so unjustly, wrested from him.

Ferdinand, was deaf to

the application of Diego, and caused him to waste two years in his solicitations; who was finally rejected. Stung with resentment, at this renewed act of ingratitude, and injustice, Don Diego commenced a suit at law against his sovereign, before the Council, that managed Indian affairs, who (to their eternal honor,) decided in his favour. Deaf to the decision of the court, Ferdinand still withheld the claims of justice; but Diego, true to himself, and firm to his cause, contracted an alliance, with one of the first families in Spain, by concluding a marriage with Donna Maria, daughter of Don Ferdinand de Toledo, great commendator of Leon, and brother to the duke of Alva. The influence of this family, secured to Diego his claims. Ferdinand yielded to the decision of the council, recalled Ovando, and conferred the government of Hispaniola upon Diego. All Spain rejoiced at the event; Don Diego, now governor of the new world, with his wife, in character of vice queen, and a numerous retinue of friends, and associates, from the first families, repaired to Hispaniola, and entered upon his new government, where he enjoyed in splendour, the kingdom which his father had planted, and which it became the object of his future life, to improve, and cultivate, and render happy.--Diego settled the small island of Cabagua, (discovered by his father in his third voyage,) which soon became famous for its extensive pearl fishery, as well as fatal to the natives, who were employed in it.

The last discoveries of Columbus, had now been neglected, about ten years. Ferdinand now encouraged Alonzo de Ojida, and Diego de Nicuessa, two bold adventurers, to explore the country, and commence settlements. To the former, he granted the country of Cape Vela, to the gulf of Darien, and to the other, from the gulf of Darien, to Cape Graicos a Dios. These adventurers, sailed from Hispaniola,

0

about the same time, to enter upon the new governments; and the powers by which they were to claim, and hold the countries, were by authority of the Pope, as vicegerent of the earth, and having supreme jurisdiction over all the kingdoms in the world, and as the spiritual head of the church. They were to unfold to them the doctrines of the Christian religion, and if they embraced them, and submitted to their authority, then to govern them in peace, and justice; but if not, then to lay waste their country, by fire and sword, and reduce them, their wives, and their children, to a state of subjection, and compel them to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Pope, and the authority of the monarch of Spain.

Thus armed, with spiritual, and temporal power, the adventurers attempted to enter upon their new governments; but to their astonishment, and mortification, they found a race of men, differing in war, and in manners, from the gentle race of Hispaniola. These fierce sons of the continent, were unmoved by the address, and intrigues of these Spanish adventurers; attacked them with poisoned arrows, which rendered every wound fatal; they hunted them from their borders, and in less than one year, the whole of the two expeditions were ruined, and destroyed, excepting a remnant that made a settlement at Santo Maria el Antigua, on the Gulf of Darien, under the command of Vasco Nagnez de Bilboa, a bold and desperate adventurer, together with Francisco Pizarro, whose misfortunes in this adventure, taught him how to manage more adroitly in his subsequent adventures, and rise to the enjoyment of future conquests. Herman Cortes was also engaged in this adventure, but was detained by sickness at Hispaniola, as the hero of future scenes of adventure, enterprise, and conquest.

The restless avaricious spirit of the Spaniards, added to the enterprising spirit of the age, prompted them to new

adventures, and new conquests, not only to obtain wealth and dominion, but to obtain more slaves, to work their mines, and plantations in Hispaniola, where their allies had nearly extirpated the vast population, that covered the island in 1492.* The evils arising from this slavery of the natives, occasioned a general uneasiness, and opened a way for relief through a new channel. Bartholomew Las Casas, a Catholic priest, and adventurer with Columbus, in his second voyage, proposed to liberate the natives, and import the blacks from the Portuguese possessions in Africa; to effect this, he made a voyage to Spain, and opened the subject to Ferdinand, then in declining health, who listened to the plan; but died soon after, and left it in the hands of his successor, Charles V.

