It was the island of Guanahani, which Co lumbus believed to belong to eastern Asia, the Indies or India, a belief which he carried with him to his grave. Hence the mistaken names of Indians applied to the natives of America, and that of West Indies applied to the group of islands of which Guanahani forms one. On landing Columbus threw himself upon his knees and lcissed the earth, returning thanlcs to God. The natives collected round him in silent aston ishment, and his men, ashamed of their dis obedience and distrust, threw themselves at his feet, begging his forgiveness. Columbus, draw ing his sword, planted the royal standard, and in the name of his sovereigns took possession of the country, which, in memory of his pres ervation, he called San Salvador. He then received the homage of his followers, as ad miral and viceroy, and representative of the sovereigns. Being informed by the natives that there was a rich gold country toward the south, Columbus directed his course toward that region, and reached Cuba on 28 October, and Espafiola (Hispaniola, Haiti), on 6 December; but as one of his vessels was wrecked and the other separated from him, he resolved to carry the news of his success to Spain. Having built a wooden fort from the wreck of his vessel, he left in it 39 volunteers, and set out on his return, 4 Jan. 1493. The day after he left the island he met the Pinta, which had been miss ing. Both vessels were afterward nearly wrecked in a tremendous storm. Columbus, more interested for his discovery than for him self, wrote an account of his voyage on a piece of parchment, which he secured in a cask, and threw the whole overboard, in the hope that it might be carried ashore. He had hardly fin ished his work when the gale subsided. On 15 March he re-entered the port of Palos amid the acclamations of the people, the thunder of cannon and the ringing of bells. He hastened immediately to Barcelona, where the court then was, and entered the city in a triumphal pro cession, with the productions of the newly dis covered countries carried before him. A chair was placed for him next to the throne, and, seating himself, he gave an account of his dis coveries. He was created a grandee, and all the marks of royal favor were lavished upon him.
On 25 Sept. 1493, he set sail from Cadiz with three large ships of heavy burden and 14 caravels, carrying 1,500 men. On 3 November he discovered the island of Dominica, and after ward Maria Galante, Guadeloupe and Porto Rico, and on the 22d arrived at Hispaniola. Finding the colony he had left destroyed, he built a fortified town, which he called, in honor of the queen, Isabella, and of which he ap pointed his brother Diego governor. He im mediately left the island in order to make new discovenes, visited Jamaica, and returning after a voyage of five months, worn down with fatigue, found to his great joy that his brother Bartolommeo, who had escaped from his cap tivity, had arrived at Isabella with provisions and other supplies for the colony. Meanwhile a general dissatisfaction had broken out among his companions, who, instead of the expected treasures, had found hardships and labor. They set on foot many calumnies and gave the most unfavorable description of the country and the viceroy. Columbus thought he could not better oppose these reports than by sending consider able treasures to his sovereigns, and for this purpose collected gold from the natives, which was not done without violence and some cruelty. Aguado, a personal enemy of Columbus, was sent as commissioner to investigate the com plaints against the great discoverer, who, thinlc ing it time to vindicate himself in the presence of his sovereigns, prepared to return to Spain.
Having appointed his brother Bartolommeo adelantado or lieutenant-governor, he em barked for Spain in March 1496 with 225 Span iards and 30 natives. In Spain calumny was silenced by his presence, and probably still more by his treasures. Yet his enemies were power ful enough to detain the supplies intended for the colony a whole year, and to retard the fit ting out of a new expedition.
It was not till 30 May 1498, that he sailed with six vessels on his third voyage. To man these vessels criminals had unwisely been taken —a measure which Columbus himself had ad vised, and which had been taken up with great satisfaction by his enemies. Three of his ves sels he sent direct to Hispaniola; with the three others he took a more southerly direction, for the purpose of discovering the mainland, which information derived from the natives induced him to suppose lay to the south of his former discoveries. He visited Trinidad and the con tinent of America, the coasts of Paria and Cumana, and returned to Hispaniola, convinced that he had reached a continent His colony had been removed from Isabella, according to his orders, to the other side of the island, and a new fortress erected called San Domingo. Columbus found the colony in a state of con fusion. After having restored tranquillity by his prudent measures, in order to supply the deficiency of laborers he distributed the land and the inhabitants, subjecting the latter to the arbitrary will of their masters, and thus laying the foundation of that system of slavery which ttas lasted down to our time. His enemies, in the meantime, endeavored to convince his sov ereigns that he had abused his power, and that his plan was to make himself independent, till at last even Isabella yielded to the wishes of Ferdinand, who had previously become con vinced of the truth of the slanders. Francisco de Bobadilla was sent to Hispaniola with exten sive powers to call the viceroy to account. As soon as he reached the island he summoned Columbus to appear before him and put him in irons. His brothers were treated in the same manner. All three were sent to Spain, accom panied by a number of written charges, drawn up from the statements of the bitterest enemies of Columbus. Columbus endured this outrage with noble equanimity, and wrote, as soon as he had arrived in Cadiz, 25 Nov. 1500, to a lady of the court vindicating his conduct, and de scribing in eloquent and touching language the treatment he had received. The fetters with which he had been bound he kept to the day of his death, and his son Hernando states that he even ordered that they should be enclosed with him in his coffin. Orders were immediately sent directing him to be set at liberty, and inviting him to court, where his sovereigns received him with the same distinction as formerly. Isabella was moved to tears, and Columbus, overcome by his long-suppressed feelings, threw himself upon his knees, and for some time could not utter a word for the violence of his tears and sobbings. He then defended himself by a sim ple account of his conduct, and was reinstated in his dignities. Ferdinand even consented to dismiss Bobadilla, which was intended for the first step toward the promised restoration of the great discoverer to his dignities. But these dis positions in the monarchs were soon changed. There was much talk of great expeditions, and in the meantime Nicolas de Ovando y Lares was sent as governor to Hispaniola. Columbus still urged the fulfilment of the promises solemnly made to him; but after two years of delay he became convinced that there was no intention to do him justice.