avoidable. Though the licentious proceedings of the mutineers had, in à great measure effaced thofe impreffions which had been fo favourable to the Spaniards, the ingenuity of Columbus fuggefted a happy artifice, that not only restored but heightened the high opinion which the Indians had originally entertained of them. By his skill in aftronomy he knew that there was shortly to be a total eclipse of the moon. He affembled all the principal persons of the district around him on the day before it happened, and, after reproaching them for their fickleness in withdrawing their affection and affiftance from men whom they had lately revered, he told them, that the Spaniards were fervants of the Great Spirit who dwells in heaven, who made and governs the world; that he, offended at their refusing to fupport men who were the objects of his peculiar favour, was preparing to punish this crime with exemplary severity, and that very night the moon fhould withhold her light, and appear of bloody hue, as a fign of the divine wrath, and an emblem of the vengeance ready to fall upon them. To this marvellous prediction some of them liftened with the careless indifference peculiar to the people of America; others, with the credulous astonishment natural to barbarians. But when the moon began gradually to be darkened, and at length appeared of a red colour, all were struck with terror. They ran with confternation to their houfes, and returning inftantly to Columbus loaded with provifions, threw them at his feet, conjuring him to intercede with the Great Spirit to avert the deftruction with which they were threatened. Columbus, feeming to be moved by their entreaties, promised to comply with their defire. The eclipfe went off, the moon recovered its splendour, and from that day the Spaniards were not only furnished profufely with provifions, but the natives, with fuperftitious attention, avoided every thing that could give them offence. During those transactions, the mutineers had made repeated attempts to pafs over to Hifpaniola in the canoes which they had feized. But, from their own misconduct, or the violence of the winds and currents, their efforts were all unfuccefsful. Enraged at this disappointment, they marched towards that part of the island where Columbus remained, threatening him with new infults and danger. While they were advancing, an event happened, more cruel and afflicting than any calamity which he dreaded from them. The governor of Hifpaniola, whofe mind was still filled with some dark fufpicions of Columbus, fent a small bark to Jamaica, not to deliver his diftreffed countrymen, but to fpy out their condition. Left the fympathy of those whom he employed fhould afford them relief, contrary to his intention, he gave the command of this veffel to Efcobar, an inveterate enemy of Columbus, who adhering to his instructions with malignant accuracy, caft anchor at some distance from the island, approached the shore in a small boat, obferved the wretched plight of the Spaniards, delivered a letter of empty compliments to the admiral, received his answer, and departed. When thẻ Spaniards first defcried the veffel ftanding towards the ifland, every heart exulted, as if the long expected hour of their deliverance had at length arrived; but when it disappeared fo fuddenly, they funk into the deepest dejection, and all their hopes died away. Columbus alone, though he felt moft fenfibly this wanton infult which Ovando added to his past neglect, retained fuch compofure of mind, as to be able to cheer his followers. He affured them, that Mendez and Fiefchi had reached Hifpaniola in fafety; that they would fpeedily procure ships to carry them off; but as Efcobar's veffel could not take them all on board, he had refused to go with her, because he was determined never to abandon the faithful companions of his diftrefs. Soothed with the expectation of speedy deliverance, and delighted with his apparent generofity in attending more to their preservation than to his own fafety, their spirits revived, and he regained their confidence. Without this confidence, he could not have refifted the mutineers, who were now at hand. All his endeavours to reclaim thofe defperate men had no effect but to increase their frenzy. Their demands became every day more extravagant, and their intentions more violent and bloody. The common fafety rendered it neceffary to oppose them with open force. Columbus who had been long afflicted with the gout, could not take the field. On the twentieth of May his brother, the Adelantado, marched against them. They quickly met. The mutineers rejected with scorn terms of accommodation, which were once more offered them, and rushed on boldly to the attack. They fell not upon an enemy unprepared to received them. In the firft fhock, feveral of their most daring leaders were flain. The Adelatando, whofe ftrength was equal to his courage, closed with their captain, wounded, difarmed, and took him prifoner. At fight of this, the reft fled with a daftardly fear, fuitable to their former infolence. Soon after, they fubmitted in a body to Columbus, and bound themfelves by the moft folema oaths to obey all his commands. Hardly was tranquillity re-established, when the fhips appeared, whofe arrival Columbus had promifed with great addrefs, though he could forefee it with little certainty. With tranfports of joy, the Spaniards quitted an ifland in which the unfeeling jealousy of Ovando had fuffered them to languish above a year, expofed to mifery in all its various forms. When When they