five hundred and eight men, only
+thirteen of whom were armed with muskets; thirty-two were cross-bowmen,
+and the rest had swords and spears; they had only sixteen horses, and
+ten small field-pieces.
+
+With such a slender and ill provided force did Cortez set sail to make
+war upon a monarch whose dominions were more extensive than all the
+kingdoms subject to the Spanish crown.
+
+On his voyage Cortez first landed on the island of Cozumel, where he
+redeemed from slavery Jerome de Aguilar, a Spaniard, who had been eight
+years a prisoner among the Indians, and having learned the Yucatan
+language (which is spoken in all those parts), proved afterwards
+extremely useful as an interpreter.
+
+He then proceeded to the river of Tabasco, where the disposition of the
+natives proved very hostile, and they showed the most determined
+resistance; but the noise of the artillery, the appearances of the
+floating fortresses which brought the Spaniards over the ocean, and the
+horses on which they fought, all new objects to the natives, inspired
+them with astonishment mingled with terror; they regarded the Spaniards
+as gods, and sent them supplies of provisions, with a present of some
+gold and twenty female slaves.
+
+Cortez here learned that the native sovereign, who was called Montezuma,
+reigned over an extensive empire, and that thirty vassals, called
+caziques, obeyed him; that his riches were immense, and his power
+absolute. No more was necessary to inflame the ambition of Cortez, and
+the avarice of his followers.
+
+He then proceeded along the coast till he came to St. Juan de Ulua,
+where, having laid the foundation of Vera Cruz, he caused himself to be
+elected Captain-general of the new colony.
+
+Here he was visited by two native caziques, whose names were Teutile and
+Pilpatoe, who entered his camp with a numerous retinue, and informed
+him that they were persons entrusted with the government of that
+province by a great monarch, whom they called Montezuma, and that they
+were sent to inquire what his intentions were in visiting their coast,
+and to offer him what assistance he might need.
+
+Cortez received them with much formal ceremony, and informed them that
+he came from Don Carlos of Austria, the greatest monarch of all the
+east, with propositions of such moment, that he could impart them to
+none but the emperor himself; and requested them to conduct him, without
+loss of time, into the presence of their master.
+
+Messengers were immediately despatched to Montezuma, with a full account
+of everything that had passed.
+
+The Mexican monarch, in order to obtain early information, had couriers
+posted along the road, and the intelligence was conveyed by a very
+curious contrivance called picture writing, persons being employed to
+represent, in a series of pictures, everything that passed, which was
+the Mexican mode of writing: Teutile and Pilpatoe were employed to
+deliver the answer of their master, but as they knew how repugnant it
+was to the wishes and schemes of the Spanish commander, they would not
+make it known till they had first endeavoured to soothe and pacify him.
+For this purpose they introduced a train of a hundred Indians loaded
+with presents sent to him by Montezuma.
+
+The magnificence of these far exceeded any idea which the Spaniards had
+formed of his wealth.
+
+They were placed on mats spread on the ground, in such order as showed
+them to the greatest advantage. Cortez and his officers viewed with
+admiration the various manufactures of the country. Cotton stuffs so
+fine as to resemble silk. Pictures of animals, trees, and other natural
+objects, formed with feathers of different colours, disposed with such
+skill and elegance, as to resemble, in truth and beauty of imitation,
+the finest paintings. But what chiefly attracted their eyes were two
+large plates of circular form; one of massive gold, representing the
+sun, the other of silver, an emblem of the moon. These were accompanied
+with bracelets, collars, rings, and other trinkets of gold, and with
+several boxes filled with pearls, precious stones, and grains of gold
+unwrought, as they had been found in the mines or rivers.
+
+Cortez received all these with an appearance of profound respect for the
+monarch by whom they were bestowed; but when the Mexican informed him
+that their master would not give his consent that foreign troops should
+approach nearer to his capital, or even allow them to continue longer in
+his dominions, the Spanish general declared that he must insist on his
+first demand, as he could not, without dishonour, return to his own
+country until he was admitted into the presence of the princes whom he
+was appointed by his sovereign to visit.
+
+He first caused all his vessels to be burnt, in order to cut off the
+possibility of retreat, and to show his soldiers that they must either
+conquer or perish. He then penetrated into the interior of the country,
+drew to his camp several caziques, hostile to Montezuma, and induced
+these native princes to assist him.
+
+After surmounting every obstacle he arrived with his army in sight of
+the immense lake on which was built the city of Mexico, the capital of
+the empire.
+
+In descending from the mountains of Chalco, the vast plain of Mexico
+opened gradually to their view, displaying a prospect the most striking
+and beautiful: fertile and cultivated fields, stretched out further than
+the eye could reach, a lake resembling the sea in extent, encompassed
+with large towns, and the capital city rising upon an island, adorned
+with temples and turrets.
+
+Many messengers arrived one after another from Montezuma, one day
+permitting them to advance, on the next requiring them to retire, as his
+hopes or fears alternately prevailed, and so wonderful was his
+infatuation that Cortez was almost at the gates of the capital before
+the monarch had determined whether to receive him as a friend or oppose
+him as an enemy, but as no signs of hostility appeared, the Spaniards
+continued their march along the causeway which led to Mexico through the
+lake with great circumspection, though without seeming to suspect the
+prince whom they were about to visit.
+
+When they drew near the city, about a thousand persons who appeared to
+be of distinction, came out to meet them, adorned with plumes and clad
+in mantles of fine cotton.
+
+Each of these as they passed Cortez, saluted him according to the mode
+of their country; they announced the approach of Montezuma himself, and
+soon his harbingers came in sight.
+
+There appeared first two hundred persons in uniform dresses, with large
+plumes of feathers, marching two and two in deep silence, barefooted,
+with their eyes fixed on the ground.
+
+Then followed a company of higher rank, in their most shewy apparel. In
+the midst of these was Montezuma, in a chair or litter, richly
+ornamented with gold and feathers of various colours. Four of his
+principal favourites carried him on their shoulders; others supported a
+canopy of curious workmanship over his head: before him marched three
+officers with rods of gold in their hands, which they lifted on high at
+certain intervals.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+At that signal all the people bowed their heads and hid their faces, as
+unworthy to look on so great a monarch.
+
+When he drew near, Cortez dismounted advancing towards him in
+respectful posture; at the same time Montezuma alighted from his chair,
+and leaning on the arm of two of his nearest relations, approached him
+with a slow and stately pace, his attendants covering the way with
+cotton cloths, that he might not touch the ground.
+
+Cortez accosted him with profound reverence, after the European fashion.
+He returned the salutation, according to the mode of his country, by
+touching the earth with his hand and then kissing it.
+
+This condescension, in so proud a monarch, made all his subjects believe
+that the Spaniards were something more than human.
+
+Montezuma conducted Cortez to the quarters which he had ordered for his
+reception, and immediately took his leave, with a politeness not
+unworthy of a court more refined.
+
+"You are now," said he, "with your brothers, in your own house: refresh
+yourselves after your fatigue, and be happy until I return."
+
+The place allotted for the Spaniards was a magnificent palace built by
+the father of Montezuma. It was surrounded by a stone wall with towers,
+and its apartments and courts were so large as to accommodate both the
+Spaniards and their Indian allies.
+
+The first care of Cortez was to take precautions for his security, by
+planting artillery so as to command the different avenues which led to
+it, and posting sentinels at proper stations, with orders to observe the
+greatest vigilance.
+
+In the evening Montezuma returned to visit his guests, with the same
+pomp as in their first interview, and brought presents of great value
+not only to Cortez and his officers, but even to the private men. A long
+conference ensued, in which Cortez, in his usual style, magnified the
+power and dignity of his sovereign.
+
+Next morning Cortez and some of his principal attendants were admitted
+to a public audience of the emperor; the three following days were
+employed in viewing the city, the appearance of which was so far
+superior to any place the Spaniards had beheld in America, and yet so
+little resembling the structure of an European city, that it filled them
+with surprise and admiration.
+
+Mexico, or Tenuchtitlan, as it was anciently called, is situated on some
+small islands, near one side of a large lake, which is ninety miles in
+circumference. The access to the city was by artificial causeways or
+streets, formed of stones and earth, about thirty feet in breadth. These
+causeways were of considerable length: that on the west extended a mile
+and a half; that on the north-west three miles, and that towards the
+south six miles. On the east, the city could only be approached by
+canoes.
+
+Not only the temples of their Gods, but the palaces belonging to the
+monarch, and to persons of distinction, were of such dimensions that
+they might be termed magnificent.
+
+But, however the Spaniards might be amused or astonished at these
+objects, they felt the utmost anxiety with respect to their situation.
+
+They had been allowed to penetrate into the heart of a powerful
+kingdom, and were now lodged in its capital without having once met with
+open opposition from its monarch; but they had pushed forward into a
+situation where it was difficult to continue, and from which it was
+impossible to retire without disgrace and ruin.
+
+They could not, however, doubt of the hostility of the Mexicans, more
+especially as, on his march, Cortez received advice from Vera Cruz,
+where he had left a garrison, that a Mexican general had marched to
+attack the rebels whom the Spaniards had encouraged to revolt against
+Montezuma, and that the commander of the garrison had marched out with
+some of his troops to support the rebels, that an engagement had ensued,
+in which, though the Spaniards were victorious, the Spanish general with
+seven of his men, had been mortally wounded, his horse killed, and one
+Spaniard taken alive, and that the head of his unfortunate captive had
+been sent to Mexico, after being carried in triumph to different cities
+in order to convince the people that their invaders were not immortal.
+
+In this trying situation, he fixed upon a plan no less extraordinary
+than daring; he determined to seize Montezuma in his palace and to carry
+him a prisoner to the Spanish quarters. This he immediately proposed to
+his officers, who, as it was the only resource in which there appeared
+any safety, warmly approved of it, and it was agreed instantly to make
+the attempt.
+
+At his usual hour of visiting Montezuma, Cortez went to the palace,
+accompanied by five of his principal officers, and as many trusty
+soldiers; thirty chosen men followed, not in regular order, but
+sauntering at some distance, as if they had no object but curiosity: the
+remainder of his troops continued under arms, ready to sally out on the
+first alarm.
+
+Cortez and his attendants were admitted without suspicion, the Mexicans
+retiring, as usual, out of respect.
+
+He now addressed the monarch in a tone very different from that which he
+had employed on former occasions, and a conversation ensued, very much
+resembling that between the wolf and the lamb, in the fable, which you
+no doubt remember.
+
+Cortez bitterly reproached him as the author of the violent assault made
+by the Mexican general upon the Spaniards, and with having caused the
+death of some of his companions.
+
+Montezuma, with great earnestness, asserted his innocence, but Cortez
+affected not to believe him, and proposed that, as a proof of his
+sincerity, he should remove from his own palace, and take up his
+residence in the Spanish quarters.
+
+The first mention of so strange a proposal almost bereaved Montezuma of
+speech; at length he haughtily answered "That persons of his rank were
+not accustomed voluntarily to give themselves up as prisoners, and were
+he mean enough to do so, his subjects would not permit such an affront
+to be offered to their sovereign."
+
+Cortez now endeavoured to soothe, and then to intimidate him, and in
+this way the altercation continued three hours, when Velasquez de Leon,
+an impetuous young man exclaimed, "Why waste more time in vain? Let us
+seize him instantly, or stab him to the heart." The threatening voice
+and fierce gesture with which these words were uttered, struck Montezuma
+with a sense of his danger, and abandoning himself to his fate, he
+complied with their request: his officers were called, he communicated
+to them his resolution. Though astonished and affected, they presumed
+not to question the will of their master, but carried him in silent
+pomp, all bathed in tears, to the Spanish quarters.
+
+Cortez at first pretended to treat Montezuma with great respect, but
+soon took care to let him know that he was entirely in his power. Being
+thus master of the person of the monarch, he demanded that the Mexican
+general who had attacked the Spaniards, his son, and five of the
+principal officers who served under him, should be brought prisoners to
+Mexico, and delivered into his hands.
+
+As Cortez wished that the shedding the blood of a Spaniard should
+appear the most heinous crime that could be committed, he then ordered
+these brave men, who had only acted as became loyal subjects in opposing
+the invaders of their country, to be burnt alive, before the gates of
+the imperial palace.
+
+The unhappy victims were led forth, and laid on a pile composed of the
+weapons collected in the royal magazine for the public defence.
+
+During this cruel execution, Cortez entered the apartments of Montezuma,
+and caused him to be loaded with irons, in order to force him to
+acknowledge himself a vassal of the king of Spain. The unhappy prince
+yielded, and was restored to a semblance of liberty on presenting the
+fierce conqueror with six hundred thousand marks of pure gold, and a
+prodigious quantity of precious stones.
+
+The Mexicans driven to desperation, all at once flew to arms, and made
+so sudden and violent an attack that all the valour and skill of Cortez
+was scarcely sufficient to repel them.
+
+The Spaniards now found themselves enclosed in a hostile city, the
+whole population of which was exasperated to the highest pitch against
+them, and without some extraordinary exertion they were inevitably
+undone. Cortez therefore made a desperate sally, but after exerting his
+utmost efforts for a whole day, was obliged to retreat to his quarters
+with the loss of twelve men killed, and upwards of sixty wounded; Cortez
+himself was wounded in the hand.
+
+The Spanish general now betook himself to the only resource which was
+left, namely, to try what effect the interposition of Montezuma would
+have to soothe and overawe his subjects.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When the Mexicans approached next morning to renew the assault, that
+unfortunate prince, who was now reduced to the sad necessity of becoming
+the instrument of his own disgrace, and of the slavery of his people,
+advanced to the battlements in his royal robes, and with all the pomp in
+which he used to appear on solemn occasions. At the sight of their
+sovereign, whom they had long been accustomed to reverence almost as a
+god, the Mexicans instantly forebore their hostilities; and many
+prostrated themselves on the ground; but when he addressed them in
+favour of the Spaniards, and made use of all the arguments he could
+think of to mitigate their rage, they testified their resentment with
+loud murmurings, and at length broke forth with such fury, that before
+the soldiers appointed to guard Montezuma had time to cover him with
+their shields, he was wounded with two arrows and a blow on the temple
+with a stone struck him to the ground.
+
+On seeing him fall, the Mexicans instantly fled with the utmost
+precipitation, and Montezuma was conveyed to his apartments, whither
+Cortez followed in order to console him; but as the unhappy monarch now
+perceived that he was become an object of contempt even to his own
+subjects, his haughty spirit revived, and scorning to prolong his life
+after this last humiliation, he tore the bandages from his wounds, in a
+transport of rage, and refusing to take any nourishment, he soon ended
+his wretched days; refusing with disdain all the solicitations of the
+Spaniards to embrace the Christian faith.
+
+The Mexicans having chosen his son Guatimozin emperor, attacked the head
+quarters of Cortez with the utmost fury, and, in spite of the advantages
+of fire-arms, forced the Spaniards to retire, which alone saved them
+from destruction. Their rear guard was cut to pieces, and suffered
+severely during the retreat, which lasted six days.
+
+The Spaniards, however, having received fresh troops from Spain,
+defeated the Mexicans, and took Guatimozin prisoner, and in the end
+succeeded in totally subjugating this vast empire.
+
+Guatimozin, before he was taken prisoner, being aware of his impending
+fate, had ordered all his treasures to be thrown into the lake, and he
+was now put to the torture, on suspicion of having concealed his
+treasure. This was done by laying him on burning coals; but he bore
+whatever the cruelty of his tormentors could inflict, with the
+invincible fortitude of an American warrior. One of his chief
+favourites, his fellow sufferer, being overcome by the violence of the
+anguish, turned a dejected eye towards his master, which seemed to
+implore his permission to reveal all he knew. But the high spirited
+prince darted on him a look of authority mingled with scorn, and checked
+his weakness by asking, "Am I reposing on a bed of flowers?"
+
+Overawed by the reproach, he persevered in dutiful silence and expired.
+
+Cortes, utterly regardless of what crimes and cruelties he committed,
+added largely to the Spanish territory and revenue. But Spain was always
+ungrateful. Pizarro was murdered; Columbus died of a broken heart, and
+Balboa the death of a felon; so what could Cortez expect? He fell into
+neglect and poverty when his work was done. One day he forced his way
+through the crowd that had collected about the carriage of the
+sovereign, mounted the door-step, and looked in. Astonished at so gross
+a breach of etiquette, the monarch demanded to know who he was? "I am a
+man," replied Cortez, "who has given you more provinces than your
+ancestors left you cities!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+PARLEY RELATES HOW PIZARRO DISCOVERED AND CONQUERED PERU.
+
+
+Peru, when first discovered by the Spaniards, was a large and
+flourishing empire, including two kingdoms, Peru, and Quito, and
+extended over nearly half of the widest part of the South American
+Continent, as you will see if you look into the map, Brazil occupying
+the other half of the wide part.
+
+It had been governed by a long succession of Emperors, who were called
+the Incas of Peru.
+
+On the 14th of Nov. 1524, three Spanish adventurers whose names were
+Francisco Pizarro, in early life a feeder of swine, Diego de Almagro,
+and Hernando Luque, set sail from Panama for the discovery of Peru.
+
+Panama was a new settlement which the Spaniards had formed on the
+western side of the Isthmus of Darien, on the shores of the Pacific
+Ocean.
+
+Pizarro had only a single ship and one hundred and twenty men, to
+undertake this discovery, and so little was he acquainted with the
+climate of America, that the most improper season of the whole year was
+chosen for his departure; the periodical winds which were then set in,
+being directly opposite to the course he proposed to steer.
+
+He spent two years in sailing from Panama to the northern extremity of
+Peru, a voyage which is now frequently performed in a fortnight.
+
+At Tumbez, a place about three degrees south of the line, Pizarro and
+his companions feasted their eyes with the first view of the opulence
+and civilization of the Peruvian empire.
+
+This place was distinguished for its stately temple, and for one of the
+palaces of the Incas, or sovereigns of the country.
+
+But what chiefly attracted their notice, was such a show of gold and
+silver, not only in the ornaments of their persons and temples, but in
+the several vessels and utensils of common use, as left them no room to
+doubt that these metals abounded in the greatest profusion.
+
+Having explored the country sufficiently to satisfy his own mind,
+Pizarro hastened back to Panama, and from thence to Spain, where he
+obtained from Charles the Fifth the most liberal concessions, himself
+being made chief governor of all the countries he should subdue;
+Almagro, king's lieutenant, and Luque being appointed first bishop of
+Peru.
+
+Thus encouraged, Pizarro returned to Panama, whence he soon after sailed
+with three small vessels, containing only one hundred and eighty-six
+soldiers, and arrived at the Bay of St. Matthew; he then advanced by
+land as quickly as possible towards Peru.
+
+When Pizarro landed in the bay of St. Matthew, a civil war was raging
+with the greatest fury between Atahualpa, who was then seated on the
+throne of Peru, and his brother.
+
+This contest so much engaged the attention of the Peruvians, that they
+never once attempted to check the progress of the Spaniards, and Pizarro
+determined to take advantage of these dissensions.
+
+He directed his course towards Caxamalia, a small town at the distance
+of twelve days' march from St. Michael, where Atahualpa was encamped
+with a considerable body of troops.
+
+Before he had proceeded far, an officer, despatched by the Inca, met him
+with valuable presents from that prince, accompanied with a proffer of
+his alliance, and his assurance of a friendly reception at Caxamalia.
+
+Pizarro, according to the usual artifice of his countrymen, pretended to
+come as the ambassador of a powerful monarch, to offer his aid against
+those enemies who disputed his title to the throne.
+
+The Peruvians were altogether unable to comprehend the object of the
+Spaniards in entering their country, whether they should consider them
+as beings of a superior nature, who had visited them from some
+beneficent motive, as the Spaniards wished them to believe, or whether
+they were sent as evil demons to punish them for their crimes, as the
+rapaciousness and cruelty of the Spaniards led them to apprehend.
+
+Pizarro's declaration of his pacific intentions, however, so far removed
+all the Inca's fears, that he determined to give him a friendly
+reception.
+
+In consequence of this the Spaniards were allowed to march across a
+sandy desert, which lay in their way to Metupe, where the smallest
+efforts of an opposing enemy might have proved fatal to them, and then
+through a defile so narrow, that a few men might have defended it
+against a numerous army; but here, likewise, they met with no
+opposition.
+
+Pizarro, having reached Caxamalia with his followers, sent messengers,
+inviting Atahualpa to visit him in his quarters, which he readily
+promised. On the return of these messengers, they gave such a
+description of the wealth which they had seen, as determined Pizarro to
+seize upon the Peruvian monarch, in order that he might more easily
+come at the riches of his kingdom.
+
+The next day the Inca approached Caxamalia, without suspicion of
+Pizarro's treachery; but, as he drew near the Spanish quarters, Vincent
+Valverde, chaplain to the expedition, advanced with a crucifix in one
+hand and a breviary in the other, and, in a long discourse, attempted to
+convert him to the Roman Catholic faith.
+
+This the monarch declined, avowing his resolution to adhere to the
+worship of the sun; at the same time wished to know where the priest had
+learned these extraordinary things he had related. "In this book!"
+answered Valverde, reaching out his breviary.
+
+The Inca opened it eagerly, and turning over the leaves, raised it to
+his ear, "This," said he, "is silent, it tells me nothing;" and threw it
+with disdain to the ground.
+
+The enraged monk, running towards his countrymen, cried out, "To arms,
+Christians! to arms! the word of God is insulted--avenge the profanation
+of these impious dogs!"
+
+Pizarro immediately gave the signal of assault, which ended in the
+destruction of four thousand Peruvians, without the loss of a single
+Spaniard. The plunder was rich beyond any idea which even the conquerors
+had yet formed concerning the wealth of Peru. The Inca, who was taken
+prisoner, quickly discovered that the ruling passion of the Spaniards
+was the desire of gold; he offered therefore to recover his liberty by a
+splendid ransom.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The apartment in which he was confined was twenty-two feet long, by
+sixteen in breadth; this he undertook to fill with vessels of gold as
+high as he could reach.
+
+Pizarro closed with the proposal, and a line was drawn upon the walls of
+the chamber, to mark the stipulated height to which the treasure was to
+rise.
+
+During this confinement, Atahualpa had attached himself with peculiar
+affection to Ferdinand Pizarro, and Hernando Soto; who, as they were
+persons of birth and education, superior to the rough adventurers with
+whom they served, were accustomed to behave with more decency and
+kindness to the captive monarch.
+
+Soothed with this respect, he delighted in their society; but in the
+presence of the governor he was always uneasy and overawed, and this
+dread soon became mingled with contempt.
+
+Among all the European arts, what he admired most was that of reading
+and writing, and he long deliberated with himself whether it was a
+natural or an acquired talent. In order to determine this, he desired
+one of the soldiers, who guarded him, to write the name of God on the
+nail of his thumb. This he showed successively to several Spaniards,
+asking its meaning, and to his amazement, they all, without hesitation
+returned the same answer. At length Francisco Pizarro entered, and on
+presenting it to him, he blushed, and with some confusion was obliged to
+acknowledge that he could not read.
+
+From that moment Atahualpa considered him as a mean person, less
+instructed than his own soldiers, nor could he conceal the sentiments of
+contempt with which this discovery inspired him. He, however, performed
+his part of the contract, and the gold which his subjects brought in,
+was worth three or four hundred thousand pounds sterling.
+
+When they assembled to divide the spoils of this innocent people,
+procured by deceit, extortion, and cruelty, the transaction began with a
+solemn invocation to Heaven, as if they expected the guidance of God in
+distributing the wages of iniquity. In this division, eight thousand
+pesoes, at that time equal in value to £10,000 sterling, of the present
+day, fell to the share of each soldier: Pizarro and his officers
+received shares in proportion to the dignity of their rank.
+
+The Spaniards having divided the treasure among them, the Inca insisted
+that they should fulfil their promise of setting him at liberty. But the
+Spaniards, with unparalleled treachery and cruelty had now determined to
+put him to death; an action the most criminal and atrocious that stains
+the Spanish name, amidst all the deeds of violence committed in carrying
+on the conquest of the New World. In order to give some colour of
+justice to this outrage, Pizarro resolved to try the Inca, according to
+the forms of the criminal courts of Spain, and having constituted
+himself chief judge, charges the most absurd, and even ridiculous, were
+brought against him; but, as his infamous judges had predetermined, he
+was found guilty, and condemned to be burnt alive.
+
+Atahualpa, astonished at his fate, endeavoured to avert it by tears, by
+promises, and by entreaties; but pity never touched the unfeeling heart
+of Pizarro. He ordered him to be led instantly to execution, and the
+cruel priest, after having prostituted his sacred office to confirm the
+wicked sentence, offered to console, and attempted to convert him.
+
+The dread of a cruel death, extorted from the trembling victim his
+consent to be baptized. The ceremony was performed; and Atahualpa,
+instead of being burnt alive, was strangled at the stake.
+
+Pizarro then proceeded in his career of cruelty and rapacity, till, in
+ten years, he subdued the whole of this great empire, and divided it
+among his followers.
+
+In making the division, he allotted the richest and finest provinces to
+himself and his favourites, giving the less valuable to Almagro and his
+friends.
+
+This partiality highly offended Almagro, who thought his claims equal to
+Pizarro's, and this led to open hostilities; when Almagro being taken
+prisoner, he was beheaded in prison by order of Pizarro.
+
+Soon after this, Pizarro himself was assassinated in his palace by a
+party of Almagro's friends, headed by the son of Almagro, in revenge for
+the death of his father.
+
+Some time before this, the cruel and bigoted priest, Val de Viridi, had
+been beaten to death with the butt end of muskets, in the island of
+Puma, at the instigation of Almagro.
+
+Thus retributive justice, in the end, overtook these unjust and cruel
+men.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+PARLEY DESCRIBES THE NATURAL BEAUTIES OF AMERICA.
+
+
+Let us now leave for a while the cruel Spaniards, and talk about the
+beauties of nature, in these new discovered countries.
+
+In these extensive regions, every thing appeared new and wonderful; not
+only the inhabitants, but the whole face of nature was totally different
+from anything that had been seen in Europe.
+
+Grand ridges of mountains, numerous volcanoes, some of them, though
+under the Equator, covered with perpetual snows. Noble rivers, whose
+course, in several instances, exceeds three thousand miles.
+
+Here are found the palm-tree, the cedar, the tamarind, the guaiacum,
+the sassafras, the hickory, the chestnut, the walnut of many different
+kinds, the wild cherry (sometimes a hundred feet high), and more than
+fifty different sorts of oak.
+
+The plane, of which there are two kinds, one found in Asia, which is
+called the oriental plane: that found in America is called the
+occidental plane; but the Americans call it button-wood, or sycamore.
+Its foliage is richer, and its leaves of a more beautiful green than the
+oriental. It grows to a great size.
+
+The cypress is perhaps the largest of the American trees; it is a more
+than a hundred and twenty feet high; and the diameter of the trunk at
+forty or fifty feet from the ground is sometimes eight or ten feet.
+
+Another tree of gigantic magnitude is the wild cotton or Cuba tree. A
+canoe made from the single trunk of this tree has been know to contain a
+hundred persons.
+
+Above all these in beauty is the majestic magnolia which shoots up to
+the height of more than a hundred feet; its trunk perfectly straight,
+surmounted by a thick expanded head of pale green foliage, in the form
+of a cone.
+
+From the centre of the flowery crown which terminates each of its
+branches, a flower of the purest white arises, having the form of a
+rose, from six to nine inches in diameter.
+
+To the flower succeeds a crimson cone; this, in opening, exhibits round
+seeds of the finest coral red, surrounded by delicate threads, six
+inches long.
+
+Here, every plant and tree displays its most majestic form.
+
+Upon the shady banks of the Madelina there grows a climbing plant which
+the botanists call Aristolochia, the flowers of which are four feet in
+circumference, and children amuse themselves with covering their heads
+with them as hats.
+
+The Banana which grows in all the hot parts of America, and furnishes
+the Indians with the chief part of their daily food, producing more
+nutritious substance, in less space, and with less trouble than any
+other known plant.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+It is here that the ground produces the sugar-cane, the coffee, and the
+cocoa-nut from which is produced the chocolate. The vanilla, the anana
+or pine apple, and many other delicious fruits.
+
+The cacao, though generally pronounced cocoa, must not be confounded
+with the Cocoa Palm which produces that largest of all nuts, the
+Cocoa-nut.
+
+These trees and plants which I have mentioned, and many more equally
+beautiful, are all natives of the American woods.
+
+But the European settlers, when they came, brought over to Europe many
+valuable kinds of fruit and plants, which they did not find here; and I
+never was more delighted than once on passing through Virginia, to
+observe the dwellings of the settlers shaded by orange, lemon, and
+pomegranate trees, that fill the air with the perfume of their flowers,
+while their branches are loaded with fruit.
+
+Strawberries of native growth, of the richest flavour, spring up beneath
+your feet; and when these are passed away, every grove and field looks
+like a cherry orchard. Then follow the peaches, every hedge-row is
+planted with them. But it is the flowers and the flowering shrubs, that,
+beyond all else, render these regions so beautiful. No description can
+give an idea of the variety, the profusion, and the luxuriance of them.
+
+The Dog-wood, whose lateral fan-like branches are dotted all over with
+star-like blossoms of splendid white, as large as those of the
+gumcistus.
+
+The straight silvery column of the Papan fig, crowned with a canopy of
+large indented leaves; and the wild orange tree, mixed with the
+odoriferous and common laurel, form striking ornaments of this
+enchanting scene, with many other lovely flowers too numerous to
+describe.
+
+There is another charm that enchants the wanderer in the American woods.
+In a bright day in the summer months you walk through an atmosphere of
+butterflies, so gaudy in hue, and so varied in form, that I often
+thought they looked like flowers on the wing.
+
+Some of them are large, measuring three or four inches across the wing,
+but many, and those of the most beautiful, are small. Some have wings
+the most dainty lavender, and bodies of black; others are fawn and rose
+colour, and others are orange and bright blue: but pretty as they are,
+it is their numbers more than their beauty; and their gay, and
+noiseless movement through the air, crossing each other in chequered
+maze, that so delights the eye.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+That beautiful production, the humming bird, is also the sportive
+inhabitant of these warm climates, and I think they surpass all the
+works of nature in singularity of form, splendour of colour, and variety
+of species.
+
+They are found in all the West India islands and in most parts of the
+American continent: the smallest species does not exceed the size of
+some of the bees.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+There are so many different kinds, and each so beautiful, that it is
+impossible to describe them. They are constantly on the wing, collecting
+insects from the blossoms of the tamarind, the orange, or any other tree
+that happens to be in flower: and the humming noise proceeds from the
+surprising velocity with which they move their wings.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+PARLEY TELLS OF THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY IN AMERICA.
+
+
+In the beginning of the reign of James the First, who you know succeeded
+Elizabeth, the first successful attempt was made by the English to found
+a colony in America.
+
+Three small vessels, of which the largest did not exceed one hundred
+tons burden, under the command of Captain Newport, formed the first
+squadron that was to execute what had been so long, and so vainly
+attempted; and sailed with a hundred and five men destined to remain in
+America.
+
+Several of these emigrants were members of distinguished
+families--particularly George Percy, a brother of the Earl of
+Northumberland; and several were officers of reputation, of whom we may
+notice Bartholomew Gosnald, the navigator, and Captain John Smith, one
+of the most distinguished ornaments of an age that abounded with
+memorable men.
+
+Thus, after the lapse of a hundred and ten years from the discovery of
+the continent by Cabot, and twenty-two years after its first occupation
+by Raleigh, was the number of the English colonists limited to a hundred
+and five; and this handful of men undertook the arduous task of peopling
+a remote and uncultivated land, covered with woods and marshes, and
+inhabited only by savages and beasts of prey.
+
+Newport and his squadron did not accomplish their voyage in less than
+four months; but its termination was rendered particularly fortunate by
+the effect of a storm, which defeated their purpose of landing and
+settling at Roanoak, and carried them into the bay of Chesapeak; and
+coasting along its southern shore, they entered a river which the
+natives called Powhatan, and explored its banks for more than forty
+miles from its mouth.
+
+The adventurers, impressed with the superior advantages of the coast and
+region to which they had been thus happily conducted, determined to make
+this the place of their abode.
+
+They gave to their infant settlement, as well as to the neighbouring
+river, the name of their king; and James Town retains the distinction of
+being the oldest of existing habitations of the English in America.
+
+Newport having landed the colonists, with what supplies of provisions
+were destined for their support, set sail with his ships to return to
+England, in the month of June, 1607.
+
+The colonists soon found themselves limited to a scanty supply of
+unwholesome provisions; and the heat and moisture of the climate
+combining with the effect of their diet, brought on diseases that raged
+with fatal violence.
+
+Before the month of September, one half of their number had miserably
+perished, and among these victims was Bartholomew Gosnald, who had
+planned the expedition, and greatly contributed to its success.
+
+This scene of suffering was embittered by dissensions among themselves.
+At length, in the extremity of their distress, when ruin seemed to
+threaten them, as well from famine as the fury of the savages, the
+colonists obtained a complete and unexpected deliverance, which the
+piety of Smith ascribed to the influence of God in their behalf.
+
+The savages, actuated by a sudden change of feeling, not only refrained
+from molesting them, but brought them, without being asked, a supply of
+provisions so liberal, as at once to remove their apprehensions of
+famine and hostility.
+
+The colonists were now instructed by their misfortunes, and the sense of
+urgent danger, led them to submit to the advice of the man, whose
+talents were most likely to extricate them from the difficulties with
+which they were surrounded.
+
+Every eye was now turned on Captain Smith, whose superior talents and
+experience, had so far excited the envy and jealousy of his colleagues,
+that he had been excluded from a seat in the council.
+
+Under Captain Smith's directions, James Town was fortified, so as to
+repel the attacks of the savages, and its inhabitants were provided with
+dwellings that afforded shelter from the weather, and contributed to
+restore and preserve their health.
+
+Finding the supplies of the savages discontinued, he took with him some
+of his people and penetrated into the interior of the country, where by
+courtesy and kindness to the tribes whom he found well disposed, he
+succeeded in procuring a plentiful supply of provisions. In the midst of
+his successes he was surprised during an expedition by a hostile body of
+savages, who having made him prisoner, after a gallant and nearly
+successful defence, prepared to inflict on him the usual fate of their
+captives.
+
+His genius and presence of mind did not desert him on this trying
+occasion. He desired to speak with the sachem or chief of the tribe to
+which he was a prisoner, and, presenting him with a mariner's compass,
+expatiated on the wonderful discoveries to which this little instrument
+had led, described the shape of the earth, the vastness of its land and
+oceans, the course of the sun and the varieties of nations, wisely
+forbearing to express any solicitude for his life.
+
+The savages listened to him with amazement and admiration. They handled
+the compass, viewing with surprise the play of the needle, which they
+plainly saw, but were unable to touch; and he appeared to have gained
+some ascendancy over their minds.
+
+For an hour afterwards they seemed undecided; but their habitual
+disposition returning, they bound him to a tree, and were preparing to
+despatch him with their arrows.
+
+But a deeper impression had been made by his harangue on the mind of
+their chief, who, holding up the compass in his hand, gave the signal of
+reprieve, and Smith, though still guarded as a prisoner, was conducted
+to a dwelling, where he was kindly treated and plentifully entertained.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+But after vainly attempting to prevail on their captive to betray the
+English colony into their hands, the Indian referred his fate to
+Powhatan, the king or principal sachem of the country, to whose presence
+they conducted him in pompous and triumphant procession.
+
+This prince received him with much ceremony, ordered a rich repast to be
+set before him, and then adjudged him to suffer death by having his head
+laid on a stone and beaten to pieces with clubs.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+At the place appointed for his execution, Smith was again rescued from
+impending destruction by Pocahontas, the favourite daughter of the
+chief, who, finding her first entreaties disregarded, threw her arms
+round the prisoner, and declared her determination to save him or die
+with him.
+
+Her generous compassion prevailed over the cruelty of her tribe, and the
+king not only gave Smith his life, but soon after sent him back to James
+Town, where the benificence of Pocahontas continued to follow him with
+supplies of provisions that delivered the colony from famine.
+
+This eminent commander continued for some time to govern the colony with
+the greatest wisdom and prudence, when he received a dangerous wound
+from the accidental explosion of some gunpowder. Completely disabled by
+this misfortune, and destitute of surgical aid in the colony, he was
+compelled to resign his command, and take his departure for England. He
+never returned to Virginia again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+PARLEY TELLS OF THE ORIGINAL NATIVE AMERICANS.
+
+
+I recollect when I was staying in America, an old Delaware Indian came
+to Boston to sell some skins and furs, and he called at the house where
+I was stopping. He had once been a chief among the Indians, but was now
+poor.
+
+I went to this Indian's home, which was a little hut near Mount Holyoke.
+We found his wife and his three children; two boys and a girl. They came
+out to meet us, and were very glad to see their father and me.
+
+I was very hungry and tired when I arrived. The Indian's wife roasted
+some bear's flesh, and gave us some bread made of pounded corn, for our
+supper.
+
+I then went to bed on some bear skins, and slept very well. Early in the
+morning I was called to go hunting with the Indian and his two sons. It
+was a fine bright morning in October. The sun was shining on the tops of
+the mountains; we climbed Mount Holyoke, through the woods, and ascended
+a high rock, from which we could see a beautiful valley far below us, in
+the centre of which was the little town of Northampton, much smaller
+than it is now.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Do you see those houses?" said the Indian to me, "When my grandfather
+was a boy, there was not a house where you see so many: that valley
+which now belongs to white men, belonged to red men."
+
+"Then the red men were rich and happy; now they are poor and wretched.
+Then that beautiful river which you see running through the valley, and
+which is called the Connecticut, was theirs. They owned these fine
+mountains too, they hunted in these woods, and fished in that river, and
+were numerous and powerful,--now they are few and weak."
+
+"But how has this change happened?" said I, "who has taken your lands
+from you, and made you so miserable?"
+
+"I will tell you all about that to-night," said he, "when we return
+home."
+
+We proceeded cautiously through the woods, and had not gone far when the
+Indian beckoned us all to stop. "Look yonder," said he to me, "on that
+high rock above us!" I did so, but could see nothing. "Look again," said
+he; I did, and saw a young hind standing upon the point of a rock which
+hung over the valley; she was a beautiful little animal, full of spirit,
+with large black eyes, slender legs and of a reddish brown colour.
+
+He now selected a choice arrow, placed it on the bow, and sent it
+whizzing through the air. It struck directly through the heart. The
+little animal sprang violently forward, over the rock, and fell dead
+many feet below, where Whampum's sons soon found it; we now returned to
+the wigwam, carrying the fawn with us.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+In the evening I reminded him of his promise to tell me how the Indians
+had been robbed of their lands and reduced to poverty. He accordingly
+began as follows:--
+
+"A great many years ago," said he, "when men with white skins had never
+been seen in this land, some Indians who were out fishing at a place
+where the sea widens, espied at a great distance something very large,
+floating on the water, and such as they had never seen before.
+
+"These Indians immediately returning to the shore, apprized their
+countrymen of what they had observed, and pressed them to go out with
+them and discover what it might be. They hurried out together, and saw
+with astonishment what the others had described, but could not agree
+upon what it was; some believed it to be an uncommonly large fish or
+animal, whilst others were of opinion that it must be a very large house
+floating on the sea.
+
+"They sent off messengers to carry the news to their scattered chiefs
+and warriors that they should come together immediately.
+
+"The chiefs were soon assembled and deliberating as to the manner in
+which they should receive the Manitou or Supreme Being on his arrival.
+Every measure was taken to be well provided with plenty of meat for a
+sacrifice, the women were desired to prepare the best victuals, all the
+idols were examined and put in order, and a grand dance was supposed not
+only to be agreeable to the Great Being, but it was believed that it
+might tend to appease him if he was angry with them.
+
+"Distracted between hope and fear, they were at a loss what to do; a
+dance, however, commenced in great confusion; fresh runners arrive,
+declaring it to be a large house, of various colours, and crowded with
+living creatures.
+
+"Many are for running off into the woods, but are pressed by others to
+stay, in order not to give offence to their visitors, who might find
+them out and destroy them. The house at last stops, and a canoe of small
+size comes on shore, with a man clothed in red, and some others in it;
+some stay with his canoe to guard it. The chiefs and wise men assembled
+in council, form themselves into a large circle, towards which the man
+in red approaches, with two others; he salutes them with a friendly
+countenance, and they return the salute in the same manner; they are
+lost in admiration, the dress, the manner, the whole appearance of the
+unknown strangers is to them a subject of wonder; but they are
+particularly struck with him who wore the red coat, all glittering with
+gold, which they could in no manner account for.
+
+"He surely must be the great Manitou; but why should he have a white
+skin? Meanwhile a large Hack-hack is brought by one of his servants,
+from which an unknown liquid is poured out into a small cup, and handed
+to the supposed Manitou; he drinks,--has the cup filled again, and hands
+it to the chief standing next to him; the chief receives it, but only
+smells the contents and passes it on to the next chief, who does the
+same.
+
+"The glass or cup thus passes through the circle without the liquor
+being tasted by any one, and is upon the point of being returned to the
+red-clothed Manitou, when one of the Indians, a brave man and a great
+warrior, suddenly jumps up and harangues the assembly, on the
+impropriety of returning the cup with its content: It was handed to
+them, said he, by the Manitou, that they should drink out of it as he
+had done: to follow his example would be pleasing to him, but to return
+what he had given to them, might provoke his wrath, and bring
+destruction on them; and since the orator believed it for the good of
+the nation, that the contents should be drunk, and as no one else would
+do it, he would drink it himself, let the consequences be what they
+might: it was better for one man to die, than that a whole nation should
+be destroyed.
+
+"He then took the cup, and bidding the assembly a solemn farewell, at
+once drank up its whole contents. Every eye was fixed on the resolute
+chief, to see what effect the unknown liquor would produce.
+
+"He soon began to stagger, and at last fell prostrate on the ground;
+his companions now bemoan his fate, he falls into a sound sleep, and
+they think he is dead: he wakes again:--he asks for more, his wish is
+granted; the whole assembly then imitate him, and all become
+intoxicated.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"After this general intoxication had ceased, the man with the red
+clothes, who had remained in his great canoe while it lasted, returned
+again and distributed presents among them, consisting of beads, axes,
+shoes and stockings, such as white people wear.
+
+"They soon became familiar with each other, and began to converse by
+signs; the strangers made them understand that they would not stay here,
+that they would return home again, but would pay them another visit next
+year, when they would bring them more presents and stay with them
+awhile.
+
+"They went away, as they had said, and returned in the following season,
+when both parties were much rejoiced to see each other; but the white
+men laughed at the Indians, for they had the axes and hoes, which they
+had given them the year before, hanging to their breasts, as ornaments,
+and the stockings were made use of as tobacco pouches. The whites now
+put handles to the axes for them, and cut down trees before their eyes,
+hoed up the ground, and put the stockings on their legs: here, they say,
+a general laughter ensued among the Indians, that they had remained
+ignorant of the use of such valuable tools, and had borne the weight of
+them hanging to their necks for such a length of time. They took every
+white man they saw for an inferior attendant on the supreme Manitou in
+the red laced clothes.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"As they became daily more familiar with the Indians, the white men
+proposed to stay with us, and we readily consented.
+
+"It was we who so kindly received them in our country, we took them by
+the hand and bade them welcome to sit down by our side and live with us
+as brothers; but how did they requite our kindness? They first asked
+only for a little land, on which to raise bread for themselves and their
+families, and pasture for their cattle, which we freely gave them; they
+soon wanted more, which we also gave them; they saw the game in the
+woods, which the Great Spirit had given us for our subsistence, and they
+wanted that too; they penetrated into the woods in quest of game; they
+discovered spots of land which pleased them, that land they also wanted;
+and because we were loath to part with it, as we saw they had already
+more than they had need of, they took it from us by force, and drove us
+to a great distance from our ancient homes; they looked everywhere for
+good spots of land, and when they found one, they immediately, and
+without ceremony, possessed themselves of it; but when at last they came
+to our favourite spots, those which lay most convenient to our
+fisheries, then bloody wars ensued. We would have been contented that
+the white people and we should have lived quietly beside each other,
+but these white men encroached so fast upon us, that we saw at once we
+should lose all if we did not resist them. The wars that we carried on
+against each other were long and cruel,--we were enraged when we saw the
+white people put our friends and relatives, whom they had taken
+prisoners, on board their ships, whether to drown or sell them as slaves
+in the country from which they came, we know not; but certain it is,
+that none of them have ever returned, or even been heard of.
+
+"At last they got possession of the whole country, which the Great
+Spirit had given us; one of our tribes was forced to wander far to the
+north, others dispersed in small bodies, and sought refuge where they
+could.
+
+"How long we shall be permitted to remain in this asylum, the Great
+Spirit only knows. The whites will not rest contented till they shall
+have destroyed the last of us, and made us disappear entirely from the
+face of the earth."
+
+The old Indian said no more: he looked sad, and his two sons looked sad
+also; and I shall never forget the impression his story made upon my
+mind.
+
+Thus, these good Indians, with a kind of melancholy pleasure, recite the
+long history of their sufferings; and often have I listened to their
+painful details, until I have felt ashamed of being a white man.
+
+A few days after this we set out upon another hunting excursion, and
+again climbed the mountains. We had proceeded some distance when we
+heard the report of a gun, and coming round the point of a rock which
+lay just before us, we saw a Delaware Indian hunter, who had just
+discharged his carabine at a huge bear, and broken its backbone; the
+animal fell, and set up a most plaintive cry; something like that of the
+panther when he is hungry.
+
+The Indian includes all savage beasts in the number of his enemies, and
+when he has conquered one, he taunts him before he kills him, in the
+same strain as he would a conquered enemy of a hostile tribe.
+
+Instead of giving the bear another shot, the hunter stood close to him,
+and addressed him in these words:--
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Hark ye! bear; you are a coward, and no warrior, as you pretend to be.
+Were you a warrior, you would show it by your firmness, and would not
+cry and whimper, like an old woman. You know, bear, that our tribes are
+at war with each other, and that yours were the aggressors." As you may
+suppose, I was not a little surprised at the delivery of this curious
+invective.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+PARLEY TELLS ABOUT THE UNITED STATES.
+
+
+The English settlements in America grew very rapidly into power and
+importance. The French settlements also increased in extent and
+influence, and a rivalry between the French and English, fostered and
+nourished by the "_natural enmity_" which was said to subsist between
+the Gauls and the Britons, broke out at last in terrible warfare. War is
+very frightful under any circumstances. It looks very much like murder;
+and, even at the best of times, a battle-field reminds us of Cain and
+Abel. Brother slaughters brother, and the conqueror rejoices and
+describes his sanguinary work as "a glorious victory." In the war
+between the English and French settlers in America, a new and atrocious
+feature was introduced. The Indians were engaged, for pay and powder,
+on either side, to commit the most hideous cruelties; and things were
+done which must not be told here, but the very thought of which should
+make us shudder and turn pale.
+
+The English got the better of the French, and they took Quebec, a strong
+city in Canada. General Wolfe, a young man and an excellent soldier,
+captured the city; but it cost him his life. During the heat of the
+engagement, Wolfe was shot. "Support me," said he to an officer near
+him; "do not let my brave fellows see my face!" He was removed to the
+rear, and water was brought to quench his thirst. Just then a cry was
+heard, "They run! they run!" "Who runs?" exclaimed Wolfe, faintly
+raising himself. "The enemy!" was the reply. "Then," said he, "I die
+content," and expired.
+
+The result of the war in which General Wolfe perished, left a vast
+amount of debt as a heavy weight upon the country. The English settlers
+had fought very bravely all through the war, and they thought that the
+English at home ought to pay the debt, and not tax them for its payment.
+But the king and the parliament thought differently. They taxed the
+American settlers very heavily; they would listen to no remonstrance;
+and, when some signs were given of resistance, they were threatened with
+punishment, like so many unruly schoolboys. Certain privileges which had
+been granted them were taken away, and troops sent out to enforce
+obedience. One very objectionable tax to the Americans was a stamp duty
+on newspapers. Another was a tax on tea. They urged that it was unfair
+for the British government to tax them without they were allowed to send
+members to Parliament to look after their interests; but remonstrance
+only tended to make the British government more determined; and so at
+last they came to what somebody has called gunpowder law, that is to
+say, fighting.
+
+I need not enter on the events of the war. It ended in the triumph of
+the American settlers, and in the declaration of American independence
+and the formation of the United States. The foremost man, both as a
+statesman and a soldier, in the conduct of the war, on the part of the
+Americans, was George Washington. He was elected three times to the
+presidency, and no name is more revered than his by the Americans.
+
+Since the separation of America from England, more than one quarrel has
+occurred between them. That which most vitally touches the future
+prosperity of the states is the warfare which now rages between the
+northern and southern sections of the republic. Most of you are aware
+that slavery prevails to a great extent in America. The negroes or
+blacks (the word _negro_ means _black_) are more particularly found in
+the southern states. The northern states do not _hold_ slaves, but they
+have so far _held_ with slavery as to give up runaways, and tolerate the
+laws which make a man--because he was black--a mere beast of burden. A
+quarrel, however, on this question, and others of minor importance, has
+at last broken out between the north and south. The southerners have
+separated from the northerners, and established a new republic of their
+own. Their _right_ to do this has been denied by the north, and a civil
+war has commenced in consequence. What may be the final result it is
+impossible for any one to predict. The quarrel threatened at one time to
+involve a war with England; but this is no longer apprehended. It seems
+a very sad thing that a people so clever, so enterprising, so prosperous
+as the Americans, should, by a quarrel and separation among themselves,
+endanger--if they do not entirely overthrow--one of the most important
+states in the world. We cannot forget what it is that lies at the bottom
+of the mischief--SLAVERY.
+
+  "O execrable crime! so to aspire
+  Above our brethren, to ourselves assuming
+  Authority usurped from God, not given.
