CHAPTER IV.

THE DISCOVERY OF COLUMBUS - OTHER DISCOVERIES.

1. I HAVE but little space in this work to repeat what is already well known concerning the more recent voyages of discovery to America, but will sketch them, briefly, in their order. On the 3d of August, 1492, Colum

COLUMBUS.

bus, under the wise patronage of the Spanish rulers, with a flotilla of three small vessels, set sail on his first voyage to the Western World. I shall not give the particulars of the voyage; they are already well known. The empty days and nights wore on, when at length, at a critical moment, the great heart of Columbus beat with deep emotion; as the dove announced the appearance of land to the great navigator of Mosaic history, so was it the sight of land-birds that first sent the waves of emotion coursing through the great soul of Columbus. These feathered messengers proclaimed his near approach to land by the eloquence of their inspiring presence. came the sight of sea-weed, as a confirmation of that which the birds foreshadowed, at which the heart of Columbus beat still faster. As night came on, the keen eyes of the great commander were greeted by the faint glimmer of distant lights. In these last and dreadful hours of suspense he was not left without a sign by day and by night. The birds, sea-weed, and faintly glimmering lights were indeed, to the heart of Columbus, as full of assurance as were the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire to the weary Israelites in their long and painful marches to discover the Land of Promise. At length, as the morning twilight advanced, joy filled the hearts of the whole crew; and the rising of the sun on the ever memorable 11th of October, 1492, was greeted with continued shouts of "Land!" "Land!" from the little Spanish flect. Before the weeping eyes of Columbus, whose heart could not keep from sending its crystal tokens of joy upward, there

Then

lay, in all the grandeur of tropical magnificence, the Island of San Salvador!

2. On landing, Columbus bowed with due reverence, and kissed the soil with deep religious fervor. Nor should we too lightly treat this ceremony. Well might the lips of the great discoverer press the virgin soil of this island of the Western World! He raised the flag of Spain on the island; and, in a spirit of thankfulness for what had been achieved, the congregated crews chanted the Te Deum. The aborigines of the country were not less moved by the appearance of the Spaniards than the voyagers themselves, though in a different way. Almost naked, they flocked around the explorers, being struck with awe and curiosity at the odd ceremony enacted before them. It is no great wonder that these simple natives regarded the strangers as children of the Sun on a visit to the earth. But while the Indians were astonished, the Spaniards were overjoyed; they beheld the animals, the trees, the plants, which were so different from any they had seen in Europe. The soil was plainly fertile, but nowhere was there a single trace of cultivation. After making quite an extended survey of the island, Columbus withdrew to his ships to continue his discoveries.

3. After visiting several islands, he reached Cuba, where he also took possession, in the name of their Spanish Majesties. After exploring the island for some time, and obtaining all the information possible from the natives, Columbus weighed anchor and sailed eastward, discovering Hayti, where he was kindly received by an Indian chieftain. While on this coast one of his ships was wrecked, and out of the picces of the wreck he constructed a rude fort, to protect his crew and his new native allies against the fierce Caribs. He mounted the little fort with the guns of the ship, and left a considerable portion of his crew to garrison it. Shortly after he sailed for Spain, and reached Palos on the 15th of March, 1493. There was great commotion and rejoicing in Spain on the arrival of Columbus. He was ennobled by the monarchs, and treated with great respect by all the people. He made three other voyages to America; but we have already followed his discoveries quite far enough for the purposes of this work.

4. A distinguished Florentine navigator, named Americus Vespucius, succeeded Columbus in the great work of western discoveries, making four voyages. In an elaborate work his discoveries he managed to set himself forth in such a

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as to temporarily overshadow Columbus, and in this way he succeeded in giving his own name to the western continent. At this time England was only an inferior province, but her enterprising heart was stirred with the news of his wonderful discoveries, and in 1496, John Cabot, a Venetian merchant, residing at Bristol, being actuated by a strong desire to behold the wonders of the New World, obtained a commission from King Henry VII., and in June, on the following year, with his son Sebastian, sailed from Bristol. After a successful voyage, he reached the shore of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, the latter of which he named Prima Vista. On St. John's day he discovered Prince Edward Island, which he called St. John. In 1497 Sebastian Cabot made a second voyage to America, reaching Hudson's Bay, in an unsuccessful attempt to find a passage to China. He sailed as far southward as Florida after failing in his original design.

