101. Condition of the aboriginals? 102. What is the climate of Mexico? 103. When was tho city of Mexico founded? What was its site ? 101. What were the buildings of the Mexicans? 105. What was the religion of the Mexicans? 106. What were the Mexican modes of worship? 107. What were the Mexican traditions respecting the deluge? 108. Describe the Mexican priests. 109. How did the Mexicans divide the year? 110. What ceremonies were used at the birth of a child? 111. What were the marriage ceremonies? 112. What were the funeral rites ? 113. How were the Mexican youth educated? 114. What punishments were inflicted on the vices of youth? 115. What form of government had the Mexicans? 116. What ranks existed among the Mexicans? 117, 118. How were lands divided and held in Mexico? 119. What were the revenues of Mexico? 120. How was justice administered? 121, 122. What were the laws, crimes, and punishments? 123. What was the opinion of the Mexicans respecting war? and how were warriors rewarded? 124. What was the military dress? 125. What defensive arms were used? 126. What offensive arms were used? 127. What was the manner of making war? 128. What was the state of agriculture and gardening? 129. What money was used in America? 130. What was the language of Mexico? What did the Mexicans use for recording events? 131. What were the materials of cloth and paper ? 132. What was the state of sculpture and castings? 133. What was the Mexican stage or theater? 134. What were the manufactures? 135. What was the food of the Mexicans? 136. What were the dress and ornaments of the Mexicans? 137. What was the furniture of the houses? 138. What were the amusements of the Mexicans? 139, 140. Describe the dances of the Mexicans. 141. What were the games and feats of the Mexicans? 142. Describe the flyers. 143. What other games were used? 144. Describe the Indians of North America, 145. What were their habitations? 146. What was the dress of the Indians ? 147. What were their money and arms? 148. What sort of canoes did the Indians use? CHAPTER V. DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 151. Of Columbus. Christopher Columbus, the first European who discovered the western continent, was a native of Genoa, and was bred to navigation. By his knowledge of the form of the earth, and of geography and astronomy, and by some pieces of carved wood and a canoe, driven on shore by westerly winds, he was led to believe that there must be a continent on the west of the Atlantic to balance the vast tract of land on the east; and he imagined that by sailing westward, he might find a shorter course to China and the East Indies, than by traveling eastward. He therefore applied to the government of Genoa for assistance to enable him to undertake a voyage of discovery. He did not succeed. He then applied to Portugal, but with no better success. He was thought, as men of genius are often thought, a visionary projector. 152. Columbus's application to Spain. Columbus then made application to Ferdinand, king of Spain, for ships and men to proceed on a voyage westward; but for some years, he did not obtain his request. Finally, by the influence of the queen, Isabella, he obtained three ships and ninety men. He also obtained a commission, dated April 30, 1492, constituting him admiral, viceroy, and governor, of all the isles and countries which he should discover and subdue, with full powers civil and criminal. With this authority, he sailed from Palos, in Spain, in August, 1492. 153. First voyage. Not many days after Columbus left Spain, he was perplexed with the variations of the magnetic needle, which had not before been discovered, and which served to dishearten his mariners. To add to his perplexity, his seamen grew uneasy at venturing so far into an unexplored ocean, and threatened to throw him overboard, if he would not return. To quiet their minds, he promised that if land should not appear within three days, he would return. On the third day, land was discovered, to the inexpressible joy of Columbus and of his seamen, who now humbled themselves for their refractory conduct. The land first seen was one of the Bahama islands, and on the 12th of October, O. S. 1492. 154. Discovery and settlement of Hispaniola. Proceeding southward, Columbus discovered Cuba and Hayti; to the latter he gave the name of Hispaniola. Here he landed, entered into a friendly intercourse with the natives, built a fort, in which he left a garrison of thirty-eight men, with orders to treat the natives with kindness, and sailed for Europe. On his voyage, a violent tempest arising, Columbus was apprehensive the ship would founder; and to afford a small chance that the world should not lose the benefit of his voyage, he wrote a short account of his discoveries, wrapped it in an oiled cloth, inclosed it in a cake of wax, and putting this into an empty cask, he committed it to the sea, in hopes that it might fall into the hands of some fortu nate navigator, or be cast ashore. But the storm abated, and Columbus arrived safe in Spain. 