flourished in Europe. The foil feemed to be rich, but bore few marks of cultivation. The climate, even to Spaniards, felt warm, though ex-tremely delightful. The inhabitants appeared in the fimple innocence of nature, entirely naked. Their black hair, long and uncurled, floated upon their fhoulders, or was bound in treffes around their heads. They had no beards, and every part of their bodies was perfectly fmooth. Their complexion was of a dufky copper colour, their features fingular, rather than difagreeable, their afpect gentle and timid. Though not tall, they were well fhaped, and active. Their faces, and feveral parts of their body, were fantastically painted with glaring colours. They were fhy at first through fear, but foon became familiar with the Spaniards, and with tranfports of joy received from them hawks-bells, glass beads, or other baubles, in return for which they gave fuch provifions as they had, and fome cotton yarn, the only commodity of value that they could produce. Towards evening, Columbus returned to his ships, accompanied by many of the islanders in their boats, which they called canoes, and though rudely formed out of the trunk of a fingle tree, they rowed them with furprising dexterity. Thus, in the first interview between the inhabitants of the old and new worlds, every thing was conducted amicably, and to their mutual fatisfaction. The former, enlightened and ambitious, formed already vaft ideas with respect to the advantages which they might derive from the regions that began to open to their view. The latter, fimple and undiscerning, had no forefight of the calamities and defolation which were approaching their country.

Columbus, who now affumed the title and authority of admiral and viceroy, called the island which he had discovered San Salvador. It is better known by the name of Guanahani, which the natives gave to it, and is one of that large cluster of iflands called the Lucaya or Bahama ifles. It is fituated above three thousand miles to the west of Gomera, from which the fquadron took its departure, and only four degrees to the fouth of it; fo little had Columbus deviated from the wefterly courfe, which he had chofen as the most proper.

Columbus employed the next day in visiting the coafts of the island; and from the univerfal poverty of the inhabitants, he perceived that this was not the rich country for which he fought. But, comformably to his theory concerning the difcovery of thofe regions of Afia which ftretched towards the eaft, he concluded that San Salvador was one of the isles which geographers described as fituated in the great ocean adjacent to India. Having obferved that most of the people whom he had seen wore small plates of gold, by way of ornament, in their noftrils,

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trils, he eagerly inquired where they got that precious metal. They pointed towards the fouth, and made him comprehend by figns, that gold abounded in countries fituated in that quarter. Thither he immediately determined to direct his courfe, in full confidence of finding there thofe opulent regions which had been the object of his voyage, and would be a recompence for all his toils and dangers. He took along with him feven of the natives of San Salvador, that, by acquiring the Spanish language, they might ferve as guides and interpreters; and thofe innocent people confidered it as a mark of distinction when they were felected to accompany him.

He saw several islands, and touched at three of the largest, on which he bestowed the names of St. Mary of the Conception, Fernandina, and Ifabella. But as their foil, productions, and inhabitants, nearly refembled those of San Salvador, he made no ftay in any of them. He inquired every where for gold, and the figns that were uniformly made by way of anfwer, confirmed him in the opinion that it was brought from the fouth. He followed that courfe, and foon difcovered a country which appeared very extensive, not perfectly level, like thofe which he had already vifited, but fo diverfified with rifing grounds, hills, rivers, woods, and plains, that he was uncertain whether it might prove an island, or part of the continent. The natives of San Salvador, whom he had on board, called it Cuba; Columbus gave it the name of Juanna. He entered the mouth of a large river with his fquadron, and all the inhabitants fled to the mountains as he approached the fhore. But as he refolved to careen his fhips in that place, he fent fome Spaniards, together with one of the people of San Salvador, to view the interior parts of the country. They, having advanced above fixty miles from the fhore, reported upon their return, that the foil was richer and more cultivated than any they had hitherto discovered; that, befides many fcattered cottages, they had found one village, containing above a thousand inhabitants; that the people, though naked, feemed to be more intelligent than thofe of San Salvador, but had treated them with the fame refpectful attention, kiffing their feet, and honouring them as facred beings allied to Heaven; that they had given them to eat a certain root, the tale of which refembled roafted chefnuts, and likewife a fingular fpecies of corn called maize, which, either when roafted whole or ground into meal, was abundantly palatable; that there feemed to be no four-footed animals in the country, but a fpecies ot dogs, which could not bark, and a creature refembling a rabbit, but of a much smaller fize; that they had obferved fome ornaments of gold among the people, but of no great value.

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These meffengers had prevailed with fome of the natives to accompany them, who informed Columbus, that the gold of which they made their ornaments was found in Cubanacan. By this word they meant the middle or inland part of Cuba; but Columbus, being ignorant of their language, as well as unaccustomed to their pronunciation, and his thoughts running continually upon his own theory concerning the difcovery of the Eaft Indies, he was led, by the resemblance of found, to fuppofe that they spoke of the Great Khan, and imagined that the opulent kingdom of Cathay, defcribed by Marco Polo, was not very remote. This induced him to employ fome time in viewing the country. He vifited almost every harbour, from Porto del Principe, on the north coaft of Cuba, to the eastern extremity of the island; but though delighted with the beauty of the fcenes, which every where prefented themfelves, and amazed at the luxuriant fertility of the foil, both which, from their novelty, made a more lively impreffion upon his imagination, he did not find gold in fuch quantity as was fufficient to fatisfy either the avarice of his followers, or the expectations of the court to which he was to return. The people of the country, as much aftonished at his eagerness in queft of gold, as the Europeans were at their ignorance and fimplicity, pointed towards the east, where an island which they called Hayti was fituated, in which that metal was more abundant than among them. Columbus ordered his fquadron to bend its course thither; but Martin Alonso Pinzon, impatient to be the first who should take poffeffion of the treafures which this country was fuppofed to contain, quitted his companions, regardless of all the admiral's fignals to flacken fail until they should come up with him.