+  He gave us only over beast, fish, fowl,
+  Dominion absolute; that right we hold
+  By his donation: but man over man
+  He made not lord--such title to himself
+  Reserving, human left from human free."
+
+I may now tell you something about some of the chief cities in the
+United States.
+
+New York is the principal seaport and commercial metropolis of the
+States. It is situated at the southern extremity of an island called
+Manhattan Island, near the mouth of the Hudson river. Its progress has
+been very rapid, and its population is more than double that of any
+other city in the new world. The approach to the city is very fine--the
+shores of the bay being wooded down to the water's edge, and thickly
+studded with farms, villages, and country seats. New York measures about
+ten miles round. It is triangular in form. The principal street is
+Broadway, a spacious thoroughfare extending in a straight line through
+the centre of the city. The houses have a clean, fresh, cheerful
+appearance; many of the stores or shops are highly decorated; the public
+buildings, including the churches, while they can make no pretension to
+grandeur, are good of their kind; the university is probably the finest
+building in the city. The hotels in New York are far more extensive
+than anything of the kind in Europe, and they are fitted up and
+conducted on a scale of princely grandeur. The city of New York was
+founded by the Dutch in 1621, and called New Amsterdam; but it was given
+to the Duke of York (afterwards James II.) in 1604, and was henceforth
+called by his name. The first congress of the United States was held
+there in 1789.
+
+Washington is the government capital of the States, and is so called in
+honour of the distinguished man--the father of the Republic--to whom I
+have already alluded. The entrance to the city by the Pennsylvanian
+avenue is 100 feet wide, and planted with some of the trees. The
+president's residence is called the "White House." The chief public
+offices and halls for the assembly of congress are contained in one
+building known as the Capitol. It stands on a hill, and is said to be
+the finest building in the Union. It is surrounded by ornamental
+grounds, and overlooks the river Potomac.
+
+BOSTON is a maritime city, and a great place of trade; it is
+situated on an extensive bay, and is connected with the interior of the
+country by canals, railways, and river navigation. It is the great seat
+of the American ice trade. In the history of the war of independence it
+occupies a conspicuous place, as the Bostonians displayed great energy
+in asserting popular rights. At Boston, when the "taxed tea" was sent
+over by the British government, a number of the citizens disguised
+themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded the ships in which it had been
+brought over, seized upon and staved the chests, and threw their
+contents into the sea. This affair was known as the Boston tea party.
+Boston is the birth-place of Dr. Benjamin Franklin--the "Poor Richard"
+of whom I have no doubt you have often heard, and whose excellent advice
+cannot be too well remembered nor too carefully applied.
+
+CHARLESTON is another of the principal sea-ports of the States.
+It is the largest town in South Carolina, and is situated at a low point
+of land at the confluence of two rivers. It is the stronghold of
+slavery. One of the most recent events connected with it is that of the
+Northerners blocking up the harbour by sinking several ships, laden with
+stones, at the entrance. This is a very barbarous act, as it
+closes--perhaps for ever--one of the first ports in America.
+
+PHILADELPHIA is the last city I shall mention. It is the great
+Quaker city; its streets are remarkable for their regularity, and the
+houses and stores for the peculiar air of cleanness which they exhibit.
+The public buildings are nearly all of white marble. It is distinguished
+for its vast number of charitable institutions and religious edifices,
+and it is a thriving place of business. The city was founded by William
+Penn in 1682. There is a monument marking the site of the signing of
+Penn's famous treaty with the Indians. With some little account of this
+treaty I shall conclude my notice of America.
+
+King Charles II. made a grant of land to Penn, but this good man would
+not enter upon its possession until after he had arranged a treaty with
+those to whom he justly thought it more fairly belonged than to the
+King of England--namely, with the Indians. He consequently convened a
+meeting--under the wide spreading branches of an elm tree, the Indian
+chiefs assembled. They were unarmed; the old men sat in a half-moon upon
+the ground, the middle aged in the same figure, at a little distance
+from them; the younger men formed a third semicircle in the rear. Before
+them stood William Penn,--a light blue sash, the only mark which
+distinguished him from his friends, bound round his waist.
+
+  "'Thou'lt find,' said the quaker, 'in me and mine,
+  But friends and brothers to thee and thine,
+  Who above no power, admit no line,
+    Twixt the red man and the white.'
+
+  And bright was the spot where the quaker came,
+  To leave his hat, his drab, and his name,
+  That will sweetly sound from the trumpet of fame,
+    Till its final blast shall die."
+
+It is to be regretted that the speeches of the Indians on this memorable
+day have not come down to us. It is only known that they solemnly
+pledged themselves to live with William Penn and his people in peace and
+amity so long as the sun and moon should endure. This was the only
+treaty, it has been said, between these people and the Christians that
+was _not_ ratified by an oath, and that was _never_ broken.
+
+
+
+
+AUSTRALIA.
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+PARLEY TELLS ABOUT NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+
+At the termination of the American war, of which I have just given you a
+short account, the United States of America, which had been called by
+England her American Colonies, ceased to be any longer subject to Great
+Britain.
+
+The province of Virginia, in America, had for a long time been the only
+authorized outlet for those criminals in Great Britain and Ireland, who
+had been sentenced to transportation.
+
+It now became necessary for the English government to fix upon some
+other country, to which those of her subjects might be transported,
+who were condemned to banishment for their crimes.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+After much deliberation in the British Parliament, it was determined to
+form a penal settlement in New South Wales.
+
+If you will look at a globe, or, if you have not a globe, at a map of
+the world, turning the South Pole from you, or uppermost, and, supposing
+yourself to be in a ship, sail across the Atlantic Ocean till you come
+to the Equator, which is an imaginary line that divides the northern
+half of the globe from the southern; then "cross the line," as it is
+called, and sail along the South Atlantic, in the direction of the coast
+of South America, till you arrive at its southern extremity, which you
+will see is called Cape Horn; then sailing round Cape Horn, (which is
+called doubling Cape Horn), and directing your course westward, right
+across the Great Pacific Ocean. After having sailed across these three
+great oceans, you will find yourself, if you have a prosperous voyage,
+exactly on the opposite side of the globe, and before you, an extensive
+chain of large islands, lying off the South-eastern extremity of the
+continent of Asia.
+
+This group of islands has been named Australasia, which means Southern
+Asia, and the largest of these, which is the largest island in the whole
+world, has been called Australia, or New Holland.
+
+This is so large an island, that if you were to divide the whole of
+Europe into ten parts, New Holland is as large as nine of them: and
+hence, from its great extent, some geographers have dignified it with
+the title of a continent.
+
+The northern and western coasts of this vast island were discovered by a
+succession of Dutch navigators, who gave them the name of New Holland.
+
+The eastern coast, which has been explored, and taken possession of by
+the English, was discovered by Capt. Cook, who gave it the name of New
+South Wales.
+
+At the southern extremity of Australia or New Holland, you will see
+VAN DIEMEN'S LAND, which was discovered by Tasman, one of the
+Dutch navigators, who was sent from Batavia by Anthony Van Diemen, the
+Dutch governor-general of the Indies, to survey the coast of New
+Holland.
+
+In this voyage Tasman discovered an extensive country lying to the south
+of New Holland; in giving a name to which, he immortalized his patron,
+by calling it "Van Diemen's Land," having no suspicion at the time that
+it was an island.
+
+It was not till the year 1798 that it was discovered to be such; as in
+all the old maps and charts it is represented as part of the main land
+of New Holland.
+
+This important discovery was effected in an open boat, by Mr. Bass, a
+surgeon in the royal navy, who found it to be separated from Australia
+by a broad strait, which has ever since borne the name of its
+discoverer, "BASS' STRAITS."
+
+A fleet of eleven sail was assembled at Portsmouth in March, 1783, for
+the formation of the proposed settlement on the coast of New Holland.
+
+On board of these vessels were embarked 600 male, and 250 female
+convicts, with a guard consisting of about 200 soldiers, with their
+proper officers. Forty women, wives of the marines, were also permitted
+to accompany their husbands, together with their children.
+
+Captain Arthur Phillip, an officer highly qualified in every respect for
+the arduous undertaking, was appointed governor of the proposed colony.
+
+The little fleet which was thus placed under the command of Captain
+Phillip, and which has ever since been designated by the colonists "_the
+first fleet_," set sail from Portsmouth on the 13th of May 1787, and
+arrived at Botany Bay, in New South Wales, in January 1788, after a
+long, but comparatively prosperous voyage of eight months and upwards.
+
+Captain Phillip soon found, to his disappointment, that Botany Bay was
+by no means an eligible harbour; nor was it, in other respects, suitable
+for the establishment of a colony, and he determined, even before any
+number of the convicts had been permitted to land, to search for a more
+eligible site.
+
+In Captain Cook's chart of the coast, another opening had been laid
+down, a few miles to the northward of Botany Bay, on the authority of a
+seaman of the name of Jackson, who had seen it from the
+foretop-mast-head; and Captain Cook, conceiving it to be nothing more
+than a harbour for boats, which it was not worth his while to examine,
+called it Port Jackson.
+
+It is no wonder that Captain Cook came to this conclusion; for no
+opening of any kind can be perceived till you come close in with the
+land.
+
+This opening Captain Phillip examined, and the result of that
+examination was the splendid discovery of Port Jackson,--one of the
+finest harbours, whether for extent or security, in the world.
+
+To this harbour the fleet was immediately removed, and the settlement
+was ultimately formed at the head of Sydney Cove, one of the numerous
+and romantic inlets of Port Jackson.
+
+The labour and patience required, and the difficulties which the first
+settlers must have had to encounter, are incalculable; but their
+success has been complete.
+
+The forest has been cleared away, the corn-field and the orchard have
+supplanted the wild grass and the bush, and towns and villages have
+arisen as if by magic. You may hear the lowing of herds where, a few
+years before, you would have trembled at the wild whoop of the savage,
+and the stillness of that once solitary shore is broken by the sound of
+wheels and the busy hum of commerce.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS, VEGETABLES, AND ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA.
+
+
+The natives of this part of Australia are, beyond comparison, the most
+barbarous on the surface of the globe.
+
+They are hideously ugly, with flat noses, wide nostrils, eyes sunk in
+the head, and overshadowed with thick eyebrows. The mouth very wide,
+lips thick and prominent, hair black, but not woolly; the colour of the
+skin varies from dark bronze to jet black. Their stature is below the
+middle size, and they are remarkably thin and ill-made.
+
+To add to their natural deformity, they thrust a bone through the
+cartilage of the nose, and stick with gum to their hair matted moss, the
+teeth of men, sharks, and kangaroos, the tails of dogs, and jaw-bones
+of fish.
+
+On particular occasions they ornament themselves with red and white
+clay, using the former when preparing to fight, and the latter for the
+more peaceful amusement of dancing. The fashion of these ornaments was
+left to each person's taste, and some, when decorated in their best
+manner, looked perfectly horrible: nothing could appear more terrible
+than a black and dismal face, with a large white circle drawn round each
+eye.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+They scarify the skin in every part with sharp shells.
+
+The women and female children are generally found to want the first two
+joints of the little finger of the left hand, which are taken off while
+they are infants, and the reason they assign is, that they would be in
+the way in winding the fish-lines over the hand.
+
+The men all want one of their front teeth, which is knocked out when
+they arrive at the age of fifteen or sixteen, with many ridiculous
+ceremonies; but the boys are not allowed to consider themselves as men
+before they have undergone that operation.
+
+They live chiefly on fish, which they sometimes spear and sometimes net;
+the women, on the parts of the coast, aiding to catch them with the hook
+and line.
+
+"The facility," (observes Captain Sturt), "with which they procured fish
+was really surprising.
+
+"They would slip, feet foremost, into the water, as they walked along
+the bank of the river, as if they had accidentally done so; but, in
+reality, to avoid the splash they would have made if they had plunged in
+head foremost.
+
+"As surely as a native disappeared under the surface of the water, so
+surely would he re-appear, with a fish writhing upon the point of his
+short spear.
+
+"The very otter scarcely exceeds them in power over the finny race, and
+so true is the aim of these savages, even under the water, that all the
+fish we procured from them were pierced either close behind the lateral
+fin or in the very centre of the head."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+If a dead whale happens to be cast on the shore, numbers flock to it,
+from every part of the coast, and they feast sumptuously while any part
+remains.
+
+Those in the interior are stated to live on grubs, insects, ants and
+their eggs, kangaroos, when they can catch them, fern roots, various
+kinds of berries, and honey; caterpillars and worms also form part of
+their food.
+
+Captain Phillip took every possible pains to reclaim these ignorant
+savages, and he once nearly lost his life in endeavouring to conciliate
+a party of them, having ventured amongst them unarmed for that purpose;
+one of the savages threw a spear which pierced the upper part of his
+shoulder and came out at his back.
+
+But all the efforts of the governor to effect the permanent civilization
+of these miserable people proved utterly abortive.
+
+They possess the faculty of mimickry or imitation to a very considerable
+degree. I was walking with a friend, one beautiful evening, on the banks
+of the Paramatta, when Bungarry, chief of the Sydney tribe of black
+natives, was pulling down the river with his two jins, or wives, in a
+boat which he had received as a present from the governor. My friend
+accosted him on his coming up with us, and the good-natured chief
+immediately desired his _jins_ to rest upon their oars, for he was rowed
+by his wives. During the short conversation that ensued, my friend
+requested Bungarry to show how governor Macquarrie made a bow.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Bungarry happened to be dressed in the old uniform of a military
+officer, and standing up in the stern of his boat, and taking off his
+cocked hat, with the requisite punctilio, he made a low formal bow, with
+all the dignity and grace of a general officer of the old school.
+
+The rich variety of vegetation on the Illawarra mountain, which is a
+lofty range running parallel with the coast, contrasts beautifully with
+the richness of the scenery. The fern tree, shooting up its rough stem,
+about the thickness of a small boat's mast, to the height of fifteen or
+twenty feet, and then, all at once shooting out a number of leaves in
+every direction, each at four or five feet in length, and exactly
+similar in appearance to the leaf of the common fern; while palms of
+various botanical species, are ever and anon shooting up their tall
+slender branchless stems to the height of seventy or a hundred feet, and
+then forming a large canopy of leaves, each of which bends gracefully
+outwards and then downwards, like a Prince of Wales' feathers.
+
+Another beautiful species met with in the low grounds of Illawarra, is
+the fan palm, or cabbage tree, and another equally graceful in its
+outline, is called by the natives Bangalo.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The nettle tree, which is also met with in the bushes, is not only seen
+by the traveller, but occasionally felt, and remembered, for its name is
+highly descriptive.
+
+Both the animal and vegetable creation in Australia, are wholly
+different from those in every other part of the world.
+
+To show that the existence of a thing was not believed in, it was
+compared to a _black swan_, but in New Holland we find black swans, and
+blue frogs; red lobsters, and blue crabs; flying opossums, and beasts
+with bills like ducks; fish that hop about on dry land, and quadrupeds
+that lay eggs.
+
+The quadrupeds hitherto discovered, with very few exceptions, are all of
+the kangaroo or opossum tribe; having their hinder legs long, out of all
+proportion when compared with the length of the fore legs, and a sack
+under the belly of the female for the reception of the young.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+They have kangaroo rats, and dogs of the jackal kind, all exactly alike;
+and a little animal of the bear tribe, named the wombat, but the
+largest quadruped at present discovered is the kangaroo.
+
+These pretty nearly complete the catalogue of four-footed animals yet
+known on this vast island.
+
+There is, however, an animal which resembles nothing in the creation but
+itself, and which neither belongs to beast, bird or fish.
+
+This animal is called the Duck-billed Platypus.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Of all the quadrupeds yet known, this seems the most extraordinary in
+its conformation; exhibiting the perfect semblance of the beak of a duck
+on the head of a quadruped.
+
+The head is flattish, and rather small than large; the mouth or snout so
+exactly resembles that of some broad-billed species of duck, that it
+might be mistaken for one.
+
+The birds and fish are no less singular than the beasts. There is a
+singular fish, which when left uncovered by the ebbing of the tide,
+leaps about like the grasshopper, by means of strong fins.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The Moenura Superba, with its scalloped tail feathers, is perhaps the
+most singular and beautiful of that elegant race of bird, known by the
+name of Birds of Paradise.
+
+Cockatoos, Parrots, and Parroquets, are innumerable, and of great
+variety.
+
+The Nonpareil Parrot is perhaps the most beautiful bird of the parrot
+tribe in the whole world.
+
+The Mountain Eagle is a magnificent creature; but the Emu, or New
+Holland Cassowary, is perhaps the tallest and loftiest bird that exists.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The capital of the colony, and the seat of the colonial Government is
+Sydney. The Town of Sydney is beautifully situated in Sydney Cove, which
+I told you is one of the romantic inlets of Port Jackson, about seven
+miles from the entrance of the harbour. The headlands at the mouth of
+the harbour form one of the grandest features in the natural scenery of
+the country.
+
+It is not, however, a distant or cursory glance that will give you a
+just idea of the importance of this busy capital.
+
+In order to form a just estimation of it, you should take a boat and
+proceed from Sydney Cove to Darling Harbour, you will then see the whole
+extent of the eastern shore of the latter capacious basin equally
+crowded with warehouses, stores, dock-yards, mills, and wharfs; the
+store-houses built on the most magnificent scale, and with the best and
+most substantial materials. The population of Sydney is supposed now to
+exceed 10,000 persons.
+
+The second town in the colony is Paramatta. It is distant about fourteen
+miles from Sydney, being pleasantly situated at the head of one of the
+navigable arms of Port Jackson. It contains nearly 5,000 inhabitants.
+The other towns in the colony, are Windsor, Liverpool, Campbell Town,
+Newcastle and Maitland. The last will doubtless ere long be the second
+in the colony, as it is situated at the head of the navigation of
+Hunter's river.
+
+Very fine roads have been formed in Australia, particularly one leading
+across the Blue mountains to Bathurst, on the western side of that
+range, which is 180 miles from Sydney.
+
+The openness of the country around Bathurst is more favourable for
+hunting and shooting than most other parts of the colony.
+
+The Kangaroo and the Emu are both hunted with dogs; they are both feeble
+animals, but they are not altogether destitute of the means of defence.
+
+In addition to swiftness of foot, the Emu has a great muscular power in
+his long iron limbs, and can give an awkward blow to his pursuer, by
+striking out at him behind, like a young horse, while the Kangaroo, when
+brought to bay by the dogs, rests himself on his strong muscular tail,
+seizes the dog with his little hands or fore-feet, and thrusts at him
+with one of his hind feet, which is armed for that purpose with a single
+sharp-pointed hoof, and perhaps lay his side completely open.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When hotly pursued, the kangaroo sometimes takes to the water, where, if
+he happen to be followed by a dog, he has a singular advantage over all
+other quadrupeds of his own size, from his being able to stand erect in
+pretty deep water.
+
+In this position he waits for the dog, and when the latter comes close
+up to him, he seizes him with his fore-feet and presses him under water
+till he is drowned.
+
+The Bustard, or native turkey, is occasionally shot in the Bathurst
+country. It sometimes weighs eighteen pounds, and is different from the
+common turkey, in the flesh of the legs being white, while that of the
+breast is dark-coloured.
+
+Among the natives the old men have alone the privilege of eating the
+Emu, and married people only are permitted to eat ducks.
+
+The natives suffer no animal, however small, to escape them.
+
+One of the blacks being anxious to get an Opossum out of a dead tree,
+every branch of which was hollow, asked for a tomahawk, with which he
+cut a hole in the trunk above where he thought the animal lay concealed.
+He found, however, that he had cut too low, and that it had run higher
+up. This made it necessary to smoke it out; he accordingly got some dry
+grass, and having set fire to it, stuffed it into the hole he had cut.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A raging fire soon kindled in the tree, where the current of air was
+great, and dense columns of smoke issued from the end of each branch as
+thick as that from the chimney of a steam-engine.
+
+The shell of the tree was so thin, that I thought it would soon be
+burnt through, and that the tree would fall; but the black had no such
+fears, and, ascending to the highest branch, he waited anxiously for the
+poor little wretch he had thus surrounded with dangers, and devoted to
+destruction; and no sooner did it appear half singed and half roasted,
+than he seized upon it and threw it down to us with an air of triumph.
+The effect of the scene, in so lonely a forest, was very fine. The
+roaring of the fire in the tree, the fearless attitude of the savage,
+and the associations which his colour and appearance called up,
+enveloped as he was in smoke, were singular, and still dwell in my
+recollection. He had not long left the tree, when it fell with a
+tremendous crash, and was, when we next passed that way, a mere heap of
+ashes.
+
+The territory of the colony has been divided into ten counties, named as
+follows:--Cumberland, Camden, Argyll, Westmoreland, Londonderry,
+Boxburgh, Northumberland, Durham, Ayr, and Cambridge.
+
+I will now give you a short account of Van Diemen's Land.
+
+This fair and fertile island lies, as I have told you, at the southern
+extremity of New Holland, from which it is separated by Bass' Straits.
+
+Its medial length from north to south is about 185 miles, and its
+breadth from east to west is 166 miles.
+
+Its surface possesses every variety of mountain, hill, and dale; of
+forests and open meadows; of inland lakes, rivers and inlets of the sea,
+forming safe and commodious harbours; and every natural requisite that
+can render a country valuable or agreeable.
+
+It enjoys a temperate climate, which is perhaps not very different from
+that of England, though less subject to violent changes.
+
+The island is intersected by two fine rivers, rising near the centre;
+the one named the Tamar, falling into Bass' Straits, on the north, and
+forming Port Dalrymple; the other the Derwent, which discharges itself
+into the sea, on the south-eastern extremity. Hobart Town, the capital,
+is situated on the right bank of the Derwent, about five miles from the
+sea.
+
+The natives of Van Diemen's Land are described by all the navigators, as
+a mild, affable, good-humoured and inoffensive race.
+
+Though they are obviously the same race of people as those of New
+Holland, and go entirely naked, both men and women, yet their language
+is altogether different.
+
+The British settlements in Australia are both numerous and important.
+The oldest, most extensive, and valuable, was founded, as we have shewn
+already, at Sydney. The island of Tasmania was next occupied; within the
+last few years we have established the colonies of Port Phillip,
+Melbourne, Victoria, Cooksland, and others. The progress of these
+settlements has been rapid.
+
+An extraordinary increase to emigration to Australia was given by the
+discovery of the Gold Regions.
+
+For many years reports had been current that the Australian Alps and the
+Snowy Mountains were full of gold, but it was not till after the
+Californian discoveries that any was found in Australia.
+
+Two shepherds were the first persons who found any gold, and for a long
+time they successfully concealed the source from which they obtained it;
+but being watched, their secret was discovered, and the news spread like
+wild-fire over the colony. Everybody was mad to go gold hunting;
+shepherds forsook their flocks; traders closed their stores; sailors ran
+away from their ships; servants threw up their situations; everybody was
+mad to visit this newly-discovered Tom Tiddler's ground, to pick up gold
+and silver. A groom informed his master, in one instance, that he would
+stop with him, as he had been in the family for five years, for a guinea
+a day, if it would be any convenience to him. Another family was left
+with only a boy of sixteen to attend them, and his stipulations
+were--two pounds a week, and wine to his dinner! In one year the
+population of Melbourne rose from 23,000 to 85,000 inhabitants; the town
+of Geelong trebled its numbers; perhaps never in the whole history of
+the world had there been so extraordinary an emigration.
+
+As a monument of the golden wealth of Australia, there is in the
+International Exhibition a wooden obelisk dead gilt on the outside. This
+column is nearly seventy feet high, and some ten feet square at the
+base. It represents exactly the bulk of gold which Australia has sent to
+this country since 1851, and which in all amounts to nearly 800 tons.
+Valuing the precious metal at its ascertainable worth, it appears that
+gold to the value of upwards of £15,000 sterling was dug from the bowels
+of the earth, washed from the sand of the rivers, or discovered by
+fortunate diggers in various parts of Australia in a single year.
+
+The interior of Australia is still comparatively unknown. Last year an
+expedition was undertaken to discover a way across the Continent, and
+entrusted to a vigilant and enterprising commander named Burke. Although
+a certain amount of success attended the object of the expedition, the
+fate of Burke and his immediate companions was most deplorable. They
+perished by starvation!
+
+
+
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+I have now told you all that my present limits will admit, of those
+interesting portions of the globe, called America and Australia, and I
+wish you to read again all that I have said, and I wish you also to view
+the inhuman conduct of the first discoverers of the former with proper
+feelings of aversion. If you have read an account of William Penn's
+first colony of Pennsylvania, you will see that his was the only just
+way of establishing himself among the Indians. You must rejoice within
+yourselves on this occasion, that they were not Englishmen who practised
+these acts of cruelty and treachery towards the unoffending Mexicans and
+Peruvians. The workings of Providence are full of mystery, and I cannot
+help thinking that the state of anarchy and civil war in which Spain and
+Portugal are now and ever have been engaged, is an act of retribution
+awarded to their barbarity in the great scheme of God's providence.
+
+It makes one blush for the sake of Christianity, to think that the
+perpetrators of the outrages upon the original possessors of the
+Americas were persons professing that sublime religion,--and that in the
+midst of their slaughter and plunder, they impiously held forth the
+cross of Christ. The confiding but dignified nature of the idolatrous
+Mexicans, did much more honour to the purity of the Christian religion
+than did the base treachery of their invaders, who professed Christ but
+knew him not.
+
+Had they by mildness, perseverance, and reason convinced the inhabitants
+of the truth of the Christian religion, they might have become faithful
+converts, but it was unreasonable to expect that they should cast off
+the religion which their forefathers had professed, for a religion which
+they knew not at all, and the professors of which came with the sword to
+deprive them of their lives and their property.
+
+I wish you, my young friends, to weigh all these circumstances whenever
+you read. It will impress the different subjects more thoroughly upon
+your memory; and if your minds be properly constituted, it will
+cultivate the good and eradicate the bad. I will again ask you to read
+this book a second time, and refer occasionally to the maps. And now
+good-bye!
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+Billing, Printer and Stereotyper, Guildford, Surrey.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER PARLEY'S TALES ABOUT AMERICA
+AND AUSTRALIA***
+
+
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+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Peter Parley's Tales About America and
+Australia, by Samuel Griswold Goodrich, Edited by Rev. T. Wilson,
+Illustrated by S. Williams</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Peter Parley's Tales About America and Australia</p>
+<p>Author: Samuel Griswold Goodrich</p>
+<p>Editor: Rev. T. Wilson</p>
+<p>Release Date: October 17, 2005  [eBook #16891]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER PARLEY'S TALES ABOUT AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h4>E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Janet Blenkinship,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net)<br />
+    from images generously made available by the University of Florida<br />
+    and the Internet Archive/Children's Library</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;" cellpadding="10">
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">
+      Note:
+    </td>
+    <td>
+          Images of the original pages are available through the Florida
+	      Board of Education, Division of Colleges and Universities,
+	      PALMM Project, 2001. (Preservation and Access for American and
+	      British Children's Literature, 1850-1869.) See<br />
+	      <a href="http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&amp;idno=UF00003253&amp;format=jpg">
+	      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&amp;idno=UF00003253&amp;format=jpg</a>
+	      <br />
+	      or<br />
+	      <a href="http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&amp;idno=UF00003253&amp;format=pdf">
+	      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&amp;idno=UF00003253&amp;format=pdf</a>
+	</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><a name="Page_-3" id="Page_-3"></a></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1>TALES</h1>
+
+<h3>ABOUT</h3>
+
+<h1>AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA.</h1>
+
+
+<h4>BY</h4>
+
+<h2>PETER PARLEY.</h2>
+
+
+<h4>A New Edition,</h4>
+
+<h4>BROUGHT DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME.</h4>
+
+
+<h4>REVISED BY</h4>
+
+<h3>THE REV. T. WILSON.</h3>
+
+
+<h4>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY S. WILLIAMS.</h4>
+
+
+<p class='center'>LONDON:<br />
+DARTON AND HODGE, HOLBORN HILL.<br />
+1862.
+</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_-2" id="Page_-2"></a></p><p><a name="Page_-1" id="Page_-1"></a></p>
+<h3>CONTENTS.</h3>
+
+
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="80%" cellspacing="0" summary="CONTENTS">
+<tr><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>PAGE</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>I.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS HOW AMERICA WAS FIRST DISCOVERED,</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>AND ABOUT COLUMBUS</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_1'><b>1</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>II.&mdash;PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_12'><b>12</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>III.&mdash;COLUMBUS SETS SAIL TO RETURN TO SPAIN; ENCOUNTERS</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>A DREADFUL STORM</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_21'><b>21</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>IV.&mdash;COLUMBUS PREPARES FOR ANOTHER VOYAGE</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_35'><b>35</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>VI.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>CONTINENT OF AMERICA</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_45'><b>45</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>V.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS ROBBED OF THE</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>HONOUR OF GIVING HIS NAME TO AMERICA</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_59'><b>59</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>VI.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS SHIPWRECKED,</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>AND OF HIS DEATH</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_65'><b>65</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>VII.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS OF OVANDO'S CRUEL TREATMENT OF</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>ANACAONA, THE PRINCESS OF HAYTI</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_73'><b>73</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><a name="Page_0" id="Page_0"></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>VIII.&mdash;PARLEY DESCRIBES THE TREES, THE PLANTS, AND</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>FLOWERS OF THE NEW WORLD</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_79'><b>79</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>IX.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_96'><b>96</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>X.&mdash;PARLEY RELATES HOW PIZARRO DISCOVERED AND</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>CONQUERED PERU</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_121'><b>121</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XI.&mdash;PARLEY DESCRIBES THE BEAUTIES OF AMERICA</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_133'><b>133</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XII.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS OF THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY IN</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>AMERICA</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_141'><b>141</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XIII.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS OF THE ORIGINAL NATIVE AMERICANS</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_150'><b>150</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XIV.&mdash;PARLEY SHOWS HOW THE UNITED STATES AROSE, AND</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>WHAT FOLLOWED THEIR ESTABLISHMENT</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_165'><b>165</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XV.&mdash;PARLEY TELLS ABOUT NEW SOUTH WALES</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_176'><b>176</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XVI.&mdash;PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS OF AUSTRALIA&mdash;THE</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>BRITISH SETTLEMENTS&mdash;THE GOLD REGIONS&mdash;RECENT</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>EXPLORATIONS</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_185'><b>185</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XVII.&mdash;CONCLUSION</td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_207'><b>207</b></a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+
+<p><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1"></a><br /></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS HOW AMERICA WAS FIRST DISCOVERED, AND ABOUT COLUMBUS THE
+DISCOVERER.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Now that I have given you an account of European cities in my "Tales
+about Europe," I shall now furnish you with some description of America,
+with its flourishing cities, and its multitude of ships, its fertile
+fields, its mighty rivers, its vast forests, and its millions of happy
+and industrious inhabitants, of which I am quite certain you must be
+very curious to know something, when you are told that though the world
+has been <a name="Page_2" id="Page_2"></a>created nearly six thousand years, and many powerful nations
+have flourished and decayed, and are now scarcely remembered, yet it is
+only three hundred and seventy years ago since it was known that such a
+country as America existed.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="images/map.jpg"><img src="images/map-tb.jpg" alt="Map of the Americas" title="Map of the Americas" /></a></div>
+
+<p>It was in the year 1492, which you know is only 370 years since, on the
+third of August, a little before sunrise, that Christopher Columbus,
+undertaking the boldest enterprise that human genius ever conceived, or
+human talent and fortitude ever accomplished, set sail from Spain, for
+the discovery of the Western World.</p>
+
+<p>I will now give you a short account of Columbus, who was one of the
+greatest men the world ever produced. He was born in the city of Genoa,
+in Italy; his family were almost all sailors, and he was brought up for
+a sailor also, and after being taught geography and various other things
+necessary for a sea captain to know, he was sent on board ship at the
+age of fourteen. Columbus was tall, muscular, and of a commanding
+aspect; his hair, light in youth, turned prematurely grey, <a name="Page_3" id="Page_3"></a>and ere he
+reached the age of thirty was white as snow.</p>
+
+<p>His first voyages were short ones, but after several years, desiring to
+see and learn more of distant countries, and thinking there were still
+new ones to be discovered, he went into the service of the King of
+Portugal and made many voyages to the western coast of Africa, and to
+the Canaries, and the Madeiras, and the Azores, islands lying off that
+coast, which were then the most westerly lands known to Europeans.</p>
+
+<p>In his visits to these parts, one person informed him that his ship,
+sailing out farther to the west than usual, had picked up out of the sea
+a piece of wood curiously carved, and that very thick canes, like those
+which travellers had found in India, had been seen floating on the
+waves; also that great trees, torn up by the roots, had often been cast
+on shore, and once two dead bodies of men, with strange features,
+neither like Europeans nor Africans, were driven on the coast of the
+Azores.</p>
+
+<p>All these stories set Columbus thinking <a name="Page_4" id="Page_4"></a>and considering that these
+strange things had come drifting over the sea from the west, he looked
+upon them as tokens sent from some unknown countries lying far distant
+in that quarter: he was therefore eager to sail away and explore, but as
+he had not money enough himself to fit out ships and hire sailors, he
+determined to go and try to persuade some king or some state to be at
+the expense of the trial.</p>
+
+<p>First he went to his own countrymen the Genoese, but they would have
+nothing to say to him: he then submitted his plan to the Portuguese, but
+the King of Portugal, pretending to listen to him, got from him his
+plan, and perfidiously attempted to rob him of the honour of
+accomplishing it, by sending another person to pursue the same track
+which he had proposed.</p>
+
+<p>The person they so basely employed did not succeed, but returned to
+Lisbon, execrating a plan he had not abilities to execute.</p>
+
+<p>On discovering this treachery, Columbus quitted the kingdom in disgust
+and set out for Spain, to King Ferdinand and Queen<a name="Page_5" id="Page_5"></a> Isabella. He was now
+so poor that he was frequently obliged to beg as he went along.</p>
+
+<p>About half a league from Palos, a sea-port of Andalusia in Spain, on a
+solitary height, overlooking the sea-coast, and surrounded by a forest
+of pines, there stood, and now stands at the present day, an ancient
+convent of Franciscan friars.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig005.jpg" alt="Franciscan friars" title="Franciscan friars" /></div>
+
+<p>A stranger, travelling on foot, accompanied by a young boy, stopped one
+day at the <a name="Page_6" id="Page_6"></a>gate of the convent, and asked of the porter a little bread
+and water for his child.&mdash;That stranger was Columbus, accompanied by his
+son Diego.</p>
+
+<p>While receiving this humble refreshment, the guardian of the convent,
+Friar Juan Perez, happening to pass, was taken with the appearance of
+the stranger, and being an intelligent man and acquainted with
+geographical science, he became interested with the conversation of
+Columbus, and was so struck with the grandeur of his project that he
+detained him as his guest and invited a friend of his, Martin Alonzo
+Pinzon, a resident of the town of Palos, to come and hear Columbus
+explain his plan.</p>
+
+<p>Pinzon was one of the most intelligent sea captains of the day, and a
+distinguished navigator. He not only approved of his project, but
+offered to engage in it, and to assist him.</p>
+
+<p>Juan Perez now advised Columbus to repair to court. Pinzon generously
+furnished him with the money for the journey, and the friar kindly took
+charge of his youthful <a name="Page_7" id="Page_7"></a>son Diego, to maintain and educate him in the
+convent, which I am sure you will think was the greatest kindness he
+could have done him at that time.</p>
+
+<p>Ferdinand and Isabella gave him hopes and promises, then they made
+difficulties and objections, and would do nothing. At last, after
+waiting five years, he was just setting off for England, where he had
+previously sent his brother Bartholomew, when he was induced to wait a
+little longer in Spain.</p>
+
+<p>This little longer was two years, but then at last he had his reward,
+for queen Isabella stood his friend, and even offered to part with her
+own jewels in order to raise money to enable him to make preparations
+for the voyage, so that he contrived to fit out three very small vessels
+which altogether carried but one hundred and twenty men.</p>
+
+<p>Two of the vessels were light <i>barques</i>, or barges built high at the
+prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins for the crew, but were
+without deck in the centre; only one of the three, the Santa Maria, was
+completely decked; on board of this, Columbus hoisted <a name="Page_8" id="Page_8"></a>his flag. Martin
+Alonzo Pinzon commanded the Pinta, and his brother, Vincente Yanez
+Pinzon, the Nina. He set sail in the sight of a vast crowd, all praying
+for the success, but never expecting and scarcely hoping to see either
+him or any of his crews again.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus first made sail for the Canaries, where he repaired his
+vessels: then taking leave of these islands, he steered his course due
+west, across the great Atlantic ocean, where never ship had ploughed the
+waves before.</p>
+
+<p>No sooner had they lost sight of land than the sailors' hearts began to
+fail them, and they bewailed themselves like men condemned to die: but
+Columbus cheered them with the hopes of the rich countries they were to
+discover.</p>
+
+<p>After awhile they came within those regions where the trade-wind, as it
+is called, blows constantly from east to west without changing, which
+carried them on at a vast rate; but he judiciously concealed from his
+ignorant and timid crews the progress he made, lest they might be
+alarmed at the speed <a name="Page_9" id="Page_9"></a>with which they were receding from home. After
+some time, they found the sea covered with weeds, as thick as a meadow
+with grass, and the sailors fancied that they should soon be stuck
+fast,&mdash;that they had reached the end of the navigable ocean, and that
+some strange thing would befal them.</p>
+
+<p>Still, however, Columbus cheered them on, and the sight of a flock of
+birds encouraged them: but when they had been three weeks at sea and no
+land appeared, they grew desperate with fear, and plotted among
+themselves to force their commander to turn back again, lest all their
+provisions should be spent, or, if he refused, to throw him overboard.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus, however, made them a speech which had such an effect upon them
+that they became tolerably quiet for a week longer; they then grew so
+violent again that at last he was obliged to promise them that if they
+did not see land in three days, he would consent to give it up and sail
+home again.</p>
+
+<p>But he was now almost sure that land <a name="Page_10" id="Page_10"></a>was not far off: the sea grew
+shallower, and early every morning flocks of land birds began to flutter
+around them, and these all left the ship in the evening, as if to roost
+on shore. One of the vessels had picked up a cane newly cut, and another
+a branch covered with fresh red berries; and the air blew softer and
+warmer, and the wind began to vary.</p>
+
+<p>That very night, Columbus ordered the sails to be taken in, and strict
+watch to be kept, in all the ships, for fear of running aground; he and
+all his men remained standing on the deck, looking out eagerly: at
+length he spied a distant light; he showed it to two of his officers,
+and they all plainly perceived it moving, as if carried backwards and
+forwards, from house to house.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after the cry of "<i>Land! land!</i>" was heard from the foremost ship,
+and, at dawn of day, they plainly saw a beautiful island, green and
+woody, and watered with many pleasant streams, lying stretched before
+them.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the sun rose, the boats of the vessel were lowered and
+manned, and Colum<a name="Page_11" id="Page_11"></a>bus, in a rich and splendid dress of scarlet, entered
+the principal one. They then rowed towards the island, with their
+colours displayed, and warlike music, and other martial pomp.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig011.jpg" alt="Columbus was the first to leap on shore" title="Columbus was the first to leap on shore" /></div>
+
+<p>Columbus was the first to leap on shore, to kiss the earth, and to thank
+God on his knees: his men followed, and throwing themselves at his feet
+they all thanked him for leading them thither, and begged his
+forgiveness for their disrespectful and unruly behaviour.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS.</h4>
+
+
+<p>The poor inhabitants, a simple and innocent people, with copper-coloured
+skins and long black hair, not curled, like the negroes, but floating on
+their shoulders, or bound in tresses round their heads, came flocking
+down to the beach and stood gazing in silent admiration.</p>
+
+<p>The dress of the Spaniards, the whiteness of their skins, their beards,
+their arms, and the vast machines that seemed to move upon the waters
+with wings, which they supposed had, during the night, risen out of the
+sea, or come down from the clouds; the sound and flash of the guns,
+which they mistook for thunder and lightning: all these things appeared
+to them strange and surprising; <a name="Page_13" id="Page_13"></a>they considered the Spaniards as
+children of the sun, and paid homage to them as gods.</p>
+
+<p>The Europeans were hardly less amazed at the scene now before them.
+Every herb, and shrub, and tree, differed from those which flourished in
+Europe: the inhabitants appeared in the simple innocence of nature,
+entirely naked; their features were singular, but not disagreeable, and
+their manners gentle and timid.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig013.jpg" alt="Columbus taking formal possession" title="Columbus taking formal possession" /></div>
+
+<p>The first act of Columbus was to take solemn and formal possession of
+the country <a name="Page_14" id="Page_14"></a>in the name of his sovereign; this was done by planting the
+Spanish flag on the coast, and other ceremonies, which the poor natives
+looked upon with wonder, but could not understand.</p>
+
+<p>Nor could there be an act of greater cruelty and injustice; for the
+Spaniards could not have any right to drive these gentle and peaceful
+inhabitants (as they afterwards did) from their peaceful abodes, which
+had been theirs and their fathers before them, perhaps for thousands of
+years, and in the end, utterly to destroy them, and take their land for
+themselves.</p>
+
+<p>After performing this ceremony, of which Columbus himself could not
+foresee the consequences to the Indians, for he was very kind to them,
+he made them presents of trinkets and other trifles, with which they
+were greatly delighted, and brought him in return the fruits of their
+fields and groves, and a sort of bread called cassada, made from the
+root of the yuca; with whatever else their own simple mode of life might
+afford.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15"></a>Columbus then returned to his ship, accompanied by many of the
+islanders in their boats, which they called canoes; these simple and
+undiscerning children of nature having no foresight of the calamities
+and desolation which awaited their country.</p>
+
+<p>This island was called by the natives Guanahini, and by the Spaniards
+St. Salvador: it is one of that cluster of West India Islands called the
+Bahamas, and if you look on the map you will see that it is the very
+first island that would present itself to a ship sailing direct from
+Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus did not continue his voyage for some days, as he wished to give
+all his sailors an opportunity of landing and seeing the wonders of the
+new-discovered world, and to take in a fresh supply of water, in which
+they were cheerfully assisted by the natives, who took them to the
+clearest springs and the sweetest and freshest streams, filling their
+casks and rolling them to the boats, and seeking in every way to gratify
+(as they believed) their celestial visitors.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus having thus refreshed his crews, <a name="Page_16" id="Page_16"></a>and supplied his ships with
+water, proceeded on his voyage. After visiting several smaller islands
+he discovered a large island which the natives called Cuba, and which
+still retains that name. This was so large an island that he at first
+thought it to be a new continent.</p>
+
+<p>In proceeding along the coast, having observed that most of the people
+whom he had seen wore small plates of gold by way of ornament in their
+noses, he eagerly inquired, by signs, where they got that precious
+metal.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians, as much astonished at his eagerness in quest of gold as the
+Europeans were at their ignorance and simplicity, pointed towards the
+east, to an island which they called Hayti, in which this metal was more
+abundant.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus ordered his squadron to bend their course thither, but Martin
+Alonzo Pinzon, impatient to be the first who should take possession of
+the treasure which this country was supposed to contain, quitted his
+companions with his ship, the Pinta, and <a name="Page_17" id="Page_17"></a>though Columbus made signals
+to slacken sail, he paid no regard to them.</p>
+
+<p>When they came in sight of Hayti, which you will see was no great
+distance, if you look on the map, Columbus having had no sleep the night
+before, had gone to his cabin to lie down and rest himself, having first
+given the charge of the vessel to an experienced sailor.</p>
+
+<p>This careless man, (this lazy lubber, the sailors would call him,)
+instead of performing his duty, and watching over the safety of the ship
+and the lives of his companions, which were entrusted to him, deserted
+his post and went to sleep, leaving the vessel to the management of a
+young and thoughtless boy.</p>
+
+<p>The rapid currents which prevail on that coast soon carried the vessel
+on a shoal, and Columbus was roused from his sleep by the striking of
+the ship and the cries of the terrified boy.</p>
+
+<p>They first endeavoured, by taking out an anchor, to warp the vessel off,
+but the strength of the current was more than a <a name="Page_18" id="Page_18"></a>match for them, and the
+vessel was driven farther and farther on the shoal; they then cut away
+the mast and took out some of the stores to lighten her; but all their
+efforts were vain.</p>
+
+<p>Before sunset the next evening the vessel was a complete wreck.
