The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-06-06
THE REP u BLIC.
LECTURE of HON. EDWARD EVERETT
THE
Discovery and Colonization of America
Delivered before the NetS York Historical Society,

Delivered before the NetS York Historical Society,
| June l, 1853.
Mn. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE HIS
| roRIcAL SOCIETY: Although appear before you at
the season at which the various religious, mo raj
and philanthropic societies usually hold their an
nual meetings, to discuss the stirring topics of the
day, need not say to you that the proprieties of
this occasion require me to abstain from such sub
jects; and to select theme falling, to some extent,
at least, within the province of an historical So
ciety. propose accordingly, this evening, 10
attempt sketch of the history of the discovery and
colonization of America and of emigration to the
| United States l can of course offer you, within
| the limits of a single address, but most super
fetal view of 80 vast subiect but.I have thought
that even sketch would suggest important trains
| of reflection to thoughtful minds. Words written
or spoken are at best but kind of short hand, to
| be filled up by the reader hearer. / shall be
gratified if, after honorng my hasty sketch with
your attention, you shall deem it worth filling up
| from your own stores of knowledge and thought.
You will forgive me it, in the attempt to give a
certain completeness to the narrative may be led
to glance at few facts, which, however interest
ing, may seem to you too familiar for repetition.
In the last quarter of the fifteenth century,
Italian mariner, citizen of the little republic of
Genoa, who had hitherto gained livelihood as
pilot in the commercial marine of different coun
tries, made his appearance successfully at various
courts in the south and west of Europe, soliciting
/ patronage and aid for bold and novel project in
| navigation. The state of the times in some
degree favorable to the adventure. The Portuguese
had for half century been pushing their discove-
ries southwark upon the coast OF Africa, and they
had ventured into the Atlantic far the Azores.
Several conspirng causes and especially the nven-
ton of the art of printing, had produced general
revival of intelligence. STILL however, the state of
things then prevailing, in this respect, was very
different from what we witness in the middle of the
nineteenth century. On the part of the great
of mankind there was but little improvement over
| the darkness of the middle ages. The new culture
centered in the Convent aud the Court-paces es-
sentially distrustu of bold novelties. The idea Of
| reaching the East by voyage round the African
continent had begun to assume consistency; but
the further idea that the earth is globe and capa
| BILE of being circumnavig gated, had by no means
become incorporated into the general intelligence
| of the age. The Portuguese cavi gators felt them
| selves safe they crept along the African coast;
| venuring each voyage few leagues farther
doubling new headand; ascending some before
UNEMPLOYED river; holding palaver with some
| new tribe of the native races; but to turn the
prows of their vessels boldly to the West-to EN-
bark upon ocean not known in the popular
geography of the day to have an outer shore-to
pass that bourne from which no traveller had ever
| returned, and from which experience had not
taught that any traveller could return and thus to
reach the East by sailing in western direction
this was conception which no human being is
! known to have formed before Columbus, and
which he proposed to the governments of Italy of
Spain, of Portugal, and of Eng land, and for a
long time without success. The state of science
| was not such to enable men to discriminate be-
| tween the improbable and the absurd. They
looked upon Columbus as we did thirty years ago
upon Captain Symmes.
| But the iustrious adventurer persevered. Scr
row and disappointment clouded his spirits, but
did not shake his faith subdue his will. His
wellinstructed agination had taken firm hold OF
the idea that the earth is sphere. What seemed
to the multitude, of the educated of that day,
a doubtful and somewhat mystical theory; what
appeared to the uninformed mass monstrous pa
| radox, contradicted by every step we take on the
broad, fiat earth which we daily tread beneath our
feet that great and fruitful truth revealed itself to
talk Of al, oh,1Co al
fact, on which he was willing to stake all he had
character and life. And it deserves to be
borne in mind, the most striking illustration OF
the connection of scientific theory with great prac
| teal results, that the discovery of America with
| all it's momentous consequences to mankind is
| owing to the distinct conception in the mind OF
Columbus of this single scientific proposition-the
terraqueous earth is sphere.
After years Of fruitless and heart sick socita-
ton, after offering in effect to this monarch and te
that monarch the gilt of hemisphere, the great
discoverer touches upon partial success He sue
ceeds, not in enlisting the sympathy of his coun
trymen at Genoa and Venice for brave brother
sailor; not in giving direction to the spirit
maritime adventure which had long prevailed il
Portugal not in awakening the commercial thrift o
Henry the Seventh the pious ambition of The
Catholic king. His sorrowful perseverance touched
the heart of noble princess, worthy the thrsne
which she adorned. The new world which wal
just escaping the subtle kingcraft of Ferdinand
was saved to Spain by the womaniy compassion
of Isabella.
1t is truly melancholy, however, to contemplate
the wretched equipment, for which the most power
full princess in Christendom was ready to pledge
her Jewels Floating castles will go be fitted out
to convey the miserable natives of Africa to the
golden shores of America; towering galeons will bt
despatched to bring home the guilty treasures tc
Spain; but three email vessels, one of which was
without deck, and neither of them, probably, ex
ceeding the capacity of pilot boat-and even these
impressed into the public service-composed tn,
expedition fitted out under royal patronage, Il
| m in uhic he
creative mind of Columbus had planted the germ
of world.
No chapter of romance equals the interest of thu
expedition The most fascinating of the works 0
fiction which have issued from the modern pres
, have to my taste no attraction compared with th
!, pages in which the first voyage of Columbus il
described by Robertson and still more by our owr
Irving and Prescott, the last two enjoying the ad
vantage over the great Scottish historian of pos
sessing the lately-dscovered journals and letters
of Columbus himself. The departure from Palos
where few years before he had begged morsel
of bread and a cup of water for his way. worn
chiId-his final farewell to the Old World at tn.
Canaries; his entrance upon the trade winds which
then for the first time filled a European sail-th
portentous variation of the needle, never befor
observed-the fearful course westward and west
ward day after day and night after night over th
. unknown ocean-the mutinous and ill-appeasee
crew-at length the tokens of land-the cloud
banks on the western horizon-the logs of drift
wood-the fresh shrub floating with its leaves ano
berries-thc hocks of shoals OF fsf
that inhabit shallow water-the lnoescrlOaDle
smell of the shore-the mysterious presentmen
that ever goes before great event-and, mail y
: on that ever. memorable night of the 18th of Octo
+ ber 1892 the moving light seen by the great dis
coverer himself from the deck of the Santa Maria
. and in the morning the real undoubted land
\ swelling I'D from the bosom OF the deep, with Ill
= | plains, and hills, and forests, and rocks, ano
= streams and strange new races of men-these arc
= incidents in which the authentic history of the dis
? coyery of our continent excels the specious
: ders of romance, much gold excels tinsel, or
the sun in the heavens outshines the Pickering
taper
But it is part of my purpose to dwell upon
this interesting narrative to follow out this most
wonderful of misunderstanding, as it soon did, into
r tale of sorrow for Columbus himself, and before
long ending in of the most frghtful tragedies
| in the annals of the world. Such seems to be the
law of humanity; that events the most desirable,
and achievements the most important, should
either in their inception or progress, be mixed up
with disasters, crimes, and sorrows which it makes
). the heart sick to record
The discovery of America. need hardly say
: nroduced vast extension of the territory of the
bower under whose auspices the discovery wa,
made. In contemplating this point, we encounter
one of the most terrible mysteries in the history
i our race Extension of territory," you are ready
to exclaim; how could Spain acquire any territory
by the fact that navigator, sailing under bel
patronage, had landed upon one or two islands
l nd sfod g.