manded by Sebastian Benalcazar, and Hernando Soto, two officers of distinguished merit and reputation. From Pin Tumbez he proceeded to the river Piura, and near the sol mouth of it, he established the first Spanish colony in Peof ru; to which he gave the name of St. Michael.

jusc At the time when the Spaniards invaded Peru, the The dominions of its sovereigns extended in length from north had to south above fifteen hundred miles, along the Pacific yocean; its breadth from east to west, was considerably alued less, being bounded by the vast ridge of the Andes, alue, stretching from its one extremity to the other. Accordspording to the traditions of the natives of Peru, they were

rude and uncivilized like the rest of the savages of Ameriwhich ca, until Manco Capac and Mama Ocollo, appeared with tre amongst them, who declared themselves to be the children to Par of the sun, sent by their beneficent parent, in pity, to nother instruct and reclaim them. These extraordinary personDersons ages settled at Cuzco, and laid the foundations of a city. venture Manco Capac instructed the men in agriculture, and the acquire useful arts. Mama Ocollo taught the women to spin, and bring of weave. After providing food and raiment and habitations ch, anda for the rude people, of whom he took charge, Manco red habir Capac introduced such laws and policy, as might be most or count likely to perpetuate their happiness. The functions of those

he placed in authority, were so defined, and the adminisactions tration of justice maintained with so steady a hand, that the and who country over which he presided, assumed the aspect of a readful in well governed state.

ts of Am Thus, according to tradition, was founded the empire of the Incas, or Lords of Peru. They were not only obeyed attacked as monarchs, but revered as divinities. Their blood was e inhabit held to be sacred; intermarriages with the people were and moforbidden, and was never contaminated with any other nt; they grace: their clothing was different; the monarch appeared bur, that with ensigns of royalty, reserved for him alone, and rethem to suceived from his subjects that homage and respect, which

approached almost to adoration.

re he remas In the year 1526, Huana Capac, the twelfth monarch e attacked from the founder of the state, was seated on the throne, he lay hereminent for his pacific virtues, as well as for his martial

narch of Quito, by whom he had a son Atal he named at his death his successor, wh about the year 1529, leaving the rest of to Huascar his eldest son, by a mother

race.

Notwithstanding the Peruvians revered th a monarch, to whose wise administration was so much indebted; yet, when they were the order of succession, so repugnant to ancie deemed sacred amongst them, they manifest tion unfavourable to his successor. Huascar by those sentiments of his subjects, require to renounce the government of Quito, and to him as his lawful superior; but Atahualpa ously gained a large body of troops which had his father to Quito; these were the flower of warriors, and were accustomed to victory; rel support, Atahualpa first eluded his brother's then marched against him in hostile array. ambition of two young men the kingdom of volved in a civil war. The force of arms triu the authority of the laws, and Atahualpa rem ous, and made a cruel use of his victory. H all the children of the sun, descended from whom he could seize either by force or stra brother Huascar, from political motives wa some time, and detained a prisoner, that by is in his name the usurper might more easily own authority.

When Pizarro landed in the bay of St. Micl vil war raged with such fury between the two l although they received early accounts of the their country, and the violent proceedings of tl they were so intent upon a war, which to th more interesting, that they paid no attention to of an enemy, whose number was too small t great alarm and to whose career they could check, when more at leisure.

The first information Pizarro received re war, was from Huascar himself, who sent n Pizarro to solicit his aid against Atahualpa presented as an usurper, and a rebel. Pizar

waiting for the reinforcement which he expected froni Panama, with part of his troops boldly pushed forward, - leaving a small garrison in St. Michael.

He directed his course towards Caxamalca, a small town at the distance of twelve days march from St. Michael, where Atahualpa was encamped with a considerable body of troops. Before he had proceeded far, an officer from the Inca met him, with a valuable present, and an offer of his alliance, together with an assurance of a friendly 139 reception at Caxamalca.

