iards exceffively eager after gold, he offered to fill the apartment in which he was confined, which was twenty two feet by fixteen, with veffels of gold and filver, as high as he could reach. This offer was accepted, and gold was collected from distant parts of the empire, until the treasure amounted to more than the value of two millions of dollars, which was divided among the conquerors. But the perfidious Pizarre would not then release the Inca; he still kept him a prisoner; and Almagro having joined him with a reinforcement, they brought the Inca to trial before a court erected for the occafion-charged him with being an ufurper and an idolater, condemned and executed him. The Peruvian government being deftroyed, all parts of the empire were fucceffively fubdued.

Of the State of Peru when Conquered. The Spaniards found the Peruvians farther advanced towards civilization, than any American nation, except the Mexicans; and in fome refpects, farther than that nation. About three hundred years before the invafion of the Spaniards, a man and woman of fuperior genius arrived in that country, who, pretending to be defcended from the fun, commanded an uncommon degree of veneration. The man, whofe name was Manco Capac, collected the wandering tribes into a focial union, inftructed them in the ufeful arts, curbed their paffions, enacted falutary laws, made a judicious diftribution of lands and directed them to be tilled; in short he laid the foundation of a great and a profperous empire. Mama Ocollo, the woman, taught the arts of fpinning and weaving. Manco Capac was called Inca, or Lord, and his descendants governed this happy nation for twelve generations. By the laws of this empire, human facrifices were forbid, and the general policy of its inftitutions was mild.

Of the Caufes of the Ruin of Peru. Just before the Spaniards landed in Peru, that kingdom had been torn with factions and civil war. Huana Capac, the twelfth in defcent from Manco, had two fons; one

by a wife of the royal blood of the Incas, called Hualcar; another named Atahualpa, by a woman of foreign blood. He appointed the latter his fucceffor in the government of Quito, which difgufted the lawful heir, Huafcar. This produced a war in which Atahualpa triumphed Huafcar was defeated, and taken. prifoner. In this fituation was the kingdom of Peru, when the Spaniards arrived. Thus weakened by internal divifions, it fell an eafy prey to the invaders. Such are the deplorable effects of factions and diffenfions, which ufually begin in the lawlefs ambition of bold, daring men, and end in public mifery!

Of the first Expedition on the Maranon. In the year 1540, Gonzalo, a brother of Pizarro, and governor of Quito, croffed the Andes with a body of troops, and a great number of Indians to carry their provifions, with a view to make discoveries. After a long march amidst precipices, rocks, thick woods and moraffes, they arrived at a large river, called Napo, which is one of the head branches of the Maranon. Here they built a fmall veffel, on board of which were tranfported the provifions and baggage, under the command of Orellana, with fifty men, while the reft marched along the bank. But Orellana betrayed his truft, and being wafted along the ftream with rapidity, he left Gonzalo and his attendants; entered the vaft river, Maranon, and pursuing his course to the mouth, a diftance of four or five thousand miles, he had the good fortune to reach the Spanish fettlement at Cubaqua in fafety. This was the first time that any European had explored the largest river on earth, and one of the boldeft enterprizes recorded. Gonzalo, confounded at the trechery of Orellana, was obliged to return to Quito, diftant twelve hundred miles, in which journey, four thoufand Indians and two hundred and ten Spaniards perished with famin and fatigue.

Mankind

Of the Fate of Pizarro and Almagro. are feldom contented even with the fplendor of power and riches. The conquerors of Peru foon began to be jealous of each other, and to contend for domin ion. Each having the government of a certain district of country, but the limits not well known, a civil war commenced, in which Almagro was defeated and ta ken prifoner; tried, condemned and executed. His fon Almagro, the young, refolved to avenge his father's wrongs, and collecting a body of firm adherents, he privately marched to the houfe of Pizarro, attacked him at midday, and flew him and his attendants. Such was the fate of these bold, but inhuman conquerors, and fuch the reward of their cruelty, avarice, and perfidy!

SECTION VI.

Of the difcovery and fettlement of North America.

Of Cabot.

