a recital of the first clause in the instructions given by Ferdinand and
Isabella to the admiral, in the year 1497, previously to his undertaking
his third voyage--a voyage which, though not to be compared to his first
one, is still very memorable, on account of the discoveries he made, and
the sufferings he experienced in the course of it.

The first clause of the instructions is to the effect, that the Indians of
the islands are to be brought into peace and quietude, being reduced into
subjection "benignantly;" and also, as the principal end of the conquest,
that they be converted to the sacred Catholic Faith, and have the holy
Sacraments administered to them.

It will be needless to recount the vexations of that "much-enduring man,"
Columbus, before his embarkation. Suffice it to say, that he set sail from
the port of San Lucar on the 30th of May, 1498, with six vessels, and two
hundred men, in addition to the sailors that were necessary to navigate
the vessels. In the course of his voyage he was obliged to avoid a French
squadron which was cruizing in those seas, as France and Spain were then
at war. From Gomera, one of the Canary islands, he despatched three of his
ships directly to Hispaniola, declaring in his instructions to their
commanders, that he was going to the Cape Verde islands, and thence, "in
the name of the Sacred Trinity," intended to navigate to the south of
those islands, until he should arrive under the equinoctial line, in the
hope of being "guided by God to discover something which may be to His
service, and to that of our Lords, the King and Queen, and to the honour
of Christendom;" "for, I believe," he adds, "that no one has ever
traversed this way, and that this sea is nearly unknown."


CAPE VERDE ISLANDS.