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Spain, and supply his place. This licence blinded his justice and stimulated his ambition; for no sooner was the inspector arrived at St. Domingo, than he took possession of the admiral's palace. He then assembled all those whom he found disaffected to Columbus or his brother; declared himself go vernor; and, to attach the people to his interest, proclaimed a general remission for 20 years to come. His next step, was to enquire the admiral presence; and to enforce this, he dispatched the king's letter, which ran in the following tenor. It is worthy of being preserved, as it shews how little reliance is to be put in the gratitude of princes, or in the stability of favour.

To D. Christopher Columbus, our Admiral of the Ocean. WE have ordered the commendary, Francis de Bovadilla, the bearer, to acquaint you with some things from us. Therefore we desire you to yield him entire credit and obedience. Given at Madrid.

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Columbus did not hesitate to obey this summons. He set out immediately for St. Domingo, to wait on Bovadilla, who clapt him and his brother Diego in irons on ship board; and placing a strong guard over him, denied him all access of his friends.

A process was then instituted against the admiral and his brother: their enemies were admitted as evidences; and no depositions were so absurd, incoherent, or malicious as to be rejected on that account. It was determined to convict him, that Bovadilla might retain his station.

Bartholomew, the lieutenant, was not yet returned from Xaragua, and it is probable he might have rescued his brother by force of arms, had not the admiral requested him quietly to submit to the authority of the new governor. The consciousness of innocence would not suffer this great man to attempt a defence by force. No sooner had Bovadilla secured

the persons of his brothers, than he gave positive orders to the captain of the ship, on landing, to deliver them to Fonesca, the implacable enemy of Columbus. The new governor then began to squander the king's treasures among his creatures; to countenance profligacy and oppression; and to overturn all the salutary regulations of his eminent predecessor.

Andrew Martin, the captain of the vessel which carried Columbus, ashamed of seeing such a man in irons, wished to knock them off. The admiral insisted on wearing them, during the whole of his passage, observing, that he was resolved to keep them as a memorial of the reward of his services. This resolution he never changed: the fetters were always preserved as the most precious relics, and, at his own request, buried in the same coffin with him.

On the 20th of November, 1500, having arrived at Cadiz, he wrote a letter to their majesties, giving an account of his treatment. He received a very gracious answer, in which concern for his sufferings was joined with censure of Bovadilla's conduct. He was invited to court, with a promise, that he should shortly be reinstated in all his honours.

On his arrival at Grenada, the king and queen confirmed by words their obliging intimations in their reply; and assured him he should have ample satisfaction. In the mean time, having ordered an investigation to take place, and the accusations appearing malicious and frivolous, he was most honourably acquitted. A new governor was nominated for Hispaniola to redress the admiral's grievances, and to oblige Bovadilla to make restitution. This power was delegated to Nicolas de Obando, a man of abilities, but insidious and revengeful. At the same time it was resolved, that Columbus should be sent on some voyage of profit and honour, till Obando should settle the affairs of Hispaniola. But the admiral, chagrined at the ingratitude he had experienced, and apprehensive of future disgrace from the machinations of his enemies, declined the enterprize, till he was strongly solicited by their majesties, and assured of their zealous protection.

THE

FOURTH AND LAST VOYAGE

OF

COLUMBUS.

A SQUADRON of 4 ships, with 140 men on board, being equipped, under the superintendence of Columbus, he set sail from Cadiz on the 9th of May, 1501, for Arzilla, in order to relieve the Portuguese, who were reported to be in great distress; but before he arrived, the Moors had raised the siege. He therefore proceeded immediately for the Grand Canary, where he arrived on the 20th, and took in wood and water for his voyage.

On the evening of the 25th he weighed and stood for the West Indies, with such a propitious gale, that he reached Martinico on the 15th of June; and soon after, standing to the westward, among the Caribbee islands, he steered for Domingo, with a view of changing one of his ships which proved a bad sailer; and hoping afterwards to continue his voyage to the coast of Paria, in quest of the strait which he supposed lay near Vuagua and Nombre de Dios.

