with them in place of slaves; that satisfaction should be made for property of some of the company which had been sequestrated, and for live stock which had belonged to Francis Roldan.

It was a grievous circumstance to Columbus, that the vessels which should have borne his brother to explore the newly discovered continent had to be devoted to the transportation of this turbulent and worthless rabble; but he consoled himself with the idea that, the faction being once shipped off, the island would again be restored to tranquillity. The articles of arrangement being signed, Roldan and his followers departed for Xaragua, to await the arrival of the ships; and Columbus, putting his brother Don Diego in temporary command, set off with the Adelantado on a tour to visit the various fortresses, and restore every thing to order.

In the mean while, unavoidable delays took place in fitting out the ships, and they encountered violent storms in their voyage from San Domingo to Xaragua, so as to arrive there long after the stipulated time, and that in a damaged condition. The followers of Roldan seized upon this as a pretext to refuse to embark, affirming that the ships had been purposely delayed, and eventually sent in a state not seaworthy, and short of provisions. New negotiations were therefore set on foot, and new terms demanded. It is probable that Roldan feared to return to Spain, and his followers were loth to give up their riotous and licentious life. In the midst of his perplexities, Columbus received a letter from Spain, in reply to the earnest representations which he had made of the distracted state of the colony, and of the outrages of these

licentious men. It was written by his invidious enemy, the Bishop Fonseca, superintendent of Indian affairs. It informed him that his representations of the alleged rebellion had been received, but that the matter must be suffered to remain in suspense, as the sovereigns would investigate and remedy it presently.

This cold reply had the most disheartening effect upon Columbus, while it increased the insolence of the rebels, who saw that his complaints had little weight with the government. Full of zeal, however, for the prosecution of his discoveries, and of fidelity to the interests of the crown, he resolved, at any sacrifice of pride or comfort, to put an end to the troubles of the island. He departed, therefore, in the latter part of August, with two caravals, to the port of Azna, accompanied by several of the most important personages of the colony, to give Roldan a meeting. The latter, in this interview, conducted himself more like a conqueror exacting terms, than a delinquent seeking pardon. Among other things, he demanded that such of his followers as chose to remain in the island should have lands assigned them, and that he should be reinstated in his office of alcalde mayor, or chief judge. The mind grows wearied and impatient with recording, and the heart of the generous reader must burn with indignation at perusing, this protracted and ineffectual struggle, of a man of the exalted merits and matchless services of Columbus, in the toils of such contemptible miscreants. rounded by doubt and danger, a foreigner among a jealous people, an unpopular commander in a mutinous island, distrusted and slighted by the

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government he was seeking to serve, and creating suspicions by his very services, he knew not where to look for faithful advice, efficient aid, or candid judgment. He was alarmed, too, by symptoms of seditions among his own people, who talked of following the example of the rebels, and seizing upon the province of Higuey. Thus critically situated, he signed a humiliating capitulation with the rebels, trusting he should afterwards be able to convince the sovereigns it had been compulsory, and forced from him by the perils that threatened himself and the colony.

When Roldan resumed his office of alcalde mayor, he displayed all the arrogance to be expected from one who had intruded himself into power by profligate means. Columbus had a difficult and painful task in bearing with the insolence of this man, and of the shameless rabble that returned, under his auspices, to San Domingo. In compliance with the terms of agreement, he assigned them liberal portions of land, and numerous Indian slaves, taken in the wars, and contrived to distribute them in various places, some in Bonao, others in different parts of the vega. He made an arrangement, also, by which the caciques in their vicinity, instead of paying tribute, should furnish parties of their subjects, at stated times, to assist in the cultivation of their lands; a kind of feudal service, which was the origin of the repartimientos, or distributions of free Indians among the colonists, afterwards generally adopted and shamefully abused throughout the Spanish colonies, and which greatly contributed to exterminate the natives from the island of Hispaniola.

Having obtained such ample provisions for his

followers, Roldan was not more modest in making demands for himself. Besides certain lands in the vicinity of Isabella, which he claimed, as having belonged to him before his rebellion, he received a royal farm, called La Esperanza, in the vega, and extensive tracts in Xaragua, with live stock and repartimientos of Indians.

One of the first measures of Roldan as alcalde mayor was to appoint Pedro Reguelme, one of his most active confederates, alcalde of Bonao, an appointment which gave great displeasure to Columbus, being an assumption of power not vested in the office of Roldan. The admiral received private information also that Reguelme, under pretext of erecting a farm-house, was building a strong editice on a hill, capable of being converted into a fortress; this, it was whispered, was done in concert with Roldan, by way of securing a strong hold in case of need. The admiral immediately sent peremptory crders for Reguelme to desist from proceeding with the construction of the edifice.

Columbus had proposed to return to Spain, having experienced the inefficiency of letters in explaining the affairs of the island; but the feverish state of the colony obliged him to give up the intention. The two caravals were despatched in October, taking such of the colonists as chose to return, and among them several of the partisans of Roldan, some of whom took Indian slaves with them, and others carried away the daughters of caciques, whom they had beguiled from their homes and families.

Columbus wrote by this opportunity to the sovereigns, giving it as his opinion that the agreement he had made with the rebels was by no means obli

gatory on the crown, having been, in a manner, extorted by violence. He repeated his request that a learned man might be sent out as judge, and desired, moreover, that discreet persons might be appointed to form a council, and others for certain fiscal employments; entreating, however, that their powers might be so limited and defined as not to interfere with his dignities and privileges. Finding age and infirmity creeping upon him, he began to think of his son Diego as an active coadjutor, being destined to succeed to his offices. He was still a page at court, but grown to man's estate, and capable of entering into the important concerns of life; he begged, therefore, that he might be sent out to assist him.