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Flavio Gioia, a citizen of Amalfi, a town of confiderable trade in the kingdom of Naples, was the author of this great discovery, about the year 1302. It hath often been the fate of thofe illuftrious benefactors of mankind, who bave enriched science and improved the arts by their inventions, to derive more reputation than benefit from the happy efforts of their genius: but the lot of Gioia has been fill more cruel: through the inattention or ignorance of contemporary hiftorians, he has been defrauded even of the fame to which he had fuch a juft title. We receive from them no information with respect to his profethon, his character, the precife time when he made this important difcovery, and the accidents and enquiries which led to it: the knowledge of this event, though productive of greater effects than any recorded in the annals of the human race, is tranfmitted to us without any of thofe circumnflances which can gratify the curiofitv which it naturally awakened."

Chriftopher Columbus, who was deftined to the high honour of revealing a new hemifphere to Europeans, was by birth a Genoefe, who had been early trained to a feafaring life, and, having acquired every branch of knowledge connected with that profellion, was no les diflinguifhed by his skill and abilities, than for his intrepid and perfevering fpirit. This man, when about forty years of age, had formed the great idea of reaching the East Indies by failing wellward; but, as his fortune was very small, and the attempt required very effectual patronage, defirous that his native country Thould profit by his fuccefs, he laid his plan before the fenate of Genoa, but the fcheme appearing chimerical, it was rejected. He then repaired to the court of Portugal; and although the Portuguese were at that time diftinguilhed for their commercial fpirit, and John II. who then reigned, was a difcerning and enterprifing prince, yet the prepoffeffions of the great men in his court, to whom the matter was referred, caufed Columbus finally to fail in his attempt there alfo. He next applied to Ferdinand and Ifabella, king and queen of Arragon and Caftile, and at the fame time fent his brother : Bartholomew (who followed the fame profeffion, and who was well qualified to fill the immediate place under fuch a leader) to England, to lay the propofal before Henry VII. which likewife, very fortunately for the future well being of the country, met with no fuccefs. Many were the years which Chriftopher Columbus fpent in ineffectual attendance at the Caftillian court; the impoverished flate into which the finances of the united kingdoms were reduced, by the war with Granada, reprefling every difpofition to attempt to great defigns; but the war being at length terminated, the powerful mind of Ifabella broke through all obftacles; the declared herself the patronefs of Columbus, whilft her hufband Ferdinand, declining to partake as an adventurer in the voyage, only gave it the fanction of his name. Thus did the fuperior genius of a woman effect the discovery of one half of the globe!

The fhips fent on this important fearch were only three in number, two of them very fmall: they had ninety men on board. Although the expence of the expedition had long remained the fole obftacle to its being undertaken, yet, when every thing was provided, the coft did not amount to more than 17.760 doks, and there were twelve months provifions put on board.

Columbus fet fail from port Palos, in the province of Andalufia, on the third of Auguft 1492; he proceeded to the Canary islands, and from thence directed his courie due W. in the latitude of about 28°. N. In this course he continued for two months, without falling in with any land; which caufed Tuch a fpirit of difcontent and mutiny to rife as the fuperior address and

brought over with him a fmall body of cavalry. The Indians, who had never before feen fuch a creature, imagined the Spanish horfes to be rational beings, and that each with its rider formed but one animal: they were aftonifhed at their fpeed, and confidered their impetuofity and ftrength as irrefiftible. In this onfet they had befide an other formidable enemy to terrify and deftroy them: a great number of the largest and fierceft fpecies of dogs which were then bred in Europe, had been brought hither, which, fet on by their weapons, whithout attempting refiftance, fled with all the speed which terror could excite. Numbers were flain, and more made prifoners, who were indifcriminately configned to flavery. Dr. Robertfon fays, upon the authority of a M. S. in his poffeffion, that five hundred of thefe captives were fent (or rather brought by Columbus) to Spain, and fold bublicly in Seville as flaves.

