1512. of the country, he explored its coasts; and doubling its southern cape, continued his search among the group of islands which he named the Tortugas:* but the chief object of the expedition was still unattained, and Ponce de Leon returned to Porto Rico, older than 1. What was when he departed. A few years later, having been apthe second pointed governor of the country which he had discovered, he made a second voyage to its shores, with the design of selecting a site for a colony; but, in a contest with the natives, many of his followers were killed, and Ponce de Leon himself was mortally wounded. the result of voyage? 2. What is said of the of a. Pronoun R III. DE AYLLON IN CAROLINA.-1. 2About the time enterprise of the defeat of Ponce de Leon in Florida, a company De Ayllon? of seven wealthy men, of St. Domingo, at the head of whom was Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, judge of apced Ail-yon. peals of that island, despatched two vessels to the Bahamas, in quest of laborers for their plantations and 8. Of the dis- mines. Being driven northward from the Bahamas, Carolina? by adverse winds, to the coast of Carolina, they anchored at the mouth of the Cambaheet river, which they named the Jordan. The country they called b. 1520. covery of 4. Of the hospitality of and the per Chicora. 2. Here the natives treated the strangers with great the natives kindness and hospitality, and being induced by curiosity, fidy of the freely visited the ships; but when a sufficient number Spaniards? was below the decks, the perfidious Spaniards closed 5. What was the hatches and set sail for St. Domingo. One of the the enter returning ships was lost, and most of the Indian prisprise? oners in the other, sullenly refusing food, died of famine and melancholy. the result of 6. Give an account of voyage and 3. Soon after this unprofitable enterprise, De Ayl the second lon, having obtained the appointment of governor of is result? Chicora, sailed with three vessels for the conquest of the country. Arriving in the river Cambahee, the principal vessel was stranded and lost. Proceeding thence a little farther north, and being received with apparent friendship at their landing, many of his men were induced to visit a village, a short distance in the The Tortugas, or 'l ortoise Islands, are about 100 miles southwest from the southern cape of Florida. The Cambahee is a small river in the southern part of South Carolina, emptying inte Helena Sound, 35 miles southwest from Charleston (See map, p. 35.) interior, where they were all treacherously cut off by 1517. the natives, in revenge for the wrongs which the Spanards had before committed. De Ayllon himself was surprised and attacked in the harbor;-the attempt to conquer the country was abandoned;-and the few survivors, in dismay, hastened back to St. Domingo. a. When and was Yuca by whom tan explo red? Note p. 14. b. March, 1517. IV. CONQUEST OF MEXICO.*-1. In 1517 Francisco Fernandez de Cordova, sailing from Cuba with three small vessels, explored the northern coast of Yucatan. As the Spaniards approached the shore, they were surprised to find, instead of naked savages, a people decently clad in cotton garments; and, on landing, their wonder was increased by beholding sev- 2. eral large edifices built of stone. 3The natives were Spaniards? much more bold and warlike than those of the islands 3. What was and the more southern coasts, and every where received the Spaniards with the most determined opposition. 4. What sur prised the the character of the natives? The result dition? 5. What is Discovery of Mexico? of the expe said of the c.May June 1518. 2. At one place fifty-seven of the Spaniards were killed, and Cordova himself received a wound, of which he died soon after his return to Cuba. But, notwithstanding the disastrous result of the expedition, another was planned in the following year; and under the direction of Juan de Grijalva, a portion of the southern coast of Mexico was explored, and a large amount of treasure obtained by trafficking with the natives. 3. Velasquez, governor of Cuba, under whose 6. By whom auspices the voyage of Grijalva had been made, enriched by the result, and elated with a success far beyond his expectations, now determined to undertake the conquest of the wealthy countries that had been discovered, and hastily fitted out an armament for the "Not being able to accompany the expedipurpose. tion in person, he gave the command to Fernando Cortez, who sailed with eleven vessels, having on board six hundred and seventeen men. In March, 1519, Cortez landed in Tabasco,† a southern province weredesigns conquest why? account of the invasion 7. Give an of Mexico by Cortez. *Mexico is a large country southwest from the United States, bordering on the Gulf of Mexico on the east, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It is about one fourth as large as the United States and their territories. The land on both coasts is low, but in the interior is a large tract of table lands 6 or 8000 feet above the level of the sea. + Tabasco, one of the southern Mexican States, adjoins Yucatan on the southwest. 1519. of Mexico, where he had several encounters with the natives, whom he routed with great slaughter. a. April 12. Cortez re 2Cor. 4. 'Proceeding thence farther westward, he landeda at How was San Juan de Ulloa*, where he was hospitably received, eived by the and where two officers of a monarch who was called officers of Montezu Montezuma, came to inquire what his intentions were ma? in visiting that coast, and to offer him what assistance 2. What did he might need in order to continue his voyage. sure them, tez respectfully assured them that he came with the quest did he most friendly sentiments, but that he was intrusted with affairs of such moment by the king, his sovereign, that he could impart them to no one but to the empe ror Montezuma himself, and therefore requested them to conduct him into the presence of their master. Cortez as and what re make? 8. What did the Mexican 5. The ambassadors of the Mexican monarch, ambassadors knowing how disagreeable such a request would be, then do? endeavored to dissuade Cortez from his intention; at the same time making him some valuable presents, which only increased