HE island of Cuba was conquered in 1511, by the Spaniards under Velasquez, who immediately turned his attention to the seas westward of his island, in the hope of verifying the prediction of Columbus, that sailing to the westward would result in stil One of the exfurther discoveries. peditions prepared by him, and commanded by a wealthy colonist, named Cordova, discovered the peninsula of Yucatan, and the country which was shortly to be the scene of the wonderful exploits of Cortes. This success caused great exultation in the breast of Velasquez, although its commander, Cordova, lost his life by a wound received in battle with the natives, who slew a large portion of his followers. Juan de Grijalva, the nephew of the governor, left Cuba in April, 1517, and spent five

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months in cruising along the coast, trading with the natives for gold trinkets. He landed at a small island, where the Spaniards first saw a human sacrifice, whence they gave it the name of the Island of Sacrificios. He also touched at another small island, which he named San Juan de Ulloa. From this place he despatched one of his officers, Pedro de Alvarado, to Cuba, to give Velasquez an account of his success. Grijalva continued his voyage as far as Panuco, whence he judged it advisable to return to Cuba. He had explored a hitherto unknown coast of several hundred miles in extent, the wealth and fertility of which rendered it worthy of the name of New Spain, thus early conferred upon it.

Alvarado's information so transported Velasquez, that he despatched a messenger to the king of Spain, with an account of his efforts for the extension of the empire, and their glorious results, and at the same time began to prepare a powerful armament for the conquest of these new lands, the command of which he determined to give to a man possessed of the requisite ability and resolution to lead it successfully, and at the same time so gentle and tractable in spirit as to be a passive instrument in his own hands. He was too jealous of Grijalva to intrust him with the charge, and he could find no one who united in himself the incongruous qualities he was seeking. At length Andreas Duero, his own secretary, and Amador de Lares, the royal treasurer of Cuba, proposed to him the name of Cortes, who had given many proofs of his capacity for the command, whose popularity was exceedingly great, whose fortune would materially assist in fitting out the expedition, and whose gratitude it was supposed, would secure his fidelity to Velasquez. The governor was persuaded, sent for Cortes, and appointed him captain-general of the expedition.

Cortes received his commission with every demonstration of respect and gratitude, and immediately erected his standard before his own door, assumed a military dress somewhat befitting his rank, and exerted his utmost influence and activity in persuading his friends to engage in the service, and in urging forward the preparations for the voyage. All his own funds, and all the money he could raise by mortgaging his lands and Indians, were expended in the purchase of military stores and provisions, and it was afterwards contended that two-thirds of the expenses of the expedition were borne by him. The change in the manners and habits of Cortes, which came sudJenly over him, was noticed by the governor with some distrust, which his disappointed competitors were quick to perceive, and malicious enough to turn to his disadvange. Their insinuations had such an effect upon the mind of the governor that he determined to depose

Cortes from the command, but that officer had already noticed the altered feelings of the governor toward him, and by the advice of Lares and Duero, determined to outwit his patron. He accordingly hastened forward his preparations, shipped all the stores that had been collected, brought all his officers on board, and set sail on the night of the 18th of November, 1518, taking leave of the governor on the following morning, by a wave of his hand, as he stood in his boat, out of reach of that worthy functionary. From St. Jago he sailed to Trinidad, on the same side of the island, with a view to add to his stock of military stores and provisions, which he had not had time to complete. He afterwards sailed to the Havana, for the same purpose. At each of these places he was joined by additional recruits. Many cavaliers of distinction, some of whom had accompanied Grijalva, entered his ranks at Trinidad.

CORTES SAILS FROM CUBA.

F these are named Pedro de Alvarado, Christoval de Olid, Alonzo de Avila, Juan Velasquez de Leon, Alonzo Hernandez de Puertocerro, and Gonzalo de Sandoval. The conduct of Cortes in departing so suddenly filled the mind of Velasquez with still more serious apprehensions, and he wrote to the governors of both the places at which he stopped, to seize the captain-general and send him back. The governors, however, were both well disposed towards Cortes, and even if they had been otherwise they were powerless to effect the governor's purposes so devoted had his followers already become to him.