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Pizarro with the usual artifice of his countrymen in D America, pretended he was the ambassador of a very powerful monarch; that he was coming to assist him Pragainst those enemies who disputed his title to the throne. mpan The Peruvians had formed various conjectures concernPerd ing the Spaniards; it was altogether incomprehensible to on them what had induced them to enter their country; and sometimes they were disposed to consider them as beings us br of a superior nature, who had visited them from a beneficent motive; their continual professions of good will phed strengthened this conjecture, and Pizarro's declaration of ed v his pacific intentions, so gained upon the credulity of the ut to the Inca, that he determined to give him a friendly reception. anco C He therefore allowed the Spaniards to march in tranquillity across the sandy desart between St. Michael and Motupi, spared where the most feeble effort of an enemy, added to the unuing or avoidable distresses which they suffered in passing through stablish that comfortless region, must have proved fatal to them.

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From thence they advanced to the mountains, and passed ael, this through a narrow defile so inaccessible, that a few men brothers might have defended it against the whole power of Spain, e invast in that part of the globe.

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The Spaniards were suffered to take possession of a fort,

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em app erected for the security of that important station. the me they drew near to Caxamalca, Atahualpa renewed his proto excite fessions of friendship; and as a further proof of his sind easily cerity, sent them presents of much greater value than the

former.

respecting The Spaniards on entering Caxamalca, took possession messenger of a large space of ground, on one side of which was a Hernando Soto and his brother Ferdinand, to Atahualpa, which was about a league distan town. They were instructed to confirm the he had before made, of his pacific disposition quest an interview with the Inca. They were that respectful hospitality usual among the Pe obtained a promise from the Inca to visit the S mander next day in his quarters. The deputies ished at the order which prevailed in the court vian monarch; but their attention was more attracted by the vast profusion of wealth whi served in the Inca's camp. The rich ornamen him, and his attendants, the vessels of gold ar which the repast offered to them was served utensils of every kind, formed of those prec used in common amongst them, opened prosp ceeding any idea of opulence that a European teenth century could form.

On their return to Caxamalca, while their yet warm with admiration and desire of the w they had beheld; they gave such a description c countrymen, as confirmed Pizarro in a resolut already taken. He remembered the advantages gained by seizing Montezuma; and was from motives desirous of getting the Inca in his p plan was as daring as it was perfidious.

He determined to avail himself of the unsusp plicity with which Atahualpa relied on his prof to seize his person during the interview to wh invited him. He formed his plan with delibe with as little compunction as if it was perfectl by principles of justice and honour. He divide ry into three small squadrons, under the comm brother Ferdinand, Soto, and Benalcazar; his i formed in one body, except twenty of tried coura he kept near his own person, to support him i gerous service which he reserved for himself; t consisting of two field-pieces, and the cross-bow placed opposite to the avenue, by which Atahua approach. All were commanded to keep within

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splendour and magnificence in his first interview with the strangers, took up so much time in his preparations, that the day was far advanced before he began his march, and moved so slowly, that the Spaniards were apprehensive their intention was suspected. To remove this, Pizarro dispatched one of his officers with fresh assurances of his friendly disposition.

The Inca at length approached, preceded by four hundred men, in an uniform dress, as harbingers, to clear the way before him. He himself, sitting on a throne, adorned with plumes of various colours, and almost covered with plates of gold and silver enriched with precious stones, Σ and was carried on the shoulders of his principal attendants. Behind him came some chief officers of his court, carried in the same manner, attended by several bands of musicians, and the whole plain was covered with troops, amounting to more than thirty thousand men. As the : Inca drew near the Spanish quarters, father Vincent Valverdi, chaplain to the expedition, advanced with a crucifix in one hand, and a breviary in the other, and in a long discourse, attempted to explain to him the fall of Adam, the incarnation, sufferings, death, and resurrection, tof Jesus Christ, the appointment of St. Peter as God's vicegerent on earth, the transmission of his apostolic power by succession to the popes, and the donation made by pope Alexander to the king of Castile of all the regions in the New World.

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In consequence of all this, he required Atahualpa to embrace the Christian faith, and acknowledge the pope as supreme head of the church, and the king of Castile as his lawful sovereign; promising, that if he instantly complied, the Castilian monarch would take him under his protection, and permit him to continue in the exercise of his royal authority; but if he should impiously refuse to obey this summons, he denounced war against the him in his master's name, and threatened him with the most dreadful effects of his vengeance.

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This strange harangue upon abstruse subjects, and unknown facts, it was impossible at once to make an esque untutored Indian understand. It was altogether incomvas gi prehensible to the Inca. Those parts of more obvious