But that the new governor, sent out to regulate the affairs of the colony, and to recal Bovadilla, might not appear to be taken by surprize, he dispatched before him one of his captains to signify the reason of his pursuing this course. So little inclined was the governor to assist the admiral with another ship, he would not even allow him to enter the port; and disregarding the prediction of Columbus, who foresaw an approaching storm, permitted a fleet of 18 sail to put to sea for Spain, having on board Bovadilla, and the rest of the admiral's opponents.

This squadron, however, had hardly weathered the eastern extremity of Hispaniola, before they were overtaken by a terrible tempest, in which the commodore, with Bovadilla and almost all the principal rebels foundered, and not more than three or four ships of the whole were saved; while Columbus, aware of the impending danger, sheltered himself under the land in the best position he could. But the wind soon rose to a perfect hurricane, and his three consorts were forced out to sea. The Bermuda, commanded by Bartholomew Columbus, was saved by the admirable skill and dexterity of this accomplished seaman; being a bad sailer, her danger had been most imminent. In a few days, the ships all joined the admiral in the port of Azua. Though a revengeful temper and a superstitious mind might have found consolation in the idea, that this dreadful tempest had been the destruction of his enemies, Columbus fǝlt more chagrin than satisfaction when he reflected, that he was denied shelter in that very country he had discovered, and annexed to the crown of Spain, in whose service he still laboured. His enemies, less liberal, less enlightened, ascribed this storm to magic; and to give weight to this belief, the only ship out of eighteen that arrived in Spain was the Aguja, on board of which were 4,000 pesos of gold, the property of the admiral.

Unwilling to enter into disputes with the governor, Columbus refreshed his men in the best manner he could in the port of Azua, and thence sailed to a harbour of Brasil, called Gracchimo by the Indians. Leaving this, he was so becalmed, that instead of continuing his course, he was carried by the currents near Jamaica. However, after some delay, standing southward for the continent, he reached the islands of Guanara, near the country now called Honduras, where Bartholomew landed, and found a numerous population, and some pieces of lapis calaminaris, which the seamen mistook for gold. While he remained here, he descried a large canoe, with an awning made of palm tree leaves, under which the women and children were sheltered from the weather; and though the vessel was manned by 25 stout Indians, they suffered themselves to be captured without the least resistance.

This vessel being replete with goods and domestic utensils, gave him a favourable opportunity of becoming acquainted with the commodities of the country. On examining the cargo, it was found to consist of quilts and cotton shirts, of various colours, together with long sheets, in which the women wrapped themselves, long wooden swords, sharpened on each side with flints, hatchets, and copper bells. The provisions consisted of such roots and grain as were usual in Hispaniola, and a kind of fermented liquor made from maize. They had likewise abundance of cocoa-nuts, which being the representative of coin here, were proportionably valued. The people seemed to have a due sense of modesty and decency; which decorum of manners made such a favourable impression on the admiral, that he ordered them to be treated with peculiar respect, restored their canoe, exchanged for European articles such commodities as he wished to retain, and dismissed them well pleased. One old man, however, who cheerfully undertook the office of interpreter, and seemed to be a person of character among his countrymen, was kept during the course of the voyage; and having acquitted himself with fidelity in the department he undertook, was at last discharged with many valuable presents.

Though the admiral soon learned from this intelligent guide, that a people of great wealth, politeness, and ingenuity, inhabited a country to the westward; yet, conceiving he could at any time sail thither from Cuba, for the present, he resolved to explore the imagined strait in the continent, through which he might penetrate into the South sea, and thus reach the spice country. A misconception of the Indian's meaning had given rise to the supposition, that such a strait existed: they intended to describe an isthmus, which Columbus mistook for a narrow gulph, extending from sea to sea.

In quest of this strait, he sailed towards a point on the continent, which he named Casinus, from the quantity of trees growing there, bearing a fruit so called by the Hispaniolans. In the vicinity of this cape, he saw people with painted shirts, like coats of mail, sufficiently strong to defend them against the weapons of that country, or even the stroke of a sword.-VOL. I.

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