to Bello. Whilst thus coasting, he went ashore at several places, and sometimes proceeded up the country, but did not penetrate so far as to cross the isthmus, which separates the Atlantic from the Pacific ocean. It was his design to have settled a colony to the West of Porto Bello; but this scheme was so much disrellished by his people, that he could not effect it, and was, therefore, deprived of the glory of planting the first colony on the continent of Ame rica. On his return home ward, he met with tempestuous weather of long continuance, by which his ships were so shattered, that being no longer able to keep them above water, he ran them aground on the island of Jamaica. In this emergency, he procured from the natives two of their largest canoes, in which he dispatched some of his people to inform Ovando of his misfortune, and to solicit his aid; but the merciless wretch detained the messengers eight months without an answer, and, in the mean time, left CoJumbus to suffer the severest hardship, from the discontent of his companions, and the want of provisions. The natives had, at first, been very liberal in bringing in to their new guests a part of such food as they had provided for themselves; but their long continuance amongst them having greatly exhausted their store, they at last determined to grant them no farther supplies. In this extremity, the fertile invention of Columbus suggested an expedient, which proved successful. Knowing that a total eclipse of the moon was at hand, he sent for some of the principal Indians, and informed them, that the God, whom he worshipped, was angry with them for denying him provisions, and would punish them with pestilence and famine; as a proof of which, the moon would, that very evening, be covered with blood. Some received this intelligence with terror; others with indifference: but when the eclipse appeared at the cise time he had predicted, they came in crowds pre loaded with provisions, and begged him to intercede with his God in their behalf. Columbus, for some time, retired to his cabin, and when the eclipse began to go off, came out and informed them, that God had heard his prayers, and promised, that, if they would, in future, supply him with provisions, he would forgive them; and that as a token, the moon would re-assume its usual appearance. They returned him their thanks, and from that time, during his stay on the island, there was no more want of provisions. After having suffered innumerable hardships, chiefly from the neglect of Ovando, some of his people were at last able to buy a small vessel at Hispaniola, in which, when brought round to Jamaica, Columbus and his men set sail; and after a long and distressing voyage, in which the ship lost her masts, arrived at St. Lucar, in Spain, in May 1505. year His patroness Isabella had been dead some time, and with her had expired all the favour, which he had ever enjoyed in the court of Ferdinand. Disgusted with the ingratitude of a monarch, whom he had served with so much fidelity and success, and worn out with fatigue, he ended his active and useful life, at Valladolid, on the 20th May 1506, in the 59th of his age. He died with a composure of mind suited to the magnanimity which distinguished his character, and with sentiments of piety becoming the sincere respect for religion, which he manifested in every occurrence of his life. He was grave, though courteous in his deportment, circumspect in his words and actions, irreproachable in his morals, and exemplary in his religious duties. The king was so just to his memory, notwithstanding his ingratitude, duting his life, that he buried him magnificently, in the Cathedral of Seville, and erected a tomb over him with this inscription: A Castilla, ya Leon, To Castile and Leon Columbus gave a New World. CONDORCET, (CARITAT DE) so much celebrated in the annals of the French revolution, was descended from a noble family, and born at Avignon in France, about the year 1750. There he received a good education, and applied himself, particularly to the study of mathematics and the belles lettres. He was early in life introduced to Voltaire and D' Alembert, and from them imbibed those principles of scepticism, which at last, as is said, degenerated even to perfect atheism. Under these principles, he formed his mind, and endeavoured to cultivate a similarity of taste. Condorcet was assiduous and even servile in his attention to the great, and by their favour, was, in 1791, nominated perpetual secretary of the academy of sciences, at Paris. His principal claim to literary reputation arises from a life of Voltaire, which accompanied a compleat edition of his works. He also wrote some tracts, which are now little known, and which conveyed his favourite principles of infidelity. Condorcet, by being an active member of most of those societies, which had been formed in France, for the ostensible purpose of diffusing political knowledge, was at the beginning of the revolution, a very popular character, and accordingly, at that period, commenced editor of a newspaper, called Le Chronique de Paris, which, perhaps, as much as any other publication of the times, tended to overthrow the French monarchy and to bring about the new order of things. Condorcet was a member of the Jacobin Club,but his eloquence was not calculated to assist the cause he espoused, by speaking so much as by writing. His voice was shrill and squeaking, and his timidity was so great, that his votes often counteracted the effects of his arguments, owing to the fear of the galleries. At the period of the king's flight to Varennes, Condorcet was one of the projectors of, and a principal contributor to the paper called Le Republican. His wife, at the same time, was engaged in translating into French, the essays written by Thomas Paine. At the dissolution of the constituent assembly, Condorcet was elected deputy for Paris. He followed the political career of Brissot, and was also an ardent adversary of the emigrants, against whom he called forth severe degrees, and made several violent harangues. He was still distinguished by his atheistical principles, and declared in the assembly, that the efficacy of an oath was totally independent of the belief of a God. He was also a strenuous promoter of all the severe and violent measures against the clergy. Notwithstanding his atheism, the National Assembly appointed him a member of the committee of public instruction. To this subject he applied with great attention, and presented to the legislature, the report of a plan for forming the minds of the rising generation, the expence of which was estimated at 24,000,000 of livres (4,662,000 dollars). The project was received, but never put into execution. Condorcet drew up the famous manifesto published by the French nation to all the powers of Europe, on the approach of war. This paper was received with the loudest applause, ordered to be printed, transmitted to the executive power for the purpose of communicating it to foreign nations, sent to the eighty three departments, to all the regiments of the line and national battalions, and translated into all languages. After the dreadful events of the 10th of August 1792, Condorcet assiduously united his endeavours with the other chiefs of the republicans, in bringing about a total subversion of the French monarchy, and in effecting the new system of government. With this view he wrote his Reflections, in which he endeavoured to assimilate the revolution, which took place in England in 1688, to that, which had been effected in France in 1792. He also drew up an exposition of the motives, by which the assembly had acted. Upon the meeting of the first convention, Condorcet was appointed vice-president, and was one of the committee appointed to revise the constitution. In this arduous undertaking, so much reliance was placed on his abilities and judgment, that the committee permitted him to assume the principal merit of the work. His production was submitted to the convention, where the constitutional act obtained feeble approbation, but the Jacobins pronounced it detestable. During the contest between the Mountain and the Brissotines, Condorcet maintained a cautious silence, having scarcely spoke in the convention for eight months. He seems, likewise, to have been singularly wary, in not risking an opinion on any party question. Yet, though he could conquer every sentiment of friendship, and stifle every indignant sensation, at the destruction of his party, his vanity as an author propelled him to a fatal exertion: for, when the constitution, commonly called the constitution of 1793, had been accepted, he published An Address to all French citizens, reprobating the extreme rapidity and want of consideration, with which it had been framed and accepted; and detailing the numerous acts of violence, by which the prevailing party had established their influence.. This rash act placed him in the power of the Mountain, and Chabot moved for a decree of accusation against him, which was immediately granted. |