The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-16
SAN G DE GUANDApE
THE sPASIARDs sETTLE ED VIRGINIA
so YEARS BEFORE C.iPT SMITH,

ne Ayilon's voyage from sns Domingo II,
IBss-ue Builds q Vessel on the Wntcrro
River. nnd Pounds n Town Where smith
Later Built Jsmcstovn-Fate OF san Miguel.
RALRIGH, May lo.-It has long been the hahit
of historians to treat the colonization of james.
town In 1907 as not only the first permtncnt
settlement in the Unitod States north OF ST.
| Augustine, but as tho arst tentative settlement
except tho three Inflated colonies OF Sir Walter
| Raleigh at Roanoke Island in l5s3.s7. But bo-
sides the permanent settlement of the Spaniards
at Santa F9 in what is now New Mexico In 1874
| and the abortive settlement of tho French A
Aux Carolina and tho Spanish colony
at Port Royal In South Carolina, there
was another attempted settlement OF the
Spaniards on the very site OF jamestown itself.
| eighty.onc years before John Smith vcnturod
| upon that historic scene; indeed, years before
his adventurous spirit had visited this mundane
sphere. Comparatively recent discoveries in The
Royal Library Mt Slnancas in Spain establish
tho fact, though it was unknown To Bancroft,
and indeed only ono historian has even noted il
In any manner whatever. The expedition. too.
was moro pretentious and far better supplied
with men and material than the SUBSEQUENT
| English expedition whose memory is connected
with Capt. John Smith and PocdhOntas.
As carly as 1920 Lucas Vasquc2 do Ay,Ion.
one OF the Auditors OF tho island OF st. Doniu 70.
though possessed Of wealth, honors. and do
nestle felicity. espired to the glory of discover
| ing some now land and making 1t the sent of a
prosperous colony" This was the year thar
Cortez invaded Mexico, and more than forty
years before Menendes made his settlement al
st. Augustine. Having procured the necessary
authority, De Ayilon despatched a cGravcl in
1921 under Francisco Gordillo to explore the
North American coast. He fell in with another
Spanish caravcl under QueSos, whom he per-
suaded to Join him, and thoy finally landed at a
| point on the coast which, BY their calcula.
ton, was about 49, and 30, at the mouth
of a river which was possibly the Cape Fear
River in North Carolina. They sent men ashore
and formally took possession OF the country in
the name of the King of Spain. Though strictly
enjoined to open friendly relations with the ma.
tivcs, they seized some seventy Indians TO carry
off to sell as slaves and made no attempt at colo.
%niZation. On their return the act was condemned
by u commission presided over by Diego Column.
bus and the Indians were declared free and di.
rected TO be conveyed to their native laad.
De Ayilon proceeded to Spain with Fran.
Cisco-ono of the Indians who told OF
a giant King and many provinces-and on
June IL, 1928, obtained a royal ceIuln
giving him many and exclusive privileges
for the purpose Of colonizing the country and
converting the Indians, their enslavement
being expressly prohibited. He sent out two
caravels to the new continent under Pedro de
Quexos, who explored the coast for $50 miles,
setting up at various points stones to commem-
crate taking possession Of the country in the
name of Charles v. lie returned TO San Do
mingo in July, 1925. bringing one or two Indians
from each province to act as interpreters in the
contemplated expedition of colonization. Al
this %juncture De Ayllon was hindered by the law.
suit Of a rival, who sought to invalidate his
grant from, tha Kipr md n1sn INV tha ialar II,
the arrival from Spain Of artillery and supplies.
AT length De Ayllon set sail from Puerto de In
Plata with three large vessels early in June,
1926. AS missionaries he took the famous Do
minican. Antonio de Montesinos. the first to de-
nounce Indian slavery dong prior to Las Casas.
and with him Father Antonio de Cervantes and
order. The ships carried GOO persons Of both
sexes, including physicians both for the souls
The expedition, it will be thus seen, was far
sup erior in both numbers and supplies to the
e a"Siiiih sd'FResssi msn. s IL whom We years ars lf toi5 %%6 6ni5
twelve, were laborers. and very few mechanics;
forty;eight were gentlemen, and four carpen.
which is supposed to have been the Wateree. in
the irst ship built on this continent. Francisco.
Country Fl being anfaSora 81 De AyIion moved &c
along up the coast. AZ the entrance OF Chesa-
tered, and PROCEEDED up James River He So
lected as a site for his colony q fair peninsula on
from its mouth. which he named Guandape. and
on which jamestown was afterward located, On
It's future site he founded a settlement which no
found only a few scattered Indian dwellings. each
100 feet Ions. formed of pine posts and covered
large large in nun bSHp' Of fn@H tnseS' The HSe1 land p' was nDDilt low
and swampy. and the location proved to DO
nearly a century later. The Spaniards began
work in good earnest, the heaviest labor being
upon this continent, which the institution was
destined to curse till nearly three and a half cen.
the buildings were completed. and proved to no
unusually severe, Some men were frozen 10
S See before Sn board ahst The he v @siasia ,yt Of tb 5e H. II: , RSsTi
spot had pronounced itself, and many colonisis
sickened and died. De Ayllon, having probably
to encourage, his men, was attacked with fever.
and died on the 18th OF October, 1929,
req, should arrive from Porto Rico. T~roubious
headed by Gines Doncel and Pedro de Eaz0t.
who seized the constituted authorities. including
e9nfnement. This was resented BY . counter,
plot, which restored them after a civil war. and
Bazan was tried and put to death.
This continent was destined not 10 become
Spanish, but English; not Catho.ic, but Prot
estant. The colony which had such an untor-
doned. The next spring the body of DE AyI!9n
was placed on a tender and tho remnant Of ne
expedition set sail from San Miguel. but the
tender foundered at sea, and the ocean ,rolIs
above the resting place OF The restless a1isn.
turer whose keel had tracked its water, III a
vain quest for fame, wealth, and honors. rms
600 souls who had left San domingo WIZ
hearts beating high with hope, 100 deIreted ana
fever-warn survivors regainrd that island. -
The records and maps OF the expedition nly
demonstrate that De Ayllous settlement AZ san
Miguel de Guundape was on the identical spop
atterward settlod by The English; Eci}A' tMo
Photo Mayor OF Florida, who had IN hs
possession these early charts. was sent IN I"oS
TO lind out what the Englis,, Were dolnE ~
jamestown. and he reported that the IatCf stt,
Element was on the same spot as that sclectea
by De Ayllon for his colony Of san Miguel. -.
The principal material for the history q! wv
expedition is preserved in unpublished manu-
scripts In the Royal Library Gt ,,atnGHI IN
Spain. Indeed the details are fully gwen IN lho
legal proceedings which resulted fiuil. as my
had also preceded, the expedition, f2r VIA ~
little is known, the world is lar!ciy ihHept,u'
the researches OF one conscientious ana ht'n
rate deliver in the records Of the p1s, hml j..
fell not in the scope OF his abors 10 explore i'IFe
! fully tho history Df this lll-Glurrhl colony NO