155. Second voyage of Columbus. In September, 1493, Columbus sailed from Cadiz on his second voyage to the new world, and discovered the Caribbee isles, to which he gave their present names, Dominico, Maragalant, Guadaloupe, Montserrat, and Antigua. Then steering for Cuba, he saw Jamaica, and proceeded to Hispaniola. On his arrival, he found that the men whom he had left in garrison had been guilty of violence and rapine, and were all destroyed by the natives. 156. First permanent settlement in America. As the first colony which Columbus left was cut off, he sought a more convenient and healthful situation, marked out the plan of a town, erected a rampart, and built houses. This town he called Isabella, in honor of the queen, his benefactress. The government of this colony he committed to his brother, Don Diego, who, after Columbus had departed for Europe, abandoned this spot, and removing to the south side of the isle, began the town called St. Domingo, the first permanent establishment in the new world. Columbus returned to Spain carly in 1496. 157. Columbus's third voyage. In May, 1498, Columbus left Spain on his third voyage, and proceeding farther southward, discovered and named Trinidad; and in August, discovered the main land, or continent of South America, along which he coasted two hundred leagues westward; then sailed to Hispaniola. When he arrived at St. Domingo, he found the colony in a mutinous state; but by prudent and firm measures, he composed the troubles. In the mean time, the discontented men repaired to Spain, and by false representations, persuaded the king to appoint Bovadilla governor of the new world, with orders to take Columbus and send him to Spain. This commission was executed with inhuman severity, and the great Columbus was sent to Spain in chains. Such is the reward which great and good men receive from vile factious men. 158. Name given to this continent. In 1409, Alonso Ojedo made a voyage to the western continent. With him was one Amerigo, or Americus Vespucius, a native of Florence, who wrote an account of the voyage, and pretending that he was the first discoverer of the main land, the country was called after him, AMERICA; which name, by the consent of nations, it has retained; to the injury of Cabot and Columbus, who had discovered the continent the preceding year. Columbus arrived 159. Columbus's fourth voyage. in Spain bound like a criminal; but was soon set at liberty by order of the king, to whom he justified his conduct in the most satisfactory_manner. But he did not recover his authority, and Ovando was appointed governor of Hispaniola, in the place of Bovadilla. Columbus, however, prepared for a fourth voyage in 1502; intent upon finding a passage to the East Indies by the west. In this voyage, he entered the gulf of Darien, and examined the coast. storms, he bore away for wrecked on Jamaica. But meeting with furious Hispaniola, and was ship 160. Fate of Columbus. Being cast on an isle, at distance of thirty leagues from Hispaniola, and his ships all destroyed, Columbus was in extreme distress. But the natives were kind, and furnished him with two canoes, in which two of his friends with some India. rowed themselves to St. Domingo. But the governo Ovado, meanly jealous of Columbus, delayed to send a single ship to bring him off, for eight months, during which time, Columbus was exposed to famine, to the natives, and to the malice of his own mutinous seamen. At last he was relieved, and furnished with two ships, with which he sailed for Spain in 1504. Finding Isabella, his patroness, dead; and himself neglected, he sunk under his infirmities, and died May 20, 1506, in the 59th year of his age. 161. Pope's grant to Spain. The king of Spain, t obtain a secure title to the new world, obtained fror pope Alexander the sixth, a bull, or patent, dated a Rome, May 4th, 1493, in which the objects of the gran are said to be, to humanize and Christianize the savag nations of the new world. By this charter, the kin of Spain was invested with sovereign jurisdiction ove all the isles and lands which had been or should b discovered, west of a line running from pole to pole, a the distance of one hundred leagues west of all the Azores, and the Cape de Verd islands; to be held by him, his heirs and successors forever; excepting such isles and countries as were then actually possessed by some Christian king or prince. 162. Progress of the Spanish discoveries and settlements. In the year 1500, one Pinzon, who had accompanied Columbus in his first voyage, sailed to America, crossed the equinoctial line, and discovered the Maranon, or Amazon, the largest river on the globe. In the same year, one Cabral, a Portuguese, pushed his adventures further south, and discovered the country now called Brazil. Pinzon made a second voyage in 1508, with |