applied from himfelf and from his meafures, he by his activity and perfeverence, by fome conceffions, and many threats, obtained at length a fmall body of troops to protect him and his colony at their firft landing. But upon his return to Puerto Rico, he found that the difeafes of the climate had been fatal to feveral of his people; and that others having got employment in that ifland, refused to follow him. With the handful that remained, he fet fail and landed in Cumana. Ocampo had executed his commiffion in that province with fuch barbarous rage, having maflacred many of the inhabitants, fent others in chains to Hifpaniola, and forced the reft to fly for fhelter to the woods, that the people of a fmall colony, which he had planted at a place which he named Toledo, were ready to perifh for want in a defolate country. There, however, Las Cafas was obliged to fix his refidence, though deferted both by the troops appointed to protect him, and by thofe under the command of Ocampo, who forefaw and dreaded the calamities to which he must be expofed in that wretched ftation. He made the beft provifion in his power for the safety and subfiftence of his followers; but as his utmoft efforts availed little towards fecuring either the one or the other, he returned to Hifpaniola, in order to folicit more effectual aid for the prefervation of men, who from confidence in him had ventured into

a poft of fo much danger. Soon after his departure, the natives, having difcovered the feeble and defencelefs ftate of the Spaniards, affembled fecretly, attacked them with the fury natural to men exasperated by many injuries, cut off a good number, and compelled the rest to fly in the utmost confternation to the ifland of Cubagua. The fmall colony fettled there, on account of the pearl fishery, catching the panick with which their countrymen had been feized, abandoned the ifland, and not a Spaniard remained in any part of the continent, or adjacent iflands, from the gulf of Paria to the borders of Darien. Aftonifhed at fuch a fucceffion of difafters, Las Cafas was afhamed to fhew his face after this fatal termination of all his fplendid fchemes. He fhut himself up in the convent of the Dominicans at St. Domingo, and foon after affumed the habit of that order. z)

Though the expulfion of the colony from Cumana happened in the year one thousand five hundred and twenty-one, I have chofen to trace the progrefs of Las Cafas's negociations from their firft rife to their final iffue without interruption. His fyftem was the object of long and attentive difcuffion; and though his efforts in behalf of the oppreffed Americans,

z) Herrera, dec. 2. lib. x. c. 5. dec. 3. lib. ii. c. 3, 4, 5. Oviedo, Hift. lib. xix. c. 5. Gomara, c. 77. Davila Padilla, lib. i, c. 97. Remifal. Hift. Gen. lib. xi. c. 22, 23.

partly from his own rafhness and imprudence, and partly from the malevolent oppofition of his adverfaries, were not attended with that fuccefs which he promifed with too fanguine confidence, great praife is due to his humane activity, which gave rise to various regulations which were of fome benefit to that unhappy people. I return now to the hiftory of the Spanish discoveries, as they occur in the order of time. a)

New discoveries towards the west.

Diego Vela fquez, who conquered Cuba in the year one toufand five hundred and eleven, ftill retained the government of that island, as the deputy of Don Diego Columbus, though he feldom acknowledged his fuperior, and aimed at rendering his own authority altogether independent. b) Under his prudent adminiftration, Cuba became one of the moft flourishing of the Spanish fettlements. The fame of this allured many perfons from the other colonies thither, in hopes of finding either fome permanent establishment, or fome employment for their activity. As Cuba lay to the west of all the islands occupied by the Spaniards, and as the ocean, which ftretches beyond it towards that quarter, had not hitherto been explored,

a) Herrera, dec. 2. lib. x. c. 5. p. 329. b) lbid. lib. ii. c. 19.

thefe circumftances naturally invited the inhabitants to attempt new difcoveries. An expedition for this purpofe, in which activity and refolution might conduct to fudden wealth, was more fuited to the genius of the age, than the patient industry requifite in clearing ground, and manufacturing fugar. Inftigated by this fpirit, feveral officers, who had ferved under Pedrarias in Darien, entered into an affociation to undertake a voyage of difcovery.

They perfuaded Francifco Hernandez Cordova, an opulent planter in Cuba, and a man of diftinguifhed courage, to join with them in the adventure, and chofe him to be their commander. Velafquez not only approved of the defign, but affifted in carrying it on. As the veterans from Darien were extremely indigent, he and Cordova advanced money for purchafing three fmall veffels, and furnishing them with every thing requifite either for traffick or for war. A hundred and ten men embarked on board of them, and failed from St. Jago de Cuba on the eighth of February one thousand five hundred and feventeen. By the advice of their chief pilot, Antonio Alaminos, who had ferved under the first admiral Columbus, they ftood directly weft relying on the opinion of that great navigator, who uniformly maintained that a wefterly courfe would lead to the most important discoveries.

Yucatan.

On the twenty first day after their departure from St. Jago, they faw land, which proved to be Cape Catoche, the eaftera point of that large peninfula projecting from the continent of America, which still retains its original name of Yucatan. As they approached the fhore, five canoes came off full of people decently clad in cotton garments; an aftonishing fpectacle to the Spaniards, who had found every other part of America poffeffed by naked favages. Cordova endeavoured by fmall pre fents to gain the goodwill of these people. They, though amazed at the strange objects now prefented for the first time to their view, invited the Spaniards to vifit their habitations, with an appearance of cordiality. They landed accordingly, and as they advanced into the country, they obferved with new wonder fome large houfes built with ftone. But they foon found that, if the people of Yucatan had made progrefs in improvement beyond their countrymen, they were likewife more artful and warlike. For though the cazique received Cordova with many tokens of friendship, he had pofted a confiderable body of his fubjects in ambush behind a thicket, who, upon a fignal given by him, rufhed out and attacked the Spaniards with great boldnefs, and fome degree of martial order. At the first flight of