meaning of the symbol; which was the wampum-belt, the pledge of peace, held sacred amongst the Indians. The chieftain followed shortly afterwards, and, having entered the boat with only three attendants, was conveyed on board the caravel. This frank and confiding conduct was properly appreciated by Columbus: he received the cazique with cordial friendship, treated him with such dainties as his ship afforded, and, after exciting his amazement by her structure and implements of war, and making him and his attendants many presents, sent them to land, highly gratified by their entertainment.

From the condition of his ships, as well as the temper of his men, Columbus now found it necessary to hasten his return to Europe. On the 16th of January, he directed his course towards the north-east, and soon lost sight of land. He had on board some of the natives, whom he had taken from the different islands; and, besides the gold, which was the chief object of research, he had collected specimens of all the productions likely to become objects of commerce, as well as many unknown birds, and other natural curiosities, which might attract the attention of the learned, or excite the wonder of the people.

The voyage was prosperous, until the 14th of February, and he had advanced nearly five-hundred leagues across the Atlantic, when the wind began to rise. It continued to blow with increasing rage, and terminated in a furious hurricane. Every expedient was employed, that the naval skill of Columbus could devise, in order to save the ships. The painful solicitude felt by him cannot be described. He dreaded that all knowledge of his amazing discoveries was now to perish, and that his name would descend to posterity as that of a chimerical projector. He accordingly retired to his cabin, and wrote on parchment a short account of his voyage, and of the colony left by him at Navidad. Having wrapped this in an oil-cloth, which he enclosed in a cake of wax, he put it into a cask, carefully stopped, and threw it into the sea; in the hope that some fortunate accident might preserve a deposit, of so much importance to the world.

At length, the wind abated, the agitation of the waves subsided, and on the evening of the 15th, Columbus descried land. This, he soon discovered to be St. Mary's, one of the Azores, or Western Isles, subject to the crown of Portugal. There, after a violent contest with the governor, he obtained a supply of fresh provisions; and, having, as soon as the wea

ther would permit, departed from the Azores, he steered for the coast of Spain; but, after having encountered another storm, little inferior to the former in violence, he was forced to take shelter in the river Tagus. On application to the king of Portugal, he was allowed to proceed, with his vessels, to Lisbon; and, notwithstanding the envy which it was natural for the Portuguese to feel, when they beheld another nation, not only rivalling, but eclipsing their fame in the field of discovery, Columbus was received with merited distinction. The king invited him to court, then held at Valparaiso, treated him with the highest respect, and listened to the account of his voyage with admiration, mingled with regret.

Impatient to return to Spain, Columbus remained only five days at Lisbon. On the 15th of March, he arrived in the port of Palos, seven months and eleven days from the time when he departed thence upon his voyage. The prosperous issue of his adventure, was quickly known by the inhabitants. The effusion of joy was unbounded. The bells were rung, the cannon fired: Columbus was received with royal honours, and all the people, in solemn procession, accompanied him and his crew to the church, where they returned thanks to Heaven, which had so wonderfully conducted and crowned with success, a voyage of greater length, and of more importance, than had been attempted in any former age.

On the evening of the same day, he had the satisfaction of seeing the Pinta, which the violence of the tempest had driven far to the north, enter the harbour. When he beheld the vessel of Columbus riding at anchor, and learned the enthusiasm with which he had been received, the heart of Pinzon died within him. He called to mind his frequent arrogance and insubordination, and his wilful desertion off the coast of Cuba, by which he had impeded the prosecution of the voyage. Descending into his boat, therefore, he landed privately, and kept himself out of sight, until he heard of the admiral's departure. He then returned to his home, broken in health, and deeply dejected: he found himself fallen in public opinion; fancied the finger of scorn continually pointed at him; and in a few days he sunk into the grave, the victim of humiliation and remorse.*

"His story," observes one of the biographers of Columbus,

The family of the Pinzons removed, a long time ago, to a town called Huelva, where there are now four or five branches of them. They are not wealthy. They preserve some documents in the hand-writing of Martin Alonzo Pinzon, and follow his profession,

"shows how one lapse from duty may counterbalance the merit of a thousand services; how one moment of weakness may mar the beauty of a whole life of virtue; and how important it is for a man, under all circumstances, to be true, not merely to others, but to himself."

