Cxhap. III. C H R I s T O P H E 
ble for him to forefee) unqaeftionably it had been fo*, 
which is the true Reafon v/hy, at firft, he fancied Cuba 
one of thofe fflands, and, after a little Refleftion, pro- 
nounced that an Error \ but (till flattered himfelf that he 
Ihoiild meet with thefe Iflands, but in a, higher Latitude. 
It was from this Miftake of his, that the Countries 
which he difcovered came to be called JV ifi Indies ; for^ 
upon his Return from his ftrfl; Voyage, and bringing with 
him Spice, Parrots, and Gold, he made no queftion that 
the Countries he had vifited made a Part of the Indies, 
that is, of the Afmn or Eafi Indies : But when, by his 
fubfequent Voyages, he was convinced of his Error, and 
found that there was really a great Continent between him 
and the Countries he fought, he then chofe to call the 
Iflands he had difcovered the IV ift Indies. In Procefs of 
Time, when the Extent and Importance of the Continent 
to which thofe Iflands belonged was better known, it 
came to be called by a more emphatic and flgnificant 
Name, viz. that of the New W 'irld. 
This, to fay the Truth, was proper enough, fince, on 
the firfl: View of the Globe, it appears, that America is as 
it were a Balance to what was ftiled the AVorld before it 
was difcovered ; and, as it lies from North to South, it 
occupies all the Zones, and, confequently, contains the 
fame Variety of Climates which had been diflinguifhed 
by Geographers in this Part of the World. It came af- 
terwards to be called America, for Reafons which we lhall 
aflign, when we come to fpeak of Americas V efpufms, 
who was the firft that publiflied a tolerable Map of it, 
and in that Light only could be efteemed a great Dif- 
coverer. 
5. We have, in the former Volume, fpoken of Co- 
lumbus as the firft Circum-navigator, tho' he was not fo 
in Fa6t, but in Idea only ; however, as it was in Purfuit 
of his Notions that the Poffibility of failing round the 
World was firft difcovered, and has been fince often per- 
formed, he had a juft Right to be confidered in that 
Light. In this Secftion we propofe to fpeak of him as 
the Firft who vifited this new World j and, after giving 
an Account of his Voyages thither, and of the Difcoveries 
made by the Spaniards, who purfued his Tra6l, we lhall 
next entertain the Reader with the Hiftory of the two 
great Conquefts made by the Spaniards in America. The 
Firft by Ferdinand, or, as the Spanijh Writers call him. 
R C O L U M B U S. . 5 
Hernan Cortes, of the great Empire of Memo. The 
Second by Frances Pizaro, who fubdued tlie no lefs fa- 
mous Empire of Peru. This will afford us an Oppor- 
tunity of entering into a Defcription of both thefe Coun- 
tries, as they ftood at the Time thefe Conquefts v/ere 
made and of the Manners, Governmentj Laws, Learn- 
ing, and Trade of their ancient Inhabitants. 
We lhall then fpeak of the Expeditions of our own. 
Countrymen into this Part of the World, and of the Dif- 
coveries and Settlements made by them, from the firft 
Voyage of Cabot, in the Reign of Henry VII. down to 
the Plantation of Georgia, which is the Laft, at leaft of 
any Confequence, that we have made. The Difcoveries 
and Settlements made by the French will next employ our ^ 
Care. And, laft of all, we lhall fpeak of the few fmall ' 
Settlements which the Hutch and Hanes enjoy in this 
Part of the Globe ; which (with a View of the principal 
Advantages that Europe in general derives from her Com- 
merce with this new World) will fill up the remaining 
Part, and complete the Defign of this Chapter. 
It may not, however, be amifs to take this Opportu- 
nity of obferving, , that, by this Means, our Hiftory of 
Difcoveries will be entirely compleated fo that in our 
Third and Fifth Books we may, with the fame Pro- 
priety, infert Travels by Land, in the moft diftant Parts 
of Afia and America, as in the moft known Parts of 
the World j which could not however have been done, 
if in thefe two Chapters we had not fliewn at large how 
thefe great Countries were firft difclofed to the World, 
and their Commerce, in fome meafure, monopolized and 
fecured to the Inhabitants of Europe. Hence arifes the 
great Difference in Bulk between our Firft and our fuc- 
ceeding Books; the former being, ftridly fpeaking, a 
compleat Hiftory of Navigation and Commerce, fhewing 
the Connexions between the different Parts of the World, 
as they now ftand, as well as the manner in which thofe 
Connexions arofe, and have been continued : Whereas 
in the following Books the feveral Parts of the World 
are diftinXly confidered, and the Conditions of their 
Inhabitants particularly explained, from the Accounts 
given us by fuch as vifited them for that Purpofe. Thus 
much being faid by way of IntroduXion, let us pro- 
ceed direXly to the Performance of what has been pro- 
mifed. 
SECTION II. 
The jirjl Voyage of Christoppier Columbus, in which he difcovered the Lucayan 
Iflands, and afterwards Cuba and Hifpaniola, which opened a Pafage from Europe 
to America, with his Return to Spain, and Reception by their Catholic MajefHes, 
I. Ehe Dijiculties which Columbus met in concluding an Agreetnent with the ^een oj Spains 2. The 
Subjtance of that Agreement, together with. an Account of the fmall Force with which he undertook this 
Expedition. 3. He fails from Spain on the of Auguft, 1492. 4. Phe remarkable Occurrences m the 
Voyage, and the various troubles to which the Admiral was expofed. 5. The Seamen grow uneafy and 
fufpicious, notwithfianding all the Endeavours ufed by Columbus to pacify and encourage them. 6. When 
his Patience was quite exhaufed they at laft difcovered La?2d. j. Fhe Admiral gives Names to the three 
ftrfl Iftands he met with in the new World. 8, He fails to and examines the noble Iftand i^Guba^ 9. He 
proceeds fro?n thence to that q/" Hifpaniola. 10. Ai2 Account of his Reception by the Inhabitants, and of 
the State of that Iftand at the Pime of his difcovermg it. 1 1 . Lofts his Ship upo?i that Coaft, and refolves 
to fettle a Colony there. 12. Fakes proper Methods for that Purpofe, and gives this new Colony the Name 
^ Natividad, in Honour of CPmiC sNativity. 13. Begms to dijpofe all things for his Return to Spain. 
14. Begins his Voyage from the Port of the Nativity, and rejoins Martin Pinzon, who had deferted him. 
15. Profecutes his Voyage ^0 Lilbon, where he has an Audience of the King <3/' Portugal. 1 6. Retwms 
jafely to Palos, March 15, 1493, and proceeds from thence to Barcelona, in order to pay his Compliments 
to their Catholic Majefties. 17. Remarks .and Obfervations on the foregoing Voyage. 
I- ^T~^HE Family and perfonal Fliftory of Don 
X Chrifiopher Columbus have been fo fully fet forth 
in the Beginning of the Firft Chapter, that there is no 
Need of repeating them here ; and, therefore, we lhall ob- 
ferve, that after being flighted and abufed in Portugal, 
he travelled into Spain, in the year 1484, in order to 
propofe his Scheme of Difcovery to King Ferdinand and 
Queen Ifabella, by whom he was referred to the Prior of 
Prado, afterwards Archbifhop of Granada, who fum- 
moned an Affembly of fuch as were then efteemed learn- 
ed, to confider of his Propofals. But there being few 
Cofmographers then in Cajlile, and thofe . none of the 
bell in the World, and, befides, as Columbus did not fully 
explain himfelf, left he fliould be ferved as he had been 
ir 
I 
