the fort at St. Domingo. This was preferved by the vigilance and courage of Don Diego Columbus. The mutineers were obliged to retire to the province of Xaragua, where they continued not only to dif claim the adelantado's authority themfelves, but excited the Indians to throw off the yoke.

Such was the distracted ftate of the colony when Columbus.landed at St. Domingo. He was aftonished to find that the three fhips which he had dispatched from the Canaries were not yet arrived. By the unskil fulness of the pilots, and the violence of currents, they had been carried a hundred and fixty miles to the weft of St. Domingo, and forced to take fhelter in a harbour of the province of Xaragua, where Roldan and his feditious followers were cantoned. Roldan carefully concealed from the commanders of the fhips his infurrection against the adelantado, and employing his utmost addrefs to gain their confidence, perfuaded them to fet on fhore a confiderable part of the new fettlers whom they brought over, that they might proceed by land to St. Domingo. It required but few arguments to prevail with thofe men to espouse his caufe. They were the refufe of the jails of Spain, to whom idlenefs, licentioufnefs, and deeds of violence were familiar; and they returned eagerly to a course of life nearly refembling that to which they had been accustomed. The commanders of the fhips perceiving, when it was too late, their imprudence in difembarking fo many of their men, stood away for St. Domingo, and got fafe into the port a few days after the admiral; but their ftock of provifions was fo wafted during a voyage of fuch long continuance, that they brought little relief to the colony.

By this junction with a band of fuch bold and defperate affociates, Roldan became extremely formidable, and no lefs extravagant in his demands. Columbus, though filled with refentment at his ingratitude, and highly exafperated by the infolence of his followers, made no haste to take the field. He trembled at the thoughts of kindling the flames of a civil war, in which, whatever party prevailed, the power and ftrength of both must be so much wafted, as might encourage the common enemy to unite and complete their deftruction. At the fame timė, he observed, that the prejudices and paffions which incited the rebels to take arms, had fo far infected those who still adhered to him, that many of them were adverfe, and all cold to the fervice. From fuch fentiments with refpect to the public intereft, as well as from this view of his own fituation, he chofe to negociate rather than to fight. By a feasonable proclamation, offering free pardon to fuch as fhould merit it by returning to their duty, he made impreffion upon fome of the malcontents. By engaging to grant fuch as fhould defire it the liberty of returning to No. II, I. Spain,

Spain, he allured all thofe unfortunate adventurers, who, from fickness and difappointment, were difgufled with the country. By promifing to re-establish Roldan in his former office, he foothed his pride; and by complying with most of his demands in behalf of his followers, he fatisfied their avarice. Thus, gradually and without bloodfhed, but after many tedious negociations, he diffolved this dangerous combination which threatened the colony with ruin; and restored the appearance of order, regular government, and tranquillity.

In confequence of this agreement with the mutineers, lands were alloted them in different parts of the island, and the Indians fettled in each district were appointed to cultivate a certain portion of ground for the use of thofe new mafters *. The performance of this work was fubftituted in place of the tribute formerly impofed; and how neceffary foever fuch a regulation might be in a fickly and feeble colony, it introduced among the Spaniards the Repartimientos, or diftributions of Indians established by them in all their fettlements, which brought numberless calamities upon that unhappy people, and subjected them to the most grievous oppreffion. This was not the only bad effect of the infurrection in Hifpaniola; it prevented Columbus from profecuting his difcoveries on the continent, as felf-prefervation obliged him to keep near his perfon his brother the adelantado, and the failors whom he intended to have employed in that fervice. As foon as his affairs would permit, he fent fome of his ships to Spain with a journal of the voyage which he had made, a description of the new countries which he had difcovered, a chart of the coaft along which he had failed, and fpecimens of the gold, the pearls, and other curious or valuable productions which he had acquired by trafficking with the natives. At the fame time he tranfmitted an account of the infurrection in Hifpaniola; he accused the mutineers not only of having thrown the colony into fuch violent convulfions as threatened its diffolution, but of having obftructed every attempt towards difcovery and improvement, by their unprovoked rebellion against their superiors, and proposed several regulations for the better government of the island, as well as the extinction of that mutinous fpirit, which, though fuppreffed at prefent, might foon burst out with additional rage. Roldan and his affociates did not neglect to convey to Spain, by the fame fhips, an apology for their own conduct, together with their recriminations upon the admiral and his brothers. Unfortunately for the honour of Spain, and the happiness of Columbus, the latter gained moft credit in the court of Ferdinand and Ifabella, and produced unexpected effects.

But, previous to the relating of thefe, it is proper to take a view of fome events, which merit attention, both on account of their own im. portance, and their connection with the hiftory of the New World. While Columbus was engaged in his fucceffive voyages to the weft, the fpirit of discovery did not languifh in Portugal, the kingdom where it frit acquired vigour, and became enterprifing. Self-condemnation and regret were not the only fentiments to which the fuccefs of Columbus, and reflection upon their own imprudence in rejecting his proposals, gave rife among the Portuguefe. They excited a general emulation to furpass his performances, and an ardent desire to make some reparation to their country for their own error. With this view, Emmanuel, who inherited the enterprifing genius of his predeceffors, perfifted in their grand scheme of opening a paffage to the Eaft Indies by the Cape of Good Hope; and foon after his acceffion to the throne, equipped a fquadron for that important voyage. He gave the command of it to Vafco de Gama, a man of noble birth, poffeffed of virtue, prudence, and courage, equal to the ftation. The fquadron, like all thofe fitted out for discovery in the infancy of navigation, was extremely feeble, confifting only of three veffels, of neither burden nor force adequate to the fervice. As the Europeans were at that time little acquainted with the course of the trade-winds and periodical monfoons which render naviga tion in the Atlantic ocean, as well as in the fea that separates Africa from India, at fome feafons eafy, and at others not only dangerous, but almost impracticable, the time chofen for Gama's departure was the moft improper during the whole year. He fet fail from Lisbon on the ninth of July, 1497, and standing towards the fouth, had to ftruggle for four months with contrary winds, before he could reach the Cape of Good Hope. On November 20, their violence began to abate; and during an interval of calm weather, Gama doubled that formidable promontory, which had fo long been the boundary of navigation, and directed his course towards the north-east, along the African coaft. He touched at feveral ports; and after various adventures, which the Portuguese hiftorians relate with high but just encomiums upon his conduct and intrepidity, he came to anchor before the city of Melinda. Throughout all the vast countries which extend along the coast of Africa, from the river Senegal to the confines of Zanguebar, the Portuguefe had found a race of men rude and uncultivated, ftrangers to letters, to arts and com→ merce, and differing from the inhabitants of Europe no lefs in their features and complexion, than in their manners and inftitutions. As they advanced from this, they obferved, to their inexpreffible joy, that the human form gradually altered and improved, the Afiatic features

