1732.

THE settlement of Georgia completes the number of the Thirteen Colonies, which afterwards constituted the Thirteen United States of America. To preserve the unity of the history of this colony, its settlement is carried forward to the next year. The charter, however, is already obtained; trustees are incorporated; and a company of settlers has arrived.

If the preceding Periods of our history furnish less splendid subjects than those which follow, they may present much to gratify curiosity, and to impart instruction. During the past Periods, (the colonies were planted; their constitutions, after various changes, were established; the groundwork of their jurisprudence was laid; the elements of their future character were collected; and, by the augmentation of numbers, progressive maturity, and masculine strength, they were unconsciously acquiring materials for their ultimate liberty and independence.

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

NOTE I. A. D. 1492. p. 1.

SOME Spanish authors have insinuated, that Columbus was led to this great enterprise by information which he received, of a country discovered far to the west, with the additional advantage of a journal of the voyage in which the discovery was made by a vessel driven from its course by easterly winds. Every circumstance in the story of this voyage is pronounced by Dr. Robertson "destitute of evidence to support it." In a "Discourse" preserved by Hakluyt, "written by Sir Humfrey Gilbert, Knight, to prove a passage by the Northwest to Cathaia and the East Indies," it is observed: "Columbus had none of the West Ilands set foorth unto him in globe or card, neither yet once mentioned of any writer (Plato only excepted and the commentaries upon the same) from 942 yeeres before Christ, until that day. Moreover, Columbus himselfe had neither seene America nor any other of the Ilands about it, neither understood he of them by the report of any other that had seene them; but only comforted himselfe with this hope, that the land had a beginning where the sea had an ending." Hakluyt, iii. 23. Robertson, Hist. of America, i. Note XVII. Muñoz, Hist. New World, b. 1. Anderson, while he gives some credence to the authors" who tell us of his having had various real facts for his guides to this new western world," yet allows it to be the most general opinion of authors, that Columbus "framed this scheme chiefly from his own cosmographical reasonings concerning the structure, form dimensions, &c. of the terraqueous globe, the probable proportion of land and water thereon, and such other conjectural helps." Historical and Chronological Deduction of Commerce,

A. D. 1492.

NOTE II. p. 2.

THE Crowns mentioned by the early historians, require explanation. They were, doubtless, gold crowns. Vega [Commentaries of Peru, 423.] says, the expense was "six millions of maravedies, making the sum of 16,000 ducats." A Spanish ducat of exchange is equal to 4s. 11d. 1-2, lacking but a half penny of an English crown. If the 16,000 ducats of Vega be estimated as equal to so many English crowns, they make exactly £4000 sterling; and this is the very sum which, Dr. Robertson says, the equipment "did not exceed." This estimate is very nearly confirmed by Muñoz, who says, “10,000 maravedies are of the value of 30 dollars;" according to which ratio, six millions are equal to £4500 sterling. Muñoz, N. World, p. 155.

NOTE III. p. 3.

BESIDE the question about the first discovery of America, there is a more difficult question about the origin of its aboriginal inhabitants. The peculiar character, language, manners, and customs of the aborigines of the New World, found in the West India islands, and on the continent from Cape Horn to Labrador, could not fail to excite the inquiry, "How was America peopled?"

Instead of presenting the various theories upon this question, it may be sufficient to remark here, that the possibility of a communication of the American and Asiatic continents is now clearly established. America may have been settled from Tartary. The near approach of the two continents to each other has been discovered in our own day, by a navigator of the first nautical character. It has been found by captain Cook, that these two continents, as they stretch together toward the north," approach continually to one another, until, within less than a degree from the polar circle, they are terminated by two capes, only 13 leagues distant. The east cape of Asia is in latitude 66° 6′, and in longitude 191° 45'. Nearly in the middle of the narrow strait (Behring's Strait) which separates these capes, are the two islands of St. Diomede, from which both continents may be seen. Captain King informs us, that as he was sailing through this strait 5 July, 1779, the fog having cleared away, he enjoyed the pleasure of seeing from the ship the continents of Asia and America at the same moment, together with the islands of St. Diomede lying between them.. To the south of the strait there are a number of islands, which, as well as those of St. Diomede, may have facilitated the migrations of the natives from the one continent to the other." Cook's Voyages. Robertson, b. 4. Forster, Hist. Voyages, b. 3. sect. 37.

Neither the design nor the limits of this work will allow me to do more than to indicate some of the principal writers on the controverted subject of the first peopling of America.

Voyage of Madoc, A. D. 1170, in Hakluyt's Voyages, i. 506.

Grotius (H.) De origine gentium Americanarum. Amst. 1642.

Laet (J. de) Notæ ad Dissertationem Hugonis Grotii de origine gentium Americanarum cum observationibus. Amst. 1643.

Comtaus (Rob.) de origine gentium Americanarum. Amst. 1644.
Hornius (Geo.) De originibus Americanis. Hagæ, 1652.

