fire. Some of the Spaniards were killed in defending it, the rest perished in attempting to make their efcape by croffing an arm of the lea. Guacanehari, whom all their exactions had not alienated from the Spaniards, took arms in their behalf, and, in endeavouring to protect them, had received a wound, by which he was stilk confined.

Though this account was far from removing the fufpicions which the Spaniards entertained with refpect to the fidelity of Guacanahari, Columbus perceived fo clearly that this was not a proper juncture for inquiring into his conduct with fcrupulous accuracy, that he rejected the advice of feveral of his officers, who urged him to fuize the perfon of that prince, and to revenge the death of their countrymen by attacking his fubjects. He reprefented to them the neceffity of fccuring the friendship of fome potentate of the country, in order to facilitate the settlement which they intended, and the danger of driving the natives to unite in fome desperate attempt against them, by fuch an illtimed and unavailing exercife of rigour. Inftead of wasting his time in punishing paft wrongs, he took precaution for preventing any future injury. With this view, he made choice of a situation more healthy and commodious than that of Navidad. 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 a work on which their common fafety depended, the houses and ramparts were foon so far advanced by their united labour, as to afford them shelter and fecurity. This rifing city, the first that the Europeans founded in the New World, he named Ifabella, in honour of his patronefs the Queen of Caftile.

In carrying on this neceffary work, Columbus had not only to sustain all the hardships, and to encounter all the difficulties, to which infant colonies are exposed when they settle in an uncultivated country, but he had to contend with what was more infuperable, the lazinefs, the impatience, and mutinous difpofition of his followers. By the enervating influence of a hot climate, the natural inactivity of the Spaniards feemed to increafe. Many of them were gentlemen, unaccustomed to the fatigue of bodily labour, and all had engaged in the enterprife with the fanguine hopes excited by the fplendid and exaggerated defcriptions of their countrymen who returned from the first voyage, or by the mistaken opinion of Columbus, that the country which he had diicovery was either the Cipango of Marco Polo, or the Ophir, from which Solomon imported thofe precious commodities which fuddenly diffufed fuch extraordinary riches through his kingdom. But when, instead of that golden harveft which they had expected to reap without toil or pains, the Spaniards

faw their profpect of wealth was remote as well as uncertain, and that it could not be attained but by the flow and perfevering efforts of industry, the disappointment of those chimerical hopes occafioned fuch dejection of mind as bordered on despair, and ded to general discontent. In vain did Columbus endeavour to revive their fpirits by pointing out the fertility of the foil, and exhibiting the fpecimens of gold daily brought in from different. parts of the island. They had not patience to wait for the gradual returns which the former might yield, and the latter they defpifed as fcanty and inconfiderable. The spirit of difaffection fpread, and a confpiracy was formed, which might have been fatal to Columbus and the colony. Happily he difcovered it, and feizing the ring-leaders, punished fome of them, ient others prifoners into Spain whither he difpatched twelve of the fhips which had ferved as tranfports, with an earnest request for a reinforcement of men and a large fupply of provifions.

Meanwhile, in order to banish that idleness which, by allowing his people leifure to brood over their difappointment, nourifhed the fpirit of difcontent, Columbus planned feveral expeditions into the interior part of the country. He fent a detachment, under the command of Alonfo de Ojeda, a vigilant and enterprifing officer, to vifit the diftrict of Cibao, which was faid to yield the greateft quantity of gold, and followed him in perfon with the main body of his troops. In this expedition, March 12, 1494, he difplayed all the pomp of military magnificence that he could exhibit, in order to ftrike the imagination of the natives. He marched with colours flying, with martial mufic, and with a fmall body of cavalry that paraded fometimes in the front and fometimes in the rear. As those were the first horfes which appeared in the New World, they were objects of terror no lefs than of admiration to the Indians, who having no tame animals themselves, were unacquainted with that vaft acceffion of power, which man hath acquired by subjecting them to his dominion. They fuppofed them to be rational creatures. They imagined that the horfe and rider formed one animal, with whofe fpeed they were aftonished, and whofe impetuofity and ftrength they confidered as irrefiftible. But while Columbus endeavoured to infpire the natives with a dread of his power, he did not neglect the arts of gaining their love and confidence. He adhered fcrupuloufly to the principles of integrity and juftice in all his tranfactions with them, and treated them, on every occafion, not only with humanity, but with indulgence. The district of Cibao anfwered the defcription given of it by the natives. It was mountainous and

uncultivated, but in every river, and brook, gold was gathered either in duft or in grains, fome of which were of confiderable fize. The Indians had never opened any mines in search of gold. To penetrate into the bowels of the earth, and to refine the rude ore, were operations too complicated and laborious for their talents and induftry, and they had no fuch high value for gold as to put their ingenuity and invention upon the ftretch in order to obtain it. The fmall quantity of that precious metal which they poffeffed, was either picked up in the beds of the rivers, or washed from the mountains by the heavy rains that fall within the tropics. But, from thofe indications, the Spaniards could no longer doubt that the country contained rich treasures in its bowels, of which they hoped foon to be mafters, In order to fecure the command of this valuable province, Columbus erected a fmall fort, to which he gave the name of St. Thomas, by way of ridicule upon fome of his incredulous followers, who would not believe that the country produced gold, until they faw it with their own eyes, and touched it with their hands.

