Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-09-17

sight OF civilized man. Iney regarded
the Spaniards with awe and admiration,
approached them with propitiatory offer
ings of whatever their poverty, or
rather their simple and natural
mode Of life, afforded, the fruits
of their fields and groves, the cotton,
which was their article Of greatest
value, and their domesticated parrots.
They took those who were in search Of
water to the coolest springs, the sweetest
and freshest runs, filling their casks and
rolling them to the boats, thus seeking
in every way to crafty their celestial
1 visitors
However pleasing this state of pri-
meval poverty might be to the imagina-
ton Of the poet, it was source of con-
tinued disappointment to the Spaniards,
whose avarice had been whetted to the
quick by scanty specimens of gold and
by the information Of golden islands con-
tinually given by the Indians.
Leaving Fernandina on the 10th day Of
October they steered to the southeast in
quest of an island called Saometo, where
Columbus understood from the signs of
the guides there was mine Of gold and
a king, the sovereign of all the sur
rounding islands, who dwelt in large
city and possessed great treasures, wear
ing rich clothing and jewels of gold.
They found the island, but neither the
monarch nor the mine; either Columbus
had misunderstood the natives or they,
measuring things by their own poverty,
had exaggerated the paltry state and
| trivial ornaments of some savage chief
4 tain. Delightful as the other islands
had appeared, Columbus declared that
this surpassed them all Like those, it
was covered with trees and shrubs and
herbs of unknown kind. The climate had
the same soft temperature; the air wag
delicate and balmy; the land was higher,
/ with fine verdant hill; the coast of a
fine sand, gently laved by transparent
billows
AT the southwest end of the island he
found fine lakes of fresh water, overhung
! with groves and surrounded by banks
/ covered with herpage. Here he ordered
all the casks Of the ships to be filed.
Here are large lakes" says he in his
/ journal. "and the groves about them are
marvellous, and here and in all the island
everything is green, as IN April in Anda-
lusia. The singing of the birds is such
that it seems as if one would never desire
| TO depart hence There are focks of
/ parrots which obscure the sun, and other
birds, large and small, of SO many kinds
/ all different from ours that it is wonder
i full; and besides, there are trees of a thou
sand species, each having its particular
/ fruit and all Of inarvet2us flavor, so that
am in the greatest trouble in the world
/ not to know them, for am very certain
4 that they are each Of great value
shall bring home some of them as speci-
mems, and also some of the herbs" To
this beautiful island he gave the name
4 of his royal patroness, Isabella; it is the
same at present called lsla Larga and
/ Exuneta. Columbus was intent on dis
covering the drugs and spices of the
east, and on approaching this island had
/ fancied he perceived in the air the spicy
odors said to be waited from the islands
/ of the Indian seas "As ! arrived at this
4 cape," says he, there came thence a
4 fragrance so good and soft Of the flow
ers or trees of the land that it was the
sweetest thing in the world | believe
4 there are here many herbs and trees
which would be Of great price in Spain
/ for tinctures, medicines and spices, but
| know nothing of them. which gives me
/ great concern.
The fish which abounded in these seas
partook of the novelty which character
1 lied most of the objects in this New
World. They rivaled the birds in trop-
ical brilliancy Of color, the scales Of
some Of them glancing back the rays Of
light like precious stones; as they sported
about the ships they flashed CLEANS of
1 gold and silver through the clear waves; /;
and the dolphins, taken out Of their ele-
ment, delighted the eye with the
changes of colors ascribed in fable to
/ the chameleon.
No animals were seen in these islands,
excepting species Of dog which never
barked, kind of cony or rabbit called
"utia" by the natives, together with nu-
merous lizards and guanas. The last
were regarded with disgust and horror
/ by the Spaniards, supposing them to be
fierce and noxious serpents; but they
were found afterward to be perfectly
/ harmless, and their flesh to be esteemed
a great delicacy by the Indians
For several days Columbus hovered
about this island, seeking in vain to find
its imaginary monarch, or to establish a
communication with him. until at length
he reluctantly became convinced of his
error. No sooner, however. did one de-
lusion fade away than another succeeded.
In reply to the continual inquiries made
by the Spaniards after the source whence
they procured their gold, the natives uni
formly pointed to the south. Columbus
now began to hear of an island in that
direction called Cuba, but all that he
could collect concerning it from the
signs of the natives was colored by his
imagination. He understood it to be Of
great extent, abounding in gold and
pearls and spices. and carrying on an ex-
tensive commerce in those precious arti-
cles, and that large merchant ships came
to trade with its inhabitants
Comparing these nisinterpreted ac,
counts with the coast of Asia as laid
down on his rap, after the descriptions
Of Marco Polo, he concluded that this
island must be Cipango, and the Iner-
chant ships mentioned must be those of
the grand khan. who maintained an ex-
tensiye commerce in these seas. He
formed his plan accordingly, determin-
ing to sail Immediately for this island
and make himself acquainted with it,
ports, cities and productions for the pur-
pose of establishing relations Of traffic,
He would then seek another great island
called Bohio, Of which the natives gave
likewise marvellous accounts. His So
journ in those islands would depend
upon the quantities Of gold, spices, pre-
cious stones and other objects of oriental
trade which he should find there. After
this he would proceed to the mainland
]; Of India, which must be within ten days
q sail. seek the city Quinsai. which. accord