50 MEXICO CONQUERED BY THE SPANIARDS. [1522. 



extensive, rich in mines, productive in soil, and delightful in 

 climate, but uncultivated, and thinly peopled by savages, who 

 could neither by gentle nor by violent means be induced to labor 

 regularly for others or for themselves; and, although the want 

 of a working population was in part supplied by the introduction 

 of negro slaves from Africa, there was little prospect that Spain 

 would ever be much benefited by these distant colonies. While 

 Magellan's ships were on their western route to India, however, 

 the wealthy and powerful empire of Mexico, which had been 

 discovered in 1518 by a party of Spaniards from Cuba, was 

 conquered by Hernando Cortes ; and Spain immediately became 

 the richest nation of Europe. The reports of the brilliant results 

 of this conquest drew to the West Indies crowds of adventurers, 

 all eager to acquire wealth and renown by similar means ; who, 

 uniting in bands, under daring and experienced captains, ranged 

 through both the western continents, seeking mines of precious 

 metals to work, or rich nations to plunder. In this manner 

 Peru was subjugated by Pizarro and his followers before 1535 ; 

 the other expeditions were fruitless, as respects the principal 

 objects in view, while, in the course of them, many distant shores 

 and interior regions were explored, which would otherwise, perhaps, 

 not have been visited for centuries. The acts of these demon 

 heroes are recorded with minuteness in the stirring pages of the 

 chronicles of their day ; and curious narratives of several of their 

 expeditions, written by persons engaged in them, have been pre- 

 served by the assiduity of Spanish, Italian, English, and Dutch 

 collectors of historical tracts. 



The desire to discover new passages of communication for vessels 

 between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, was also a strong 

 motive for the expeditions of the Spaniards along the coasts of the 

 New World ; and no one pursued this search with more zeal and 

 perseverance than Hernando Cortes. Scarcely had he established 

 the authority of his sovereign in Mexico, than he commenced the 

 exploration of the adjoining seas and countries, with that object, 

 as well as with the hope of finding other rich nations to subdue ; 

 and in such enterprises he spent a great portion of his time and 

 resources, during his residence in America. In prosecution of his 

 plans, chiefly, the long and in most places narrow territory, 

 connecting Mexico with the southern continent, was carefully 

 examined, until it had been ascertained that the two seas were 

 separated by land throughout the whole extent. He, at the same 



