island, and not a Spaniard remained in any part of the continent, or adjacent islands, from the gulf of Paria to the borders of Darien. Astonished at this succession of disasters, Las Casas was ashamed to make his appearance, after this fatal termination of all his splendid schemes; he shut himself up in the convent of Dominicans at St. Domingo, and soon afterwards assumed the habit of that order.* A work entitled "The Destruction of the Indians," and numerous other writings by Las Casas, show him to have been a most pious and amiable man, and highly deserving of that celebrity which his name has obtained throughout the civilized world. CHAPTER VIII. DISCOVERY OF MEXICO BY GRIJALVA. We return now to the history of the Spanish discoveries, as they occur in the order of time. Several officers who had served under Pedrarias, in Darien, associated for the purpose of undertaking a voyage of discovery. They persuaded Francisco Hernandez Cordova, an opulent planter in Cuba, and a man of distinguished courage, to join them in the adventure, and chose him to be their commander. Velasquez, who was then deputy-governor of Cuba, not only approved of the design, but aided in its execution. He and Cordova advanced money for purchasing three small vessels, and furnishing them with every thing requisite, either for traffic or for war. On board of these, onehundred-and-ten men embarked, and sailed from St. Jago de Cuba, on the 8th of February, 1517. On the twenty-first day after their departure from St. Jago, they saw land, which proved to be Cape Catoche, the eastern point of that large peninsula which still retains its original name of Yucatan. As they approached the shore, five canoes came off, full of people, decently clad in cotton garments; an astonishing * Worn out with infirmities, he left America in 1551 and returned to Madrid, where he died in 1566, spectacle to the Spaniards, who had found every other part of America possessed by naked savages. Cordova endeavoured, by small presents, to gain their good will. They invited the Spaniards to visit their habitations: they accordingly landed, and, as they advanced into the country, they observed, with new wonder, some large houses built of stone. But they soon found, that, if the people of Yucatan surpassed their countrymen in domestic improvement, they were likewise more skilful. in the art of war. Though the cazique received Cordova with many tokens of friendship, he had posted a considerable body of his subjects in ambush, behind a thicket, who, on a given signal, rushed out, and attacked the Spaniards with great boldness, and some degree of military order. By the first flight of their arrows, fifteen of the Spaniards were wounded; but the Indians were so terrified by the sudden explosion of the fire-arms, and so surprised at the execution done by them, as well as by the cross-bows, and other weapons of their new enemies, that they fled with precipitation. The Spaniards seemed equally alarmed. Cordova quitted a country where he had met so fierce a reception, carrying off two prisoners, together with the ornaments of a small temple, which he had plundered in his retreat. He continued his course to the west, and on the 16th, arrived at Campeachy. As the water began to fail on board his vessels, he entered the mouth of a river at Potonchan, and landed all his troops, in order to protect the sailors while employed in filling the casks: but, notwithstanding this precaution, the natives rushed down upon them so furiously, that forty-seven of the Spaniards were killed on the spot, and one man only, of the whole body, escaped unhurt. Their commander, though wounded in twelve different places, directed the retreat with presence of mind equal to the courage with which he had led them on to the engagement, and with much difficulty they regained their ships. After this fatal repulse, nothing remained but to hasten back to Cuba with their shattered forces. In their passage thither, they suffered the most exquisite distress, from want of water: some of them, sinking under their calamities, died by the way; Cordova died soon after they landed at Cuba. Notwithstanding the disastrous conclusion of this expedition, it served rather to animate than to damp the spirit of enterprise amongst the Spaniards. Great numbers offered to engage in a new expedition. Solicitous to distinguish himself by some achievement, so meritorious as might entitle him to claim the government of Cuba, independent of the admiral, Velasquez not only encouraged their ardour, but, at his own expense, fitted out four ships for the voyage. Twohundred-and-forty volunteers, amongst whom were several persons of rank and fortune, embarked in this enterprise. The command was given to Juan de Grijalva, a young man of known merit and courage, with instructions to observe at tentively the nature of the countries which he should discover, to barter for gold, and, if circumstances were inviting, to settle a colony in some proper station. He sailed from St. Jago de Cuba on the 8th of April, 1518. The first land which they descried, was the island of Cozumel, to the east of Yucatan; but, as all the inhabitants fled to the woods and mountains at the approach of the Spaniards, they made only a short stay there, and, without any remarkable occurrence, they reached Potonchan, on the opposite side of the penin sula. From Potonchan, they continued their voyage towards the west, keeping as near as possible to the shore, and cast ing anchor every evening, from dread of the dangerous