formidable invader. Though surprised at the sight of this unexpected foe, Alvarado advanced boldly to meet him; but the interposition of some moderate men on either side, prevented a fatal contest between subjects of the same king; effecting an amicable accommodation, by which Alvarado engaged to return to his government, upon receiving from Almagro one hundred and twenty thousand pesos, to defray the expense of his armament. his followers remained in the country.

Most of

Upon his return to Guatemala, Alvarado had the mortification to discover that his expedition to Peru had met with the severe reprehension of the king. Maldonado, one of the royal auditors of Mexico, was charged with an inquiry into his government and public conduct, with authority to send him prisoner to Castile. But, he avoided this painful examination by returning to Spain, and casting himself on the clemency of his master; passing in his way, through Honduras, where he rendered a great service to the colonists, relieving their necessities, and restoring order and regular government: a service which he hoped might, in the scales of justice, weigh against his disobedience in Quito.* He seems to have been favorably treated in Spain, since he returned to Guatemala with enlarged powers,† under which, he transferred the Adelantado Montejo from Honduras to Chiapa, sentencing him to a heavy fine for maladministration in the former. By a new convention with the king, he engaged to send forth an armament to the northwestern coast of America, for the purpose of discovery. For this purpose he fitted out, in 1541, a squadron of fourteen vessels, on board of which he put eight hundred soldiers, one hundred and fifty of whom were horsemen, with many Indians, and a † 1539.

* 1536.

large quantity of provisions and military stores. This fleet put to sea with directions to await him in some port of New Galicia, whilst he visited the city of Mexico, to confer with the Viceroy on the direction which should be ultimately given to it. Thence, he proceeded to the western coast, where, being solicited by the colonists of Guadalaxara to aid them in quelling an insurrection of the Chechemecas, he lost his life in clambering over a precipitous mountain; a horse and its rider, slipping from a height above him, and overthrowing him in their fall. His death was sincerely mourned by his family and dependents, and by his royal master, who lost a faithful servant, that spared neither his person nor fortune, to promote the royal interests.

XXI. Hitherto, in no instance had the Spanish monarchy selected a worse agent than Nuño de Gusman. Recommended solely by family influence, he had been appointed Governor of Panuco, whilst Cortes was performing his perilous journey to Honduras. His administration of this province was marked by great violence, not only against the unfortunate natives, but upon his own countrymen, who had been established there by the Conqueror. His activity was incessant, but, it was chiefly employed in creating confusion. With an overweening opinion of his own capacity, he was envious of the reputation of Cortes, and desirous to reduce under his own dominion, a large portion of the territories assigned to others. He contested the right of the Governor of Mexico, to the country conquered and colonized by him; despatched an expedition to the Rio de las Palmas, which he knew to be within the jurisdiction granted to Pamphilo de Narvaez; and invaded the province of Mechoacan, under the most frivolous pretences. Called to preside over the Audiencia of New Spain, he introduced discord among its members, by which means

he obtained the principal direction of its affairs; in which he employed his power to oppress the first conquistadores, and particularly such as were friendly to their general. His violence and corruption rendered him universally odious; and when he learned that he was to be superseded by the appointment of a new audiencia, he entered upon the exploration of the country on the north-west of Mexico, as much from a view of withdrawing from an inquiry into his conduct, as by some valuable discovery, to make his peace with the king.

His conduct on this expedition, was marked by the most opposite qualities. The courage, industry and perseverance, the patience under pain, hunger and thirst, the elasticity of mind, which no evil could destroy, every where so surprisingly displayed by the Spaniards in America, were not wanting in him; but, they were attended by a wanton cruelty, and disregard of the comforts of his troops, which the Spanish leaders rarely exhibited. In passing through Mechoacan, he seized the person of Cozentzin, the king, and on some unfounded complaints, subjected him to torture, and finally, condemned him to be burned to death. The true motive of this act, was, his desire to possess the treasures of the prince. He employed five years in exploring and colonizing the province of New Galicia, which he so named; and, he penetrated into the province of Cinaloa, and other countries on the Gulph of California, and in the late Intendency of Sonora; and founded several cities, among which were Guadalaxara, Buenavista, and Compostella. So irregular and tyrannical was his course during this period, that innumerable complaints were preferred against him in the tribunals of Mexico, on which judgment of imprisonment and confiscation of his goods was rendered; and at last, in the year 1537, he was arrested by the special order of the

king, in New Galicia, and conducted to the Capital, in which he was closely confined, more than a year, and was thence sent to render an account of his administration before the royal council of the Indies, in Spain. His powerful family and many friends saved him from the punishment he merited.

XXII. The peninsula of Yucatan and the island of Cozumel, though first discovered of the provinces of New Spain, drew little of the attention of the conquerors until the year 1526, when Francisco de Montejo, a native of Salamanca and a distinguished captain of Cortes', instigated by the reports of Aguilar, of their favorable climate and productiveness, entered into stipulations with the king, to explore and colonize them. He landed on the western coast of Yucatan with five hundred soldiers, and might readily have taken with him as many more, such was the desire of emigration produced at this period by the celebrated golden cannon presented by Cortes to the king. His progress through the country was rendered difficult and unsatisfactory, by his want of knowledge of the language, and he could scarce obtain sufficient information of its topography to enable him to judge of the course and means he should adopt to subject it. Having observed that in Mexico, all the dependent countries fell upon the conquest of the principal kingdom, he supposed that, as there appeared several jurisdictions here, the conquest of the greatest would be followed by the submission of the rest. A considerable portion of the inhabitants were mild in their manners, and peaceably disposed, and very readily yielded a portion of their lands for the accommodation of the strangers: but others, were fierce and warlike, and the superior quality and condition of their arms, offensive and defensive, induced the Spaniards to believe, that they had been instructed by Guerrero, the companion of Aguilar. Montejo made many

efforts to get this Spaniard into his power, that he might serve as interpreter; but Guerrero was now a chieftain of the country, and could not be distinguished from the natives, having adopted their costume in all respects; and he was too wary to proclaim himself. During the period of four years, Montejo laboured sedulously to lay a stable foundation for his government; but his treatment of the natives finally defeated his efforts. Presuming upon their ready submission in the district which he occupied, he introduced the repartimientos, and distributed them as slaves. When the nature of this condition was known, the Indians speedily threw off the yoke; and as there was no political dissensions among the people of the several provinces, by which one could be made to aid in the oppression of the other, and all were true to themselves, the Spaniards were compelled to retire by the way of Campeachy; and Montejo himself returned to Mexico, whence he proceeded soon after to the government of Honduras, which, together with that of Tobasco, were added to his jurisdiction. His son was his deputy in the latter province. Montejo, as characterized by Diaz, was better constituted for civil business than for war. His conduct in both his governments display weakness. But if he were less able, he was certainly more humane, than other conquerors.

XIII. In order to complete the notice we proposed to take of the progress of the Spaniards in New Spain and its dependencies, we must not neglect the enterprize of the unfortunate Pamphilo de Narvaes, who had been so easily overcome by Cortes. Having obtained from the king a grant of the government of such countries as he should colonize between the Rio de las Palmas, and Florida, he departed from Seville, in the close of the year 1527, with five ships and six hundred men. But he was a target