1519. of Mexico, where he had several encounters with the natives, whom he routed with great slaughter. Cortez re ma? a. April 12. 4. 'Proceeding thence farther westward, he landed at 1. Horo was San Juan de Ulloa,* where he was hospitably received, ceived by the and where two officers of a monarch who was called officers of Montezu Montezuma, came to inquire what his intentions were in visiting that coast, and to offer him what assistance 2. What did he might need in order to continue his voyage. 2Cor 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 emperor Montezuma himself, and therefore requested them to conduct him into the presence of their master. Cortez as and what re make? 3. What did the Mexican then do? 5. The ambassadors of the Mexican monarch, ambasador knowing how disagreeable such a request would be, 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 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 events oc- nations, that were tributary to Montezuma, gladly the march of threw off their allegiance and joined the Spanwards the iards. Montezuma himself, alarmed and irresolute, capital? 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 7. What is said 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 pain, 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. 'Montezuma received the Spaniards with 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. 8. 2Cortez, nevertheless, soon 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 extraordinary daring, formed and executed the plan of seizing the person of the Mexican monarch, and detained him as a hostage for the good conduct of his people. next induced him, overawed and broken in spirit, to acknowledge himself a vassal of the Spanish crown, and to subject his dominions to the payment of an annual tribute. He zer ception of tezuma's the Spaniards? 2 of the ing situa tion of Cortez? embarrass 3. Of the seizure and of Monte treatment 4. Why was Cortez called from the why did the rise in arms? 9. But while Cortez was absent, opposing a force that had been sent against him by the governor of cas 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 king, flew to arms. Cortez, with singular good for ⚫ the St.Chriatoril 5. What is said of the of Cortez ? good fortune Zumpango 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, delightful Vale of Mexico, or, as it was formerly cand. the Plain of Tenochtitlan, which is 230 miles in cir cumference, 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. Tacubas MEXICO Tezeuco Tezeuco Chalco imalo 1520. tune, having subdued his enemies, and incorporated most of them with his own forces, returning, entered1 the capital without molestation. a. July 4. 1. How did he treat the Mexicans, and what followed? 10. Relying too much on his increased strength, he soon laid aside the mask of moderation which had hitherto 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 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 suffer? 3. What is said of the interposition of Mon 11. Cortez, now fully sensible of his danger, tried 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 rcd on his 4. What then did the Mex head was bowed with reverence; but when, in obe- 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 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? 8. Give an account of the retreat 13. Cortez, now despairing of an accommodation with the Mexicans, after several desperate encounters of the Span 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 iards from Mexico. a 1. Describe battle with The Mexicans the Mexi reduced to a mere handful of men, encountered, in a 1520. spacious valley, the whole Mexican force ;-a countless multitude, extending as far as the eye could reach. As no alternative remained but to conquer or die, Cortez, without giving his soldiers time for reflection, immediately led them to the charge. received them with unusual fortitude, yet their most numerous battalions gave way before Spanish discipline and Spanish arms. 14. The very multitude of their enemies, however, pressing upon them from every side, seemed sufficient to overwhelm the Spaniards, who, seeing no end of their toil, nor any hope of victory, were on the point of yielding to despair. At this moment Cortez, observing the great Mexican standard advancing, and recollecting to have heard that on its fate depended the event of every battle, assembled a few of his bravest officers, and, at their head, cut his way through the opposing ranks, struck down the Mexican general, and secured the standard. The moment their general fell and the standard disappeared, the Mexicans, panic struck, threw away their weapons, and fled with precipitation to the mountains, making no farther opposition to the retreat of the Spaniards. 15. Notwithstanding the sad reverses which he had experienced, Cortez still looked forward with confidence to the conquest of the whole Mexican empire, and, after receiving supplies and reinforcements, in December, 1520, he again departed for the interior, with a force of five hundred Spaniards and ten thousand friendly natives. After various successes and reverses, and a siege of the capital which lasted seventyfive days, the king Guatemozin having fallen into his hands,-in August, 1521, the city yielded; the fate b. Aug. 23. of the empire was decided; and Mexico became a province of Spain. 16. Another important event in the list of Spanish discoveries, and one which is intimately connected with American history, being the final demonstration of the theory of Columbus, requires in this place a passing notice 17. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese by birth, 1520. who had served his country with distinguished valor in the East Indies,* believing that those fertile regions might be reached by a westerly route from Portugal, Emanuel. proposed the scheme to his sovereign, and requested 1. What is aid to carry it into execution. Unsuccessful in his first app application, and having been coldly dismissed by his cation for sovereign without receiving any reward for his services, he indignantly renounced his allegiance and repaired to Spain. 9. 1517. e. Charles V. 2. Under whose pat ronage did he sail and when? d. Aug. 20. 1519. 3. Give an account of the voyage the first cir 18. The Spanish emperor, engaging readily in the scheme which the Portuguese monarch had rejected, a squadron of five ships was soon equipped at the public charge, and Magellan set saild from Sevillet in August, 1519. After touching at the Canaries,‡ he stood south, crossed the equinoctial line, and spent several months in exploring the coast of South America, searching for a passage which should lead to the cumnaviga Indies. After spending the winter on the coast, in the spring he continued his voyage towards the south,— passed through the straits which bears his name, and, after sailing three months and twenty one-days through an unknown ocean, during which time his crew suffered greatly from the want of water and provisions, March 16. he discovered a cluster of fertile islands, which he called the Ladrones. || tion of the Globe. 1520. 19. The fair weather and favorable winds which he had experienced induced him to bestow on the ocean through which he had passed the name of Pacific, which it still retains. Proceeding from the Ladrones, *East Indies is the name given to the islands of the Indian Ocean south of Asia, together with that portion of the main land which is between Persia and China. Seville is a large city beautifully situated on the left bank of the Guadalquiver, in the southwestern part of Spain. It was once the chief market for the commerce of America and the Indies. The Canaries are a group of 14 islands belonging to Spain. The Peak of Teneriffe, on one of the more distant islands, is about 250 miles from the northwest coast of Africa, and 800 miles southwest from the Straits of Gibraltar. The Strait of Magellan is at the southern extremity of the American continent separating the islands of Terra del Fuego from the main land. It is a dangerou passage, more than 300 miles in length, and in some places not more than a mile across. The Ladrones, or the Islands of Thieves, thus named from the thievish disposi tion of the natives, are a cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean about 1600 miles south east from the coast of China. When first discovered, the natives were ignorant of any country but their own, and imagined that the ancestor of their race was formed from a piece of the rock of one of their islands. They were utterly unacquainted with fire, and when Magellan, provoked by repeated thefts, burned one of their villages, they thought that the fire was a beast which fed upon their dwellings. |