1497. of its being discovered on the day of John the Baptist, they gave the name of St. John. Contin ning their course westwardly, they soon reached the continent, and then sailed along the coast Coast along northwardly to the latitude of 67 and a half de the conti tinent of the New World. grees. Finding that the coast stretched toward the east, and despairing of making the desired discovery here, they turned back, and sailed along the coast toward the equator, " ever with an intent to find the passage to India," till they came to the southernmost part of that tract of the continent, which has since been called Florida. Their pro visions now failing, and a mutiny breaking out aReturn to mong the mariners, they returned to England, England. without attempting either settlement or conquest in any part of the New World.* Remark. Through a singular succession of causes, sixty one years elapsed from the time of this discovery of the northern division of the Continent by the English, during which their monarchs gave little attention to this country, which was destined to be annexed to their crown, and to be a chief source of British opulence and power, till, in process of time, it should become an independent empire.3 This remarkable neglect of navigating the coast, and of attempting colonization, is in some measure accounted for by the frugal maxims of Henry VII, and the unpropitious circumstances of the reign of Henry VIII, of Edward VI, and of the bigotted Mary; reigns peculiarly adverse to the extension of industry, trade and navigation.* 1 For an illustration of the probable extent of this voyage, to the north and south, see Note I. at the end of the volume. 2 P. Martyr, 232. Hakluyt, i. 513; iii. 6-9. Smith Hist. Virginia, p. 1. Purchas, i. 737, 738. Josselyn's Voyages, 230. Harris, i. 860. Robertson, b. ix. 16, 17. Univ.Hist. xl. 378. Forster, 266, 431. Belknap Biog. i. 152. Mather's Magnalia, i. 3. Prince Chron. Introd. 80. Biog. Britan. Art. GILBERT. 3 Robertson, book ix. p. 22. 4 Univ. Hist. xxxix. 235, 406. Brit. Emp. Intred, vi, vii, 1498. While the testimonies of fidelity and good conduct, carried by Columbus to Spain, silenced the personal calumnies of his enemies, the large specimens of gold and pearl, which he produced, proved the falsity of their representation of the poverty of the Indies. The court became fully convinced of the importance of the new colony, the merit of its governor, and the necessity of a speedy supply. Two ships were sent out in February with succours, under the command of Peter Fernandez Coronel. The admiral staid to negotiate for a fleet, adequate to his enlarged views and purposes. But his enemies, though silenced, were not idle. All the obstructions, which they could raise, were thrown in his way. It was not therefore till after a thousand delays and disappointments, that he was enabled to set out again in prosecution of his discoveries. He at length received commission to carry, if he should think fit, five hundred men, provided that all above three hundred and thirty' should be paid otherwise, than out of the king's revenue; and was allowed for the expedition six millions of maravedies; four, for the provisions to be put on board the flect, and two, for the pay of the men. It was now also provided, that none of any nation, but the Castilian, should go over to the West Indies.* lumbus. On the thirtieth of May he sailed from Spain, on his third voyage, with six ships, loaded with Third voyprovisions and other necessaries, for the relief and age of Copopulation of Hispaniola. 3 On the thirty first of July, in the ninth degree of north latitude, he discovered an island, which he called Trinidad. On By advice of Columbus it was resolved, that 330 men should be kept always on the island of Hispaniola, in the royal pay. Herrera, i. 156. 2 Herrera, i. 156-158. 3 P. Martyr, 58. Europ. Settlements, i. 38, 39. Harris Voyages, i. 270. ers the 1498. the first of August he discovered the continent at He discov Terra Firma. Sailing along the coast westwardly, continent with the continent on the left, he discovered Margariof America. ta. The Spaniards, finding that the oysters, brought by the inhabitants of this island on board the ship of Columbus, contained pearls, were inexpressibly delighted; and, hastening to the shore, found all the natives decked in these rich ornaments, which they disposed of to the Spaniards for mere trifles.' 2 Columbus, having discovered many other islands for two hundred leagues to Cape Vela, anchored on the twentieth off Hispaniola. * On the thirti eth he entered the harbour at that island, where the lieutenant, agreeably to his brother's advice, had appointed a new city to be built. 3 3 Until this year, Isabella had been the chief place of the resi dence and government of the Spanish colony; but St. Domin- the capital was now transferred to this new city ;* go becomes which was long the most considerable European the capital. settlement in the New World.s 6 In the absence of the admiral, Roldan, a man of obscure birth, and of base character, though now high in office, had separated himself from Bartholomew Columbus, and formed a faction. He had virulently aspersed the characters, and misrepresented the designs, of the two brothers. He had sent his scandalous charges in writing to the court of Spain; intending to prevent, if possible, the return of Christopher Columbus, and to destroy the autho 1 Univ. Hist. xli. 527. 