Columbus lost no time in conveying to Ferdinand and Isabella-then at Barcelona-information of his success. Equally astonished and delighted, the sovereigns invited him, in terms the most respectful and flattering, to repair immediately to court, that, from his own mouth, they might receive a full narrative of his extraordinary achievement. It was about the middle of April, when he arrived at Barcelona. His entrance into the city resembled a Roman triumph. The natives of the countries which he had discovered, marched first: next, were carried the ornaments of gold, fashioned by the rude art of the natives, the grains of gold found in the mountains, and dust of the same metal, gathered in the rivers. After these, appeared the various commodities of the newlydiscovered countries, together with their curious productions; and the procession was closed by Columbus himself. Ferdinand and Isabella, received him clad in their royal robes, and seated on a magnificent throne. When he approached, they arose, and, raising him, as he kneeled to kiss their hands, commanded him to take his seat upon a chair prepared for him, and to give a circumstantial narrative of his voyage. Every mark of honour, that gratitude could dictate, or admiration suggest, was conferred upon Columbus. Letters patent were issued, confirming to him and to his heirs, all the privileges contained in the treaty concluded at Santa Fe his family was ennobled; the king and queen, and, after their example, the courtiers, treated him, on every occasion, with all the ceremonious respect paid to persons of the highest rank. But what pleased Columbus most, was an order, to equip, without delay, an armament, of so great force, as might enable him not only to take possession of the countries which he had already discovered, but to search for more opulent regions, which he still confidently expected to find.

Next to the honour conferred upon him by the king, may be mentioned the respect shown him by Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, the grand cardinal of Spain, and first subject of the realm. He invited Columbus to a banquet; where he assigned him the most honourable place at table, and had him served with the ceremonials, which, in those punctilious times, were observed towards sovereigns. At this repast, is

said to have occurred the well known anecdote of the egg. A shallow courtier present, impatient of the honours paid to Columbus, and meanly jealous of him as a foreigner, asked him whether he thought that, in case he had not discovered the Indies, there were not other men in Spain, who would have been capable of the enterprise? To this, Columbus made no immediate reply; but, taking an egg, invited the company to make it stand on one end. Every one attempted it, but in vain; whereupon, Columbus struck it upon the table, so as to break the end, and left it standing on the broken part; illustrating, in this simple manner, that, when he had once shown the way to the new world, nothing was easier than to follow it.

The fame of the successful voyage of Columbus spread over Europe, and excited general attention. Various conjectures were entertained, concerning the newly-found countries, and the division of the earth to which they belonged. Columbus adhered to his original opinion, that they were a part of those vast regions in Asia, comprehended under the general term of India; an assertion corroborated by the observations made by him concerning their productions. Not only the Spaniards, but the other nations of Europe, seem to have adopted this erroneous notion. The countries which he discovered, were then considered a part of India; and the name of India is given to them, by Ferdinand and Isabella, in a ratification of their former agreement granted to Columbus, on his return. Even after the error which caused this opinion was detected, and the true position of the new world was ascertained, the name has remained: the appellation of West Indies is given, by all the people of Europe, to the islands, and the name of Indians to the aboriginal inhabitants of every portion of the western continent and islands.

CHAPTER III.

THE SECOND VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS.

HE DISCOVERS DESEADA, DOMINICA, MARIGALANTE, GAUDALOUPE, ANTIGUA, SANTA CRUZ, AND PORTO RICO-FOUNDS THE CITY OF ISABELLA, AND THE FORT OF ST. THOMASDISCOVERS JAMAICA-AND IS JOINED BY HIS BROTHER BARTHOLOMEW AT HISPANIOLA.

AN extraordinary spirit of enterprise was now excited amongst the Spaniards. Volunteers of every rank solicited employment. Allured by the inviting prospects which opened to their ambition and avarice, they were not intimidated either by the length or the danger of the navigation; and, cautious as was the temperament of Ferdinand, he seems to have caught the same spirit with his subjects. Preparations for a second voyage were urged, with an activity unusual in Spain, and to an extent that would be deemed not inconsiderable in the present age. The fleet consisted of seventeen vessels, some of which were of large burthen. It had on board fifteen hundred persons; amongst whom, were many of noble families, who had served in honourable stations. The greater part of these, being destined to remain in the country, were provided with every thing required either for conquest or colonization; including all kinds of European domestic animals; such seeds and plants as were most likely to thrive in the climate of the West Indies; utensils and instruments of every sort; and artificers of that description which might be most useful in an infant settlement.

But Ferdinand and Isabella did not rest their title to the possession of the newly-discovered countries, on the operations of the fleet alone. The example of the Portuguese, as well as the superstition of the age, made it necessary to obtain, from the Roman pontiff, a grant of those territories which they wished to occupy. The pope, as the representative of Jesus Christ, was supposed to have a right of dominion over all the kingdoms of the earth; and, by an act of liberality, which cost him nothing, and which served to establish the jurisdiction and pretensions of the papal see, granted, in full right, to Ferdinand and Isabella, all the countries in

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