The character of Columbus stands very high in the estimation of mankind; he is venerated not only as a man poffeffing fuperior fortitude, and fuch a fteady perfeverance, as no impediments, dangers, or fufferings, could fhake, but as equally diftinguished for piety and virtue. His fecond fon Ferdinand, who wrote the life of his father, apologizes for this feverity toward the natives, on account of the diftreffed ftate into which the colony was brought the change of climate, and the indifpenfable labours which were required of men unaccustomed to any exertions, had fwept away great numbers of the new fettlers, and the furvivors were declining daily, whilft fuch was the irreconcilable enmity of the natives, that the most kind and circumfpect conduct on the part of the Spaniards, would not have been effectual to regain their good will. This apology feems to have been generally admitted, for all modern writers have beftowed upon the discoverer of the new world the warmest commendation unmixed with cenfure. It is an unpleasant talk to derogate from exalted merit, and to impute a deliberate plan of cruelty and extirpation to a man revered for moral worth; but although a pert affectation of novel opinions can only originate in weak minds, and can be countenanced only by fuch, yet a free and unreferved fcrutiny into facts, can alone feparate truth from error, and apportion the juft and intrinfic degree of merit belonging to any character. That Columbus had formed a defign of waging offenfive war against the Indians, and reducing them to flavery, before he entered upon his fecond voyage, and, confequently, before he was apprized of the deftruction of the people which he had left upon the island of Hifpaniola, may be inferred from his providing bimfelf with fuch a number of fierce and pow erful dogs.

Having found the natives peaceable and well difpefed, he had no reafon to apprehend that they would commenfe unprovoked hoftilities; the cavalry which he took over, whilft it tended to imprefs thofe people with the deepeft awe and veneration, was fully fufficient for the fecurity of the new solony, if the friendship of the natives had been fincerely meant to be cultivat ed by a kind and equitable deportment; but to treat them as a free people was inconfiftent with the views which led to planting a colony, for as the grand incentive to undertake these distant voyages was the hope of acquiring gold, fo, as Columbus had seen fome worn as ornaments by the natives, and had been informed that the mountanous parts of the country yielded that precious metal, he had excited expectations in his employers, and in the nation at large, which both his intereft and ambition compelled him as far as poffible to realive: the Spaniards could not obtain gold without the affiftande of the natives, and those were fo conflitutionally indolent that no allure

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thents of presents or gratifications could excite them to labour. To refoue huntcif therefore from difgrace, and to fecure future fupport, he feems deliberately to have devoted a harn!efs race of men to laughter or ilivery. Such as furvived the malfacre of that dreadful day, and preferved their freedom fled into the mountainous and inacceffible parts of the ifland, which not yielding them fufficient means of fubfiftence, they were compelled to obtain a portion of food from their cruel purfuers, by procuring gold d-4; in order to fupport life; a tribute being impoled upon them whien was rigouroully exacted. Thefe wretched remains of a fice people, thus driven fron fruitfumefs and amenity; compelled to labour for the fupport of life 3 prey to defpondency, which the recollection of their former happiness fharpened, and which their hopeless fituation rendered infupportable, dies in great numbers, the innocent, but unrevenged victims of European avarice. Such are the facts which have ever been admitted, yet, Arange contradiction ! Columbus is celebrated for his humanity and goodies! but should he mot taber be confidered as a most confummate diffembler ;"profefling moderation will be mediated fubverfion? and, like most of the heroes and conquerors whom history records, renouncing every principle of juflice and humanity when they stopped the career of his ambition? Ferdinand Columbus, his fin and biographer, has with great addrefs covered the fhame of his father, whilft dhe admiring world has been little difpofed to cenfure a man, the splendor of whole actions fo powerfully fafcinates and dazzles.

