In this style, I set off late in the day to avoid the noontide heat, and,

after ascending the lofty range of hills which borders the great valley of

the Guadalquiver, and having a rough ride among their heights, I descended

about twilight into one of those vast, silent, melancholy plains, frequent

in Spain, where I beheld no other signs of life than a roaming flock of

bustards, and a distant herd of cattle, guarded by a solitary herdsman,

who, with a long pike planted in the earth, stood motionless in the midst

of the dreary landscape, resembling an Arab of the desert. The night had

somewhat advanced when we stopped to repose for a few hours at a solitary

venta or inn, if it might so be called, being nothing more than a vast

low-roofed stable, divided into several compartments for the reception of

the troops of mules and arrieros (or carriers) who carry on the internal

trade of Spain. Accommodation for the traveler there was none--not even

for a traveler so easily accommodated as myself. The landlord had no food

to give me, and as to a bed, he had none but a horse-cloth, on which his

only child, a boy of eight years old, lay naked on the earthen floor.

Indeed the heat of the weather and the fumes from the stables made the

interior of the hovel insupportable; so I was fain to bivouac, on my

cloak, on the pavement, at the door of the venta, where, on waking, after

two or three hours of sound sleep, I found a contrabandista (or smuggler)

snoring beside me, with his blunderbuss on his arm.

I resumed my journey before break of day, and had made several leagues by

ten o'clock, when we stopped to breakfast, and to pass the sultry hours of

mid-day in a large village; whence we departed about four o'clock, and

after passing through the same kind of solitary country, arrived just

after sunset at Moguer. This little city (for at present it is a city) is

situated about a league from Palos, of which place it has gradually

absorbed all the respectable inhabitants, and, among the number, the whole

family of the Pinzons.

So remote is this little place from the stir and bustle of travel, and so

destitute of the show and vainglory of this world, that my calesa, as it

rattled and jingled along the narrow and ill-paved streets, caused a great

sensation; the children shouted and scampered along by its side, admiring

its splendid trappings of brass and worsted, and gazing with reverence at

the important stranger who came in so gorgeous an equipage.

I drove up to the principal posada, the landlord of which was at the door.

He was one of the very civilest men in the world, and disposed to do every

thing in his power to make me comfortable; there was only one difficulty,

he had neither bed nor bed-room in his house. In fact it was a mere venta

for muleteers, who are accustomed to sleep on the ground, with their

mule-cloths for beds and pack-saddles for pillows. It was a hard case, but

there was no better posada in the place. Few people travel for pleasure or

curiosity in these out-of-the-way parts of Spain, and those of any note

are generally received into private houses. I had traveled sufficiently in

Spain to find out that a bed, after all, is not an article of

indispensable necessity, and was about to bespeak some quiet corner where

I might spread my cloak, when fortunately the landlord's wife came forth.

She could not have a more obliging disposition than her husband, but

then--God bless the women!--they always know how to carry their good wishes

into effect. In a little while a small room, about ten feet square, which

had formed a thoroughfare between the stables and a kind of shop or

bar-room, was cleared of a variety of lumber, and I was assured that a

bed should be put up there for me. From the consultations I saw my

hostess holding with some of her neighbor gossips, I fancied the bed was

to be a kind of piecemeal contribution among them for the credit of the

house.

As soon as I could change my dress, I commenced the historical researches

which were the object of my journey, and inquired for the abode of Don

Juan Fernandez Pinzon. My obliging landlord himself volunteered to conduct

me thither, and I set off full of animation at the thoughts of meeting

with the lineal representative of one of the coadjutors of Columbus.

A short walk brought us to the house, which was most respectable in its

appearance, indicating easy, if not affluent, circumstances. The door, as

is customary in Spanish villages during summer, stood wide open. We

entered with the usual salutation or rather summons, "Ave Maria!" A trim

Andalusian handmaid answered to the call, and, on our inquiring for the

master of the house, led the way across a little patio or court, in the

centre of the edifice, cooled by a fountain surrounded by shrubs and

flowers, to a back court or terrace, likewise set out with flowers, where

Don Juan Fernandez was seated with his family, enjoying the serene evening

in the open air. I was much pleased with his appearance. He was a

venerable old gentleman, tall, and somewhat thin, with fair complexion and

gray hair. He received me with great urbanity, and on reading the letter

from his son, appeared struck with surprise to find I had come quite to

Moguer, merely to visit the scene of the embarkation of Columbus; and

still more so on my telling him, that one of my leading objects of

curiosity was his own family connection; for it would seem that the worthy

cavalier had troubled his head but little about the enterprises of his

ancestors.

I now took my seat in the domestic circle, and soon felt myself quite at

home, for there is generally a frankness in the hospitality of Spaniards,

that soon puts a stranger at his ease beneath their roof. The wife of Don

Juan Fernandez was extremely amiable and affable, possessing much of that

natural aptness for which the Spanish women are remarkable. In the course

of conversation with them I learnt, that Don Juan Fernandez, who is

seventy-two years of age, is the eldest of five brothers, all of whom are

married, have numerous offspring, and live in Moguer and its vicinity, in

nearly the same condition and rank of life as at the time of the

discovery. This agreed with what I had previously heard, respecting the

families of the discoverers. Of Columbus no lineal and direct descendant

exists; his was an exotic stock which never took deep and lasting root in

the country; but the race of the Pinzons continues to thrive and multiply

in its native soil.

While I was yet conversing, a gentleman entered, who was introduced to me

as Don Luis Fernandez Pinzon, the youngest of the brothers. He appeared

between fifty and sixty years of age, somewhat robust, with fair

complexion, gray hair, and a frank and manly deportment. He is the only

one of the present generation that has followed the ancient profession of

the family; having served with great applause as an officer of the royal

navy, from which he retired, on his marriage, about twenty-two years

since. He is the one, also, who takes the greatest interest and pride in

the historical honors of his house, carefully preserving all the legends

and documents of the achievements and distinctions of his family, a

manuscript volume of which he lent to me for my inspection.

Don Juan now expressed a wish that, during my residence in Moguer, I would

make his house my home. I endeavored to excuse myself, alleging, that the

good people at the posada had been at such extraordinary trouble in

preparing quarters for me, that I did not like to disappoint them. The

worthy old gentleman undertook to arrange all this, and, while supper was

preparing, we walked together to the posada. I found that my obliging host

and hostess had indeed exerted themselves to an uncommon degree. An old

rickety table had been spread out in a corner of the little room as a

bedstead, on top of which was propped up a grand _cama de luxo_, or

state bed, which appeared to be the admiration of the house. I could not,

for the soul of me, appear to undervalue what the poor people had prepared

with such hearty good-will, and considered such a triumph of art and

luxury; so I again entreated Don Juan to dispense with my sleeping at his

house, promising most faithfully to make my meals there whilst I should

stay at Moguer, and as the old gentleman understood my motives for

declining his invitation, and felt a good-humored sympathy in them, we

readily arranged the matter. I returned therefore with Don Juan to his

house and supped with his family. During the repast a plan was agreed upon

for my visit to Palos, and to the convent La Kabida, in which Don Juan

volunteered to accompany me and be my guide, and the following day was

allotted to the expedition. We were to breakfast at a hacienda, or

country-seat, which he possessed in the vicinity of Palos, in the midst of

his vineyards, and were to dine there on our return from the convent.

These arrangements being made, we parted for the night; I returned to the

posada highly gratified with my visit, and slept soundly in the

extraordinary bed which, I may almost say, had been invented for my

accommodation.

On the following morning, bright and early, Don Juan Fernandez and myself

set off in the caleea for Palos. I felt apprehensive at first that the

kind-hearted old gentleman, in his anxiety to oblige, had left his bed at

too early an hour, and was exposing himself to fatigues unsuited to his

age. He laughed at the idea, and assured me that he was an early riser,

and accustomed to all kinds of exercise on horse and foot, being a keen

sportsman, and frequently passing days together among the mountains on

shooting expeditions, taking with him servants, horses, and provisions,

and living in a tent. He appeared, in fact, to be of an active habit, and

to possess a youthful vivacity of spirit. His cheerful disposition

rendered our morning drive extremely agreeable; his urbanity was shown to

every one whom we met on the road; even the common peasant was saluted by

him with the appellation of _caballero_, a mark of respect ever

gratifying to the poor but proud Spaniard, when yielded by a superior.

As the tide was out, we drove along the flat grounds bordering the Tinto.

The river was on our right, while on our left was a range of hills,

jutting out into promontories, one beyond the other, and covered with

vineyards and fig trees. The weather was serene, the air soft and balmy,

and the landscape of that gentle kind calculated to put one in a quiet and

happy humor. We passed close by the skirts of Palos, and drove to the

hacienda, which is situated some little distance from the village, between

it and the river. The house is a low stone building well whitewashed, and

of great length; one end being fitted up as a summer residence, with

saloons, bed-rooms, and a domestic chapel; and the other as a bodega or

magazine for the reception of the wine produced on the estate.

The house stands on a hill, amidst vineyards, which are supposed to cover

a part of the site of the ancient town of Palos, now shrunk to a miserable

village. Beyond these vineyards, on the crest of a distant hill, are seen

the white walls of the convent of La Babida rising above a dark wood of

pine trees.

Below the hacienda flows the river Tinto, on which Columbus embarked. It

is divided by a low tongue of land, or rather the sand-bar of Saltes, from

the river Odiel, with which it soon mingles its waters, and flows on to

the ocean. Beside this sand-bar, where the channel of the river runs deep,

the squadron of Columbus was anchored, and thence he made sail on the

morning of his departure.

The soft breeze that was blowing scarcely ruffled the surface of this

beautiful river; two or three picturesque barks, called mystics, with long

latine sails, were gliding down it. A little aid of the imagination might

suffice to picture them as the light caravels of Columbus, sallying forth

on their eventful expedition, while the distant bells of the town of

Hnelva, which were ringing melodiously, might be supposed as cheering the

voyagers with a farewell peal.

I cannot express to you what were my feelings on treading the shore which

had once been animated with the bustle of departure, and whose sands had

been printed by the last footstep of Columbus. The solemn and sublime

nature of the event that had followed, together with the fate and fortunes

of those concerned in it, filled the mind with vague yet melancholy ideas.

It was like viewing the silent and empty stage of some great drama when

all the actors had departed. The very aspect of the landscape, so

tranquilly beautiful, had an effect upon me; and as I paced the deserted

shores by the side of a descendant of one of the discoverers, I felt my

heart swelling witfi emotions and my eyes filling with tears.

