some of the people who had been left behind, found six women in their company, who had fled to their protection. These the admiral presented with beads and bells, and dismissed, contrary to their inclinations; for they were no sooner landed, than the Caribbees robbed them in the sight of their benefactors. Next opportunity they had, these poor creatures leapt into the boat, and implored the protection of the Spaniards, giving them to understand, that the islanders had eaten their husbands, and retained them in slavery. They were therefore brought on board, when they gave the admiral to understand, that towards the south were many islands and a large continent; and they pointed out the situation of Hispaniola. For this island Columbus would instantly have proceeded, had not one of his captains and eight men been on shore without leave. To recover them, he sent a party ashore with muskets and trumpets, to give the signal of recal. This expedient proving unsuccessful, he ordered 40 men, under captain Hoidea, to range the country, and to make observations on its produce. They reported that they found mastic, aloes, sanders, ginger, frankincense, sand abundance of cotton; that birds of various species were in abundance, and that they crossed several rivers, some of which were deep and spacious.

While absent on this excursion, the stragglers returned of their own accord, and said they had been bewildered in the woods; but to punish their presumption, the captain was ordered into irons, and the men were abridged of their usual allowance. Having made this example of necessary severity, Columbus himself landed; and entering soute of the houses, found plenty of cotton, raw and spun, and numbers of human skulls and bones suspended in baskets. The natives seemed to live and lodge more comfortably than any of those he had visited in his first voyage.

On the 10th of November, he sailed in quest of Hispaniola, and passed an island which he called Mountserrat, from its extraordinary elevation; the inhabitants of which, he learned, had been totally devoured by the Carribbees. In his progress, he passed islands, to which he gave the respective names of St. Mary Rodonda, Antigua, and St. Martin, near the last VOL. I.

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of which he came to anchor; and on weighing, found pieces. of coral adhering to the flukes. On account of bad weather, he again anchored at another island, where they secured four. women and three children, and soon after fell in with a canoe, in which were four men and a woman. These seeing an escape. was impracticable, put themselves in a posture of defence; and the female discharged an arrow with such force, that it actually pierced a strong target. The canoe being accidentally' overset, they betook themselves to swimming, and one of them used his bow with as much dexterity as if he had been on land.. All the males were eunuchs, and had been castrated by the Carribbees to increase their fatness.

Departing from thence, Columbus continued his course; leaving to the northward 50 islands, to the largest of which he gave the name of St. Ursula, and to the rest that of the Eleven Thousand Virgins. He then anchored in a bay,,on the west side of what he called St. John Baptist, where the mariners caught plenty of fish. In the vicinity of the bay, they visited some well-built houses with a square in front, and flanked on the sides with cane towers, having their houses interwoven with greens.

On the 14th he arrived in the bay of Samana in Hispaniola, where he sent on shore one of his Indian natives, how a convert to Christianity, who undertook for the submission of his. countrymen. From thence he proceeded for the town of Nativity; and, coming to an anchor in the port of Monte Christo; some of his men discovered two bodies of men, with a rope about their necks, suspended upon a kind of cross. This did not augur well;,but. whether the sufferers were Christians or natives, they could not tell.

Next day a number of Indians came on board, with ap parent confidence and cordiality; and pronouncing several Spanish words, the apprehensions of the admiral began to be allayed. On the morrow, however, his doubts were at, an end; for, on anchoring near the town of Nativity, some Indians came along side, and enquired for him by name, presenting a compliment from the cazique Guacanagari. Froni them he had the sorrow to learn, that the greater part of his

colony was dead, and the rest gone into distant countries.--Columbus concealed his suspicion, and dismissed the messenger with presents for the prince.