+Fortunately the Nina was close at hand, and the shipwrecked mariners got
+on board of her; the inhabitants of the island came in their canoes and
+assisted them in preserving part of their stores.</p>
+
+<p>They found Hayti a very beautiful island, and were treated with the
+greatest kindness by the inhabitants; but, though delighted with the
+beauty of the scenes which everywhere presented themselves, and amazed
+at the luxuriance and fertility of the soil, Columbus did not find gold
+in such quantities as was sufficient to satisfy the avarice of his
+followers; he was nevertheless anxious to prolong his voyage, and
+explore those magnificent regions which seemed to invite them on every
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>But as the Pinta had never joined them again after parting from them, he
+had no <a name="Page_19" id="Page_19"></a>vessel now left but the Nina; he did not therefore think it
+prudent to pursue his discoveries with one small vessel, and that a very
+crazy one, lest, if any accident should befal it, he might be left
+without the means of returning to Europe, and both the glory and benefit
+of his great discoveries might be lost; so he determined to prepare for
+his return.</p>
+
+<p>But as it was impossible for so small a vessel as the Nina to contain
+the crew of the ship that was wrecked in addition to its own, Columbus
+was greatly perplexed what to do.</p>
+
+<p>Many of his men were so delighted with the island and its inhabitants,
+that they begged of him to let them remain there, and Columbus consented
+to leave forty of them on the island, while he and the remainder made
+the voyage back.</p>
+
+<p>He promised to return to them speedily. He now built them a fort with
+the timber of the wreck, and fortified it with the guns of the Santa
+Maria, and did every thing in his power to provide for their comfort
+<a name="Page_20" id="Page_20"></a>during his absence, particularly enjoining them to be kind and peaceful
+towards the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>This was the first colony of Europeans that settled in the new world,
+and Columbus gave it the name of Navidad.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig020.jpg" alt="Palm tree" title="Palm tree" /></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+
+<h4>COLUMBUS SETS SAIL TO RETURN TO SPAIN, AND ENCOUNTERS A DREADFUL STORM.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Having obtained a certain quantity of the precious metals, and other
+curious productions of the countries he had discovered, he set sail to
+recross the wide Atlantic Ocean.</p>
+
+<p>It was the second day after they had left the island that they saw a
+sail at a distance, which proved to be the Pinta.</p>
+
+<p>On joining the admiral, Pinzon made many excuses and endeavoured to
+account for his desertion, saying he had been separated by stress of
+weather. Columbus admitted his excuse, but he ascertained afterwards
+that Pinzon parted company intentionally, and had steered directly east
+in quest of a region <a name="Page_22" id="Page_22"></a>where the Indians had assured him that he would
+find gold in abundance.</p>
+
+<p>They had guided him to Hayti, where he had been for some time, in a
+river about fifteen leagues from the part of the coast where Columbus
+had been wrecked.</p>
+
+<p>He had collected a large quantity of gold by trading with the natives,
+and on leaving the river he had carried off four Indian men and two
+girls to be sold in Spain.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig022.jpg" alt="Columbus carries off natives" title="Columbus carries off natives" /></div>
+
+<p>Columbus immediately sailed back for this river, and ordered the four
+men and two girls <a name="Page_23" id="Page_23"></a>to be dismissed well clothed and with many presents,
+to atone for the wrong they had experienced. This resolution was not
+carried into effect without great unwillingness and many angry words on
+the part of Pinzon.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus, being now joined by the Pinta, thought he might pursue his
+discoveries a little further, and on leaving this part of the coast he
+took with him four young Indians to guide him to the Carribean Islands,
+of which they gave him a very interesting account, as well as of another
+island said to be inhabited by Amazons.</p>
+
+<p>A favourable breeze, however, sprang up for the voyage homewards, and
+seeing gloom and impatience in the countenances of his men, he gave up
+his intention of visiting these islands, and made all sail for Spain,
+the young Indians having consented to accompany him that they might
+learn the Spanish language, and be his guides and interpreters when they
+should return.</p>
+
+<p>His voyage homeward was much more tedious; for those trade winds which
+had wafted him so rapidly westward, across the<a name="Page_24" id="Page_24"></a> Atlantic, still blew
+from east to west, and Columbus did not then know that their influence
+only extends to a certain distance on each side of the Equator, so that
+if he had sailed a little farther north, on his return, he would very
+likely have met with a south-west wind, which was just what he wanted.</p>
+
+<p>On the 12th of February they had made such progress as led them to hope
+they should soon see land. The wind now came on to blow violently; on
+the following evening there were three flashes of lightning in the
+north-east, from which signs Columbus predicted an approaching tempest.</p>
+
+<p>It soon burst upon them with frightful violence. Their small and crazy
+vessels were little fitted for the wild storms of the Atlantic; all
+night they were obliged to scud under bare poles, at the mercy of the
+elements; as the morning dawned there was a transient pause and they
+made a little sail, but the wind rose with redoubled fury from the south
+and increased in the night, threatening each moment to overwhelm them or
+dash them to pieces.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25"></a>The admiral made signal-lights for the Pinta to keep in company, but
+she was separated by the violence of the storm, and her lights gleamed
+more and more distant till they ceased entirely.</p>
+
+<p>When the day dawned the sea presented a frightful waste of wild and
+broken waves. Columbus looked round anxiously for the Pinta, but she was
+nowhere to be seen, and he became apprehensive that Pinzon had borne
+away for Spain, that he might reach it before him, and by giving the
+first account of his discoveries, deprive him of his fame.</p>
+
+<p>Through a dreary day the helpless bark was driven along by the tempest.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing all human skill baffled and confounded, Columbus endeavoured to
+propitiate heaven by solemn vows, and various private vows were made by
+the seamen. The heavens, however, seemed deaf to their vows: the storm
+grew still more furious, and every one gave himself up for lost.</p>
+
+<p>During this long and awful conflict of the elements, the mind of
+Columbus was a prey to the most distressing anxiety.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26"></a>He was harassed by the repinings of his crew, who cursed the hour of
+their leaving their country.</p>
+
+<p>He was afflicted also with the thought of his two sons, who would be
+left destitute by his death.</p>
+
+<p>But he had another source of distress more intolerable than death
+itself. In case the Pinta should have foundered, as was highly probable,
+the history of his discovery would depend upon his own feeble bark. One
+surge of the ocean might bury it for ever in oblivion, and his name only
+be recorded as that of a desperate adventurer.</p>
+
+<p>At this crisis, when all was given up for lost, Columbus had presence of
+mind enough to retire to his cabin and to write upon parchment a short
+account of his voyage.</p>
+
+<p>This he wrapped in an oiled cloth, which he enclosed in a cake of wax,
+put it into a tight cask, and threw it into the sea, in hopes that some
+fortunate accident might preserve a deposit of so much importance to the
+world.</p>
+
+<p>But that being which had preserved him <a name="Page_27" id="Page_27"></a>through so many dangers still
+protected him; and happily these precautions were superfluous.</p>
+
+<p>At sunset there was a streak of clear sky in the west; the wind shifted
+to that quarter, and on the morning of the 15th of February they came in
+sight of land.</p>
+
+<p>The transports of the crew at once more beholding the old world, were
+almost equal to those they had experienced on discovering the new. This
+proved to be the island of St. Mary, the most southern of the Azores.</p>
+
+<p>After remaining here a few days, the wind proving favourable he again
+set sail, on the 24th of February.</p>
+
+<p>After two or three days of pleasant sailing, there was a renewal of
+tempestuous weather. About midnight of the 2nd of March the caravel was
+struck by a squall, which rent all her sails and threatened instant
+destruction. The crew were again reduced to despair, and made vows of
+fasting and pilgrimages.</p>
+
+<p>The storm raged through the succeeding day, during which, from various
+signs they <a name="Page_28" id="Page_28"></a>considered that land must be near. The turbulence of the
+following night was dreadful; the sea was broken, wild, and mountainous,
+the rain fell in torrents, and the lightning flashed and the thunder
+pealed from various parts of the heavens.</p>
+
+<p>In the first watch of this fearful night, the seamen gave the usual
+welcome cry of land&mdash;but it only increased their alarm, for they dreaded
+being driven on shore or dashed upon the rocks. Taking in sail,
+therefore, they endeavoured to keep to sea as much as possible. At
+day-break on the 4th of March they found themselves off the rock of
+Cintra at the mouth of the Tagus, which you know is the principal river
+of Portugal.</p>
+
+<p>Though distrustful of the Portuguese, he had no alternative but to run
+in for shelter. The inhabitants came off from various parts of the shore
+to congratulate him on what they deemed a miraculous preservation, for
+they had been watching the vessel the whole morning with great anxiety,
+and putting up prayers for her safety. The oldest mariners of the place
+assured him that they had never <a name="Page_29" id="Page_29"></a>during the whole course of their lives
+known so tempestuous a winter.</p>
+
+<p>Such were the difficulties and perils with which Columbus had to contend
+on his return to Europe. Had one tenth part of them beset his outward
+voyage, his factious crew would have risen in arms against the
+enterprise, and he never would have discovered the new world.</p>
+
+<p>The king of Portugal must have been greatly mortified when he heard of
+the arrival of Columbus and the wonderful discoveries he had made, for
+he could not but reflect that all the advantages of these discoveries
+might have belonged to him if he had not treated Columbus as he did.</p>
+
+<p>But notwithstanding the envy which it was natural for the Portuguese to
+feel, he was allowed to come to Lisbon, and was treated with all the
+marks of distinction due to a man who had performed things so
+extraordinary and unexpected. The king admitted him into his presence,
+and listened with admiration to the account which he gave of his voyage,
+while Columbus enjoyed the satis<a name="Page_30" id="Page_30"></a>faction of being able to prove the
+solidity of his schemes to those very persons who had with disgraceful
+ignorance rejected them as the projects of a visionary adventurer.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus was so impatient to return to Spain that he remained only five
+days in Lisbon. On the 15th of March he arrived at Palos, seven months
+and eleven days from the time when he set out from thence upon his
+voyage.</p>
+
+<p>When the prosperous issue of it was known, when they beheld the strange
+people, the unknown animals, and singular productions brought from the
+countries he had discovered, the joy was unbounded; all the bells were
+rung, the cannons were fired, and he was welcomed with all the
+acclamations which the people are ever ready to bestow on great and
+glorious characters. They flocked in crowds to the harbour to see him
+land, and nothing but Columbus and the New World, as the Spaniards
+called it, was talked of.</p>
+
+<p>He was desired by Ferdinand and Isabella in the most respectful terms to
+repair to <a name="Page_31" id="Page_31"></a>court, that they might receive from his own mouth, an account
+of his wonderful discoveries.</p>
+
+<p>On his arrival at Barcelona the king and queen received him clad in
+their royal robes, seated upon a throne, and surrounded by their nobles.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig031.jpg" alt="Columbus arrives at Barcelona" title="Columbus arrives at Barcelona" /></div>
+
+<p>When he approached, they commanded him to take his seat upon a chair
+prepared for him, and to give a circumstantial account of his voyage,
+which he related with a gravity suitable to the dignity of the audience
+<a name="Page_32" id="Page_32"></a>he addressed, and with that modesty which ever accompanies superior
+merit.</p>
+
+<p>Every mark of honour that gratitude or admiration could suggest, was
+conferred upon him; his family was ennobled, and, as a mark of
+particular favour, Isabella appointed his son Diego, the boy, who, you
+remember, had been left at the convent, page to prince Juan, the heir
+apparent, an honour only granted to sons of persons of distinguished
+rank.</p>
+
+<p>The king and queen, and, after their example, the courtiers treated him
+with all the respect paid to persons of the highest rank. Yet some of
+these courtiers were his bitterest enemies, and did every thing they
+could, in his absence, to poison the minds of the king and queen against
+him, and to cause his downfall.</p>
+
+<p>The favour shown Columbus by the sovereigns insured him for a time the
+caresses of the nobility, for in court every one is eager to lavish
+attentions upon the man "whom the king delighteth to honour."</p>
+
+<p>At one of the banquets which were given <a name="Page_33" id="Page_33"></a>him occured the well known
+circumstance of the egg.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig033.jpg" alt="A courtier challenges Columbus" title="A courtier challenges Columbus" /></div>
+
+<p>A shallow courtier present, impatient of the honours paid to Columbus,
+and meanly jealous of him as a foreigner, abruptly asked him, whether he
+thought that, in case he had not discovered the Indies, there would have
+been wanting men in Spain capable of the enterprise.</p>
+
+<p>To this Columbus made no direct reply but, taking an egg, invited the
+company to make it stand on one end. Every one <a name="Page_34" id="Page_34"></a>attempted it, but in
+vain; whereupon he struck it upon the table, broke one end, and left it
+standing on the broken part; illustrating, in this simple manner, that
+when he had once shown the way to the new world, nothing was easier than
+to follow it.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig034.jpg" alt="New World birds" title="New World birds" /></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+
+<h4>COLUMBUS PREPARES FOR ANOTHER VOYAGE.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Columbus was now anxious to set out on another voyage to proceed with
+his discoveries, and the king and queen gave orders that every thing
+should be done to further his wishes.</p>
+
+<p>By his exertions a fleet of seventeen sail, large and small, was soon in
+a state of forwardness; labourers and artificers of all kinds were
+engaged for the projected colonies, and an ample supply was provided of
+whatever was necessary for the cultivation of the soil, the working of
+the mines, and for traffic with the natives.</p>
+
+<p>He now found no difficulty in getting sailors to accompany him, and the
+account <a name="Page_36" id="Page_36"></a>he gave of the countries he had discovered, and particularly
+the intelligence that they abounded with gold, excited the avarice and
+rapacity of the Spaniards, and numbers of needy adventurers of ruined
+fortunes and desperate circumstances, were eager to share in the spoil.</p>
+
+<p>Many persons of distinction, thinking to become rich by the same means,
+also volunteered to enlist, and many got on board of the ships by
+stealth, so that about 1500 set sail in the fleet, though only a
+thousand were originally permitted to embark.</p>
+
+<p>The departure of Columbus on his second voyage presented a brilliant
+contrast to his gloomy embarkation at Palos.</p>
+
+<p>There were three large ships of heavy burden and fourteen smaller
+vessels, and the persons on board, instead of being regarded by the
+populace as devoted men, were looked upon with envy as favoured mortals,
+destined to golden regions and delightful climes, where nothing but
+wealth, and wonder, and enjoyment awaited them.</p>
+
+<p>At sunrise the whole fleet was under sail, <a name="Page_37" id="Page_37"></a>on the 13th of October he
+lost sight of the Island of Ferro, and, favoured by the trade winds, was
+borne pleasantly along, till, on the 2nd of November, a lofty island was
+descried to the west, to which he gave the name of Dominica, from having
+discovered it on the Lord's day.</p>
+
+<p>As the ships moved gently onward, other islands arose to sight, one
+after another, covered with forests and enlivened by the flight of
+parrots and other tropical birds, while the whole air was sweetened by
+the fragrance of the breezes which passed over them.</p>
+
+<p>In one of these islands, to which the Spaniards gave the name of
+Guadaloupe, they first met with the delicious fruit, the Anana or
+pine-apple.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus now sailed in the direction of Hayti, to which he had given the
+name of Hispaniola, where he shortly arrived.</p>
+
+<p>In passing along the coast he set on shore one of the young Indians who
+had been taken from that neighbourhood and had accompanied him to Spain.
+He dismissed <a name="Page_38" id="Page_38"></a>him finely apparelled, and loaded with trinkets, thinking
+he would impress his countrymen with favourable feelings towards the
+Spaniards, but he never heard anything of him afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>When he arrived on that part of the island where he had built the fort
+and taken leave of his companions, the evening growing dark, the land
+was hidden from their sight. Columbus watched for the dawn of day with
+the greatest anxiety; when at last the approach of the morning sun
+rendering the objects on shore visible, in the place where the fort had
+stood, nothing was to be seen. No human being was near, neither Indian
+nor European; he ordered a boat to be manned, and himself went, at the
+head of a party, to explore how things really were.</p>
+
+<p>The crew hastened to the place where the fortress had been erected; they
+found it burnt and demolished, the palisades beaten down, and the ground
+strewed with broken chests and fragments of European garments.</p>
+
+<p>The natives, at their approach, did not <a name="Page_39" id="Page_39"></a>welcome them as they expected,
+like friends, but fled and concealed themselves as if afraid to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus, at length, with some difficulty, by signs of peace and
+friendship, persuaded a few of them to come forth to him. From them he
+learned, that scarcely had he set sail for Spain, when all his counsels
+and commands faded from the minds of those who remained behind. Instead
+of cultivating the good-will of the natives, they endeavoured, by all
+kinds of wrongful means, to get possession of their golden ornaments and
+other articles of value, and seduce from them their wives and daughters,
+and had also quarrelled among themselves.</p>
+
+<p>The consequences of this bad conduct were what might have been expected:
+some died by sickness caused by intemperance, some fell in brawls
+between themselves about their ill-gotten spoil, and others were cut off
+by the Indians, whom they had so shamefully treated, and who afterwards
+pulled dawn and burnt their fort.</p>
+
+<p>The misfortunes which had befallen the<a name="Page_40" id="Page_40"></a> Spaniards in the vicinity of
+this harbour threw a gloom over the place, and it was considered by the
+superstitious mariners as under some baneful influence. The situation
+was low and unhealthy, and not capable of improvement; Columbus
+therefore determined to remove the settlement.</p>
+
+<p>With this view he made choice of a situation more healthy and commodious
+than that of Navidad, and having ordered the troops and the various
+persons to be employed in the colony to be immediately disembarked,
+together with the stores, ammunition, and all the cattle and live-stock,
+he traced out the plan of a town in a large plain near a spacious bay;
+and obliging every person to put his hand to the work, the houses were
+soon so far advanced as to afford them shelter, and forts were
+constructed for their defence.</p>
+
+<p>This rising city, the first that Europeans founded in the new world, he
+named Isabella, in honour of his patroness the Queen of Castile.</p>
+
+<p>As long as the Indians had any prospect <a name="Page_41" id="Page_41"></a>that their sufferings might
+terminate by the voluntary departure of the invaders, they submitted in
+silence, and dissembled their sorrow; but now that the Spaniards had
+built a town&mdash;now that they had dug up the ground and planted it with
+corn&mdash;it became apparent that they came not to visit the country, but to
+settle in it.</p>
+
+<p>They were themselves naturally so abstemious and their wants so few,
+that they were easily satisfied with the fruits of the island, which,
+with a handful of maize or a little of the insipid bread made of the
+cassava root, were sufficient for their support.</p>
+
+<p>But it was with difficulty they could afford subsistence for the new
+guests. The Spaniards, though considered an abstemious people, appeared
+to them excessively voracious. One Spaniard consumed as much as several
+Indians; this keenness of appetite appeared so insatiable, that they
+supposed the Spaniards had left their own country because it did not
+produce enough to gratify their immoderate appetites, and had come among
+them in quest of nourishment.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42"></a>Columbus having taken all the steps which he thought necessary to
+ensure the prosperity of his new colony, entrusted the command of the
+military force to Margaritta, and set sail with three vessels to extend
+his discoveries; but, after a long and tedious voyage, in which he
+endured every hardship, the most important discovery he made was the
+island of Jamaica.</p>
+
+<p>Having been absent much longer than he had expected, he returned to his
+new settlement, but the colonists had become refractory and
+unmanageable.</p>
+
+<p>No sooner had he left the island on his voyage of discovery, than the
+soldiers under Margaritta dispersed in straggling parties over the
+island, lived at discretion upon the natives, wasted their property, and
+treated that inoffensive race with the insolence of military oppression.</p>
+
+<p>During the absence of Columbus, several unfavourable accounts of his
+conduct had been transmitted to Spain, and these accusations gained such
+credit in that jealous court, that Aguado, a person in every way
+<a name="Page_43" id="Page_43"></a>unsuited for the purpose, was appointed to proceed to Hispaniola to
+observe the conduct of Columbus.</p>
+
+<p>This man listened with eagerness to every accusation of the discontented
+Spaniards, and fomented still further the spirit of dissension in the
+island.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus felt how humiliating it must be if he remained in the island
+with such a partial inspector to observe his motions and control his
+authority; he therefore took the resolution of returning to Spain, in
+order to lay a full account of his transactions before Ferdinand and
+Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>Having committed the government of the colony during his absence to Don
+Bartholomew, his brother, he appointed Roldan Chief Justice, a choice
+which afterwards caused great calamities to the colony.</p>
+
+<p>On his arrival in Spain, Columbus appeared at court with the confidence
+of a man, not only conscious of having done no wrong, but of having
+performed great services.</p>
+
+<p>Ferdinand and Isabella, ashamed of hav<a name="Page_44" id="Page_44"></a>ing listened to ill-founded
+accusations, received him with such marks of respect as silenced the
+calumnies of his enemies, and covered them with shame and confusion.</p>
+
+<p>The gold, the pearls, and other commodities of value which he had
+brought home, and the mines which he had found, fully proved the value
+and importance of his discoveries, though Columbus considered them only
+as preludes to future and more important acquisitions.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig044.jpg" alt="Storm tossed boats" title="Storm tossed boats" /></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS DISCOVERS THE CONTINENT OF AMERICA.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Columbus, having been furnished with six vessels of no great burden,
+departed on his third voyage. He touched at the Canaries and at the Cape
+de Verd islands; from the former he despatched three ships with a supply
+of provisions for the colony of Hispaniola; with the other three he
+continued his voyage to the south.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing remarkable occurred till they were within five degrees of the
+line; then they were becalmed, and the heat became so excessive, that
+the wine casks burst and their provisions were spoiled.</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards, who had never ventured <a name="Page_46" id="Page_46"></a>so far to the south, were afraid
+the ships would take fire, but they were relieved in some measure from
+their fear by a seasonable fall of rain.</p>
+
+<p>This, however, though so heavy and incessant that the men could hardly
+keep the deck, did not greatly mitigate the heat, and Columbus was at
+last constrained to yield to the importunities of his crew, and to alter
+his course to the north-west, in order to reach some of the Caribbee
+islands, where he might refit and be supplied with provisions.</p>
+
+<p>On the 1st of August, 1498, the man stationed at the round-top surprised
+them with the joyful cry of "Land!" They stood towards it, and
+discovered a considerable island, which the admiral called Trinidad, a
+name it still retains, and near it the mouth of a river, rolling towards
+the ocean such a vast body of water, and rushing into it with such
+impetuous force, that when it meets the tide, which on that coast rises
+to an uncommon height, their meeting occasions an extraordinary and
+dangerous swell of the waves.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47"></a>In this conflict, the irresistable torrent of the river so far
+prevails, that it freshens the ocean many leagues with its flood.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus, before he could perceive the danger, was entangled among these
+adverse currents and tempestuous waves; and it was with the utmost
+difficulty that he escaped through a narrow strait, which appeared so
+tremendous, that he called it "The Dragon's Mouth."</p>
+
+<p>As soon as his consternation permitted him to reflect on an appearance
+so extraordinary, he justly concluded that the land must be a part of
+some mighty continent, and not of an island, because all the springs
+that could rise, and all the rain that could fall on an island, could
+never, as he calculated, supply water enough to feed so prodigiously
+broad and deep a river; and he was right, the river was the Oronoko.</p>
+
+<p>Filled with this idea, he stood to the west, along the coast of those
+provinces which are now known by the name of Paria and Cumana. He landed
+in several places, and found the people to resemble those of<a name="Page_48" id="Page_48"></a> Hispaniola
+in their appearance and manner of life.</p>
+
+<p>They wore as ornaments small plates of gold and pearls of considerable
+value, which they willingly exchanged for European toys. They seemed to
+possess greater courage and better understandings than the inhabitants
+of the islands.</p>
+
+<p>The country produced four-footed animals of several kinds, as well as a
+great variety of fowls and fruits.</p>
+
+<p>The admiral was so much delighted with its beauty and fertility, that,
+with the warm enthusiasm of a discoverer, he imagined it to be the
+Paradise described in Scripture.</p>
+
+<p>Thus Columbus had the glory of discovering the new world, and of
+conducting the Spaniards to that vast continent which has been the seat
+of their empire and the source of their treasure, in that quarter of the
+globe. The shattered condition of his ships and the scarcity of
+provisions, made it now necessary to bear away for Hispaniola, where he
+arrived wasted to an extreme degree with fatigue and sickness.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49"></a>Many revolutions had happened in that country during his absence, which
+had lasted more than two years.</p>
+
+<p>His brother, whom he had left in command, had, in compliance with advice
+which he had given him before his departure, removed the colony from
+Isabella to a more commodious station on the opposite side of the
+island, and laid the foundation of St. Domingo, which long continued to
+be the most considerable town in the new world.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the cruelty and oppression with which the Spaniards treated the
+Indians, and so intolerable the burden imposed upon them, that they at
+last took arms against their oppressors; but these insurrections were
+not formidable. In a conflict with timid and naked Indians, there was
+neither danger nor doubt of victory.</p>
+
+<p>A mutiny which broke out among the Spaniards, was of a more dangerous
+nature, the ringleader in which was Francisco Roldan, whom Columbus,
+when he sailed for Spain, had appointed chief judge, and <a name="Page_50" id="Page_50"></a>whose duty it
+was to have maintained the laws, instead of breaking them.</p>
+
+<p>This rebellion of Roldan, which threatened the whole country with ruin,
+was only subdued by the most wise and prudent conduct on the part of
+Columbus; but order and tranquillity were at length apparently restored.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as his affairs would permit, he sent some of his ships to Spain,
+with a journal of the voyage which he had made, and a description of the
+new continent which he had discovered, and also a chart of the coast
+along which he had sailed, and of which I shall have something more to
+tell you presently.</p>
+
+<p>He at the same time sent specimens of the gold, the pearls, and other
+curious and valuable productions which he had acquired by trafficking
+with the natives.</p>
+
+<p>He also transmitted an account of the insurrection in Hispaniola, and
+accused the mutineers of having, by their unprovoked rebellion, almost
+ruined the colony.</p>
+
+<p>Roldan and his associates took care to <a name="Page_51" id="Page_51"></a>send to Spain, by the same
+ships, apologies for their mutinous conduct, and unfortunately for the
+happiness of Columbus, their story gained most credit in the court of
+Ferdinand and Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>By these ships Columbus granted the liberty of returning to Spain to all
+those, who, from sickness or disappointment, were disgusted with the
+country. A good number of such as were most dissatisfied, embraced this
+opportunity of returning to Europe. The disappointment of their
+unreasonable hopes inflamed their rage against Columbus to the utmost
+pitch, and their distress made their accusations be believed.</p>
+
+<p>A gang of these disorderly ruffians, who had been shipped off to free
+the island from their seditions, found their way to the court at
+Grenada. Whenever the king or queen appeared in public, they surrounded
+them, insisting, with importunate clamours, on the payment of arrears
+due to them, and demanding vengeance on the author of their sufferings.</p>
+
+<p>These endeavours to ruin Columbus were <a name="Page_52" id="Page_52"></a>seconded by Fonseca, who was now
+made bishop of Badajos, and who was entrusted with the chief direction
+of Indian affairs. This man had always been an implacable enemy of
+Columbus, and with others of his enemies who were about the court,
+having continual access to the sovereign, they were enabled to aggravate
+all the complaints that were urged against him, while they carefully
+suppressed his vindications of himself.</p>
+
+<p>By these means Ferdinand was at last induced to send out Bobadilla, an
+officer of the royal household, to inquire into the conduct of Columbus,
+and if he should think the charges against him proved, to supersede him
+in his command, that is, to send him home, and make himself governor in
+his stead; so that it was the interest of the judge to pronounce the
+person guilty whom he was sent to try.</p>
+
+<p>On his arrival he found Columbus absent in the interior of the island;
+and as he had, before he landed, made up his mind to treat him as a
+criminal, he proceeded at once, <a name="Page_53" id="Page_53"></a>without any inquiry, to supersede him
+in his command.</p>
+
+<p>He took up his residence in Columbus' house, from which the owner was
+absent, seized upon his arms, gold, plate, jewels, books, and even his
+letters and most secret manuscripts, giving no account of the property
+thus seized, but disposing of it as if already confiscated to the crown;
+at the same time he used the most unqualified language when speaking of
+Columbus, and hinted that he was empowered to send him home in chains;
+thus acting as if he had been sent out to degrade the admiral, not to
+inquire into his conduct.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as Columbus arrived from the interior, Bobadilla gave orders to
+put him in irons and confine him in the fortress, and so far from
+hearing him in his defence, he would not even admit him to his presence;
+but having collected from his enemies what he thought sufficient
+evidence, he determined to send both him and his brother home in chains.</p>
+
+<p>The charge of conducting the prisoners to<a name="Page_54" id="Page_54"></a> Spain was committed to Alonzo
+Villejo, a man of honourable conduct and generous feelings. When Villejo
+entered with the guard to conduct him on board the caravel, Columbus
+thought it was to conduct him to the scaffold. "Villejo" said he,
+"whither are you taking me?" "To the ship, your excellency, to embark,"
+replied the other. "To embark!" repeated the admiral, earnestly,
+"Villejo, do you speak the truth?" "By the life of your excellency,"
+replied the honest officer, "it is true."</p>
+
+<p>With these words the admiral was comforted, and felt as restored from
+death to life, for he now knew he should have an opportunity of
+vindicating his conduct. The caravel set sail in October, bearing off
+Columbus shackled like the vilest criminal.</p>
+
+<p>The worthy Villejo, as well as Andries Martin, the master of the
+caravel, would have taken off his irons, but to this he would not
+consent. "No," said he proudly, "their majesties commanded me, by
+letter, to submit to whatever Bobadilla should order in their name; by
+their authority he has put <a name="Page_55" id="Page_55"></a>upon me these chains; I will wear them till
+they shall order them to be taken off, and I will afterwards preserve
+them as relics and memorials of the reward of my services."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig055.jpg" alt="Columbus a prisoner in chains" title="Columbus a prisoner in chains" /></div>
+
+<p>The arrival of Columbus, a prisoner and in chains, produced almost as
+great a sensation as his triumphant return on his first voyage.</p>
+
+<p>A general burst of indignation arose in<a name="Page_56" id="Page_56"></a> Cadiz and in Seville, which was
+echoed through all Spain, that Columbus was brought home in chains from
+the world he had discovered.</p>
+
+<p>The tidings reached the court of Grenada, and filled the halls of the
+Alhambra with murmurs of astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>On the arrival of the ships at Cadiz, Columbus, full of his wrongs, but
+not knowing how far they had been authorized by his sovereigns, forbare
+to write to them; but he sent a long letter to a lady of the court, high
+in favour with the queen, containing, in eloquent and touching language,
+an ample vindication of his conduct.</p>
+
+<p>When it was read to the noble-minded Isabella, and she found how grossly
+Columbus had been wronged, and the royal authority abused, her heart was
+filled with sympathy and indignation.</p>
+
+<p>Without waiting for any documents that might arrive from Bobadilla,
+Ferdinand and Isabella sent orders to Cadiz, that he should be instantly
+set at liberty, and treated with all distinction, and sent him two
+thousand <a name="Page_57" id="Page_57"></a>ducats to defray his expenses to court. They wrote him a
+letter at the same time, expressing their grief at all that had
+happened, and inviting him to Grenada.</p>
+
+<p>He was received by their majesties with the greatest favour and
+distinction. When the queen beheld this venerable man approach, and
+thought on all he had deserved and all he had suffered, she was moved to
+tears.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus had borne up firmly against the injuries and wrongs of the
+world, but when he found himself thus kindly treated, and beheld tears
+in the benign eyes of Isabella, his long suppressed feelings burst
+forth, he threw himself upon his knees, and for some time could not
+utter a word for the violence of his tears and sobbings.</p>
+
+<p>Ferdinand and Isabella raised him from the ground and endeavoured to
+encourage him by the most gracious expressions.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as he had recovered his self-possession, he entered into an
+eloquent and high-minded vindication of his conduct, and his zeal for
+the glory and advantage of the Spanish crown.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58"></a>The king and queen expressed their indignation at the proceedings of
+Bobadilla, and promised he should be immediately dismissed from his
+command.</p>
+
+<p>The person chosen to supersede Bobadilla was Nicholas de Ovando. While
+his departure was delayed by various circumstances, every arrival
+brought intelligence of the disasterous state of the island under the
+administration of Bobadilla.</p>
+
+<p>He encouraged the Spaniards in the exercise of the most wanton cruelties
+towards the natives, to obtain from them large quantities of gold. "Make
+the most of your time," he would say, "there is no knowing how long it
+will last;" and the colonists were not backward in following his advice.
+In the meantime the poor Indians sunk under the toils imposed upon them,
+and the severities with which they were enforced.</p>
+
+<p>These accounts hastened the departure of Ovando, and a person sailed
+with him, in order to secure what he could of the wreck of Columbus'
+property.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS ROBBED OF THE HONOUR OF GIVING HIS NAME TO
+AMERICA.</h4>
+
+
+<p>I have told you that Columbus, as soon as he arrived at Hispaniola,
+after discovering the new continent, sent a ship to Spain with a journal
+of the voyage he had made, and a description of the new continent which
+he had discovered, together with a chart of the coast of Paria and
+Cumana, along which he had sailed.</p>
+
+<p>This journal, with the charts and description, and Columbus' letters on
+the subject, were placed in the custody of Fonseca, he being minister
+for Indian affairs.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60"></a>No sooner had the particulars of this discovery been communicated by
+Columbus, than a separate commission of discovery, signed by Fonseca,
+but not by the sovereigns, was granted to Alonzo de Ojeda, who had
+accompanied Columbus on his second voyage, and whom Columbus had
+instructed in all his plans. Ojeda was accompanied on this voyage by a
+Florentine, whose name was Amerigo Vespucci.</p>
+
+<p>To these adventurers Fonseca communicated Columbus' journal, his
+description of the country, his charts, and all his private letters.</p>
+
+<p>This expedition sailed from Spain while Columbus was still at
+Hispaniola, and wholly ignorant of what was taking place; and Ojeda,
+without touching at the colony, steered his course direct for Paria,
+following the very track which Columbus had marked out.</p>
+
+<p>Having extended their discoveries very little farther than Columbus had
+gone before them, Vespucci, on returning to Spain, published an account
+of his adventures and <a name="Page_61" id="Page_61"></a>discoveries, and had the address and confidence
+so to frame his narrative, as to make it appear that the glory of having
+discovered the new continent belonged to him.</p>
+
+<p>Thus the bold pretensions of an impostor have robbed the discoverer of
+his just reward, and the caprice of fame has unjustly assigned to him an
+honour far above the renown of the greatest conquerors&mdash;that of
+indelibly impressing his name upon this vast portion of the earth, which
+ought in justice to have been called Columbia.</p>
+
+<p>Two years had now been spent in soliciting the favour of an ungrateful
+court, and notwithstanding all his merits and services, he solicited in
+vain; but even this ungracious return did not lessen his ardour in his
+favourite pursuits, and his anxiety to pursue those discoveries in which
+he felt he had yet only made a beginning.</p>
+
+<p>Ferdinand at last consented to grant him four small vessels, the largest
+of which did not exceed seventy tons in burden; but, accustomed to brave
+danger and endure hardships, he did not hesitate to accept the <a name="Page_62" id="Page_62"></a>command
+of this pitiful squadron, and he sailed from Cadiz on his fourth voyage
+on the 9th of May.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig062.jpg" alt="Setting sail from Cadiz" title="Setting sail from Cadiz" /></div>
+
+<p>Having touched, as usual, at the Canaries, he intended to have sailed
+direct for this new discovered continent; but his largest vessel was so
+clumsy and unfit for service, that he determined to bear away for
+Hispaniola, in hopes of exchanging her for some ship of the fleet that
+had carried out Ovando.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63"></a>The fleet that had brought out Ovando lay in the harbour ready to put
+to sea, and was to take home Bobadilla, together with Roldan and many of
+his adherents, to be tried in Spain for rebellion. Bobadilla was to
+embark in the principal ship, on board of which he had put an immense
+amount of gold, which he hoped would atone for all his faults.</p>
+
+<p>Among the presents intended for his sovereign was one mass of virgin
+gold, which was famous in the Spanish chronicles; it was said to weigh
+3600 castillanos. Large quantities of gold had been shipped in the fleet
+by Roldan and other adventurers&mdash;the wealth gained by the sufferings of
+the unhappy natives.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus sent an officer on shore to request permission to shelter his
+squadron in the river, as he apprehended an approaching storm. He also
+cautioned them not to let the fleet sail, but his request was refused by
+Ovando, and his advice disregarded.</p>
+
+<p>The fleet put to sea, and Columbus kept his feeble squadron close to
+shore, and <a name="Page_64" id="Page_64"></a>sought for shelter in some wild bay or river of the island.</p>
+
+<p>Within two days, one of those tremendous storms which sometimes sweep
+those latitudes gathered up, and began to blow. Columbus sheltered his
+little squadron as well as he could, and sustained no damage. A
+different fate befel the other armament.</p>
+
+<p>The ship in which were Bobadilla, Roldan, and a number of the most
+inveterate enemies of Columbus, was swallowed up with all its crew,
+together with the principal part of the ill-gotten treasure, gained by
+the miseries of the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the ships returned to St. Domingo, and only one was able to
+continue her voyage to Spain; that one had on board four thousand pieces
+of gold, the property of Columbus, which had been recovered by the agent
+whom he sent out with Ovando.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, while the enemies of the admiral were swallowed up as it were
+before his eyes, the only ship enabled to pursue her voyage was the
+frail bark freighted with his property.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS SHIPWRECKED, AND ALSO OF THE MANNER OF HIS
+DEATH.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Columbus soon left Hispaniola where he met with so inhospitable a
+reception, and steering towards the west, he arrived on the coast of
+Honduras. There he had an interview with some of the inhabitants of the
+continent, who came off in a large canoe; they appeared to be more
+civilized than any whom he had hitherto discovered.</p>
+
+<p>In return to the inquiries which the Spaniards made with their usual
+eagerness, where the Indians got the gold which they wore by way of
+ornaments, they directed him to countries situated to the west, in which
+gold <a name="Page_66" id="Page_66"></a>was found in such profusion that it was applied to the most common
+uses.</p>
+
+<p>Well would it have been for Columbus had he followed their advice.
+Within a day or two he would have arrived at Yucatan; the discovery of
+Mexico and the other opulent countries of New Spain would have
+necessarily followed, the Southern Ocean would have been disclosed to
+him, and a succession of splendid discoveries would have shed fresh
+glory on his declining age.</p>
+
+<p>But the admiral's mind was bent upon discovering the supposed strait
+that was to lead to the Indian Ocean. In this navigation he explored a
+great extent of coast from Cape Gracios &agrave; Dios till he came to a
+harbour, which on account of its beauty and security, he called Porto
+Bello.</p>
+
+<p>On quitting this harbour he steered for the south, and he had not
+followed this course many days when he was overtaken by storms more
+terrible than any he had yet encountered.</p>
+
+<p>For nine days the vessels were tossed about at the mercy of a raging
+tempest.<a name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></a> The sea, according to the description of Columbus, boiled at
+times like a cauldron, at other times it ran in mountain waves covered
+with foam: at night the raging billows sparkled with luminous particles,
+which made them resemble great surges of flame.</p>
+
+<p>For a day and a night the heavens glowed like a furnace with incessant
+flashes of lightning, while the loud claps of thunder were often
+mistaken for signal guns of their foundering companions.</p>
+
+<p>In the midst of this wild tumult of the elements, they beheld a new
+object of alarm. The ocean, in one place, became strangely agitated; the
+water was whirled up into a kind of pyramid or cone; while a livid
+cloud, tapering to a point, bent down to meet it; joining together, they
+formed a column, which rapidly approached the ship, spinning along the
+surface of the deep, and drawing up the water with a rushing sound, it
+passed the ship without injury.</p>
+
+<p>His leaky vessels were not able to withstand storms like these. One of
+them <a name="Page_68" id="Page_68"></a>foundered, and he was obliged to abandon another.</p>
+
+<p>With the remaining two he bore away for Hispaniola, but in the tempest
+his ships falling foul of each other, it was with the greatest
+difficulty he reached the island of Jamaica.</p>
+
+<p>His two vessels were in such a shattered condition, that, to prevent
+them from sinking, and to save the lives of his crews, he was obliged to
+run them on shore.</p>
+
+<p>Having no ship now left, he had no means of reaching Hispaniola, or of
+making his situation known. In this juncture he had recourse to the
+hospitable kindness of the natives, who, considering the Spaniards as
+beings of a superior nature, were eager, on every occasion to assist
+them.</p>
+
+<p>From them he obtained two canoes, each formed out of a single tree
+hollowed with fire. In these, which were only fit for creeping along the
+coast, two of his brave and faithful companions, assisted by a few
+Indians, gallantly offered to set out for Hispaniola; this voyage they
+accomplished <a name="Page_69" id="Page_69"></a>in ten days, after encountering incredible fatigues and
+dangers.</p>
+
+<p>By them he wrote letters to Ovando, describing his situation and
+requesting him to send ships to bring off him and his crews; but what
+will you think of the unfeeling cruelty of this man, when I tell you
+that he suffered these brave men to wait eight months before he would
+give them any hopes of relieving their companions: and what must have
+been the feelings of Columbus during this period.</p>
+
+<p>At last the ships arrived which were to take them from the island, where
+the unfeeling Ovando had suffered them to languish above a year, exposed
+to misery in all its various forms. When he arrived at St. Domingo,
+Ovando treated him with every kind of insult and injustice. Columbus
+submitted in silence, but became extremely impatient to quit a country
+where he had been treated with such barbarity.</p>
+
+<p>The preparations were soon finished, and he set sail for Spain with two
+ships, but disaster still pursued him to the end of his <a name="Page_70" id="Page_70"></a>course. He
+suffered acutely from a painful and dangerous disease, and his mind was
+kept uneasy and anxious by a continued succession of storms. One of the
+vessels being disabled, was forced back to St. Domingo, and in the other
+he sailed 700 leagues with jury-masts, and reached with difficulty the
+port of St. Lucar in Spain, 1504.</p>
+
+<p>On his arrival he received the fatal news of the death of his patroness
+queen Isabella, from whom he had hoped for the redress of his wrongs.</p>
+
+<p>He applied to the king, who, instead of confirming the titles and
+honours which he had formerly conferred upon him, insulted him with the
+proposal of renouncing them all for a pension.</p>
+
+<p>Disgusted with the ingratitude of a monarch whom he had served with
+fidelity and success, exhausted with the calamities which he had
+endured, and broken with infirmities, this great and good man breathed
+his last at Valladolid, <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> 1506, in the 69th year of his age.</p>
+
+<p>He was buried in the cathedral at Seville, <a name="Page_71" id="Page_71"></a>and on his tomb was engraved
+an epitaph commemorating his discovery of a New World.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Christobal Colon, obiit 1506,</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">&AElig;tat 69.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A Castilla y a Leon</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Neubo Mundo dio Colon.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>Thus much for Columbus; those who are the greatest benefactors of
+mankind seldom meet with much gratitude from men in their lives; they
+must look to God for their reward, and leave future generations to do
+justice to their memory.</p>
+
+<p>It was very unfortunate for the natives of America, that the country
+fell into the hands of such a cruel, covetous, and bigoted nation as the
+Spaniards were. Their thirst for gold was insatiable, and the cruelties
+they exercised upon the natives are too hor<a name="Page_72" id="Page_72"></a>rible to recite. After the
+death of Columbus, the Indians were no longer treated with gentleness,
+for it was his defence of the property and lives of these harmless
+natives that brought down upon his head such bitter hatred. You will now
+look into your map and follow Columbus in some of his discoveries. You
+will see a great number of islands extending in a curve from Florida,
+which is the southernmost part of the United States, to the mouth of the
+river Oronoko in South America; and, as Columbus firmly believed these
+islands, when he discovered them, to be a part of India, the name of
+Indies was given to them by Ferdinand and Isabella; and, even after the
+error was detected, and the true position of the new world ascertained,
+the name has remained, and the appellation of Indies is given to the
+country, and that of Indians to the inhabitants.</p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+  <p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a>
+    To Castile and to Leon Columbus gave a New World.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS OF OVANDO'S CRUEL TREATMENT OF ANACAONA, THE PRINCESS OF
+HAYTI.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Columbus discovered and gave names to some of these islands, and on
+several of them he settled colonies, and did all he could to make them
+the abodes of peace and happiness.</p>
+
+<p>On his taking leave of them for the last time, Ovando continued governor
+of Hayti.</p>
+
+<p>The cruelties exercised by this unfeeling man it would take a volume to
+describe, but I will mention only one or two instances.</p>
+
+<p>When the natives were unable to pay the tribute which he exacted from
+them, he always accused them of insurrection, and it <a name="Page_74" id="Page_74"></a>was to punish a
+slight insurrection of this kind in the eastern part of the island that
+he sent his troops, who ravaged the country with fire and sword. He
+showed no mercy to age or sex, putting many to death with horrible
+tortures, and brought off the brave Catabanama, one of the five
+sovereign caziques of the island, in chains to St. Domingo, where he was
+ignominiously hanged by Ovando, for the crime of defending his territory
+and his native soil against usurping strangers.</p>
+
+<p>But the most atrocious act of Ovando, and one that must heap odium on
+his name, wherever the woes of the gentle natives of Hayti are heard of,
+was the cruelty he was guilty of towards the province of Xaragua for one
+of those pretended conspiracies.</p>
+
+<p>Ovando set out at the head of nearly four hundred well armed soldiers,
+seventy of whom were steel-clad horsemen; giving out that he was coming
+on a visit of friendship, to make arrangements for the payment of
+tribute.</p>
+
+<p>Behechio, the ancient cazique of the pro<a name="Page_75" id="Page_75"></a>vince, was dead, and his
+sister, Anacaona, wife of the late formidable chief Caonabo, had
+succeeded to the government.</p>
+
+<p>She was one of the most beautiful females in the island; of great
+natural grace and dignity, and superior intelligence; her name in the
+Indian language signified "Golden Flower."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig075.jpg" alt="Golden Flower" title="Golden Flower" /></div>
+
+<p>She came forth to meet Ovando, according to the custom of her nation,
+attended by her most distinguished subjects, and her train of damsels
+waving palm branches, and dancing to the cadence of their popular
+ayretos.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76"></a>All her principal caziques had been assembled to do honour to the
+guests, who, for several days were entertained with banquets, and
+national games and dances.</p>
+
+<p>In return for these exhibitions, Ovando invited Anacaona, with her
+beautiful daughter Higuenamata, and her principal subjects, to witness a
+tilting match in the public square.</p>
+
+<p>When all were assembled, and the square crowded with unarmed Indians,
+Ovando gave a signal, and instantly the horsemen rushed into the midst
+of the naked and defenceless throng, trampling them under foot, cutting
+them down with their swords, transfixing them with their lances, and
+sparing neither age nor sex.</p>
+
+<p>Above eighty caziques had been assembled in one of the principal houses:
+it was surrounded by troops, the caziques were bound to the posts which
+supported the roof, and put to cruel tortures, until in the extremity of
+anguish they were made to admit as true what their queen and themselves
+had been charged with.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77"></a>When they had thus been made, by torture, to accuse themselves, a
+horrible punishment was immediately inflicted. Fire was set to the
+house, and they all perished miserably in the flames.</p>
+
+<p>As to Anacaona, she was carried to St. Domingo, where, after the mockery
+of a trial, she was pronounced guilty on the testimony of the Spaniards,
+and was barbarously hanged by the people whom she had so long and so
+greatly befriended.</p>
+
+<p>After the massacre of Xaragua, the destruction of its inhabitants went
+on. They were hunted for six months amid the fastnesses of the
+mountains, and their country ravaged by horse and foot, until, all being
+reduced to deplorable misery and abject submission, Ovando pronounced
+the province restored to order; and in remembrance of his triumph,
+founded a town near the lake, which he called Santa Maria de la
+Verdadera Pas (St. Mary of the true peace.)</p>
+
+<p>Such was the tragical fate of the beautiful Anacaona, once extolled as
+the Golden Flower of Hayti; and such the story of the delight<a name="Page_78" id="Page_78"></a>ful region
+of Xaragua, which the Spaniards, by their own account, found a perfect
+paradise, but which, by their vile passions, they filled with horror and
+desolation.</p>
+
+<p>After this work of destruction, they made slaves of the remaining
+inhabitants, and divided them amongst them, and many of the sanguinary
+contests among themselves arose out of quarrels about the distribution.</p>
+
+<p>We cannot help pausing to cast back a look of pity and admiration over
+these beautiful but devoted regions.</p>
+
+<p>The white man had penetrated the land! In his train came avarice, pride,
+and ambition; sordid care, and pining labour, were soon to follow, and
+the paradise of the Indian was about to disappear for ever.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY DESCRIBES THE TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS OF THE NEW WORLD.</h4>
+
+
+<p>When once the way had been pointed out, it was easy for other navigators
+to follow, and accordingly many Spaniards undertook voyages of further
+discovery.</p>
+
+<p>Among others, Yanez Pinzon, one of the brave companions of Columbus,
+undertook a voyage to the new world in 1499.</p>
+
+<p>This navigator suffered much from storms, and having sailed southward,
+he crossed the equator and lost sight of the polar star.</p>
+
+<p>The sailors were exceedingly alarmed at this circumstance, as the polar
+star was relied upon by them as one of their surest guides; not knowing
+the shape of the earth, <a name="Page_80" id="Page_80"></a>they thought that some prominence hid this star
+from their view.</p>
+
+<p>The first land that Pinzon discovered, after crossing the line, was Cape
+St. Augustine, in eight degrees south latitude, the most projecting part
+of the extensive country of Brazil.</p>
+
+<p>As the fierceness of the natives made it unsafe to land on this coast,
+he continued his voyage to the north-west, and fell in with the mighty
+river Amazon, which is nearly under the equinoctial line.</p>
+
+<p>The mouth of this river is more than thirty leagues in breadth, and its
+waters enter more than forty leagues into the ocean without losing its
+freshness.</p>
+
+<p>He now recrossed the line, and coming again in sight of the polar star,
+he pursued his course along the coast, passed the mouth of the Oronoko,
+and entered the Gulph of Paria, after which he returned to Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Ojeda also undertook a voyage expressly to found a settlement; but as
+the character of the Spaniards was now well known to the inhabitants of
+these parts, they determined <a name="Page_81" id="Page_81"></a>to oppose their landing, and being a
+numerous and warlike people, Ojeda nearly lost his life in the attempt.</p>
+
+<p>Many of his companions were slain; the survivors, however, succeeding in
+making good their retreat on board the ships.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly afterwards he landed on the eastern side of the Gulph of Darien,
+and built a fortress which they called San Sebastian.</p>
+
+<p>Ojeda had with him in this expedition Francisco Pizarro, about whom I
+shall have to tell you something more presently.</p>
+
+<p>About the same time another Spaniard, of the name of Nicuessa, formed a
+settlement on that part of the coast, and built a fortress there, which
+he called Nombre de Dios, not very distant from the harbour of
+Portobello.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, by degrees, the whole coast of America, on the side of the
+Atlantic, was discovered and explored.</p>
+
+<p>But the Spaniards did not know that in the part where they were, it was
+only a narrow neck of land (which you know is called an Isthmus) that
+separated them from <a name="Page_82" id="Page_82"></a>another vast ocean; and this, when they discovered
+the ocean on the other side, was called the Isthmus of Darien.</p>
+
+<p>I will now give you a short account of the discovery of this ocean.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing having been heard of Ojeda and his new colony of San Sebastian,
+another expedition, commanded by Enciso, set sail in search of them.</p>
+
+<p>Among the ship's company was a man, by name Vasco Ninez de Balboa, who,
+although of a rich family, had, by his bad habits, not only become very
+poor, but also very much in debt.</p>
+
+<p>To avoid being thrown into prison for the debts that he owed, he
+contrived to get on board Enciso's ship, concealed in a cask, which was
+taken on board the vessel as a cask of provisions.</p>
+
+<p>When the ship was far from St. Domingo, Balboa came out from his cask to
+the astonishment of all on board.</p>
+
+<p>Enciso at first was angry at the way he had escaped from the punishment
+which his bad conduct had deserved; yet, as he thought <a name="Page_83" id="Page_83"></a>that he might be
+of service to him, he pardoned him.</p>
+
+<p>The settlement of St. Sebastian, however, had been broken up, the
+Spaniards having suffered much from the repeated attacks of the natives,
+who would no longer patiently submit to their unjust treatment.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after Enciso arrived at Carthagena he was joined by Pizarro, with
+the wretched remains of the colony; he determined nevertheless, to
+continue his voyage to the settlement.</p>
+
+<p>Upon his arrival there he found Pizarro's account was too true, for
+where St. Sebastian had stood, nothing was to be seen but a heap of
+ruins.</p>
+
+<p>Here misfortune followed misfortune, his own ship was wrecked and then
+he was attacked by the natives.</p>
+
+<p>In despair at these disasters Enciso was at a loss what to do, or where
+to go, when Balboa advised him to continue his course along the coast in
+Pizarro's little vessel.</p>
+
+<p>He stated that he had once before been on an expedition in this same
+gulf, and on <a name="Page_84" id="Page_84"></a>the western side he well remembered an Indian village, on
+the banks of a river, called by the natives Darien.</p>
+
+<p>Enciso pleased with Balboa's advice, resolved to take possession of this
+village, and to drive out all the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Arrived at the river, he landed his men, and, without giving the
+unfortunate people of the village any notice, he attacked them, killed
+several, drove the rest out, and robbed them of all their possessions.</p>
+
+<p>He then made the village the chief place of his new government, and
+called it Santa Maria del Darien. Balboa assisted in this work of
+cruelty and injustice.</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards had not been long here when they became tired with Enciso,
+and they refused to obey him, and sent him off in a ship to Spain. Upon
+his departure, Balboa took the command.</p>
+
+<p>In one of his expeditions into the interior parts of the country in
+search of gold, he first heard of a sea to the west, as yet unknown to
+Europeans.</p>
+
+<p>He had received a large quantity of gold <a name="Page_85" id="Page_85"></a>from an Indian cazique, or
+chief, and was weighing it into shares for the purpose of dividing it
+among his men when a quarrel arose as to the exactness of the weight.</p>
+
+<p>One of the sons of the Indian cazique was present, and he felt so
+disgusted at the sordid behaviour of the Spaniards that he struck the
+scales with his fist and scattered the glittering gold about the place.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig085.jpg" alt="An Indian scatters gold" title="An Indian scatters gold" /></div>
+
+<p>Before the Spaniards could recover from their astonishment at this
+sudden act, he said to them, "why should you quarrel for such a <a name="Page_86" id="Page_86"></a>trifle?