The account of those promifing appearances of wealth in the country of Cibao, came very feafonably to comfort the defponding colony, which was effected with diftreffes of various kinds. The flock of provifions which had been brought from Europe was moftly confumed; what remained was fo much corrupted by the heat and moisture of the climate, as to be almost unfit for ufe; the natives cultivated fo fmall a portion of ground, and with fo little fkill, that it hardly yielded what was fufficient for their own fubfiftence: the Spaniards at Ifabella had hitherto neither time nor leifure to clear the foil, fo as to reap any confiderable fruits of their own industry. On all these accounts, they became afraid of perishing with hunger, and were reduced already to a fcanty allowance. At the fame time the difeafes predominant in the torrid zone, and which rage chiefly in those uncultivated countries, where the hand of industry has not opened the woods, drained the marfhes, and confined the rivers within a certain channel, began to fpread among them. Alarmed at the violence and unufual fymptoms of thole maladies, they exclaimed against Columbus and his companions in the former voyage, who by their fplendid but deceitful defcriptions of Hifpaniola, had allured them to quit Spain for a barbarous úncultivated land, where they muft either be cut off by famine, or die of unknown diftempers. Several of the officers and perfons of note, inftead of checking, joined in thofe feditious complaints. Father Boy!, the apoftolical vicar, was one of the

turbulent and outrageous. It required all the authority

and addrefs of Columbus to re-establish fubordination and tranquility in the colony. Threats and promifes were alternately employed for this purpofe; but nothing contributed. more to foothe the malcontents than the prospect of finding, in the mines of Cibao, such a rich store of treasure as would be a recompence for all their fufferings, and efface the memory of former difappointments.

When, by his unwearied endeavours, concord and order were fo far restored, that he could venture to leave the ifland, Columbus refolved to purfue his discoveries, that he might be able to afcertain whether those new countries with which he had opened a communication were connected with any region of the earth already known, or whether they were to be confidered as a separate portion of the globe hitherto unvifited. He appointed his brother Don Diego, with the affistance of a council of officers, to govern the island in his absente; and gave the command of a body of foldiers to Don Pedro Margarita, with which he was to vifit the different parts of the island, and endeavour to establish the authority of the Spaniards among the inhabitants. Having left them very particular instructions with respect to their conduct, he weighed anchor on the twenty-fourth of April, with one fhip and two small barks under his command. During a tedious voyage of full five months, he had a trial of almost all the numerous hardships to which perfons of his profession are expofed, without making any difcovery of importance, except the ifland of Jamaica. As he ranged along the fouthern coaft of Cuba, he was entangled in a labyrinth formed by an incredible number of small islands, to which he gave the name of the Queen's-Garden. In this unknown courfe, among rocks and fhelves, he was retared by contrary winds, affaulted with furious fterns, and alarmed with the terrible thunder and lightning which is often almoft inceffant between the tropics. At length his provifions fell fhort; his crew, exhausted with fatigue, as well as hunger, murmured and threatened, and were ready to proceed to the most desperate extremities against him. Belet with danger in fuch various forms, he was obliged to keep confinual watch, to obferve every occurrence with his own eyes, to iffue every order, and to fuperintend the execution of it. no occafion, was the extent of his fkill and experience as a navigator fo much tried. To thefe the fquadron owed its fafety. But this unremitted fatigue of body, and intenfe application of wind, overpowering his conftitution, though naturally vigorous and robust, brought on a feverish diforder, which terminated in a lethargy, that deprived him of fenfe and memory and had almost proved fatal to his life.

But, on his return, Sept. 27th, to Hifpaniola, the fudden emotion of joy which he felt upon meeting with his brother Bartholomew at tabella, occafioned fuch a flow of spirits as contributed greatly to his recovery. It was now thirteen years fince the two brothers, whom fimilarity of talents united in close friendfhip, had feparated from each other, and during that long period there had been no intercourse between them. Bartholomew, after finifhing his negociation at the court of England, had fet out for Spain by the way of France. At Paris he received an acccount of the extraordinary difcoveries which his brother had made in his first voyage, and that he was then preparing to embark on a fecond expedition. Though this naturally induced him to pursue his journey with the utmoft difpatch, the admiral had failed for Hifpaniola before he reached Spain. Ferdinand and liabella received him with the refpect due to the neareft kinfman of a perfon whofe merit and fervices rendered him fo confpicuous; and as they knew what confolation his prefence would afford to his brother, they perfuaded him to take the command of three fhips, which they had appointed to carry provifions to the colony of Isabella.

He could not have arrived at any juncture when Columbus flood more in need of a friend capable of affifting him with his counfels, or of dividing with him the cares and burden of government. For although the provifions now brought from Europe, afforded a temporary relief to the Spaniards from the calamities of famine, the fupply was not in fuch quantity as to fupport them long, and the ifland did not hitherto yield what was fufficient for their fuftenance. They were threatened with another danger, ftill more formidable than the return of scarcity, and which demanded more immediate attention. No fooner did Columbus leave the island on his voyage of difcovery, than the foldiers under Margarita, as if they had been fet free from difcipline and fubordination, fcorned all restraint. Inftead of conforming to the prudent inftructions of Columbus, they difperfed in ftraggling parties over the island, lived at difcretion upon the natives, wafted their provifions, feized their women, and treated that inoffenfive race with all the infolence of military oppreffion.

As long as the Indians had any profpect that their fufferings might come to a period by the voluntary departure of the inva- " ders, they fubmitted in filence, and diffembled their forrow; but they now perceived that the yoke would be as permanent as it was intolerable. The Spaniards had built a town, and furrounded it with ramparts. They had erected forts in different places. They had enclosed and fown several fields. It was apparent that they came not to vifit the country but to fettle in it. Though the number of those ftrangers was inconfiderable, the state of cultiva