must be near. In this, however, they were disappointed, and tha men began to be afraid and discontented; and thenceforth Columbus, who was keeping all the while a double reckoning, one for the crew and one for himself, had great difficulty in restraining the men from the ex cesses which they meditated. On the 25th Alouso Pinzon raised the cry of land, but it proved a false alarm ; as did the rumour to the same effect of the 7th October, when the " Nina " hoisted a flag and fired a gun. On the llth the "Pinta" fished up a cane, a log of wood, a stick wrought with iron, and a board, and the "Nina" sighted a stake covered with dog-roses ; " and with these signs all of them breathed, and were glad." At ten o clock on that America night Columbus perceived and pointed out a light ahead ; discovered, and at two in the morning of Friday, the 12th October, 1492, Rodrigo de Triana, a sailor aboard the "Nina, " an nounced the appearance of what proved to be the New World. The land sighted was an island, called by the In
dians Guanahani, and named by Columbus San Salvador.[1]The same morning Columbus landed, richly clad, and bearing the royal banner of Spain. He was accompanied by the brothers Pinzon, bearing banners of the Green Cross, a device of his own, and by great part of the crew. When they all had " given thanks to God, kneeling upon the shore, and kissed the ground with tears of joy, for the great mercy received," the Admiral named the island, and took solemn possession of it for their Catholic majesties of Castile and Leon. At the same time such of the crews as had shown themselves doubtful and mutinous sought his pardon weeping, and prostrated themselves at his feet.
Into the detail of this voyage, of highest interest as it is, it is impossible to go farther. It will be enough to say that it resulted in the discovery of the islands of Santa Maria del Concepcion, Exuma, Isabella, Juanna or Cuba, Bohio, the Cuban Archipelago (named by its finder the Jardin del Hey), the island of Santa Catalina, and that of Hispaniola, now called Haiti, or San Domingo. Off the last of these the " Santa Maria " went aground, owing to the carelessness of the steersman. No lives were lost, but the ship had to be unloaded and abandoned ; and Columbus, who was anxious to return to Europe with the news of his achievement, resolved to plant a colony on the island, to build a fort out of the material of the stranded hulk, and to leave the crew. The fort was called La Navidad ; 43 Europeans were placed in charge ; and ou 16th January 1493, Columbus, who had lost sight of Martin Pinzon, set sail alone in the " Nina " for the east ; and four days afterwards the " Pinta " joined her sister-ship off Monte Christo. A storm, however, separated the vessels, and a long battle with the trade winds caused great delay; and it was not until the 18th Feb ruary that Columbus reached the Island of Santa Maria in the Azores. Here he was threatened with capture by the Portuguese governor, who could not for some time be brought to recognize his commission. On 24th February, however, he was allowed to proceed ; and on 4th March the " Nina " dropped anchor off Lisbon. The king of Portugal received the Admiral with the Return to highest honours ; and on 13th March the "Nina" put Spain. ou t from the Tagus, and two days afterwards, Friday, loth March, dropped anchor off Palos.
The court was at Barcelona; and thither, after despatching a letter announcing his arrival, Columbus proceeded in person. He entered the city in a sort of triumphal procession, was received by their majesties in full court, and, seated in their presence, related the story of his wanderings, exhibiting the " rich and strange " spoils of the new-found lands, the gold, the cotton, the parrots, the curious arms, the mysterious plants, the unknown birds and beasts, and the nine Indians he had brought with him for baptism. All his honours and privileges were confirmed to him ; the title of Don was conferred on himself and his brothers ; he rode at the king s bridle ; he was served and saluted as a grandee of Spain. And, greatest honour of all, a new and magnificent scutcheon was blazoned for him (4th May 1493), whereon the royal castle and lion of Castile and Leon were combined with the four anchors of his own old coat of arms. Nor were their Catholic highnesses less busy on their own account than on that of their servant. On 3d and 4th May Alexander VI. granted bulls confirming to the crowns of Castile and Leon all the lands discovered,[2] or to be discovered, beyond a certain line of demarcation, on the same terms as those on which the Portuguese held their colonies along the African coast. A new expedition was got in readiness with all possible dis patch, to secure and extend the discoveries already made.
After several delays the fleet weighed anchor on 25th September and steered westwards. It consisted of three Seco great carracks (galleons), and fourteen caravels (light voya frigates), having on board about 1500 men, besides the animals and material necessary for colonization. Twelve missionaries accompanied the expedition, under the orders of Bernardo Buil, a Benedictine friar; and Columbus had been directed (29th May 1493) to endeavour by all means in his power to Christianize the inhabitants of the islands, to make them presents, and to "honour them much," while all under him were commanded to treat them "vvellaud lovingly," under pain of severe punishment. On 13th October the ships which had put in at the Canaries, left Ferro ; and so early as Sunday, 3d November, after a single storm, " by the goodness of God and the wise management of the Admiral" land was sighted to the west, which was named Dominica. Northwards from this new found island the isles of Maria Galante and Guadaloupe were discovered and named ; and on the north-western course to La Navidad those of Mont- serrat, Antigua, San Martin, and Santa Cruz were sighted, and the island now called Porto Rico was touched at, hur riedly explored, and named San Juan. On 22d November Columbus came in sight of Hispaniola, and sailing eastward to La Navidad, found the fort burned and the colony dis persed. He decided on building a second fort; and coasting on forty miles east of Cape Haytien, he pitched on a spot where he founded the city and settlement of Isabella.
The character in which Columbus had appeared had till now been that of the greatest of mariners ; but from this point forward his claims to supremacy are embarrassed and complicated with the long series of failures, vexations, miseries, insults, that have rendered his career as a planter of colonies and as a ruler of men most pitiful and remarkable.
were greedy of gold, impatient of control, and as proud, ignorant, and mutinous as Spaniards could be; and Colum bus, whose inclinations drew him westward, was doubtless glad to escape the worry and anxiety of his post, and to avail himself of the instructions of his sovereigns as to further discoveries. In January 1494 he sent home, by Antonio de Torres, that dispatch to their Catholic
highnesses by which he may be said to have founded
- ↑ Helpa refers to the island as " one of the Bahamas." It has been variously identified with Turk s Island, by Navarrete (1825) ; with Cat Island, by Irving (1828) and Humboldt (1836) ; with Mayaguarra, by Varnhagen (1864) ; and finally, with greatest shew of probability, with Watfing Island, by Munoz (1798), supported by Becher (1856), Peschel (1857), and Major (1871).
- ↑ " The countries which he had discovered were considered as a part of India. In consequence of this notion, the name of Indies is given to them by Ferdinand and Isabella in a ratification of their former agreement which was granted to Columbus after his return." Robert- son s History of America.