+If you really esteem gold to be so precious as to abandon your homes,
+and come and seize the lands and dwellings of others for the sake of it,
+I can tell you of a land not far distant where you may find it in
+plenty."</p>
+
+<p>"Beyond those lofty mountains," he continued, pointing to the south,
+"lies a mighty sea, all the streams that flow into which down the
+southern side of those mountains, abound in gold, and all the utensils
+the people have, are made of gold."</p>
+
+<p>Balboa was struck with this account of the young Indian, and eagerly
+inquired the best way of penetrating to this sea, and this land of gold.</p>
+
+<p>The young Indian warned him of the dangers he would meet with from the
+fierce race of Indians inhabiting these mountains, who were cannibals,
+or eaters of human flesh, but Balboa was not to be deterred by accounts
+of difficulties and dangers.</p>
+
+<p>He was, besides, desirous of getting possession of the gold, and of
+obtaining, by the merits of the discovery, the pardon of the<a name="Page_87" id="Page_87"></a> King of
+Spain, for taking from Enciso the command of the settlement.</p>
+
+<p>He resolved, therefore, to penetrate to this sea, and immediately began
+to make preparations for the journey.</p>
+
+<p>He first sent to Hispaniola for an additional number of soldiers, to
+assist him in the perilous adventure, but instead of receiving these,
+the only news that reached him by the return of his messengers was, that
+he would most probably have the command of Darien taken from him, and be
+punished for assisting to dispossess Enciso.</p>
+
+<p>This news made him determine no longer to delay his departure. All the
+men he could muster for the expedition amounted only to one hundred and
+ninety; but these were hardy and resolute, and much attached to him. He
+armed them with swords and targets; cross-bows and arquebusses; besides
+this little band, Balboa took with him a few of the Indians of Darien
+whom he had won by kindness, to serve him.</p>
+
+<p>On the 1st of September, 1513, Balboa set out from Darien, first to the
+residence of the<a name="Page_88" id="Page_88"></a> Indian cazique, from whose son he first heard of the
+sea.</p>
+
+<p>From this chief he obtained the assistance of guides and some warriors,
+and with this force he prepared to penetrate the wilderness before him.</p>
+
+<p>It was on the 6th of September that he began his march for the mountains
+which separated him from the great Pacific Ocean, he set out with a
+resolution to endure patiently all the miseries, and to combat boldly
+all the difficulties that he might meet with, and he contrived to rouse
+the same determination in his followers.</p>
+
+<p>Their journey was through a broken rocky country covered with forest
+trees and underwood, so thick and close as to be quite matted together
+and every here and there deep foaming streams, some of which they were
+forced to cross on rafts.</p>
+
+<p>So wearisome was the journey, that in four days they had not advanced
+more than ten leagues, and they began to suffer much from hunger.</p>
+
+<p>They had now arrived in the province of <a name="Page_89" id="Page_89"></a>a warlike tribe of Indians who,
+instead of flying and hiding themselves, came forth to the attack. They
+set upon the Spaniards with furious yells, thinking to overpower them at
+once. They were armed with bows and arrows, and clubs made of palm-wood
+almost as hard as iron. But the first shock of the report from the
+fire-arms of the Spaniards struck them with terror. They took to flight,
+but were closely pursued by the Spaniards with their blood-hounds. The
+Cazique and six hundred of his people were left dead upon the field of
+battle.</p>
+
+<p>After the battle the Spaniards entered the adjoining village, which was
+at the foot of the last mountain that remained to be climbed; this
+village they robbed of every thing valuable. There was much gold and
+many jewels.</p>
+
+<p>Balboa shared the booty among his band of followers. But this victory
+was not gained without some loss on the side of the Spaniards.</p>
+
+<p>Balboa found that several of his men had been wounded by the arrows of
+the Indians, <a name="Page_90" id="Page_90"></a>and many also, overcome with fatigue, had fallen sick,
+these he was obliged to leave in the village, while he ascended the
+mountain.</p>
+
+<p>At the cool and fresh hour of day-break he assembled his scanty band,
+and began to climb the height, wishing to reach the top before the heat
+of noon.</p>
+
+<p>About ten o'clock they came out from the thick forest through which they
+had been struggling ever since day-break: the change from the closeness
+of the woods to the pleasant breeze from the mountain, was delightful.
+But they were still further encouraged. "From that spot" exclaimed one
+of the Indian guides, pointing to the height above them "may be seen the
+great sea of which you are in search."</p>
+
+<p>When Balboa heard this, he commanded his men to halt, and forbade any
+one to stir from his place. He was resolved to be the first European who
+should look upon that sea, which he had been the first to discover.</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly he ascended the mountain height alone, and when he reached
+the <a name="Page_91" id="Page_91"></a>summit he beheld the wide sea glittering in the morning sun.</p>
+
+<p>Balboa called to his little troop to ascend the height and look upon the
+glorious prospect; and they joined him without delay.</p>
+
+<p>"Behold, my friends," said he, "the reward of all our toils, a sight
+upon which the eye of Spaniard never rested before."</p>
+
+<p>He now took possession of the sea-coast and the surrounding country in
+the name of the king of Spain.</p>
+
+<p>He then had a tree cut down, and made into the form of a cross, and
+planted it on the spot from which he had first beheld the sea. He also
+made a mound by heaping up large stones upon which he carved the names
+of the king of Spain.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians saw all this done, and while they helped to pile the stones
+and set up the cross, they little thought that they were assisting to
+deprive themselves of their homes and their country.</p>
+
+<p>You remember the noble reproof of Canute in the "History of England," to
+his flatterers, when they assured him that even the <a name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></a>waves of the sea
+would obey him: but this arrogant and weak minded Spaniard waded into
+the waves of the great Pacific Ocean, up to his knees, and absurdly took
+possession of it in the name of the Spanish monarch.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig092.jpg" alt="A Spaniard waded into the waves" title="A Spaniard waded into the waves" /></div>
+
+<p>Balboa was some time employed in fighting with the Indian tribes that
+inhabited the sea-coast, and in hunting them with blood-hounds.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93"></a>He soon made these helpless people submit. From them he got some
+further accounts of the rich country which the Indian prince had
+mentioned, and which proved afterwards to be Peru.</p>
+
+<p>He now quitted the shores of the Pacific Ocean on his return across the
+mountains of Darien. His route homewards was different from that which
+he had before pursued, and the sufferings of his troops much greater.</p>
+
+<p>Often they could find no water, the heat having dried up the pools and
+brooks. Many died from thirst, and those who survived, although loaded
+with gold, were exhausted for want of food; for the poor Indians brought
+gold and jewels, instead of food, as peace offerings to the Spaniards.</p>
+
+<p>At length, after much slaughter of the Indians that dwelt in the
+mountains, and burning of the villages, Balboa and his troops arrived at
+Darien; having robbed the Indians of all the gold and silver they could
+find. The Spaniards at Darien received with great delight and praise the
+news of his success and discovery&mdash;a discovery gained <a name="Page_94" id="Page_94"></a>at the expense of
+much unnecessary cruelty and injustice.</p>
+
+<p>He now despatched a ship to Spain, with the news of his discovery, and
+by it he sent part of the gold he had carried off from the different
+Indian tribes.</p>
+
+<p>A few days before this ship reached Spain a new governor had been sent
+out, by name Padrarias Davila, to take Balboa's place, and with orders
+to punish Balboa for his conduct to Enciso.</p>
+
+<p>But when he arrived at Darien, and saw how much the discoverer of the
+Pacific was beloved by all the Spaniards of the settlement he hesitated
+through fear, and finally resolved to defer the execution of the orders
+which he had brought with him.</p>
+
+<p>Davila permitted Balboa to depart from Darien for the purpose of
+building brigantines with a view to navigate and explore the Pacific
+Ocean. Three years had elapsed since he discovered this ocean, and with
+joy he now prepared to build the ships which were to be the first
+belonging to Europeans to sail upon it.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95"></a>Balboa having overcome all his difficulties, had the satisfaction of
+seeing two brigantines finished and floating on a river which they
+called the Balsas.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as they had been made ready for sea, he embarked with some of
+his followers, and sailing down the river, was the first to launch into
+the ocean that he had been the first to discover. But his death was now
+about to put a stop to his further discoveries.</p>
+
+<p>The new governor, Davila, who was a bad and cruel man, and envious of
+Balboa, on account of the discoveries he had made, had long resolved to
+put him to death.</p>
+
+<p>The time having, as he thought, arrived, which was favourable for his
+villanous design, he sent for Balboa to return, and on his arrival he
+had him seized by one of his early friends and followers, Franciso
+Pizarro, and then, after throwing him into prison, he ordered him to be
+put to death by having his head cut off.</p>
+
+<p>This unjust sentence was executed, and Balboa, after a mock trial, was
+publicly beheaded, in the 48th year of his age.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Not long after this another expedition sailed from Cuba, under the
+command of Cordova, to make further discoveries on the new continent.</p>
+
+<p>The first land they saw proved to be the eastern cape of that large
+peninsula which you see in the map projecting into the gulf of Mexico,
+and which still retains its original name of Yucatan.</p>
+
+<p>As they approached the shore, five canoes came off full of people
+decently clad in cotton garments; this excited the wonder of the
+Spaniards, who had found every other part they had yet visited,
+possessed by naked savages.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97"></a>Cordova endeavoured to gain their good-will by presents, but perceived
+they were preparing to attack him; and, as his water began to fail, he
+sailed further along the coast in hopes of procuring a supply, but not a
+single river did he find all along that coast till he came to Potonchon,
+in the bay of Campeachy, which is on the western side of the peninsula.</p>
+
+<p>Here Cordova landed all his troops, in order to protect the sailors
+while filling their casks; but, notwithstanding, the natives rushed down
+upon them with such fury and in such numbers, that forty-seven of the
+Spaniards were killed upon the spot, and one man only of the whole body
+escaped unhurt.</p>
+
+<p>Cordova, though wounded in twelve places, led off his wounded men with
+great presence of mind and fortitude, and with much difficulty they
+reached their ships, and hastened back to Cuba. Cordova died of his
+wounds soon after his arrival.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding the ill success of this expedition, another was shortly
+after fitted <a name="Page_98" id="Page_98"></a>out under the command of Grijalva, a young man of known
+merit and courage. He directed his course to the bay of Campeachy, to
+the part from which Cordova had returned, and as they advanced they saw
+many villages scattered along the coast, in which they could distinguish
+houses of stone that appeared white and lofty at a distance.</p>
+
+<p>In the warmth of their admiration, they fancied these to be cities,
+adorned with towers and pinnacles; and one of the soldiers happening to
+remark that this country resembled Spain in appearance, Grijalva, with
+universal applause, called it New Spain; the name which still
+distinguishes this extensive and opulent province of the Spanish
+dominions.</p>
+
+<p>They landed to the west of Tabasco, where they were received with the
+respect due to superior beings; the people perfumed them as they landed
+with incense of gum copal, and presented to them offerings of the
+choicest delicacies of their country.</p>
+
+<p>They were extremely fond of trading with their new visitants, and in six
+days, the<a name="Page_99" id="Page_99"></a> Spaniards obtained ornaments of gold, and of curious
+workmanship, to the amount of fifteen thousand pesoes, an immense sum,
+in exchange for European toys of small price.</p>
+
+<p>They learned from the natives that they were the subjects of a great
+monarch, whose dominions extended over that and many other provinces.</p>
+
+<p>Grijalva now returned with a full account of the important discoveries
+he had made, and with all the treasure he had acquired by trafficking
+with the natives.</p>
+
+<p>The favourable account of New Spain brought by Grijalva, determined
+Velasquez, the governor of Cuba, seriously to undertake the conquest of
+that country, but as he did not wish to take the command himself, he
+endeavoured to find a person who would act under his directions.</p>
+
+<p>After much deliberation he fixed upon Fernando Cortez, a man of restless
+and ardent spirit, on whom he had conferred many benefits; but these
+Cortez soon forgot, and was no sooner invested with the <a name="Page_100" id="Page_100"></a>command than he
+threw off the authority of Velasquez altogether.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest force that could be collected for the conquest of a great
+empire, amounted to no more than five hundred and eight men, only
+thirteen of whom were armed with muskets; thirty-two were cross-bowmen,
+and the rest had swords and spears; they had only sixteen horses, and
+ten small field-pieces.</p>
+
+<p>With such a slender and ill provided force did Cortez set sail to make
+war upon a monarch whose dominions were more extensive than all the
+kingdoms subject to the Spanish crown.</p>
+
+<p>On his voyage Cortez first landed on the island of Cozumel, where he
+redeemed from slavery Jerome de Aguilar, a Spaniard, who had been eight
+years a prisoner among the Indians, and having learned the Yucatan
+language (which is spoken in all those parts), proved afterwards
+extremely useful as an interpreter.</p>
+
+<p>He then proceeded to the river of Tabasco, where the disposition of the
+natives proved very hostile, and they showed the <a name="Page_101" id="Page_101"></a>most determined
+resistance; but the noise of the artillery, the appearances of the
+floating fortresses which brought the Spaniards over the ocean, and the
+horses on which they fought, all new objects to the natives, inspired
+them with astonishment mingled with terror; they regarded the Spaniards
+as gods, and sent them supplies of provisions, with a present of some
+gold and twenty female slaves.</p>
+
+<p>Cortez here learned that the native sovereign, who was called Montezuma,
+reigned over an extensive empire, and that thirty vassals, called
+caziques, obeyed him; that his riches were immense, and his power
+absolute. No more was necessary to inflame the ambition of Cortez, and
+the avarice of his followers.</p>
+
+<p>He then proceeded along the coast till he came to St. Juan de Ulua,
+where, having laid the foundation of Vera Cruz, he caused himself to be
+elected Captain-general of the new colony.</p>
+
+<p>Here he was visited by two native caziques, whose names were Teutile and
+Pil<a name="Page_102" id="Page_102"></a>patoe, who entered his camp with a numerous retinue, and informed
+him that they were persons entrusted with the government of that
+province by a great monarch, whom they called Montezuma, and that they
+were sent to inquire what his intentions were in visiting their coast,
+and to offer him what assistance he might need.</p>
+
+<p>Cortez received them with much formal ceremony, and informed them that
+he came from Don Carlos of Austria, the greatest monarch of all the
+east, with propositions of such moment, that he could impart them to
+none but the emperor himself; and requested them to conduct him, without
+loss of time, into the presence of their master.</p>
+
+<p>Messengers were immediately despatched to Montezuma, with a full account
+of everything that had passed.</p>
+
+<p>The Mexican monarch, in order to obtain early information, had couriers
+posted along the road, and the intelligence was conveyed by a very
+curious contrivance called picture writing, persons being employed to
+represent, in a series of pictures, everything that <a name="Page_103" id="Page_103"></a>passed, which was
+the Mexican mode of writing: Teutile and Pilpatoe were employed to
+deliver the answer of their master, but as they knew how repugnant it
+was to the wishes and schemes of the Spanish commander, they would not
+make it known till they had first endeavoured to soothe and pacify him.
+For this purpose they introduced a train of a hundred Indians loaded
+with presents sent to him by Montezuma.</p>
+
+<p>The magnificence of these far exceeded any idea which the Spaniards had
+formed of his wealth.</p>
+
+<p>They were placed on mats spread on the ground, in such order as showed
+them to the greatest advantage. Cortez and his officers viewed with
+admiration the various manufactures of the country. Cotton stuffs so
+fine as to resemble silk. Pictures of animals, trees, and other natural
+objects, formed with feathers of different colours, disposed with such
+skill and elegance, as to resemble, in truth and beauty of imitation,
+the finest paintings. But what chiefly attracted their eyes were two
+large plates of circular form; <a name="Page_104" id="Page_104"></a>one of massive gold, representing the
+sun, the other of silver, an emblem of the moon. These were accompanied
+with bracelets, collars, rings, and other trinkets of gold, and with
+several boxes filled with pearls, precious stones, and grains of gold
+unwrought, as they had been found in the mines or rivers.</p>
+
+<p>Cortez received all these with an appearance of profound respect for the
+monarch by whom they were bestowed; but when the Mexican informed him
+that their master would not give his consent that foreign troops should
+approach nearer to his capital, or even allow them to continue longer in
+his dominions, the Spanish general declared that he must insist on his
+first demand, as he could not, without dishonour, return to his own
+country until he was admitted into the presence of the princes whom he
+was appointed by his sovereign to visit.</p>
+
+<p>He first caused all his vessels to be burnt, in order to cut off the
+possibility of retreat, and to show his soldiers that they must either
+conquer or perish. He then penetrated into the interior of the country,
+drew <a name="Page_105" id="Page_105"></a>to his camp several caziques, hostile to Montezuma, and induced
+these native princes to assist him.</p>
+
+<p>After surmounting every obstacle he arrived with his army in sight of
+the immense lake on which was built the city of Mexico, the capital of
+the empire.</p>
+
+<p>In descending from the mountains of Chalco, the vast plain of Mexico
+opened gradually to their view, displaying a prospect the most striking
+and beautiful: fertile and cultivated fields, stretched out further than
+the eye could reach, a lake resembling the sea in extent, encompassed
+with large towns, and the capital city rising upon an island, adorned
+with temples and turrets.</p>
+
+<p>Many messengers arrived one after another from Montezuma, one day
+permitting them to advance, on the next requiring them to retire, as his
+hopes or fears alternately prevailed, and so wonderful was his
+infatuation that Cortez was almost at the gates of the capital before
+the monarch had determined whether to receive him as a friend or oppose
+him as an enemy, but as no signs of hos<a name="Page_106" id="Page_106"></a>tility appeared, the Spaniards
+continued their march along the causeway which led to Mexico through the
+lake with great circumspection, though without seeming to suspect the
+prince whom they were about to visit.</p>
+
+<p>When they drew near the city, about a thousand persons who appeared to
+be of distinction, came out to meet them, adorned with plumes and clad
+in mantles of fine cotton.</p>
+
+<p>Each of these as they passed Cortez, saluted him according to the mode
+of their country; they announced the approach of Montezuma himself, and
+soon his harbingers came in sight.</p>
+
+<p>There appeared first two hundred persons in uniform dresses, with large
+plumes of feathers, marching two and two in deep silence, barefooted,
+with their eyes fixed on the ground.</p>
+
+<p>Then followed a company of higher rank, in their most shewy apparel. In
+the midst of these was Montezuma, in a chair or litter, richly
+ornamented with gold and feathers of <a name="Page_107" id="Page_107"></a>various colours. Four of his
+principal favourites carried him on their shoulders; others supported a
+canopy of curious workmanship over his head: before him marched three
+officers with rods of gold in their hands, which they lifted on high at
+certain intervals.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig107.jpg" alt="The people bowed their heads" title="The people bowed their heads" /></div>
+
+<p>At that signal all the people bowed their heads and hid their faces, as
+unworthy to look on so great a monarch.</p>
+
+<p>When he drew near, Cortez dismounted <a name="Page_108" id="Page_108"></a>advancing towards him in
+respectful posture; at the same time Montezuma alighted from his chair,
+and leaning on the arm of two of his nearest relations, approached him
+with a slow and stately pace, his attendants covering the way with
+cotton cloths, that he might not touch the ground.</p>
+
+<p>Cortez accosted him with profound reverence, after the European fashion.
+He returned the salutation, according to the mode of his country, by
+touching the earth with his hand and then kissing it.</p>
+
+<p>This condescension, in so proud a monarch, made all his subjects believe
+that the Spaniards were something more than human.</p>
+
+<p>Montezuma conducted Cortez to the quarters which he had ordered for his
+reception, and immediately took his leave, with a politeness not
+unworthy of a court more refined.</p>
+
+<p>"You are now," said he, "with your brothers, in your own house: refresh
+yourselves after your fatigue, and be happy until I return."</p>
+
+<p>The place allotted for the Spaniards was <a name="Page_109" id="Page_109"></a>a magnificent palace built by
+the father of Montezuma. It was surrounded by a stone wall with towers,
+and its apartments and courts were so large as to accommodate both the
+Spaniards and their Indian allies.</p>
+
+<p>The first care of Cortez was to take precautions for his security, by
+planting artillery so as to command the different avenues which led to
+it, and posting sentinels at proper stations, with orders to observe the
+greatest vigilance.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening Montezuma returned to visit his guests, with the same
+pomp as in their first interview, and brought presents of great value
+not only to Cortez and his officers, but even to the private men. A long
+conference ensued, in which Cortez, in his usual style, magnified the
+power and dignity of his sovereign.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning Cortez and some of his principal attendants were admitted
+to a public audience of the emperor; the three following days were
+employed in viewing the city, the appearance of which was so far
+superior to any place the Spaniards had <a name="Page_110" id="Page_110"></a>beheld in America, and yet so
+little resembling the structure of an European city, that it filled them
+with surprise and admiration.</p>
+
+<p>Mexico, or Tenuchtitlan, as it was anciently called, is situated on some
+small islands, near one side of a large lake, which is ninety miles in
+circumference. The access to the city was by artificial causeways or
+streets, formed of stones and earth, about thirty feet in breadth. These
+causeways were of considerable length: that on the west extended a mile
+and a half; that on the north-west three miles, and that towards the
+south six miles. On the east, the city could only be approached by
+canoes.</p>
+
+<p>Not only the temples of their Gods, but the palaces belonging to the
+monarch, and to persons of distinction, were of such dimensions that
+they might be termed magnificent.</p>
+
+<p>But, however the Spaniards might be amused or astonished at these
+objects, they felt the utmost anxiety with respect to their situation.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111"></a>They had been allowed to penetrate into the heart of a powerful
+kingdom, and were now lodged in its capital without having once met with
+open opposition from its monarch; but they had pushed forward into a
+situation where it was difficult to continue, and from which it was
+impossible to retire without disgrace and ruin.</p>
+
+<p>They could not, however, doubt of the hostility of the Mexicans, more
+especially as, on his march, Cortez received advice from Vera Cruz,
+where he had left a garrison, that a Mexican general had marched to
+attack the rebels whom the Spaniards had encouraged to revolt against
+Montezuma, and that the commander of the garrison had marched out with
+some of his troops to support the rebels, that an engagement had ensued,
+in which, though the Spaniards were victorious, the Spanish general with
+seven of his men, had been mortally wounded, his horse killed, and one
+Spaniard taken alive, and that the head of his unfortunate captive had
+been sent to Mexico, after being carried in triumph to different cities
+in order to convince <a name="Page_112" id="Page_112"></a>the people that their invaders were not immortal.</p>
+
+<p>In this trying situation, he fixed upon a plan no less extraordinary
+than daring; he determined to seize Montezuma in his palace and to carry
+him a prisoner to the Spanish quarters. This he immediately proposed to
+his officers, who, as it was the only resource in which there appeared
+any safety, warmly approved of it, and it was agreed instantly to make
+the attempt.</p>
+
+<p>At his usual hour of visiting Montezuma, Cortez went to the palace,
+accompanied by five of his principal officers, and as many trusty
+soldiers; thirty chosen men followed, not in regular order, but
+sauntering at some distance, as if they had no object but curiosity: the
+remainder of his troops continued under arms, ready to sally out on the
+first alarm.</p>
+
+<p>Cortez and his attendants were admitted without suspicion, the Mexicans
+retiring, as usual, out of respect.</p>
+
+<p>He now addressed the monarch in a tone very different from that which he
+had em<a name="Page_113" id="Page_113"></a>ployed on former occasions, and a conversation ensued, very much
+resembling that between the wolf and the lamb, in the fable, which you
+no doubt remember.</p>
+
+<p>Cortez bitterly reproached him as the author of the violent assault made
+by the Mexican general upon the Spaniards, and with having caused the
+death of some of his companions.</p>
+
+<p>Montezuma, with great earnestness, asserted his innocence, but Cortez
+affected not to believe him, and proposed that, as a proof of his
+sincerity, he should remove from his own palace, and take up his
+residence in the Spanish quarters.</p>
+
+<p>The first mention of so strange a proposal almost bereaved Montezuma of
+speech; at length he haughtily answered "That persons of his rank were
+not accustomed voluntarily to give themselves up as prisoners, and were
+he mean enough to do so, his subjects would not permit such an affront
+to be offered to their sovereign."</p>
+
+<p>Cortez now endeavoured to soothe, and then to intimidate him, and in
+this way the <a name="Page_114" id="Page_114"></a>altercation continued three hours, when Velasquez de Leon,
+an impetuous young man exclaimed, "Why waste more time in vain? Let us
+seize him instantly, or stab him to the heart." The threatening voice
+and fierce gesture with which these words were uttered, struck Montezuma
+with a sense of his danger, and abandoning himself to his fate, he
+complied with their request: his officers were called, he communicated
+to them his resolution. Though astonished and affected, they presumed
+not to question the will of their master, but carried him in silent
+pomp, all bathed in tears, to the Spanish quarters.</p>
+
+<p>Cortez at first pretended to treat Montezuma with great respect, but
+soon took care to let him know that he was entirely in his power. Being
+thus master of the person of the monarch, he demanded that the Mexican
+general who had attacked the Spaniards, his son, and five of the
+principal officers who served under him, should be brought prisoners to
+Mexico, and delivered into his hands.</p>
+
+<p>As Cortez wished that the shedding the <a name="Page_115" id="Page_115"></a>blood of a Spaniard should
+appear the most heinous crime that could be committed, he then ordered
+these brave men, who had only acted as became loyal subjects in opposing
+the invaders of their country, to be burnt alive, before the gates of
+the imperial palace.</p>
+
+<p>The unhappy victims were led forth, and laid on a pile composed of the
+weapons collected in the royal magazine for the public defence.</p>
+
+<p>During this cruel execution, Cortez entered the apartments of Montezuma,
+and caused him to be loaded with irons, in order to force him to
+acknowledge himself a vassal of the king of Spain. The unhappy prince
+yielded, and was restored to a semblance of liberty on presenting the
+fierce conqueror with six hundred thousand marks of pure gold, and a
+prodigious quantity of precious stones.</p>
+
+<p>The Mexicans driven to desperation, all at once flew to arms, and made
+so sudden and violent an attack that all the valour and skill of Cortez
+was scarcely sufficient to repel them.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116"></a>The Spaniards now found themselves enclosed in a hostile city, the
+whole population of which was exasperated to the highest pitch against
+them, and without some extraordinary exertion they were inevitably
+undone. Cortez therefore made a desperate sally, but after exerting his
+utmost efforts for a whole day, was obliged to retreat to his quarters
+with the loss of twelve men killed, and upwards of sixty wounded; Cortez
+himself was wounded in the hand.</p>
+
+<p>The Spanish general now betook himself to the only resource which was
+left, namely, to try what effect the interposition of Montezuma would
+have to soothe and overawe his subjects.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig117.jpg" alt="Montezuma is wounded" title="Montezuma is wounded" /></div>
+
+<p>When the Mexicans approached next morning to renew the assault, that
+unfortunate prince, who was now reduced to the sad necessity of becoming
+the instrument of his own disgrace, and of the slavery of his people,
+advanced to the battlements in his royal robes, and with all the pomp in
+which he used to appear on solemn occasions. At the sight of their
+sovereign, whom they had <a name="Page_117" id="Page_117"></a>long been accustomed to reverence almost as a
+god, the Mexicans instantly forebore their hostilities; and many
+prostrated themselves on the ground; but when he addressed them in
+favour of the Spaniards, and made use of all the arguments he could
+think of to mitigate their rage, they testified their resentment with
+loud murmurings, and at length broke forth with such fury, that before
+the soldiers appointed to guard Montezuma had time to cover him with
+their shields, he was wounded with two arrows <a name="Page_118" id="Page_118"></a>and a blow on the temple
+with a stone struck him to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>On seeing him fall, the Mexicans instantly fled with the utmost
+precipitation, and Montezuma was conveyed to his apartments, whither
+Cortez followed in order to console him; but as the unhappy monarch now
+perceived that he was become an object of contempt even to his own
+subjects, his haughty spirit revived, and scorning to prolong his life
+after this last humiliation, he tore the bandages from his wounds, in a
+transport of rage, and refusing to take any nourishment, he soon ended
+his wretched days; refusing with disdain all the solicitations of the
+Spaniards to embrace the Christian faith.</p>
+
+<p>The Mexicans having chosen his son Guatimozin emperor, attacked the head
+quarters of Cortez with the utmost fury, and, in spite of the advantages
+of fire-arms, forced the Spaniards to retire, which alone saved them
+from destruction. Their rear guard was cut to pieces, and suffered
+severely during the retreat, which lasted six days.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119"></a>The Spaniards, however, having received fresh troops from Spain,
+defeated the Mexicans, and took Guatimozin prisoner, and in the end
+succeeded in totally subjugating this vast empire.</p>
+
+<p>Guatimozin, before he was taken prisoner, being aware of his impending
+fate, had ordered all his treasures to be thrown into the lake, and he
+was now put to the torture, on suspicion of having concealed his
+treasure. This was done by laying him on burning coals; but he bore
+whatever the cruelty of his tormentors could inflict, with the
+invincible fortitude of an American warrior. One of his chief
+favourites, his fellow sufferer, being overcome by the violence of the
+anguish, turned a dejected eye towards his master, which seemed to
+implore his permission to reveal all he knew. But the high spirited
+prince darted on him a look of authority mingled with scorn, and checked
+his weakness by asking, "Am I reposing on a bed of flowers?"</p>
+
+<p>Overawed by the reproach, he persevered in dutiful silence and expired.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120"></a>Cortes, utterly regardless of what crimes and cruelties he committed,
+added largely to the Spanish territory and revenue. But Spain was always
+ungrateful. Pizarro was murdered; Columbus died of a broken heart, and
+Balboa the death of a felon; so what could Cortez expect? He fell into
+neglect and poverty when his work was done. One day he forced his way
+through the crowd that had collected about the carriage of the
+sovereign, mounted the door-step, and looked in. Astonished at so gross
+a breach of etiquette, the monarch demanded to know who he was? "I am a
+man," replied Cortez, "who has given you more provinces than your
+ancestors left you cities!"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY RELATES HOW PIZARRO DISCOVERED AND CONQUERED PERU.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Peru, when first discovered by the Spaniards, was a large and
+flourishing empire, including two kingdoms, Peru, and Quito, and
+extended over nearly half of the widest part of the South American
+Continent, as you will see if you look into the map, Brazil occupying
+the other half of the wide part.</p>
+
+<p>It had been governed by a long succession of Emperors, who were called
+the Incas of Peru.</p>
+
+<p>On the 14th of Nov. 1524, three Spanish adventurers whose names were
+Francisco Pizarro, in early life a feeder of swine, Diego de Almagro,
+and Hernando Luque, set sail from Panama for the discovery of Peru.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122"></a>Panama was a new settlement which the Spaniards had formed on the
+western side of the Isthmus of Darien, on the shores of the Pacific
+Ocean.</p>
+
+<p>Pizarro had only a single ship and one hundred and twenty men, to
+undertake this discovery, and so little was he acquainted with the
+climate of America, that the most improper season of the whole year was
+chosen for his departure; the periodical winds which were then set in,
+being directly opposite to the course he proposed to steer.</p>
+
+<p>He spent two years in sailing from Panama to the northern extremity of
+Peru, a voyage which is now frequently performed in a fortnight.</p>
+
+<p>At Tumbez, a place about three degrees south of the line, Pizarro and
+his companions feasted their eyes with the first view of the opulence
+and civilization of the Peruvian empire.</p>
+
+<p>This place was distinguished for its stately temple, and for one of the
+palaces of the Incas, or sovereigns of the country.</p>
+
+<p>But what chiefly attracted their notice, <a name="Page_123" id="Page_123"></a>was such a show of gold and
+silver, not only in the ornaments of their persons and temples, but in
+the several vessels and utensils of common use, as left them no room to
+doubt that these metals abounded in the greatest profusion.</p>
+
+<p>Having explored the country sufficiently to satisfy his own mind,
+Pizarro hastened back to Panama, and from thence to Spain, where he
+obtained from Charles the Fifth the most liberal concessions, himself
+being made chief governor of all the countries he should subdue;
+Almagro, king's lieutenant, and Luque being appointed first bishop of
+Peru.</p>
+
+<p>Thus encouraged, Pizarro returned to Panama, whence he soon after sailed
+with three small vessels, containing only one hundred and eighty-six
+soldiers, and arrived at the Bay of St. Matthew; he then advanced by
+land as quickly as possible towards Peru.</p>
+
+<p>When Pizarro landed in the bay of St. Matthew, a civil war was raging
+with the greatest fury between Atahualpa, who was then seated on the
+throne of Peru, and his brother.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124"></a>This contest so much engaged the attention of the Peruvians, that they
+never once attempted to check the progress of the Spaniards, and Pizarro
+determined to take advantage of these dissensions.</p>
+
+<p>He directed his course towards Caxamalia, a small town at the distance
+of twelve days' march from St. Michael, where Atahualpa was encamped
+with a considerable body of troops.</p>
+
+<p>Before he had proceeded far, an officer, despatched by the Inca, met him
+with valuable presents from that prince, accompanied with a proffer of
+his alliance, and his assurance of a friendly reception at Caxamalia.</p>
+
+<p>Pizarro, according to the usual artifice of his countrymen, pretended to
+come as the ambassador of a powerful monarch, to offer his aid against
+those enemies who disputed his title to the throne.</p>
+
+<p>The Peruvians were altogether unable to comprehend the object of the
+Spaniards in entering their country, whether they should consider them
+as beings of a superior nature, who had visited them from some
+beneficent <a name="Page_125" id="Page_125"></a>motive, as the Spaniards wished them to believe, or whether
+they were sent as evil demons to punish them for their crimes, as the
+rapaciousness and cruelty of the Spaniards led them to apprehend.</p>
+
+<p>Pizarro's declaration of his pacific intentions, however, so far removed
+all the Inca's fears, that he determined to give him a friendly
+reception.</p>
+
+<p>In consequence of this the Spaniards were allowed to march across a
+sandy desert, which lay in their way to Metupe, where the smallest
+efforts of an opposing enemy might have proved fatal to them, and then
+through a defile so narrow, that a few men might have defended it
+against a numerous army; but here, likewise, they met with no
+opposition.</p>
+
+<p>Pizarro, having reached Caxamalia with his followers, sent messengers,
+inviting Atahualpa to visit him in his quarters, which he readily
+promised. On the return of these messengers, they gave such a
+description of the wealth which they had seen, as determined Pizarro to
+seize upon the Peruvian <a name="Page_126" id="Page_126"></a>monarch, in order that he might more easily
+come at the riches of his kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the Inca approached Caxamalia, without suspicion of
+Pizarro's treachery; but, as he drew near the Spanish quarters, Vincent
+Valverde, chaplain to the expedition, advanced with a crucifix in one
+hand and a breviary in the other, and, in a long discourse, attempted to
+convert him to the Roman Catholic faith.</p>
+
+<p>This the monarch declined, avowing his resolution to adhere to the
+worship of the sun; at the same time wished to know where the priest had
+learned these extraordinary things he had related. "In this book!"
+answered Valverde, reaching out his breviary.</p>
+
+<p>The Inca opened it eagerly, and turning over the leaves, raised it to
+his ear, "This," said he, "is silent, it tells me nothing;" and threw it
+with disdain to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The enraged monk, running towards his countrymen, cried out, "To arms,
+Christians! to arms! the word of God is insulted&mdash;avenge the profanation
+of these impious dogs!"</p>
+
+<p>Pizarro immediately gave the signal of <a name="Page_127" id="Page_127"></a>assault, which ended in the
+destruction of four thousand Peruvians, without the loss of a single
+Spaniard. The plunder was rich beyond any idea which even the conquerors
+had yet formed concerning the wealth of Peru. The Inca, who was taken
+prisoner, quickly discovered that the ruling passion of the Spaniards
+was the desire of gold; he offered therefore to recover his liberty by a
+splendid ransom.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig127.jpg" alt="The loss of 4000 Peruvians" title="The loss of 4000 Peruvians" /></div>
+
+<p>The apartment in which he was confined was twenty-two feet long, by
+sixteen in <a name="Page_128" id="Page_128"></a>breadth; this he undertook to fill with vessels of gold as
+high as he could reach.</p>
+
+<p>Pizarro closed with the proposal, and a line was drawn upon the walls of
+the chamber, to mark the stipulated height to which the treasure was to
+rise.</p>
+
+<p>During this confinement, Atahualpa had attached himself with peculiar
+affection to Ferdinand Pizarro, and Hernando Soto; who, as they were
+persons of birth and education, superior to the rough adventurers with
+whom they served, were accustomed to behave with more decency and
+kindness to the captive monarch.</p>
+
+<p>Soothed with this respect, he delighted in their society; but in the
+presence of the governor he was always uneasy and overawed, and this
+dread soon became mingled with contempt.</p>
+
+<p>Among all the European arts, what he admired most was that of reading
+and writing, and he long deliberated with himself whether it was a
+natural or an acquired talent. In order to determine this, he desired
+one of the soldiers, who guarded him, to <a name="Page_129" id="Page_129"></a>write the name of God on the
+nail of his thumb. This he showed successively to several Spaniards,
+asking its meaning, and to his amazement, they all, without hesitation
+returned the same answer. At length Francisco Pizarro entered, and on
+presenting it to him, he blushed, and with some confusion was obliged to
+acknowledge that he could not read.</p>
+
+<p>From that moment Atahualpa considered him as a mean person, less
+instructed than his own soldiers, nor could he conceal the sentiments of
+contempt with which this discovery inspired him. He, however, performed
+his part of the contract, and the gold which his subjects brought in,
+was worth three or four hundred thousand pounds sterling.</p>
+
+<p>When they assembled to divide the spoils of this innocent people,
+procured by deceit, extortion, and cruelty, the transaction began with a
+solemn invocation to Heaven, as if they expected the guidance of God in
+distributing the wages of iniquity. In this division, eight thousand
+pesoes, at that time <a name="Page_130" id="Page_130"></a>equal in value to &pound;10,000 sterling, of the present
+day, fell to the share of each soldier: Pizarro and his officers
+received shares in proportion to the dignity of their rank.</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards having divided the treasure among them, the Inca insisted
+that they should fulfil their promise of setting him at liberty. But the
+Spaniards, with unparalleled treachery and cruelty had now determined to
+put him to death; an action the most criminal and atrocious that stains
+the Spanish name, amidst all the deeds of violence committed in carrying
+on the conquest of the New World. In order to give some colour of
+justice to this outrage, Pizarro resolved to try the Inca, according to
+the forms of the criminal courts of Spain, and having constituted
+himself chief judge, charges the most absurd, and even ridiculous, were
+brought against him; but, as his infamous judges had predetermined, he
+was found guilty, and condemned to be burnt alive.</p>
+
+<p>Atahualpa, astonished at his fate, endeavoured to avert it by tears, by
+promises, and <a name="Page_131" id="Page_131"></a>by entreaties; but pity never touched the unfeeling heart
+of Pizarro. He ordered him to be led instantly to execution, and the
+cruel priest, after having prostituted his sacred office to confirm the
+wicked sentence, offered to console, and attempted to convert him.</p>
+
+<p>The dread of a cruel death, extorted from the trembling victim his
+consent to be baptized. The ceremony was performed; and Atahualpa,
+instead of being burnt alive, was strangled at the stake.</p>
+
+<p>Pizarro then proceeded in his career of cruelty and rapacity, till, in
+ten years, he subdued the whole of this great empire, and divided it
+among his followers.</p>
+
+<p>In making the division, he allotted the richest and finest provinces to
+himself and his favourites, giving the less valuable to Almagro and his
+friends.</p>
+
+<p>This partiality highly offended Almagro, who thought his claims equal to
+Pizarro's, and this led to open hostilities; when Almagro being taken
+prisoner, he was beheaded in prison by order of Pizarro.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after this, Pizarro himself was as<a name="Page_132" id="Page_132"></a>sassinated in his palace by a
+party of Almagro's friends, headed by the son of Almagro, in revenge for
+the death of his father.</p>
+
+<p>Some time before this, the cruel and bigoted priest, Val de Viridi, had
+been beaten to death with the butt end of muskets, in the island of
+Puma, at the instigation of Almagro.</p>
+
+<p>Thus retributive justice, in the end, overtook these unjust and cruel
+men.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig132.jpg" alt="Jewel casket" title="Jewel casket" /></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY DESCRIBES THE NATURAL BEAUTIES OF AMERICA.</h4>
+
+
+<p>Let us now leave for a while the cruel Spaniards, and talk about the
+beauties of nature, in these new discovered countries.</p>
+
+<p>In these extensive regions, every thing appeared new and wonderful; not
+only the inhabitants, but the whole face of nature was totally different
+from anything that had been seen in Europe.</p>
+
+<p>Grand ridges of mountains, numerous volcanoes, some of them, though
+under the Equator, covered with perpetual snows. Noble rivers, whose
+course, in several instances, exceeds three thousand miles.</p>
+
+<p>Here are found the palm-tree, the cedar, <a name="Page_134" id="Page_134"></a>the tamarind, the guaiacum,
+the sassafras, the hickory, the chestnut, the walnut of many different
+kinds, the wild cherry (sometimes a hundred feet high), and more than
+fifty different sorts of oak.</p>
+
+<p>The plane, of which there are two kinds, one found in Asia, which is
+called the oriental plane: that found in America is called the
+occidental plane; but the Americans call it button-wood, or sycamore.
+Its foliage is richer, and its leaves of a more beautiful green than the
+oriental. It grows to a great size.</p>
+
+<p>The cypress is perhaps the largest of the American trees; it is a more
+than a hundred and twenty feet high; and the diameter of the trunk at
+forty or fifty feet from the ground is sometimes eight or ten feet.</p>
+
+<p>Another tree of gigantic magnitude is the wild cotton or Cuba tree. A
+canoe made from the single trunk of this tree has been know to contain a
+hundred persons.</p>
+
+<p>Above all these in beauty is the majestic magnolia which shoots up to
+the height of more than a hundred feet; its trunk per<a name="Page_135" id="Page_135"></a>fectly straight,
+surmounted by a thick expanded head of pale green foliage, in the form
+of a cone.</p>
+
+<p>From the centre of the flowery crown which terminates each of its
+branches, a flower of the purest white arises, having the form of a
+rose, from six to nine inches in diameter.</p>
+
+<p>To the flower succeeds a crimson cone; this, in opening, exhibits round
+seeds of the finest coral red, surrounded by delicate threads, six
+inches long.</p>
+
+<p>Here, every plant and tree displays its most majestic form.</p>
+
+<p>Upon the shady banks of the Madelina there grows a climbing plant which
+the botanists call Aristolochia, the flowers of which are four feet in
+circumference, and children amuse themselves with covering their heads
+with them as hats.</p>
+
+<p>The Banana which grows in all the hot parts of America, and furnishes
+the Indians with the chief part of their daily food, producing more
+nutritious substance, in less <a name="Page_136" id="Page_136"></a>space, and with less trouble than any
+other known plant.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig136.jpg" alt="Banana plant" title="Banana plant" /></div>
+
+<p>It is here that the ground produces the sugar-cane, the coffee, and the
+cocoa-nut from which is produced the chocolate. The vanilla, the anana
+or pine apple, and many other delicious fruits.</p>
+
+<p>The cacao, though generally pronounced cocoa, must not be confounded
+with the<a name="Page_137" id="Page_137"></a> Cocoa Palm which produces that largest of all nuts, the
+Cocoa-nut.</p>
+
+<p>These trees and plants which I have mentioned, and many more equally
+beautiful, are all natives of the American woods.</p>
+
+<p>But the European settlers, when they came, brought over to Europe many
+valuable kinds of fruit and plants, which they did not find here; and I
+never was more delighted than once on passing through Virginia, to
+observe the dwellings of the settlers shaded by orange, lemon, and
+pomegranate trees, that fill the air with the perfume of their flowers,
+while their branches are loaded with fruit.</p>
+
+<p>Strawberries of native growth, of the richest flavour, spring up beneath
+your feet; and when these are passed away, every grove and field looks
+like a cherry orchard. Then follow the peaches, every hedge-row is
+planted with them. But it is the flowers and the flowering shrubs, that,
+beyond all else, render these regions so beautiful. No description can
+give an idea of the variety, the profusion, and the luxuriance of them.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138"></a>The Dog-wood, whose lateral fan-like branches are dotted all over with
+star-like blossoms of splendid white, as large as those of the
+gumcistus.</p>
+
+<p>The straight silvery column of the Papan fig, crowned with a canopy of
+large indented leaves; and the wild orange tree, mixed with the
+odoriferous and common laurel, form striking ornaments of this
+enchanting scene, with many other lovely flowers too numerous to
+describe.</p>
+
+<p>There is another charm that enchants the wanderer in the American woods.
+In a bright day in the summer months you walk through an atmosphere of
+butterflies, so gaudy in hue, and so varied in form, that I often
+thought they looked like flowers on the wing.</p>
+
+<p>Some of them are large, measuring three or four inches across the wing,
+but many, and those of the most beautiful, are small. Some have wings
+the most dainty lavender, and bodies of black; others are fawn and rose
+colour, and others are orange and bright blue: but pretty as they are,
+it is their num<a name="Page_139" id="Page_139"></a>bers more than their beauty; and their gay, and
+noiseless movement through the air, crossing each other in chequered
+maze, that so delights the eye.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig139.jpg" alt="Butterflies" title="Butterflies" /></div>
+
+<p>That beautiful production, the humming bird, is also the sportive
+inhabitant of these warm climates, and I think they surpass all the
+works of nature in singularity of form, splendour of colour, and variety
+of species.</p>
+
+<p>They are found in all the West India <a name="Page_140" id="Page_140"></a>islands and in most parts of the
+American continent: the smallest species does not exceed the size of
+some of the bees.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig140.jpg" alt="Exotic plants" title="Exotic plants" /></div>
+
+<p>There are so many different kinds, and each so beautiful, that it is
+impossible to describe them. They are constantly on the wing, collecting
+insects from the blossoms of the tamarind, the orange, or any other tree
+that happens to be in flower: and the humming noise proceeds from the
+surprising velocity with which they move their wings.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS OF THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY IN AMERICA.</h4>
+
+
+<p>In the beginning of the reign of James the First, who you know succeeded
+Elizabeth, the first successful attempt was made by the English to found
+a colony in America.</p>
+
+<p>Three small vessels, of which the largest did not exceed one hundred
+tons burden, under the command of Captain Newport, formed the first
+squadron that was to execute what had been so long, and so vainly
+attempted; and sailed with a hundred and five men destined to remain in
+America.</p>
+
+<p>Several of these emigrants were members of distinguished
+families&mdash;particularly George Percy, a brother of the Earl of<a name="Page_142" id="Page_142"></a>
+Northumberland; and several were officers of reputation, of whom we may
+notice Bartholomew Gosnald, the navigator, and Captain John Smith, one
+of the most distinguished ornaments of an age that abounded with
+memorable men.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, after the lapse of a hundred and ten years from the discovery of
+the continent by Cabot, and twenty-two years after its first occupation
+by Raleigh, was the number of the English colonists limited to a hundred
+and five; and this handful of men undertook the arduous task of peopling
+a remote and uncultivated land, covered with woods and marshes, and
+inhabited only by savages and beasts of prey.</p>
+
+<p>Newport and his squadron did not accomplish their voyage in less than
+four months; but its termination was rendered particularly fortunate by
+the effect of a storm, which defeated their purpose of landing and
+settling at Roanoak, and carried them into the bay of Chesapeak; and
+coasting along its southern shore, they entered a river which the
+natives called Powhatan, and explored <a name="Page_143" id="Page_143"></a>its banks for more than forty
+miles from its mouth.</p>
+
+<p>The adventurers, impressed with the superior advantages of the coast and
+region to which they had been thus happily conducted, determined to make
+this the place of their abode.</p>
+
+<p>They gave to their infant settlement, as well as to the neighbouring
+river, the name of their king; and James Town retains the distinction of
+being the oldest of existing habitations of the English in America.</p>
+
+<p>Newport having landed the colonists, with what supplies of provisions
+were destined for their support, set sail with his ships to return to
+England, in the month of June, 1607.</p>
+
+<p>The colonists soon found themselves limited to a scanty supply of
+unwholesome provisions; and the heat and moisture of the climate
+combining with the effect of their diet, brought on diseases that raged
+with fatal violence.</p>
+
+<p>Before the month of September, one half of their number had miserably
+perished, and <a name="Page_144" id="Page_144"></a>among these victims was Bartholomew Gosnald, who had
+planned the expedition, and greatly contributed to its success.</p>
+
+<p>This scene of suffering was embittered by dissensions among themselves.