I 2

began

began to predominate, marks of civilization appeared, letters were known, the Mahometan religion was established, and a commerce, far from being inconfiderable, was carried on. At that time feveral veffels from India were in the port of Melinda. Gama now pursued his voyage with almost abfolute certainty of fuccefs, and, under the conduct of a Mahometan pilot, arrived at Calecut, upon the coaft of Malabar, on the twenty-fecond of May one thousand four hundred and ninety-eight. What he beheld of the wealth, the populoufnefs, the cultivation, the induftry and arts of this highly civilized country, far furpaffed any idea that he had formed, from the imperfect accounts which the Europeans had hitherto received of it. But as he poffeffed neither fufficient force to attempt a fettlement, nor proper commodities with which he could carry on commerce of any confequence, he haftened back to Portugal, with an account of his fuccefs in performing a voyage the longeft, as well as most difficult, that had ever been made fince the first invention of navigation. He landed at Lisbon on the fourteenth of September, one thousand four hundred and ninety-nine, two years two months and five days from the time he left that port.

Thus, during the courfe of the fifteenth century, mankind made greater progrefs in exploring the ftate of the habitable globe, than in all the ages which had elapfed previous to that period. The spirit of dif covery, feeble at first and cautious, moved within a very narrow sphere, and made its efforts with hesitation and timidity. Encouraged by fuccefs, it became adventurous, and boldly extended its operations. In the courfe of its progreffion, it continued to acquire vigour, and advanced at length with a rapidity and force which burst through all the limits within which ignorance and fear had hitherto circumfcribed the activity of the human race. Almoft fifty years were employed by the Portuguefe in creeping along the coaft of Africa from Cape Non to Cape de Verd, the latter of which lies only twelve degrees to the fouth of the former. In less than thirty years they ventured beyond the equinoctial line into another hemifphere, and penetrated to the fouthern extremity of Africa, at the distance of forty-nine degrees from Cape de Verd. During the last seven years of the century, a New World was difcovered in the weft, not inferior in extent to all the parts of the earth with which mankind we at that time acquainted. In the east, unknown feas and countries were found out, and a communication, long defired, but hitherto concealed, was opened between Europe and the opulent regions of India. In comparison with events fo wonderful and unexpected, all that had hitherto been deemed great or splendid, faded away and difappeared. Vaft objects now prefented themselves. The

human

human mind, roufed and interefted by the profpect, engaged with ardour in pursuit of them, and exerted its active powers in a new direction.

This fpirit of enterprife, though but newly awakened in Spain, began foon to operate extenfively. All the attempts towards difcovery made in that kingdom, had hitherto been carried on by Columbus alone, and at the expence of the fovereign. But now private adventurers, allured by the magnificent defcriptions he gave of the regions which he had vifited, as well as by the fpecimens of their wealth which he produced, offered to fit out squadrons at their own risk, and to go in queft of new countries. The Spanish court, whofe fcanty revenues, were exhaufted by the charge of its expeditions to the New World, which, though they opened alluring profpects of future benefit, yielded a very sparing return of prefent profit, was extremely willing to devolve the burden of difcovery upon its fubjects. It feized with joy an opportunity of rendering the avarice, the ingenuity, and efforts of projectors, inftrumental in promoting defigns of certain advantage to the public, though of doubtful fuccefs with refpect to themfelves. One of the firft propofitions of this kind was made by Alonso de Ojeda, a gallant and active officer, who had accompanied Columbus in his fecond voyage. His rank and character procured him fuch credit with the merchants of Seville, that they undertook to equip four fhips, provided he could ob tain the royal licence, authorifing the voyage. The powerful patronage of the bifhop of Badajos eafily fecured fuccefs in a fuit fo agreeable to the court. Without confulting Columbus, or regarding the rights and jurisdiction which he had acquired by the capitulation in one thousand four hundred and ninety-two, Ojeda was permitted to fet out for the New World. In order to direct his course, the bishop communicated to him the admiral's journal of his last voyage, and his charts of the countries which he had difcovered. Ojeda ftruck out into no new path of navigation, but adhering fervilely to the route which Columbus had taken, arrived on the coaft of Paria. He traded with the natives, and ftanding to the weft, proceeded as far as Cape de Vela, and ranged along a confiderable extent of coaft beyond that on which Columbus had touched. Having thus afcertained the opinion of Columbus, that this country was a part of the continent, Ojeda returned in October, by way of Hifpaniola to Spain, with fome reputation as a discoverer, but with little benefit to those who had raised the funds for the expedition. Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine gentle man, accompanied Ojeda in this voyage. In what station he served, is uncertain; but as he was an experienced failor, and eminently skilful in all the fciences fubfervient

to