ving indeed several names for
them, and they stand on the north side of the line, almost under the
tropic of Cancer. The island of St James, or Jamaica, lies between the
16th and 17th degrees of northern latitude[4]. Thence they went to the
island which the natives call Cuba, named Ferdinando by the Spaniards,
after the king, which is in 22 degrees; from whence they were conducted
by the Indians to another island called Hayti, named Isabella by the
Spaniards, in honour of the queen of Castile, and afterwards Hispaniola,
or Little Spain.

In that island the admirals ship was wrecked, and Columbus caused a fort
to be constructed of her timbers and planks, in which he left Roderigo de
Arana with a garrison of thirty-eight men, to learn the language and
customs of the country. Columbus then returned to Spain, carrying with
him samples of gold and pearls, and other productions of the country,
with ten Indians, six of whom died on the voyage; the rest were brought
to Spain and baptized. On their way home, Columbus touched at the Acores;
and on the fourth of March 1493, entered the port of Lisbon. This
discovery gave much discontent to the king of Portugal. Immediately on
his arrival, Columbus went into Castile, where he informed the king of
his discoveries and of the dissatisfaction of the king of Portugal. On
this he and his queen Isabella sent word of the recent discovery to Pope
Alexander VI, at which information he and all the Italians were much
astonished, as they marvelled that there should be any land besides what
had been known to the Romans. Alexander made a grant of all these
countries to the crowns of Castile and Leon, under condition that they
should labour to extirpate idolatry, and establish the holy faith of
Christ among the natives.

On the report of this discovery, so universal a desire of travelling
arose among the Spaniards, that they were ready as it were to leap into
the sea, that they might swim if possible to the newly discovered islands.
After receiving the authority of the Pope, King Ferdinando sent Columbus
a second time to the newly-discovered country, of which he made him
admiral, giving him many other honours, and a particular coat of arms,
having this motto,

For Castile and for Leon
A new world discovered Colon[A].

[A] Gomara, I. 1. c. 15.

Columbus set out on his second voyage to the Antilles on the 25th October
1493, taking his course from Cadiz, with seventeen ships and fifteen
hu