When Columbus returned to Spain from his fecond voyage, he found that fris enemies had been very active and fuccefsful in exciting in Ferdinand and Ifabella nnfavourable fentiments of his conduct: but he fo far recovered his credit that a squadron of fix fhips were fitted out, with which he proceeded en a third voyage, on the 30th of May 1498. Taking a more fouthern course, he difcovered the ifland of Trinidad, on the coaft of Guiana, near the mouth of the great river Oronoko. The fwell occafioned by this vaft river pouring is waters into the ocean was fo great, as to expofe the hips to extreme dadger, but after long combating the currents and tremendous waves with doubt. fak fuccefs he conducted his fquadron safe through a narrow flrait, which eparates that flfand from the continent; this he called, "Bocca del Drago," the dragon's mouth. He juffly concluded, that fuch a va body of water mul flow through a country of immenfe extent, and that he was now arrived at that continent which it had long been the object of his withes to difcover. Full of that idea he food to the W. along the coaft of those provinces now known by the names of Paria and Conana. He landed in feveral places, and had fome intercourfe with th's Hatives, who refembled thofe of Hifpanis cla.in their appearance and manner of life." Thus" fays Dr. Roberiton, Columbus had not only the glory of difcovering to inankind the exiftince of a new world, but made confiderable progress toward a perfect knowledge of it, and was the firfl man who conducted the Spaniards to that vall conti ment which has been the chief feat of their empire, and the fource of their treafures in that quarter of the globe.”

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He afterward directed his courfe to Hifpaniola, and on quitting the continental coal fell in with the fall ifland Cubagua, and the larger one caled Margarita, not for diftant: thefe afterword became remarkable for their pearl fishery.

The enemies of Columbus having at length deftroyed all his credit with Ferdinand and Ifabella, Francis de Bouadilla, a knight of Calderavołą was appointed to repair to Hifpaniola, with full powers to enquire into his VOL. IV.

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conduct. This commiffion Bouadilla exertifed in the most arbitrary and fevere manner; for, without having recourfe even to the form of a judicial enquiry, he divefted Columbus of all authority, and, putting him in chains, fent him a prifoner to Spain: but the authority thus exercised was not long held; he was fuperceded, and the government given to Ovands, who however proved, in the fequel, to be but little lefs inimical to Columbus. Although this violent conduct was not approved by the king and queen, who endeavoured, by outward marks of attention and respect, to wipe off the ignominy which had been caft upon the difcoverer of America, yet it is probable he would never have prevailed upon them, to affift him in the undertaking a fourth voyage, had it not been for the difcovery inade by the Portuguefe, of failing to the Eaft Indies by doubling the Cape of Good Hope; but as it had ever been his firm belief, that the country which he had difcovered was not far from the East Indies, and that there was a more direct way thither, by the route which he had ftruck out, he prevailed upon his noble patrons to afflift him in afcertaining this important point: he had however only four small barks affigned him; the largest not more than feventy tons borden. In this expedition he was accompanied by his brother Don Bartholomew, and his fecond fon Don Ferdinand, who afterward wrote his life.

He failed from Cadiz on the 9th of May 1502, but without being invefted with any authority in the country which he had difcovered. When he arrived at Hifpaniola, he found Ovando little inclined to afford him affiftance; he therefore foon quitted that ifland, and fteering towards the continent, explored all the coaft from Cape Gracias a Dois fouthward, until he arrived at a harbour, which, on account of its beauty and fecurity, he called Porto Bello. Whilft thus coafling he went afhore at feveral places, and fometimes proceeded up the country, but did not penetrate fo far as to crofs the isthmus which feparates the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean. was his defign to have fettled a colony to the W. of Porto Bello, but this scheme was fo much difrelished by his people that he could not effect it, and he was therefore deprived of the glory of planting the first colony of America. He afterwards fuffered many hardships, chicfly from the neglect of Ovando, and foon after his return to Spain, his great patronefs Ifabella, queen of Caftile. died; but this mot able navigator did not long furvive her, he dy-. ing at Valladolid, on the 20th of May 1506, in the 59th year of his age.

It

Having thus given a general defcription of America, and of the circumflances, which led to its difcovery, we fhall now confider it as being divided into two parts, viz. North and South America, and begin with North America.

Of North America.

North America extends from about the tenth degree of N, latitude, to the North Pole, and from Eaft to Weft between the 40° E. and the 93° W. longitude from Philadelphia.

We propose to divide North America into four

parts.

1. THE BRITISH POSSESSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA.

II. THE ABOUGENES, OR ORIGINAL INHABITANTS.
III. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

IV. THE DOMINIONS OF SPAIN.

We fhall begin with the poffeflions of Great Britain.

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