That although it is neceffary for him to know the life of every one, yet he must not be overinquifitive about it, or rout up offences which are not brought before him officially. "Since if all "offences were looked into, few men, or none, "would be without punishment." Befides, for fecret faults men may correct themselves: if those faults are made known, and especially if they are overpunished, shame is loft and men give way to their bad impulses.

That he is to encourage those who work and difcourage the idle, as the Universal Father does.

That, as regards liberality, he should fo conduct himself, that men fhould not dare to ask him for things which they knew he would have to deny : this would be a great restraint upon them, and a great proof of good reputation in a Governor.

That, in fine, all that had been faid confifted in this, that he was to govern as he would be governed and that "it behoved him to be intent "on business, to fhow courage in difficulties and

management in all things, brevity in executing "useful determinations, yet not as if carried away "by paffion, but always upon good counsel; confidering much what a charge was upon him, "for this thought would be useful to him at all "times

and above all things he was to take

"heed (in order that might not happen to him "which happened to the Admiral)* that when

any occafion for dealing briefly with an offence "occurred, he should have swift recourse to pun"ishment, for in fuch cases the remedy ought "to be like a thunderbolt."†

After reading the above, we cannot say that Los Reyes were inattentive to the government of their Indian poffeffions. It is faid by Herrera and Las Cafas that the Catholic Sovereigns affigned a duration of two years to Ovando's government; and Charlevoix, in his history of St. Domingo, fays that it was their intention at the end of those two years, to reinstate the Admiral. I do not give credit to this; and in the document appointing Ovando, the words are, that he is to be governor as long as it is their Highnesses' will and pleasure.‡ There is a restriction upon him, but it is one that regards the extent of his government and not the duration of it. It is declared that his authority

*This paffage is remarkable as it shows the King supposed the Admiral to fail as a Governor from indecifiveness, a very different thing from severity and yet not inconfiftent with it. The pofition of Columbus as a foreigner may account for this want of decifion, if the king was right in attributing it to him. + Herrera, dec. 1, lib. 4, c. 13.

‡ Navarrete, Col. Doc. Dip. vol. 2, p. 255.

1502.

is not to extend to the islands where Alonso de Ojeda and Vicente Yañez Pinzon are governing. I have not, hitherto, made mention of these two discoverers, or, indeed, of any others befides the Admiral; being defirous to keep, if poffible, to the main current of the history of the New World. If we fuffer ourselves to be diverted from that, we shall get into fome fuch perplexity as we should, if we ourselves were navigating without chart in the midst of those West Indian feas thick with shoals and iflets. Where the proceedings in respect of any one island will not give us an adequate view of the general policy, we must have recourse to the history of other islands; but, for the present, we follow the fate of the island first fettled, and which may be confidered as the feat of government in the West Indies, Hifpaniola.

At the fame time it must not be fuppofed but that American discovery is fpreading out in feveral directions. Their Highneffes have already made terms with many adventurers whom the fine things brought home from the Indies and the renown that men have gained there, tempt irresistibly to further daring.

On the 13th of February 1502, Nicholas de Ovando leaves the Port of San Lucar to take poffeffion of his new government, having under

him a gallant company of two thousand five hundred perfons, a large proportion of them being Hidalgoes. He will meet with a terrible storm on his way, and may be very thankful to reach St. Domingo at all, which, however, he will accomplish on the 15th of the enfuing April. Meanwhile, we will take this opportunity, as many perhaps of his company did, to talk over the state and profpects of the royal family of Spain, which materially affect our subject.

Death had made many a fad inroad into the home of Ferdinand and Isabella. They had loft Royal family of their only fon, Prince John, in 1497. Of their Spain. four daughters, Ifabel had married the heir of the Portuguese throne, and after his death, without children, the next heir. She died in giving birth to a fon and the child died foon afterwards. Juana, the second daughter, was married to Philip, fon of Maximilian the Emperor, and had two fons, Charles, afterwards Charles V. and Ferdinand, King of the Romans. Catharine of Aragon, another daughter, was married, as we all know, into the Royal family of England. Then there was Maria who married the widower of her fifter Ifabel.

Juana was now the heiress, and she was "Juana la loca"-Juana the infane. Her husband Philip

N

had lately visited Spain; but wearied of the Spaniards and probably not less so of his doting and imbecile wife, he had set off again for Flanders. Doubtless all these domestic troubles had faddened the heart and injured the health of Isabella; and we must not be surprised if at no distant time we have to lose the light of her loving countenance on our Indian affairs. As long, however, as there is any fpark of life in her, she will not be wanting

to us.

It must be remembered, while we are difcuffing the affairs of the Royal Family of Spain, that the Kingdom of Caftile was effentially separate from that of Aragon, and that on Ifabella's death, Caftile, and with it the Indies, muft go to the helpless Juana and therefore to her husband;not to the politic Ferdinand, into whose fagacity for government we have just had fome infight from that address of his to Ovando. On every account then the ftate of the Royal family is a matter of moment to the Indies.

We may also mention at this time, though it is not neceffarily connected with our subject, that Columbus was received very graciously by their Highneffes; was promised to be reinstated in his rights; and is about to commence his fourth and last voyage of discovery. He is not,