What surprised me was, to find no semblance of a sea-port; there was

neither wharf nor landing-place--nothing but a naked river bank, with the

hulk of a ferry-boat, which I was told carried passengers to Huelva, lying

high and dry on the sands, deserted by the tide. Palos, though it has

doubtless dwindled away from its former size, can never have been

important as to extent and population. If it possessed warehouses on the

beach, they have disappeared. It is at present a mere village of the

poorest kind, and lies nearly a quarter of a mile from the river, in a

hollow among hills. It contains a few hundred inhabitants, who subsist

principally by laboring in the fields and vineyards. Its race of merchants

and mariners is extinct. There are no vessels belonging to the place, nor

any show of traffic, excepting at the season of fruit and wine, when a few

mystics and other light barks anchor in the river to collect the produce

of the neighborhood. The people are totally ignorant, and it is probable

that the greater part of them scarce know even the name of America. Such

is the place whence sallied forth the enterprise for the discovery of the

western world!

We were now summoned to breakfast in a little saloon of the hacienda. The

table was covered with natural luxuries produced upon the spot--fine

purple and muscatel grapes from the adjacent vineyard, delicious melons

from the garden, and generous wines made on the estate. The repast was

heightened by the genial manners of my hospitable host, who appeared to

possess the most enviable cheerfulness of spirit and simplicity of heart.

After breakfast we set off in the calesa to visit the convent of La

Rabida, about half a league distant The road, for a part of the way, lay

through the vineyards, and was deep and sandy. The calasero had been at

his wit's end to conceive what motive a stranger like myself, apparently

traveling for mere amusement, could have in coming so far to see so

miserable a place as Palos, which he set down as one of the very poorest

places in the whole world; but this additional toil and struggle through

deep sand to visit the old convent of La Rabida completed his

confusion--"Hombre!" exclaimed he, "es una ruina! no hay mas que dos

frailes!"--"Zounds! why it's a ruin! there are only two friars there!"

Don Juan laughed, and told him that I had come all the way from Seville

precisely to see that old ruin and those two friars. The calasero made the

Spaniard's last reply when he is perplexed--he shrugged his shoulders and

crossed himself. After ascending a hill and passing through the skirts of

a straggling pine wood, we arrived in front of the convent. It stands in a

bleak and solitary situation, on the brow of a rocky height or promontory,

overlooking to the west a wide range of sea and land, bounded by the

frontier mountains of Portugal, about eight leagues distant. The convent

is shut out from a view of the vineyard of Palos by the gloomy forest of

pines already mentioned, which cover the promontory to the east, and

darken the whole landscape in that direction.

There is nothing remarkable in the architecture of the convent; part of it

is Gothic, but the edifice, having been frequently repaired, and being

whitewashed, according to a universal custom in Andalusia, inherited from

the Moors, has not that venerable aspect which might be expected from its

antiquity.

We alighted at the gate where Columbus, when a poor pedestrian, a stranger

in the land, asked bread and water for his child! As long as the convent

stands, this must be a spot calculated to awaken the most thrilling

interest. The gate remains apparently in nearly the same state as at the

time of his visit, but there is no longer a porter at hand to administer

to the wants of the wayfarer. The door stood wide open, and admitted us

into a small court-yard. Thence we passed through a Gothic portal into the

chapel, without seeing a human being. We then traversed two interior

cloisters, equally vacant and silent, and bearing a look of neglect and

dilapidation. From an open window we had a peep at what had once been a

garden, but that had also gone to ruin; the walls were broken and thrown

down; a few shrubs, and a scattered fig tree or two, were all the traces

of cultivation that remained. We passed through the long dormitories, but

the cells were shut up and abandoned; we saw no living thing except a

solitary cat stealing across a distant corridor, which fled in a panic at

the unusual sight of strangers. At length, after patrolling nearly the

whole of the empty building to the echo of our own footsteps, we came to

where the door of a cell, being partly open, gave us the sight of a monk

within, seated at a table writing. He rose, and received us with much

civility, and conducted us to the superior, who was reading in an adjacent

cell. They were both rather young men, and, together with a novitiate and

a lay-brother, who officiated as cook, formed the whole community of the

convent.

Don Juan Fernandez communicated to them the object of my visit, and my

desire also to inspect the archives of the convent, to find if there was

any record of the sojourn of Columbus. They informed us that the archives

had been entirely destroyed by the French. The younger monk, however, who

had perused them, had a vague recollection of various particulars

concerning the transactions of Columbus at Palos, his visit to the

convent, and the sailing of his expedition. From all that he cited,

however, it appeared to me that all the information on the subject

contained in the archives had been extracted from Herrera and other

well-known authors. The monk was talkative and eloquent, and soon diverged

from the subject of Columbus, to one which he considered of infinitely

greater importance--the miraculous image of the Virgin possessed by their

convent, and known by the name of "Our Lady of La Rabida." He gave us a

history of the wonderful way in which the image had been found buried in

the earth, where it had lain hidden for ages, since the time of the

conquest of Spain by the Moors; the disputes between the convent and

different places in the neighborhood for the possession of it; the

marvelous protection it extended to the adjacent country, especially in

preventing all madness, either in man or dog, for this malady was

anciently so prevalent in this place as to gain it the appellation of La

Rabia, by which it was originally called; a name which, thanks to the

beneficent influence of the Virgin, it no longer merited nor retained.

Such are the legends and relics with which every convent in Spain is

enriched, which are zealously cried up by the monks, and devoutly

credited by the populace.

Twice a year, on the festival of our Lady of La Rabida and on that of the

patron saint of the order, the solitude and silence of the convent are

interrupted by the intrusion of a swarming multitude, composed of the

inhabitants of Moguer, of Huelva, and the neighboring plains and

mountains. The open esplanade in front of the edifice resembles a fair,

the adjacent forest teems with the motley throng, and the image of our

Lady of La Rabida is borne forth in triumphant procession.

While the friar was thus dilating upon the merits and renown of the image,

I amused myself with those day-dreams, or conjurings of the imagination,

to which I am a little given. As the internal arrangements of convents are

apt to be the same from age to age, I pictured to myself this chamber as

the same inhabited by the guardian, Juan Perez de Marchena, at the time of

the visit of Columbus. Why might not the old and ponderous table before me

be the very one on which he displayed his conjectural maps, and expounded

his theory of a western route to India? It required but another stretch of

the imagination to assemble the little conclave around the table; Juan

Perez the friar, Garci Fernandez the physician, and Martin Alonzo Pinzon

the bold navigator, all listening with rapt attention to Columbus, or to

the tale of some old seaman of Palos, about islands seen in the western

parts of the ocean.

The friars, as far as their poor means and scanty knowledge extended, were

disposed to do every thing to promote the object of my visit. They showed

us all parts of the convent, which, however, has little to boast of,

excepting the historical associations connected with it. The library was

reduced to a few volumes, chiefly on ecclesiastical subjects, piled

promiscuously in the corner of a vaulted chamber, and covered with dust.

The chamber itself was curious, being the most ancient part of the

edifice, and supposed to have formed part of a temple in the time of the

Romans.

We ascended to the roof of the convent to enjoy the extensive prospect it

commands. Immediately below the promontory on which it is situated, runs a

narrow but tolerably deep river, called the Domingo Rubio, which empties

itself into the Tinto. It is the opinion of Don Luis Fernandez Pinzon,

that the ships of Columbus were careened and fitted out in this river, as

it affords better shelter than the Tinto, and its shores are not so

shallow. A lonely bark of a fisherman was lying in this stream, and not

far off, on a sandy point, were the ruins of an ancient watchtower. From

the roof of the convent, all the windings of the Odiel and the Tinto were

to be seen, and their junction into the main stream, by which Columbus

sallied forth to sea. In fact the convent serves as a landmark, being,

from its lofty and solitary situation, visible for a considerable distance

to vessels coming on the coast. On the opposite side I looked down upon

the lonely road, through the wood of pine trees, by which the zealous

guardian of the convent, Fray Juan Perez, departed at midnight on his

mule, when he sought the camp of Ferdinand and Isabella in the Vega of

Granada, to plead the project of Columbus before the queen.

Having finished our inspection of the convent, we prepared to depart, and

were accompanied to the outward portal by the two friars. Our calasero

brought his rattling and rickety vehicle for us to mount; at sight of

which one of the monks exclaimed, with a smile, "Santa Maria! only to

think! A calesa before the gate of the convent of La Rabida!" And, indeed,

so solitary and remote is this ancient edifice, and so simple is the mode

of living of the people in this by-corner of Spain, that the appearance of

even a sorry calesa might well cause astonishment. It is only singular

that in such a by-corner the scheme of Columbus should have found

intelligent listeners and coadjutors, after it had been discarded, almost

with scoffing and contempt, from learned universities and splendid courts.

On our way back to the hacienda, we met Don Rafael, a younger son of Don

Juan Fernandez, a fine young man, about twenty-one years of age, and who,

his father informed me, was at present studying French and mathematics. He

was well mounted on a spirited gray horse, and dressed in the Andalusian

style, with the little round hat and jacket. He sat his horse gracefully,

and managed him well. I was pleased with the frank and easy terms on which

Don Juan appeared to live with his children. This I was inclined to think

his favorite son, as I understood he was the only one that partook of the

old gentleman's fondness for the chase, and that accompanied him in his

hunting excursions.

A dinner had been prepared for us at the hacienda, by the wife of the

capitaz, or overseer, who, with her husband, seemed to be well pleased

with this visit from Don Juan, and to be confident of receiving a pleasant

answer from the good-humored old gentleman whenever they addressed him.

The dinner was served up about two o'clock, and was a most agreeable meal.

The fruits and wines were from the estate, and were excellent; the rest of

the provisions were from Moguer, for the adjacent village of Palos is too

poor to furnish any thing. A gentle breeze from the sea played through the

hall, and tempered the summer heat. Indeed I do not know when I have seen

a more enviable spot than this country retreat of the Pinzons. Its

situation on a breezy hill, at no great distance from the sea, and in a

southern climate, produces a happy temperature, neither hot in summer nor

cold in winter. It commands a beautiful prospect, and is surrounded by

natural luxuries. The country abounds with game, the adjacent river

affords abundant sport in fishing, both by day and night, and delightful

excursions for those fond of sailing. During the busy seasons of rural

life, and especially at the joyous period of vintage, the family pass some

time here, accompanied by numerous guests, at which times, Don Juan

assured me, there was no lack of amusements, both by land and water.

When we had dined, and taken the siesta, or afternoon nap, according to

the Spanish custom in summer time, we set out on our return to Moguer,

visiting the village of Palos in the way. Don Gabriel had been sent in

advance to procure the keys of the village church, and to apprise the

curate of our wish to inspect the archives. The village consists

principally of two streets of low whitewashed houses. Many of the

inhabitants have very dark complexions, betraying a mixture of African

blood.