arrived at St. Domingo, on the thirteenth of August, the governor, with the mean artifice of a vulgar mind, that labours to atone for infolence by fervility, fawned on the man whom he envied, and had attempted to rum. He received Columbus with the moft ftudied refpect, lodged him in his own house, and distinguished him with every mark of honour. But amidst these overacted demonstrations of regard, he could not conceal the hatred and malignity latent in his heart. He fet at liberty the captain of the mutineers, whom Columbus had brought over in chains, to be tried for his crimes, and threatened fuch as had adhered to the admiral with proceeding to a judicial enquiry into their conduct. Columbus fubmitted in filence to what he could not redress; but discovered an extreme impatience to quit a country which was under the jurifdiction of a man who had treated him, on every occafion, with inhumanity and injuftice. His preparations were foon finished, and he fet fail for Spain with two fhips, on September the twelfth, 1504. Difafters fimilar to thofe which had accompanied him through life continued to to pursue him to the end of his career. One of his veffels being dif abled, was foon forced back to St. Domingo; the other, shattered by violent ftorms, failed seven hundred leagues with jury-mafts, and reached with difficulty the port of St. Lucar in the month of December. There he received the account of an event the most fatal that could have befallen him, and which completed his misfortunes. This was the death, on the ninth of November, 1504, of his patronefs queen Ifabella, in whofe juftice, humanity, and favour, he confided as his laft refource. None now remained to redrefs his wrongs, or to reward him for his fervices and fufferings, but Ferdinand, who had fo long oppofed and fo often injured him. To folicit a prince thus prejudiced against him, was an occupation no lefs irk fome than hopelefs. In this, however, was Columbus doomed to employ the clofe of his days. As foon as his health was in fome degree re-established, he repaired to court; and though he was received there with ivility barely decent, he plied Ferdinand with petition after petition, demanding the punishment of his oppreffors, and the reftitution of all the privileges bestowed upon him by the capitulation of one thousand four hundred and ninety-two. Ferdinand amufed him with fair words and unmeaning promifes. Instead of granting his claims, he propofed expedients in order to elude them, and spun out the atfair with fuch apparent art, as plainly difcovered his intention that it should never be terminated. The declining health of Columbus flattered Ferdinand with the hopes of being foon delivered from an importunate fuitor, and encouraged him to perfevere in this illiberal plan. Nor was he deceived in his expectations. Difgufted with with the ingratitude of a monarch whom he had ferved with fuch fidelity and fuccefs, exhaufted with the fatigues and hardships which he had endured, and broken with the infirmities which thefe brought upon him, Columbus ended his life at Valladolid on the twentieth of May, one thousand five hundred and fix, in the fifty-ninth year of his age. He died with a compofure of mind fuitable to the magnanimity which diftinguished his character, and with fentiments of piety becoming that fupreme respect for religion, which he manifefted in every occurrence of his life. Having thus given an Account of the first Discovery of America, we fhall now proceed to lay before the Reader, a GENERAL DESCRIPTION of that Country, its Soil, Climate, Productions,Original Inhabitants, &c.Te GENERAL GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF AMERICA. BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT. THIS vaft country extends from the 80th degree of north, to the 56th degree of fouth latitude; and, where its breadth is known, from the 35th to the 136th degree, weft longitude from London; stretching between 8000 and 9000 miles in length, and in its greatest breadth 3690. It fees both hemispheres, has two fummers and a double winter, and enjoys all the variety of climates which the earth affords. It is washed by the two great oceans. To the eastward it has the Atlantic, which divides it from Europe and Africa; to the weft it has the Pacific or Great South Sea, by which it is feparated from Afia. By these feas it may, and does, carry on a direct commerce with the other three parts of the world. NORTH AND SOUTH CONTINENT. America is not of equal breadth throughout its whole extent; but is divided into two great continents, called North and South America, by an ifthmus 1500 miles long, and which at Darien, about Lat. 9o N. is only 60 miles over. This ifthmus forms, with the northern and fouthern continents, a vast gulph, in which lie a great number of islands, called the West Indies, in contradistinction to the eaftern parts of Afia, which are called the Eaft Indies. CLIMATE. Between the New World and the Old, there are several very ftriking differences; but the moft remarkable is the general predominance of cold throughout the whole extent of America. Though we cannot, in any country, determine the precife degree of heat merely by the distance of the equator, because the elevation above the fea, the nature of the foil, &c. affect the climate; yet, in the ancient continent, the heat is much more in proportion to the vicinity to the equator than in any part of America. Here the rigour of the frigid zone extends over half that which fhould be temperate by its pofition. Even in those latitudes |