The expedition finally left the island of Cuba on the 18th of February, 1519. It consisted of eleven vessels, mostly small, and without decks, all of which in a few days reached the island of CoHe had zumel in safety, where Cortes landed to review his troops. five hundred and fifty-three soldiers, and one hundred and ten marines, under his command, with sixteen horses, ten brass field-pieces, four smaller ones, called falconets, and thirty-two cross-bows; the most of the soldiers were armed with the ordinary steel weapons. They had some two hundred Cuba Indians, and last, but in the estimation of the adventurers, not least in importance, two ecclesiastics, the licentiate, Juan Diaz and father Bartholomew de Olmedo. The inhabitants of Cozumel were very friendly, and Cortes remained there nine or ten days, endeavouring, by the aid of an interpreter, to argue the natives into a belief in Christianity. One of his most potent argumer.ts was the tumbling of their idols down the stairs of the great temple. An altar was constructed where they had stood, and an image of the Virgin and child was placed over it. The natives were horror struck,

but as their gods did not resent the indignity, they were persuaded to be Christians. At Cozumel, Cortes discovered Jeronimo de Aguilar, a man who had been educated for the church, but who having been wrecked in 1511, on his passage from Darien to Hispaniola, had been seven years in slavery. He spoke the language of the natives of Yucatan, and was very useful as an interpreter.

On the 4th of March, 1519, the fleet set sail from Cozumel, and on the 13th entered the Grijalva, or Tabasco river, up which he sailed as far as the town of the same name, remarking every where on his passage the preparations of the natives to give him battle. On reaching Tabasco, he fought his way through great bodies of the Indians, who darkened the air with the flight of their arrows and stones, to the open square in the centre of the city. The discharge of firearms terrified the enemy, who retired from the conflict, leaving Cortes to take possession of the country in the name of the king of Spain, which he did by giving a large tree three slashes with his sword, while they went to prepare for a great battle. Suspecting their intentions, Cortes, on the following morning, sent out detachments unde Alvarado, and Francisco de Luva, to reconnoiter, which were in great danger of being destroyed by the enemy. They brought back on their retreat a few prisoners, however, from whom it was ascertained that the whole country was in arms, prepared to assault him on the following day. He brought the horses and heavy guns from the ships, and determined to anticipate the attack. The com

DEFEAT OF THE NATIVES.

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mand of his artiliery he gave to Misa, an engineer who hau served

in Italy.

DIEGO DE ORDAZ was placed at the head of the infantry, and he himself led the cavalry, which included several of the bravest of his band. The cavalry were to make a circuit and fall on the rear of the enemy, who were encamped in a plain without the city, while the infantry and artillery attacked them in front. The artillery made sad havoc among the dense ranks of the poor natives, who returned the fire by discharging their arrows and stones, while they tried to hide their loss by throwing up dust and leaves. Their numbers were so immense that the little army seemed in danger of being overwhelmed. The engagement had lasted nearly an hour, and they scarcely had room left to work their guns, when the cavalry came to the rescue, and threw the Indians into disorder. They came on through the thick ranks, cleaving the skulls of the enemy right and left, and shouting their war-cry of "San Jago and San Pedro," a Diego de Ordaz. circumstance, perhaps, which led the faithful to imagine that in the moment of their deliverance they saw the patron saint of Spain doing battle for them valiantly on his war-horse. Some think it was the tutelar divinity of Cortes, Saint Peter, but the honest historian, Bernal Diaz, a participant and chronicler of the actions of the conquerors, says that being too great a sinner, he was not permitted to see either one or the other of the apostles on this occasion.

The Indians, panic-stricken at the sudden appearance of the cavalry in their rear, and imagining the horse and his rider to be one, were immediately thrown into confusion, and when Ordaz made a general charge along their line, they fled without resistance. Cortes made no pursuit, but drew up his men under a copse of palms to return thanks to God for a victory which had cost them but two killed and a hundred wounded, while the enemy had fallen by thousands.

The spirit of the Tabascans was subdued. The chiefs came to the camp of the victor with faces expressive of deep contrition, and brought him presents of fowls, fish, maize, and numerous gold toys representing animals in miniature. For the horses they brought a feast of turkeys and roses. They gave Cortes twenty Indian girls, slaves, to attend the army. They uttered the words "Culua, Mexico," and