The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-12
FIFTH LETTER OF HERMAN CORTEs.

The figure OF Herman CQftes stands out i'm no
he and pleasing relief among the early records
81 Spanish conquest and dominion in the New
world. His name may have suffered in vulgar
estimation from its juxtaposition with those of
hhbusters or coarse and ruthless adventures
nike Almagzo and Pizarro The impartial voice
Si the historian, however, and the still more em-
phatic evidence of his own dispatches and
achievements, combine in securing justice for
Cortes as a man of rare breadth OF inteilect
great powers of statesmanship, and noeralty
of spirit vastly in advance of his age. Mr. fres-,
eott has done much to set in It's true llgnI tne
great work compressed into so marVehousy
brief space by Cortes energy ana daring MT
HELPS is only at loss whether 10 compare hlp
most nearly with Caesar, with Augustus or with
Charles " OF late years the publication OF
much important and interesting matter long Kept
back from the light has brought forward TINS
hero to tell as IL were from the tomb the
tale of more than one unknown or forgotten
episode i'm n career of brilliant courage and adj
venture. One of the least understood or appre-
ciated of these passages in the life OF Cortes
was his wonderful expedition to Honduras. The
letter containing the record of this romantic.
and daring, but skilfully planned aud eventually
fruitful, exploit was known to have formed the
fifth Of series of dispatches written by Cortes to
the Emperor Charles V. This, however, to-
gether with the first, which gave an account of
the hero's landing at Vera Cruz had long been
missing. Robertson was the first to suspect that
they might probably 6e found amongst the
archives at Vienna, Charles having been in
Germany when one of them at least reached
Europe. Such turned out to be the case. In u
manuscript volume in the Imperial Library
an attested copy of the first letter was found,
of which that diligent historian forthwith pub
lished an abstract among. the notes and illustra-
tiOns to his History of America Along with it
in the same manuscript volume was COrtes' fifth
letter, or Cdrtd qItntd de ReLdctOH, which was
printed for the first time i'm 1874, in the fourth
volume of the Collection de DocuAlentoS ipedtos
para la Historic de ESpdlG. The first letter
had previously appeared in the first volume OF
the same series. Both have since been re-
printed, first by Don Enrique dc Nedia in Riba-
deneyra's BjJliotecG de AutOreS CLdsicOS, and
subsequently by Don Pascual de GayangOs. of
the Spanish Academy. Doubts have been enter
tanned concerning the earliest of these letters.
Though signed with Cortes' name, it appears to
have been addressed to Charles by the Jus
ttcid y RegimientO, or municipal corpora
tion of Vera Cruz. a separate, and prOba-
bly, fuller, report it is thought likely
must have been sent from the conquerors own
pen, in accordance with his known habit and
bent of mind 1t was the opinion of Gonzales
Barcia, who was the first to reprint the second,
third, and fourth letters. that this independent
despatch OF Cortes was no other than the one
suppressed by the Council of the Indies at the
request of Pamphilo de Naryaez, or that which
Juan de Flores took from Alfonso de Avila. No
such doubts, however attach to the fifth letter.
the most valuable OF all in geographical point
of view, if not for the interest kindled by
its tale of hazards and adventures, or the
light it throws upon the mind aud
character Of the narrator himself The
Council of the Hakluyt Society have done WELL
in our opinion, in excluding it from the list OF
their publications; and they have been fortunate
or rather let us say iudiciOus. in their choice of
Il translator, the editor of the original text OF
the "Cartas de Herman COrtes al Emperador
Carlos V" paris. 1861 The second, third, and
fourth letters had been translated by an Amerl-
can writer, Mr.. George FOLSOM, in 1S43; but NJ.
de Gayangos is the first. rs far We know, to
turn into English the curious despatch before
us. His version is marked by cearness and free
dom, and though we have not the original ut
hand as a means of verfcatiOn. the scholarlille
style of the translation gives us thorough conf
dence in its fidelity. concise bat clear intro
duction puts us in possession of the chief points
connected with the photography of the subject
together with the causes which led to the eXpe-
dition.
Cortes, it is well known shared the idea
then common with his countrylnen and many
of the leading men of adventure that strait
was to be found connecting the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans, the latter being no other than
the far-famed Indian Ocean. Most of all, he
writes to the Emperor, in his tercera Retacion,
''do | eXult in the tidings lately brought me
of the Great Ocean; for in it, as cOsmographers
and those learned men who know most about
the Indies inform me, are scattered mnumerable
isles teeming with gold and pearls, abounding
in precious stones, as well as in spices, and
where l feel confident secrets and admirable
tn ings may be discovered. And again,
in 1924 he writes, Your Majesty may
be assured that, knowing as | do
how much you have at heart the dis
covery of this great mystery Of the seas
l shall postpone all interests and projects of my
Own-sOme of them of the highest moment-for
the fulflment of this great object No sooner
had he entered Mexico the second time than
Cortes fitted out two expeditions which, after
reaching Mechuacan, penetrated to the borders
of the Great Southern Ocean, even bringing back
gold and pearls from the Gulf of California.
Another exploring party pushed along the south
ern coast as far as Florida. A third and larger
squadron was next despatched under ChristOval
de Old, n brave officer, with orders to form
settlement at Honduras, and thence to cruise
along its northern shore towards Daren, in quest
of the mysterious strait. Old, however, proved
unfaithful, and on reaching the Havannah de-
clared himself, under the promptings of Nelas-
quez, the bitter enemy OF Cortes, independent of
his chief. On hearing this, Cortes despatched
forthwith his kinsman, Francisco de Las Casas.
with small force in three vessels. with orders
to seize and bring back the rebel. Las Casas
having been wrecked upon the shore. was
thrown by Old into prison. Aided. however,
by Gonzalez DaVila another victim to Olid's
tyranny, plot was raised by Las Casas
which ended in Olid's being seized. tried
by court-martial, and beheaded at Naco. Mean
while Cortes, having no tidings rs yet Of the
death of Old, resolved to 80 in person to Hon
duras, not only witha view TO restoring his lost
authority but with the hope Of realizing his
darling vision of IN inter-Oceanic communica-
ton. On October IL. 1924, he left Mexico on the
expedition described in the graphic despatch
before us. The leading outlines of the journey
have been pursued by many historians, and
most recently by Mr. Helps. But there is o
Yigor and reality in the hero's own simpy-told
tale which give an interest TO every detail. TC
verify throughout the spots visited by Cortes in
this marvellous march through almost impene
trable forests, swampy plains, or lofty
mountains, seems all but u hopeless task