realize to his mind what fuch an expedition would be capable of, until he has fully pictured to himself what his own nature might become, if he formed one of fuch a band, toiling in a new fierce clime, enduring miferies unimagined by him before, gradually giving up all civilized ways, growing more and more indifferent to the deftruction of life—the life of animals, of his adversaries, of his companions, even his own — retaining the adroitness and fagacity of man, and becoming fell, reckless and rapacious as the fiercest brute of the foreft. Not more different the sea, when some midfummer morning, it comes, with its crifp, delicate little waves, fondling up to your feet, like your own dog-and the fame fea, when stormridden, it thunders in against you with foam and fury like a wild beast, than is the fimpering, profperous, civilized man, reftrained by a thousand invifible fetters, who has not known real hunger for years, from the fame man when he has ftarved and fought and bled, been alternately frozen and burnt up, and when his life in fact has become one mad, blinding contest with all around him.

Efpinofa's expedition, however murderous, being composed of fuch men as have been just described, was not unsuccessful in the way in which fuccefs was then reckoned, for he recovered the

gold which Badajoz had loft, and brought back eighty thousand pefos, and two thousand slaves. We are affured of this on the authority of an earlier hiftorian than Las Cafas,* and his words are the following, "He, Efpinofa, brought with him two "thousand captives, which, for carrying to Hifpa

niola, were then worth much money. Thence grew that rapid as well as miferable diminution "which these wretched nations fuffered, fince, " from defire for the gold which the merchants gave for these slaves in Darien, all the time that I they were outfide the walls of that city, both " those acquired in peace as well as those taken

"

in war, were put in irons." † Speaking, probably, of this fame expedition of Efpinofa's, one of the captains in it, Pafcual de Andagoya, fays, that they returned with fuch a number of flaves, that they were obliged to make two days' journey of fuch a short distance as three or four leagues; and he adds, that "all this company of flaves

* Diego de la Tovilla, Historia Barbárica.

+"Traia largos dos mil captivos, que para llevarlos los merca"dantes á la Española valian entonces muchos dineros. De donde "nació la tan presta como miserable caida que esta infelices Gen"tes dieron, pues con la cudicia del mucho oro que por ellos en el "Darien los tratantes les daban todo el tiempo que fuera de fus muros se veian afi al de paz como al de guerra ponian en hier"ros."-LAS CASAS, lib. 3, tom. 1, cap. 72.

66

Throughout these expeditions in the Terra ma, which would elfe perhaps be as interestas they are important, the reader is vexed and racted by new and uncouth names of people I of places. The very words Rome, Constanople, London, Genoa, Venice, stir the blood I arreft the attention: any small incident in ir fortunes enjoys fome of the accumulated ereft which is bound up with these time-hored names; while it requires an effort of imaation to care about what may happen to nogra, Dabaybe, Poncha, or Pocorofa. It is y on perceiving the immense importance of fe events which happen in the early days of -found countries, that we can fufficiently use our attention to confider fuch events at all.

"La cual con toda la demas que al Darien fué, acabó alli sus is."-NAV. Col. de Viag. tom. 3, P. 413.

tions in the Te haps be as inter

reader is vexed

names of peop s Rome, Conf ce, ftir the blo

fmall incident

the accumulated!

thefe time-ho

an effort of im

hay happen to Pocorola, It's importance of early days of

n fufficiently events at all.

Fué, acabó alli fus

whole world.

ditions, nothing has been said of the

doings of Vafco Nuñez, or of the

alings of Pedrarias with one whom he was narally inclined to look upon as a rival, and to cat as an enemy. Many and fevere must have en the comparisons made by the men who had -ved under Vasco Nuñez, between the fuccessful ode in which he had alternately foothed and rified the Indian Caciques, and the unsuccessful anner in which the captains of Pedrarias had osecuted their disastrous adventures. For fome me it appears that Vafco Nuñez remained an employed man, and, as we find from his letters the king, a very discontented and critical obver. He refolved to undertake an expedition his own, and sent secretly to Cuba for men to company him in peopling the coafts of the

uthern Sea.

It was, perhaps, at the folicitation of the Bishop