Columbus, retarded by contrary winds, did not reach Hayti till the fixth of December. He called the port where he first touched St.

In a letter of the admiral's to Ferdinand and Ifabella, he defcribes one of the harbours in Cuba, with all the enthufiaftic admiration of a difcoverer." I difcovered a river which a galley might eafily enter; the beauty of it induced me to found, and I found from five to eight fathoms of water. Having proceeded a confiderable way up the river, every thing invited me to fettle there. The beauty of the river, the clearnefs of the water, through which I could see the sandy bottom, the multitude of palmtrees of different kinds, the tallest and finest 1 had seen, and an infinite number of other large and flourishing trees, the birds, and the verdure of the plains, are fo wonderfully beautiful, that this country excels all others as far as the day furpaffes the night in brightnefs and fplendour, fo that I often faid, that it would be in vain for me to attempt to give your highnesses a full account of it, for neither my tongue nor my pen could come up to the truth, and indeed I am fo much amazed at the fight of fuch beauty, that I know not how to defcribe it." Life of Columb. c. 30.

Nicholas, and the island itself Efpagnola, in honour of the kingdom by which he was employed; and it is the only country, of those he had yet difcovered, which has retained the name that he gave it. As he could neither meet with the Pinta, nor have any intercourse with the inhabitants, who fled in great confternation towards the woods, he foon quitted St. Nicholas, and failing along the northern coaft of the island, he entered another harbour, which he called the Conception. Here he was more fortunate; his people overtook a woman who was flying from them, and after treating her with great gentleness, dismissed her with a prefent of fuch toys as they knew were most valued in those regions. The defcription which the gave to her countrymen of the humanity and wonderful qualities of the ftrangers; their admiration of the trinkets, which the fhewed with exultation; and their eagerness to participate of the fame favours; removed all their fears, and induced many of them to repair to the harbour. The ftrange objects which they beheld, and the baubles, which Columbus beftowed upon them, amply gratified their curiofity and their wishes. They nearly refembled the people of Guanahani and Cuba. They were naked like them, ignorant, and fimple; and feemed to be equally unacquainted with all the arts which appear moft neceffary in polifhed focieties; but they were gentle, credulous, and timid, to a degree which rendered it eafy to acquire the af cendant over them, efpecially as their exceffive admiration led them into the fame error with the people of the other islands, in believing the Spaniards to be more than mortals, and defcended immediately from Heaven. They poffeffed gold in greater abundance than their neighbours, which they readily exchanged for bells, beads, or pins; and in this unequal traffic both parties were highly pleased, each confidering themselves as gainers by the transaction. Here Columbus was visited by a prince or cazique of the country. He appeared with all the pomp known among a fimple people, being carried in a fort of palanquin upon the fhoulders of four men, and attended by many of his fubjects, who ferved him with great refpect. His deportment was grave and flately, very referved towards his own people, but with Columbus and the Spaniards extremely courteous. He gave the admiral fome thin plates of gold, and a girdle of curious workmanfbip, receiving in return prefents of fmall value, but highly acceptable to him.

Columbus, fill intent on difcovering the mines which yielded gold, continued to interrogate all the natives with whom he had any intercourfe concerning their fituation. They concurred in pointing out a mountainous country, which they called Cibao, at fome distance from the fea, and farther towards the eaft. Struck with this found, which

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appeared to him the fame with Cipango, the name by which Marco Polo, and other travellers to the eaft, diftinguished the islands of Japan, he no longer doubted with respect to the vicinity of the countries which he had discovered to the remote parts of Afia; and, in full expectation of reaching foon those regions which had been the object of his voyage, be directed his course towards the east. He put into a commodious harbour, which he called St. Thomas, and found that district to be under the government of a powerful cazique, named Guacanahari, who, as he afterwards learned, was one of the five fovereigns among whom the whole ifland was divided. He immediately feat meffengers to Columbus, who, in his name, delivered to him the prefent of a mask curiously fashioned, with the ears, nofe, and mouth of beaten gold, and invited him to the place of his refidence, near the harbour now called Cape Francois, fome leagues towards the caft. Columbus difpatched fome of his officers to vifit this prince, who, as he behaved himfelf with greater dignity, feemed to claim more attention. They returned, with fuch favourable accounts both of the country and of the people, as made Columbus impatient for that interview with Guacanahari to which he had been invited.

He failed for this purpofe from St. Thomas, on the twenty-fourth of December with a fair wind, and the fea perfectly calm; and as, amidst the multiplicity of his occupations, he had not shut his eyes for two days, he retired at midnight in order to take fome repofe, having committed the helm to the pilot, with ftrict injunctions not to quit it for a moment. The pilot, dreading no danger, carelessly left the helm to an unexperienced cabin boy, and the flip, carried away by a current, was dashed against a rock. The violence of the fhock awakened Columbus. He ran up to the deck. There, all was confufion and defpair. He alone retained prefence of mind. He ordered fome of the failors to take a boat, and carry out an anchor aftern; but, instead of obeying, they made off towards the Nigna, which was about half a league diftant. He then commanded the mafts to be cut down, in order to lighten the fhip; but all his endeavours were too late; the vessel opened near the keel, and filled fo faft with water that its lofs was inevitable. The fmoothnefs of the fea, and the timely affiftance of boats from the Nigna, enabled the crew to fave their lives. As foon as the iflanders heard of this difafter, they crowded to the fhore, with their prince Guacanahari at their head. Inftead of taking advantage of the diftrefs in which they beheld the Spaniards, to attempt any thing to their detriment, they lamented their misfortune with tears of fincere condolance. Not fatisfied with this unavailing expreffion of their

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