their arrows, fifteen of the Spaniards were wounded; but the Indians were ftruck with fuch terror by the fudden explofion of the fire arms, and fo furprised at the execution done by them, by the crofs bows, and by the other weapons of their new enemies, that they fled precipitately. Cordova quitted (1520.) a country where he had met with fuch a fierce reception, carrying off two prifoners, together with the ornaments of a fmall temple, which he plundered in his retreat.

Campeachy.

He continued his courfe towards the weft without lofing fight of the coaft, and on the fixteenth day arrived at Campeachy. There the natives received them more hofpitably; but the Spaniards were much furprised, that on all the extenfive coaft along which they had failed, and which they imagined to be a large ifland, they had not observed any river. c) As their water began to fail, they advanced, in hopes of finding a fupply; and at length they difcovered the mouth of a river at Potonchan, fome leagues beyond Campeachy.

Cordova landed all his troops in order to protect the failors while employed in filling the cafks; but notwithstanding this precaution, the natives rushed down upon them with fuch fury,

c) See NOTE XXVI.

and in fuch numbers, that forty-feven of the Spaniards were killed upon the fpot, and one man only of the whole body efcaped unhurt. Their commander, though wounded in twelve different places, directed the retreat with prefence of mind equal to the courage with which he had led them on in the engagement, and with much difficulty they regained their fhips. After this fatal repulfe, nothing remained but to haften back to Cuba with their shattered forces. In their paffage thither they fuffered the moft exquifite diftrefs for want of water, that men wounded and fickly, shut up in small veffels, and expofed to the heat of the torrid zone, can be fuppofed to endure. Some of them, finking under thefe calamities, died by the way; Cordova, their commander, expired foon after they landed in Cuba. d)

Voyage of Grijalva.

Notwithstanding the difaftrous conclufion of this expedition, it contributed rather to animate than to damp a spirit of enterprize among the Spaniards. They had difcovered an extenfive country, fituated at no great distance from Cuba, fertile in appearance, and poffeffed by a people far fuperior in improvement to any

d) Herrera, dec. 2. lib. ii. c. 17. 18. Hiftor. Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva Espanna por Bernal Diaz del Caftillo, cap. 1-7. Oviedo, lib. xvii. c. 3. Gomara, c. 5%. P. Martyr de Infulis nuper inventis, p. 329.

hitherto known in America. Though they had carried on little commercial intercourfe with the natives, they had brought off fome ornaments of gold, not confiderable in value, but of fingular fabrick. Thefe circumftances, related with the exaggeration natural to men defirous of heightening the merit of their own exploits, were more than fufficient to excite romantick hopes and expectations. Great numbers offered to engage in a new expedition. Velafquez, folicitous to diftinguifh himself by fome fervice fo meritorious, as might entitle him to claim the government of Cuba independent of the admiral, not only encouraged their ardour, but at his own expence fitted out four fhips for the voyage. Two hundred and forty volunteers, among whom were feveral perfons of rank and fortune, embarked in this enterprise. The command of it was given to Juan de Grijalva, a young man of known merit and courage, with inftructions to obferve with attention the nature of the countries which he should discover, to barter for gold, and if circumftances were inviting, to fettle a colony in fome proper ftation.

Discovers New Spain, Tabafco, Guaxaca, St. Juan de Ulua.

He failed from St. Jago de Cuba on the eighth of April one thousand five hundred and eighteen. The pilot Alaminos held the fame courfe as in the former voyage; but the violence

of the currents carrying the fhips to the fouth, the first land which they made was the ifland of Cozumel, (3. May 1518.) to the east of Yucatan. As all the inhabitants fled to the woods and mountains at the approach of the Spaniards, they made no long stay there, and, without any remarkable occurence, they reached Potonchan on the oppofite fide of the peninfula. The defire of avenging their countrymen who had been flain there, concurred with their ideas of good policy, in prompting them to land, that they might chaftife the Indians of that diftri&t with fuch exemplary rigour, as would ftrike terror into all the people around them. But though they difembarked all their troops, and carried afhore fome fieldpieces, the Indians fought with fuch courage, that the Spaniards gained the victory with difficulty, and were confirmed in their opinion, that the inhabitants of this country would prove more formidable enemies than any they had met with in other parts of America. From Potonchan, they continued their voyage towards the weft, keeping as near as poffible to the fhore, and cafting anchor every evening, from dread of the dangerous accidents to which they might be expofed in an unknown fea. During the day, their eyes were turned continually towards land, with a mixture of furprife and wonder at the beauty of the country, as well as the novelty of the objects which they

they beheld.

Many villages were fcattered along the coast, in which they could distinguish houses of ftone that appeared white and lofty at a distance. In the warmth of their admiration, they fancied these to be cities adorned with towers and pinnacles; and one of the foldiers happening to remark that this country resembled Spain in its appearance, Grijalva, with universal applaufe, called it New Spain, the name which ftill distinguishes this extenfive and opulent province of the Spanish empire in America. They landed (9.June 1518.) in a river which the natives called Tabafco, and the fame of their victory at Potonchan having reached this place, the cazique not only received them amicably, but bestowed prefents upon them of fuch value, as confirmed the high ideas which the Spaniards had formed with refpect to the wealth and fertility of the country. These ideas were raised ftill higher by what occurred at the place where they next touched. This was confiderably to the weft of Tabasco, in the province fince known by the name of Guaxaca. There they were received with refpe&t paid to fuperior beings. The people perfumed them as they landed with incense of gum copal, and presented to them as offerings the choiceft delicacies of their country. They were extremely fond of trading with their new vifitants, and in fix days the Spaniards obtained ornaments of gold, of curious workmanship, to ROBERTSON, Tom. I, X