ca, not to relieve Columbus, or deliver his distr trymen, but to spy out their condition.

Fearing the sympathy of those whom he operate too powerfully in favour of their c he sent Escobar an inveterate enemy of Colu adhered to his instructions, with malignant acc anchor at some distance from the island, app shore in a small boat, took a view of the wretc the Spaniards, delivered a letter of empty con the admiral, received his answer, and departed.

When the Spaniards first descried the vess towards the island, every heart exulted, expect of their deliverance had arrived ; but when th appeared, they sunk into the deepest dejec their hopes were lost. Columbus alone, tho this wanton insult, retained such composure, to cheer his followers. He assured them that Fieschi, had reached Hispaniola in safety; a would speedily procure ships to carry them Escobar's vessel could not carry them all, he to go with her, because he was determined no his faithful companions in distress; soothed pectation of speedy deliverance, and delight apparent generosity, in attending more to the tion than his own, their spirit revived, and their confidence.

The mutineers were now at hand. All his to reclaim those desperadoes, had no effect, bu their phrenzy. Their demands became more and their intentions more violent and bloody. necessary to oppose them with open force.

Columbus who had been long afflicted w could not take the field. His brother the Adelan ed against them. They quickly met. The n jected, with scorn, all offers of accommodation on boldly to the attack. They were repulse onset, and several of their most daring leader The Adelantado, whose strength was equal to

coun.

would ymen, s, who

: cast ned the state of

ment to

standing the hour

essel dis , and all he felt o be able endez and that they ; and as d refused o abandon

th the ex

with his

Hardly was tranquillity established, when the ships appeared, whose arrival Columbus had promised. With transports of joy the Spaniards quitted an island, in which the mean jealotisy of Ovando, had suffered them to languish above a year, exposed to misery in various forms.

When they arrived at St. Domingo, the fourteenth of August, 1504, the governor, with that mean artifice usually attending vulgar minds, that labours to atone for insolence, with servility now fawned on the man he had attempted to ruin. He received Columbus with the most studied respect, lodged him in his own house, and distinguished him with every mark of honour. But, amidst those overacted demonstrations of regard, he could not conceal the malignity latent in his heart. He set at liberty the captain of the mutineers, whom Columbus had brought over in chains, to be tried for his crimes, and threatened those who had adhered to the admiral, with proceeding to judicial inquiry into their conduct.

Columbus submitted in silence to what he could not redress; but was impatient to quit a country under the jurisdiction of a man who had treated him with such inhumanity and injustice. His preparations were soon finished, and he set sail for Spain with two ships. Disasters still continued to accompany him; one of his vessels was so

Pregained disabled, as to be forced back to St. Domingo; the other

endeavours

to encrease

xtravagant, It became

th the gout

tado march

utineers re

tind rushed

were slain

at the fre

his courage,

ed him, and

him, who

shattered by violent storms, sailed seven hundred leagues with jury masts, and reached with difficulty, the port of St. Lucar.

nity, and favour he confided, as his last resource.

Not one

There he received an account of an event, the most discouraging that could have happened. This was the death of his patroness, queen Isabella, in whose justice, humawas now left to redress his wrongs, or to reward him for his services and sufferings, but Ferdinand, who had so opposed, and so often had injured him, who do hosthis, however, was Columbus doomed to ed hopeless. prejudiced against him, was irksome and solicita

long

in

close of his days.

As soon as his health would permit, he repaired to court, where he was received with civility barely decent :

amuse him with fair words, and unmeanin Instead of granting his claims, he proposed e order to elude them.

The declining health of Columbus, flattere with the hopes of being soon delivered from nate suitor, nor was he deceived in his expecta gusted with the ingratitude of a monarch, w served with such fidelity and success, worn tigues and hardships, and broken with infirm these brought upon him, Columbus ended his ladolid, on the twentieth of May, one thousa dred and six, in the fifty-ninth year of his ag with that composure of mind, suitable to the r which distinguished his character, and with s piety becoming that supreme respect for rel he manifested in every occurrence of his life.

Le died

animity ents of which

BOOK II.

While Columbus was employed in his last voyage, the colony of Hispaniola was gradually acquiring the form of a regular government: the humane solicitude of Isabella to protect the Indians from oppression, and the proclamation, by which the Spaniards were prohibited from compelling them to work, retarded, for some time, the progress of improvement. The natives, who considered exemption from labour as supreme happiness, rejected with scorn, every allurement by which they were invited to work. The Spaniards, accustomed to the service of the Indians, quitted the island; many of those who came over with Ovando were seized with distempers peculiar to the climate; and in a short time near a thousand of them died. At the same time, the demand of one half of the product of the mines claimed by the crown, was found to be an exaction so exorbitant, that there was none to be found that would engage to work them upon such terms. Ovando to save the colony from ruin, relaxed the rigour of the royal edicts, and again distributed the Indians among the Spaniards, compelling them to work, for a stated time, in digging the mines, or in cultivating the ground; to cover this breach of his instructions, he enjoined their masters to pay them a certain sum, as the price of their work. He reduced the royal share of the gold found in the mines to one fifth, and was so fortunate as to persuade the court to approve of these regulations.

The Indians, after enjoying a short respite from servitude, now felt the yoke of bondage to be so galling, that they made several attempts to regain their freedom. This the Spaniards considered as rebellion, and took arms in ortaken, were condemned, like the leaders of a ba most cruel and ignominious punishments; subjects without regard to rank, were reducес abject slavery. Such was the fate of the caz guey, a province in the eastern extremity of t

This war was occasioned by the perfidyo ards, in violating a treaty, began and concluc with the natives; and was terminated by har cazique, who defended his people with a bra served a better fate.

But his treatment of Anacoana, a female still more treacherous and cruel. The provin called Xaragua, which extends from the fertile Leogane is now situated, to the western extr island, was subject to her authority. She, fr tial fondness with which the women of Ame tached to the Europeans, had always courted t of the Spaniards, and done them good offices of the adherents of Roldan, having settled in were so exasperated at her endeavouring to excesses, that they accused her of a design of the yoke, and destroying the Spaniards.

Ovando, though he knew that little credit such profligate characters, marched without f ry towards Xaragua, with three hundred foot horsemen. To prevent the Indians from tak this hostile appearance, he gave out that it wa tention to visit Anacoana, to whom his cou been so much indebted, and to regulate with of levying the tribute payable to the king of S

Anacoana, in order to receive this illustriou due honour, assembled the principal men in ons, to the number of three hundred, and adva head, accompanied by a vast crowd of the lov welcomed Ovando with songs and dances, an him to the place of her residence. There h tained for several days, with all the kindne hospitality, and amused with games and spe among the natives, upon occasions of mirth ar Amidst the security which this inspired, meditating the destruction of his unsuspicious entertainer, and her subjects; and the manne