acci dents to which they might be exposed in an unknown sea. During the day, their eyes were turned continually towards land, with a mixture of surprise and wonder at the beauty of the country, as well as the novelty of the objects. Many villages were scattered along the coast, in which they could distinguish houses, that appeared white and lofty at a dis tance. In the warmth of their admiration, they fancied these to be cities adorned with towers and pinnacles; and one of the soldiers happening to remark that this country in its appearance resembled Spain, Grijalva, with universal applause, called it New Spain. They first landed on the banks of a river which the natives called Tobasco; and next at a place, to the west of that river, in the province since known by the name of Guaxaca; where, in six days, the Spaniards, in exchange for European toys of small price, obtained ornaments of gold, of curious workmanship, to the value of fifteen. thousand pesos.* The two prisoners brought by Cordova from Yucatan, had hitherto served as interpreters; but, as they did not understand the language of this country, the Spaniards learned * A peso was equal to about five shillings sterling. from the natives, by signs, that they were subjects of a great monarch, called Montezuma, whose dominion extended over that and many other provinces. Continuing his course towards the west, he landed on a small island, which he named the Isle of Sacrifices, and touched at another small island, which he called St. Juan de Ulua. From this place, he despatched Pedro de Alvarado, one of his officers, to Velasquez, with an account of his important discoveries, and the treasure which he had acquired by traffic; and, after his departure, he proceeded along the coast, as far as the river Panuco, the country still appearing to be well peopled, fertile, and opulent. Several of Grijalva's officers contended that it was not enough to have discovered those delightful regions, or to have performed the empty ceremony of taking possession of them for the crown of Castile, and that their glory was incomplete, unless they planted a colony in some proper station, which might enable them gradually to subject the whole to the dominion of their sovereign. But, though possessed both of ambition and courage, Grijalva was destitute of the superior talents capable either of forming or of executing so great a plan. He judged it more prudent to return to Cuba, having fulfilled the purpose of his voyage, and accomplished all that the armament which he commanded enabled him to perform. He returned to St. Jago on the 26th of October, after an absence of about six months. This was the longest, as well as the most successful voyage hitherto made by the Spaniards in the new world. Transported by his good fortune, so far beyond his most sanguine expectations, Velasquez immediately despatched a person to carry this important intelligence to Spain, to exhibit the rich productions of the countries which had been discovered by his means, and to solicit so great an increase of authority, as might enable and encourage him to attempt their conquest. Without waiting for the return of his messenger, or for the arrival of Grijalva, of whom he had become so jealous or distrustful, that he had resolved no longer to employ him, he began to prepare an armament so powerful as might prove equal to an enterprise of so much danger and importance. CHAPTER IX. INTERESTING NARRATIVE OF THE SPANISH CAPTIVE.-DEATH OF MONTEZUMA.CONQUEST OF MEXICO, BY CORTES. TWENTY-SIX years had elapsed, since Columbus con. 1518. ducted the people of Europe to the new world. During that period, the Spaniards had made great progress in explor ing its various regions. They had visited all the islands scattered in different clusters through that part of the ocean which flows in between North and South America. They had sailed along the eastern coast of the continent, from the river De la Plata to the bottom of the Mexican Gulf, and had found that it stretched without interruption through this vast portion of the globe. They had discovered the great Southern Ocean, which opened new prospects in that quarter. They had acquired some knowledge of the coast of Florida, which led them to observe the continent as it stretched in an opposite direction; and, though they extended their discoveries no farther towards the north, other nations had visited those parts which they had neglected. The English had sailed along the coast of America, from Labrador to the confines of Florida; and the Portuguese, in quest of a shorter passage to the East Indies, had ventured into the northern seas, and viewed the same regions. Thus, its extent was known, almost from its northern extremity to thirty-five degrees south of the equator. The countries which stretch thence to the southern boundary of America, the great empire of Peru, and the interior state of the extensive dominions subject to the sovereigns of Mexico, were still undiscovered. When Grijalva returned to Cuba, he found the armament destined to attempt the conquest of that rich country which he had discovered, almost complete. Not only ambition, but avarice had urged Velasquez to hasten his preparations; and, having such a prospect of gratifying both, he had advanced considerable sums, out of his private fortune, towards defraying the expense of the expedition. 2 The person to whom he intrusted the command, was Fernando Cortes. He was born at Medellin, a small town in Estramadura, in the year 1485, and descended from a family I |