however, to land at St. Domingo for reasons which are obvious. 1502. Ovando arrives at go. Nicholas de Ovando arrives at St. Domingo the 15th of April 1502. Las Casas, now in his 28th year, came out in the fame fleet; and he tells St. Dominus that as the vessels neared the shore, the Spanish 50. Colonists ran down to hear the news from home, and to tell their good news exultingly in return, which was, that an extraordinary lump of gold had been found and that certain Indians were in revolt. "I heard it myself," the historian says; and he is right to chronicle the fact, showing as it does the views which prevailed among the settlers, of the advantage of an Indian revolt in furnishing slaves. This great piece of gold which they talked about, had been found accidentally by an Indian woman at the mines, while liftlessly moving her rake to and fro in the water one day during dinner time. It contained 3000 pefos worth, equal to 1350000 maravedis, and in the feftivities that took place on the occafion, was used as a difh for a roast pig, the miners faying that no king of Caftile had ever feafted from a dish of fuch value. We do not find that the poor Indian woman had any part in the good fortune. Indeed, as Las Casas fays, she was fortunate if she had any portion of the meat, not to speak of the dish. mining. Amidst the clamour of fuch welcome, the new Governor lands, is duly received by the authorities, and commences the affairs of government. He announces the refidencia of Bobadilla, and takes Roldan prisoner. The people he had Rage for brought with him rush off to the mines, knowing nothing of the kind of work, or how the veins ran, or anything about it. Their provisions failed them; fevers seized them; and, in short, more than a thousand of Ovando's two thousand five hundred perished at once in a wretched manner. The only people who had food to traffic with were the three hundred Castilians, old refidents as we may call them, and as they had scarcely any clothes, fuch of the new comers as had clothes, or tools, were enabled to get food for a time. It could not be expected, however, that the food provided by three hundred improvident people would go far amongst two thousand five hundred. Farmers thrive. Here it may be noticed that in general those colonists who devoted themselves to mining remained poor, while the farmers grew rich. When melting-time came, which was at stated intervals of eight months, it often happened that, after the King's dues were paid, and those, who had claims upon the produce for advances already made to the miners, were satisfied, nothing remained for the miner himself. And fo all this blood and toil were not paid for even in money and many still continued to eat their meals from the fame wooden platters they had been accustomed to in the old country, only with discontented minds and fouls beginning to be embruted by cruelty. While Ovando is doing what he can in the troubles that met him at the outset of his administration, Columbus fuddenly appears again upon the scene-thoroughly unwelcome no doubt to the new Governor. One of Columbus's veffels wants refitting, and he wishes to change her for another in the fleet; moreover, as he informs Ovando, he defires to enter the port of St. Domingo, because he forefees that a hurricane is coming on. The landfman Ovando perceives nothing of the kind; and is only anxious to get Columbus away as foon as he can, and thus to obey the orders received from their Highnesses, which were that Columbus fhould not land at St. Domingo. Befides, Bobadilla is not yet gone, and Roldan and his faction are there, so there is no knowing what tumult might arise if Columbus were permitted to land. In fine, Ovando ftands upon the orders he had received, and very wifely, as it appears to me, with his lights, refuses to allow Columbus to enter the harbour. That Ovando put no faith in the great navigator's prophecy about the coming hurricane, is manifeft, because he sent away at that moment the return fleet to Spain. Columbus made as quickly as he could for fome fafe anchorage. The hurricane did come on and raged furiously. The greater part of the return fleet fank. Bobadilla perished, Roldan perished, and there was a grand clearance made of the enemies of Columbus. Amongst the few veffels that escaped was a lumbering one, the worst in the fleet it is faid, which was taking back the goods of Columbus to Spain. The men of that day faw in this the especial hand of Providence. This fame hurricane did great damage to the town of St. Domingo, and the Governor took occafion to change the fite of the town to the other fide of the river where it now ftands. About this time, too, he bestirred himself in founding fettlements. The first that he refolved to found was on the North of the island, at the Puerto de Plata, one of his reasons for founding a fettlement there being the great multitude of Indians in that part:* so that at any rate at that time Hifpaniola * Por la mucha multitud de Indios que en ella avia. Herrera, dec. I, lib. 5, cap 4. See alfo Columbus's letter to the pope, anno 1502. The was not depopulated. The expedition, in their Origin of the revolt in Higuey. |