Cardinal Ximenes, as regent, undertook to decide the question, before the king arrived, and entered upon his government. He accordingly sent out those agents, with Las Casas at their head, as superintendents, to decide the question in Hispaniola. They repaired to their government, set all the natives free, and threw the colony into the utmost confusion, which raged with violence for a time, but was finally quelled, after Charles came to the throne, by carrying forward the plan of liberating the natives, and introducing the blacks, which spread throughout the islands, and into Europe, and America, where it continues to this day. In 1503, the first negroes had been imported into the new world, they being more hardy and patient under labour than the natives, induced Ferdinand to consent in 1511, to an importation of additional numbers; but Las Casas induced Charles V. to grant permission to a Flem

* Don Diego Columbus, as Governor, had the disposal of the natives, and distributed them as slaves, amongst the planters; and their diminution of numbers, caused them to complain to Ferdinand, who sent Roderigo Albuquerque, a relative of his most confidential minister, with full powers to regulate the services of the natives of Hispaniola. Albuquerque found, upon numbering the natives, that they had been reduced from sixty-thou sand, to fourteen thousand.

ish merchant, to import 4000 blacks at one time. The merchant sold his patent to some Genoese merchants, who, n this way, became the instruments of liberating those natives of the New World, whom their countrymen had enslaved, and thus shifting the yoke onto another innocent race of men, where it still remains.*

.

In

In the year 1511, Diego Velasquez conquered the island of Cuba, and held the government of it.-In the year 1517, several veterans from Darien, united with Hernandez Cordova, a rich planter in Cuba, and of a bold and daring spirit, to enter upon an enterprise of discovery. With the consent of Velasquez, they fitted out three small vessels, embarked 110 men, and sailed from St. Jago de Cuba, in February, 1517, upon a western adventure. twenty days they discovered the peninsula of Yucatan, and as they approached the shore, they discovered the natives, clad in cotton garments, coming off in their canoes. Struck with astonishment, at this unexpected adventure, they conciliated their favour, by presents, landed upon the coast, and advanced into the country, where they, with equal surprise, soon discovered houses, regularly built with stone, and the reception of the natives appeared cordial; but they were soon undeceived, the Cazique, or Prince, had drawn them into an ambush, and upon a sudden, he commenced an attack, with such violence, as drove off the Spaniards, and they fled to their ships, and departed from the coast, carrying off two prisoners, and some booty from one of their temples. In a few days, as they steered towards the west, they discovered Campeachy, where they descried a river, and landed, to obtain water; but here again they were attacked by the natives, and driven off, with the loss of 47 men killed, and one only escaped.

* When I come to treat of Virginia, I shall notice particularly, the remarks of Mr. Jefferson upon African slavery, in his Notes upon Virginia. page 221 and 222.

Cordova, their leader, conducted the retreat with coolness, under twelve different wounds, and when the remnant had embarked, they set sail for Cuba, where Cordova died of his wounds, and the others had suffered the severest trials on their passage. This discovery inflamed the cupidity of the Spaniards, more than any adventure they had ever yet achieved, and opened the way, through a succession of adventures, to the discovery and conquest of Mexico, by Cortes, which I shall give a sketch of, without noticing the other adventures of minor importance.

CONQUEST OF MEXICO, BY FERNANDO CORTES, 1519.

THE spirit of adventure, had now grown up with the Spaniards, at Hispaniola, to a high pitch of enthusiasm ; and Velasquez the governor had caught the fire, and prepared a formidable force, for a foreign adventure, and looked with anxious solicitude for a commander, who was adequate to the undertaking. By the advice of his chief officers of state, he fixed his choice upon Fernando Cortes, a native of Estramadura, in Spain, of noble descent; but of a mouerate fortune.-Full of youthful fire, and the zeal of the age, he embarked to the new world, to seek such adventures as might fall in his way, under the patronage of his kinsman Ovando, then governor of Hispaniola, 1504. Under the patronage of Ovando, he accompanied Velasquez, in the conquest of Cuba, and his distinguished intrepidity and zeal, in this enterprise, procured him the favour of Velasquez, and obtained for him this present important command. Cortes received his new commission 1518, and erected his military standard, beat up for volunteers, and entered with spirit and resolution, into the measures of Velasquez, to promote and hasten the enter