56 



TEINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



this letter to acquaint you of all the events which 

 have occurred in my voyage, and the discoveries 

 which have resulted from it. Thirty-three days after 

 my departure from Cadiz I reached the Indian sea, 

 where I discovered many islands without resistance 

 in the name of our most illustrious majesty. 



' ' To the first of these Islands which is called by 

 the Indians Guanahani,^ I gave the name of the 

 blessed Saviour (San Salvador), relying upon whose 

 protection I had reached this as well as the other 

 islands ; to each of these I also gave the name, order- 

 ing that one should be called Santa Maria de la Con- 

 cepcion, another Fernandino, the third Isabella, the 

 fourth Juanaf and so with all the rest respectively. 



" As soon as we arrived at that which I have 

 said was named Juana, I proceeded along its coast 

 for a short distance westward, and found it to be 

 so large and apparently without termination, that I 

 could not suppose it to be an island, but the conti- 

 nental province of Cathay. Seeing, however, no 

 towns or populous places on the sea coast, but only a 

 few detached houses and cottages, with whose inhabi- 

 tants I was unable to communicate, because they fled 

 as soon as they saw us, I went farther on, thinking 

 that in my progress I should certainly find some city 

 or village. At length, after proceeding a great way 

 and finding that nothing new presented itself, and 

 that the line of coast was leading us northwards 



* Now Cat Island, Bahamas. 



t Named after a Spanish princess heir to the throne of Castile who 

 became mad after the death of her husband. 