5. In the year 1500 the King of Portugal sent out Gaspard Cartereal. He discovered Labrador, and visited Greenland. He made a second voyage in the following year, but perished at sea. On his return from the first voyage he carried with him fifty Indians, whom he sold as slaves. In 1502 his brother Michael made a voyage in search of him, and was also lost.

6. The value of the cod fisheries was already attracting considerable attention in Europe, especially in France, and in 1506 Denys, of Honfleur, explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the following year Aubert, of Dieppe, made a similar voyage, and it is well authenticated that, in these years, a number of French fishermen visited the coast of Newfoundland. In 1518 the Baron de Lery made a voyage to America, touching at Sable Island. In 1524 John Verazzani, a Florentine navigator, made a voyage to America, with four French vessels, and in the following year he made another voyage, under the patronage of the King of France, and explored about two thousand miles of the eastern coast of America. He returned to France the same year, and is said to have made still another Voyage the same year; but nothing was ever heard from this expedition.

7. For nine years after the last expedition by Verazzani, France did nothing towards making western discoveries, which was probably due to the sad effects of his supposed fate. But in 1534 events became more promising, and a scheme of exploration and discovery was set on foot which ended in suc

cessful colonization. In that year, Philip Chabot, Admiral of France, urged the King, Francis I., to establish a colony in America. He pictured to the mind of his king the successes of Spain and Portugal in similar enterprises, which aroused his jealousy. When he had secured the royal favor he rccom

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mended Jacques Cartier, a distinguished navigator of St. Malo, as a suitable person to conduct any expedition which might be set on foot. Pursuant to these plans Cartier sailed for tho New World, reaching the coasts Newfoundland in twenty days. Passing through the straits of Belle Isle, he reached tho coasts of New Brunswick, when, on the 9th of July, ho entered a bay, which, on account of the intense heat, he named "Baie des Chaleurs." On the 24th of July he sailed out of tho bay and rounded the headland of Gaspe, where he landed and took possession of the country in the name of his king, erecting a cross, thirty fect high, on which he placed the arms of France, and an inscription emblematic of the sovereignty of France in America. Making some farther observations, he completed his work and returned to France, taking with him two Indians, from whom he gained considerable information concerning the interior of Canada, particularly the river St. Lawrence.

JACQUES CARTIER.

8. Cartier's first trip only fired his zeal. He desired to make farther explorations, to enter the river of which the Indians had spoken. Hence, in May, 1535, he again sailed

from St. Malo; this time with three ships. The voyage was tempestuous, but he reached Newfoundland in July, and proceeded to explore the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which he had visited the year before. On the 10th day of August he entered a bay at the mouth of a river, now called St. John, which he called St. Lawrence, from having entered it on the festival of that saint, which was a usual custom. This name has since been applied to the gulf and river emptying into it, which Cartier was the first to discover and explore. On the 1st of September he reached the Saguenay; and on the 7th, the Isle of Orleans. At this place he sent his two captive Indians ashore, and commissioned them to negotiate a favorable reception for himself among the savages. They were successful, and on the following day he was kindly received by Donacona, a powerful Algonquin chief.

9. Cartier resumed his journey and proceeded up the river, where, in a basin formed by the junction of the St. Charles with the St. Lawrence, he established his vessels for the winter. Here stood the Indian village of Stadacona, near where now stands the old city of Quebec. Being now located, or established, for the winter, Cartier set himself at work making observations, and gaining what knowledge he could from the Indians. Learning of the Indian village called Kannatæ, located some seven days' journey to the west, he resolved to visit it; but before venturing among the savages he thought it prudent to advertise his power and importance as far as possible, and for this purpose caused several of his cannon to be discharged. The performance had the desired effect. Taking one of his ships and two boats, Cartier set out on the 19th of September, and on the 2d of October he reached Hochelaga, an Indian village, situated on the island where the metropolis of the Dominion now stands,-the city of Montreal. Here he met two thousand savages, who greeted him kindly, and with whom he exchanged knives and beads for fish and maize. Thus, in 1535, Cartier explored the site of Montreal, making a visit to the summit of the now celebrated Mount Royal, and admiring the beautiful prospect therefrom.

10. Cartier and his crew spent the winter at their quarters before mentioned, near the site of the present city of Quebec ; but it was, in every sense, a wretched winter for the adventurers. Many of them died of a disease contracted by intercourse with the natives, and all would, probably, have met the same fate had not the Indians themselves prescribed a remedy.