OON after the new world was discovered by Columbus, a spirit of enterprize was excited in all the commercial nations of Europe. The first adventurer from England was John Cabot, a native of Venice, refiding in Bristol; who, under a commiffion from Henry VII, failed on a voyage of difcovery. On the 24th of June 1494 or 5, he difcovered land, which he called Prima Vifa, which, in Italian, his native language, fignify firft fight. This land is fuppofed to be Newfoundland. He difcovered alfo an ifland which he called St. John's, on which he landed. His -fon Sebaftian is understood to have accompanied him in this voyage.

Of the fecond Voyage. King Henry granted to John Cabot and his three fons, Lewis, Sebaftian and Sanctius, a commiflion dated March 5th 1496, authorifing

them to discover and take poffeffion of unknown lands, and to erect his banners on any land by them already discovered. On the 3d of February 1498, he gave them a license to take ships for this purpose in any port of the kingdom. In this year, Sebaftian Cabot first difcovered the Continent, north of the St. Lawrence, fince called Labrador, and coafted along the fhore from 67 degrees of North Latitude to Florida. He made a chart of the coaft, which, for a century, hung under his picture in Whitehall. He was the firft difcoverer of the Continent, for he made the land June 11, O. S. Whereas, Columbus did not difcover the Continent till August 1.

Of other Voyages to North America. Cabot made a voyage to America and proceeded fouth as far as Brazil, in 1516. One Verrazano was fent by the French king to make discoveries in 1524, and this man failed along the North American coaft to the fiftieth degree of N. latitude. He named the country New France. In 1528, Narvaez, a Spaniard, failed from Cuba with four hundred men, to make a fettlement in Florida. He landed and marched into the country of the Apalaches; and after travelling over two or three hundred leagues of country, with incredible fatigue, finding no gold or filver of any value, haraffed by the favages, and reduced by hunger to the neceflity of feeding on human flesh, moft of them perifhed and a few furvivors only found their way to Mexico.

Of the first Attempt to fettle Canada. "One Cartier, a Frenchman, failed to America and entered the bay of the Iroquois, in 1534, with the view to find a north weft paffage to India. He returned to France, but the next year he purfued the fame courfe, entered the river, and penetrated as far as Montreal, where he built a fort and spent the winter. The next fummer, he invited fome of the natives on board of his fhip, and trecherously carried them to France, to obtain from them a more perfect knowledge of the country. But the natives were fo much provoked, that the inter

courfe of the French traders with them was much retarded. At this time a fettlement was not effected.

Of the firft Settlement of Acadia. Cartier obtained front the French king, Francis I. a commission for discovering and planting new countries, dated October 17, 1540. The royal motive affigned in the commiffion was, to introduce among the heathen, the knowledge of the gofpel and the Catholic faith. With this authority, Cartier, in connection with the Baron de Roberval, brought two hundred men and women to America and began a plantation four leagues above the haven of St. Croix. This territory was called Acadia, by the French; but by the English, has been called Nova Scotia.

Of Soto's Expedition in Florida. Ferdinand de Soto had ferved under Pizarro in the conqueft of Peru, with fuch reputation as to obtain from the King of Spain the government of Cuba, with the rank of General of Florida, and Marquis of the lands he fhould conquer. This enterprifing commander collected a body of nine hundred foot and three hundred and fifty horfe, for an expedition into Florida, where he landed in May 1539. From the gulf of Mexico he penetrated into the country northward, and wandered about in fearch of gold, expofed to famin, hardships and the oppofition of the natives. He pursued his course north to the country inhabited by the Chickefaws, where he spent a winter. He then crof fed the Miffifippi, being the first European that had discovered that vait river. After a long marchinto the country weftward, in which Soto died, the remains of his troops returned to the Miffifippi. Here they built a number of small veffels, in which they failed down the ftream, and made the best of their way to Panuco in Mexico, where they arrived in Sept. 1543. In this extraordinary expedition of more than four years duration, in the wildernefs, and among hoftile favages, mare than half the men perished. Such was the unconquerable defire of gold in the Spaniards of that age!

Of the Settlement of Carolina. In 1562, John Ri baud, a French Proteftant, during the civil wars in