Ruin and desolation met his view, on entering the port of Nativity; the town was burnt to the ground, and not a soul was to be seen. The bodies of 11 Spaniards were discovered, who seemed to have been dead a month. Ruminating with regret and resentment on this disastrous event, he received a visit from the brother of the cazique, who informed him, that he had scarcely sailed, before the colony began to quarrel; each person endeavouring to amass as much gold, and to monopolize as many women as suited his appetite or his avarice; that having committed a murder on one of their associates, ten of them had retired into the dominions of Caunabo, who was lord of the mines, by whom they were put to death, and who afterwards destroyed the town with all the inhabitants. He farther represented, that Guacanagari having espoused the cause of the Spaniards, was wounded in the conflict; and in consequence was now under confinement. This story exactly tallied with intelligence received from some Spaniards, who had been sent up the country to reconnoitre. The admiral therefore paid the cazique a visit next day, and was received with every token of affection and concern. The prince repeated the melancholy tale with marks of unfeigned regret; and displayed his own wounds and those of his men, which had been received in defence of the settlement. Compliments of condolence being passed, the cazique presented the admiral with eight strings of white, red, and green stones, a string of gold beads, a regal crown of the same metal, and three calabashes full of gold dust, weighing about two pounds. In return for such valuable articles, Columbus gave him toys to the amount of three reals, which he highly prized; and though extremely ill, insisted on attending his guest to the fleet, where he first saw some horses with surprize. He was afterwards instructed in the mysteries of the Christian religion, which, with some hesitation, he embraced.

The admiral being disgusted at the sight of a place which had been the scene of so many disasters, sailed to the east

ward with his whole fleet; and passing the small though pleasant isles of Monte Christo, anchored before an Indian town where he designed to plant a colony.

Having landed those that were intended for settlers in a commodious plain, he built a tower to which he gave the appellation of Isabella. The spot lay under a rock, on which a fort might be easily erected; the harbour was large, and in the vicinity ran a stream of excellent water, from which the town might be conveniently supplied. At no great distance, the mines of Cebao were said to lie. To ascertain this, the admiral dispatched a captain and 15 men; and on the 2d of February, 1494, he sent off 12 of his ships to Castile under the command of Antonio de Torres.

The party sent to explore the country, informed the admiral, that on the second day, they came to the pass of an almost inaccessible mountain; and at the distance of every league found a cazique, by whom they were hospitably received. On the sixth day, they reached the mines of Cebao, where they actually saw the Indians collecting gold from a small river, as they afterwards did from many others of the same province.

This grateful intelligence assisted to revive the admiral, who had experienced a fit of sickness from fatigue; and on the 12th of March he set out for Cebao, well attended by men on foot and horseback, leaving, however, a strong guard under the command of his brother, Diego Columbus. This precaution he took in consequence of a conspiracy which he had detected and quelled on board, and likewise to secure the settlers from any sudden attack. He took such necessaries with him as he judged proper to build a fort in the province of Cebao, for the protection of those he meant to leave there to gather gold; and to intimidate the natives, he marched his people through their villages in rank and file with arms and accoutrements, trumpets sounding, and colours flying. The inhabitants seemed to have no idea of private property: they endeavoured to make free with whatever pleased their fancy, and shewed surprize at meeting with a repulse. The whole way was agreeably diversified with pleasant mountains, covered with wild vines, and various sorts of fragrant trees.

On the 14th of March, the admiral proceeded for the river of Canes; and soon reached another to which he gave the appellation of the Gold river, because here he discovered some grains of that precious metal. Having with some difficulty passed this large volume of water, he found a considerable town with the doors barricadoed against him with canes. He entered the province of Cebao on the 16th, which though not very fertile, yields plenty of grass, and is watered by rivers abounding in gold.

His first attention was directed to the building of a fort in the centre of the mines, and in a situation naturally strong. This fortification he called the castle of St. Thomas. It was garrisoned by 56 men, under the conduct of Peter Margarite.

The admiral having communicated his instructions and advice to the garrison, set out on his return for Isabella, where he found cucumbers and melons, raised from European seeds, fit for the table; and ears of wheat which had been sown only two months, ripe and luxuriant. Vetches produced a crop in 25 days, and sugar canes budded in the same space. Columbus saw and admired the fertility of the soil; nor were the climate and the water less agreeable to his wishes.

A messenger arrived on the 1st of April, with intelligence, that the cazique Caunabo, was preparing to attack the fort of St. Thomas. To this Columbus gave little credit, as he did not suppose the natives had either resolution or force to make any impression on it; but wishing to leave every thing in quiet, before he proceeded on farther discoveries, he dispatched a reinforcement of 70 men. Meanwhile he completed his town, which was regularly disposed, and supplied with water by an artificial canal. He likewise resolved to send all the superfluous hands back to Spain, European provisions beginning to fail, and the health of several, in consequence, appearing to decline. The more robust, he ordered to traverse the island, that they might make discoveries, and become habituated to the Indian diet.

Accordingly 400 Spaniards departed from Isabella on the 29th of April, and having crossed the river del Oro, appre