A M E R I C 
lowers, that he muft prepare to ftruggle, not only with 
the unavoidable difficulties which might be expedited from 
the nature of his undertaking, but with fuch alfo as were 
likely to arife from the ignprance and timidity of the peo¬ 
ple under his command. AH the art and add refs lie was 
matter of was hardly fufficient to quell the mutinous dif- 
pofition of his Tailors, who grew the more turbulent in 
proportion as their distance from home increased. What 
-moft aftonifhed Columbus, during the voyage, was the 
variation of the magnetic needle. He obferved that it did 
not point exactly to the polar ftar, but varied towards the 
welt. Tltis appearance, then one of the rnytteries of na¬ 
ture, though now familiar, filled the companions of Co¬ 
lumbus with terror. They were now in the midft of a 
tracklefs ocean; nature herfelf feemed to be altered, and 
the only guide they had left was about to fail them. Co¬ 
lumbus, with no lefs quicknefs titan ingenuity, invented a 
reafon for this appearance, which, though it did not fa- 
tisfy himfelf, feemed fo plautible to them, that it difpelled 
their fears and tilenced their murmurs. 
On the evening of the nth of Oblober, Columbus was 
fo confident, from various.appearances, of being near land, 
that he ordered the fails to be furled, and the ffiip's to lie 
to, and drift watch to be kept left they fliould be driven 
‘On-ffiore in the night. During this interval of fufp.enfe 
and expectation, no man (hut his eyes, all kept on deck, 
gazing intently towards that quarter where they expected 
to difeover the land, which had fo long been the -object 
of their withes. A tittle before midnight, Columbus, from 
the forecattle, difeovered a light at a Pittance ; and,ffiortly 
after, the joyful found of land.! land! was heard from the 
(Pinta, which always kept a-head of the other finips. At 
the dawn of day, an ifland was feen from every fliip, at 
the diftance of about two leagues north, whole verdant 
nfpeft indicated a moft delightful country. The crews of 
all the ffiips, with tears of joy and tranfports of congratu¬ 
lation, unitedly fang Te JDcum,- as a hymn of thankfgiving 
to God. They then, with feelings of felf-condemnation, 
mingled with reverence, threw- themfelves at the feet of 
Columbus, begged him to forgive their ignorance, incre- 
-dulity, and infolence, which had given him fo much un- 
necettary difquiet; acknowledged his fuperior abilities, 
and promifed obedience in future. 
At fun-rifing, the boats were manned and armed, and 
they rowed towards the ifland with their colours deploy¬ 
ed, with warlike mafic and other martial pomp. As they 
approached the coatt, they faw it covered with a multi¬ 
tude of people, whom the novelty of tire fpeftacle had 
drawn together, whofe attitudes and geftures expretfed 
wonder and aftoniffiment at the ftrange objects before them. 
Columbus was the firtt European who fet foot in die New 
World which he had difeovered. He landed in a rich 
drefs, and with a naked fword in his hand. His men fol¬ 
lowed, and, kneeling down, they all kifted the ground which 
they had fo long defired to fee. They next eredted a cru¬ 
cifix, and, proftrating themfelvesbefore it, returned thanks 
to God for conducting their voyage to fo happy an iflue. 
They then took a lolemn and formal pofTeffion of the coun¬ 
try for the crown .of Caftile and Leon. 
The drefs of the Spaniards, their beards, their arms, 
the vaft machines with which they traverfed the ocean, 
■tiie thundering roar of the cannon, accompanied with 
Jightning and Imoke, filled the natives with fiurprife and 
terror, and they began to confider them as childrenof the 
fun, who had defeended to vifit mortals here below. The 
Spaniards were hardly lefs amazed in their turn. The 
productions oof the ifland were different from any thing 
they had feen in Europe. The inhabitants appeared in the 
Ample innocence of nature, entirely naked. Their black 
hair, long and uncurled, floated upon their fiioulders, or 
was bound in trefles round- their heads. They had no 
" beards, and every part of their body was perfectly fmooth. 