On entering the village, we repaired to the lowly mansion of the curate. I

had hoped to find him some such personage as the curate in Don Quixote,

possessed of shrewdness and information in his limited sphere, and that I

might gain some anecdotes from him concerning the parish, its worthies,

its antiquities, and its historical events. Perhaps I might have done so

at any other time, but, unfortunately, the curate was something of a

sportsman, and had heard of some game among the neighboring hills. We met

him just sallying forth from his house, and, I must confess, his

appearance was picturesque. He was a short, broad, sturdy little man, and

had doffed his cassock and broad clerical beaver, for a short jacket and a

little round Andalusian hat; he had his gun in hand, and was on the point

of mounting a donkey which had been led forth by an ancient withered

handmaid. Fearful of being detained from his foray, he accosted my

companion the moment he came in sight. "God preserve you, Señor Don Juan!

I have received your message, and have but one answer to make. The

archives have all been destroyed. We have no trace of any thing you seek

for--nothing--nothing. Don Rafael has the keys of the church. You can

examine it at your leisure--Adios, caballero!" With these words the

galliard little curate mounted his donkey, thumped his ribs with the butt

end of his gun, and trotted off to the hills.

In our way to the church we passed by the ruins of what had once been a

fair and spacious dwelling, greatly superior to the other houses of the

village. This, Don Juan informed me, was an old family possession, but

since they had removed from Palos it had fallen to decay for want of a

tenant. It was probably the family residence of Martin Alonzo or Vicente

Yafiez Pinzon, in the time of Columbus.

We now arrived at the Church of St. George, in the porch of which Columbus

first proclaimed to the inhabitants of Palos the order of the sovereigns,

that they should furnish him with ships for his great voyage of discovery.

This edifice has lately been thoroughly repaired, and, being of solid

mason-work, promises to stand for ages, a monument of the discoverers. It

stands outside of the village, on the brow of a hill, looking along a

little valley toward the river. The remains of a Moorish arch prove it to

have been a mosque in former times; just above it, on the crest of the

hill, is the ruin of a Moorish castle.

I paused in the porch, and endeavored to recall the interesting scene that

had taken place there, when Columbus, accompanied by the zealous friar

Juan Perez, caused the public notary to read the royal order in presence

of the astonished alcaldes, regidors, and alguazils; but it is difficult

to conceive the consternation that must have been struck into so remote a

little community, by this sudden apparition of an entire stranger among

them, bearing a command that they should put their persons and ships at

his disposal, and sail with him away into the unknown wilderness of the

ocean.

The interior of the church has nothing remarkable, excepting a wooden

image of St. George vanquishing the Dragon, which is erected over the high

altar, and is the admiration of the good people of Palos, who bear it

about the streets in grand procession on the anniversary of the saint.

This group existed in the time of Columbus, and now flourishes in

renovated youth and splendor, having been newly painted and gilded, and

the countenance of the saint rendered peculiarly blooming and lustrous.

Having finished the examination of the church, we resumed our seats in the

calesa and returned to Moguer. One thing only remained to fulfill the

object of my pilgrimage. This was to visit the chapel of the Convent of

Santa Clara. When Columbus was in danger of being lost in a tempest on his

way home from his great voyage of discovery, he made a vow, that, should

he be spared, he would watch and pray one whole night in this chapel; a

vow which he doubtless fulfilled immediately after his arrival.

My kind and attentive friend, Don Juan, conducted me to the convent. It is

the wealthiest in Moguer, and belongs to a sisterhood of Franciscan nuns.

The chapel is large, and ornamented with some degree of richness,

particularly the part about the high altar, which, is embellished by

magnificent monuments of the brave family of the Puerto Carreros, the

ancient lords of Moguer, and renowned in Moorish warfare. The alabaster

effigies of distinguished warriors of that house, and of their wives and

sisters, lie side by side, with folded hands, on tombs immediately before

the altar, while others recline in deep niches on either side. The night

had closed in by the time I entered the church, which made the scene more

impressive. A few votive lamps shed a dim light about the interior; their

beams were feebly reflected by the gilded work of the high altar, and the

frames of the surrounding paintings, and rested upon the marble figures of

the warriors and dames lying in the monumental repose of ages. The solemn

pile must have presented much the same appearance when the pious

discoverer performed his vigil, kneeling before this very altar, and

praying and watching throughout the night, and pouring forth heartfelt

praises for having been spared to accomplish his sublime discovery.

I had now completed the main purpose of my journey, having visited the

various places connected with the story of Columbus. It was highly

gratifying to find some of them so little changed though so great a space

of time had intervened; but in this quiet nook of Spain, so far removed

from the main thoroughfares, the lapse of time produces but few violent

revolutions. Nothing, however, had surprised and gratified me more than

the contiuued stability of the Pinzon family. On the morning after my

excursion to Palos, chance gave me an opportunity of seeing something of

the interior of most of their households. Having a curiosity to visit the

remains of a Moorish castle, once the citadel of Moguer, Don Fernandez

undertook to show me a tower which served as a magazine of wine to one of

the Pinzon family. In seeking for the key we were sent from house to house

of nearly the whole connection. All appeared to be living in that golden

mean equally removed from the wants and superfluities of life, and all to

be happily interwoven by kind and cordial habits of intimacy. We found the

females of the family generally seated in the patios, or central courts of

their dwellings, beneath the shade of awnings and among shrubs and

flowers. Here the Andalusian ladies are accustomed to pass their mornings

at work, surrounded by their handmaids, in the primitive, or rather

oriental style. In the porches of some of the houses I observed the

coat-of-arms granted to the family by Charles V, hung up like a picture in

a frame. Over the door of Don Luis, the naval officer, it was carved on an

escutcheon of stone, and colored. I had gathered many particulars of the

family also from conversation with Don Juan, and from the family legend

lent me by Don Luis. From all that I could learn, it would appear that the

lapse of nearly three centuries and a half has made but little change in

the condition of the Pinzons. From generation to generation they have

retained the same fair standing and reputable name throughout the

neighborhood, filling offices of public trust and dignity, and possessing

great influence over their fellow-citizens by their good sense and good

conduct. How rare is it to see such an instance of stability of fortune in

this fluctuating world, and how truly honorable is this hereditary

respectability, which has been secured by no titles nor entails, but

perpetuated merely by the innate worth of the race! I declare to you that

the most illustrious descents of mere titled rank could never command the

sincere respect and cordial regard with which I contemplated this stanch

and enduring family, which for three centuries and a half has stood merely

upon its virtues.

As I was to set off on my return to Seville before two o'clock, I partook

of a farewell repast at the house of Don Juan, between twelve and one, and

then took leave of his household with sincere regret. The good old

gentleman, with the courtesy, or rather the cordiality, of a true

Spaniard, accompanied me to the posada, to see me off. I had dispensed but

little money in the posada--thanks to the hospitality of the Pinzons--yet

the Spanish pride of my host and hostess seemed pleased that I had

preferred their humble chamber, and the scanty bed they had provided me,

to the spacious mansion of Don Juan; and when I expressed my thanks for

their kindness and attention, and regaled mine host with a few choice

segars, the heart of the poor man was overcome. He seized me by both hands

and gave me a parting benediction, and then ran after the calasero, to

enjoin him to take particular care of me during my journey.

Taking a hearty leave of my excellent friend Don Juan, who had been

unremitting in his attentions to me to the last moment, I now set off on

my wayfaring, gratified to the utmost with my visit, and full of kind and

grateful feelings towards Moguer and its hospitable inhabitants.

Index.

A.

Acuna, Don Alonzo de, summons Columbus to give an account of himself, on

his return from the New World.

Address of an Indian of Cuba to Columbus.

Adelantado, title of, given to Christopher Columbus, confirmed by the

king.

Adrian de Moxica.

Admiral, the, a title granted to Columbus and his descendants.

Africa, essay on the navigation of, by the ancients.

Aguado, Juan, recommended to the Spanish Government by Columbus; appointed

commissioner to inquire into the conduct of Columbus; arrives at Isabella;

his insolent behavior; his interview with Columbus: the Caciques having

preferred complaints against Columbus, he determines on returning to

Spain.

Alexander VI., pope, character of; famous bulls of, relative to the New

World; letter of Columbus to.

Aliaco, Pedro, work of, referred to, note.

Alligators, found in great numbers at Puerto Bello.

All Saints, discovery of the bay of.

Alonzo, Don, heir-apparent of Portugal, his marriage with the princess

Isabella.

Alpha and Omega, the extreme point of Cuba.

Alva, duke of, Don Diego Columbus marries his daughter; he assists in

obtaining justice for his son-in-law.

Alvaro, Don, de Portugal, attack upon, in the royal tent.

Amazons, an island of supposed; warlike women of the Caribbee islands.

Amazons, river of, discovered by Vicente Pinzon.

Amber, specimens of, among the mountains of Cibao.

Anacaona, wife to Caonabo, retires with her brother Behechio, after the

great battle of the Vega; composes legendary ballads; her admiration of

the Spaniards; counsels her brother to conciliate the friendship of the

Spaniards; her reception of the Adelantado; her wonder and delight at

seeing a Spanish ship; her grief at the departure of the Adelantado; her

conduct in respect to her daughter and Guevara; her admiration of the

Spaniards turned into detestation; receives a visit from Ovando; is

seized; carried in chains to St. Domingo; and ignominiously hanged; her

fine character.

Anana, or the pine-apple, first met with.

Angel, Luis de St., his remonstrance with the queen relative to the

project of Columbus; succeeds.

Antigua, island of, discovered.

Antilles, the, discovered; taken possession of.

Apparitions, ideas of the Haytiens in respect to.

Appendix, containing illustrations and documents.

Arana, Diego de, left in charge of Hispaniola, during the first absence of

Columbus, history of the disaster which occurred to him after the

departure of Columbus.

Arano, Pedro de, commander of one of Columbus's ships on his third voyage.

Areytos, or ballads, of the Haytiens.

Aristizabal, Don Gabriel de, solicits the removal of the remains of

Columbus.

Arriaga, Luis de, is shut up within the walls of Magdalena.

Astrolabe, the, applied to navigation.

Atalantis, Plato's observations on.

Audience, royal, court of, established.

Augustine, St., his arguments against the existence of Antipodes.

Augustine, St., Cape of, discovered by Pinzon.

Aurea Cheraonesus, the place whence Solomon is supposed to have had gold.

Azores, the, when discovered; arrival at by Columbus on his return from

his first voyage.

