1 
5° Difcoveries of the Spaniards, from the Death of Book I. 
6j Cuba undertaken hy Don Diego Velafquez, and the Progrefs ?nade therein by him. lo. The famous 
John Ponce de Leon, by an unaccountable Delifion, utidertakes an Expedition to find out the Fountain 
of Youth ; which produces the Difco’very ^Florida, ii. The Difcoveries made- on the Contme-nt by the 
Command of D'w.^0 Velafquez, Ferdinand de Cordova Lieutenafity to the Death of Cordova, 
12. Thefe Difcoveries re fumed and profecuted with greater Succefsy by the Command of T under 
John Grijalva. 13. His fubfequent Expeditions open a Paf'age into that Country y fince ffledE^eoN Spain, 
14. On his Retiirn OnyAmes is moft unjufily difgraced by Diego V tMo^QZy for piirfuing his Orders too 
ftrifUy. 15. Obfervations and Remarks on the principal Events in the foregoing dediion. 
I T is natural for us to begin this Sedlion with fome 
Account of the Progrefs of the Spaniards in Santo 
DomingOy or Hifpaniolay after a regular Government was 
fettled there, and the Value of the Difcovery thereby 
made known ^ and this for two Reafons, firft, becaufe 
the immenfe W ealth derived from this Colony was what 
excited the Spaniards to continue their Difcoveries *, and 
becaufe this Vein of Wealth has been long fince dried up, 
and, at prefent, we hear nothing of the Gold of Hifpa- 
niola ; which, at its firft Difcovery, yielded more in Pro- 
portion than ever Peru has done fince. This was, in 
ibme Meafiire, owing to the Induftry and Care of Nico- 
las Ohandoy who firft employed a Ikilful Pilot to fail 
round the Ifland, and defcribe its Coafts ; and afterwards 
took Pains to examine all the Provinces into which it was 
divided, and furveyed them likewife. 
In his time there was difcovered, near the Town of 
Puerto Realy a Mine of good Copper, but, after much 
Money expended about it, the Produce did not anfwer. 
Thofe three hundred Spaniards whom Obando found in 
the Ifland, at his firft coming, lived very diforderly, and 
had taken the moft beautiful Women, and of the beft 
Quality in it, for their Miftreflfes, their Parents believing 
that they were married *, but the Francifcan Friars, think- 
ing the Lewdnefs not to be tolerated, made Inftance to 
the Governor for fome Remedy therein j who, at laft, 
decreed, that they fhoiild either part, or be married with- 
in a limited time : Many Men of (^ality thought this a 
very hard Impofition, yet, rather than lofe the Domi- 
nion they had over the Indians, in right to thofe Women, 
they complied, and married them, and tho’ this entitled 
them to what was their Wives, and the Lawyers faid they 
had a legal Right to the Service of thofe Indians, Obando 
took them away as foon as they were married, and gave 
them to others, allowing them as many in other Places ; 
alledging he did it to prevent their growing proud as 
natural Lords, and to keep them in Submiflion, as hold- 
ing thofe Indians only by Gift-; but this was looked upon 
as an unjuft depriving of the natural Lords of their Sub- 
je(fts. 
This Nicholas de Obando, when he went over Govern- 
or of Hifpaniola, carried with him Roderick de Alcafar, 
Goldfmith to their Majefties ; a difcreet and honeft Man, 
who had the Employment of Marker of the Gold, and 
his Fee was one per Cent, which was looked upon as a 
very indifferent Allowance ; but, after the Diftribution of 
the Indians, there was fo much Gold gathered, that it 
was four times melted down every Year ; twice at the 
Town of Buena Ventura, on the Banks of Hayna, eight 
Leagues from Santo Domingo, where the Gold, brought 
from the old and new Mines, was caft ; and the other 
two at the City de la Vega, or the Conception, where the 
Gold of the Mines of Cibao, and the adjacent Parts, was 
conveyed ; at each melting, in the Town of Buena Ven- 
tura, there came out between 1 10000, and 120000 Pe- 
fos i and at la Vega between 125000, and 130000 Pe-* 
fos, and fometimes 140000. Thus the Produdl of la 
Vega was the greateft, and all the Gold of the Ifland 
amounted to 460000 Pefos, or more Money-, according 
to the niceft* Computation, 1 50000 Pounds ; which yield- 
ed unto Roderick de Alcafar about 4500 Pefos a Year ; 
which, at .that time, was a very confiderable Revenue, 
and though it was well beftowed on him, their Catholic 
Majefties revoked it. 
