Birth and education of Columbus acquires naval skill - reaching the East Indies by holding a westerly course - bis fyftem founded on the ideas of the ancients, with different courts Obftacles which he had to - culties fuccefs · - -return to Spain - Aftonishment - First Third voyage He discovers - the continent State of the Spanish colony - Errors in the first System of colonizing - Voyage of the Portuguese to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope Effects of this - Discoveries made by private adventurers in the New World - Name of America given to it Machinations against THE HISTORY OF . AMERICA. BOOK I. THE progrefs of men in difcovering and peopling в O O X the various parts of the earth, has been extremely flow. Several ages elapfed before they removed far from thofe mild and fertile regions where they were originally placed by their Creator. The occafion of their first general dispersion is known; but we are unacquainted with the courfe of their migrations, or the time when they took poffeffion of the different countries which they now inhabit. Neither history nor tradition furnish fuch information concerning thofe remote events, as enables us to trace, with any certainty, the operations of the human race in the infancy of fociety. We may conclude, however, that all the early migrations of mankind were made by land. The ocean, which furrounds the habitable earth, as well as the various arms of the fea which feparate one region from another, though deftined to facilitate the communication between diftant countries, feem, at firft view, to be formed to check VOL. I. B I. BOOK the progrefs of man, and to mark the bounds of that portion of the globe to which nature had confined him. It was long, we may believe, before men attempted to pass these formidable barriers, and became fo fkilful and adventurous as to commit themselves to the mercy of the winds and waves, or to quit their native fhores in queft of remote and unknown regions. First at wards navigation. Navigation and fhip-building are arts fo nice tempts to and complicated, that they require the ingenuity, as well as experience, of many fucceffive ages to bring them to any degree of perfection. From the raft or canoe, which firft ferved to carry a favage over the river that obftructed him in the chace, to the construction of a veffel capable of conveying à numerous crew with fafety to a diftant coast, the progrefs in improvement is immenfe. Many efforts would be made, many experiments would be tried, and much labor as well as invention would be employed, before men could accomplish this arduous and important undertaking. The rude and imperfect ftate in which navigation is ftill found among all nations which are not confiderably civilized, correfponds with this account of its progrefs, and demonftrates that, in early times, the art was not fo far improved as to enable men to undertake diftant voyages, or to attempt remote difcoveries. Introduc tion of As foon, however, as the art of navigation became known, a new fpecies of correfpondence commerce, among men took place. It is from this æra, that we muft date the commencement of fuch an inter I. course between nations as deferves the appellation в 0 0 K of commerce. Men are, indeed, far advanced in improvement before commerce becomes an object of great importance to them. They must even have made fome confiderable progrefs towards civilization, before they acquire the idea of property, and afcertain it fo perfectly as to be acquainted with the moft fimple of all contracts, that of exchanging by barter one rude commodity for another. But as foon as this important right is established, and every individual feels that he has. an exclufive title to poffefs or to alienate whatever he has acquired by his own labor or dexterity, the wants and ingenuity of his nature fuggeft to him a new method of increafing his acquifitions and enjoyments, by difpofing of what is fuperfluous in his own ftores, in order to procure what is neceffary or defirable in thofe of other men. Thus a commercial intercourfe begins, and is carried on among the members of the fame community. By degrees, they discover that neighbouring tribes poffefs what they themselves want, and enjoy comforts of which they wish to partake. In the fame mode, and upon the fame principles, that domestic traffic is carried on within the fociety, an external commerce is established with other tribes or nations. Their mutual intereft and mutual wants render this intercourfe defirable, and imperceptibly introduce the maxims and laws which facilitate its progrefs and render it fecure. But no very extensive commerce can take place between contiguous provinces, whofe foil and climate |