B.

Babeque, a supposed island, Columbus goes in search of.

Bahama Islands, discovery of; cruise among the.

Ballads of the Haytiens.

Ballester, Miguel, his conduct during the conspiracy of Roldan; receives a

letter from Columbus; his character; interview with Roman; second

interview: sends advice to the admiral; is besieged in the fortress of

Conception; sails for Spain.

Barbas, Las, islands of, discovered.

Barrantes, Garcia de, sails for Spain.

Barros, Joam de, his account of Columbus's proposition to John II. king of

Portugal.

Basil, St., his description of Paradise.

Bastides, Rodrigo, of Seville, explores the coast of Terra Firma.

Baza, surrender of.

Beata, Cape, sailors of Columbus climb the rock of.

Behem, Martin, his planisphere; an account of; the assertion relative to

his having discovered the western world previous to Columbus considered.

Behechio assists Caonabo, and kills one of the wives of Guacanagari; the

only Cacique who does not sue for peace; receives a visit from Bartholomew

Columbus; his reception of him; consents to pay tribute; invites the

Adelantado to come and receive it; his astonishment at visiting a Spanish

ship.

Bolen, river of, discovered; abounds in fish; Columbus commences a

settlement on its banks.

Bell of Isabella, the superstitious ideas of the Haytiens in respect to

it.

Belvis, Pablo, sent to Hayti in the place of Fermin Cedo.

Berahoma, condemned to death for having violated the wife of the Cacique

of the Vega; is pardoned.

Bernaldez, Andres, a short account of his life and writings.

Bernardo of Valentia, his conspiracy at Jamaica.

Bloodhounds, first use of in the New World; employed by Columbus in his

wars with the Haytiens.

Bobadilla, Don Francisco de, charged with a commission to Hispaniola to

inquire into the conduct of Columbus; his character; instructions with

which he is charged; sails; arrives at St. Domingo; his judgment formed

before he leaves his ship; assumes power on landing; storms the fortress

of St. Domingo; assumes the government before he investigates the conduct

of Columbus; seizes his arms, gold, secret papers, etc.; summons Columbus

to appear before him; his baseness in collecting evidence; puts Don Diego

in chains; also Columbus; his fears in respect to the Adelantado; puts him

in irons; his mal-administration; a saying of his; superseded in his

government by Ovando; sails for Spain and is lost, with all his crew, in a

violent hurricane.

Boca del Sierpe.

Borgonon, Juan, labors to convert the Haytiens.

Boyle, Bernardo, friar, appointed apostolical vicar for the New World; his

advice to Columbus in respect to Guacanagari; confirms the accounts sent

home by Columbus; consecrates the first church at Isabella; his character

and conduct; his hatred of Columbus; encourages the misconduct of

Margarite; forms the plan of seizing Bartholomew Columbus's ships and

returning to Spain; sees sail; his accusations of Columbus at the court of

Madrid.

Brandan, St., imaginary island of.

Brazils, the, discovered by Vicente Pinzon; a part discovered and taken

possession of for the Portuguese crown by Cabral.

Breviesca, Ximeno de, a worthless hireling; his conduct and punishment.

Bucklers, used by the natives of Trinidad. Bull of Partition issued by

Pope Martin V.; relative to the New World, issued by Pope Alexander VI..

---- of Demarcation.

Burgos, the court held at.

Butios, the priests of the Haytiens.

Butterflies, clouds of, seen on the southern coast of Cuba.

C.

Cabot, Sebastian, discovers Labrador, supposed to be the first that

visited the main-land of the New World.

Cabral, Pedro Alvarez de, discovers part of the Brazils, and takes

possession of it in the name of the king of Portugal. Cabron, Cape, or

Capo del Enamorado.

Cacao, first known to the Spaniards.

Caciques, seizure of fourteen, in the night, by Bartholomew Columbus and

his officers.

Canaries, an optical delusion seen by the people of the; arrival of

Columbus at, in his first voyage.

Canoes, capable of containing 150 persons, seen at Puerto Santo; large

size of those at Jamaica.

Caonabo, character and conduct of; takes the fortress at La Navidad; and

massacres the Spaniards; assembles his warriors; Columbus leaves

directions with Margarite to surprise; besieges Ojeda; gives up the siege

and retires; forms a plan of exterminating the Spaniards; invades the

territories of Guacanagari; character of; is visited by Ojeda, with a

design to entrap him; agrees to wait upon Columbus, and sets forward; is

taken by stratagem; is chained; his conduct when in the presence of

Columbus; embarks for Spain; a Guadaloupe woman falls in love with him;

dies on the voyage.

Carocol, Island of.

Cariari, transactions at.

Caribbee Islands, discovered.

Caribs, character of the; origin of; cruelty to.

Caravajal, Don Garcia Lopez de, his embassy to Portugal.

Carvajal, Alonzo de, commander of one of Columbus's ships, on his third

voyage; arrives at Hispaniola; volunteers to endeavor to bring the rebels

of Xavagua to obedience; his ship strikes on a sand-bank; arrives at St.

Domingo by land; suspicions entertained against him; takes a letter from

the admiral to Roldan; takes propositions from Roldan to the admiral;

another interview with Boldan; appointed factor to Columbus; his evidence

relative to the discovery of the coast of Paria by Columbus.

Carracks, description of.

Casas, Las, his character of Don Diego Columbus; his observations

relative to Hayti; his account of two Spaniards; his picture of the

consequences of the administration of Ovando; his account of a combat

between one Indian and two mounted cavaliers; is present at a battle in

Higuey; his remark on the cold reception of Columbus by the king; his

remark in respect to the injustice of Ferdinand; an account of; his zeal

in behalf of the slaves; his dubious expedient to lessen the quantum of

human misery; character of his General History of the Indies.

Castaneda, Juan de, his disgraceful reception of Columbus on his return

from the New World; cause of his conduct.

Catalina, a Carib, her admiration of Guacanagari; proposes to her

captive companions an attempt to regain their liberty; escapes by

swimming.

Catalina, a female Cacique, falls in love with Miguel Diaz; imparts to

him a knowledge of the gold mines of Hayna.

Cathay, accounts of Marco Polo in respect to; of Sir John Mandeville.

Catherine, St., discovery of.

Cavern, near Cape Francois, description of.

Caymans, islands of.

Cedo, Fermin, his opinion in respect to the gold found in Hispaniola;

Belvis sent in Ms place.

Ceuta, the bishop of, his arguments against the proposition of Columbus;

proposes to the council to keep Columbus in suspense, and in the mean time

to send a ship in the route proposed; this advice acted upon; and fails.

Chanca, Dr., confirms the accounts sent home by Columbus.

Charles VIII., king of France, his kindness to Bartholomew Columbus.

Charles V. succeeds his grandfather, Ferdinand; recognizes the innocence

of Don Diego Columbus; acknowledges the right of Don Diego to exercise the

office of viceroy; his orders in respect to the claims of Don Diego's

widow; his ordinances relative to the slave trade.

Charlevoix, his description of the sea of the Antilles, Chaufepic, Jacques

George, a passage from, in respect to the Coloinbos.

Chvistoval, St., fortress of, erected by Bartholomew Columbus;

mountains of.

Cibao, Columbus's expedition to the mountains of; meaning of the word

Cibao; Luxan's description of the mountains of.

Ciguayens, a warlike Indian tribe, account of.

Cintra, rock of, arrival at, by Columbus, on his return from the New

World.

Cipango (or Japan), Marco Polo's account of.

Cities, island of the seven.

Cladera, Don Christoval, his refutation of a letter written by M. Otto, to

Dr. Franklin.

Colon, Diego, acts as interpreter; his speech to the natives of Cuba;

marries the daughter of the Cacique Guarionex.

Colombo, the old Genoese admiral, conveys the king of Portugal to the

Mediterranean coast of France.

Colombo, the younger (nephew of the old admiral), a famous corsair.

----, Balthazar, of Cuccaro, loses his cause in respect to the heirship of

Columbus.

----, Juan, commander of one of Columbus's ships on his third voyage.

Colombos, the navigators, an account of; capture of the Venetian galleys.

Columbus, Bartholomew, accompanies Bartholomew Diaz along the coast of

Africa; an account of his proceedings; arrives at Valladolid; sent to

assist his brother with three ships; character of; is invested by

Columbus with the title and authority of Adelantado; attends his brother

in his expedition against the Indians of the Vega; goes to the mines of

Ilayna; is invested with the command on the return of Columbus to Spain;

takes Porras prisoner; sails to meet his brother; account of his

administration during the absence of Columbus; sends 300 Indians to Spain

to be sold as slaves; erects the fortress of San Domingo; pays a visit to

Behechio; his reception; demands a tribute; establishes a chain of

military posts; causes several Indians who had broken some Christian

images, etc., to be burnt; marches against the Caciques, who had formed a

conspiracy against the Spaniards; causes them to be seized; pardons most

of them; again visits Behechio to receive the tribute of cotton; his skill

in government; a conspiracy formed against him by Roldan; narrowly escapes

assassination; repairs to the Vega in relief of Fort Conception; his

interview with Roldan; is shut up in Fort Conception; relieved by the

arrival of Coronal; publishes an amnesty to all who return to their duty;

marches against Guarionex, who has rebelled; his campaign in the mountains

of Ciguay; releases the wife of one of the Caciques whom he had taken with

Mayobanex; favorable consequences of this; his vigorous proceedings

against the rebels engaged in the conspiracy of Guevara and Moxica; is put

in irons by Bobadilla; accompanies Columbus on his fourth voyage; waits on

the governor of Ercilla; takes possession of Cape Honduras in the name of

the sovereigns of Castile; lands at Cariari; forms a plan to seize

Quibian; does so, with his wives and children; Quibian escapes; and

attacks in return; is finally compelled to remove the settlement to

another place; is in great danger; compelled to embark with his brother

and all his men; sets sail from St. Domingo for Spain with his brother;

proceeds to court to urge the justice of the king; accompanies his brother

to court; goes to represent his brother on the arrival of the new king

and queen of Castile; is sent out to St. Domingo by Ferdinand to admonish

his nephew, Don Diego; is presented with the property and government of

Mona for life, etc.; dies at St. Domingo; his character.