+At length, in the extremity of their distress, when ruin seemed to
+threaten them, as well from famine as the fury of the savages, the
+colonists obtained a complete and unexpected deliverance, which the
+piety of Smith ascribed to the influence of God in their behalf.</p>
+
+<p>The savages, actuated by a sudden change of feeling, not only refrained
+from molesting them, but brought them, without being asked, a supply of
+provisions so liberal, as at once to remove their apprehensions of
+famine and hostility.</p>
+
+<p>The colonists were now instructed by their misfortunes, and the sense of
+urgent danger, led them to submit to the advice of the man, whose
+talents were most likely to extricate them from the difficulties with
+which they were surrounded.</p>
+
+<p>Every eye was now turned on Captain<a name="Page_145" id="Page_145"></a> Smith, whose superior talents and
+experience, had so far excited the envy and jealousy of his colleagues,
+that he had been excluded from a seat in the council.</p>
+
+<p>Under Captain Smith's directions, James Town was fortified, so as to
+repel the attacks of the savages, and its inhabitants were provided with
+dwellings that afforded shelter from the weather, and contributed to
+restore and preserve their health.</p>
+
+<p>Finding the supplies of the savages discontinued, he took with him some
+of his people and penetrated into the interior of the country, where by
+courtesy and kindness to the tribes whom he found well disposed, he
+succeeded in procuring a plentiful supply of provisions. In the midst of
+his successes he was surprised during an expedition by a hostile body of
+savages, who having made him prisoner, after a gallant and nearly
+successful defence, prepared to inflict on him the usual fate of their
+captives.</p>
+
+<p>His genius and presence of mind did not desert him on this trying
+occasion. He desired to speak with the sachem or chief of <a name="Page_146" id="Page_146"></a>the tribe to
+which he was a prisoner, and, presenting him with a mariner's compass,
+expatiated on the wonderful discoveries to which this little instrument
+had led, described the shape of the earth, the vastness of its land and
+oceans, the course of the sun and the varieties of nations, wisely
+forbearing to express any solicitude for his life.</p>
+
+<p>The savages listened to him with amazement and admiration. They handled
+the compass, viewing with surprise the play of the needle, which they
+plainly saw, but were unable to touch; and he appeared to have gained
+some ascendancy over their minds.</p>
+
+<p>For an hour afterwards they seemed undecided; but their habitual
+disposition returning, they bound him to a tree, and were preparing to
+despatch him with their arrows.</p>
+
+<p>But a deeper impression had been made by his harangue on the mind of
+their chief, who, holding up the compass in his hand, gave the signal of
+reprieve, and Smith, <a name="Page_147" id="Page_147"></a>though still guarded as a prisoner, was conducted
+to a dwelling, where he was kindly treated and plentifully entertained.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig147.jpg" alt="The chief held up a compass" title="The chief held up a compass" /></div>
+
+<p>But after vainly attempting to prevail on their captive to betray the
+English colony into their hands, the Indian referred his fate to
+Powhatan, the king or principal sachem of the country, to whose presence
+<a name="Page_148" id="Page_148"></a>they conducted him in pompous and triumphant procession.</p>
+
+<p>This prince received him with much ceremony, ordered a rich repast to be
+set before him, and then adjudged him to suffer death by having his head
+laid on a stone and beaten to pieces with clubs.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig148.jpg" alt="The prince received him" title="The prince received him" /></div>
+
+<p>At the place appointed for his execution, Smith was again rescued from
+impending <a name="Page_149" id="Page_149"></a>destruction by Pocahontas, the favourite daughter of the
+chief, who, finding her first entreaties disregarded, threw her arms
+round the prisoner, and declared her determination to save him or die
+with him.</p>
+
+<p>Her generous compassion prevailed over the cruelty of her tribe, and the
+king not only gave Smith his life, but soon after sent him back to James
+Town, where the benificence of Pocahontas continued to follow him with
+supplies of provisions that delivered the colony from famine.</p>
+
+<p>This eminent commander continued for some time to govern the colony with
+the greatest wisdom and prudence, when he received a dangerous wound
+from the accidental explosion of some gunpowder. Completely disabled by
+this misfortune, and destitute of surgical aid in the colony, he was
+compelled to resign his command, and take his departure for England. He
+never returned to Virginia again.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS OF THE ORIGINAL NATIVE AMERICANS.</h4>
+
+
+<p>I recollect when I was staying in America, an old Delaware Indian came
+to Boston to sell some skins and furs, and he called at the house where
+I was stopping. He had once been a chief among the Indians, but was now
+poor.</p>
+
+<p>I went to this Indian's home, which was a little hut near Mount Holyoke.
+We found his wife and his three children; two boys and a girl. They came
+out to meet us, and were very glad to see their father and me.</p>
+
+<p>I was very hungry and tired when I arrived. The Indian's wife roasted
+some bear's flesh, and gave us some bread made of pounded corn, for our
+supper.</p>
+
+<p>I then went to bed on some bear skins, and slept very well. Early in the
+morning<a name="Page_151" id="Page_151"></a> I was called to go hunting with the Indian and his two sons. It
+was a fine bright morning in October. The sun was shining on the tops of
+the mountains; we climbed Mount Holyoke, through the woods, and ascended
+a high rock, from which we could see a beautiful valley far below us, in
+the centre of which was the little town of Northampton, much smaller
+than it is now.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig151.jpg" alt="Do you see those houses?" title="Do you see those houses?" /></div>
+
+<p>"Do you see those houses?" said the Indian to me, "When my grandfather
+was a boy, there was not a house where you see <a name="Page_152" id="Page_152"></a>so many: that valley
+which now belongs to white men, belonged to red men."</p>
+
+<p>"Then the red men were rich and happy; now they are poor and wretched.
+Then that beautiful river which you see running through the valley, and
+which is called the Connecticut, was theirs. They owned these fine
+mountains too, they hunted in these woods, and fished in that river, and
+were numerous and powerful,&mdash;now they are few and weak."</p>
+
+<p>"But how has this change happened?" said I, "who has taken your lands
+from you, and made you so miserable?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will tell you all about that to-night," said he, "when we return
+home."</p>
+
+<p>We proceeded cautiously through the woods, and had not gone far when the
+Indian beckoned us all to stop. "Look yonder," said he to me, "on that
+high rock above us!" I did so, but could see nothing. "Look again," said
+he; I did, and saw a young hind standing upon the point of a rock which
+hung over the valley; she was a beautiful little animal, full of spirit,
+with <a name="Page_153" id="Page_153"></a>large black eyes, slender legs and of a reddish brown colour.</p>
+
+<p>He now selected a choice arrow, placed it on the bow, and sent it
+whizzing through the air. It struck directly through the heart. The
+little animal sprang violently forward, over the rock, and fell dead
+many feet below, where Whampum's sons soon found it; we now returned to
+the wigwam, carrying the fawn with us.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig153.jpg" alt="Death of a hind" title="Death of a hind" /></div>
+
+<p><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154"></a>In the evening I reminded him of his promise to tell me how the Indians
+had been robbed of their lands and reduced to poverty. He accordingly
+began as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"A great many years ago," said he, "when men with white skins had never
+been seen in this land, some Indians who were out fishing at a place
+where the sea widens, espied at a great distance something very large,
+floating on the water, and such as they had never seen before.</p>
+
+<p>"These Indians immediately returning to the shore, apprized their
+countrymen of what they had observed, and pressed them to go out with
+them and discover what it might be. They hurried out together, and saw
+with astonishment what the others had described, but could not agree
+upon what it was; some believed it to be an uncommonly large fish or
+animal, whilst others were of opinion that it must be a very large house
+floating on the sea.</p>
+
+<p>"They sent off messengers to carry the news to their scattered chiefs
+and warriors that they should come together immediately.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155"></a>"The chiefs were soon assembled and deliberating as to the manner in
+which they should receive the Manitou or Supreme Being on his arrival.
+Every measure was taken to be well provided with plenty of meat for a
+sacrifice, the women were desired to prepare the best victuals, all the
+idols were examined and put in order, and a grand dance was supposed not
+only to be agreeable to the Great Being, but it was believed that it
+might tend to appease him if he was angry with them.</p>
+
+<p>"Distracted between hope and fear, they were at a loss what to do; a
+dance, however, commenced in great confusion; fresh runners arrive,
+declaring it to be a large house, of various colours, and crowded with
+living creatures.</p>
+
+<p>"Many are for running off into the woods, but are pressed by others to
+stay, in order not to give offence to their visitors, who might find
+them out and destroy them. The house at last stops, and a canoe of small
+size comes on shore, with a man clothed in red, and some others in it;
+some stay <a name="Page_156" id="Page_156"></a>with his canoe to guard it. The chiefs and wise men assembled
+in council, form themselves into a large circle, towards which the man
+in red approaches, with two others; he salutes them with a friendly
+countenance, and they return the salute in the same manner; they are
+lost in admiration, the dress, the manner, the whole appearance of the
+unknown strangers is to them a subject of wonder; but they are
+particularly struck with him who wore the red coat, all glittering with
+gold, which they could in no manner account for.</p>
+
+<p>"He surely must be the great Manitou; but why should he have a white
+skin? Meanwhile a large Hack-hack is brought by one of his servants,
+from which an unknown liquid is poured out into a small cup, and handed
+to the supposed Manitou; he drinks,&mdash;has the cup filled again, and hands
+it to the chief standing next to him; the chief receives it, but only
+smells the contents and passes it on to the next chief, who does the
+same.</p>
+
+<p>"The glass or cup thus passes through the <a name="Page_157" id="Page_157"></a>circle without the liquor
+being tasted by any one, and is upon the point of being returned to the
+red-clothed Manitou, when one of the Indians, a brave man and a great
+warrior, suddenly jumps up and harangues the assembly, on the
+impropriety of returning the cup with its content: It was handed to
+them, said he, by the Manitou, that they should drink out of it as he
+had done: to follow his example would be pleasing to him, but to return
+what he had given to them, might provoke his wrath, and bring
+destruction on them; and since the orator believed it for the good of
+the nation, that the contents should be drunk, and as no one else would
+do it, he would drink it himself, let the consequences be what they
+might: it was better for one man to die, than that a whole nation should
+be destroyed.</p>
+
+<p>"He then took the cup, and bidding the assembly a solemn farewell, at
+once drank up its whole contents. Every eye was fixed on the resolute
+chief, to see what effect the unknown liquor would produce.</p>
+
+<p>"He soon began to stagger, and at last fell <a name="Page_158" id="Page_158"></a>prostrate on the ground;
+his companions now bemoan his fate, he falls into a sound sleep, and
+they think he is dead: he wakes again:&mdash;he asks for more, his wish is
+granted; the whole assembly then imitate him, and all become
+intoxicated.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig158.jpg" alt="The man with the red clothes" title="The man with the red clothes" /></div>
+
+<p>"After this general intoxication had ceased, the man with the red
+clothes, who had remained in his great canoe while it lasted, returned
+again and distributed presents among them, consisting of beads, axes,
+<a name="Page_159" id="Page_159"></a>shoes and stockings, such as white people wear.</p>
+
+<p>"They soon became familiar with each other, and began to converse by
+signs; the strangers made them understand that they would not stay here,
+that they would return home again, but would pay them another visit next
+year, when they would bring them more presents and stay with them
+awhile.</p>
+
+<p>"They went away, as they had said, and returned in the following season,
+when both parties were much rejoiced to see each other; but the white
+men laughed at the Indians, for they had the axes and hoes, which they
+had given them the year before, hanging to their breasts, as ornaments,
+and the stockings were made use of as tobacco pouches. The whites now
+put handles to the axes for them, and cut down trees before their eyes,
+hoed up the ground, and put the stockings on their legs: here, they say,
+a general laughter ensued among the Indians, that they had remained
+ignorant of the use of such valuable tools, and had borne the weight of
+them hanging to their necks for <a name="Page_160" id="Page_160"></a>such a length of time. They took every
+white man they saw for an inferior attendant on the supreme Manitou in
+the red laced clothes.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig160.jpg" alt="They took every
+white man as an inferior attendant" title="They took every
+white man as an inferior attendant" /></div>
+
+<p>"As they became daily more familiar with the Indians, the white men
+proposed to stay with us, and we readily consented.</p>
+
+<p>"It was we who so kindly received them in our country, we took them by
+the hand <a name="Page_161" id="Page_161"></a>and bade them welcome to sit down by our side and live with us
+as brothers; but how did they requite our kindness? They first asked
+only for a little land, on which to raise bread for themselves and their
+families, and pasture for their cattle, which we freely gave them; they
+soon wanted more, which we also gave them; they saw the game in the
+woods, which the Great Spirit had given us for our subsistence, and they
+wanted that too; they penetrated into the woods in quest of game; they
+discovered spots of land which pleased them, that land they also wanted;
+and because we were loath to part with it, as we saw they had already
+more than they had need of, they took it from us by force, and drove us
+to a great distance from our ancient homes; they looked everywhere for
+good spots of land, and when they found one, they immediately, and
+without ceremony, possessed themselves of it; but when at last they came
+to our favourite spots, those which lay most convenient to our
+fisheries, then bloody wars ensued. We would have been contented that
+the white people and we <a name="Page_162" id="Page_162"></a>should have lived quietly beside each other,
+but these white men encroached so fast upon us, that we saw at once we
+should lose all if we did not resist them. The wars that we carried on
+against each other were long and cruel,&mdash;we were enraged when we saw the
+white people put our friends and relatives, whom they had taken
+prisoners, on board their ships, whether to drown or sell them as slaves
+in the country from which they came, we know not; but certain it is,
+that none of them have ever returned, or even been heard of.</p>
+
+<p>"At last they got possession of the whole country, which the Great
+Spirit had given us; one of our tribes was forced to wander far to the
+north, others dispersed in small bodies, and sought refuge where they
+could.</p>
+
+<p>"How long we shall be permitted to remain in this asylum, the Great
+Spirit only knows. The whites will not rest contented till they shall
+have destroyed the last of us, and made us disappear entirely from the
+face of the earth."</p>
+
+<p>The old Indian said no more: he looked <a name="Page_163" id="Page_163"></a>sad, and his two sons looked sad
+also; and I shall never forget the impression his story made upon my
+mind.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, these good Indians, with a kind of melancholy pleasure, recite the
+long history of their sufferings; and often have I listened to their
+painful details, until I have felt ashamed of being a white man.</p>
+
+<p>A few days after this we set out upon another hunting excursion, and
+again climbed the mountains. We had proceeded some distance when we
+heard the report of a gun, and coming round the point of a rock which
+lay just before us, we saw a Delaware Indian hunter, who had just
+discharged his carabine at a huge bear, and broken its backbone; the
+animal fell, and set up a most plaintive cry; something like that of the
+panther when he is hungry.</p>
+
+<p>The Indian includes all savage beasts in the number of his enemies, and
+when he has conquered one, he taunts him before he kills him, in the
+same strain as he would a conquered enemy of a hostile tribe.</p>
+
+<p>Instead of giving the bear another shot, <a name="Page_164" id="Page_164"></a>the hunter stood close to him,
+and addressed him in these words:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig164.jpg" alt="An Indian kills a bear" title="An Indian kills a bear" /></div>
+
+<p>"Hark ye! bear; you are a coward, and no warrior, as you pretend to be.
+Were you a warrior, you would show it by your firmness, and would not
+cry and whimper, like an old woman. You know, bear, that our tribes are
+at war with each other, and that yours were the aggressors." As you may
+suppose, I was not a little surprised at the delivery of this curious
+invective.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XV.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS ABOUT THE UNITED STATES.</h4>
+
+
+<p>The English settlements in America grew very rapidly into power and
+importance. The French settlements also increased in extent and
+influence, and a rivalry between the French and English, fostered and
+nourished by the "<i>natural enmity</i>" which was said to subsist between
+the Gauls and the Britons, broke out at last in terrible warfare. War is
+very frightful under any circumstances. It looks very much like murder;
+and, even at the best of times, a battle-field reminds us of Cain and
+Abel. Brother slaughters brother, and the conqueror rejoices and
+describes his sanguinary work as "a glorious victory." In the war
+between the English and French settlers in America, a new and atrocious
+feature was introduced. The Indians were engaged, <a name="Page_166" id="Page_166"></a>for pay and powder,
+on either side, to commit the most hideous cruelties; and things were
+done which must not be told here, but the very thought of which should
+make us shudder and turn pale.</p>
+
+<p>The English got the better of the French, and they took Quebec, a strong
+city in Canada. General Wolfe, a young man and an excellent soldier,
+captured the city; but it cost him his life. During the heat of the
+engagement, Wolfe was shot. "Support me," said he to an officer near
+him; "do not let my brave fellows see my face!" He was removed to the
+rear, and water was brought to quench his thirst. Just then a cry was
+heard, "They run! they run!" "Who runs?" exclaimed Wolfe, faintly
+raising himself. "The enemy!" was the reply. "Then," said he, "I die
+content," and expired.</p>
+
+<p>The result of the war in which General Wolfe perished, left a vast
+amount of debt as a heavy weight upon the country. The English settlers
+had fought very bravely all through the war, and they thought that the<a name="Page_167" id="Page_167"></a>
+English at home ought to pay the debt, and not tax them for its payment.
+But the king and the parliament thought differently. They taxed the
+American settlers very heavily; they would listen to no remonstrance;
+and, when some signs were given of resistance, they were threatened with
+punishment, like so many unruly schoolboys. Certain privileges which had
+been granted them were taken away, and troops sent out to enforce
+obedience. One very objectionable tax to the Americans was a stamp duty
+on newspapers. Another was a tax on tea. They urged that it was unfair
+for the British government to tax them without they were allowed to send
+members to Parliament to look after their interests; but remonstrance
+only tended to make the British government more determined; and so at
+last they came to what somebody has called gunpowder law, that is to
+say, fighting.</p>
+
+<p>I need not enter on the events of the war. It ended in the triumph of
+the American settlers, and in the declaration of<a name="Page_168" id="Page_168"></a> American independence
+and the formation of the United States. The foremost man, both as a
+statesman and a soldier, in the conduct of the war, on the part of the
+Americans, was George Washington. He was elected three times to the
+presidency, and no name is more revered than his by the Americans.</p>
+
+<p>Since the separation of America from England, more than one quarrel has
+occurred between them. That which most vitally touches the future
+prosperity of the states is the warfare which now rages between the
+northern and southern sections of the republic. Most of you are aware
+that slavery prevails to a great extent in America. The negroes or
+blacks (the word <i>negro</i> means <i>black</i>) are more particularly found in
+the southern states. The northern states do not <i>hold</i> slaves, but they
+have so far <i>held</i> with slavery as to give up runaways, and tolerate the
+laws which make a man&mdash;because he was black&mdash;a mere beast of burden. A
+quarrel, however, on this question, and others of minor importance, has
+at last broken out between the north and south.<a name="Page_169" id="Page_169"></a> The southerners have
+separated from the northerners, and established a new republic of their
+own. Their <i>right</i> to do this has been denied by the north, and a civil
+war has commenced in consequence. What may be the final result it is
+impossible for any one to predict. The quarrel threatened at one time to
+involve a war with England; but this is no longer apprehended. It seems
+a very sad thing that a people so clever, so enterprising, so prosperous
+as the Americans, should, by a quarrel and separation among themselves,
+endanger&mdash;if they do not entirely overthrow&mdash;one of the most important
+states in the world. We cannot forget what it is that lies at the bottom
+of the mischief&mdash;<span class="smcap">Slavery</span>.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"O execrable crime! so to aspire</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Above our brethren, to ourselves assuming</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Authority usurped from God, not given.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">He gave us only over beast, fish, fowl,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dominion absolute; that right we hold</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">By his donation: but man over man</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">He made not lord&mdash;such title to himself</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Reserving, human left from human free."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170"></a>I may now tell you something about some of the chief cities in the
+United States.</p>
+
+<p>New York is the principal seaport and commercial metropolis of the
+States. It is situated at the southern extremity of an island called
+Manhattan Island, near the mouth of the Hudson river. Its progress has
+been very rapid, and its population is more than double that of any
+other city in the new world. The approach to the city is very fine&mdash;the
+shores of the bay being wooded down to the water's edge, and thickly
+studded with farms, villages, and country seats. New York measures about
+ten miles round. It is triangular in form. The principal street is
+Broadway, a spacious thoroughfare extending in a straight line through
+the centre of the city. The houses have a clean, fresh, cheerful
+appearance; many of the stores or shops are highly decorated; the public
+buildings, including the churches, while they can make no pretension to
+grandeur, are good of their kind; the university is probably the finest
+building in the city. The hotels in New York are <a name="Page_171" id="Page_171"></a>far more extensive
+than anything of the kind in Europe, and they are fitted up and
+conducted on a scale of princely grandeur. The city of New York was
+founded by the Dutch in 1621, and called New Amsterdam; but it was given
+to the Duke of York (afterwards James II.) in 1604, and was henceforth
+called by his name. The first congress of the United States was held
+there in 1789.</p>
+
+<p>Washington is the government capital of the States, and is so called in
+honour of the distinguished man&mdash;the father of the Republic&mdash;to whom I
+have already alluded. The entrance to the city by the Pennsylvanian
+avenue is 100 feet wide, and planted with some of the trees. The
+president's residence is called the "White House." The chief public
+offices and halls for the assembly of congress are contained in one
+building known as the Capitol. It stands on a hill, and is said to be
+the finest building in the Union. It is surrounded by ornamental
+grounds, and overlooks the river Potomac.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Boston</span> is a maritime city, and a great place <a name="Page_172" id="Page_172"></a>of trade; it is
+situated on an extensive bay, and is connected with the interior of the
+country by canals, railways, and river navigation. It is the great seat
+of the American ice trade. In the history of the war of independence it
+occupies a conspicuous place, as the Bostonians displayed great energy
+in asserting popular rights. At Boston, when the "taxed tea" was sent
+over by the British government, a number of the citizens disguised
+themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded the ships in which it had been
+brought over, seized upon and staved the chests, and threw their
+contents into the sea. This affair was known as the Boston tea party.
+Boston is the birth-place of Dr. Benjamin Franklin&mdash;the "Poor Richard"
+of whom I have no doubt you have often heard, and whose excellent advice
+cannot be too well remembered nor too carefully applied.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Charleston</span> is another of the principal sea-ports of the States.
+It is the largest town in South Carolina, and is situated at a low point
+of land at the confluence of two <a name="Page_173" id="Page_173"></a>rivers. It is the stronghold of
+slavery. One of the most recent events connected with it is that of the
+Northerners blocking up the harbour by sinking several ships, laden with
+stones, at the entrance. This is a very barbarous act, as it
+closes&mdash;perhaps for ever&mdash;one of the first ports in America.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Philadelphia</span> is the last city I shall mention. It is the great
+Quaker city; its streets are remarkable for their regularity, and the
+houses and stores for the peculiar air of cleanness which they exhibit.
+The public buildings are nearly all of white marble. It is distinguished
+for its vast number of charitable institutions and religious edifices,
+and it is a thriving place of business. The city was founded by William
+Penn in 1682. There is a monument marking the site of the signing of
+Penn's famous treaty with the Indians. With some little account of this
+treaty I shall conclude my notice of America.</p>
+
+<p>King Charles II. made a grant of land to Penn, but this good man would
+not enter upon its possession until after he had arranged a treaty with
+those to whom he justly <a name="Page_174" id="Page_174"></a>thought it more fairly belonged than to the
+King of England&mdash;namely, with the Indians. He consequently convened a
+meeting&mdash;under the wide spreading branches of an elm tree, the Indian
+chiefs assembled. They were unarmed; the old men sat in a half-moon upon
+the ground, the middle aged in the same figure, at a little distance
+from them; the younger men formed a third semicircle in the rear. Before
+them stood William Penn,&mdash;a light blue sash, the only mark which
+distinguished him from his friends, bound round his waist.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Thou'lt find,' said the quaker, 'in me and mine,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">But friends and brothers to thee and thine,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Who above no power, admit no line,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Twixt the red man and the white.'</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And bright was the spot where the quaker came,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To leave his hat, his drab, and his name,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That will sweetly sound from the trumpet of fame,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Till its final blast shall die."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>It is to be regretted that the speeches of the Indians on this memorable
+day have not come down to us. It is only known that <a name="Page_175" id="Page_175"></a>they solemnly
+pledged themselves to live with William Penn and his people in peace and
+amity so long as the sun and moon should endure. This was the only
+treaty, it has been said, between these people and the Christians that
+was <i>not</i> ratified by an oath, and that was <i>never</i> broken.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176"></a></p>
+<h2>AUSTRALIA.</h2>
+
+<h3>CHAPTER XVI.</h3>
+
+<h4>PARLEY TELLS ABOUT NEW SOUTH WALES.</h4>
+
+
+<p>At the termination of the American war, of which I have just given you a
+short account, the United States of America, which had been called by
+England her American Colonies, ceased to be any longer subject to Great
+Britain.</p>
+
+<p>The province of Virginia, in America, had for a long time been the only
+authorized outlet for those criminals in Great Britain and Ireland, who
+had been sentenced to transportation.</p>
+
+<p>It now became necessary for the English government to fix upon some
+other country, to which those of her subjects might be <a name="Page_177" id="Page_177"></a><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178"></a><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179"></a>transported,
+who were condemned to banishment for their crimes.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="images/map2.jpg"><img src="images/map2-tb.jpg" alt="Map of Australia" title="Map of Australia" /></a></div>
+
+<p>After much deliberation in the British Parliament, it was determined to
+form a penal settlement in New South Wales.</p>
+
+<p>If you will look at a globe, or, if you have not a globe, at a map of
+the world, turning the South Pole from you, or uppermost, and, supposing
+yourself to be in a ship, sail across the Atlantic Ocean till you come
+to the Equator, which is an imaginary line that divides the northern
+half of the globe from the southern; then "cross the line," as it is
+called, and sail along the South Atlantic, in the direction of the coast
+of South America, till you arrive at its southern extremity, which you
+will see is called Cape Horn; then sailing round Cape Horn, (which is
+called doubling Cape Horn), and directing your course westward, right
+across the Great Pacific Ocean. After having sailed across these three
+great oceans, you will find yourself, if you have a prosperous voyage,
+exactly on the opposite side of the globe, and before you, an extensive
+chain of large <a name="Page_180" id="Page_180"></a>islands, lying off the South-eastern extremity of the
+continent of Asia.</p>
+
+<p>This group of islands has been named Australasia, which means Southern
+Asia, and the largest of these, which is the largest island in the whole
+world, has been called Australia, or New Holland.</p>
+
+<p>This is so large an island, that if you were to divide the whole of
+Europe into ten parts, New Holland is as large as nine of them: and
+hence, from its great extent, some geographers have dignified it with
+the title of a continent.</p>
+
+<p>The northern and western coasts of this vast island were discovered by a
+succession of Dutch navigators, who gave them the name of New Holland.</p>
+
+<p>The eastern coast, which has been explored, and taken possession of by
+the English, was discovered by Capt. Cook, who gave it the name of New
+South Wales.</p>
+
+<p>At the southern extremity of Australia or New Holland, you will see
+<span class="smcap">Van Diemen's Land</span>, which was discovered by Tasman, one of the
+Dutch navigators, who was sent <a name="Page_181" id="Page_181"></a>from Batavia by Anthony Van Diemen, the
+Dutch governor-general of the Indies, to survey the coast of New
+Holland.</p>
+
+<p>In this voyage Tasman discovered an extensive country lying to the south
+of New Holland; in giving a name to which, he immortalized his patron,
+by calling it "Van Diemen's Land," having no suspicion at the time that
+it was an island.</p>
+
+<p>It was not till the year 1798 that it was discovered to be such; as in
+all the old maps and charts it is represented as part of the main land
+of New Holland.</p>
+
+<p>This important discovery was effected in an open boat, by Mr. Bass, a
+surgeon in the royal navy, who found it to be separated from Australia
+by a broad strait, which has ever since borne the name of its
+discoverer, "<span class="smcap">Bass' Straits</span>."</p>
+
+<p>A fleet of eleven sail was assembled at Portsmouth in March, 1783, for
+the formation of the proposed settlement on the coast of New Holland.</p>
+
+<p>On board of these vessels were embarked 600 male, and 250 female
+convicts, with a <a name="Page_182" id="Page_182"></a>guard consisting of about 200 soldiers, with their
+proper officers. Forty women, wives of the marines, were also permitted
+to accompany their husbands, together with their children.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Arthur Phillip, an officer highly qualified in every respect for
+the arduous undertaking, was appointed governor of the proposed colony.</p>
+
+<p>The little fleet which was thus placed under the command of Captain
+Phillip, and which has ever since been designated by the colonists "<i>the
+first fleet</i>," set sail from Portsmouth on the 13th of May 1787, and
+arrived at Botany Bay, in New South Wales, in January 1788, after a
+long, but comparatively prosperous voyage of eight months and upwards.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Phillip soon found, to his disappointment, that Botany Bay was
+by no means an eligible harbour; nor was it, in other respects, suitable
+for the establishment of a colony, and he determined, even before any
+number of the convicts had been permitted to land, to search for a more
+eligible site.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183"></a>In Captain Cook's chart of the coast, another opening had been laid
+down, a few miles to the northward of Botany Bay, on the authority of a
+seaman of the name of Jackson, who had seen it from the
+foretop-mast-head; and Captain Cook, conceiving it to be nothing more
+than a harbour for boats, which it was not worth his while to examine,
+called it Port Jackson.</p>
+
+<p>It is no wonder that Captain Cook came to this conclusion; for no
+opening of any kind can be perceived till you come close in with the
+land.</p>
+
+<p>This opening Captain Phillip examined, and the result of that
+examination was the splendid discovery of Port Jackson,&mdash;one of the
+finest harbours, whether for extent or security, in the world.</p>
+
+<p>To this harbour the fleet was immediately removed, and the settlement
+was ultimately formed at the head of Sydney Cove, one of the numerous
+and romantic inlets of Port Jackson.</p>
+
+<p>The labour and patience required, and the difficulties which the first
+settlers must <a name="Page_184" id="Page_184"></a>have had to encounter, are incalculable; but their
+success has been complete.</p>
+
+<p>The forest has been cleared away, the corn-field and the orchard have
+supplanted the wild grass and the bush, and towns and villages have
+arisen as if by magic. You may hear the lowing of herds where, a few
+years before, you would have trembled at the wild whoop of the savage,
+and the stillness of that once solitary shore is broken by the sound of
+wheels and the busy hum of commerce.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig182.jpg" alt="Swan" title="Swan" /></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185"></a></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII.</h2>
+
+<h4>PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS, VEGETABLES, AND ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA&mdash;THE BRITISH SETTLEMENTS&mdash;THE GOLD REGIONS&mdash;RECENT EXPLORATIONS </h4>
+
+
+<p>The natives of this part of Australia are, beyond comparison, the most
+barbarous on the surface of the globe.</p>
+
+<p>They are hideously ugly, with flat noses, wide nostrils, eyes sunk in
+the head, and overshadowed with thick eyebrows. The mouth very wide,
+lips thick and prominent, hair black, but not woolly; the colour of the
+skin varies from dark bronze to jet black. Their stature is below the
+middle size, and they are remarkably thin and ill-made.</p>
+
+<p>To add to their natural deformity, they thrust a bone through the
+cartilage of the nose, and stick with gum to their hair matted moss, the
+teeth of men, sharks, and <a name="Page_186" id="Page_186"></a>kangaroos, the tails of dogs, and jaw-bones
+of fish.</p>
+
+<p>On particular occasions they ornament themselves with red and white
+clay, using the former when preparing to fight, and the latter for the
+more peaceful amusement of dancing. The fashion of these ornaments was
+left to each person's taste, and some, when decorated in their best
+manner, looked perfectly horrible: nothing could appear more terrible
+than a black and dismal face, with a large white circle drawn round each
+eye.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig184.jpg" alt="Personal ornamentation" title="Personal ornamentation" /></div>
+
+<p><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187"></a>They scarify the skin in every part with sharp shells.</p>
+
+<p>The women and female children are generally found to want the first two
+joints of the little finger of the left hand, which are taken off while
+they are infants, and the reason they assign is, that they would be in
+the way in winding the fish-lines over the hand.</p>
+
+<p>The men all want one of their front teeth, which is knocked out when
+they arrive at the age of fifteen or sixteen, with many ridiculous
+ceremonies; but the boys are not allowed to consider themselves as men
+before they have undergone that operation.</p>
+
+<p>They live chiefly on fish, which they sometimes spear and sometimes net;
+the women, on the parts of the coast, aiding to catch them with the hook
+and line.</p>
+
+<p>"The facility," (observes Captain Sturt), "with which they procured fish
+was really surprising.</p>
+
+<p>"They would slip, feet foremost, into the water, as they walked along
+the bank of the river, as if they had accidentally done so; <a name="Page_188" id="Page_188"></a>but, in
+reality, to avoid the splash they would have made if they had plunged in
+head foremost.</p>
+
+<p>"As surely as a native disappeared under the surface of the water, so
+surely would he re-appear, with a fish writhing upon the point of his
+short spear.</p>
+
+<p>"The very otter scarcely exceeds them in power over the finny race, and
+so true is the aim of these savages, even under the water, that all the
+fish we procured from them were pierced either close behind the lateral
+fin or in the very centre of the head."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig186.jpg" alt="Fishing" title="Fishing" /></div>
+
+<p><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189"></a>If a dead whale happens to be cast on the shore, numbers flock to it,
+from every part of the coast, and they feast sumptuously while any part
+remains.</p>
+
+<p>Those in the interior are stated to live on grubs, insects, ants and
+their eggs, kangaroos, when they can catch them, fern roots, various
+kinds of berries, and honey; caterpillars and worms also form part of
+their food.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Phillip took every possible pains to reclaim these ignorant
+savages, and he once nearly lost his life in endeavouring to conciliate
+a party of them, having ventured amongst them unarmed for that purpose;
+one of the savages threw a spear which pierced the upper part of his
+shoulder and came out at his back.</p>
+
+<p>But all the efforts of the governor to effect the permanent civilization
+of these miserable people proved utterly abortive.</p>
+
+<p>They possess the faculty of mimickry or imitation to a very considerable
+degree. I was walking with a friend, one beautiful evening, on the banks
+of the Paramatta, <a name="Page_190" id="Page_190"></a>when Bungarry, chief of the Sydney tribe of black
+natives, was pulling down the river with his two jins, or wives, in a
+boat which he had received as a present from the governor. My friend
+accosted him on his coming up with us, and the good-natured chief
+immediately desired his <i>jins</i> to rest upon their oars, for he was rowed
+by his wives. During the short conversation that ensued, my friend
+requested Bungarry to show how governor Macquarrie made a bow.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig188.jpg" alt="The Chief in his boat" title="The Chief in his boat" /></div>
+
+<p><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191"></a>Bungarry happened to be dressed in the old uniform of a military
+officer, and standing up in the stern of his boat, and taking off his
+cocked hat, with the requisite punctilio, he made a low formal bow, with
+all the dignity and grace of a general officer of the old school.</p>
+
+<p>The rich variety of vegetation on the Illawarra mountain, which is a
+lofty range running parallel with the coast, contrasts beautifully with
+the richness of the scenery. The fern tree, shooting up its rough stem,
+about the thickness of a small boat's mast, to the height of fifteen or
+twenty feet, and then, all at once shooting out a number of leaves in
+every direction, each at four or five feet in length, and exactly
+similar in appearance to the leaf of the common fern; while palms of
+various botanical species, are ever and anon shooting up their tall
+slender branchless stems to the height of seventy or a hundred feet, and
+then forming a large canopy of leaves, each of which bends gracefully
+outwards and then downwards, like a Prince of Wales' feathers.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192"></a>Another beautiful species met with in the low grounds of Illawarra, is
+the fan palm, or cabbage tree, and another equally graceful in its
+outline, is called by the natives Bangalo.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig190.jpg" alt="Fan Palm" title="Fan Palm" /></div>
+
+<p>The nettle tree, which is also met with in the bushes, is not only seen
+by the traveller, but occasionally felt, and remembered, for its name is
+highly descriptive.</p>
+
+<p>Both the animal and vegetable creation <a name="Page_193" id="Page_193"></a>in Australia, are wholly
+different from those in every other part of the world.</p>
+
+<p>To show that the existence of a thing was not believed in, it was
+compared to a <i>black swan</i>, but in New Holland we find black swans, and
+blue frogs; red lobsters, and blue crabs; flying opossums, and beasts
+with bills like ducks; fish that hop about on dry land, and quadrupeds
+that lay eggs.</p>
+
+<p>The quadrupeds hitherto discovered, with very few exceptions, are all of
+the kangaroo or opossum tribe; having their hinder legs long, out of all
+proportion when compared with the length of the fore legs, and a sack
+under the belly of the female for the reception of the young.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig191.jpg" alt="A jackal" title="A jackal" /></div>
+
+<p>They have kangaroo rats, and dogs of the jackal kind, all exactly alike;
+and a little animal of the bear tribe, named the wombat, <a name="Page_194" id="Page_194"></a>but the
+largest quadruped at present discovered is the kangaroo.</p>
+
+<p>These pretty nearly complete the catalogue of four-footed animals yet
+known on this vast island.</p>
+
+<p>There is, however, an animal which resembles nothing in the creation but
+itself, and which neither belongs to beast, bird or fish.</p>
+
+<p>This animal is called the Duck-billed Platypus.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig192.jpg" alt="Duck-billed Platypus" title="Duck-billed Platypus" /></div>
+
+<p>Of all the quadrupeds yet known, this seems the most extraordinary in
+its conformation; exhibiting the perfect semblance of the beak of a duck
+on the head of a quadruped.</p>
+
+<p>The head is flattish, and rather small than large; the mouth or snout so
+exactly resem<a name="Page_195" id="Page_195"></a>bles that of some broad-billed species of duck, that it
+might be mistaken for one.</p>
+
+<p>The birds and fish are no less singular than the beasts. There is a
+singular fish, which when left uncovered by the ebbing of the tide,
+leaps about like the grasshopper, by means of strong fins.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig193.jpg" alt="Moenura superba" title="Moenura superba" /></div>
+
+<p>The M&oelig;nura Superba, with its scalloped tail feathers, is perhaps the
+most singular and beautiful of that elegant race of bird, known by the
+name of Birds of Paradise.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196"></a>Cockatoos, Parrots, and Parroquets, are innumerable, and of great
+variety.</p>
+
+<p>The Nonpareil Parrot is perhaps the most beautiful bird of the parrot
+tribe in the whole world.</p>
+
+<p>The Mountain Eagle is a magnificent creature; but the Emu, or New
+Holland Cassowary, is perhaps the tallest and loftiest bird that exists.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig194.jpg" alt="A Cassowary" title="A Cassowary" /></div>
+
+<p>The capital of the colony, and the seat of <a name="Page_197" id="Page_197"></a>the colonial Government is
+Sydney. The Town of Sydney is beautifully situated in Sydney Cove, which
+I told you is one of the romantic inlets of Port Jackson, about seven
+miles from the entrance of the harbour. The headlands at the mouth of
+the harbour form one of the grandest features in the natural scenery of
+the country.</p>
+
+<p>It is not, however, a distant or cursory glance that will give you a
+just idea of the importance of this busy capital.</p>
+
+<p>In order to form a just estimation of it, you should take a boat and
+proceed from Sydney Cove to Darling Harbour, you will then see the whole
+extent of the eastern shore of the latter capacious basin equally
+crowded with warehouses, stores, dock-yards, mills, and wharfs; the
+store-houses built on the most magnificent scale, and with the best and
+most substantial materials. The population of Sydney is supposed now to
+exceed 10,000 persons.</p>
+
+<p>The second town in the colony is Paramatta. It is distant about fourteen
+miles from<a name="Page_198" id="Page_198"></a> Sydney, being pleasantly situated at the head of one of the
+navigable arms of Port Jackson. It contains nearly 5,000 inhabitants.
+The other towns in the colony, are Windsor, Liverpool, Campbell Town,
+Newcastle and Maitland. The last will doubtless ere long be the second
+in the colony, as it is situated at the head of the navigation of
+Hunter's river.</p>
+
+<p>Very fine roads have been formed in Australia, particularly one leading
+across the Blue mountains to Bathurst, on the western side of that
+range, which is 180 miles from Sydney.</p>
+
+<p>The openness of the country around Bathurst is more favourable for
+hunting and shooting than most other parts of the colony.</p>
+
+<p>The Kangaroo and the Emu are both hunted with dogs; they are both feeble
+animals, but they are not altogether destitute of the means of defence.</p>
+
+<p>In addition to swiftness of foot, the Emu has a great muscular power in
+his long iron limbs, and can give an awkward blow to his <a name="Page_199" id="Page_199"></a>pursuer, by
+striking out at him behind, like a young horse, while the Kangaroo, when
+brought to bay by the dogs, rests himself on his strong muscular tail,
+seizes the dog with his little hands or fore-feet, and thrusts at him
+with one of his hind feet, which is armed for that purpose with a single
+sharp-pointed hoof, and perhaps lay his side completely open.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig197.jpg" alt="A Kangaroo" title="A Kangaroo" /></div>
+
+<p>When hotly pursued, the kangaroo sometimes takes to the water, where, if
+he happen to be followed by a dog, he has a singular advantage over all
+other quadrupeds <a name="Page_200" id="Page_200"></a>of his own size, from his being able to stand erect in
+pretty deep water.</p>
+
+<p>In this position he waits for the dog, and when the latter comes close
+up to him, he seizes him with his fore-feet and presses him under water
+till he is drowned.</p>
+
+<p>The Bustard, or native turkey, is occasionally shot in the Bathurst
+country. It sometimes weighs eighteen pounds, and is different from the
+common turkey, in the flesh of the legs being white, while that of the
+breast is dark-coloured.</p>
+
+<p>Among the natives the old men have alone the privilege of eating the
+Emu, and married people only are permitted to eat ducks.</p>
+
+<p>The natives suffer no animal, however small, to escape them.</p>
+
+<p>One of the blacks being anxious to get an Opossum out of a dead tree,
+every branch of which was hollow, asked for a tomahawk, with which he
+cut a hole in the trunk above where he thought the animal lay concealed.
+He found, however, that he had cut too low, and that it had run higher
+up. This made it necessary to smoke it out; he accordingly <a name="Page_201" id="Page_201"></a>got some dry
+grass, and having set fire to it, stuffed it into the hole he had cut.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/fig199.jpg" alt="The tree on fire" title="The tree on fire" /></div>
+
+<p>A raging fire soon kindled in the tree, where the current of air was
+great, and dense columns of smoke issued from the end of each branch as
+thick as that from the chimney of a steam-engine.</p>
+
+<p>The shell of the tree was so thin, that I <a name="Page_202" id="Page_202"></a>thought it would soon be
+burnt through, and that the tree would fall; but the black had no such
+fears, and, ascending to the highest branch, he waited anxiously for the
+poor little wretch he had thus surrounded with dangers, and devoted to
+destruction; and no sooner did it appear half singed and half roasted,
+than he seized upon it and threw it down to us with an air of triumph.
+The effect of the scene, in so lonely a forest, was very fine. The
+roaring of the fire in the tree, the fearless attitude of the savage,
+and the associations which his colour and appearance called up,
+enveloped as he was in smoke, were singular, and still dwell in my
+recollection. He had not long left the tree, when it fell with a
+tremendous crash, and was, when we next passed that way, a mere heap of
+ashes.</p>
+
+<p>The territory of the colony has been divided into ten counties, named as
+follows:&mdash;Cumberland, Camden, Argyll, Westmoreland, Londonderry,
+Boxburgh, Northumberland, Durham, Ayr, and Cambridge.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203"></a>I will now give you a short account of Van Diemen's Land.</p>
+
+<p>This fair and fertile island lies, as I have told you, at the southern
+extremity of New Holland, from which it is separated by Bass' Straits.</p>
+
+<p>Its medial length from north to south is about 185 miles, and its
+breadth from east to west is 166 miles.</p>
+
+<p>Its surface possesses every variety of mountain, hill, and dale; of
+forests and open meadows; of inland lakes, rivers and inlets of the sea,
+forming safe and commodious harbours; and every natural requisite that
+can render a country valuable or agreeable.</p>
+
+<p>It enjoys a temperate climate, which is perhaps not very different from
+that of England, though less subject to violent changes.</p>
+
+<p>The island is intersected by two fine rivers, rising near the centre;
+the one named the Tamar, falling into Bass' Straits, on the north, and
+forming Port Dalrymple; the other the Derwent, which discharges itself
+into the sea, on the south-eastern extremity.<a name="Page_204" id="Page_204"></a> Hobart Town, the capital,
+is situated on the right bank of the Derwent, about five miles from the
+sea.</p>
+
+<p>The natives of Van Diemen's Land are described by all the navigators, as
+a mild, affable, good-humoured and inoffensive race.</p>
+
+<p>Though they are obviously the same race of people as those of New
+Holland, and go entirely naked, both men and women, yet their language
+is altogether different.</p>
+
+<p>The British settlements in Australia are both numerous and important.
+The oldest, most extensive, and valuable, was founded, as we have shewn
+already, at Sydney. The island of Tasmania was next occupied; within the
+last few years we have established the colonies of Port Phillip,
+Melbourne, Victoria, Cooksland, and others. The progress of these
+settlements has been rapid.</p>
+
+<p>An extraordinary increase to emigration to Australia was given by the
+discovery of the Gold Regions.</p>
+
+<p>For many years reports had been current that the Australian Alps and the
+Snowy Mountains were full of gold, but it was not <a name="Page_205" id="Page_205"></a>till after the
+Californian discoveries that any was found in Australia.</p>
+
+<p>Two shepherds were the first persons who found any gold, and for a long
+time they successfully concealed the source from which they obtained it;
+but being watched, their secret was discovered, and the news spread like
+wild-fire over the colony. Everybody was mad to go gold hunting;
+shepherds forsook their flocks; traders closed their stores; sailors ran
+away from their ships; servants threw up their situations; everybody was
+mad to visit this newly-discovered Tom Tiddler's ground, to pick up gold
+and silver. A groom informed his master, in one instance, that he would
+stop with him, as he had been in the family for five years, for a guinea
+a day, if it would be any convenience to him. Another family was left
+with only a boy of sixteen to attend them, and his stipulations
+were&mdash;two pounds a week, and wine to his dinner! In one year the
+population of Melbourne rose from 23,000 to 85,000 inhabitants; the town
+of Geelong trebled its numbers; perhaps never in the whole <a name="Page_206" id="Page_206"></a>history of
+the world had there been so extraordinary an emigration.</p>
+
+<p>As a monument of the golden wealth of Australia, there is in the
+International Exhibition a wooden obelisk dead gilt on the outside. This
+column is nearly seventy feet high, and some ten feet square at the
+base. It represents exactly the bulk of gold which Australia has sent to
+this country since 1851, and which in all amounts to nearly 800 tons.
+Valuing the precious metal at its ascertainable worth, it appears that
+gold to the value of upwards of &pound;15,000 sterling was dug from the bowels
+of the earth, washed from the sand of the rivers, or discovered by
+fortunate diggers in various parts of Australia in a single year.</p>
+
+<p>The interior of Australia is still comparatively unknown. Last year an
+expedition was undertaken to discover a way across the Continent, and
+entrusted to a vigilant and enterprising commander named Burke. Although
+a certain amount of success attended the object of the expedition, the
+fate of Burke and his immediate companions was <a name="Page_207" id="Page_207"></a>most deplorable. They
+perished by starvation!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CONCLUSION.</h2>
+
+
+<p>I have now told you all that my present limits will admit, of those
+interesting portions of the globe, called America and Australia, and I
+wish you to read again all that I have said, and I wish you also to view
+the inhuman conduct of the first discoverers of the former with proper
+feelings of aversion. If you have read an account of William Penn's
+first colony of Pennsylvania, you will see that his was the only just
+way of establishing himself among the Indians. You must rejoice within
+yourselves on this occasion, that they were not Englishmen who practised
+these acts of cruelty and treachery towards the unoffending Mexicans and
+Peruvians. The workings of Providence are full of mystery, and I cannot
+help thinking that the state of anarchy and civil war in which Spain and
+Portugal are now and ever have been engaged, is an act of re<a name="Page_208" id="Page_208"></a>tribution
+awarded to their barbarity in the great scheme of God's providence.</p>
+
+<p>It makes one blush for the sake of Christianity, to think that the
+perpetrators of the outrages upon the original possessors of the
+Americas were persons professing that sublime religion,&mdash;and that in the
+midst of their slaughter and plunder, they impiously held forth the
+cross of Christ. The confiding but dignified nature of the idolatrous
+Mexicans, did much more honour to the purity of the Christian religion
+than did the base treachery of their invaders, who professed Christ but
+knew him not.</p>
+
+<p>Had they by mildness, perseverance, and reason convinced the inhabitants
+of the truth of the Christian religion, they might have become faithful
+converts, but it was unreasonable to expect that they should cast off
+the religion which their forefathers had professed, for a religion which
+they knew not at all, and the professors of which came with the sword to
+deprive them of their lives and their property.</p>
+
+<p>I wish you, my young friends, to weigh <a name="Page_209" id="Page_209"></a>all these circumstances whenever
+you read. It will impress the different subjects more thoroughly upon
+your memory; and if your minds be properly constituted, it will
+cultivate the good and eradicate the bad. I will again ask you to read
+this book a second time, and refer occasionally to the maps. And now
+good-bye!</p>
+
+
+
+<h4>THE END.</h4>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p class='center'>BILLING, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, GUILDFORD, SURREY.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER PARLEY'S TALES ABOUT AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA***</p>
+<p>******* This file should be named 16891-h.txt or 16891-h.zip *******</p>
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+<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/6/8/9/16891">https://www.gutenberg.org/1/6/8/9/16891</a></p>
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@@ -0,0 +1,4117 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Peter Parley's Tales About America and
+Australia, by Samuel Griswold Goodrich, Edited by Rev. T. Wilson,
+Illustrated by S. Williams
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Peter Parley's Tales About America and Australia
+
+
+Author: Samuel Griswold Goodrich
+
+Editor: Rev. T. Wilson
+
+Release Date: October 17, 2005  [eBook #16891]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER PARLEY'S TALES ABOUT AMERICA
+AND AUSTRALIA***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Janet Blenkinship, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) from
+images generously made available by the University of Florida and the
+Internet Archive/Children's Library
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 16891-h.htm or 16891-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/6/8/9/16891/16891-h/16891-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/6/8/9/16891/16891-h.zip)
+
+      Images of the original pages are available through the Florida
+      Board of Education, Division of Colleges and Universities,
+      PALMM Project, 2001. (Preservation and Access for American and
+      British Children's Literature, 1850-1869.) See
+      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&idno=UF00003253&format=jpg
+      or
+      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&idno=UF00003253&format=pdf
+
+
+
+
+
+TALES ABOUT AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA.
+
+by
+
+PETER PARLEY.
+
+A New Edition,
+
+Brought Down to the Present Time.
+
+Revised by The Rev. T. Wilson.
+
+With Illustrations by S. Williams.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+London:
+Darton and Hodge, Holborn Hill.
+1862.
