﻿ABORIGINES 
  OF 
  HISPANIOLA 
  KEIEGEE 
  475 
  

  

  Isabela 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  is 
  quite 
  overgrown 
  with 
  forest, 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  which 
  

   are 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  partly 
  standing, 
  the 
  pillars 
  of 
  the 
  church, 
  some 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  

   king's 
  storehouses, 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  residence 
  of 
  Columbus, 
  all 
  built 
  of 
  hewn 
  stone. 
  

   The 
  small 
  fortress 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  prominent 
  ruin; 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  north 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  circular 
  

   pillar 
  about 
  10 
  feet 
  high 
  and 
  as 
  much 
  in 
  diameter, 
  of 
  solid 
  masonry, 
  nearly 
  entire; 
  

   which 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  wooden 
  gallery 
  or 
  battlement 
  round 
  the 
  top 
  for 
  

   the 
  convenience 
  of 
  room, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  placed 
  the 
  flagstaff. 
  

   Having 
  discovered 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  an 
  iron 
  clamp 
  imbedded 
  in 
  the 
  stone, 
  which 
  

   served 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  flagstaff 
  itself, 
  I 
  tore 
  it 
  out, 
  and 
  now 
  consign 
  to 
  you 
  this 
  curi- 
  

   ous 
  relic 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  foothold 
  of 
  civilization 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  World, 
  after 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  the 
  elements 
  nearly 
  350 
  years. 
  

  

  This 
  letter 
  does 
  not 
  adequately 
  describe 
  the 
  ruins 
  as 
  they 
  exist 
  

   to-day, 
  when 
  scarcely 
  a 
  stone 
  remains 
  in 
  position 
  on 
  the 
  walls, 
  

   although 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  the 
  settlement 
  is 
  roughly 
  visible 
  in 
  the 
  piles 
  of 
  

   stones 
  and 
  the 
  intervening 
  forest 
  growth. 
  The 
  site 
  is 
  readily 
  acces- 
  

   sible 
  by 
  automobile 
  from 
  Puerto 
  Plata 
  by 
  waj^ 
  of 
  Bajabonico 
  and 
  

   Blanco. 
  

  

  During 
  his 
  first 
  voyage 
  to 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  Columbus 
  first 
  heard 
  

   of 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Haiti 
  while 
  cruising 
  westward 
  along 
  the 
  north 
  shore 
  

   of 
  Cuba. 
  Lucayan 
  Indians 
  from 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  "Guanahani" 
  (one 
  

   of 
  the 
  Bahamas), 
  where 
  Columbus 
  had 
  first 
  landed, 
  accompanied 
  

   him 
  as 
  interpreters 
  and 
  guides 
  on 
  the 
  inter-island 
  voyage 
  which 
  

   followed. 
  As 
  their 
  speech 
  was 
  Arav/akan, 
  a 
  language 
  understood 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  Bahamas 
  and 
  the 
  Greater 
  Antilles, 
  their 
  services 
  

   were 
  of 
  great 
  value. 
  They 
  informed 
  Columbus 
  that 
  land 
  existed 
  

   on 
  the 
  southwest, 
  northwest, 
  and 
  the 
  southeast. 
  They 
  obviously 
  

   referred 
  to 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  Greater 
  Antilles 
  and 
  to 
  Florida. 
  

  

  Their 
  repeated 
  reference 
  to 
  a 
  land 
  lying 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  as 
  being 
  rich 
  

   in 
  gold 
  influenced 
  Columbus 
  to 
  turn 
  about 
  and 
  to 
  sail 
  his 
  caravels 
  

   eastward. 
  The 
  high 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Haiti 
  were 
  soon 
  seen 
  

   looming 
  in 
  the 
  distance. 
  The 
  Lucayan 
  guides 
  now 
  assured 
  Columbus 
  

   that 
  the 
  land 
  sighted 
  was 
  inhabited 
  by 
  cannibals, 
  while 
  the 
  land 
  

   itself 
  was 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  Bohio, 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  vari- 
  

   ously 
  interpreted. 
  

  

  The 
  island 
  of 
  Haiti 
  was 
  also 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  Quisqueya 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  

   mainland. 
  The 
  native 
  Arawakan 
  term 
  Aiti 
  or 
  Haiti, 
  appears 
  also 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  generally 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  by 
  natives 
  speaking 
  the 
  

   Arawak 
  language. 
  Haiti 
  signifies 
  mountainous 
  country 
  or 
  high 
  land, 
  

   and 
  in 
  this 
  sense 
  the 
  term 
  was 
  also 
  applied 
  to 
  a 
  subprovince 
  of 
  eastern 
  

   Magua 
  (a 
  native 
  province). 
  The 
  native 
  name 
  Cuba 
  became 
  Juana 
  

   to 
  the 
  Spanish, 
  and 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Boriquen 
  was 
  renamed 
  Porto 
  Rico. 
  

   Haiti 
  gradually 
  became 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  name 
  which 
  the 
  Spanish 
  

   had 
  given 
  to 
  their 
  capital 
  city, 
  namely, 
  Santo 
  Domingo. 
  Columbus 
  

   had 
  previously 
  renamed 
  the 
  island 
  Espanola. 
  This 
  term 
  was 
  later 
  

   corrupted 
  into 
  Hispaniola. 
  Modern 
  practice 
  is 
  to 
  again 
  use 
  the 
  native 
  

   term 
  Haiti 
  when 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  entire 
  island 
  but 
  to 
  apply 
  the 
  term 
  

  

  