Columbus, Christopher, account of his birth, parentage, and education;

early life of; his first voyage; engages in the service of Reinier, king

of Naples; alters the point of the compass of his ship to deceive his

discontented crew; engaged in the Mediterranean and the Levant; said to be

appointed captain of several Genoese ships in the service of Louis XI.;

his gallant conduct when sailing with Colombo the younger; goes to Lisbon,

where he takes up his residence; picture of his person; early character;

becomes enamored of Doña Felipa Monis de Palestrello, whom he marries;

becomes possessed of his father-in-law's charts, journals, etc.; removes

to the island of Porto Santo; becomes acquainted with Pedro Correo, a

navigator of note; is animated with a wish to make discoveries; grounds on

which he founds his belief of the existence of undiscovered countries in

the West; correspondence of Columbus with Paulo Toscanelli: makes a voyage

to the north of Europe; the astrolabe having been applied to navigation,

Columbus proposes a voyage of discovery to John II. king of Portugal; this

proposition is referred to a junto charged with all matters relating to

maritime discovery; who regard the project as visionary; the king then

refers it to his council; by whom it is condemned; a ship is secretly sent

in the direction proposed, but returns: Columbus's indignation; loses his

wife; quits Portugal; goes to Genoa and proposes his project to the

government; it is rejected; supposed by some to have carried his plan to

Venice; visits his father; arrives in Spain, and requests a little bread

and water at a convent of Franciscan friars; the prior detains him as a

guest; and invites Garcia Fernandez to meet him; gives him letters of

introduction to Fernando de Talavera, queen Isabella's confessor; sets out

for Cordova; arrives there; finds it impossible to obtain a hearing; the

queen's confessor regards his plan as impossible; maintains himself by

designing maps and charts; is received into the house of Alonzo de

Quintanilla; introduced to the archbishop of Toledo; who gives him an

attentive hearing; becomes his friend and procures him an audience of the

king; who desires the prior of Prado to assemble astronomers, etc. to hold

conference with him; Columbus appears before the assembly at Salamanca;

arguments against his theory; his reply; the subject experiences

procrastination and neglect; is compelled to follow the movements of the

court; his plan recommended by the marchioness of Moya; receives an

invitation to return to Portugal from John II.; receives a favorable

letter from Henry VII. of England; distinguishes himself in the campaign

of 1489, and is impressed deeply with the arrival and message of two

friars from the soldan of Egypt relative to the Holy Land; determines to

devote the profits arising from his intended discovery to the purpose of

rescuing the holy sepulchre from the hands of the infidels; council of

learned men again convened; who pronounce the scheme vain and impossible;

receives a message from the sovereigns; has an audience of the sovereigns:

leaves Seville in disgust; forms a connection with Beatrix Enriquez;

applies to the duke of Medina Sidonia, who rejects his plan; applies to

the duke of Medina Celi, who is prevented from acceding to his plan from a

fear of the court; returns to the convent of La Rabida; Alonzo Pinzon

offers to pay his expenses in a renewed application to the court; returns

at the desire of the queen; witnesses the surrender of Granada to the

Spanish arms; negotiation with persons appointed by the sovereigns; his

propositions are considered extravagant; are pronounced inadmissible;

lower terms are offered him, which he rejects; the negotiation broken off;

quits Santa Fé; Luis de St. Angel reasons with the queen; who at last

consents; a messenger dispatched to recall Columbus; he returns to Santa

Fé; arrangement with the Spanish sovereigns; his son appointed page to

prince Juan; he returns to La Rabida; preparations at the Port of Palos,

and apprehensions there relative to the expedition; not a vessel can be

procured; they are at last furnished; Columbus hoists his flag; sails;

prologue to his voyage; an account of the map he had prepared previous to

sailing; difficulties begin to arise; arrives at the Canaries; comes in

sight of Mount Teneriffe; arrives at Gomera; the news which reached him

there; alarm of his sailors on losing all sight of land; begins to keep

two reckonings; falls in with part of a mast; notices a variation of the

needle; his opinion relative to that phenomenon; they are visited by two

birds; terrors of the seamen; sees large patches of weeds; his situation

becomes more critical; part of his crew determine, should he refuse to

return, to throw him into the sea; false appearance of land; his crew

become exceedingly clamorous; the assertion that he capitulated with them

disproved; his address to the crew; sees a light; land discovered; the

reward for land adjudged to him; lands on the island of St. Salvador;

which he takes possession of in the name of the Castilian sovereigns; the

surprise of the natives: gold first discovered; reconnoitres the island;

takes seven of the inhabitants to teach them Spanish that they might

become interpreters; discovers Santa Maria de la Conception; discovers

Exuma; discovers Isabella; hears of two islands called Cuba and Bohio:

sails in search of the former; discovers it; takes formal possession;

sends two Spaniards up the country; coasts along the shore; return of the

Spaniards with their report; goes in search of the supposed island of

Babeque; discovers an archipelago, to which he gives the name of the

King's Garden; desertion of Alonzo Pinzon; discovers St. Catherine, in

which he finds stones veined with gold; specimen of his style in

description; reaches what he supposes to be the eastern extremity of Asia;

discovers Hispaniola; its transcendent appearance; enters a harbor, to

which he gives the name of St. Nicholas; a female brought to him who wore

an ornament of gold in her nose; coasts along the shores; is visited by a

Cacique; receives a message from Guacanagari; his ship strikes upon a

sand-bank in the night; some of his crew desert in a boat; the ship

becomes a wreck, and he takes refuge on board a caravel; receives

assistance from Guacanagari; transactions with the natives; is invited to

the residence of Guacanagari; his affectionate reception of him; his

people desire to have permission to remain in the island; he forms the

plan of a colony and the design of constructing a fortress; and of

returning to Spain for reinforcements; entertained in the most hospitable

manner by Guacanagari; who procures for him a great quantity of gold

previous to his departure; his address to the people; gives a feast to the

chieftains; sails; coasts towards the eastern end of Hispaniola: meets

with Pinzon; Pinzon's apology; account of the Ciguayens; the first native

blood shed by the whites; account of the return voyage; encounters violent

storms; the crew draw lots who shall perform pilgrimages; two lots fall to

the admiral; vows made; commits an account of his voyage in a barrel to

the sea; land discovered; which proves to be the Azores; transactions at

St. Mary's; receives supplies and a message from the governor; attempted

performance of the vow made during the storm; the seamen taken prisoners

by the rabble, headed by the governor; the governor's disgraceful conduct;

seamen liberated; cause of the governor's conduct; violent gales; lots for

pilgrimages again cast; arrives off Cintra, in Portugal; writes to the

sovereigns and the king of Portugal; is summoned by a Portuguese admiral

to give an account of himself; effect of his return at Lisbon; receives an

invitation from the king of Portugal; interview with the king; jealousy of

the king excited; a proposition to the king by some of his courtiers to

assassinate Columbus and take advantage of his discoveries; rejected by

the king; disgraceful plot of the king to rob Spain of the newly-discovered

possessions; his interview with the queen of Portugal; enters

the harbor of Palos; account of his reception there; arrival of Pinzon;

receives an invitation from the sovereigns at Barcelona; his reception on

the road; is received in a magnificent manner by the courtiers; and the

sovereigns; his vow in respect to the holy sepulchre; the manner in which

his discoveries were received throughout Europe; a coat of arms given him;

the manner in which he receives the honors paid to him; preparations for a

second voyage; agreement made with the sovereigns; powers with which he is

invested; takes leave of the sovereigns at Barcelona; arrives at Seville;

prepares for the voyage; ideas of Columbus and the people relative to the

New World; insolence of Juan de Soria; conduct of Fonseca: departure on

his second voyage; anchors at Gornera; gives sealed instructions to the

commander of each vessel; sees a swallow; encounters a storm; sees the

lights of St. Elmo; discovers the Caribbee Islands; takes possession of

them; discovers Guadaloupe; transactions there; cruises among the

Caribbees; arrives at Hispaniola; at the gulf of Samana; anchors at Monte

Christi; arrives at La Navidad; is visited by a cousin of the Cacique;

learns a disaster which had occurred at the fortress; visits Guacanagari:

abandons La Navidad: founds the city of Isabella at Monte Christi; falls

sick; sends Alonzo de Ojeda to explore the interior of the island;

dispatches twelve ships to Spain; requests fresh supplies; recommends

Pedro Margarite and Juan Aguado to the patronage of the government;

recommends a curious plan in respect to an exchange of Caribs for live

stock; recommendation of Columbus in respect to the Caribs; his conduct in

respect to Diaz's mutiny; consequences; sets out on an expedition to the

mountains of Cibao; erects a fortress of wood among the mountains; returns

to Isabella; receives unpleasant intelligence from Pedro Margarite;

sickness in the colony; puts his people on short allowance, Sol; offends

the Hidalgos, by making them share the common labors of the colony;

distributes his forces in the interior; gives the command of them to Pedro

Margarite; his instructions to that officer; instructs Margarite to

surprise and secure Caonabo; his conduct in respect to Haytien thieves;

sails for Cuba; visits La Navidad; arrives at St. Nicholas; lands at

Guantanamo; anchors at St. Jago; sails in search of Bubeque; discovers

Jamaica; received in a hostile manner: takes possession of the island;

amicable intercourse with the natives; returns to Cuba; lands at Cabo de

la Cruz; encounters a storm; becomes engaged in a most difficult

navigation; discovers an archipelago, to which he gives the name of the

Queen's Gardens; hears of a province called Mangon, which greatly excites

his attention; coasts along the southern side of Cuba; encounters a

dangerous navigation in A white pea; sends parties to explore the interior

of the country; deceives himself in respect to what he wishes; fancies he

has arrived on that part of Asia which is beyond the boundaries of the Old

World, laid down by Ptolemy; anticipates returning to Spain by the Aurea

Chersonesus, Taprobana, the Straits of Babelmandel, and the Red Sea, or

the Coast of Africa; returns along the southern coast of Cuba, in the

assurance that Cuba was the extremity of the Asiatic continent; discovers

the island of Evangelista; his ship runs aground; sails along the province

of Ornofay: erects crosses in conspicuous situations to denote his

discoveries; is addressed by an Indian; takes an Indian with him: his ship

leaks; reaches Santa Cruz; coasts along the south side of Jamaica; his

ship visited by a Cacique and his whole family; who offer to accompany him

to Spain to do homage to the king and queen; he evades this offer; coasts

along the south side of Hispaniola; makes an error in reckoning; arrives

at Mona; is suddenly deprived of all his faculties; arrives at Isabella;

is joined by his brother Bartholomew; invests him with the title and

authority of Adelantado; is visited by Guacanagari, who informs him of a

league formed against him by the Haytien Caciques; his measures to restore

the quiet of the island; wins over Guarionex, and prevails upon him to

give his daughter in, marriage to Diego Colon; builds Fort, Conception in

the territories of Guarionex; Caonabo is delivered into his hands by

Ojeda; he puts him in chains; his interview with him; his anxiety relieved

by the arrival of Antonio de Torres; sends home specimens of gold, plants,

etc., and five hundred Indian prisoners to be sold as slaves; undertakes

an expedition against the Indians of the Vega; a battle ensues; the

Indians defeated; makes a military tour through various parts of the

island, and reduces is to obedience; imposes a tribute; refuses the offer

of Guarionex to cultivate grain, instead of paying in gold; erects forts;