Holm (Th. C.) Provincien Nya Swerigen uti America, b. 1. c. 3. Stockholm, 1702.

Lafiteau (Jos. F.) Mœurs des Sauvages Americains, comparés aux mœurs des primiers tems. a Paris, 1724. [Cap. prim. de origine gent. Americ.]

Casselii (J. P.) Observatio historica de Frisonum navigatione fortuita in Americam, sæculo x1 facta. Magd. 1741.

Ejusdem Dissertatio philologica-historica de navigationibus fortuitis in Americam, ante Christophorum Columbum factis. Magd. 1742.

A Dissertation upon the Peopling of America: In Universal History. Lond. 1748.

Essai sur cette question, quand et comment l'Amerique a-t-elle eté peuplée d'hommes et d'animaux? par E. B. d' B. [Engel, Bailli de Echalens.] 5 vols. 12mo. Amst. 1767.

The Voyage of Alonso Sanchez, a Spaniard, to Madeira-said to have furnished Columbus with the first hint of the existence of the New World. Biblioth. Americ. Purchas, Pilgr. Gookin, Hist. Coll. c. 1.

Ottonis (Prof. Histor. Tubing.) Dissertatio de modo probabiliori, quo primæ in Americam septentrionalem immigrationes sunt factæ. Tubinge, 4to. 1754. Otto (M.) Memoir on the Discovery of America. In vol. ii. of the Transac tions of the American Philosophical Society.

De Pauw, Recherches philosophiques sur les Americains. 3 vols. Berlin, 1769. Pernety (Ant. J.) Dissertation sur l'Amérique et les Americains, contre les Recherches philosophiques de Mr. de P.

A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, &c. to determine the position and extent of the west side of North America; its distance from Asia; and the practicability of a Northern Passage to Europe. Performed under direction of James Cook, Clark, and Gore, in 1776-1780. By this voyage, Meuselius says, was demonstrated, that, to the north, there is no practicable navigation from the Atlantic ocean into the Pacific, nor the reverse. "Omnia ex voto successere; permulta nova. Angli viderunt, olimque visa novis observationibus confirmarunt. Navigationem e mare Atlantico in Pacificum, seu vice versa, nec inde ab oriente nec occidente, fieri posse, hoc itinere certissime evictum." Biblioth. Hist. Amer.

[Hewatt] Historical Account of South Carolina and Georgia, i. 9-14. 1779.

Forster (J. R.) History of the Voyages and Discoveries made in the North. Belknap (Jer.) American Biography, i. 5-148. Preliminary Dissertation; Chronolog. Detail of Adventures and Discoveries, made by the European Nations, in America; and Art. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. Boston, 1794. Discourse on the Discovery of America. Dissertat. IV. Harris (J.) Collection of Voyages. Introduction.

Charlevoix (Pere de) Dissertation sur l'origine des Amériquains, prefixed to his Journal d'un voyage dans l'Amer. Septent. Also, his Hist. de la Nouvelle France, iii.

Rees, Cyclopædia (Amer. Edit.) Art. AMERICA.

Vater (prof.) Inquiry on the origin of the American population. Leips. 1810. Sparks, Life of Ledyard. Cambridge, 1828.

For other authors who have written upon this subjeet, the reader is referred to Meuselius, Bibliotheca Historica, P. 2. cap. 56: "Scriptores de Origine Gentium Americanarum."

NOTE IV. p. 7.

THE king of Portugal, according to Peter Martyr, agreed with their catholic majesties in a reference of the dispute to the pope. By this contemporary historian it appears, that the queen of Spain was a niece of the Portuguese king, and that this connexion facilitated an adjustment of the controversy. "Dum ita in confuso res tractaretur, pars utraque pacta est, ut a summo Pontifice decerneretur quid juris. Futuros se obtemperantes Pontificiæ sanctioni, fide jubent utrinque. Res Castellæ tunc regina illa magna Elizabetha cum viro regebat, quia dotalia ejus regna Castellæ sint. Erat regina Joanni regi Portugalliæ consobrina: propterea facilius res est composita. Ex utriusque partis igitur assensu, lineam ex plumbata bulla summus Pontifex Alexander sextus, &c." P. Martyr, p. 161. The relationship and its conciliatory influence appear in the Instructions given, afterwards, to Columbus by "The King and Queen." "With respect to what you mention of Portugal, we have written all that is necessary about it to the king of Portugal, our son, and with this we send you a letter, which you requested of us, to his captain, in which we announced to him your departure for the west, and that we had been informed of his departure for the east; if therefore you should meet on the way, treat each other as friends, and in such way as it is proper that captains and subjects should be treated, between whom there exists relationship, love, and friendship." Memorials of Columbus, DOCUMENT XLI. One bull, granting their Catholic majesties "the sovereign dominion of the Indies, with supreme jurisdiction over all that hemisphere," was passed on the 2d of May; but the Great Bull was issued on the day following. A copy of it in the original Latin, with an English translation, is preserved in Harris's Voyages, i. 6—8, and in Hazard's Collections, i. 3 6. Herrera, d. 1. l. 2. c. 4.

