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first establishment; and was not the motive either of that

establishment or of the discoveries which gave occasion to it;

and the nature; extent; and limits of that utility are not;

perhaps; well understood at this day。

     The Venetians; during the fourteenth and fifteenth

centuries; carried on a very advantageous commerce in spiceries;

and other East India goods; which they distributed among the

other nations of Europe。 They purchased them chiefly in Egypt; at

that time under the dominion of the Mamelukes; the enemies of the

Turks; of whom the Venetians were the enemies; and this union of

interest; assisted by the money of Venice; formed such a

connection as gave the Venetians almost a monopoly of the trade。

     The great profits of the Venetians tempted the avidity of

the Portuguese。 They had been endeavouring; during the course of

the fifteenth century; to find out by sea a way to the countries

from which the Moors brought them ivory and gold dust across the

desert。 They discovered the Madeiras; the Canaries; the Azores;

the Cape de Verde Islands; the coast of Guinea; that of Loango;

Congo; Angola; and Benguela; and; finally; the Cape of Good Hope。

They had long wished to share in the profitable traffic of the

Venetians; and this last discovery opened to them a probable

prospect of doing so。 In 1497; Vasco de Gama sailed from the port

of Lisbon with a fleet of four ships; and after a navigation of

eleven months arrived upon the coast of Indostan; and thus

completed a course of discoveries which had been pursued with

great steadiness; and with very little interruption; for nearly a

century together。

     Some years before this; while the expectations of Europe

were in suspense about the projects of the Portuguese; of which

the success appeared yet to be doubtful; a Genoese pilot formed

the yet more daring project of sailing to the East Indies by the

West。 The situation of those countries was at that time very

imperfectly known in Europe。 The few European travellers who had

been there had magnified the distance; perhaps through simplicity

and ignorance; what was really very great appearing almost

infinite to those who could not measure it; or; perhaps; in order

to increase somewhat more the marvellous of their own adventures

in visiting regions so immensely remote from Europe。 The longer

the way was by the East; Columbus very justly concluded; the

shorter it would be by the West。 He proposed; therefore; to take

that way; as both the shortest and the surest; and he had the

good fortune to convince Isabella of Castile of the probability

of his project。 He sailed from the port of Palos in August 1492;

nearly five years before the expedition of Vasco de Gama set out

from Portugal; and; after a voyage of between two and three

months; discovered first some of the small Bahamas or Lucayan

islands; and afterwards the great island of St。 Domingo。

     But the countries which Columbus discovered; either in this

or in any of his subsequent voyages; had no resemblance to those

which he had gone in quest of。 Instead of the wealth;

cultivation; and populousness of China and Indostan; he found; in

St。 Domingo; and in all the other parts of the new world which he

ever visited; nothing but a country quite covered with wood;

uncultivated; and inhabited only by some tribes of naked and

miserable savages。 He was not very willing; however; to believe

that they were not the same with some of the countries described

by Marco Polo; the first European who had visited; or at least

had left behind him; any description of China or the East Indies;

and a very slight resemblance; such as that which he found

between the name of Cibao; a mountain in St。 Domingo; and that of

Cipango mentioned by Marco Polo; was frequently sufficient to

make him return to this favourite prepossession; though contrary

to the clearest evidence。 In his letters to Ferdinand and

Isabella he called the countries which he had discovered the

Indies。 He entertained no doubt but that they were the extremity

of those which had been described by Marco Polo; and that they

were not very distant from the Ganges; or from the countries

which had been conquered by Alexander。 Even when at last

convinced that they were different; he still flattered himself

that those rich countries were at no great distance; and; in a

subsequent voyage; accordingly; went in quest of them along the

coast of Terra Firma; and towards the Isthmus of Darien。

     In consequence of this mistake of Columbus; the name of the

Indies has stuck to those unfortunate countries ever since; and

when it was at last clearly discovered that the new were

altogether different from the old Indies; the former were called

the West; in contradistinction to the latter; which were called

the East Indies。

     It was of importance to Columbus; however; that the

countries which he had discovered; whatever they were; should be

represented to the court of Spain as of very great consequence;

and; in what constitutes the real riches of every country; the

animal and vegetable productions of the soil; there was at that

time nothing which could well justify such a representation of

them。

     The Cori; something between a rat and a rabbit; and supposed

by Mr。 Buffon to be the same with the Aperea of Brazil; was the

largest viviparous quadruped in St。 Domingo。 This species seems

never to have been very numerous; and the dogs and cats of the

Spaniards are said to have long ago almost entirely extirpated

it; as well as some other tribes of a still smaller size。 These;

however; together with a pretty large lizard; called the ivana;

or iguana; constituted the principal part of the animal food

which the land afforded。

     The vegetable food of the inhabitants; though from their

want of industry not very abundant; was not altogether so scanty。

It consisted in Indian corn; yams; potatoes; bananas; etc。;

plants which were then altogether unknown in Europe; and which

have never since been very much esteemed in it; or supposed to

yield a sustenance equal to what is drawn from the common sorts

of grain and pulse; which have been cultivated in this part of

the world time out of mind。

     The cotton plant; indeed; afforded the material of a very

important manufacture; and was at that time to Europeans

undoubtedly the most valuable of all the vegetable productions of

those islands。 But though in the end of the fifteenth century the

muslins and other cotton goods of the East Indies were much

esteemed in every part of Europe; the cotton manufacture itself

was not cultivated in any part of it。 Even this production;

therefore; could not at that time appear in the eyes of Europeans

to be of very great consequence。

     Finding nothing either in the animals or vegetables of the

newly discovered countries which could justify a very

advantageous representation of them; Columbus turned his view

towards their minerals; and in the richness of the productions of

this third kingdom; he flattered himself he had found a full

compensation for the insignificancy of those of the other two。

The little bits of gold with which the inhabitants ornamented

their dress; and which; he was informed; they frequently found in

the rivulets and torrents that fell from the mountains; were

sufficient to satisfy him that those mountains abounded with the

richest gold mines。 St。 Domingo; therefore; was represented as a

country abounding with gold; and; upon that account; (according

to the prejudices not only of the present time; but of those

times) an inexhaustible source of real wealth to the crown and

kingdom of Spain。 When Columbus; upon his return from his first

voyage; was introduced with a sort of triumphal honours to the

sovereigns of Castile and Arragon; the principal productions of

the countries which he had discovered were carried in solemn

procession before him。 The only valuable part of them consisted

in some little fillets; bracelets; and other ornaments of gold;

and in some bales of cotton。 The rest were mere objects of vulgar

wonder and curiosity; some reeds of an extraordinary size; some

birds of a very beautiful plumage; and some stuffed skins of the

huge alligator and manati; all of which were preceded by six or

seven of the wretched natives; whose singular colour and

appearance added greatly to the novelty of the show。

     In consequence of the representations of Columbus; the

council of Castile determined to take possession of countries of

which the inhabitants were plainly incapable of defending

themselves。 The pious purpose of converting them to Christianity

sanctified the injustice of the project。 But the hope of finding

treasures of gold there was the sole motive which prompted him to

undertake it; and to give this motive the greater weight; it was

proposed by Columbus that the half of all the gold and silver

that should be found there should belong to the crown。 This

proposal was approved of by the council。

     As long as the whole or the far greater part of the gold;

which the first a

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