the natives having destroyed the crops, are hunted and compelled to return

to their labors; account of the intrigues against Columbus in the court of

Spain; charges brought against him; his popularity declines in

consequence; measures taken in Spain; Aguado arrives at Isabella to

collect information relative to the state of the colony; his dignified

conduct at his first interview with Aguado; the Caciques prefer complaints

against him: he resolves on returning to Spain; a violent hurricane occurs

previous to his departure, which sinks six caravels; pleased with the

discovery of the gold mines of Hayna; orders a fort to be erected; invests

his brother with the command; fails for Spain; arrives at Guadaloupe; his

politic conduct there; leaves Guadaloupe: a famine on board the ships; his

magnanimous conduct; arrives in Spain.; his representation of things;

writes instructions for ibe conduct of Bartholomew; invited to court;

favorably received; proposes a third voyage of discovery; the king

promises him ships; delays and their causes; refuses the title of duke or

marquess, and a grant of lands in Hispaniola; terms on winch he was to

sail: honors bestowed upon him; his respect and love for Genoa; makes his

will; odium thrown upon his enterprises; plan to which he was compelled to

resort to procure men for his third voyage; in consequence of delays, he

almost resolves to give up all further enterprise; chastises a minion of

Fonseca; consequences of this chastisement; sets sail; his opinion in

respect to a continent in the Southern Ocean; arrives at Gomera; retakes a

Spanish ship; is seized with a fit of the gout; arrives among the Cape de

Verde Islands: sees the island Bel Fuego; arrives under the line; the heat

becomes intolerable, and he alters his course; discovers Trinidad;

discovers Terra Firma; steers along the coast of Trinidad; difficulty in

respect to a rapid current; enters the Gulf of Paria; suffers from a

complaint in the eyes; discovers the islands of Margarita and Cubagua;

exchanges plates, etc., for pearls; his complaint in the eyes increases;

arrives at Hispaniola; his brother soils to meet him; his constitution

seems to give way; his speculations relative to the coast of Paria; polar

star augmentation; doubts the received theory of the earth; accounts for

variation of the needle; difference of climate, etc.; arrives at San

Domingo; state of his health, on arriving at Hispaniola; state of the

colony; negotiates with the rebels; offers free passage to all who desire

to return to Spain; offers a pardon to Roldan, which is received with

contempt; writes to Spain an account of the rebellion, etc., and requires

a judge and some missionaries to be sent out: writes a conciliating letter

to Roldan; interviews with Roldan; issues a proclamation of pardon;

receives proposals, which he accedes to; goes on a tour to visit the

various stations; receives a cold letter from the sovereigns, written by

Fonseca; the former arrangement with Roldan not having been carried into

effect, enters into a second; grants lands to Roldan's followers;

considers Hispaniola in the light of a conquered country; reduces the

natives to the condition of villains or vassals: grants lands to Roldan;

determines on returning to Spain; but is prevented by circumstances;

writes to the sovereigns, entreating them to inquire into the truth of the

late transactions; requests that his son, Diego, might be sent out to him;

sends Roldan to Alonzo de Ojeda, who has arrived on the western coast on a

voyage of discovery; his indignation at the breach of prerogative implied

by this voyage; hears of a conspiracy entered into against him by Guevara

and Moxica; seizes Moxica; and orders him to be flung headlong from the

battlements of Fort Conception; vigorous proceedings against the rebels;

beneficial consequences; visionary fancy at night; representations at

court against him; his sons insulted at Granada; the queen is offended at

his pertinacity in making slaves of those taken in warfare; and consents

to the sending out a commission to investigate his conduct; Bobadilla is

sent out; and arrives at St. Domingo; his judgment formed before he leaves

his ship; he seizes upon the government before he investigates the conduct

of Columbus; Columbus is summoned to appear before Bobadilla; goes to St.

Domingo without guards or retinue, and is put in irons and confined in the

fortress; his magnanimity; charges against him; jubilee of miscreants on

his degradation; his colloquy with Villejo, previous to their sailing;

sails; arrives at Cadiz; sensation in Spain on his arrival in irons; sends

a letter to Doña Juana de la Torre, with an account of his treatment;

indignation of the sovereigns at reading this account; is invited to

court; his gracious reception there; his emotion; is promised a full

restitution of his privileges and dignities; disappointed in receiving

them; causes; his interests ordered to be respected in Hispaniola by

Ovando; remembers his vow to furnish an army wherewith to recover the Holy

Sepulchre; endeavors to incite the sovereigns to the enterprise; forms a

plan for a fourth voyage, which is to eclipse all former ones; writes to

Pope Alexander VII.; manuscript copy of, note; takes measures to secure

his fame by placing it under the guardianship of his native country; sails

from Cadiz; arrives at Ercilla; at the Grand Canary; at St. Domingo;

requests permission to shelter in the harbor, as he apprehends a storm;

his request refused; a violent hurricane soon after sweeps the sea, in

which he and his property are preserved, and several of his bitterest

enemies overwhelmed; encounters another storm; discovers Guanaga; a

Cacique eomes on board his ship with a multitude of articles, the produce

of the country; selects some to send them to Spain; is within two days'

sail of Yucatan; natives different from any he had yet seen; voyages along

the coast of Honduras; encounters violent storms of thunder and lightning;

voyage along the Mosquito shore; passes a cluster of islands, to which he

gives the name of Limonares; comes to an island, to which he gives the

name of La Huerta, or the Garden; transactions at Cariari; voyage along

Costa Rica; speculations concerning the isthmus of Veragua; discovery of

Puerto Bello; discovery of El Retrete; disorders of his men at this port,

and the consequences; relinquishes the further prosecution of his voyage

eastward; returns to Puerto Bello; encounters a furious tempest; is near

being drowned by a water-spout; returns to Veragua; regards gold as one of

the mystic treasures, note; is nearly being wrecked in port; gives his

name to the mountains of Veragua; sends his brother to explore the

country; which appears to be impregnated with gold; believes that he has

reached one of the most favored ports of the Asiatic continent; commences

a settlement on the river Belen; determines on returning to Spain for

reinforcements; is stopped by discovering a conspiracy of the natives;

sends his brother to surprise Quibian; who is seized; and afterwards

escapes; disasters at the settlement stop his sailing; some of his

prisoners escape, and others destroy themselves; his anxiety produces

delirium; is comforted by a vision; the settlement is abandoned, and the

Spaniards embark for Spain; departure from the coast of Veragua; sails for

Hispaniola; arrives at Puerto Bello: at the entrance of the Gulf of

Darien; at the Queen's Gardens; encounters another violent tempest;

arrives at Cape Cruz; at Jamaica; runs his ships on shore; arranges with

the natives for supplies of provisions; his conversation with Diego Mendez

to induce him to go in a canoe to St. Domingo; Mendez offers to go;

Columbus writes to Ovando for a ship to take him and his crew to

Hispaniola; writes to the sovereigns; Mendez embarks; the Porras engage in

a mutiny; the mutiny becomes general; is confined by the gout; rushes out

to quell the mutiny, but is borne back to the cabin by the few who remain

faithful; the mutineers embark on board ten Indian canoes; provisions

become exceedingly scarce; employs a stratagem to obtain supplies from the

natives; another conspiracy is formed; arrival of Diego de Escobar from

Hispaniola on a mission from the governor, promising that a ship shall

soon be sent to his relief; overtures of the admiral to the mutineers; not

accepted; they send a petition for pardon; it is granted; two ships arrive

from Hispaniola; departure of Columbus; arrives at Beata; anchors in the

harbor of St. Domingo; is enthusiastically received by the people; is

grieved at the desolation he sees everywhere around him; finds that his

interests had been disregarded; sets sail for Spain; encounters several

tempests; anchors in the barbor of St. Luear; finds all his affairs in

confusion; is compelled to live by borrowing; writes to King Ferdinand;

but, receiving unsatisfactory replies, would have set out for Seville, but

is prevented by his infirmities: death of Queen Isabella; is left to the

justice of Ferdinand; employs Vespucci; goes with his brother to court,

then held at Segovia; is received in a very cold manner; Don Diego de Deza

is appointed arbitrator between the king and the admiral; his claims are

referred to the Junta de Descargos; is confined with a violent attack of

the gout; petitions the king that his son Diego may be appointed, in his

place, to the government of which lie bad been so long deprived; his

petition remains unattended to; writes to the new king and queen of

Castile; who promise a speedy and prosperous termination to his suit; his

last illness; writes a testamentary codicil on the blank page of a little

breviary; writes a final codicil; receives the sacrament; dies; his

burial; his remains removed to Hispaniola, disinterred and conveyed to the

Havana; epitaph; observations on his character; his remains removed with

great ceremony to Cuba; reflections thereon; historical account of his

descendants; an important lawsuit relative to the beirship (in the female

line) to the family titles and property; decided in favor of Don Nuno

Golves do Portugallo; an account of his lineage; an account of his

birthplace; an account of the ships he used; an examination of his route

in the first voyage; the effect of the travels of Marco Polo on his mind;

his belief in the imaginary island of St. Brandan; an account of the

earliest narratives of his first and second voyages; his ideas relative to

the situation of the terrestrial paradise; his will; his signature.

Columbus, Don Diego, character of; intrusted with the command of the ships

during the expedition of Columbus to the mountains of Cibao; made

president of the junta; reproves Pedro Margarito for his irregularities;

the Hidalgos form a faction against him during the absence of his brother;

returns to Isabella; a conspiracy formed against him by Roldan; left in

command at St. Domingo, during the tour of Columbus; his conduct on the

arrival of Bobadilla; seized by order of Bobadilla, thrown in irons, and

confined on board of a caravel.

