Litchfield enquirer., 1829-08-13

tenanced by the crown and that, when
the question Of right came to be discussed
at the request Of the Queen, several Of the
most distinguished jurists and theologians
advocated the practice: 50 the question
was finally settled in favor of the indians
solely by the humanity Of Isabella. AS
the venerable Bishop Of Las Cases OBJ
serves, it is not surprising that an unlearn-
ed mariner should err.
These remarks, in palliation Of the con-
duct Of Columbus, are required by candor.
1t is proper to sllow him In connexion
with the age in which he lived, lest the er-
ror of the times should be considered his
individual faults. 1t is not intended, how.
ever, to justify him on a point where it is
inexcusable TO err. Let itvemain blot on
his illustrious name and letothors derive
lesson from it. KITTY aaH A.
A peculiar trait in his rich and varied
character, remains to be noticed namely,
that ardent and enthusiastic Imagination,
which threw magnificence over his whole
course Of thought. A p0stical teinpera-
ment is discernible throughout all his wri-
tings and in all his actions. We see II in
all his descriptions Of the beauties Of the
wild lands he was discovering, in the en-
thusiasm with which he extolS the bland
ness of the temperature, tho purity OF the
atmosphere, the fragrance of the air, full
Of dew and sweetness" the verdure Of the
forests, the grandeur Of the mountains, and
the crystal purity of the running streams.
1t spread golden and glorious world a.
round him, aud tinged every thing with its
own gorgeous colors. II betrayed him into
visionary speculations, which subjected him
to the sneers and cavils of mon Of cooler
and safer, but more grovelling minds. Such
were the conjectures formed on tho coast
Of Paria, about tho form Of the earth, and
tho situation Of the terrestrial paradise |;
about the mines Of Ophir, and the Aurea
Chersonesus Of the ancients; aud such
was the heroic scheme Of n crusade, for
tho recovery Of the holy sepulchre. II
filed his mind with solemn and visionary
meditations on mystic passages Of the
Scriptures, and on tho shadowy portents Of
the prophecies. II exalted his own Office
in his eyes, and made himself conceive
himself an agent sent forth upon sub
lime and awful mission, and subject 20 inn
pulses and limitations from the Deity
such as the voice, which he imagined spoke
to him IN comfort amidst the troubles Of
Hispanola and in the silence ofthe night
on the DISASTROUS coast Of Veragua.
He was decidedly missionary, but VIZ
sionary ofan uncommon kind, and success
ful in his dreams. Tho manner in which
his ardent imaginatioRa mercurial nature
we're controlled BY powerful judgment,
and directed by an acute sagacity, 10 the
most extraordinary feature in his character.
Thus governed, his Imagination, instead
Of exhausting itself in idle flights, lent aid
to his judgment, and enabled him to form
conclusions at which common minds never
could have arrived, nay, which they could
not perceive when pointed out. .l
To his intellectual vision 1t was given to
read the signs Of the times, aud to trace in
the conjectures and reveries OF past ages,
the indications OF an unknown world, as
sooth-sayers were said to read predictions
in the stars, and to foretell events from, the
visions ofthe night. His soul" observes
q Spanish writer, " was superior 20 the age
in which no lived. For him was reserved
the great enterprise Of traversing sea
which had given rise to so many fables,
and Of deciphering the mystery Of his age.''
With all the visionary fcrvor of his Inn
agination, its fondest dreams foil short oi
The reality. He died in ignorance Of the
real grandeur Of his discovery. Until his
last breath, he entertained an idea that he
had merely opened new way to the old
resort Of opulent commerce, and had dis.
covered some Of the wild regions Of the
east. He supposed Hispaniola to be the
ancient Ophir, which had been visited by
the ships Of King Solomon, and that Cuba
and Terra Firma were but remote parts OF
Asia. What visions Of glory would have
broke upon his mind, could he have known,
that he had indeed discovered new con-
tinent, equal to the old world in magnitude,
and separated by two vast oceans, from oil
the earth hitherto unknown by civilized
man and how would his magnanimous
spirit have been consoled, amidst the afflic-
tons of age, and the cares Of penury, the
neglect Of tickle public, and the injustice
of an ungratefnl king, could he have anti
cipated the splendid empires which would
rise in the beautiful world he had discov-
cred and the nation and tongue and lam
guaees which were to GIL its lands with his
renown, and to revere and bless his name
to the latest poSterIty!
Salt Water good for Plants 1.-Two
neighbors who once lived in the vicinity