and his brother, for the benefit of the crown. And yet the Queen, whom no
one has ever accused of condescending to state craft, seems to deal with
this particular case as if it were something quite new. It cannot be said
that the crown was favoured, for the question is put upon the legitimacy
of the original capture; and to confirm this, there is a letter from the
Sovereigns to one of their household, from which it may be inferred,
though the wording is rather obscure, that they, too, gave up the slaves
which had come over for them on this occasion.

Every body would be sorry to take away any honour from Isabella; and all
who are conversant with that period must wish that her proclamation could
be proved to have gone to the root of the matter; and that it had
forbidden the sending Indians to Spain as slaves, on any pretext whatever.


THE ADMIRAL'S ENEMIES WORKING AT COURT.

To return to the affairs of Hispaniola. Columbus had now settled the
Roldan revolt and other smaller ones; he had now, too, reduced the Indians
into subjection; the mines were prospering; the Indians were to be brought
together in populous villages, that so they might better be taught the
Christian faith, and serve as vassals to the crown of Castile; the royal
revenues (always a matter of much concern to Columbus) would, he thought,
in three years amount to sixty millions of reals; and now there was time
for him to sit down, and meditate upon the rebuilding of the temple of
Jerusalem, or the conversion of Cathay. If there had been any prolonged
quiet for him, such great adventures would probably have begun to form the
staple of his high thoughts. But he had hardly enjoyed more than a month
of repose, when that evil came down upon him, which "poured the juice of
aloes into the remaining portion of his life."