----, Don Diego (son to Christopher), appointed page to Queen Isabella:

embarks with his father on his second expedition; left in charge of his

father's interests in Spain; his ingratitude to Mendez, and falsification

of his promise; his character; succeeds to the rights of his father, as

viceroy and governor of the New World; urges the king to give him those

rights; commences a process against the king before the council of the

Indies; the defence set up: the suit lasts several years; becomes enamored

of Doña Maria Toledo; a decision, in respect to part of his claim, raises

him to great wealth; marries Doña Maria, niece to the Duke of Aiva;

through this connection he obtains the dignities and powers enjoyed by

Nicolas de Ovando; embarks for Hispaniola; keeps up great state; becomes

embroiled with some of his father's enemies; the court of royal audience

established as a check upon him; opposes the repartimientos; his virtues

make him unpopular, subjugates and settles the island of Cuba without the

loss of a single man; sails for Spain to vindicate his conduct; is well

received; the death of Ferdinand; obtains a recognition of his innocence

of all charges against him from Charles V.: and has his right acknowledged

to exercise the office of viceroy and governor in all places discovered by

his father; sails for St. Domingo, where he arrives; difficulties he has

to encounter; African slaves having been introduced and most cruelly used,

they revolt; are subdued; is accused of usurping too much power; receives

in consequence a severe letter from the council of the Indies; and is

desired to repair to court to vindicate himself; sails, lands, and appears

before the court at Victoria; clears himself; prosecutes his claims,

follows the court from city to city; is attacked by a slow fever; dies;

his family.

Columbus, Fernando (son to Christopher), accompanies his father on his

fourth voyage; his father's encomium on him; embarks for Hispaniola with

Don Diego; an account of him; writes a history of his father.

----, Don Luis (son to Don Diego), prosecutes the claims of his father and

grandfather; compromises all claims for two titles and a pension; dies.

Commerce, despotic influence of the Spanish crown in respect to.

Compass, the, brought into more general use.

Conception, Santa Maria de la, discovery of.

---- Fort, erected by Columbus; present state of, note.

Contradictions, the coast of.

Convicts who had accompanied Columbus, conduct of, in Hispaniola.

Copper hatchets seen among the Indians of Guanaca.

Coral found in Veragua.

Cormorants, large nights of, seen on the south coast of Cuba.

Coronel, Pedro Fernandez, sails for Hayti with two ships; arrives at St.

Domingo with supplies; is sent to persuade Roldan to return to his duty.

Correo, Pedro, a navigator of note, with whom Columbus becomes acquainted.

Cortez, Hernando, conduct of Fonseca to.

Costa Rica, Columbus sails along the.

Cotabanama, Cacique of Higuey; massacres eight Spaniards; Ovando marches

against him; sues for peace; visits the Spanish camp; another war ensues;

cruelty to his tribe; takes shelter with his wife and children in a large

cavern; his rencounter with Juan Lopez; is overpowered and chained; sent

to St. Domingo and hanged.

Cotton, where first seen in the Western hemisphere; seen in large

quantities in Cuba; tribute of.

Cranes, flocks of large, seen in Cuba.

Creation, ideas in respect to the, entertained by the Haytiens.

Crocodiles found at El Betrete similar to those of the Nile.

Crosses erected by Columbus to denote his discoveries. Crusade to

recover the holy sepulchre proposed by Columbus.

Cruz, Cabo de la, so named by Columbus.

Cuba, island of, Columbus bears of; sails in quest of it; discovery of;

description of its appearance: hurricanes seldom known in; belief of the

inhabitants in a future state; Columbus revisits the consts of; natives

of; Columbus coasts along the southern side; natives; subjugated and

settled by Don Diego Columbus; the remains of Columbus removed to.

Cubagua, Isle of, discovery of; natives; pearl fisheries on the coast of,

established. Cubiga, a village in Veragua where the country of gold was

supposed to terminate.

Cucumbers first seen in Hayti.

Currency, principles on which the sums mentioned in this work have been

reduced to modern currency.

D.

Dances of the Haytiens.

Darien, Gulf of.

Dead and dying, manner of treating the, by the Haytiens.

Delphin, island of.

Deluge, universal, ideas entertained by the Haytiens in respect to.

323.

Deza, Diego de, character of; coincides with Columbus at the council of

Salamanca; assists him with his purse; made archbishop of Seville; is

chosen arbitrator between the king and Columbus.

Diaz, Bartholomew, account of his discoveries.

----, Miguel, his romantic history; discovers the gold mines of Hayna;

commands the fortress of St. Domingo at the time Bobadilla arrives; his

conduct on being desired to give up his prisoners.

----, de Pisa, mutiny of; confined on board one of the ships.

Disaster, river of.

Discovery, progress of, under prince Henry of Portugal.

Dogs, dumb, found at Santa Marta.

Domingo, San, foundation of the city of.

Dominica, island of, discovered.

Doves, stock, presented to Columbus by the natives of Cuba.

Drogeo, a vast country, fabled to have been discovered by some fishermen

of Friseland.

Drum, a species of, used by the Haytiens.

Dying, manner of treating the.

E.

Ear, coast of the.

Eden, garden of, speculation of Columbus in respect to.

Egg, anecdote of the.

Egypt, soldan of, his message to Ferdinand.

Elmo, St., electrical lights seen by Columbus.

Enchanters, the natives of Cariari taken to be.

Enriqueis, Beatrix, her connnection with Columbus; Columbus's legacy to,

ii.

Escobar, Diego de, arrives at Jamaica on a mission to Columbus from the

governor of Hispaniola; returns to his ship immediately.

----, Rodrigo de, chief notary to Columbus's first expedition.

Escobedo, Rodrigo de, his conduct after the departure of Columbus; death

of.

Espinal, Antonio de, the first prelate sent to the New World.

Esquibel, Juan de, employed against the natives of Higuey; his atrocious

conduct to his prisoners; causes the natives to be hunted like wild beasts.

Estotiland, a supposed island on the coast of North America, said to have

been discovered by some fishermen of Friseland.

Eudoxus, remarks on his voyage. Evangelista, island of, discovered by

Columbus.

Exuma, discovery of; named Fernandina by Columbus.

F.

Farol, Cape, at Jamaica.

Ferdinand, king of Aragon and Castile, character of; engagements of, on

the arrival of Columbus at Cordova; lays siege to the city of Loxa; grants

an audience to Columbus; desires the prior of Prado to assemble men of

science to consider his plan; attempt to assassinate him; takes Malaga;

forms an alliance with Henry VII. of England; one of the rival kings of

Granada surrenders his pretensions; receives a message from the soldan of

Egypt; his message to Columbus on learning the unfavorable decision of the

council; refers his plan to persons of confidence; his reluctance to the

plan after the queen has consented; his joy on learning the success of

Columbus; his reception of him; prepares a second expedition; his

negotiations with John II. in respect to the new discoveries; listens to

the charges against Columbus; his conduct; his reception of Columbus on

his second return; lays the foundation of the power of Charles V.;

promises Columbus to furnish him with ships for a third voyage;

disappointed that his newly-discovered possessions have not become a

source of profit; assaulted by the clamors of ruffians who had returned

from Hispaniola; his ingratitude to Columbus becomes evident; listens to

the rebels who had been permitted to return to Spain: sends out a

commission to inquire into the conduct of Columbus; reprobates the conduct

pursued against Columbus, and invites him to court; promises to restore

him to all his rights and privileges; his jealousy awakened at the

discoveries of the English and Portuguese. 131; his ingratitude to

Columbus; listens to the project of Columbus for a fourth voyage; his

ingratitude more evinced on the return of Columbus from his last voyage;

erects a monument over Columbus; his conduct to Don Diego Columbus's son;

consents that Don Diego should commence a process against him before the

council of the Indies; the defence set up; separates the Isthmus of Darien

into two great provinces; death.

Fernandez, Garcia, physician of Palos, his account of Columbus at the gate

of the convent on his first arrival in Spain; testimony of, relative to

Pinzon.

Ferrer, Jayme, an eminent lapidary, substance of his letter to Columbus,

note.

Festival, religious, of a Haytien Cacique, description of.

Fiesco, Bartholomew, embarks with Mendez from Jamaica to Hispaniola;

attends the last moments of Columbus.

Fish, curious.

Fishing, curious method of.

Fonseca, Juan Rodriguez de, appointed superintendent of Indian affairs;

his character; his difference with Columbus; impedes the affairs of

Columbus; writes a cold letter to Columbus, by order of the sovereigns;

shows Columbus's letter to Alonzo de Ojeda; his baseness fully displayed;

supposed to have instigated the violent measures of Bobadilla; throws

impediments in the way of Columbus's fourth voyage; supposed to have been

the cause of Ovando's disgrace; by order of Ferdinand, establishes a

court, called the Royal Audience; becomes interested in continuing the

slave trade; his opposition to Las Casas; an account of; character of; his

conduct to Cortez; accused of having fomented a conspiracy to assassinate

Cortez.

Fountain of pure water in the sea, note.

Franciscans, the order first introduced into the New World.

Fuego, del, island of, seen by Columbus.

G.

Galleys, Venetian, capture of, by Colombo the younger.

Gama, Vasquez de, doubles the Cape of Good Hope, and opens a new road for

the trade of the East.

Garcia de Barrantee, his conduct during the conspiracy of Boldan.

Gardens, the, coast so called.

---- King's islands.

---- Queen's, islands of.

---- the Hesperian, observations in respect to.

Gato, Paulo, a species of monkey.

Genoa, Columbus shows great respect to.

Gentlemen, the pass of, a road so called.

Geraldini, Alexandria and Antonio, warmly enter into the views of

Columbus; they introduce him to the archbishop of Toledo.

Gold (Western), discovered first in St. Salvador; specimens of virgin ore

found in the interior of Hispaniola; particles found in the streams; and

pieces.

----, tribute of.

---- mine discovered in Hayti; a solid mass of, which weighed 3600

castellanos: superstitious notions in respect to, note: gathered from the

roots of the trees in Veragua.

Golden river, arrival at, in second voyage.

Gods of the Haytiens.

Goinarn, Fernando Lopez de, examination of his chargo relative to a

pilot's having died in the house of Columbus.

Gorvalan explores part of the interior of Hispaniola; returns to Spain

Gourds introduced into Hayti.

Gracias a Dios, cape of.

Granada, discovery of.

Grape-vines, very luxuriant, found in Cuba.

Greenland, assertions relative to its discovery by the Scandinavians.

379.

Granada, surrender of.

Guadaloupe, island of, discovered; houses, furniture, etc. of the natives;

supposed to be cannibals; description of the island; Columbus revisits it;

women of.

Guacanagari, Cacique of Hispaniola, sends a message to Columbus, receives

the Spaniards with great courtesy; sheds tears on learning the shipwreck

of Columbus; his assistance; and kindness; invites Columbus to his

residence; manners of; hospitality; procures a great quantity of gold for

the Admiral previous to his departure for Spain; sends his cousin to greet

Columbus on his second arrival; his suspicious conduct during the disaster

at La Navidad; visits Columbus's ships; admires a captive Carib woman; his

flight into the interior; his mysterious conduct continued; refuses to

partake in the plan formed by Caonabo, of exterminating the Spaniards;

incurs the hostility of his fellow Caciques; visits Columbus during his

sickness, and informs him of a league formed against him: assists Columbus

in his expedition against the Indians of the Vega: is present at a battle;

incurs the hatred of all the Caciques; is nevertheless compelled to pay

tribute; takes refuge in the mountains and dies in misery; his character.

