Ten years however elapsed after the discovery of the Cape before this passage was again attempted; and Vasco de Gama had the honor of doubling the promontory the 20th of November, 1497. Sailing along the east coast of Africa, he passed through the Mosambique Channel to Mombaze and thence to Melinda, where he procured pilots, and crossing the Arabian sea, arrived at Callicut the 22d of May, 1498. It is thought that the ridiculous ceremony of ducking, &c. on crossing the line was first practised in this voyage.

COLUMBUS.

While the Portuguese were attempting to arrive at India by the east, Columbus conceived the idea of reaching it by the west, which produced a discovery that was totally to alter the face of Europe by inundating it with the treasures of a new world.— Christopher Columbus was a native of Genoa. He seems to have been accustomed, in a degree, from his youth, to a sea-life, and once commanded a ship in an engagement with a Venitian galley, when both vessels having grappled took fire, and he saved himself by swimming nearly two leagues to the shore.

Columbus had formed an opinion, after much reflection, that by sailing across the Atlantic towards the west, new countries, probably forming a part of India, must be discovered. Fired with this project, he first proposed his plans to the king of Portugal, but that monarch not readily complying with his terms, Columbus concluded to resort to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella, who then ruled the united kingdoms of Castile and Arragon. His proposals were listened to with respect, and an assembly of all the learned men of the realm was called to listen to his reasoning, and weigh his arguments. He rose before this learned body, and explained to them his project and the probabilities of its success. But his propositions were rejected as absurd. One of their assertions was, that if a man should sail away westward as far as Columbus proposed, he would not be able to return on account of the roundness of the globe. They said it would be going down; and that coming back would be like climbing a hill, which a vessel could not do without the strongest gale!

But though baffled by these prejudiced men, he finally found an advocate in the Queen Isabella, who promised her assistance to the undertaking. After much delay and difficulty, an expedition was fitted out, and Columbus appointed admiral. He sailed with his companions from the bar of Saltes, a small is and in front

of the town of Huelva, on the morning of the third of August, 1492. They steered their course in a S. W. direction for the Canary Islands. The day after their departure, the rudder of one of the caravels was unshipped. This was supposed to have been done through the contrivance of two men on board, who disliked the voyage. Her captain however repaired the rudder by means of ropes, so as to be able to keep on their course as far as the Grand Calary. Here three or four weeks were spent in repairing the vessel, and in taking in supplies of wood and water; after which, on the sixth of September, they departed in a westerly direction. On the fifteenth of the same month, at night, they saw a wonderful flash of fire fall into the sea. On the next day they fell in with a large quantity of green weeds, among which they found a live crab; and soon after great flocks of birds were seen flying towards the west. The sailors watched, with the greatest anxiety, for every sign of land. But being often disappointed they began to murmur and grow afraid.

Towards the night of the 22d, two or three land-birds came singing on board the vessels, and flew away at daybreak. One thing that terrified the sailors was that the wind always blew directly in their stern. They believed that in those seas they should never have a wind to carry them back again. It fortunately happened however, that about this time the wind started up freshly from another quarter, with a rolling sea. The signs of land having continually failed, the crews grew more incensed against the admiral. Provisions were falling short, and the general wish seemed to be to turn back. Some of them even proposed to throw Columbus into the sea, and give out on their return that he had fallen overboard, while engaged in taking some observations.

On the eleventh of October they experienced signs of land, which could not be mistaken. A cane and a log were picked up, and a branch of thorn full of red berries was likewise found. Convinced, by these tokens, of the vicinity of land, Columbus after evening prayers, made an address to his crew, reminding them of the mercy of God in bringing them so far, and encourag ing them to continue. About ten o'clock that evening, while keeping an anxious look-out from the top of the cabin, the admiral thought he beheld a light glimmering at a great distance; and at two in the morning the signal of land was given by a sailor named Rodrigo de Triana. When the day dawned they beheld before them a large island, quite leve, full of green trees and delicious springs, and apparently well inhabited. The ships immediately came to anchor. The admiral went ashore in his boat, well-armed, and bearing the royal standard. After formally taking possession of the island, he named it San Salvador. It is now called Cat Island, and belongs to the group of the Baha

mas.

