The Sun.
London, England, 1830-04-15 00:00:00

DISCOVERY OF THE NEW WORLD.

On the 7th of October, they had come 750
leagues, the distance at which Columbus had
computed to find the island of Cipango. There
were great flights of small field-birds to the
south-west, which seemed to indicate some
neighbouring land in that direction, where they
were sure of food and a resting-place. Yiek iog
to the solicitations of Martin Alonzo Pinson,
and his brothers, Columbus, on the evening of
the 7th, altered his course, therefore, to the west-
south-west. As he advanced, the signs of land
increased ; the birds came singing about the
ships ; and herbage floated by as fresh and green
as if recently from shore. When, however, on
the evening of the third day of this new course,
the seamen beheld the sun go down upon a
shoreless horizon, they again broke forth into
loud clamours, and insisted upon abandoning
the voyage. Columbus endeavoured to pacify
them by gentle, words and liberal promises ; but
finding these only increased their violence, he
assumed a different tone, and told them it was
useless to murmur ; the expedition had been sent
by the sovereigns to seek the Indies, and happen
what might, he was determined to persevere,
until, by the blessing of God, he should accom-
plish the enterprise.
He was now at open defiance with his crew,
and his situation would have been desperate,
but, unfortunately, the manifestations of land on
the following day were such as no longer to ad-
mit of doubt. A green fish, such as keeps
about rocks, swam by the ships ; and a branch of
thorn, with berries on it, floated by : they picked
up, also, a reed, a small board, and, above all, a
staff artificially carved. All gloom and mur-
muring was now at an end, and throughout the
day each one was on the watch for the long-
sought land.
In the evening, when, according to custom,
the mariners had sung the salve regina, or
vesper hymn to the virgin, Columbus made an
impressive address to his crew, pointing out the
goodness of God in thus conducting them by
soft and favouring breezes across a tranquil ocean
to the promised land. He expressed a strong
confidence of making land that very night, and
ordered that a vigilant look-out should be kept
from the forecastle, promising to whomsoever
should make the discovery a doublet of velvet, in
addition to the pension to be given by the sove-
reigns.
The breeze had been fresh all day, with more
sea than usual ; at sunset they stood again to the
west, and were ploughing the wares at a rapid
rate, the Pinta keeping the lead from her supe-
rior sailing. The greatest animation prevailed
throughout the ships ; not an eye was closed that
that night. As the evening darkened, Columbus
took his station on the top of the castle or cabin
on the high poop of his vessel. However he
might carry a cheerful and confident countenance
during the day, it was to him a time of the most
painf:u mtiety ; and now, when he was wrapped
from observation by the shades of .night, he
xna:ntailied an intense and unremitting watch,
rengiog his eye along the dusky horizon, in
search of the moat vague indications of land.
Suddenly, about ten o'clock, he thought he be-
held a light glimmering at a distance. haring
that his eager hopes might deceive him, he called
to Pedro Gutierrez, gentleman of the king's bed-
chamber, and demanded whether he saw a light in
that direction ; the latter replied in the affirma-
Live. Columbus, yet doubtful whether it might
not be some delusion of the fancy, called Ro-
drigo Sanchez of Segovia, and made the
same inquiry. By the time the latter had
ascended the round-house, the light had disap-
peared. They saw it once or twice afterwards
in sudden and passing gleams, as if it were a
torch in the bark of a fisherman, rising and
sinking with the waves ; or in the hands of
some person on shore, borne up and down as
he walked from house to house. So transient
and uncertain were these gleams, that few at-
tached importance to them ; Columbus, how-
ever, considered them as certain signs of land,
and, moreover, that the land was inhabited.

They continued on their course until two in
the morning, when a gun from the Pinta gave
the joyful signal of land. It was first discovered
by a mariner named Rodriguez Bermejo, resi-
dent ,of Triana, a suburb -Of Seville, but native
of Alcala de la Guadaira ; but the reward was
afterwards adjudged to the Admiral, for having
previously perceived the light. The land was
now clearly seen about two leagues distant,
whereupon they took in sail, and laid to, wait-
ing impatiently for the dawn.
The thoughts and feelings of ColumLus in
this little space of time must have been tumul-
tuous and intense. At length, in spite of every
difficulty and danger, he had accomplished his
object. The great mystery of the ocean was
revealed ; his theory, which had been the scoff
of sages, was triumphantly established ; he had
secured to himself a glory which must be as
durable as the world itself.—Family Library,
No. Xl.—Columbus.

A CHINESE DANDY.—Many persons have
supposed (who only know the Chinese superficially) that a
nation so grave, sedate, and monotonous, cannot include
either fops or bons vivans. They are, however, mistaken ;
few countries possess more of those worthies than China,
though perhaps their talents are not carried to so great an
excess as in other parts of the world. The dress of the
Chinese petit niaitre is very expensive, being composed of
the most costly carpets or skins; his boots or shoes of a
partieular shape, and made of the richest black satin of
7...Tonkin, the soles of a certain height; his knee-caps ele-
gantly embroidered ; his csp and button of the neatest cut ;
his pipes elegant and high priced ; his tobacco of the best
manufacture of Fokien ; an English gold watch ; a tooth-
pick hung at his button, with a string of valuable pearls ;
a fan from Nankin, scented with cliulan flowers.—
Such are his personal appointraents.....Doubell's
Resi-
d.►ace in China.

LONDON,
THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 15, 18SO.

Despatches have been received at the Foreign
Office this morning, from Lord STUART D
ROTIISAY, the British Ambassador at Paris.

Despatches have been also received from Sir
CHARLES BAGOT at the Hague.

M. DE VILLELE left Paris on Monday even-
ing. If there be any truth in the maxim, divide
et impera, the visit of the ex-minister to the
French capital, and the royalist discussions to
which his appearance, if not his intrigues, have
given rise, must have had a direct tendency to
strengthen the hands of their common opponents,
and to enable them not merely to overturn the
existing cabinet, but to strike at the root of roy-
alist ascendancy in any future administration.
The jealousy which is known to exist between
the Prince DE POLIGNAC and M. DE VILLELE
is of long standing. The Prince, on one occa-
sion, returned from his embassy, as VILLELE
lately did from his retirement, for the purpose of as-
serting his pretensions to place and power, but his
purpose was defeated by the superior address
of his more dexterous rival, who did not scru-
ple to opi o:e the Prince on the openly-

declared footing of incapacity. The soreness
created by this species of opposition, still
rankles in the mind of the President of the
Council, who in his turn has succeeded in
beating off an attack, which, if it had produced
the return of VILLELE to any department
of the Ministry, would speedily have been
followed by his own exclusion. If the
Prince be not himself aware of it, his

friends, at least, acknowledge that if VILLELE
had been allowed to introduce the fine end of
the wedge, he would not have been long in driv-