Professor Everrett showed me a Collection of documents which he bought at Florence in 1818. It is a folio volume of 84 pages, written on parchment in a very ancient but elegant chirography. It is entitled, "Treslado Las Bullas del Papa Alexandre 60 de lá concession de las Indias y lostitulos, Privilegios y cedulas Reales." "a Xphoreal Colon." To this volume is prefixed a Letter of pope Alexander, which, though not paged, nor written on parchment, is evidently ancient, and apparently genuine. It bears the date of 6 Kal. Oct. 1493, and seems to deserve notice, as explanatory or restrictive of a former grant. After the customary apostolical salutation, addressed to king Ferdinand and queen Isabella, the pope refers to the grant which he had lately [dudum] given of all the islands and territories discovered, and that should be discovered &c. which were not under the actual dominion of Christian princes [dominorum], and proceeds: "Cum autem contingere posset quod nuntii et capitanei aut vassali vestri versus occidentem aut meridiem navigantes ad partes orientales applicarent, ac Insalas et terras firmas que Indie fuissent vel essent repperirent &c." He then confirms the former grant, generally, but revokes the condition of no actual possession-" per actualem et realem possessionem non essent sortite effectu.-omnino revocamus ac quo ad terras et insulas per eos actualiter

non possessas pro infectas haberi volumus. non obstare ceterisq cötrariis quibuscumq. Dat Rome apud Sanctum Petrum Anno Incarnationis dominice Millesimo quadragintessimo nonagessimo tertio. Sexto Kal Octobris Pontifica. tus mi anno secundo."

(signed) "P. Gormaz."

Dampier, who did not confine himself" merely to the Pope's Bull, but included the subsequent explanations and stipulations," after mentioning the extension of the line of demarcation, says, the agreement was; "that from this meridian, all to the West should belong to Spain, and from thence to the East, should belong to the navigation, conquest, and discovery of the kings of Portugal; and that the navigation by the sea of the king of Portugal should be free to the kings of Castile, going a direct course, but that neither shonld send to trade within the limits of the other."—In the council of pilots in 1524, upon the circumnavigation of the Victory [See p. 46, Note 3.], it was agreed, that the 370 leagues should be reckoned from St. Antonio, the most western of the Cape de Verde Islands, in which latitude they reckoned 370 leagues to be 22° 9′, and therefore they place the line of Demarcacion 22° 9′ W. a St. Antonio, or about 48° from Greenwich. Dalrymple, Coll. Voyages in the Southern Pacific Ocean, i, 51, 52, and Additions.

NOTE V. p. 8.

By the "Memorials of Columbus," DOCUMENT XXXI, it appears, that he had scarcely arrived in Spain, when their Catholic majesties importuned him to return to America.

"THE KING AND THE QUEEN.

Don Christopher Columbus our Admiral of the ocean, and Viceroy and Governor of the islands discovered in the Indies: . . . As we wish the undertaking commenced by you, with the Divine assistance, to be continued and forwarded, we desire you not to delay your coming; therefore, for our service, hasten, as much as possible, your return, in order that whatever is necessary may be provided in time. And as the spring, as you perceive, is already begun, and that the season for returning there may not pass over, examine whether in Seville, or elsewhere, any thing can be got ready for your return to the land which you have discovered; and write to us immediately by this courier, who has to return quickly; in order that immediately proper arrangements may be made, during the time of your coming here and returning back; so that by your return from hence every thing may be prepared. From Barcelona, the thirtieth day of March, in the year ninety-three.

For a more particular account of the life and acts of Columbus the reader is referred to the recent publications from original manuscripts; particularly the "Memorials" of him, with Spontorno's "Historical Memoir of his Life and Discoveries," translated from the Spanish and Italian. London, 1823; and the "Personal Narrative of the First Voyage of Columbus to America, translated from the Spanish. Boston, 1827. The title of the Documents, in the first of the above publications, written in red and black letters, with arabesque ornaments, is: " Cartas, Privileg. Cedulas, y otras Escrituras de Don Christoval Colon, Almirante Mayor. del. Mar. Oceano, Visorey y Governador de las Islas y Tierra Firma." The writing is a species of Gothic. On the back is the coat of arms of Columbus, such as he used after having discovered America, and had his dignities conferred upon him. Muñoz says, the inscription on his tomb was the motto of his coat of arms. The Genevese, who have contended more successfully for the birth place of Columbus than the seven cities for the birth place of Homer, have taken care at once to honour the memory of their countryman, and to preserve the recently discovered Documents, by a marble monument. "Having obtained possession of the MS. it was determined in a special council, on the 31st July, 1821, to erect a custodia or monument, in which it might be preserved with security and distinction." The general council approved this determination, and a marble monument has been erected.