his avidity. Messengers were dispatched to Montezuma, giving him an account of every thing that had occurred since the arrival of the 4. What did Spaniards. Presents of great value and magnificence were returned by him, and repeated requests were made, and finally commands given, that the Spaniards should leave the country; but all to no purpose. Montezuma do? 5. What course did 6. What events occurred on 6. Cortez, after destroying his vessels, that his Cortez take? soldiers should be left without any resources but b. Aug. 26. their own valor, commenced his march towards the Mexican capital. On his way thither, several nations, that were tributary to Montezuma, gladly the march of threw off their allegiance and joined the Span wards the iards. Montezuma himself, alarmed and irresolute continued to send messengers to Cortez, and, as his hopes or his fears alternately prevailed, on one day gave him permission to advance, and, on the next, commanded him to depart. Cortez to Mexican capital? 7. What is Baid of the appearance 7. As the vast plain of Mexico opened to the view of the plain of the Spaniards, they beheld numerous villages and and the city? cultivated fields extending as far as the eye could reach, of Mexico, *San Juan de Ulloa is a small island, opposite Vera Cruz, the principal eastern sea port of Mexico. It is 180 miles south of east from the Mexican capital, and contains a strong fortress, built of coral rocks taken from the bottom of the sea. and in the middle of the plain, partly encompassing a 1519. large lake, and partly built on islands within it, stood the city of Mexico, adorned with its numerous temples and turrets; the whole presenting to the Spaniards a spectacle so novel and wonderful that they could hardly persuade themselves it was any thing more than a dream. 1Montezuma received the Spaniards with zumers great pomp and magnificence, admitted them within the city, assigned them a spacious and elegant edifice for their accommodation, supplied all their wants, and bestowed upon all, privates as well as officers, presents of great value. ception of the Span iards? a. Nov 2 of the ing situa tion of Cortez? embarrass 3. Of the 8. 2Cortez, nevertheless, on began to feel solicitude for his situation. He was in the middle of a vast empire,―shut up in the centre of a hostile city,—and surrounded by multitudes sufficient to overwhelm him upon the least intimation of the will of their sovereign. In this emergency, the wily Spaniard, with extraordi- seizure and nary daring, formed and executed the plan of seizing of Montethe of the Mexican monarch, and detained him person as a hostage for the good conduct of his people. He next induced him, overawed and broken in spirit, to 1520. acknowledge himself a vassal of the Spanish crown, and to subject his dominions to the payment of an annual tribute. с 4. treatment zuma? b. Dec. Why was Cortez called from the capital and why Mexicans rise in arms? c. May. 9. But while Cortez was absent, opposing a force that had been sent against him by the governor of Cuba, who had become jealous of his successes, the Mexicans, incited by the cruelties of the Spaniards who had been left to guard the capital and the Mexican said of the king, flew to arms. Cortez, with singular good for- o fortune 5. What is of St.Christovi Tezcuco r * The city of Mexico, built by the Spaniards on the ruins of the ancient city, was long the largest town in America, but is now inferior to New York and Philadelphia. It is 170 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and 200 from the Pacific Ocean, and is situated near the western bank of Lake Tezcuco, in the delightful Vale of Mexico, or, as it was formerly called, the Plain of Tenochtitlan, which is 230 miles in circumference, and elevated 7000 feet above the level of the ocean. The plain contains three lakes besides Tezeuco, and is surrounded by hills of moderate elevation, except on the south, where are two lofty volcanic mountains. Two of the lakes are above the level of the city, whose streets have been frequently inundated by them; but in 1689, a deep channel, 12 miles long, cut through the hills on the north, was completed, by which the superfluous waters are conveyed into the river Tula, and thence to the Panuco. Tacubao MEXICO himalo Tezcuco Mex 1520. tune, having subdued his enemies, and incorporated most of them with his own forces, returning, entered. the capital without molestation. a. July 4. 1. How did he treat the Mexicans, followed? 10. Relying too much on his increased strength, he soon laid aside the mask of moderation which had hithand what erto concealed his designs, and treated the Mexicans like conquered subjects. They, finally convinced that they had nothing to hope but from the utter extermination of their invaders, resumed their attacks upon the 2. What loss Spanish quarters with additional fury. In a sally which Cortez made, twelve of his soldiers were killed, and the Mexicans learned that their enemies were not invincible. did the Spaniards 8. What is said of the tion of Mon 11. Cortez, now fully sensible of his danger, tried interpost what effect the interposition of Montezuma would have tezuma, and upon his irritated subjects. At sight of their king, what occur whom they almost worshipped as a god, the weapons appearance? of the Mexicans dropped from their hands, and every red on his 4. What then did the Mex head was bowed with reverence; but when, in obe- Two arrows 12. The Mexicans, on seeing their king fall by icans do their own hands, were instantly struck with remorse, and fled with horror, as if the vengeance of heaven were pursuing them for the crime which they had 5. What is committed. "Montezuma himself, scorning to survive Baid this last humiliation, rejected with disdain the kind attentions of the Spaniards, and refusing to take any nourishment, soon terminated his wretched days. tezuma's death? 6. Give an account of the retreat from 13. Cortez, now despairing of an accommodation with the Mexicans, after several desperate encorinters of the Spon with them, began a retreat from the capital;—but innumerable hosts hemmed him in on every side, and his march was almost a continual battle. On the sixth day of the retreat, the almost exhausted Spaniards, now Mexico. |