He also discovered Cuba, Hispaniola, and several other small

islands, and having left a colony in a fort at Hispaniola returured 'o Spain in March, 1493. In September following, he set out on his second voyage, and sailed by the Leeward Islands to Hispaniola; in a third voyage undertaken in 1498, he discovered the continent of America, but in consequence of some envious charges made against him, was sent in fetters to Europe. He was instantly liberated on his arrival, but so deeply did the injury sink into his mind, that he always carried about him the chains he had worn, and ordered that they should be buried with him. He sailed from Cadiz, in May, 1502, on his fourth voyage. On arriving off

St. Domingo he found eighteen loaded ships preparing to depart for Europe. As from certain tokens he discerned the approach of a hurricane, he requested permission to enter the harbour, and at the same time warned the fleet not to sail. Both his request and warning were disregarded. The hurricane came on. By proper precautions he escaped its fury; but it fell with such destructive violence on the fleet, that only two or three ships were saved, and the rest perished with all their wealth.

Columbus proceeded on his voyage and traced all the coast about the isthmus of Darien. Sailing homewards he was wrecked on the island of Jamaica. Here he underwent great distress from the mutiny and desertion of his men, and the suspicions of the natives, who withheld their supplies of provisions, till, by the prediction of an eclipse, he obtained an irresistible authority over their minds At length he was delivered by a squadron sent from Hispaniola; and after a short stay at St. Domingo, he embarked with two ships for Spain. One of these was obliged by storms

to return, and in the other with great difficulty and danger, he reached St Lucar in December, 1504, and thus finished his last disastrous voyage. On his return he had the mortification of finding his best friend, Isabella, dead. He was worn down by anxiety and disease; his services were neglected, and his hopes miserably disappointed. He finally died at Valladolid, on the 20th of May, 1506, in the fifty-ninth year of his age; passing through the last scene with that piety and composure, which he had displayed in all the trying emergencies of life. In 1536, his remains were removed to Hispaniola, and interred in the city of St. Domingo. But in 1795, they were again disinterred and conveyed to Havanna, in Cuba.

MAGELLAN.

Ferdinand Magellan was by birth a Portuguese, descended from a good family, and born towards the end of the fifteenth century. In consequence of certain services in the Indian Seas, he applied to the government for some recompense; but being treated with neglect, he left his own country to seek employment in a foreign land. In company with Ruy Falero, an eminent astronomer, and one of his associates, he travelled into Spain, and explained to Charles V. the reigning monarch, his project of making discoveries in distant seas. The court listened to the adventurers with favor, and consented to fit out an expedition.

Magellan's little squadron consisted of five ships, manned with 237 men, and supplied with provisions, ammunition and stores, for two years. On the 1st of August, 1519, they left Seville, and on the 27th of September sailed from Sanlucar, steering for the Canaries. They refreshed at Teneriffe, and early in October passed the Cape de Verd Islands. Holding on their course, they bore along the coast of Africa, till they crossed the line, seventy days after their departure. In the beginning of December they, came to that part of Brazil which is now called the Bay of St. Lucia. They subsequently anchored at the mouth of a large river, supposed to be the Rio Janerio, where they continued a fortnight. On their first landing, the inhabitants flocked to the beach in great numbers, beholding, as they imagined, five sea. monsters approaching the shore. When the boats put out from the ships, the natives set up a great shout, conceiving them to be young sea-monsters, the offspring of the others.

Proceeding along the South American Coast, the squadron arrived in April, 1520, at a large bay, now called by the name of

St. Julian. Here they saw a wild, gigantic race, of great size and fierceness who made a roaring not unlike that of bulls. One of them came on board the admiral's ship, and was well pleased with his reception; but happening to cast his eyes on a looking-glass, he was so terrified, that starting backwards, he beat to the ground

Straits of Magellan.

two men who stood behind him. Others subsequently came on board, and their behavior afforded great entertainment to the officers. One of these savages, ate a basket full of ship-biscuits, and drank a cask of water at a meal. They wore sandals, or a kind of shoes, made of skins, and this caused their feet to appear like those of an animal. Magellan named them Patagonians, from the Spanish word pata, signifying a hoof, or paw.

Magellan determined to continue here till the return of spring, as it is winter in the southern hemisphere during our summer. He had ordered the allowance of provisions to be shortened, to meet this exigence, which caused much discontent among the crews. A mutiny soon followed, which was not quelled till one of the officers was hanged, and some others were sent on shore to be left among the Patagonians. Five dreary months were passed in the harbor of St. Julian, during which, every exertion was made to insure the successful prosecution of the voyage. On the 24th of August, the squadron again set sail, the weather being fine, and proceeded southward, till a violent gale from the east drove one of the vessels on shore, but the crew was happily saved. Coasting south with the four remaining ships, they approached a cape, near which an opening was discovered which was found afterwards to be a strait. Upon this, Magellan gave