C0RTEZ APPOINTED BY VELASQUEZ. 



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entrusted them to the command of his nephew, Juan de Grijalva, 

 and on the 1st of May, 1518, this new commander left the port 

 of St. Jago de Cuba. The first land he touched on his voyage 

 of discovery, was the Island of Cozumel, whence he passed to the 

 continent, glancing at the spots that had been previously visited by 

 Cordova. So struck was he by the architecture, the improved 

 agriculture, the civilized tastes, the friendly character and demeanor 

 of the inhabitants, and, especially, by the sight of " large stone 

 crosses, evidently objects of worship," that, in the enthusiasm 

 of the mcment, he gave to the land the name of Nueva Espana — 

 or New Spain, — a title which has since been extended from the 

 peninsula of Yucatan to even more than the entire empire of 

 Montezuma and the Aztecs. 



Grijalva did not content himself with a mere casual visit to the 

 continent, but pursued his course along the coast, stopping at 

 the Rio de Tabasco. Whilst at Rio de Vanderas, he enjoyed 

 the first intercourse that ever took place between the Spaniards 

 and Mexicans. The Cacique of the Province sought from the 

 strangers a full account of their distant country and the motives 

 of their visit, in order that he might convey the intelligence to 

 his Aztec master. Presents were interchanged, and Grijalva 

 received, in return for his toys and tinsel, a mass of jewels, 

 together with ornaments and vessels of gold, which satisfied the 

 adventurers that they had reached a country whose resources would 

 repay them for the toil of further exploration. Accordingly, he 

 despatched to Cuba with the joyous news, Pedro de Alvarado, one 

 of his captains, — a man who was destined to play a conspicuous 

 part in the future conquest, — whilst he, with the remainder of his 

 companies, continued his coasting voyage to San Juan de Ulua, 

 the Island of Sacrificios, and the northern shores, until he reached 

 the Province of Panuco ; whence, after an absence of six months, 

 he set sail for Cuba, having been the first Spanish adventurer who 

 trod the soil of Mexico. 



But his return was not hailed even with gratitude. The florid 

 reports of Pedro de Alvarado had already inflamed the ambition 

 and avarice of Velasquez, who, impatient of the prolonged absence 

 of Grijalva, had despatched a vessel under the command of Olid 

 in search of his tardy officer. Nor was he content with this 

 jealous exhibition of his temper ; for, anxious to secure to himself 

 all the glory and treasure to be derived from the boundless resources 

 of a continent, he solicited authority from the Spanish crown to 

 prosecute the adventures that had been so auspiciously begun ; 



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