2 Life of Columbus, c. lxv-lxxiii. Purchas, i. 823, 827. Prince Chron. Introd. 80. Europ. Settlements, i. 140. 3 Life of Columbus, c. lxxiii. 4 Purchas, i. 731. Though Isabella was chosen in 1493, as a situation more healthful and commodious than that of Navidad, yet its abandonment is ascribed to the unhealthiness of the air, and the badness of the soil: "Ce qui a fait abandonner cette ville, c'est que l'air en étoit malsain et les terres mauvaises." Encyc. Methodique, Geog. Art. ISABELLE. 5 Robertson, i. book ii. 6" Roldanum quendam--quem fossorum et calonum ductorem ex famulo suo, deinde justitiæ præsidem, Præfectus erexerat." P. Martyr, 56. rity of both. He had been chosen the leader of a Roldan's considerable number of the Spaniards, whom he mutiny. had excited to mutiny; and, taking arms, had seized the king's magazine of provisions, and endeavoured to surprise the fort at St. Domingo.' It required all the address and vigour of Columbus, to subdue this faction. He at length succeeded; and in November articles of agreement were made between him and Roldan, with his insur gents, 1499. Columbus, accompanied by his brother the lieutenant, having set out in February to pass through the island of Hispaniola, came in March to Isabella, and in April to the Conception. It was his intention to go early the next year to St. Domingo, to make preparation for his return to Spain, to give their Catholic majesties an account of all transac tions. 4 voyage. The spirit of discovery beginning to spread itself widely, private adventurers in Spain and Portugal, stimulated by the gold remitted to Europe by Columbus, made equipments at their own expense. Among the earliest of these adventurers was Alon- Ojeda's so de Ojeda, a gallant and active officer, who had accompanied Columbus in his first voyage. Aided by the patronage of the bishop of Badajos, he obtained the royal licence for the enterprise; the bishop, at the same time, communicating to him the admiral's journal of his last voyage, and his charts of the countries, which he had discovered. Such was Ojeda's credit with the merchants of Seville, that 1 P. Martyr, 67. Purchas, i. 731. 2 Robertson, i. book ii. 3 Life of Columbus, c. lxxxi. By this agreement, the mutineers were to have two ships, with provisions, to carry them to Spain, and each of them might take a slave with him. Herrera, i. 210. 4 Life of Columbus, c. lxxxiv. 1499. they equipped him with four ships, with which he sailed from St. Mary's in Spain on the twentieth He is ac-, of May. Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine gentle, companied by Ameri- man, eminently skilful in all the sciences subservigo Vespuc ent to navigation, accompanied Ojeda in this voyage, ci; Pursuing the course of the great navigator for the New World, they in twenty seven days discovered land in about five degrees north latitude, on the coast of Paria. Having traded here with the natives, they stood to the west, proceeded as far as Cape Vela, and ranged a considerable extent of coast beyond that, on which Columbus had touched. After ascertaining the truth of the opinion of Columbus, that this country was part of the continent, they sailed to Hispaniola, where they arrived on the fifth of September, and soon after returned Who gives to Spain. The country, of which Amerigo was erroneously supposed to be the discoverer, not long after unjustly obtained his name; and, by universal consent, this new quarter of the globe has ever since been called America.' rame to the New World. Voyage of Another voyage of discovery was undertaken by Alonso Nigno, who had served under the admiral in his last voyage. Having fitted out a single ship, in conjunction with Christopher Guerra, a merchant of Seville, they both sailed to the coast of Paria. Though their discoveries were unimportant; yet they carried home such a quantity of 1 Robertson, i. book ii. Prince Chron. Introd. 80. Europ. Settlements, i. 46. Belknap Disc. on Discovery of America, p. 115. This name is supposed to have been first given to the New World by the publication of Vespucci's account of his Voyage; but at what time is not certain. For a refutation of his claim to the honour of discovering the continent of the New World, see Robertson, i. Note xxii. Herrera and all the earliest and best Spanish historians uniformly ascribe this honour to Columbus. Herrera, i. 214. Herrera says, that Americus Vesputius (so the name is often written)," to make good his false and assumed claim to the discovery of the Continent, suppressed the name of Dragon's Mouth, which Columbus had given to the entrance into a bay near Trinidad"; and that he "confounded the passages of the two voyages," that, made before with Columbus, and this, made with Ojeda, " in order to conceal the Admi ral's having discovered the continent." Ibid. 221, 223. But English |