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                                        PAGE
+
+  PARLEY TELLS HOW AMERICA WAS FIRST DISCOVERED,
+  AND ABOUT COLUMBUS                                      1
+
+  PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS                       12
+
+  COLUMBUS SETS SAIL TO RETURN TO SPAIN; ENCOUNTERS
+  A DREADFUL STORM                                       21
+
+  COLUMBUS PREPARES FOR ANOTHER VOYAGE                   35
+
+  PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE
+  CONTINENT OF AMERICA                                   45
+
+  PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS ROBBED OF THE
+  HONOUR OF GIVING HIS NAME TO AMERICA                   59
+
+  PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS SHIPWRECKED,
+  AND OF HIS DEATH                                       65
+
+  PARLEY TELLS OF OVANDO'S CRUEL TREATMENT OF
+  ANACAONA, THE PRINCESS OF HAYTI                        73
+
+  PARLEY DESCRIBES THE TREES, THE PLANTS, AND
+  FLOWERS OF THE NEW WORLD                               79
+
+  PARLEY TELLS OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO                 96
+
+  PARLEY RELATES HOW PIZARRO DISCOVERED AND
+  CONQUERED PERU                                        121
+
+  PARLEY DESCRIBES THE BEAUTIES OF AMERICA              133
+
+  PARLEY TELLS OF THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY IN
+  AMERICA                                               141
+
+  PARLEY TELLS OF THE ORIGINAL NATIVE AMERICANS         150
+
+  PARLEY SHOWS HOW THE UNITED STATES AROSE, AND
+  WHAT FOLLOWED THEIR ESTABLISHMENT                     165
+
+  PARLEY TELLS ABOUT NEW SOUTH WALES                    176
+
+  PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS OF AUSTRALIA--THE
+  BRITISH SETTLEMENTS--THE GOLD REGIONS--RECENT
+  EXPLORATIONS                                          183
+
+  CONCLUSION                                            205
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+PARLEY TELLS HOW AMERICA WAS FIRST DISCOVERED, AND ABOUT COLUMBUS THE
+DISCOVERER.
+
+
+Now that I have given you an account of European cities in my "Tales
+about Europe," I shall now furnish you with some description of America,
+with its flourishing cities, and its multitude of ships, its fertile
+fields, its mighty rivers, its vast forests, and its millions of happy
+and industrious inhabitants, of which I am quite certain you must be
+very curious to know something, when you are told that though the world
+has been created nearly six thousand years, and many powerful nations
+have flourished and decayed, and are now scarcely remembered, yet it is
+only three hundred and seventy years ago since it was known that such a
+country as America existed.
+
+It was in the year 1492, which you know is only 370 years since, on the
+third of August, a little before sunrise, that Christopher Columbus,
+undertaking the boldest enterprise that human genius ever conceived, or
+human talent and fortitude ever accomplished, set sail from Spain, for
+the discovery of the Western World.
+
+I will now give you a short account of Columbus, who was one of the
+greatest men the world ever produced. He was born in the city of Genoa,
+in Italy; his family were almost all sailors, and he was brought up for
+a sailor also, and after being taught geography and various other things
+necessary for a sea captain to know, he was sent on board ship at the
+age of fourteen. Columbus was tall, muscular, and of a commanding
+aspect; his hair, light in youth, turned prematurely grey, and ere he
+reached the age of thirty was white as snow.
+
+His first voyages were short ones, but after several years, desiring to
+see and learn more of distant countries, and thinking there were still
+new ones to be discovered, he went into the service of the King of
+Portugal and made many voyages to the western coast of Africa, and to
+the Canaries, and the Madeiras, and the Azores, islands lying off that
+coast, which were then the most westerly lands known to Europeans.
+
+In his visits to these parts, one person informed him that his ship,
+sailing out farther to the west than usual, had picked up out of the sea
+a piece of wood curiously carved, and that very thick canes, like those
+which travellers had found in India, had been seen floating on the
+waves; also that great trees, torn up by the roots, had often been cast
+on shore, and once two dead bodies of men, with strange features,
+neither like Europeans nor Africans, were driven on the coast of the
+Azores.
+
+All these stories set Columbus thinking and considering that these
+strange things had come drifting over the sea from the west, he looked
+upon them as tokens sent from some unknown countries lying far distant
+in that quarter: he was therefore eager to sail away and explore, but as
+he had not money enough himself to fit out ships and hire sailors, he
+determined to go and try to persuade some king or some state to be at
+the expense of the trial.
+
+First he went to his own countrymen the Genoese, but they would have
+nothing to say to him: he then submitted his plan to the Portuguese, but
+the King of Portugal, pretending to listen to him, got from him his
+plan, and perfidiously attempted to rob him of the honour of
+accomplishing it, by sending another person to pursue the same track
+which he had proposed.
+
+The person they so basely employed did not succeed, but returned to
+Lisbon, execrating a plan he had not abilities to execute.
+
+On discovering this treachery, Columbus quitted the kingdom in disgust
+and set out for Spain, to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He was now
+so poor that he was frequently obliged to beg as he went along.
+
+About half a league from Palos, a sea-port of Andalusia in Spain, on a
+solitary height, overlooking the sea-coast, and surrounded by a forest
+of pines, there stood, and now stands at the present day, an ancient
+convent of Franciscan friars.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A stranger, travelling on foot, accompanied by a young boy, stopped one
+day at the gate of the convent, and asked of the porter a little bread
+and water for his child.--That stranger was Columbus, accompanied by his
+son Diego.
+
+While receiving this humble refreshment, the guardian of the convent,
+Friar Juan Perez, happening to pass, was taken with the appearance of
+the stranger, and being an intelligent man and acquainted with
+geographical science, he became interested with the conversation of
+Columbus, and was so struck with the grandeur of his project that he
+detained him as his guest and invited a friend of his, Martin Alonzo
+Pinzon, a resident of the town of Palos, to come and hear Columbus
+explain his plan.
+
+Pinzon was one of the most intelligent sea captains of the day, and a
+distinguished navigator. He not only approved of his project, but
+offered to engage in it, and to assist him.
+
+Juan Perez now advised Columbus to repair to court. Pinzon generously
+furnished him with the money for the journey, and the friar kindly took
+charge of his youthful son Diego, to maintain and educate him in the
+convent, which I am sure you will think was the greatest kindness he
+could have done him at that time.
+
+Ferdinand and Isabella gave him hopes and promises, then they made
+difficulties and objections, and would do nothing. At last, after
+waiting five years, he was just setting off for England, where he had
+previously sent his brother Bartholomew, when he was induced to wait a
+little longer in Spain.
+
+This little longer was two years, but then at last he had his reward,
+for queen Isabella stood his friend, and even offered to part with her
+own jewels in order to raise money to enable him to make preparations
+for the voyage, so that he contrived to fit out three very small vessels
+which altogether carried but one hundred and twenty men.
+
+Two of the vessels were light _barques_, or barges built high at the
+prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins for the crew, but were
+without deck in the centre; only one of the three, the Santa Maria, was
+completely decked; on board of this, Columbus hoisted his flag. Martin
+Alonzo Pinzon commanded the Pinta, and his brother, Vincente Yanez
+Pinzon, the Nina. He set sail in the sight of a vast crowd, all praying
+for the success, but never expecting and scarcely hoping to see either
+him or any of his crews again.
+
+Columbus first made sail for the Canaries, where he repaired his
+vessels: then taking leave of these islands, he steered his course due
+west, across the great Atlantic ocean, where never ship had ploughed the
+waves before.
+
+No sooner had they lost sight of land than the sailors' hearts began to
+fail them, and they bewailed themselves like men condemned to die: but
+Columbus cheered them with the hopes of the rich countries they were to
+discover.
+
+After awhile they came within those regions where the trade-wind, as it
+is called, blows constantly from east to west without changing, which
+carried them on at a vast rate; but he judiciously concealed from his
+ignorant and timid crews the progress he made, lest they might be
+alarmed at the speed with which they were receding from home. After
+some time, they found the sea covered with weeds, as thick as a meadow
+with grass, and the sailors fancied that they should soon be stuck
+fast,--that they had reached the end of the navigable ocean, and that
+some strange thing would befal them.
+
+Still, however, Columbus cheered them on, and the sight of a flock of
+birds encouraged them: but when they had been three weeks at sea and no
+land appeared, they grew desperate with fear, and plotted among
+themselves to force their commander to turn back again, lest all their
+provisions should be spent, or, if he refused, to throw him overboard.
+
+Columbus, however, made them a speech which had such an effect upon them
+that they became tolerably quiet for a week longer; they then grew so
+violent again that at last he was obliged to promise them that if they
+did not see land in three days, he would consent to give it up and sail
+home again.
+
+But he was now almost sure that land was not far off: the sea grew
+shallower, and early every morning flocks of land birds began to flutter
+around them, and these all left the ship in the evening, as if to roost
+on shore. One of the vessels had picked up a cane newly cut, and another
+a branch covered with fresh red berries; and the air blew softer and
+warmer, and the wind began to vary.
+
+That very night, Columbus ordered the sails to be taken in, and strict
+watch to be kept, in all the ships, for fear of running aground; he and
+all his men remained standing on the deck, looking out eagerly: at
+length he spied a distant light; he showed it to two of his officers,
+and they all plainly perceived it moving, as if carried backwards and
+forwards, from house to house.
+
+Soon after the cry of "_Land! land!_" was heard from the foremost ship,
+and, at dawn of day, they plainly saw a beautiful island, green and
+woody, and watered with many pleasant streams, lying stretched before
+them.
+
+As soon as the sun rose, the boats of the vessel were lowered and
+manned, and Columbus, in a rich and splendid dress of scarlet, entered
+the principal one. They then rowed towards the island, with their
+colours displayed, and warlike music, and other martial pomp.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Columbus was the first to leap on shore, to kiss the earth, and to thank
+God on his knees: his men followed, and throwing themselves at his feet
+they all thanked him for leading them thither, and begged his
+forgiveness for their disrespectful and unruly behaviour.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS.
+
+
+The poor inhabitants, a simple and innocent people, with copper-coloured
+skins and long black hair, not curled, like the negroes, but floating on
+their shoulders, or bound in tresses round their heads, came flocking
+down to the beach and stood gazing in silent admiration.
+
+The dress of the Spaniards, the whiteness of their skins, their beards,
+their arms, and the vast machines that seemed to move upon the waters
+with wings, which they supposed had, during the night, risen out of the
+sea, or come down from the clouds; the sound and flash of the guns,
+which they mistook for thunder and lightning: all these things appeared
+to them strange and surprising; they considered the Spaniards as
+children of the sun, and paid homage to them as gods.
+
+The Europeans were hardly less amazed at the scene now before them.
+Every herb, and shrub, and tree, differed from those which flourished in
+Europe: the inhabitants appeared in the simple innocence of nature,
+entirely naked; their features were singular, but not disagreeable, and
+their manners gentle and timid.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The first act of Columbus was to take solemn and formal possession of
+the country in the name of his sovereign; this was done by planting the
+Spanish flag on the coast, and other ceremonies, which the poor natives
+looked upon with wonder, but could not understand.
+
+Nor could there be an act of greater cruelty and injustice; for the
+Spaniards could not have any right to drive these gentle and peaceful
+inhabitants (as they afterwards did) from their peaceful abodes, which
+had been theirs and their fathers before them, perhaps for thousands of
+years, and in the end, utterly to destroy them, and take their land for
+themselves.
+
+After performing this ceremony, of which Columbus himself could not
+foresee the consequences to the Indians, for he was very kind to them,
+he made them presents of trinkets and other trifles, with which they
+were greatly delighted, and brought him in return the fruits of their
+fields and groves, and a sort of bread called cassada, made from the
+root of the yuca; with whatever else their own simple mode of life might
+afford.
+
+Columbus then returned to his ship, accompanied by many of the
+islanders in their boats, which they called canoes; these simple and
+undiscerning children of nature having no foresight of the calamities
+and desolation which awaited their country.
+
+This island was called by the natives Guanahini, and by the Spaniards
+St. Salvador: it is one of that cluster of West India Islands called the
+Bahamas, and if you look on the map you will see that it is the very
+first island that would present itself to a ship sailing direct from
+Spain.
+
+Columbus did not continue his voyage for some days, as he wished to give
+all his sailors an opportunity of landing and seeing the wonders of the
+new-discovered world, and to take in a fresh supply of water, in which
+they were cheerfully assisted by the natives, who took them to the
+clearest springs and the sweetest and freshest streams, filling their
+casks and rolling them to the boats, and seeking in every way to gratify
+(as they believed) their celestial visitors.
+
+Columbus having thus refreshed his crews, and supplied his ships with
+water, proceeded on his voyage. After visiting several smaller islands
+he discovered a large island which the natives called Cuba, and which
+still retains that name. This was so large an island that he at first
+thought it to be a new continent.
+
+In proceeding along the coast, having observed that most of the people
+whom he had seen wore small plates of gold by way of ornament in their
+noses, he eagerly inquired, by signs, where they got that precious
+metal.
+
+The Indians, as much astonished at his eagerness in quest of gold as the
+Europeans were at their ignorance and simplicity, pointed towards the
+east, to an island which they called Hayti, in which this metal was more
+abundant.
+
+Columbus ordered his squadron to bend their course thither, but Martin
+Alonzo Pinzon, impatient to be the first who should take possession of
+the treasure which this country was supposed to contain, quitted his
+companions with his ship, the Pinta, and though Columbus made signals
+to slacken sail, he paid no regard to them.
+
+When they came in sight of Hayti, which you will see was no great
+distance, if you look on the map, Columbus having had no sleep the night
+before, had gone to his cabin to lie down and rest himself, having first
+given the charge of the vessel to an experienced sailor.
+
+This careless man, (this lazy lubber, the sailors would call him,)
+instead of performing his duty, and watching over the safety of the ship
+and the lives of his companions, which were entrusted to him, deserted
+his post and went to sleep, leaving the vessel to the management of a
+young and thoughtless boy.
+
+The rapid currents which prevail on that coast soon carried the vessel
+on a shoal, and Columbus was roused from his sleep by the striking of
+the ship and the cries of the terrified boy.
+
+They first endeavoured, by taking out an anchor, to warp the vessel off,
+but the strength of the current was more than a match for them, and the
+vessel was driven farther and farther on the shoal; they then cut away
+the mast and took out some of the stores to lighten her; but all their
+efforts were vain.
+
+Before sunset the next evening the vessel was a complete wreck.
+Fortunately the Nina was close at hand, and the shipwrecked mariners got
+on board of her; the inhabitants of the island came in their canoes and
+assisted them in preserving part of their stores.
+
+They found Hayti a very beautiful island, and were treated with the
+greatest kindness by the inhabitants; but, though delighted with the
+beauty of the scenes which everywhere presented themselves, and amazed
+at the luxuriance and fertility of the soil, Columbus did not find gold
+in such quantities as was sufficient to satisfy the avarice of his
+followers; he was nevertheless anxious to prolong his voyage, and
+explore those magnificent regions which seemed to invite them on every
+hand.
+
+But as the Pinta had never joined them again after parting from them, he
+had no vessel now left but the Nina; he did not therefore think it
+prudent to pursue his discoveries with one small vessel, and that a very
+crazy one, lest, if any accident should befal it, he might be left
+without the means of returning to Europe, and both the glory and benefit
+of his great discoveries might be lost; so he determined to prepare for
+his return.
+
+But as it was impossible for so small a vessel as the Nina to contain
+the crew of the ship that was wrecked in addition to its own, Columbus
+was greatly perplexed what to do.
+
+Many of his men were so delighted with the island and its inhabitants,
+that they begged of him to let them remain there, and Columbus consented
+to leave forty of them on the island, while he and the remainder made
+the voyage back.
+
+He promised to return to them speedily. He now built them a fort with
+the timber of the wreck, and fortified it with the guns of the Santa
+Maria, and did every thing in his power to provide for their comfort
+during his absence, particularly enjoining them to be kind and peaceful
+towards the Indians.
+
+This was the first colony of Europeans that settled in the new world,
+and Columbus gave it the name of Navidad.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+COLUMBUS SETS SAIL TO RETURN TO SPAIN, AND ENCOUNTERS A DREADFUL STORM.
+
+
+Having obtained a certain quantity of the precious metals, and other
+curious productions of the countries he had discovered, he set sail to
+recross the wide Atlantic Ocean.
+
+It was the second day after they had left the island that they saw a
+sail at a distance, which proved to be the Pinta.
+
+On joining the admiral, Pinzon made many excuses and endeavoured to
+account for his desertion, saying he had been separated by stress of
+weather. Columbus admitted his excuse, but he ascertained afterwards
+that Pinzon parted company intentionally, and had steered directly east
+in quest of a region where the Indians had assured him that he would
+find gold in abundance.
+
+They had guided him to Hayti, where he had been for some time, in a
+river about fifteen leagues from the part of the coast where Columbus
+had been wrecked.
+
+He had collected a large quantity of gold by trading with the natives,
+and on leaving the river he had carried off four Indian men and two
+girls to be sold in Spain.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Columbus immediately sailed back for this river, and ordered the four
+men and two girls to be dismissed well clothed and with many presents,
+to atone for the wrong they had experienced. This resolution was not
+carried into effect without great unwillingness and many angry words on
+the part of Pinzon.
+
+Columbus, being now joined by the Pinta, thought he might pursue his
+discoveries a little further, and on leaving this part of the coast he
+took with him four young Indians to guide him to the Carribean Islands,
+of which they gave him a very interesting account, as well as of another
+island said to be inhabited by Amazons.
+
+A favourable breeze, however, sprang up for the voyage homewards, and
+seeing gloom and impatience in the countenances of his men, he gave up
+his intention of visiting these islands, and made all sail for Spain,
+the young Indians having consented to accompany him that they might
+learn the Spanish language, and be his guides and interpreters when they
+should return.
+
+His voyage homeward was much more tedious; for those trade winds which
+had wafted him so rapidly westward, across the Atlantic, still blew
+from east to west, and Columbus did not then know that their influence
+only extends to a certain distance on each side of the Equator, so that
+if he had sailed a little farther north, on his return, he would very
+likely have met with a south-west wind, which was just what he wanted.
+
+On the 12th of February they had made such progress as led them to hope
+they should soon see land. The wind now came on to blow violently; on
+the following evening there were three flashes of lightning in the
+north-east, from which signs Columbus predicted an approaching tempest.
+
+It soon burst upon them with frightful violence. Their small and crazy
+vessels were little fitted for the wild storms of the Atlantic; all
+night they were obliged to scud under bare poles, at the mercy of the
+elements; as the morning dawned there was a transient pause and they
+made a little sail, but the wind rose with redoubled fury from the south
+and increased in the night, threatening each moment to overwhelm them or
+dash them to pieces.
+
+The admiral made signal-lights for the Pinta to keep in company, but
+she was separated by the violence of the storm, and her lights gleamed
+more and more distant till they ceased entirely.
+
+When the day dawned the sea presented a frightful waste of wild and
+broken waves. Columbus looked round anxiously for the Pinta, but she was
+nowhere to be seen, and he became apprehensive that Pinzon had borne
+away for Spain, that he might reach it before him, and by giving the
+first account of his discoveries, deprive him of his fame.
+
+Through a dreary day the helpless bark was driven along by the tempest.
+
+Seeing all human skill baffled and confounded, Columbus endeavoured to
+propitiate heaven by solemn vows, and various private vows were made by
+the seamen. The heavens, however, seemed deaf to their vows: the storm
+grew still more furious, and every one gave himself up for lost.
+
+During this long and awful conflict of the elements, the mind of
+Columbus was a prey to the most distressing anxiety.
+
+He was harassed by the repinings of his crew, who cursed the hour of
+their leaving their country.
+
+He was afflicted also with the thought of his two sons, who would be
+left destitute by his death.
+
+But he had another source of distress more intolerable than death
+itself. In case the Pinta should have foundered, as was highly probable,
+the history of his discovery would depend upon his own feeble bark. One
+surge of the ocean might bury it for ever in oblivion, and his name only
+be recorded as that of a desperate adventurer.
+
+At this crisis, when all was given up for lost, Columbus had presence of
+mind enough to retire to his cabin and to write upon parchment a short
+account of his voyage.
+
+This he wrapped in an oiled cloth, which he enclosed in a cake of wax,
+put it into a tight cask, and threw it into the sea, in hopes that some
+fortunate accident might preserve a deposit of so much importance to the
+world.
+
+But that being which had preserved him through so many dangers still
+protected him; and happily these precautions were superfluous.
+
+At sunset there was a streak of clear sky in the west; the wind shifted
+to that quarter, and on the morning of the 15th of February they came in
+sight of land.
+
+The transports of the crew at once more beholding the old world, were
+almost equal to those they had experienced on discovering the new. This
+proved to be the island of St. Mary, the most southern of the Azores.
+
+After remaining here a few days, the wind proving favourable he again
+set sail, on the 24th of February.
+
+After two or three days of pleasant sailing, there was a renewal of
+tempestuous weather. About midnight of the 2nd of March the caravel was
+struck by a squall, which rent all her sails and threatened instant
+destruction. The crew were again reduced to despair, and made vows of
+fasting and pilgrimages.
+
+The storm raged through the succeeding day, during which, from various
+signs they considered that land must be near. The turbulence of the
+following night was dreadful; the sea was broken, wild, and mountainous,
+the rain fell in torrents, and the lightning flashed and the thunder
+pealed from various parts of the heavens.
+
+In the first watch of this fearful night, the seamen gave the usual
+welcome cry of land--but it only increased their alarm, for they dreaded
+being driven on shore or dashed upon the rocks. Taking in sail,
+therefore, they endeavoured to keep to sea as much as possible. At
+day-break on the 4th of March they found themselves off the rock of
+Cintra at the mouth of the Tagus, which you know is the principal river
+of Portugal.
+
+Though distrustful of the Portuguese, he had no alternative but to run
+in for shelter. The inhabitants came off from various parts of the shore
+to congratulate him on what they deemed a miraculous preservation, for
+they had been watching the vessel the whole morning with great anxiety,
+and putting up prayers for her safety. The oldest mariners of the place
+assured him that they had never during the whole course of their lives
+known so tempestuous a winter.
+
+Such were the difficulties and perils with which Columbus had to contend
+on his return to Europe. Had one tenth part of them beset his outward
+voyage, his factious crew would have risen in arms against the
+enterprise, and he never would have discovered the new world.
+
+The king of Portugal must have been greatly mortified when he heard of
+the arrival of Columbus and the wonderful discoveries he had made, for
+he could not but reflect that all the advantages of these discoveries
+might have belonged to him if he had not treated Columbus as he did.
+
+But notwithstanding the envy which it was natural for the Portuguese to
+feel, he was allowed to come to Lisbon, and was treated with all the
+marks of distinction due to a man who had performed things so
+extraordinary and unexpected. The king admitted him into his presence,
+and listened with admiration to the account which he gave of his voyage,
+while Columbus enjoyed the satisfaction of being able to prove the
+solidity of his schemes to those very persons who had with disgraceful
+ignorance rejected them as the projects of a visionary adventurer.
+
+Columbus was so impatient to return to Spain that he remained only five
+days in Lisbon. On the 15th of March he arrived at Palos, seven months
+and eleven days from the time when he set out from thence upon his
+voyage.
+
+When the prosperous issue of it was known, when they beheld the strange
+people, the unknown animals, and singular productions brought from the
+countries he had discovered, the joy was unbounded; all the bells were
+rung, the cannons were fired, and he was welcomed with all the
+acclamations which the people are ever ready to bestow on great and
+glorious characters. They flocked in crowds to the harbour to see him
+land, and nothing but Columbus and the New World, as the Spaniards
+called it, was talked of.
+
+He was desired by Ferdinand and Isabella in the most respectful terms to
+repair to court, that they might receive from his own mouth, an account
+of his wonderful discoveries.
+
+On his arrival at Barcelona the king and queen received him clad in
+their royal robes, seated upon a throne, and surrounded by their nobles.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When he approached, they commanded him to take his seat upon a chair
+prepared for him, and to give a circumstantial account of his voyage,
+which he related with a gravity suitable to the dignity of the audience
+he addressed, and with that modesty which ever accompanies superior
+merit.
+
+Every mark of honour that gratitude or admiration could suggest, was
+conferred upon him; his family was ennobled, and, as a mark of
+particular favour, Isabella appointed his son Diego, the boy, who, you
+remember, had been left at the convent, page to prince Juan, the heir
+apparent, an honour only granted to sons of persons of distinguished
+rank.
+
+The king and queen, and, after their example, the courtiers treated him
+with all the respect paid to persons of the highest rank. Yet some of
+these courtiers were his bitterest enemies, and did every thing they
+could, in his absence, to poison the minds of the king and queen against
+him, and to cause his downfall.
+
+The favour shown Columbus by the sovereigns insured him for a time the
+caresses of the nobility, for in court every one is eager to lavish
+attentions upon the man "whom the king delighteth to honour."
+
+At one of the banquets which were given him occured the well known
+circumstance of the egg.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A shallow courtier present, impatient of the honours paid to Columbus,
+and meanly jealous of him as a foreigner, abruptly asked him, whether he
+thought that, in case he had not discovered the Indies, there would have
+been wanting men in Spain capable of the enterprise.
+
+To this Columbus made no direct reply but, taking an egg, invited the
+company to make it stand on one end. Every one attempted it, but in
+vain; whereupon he struck it upon the table, broke one end, and left it
+standing on the broken part; illustrating, in this simple manner, that
+when he had once shown the way to the new world, nothing was easier than
+to follow it.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+COLUMBUS PREPARES FOR ANOTHER VOYAGE.
+
+
+Columbus was now anxious to set out on another voyage to proceed with
+his discoveries, and the king and queen gave orders that every thing
+should be done to further his wishes.
+
+By his exertions a fleet of seventeen sail, large and small, was soon in
+a state of forwardness; labourers and artificers of all kinds were
+engaged for the projected colonies, and an ample supply was provided of
+whatever was necessary for the cultivation of the soil, the working of
+the mines, and for traffic with the natives.
+
+He now found no difficulty in getting sailors to accompany him, and the
+account he gave of the countries he had discovered, and particularly
+the intelligence that they abounded with gold, excited the avarice and
+rapacity of the Spaniards, and numbers of needy adventurers of ruined
+fortunes and desperate circumstances, were eager to share in the spoil.
+
+Many persons of distinction, thinking to become rich by the same means,
+also volunteered to enlist, and many got on board of the ships by
+stealth, so that about 1500 set sail in the fleet, though only a
+thousand were originally permitted to embark.
+
+The departure of Columbus on his second voyage presented a brilliant
+contrast to his gloomy embarkation at Palos.
+
+There were three large ships of heavy burden and fourteen smaller
+vessels, and the persons on board, instead of being regarded by the
+populace as devoted men, were looked upon with envy as favoured mortals,
+destined to golden regions and delightful climes, where nothing but
+wealth, and wonder, and enjoyment awaited them.
+
+At sunrise the whole fleet was under sail, on the 13th of October he
+lost sight of the Island of Ferro, and, favoured by the trade winds, was
+borne pleasantly along, till, on the 2nd of November, a lofty island was
+descried to the west, to which he gave the name of Dominica, from having
+discovered it on the Lord's day.
+
+As the ships moved gently onward, other islands arose to sight, one
+after another, covered with forests and enlivened by the flight of
+parrots and other tropical birds, while the whole air was sweetened by
+the fragrance of the breezes which passed over them.
+
+In one of these islands, to which the Spaniards gave the name of
+Guadaloupe, they first met with the delicious fruit, the Anana or
+pine-apple.
+
+Columbus now sailed in the direction of Hayti, to which he had given the
+name of Hispaniola, where he shortly arrived.
+
+In passing along the coast he set on shore one of the young Indians who
+had been taken from that neighbourhood and had accompanied him to Spain.
+He dismissed him finely apparelled, and loaded with trinkets, thinking
+he would impress his countrymen with favourable feelings towards the
+Spaniards, but he never heard anything of him afterwards.
+
+When he arrived on that part of the island where he had built the fort
+and taken leave of his companions, the evening growing dark, the land
+was hidden from their sight. Columbus watched for the dawn of day with
+the greatest anxiety; when at last the approach of the morning sun
+rendering the objects on shore visible, in the place where the fort had
+stood, nothing was to be seen. No human being was near, neither Indian
+nor European; he ordered a boat to be manned, and himself went, at the
+head of a party, to explore how things really were.
+
+The crew hastened to the place where the fortress had been erected; they
+found it burnt and demolished, the palisades beaten down, and the ground
+strewed with broken chests and fragments of European garments.
+
+The natives, at their approach, did not welcome them as they expected,
+like friends, but fled and concealed themselves as if afraid to be seen.
+
+Columbus, at length, with some difficulty, by signs of peace and
+friendship, persuaded a few of them to come forth to him. From them he
+learned, that scarcely had he set sail for Spain, when all his counsels
+and commands faded from the minds of those who remained behind. Instead
+of cultivating the good-will of the natives, they endeavoured, by all
+kinds of wrongful means, to get possession of their golden ornaments and
+other articles of value, and seduce from them their wives and daughters,
+and had also quarrelled among themselves.
+
+The consequences of this bad conduct were what might have been expected:
+some died by sickness caused by intemperance, some fell in brawls
+between themselves about their ill-gotten spoil, and others were cut off
+by the Indians, whom they had so shamefully treated, and who afterwards
+pulled dawn and burnt their fort.
+
+The misfortunes which had befallen the Spaniards in the vicinity of
+this harbour threw a gloom over the place, and it was considered by the
+superstitious mariners as under some baneful influence. The situation
+was low and unhealthy, and not capable of improvement; Columbus
+therefore determined to remove the settlement.
+
+With this view he made choice of a situation more healthy and commodious
+than that of Navidad, and having ordered the troops and the various
+persons to be employed in the colony to be immediately disembarked,
+together with the stores, ammunition, and all the cattle and live-stock,
+he traced out the plan of a town in a large plain near a spacious bay;
+and obliging every person to put his hand to the work, the houses were
+soon so far advanced as to afford them shelter, and forts were
+constructed for their defence.
+
+This rising city, the first that Europeans founded in the new world, he
+named Isabella, in honour of his patroness the Queen of Castile.
+
+As long as the Indians had any prospect that their sufferings might
+terminate by the voluntary departure of the invaders, they submitted in
+silence, and dissembled their sorrow; but now that the Spaniards had
+built a town--now that they had dug up the ground and planted it with
+corn--it became apparent that they came not to visit the country, but to
+settle in it.
+
+They were themselves naturally so abstemious and their wants so few,
+that they were easily satisfied with the fruits of the island, which,
+with a handful of maize or a little of the insipid bread made of the
+cassava root, were sufficient for their support.
+
+But it was with difficulty they could afford subsistence for the new
+guests. The Spaniards, though considered an abstemious people, appeared
+to them excessively voracious. One Spaniard consumed as much as several
+Indians; this keenness of appetite appeared so insatiable, that they
+supposed the Spaniards had left their own country because it did not
+produce enough to gratify their immoderate appetites, and had come among
+them in quest of nourishment.
+
+Columbus having taken all the steps which he thought necessary to
+ensure the prosperity of his new colony, entrusted the command of the
+military force to Margaritta, and set sail with three vessels to extend
+his discoveries; but, after a long and tedious voyage, in which he
+endured every hardship, the most important discovery he made was the
+island of Jamaica.
+
+Having been absent much longer than he had expected, he returned to his
+new settlement, but the colonists had become refractory and
+unmanageable.
+
+No sooner had he left the island on his voyage of discovery, than the
+soldiers under Margaritta dispersed in straggling parties over the
+island, lived at discretion upon the natives, wasted their property, and
+treated that inoffensive race with the insolence of military oppression.
+
+During the absence of Columbus, several unfavourable accounts of his
+conduct had been transmitted to Spain, and these accusations gained such
+credit in that jealous court, that Aguado, a person in every way
+unsuited for the purpose, was appointed to proceed to Hispaniola to
+observe the conduct of Columbus.
+
+This man listened with eagerness to every accusation of the discontented
+Spaniards, and fomented still further the spirit of dissension in the
+island.
+
+Columbus felt how humiliating it must be if he remained in the island
+with such a partial inspector to observe his motions and control his
+authority; he therefore took the resolution of returning to Spain, in
+order to lay a full account of his transactions before Ferdinand and
+Isabella.
+
+Having committed the government of the colony during his absence to Don
+Bartholomew, his brother, he appointed Roldan Chief Justice, a choice
+which afterwards caused great calamities to the colony.
+
+On his arrival in Spain, Columbus appeared at court with the confidence
+of a man, not only conscious of having done no wrong, but of having
+performed great services.
+
+Ferdinand and Isabella, ashamed of having listened to ill-founded
+accusations, received him with such marks of respect as silenced the
+calumnies of his enemies, and covered them with shame and confusion.
+
+The gold, the pearls, and other commodities of value which he had
+brought home, and the mines which he had found, fully proved the value
+and importance of his discoveries, though Columbus considered them only
+as preludes to future and more important acquisitions.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS DISCOVERS THE CONTINENT OF AMERICA.
+
+
+Columbus, having been furnished with six vessels of no great burden,
+departed on his third voyage. He touched at the Canaries and at the Cape
+de Verd islands; from the former he despatched three ships with a supply
+of provisions for the colony of Hispaniola; with the other three he
+continued his voyage to the south.
+
+Nothing remarkable occurred till they were within five degrees of the
+line; then they were becalmed, and the heat became so excessive, that
+the wine casks burst and their provisions were spoiled.
+
+The Spaniards, who had never ventured so far to the south, were afraid
+the ships would take fire, but they were relieved in some measure from
+their fear by a seasonable fall of rain.
+
+This, however, though so heavy and incessant that the men could hardly
+keep the deck, did not greatly mitigate the heat, and Columbus was at
+last constrained to yield to the importunities of his crew, and to alter
+his course to the north-west, in order to reach some of the Caribbee
+islands, where he might refit and be supplied with provisions.
+
+On the 1st of August, 1498, the man stationed at the round-top surprised
+them with the joyful cry of "Land!" They stood towards it, and
+discovered a considerable island, which the admiral called Trinidad, a
+name it still retains, and near it the mouth of a river, rolling towards
+the ocean such a vast body of water, and rushing into it with such
+impetuous force, that when it meets the tide, which on that coast rises
+to an uncommon height, their meeting occasions an extraordinary and
+dangerous swell of the waves.
+
+In this conflict, the irresistable torrent of the river so far
+prevails, that it freshens the ocean many leagues with its flood.
+
+Columbus, before he could perceive the danger, was entangled among these
+adverse currents and tempestuous waves; and it was with the utmost
+difficulty that he escaped through a narrow strait, which appeared so
+tremendous, that he called it "The Dragon's Mouth."
+
+As soon as his consternation permitted him to reflect on an appearance
+so extraordinary, he justly concluded that the land must be a part of
+some mighty continent, and not of an island, because all the springs
+that could rise, and all the rain that could fall on an island, could
+never, as he calculated, supply water enough to feed so prodigiously
+broad and deep a river; and he was right, the river was the Oronoko.
+
+Filled with this idea, he stood to the west, along the coast of those
+provinces which are now known by the name of Paria and Cumana. He landed
+in several places, and found the people to resemble those of Hispaniola
+in their appearance and manner of life.
+
+They wore as ornaments small plates of gold and pearls of considerable
+value, which they willingly exchanged for European toys. They seemed to
+possess greater courage and better understandings than the inhabitants
+of the islands.
+
+The country produced four-footed animals of several kinds, as well as a
+great variety of fowls and fruits.
+
+The admiral was so much delighted with its beauty and fertility, that,
+with the warm enthusiasm of a discoverer, he imagined it to be the
+Paradise described in Scripture.
+
+Thus Columbus had the glory of discovering the new world, and of
+conducting the Spaniards to that vast continent which has been the seat
+of their empire and the source of their treasure, in that quarter of the
+globe. The shattered condition of his ships and the scarcity of
+provisions, made it now necessary to bear away for Hispaniola, where he
+arrived wasted to an extreme degree with fatigue and sickness.
+
+Many revolutions had happened in that country during his absence, which
+had lasted more than two years.
+
+His brother, whom he had left in command, had, in compliance with advice
+which he had given him before his departure, removed the colony from
+Isabella to a more commodious station on the opposite side of the
+island, and laid the foundation of St. Domingo, which long continued to
+be the most considerable town in the new world.
+
+Such was the cruelty and oppression with which the Spaniards treated the
+Indians, and so intolerable the burden imposed upon them, that they at
+last took arms against their oppressors; but these insurrections were
+not formidable. In a conflict with timid and naked Indians, there was
+neither danger nor doubt of victory.
+
+A mutiny which broke out among the Spaniards, was of a more dangerous
+nature, the ringleader in which was Francisco Roldan, whom Columbus,
+when he sailed for Spain, had appointed chief judge, and whose duty it
+was to have maintained the laws, instead of breaking them.
+
+This rebellion of Roldan, which threatened the whole country with ruin,
+was only subdued by the most wise and prudent conduct on the part of
+Columbus; but order and tranquillity were at length apparently restored.
+
+As soon as his affairs would permit, he sent some of his ships to Spain,
+with a journal of the voyage which he had made, and a description of the
+new continent which he had discovered, and also a chart of the coast
+along which he had sailed, and of which I shall have something more to
+tell you presently.
+
+He at the same time sent specimens of the gold, the pearls, and other
+curious and valuable productions which he had acquired by trafficking
+with the natives.
+
+He also transmitted an account of the insurrection in Hispaniola, and
+accused the mutineers of having, by their unprovoked rebellion, almost
+ruined the colony.
+
+Roldan and his associates took care to send to Spain, by the same
+ships, apologies for their mutinous conduct, and unfortunately for the
+happiness of Columbus, their story gained most credit in the court of
+Ferdinand and Isabella.
+
+By these ships Columbus granted the liberty of returning to Spain to all
+those, who, from sickness or disappointment, were disgusted with the
+country. A good number of such as were most dissatisfied, embraced this
+opportunity of returning to Europe. The disappointment of their
+unreasonable hopes inflamed their rage against Columbus to the utmost
+pitch, and their distress made their accusations be believed.
+
+A gang of these disorderly ruffians, who had been shipped off to free
+the island from their seditions, found their way to the court at
+Grenada. Whenever the king or queen appeared in public, they surrounded
+them, insisting, with importunate clamours, on the payment of arrears
+due to them, and demanding vengeance on the author of their sufferings.
+
+These endeavours to ruin Columbus were seconded by Fonseca, who was now
+made bishop of Badajos, and who was entrusted with the chief direction
+of Indian affairs. This man had always been an implacable enemy of
+Columbus, and with others of his enemies who were about the court,
+having continual access to the sovereign, they were enabled to aggravate
+all the complaints that were urged against him, while they carefully
+suppressed his vindications of himself.
+
+By these means Ferdinand was at last induced to send out Bobadilla, an
+officer of the royal household, to inquire into the conduct of Columbus,
+and if he should think the charges against him proved, to supersede him
+in his command, that is, to send him home, and make himself governor in
+his stead; so that it was the interest of the judge to pronounce the
+person guilty whom he was sent to try.
+
+On his arrival he found Columbus absent in the interior of the island;
+and as he had, before he landed, made up his mind to treat him as a
+criminal, he proceeded at once, without any inquiry, to supersede him
+in his command.
+
+He took up his residence in Columbus' house, from which the owner was
+absent, seized upon his arms, gold, plate, jewels, books, and even his
+letters and most secret manuscripts, giving no account of the property
+thus seized, but disposing of it as if already confiscated to the crown;
+at the same time he used the most unqualified language when speaking of
+Columbus, and hinted that he was empowered to send him home in chains;
+thus acting as if he had been sent out to degrade the admiral, not to
+inquire into his conduct.
+
+As soon as Columbus arrived from the interior, Bobadilla gave orders to
+put him in irons and confine him in the fortress, and so far from
+hearing him in his defence, he would not even admit him to his presence;
+but having collected from his enemies what he thought sufficient
+evidence, he determined to send both him and his brother home in chains.
+
+The charge of conducting the prisoners to Spain was committed to Alonzo
+Villejo, a man of honourable conduct and generous feelings. When Villejo
+entered with the guard to conduct him on board the caravel, Columbus
+thought it was to conduct him to the scaffold. "Villejo" said he,
+"whither are you taking me?" "To the ship, your excellency, to embark,"
+replied the other. "To embark!" repeated the admiral, earnestly,
+"Villejo, do you speak the truth?" "By the life of your excellency,"
+replied the honest officer, "it is true."
+
+With these words the admiral was comforted, and felt as restored from
+death to life, for he now knew he should have an opportunity of
+vindicating his conduct. The caravel set sail in October, bearing off
+Columbus shackled like the vilest criminal.
+
+The worthy Villejo, as well as Andries Martin, the master of the
+caravel, would have taken off his irons, but to this he would not
+consent. "No," said he proudly, "their majesties commanded me, by
+letter, to submit to whatever Bobadilla should order in their name; by
+their authority he has put upon me these chains; I will wear them till
+they shall order them to be taken off, and I will afterwards preserve
+them as relics and memorials of the reward of my services."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The arrival of Columbus, a prisoner and in chains, produced almost as
+great a sensation as his triumphant return on his first voyage.
+
+A general burst of indignation arose in Cadiz and in Seville, which was
+echoed through all Spain, that Columbus was brought home in chains from
+the world he had discovered.
+
+The tidings reached the court of Grenada, and filled the halls of the
+Alhambra with murmurs of astonishment.
+
+On the arrival of the ships at Cadiz, Columbus, full of his wrongs, but
+not knowing how far they had been authorized by his sovereigns, forbare
+to write to them; but he sent a long letter to a lady of the court, high
+in favour with the queen, containing, in eloquent and touching language,
+an ample vindication of his conduct.
+
+When it was read to the noble-minded Isabella, and she found how grossly
+Columbus had been wronged, and the royal authority abused, her heart was
+filled with sympathy and indignation.
+
+Without waiting for any documents that might arrive from Bobadilla,
+Ferdinand and Isabella sent orders to Cadiz, that he should be instantly
+set at liberty, and treated with all distinction, and sent him two
+thousand ducats to defray his expenses to court. They wrote him a
+letter at the same time, expressing their grief at all that had
+happened, and inviting him to Grenada.
+
+He was received by their majesties with the greatest favour and
+distinction. When the queen beheld this venerable man approach, and
+thought on all he had deserved and all he had suffered, she was moved to
+tears.
+
+Columbus had borne up firmly against the injuries and wrongs of the
+world, but when he found himself thus kindly treated, and beheld tears
+in the benign eyes of Isabella, his long suppressed feelings burst
+forth, he threw himself upon his knees, and for some time could not
+utter a word for the violence of his tears and sobbings.
+
+Ferdinand and Isabella raised him from the ground and endeavoured to
+encourage him by the most gracious expressions.
+
+As soon as he had recovered his self-possession, he entered into an
+eloquent and high-minded vindication of his conduct, and his zeal for
+the glory and advantage of the Spanish crown.
+
+The king and queen expressed their indignation at the proceedings of
+Bobadilla, and promised he should be immediately dismissed from his
+command.
+
+The person chosen to supersede Bobadilla was Nicholas de Ovando. While
+his departure was delayed by various circumstances, every arrival
+brought intelligence of the disasterous state of the island under the
+administration of Bobadilla.
+
+He encouraged the Spaniards in the exercise of the most wanton cruelties
+towards the natives, to obtain from them large quantities of gold. "Make
+the most of your time," he would say, "there is no knowing how long it
+will last;" and the colonists were not backward in following his advice.
+In the meantime the poor Indians sunk under the toils imposed upon them,
+and the severities with which they were enforced.
+
+These accounts hastened the departure of Ovando, and a person sailed
+with him, in order to secure what he could of the wreck of Columbus'
+property.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS ROBBED OF THE HONOUR OF GIVING HIS NAME TO
+AMERICA.
+
+
+I have told you that Columbus, as soon as he arrived at Hispaniola,
+after discovering the new continent, sent a ship to Spain with a journal
+of the voyage he had made, and a description of the new continent which
+he had discovered, together with a chart of the coast of Paria and
+Cumana, along which he had sailed.
+
+This journal, with the charts and description, and Columbus' letters on
+the subject, were placed in the custody of Fonseca, he being minister
+for Indian affairs.
+
+No sooner had the particulars of this discovery been communicated by
+Columbus, than a separate commission of discovery, signed by Fonseca,
+but not by the sovereigns, was granted to Alonzo de Ojeda, who had
+accompanied Columbus on his second voyage, and whom Columbus had
+instructed in all his plans. Ojeda was accompanied on this voyage by a
+Florentine, whose name was Amerigo Vespucci.
+
+To these adventurers Fonseca communicated Columbus' journal, his
+description of the country, his charts, and all his private letters.
+
+This expedition sailed from Spain while Columbus was still at
+Hispaniola, and wholly ignorant of what was taking place; and Ojeda,
+without touching at the colony, steered his course direct for Paria,
+following the very track which Columbus had marked out.
+
+Having extended their discoveries very little farther than Columbus had
+gone before them, Vespucci, on returning to Spain, published an account
+of his adventures and discoveries, and had the address and confidence
+so to frame his narrative, as to make it appear that the glory of having
+discovered the new continent belonged to him.
+
+Thus the bold pretensions of an impostor have robbed the discoverer of
+his just reward, and the caprice of fame has unjustly assigned to him an
+honour far above the renown of the greatest conquerors--that of
+indelibly impressing his name upon this vast portion of the earth, which
+ought in justice to have been called Columbia.
+
+Two years had now been spent in soliciting the favour of an ungrateful
+court, and notwithstanding all his merits and services, he solicited in
+vain; but even this ungracious return did not lessen his ardour in his
+favourite pursuits, and his anxiety to pursue those discoveries in which
+he felt he had yet only made a beginning.
+
+Ferdinand at last consented to grant him four small vessels, the largest
+of which did not exceed seventy tons in burden; but, accustomed to brave
+danger and endure hardships, he did not hesitate to accept the command
+of this pitiful squadron, and he sailed from Cadiz on his fourth voyage
+on the 9th of May.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Having touched, as usual, at the Canaries, he intended to have sailed
+direct for this new discovered continent; but his largest vessel was so
+clumsy and unfit for service, that he determined to bear away for
+Hispaniola, in hopes of exchanging her for some ship of the fleet that
+had carried out Ovando.
+
+The fleet that had brought out Ovando lay in the harbour ready to put
+to sea, and was to take home Bobadilla, together with Roldan and many of
+his adherents, to be tried in Spain for rebellion. Bobadilla was to
+embark in the principal ship, on board of which he had put an immense
+amount of gold, which he hoped would atone for all his faults.
+
+Among the presents intended for his sovereign was one mass of virgin
+gold, which was famous in the Spanish chronicles; it was said to weigh
+3600 castillanos. Large quantities of gold had been shipped in the fleet
+by Roldan and other adventurers--the wealth gained by the sufferings of
+the unhappy natives.
+
+Columbus sent an officer on shore to request permission to shelter his
+squadron in the river, as he apprehended an approaching storm. He also
+cautioned them not to let the fleet sail, but his request was refused by
+Ovando, and his advice disregarded.
+
+The fleet put to sea, and Columbus kept his feeble squadron close to
+shore, and sought for shelter in some wild bay or river of the island.
+
+Within two days, one of those tremendous storms which sometimes sweep
+those latitudes gathered up, and began to blow. Columbus sheltered his
+little squadron as well as he could, and sustained no damage. A
+different fate befel the other armament.
+
+The ship in which were Bobadilla, Roldan, and a number of the most
+inveterate enemies of Columbus, was swallowed up with all its crew,
+together with the principal part of the ill-gotten treasure, gained by
+the miseries of the Indians.
+
+Some of the ships returned to St. Domingo, and only one was able to
+continue her voyage to Spain; that one had on board four thousand pieces
+of gold, the property of Columbus, which had been recovered by the agent
+whom he sent out with Ovando.
+
+Thus, while the enemies of the admiral were swallowed up as it were
+before his eyes, the only ship enabled to pursue her voyage was the
+frail bark freighted with his property.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS WAS SHIPWRECKED, AND ALSO OF THE MANNER OF HIS
+DEATH.
+
+
+Columbus soon left Hispaniola where he met with so inhospitable a
+reception, and steering towards the west, he arrived on the coast of
+Honduras. There he had an interview with some of the inhabitants of the
+continent, who came off in a large canoe; they appeared to be more
+civilized than any whom he had hitherto discovered.
+
+In return to the inquiries which the Spaniards made with their usual
+eagerness, where the Indians got the gold which they wore by way of
+ornaments, they directed him to countries situated to the west, in which
+gold was found in such profusion that it was applied to the most common
+uses.
+
+Well would it have been for Columbus had he followed their advice.
+Within a day or two he would have arrived at Yucatan; the discovery of
+Mexico and the other opulent countries of New Spain would have
+necessarily followed, the Southern Ocean would have been disclosed to
+him, and a succession of splendid discoveries would have shed fresh
+glory on his declining age.
+
+But the admiral's mind was bent upon discovering the supposed strait
+that was to lead to the Indian Ocean. In this navigation he explored a
+great extent of coast from Cape Gracios a Dios till he came to a
+harbour, which on account of its beauty and security, he called Porto
+Bello.
+
+On quitting this harbour he steered for the south, and he had not
+followed this course many days when he was overtaken by storms more
+terrible than any he had yet encountered.
+
+For nine days the vessels were tossed about at the mercy of a raging
+tempest. The sea, according to the description of Columbus, boiled at
+times like a cauldron, at other times it ran in mountain waves covered
+with foam: at night the raging billows sparkled with luminous particles,
+which made them resemble great surges of flame.
+
+For a day and a night the heavens glowed like a furnace with incessant
+flashes of lightning, while the loud claps of thunder were often
+mistaken for signal guns of their foundering companions.
+
+In the midst of this wild tumult of the elements, they beheld a new
+object of alarm. The ocean, in one place, became strangely agitated; the
+water was whirled up into a kind of pyramid or cone; while a livid
+cloud, tapering to a point, bent down to meet it; joining together, they
+formed a column, which rapidly approached the ship, spinning along the
+surface of the deep, and drawing up the water with a rushing sound, it
+passed the ship without injury.
+
+His leaky vessels were not able to withstand storms like these. One of
+them foundered, and he was obliged to abandon another.
+
+With the remaining two he bore away for Hispaniola, but in the tempest
+his ships falling foul of each other, it was with the greatest
+difficulty he reached the island of Jamaica.
+
+His two vessels were in such a shattered condition, that, to prevent
+them from sinking, and to save the lives of his crews, he was obliged to
+run them on shore.
