Part 8 (1/2)

Anxious to revisit the colony at La Navidad, the admiral proceeded north-ard as speedily as possible, and after passing and naua, St Martin, and Santa Cruz, arrived at a beautiful and fertile island which he called St John, but which has since received the name of Porto Rico Here were found houses and roads constructed after a civilized fashi+on; but proofs that the inhabitants were cannibals abounded everywhere On the 22nd of November the ad the northern shore toward La Navidad, where a profound disappointment awaited him The little colony which he had founded had been entirely destroyed The fort was razed to the ground Not one of the settlers was alive to tell the tale

LICENTIOUSNESS OF SETTLERS

The account which Guacanagari gave to Columbus, and which there seems no reason to doubt, is, that the Spanish who had been left at La Navidad took to evil courses, quarrelled aled about the country, and finally were set upon, eak and few in nu Indian chief named Caonabo, who burned the tower and killed or dispersed the garrison, none of ere ever discovered It was in Caonabo's country that the gold mines were reported to exist, and it is probable that both the cupidity and the profligacy of the colonists were so gross as to dran upon theari, the friendly cacique, who had received the ade, declared that he and his tribe had done their utmost in defence of the Europeans, in proof of which he exhibited recent wounds which had evidently been inflicted by savage weapons He was, naturally, scarcely so friendly as before, but communication with him was made easy by the aid of one of the Indians whom Columbus had taken to Spain, and who acted as interpreter Guacanagari illing that a second fort should be built on the site of the first, but the adht it better to seek a new locality, both because the position of the old fort had been unhealthy, and because the disgusting licentiousness of the settlers had offended the Indians to such an extent that whereas they had at first regarded the white els froates and disturbers of the peace, against whom they had to defend their honour and their lives

COLONY FOUNDED AT ISABELLA

Sailing along the coast of Hayti, Columbus selected a site for his projected settlement, about forty miles to the east of the present Cape Haytien This he called Isabella, after his royal ed their stores, and the Spaniards laboured actively in the construction of the first town built by Europeans in the New World But the work did not progress prosperously Diseases prevailed a sea voyage were not the best preparations for hard physical labour The nuht out with hi thean to fail And, worst of all, none of the golden dreams were realized, under the influence of which they had left Spain Only small samples of the precious uely indicated gold mines of Cibao had not been reached Anxiety, responsibility, and labour began to tell upon the iron constitution of the admiral, and for some time he was stretched upon a bed of sickness

COLUMBUS DESPATCH TO THE COURT OF SPAIN

Some idea of the difficulties which had to be encountered at this period may be conceived from an account of the state of his colony which Columbus sent home in January 1494 It is in the form of instructions to a certain Antonio de Torres, the Receiver of the Colony, as to proceed to the court of Spain and infors as ritten in these instructions, and doubtless to elucidate them by discourse, as in the present day we send a despatch to be read by an anwith

There remains a copy, made at the tiin containing the resolutions of the sovereigns The original, thus noted, was taken back to Columbus It is a most valuable docu of the catholic sovereigns

The docuins with the usual strain of cohnesses hold it for good service” is the eneral statehnesses give much thanks to God, and hold as very honoured service all that the admiral has done”

Then follow the adold His people have been ill: it was necessary to keep guard, &c

”He has done well” is in theof a fortress near the place where gold can be got Their Highnesses approve; and the note in the in is, ”This is well, and so it raph about provisions, and a ns, ”that Juan de Fonseca is to provide for that raph about provisions, cos, that the casks, in which the wine for the arhnesses in, ”that Juan de Fonseca is to find out the persons who played this cheat with the wine casks, and to ood froar canes for planting, possibly) ”are good, and that all that is here asked for, be provided immediately”

CASTILIAN INTERPRETERS

So far, nothing can run more pleasantly with the in Columbus now touches upon a matter which intient to inforhnesses that he has sent home soht Castilian, and to serve afterwards as interpreters, so that the work of conversionare weighty He speaks of the good that it will be to take these people away froain their souls, as he expresses it Then, too, with regard to the other Indians, he re that we can capture and make slaves of these cannibals, of whoreat a fear” Such arguments must be allowed to have much force in them; and it may be questioned whether est opponents of slavery, would then have had that perception of the ins appear to have entertained, from their answer to this part of the document ”This is very well, and so it must be done; but let the aded there” (ie in the Cannibal Islands) ”that they should be brought to our Holy Catholic Faith, and the sa with the Indians of those islands where he is”

SLAVERY PROPOSED

The adraph he boldly suggests that, for the advantage of the souls of these cannibal Indians, the more of the what quantities of live-stock and other things are required for the maintenance of the colony, a certain number of caravels should be sent each year with these necessary things, and the cargoes be paid for in slaves taken froood that will be done to the cannibals thehnessesAntonio de Torres to send, or bring, an answer, ”because the preparations here (for capturing these cannibals) ood to their Highnesses”

THE PROPOSAL REJECTED

At the same time that we must do Coluht in his own eyes, it estion for the establishment of a slave-trade was never proposed To their honour, Ferdinand and Isabella thus replied: ”As regards this matter, it is suspended for the present, until there co it there, and let the admiral write what he thinks of this”

This is rather a confused answer, as often happens, when a proposition from a valued friend or servant is disapproved of, but has to be rejected kindly The Catholic sovereigns would have been very glad to have received so Ferdinand; the purchase of wine, seeds, and cattle for the colonists had hitherto proved anything but a profitable outlay; the prospect of conversion was probably dear to the hearts of both these princes, certainly to one of them: but still this proposition for the establishnanimously set aside