Their complexion was of a dufky copper colour; their 
features Angular rather than difagreeable, and their afpeCt 
•gentle .and timid. They v/ere fliy at firft, .through tear, 
but foon became familiar with the Spaniards, and with 
tranfports of joy received from them various kinds of 
trinkets, in.return for which they gave provisions, and 
fome cotton yarn, the only-commodity of value they could 
produce. Thus in the firtt interview between the inhabit 
tants of the old and new worlds, every thing %vas con¬ 
ducted amicably, and to their mutual fijtisfaCtion. 
The ifland on which Columbus firtt landed he called 
San Salvador. It is one of that large clutter of illands 
known by the name of the Lucaya or Bahama iflands, and 
is above 3000 miles weft of the Canaries, lie afterwards 
touched at feveral iflands in the fame duffer, inquiring 
every where for gold, which he thought was the only ob- 
jeCt of commerce worth his attention. In fleering fouth- 
ward, he difeovered the iflands of Cuba and Hifpaniola, 
abounding in all the neceflaries of lire, and inhabited by 
a humane and hofpitable people. 
On his return to Spain lie was overtaken by a (form, 
which had nearly proved fatal to hisfhipsand their crews. 
At a crifis when all was given up for loft, Columbus had 
prefence of mind enough to retire into his cabin, and to 
write upon parchment a ihort account of his voyage. This 
he wrapped in an oiled cloth, which he inclofed in a cake 
of wax, put it into a tight caflc, and threw it into the fea, 
in hopes that fome fortunate accident might preferve a de- 
pofit of fo much importance to the world. He arrived at 
Palos, in Spain, whence lie had failed the year before, 
on the 15th of March, -1493. He was welcomed with all 
the acclamations which the populace are ever ready to be¬ 
llow on great and glorious characters; and the court re¬ 
ceived him with marks-of the greateft refpeft. 
In September, of this year, (1493), Columbus failed 
upon his fecond voyage to America; during the perform¬ 
ance of w hich he difeovered the iflands of Dominica, Ma- 
rigalante, Guadaloupe, Montferrat, Antigua, Porto Rica, 
and Jamaica ; and returned to Spain in 1496. 
In 1498, lie failed a third time for America; and on the 
firft of Augufr difeovered the continent, .at the mouth of 
the river Orpnoke. He then coafted along weftward, ma¬ 
king other difeoveries, for 200 leagues, to Cape Vela, from 
which he crofted over to Hifpaniola, where he was feized 
by .a new Spanifh governor, and fent home in chains. 
In 1502. Columbus made his fourth, and laft, voyage 
to Hifpaniola ; thence he went over to the continent; dif¬ 
eovered the bay of Honduras; thence failed along, ffiore 
eafterly 200 leagues, to Cape Gracias a Dios, Veragua, 
Porto Bello, and the Gulf of Darien, fearching, in vain, 
for a paffage to the Eaft Indies. During this voyage, he 
was fhipwrecked on the ifland of Jamaica, where he dif¬ 
fered aim. ft inconceivably from the cruelty of the inhabi¬ 
tants, the mutiny of his men, and efpecially from the in¬ 
famous conduft of the governor of Hifpaniola. He re¬ 
turned to Spain in 1504. On his arrival he received.the 
fatal news of the death of his patronefs, queen Ifabella. 
The jealous and avaricious Spaniards, not immediately 
receiving thofe golden advantages from thefe new difeo¬ 
veries which they had promifed, and loft to the feelings 
of humanity and gratitude, differed their elteem and ad¬ 
miration of Columbus to degenerate into ignoble envy. 
The latter part of his life was therefore made wretched 
by the cruel perfecutions of his enemies. Queen Ifabella, 
his friend and patronefs, was no longer alive to afford him 
relief. He fought redrefs from Ferdinand, but in vain. 
Difgufted with the ingratitude of a monarch whom he had 
ferved with fo much fidelity and fuccefs, exhaufted with 
hardfhips, and broken with the infirmities’which thefe 
brought upon him, Columbus ended his aftive and ufeful 
life at Valladolid, on the 20th of May, 1506, in the 59th 
year of his age. He died with a compofure of mind fuited 
to the magnanimity which diftinguiftied his charafter, and 
with fentiments of piety becoming that fupreme refpeft for 
religion which he manifefted in every occurrence of his 
life. He was grave though courteous in his deportment, 
circumfpaft in-his words and actions, irreprochable in his 
morals, ar.d exemplary in all the duties of his religion. 
Among 