It was remarked, even at this time, that fuch as 
wrought at thefe Mines were never any Gainers, not- 
withftanding the vaft Quantities of Gold, of which they 
became Matters; for, living always luxurioufly, and upon 
Credit, their Gold, at the melting times, was often feized 
for their Debts, and very frequently did not afford enough 
to bring things to a Ballance. 
2. The laft War, in the Province of Higuey in Hif- 
paniola, produced a great Extention of the Spanifh Pow^ 
er; for the Governor, Obando, appointed one to com- 
mand in thofe Parts, and keep the Indians in awe, who 
foon formed a Projeff of carrying his Authority beyond 
the narrow Bounds which were afligned it. The Name 
■of this Spanifh Gentleman, was Juan Ponce de Leon, a 
Perfon of good Senfe, great Courage, but, withal, im- 
perious and cruel. He was informed, by the Indians, 
that the Ifland of St. John de Puerto Rico, by thefe Peo- 
ple called Borriquen, was exceedingly rich in Gold; a 
Circumftance fufficient to tempt him to a better Acquaint- 
ance with it. 
In order to this, he applied himfelf to the Governor, 
giving him a full Account of all that he had heard, and 
defiring his Licence fo go over, to the Ifland to enquire 
into that Affair, to trade with the Natives, and fee what 
might be done towards fettling there ; for, till then, 
they knew nothing of it farther, than that it appeared 
very beautiful ; and they faw abundance of People when 
Ships paffed by it. Juan Ponce embarked in a fmall 
Caravel, with fome Spaniards and Indians that knew the 
Place, and landed in the Dominions of Aguey Bana, the 
greateft Lord of the Ifland, who had a Mother and Fa- 
ther in Law, who all received and entertained him very 
kindly ; and the Cazique changed Names with him, 
which they called becoming Guatiacos, or fworn Bro- 
thers. He . gave the Mother the Name of Agnes, and 
called the Father-in-lav; Francis ; and, though they would 
not be baptized, they kept the Names which the Chrift- 
ians gave them. 
This Cazique, his Mother, and Father-in-law, .where 
very good-natured, and always advifed the Son to be 
a Friend to the Spaniards. Juan Ponce prefently made 
it his Bufinefs to enquire whether what the Indians 
had told him was true, concerning the Gold Mines. The 
Cazique conduced him all over the Ifland, fhewing him 
the Rivers where Gold was found, and among them two 
that were very rich ; the one called Manatuabon, and the 
other Cebuco, whence much Treafure was afterwards 
drawn. He caufed Samples to be taken, which he car- 
ried to the Governor of Hifpaniola, leaving fome Spa^ 
niards there well recommended to the Cazique, and his 
Mother, who were well entertained till others came to 
fettle. The greateft Part of this Ifland confifteij of high 
Mountains, fome of them covered with fine high Graft, 
like that in Hifpaniola. There are few Plains, but many 
Vales with pleafant Rivers running through them, and 
all very fruitful. The weftern Point of it is but twelve or 
fifteen Leagues from the eaftern Cape of Hifpaniola ; fo 
that in fair Weather the one may be feen from the other, 
by People ftanding on the Tops of thofe Points. 
There are fome Ports, but none good, except that 
which is called Puerto Rico, where the City and epifcopai 
See are feated. The length of it is about forty Leagues at 
leaft, and the Breadth fixteen ; the Circumference about 
1 20. The Southern Coaft lies all in feventeen, and the 
Northern in eighteen Degrees Latitude. It produced 
much Gold, though not quite fo fine as that of Hifpa- 
niola, yet not much inferior to it. 
While Ponce de Leon was thus employed, Obando was 
recalled, and Don Diego Colon, Son to the Admiral, came 
to take the Government of Hifpaniola in his Room ; 
bringing with him, from Spain, a new Governor for 
Puerto Paco but he who had made the firft Settlement 
I on 
