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flourished in Europe. The foil feemed to be rich, but bore few marks of cultivation. The climate, even to Spaniards, felt warmthough extremely delightful. The inhabitants appeared in the fimple innocence of nature, entirely naked. Their black hair, long and uncurled, floated upon their fhoulders, or was bound in treffes around their heads. They had no beards, and every part of their bodies was perfectly fmooth. Their complexion was of a dufky copper colour, their features fingular, rather than difagreeable, their aspect gentle and timid. Though not tall, they were well shaped, and active. Their faces, and feveral parts of their body, were fantaftically painted with glaring colours. They were fhy at first through fear, but foon became familiar with the Spaniards, and with transports of joy received from them hawks-bells, glafs beads, or other baubles, in return for which they gave fuch provifions as they had, and fome cotton yarn, the only commodity of value that they could produce. Towards evening, Columbus returned to his fhips, accompanied by many of the islanders in their boats, which they called canoes, and though rudely formed out of the trunk of a single tree, they rowed them with furprifing dexterity. Thus, in the firft interview between the inhabitants of the old and new worlds, every thing was conducted amicably, and to their mutual fatisfaction. The former, enlightened and am

bitious, formed already vaft ideas with respec to the advantages which they might derive from the regions that began to open to their view. The latter, fimple and undifcerning, had no forefight of the calamities and defolation which were approaching their country.

Columbus affumes the title of admiral and viceroy.

Columbus, who now affumed the title and authority of admiral and viceroy, called the ifland which he had difcovered San Salvador. It is better known by the name of Guanahani, which the natives gave to it, and is one of that large clufter of iflands called the Lucaya or Bahama ifles. It is fituated above three thousand miles to the weft of Gomera, from which the fquadron took its departure, and only four degrees to the fouth of it; fo little had Columbus deviated from the wefterly course, which he had chofen as the moft proper.

Proceeds towards the fouth.

Columbus employed the next day in vifiting the coafts of the ifland; and from the univerfal poverty of the inhabitants, he perceived that this was not the rich country for which he fought. But, conformably to his theory concerning the difcovery of thofe regions of Afia which ftretched towards the eaft, he concluded that San Salvador was one of the ifles which geographers defcribed as fituated in the vaft

ocean adjacent to India t). Having obferved that most of the people whom he had seen more fmall plates of gold, by way of ornament, in their noftrils, he eagerly inquired where they got that precious metal. They pointed towards the fouth, and made him comprehend by figns, that gold abounded in countries fituated in that quarter. Thither he immediately determined to direct his courfe, in full confidence of finding there thofe opulent regions which had been the object of his voyage, and would be a recompence for all his toils and dangers. He took along with him feven of the natives of San Sal vador, that, by acquiring the Spanish language, they might serve as guides and interpreters; and thofe innocent people confidered it as a mark of diftinction when they were felected to accompany him.

Difcovers Cuba.

He faw feveral iflands, and touched at three of the largeft, on which he bestowed the names of St. Mary of the Conception, Fernandina, and Ifabella. But as their foil, productions, and inhabitants nearly refembled thofe of San Salvador, he made no ftay in any of them. He inquired every where for gold, and received uniformly for answer, that it was brought from the fouth. He followed that courfe, and foon difcovered a country of vaft extent, not perfect

t) Pet. Mart, epift. 135.

ly level, like thofe which he had already vifited, but fo diversified with rifing grounds, hills, rivers, woods, and plains, that he was uncertain whether it might prove an ifland, or part of the continent. The natives of San Salvador, whom he had on board, called it Cuba; Columbus gave it the name of Juanna. He enter

ed the mouth of a large river with his fquadron, and all the inhabitants fled to the mountains as he approached the fhore. But as he refolved to careen his fhips in that place, he fent fome Spaniards, together with one of the people of San Salvador, to view the interior parts of the country. They, having advanced above fixty miles from the fhore, reported, upon their return, that the foil was richer and more cultivated than any they had hitherto difcovered; that, befides many scattered cottages, they had found one village, containing above a thousand inhabitants; that the people though naked, feemed to be more intelligent than thofe of San Salvador, but had treated them with the fame refpectful attention, kiffing their feet, and honouring them as facred beings allied to Heaven; that they had given them to eat a certain root, the tafte of which refembled roafted chefnuts, and likewife a fingular fpecies of corn called maize, which, either when roafted whole, or ground into meal, was abundantly palatable; that there feemed to be no four-footed animals

in the country, but a fpecies of dogs, which

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could not bark, and a creature refembling a rabbit, but of a much smaller fize; that they had obferved fome ornaments of gold among the people, but of no great value u).

His conjectures with regard to it.

These meffengers had prevailed with fome of the natives to accompany them, who informed Columbus, that the gold of which they made their ornaments was found in Cubanacan. By this word they meant the middle 'or inland part of Cuba; but Columbus, being ignorant of their language, as well as unaccustomed to their pronunciation, and his thoughts running continually upon his own theory concerning the difcovery of the East Indies, he was led, by the refemblance of found, to fuppofe that they spoke of the Great Khan, and imagined that the opulent kingdom of Cathay, defcribed by Marco Polo, was not very remote. This induced him to employ fome time in viewing the country. He visited almoft every harbour, from Porto del Principe, on the north coaft of Cuba, to the eastern extremity of the ifland; but, though delighted with the beauty of the fcenes, which every where prefented themfelves, and amazed at the luxuriant fertility of the foil, both which, from their novelty, made a more lively impreffion upon his imagination x), he did not find u) Life of Columbus, c. 24 - 28. Herrera, decad. 1. lib. I.

x) See NOTE XIV.

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