gardless of the prudent inftructions which he had given them, every man became independent, and gratified his defires without controul. The gold, the women, the provifions of the natives, were all the prey of thofe licentious oppreffors. They roamed in small parties over the ifland, extending their rapacity and infolence to every corner of it. Gentle and timid as the people were, thofe unprovoked injuries at lenght exhausted their patience, and rouzed their courage. The cacique of Cibao, whofe country the Spaniards chiefly infefted on account of the gold which it contained, furprifed and cut off feveral of them, while they ftraggled in as perfect fecurity as if their conduct had been altogether inoffenfive. He then affembled his fubjects, and furrounding the fort, fet it on fire. Some of the Spaniards were killed in defending it, the reft perifhed in attempting to make their escape by croffing an arm of the sea. Guacanahari, whom all their exactions had not alienated from the Spaniards, took arms in their behalf, and, in endeavouring to protect them, had received a wound, by which he was ftill confined q).

His prudent conduc.

Though this account was far from removing the fufpicions which the Spaniards entertained

q) P. Martyr. decad. p. 22. &c. Herrera, decad. i. lib. il. c. 7. 9. Life of Columbus, e: 49.50.

with respect to the fidelity of Guacanahari, Columbus perceived fo clearly that this was not a proper juncture for inquiring into his condu& with fcrupulous accuracy, that he rejected the advice of feveral of his officers, who urged him to feize the perfon of that prince, and to revenge the death of their countrymen by attacking his subjects. He reprefented to them the neceffity of fecuring the friendship of some potentate of the country, in order to facilitate the fettlement which they intended, and the danger of driving the natives to unite in fome defperate attempt against them, by fuch an ill-, timed and unavailing exercise of rigour. Instead of wafting his time in punishing paft wrongs, he took precautions for preventing any future injury. With this view, he made choice of a fituation more healthy and commodious than that of Navidad. He traced out the plan of a town in a large plain near a spacious bay, and obliging every perfon to put his hand to a work on which their common fafety depended, the houses and ramparts were foon fo far advanced by their united labour, as to afford them. fhelter and fecurity. This rifing city, the first that the Europeans founded in the New World, he named Ifabella, in honour of his patronefs the queen of Castile r).

4) Life of Columbus, .51. Herrera, dec. 1. lib. ii. c. 10.

Difcontent of his followers.

In carrying on this neceffary work, Columbus had not only to fuftain all the hardships, and to encounter all the difficulties, to which infant colonies are exposed when they settle in an uncultivated country, but he had to contend with what was more infuperable, the laziness, the impatience, and mutinous difpofition of his. followers.

By the enervating influence of a hot climate, the natural inactivity of the Spaniards feemed to increafe. Many of them were gentlemen, unaccustomed to the fatigue of bodily labour, and all had engaged in the enterprife with the fanguine hopes excited by the fplendid and exaggerated descriptions of their countrymen who returned from the first voyage, or by the mistaken opinion of Columbus, that the country which he had difcovered was either. the Cipango of Marco Polo, or the Ophir s), from which Solomon imported thofe precious commodities which fuddenly diffufed fuch extraordinary riches through his kingdom. But when, instead of that golden harvest which they had expected to reap without toil or pains, the Spaniards faw that their profpect of wealth was remote as well as uncertain, and that it could not be attained but by the flow and perfevering efforts of industry, the disappointment of those chimerical hopes occafioned fuch dejection of mind as bordered on despair, and led to gene

$) P. Martyr, dec. p. 29.

ral difcontent.

In vain did Columbus endea

vour to revive their fpirits by pointing out the

fertility of the feil, mens of gold daily parts of the ifland.

and exhibiting the fpecibrought in from different They had not patience to wait for the gradual returns which the former might yield, and the latter they despised as fcanty and inconfiderable. The fpirit of difaffection spread, and a confpiracy was formed, which might have been fatal to Columbus and the colony. Happily he difcovered it, and feizing the ringleaders, punifhed fome of them, fent others prifoners into Spain, whither he difpatched twelve of the fhips which had ferved as tranfports, with an earnest request for a reinforcement of men and a large fupply of provifions t).

1494. Examines into the ftate of the country.

Meanwhile, in order to banish that idleness which, by allowing his people leifure to brood over their disappointment, nourif ed the spirit of difcontent, Columbus planned feveral expeditions into the interior part of the country. He sent a detachment, under the command of Alonfo de Ojeda, a vigilant and enterprifing officer, to vifit the diftrict of Cibao, which was faid to yield the greatest quantity of gold, and followed him in perfon with the main body of his troops. (March. 12.) In this expedition,

t) Herrera, decad. 1. lib. ii. c. 10. II,

4.

he difplayed all the pomp of military magnificence that he could exhibit, in order to strike the imagination of the natives. He marched with colours flying, with martial mufic, and with a fmall body of cavalry that paraded fometimes in the front and fometimes in the rear. As those were the firft horfes which appeared in the New World, they were objects of terror no less than of admiration to the Indians, who having no tame animals themfelves, were unacquainted with that vaft acceffion of power, which man hath acquired by subjecting them to his dominion. They fuppofed them to be rational creatures. They imagined that the horse and the rider formed one animal, with whose speed they were aftonifhed, and whofe impetuofity and ftrength they confidered as irresistible. But while Columbus endeavoured to infpire the natives with a dread of his power, he did not neglect the arts of gaining their love and confidence. He adhered fcrupuloufly to the principles of integrity and justice in all his tranfactions with them, and treated them, on every occafion, not only with humanity, but with indulgence.

The diftrict of Cibao anfwered the defcription given of it by the natives. It was mountainous and uncultivated, but in every river and brook gold was gathered either in duft or in grains, fome of which were of confiderable fize. The Indians had never opened any mines in fearch