Guana, regarded with disgust by the Spaniards; they conquer their

prejudice.

Guanaja, discovery of.

Guaora, Cacique, hunted like a wild beast, and afterwards hanged.

Guarionex, Cacique of the royal Vega; visits Columbus, and is prevailed on

to give his daughter to Diego Colon, the interpreter; permits Columbus to

build a fortress; character of; submits to the domination of the

Spaniards; compelled to pay tribute; offers to cultivate grain; refused;

learns the Pater-noster, Ave-Maria, etc.: relapses, and the cause of it;

becomes incensed at several Indians being burnt for destroying some

images; takes arms; conspires to assassinate the Spaniards; is seized; is

pardoned; enters into a conspiracy with Roldan against the Adelantado;

puts a Cacique to death; flies to the mountains of Ciguay; is compelled to

retire into the most desolate places; is seized and taken in chains to

Fort Conception; lost in a hurricane.

Guatiguana, a Cacique of Hayti, puts ten Spaniards to death, and sets fire

to a house.

Guevara, Don Hernando de, falls in love with Higuamota; is seized in the

dwelling of Anacaona; and sent to San Domingo.

Gulf stream.

Gutierrez, Pedro, his conduct after the departure of Columbus; death of.

H.

Hamacs, used by the natives of Exuma.

Hanno, remarks on the Periplus of.

Haro, Bernaldo de, his evidence relative to the discovery of the coast of

Paria by Columbus.

Hatchets of iron, said to be found at Guadaloupe.

Hawk's bells, delight of the Haytiens on wearing.

Hayna, mines of, discovered.

Henry, prince of Portugal, progress of discovery under; account of;

considers Africa to be circumnavigable; conceives the idea of turning the

trade of the East; establishes a naval college at Sagres; death.

Henry VII. of England, writes a favorable letter to Columbus.

Herbs, European, introduced in Hispaniola.

Herrera, Antonio de, a short account of his life and writings; Vossius's

eulogium on.

Herrera, Don Lepo de, his mission to the court of Lisbon.

Hayti (see Hispaniola), discovery of.

Haytiens, description of their manners, customs, religion, etc.; their

character; defeated in the battle of the Vega; subjugated; a tribute

imposed upon them; their despair; they enter into an association to

destroy the crops; the evils fall upon themselves.

Hidalgos, compelled at Hayti to share the common labors of the settlement;

character of the; form a faction against Diego Columbus, during the

absence of his brother.

Higuamota, daughter of Caonabo, falls in love with Don Hernando de

Guevara.

Higuanama, a female Cacique, hanged by order of Ovando.

Higuey, domain of: character of its inhabitants; Ovando's war with the

natives; martial character of the people; multitudes of them destroyed;

sue for peace; again revolt; and slaughter their tyrants;

situation of their towns; are defeated and compelled to conceal themselves

in the fastnesses; are hunted like wild beasts.

Hipparchus, error of, in respect of Africa, and India. Hispaniola,

discovery of; cause of its being so called; description of the

inhabitants; of the country; transactions with the natives; form of

government; alarm created by a discharge of cannon; general description

of; domains into which it was divided; made the metropolis of the New

World: thought to have been the ancient Ophir; an account of the numbers

of the natives who perished, victims to the avarice of the whites; ceded

to the French. 317. Honduras, cape of, discovered by Columbus.;

inhabitants.

Honey and wax found at Guadaloupe.

Horses, fear of the Haytiens of; terror inspired by them at the battle of

the Vega; a remarkable one which moved in curvets to the music of a viol.

Huelva, Alonzo Sanchez de, the pilot, fabled to have died in the house of

Columbus.

Huerta, La, delightful island of, H. 167; inhabitauts of.

Humboldt, his account of the present condition of the southern side of

Cuba; account of the route of Columbus, note.

Hurricanes, seldom known in Cuba; a violent one in Hayti; reflections of

the Haytiens previous to it.

I.

Iceland, Columbus supposed to have visited; assertions relative to its

discovery by the Scandinavians.

Impressment resorted to on Columbus's third voyage.

Indians, six taken from the New World; arrival of in Spain; are baptized;

an Indian, of Jamaica, desires Columbus to take him to Spain.

Iron, a pan of, seen at Guadaloupe.

Isabella, discovery of the island of.

----, princess, marriage of, with the heir-apparent of Portugal.

----, queen of Aragon and Castile, character of; engagements of, on the

arrival of Columbus in Spain: repairs to the seat of war in Granada;

thence to Gallicia and Salamanca; an attempt to assassinate her; Columbus

recommended to her by the marchioness of Moya; her ability in military

affairs; receives a letter from the prior of La Rabida; invites Columbus

to court; Luis de St. Angel reasons with her; signifies her assent;

declares her resolution to pawn her jewels to defray the expenses; her

enthusiasm in the cause; her motives; her joy at learning the success of

Columbus; her reception of him; her zeal for the welfare of the Indians;

her anxiety in respect to the conversion of the Haytiens; humanely

prevents the Haytien slaves from being sold to slavery; orders them to be

sent back to Hayti; enters into the views of Columbus in respect to a

third voyage; her humane directions; death of her son, Prince Juan; makes

Columbus's two sons her pages; begins to doubt the conduct of Columbus;

offended at his pertinacity in making slaves of the Indians taken in war;

orders all those sent to Spain to be restored to their country and

friends; consents to the sending out a commission to investigate his

conduct; filled with sympathy and indignation on reading Columbus's letter

to Doña de la Torre; invites him to court; is moved to tears at beholding

him; her concern for the welfare of the Indians; listens with complacency

to the proposition of Columbus for a fourth voyage; receives the news of

the sanguinary acts of Ovando with horror and indignation; exacts a

promise from the king that he shall be superseded in the government;

causes of the melancholy under which she labored; her death; and character.

J.

Jamaica discovered by Columbus; the natives receive Columbus in a hostile

manner; Columbus takes possession of it; amicable intercourse with the

natives; their character; their canoes; subjugated by Don Diego.

----, Cacique of, visits Columbus, and oifers to go and do homage to the

king and queen of Spain; this offer evaded by Columbus.

Japan (Cipango), Marco Polo's account of it.

Jasper, specimens found among the mountains of Cibao.

Jerez, Rodrigo de, sent up the island of Cuba by Columbus; account of his

journey.

Jews not allowed to establish themselves in the colonies, or undertake

voyages of discovery.

John of Anjou, an account of his expedition against Naples.

---- II. king of Portugal, the passion for maritime discovery revives

under; sends missions in quest of Prester John; receives a proposition of

a voyage of discovery from Columbus; refers it to a junto and his council,

who report it to be visionary; consents to use an unwarrantable stratagem;

desires to renew the negotiation with Columbus; who refuses and quits

Portugal; invites Columbus to Portugal, and promises protection; invites

Columbus on his return from the New World; his jealousy excited; his

armament; his negotiations with Ferdinand in respect to the new

discoveries; his idea in respect to a continent in the southern ocean.

Josephus, his opinion relative to the gold used in the temple of

Jerusalem.

Juan, prince, his nuptials; his death.

Juana, queen of Castile, arrival of; promises a prosperous termination to

the suit of Columbus.

Junta de Descargos, the claims of Columbus referred to the.

K.

Kings, Moorish, of Granada, one of them surrenders hie pretensions to

Ferdinand; the other surrenders Granada.

Kircher, Athanasius, his opinion relative to the travels of Marco Polo.

L.

Labrador, discovered by Sebastian Cabot.

Lactantius, passage quoted from, to prove the impossibility of their being

antipodes.

Lapis lazuli, specimens found among the mountains of Cibao.

Ledesma, Pedro, his gallant conduct; involves himself in Porra's mutiny,

and receives a multitude of wounds; is assassinated.

Lepe, Diego de, discovers more of the southern continent than any voyager

of his day. Lineage of Christopher Columbus, an account of.

Lombards, the extent of their trade.

Lopez, Juan, his rencontre with Cotabanaina.

Lots for Pilgrimages, drawing of.

Luxan, Juan de, hie excursion among the mountains of Cibao.

M.

Macham, his discovery of Madeira; an account of his adventures.

Madeira, an account of the discovery of the island of.

Magellan, electrical lights seen during his voyage on the masts of ships.

Maguana, domain of, an account of.

Mahogany, canoes made of.

Maize, cultivated in Ilayti.

Maladies of the Spaniards in Hayti,330.

Malaga, eiege and capture of.

Maldonado, Don Alonzo, appointed Alguazil-mayor in the place of Roldan, in

Hispaniola.

Maldonado, Melchor, visits Guacanagari; proceeds along the coast.

Malte-Brun, his conjecture relative to Columbus considered.

Man, origin of, according to the Haytiens.

Manicaotex, succeeds Caonabo; commands in a battle; is conquered and sues

for peace; compelled to pay half a calabash of gold every three months;

assembly of the Caciques at his house to prefer complaints against

Columbus.

Mandeville, Sir John, a short account of his travels; held in great

authority by Columbus.

Mangon, a province of Cuba.

Map, Paulo Toscanelli's, used by Columbus on hia first voyage.

Maps, a great improvement made in.

Marble, masses of, found among the mountains of Cibao.

Marcolini, his account of Estotiland and Drogeo.

Margarita, island of, discovery of.

of Austria, her nuptials with prince Juan.

Margnrite, Pedro, recommended to a command by Columbus; made commander of

the fortress of St. Thomas; sends an account of the conduct of his colony,

etc.; is invested with the command of the forces; disregards his

instructions; his misconduct during the absence of Columbus; is censured

by Diego Columbus; forms a plan of returning to Spain; sets sail; his

accusations of Columbus at Madrid.

Marque, Diego, missed at Guadaloupe; his return; is placed under arrest.

Maria, Santa, discovery of.

Marien, domain, account of.

Martin V., Pope, concedes to the crown of Portugal all the lands it might

discover from Cape Bajador to the Indies.

Marta, Santa, discovery of.

Martin, San, island of, discovered.

Martyr, Peter, his account of Cuba; his description of the natives of

Hispaniola; sent to the soldan of Egypt to make arrangements for the

conservation of the holy sepulchre: short account of his life and

writings; passages from his letters relative to Columbus; his character of

Amerigo Vespucci.

Marigalante, island of, discovery of.