+
+Having no ship now left, he had no means of reaching Hispaniola, or of
+making his situation known. In this juncture he had recourse to the
+hospitable kindness of the natives, who, considering the Spaniards as
+beings of a superior nature, were eager, on every occasion to assist
+them.
+
+From them he obtained two canoes, each formed out of a single tree
+hollowed with fire. In these, which were only fit for creeping along the
+coast, two of his brave and faithful companions, assisted by a few
+Indians, gallantly offered to set out for Hispaniola; this voyage they
+accomplished in ten days, after encountering incredible fatigues and
+dangers.
+
+By them he wrote letters to Ovando, describing his situation and
+requesting him to send ships to bring off him and his crews; but what
+will you think of the unfeeling cruelty of this man, when I tell you
+that he suffered these brave men to wait eight months before he would
+give them any hopes of relieving their companions: and what must have
+been the feelings of Columbus during this period.
+
+At last the ships arrived which were to take them from the island, where
+the unfeeling Ovando had suffered them to languish above a year, exposed
+to misery in all its various forms. When he arrived at St. Domingo,
+Ovando treated him with every kind of insult and injustice. Columbus
+submitted in silence, but became extremely impatient to quit a country
+where he had been treated with such barbarity.
+
+The preparations were soon finished, and he set sail for Spain with two
+ships, but disaster still pursued him to the end of his course. He
+suffered acutely from a painful and dangerous disease, and his mind was
+kept uneasy and anxious by a continued succession of storms. One of the
+vessels being disabled, was forced back to St. Domingo, and in the other
+he sailed 700 leagues with jury-masts, and reached with difficulty the
+port of St. Lucar in Spain, 1504.
+
+On his arrival he received the fatal news of the death of his patroness
+queen Isabella, from whom he had hoped for the redress of his wrongs.
+
+He applied to the king, who, instead of confirming the titles and
+honours which he had formerly conferred upon him, insulted him with the
+proposal of renouncing them all for a pension.
+
+Disgusted with the ingratitude of a monarch whom he had served with
+fidelity and success, exhausted with the calamities which he had
+endured, and broken with infirmities, this great and good man breathed
+his last at Valladolid, a.d. 1506, in the 69th year of his age.
+
+He was buried in the cathedral at Seville, and on his tomb was engraved
+an epitaph commemorating his discovery of a New World.
+
+  Christobal Colon, obiit 1506,
+
+  AEtat 69.
+
+  A Castilla y a Leon
+  Neubo Mundo dio Colon.[A]
+
+Thus much for Columbus; those who are the greatest benefactors of
+mankind seldom meet with much gratitude from men in their lives; they
+must look to God for their reward, and leave future generations to do
+justice to their memory.
+
+It was very unfortunate for the natives of America, that the country
+fell into the hands of such a cruel, covetous, and bigoted nation as the
+Spaniards were. Their thirst for gold was insatiable, and the cruelties
+they exercised upon the natives are too horrible to recite. After the
+death of Columbus, the Indians were no longer treated with gentleness,
+for it was his defence of the property and lives of these harmless
+natives that brought down upon his head such bitter hatred. You will now
+look into your map and follow Columbus in some of his discoveries. You
+will see a great number of islands extending in a curve from Florida,
+which is the southernmost part of the United States, to the mouth of the
+river Oronoko in South America; and, as Columbus firmly believed these
+islands, when he discovered them, to be a part of India, the name of
+Indies was given to them by Ferdinand and Isabella; and, even after the
+error was detected, and the true position of the new world ascertained,
+the name has remained, and the appellation of Indies is given to the
+country, and that of Indians to the inhabitants.
+
+[Footnote A: To Castile and to Leon Columbus gave a New World.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+PARLEY TELLS OF OVANDO'S CRUEL TREATMENT OF ANACAONA, THE PRINCESS OF
+HAYTI.
+
+
+Columbus discovered and gave names to some of these islands, and on
+several of them he settled colonies, and did all he could to make them
+the abodes of peace and happiness.
+
+On his taking leave of them for the last time, Ovando continued governor
+of Hayti.
+
+The cruelties exercised by this unfeeling man it would take a volume to
+describe, but I will mention only one or two instances.
+
+When the natives were unable to pay the tribute which he exacted from
+them, he always accused them of insurrection, and it was to punish a
+slight insurrection of this kind in the eastern part of the island that
+he sent his troops, who ravaged the country with fire and sword. He
+showed no mercy to age or sex, putting many to death with horrible
+tortures, and brought off the brave Catabanama, one of the five
+sovereign caziques of the island, in chains to St. Domingo, where he was
+ignominiously hanged by Ovando, for the crime of defending his territory
+and his native soil against usurping strangers.
+
+But the most atrocious act of Ovando, and one that must heap odium on
+his name, wherever the woes of the gentle natives of Hayti are heard of,
+was the cruelty he was guilty of towards the province of Xaragua for one
+of those pretended conspiracies.
+
+Ovando set out at the head of nearly four hundred well armed soldiers,
+seventy of whom were steel-clad horsemen; giving out that he was coming
+on a visit of friendship, to make arrangements for the payment of
+tribute.
+
+Behechio, the ancient cazique of the province, was dead, and his
+sister, Anacaona, wife of the late formidable chief Caonabo, had
+succeeded to the government.
+
+She was one of the most beautiful females in the island; of great
+natural grace and dignity, and superior intelligence; her name in the
+Indian language signified "Golden Flower."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She came forth to meet Ovando, according to the custom of her nation,
+attended by her most distinguished subjects, and her train of damsels
+waving palm branches, and dancing to the cadence of their popular
+ayretos.
+
+All her principal caziques had been assembled to do honour to the
+guests, who, for several days were entertained with banquets, and
+national games and dances.
+
+In return for these exhibitions, Ovando invited Anacaona, with her
+beautiful daughter Higuenamata, and her principal subjects, to witness a
+tilting match in the public square.
+
+When all were assembled, and the square crowded with unarmed Indians,
+Ovando gave a signal, and instantly the horsemen rushed into the midst
+of the naked and defenceless throng, trampling them under foot, cutting
+them down with their swords, transfixing them with their lances, and
+sparing neither age nor sex.
+
+Above eighty caziques had been assembled in one of the principal houses:
+it was surrounded by troops, the caziques were bound to the posts which
+supported the roof, and put to cruel tortures, until in the extremity of
+anguish they were made to admit as true what their queen and themselves
+had been charged with.
+
+When they had thus been made, by torture, to accuse themselves, a
+horrible punishment was immediately inflicted. Fire was set to the
+house, and they all perished miserably in the flames.
+
+As to Anacaona, she was carried to St. Domingo, where, after the mockery
+of a trial, she was pronounced guilty on the testimony of the Spaniards,
+and was barbarously hanged by the people whom she had so long and so
+greatly befriended.
+
+After the massacre of Xaragua, the destruction of its inhabitants went
+on. They were hunted for six months amid the fastnesses of the
+mountains, and their country ravaged by horse and foot, until, all being
+reduced to deplorable misery and abject submission, Ovando pronounced
+the province restored to order; and in remembrance of his triumph,
+founded a town near the lake, which he called Santa Maria de la
+Verdadera Pas (St. Mary of the true peace.)
+
+Such was the tragical fate of the beautiful Anacaona, once extolled as
+the Golden Flower of Hayti; and such the story of the delightful region
+of Xaragua, which the Spaniards, by their own account, found a perfect
+paradise, but which, by their vile passions, they filled with horror and
+desolation.
+
+After this work of destruction, they made slaves of the remaining
+inhabitants, and divided them amongst them, and many of the sanguinary
+contests among themselves arose out of quarrels about the distribution.
+
+We cannot help pausing to cast back a look of pity and admiration over
+these beautiful but devoted regions.
+
+The white man had penetrated the land! In his train came avarice, pride,
+and ambition; sordid care, and pining labour, were soon to follow, and
+the paradise of the Indian was about to disappear for ever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+PARLEY DESCRIBES THE TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS OF THE NEW WORLD.
+
+
+When once the way had been pointed out, it was easy for other navigators
+to follow, and accordingly many Spaniards undertook voyages of further
+discovery.
+
+Among others, Yanez Pinzon, one of the brave companions of Columbus,
+undertook a voyage to the new world in 1499.
+
+This navigator suffered much from storms, and having sailed southward,
+he crossed the equator and lost sight of the polar star.
+
+The sailors were exceedingly alarmed at this circumstance, as the polar
+star was relied upon by them as one of their surest guides; not knowing
+the shape of the earth, they thought that some prominence hid this star
+from their view.
+
+The first land that Pinzon discovered, after crossing the line, was Cape
+St. Augustine, in eight degrees south latitude, the most projecting part
+of the extensive country of Brazil.
+
+As the fierceness of the natives made it unsafe to land on this coast,
+he continued his voyage to the north-west, and fell in with the mighty
+river Amazon, which is nearly under the equinoctial line.
+
+The mouth of this river is more than thirty leagues in breadth, and its
+waters enter more than forty leagues into the ocean without losing its
+freshness.
+
+He now recrossed the line, and coming again in sight of the polar star,
+he pursued his course along the coast, passed the mouth of the Oronoko,
+and entered the Gulph of Paria, after which he returned to Spain.
+
+Ojeda also undertook a voyage expressly to found a settlement; but as
+the character of the Spaniards was now well known to the inhabitants of
+these parts, they determined to oppose their landing, and being a
+numerous and warlike people, Ojeda nearly lost his life in the attempt.
+
+Many of his companions were slain; the survivors, however, succeeding in
+making good their retreat on board the ships.
+
+Shortly afterwards he landed on the eastern side of the Gulph of Darien,
+and built a fortress which they called San Sebastian.
+
+Ojeda had with him in this expedition Francisco Pizarro, about whom I
+shall have to tell you something more presently.
+
+About the same time another Spaniard, of the name of Nicuessa, formed a
+settlement on that part of the coast, and built a fortress there, which
+he called Nombre de Dios, not very distant from the harbour of
+Portobello.
+
+Thus, by degrees, the whole coast of America, on the side of the
+Atlantic, was discovered and explored.
+
+But the Spaniards did not know that in the part where they were, it was
+only a narrow neck of land (which you know is called an Isthmus) that
+separated them from another vast ocean; and this, when they discovered
+the ocean on the other side, was called the Isthmus of Darien.
+
+I will now give you a short account of the discovery of this ocean.
+
+Nothing having been heard of Ojeda and his new colony of San Sebastian,
+another expedition, commanded by Enciso, set sail in search of them.
+
+Among the ship's company was a man, by name Vasco Ninez de Balboa, who,
+although of a rich family, had, by his bad habits, not only become very
+poor, but also very much in debt.
+
+To avoid being thrown into prison for the debts that he owed, he
+contrived to get on board Enciso's ship, concealed in a cask, which was
+taken on board the vessel as a cask of provisions.
+
+When the ship was far from St. Domingo, Balboa came out from his cask to
+the astonishment of all on board.
+
+Enciso at first was angry at the way he had escaped from the punishment
+which his bad conduct had deserved; yet, as he thought that he might be
+of service to him, he pardoned him.
+
+The settlement of St. Sebastian, however, had been broken up, the
+Spaniards having suffered much from the repeated attacks of the natives,
+who would no longer patiently submit to their unjust treatment.
+
+Soon after Enciso arrived at Carthagena he was joined by Pizarro, with
+the wretched remains of the colony; he determined nevertheless, to
+continue his voyage to the settlement.
+
+Upon his arrival there he found Pizarro's account was too true, for
+where St. Sebastian had stood, nothing was to be seen but a heap of
+ruins.
+
+Here misfortune followed misfortune, his own ship was wrecked and then
+he was attacked by the natives.
+
+In despair at these disasters Enciso was at a loss what to do, or where
+to go, when Balboa advised him to continue his course along the coast in
+Pizarro's little vessel.
+
+He stated that he had once before been on an expedition in this same
+gulf, and on the western side he well remembered an Indian village, on
+the banks of a river, called by the natives Darien.
+
+Enciso pleased with Balboa's advice, resolved to take possession of this
+village, and to drive out all the Indians.
+
+Arrived at the river, he landed his men, and, without giving the
+unfortunate people of the village any notice, he attacked them, killed
+several, drove the rest out, and robbed them of all their possessions.
+
+He then made the village the chief place of his new government, and
+called it Santa Maria del Darien. Balboa assisted in this work of
+cruelty and injustice.
+
+The Spaniards had not been long here when they became tired with Enciso,
+and they refused to obey him, and sent him off in a ship to Spain. Upon
+his departure, Balboa took the command.
+
+In one of his expeditions into the interior parts of the country in
+search of gold, he first heard of a sea to the west, as yet unknown to
+Europeans.
+
+He had received a large quantity of gold from an Indian cazique, or
+chief, and was weighing it into shares for the purpose of dividing it
+among his men when a quarrel arose as to the exactness of the weight.
+
+One of the sons of the Indian cazique was present, and he felt so
+disgusted at the sordid behaviour of the Spaniards that he struck the
+scales with his fist and scattered the glittering gold about the place.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Before the Spaniards could recover from their astonishment at this
+sudden act, he said to them, "why should you quarrel for such a trifle?
+If you really esteem gold to be so precious as to abandon your homes,
+and come and seize the lands and dwellings of others for the sake of it,
+I can tell you of a land not far distant where you may find it in
+plenty."
+
+"Beyond those lofty mountains," he continued, pointing to the south,
+"lies a mighty sea, all the streams that flow into which down the
+southern side of those mountains, abound in gold, and all the utensils
+the people have, are made of gold."
+
+Balboa was struck with this account of the young Indian, and eagerly
+inquired the best way of penetrating to this sea, and this land of gold.
+
+The young Indian warned him of the dangers he would meet with from the
+fierce race of Indians inhabiting these mountains, who were cannibals,
+or eaters of human flesh, but Balboa was not to be deterred by accounts
+of difficulties and dangers.
+
+He was, besides, desirous of getting possession of the gold, and of
+obtaining, by the merits of the discovery, the pardon of the King of
+Spain, for taking from Enciso the command of the settlement.
+
+He resolved, therefore, to penetrate to this sea, and immediately began
+to make preparations for the journey.
+
+He first sent to Hispaniola for an additional number of soldiers, to
+assist him in the perilous adventure, but instead of receiving these,
+the only news that reached him by the return of his messengers was, that
+he would most probably have the command of Darien taken from him, and be
+punished for assisting to dispossess Enciso.
+
+This news made him determine no longer to delay his departure. All the
+men he could muster for the expedition amounted only to one hundred and
+ninety; but these were hardy and resolute, and much attached to him. He
+armed them with swords and targets; cross-bows and arquebusses; besides
+this little band, Balboa took with him a few of the Indians of Darien
+whom he had won by kindness, to serve him.
+
+On the 1st of September, 1513, Balboa set out from Darien, first to the
+residence of the Indian cazique, from whose son he first heard of the
+sea.
+
+From this chief he obtained the assistance of guides and some warriors,
+and with this force he prepared to penetrate the wilderness before him.
+
+It was on the 6th of September that he began his march for the mountains
+which separated him from the great Pacific Ocean, he set out with a
+resolution to endure patiently all the miseries, and to combat boldly
+all the difficulties that he might meet with, and he contrived to rouse
+the same determination in his followers.
+
+Their journey was through a broken rocky country covered with forest
+trees and underwood, so thick and close as to be quite matted together
+and every here and there deep foaming streams, some of which they were
+forced to cross on rafts.
+
+So wearisome was the journey, that in four days they had not advanced
+more than ten leagues, and they began to suffer much from hunger.
+
+They had now arrived in the province of a warlike tribe of Indians who,
+instead of flying and hiding themselves, came forth to the attack. They
+set upon the Spaniards with furious yells, thinking to overpower them at
+once. They were armed with bows and arrows, and clubs made of palm-wood
+almost as hard as iron. But the first shock of the report from the
+fire-arms of the Spaniards struck them with terror. They took to flight,
+but were closely pursued by the Spaniards with their blood-hounds. The
+Cazique and six hundred of his people were left dead upon the field of
+battle.
+
+After the battle the Spaniards entered the adjoining village, which was
+at the foot of the last mountain that remained to be climbed; this
+village they robbed of every thing valuable. There was much gold and
+many jewels.
+
+Balboa shared the booty among his band of followers. But this victory
+was not gained without some loss on the side of the Spaniards.
+
+Balboa found that several of his men had been wounded by the arrows of
+the Indians, and many also, overcome with fatigue, had fallen sick,
+these he was obliged to leave in the village, while he ascended the
+mountain.
+
+At the cool and fresh hour of day-break he assembled his scanty band,
+and began to climb the height, wishing to reach the top before the heat
+of noon.
+
+About ten o'clock they came out from the thick forest through which they
+had been struggling ever since day-break: the change from the closeness
+of the woods to the pleasant breeze from the mountain, was delightful.
+But they were still further encouraged. "From that spot" exclaimed one
+of the Indian guides, pointing to the height above them "may be seen the
+great sea of which you are in search."
+
+When Balboa heard this, he commanded his men to halt, and forbade any
+one to stir from his place. He was resolved to be the first European who
+should look upon that sea, which he had been the first to discover.
+
+Accordingly he ascended the mountain height alone, and when he reached
+the summit he beheld the wide sea glittering in the morning sun.
+
+Balboa called to his little troop to ascend the height and look upon the
+glorious prospect; and they joined him without delay.
+
+"Behold, my friends," said he, "the reward of all our toils, a sight
+upon which the eye of Spaniard never rested before."
+
+He now took possession of the sea-coast and the surrounding country in
+the name of the king of Spain.
+
+He then had a tree cut down, and made into the form of a cross, and
+planted it on the spot from which he had first beheld the sea. He also
+made a mound by heaping up large stones upon which he carved the names
+of the king of Spain.
+
+The Indians saw all this done, and while they helped to pile the stones
+and set up the cross, they little thought that they were assisting to
+deprive themselves of their homes and their country.
+
+You remember the noble reproof of Canute in the "History of England," to
+his flatterers, when they assured him that even the waves of the sea
+would obey him: but this arrogant and weak minded Spaniard waded into
+the waves of the great Pacific Ocean, up to his knees, and absurdly took
+possession of it in the name of the Spanish monarch.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Balboa was some time employed in fighting with the Indian tribes that
+inhabited the sea-coast, and in hunting them with blood-hounds.
+
+He soon made these helpless people submit. From them he got some
+further accounts of the rich country which the Indian prince had
+mentioned, and which proved afterwards to be Peru.
+
+He now quitted the shores of the Pacific Ocean on his return across the
+mountains of Darien. His route homewards was different from that which
+he had before pursued, and the sufferings of his troops much greater.
+
+Often they could find no water, the heat having dried up the pools and
+brooks. Many died from thirst, and those who survived, although loaded
+with gold, were exhausted for want of food; for the poor Indians brought
+gold and jewels, instead of food, as peace offerings to the Spaniards.
+
+At length, after much slaughter of the Indians that dwelt in the
+mountains, and burning of the villages, Balboa and his troops arrived at
+Darien; having robbed the Indians of all the gold and silver they could
+find. The Spaniards at Darien received with great delight and praise the
+news of his success and discovery--a discovery gained at the expense of
+much unnecessary cruelty and injustice.
+
+He now despatched a ship to Spain, with the news of his discovery, and
+by it he sent part of the gold he had carried off from the different
+Indian tribes.
+
+A few days before this ship reached Spain a new governor had been sent
+out, by name Padrarias Davila, to take Balboa's place, and with orders
+to punish Balboa for his conduct to Enciso.
+
+But when he arrived at Darien, and saw how much the discoverer of the
+Pacific was beloved by all the Spaniards of the settlement he hesitated
+through fear, and finally resolved to defer the execution of the orders
+which he had brought with him.
+
+Davila permitted Balboa to depart from Darien for the purpose of
+building brigantines with a view to navigate and explore the Pacific
+Ocean. Three years had elapsed since he discovered this ocean, and with
+joy he now prepared to build the ships which were to be the first
+belonging to Europeans to sail upon it.
+
+Balboa having overcome all his difficulties, had the satisfaction of
+seeing two brigantines finished and floating on a river which they
+called the Balsas.
+
+As soon as they had been made ready for sea, he embarked with some of
+his followers, and sailing down the river, was the first to launch into
+the ocean that he had been the first to discover. But his death was now
+about to put a stop to his further discoveries.
+
+The new governor, Davila, who was a bad and cruel man, and envious of
+Balboa, on account of the discoveries he had made, had long resolved to
+put him to death.
+
+The time having, as he thought, arrived, which was favourable for his
+villanous design, he sent for Balboa to return, and on his arrival he
+had him seized by one of his early friends and followers, Franciso
+Pizarro, and then, after throwing him into prison, he ordered him to be
+put to death by having his head cut off.
+
+This unjust sentence was executed, and Balboa, after a mock trial, was
+publicly beheaded, in the 48th year of his age.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+PARLEY TELLS OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO.
+
+
+Not long after this another expedition sailed from Cuba, under the
+command of Cordova, to make further discoveries on the new continent.
+
+The first land they saw proved to be the eastern cape of that large
+peninsula which you see in the map projecting into the gulf of Mexico,
+and which still retains its original name of Yucatan.
+
+As they approached the shore, five canoes came off full of people
+decently clad in cotton garments; this excited the wonder of the
+Spaniards, who had found every other part they had yet visited,
+possessed by naked savages.
+
+Cordova endeavoured to gain their good-will by presents, but perceived
+they were preparing to attack him; and, as his water began to fail, he
+sailed further along the coast in hopes of procuring a supply, but not a
+single river did he find all along that coast till he came to Potonchon,
+in the bay of Campeachy, which is on the western side of the peninsula.
+
+Here Cordova landed all his troops, in order to protect the sailors
+while filling their casks; but, notwithstanding, the natives rushed down
+upon them with such fury and in such numbers, that forty-seven of the
+Spaniards were killed upon the spot, and one man only of the whole body
+escaped unhurt.
+
+Cordova, though wounded in twelve places, led off his wounded men with
+great presence of mind and fortitude, and with much difficulty they
+reached their ships, and hastened back to Cuba. Cordova died of his
+wounds soon after his arrival.
+
+Notwithstanding the ill success of this expedition, another was shortly
+after fitted out under the command of Grijalva, a young man of known
+merit and courage. He directed his course to the bay of Campeachy, to
+the part from which Cordova had returned, and as they advanced they saw
+many villages scattered along the coast, in which they could distinguish
+houses of stone that appeared white and lofty at a distance.
+
+In the warmth of their admiration, they fancied these to be cities,
+adorned with towers and pinnacles; and one of the soldiers happening to
+remark that this country resembled Spain in appearance, Grijalva, with
+universal applause, called it New Spain; the name which still
+distinguishes this extensive and opulent province of the Spanish
+dominions.
+
+They landed to the west of Tabasco, where they were received with the
+respect due to superior beings; the people perfumed them as they landed
+with incense of gum copal, and presented to them offerings of the
+choicest delicacies of their country.
+
+They were extremely fond of trading with their new visitants, and in six
+days, the Spaniards obtained ornaments of gold, and of curious
+workmanship, to the amount of fifteen thousand pesoes, an immense sum,
+in exchange for European toys of small price.
+
+They learned from the natives that they were the subjects of a great
+monarch, whose dominions extended over that and many other provinces.
+
+Grijalva now returned with a full account of the important discoveries
+he had made, and with all the treasure he had acquired by trafficking
+with the natives.
+
+The favourable account of New Spain brought by Grijalva, determined
+Velasquez, the governor of Cuba, seriously to undertake the conquest of
+that country, but as he did not wish to take the command himself, he
+endeavoured to find a person who would act under his directions.
+
+After much deliberation he fixed upon Fernando Cortez, a man of restless
+and ardent spirit, on whom he had conferred many benefits; but these
+Cortez soon forgot, and was no sooner invested with the command than he
+threw off the authority of Velasquez altogether.
+
+The greatest force that could be collected for the conquest of a great
+empire, amounted to no more than five hundred and eight men, only
+thirteen of whom were armed with muskets; thirty-two were cross-bowmen,
+and the rest had swords and spears; they had only sixteen horses, and
+ten small field-pieces.
+
+With such a slender and ill provided force did Cortez set sail to make
+war upon a monarch whose dominions were more extensive than all the
+kingdoms subject to the Spanish crown.
+
+On his voyage Cortez first landed on the island of Cozumel, where he
+redeemed from slavery Jerome de Aguilar, a Spaniard, who had been eight
+years a prisoner among the Indians, and having learned the Yucatan
+language (which is spoken in all those parts), proved afterwards
+extremely useful as an interpreter.
+
+He then proceeded to the river of Tabasco, where the disposition of the
+natives proved very hostile, and they showed the most determined
+resistance; but the noise of the artillery, the appearances of the
+floating fortresses which brought the Spaniards over the ocean, and the
+horses on which they fought, all new objects to the natives, inspired
+them with astonishment mingled with terror; they regarded the Spaniards
+as gods, and sent them supplies of provisions, with a present of some
+gold and twenty female slaves.
+
+Cortez here learned that the native sovereign, who was called Montezuma,
+reigned over an extensive empire, and that thirty vassals, called
+caziques, obeyed him; that his riches were immense, and his power
+absolute. No more was necessary to inflame the ambition of Cortez, and
+the avarice of his followers.
+
+He then proceeded along the coast till he came to St. Juan de Ulua,
+where, having laid the foundation of Vera Cruz, he caused himself to be
+elected Captain-general of the new colony.
+
+Here he was visited by two native caziques, whose names were Teutile and
+Pilpatoe, who entered his camp with a numerous retinue, and informed
+him that they were persons entrusted with the government of that
+province by a great monarch, whom they called Montezuma, and that they
+were sent to inquire what his intentions were in visiting their coast,
+and to offer him what assistance he might need.
+
+Cortez received them with much formal ceremony, and informed them that
+he came from Don Carlos of Austria, the greatest monarch of all the
+east, with propositions of such moment, that he could impart them to
+none but the emperor himself; and requested them to conduct him, without
+loss of time, into the presence of their master.
+
+Messengers were immediately despatched to Montezuma, with a full account
+of everything that had passed.
+
+The Mexican monarch, in order to obtain early information, had couriers
+posted along the road, and the intelligence was conveyed by a very
+curious contrivance called picture writing, persons being employed to
+represent, in a series of pictures, everything that passed, which was
+the Mexican mode of writing: Teutile and Pilpatoe were employed to
+deliver the answer of their master, but as they knew how repugnant it
+was to the wishes and schemes of the Spanish commander, they would not
+make it known till they had first endeavoured to soothe and pacify him.
+For this purpose they introduced a train of a hundred Indians loaded
+with presents sent to him by Montezuma.
+
+The magnificence of these far exceeded any idea which the Spaniards had
+formed of his wealth.
+
+They were placed on mats spread on the ground, in such order as showed
+them to the greatest advantage. Cortez and his officers viewed with
+admiration the various manufactures of the country. Cotton stuffs so
+fine as to resemble silk. Pictures of animals, trees, and other natural
+objects, formed with feathers of different colours, disposed with such
+skill and elegance, as to resemble, in truth and beauty of imitation,
+the finest paintings. But what chiefly attracted their eyes were two
+large plates of circular form; one of massive gold, representing the
+sun, the other of silver, an emblem of the moon. These were accompanied
+with bracelets, collars, rings, and other trinkets of gold, and with
+several boxes filled with pearls, precious stones, and grains of gold
+unwrought, as they had been found in the mines or rivers.
+
+Cortez received all these with an appearance of profound respect for the
+monarch by whom they were bestowed; but when the Mexican informed him
+that their master would not give his consent that foreign troops should
+approach nearer to his capital, or even allow them to continue longer in
+his dominions, the Spanish general declared that he must insist on his
+first demand, as he could not, without dishonour, return to his own
+country until he was admitted into the presence of the princes whom he
+was appointed by his sovereign to visit.
+
+He first caused all his vessels to be burnt, in order to cut off the
+possibility of retreat, and to show his soldiers that they must either
+conquer or perish. He then penetrated into the interior of the country,
+drew to his camp several caziques, hostile to Montezuma, and induced
+these native princes to assist him.
+
+After surmounting every obstacle he arrived with his army in sight of
+the immense lake on which was built the city of Mexico, the capital of
+the empire.
+
+In descending from the mountains of Chalco, the vast plain of Mexico
+opened gradually to their view, displaying a prospect the most striking
+and beautiful: fertile and cultivated fields, stretched out further than
+the eye could reach, a lake resembling the sea in extent, encompassed
+with large towns, and the capital city rising upon an island, adorned
+with temples and turrets.
+
+Many messengers arrived one after another from Montezuma, one day
+permitting them to advance, on the next requiring them to retire, as his
+hopes or fears alternately prevailed, and so wonderful was his
+infatuation that Cortez was almost at the gates of the capital before
+the monarch had determined whether to receive him as a friend or oppose
+him as an enemy, but as no signs of hostility appeared, the Spaniards
+continued their march along the causeway which led to Mexico through the
+lake with great circumspection, though without seeming to suspect the
+prince whom they were about to visit.
+
+When they drew near the city, about a thousand persons who appeared to
+be of distinction, came out to meet them, adorned with plumes and clad
+in mantles of fine cotton.
+
+Each of these as they passed Cortez, saluted him according to the mode
+of their country; they announced the approach of Montezuma himself, and
+soon his harbingers came in sight.
+
+There appeared first two hundred persons in uniform dresses, with large
+plumes of feathers, marching two and two in deep silence, barefooted,
+with their eyes fixed on the ground.
+
+Then followed a company of higher rank, in their most shewy apparel. In
+the midst of these was Montezuma, in a chair or litter, richly
+ornamented with gold and feathers of various colours. Four of his
+principal favourites carried him on their shoulders; others supported a
+canopy of curious workmanship over his head: before him marched three
+officers with rods of gold in their hands, which they lifted on high at
+certain intervals.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+At that signal all the people bowed their heads and hid their faces, as
+unworthy to look on so great a monarch.
+
+When he drew near, Cortez dismounted advancing towards him in
+respectful posture; at the same time Montezuma alighted from his chair,
+and leaning on the arm of two of his nearest relations, approached him
+with a slow and stately pace, his attendants covering the way with
+cotton cloths, that he might not touch the ground.
+
+Cortez accosted him with profound reverence, after the European fashion.
+He returned the salutation, according to the mode of his country, by
+touching the earth with his hand and then kissing it.
+
+This condescension, in so proud a monarch, made all his subjects believe
+that the Spaniards were something more than human.
+
+Montezuma conducted Cortez to the quarters which he had ordered for his
+reception, and immediately took his leave, with a politeness not
+unworthy of a court more refined.
+
+"You are now," said he, "with your brothers, in your own house: refresh
+yourselves after your fatigue, and be happy until I return."
+
+The place allotted for the Spaniards was a magnificent palace built by
+the father of Montezuma. It was surrounded by a stone wall with towers,
+and its apartments and courts were so large as to accommodate both the
+Spaniards and their Indian allies.
+
+The first care of Cortez was to take precautions for his security, by
+planting artillery so as to command the different avenues which led to
+it, and posting sentinels at proper stations, with orders to observe the
+greatest vigilance.
+
+In the evening Montezuma returned to visit his guests, with the same
+pomp as in their first interview, and brought presents of great value
+not only to Cortez and his officers, but even to the private men. A long
+conference ensued, in which Cortez, in his usual style, magnified the
+power and dignity of his sovereign.
+
+Next morning Cortez and some of his principal attendants were admitted
+to a public audience of the emperor; the three following days were
+employed in viewing the city, the appearance of which was so far
+superior to any place the Spaniards had beheld in America, and yet so
+little resembling the structure of an European city, that it filled them
+with surprise and admiration.
+
+Mexico, or Tenuchtitlan, as it was anciently called, is situated on some
+small islands, near one side of a large lake, which is ninety miles in
+circumference. The access to the city was by artificial causeways or
+streets, formed of stones and earth, about thirty feet in breadth. These
+causeways were of considerable length: that on the west extended a mile
+and a half; that on the north-west three miles, and that towards the
+south six miles. On the east, the city could only be approached by
+canoes.
+
+Not only the temples of their Gods, but the palaces belonging to the
+monarch, and to persons of distinction, were of such dimensions that
+they might be termed magnificent.
+
+But, however the Spaniards might be amused or astonished at these
+objects, they felt the utmost anxiety with respect to their situation.
+
+They had been allowed to penetrate into the heart of a powerful
+kingdom, and were now lodged in its capital without having once met with
+open opposition from its monarch; but they had pushed forward into a
+situation where it was difficult to continue, and from which it was
+impossible to retire without disgrace and ruin.
+
+They could not, however, doubt of the hostility of the Mexicans, more
+especially as, on his march, Cortez received advice from Vera Cruz,
+where he had left a garrison, that a Mexican general had marched to
+attack the rebels whom the Spaniards had encouraged to revolt against
+Montezuma, and that the commander of the garrison had marched out with
+some of his troops to support the rebels, that an engagement had ensued,
+in which, though the Spaniards were victorious, the Spanish general with
+seven of his men, had been mortally wounded, his horse killed, and one
+Spaniard taken alive, and that the head of his unfortunate captive had
+been sent to Mexico, after being carried in triumph to different cities
+in order to convince the people that their invaders were not immortal.
+
+In this trying situation, he fixed upon a plan no less extraordinary
+than daring; he determined to seize Montezuma in his palace and to carry
+him a prisoner to the Spanish quarters. This he immediately proposed to
+his officers, who, as it was the only resource in which there appeared
+any safety, warmly approved of it, and it was agreed instantly to make
+the attempt.
+
+At his usual hour of visiting Montezuma, Cortez went to the palace,
+accompanied by five of his principal officers, and as many trusty
+soldiers; thirty chosen men followed, not in regular order, but
+sauntering at some distance, as if they had no object but curiosity: the
+remainder of his troops continued under arms, ready to sally out on the
+first alarm.
+
+Cortez and his attendants were admitted without suspicion, the Mexicans
+retiring, as usual, out of respect.
+
+He now addressed the monarch in a tone very different from that which he
+had employed on former occasions, and a conversation ensued, very much
+resembling that between the wolf and the lamb, in the fable, which you
+no doubt remember.
+
+Cortez bitterly reproached him as the author of the violent assault made
+by the Mexican general upon the Spaniards, and with having caused the
+death of some of his companions.
+
+Montezuma, with great earnestness, asserted his innocence, but Cortez
+affected not to believe him, and proposed that, as a proof of his
+sincerity, he should remove from his own palace, and take up his
+residence in the Spanish quarters.
+
+The first mention of so strange a proposal almost bereaved Montezuma of
+speech; at length he haughtily answered "That persons of his rank were
+not accustomed voluntarily to give themselves up as prisoners, and were
+he mean enough to do so, his subjects would not permit such an affront
+to be offered to their sovereign."
+
+Cortez now endeavoured to soothe, and then to intimidate him, and in
+this way the altercation continued three hours, when Velasquez de Leon,
+an impetuous young man exclaimed, "Why waste more time in vain? Let us
+seize him instantly, or stab him to the heart." The threatening voice
+and fierce gesture with which these words were uttered, struck Montezuma
+with a sense of his danger, and abandoning himself to his fate, he
+complied with their request: his officers were called, he communicated
+to them his resolution. Though astonished and affected, they presumed
+not to question the will of their master, but carried him in silent
+pomp, all bathed in tears, to the Spanish quarters.
+
+Cortez at first pretended to treat Montezuma with great respect, but
+soon took care to let him know that he was entirely in his power. Being
+thus master of the person of the monarch, he demanded that the Mexican
+general who had attacked the Spaniards, his son, and five of the
+principal officers who served under him, should be brought prisoners to
+Mexico, and delivered into his hands.
+
+As Cortez wished that the shedding the blood of a Spaniard should
+appear the most heinous crime that could be committed, he then ordered
+these brave men, who had only acted as became loyal subjects in opposing
+the invaders of their country, to be burnt alive, before the gates of
+the imperial palace.
+
+The unhappy victims were led forth, and laid on a pile composed of the
+weapons collected in the royal magazine for the public defence.
+
+During this cruel execution, Cortez entered the apartments of Montezuma,
+and caused him to be loaded with irons, in order to force him to
+acknowledge himself a vassal of the king of Spain. The unhappy prince
+yielded, and was restored to a semblance of liberty on presenting the
+fierce conqueror with six hundred thousand marks of pure gold, and a
+prodigious quantity of precious stones.
+
+The Mexicans driven to desperation, all at once flew to arms, and made
+so sudden and violent an attack that all the valour and skill of Cortez
+was scarcely sufficient to repel them.
+
+The Spaniards now found themselves enclosed in a hostile city, the
+whole population of which was exasperated to the highest pitch against
+them, and without some extraordinary exertion they were inevitably
+undone. Cortez therefore made a desperate sally, but after exerting his
+utmost efforts for a whole day, was obliged to retreat to his quarters
+with the loss of twelve men killed, and upwards of sixty wounded; Cortez
+himself was wounded in the hand.
+
+The Spanish general now betook himself to the only resource which was
+left, namely, to try what effect the interposition of Montezuma would
+have to soothe and overawe his subjects.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When the Mexicans approached next morning to renew the assault, that
+unfortunate prince, who was now reduced to the sad necessity of becoming
+the instrument of his own disgrace, and of the slavery of his people,
+advanced to the battlements in his royal robes, and with all the pomp in
+which he used to appear on solemn occasions. At the sight of their
+sovereign, whom they had long been accustomed to reverence almost as a
+god, the Mexicans instantly forebore their hostilities; and many
+prostrated themselves on the ground; but when he addressed them in
+favour of the Spaniards, and made use of all the arguments he could
+think of to mitigate their rage, they testified their resentment with
+loud murmurings, and at length broke forth with such fury, that before
+the soldiers appointed to guard Montezuma had time to cover him with
+their shields, he was wounded with two arrows and a blow on the temple
+with a stone struck him to the ground.
+
+On seeing him fall, the Mexicans instantly fled with the utmost
+precipitation, and Montezuma was conveyed to his apartments, whither
+Cortez followed in order to console him; but as the unhappy monarch now
+perceived that he was become an object of contempt even to his own
+subjects, his haughty spirit revived, and scorning to prolong his life
+after this last humiliation, he tore the bandages from his wounds, in a
+transport of rage, and refusing to take any nourishment, he soon ended
+his wretched days; refusing with disdain all the solicitations of the
+Spaniards to embrace the Christian faith.
+
+The Mexicans having chosen his son Guatimozin emperor, attacked the head
+quarters of Cortez with the utmost fury, and, in spite of the advantages
+of fire-arms, forced the Spaniards to retire, which alone saved them
+from destruction. Their rear guard was cut to pieces, and suffered
+severely during the retreat, which lasted six days.
+
+The Spaniards, however, having received fresh troops from Spain,
+defeated the Mexicans, and took Guatimozin prisoner, and in the end
+succeeded in totally subjugating this vast empire.
+
+Guatimozin, before he was taken prisoner, being aware of his impending
+fate, had ordered all his treasures to be thrown into the lake, and he
+was now put to the torture, on suspicion of having concealed his
+treasure. This was done by laying him on burning coals; but he bore
+whatever the cruelty of his tormentors could inflict, with the
+invincible fortitude of an American warrior. One of his chief
+favourites, his fellow sufferer, being overcome by the violence of the
+anguish, turned a dejected eye towards his master, which seemed to
+implore his permission to reveal all he knew. But the high spirited
+prince darted on him a look of authority mingled with scorn, and checked
+his weakness by asking, "Am I reposing on a bed of flowers?"
+
+Overawed by the reproach, he persevered in dutiful silence and expired.
+
+Cortes, utterly regardless of what crimes and cruelties he committed,
+added largely to the Spanish territory and revenue. But Spain was always
+ungrateful. Pizarro was murdered; Columbus died of a broken heart, and
+Balboa the death of a felon; so what could Cortez expect? He fell into
+neglect and poverty when his work was done. One day he forced his way
+through the crowd that had collected about the carriage of the
+sovereign, mounted the door-step, and looked in. Astonished at so gross
+a breach of etiquette, the monarch demanded to know who he was? "I am a
+man," replied Cortez, "who has given you more provinces than your
+ancestors left you cities!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+PARLEY RELATES HOW PIZARRO DISCOVERED AND CONQUERED PERU.
+
+
+Peru, when first discovered by the Spaniards, was a large and
+flourishing empire, including two kingdoms, Peru, and Quito, and
+extended over nearly half of the widest part of the South American
+Continent, as you will see if you look into the map, Brazil occupying
+the other half of the wide part.
+
+It had been governed by a long succession of Emperors, who were called
+the Incas of Peru.
+
+On the 14th of Nov. 1524, three Spanish adventurers whose names were
+Francisco Pizarro, in early life a feeder of swine, Diego de Almagro,
+and Hernando Luque, set sail from Panama for the discovery of Peru.
+
+Panama was a new settlement which the Spaniards had formed on the
+western side of the Isthmus of Darien, on the shores of the Pacific
+Ocean.
+
+Pizarro had only a single ship and one hundred and twenty men, to
+undertake this discovery, and so little was he acquainted with the
+climate of America, that the most improper season of the whole year was
+chosen for his departure; the periodical winds which were then set in,
+being directly opposite to the course he proposed to steer.
+
+He spent two years in sailing from Panama to the northern extremity of
+Peru, a voyage which is now frequently performed in a fortnight.
+
+At Tumbez, a place about three degrees south of the line, Pizarro and
+his companions feasted their eyes with the first view of the opulence
+and civilization of the Peruvian empire.
+
+This place was distinguished for its stately temple, and for one of the
+palaces of the Incas, or sovereigns of the country.
+
+But what chiefly attracted their notice, was such a show of gold and
+silver, not only in the ornaments of their persons and temples, but in
+the several vessels and utensils of common use, as left them no room to
+doubt that these metals abounded in the greatest profusion.
+
+Having explored the country sufficiently to satisfy his own mind,
+Pizarro hastened back to Panama, and from thence to Spain, where he
+obtained from Charles the Fifth the most liberal concessions, himself
+being made chief governor of all the countries he should subdue;
+Almagro, king's lieutenant, and Luque being appointed first bishop of
+Peru.
+
+Thus encouraged, Pizarro returned to Panama, whence he soon after sailed
+with three small vessels, containing only one hundred and eighty-six
+soldiers, and arrived at the Bay of St. Matthew; he then advanced by
+land as quickly as possible towards Peru.
+
+When Pizarro landed in the bay of St. Matthew, a civil war was raging
+with the greatest fury between Atahualpa, who was then seated on the
+throne of Peru, and his brother.
+
+This contest so much engaged the attention of the Peruvians, that they
+never once attempted to check the progress of the Spaniards, and Pizarro
+determined to take advantage of these dissensions.
+
+He directed his course towards Caxamalia, a small town at the distance
+of twelve days' march from St. Michael, where Atahualpa was encamped
+with a considerable body of troops.
+
+Before he had proceeded far, an officer, despatched by the Inca, met him
+with valuable presents from that prince, accompanied with a proffer of
+his alliance, and his assurance of a friendly reception at Caxamalia.
+
+Pizarro, according to the usual artifice of his countrymen, pretended to
+come as the ambassador of a powerful monarch, to offer his aid against
+those enemies who disputed his title to the throne.
+
+The Peruvians were altogether unable to comprehend the object of the
+Spaniards in entering their country, whether they should consider them
+as beings of a superior nature, who had visited them from some
+beneficent motive, as the Spaniards wished them to believe, or whether
+they were sent as evil demons to punish them for their crimes, as the
+rapaciousness and cruelty of the Spaniards led them to apprehend.
+
+Pizarro's declaration of his pacific intentions, however, so far removed
+all the Inca's fears, that he determined to give him a friendly
+reception.
+
+In consequence of this the Spaniards were allowed to march across a
+sandy desert, which lay in their way to Metupe, where the smallest
+efforts of an opposing enemy might have proved fatal to them, and then
+through a defile so narrow, that a few men might have defended it
+against a numerous army; but here, likewise, they met with no
+opposition.
+
+Pizarro, having reached Caxamalia with his followers, sent messengers,
+inviting Atahualpa to visit him in his quarters, which he readily
+promised. On the return of these messengers, they gave such a
+description of the wealth which they had seen, as determined Pizarro to
+seize upon the Peruvian monarch, in order that he might more easily
+come at the riches of his kingdom.
+
+The next day the Inca approached Caxamalia, without suspicion of
+Pizarro's treachery; but, as he drew near the Spanish quarters, Vincent
+Valverde, chaplain to the expedition, advanced with a crucifix in one
+hand and a breviary in the other, and, in a long discourse, attempted to
+convert him to the Roman Catholic faith.
+
+This the monarch declined, avowing his resolution to adhere to the
+worship of the sun; at the same time wished to know where the priest had
+learned these extraordinary things he had related. "In this book!"
+answered Valverde, reaching out his breviary.
+
+The Inca opened it eagerly, and turning over the leaves, raised it to
+his ear, "This," said he, "is silent, it tells me nothing;" and threw it
+with disdain to the ground.
+
+The enraged monk, running towards his countrymen, cried out, "To arms,
+Christians! to arms! the word of God is insulted--avenge the profanation
+of these impious dogs!"
+
+Pizarro immediately gave the signal of assault, which ended in the
+destruction of four thousand Peruvians, without the loss of a single
+Spaniard. The plunder was rich beyond any idea which even the conquerors
+had yet formed concerning the wealth of Peru. The Inca, who was taken
+prisoner, quickly discovered that the ruling passion of the Spaniards
+was the desire of gold; he offered therefore to recover his liberty by a
+splendid ransom.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The apartment in which he was confined was twenty-two feet long, by
+sixteen in breadth; this he undertook to fill with vessels of gold as
+high as he could reach.
+
+Pizarro closed with the proposal, and a line was drawn upon the walls of
+the chamber, to mark the stipulated height to which the treasure was to
+rise.
+
+During this confinement, Atahualpa had attached himself with peculiar
+affection to Ferdinand Pizarro, and Hernando Soto; who, as they were
+persons of birth and education, superior to the rough adventurers with
+whom they served, were accustomed to behave with more decency and
+kindness to the captive monarch.
+
+Soothed with this respect, he delighted in their society; but in the
+presence of the governor he was always uneasy and overawed, and this
+dread soon became mingled with contempt.
+
+Among all the European arts, what he admired most was that of reading
+and writing, and he long deliberated with himself whether it was a
+natural or an acquired talent. In order to determine this, he desired
+one of the soldiers, who guarded him, to write the name of God on the
+nail of his thumb. This he showed successively to several Spaniards,
+asking its meaning, and to his amazement, they all, without hesitation
+returned the same answer. At length Francisco Pizarro entered, and on
+presenting it to him, he blushed, and with some confusion was obliged to
+acknowledge that he could not read.
+
+From that moment Atahualpa considered him as a mean person, less
+instructed than his own soldiers, nor could he conceal the sentiments of
+contempt with which this discovery inspired him. He, however, performed
+his part of the contract, and the gold which his subjects brought in,
+was worth three or four hundred thousand pounds sterling.
+
+When they assembled to divide the spoils of this innocent people,
+procured by deceit, extortion, and cruelty, the transaction began with a
+solemn invocation to Heaven, as if they expected the guidance of God in
+distributing the wages of iniquity. In this division, eight thousand
+pesoes, at that time equal in value to L10,000 sterling, of the present
+day, fell to the share of each soldier: Pizarro and his officers
+received shares in proportion to the dignity of their rank.
+
+The Spaniards having divided the treasure among them, the Inca insisted
+that they should fulfil their promise of setting him at liberty. But the
+Spaniards, with unparalleled treachery and cruelty had now determined to
+put him to death; an action the most criminal and atrocious that stains
+the Spanish name, amidst all the deeds of violence committed in carrying
+on the conquest of the New World. In order to give some colour of
+justice to this outrage, Pizarro resolved to try the Inca, according to
+the forms of the criminal courts of Spain, and having constituted
+himself chief judge, charges the most absurd, and even ridiculous, were
+brought against him; but, as his infamous judges had predetermined, he
+was found guilty, and condemned to be burnt alive.
+
+Atahualpa, astonished at his fate, endeavoured to avert it by tears, by
+promises, and by entreaties; but pity never touched the unfeeling heart
+of Pizarro. He ordered him to be led instantly to execution, and the
+cruel priest, after having prostituted his sacred office to confirm the
+wicked sentence, offered to console, and attempted to convert him.
+
+The dread of a cruel death, extorted from the trembling victim his
+consent to be baptized. The ceremony was performed; and Atahualpa,
+instead of being burnt alive, was strangled at the stake.
+
+Pizarro then proceeded in his career of cruelty and rapacity, till, in
+ten years, he subdued the whole of this great empire, and divided it
+among his followers.
+
+In making the division, he allotted the richest and finest provinces to
+himself and his favourites, giving the less valuable to Almagro and his
+friends.
+
+This partiality highly offended Almagro, who thought his claims equal to
+Pizarro's, and this led to open hostilities; when Almagro being taken
+prisoner, he was beheaded in prison by order of Pizarro.
+
+Soon after this, Pizarro himself was assassinated in his palace by a
+party of Almagro's friends, headed by the son of Almagro, in revenge for
+the death of his father.
+
+Some time before this, the cruel and bigoted priest, Val de Viridi, had
+been beaten to death with the butt end of muskets, in the island of
+Puma, at the instigation of Almagro.
+
+Thus retributive justice, in the end, overtook these unjust and cruel
+men.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+PARLEY DESCRIBES THE NATURAL BEAUTIES OF AMERICA.
+
+
+Let us now leave for a while the cruel Spaniards, and talk about the
+beauties of nature, in these new discovered countries.
+
+In these extensive regions, every thing appeared new and wonderful; not
+only the inhabitants, but the whole face of nature was totally different
+from anything that had been seen in Europe.
+
+Grand ridges of mountains, numerous volcanoes, some of them, though
+under the Equator, covered with perpetual snows. Noble rivers, whose
+course, in several instances, exceeds three thousand miles.
+
+Here are found the palm-tree, the cedar, the tamarind, the guaiacum,
+the sassafras, the hickory, the chestnut, the walnut of many different
+kinds, the wild cherry (sometimes a hundred feet high), and more than
+fifty different sorts of oak.
+
+The plane, of which there are two kinds, one found in Asia, which is
+called the oriental plane: that found in America is called the
+occidental plane; but the Americans call it button-wood, or sycamore.
+Its foliage is richer, and its leaves of a more beautiful green than the
+oriental. It grows to a great size.
+
+The cypress is perhaps the largest of the American trees; it is a more
+than a hundred and twenty feet high; and the diameter of the trunk at
+forty or fifty feet from the ground is sometimes eight or ten feet.
+
+Another tree of gigantic magnitude is the wild cotton or Cuba tree. A
+canoe made from the single trunk of this tree has been know to contain a
+hundred persons.
+
+Above all these in beauty is the majestic magnolia which shoots up to
+the height of more than a hundred feet; its trunk perfectly straight,
+surmounted by a thick expanded head of pale green foliage, in the form
+of a cone.
+
+From the centre of the flowery crown which terminates each of its
+branches, a flower of the purest white arises, having the form of a
+rose, from six to nine inches in diameter.
+
+To the flower succeeds a crimson cone; this, in opening, exhibits round
+seeds of the finest coral red, surrounded by delicate threads, six
+inches long.
+
+Here, every plant and tree displays its most majestic form.
+
+Upon the shady banks of the Madelina there grows a climbing plant which
+the botanists call Aristolochia, the flowers of which are four feet in
+circumference, and children amuse themselves with covering their heads
+with them as hats.
+
+The Banana which grows in all the hot parts of America, and furnishes
+the Indians with the chief part of their daily food, producing more
+nutritious substance, in less space, and with less trouble than any
+other known plant.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+It is here that the ground produces the sugar-cane, the coffee, and the
+cocoa-nut from which is produced the chocolate. The vanilla, the anana
+or pine apple, and many other delicious fruits.
+
+The cacao, though generally pronounced cocoa, must not be confounded
+with the Cocoa Palm which produces that largest of all nuts, the
+Cocoa-nut.
+
+These trees and plants which I have mentioned, and many more equally
+beautiful, are all natives of the American woods.
+
+But the European settlers, when they came, brought over to Europe many
+valuable kinds of fruit and plants, which they did not find here; and I
+never was more delighted than once on passing through Virginia, to
+observe the dwellings of the settlers shaded by orange, lemon, and
+pomegranate trees, that fill the air with the perfume of their flowers,
+while their branches are loaded with fruit.
+
+Strawberries of native growth, of the richest flavour, spring up beneath
+your feet; and when these are passed away, every grove and field looks
+like a cherry orchard. Then follow the peaches, every hedge-row is
+planted with them. But it is the flowers and the flowering shrubs, that,
+beyond all else, render these regions so beautiful. No description can
+give an idea of the variety, the profusion, and the luxuriance of them.
+
+The Dog-wood, whose lateral fan-like branches are dotted all over with
+star-like blossoms of splendid white, as large as those of the
+gumcistus.
+
+The straight silvery column of the Papan fig, crowned with a canopy of
+large indented leaves; and the wild orange tree, mixed with the
+odoriferous and common laurel, form striking ornaments of this
+enchanting scene, with many other lovely flowers too numerous to
+describe.
+
+There is another charm that enchants the wanderer in the American woods.
+In a bright day in the summer months you walk through an atmosphere of
+butterflies, so gaudy in hue, and so varied in form, that I often
+thought they looked like flowers on the wing.
+
+Some of them are large, measuring three or four inches across the wing,
+but many, and those of the most beautiful, are small. Some have wings
+the most dainty lavender, and bodies of black; others are fawn and rose
+colour, and others are orange and bright blue: but pretty as they are,
+it is their numbers more than their beauty; and their gay, and
+noiseless movement through the air, crossing each other in chequered
+maze, that so delights the eye.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+That beautiful production, the humming bird, is also the sportive
+inhabitant of these warm climates, and I think they surpass all the
+works of nature in singularity of form, splendour of colour, and variety
+of species.
+
+They are found in all the West India islands and in most parts of the
+American continent: the smallest species does not exceed the size of
+some of the bees.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+There are so many different kinds, and each so beautiful, that it is
+impossible to describe them. They are constantly on the wing, collecting
+insects from the blossoms of the tamarind, the orange, or any other tree
+that happens to be in flower: and the humming noise proceeds from the
+surprising velocity with which they move their wings.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+PARLEY TELLS OF THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY IN AMERICA.
+
+
+In the beginning of the reign of James the First, who you know succeeded
+Elizabeth, the first successful attempt was made by the English to found
+a colony in America.
+
+Three small vessels, of which the largest did not exceed one hundred
+tons burden, under the command of Captain Newport, formed the first
+squadron that was to execute what had been so long, and so vainly
+attempted; and sailed with a hundred and five men destined to remain in
+America.
+
+Several of these emigrants were members of distinguished
+families--particularly George Percy, a brother of the Earl of
+Northumberland; and several were officers of reputation, of whom we may
+notice Bartholomew Gosnald, the navigator, and Captain John Smith, one
+of the most distinguished ornaments of an age that abounded with
+memorable men.
+
+Thus, after the lapse of a hundred and ten years from the discovery of
+the continent by Cabot, and twenty-two years after its first occupation
+by Raleigh, was the number of the English colonists limited to a hundred
+and five; and this handful of men undertook the arduous task of peopling
+a remote and uncultivated land, covered with woods and marshes, and
+inhabited only by savages and beasts of prey.
+
+Newport and his squadron did not accomplish their voyage in less than
+four months; but its termination was rendered particularly fortunate by
+the effect of a storm, which defeated their purpose of landing and
+settling at Roanoak, and carried them into the bay of Chesapeak; and
+coasting along its southern shore, they entered a river which the
+natives called Powhatan, and explored its banks for more than forty
+miles from its mouth.
+
+The adventurers, impressed with the superior advantages of the coast and
+region to which they had been thus happily conducted, determined to make
+this the place of their abode.
+
+They gave to their infant settlement, as well as to the neighbouring
+river, the name of their king; and James Town retains the distinction of
+being the oldest of existing habitations of the English in America.
+
+Newport having landed the colonists, with what supplies of provisions
+were destined for their support, set sail with his ships to return to
+England, in the month of June, 1607.
+
+The colonists soon found themselves limited to a scanty supply of
+unwholesome provisions; and the heat and moisture of the climate
+combining with the effect of their diet, brought on diseases that raged
+with fatal violence.
+
+Before the month of September, one half of their number had miserably
+perished, and among these victims was Bartholomew Gosnald, who had
+planned the expedition, and greatly contributed to its success.
+
+This scene of suffering was embittered by dissensions among themselves.
+At length, in the extremity of their distress, when ruin seemed to
+threaten them, as well from famine as the fury of the savages, the
+colonists obtained a complete and unexpected deliverance, which the
+piety of Smith ascribed to the influence of God in their behalf.
+
+The savages, actuated by a sudden change of feeling, not only refrained
+from molesting them, but brought them, without being asked, a supply of
+provisions so liberal, as at once to remove their apprehensions of
+famine and hostility.
+
+The colonists were now instructed by their misfortunes, and the sense of
+urgent danger, led them to submit to the advice of the man, whose
+talents were most likely to extricate them from the difficulties with
+which they were surrounded.
+
+Every eye was now turned on Captain Smith, whose superior talents and
+experience, had so far excited the envy and jealousy of his colleagues,
+that he had been excluded from a seat in the council.
+
+Under Captain Smith's directions, James Town was fortified, so as to
+repel the attacks of the savages, and its inhabitants were provided with
+dwellings that afforded shelter from the weather, and contributed to
+restore and preserve their health.
+
+Finding the supplies of the savages discontinued, he took with him some
+of his people and penetrated into the interior of the country, where by
+courtesy and kindness to the tribes whom he found well disposed, he
+succeeded in procuring a plentiful supply of provisions. In the midst of
+his successes he was surprised during an expedition by a hostile body of
+savages, who having made him prisoner, after a gallant and nearly
+successful defence, prepared to inflict on him the usual fate of their
+captives.
+
+His genius and presence of mind did not desert him on this trying
+occasion. He desired to speak with the sachem or chief of the tribe to
+which he was a prisoner, and, presenting him with a mariner's compass,
+expatiated on the wonderful discoveries to which this little instrument
+had led, described the shape of the earth, the vastness of its land and
+oceans, the course of the sun and the varieties of nations, wisely
+forbearing to express any solicitude for his life.
+
+The savages listened to him with amazement and admiration. They handled
+the compass, viewing with surprise the play of the needle, which they
+plainly saw, but were unable to touch; and he appeared to have gained
+some ascendancy over their minds.
+
+For an hour afterwards they seemed undecided; but their habitual
+disposition returning, they bound him to a tree, and were preparing to
+despatch him with their arrows.
+
+But a deeper impression had been made by his harangue on the mind of
+their chief, who, holding up the compass in his hand, gave the signal of
+reprieve, and Smith, though still guarded as a prisoner, was conducted
+to a dwelling, where he was kindly treated and plentifully entertained.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+But after vainly attempting to prevail on their captive to betray the
+English colony into their hands, the Indian referred his fate to
+Powhatan, the king or principal sachem of the country, to whose presence
+they conducted him in pompous and triumphant procession.
+
+This prince received him with much ceremony, ordered a rich repast to be
+set before him, and then adjudged him to suffer death by having his head
+laid on a stone and beaten to pieces with clubs.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+At the place appointed for his execution, Smith was again rescued from
+impending destruction by Pocahontas, the favourite daughter of the
+chief, who, finding her first entreaties disregarded, threw her arms
+round the prisoner, and declared her determination to save him or die
+with him.
+
+Her generous compassion prevailed over the cruelty of her tribe, and the
+king not only gave Smith his life, but soon after sent him back to James
+Town, where the benificence of Pocahontas continued to follow him with
+supplies of provisions that delivered the colony from famine.
+
+This eminent commander continued for some time to govern the colony with
+the greatest wisdom and prudence, when he received a dangerous wound
+from the accidental explosion of some gunpowder. Completely disabled by
+this misfortune, and destitute of surgical aid in the colony, he was
+compelled to resign his command, and take his departure for England. He
+never returned to Virginia again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+PARLEY TELLS OF THE ORIGINAL NATIVE AMERICANS.
+
+
+I recollect when I was staying in America, an old Delaware Indian came
+to Boston to sell some skins and furs, and he called at the house where
+I was stopping. He had once been a chief among the Indians, but was now
+poor.
+
+I went to this Indian's home, which was a little hut near Mount Holyoke.
+We found his wife and his three children; two boys and a girl. They came
+out to meet us, and were very glad to see their father and me.
+
+I was very hungry and tired when I arrived. The Indian's wife roasted
+some bear's flesh, and gave us some bread made of pounded corn, for our
+supper.
+
+I then went to bed on some bear skins, and slept very well. Early in the
+morning I was called to go hunting with the Indian and his two sons. It
+was a fine bright morning in October. The sun was shining on the tops of
+the mountains; we climbed Mount Holyoke, through the woods, and ascended
+a high rock, from which we could see a beautiful valley far below us, in
+the centre of which was the little town of Northampton, much smaller
+than it is now.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Do you see those houses?" said the Indian to me, "When my grandfather
+was a boy, there was not a house where you see so many: that valley
+which now belongs to white men, belonged to red men."
+
+"Then the red men were rich and happy; now they are poor and wretched.
+Then that beautiful river which you see running through the valley, and
+which is called the Connecticut, was theirs. They owned these fine
+mountains too, they hunted in these woods, and fished in that river, and
+were numerous and powerful,--now they are few and weak."
+
+"But how has this change happened?" said I, "who has taken your lands
+from you, and made you so miserable?"
+
+"I will tell you all about that to-night," said he, "when we return
+home."
+
+We proceeded cautiously through the woods, and had not gone far when the
+Indian beckoned us all to stop. "Look yonder," said he to me, "on that
+high rock above us!" I did so, but could see nothing. "Look again," said
+he; I did, and saw a young hind standing upon the point of a rock which
+hung over the valley; she was a beautiful little animal, full of spirit,
+with large black eyes, slender legs and of a reddish brown colour.
+
+He now selected a choice arrow, placed it on the bow, and sent it
+whizzing through the air. It struck directly through the heart. The
+little animal sprang violently forward, over the rock, and fell dead
+many feet below, where Whampum's sons soon found it; we now returned to
+the wigwam, carrying the fawn with us.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+In the evening I reminded him of his promise to tell me how the Indians
+had been robbed of their lands and reduced to poverty. He accordingly
+began as follows:--
+
+"A great many years ago," said he, "when men with white skins had never
+been seen in this land, some Indians who were out fishing at a place
+where the sea widens, espied at a great distance something very large,
+floating on the water, and such as they had never seen before.
+
+"These Indians immediately returning to the shore, apprized their
+countrymen of what they had observed, and pressed them to go out with
+them and discover what it might be. They hurried out together, and saw
+with astonishment what the others had described, but could not agree
+upon what it was; some believed it to be an uncommonly large fish or
+animal, whilst others were of opinion that it must be a very large house
+floating on the sea.
+
+"They sent off messengers to carry the news to their scattered chiefs
+and warriors that they should come together immediately.
+
+"The chiefs were soon assembled and deliberating as to the manner in
+which they should receive the Manitou or Supreme Being on his arrival.
+Every measure was taken to be well provided with plenty of meat for a
+sacrifice, the women were desired to prepare the best victuals, all the
+idols were examined and put in order, and a grand dance was supposed not
+only to be agreeable to the Great Being, but it was believed that it
+might tend to appease him if he was angry with them.
+
+"Distracted between hope and fear, they were at a loss what to do; a
+dance, however, commenced in great confusion; fresh runners arrive,
+declaring it to be a large house, of various colours, and crowded with
+living creatures.
+
+"Many are for running off into the woods, but are pressed by others to
+stay, in order not to give offence to their visitors, who might find
+them out and destroy them. The house at last stops, and a canoe of small
+size comes on shore, with a man clothed in red, and some others in it;
+some stay with his canoe to guard it. The chiefs and wise men assembled
+in council, form themselves into a large circle, towards which the man
+in red approaches, with two others; he salutes them with a friendly
+countenance, and they return the salute in the same manner; they are
+lost in admiration, the dress, the manner, the whole appearance of the
+unknown strangers is to them a subject of wonder; but they are
+particularly struck with him who wore the red coat, all glittering with
+gold, which they could in no manner account for.
+
+"He surely must be the great Manitou; but why should he have a white
+skin? Meanwhile a large Hack-hack is brought by one of his servants,
+from which an unknown liquid is poured out into a small cup, and handed
+to the supposed Manitou; he drinks,--has the cup filled again, and hands
+it to the chief standing next to him; the chief receives it, but only
+smells the contents and passes it on to the next chief, who does the
+same.
+
+"The glass or cup thus passes through the circle without the liquor
+being tasted by any one, and is upon the point of being returned to the
+red-clothed Manitou, when one of the Indians, a brave man and a great
+warrior, suddenly jumps up and harangues the assembly, on the
+impropriety of returning the cup with its content: It was handed to
+them, said he, by the Manitou, that they should drink out of it as he
+had done: to follow his example would be pleasing to him, but to return
+what he had given to them, might provoke his wrath, and bring
+destruction on them; and since the orator believed it for the good of
+the nation, that the contents should be drunk, and as no one else would
+do it, he would drink it himself, let the consequences be what they
+might: it was better for one man to die, than that a whole nation should
+be destroyed.
+
+"He then took the cup, and bidding the assembly a solemn farewell, at
+once drank up its whole contents. Every eye was fixed on the resolute
+chief, to see what effect the unknown liquor would produce.
+
+"He soon began to stagger, and at last fell prostrate on the ground;
+his companions now bemoan his fate, he falls into a sound sleep, and
+they think he is dead: he wakes again:--he asks for more, his wish is
+granted; the whole assembly then imitate him, and all become
+intoxicated.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"After this general intoxication had ceased, the man with the red
+clothes, who had remained in his great canoe while it lasted, returned
+again and distributed presents among them, consisting of beads, axes,
+shoes and stockings, such as white people wear.
+
+"They soon became familiar with each other, and began to converse by
+signs; the strangers made them understand that they would not stay here,
+that they would return home again, but would pay them another visit next
+year, when they would bring them more presents and stay with them
+awhile.
+
+"They went away, as they had said, and returned in the following season,
+when both parties were much rejoiced to see each other; but the white
+men laughed at the Indians, for they had the axes and hoes, which they
+had given them the year before, hanging to their breasts, as ornaments,
+and the stockings were made use of as tobacco pouches. The whites now
+put handles to the axes for them, and cut down trees before their eyes,
+hoed up the ground, and put the stockings on their legs: here, they say,
+a general laughter ensued among the Indians, that they had remained
+ignorant of the use of such valuable tools, and had borne the weight of
+them hanging to their necks for such a length of time. They took every
+white man they saw for an inferior attendant on the supreme Manitou in
+the red laced clothes.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"As they became daily more familiar with the Indians, the white men
+proposed to stay with us, and we readily consented.
+
+"It was we who so kindly received them in our country, we took them by
+the hand and bade them welcome to sit down by our side and live with us
+as brothers; but how did they requite our kindness? They first asked
+only for a little land, on which to raise bread for themselves and their
+families, and pasture for their cattle, which we freely gave them; they
+soon wanted more, which we also gave them; they saw the game in the
+woods, which the Great Spirit had given us for our subsistence, and they
+wanted that too; they penetrated into the woods in quest of game; they
+discovered spots of land which pleased them, that land they also wanted;
+and because we were loath to part with it, as we saw they had already
+more than they had need of, they took it from us by force, and drove us
+to a great distance from our ancient homes; they looked everywhere for
+good spots of land, and when they found one, they immediately, and
+without ceremony, possessed themselves of it; but when at last they came
+to our favourite spots, those which lay most convenient to our
+fisheries, then bloody wars ensued. We would have been contented that
+the white people and we should have lived quietly beside each other,
+but these white men encroached so fast upon us, that we saw at once we
+should lose all if we did not resist them. The wars that we carried on
+against each other were long and cruel,--we were enraged when we saw the
+white people put our friends and relatives, whom they had taken
+prisoners, on board their ships, whether to drown or sell them as slaves
+in the country from which they came, we know not; but certain it is,
+that none of them have ever returned, or even been heard of.
+
+"At last they got possession of the whole country, which the Great
+Spirit had given us; one of our tribes was forced to wander far to the
+north, others dispersed in small bodies, and sought refuge where they
+could.
+
+"How long we shall be permitted to remain in this asylum, the Great
+Spirit only knows. The whites will not rest contented till they shall
+have destroyed the last of us, and made us disappear entirely from the
+face of the earth."
+
+The old Indian said no more: he looked sad, and his two sons looked sad
+also; and I shall never forget the impression his story made upon my
+mind.
+
+Thus, these good Indians, with a kind of melancholy pleasure, recite the
+long history of their sufferings; and often have I listened to their
+painful details, until I have felt ashamed of being a white man.
+
+A few days after this we set out upon another hunting excursion, and
+again climbed the mountains. We had proceeded some distance when we
+heard the report of a gun, and coming round the point of a rock which
+lay just before us, we saw a Delaware Indian hunter, who had just
+discharged his carabine at a huge bear, and broken its backbone; the
+animal fell, and set up a most plaintive cry; something like that of the
+panther when he is hungry.
+
+The Indian includes all savage beasts in the number of his enemies, and
+when he has conquered one, he taunts him before he kills him, in the
+same strain as he would a conquered enemy of a hostile tribe.
+
+Instead of giving the bear another shot, the hunter stood close to him,
+and addressed him in these words:--
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Hark ye! bear; you are a coward, and no warrior, as you pretend to be.
+Were you a warrior, you would show it by your firmness, and would not
+cry and whimper, like an old woman. You know, bear, that our tribes are
+at war with each other, and that yours were the aggressors." As you may
+suppose, I was not a little surprised at the delivery of this curious
+invective.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+PARLEY TELLS ABOUT THE UNITED STATES.
+
+
+The English settlements in America grew very rapidly into power and
+importance. The French settlements also increased in extent and
+influence, and a rivalry between the French and English, fostered and
+nourished by the "_natural enmity_" which was said to subsist between
+the Gauls and the Britons, broke out at last in terrible warfare. War is
+very frightful under any circumstances. It looks very much like murder;
+and, even at the best of times, a battle-field reminds us of Cain and
+Abel. Brother slaughters brother, and the conqueror rejoices and
+describes his sanguinary work as "a glorious victory." In the war
+between the English and French settlers in America, a new and atrocious
+feature was introduced. The Indians were engaged, for pay and powder,
+on either side, to commit the most hideous cruelties; and things were
+done which must not be told here, but the very thought of which should
+make us shudder and turn pale.
+
+The English got the better of the French, and they took Quebec, a strong
+city in Canada. General Wolfe, a young man and an excellent soldier,
+captured the city; but it cost him his life. During the heat of the
+engagement, Wolfe was shot. "Support me," said he to an officer near
+him; "do not let my brave fellows see my face!" He was removed to the
+rear, and water was brought to quench his thirst. Just then a cry was
+heard, "They run! they run!" "Who runs?" exclaimed Wolfe, faintly
+raising himself. "The enemy!" was the reply. "Then," said he, "I die
+content," and expired.
+
+The result of the war in which General Wolfe perished, left a vast
+amount of debt as a heavy weight upon the country. The English settlers
+had fought very bravely all through the war, and they thought that the
+English at home ought to pay the debt, and not tax them for its payment.
+But the king and the parliament thought differently. They taxed the
+American settlers very heavily; they would listen to no remonstrance;
+and, when some signs were given of resistance, they were threatened with
+punishment, like so many unruly schoolboys. Certain privileges which had
+been granted them were taken away, and troops sent out to enforce
+obedience. One very objectionable tax to the Americans was a stamp duty
+on newspapers. Another was a tax on tea. They urged that it was unfair
+for the British government to tax them without they were allowed to send
+members to Parliament to look after their interests; but remonstrance
+only tended to make the British government more determined; and so at
+last they came to what somebody has called gunpowder law, that is to
+say, fighting.
+
+I need not enter on the events of the war. It ended in the triumph of
+the American settlers, and in the declaration of American independence
+and the formation of the United States. The foremost man, both as a
+statesman and a soldier, in the conduct of the war, on the part of the
+Americans, was George Washington. He was elected three times to the
+presidency, and no name is more revered than his by the Americans.
+
+Since the separation of America from England, more than one quarrel has
+occurred between them. That which most vitally touches the future
+prosperity of the states is the warfare which now rages between the
+northern and southern sections of the republic. Most of you are aware
+that slavery prevails to a great extent in America. The negroes or
+blacks (the word _negro_ means _black_) are more particularly found in
+the southern states. The northern states do not _hold_ slaves, but they
+have so far _held_ with slavery as to give up runaways, and tolerate the
+laws which make a man--because he was black--a mere beast of burden. A
+quarrel, however, on this question, and others of minor importance, has
+at last broken out between the north and south. The southerners have
+separated from the northerners, and established a new republic of their
+own. Their _right_ to do this has been denied by the north, and a civil
+war has commenced in consequence. What may be the final result it is
+impossible for any one to predict. The quarrel threatened at one time to
+involve a war with England; but this is no longer apprehended. It seems
+a very sad thing that a people so clever, so enterprising, so prosperous
+as the Americans, should, by a quarrel and separation among themselves,
+endanger--if they do not entirely overthrow--one of the most important
+states in the world. We cannot forget what it is that lies at the bottom
+of the mischief--SLAVERY.
+
+  "O execrable crime! so to aspire
+  Above our brethren, to ourselves assuming
+  Authority usurped from God, not given.
+  He gave us only over beast, fish, fowl,
+  Dominion absolute; that right we hold
+  By his donation: but man over man
+  He made not lord--such title to himself
+  Reserving, human left from human free."
+
+I may now tell you something about some of the chief cities in the
+United States.
+
+New York is the principal seaport and commercial metropolis of the
+States. It is situated at the southern extremity of an island called
+Manhattan Island, near the mouth of the Hudson river. Its progress has
+been very rapid, and its population is more than double that of any
+other city in the new world. The approach to the city is very fine--the
+shores of the bay being wooded down to the water's edge, and thickly
+studded with farms, villages, and country seats. New York measures about
+ten miles round. It is triangular in form. The principal street is
+Broadway, a spacious thoroughfare extending in a straight line through
+the centre of the city. The houses have a clean, fresh, cheerful
+appearance; many of the stores or shops are highly decorated; the public
+buildings, including the churches, while they can make no pretension to
+grandeur, are good of their kind; the university is probably the finest
+building in the city. The hotels in New York are far more extensive
+than anything of the kind in Europe, and they are fitted up and
+conducted on a scale of princely grandeur. The city of New York was
+founded by the Dutch in 1621, and called New Amsterdam; but it was given
+to the Duke of York (afterwards James II.) in 1604, and was henceforth
+called by his name. The first congress of the United States was held
+there in 1789.
+
+Washington is the government capital of the States, and is so called in
+honour of the distinguished man--the father of the Republic--to whom I
+have already alluded. The entrance to the city by the Pennsylvanian
+avenue is 100 feet wide, and planted with some of the trees. The
+president's residence is called the "White House." The chief public
+offices and halls for the assembly of congress are contained in one
+building known as the Capitol. It stands on a hill, and is said to be
+the finest building in the Union. It is surrounded by ornamental
+grounds, and overlooks the river Potomac.
+
+BOSTON is a maritime city, and a great place of trade; it is
+situated on an extensive bay, and is connected with the interior of the
+country by canals, railways, and river navigation. It is the great seat
+of the American ice trade. In the history of the war of independence it
+occupies a conspicuous place, as the Bostonians displayed great energy
+in asserting popular rights. At Boston, when the "taxed tea" was sent
+over by the British government, a number of the citizens disguised
+themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded the ships in which it had been
+brought over, seized upon and staved the chests, and threw their
+contents into the sea. This affair was known as the Boston tea party.
+Boston is the birth-place of Dr. Benjamin Franklin--the "Poor Richard"
+of whom I have no doubt you have often heard, and whose excellent advice
+cannot be too well remembered nor too carefully applied.
+
+CHARLESTON is another of the principal sea-ports of the States.
+It is the largest town in South Carolina, and is situated at a low point
+of land at the confluence of two rivers. It is the stronghold of
+slavery. One of the most recent events connected with it is that of the
+Northerners blocking up the harbour by sinking several ships, laden with
+stones, at the entrance. This is a very barbarous act, as it
+closes--perhaps for ever--one of the first ports in America.
+
+PHILADELPHIA is the last city I shall mention. It is the great
+Quaker city; its streets are remarkable for their regularity, and the
+houses and stores for the peculiar air of cleanness which they exhibit.
+The public buildings are nearly all of white marble. It is distinguished
+for its vast number of charitable institutions and religious edifices,
+and it is a thriving place of business. The city was founded by William
+Penn in 1682. There is a monument marking the site of the signing of
+Penn's famous treaty with the Indians. With some little account of this
+treaty I shall conclude my notice of America.
+
+King Charles II. made a grant of land to Penn, but this good man would
+not enter upon its possession until after he had arranged a treaty with
+those to whom he justly thought it more fairly belonged than to the
+King of England--namely, with the Indians. He consequently convened a
+meeting--under the wide spreading branches of an elm tree, the Indian
+chiefs assembled. They were unarmed; the old men sat in a half-moon upon
+the ground, the middle aged in the same figure, at a little distance
+from them; the younger men formed a third semicircle in the rear. Before
+them stood William Penn,--a light blue sash, the only mark which
+distinguished him from his friends, bound round his waist.
+
+  "'Thou'lt find,' said the quaker, 'in me and mine,
+  But friends and brothers to thee and thine,
+  Who above no power, admit no line,
+    Twixt the red man and the white.'
+
+  And bright was the spot where the quaker came,
+  To leave his hat, his drab, and his name,
+  That will sweetly sound from the trumpet of fame,
+    Till its final blast shall die."
+
+It is to be regretted that the speeches of the Indians on this memorable
+day have not come down to us. It is only known that they solemnly
+pledged themselves to live with William Penn and his people in peace and
+amity so long as the sun and moon should endure. This was the only
+treaty, it has been said, between these people and the Christians that
+was _not_ ratified by an oath, and that was _never_ broken.
+
+
+
+
+AUSTRALIA.
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+PARLEY TELLS ABOUT NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+
+At the termination of the American war, of which I have just given you a
+short account, the United States of America, which had been called by
+England her American Colonies, ceased to be any longer subject to Great
+Britain.
+
+The province of Virginia, in America, had for a long time been the only
+authorized outlet for those criminals in Great Britain and Ireland, who
+had been sentenced to transportation.
+
+It now became necessary for the English government to fix upon some
+other country, to which those of her subjects might be transported,
+who were condemned to banishment for their crimes.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+After much deliberation in the British Parliament, it was determined to
+form a penal settlement in New South Wales.
+
+If you will look at a globe, or, if you have not a globe, at a map of
+the world, turning the South Pole from you, or uppermost, and, supposing
+yourself to be in a ship, sail across the Atlantic Ocean till you come
+to the Equator, which is an imaginary line that divides the northern
+half of the globe from the southern; then "cross the line," as it is
+called, and sail along the South Atlantic, in the direction of the coast
+of South America, till you arrive at its southern extremity, which you
+will see is called Cape Horn; then sailing round Cape Horn, (which is
+called doubling Cape Horn), and directing your course westward, right
+across the Great Pacific Ocean. After having sailed across these three
+great oceans, you will find yourself, if you have a prosperous voyage,
+exactly on the opposite side of the globe, and before you, an extensive
+chain of large islands, lying off the South-eastern extremity of the
+continent of Asia.
+
+This group of islands has been named Australasia, which means Southern
+Asia, and the largest of these, which is the largest island in the whole
+world, has been called Australia, or New Holland.
+
+This is so large an island, that if you were to divide the whole of
+Europe into ten parts, New Holland is as large as nine of them: and
+hence, from its great extent, some geographers have dignified it with
+the title of a continent.
+
+The northern and western coasts of this vast island were discovered by a
+succession of Dutch navigators, who gave them the name of New Holland.
+
+The eastern coast, which has been explored, and taken possession of by
+the English, was discovered by Capt. Cook, who gave it the name of New
+South Wales.
+
+At the southern extremity of Australia or New Holland, you will see
+VAN DIEMEN'S LAND, which was discovered by Tasman, one of the
+Dutch navigators, who was sent from Batavia by Anthony Van Diemen, the
+Dutch governor-general of the Indies, to survey the coast of New
+Holland.
+
+In this voyage Tasman discovered an extensive country lying to the south
+of New Holland; in giving a name to which, he immortalized his patron,
+by calling it "Van Diemen's Land," having no suspicion at the time that
+it was an island.
+
+It was not till the year 1798 that it was discovered to be such; as in
+all the old maps and charts it is represented as part of the main land
+of New Holland.
+
+This important discovery was effected in an open boat, by Mr. Bass, a
+surgeon in the royal navy, who found it to be separated from Australia
+by a broad strait, which has ever since borne the name of its
+discoverer, "BASS' STRAITS."
+
+A fleet of eleven sail was assembled at Portsmouth in March, 1783, for
+the formation of the proposed settlement on the coast of New Holland.
+
+On board of these vessels were embarked 600 male, and 250 female
+convicts, with a guard consisting of about 200 soldiers, with their
+proper officers. Forty women, wives of the marines, were also permitted
+to accompany their husbands, together with their children.
+
+Captain Arthur Phillip, an officer highly qualified in every respect for
+the arduous undertaking, was appointed governor of the proposed colony.
+
+The little fleet which was thus placed under the command of Captain
+Phillip, and which has ever since been designated by the colonists "_the
+first fleet_," set sail from Portsmouth on the 13th of May 1787, and
+arrived at Botany Bay, in New South Wales, in January 1788, after a
+long, but comparatively prosperous voyage of eight months and upwards.
+
+Captain Phillip soon found, to his disappointment, that Botany Bay was
+by no means an eligible harbour; nor was it, in other respects, suitable
+for the establishment of a colony, and he determined, even before any
+number of the convicts had been permitted to land, to search for a more
+eligible site.
+
+In Captain Cook's chart of the coast, another opening had been laid
+down, a few miles to the northward of Botany Bay, on the authority of a
+seaman of the name of Jackson, who had seen it from the
+foretop-mast-head; and Captain Cook, conceiving it to be nothing more
+than a harbour for boats, which it was not worth his while to examine,
+called it Port Jackson.
+
+It is no wonder that Captain Cook came to this conclusion; for no
+opening of any kind can be perceived till you come close in with the
+land.
+
+This opening Captain Phillip examined, and the result of that
+examination was the splendid discovery of Port Jackson,--one of the
+finest harbours, whether for extent or security, in the world.
+
+To this harbour the fleet was immediately removed, and the settlement
+was ultimately formed at the head of Sydney Cove, one of the numerous
+and romantic inlets of Port Jackson.
+
+The labour and patience required, and the difficulties which the first
+settlers must have had to encounter, are incalculable; but their
+success has been complete.
+
+The forest has been cleared away, the corn-field and the orchard have
+supplanted the wild grass and the bush, and towns and villages have
+arisen as if by magic. You may hear the lowing of herds where, a few
+years before, you would have trembled at the wild whoop of the savage,
+and the stillness of that once solitary shore is broken by the sound of
+wheels and the busy hum of commerce.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+PARLEY DESCRIBES THE INHABITANTS, VEGETABLES, AND ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA.
+
+
+The natives of this part of Australia are, beyond comparison, the most
+barbarous on the surface of the globe.
+
+They are hideously ugly, with flat noses, wide nostrils, eyes sunk in
+the head, and overshadowed with thick eyebrows. The mouth very wide,
+lips thick and prominent, hair black, but not woolly; the colour of the
+skin varies from dark bronze to jet black. Their stature is below the
+middle size, and they are remarkably thin and ill-made.
+
+To add to their natural deformity, they thrust a bone through the
+cartilage of the nose, and stick with gum to their hair matted moss, the
+teeth of men, sharks, and kangaroos, the tails of dogs, and jaw-bones
+of fish.
+
+On particular occasions they ornament themselves with red and white
+clay, using the former when preparing to fight, and the latter for the
+more peaceful amusement of dancing. The fashion of these ornaments was
+left to each person's taste, and some, when decorated in their best
+manner, looked perfectly horrible: nothing could appear more terrible
+than a black and dismal face, with a large white circle drawn round each
+eye.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+They scarify the skin in every part with sharp shells.
+
+The women and female children are generally found to want the first two
+joints of the little finger of the left hand, which are taken off while
+they are infants, and the reason they assign is, that they would be in
+the way in winding the fish-lines over the hand.
+
+The men all want one of their front teeth, which is knocked out when
+they arrive at the age of fifteen or sixteen, with many ridiculous
+ceremonies; but the boys are not allowed to consider themselves as men
+before they have undergone that operation.
+
+They live chiefly on fish, which they sometimes spear and sometimes net;
+the women, on the parts of the coast, aiding to catch them with the hook
+and line.
+
+"The facility," (observes Captain Sturt), "with which they procured fish
+was really surprising.
+
+"They would slip, feet foremost, into the water, as they walked along
+the bank of the river, as if they had accidentally done so; but, in
+reality, to avoid the splash they would have made if they had plunged in
+head foremost.
+
+"As surely as a native disappeared under the surface of the water, so
+surely would he re-appear, with a fish writhing upon the point of his
+short spear.
+
+"The very otter scarcely exceeds them in power over the finny race, and
+so true is the aim of these savages, even under the water, that all the
+fish we procured from them were pierced either close behind the lateral
+fin or in the very centre of the head."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+If a dead whale happens to be cast on the shore, numbers flock to it,
+from every part of the coast, and they feast sumptuously while any part
+remains.
+
+Those in the interior are stated to live on grubs, insects, ants and
+their eggs, kangaroos, when they can catch them, fern roots, various
+kinds of berries, and honey; caterpillars and worms also form part of
+their food.
+
+Captain Phillip took every possible pains to reclaim these ignorant
+savages, and he once nearly lost his life in endeavouring to conciliate
+a party of them, having ventured amongst them unarmed for that purpose;
+one of the savages threw a spear which pierced the upper part of his
+shoulder and came out at his back.
+
+But all the efforts of the governor to effect the permanent civilization
+of these miserable people proved utterly abortive.
+
+They possess the faculty of mimickry or imitation to a very considerable
+degree. I was walking with a friend, one beautiful evening, on the banks
+of the Paramatta, when Bungarry, chief of the Sydney tribe of black
+natives, was pulling down the river with his two jins, or wives, in a
+boat which he had received as a present from the governor. My friend
+accosted him on his coming up with us, and the good-natured chief
+immediately desired his _jins_ to rest upon their oars, for he was rowed
+by his wives. During the short conversation that ensued, my friend
+requested Bungarry to show how governor Macquarrie made a bow.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Bungarry happened to be dressed in the old uniform of a military
+officer, and standing up in the stern of his boat, and taking off his
+cocked hat, with the requisite punctilio, he made a low formal bow, with
+all the dignity and grace of a general officer of the old school.
+
+The rich variety of vegetation on the Illawarra mountain, which is a
+lofty range running parallel with the coast, contrasts beautifully with
+the richness of the scenery. The fern tree, shooting up its rough stem,
+about the thickness of a small boat's mast, to the height of fifteen or
+twenty feet, and then, all at once shooting out a number of leaves in
+every direction, each at four or five feet in length, and exactly
+similar in appearance to the leaf of the common fern; while palms of
+various botanical species, are ever and anon shooting up their tall
+slender branchless stems to the height of seventy or a hundred feet, and
+then forming a large canopy of leaves, each of which bends gracefully
+outwards and then downwards, like a Prince of Wales' feathers.
+
+Another beautiful species met with in the low grounds of Illawarra, is
+the fan palm, or cabbage tree, and another equally graceful in its
+outline, is called by the natives Bangalo.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The nettle tree, which is also met with in the bushes, is not only seen
+by the traveller, but occasionally felt, and remembered, for its name is
+highly descriptive.
+
+Both the animal and vegetable creation in Australia, are wholly
+different from those in every other part of the world.
+
+To show that the existence of a thing was not believed in, it was
+compared to a _black swan_, but in New Holland we find black swans, and
+blue frogs; red lobsters, and blue crabs; flying opossums, and beasts
+with bills like ducks; fish that hop about on dry land, and quadrupeds
+that lay eggs.
+
+The quadrupeds hitherto discovered, with very few exceptions, are all of
+the kangaroo or opossum tribe; having their hinder legs long, out of all
+proportion when compared with the length of the fore legs, and a sack
+under the belly of the female for the reception of the young.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+They have kangaroo rats, and dogs of the jackal kind, all exactly alike;
+and a little animal of the bear tribe, named the wombat, but the
+largest quadruped at present discovered is the kangaroo.
+
+These pretty nearly complete the catalogue of four-footed animals yet
+known on this vast island.
+
+There is, however, an animal which resembles nothing in the creation but
+itself, and which neither belongs to beast, bird or fish.
+
+This animal is called the Duck-billed Platypus.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Of all the quadrupeds yet known, this seems the most extraordinary in
+its conformation; exhibiting the perfect semblance of the beak of a duck
+on the head of a quadruped.
+
+The head is flattish, and rather small than large; the mouth or snout so
+exactly resembles that of some broad-billed species of duck, that it
+might be mistaken for one.
+
+The birds and fish are no less singular than the beasts. There is a
+singular fish, which when left uncovered by the ebbing of the tide,
+leaps about like the grasshopper, by means of strong fins.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The Moenura Superba, with its scalloped tail feathers, is perhaps the
+most singular and beautiful of that elegant race of bird, known by the
+name of Birds of Paradise.
+
+Cockatoos, Parrots, and Parroquets, are innumerable, and of great
+variety.
+
+The Nonpareil Parrot is perhaps the most beautiful bird of the parrot
+tribe in the whole world.
+
+The Mountain Eagle is a magnificent creature; but the Emu, or New
+Holland Cassowary, is perhaps the tallest and loftiest bird that exists.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The capital of the colony, and the seat of the colonial Government is
+Sydney. The Town of Sydney is beautifully situated in Sydney Cove, which
+I told you is one of the romantic inlets of Port Jackson, about seven
+miles from the entrance of the harbour. The headlands at the mouth of
+the harbour form one of the grandest features in the natural scenery of
+the country.
+
+It is not, however, a distant or cursory glance that will give you a
+just idea of the importance of this busy capital.
+
+In order to form a just estimation of it, you should take a boat and
+proceed from Sydney Cove to Darling Harbour, you will then see the whole
+extent of the eastern shore of the latter capacious basin equally
+crowded with warehouses, stores, dock-yards, mills, and wharfs; the
+store-houses built on the most magnificent scale, and with the best and
+most substantial materials. The population of Sydney is supposed now to
+exceed 10,000 persons.
+
+The second town in the colony is Paramatta. It is distant about fourteen
+miles from Sydney, being pleasantly situated at the head of one of the
+navigable arms of Port Jackson. It contains nearly 5,000 inhabitants.
+The other towns in the colony, are Windsor, Liverpool, Campbell Town,
+Newcastle and Maitland. The last will doubtless ere long be the second
+in the colony, as it is situated at the head of the navigation of
+Hunter's river.
+
+Very fine roads have been formed in Australia, particularly one leading
+across the Blue mountains to Bathurst, on the western side of that
+range, which is 180 miles from Sydney.
+
+The openness of the country around Bathurst is more favourable for
+hunting and shooting than most other parts of the colony.
+
+The Kangaroo and the Emu are both hunted with dogs; they are both feeble
+animals, but they are not altogether destitute of the means of defence.
+
+In addition to swiftness of foot, the Emu has a great muscular power in
+his long iron limbs, and can give an awkward blow to his pursuer, by
+striking out at him behind, like a young horse, while the Kangaroo, when
+brought to bay by the dogs, rests himself on his strong muscular tail,
+seizes the dog with his little hands or fore-feet, and thrusts at him
+with one of his hind feet, which is armed for that purpose with a single
+sharp-pointed hoof, and perhaps lay his side completely open.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When hotly pursued, the kangaroo sometimes takes to the water, where, if
+he happen to be followed by a dog, he has a singular advantage over all
+other quadrupeds of his own size, from his being able to stand erect in
+pretty deep water.
+
+In this position he waits for the dog, and when the latter comes close
+up to him, he seizes him with his fore-feet and presses him under water
+till he is drowned.
+
+The Bustard, or native turkey, is occasionally shot in the Bathurst
+country. It sometimes weighs eighteen pounds, and is different from the
+common turkey, in the flesh of the legs being white, while that of the
+breast is dark-coloured.
+
+Among the natives the old men have alone the privilege of eating the
+Emu, and married people only are permitted to eat ducks.
+
+The natives suffer no animal, however small, to escape them.
+
+One of the blacks being anxious to get an Opossum out of a dead tree,
+every branch of which was hollow, asked for a tomahawk, with which he
+cut a hole in the trunk above where he thought the animal lay concealed.
+He found, however, that he had cut too low, and that it had run higher
+up. This made it necessary to smoke it out; he accordingly got some dry
+grass, and having set fire to it, stuffed it into the hole he had cut.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A raging fire soon kindled in the tree, where the current of air was
+great, and dense columns of smoke issued from the end of each branch as
+thick as that from the chimney of a steam-engine.
+
+The shell of the tree was so thin, that I thought it would soon be
+burnt through, and that the tree would fall; but the black had no such
+fears, and, ascending to the highest branch, he waited anxiously for the
+poor little wretch he had thus surrounded with dangers, and devoted to
+destruction; and no sooner did it appear half singed and half roasted,
+than he seized upon it and threw it down to us with an air of triumph.
+The effect of the scene, in so lonely a forest, was very fine. The
+roaring of the fire in the tree, the fearless attitude of the savage,
+and the associations which his colour and appearance called up,
+enveloped as he was in smoke, were singular, and still dwell in my
+recollection. He had not long left the tree, when it fell with a
+tremendous crash, and was, when we next passed that way, a mere heap of
+ashes.
+
+The territory of the colony has been divided into ten counties, named as
+follows:--Cumberland, Camden, Argyll, Westmoreland, Londonderry,
+Boxburgh, Northumberland, Durham, Ayr, and Cambridge.
+
+I will now give you a short account of Van Diemen's Land.
+
+This fair and fertile island lies, as I have told you, at the southern
+extremity of New Holland, from which it is separated by Bass' Straits.
+
+Its medial length from north to south is about 185 miles, and its
+breadth from east to west is 166 miles.
+
+Its surface possesses every variety of mountain, hill, and dale; of
+forests and open meadows; of inland lakes, rivers and inlets of the sea,
+forming safe and commodious harbours; and every natural requisite that
+can render a country valuable or agreeable.
+
+It enjoys a temperate climate, which is perhaps not very different from
+that of England, though less subject to violent changes.
+
+The island is intersected by two fine rivers, rising near the centre;
+the one named the Tamar, falling into Bass' Straits, on the north, and
+forming Port Dalrymple; the other the Derwent, which discharges itself
+into the sea, on the south-eastern extremity. Hobart Town, the capital,
+is situated on the right bank of the Derwent, about five miles from the
+sea.
+
+The natives of Van Diemen's Land are described by all the navigators, as
+a mild, affable, good-humoured and inoffensive race.
+
+Though they are obviously the same race of people as those of New
+Holland, and go entirely naked, both men and women, yet their language
+is altogether different.
+
+The British settlements in Australia are both numerous and important.
+The oldest, most extensive, and valuable, was founded, as we have shewn
+already, at Sydney. The island of Tasmania was next occupied; within the
+last few years we have established the colonies of Port Phillip,
+Melbourne, Victoria, Cooksland, and others. The progress of these
+settlements has been rapid.
+
+An extraordinary increase to emigration to Australia was given by the
+discovery of the Gold Regions.
+
+For many years reports had been current that the Australian Alps and the
+Snowy Mountains were full of gold, but it was not till after the
+Californian discoveries that any was found in Australia.
+
+Two shepherds were the first persons who found any gold, and for a long
+time they successfully concealed the source from which they obtained it;
+but being watched, their secret was discovered, and the news spread like
+wild-fire over the colony. Everybody was mad to go gold hunting;
+shepherds forsook their flocks; traders closed their stores; sailors ran
+away from their ships; servants threw up their situations; everybody was
+mad to visit this newly-discovered Tom Tiddler's ground, to pick up gold
+and silver. A groom informed his master, in one instance, that he would
+stop with him, as he had been in the family for five years, for a guinea
+a day, if it would be any convenience to him. Another family was left
+with only a boy of sixteen to attend them, and his stipulations
+were--two pounds a week, and wine to his dinner! In one year the
+population of Melbourne rose from 23,000 to 85,000 inhabitants; the town
+of Geelong trebled its numbers; perhaps never in the whole history of
+the world had there been so extraordinary an emigration.
+
+As a monument of the golden wealth of Australia, there is in the
+International Exhibition a wooden obelisk dead gilt on the outside. This
+column is nearly seventy feet high, and some ten feet square at the
+base. It represents exactly the bulk of gold which Australia has sent to
+this country since 1851, and which in all amounts to nearly 800 tons.
+Valuing the precious metal at its ascertainable worth, it appears that
+gold to the value of upwards of L15,000 sterling was dug from the bowels
+of the earth, washed from the sand of the rivers, or discovered by
+fortunate diggers in various parts of Australia in a single year.
+
+The interior of Australia is still comparatively unknown. Last year an
+expedition was undertaken to discover a way across the Continent, and
+entrusted to a vigilant and enterprising commander named Burke. Although
+a certain amount of success attended the object of the expedition, the
+fate of Burke and his immediate companions was most deplorable. They
+perished by starvation!
+
+
+
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+I have now told you all that my present limits will admit, of those
+interesting portions of the globe, called America and Australia, and I
+wish you to read again all that I have said, and I wish you also to view
+the inhuman conduct of the first discoverers of the former with proper
+feelings of aversion. If you have read an account of William Penn's
+first colony of Pennsylvania, you will see that his was the only just
+way of establishing himself among the Indians. You must rejoice within
+yourselves on this occasion, that they were not Englishmen who practised
+these acts of cruelty and treachery towards the unoffending Mexicans and
+Peruvians. The workings of Providence are full of mystery, and I cannot
+help thinking that the state of anarchy and civil war in which Spain and
+Portugal are now and ever have been engaged, is an act of retribution
+awarded to their barbarity in the great scheme of God's providence.
+
+It makes one blush for the sake of Christianity, to think that the
+perpetrators of the outrages upon the original possessors of the
+Americas were persons professing that sublime religion,--and that in the
+midst of their slaughter and plunder, they impiously held forth the
+cross of Christ. The confiding but dignified nature of the idolatrous
+Mexicans, did much more honour to the purity of the Christian religion
+than did the base treachery of their invaders, who professed Christ but
+knew him not.
+
+Had they by mildness, perseverance, and reason convinced the inhabitants
+of the truth of the Christian religion, they might have become faithful
+converts, but it was unreasonable to expect that they should cast off
+the religion which their forefathers had professed, for a religion which
+they knew not at all, and the professors of which came with the sword to
+deprive them of their lives and their property.
+
+I wish you, my young friends, to weigh all these circumstances whenever
+you read. It will impress the different subjects more thoroughly upon
+your memory; and if your minds be properly constituted, it will
+cultivate the good and eradicate the bad. I will again ask you to read
+this book a second time, and refer occasionally to the maps. And now
+good-bye!
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+Billing, Printer and Stereotyper, Guildford, Surrey.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER PARLEY'S TALES ABOUT AMERICA
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