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THE NATURE AND CAUSES OK

Cipango, mentioned by Marco Polo , was frequently suffi-cient to make him return to this favourite prepossession,though contrary to the clearest evidence. In his letters toFerdinand and Isabella , he called the countries which hehad discovered the Indies. He entertained no doubt butthat they were the extremity of those which had been de-scribed by Marco Polo , and that they were not very distantfrom the Ganges , or from the countries which had been con-quered by Alexander. Even when at last convinced thatthey were different, lie still flattered himself that those richcountries were at no great distance ; and in a subsequentvoyage, accordingly, went in quest of them along the coastof Terra Firma, and towards the isthmus of Darien.

In consequence of this mistake of Columbus, the name ofthe Indies has stuck to those unfortunate countries eversince: and when it was at last clearly discovered that thenew were altogether different from the old Indies, the formerwere called the West, in contradistinction to the latter,which were called the East Indies.

It was of importance to Columbus, however, that thecountries which he had discovered, whatever they were,should be represented to the court of Spain as of very greatconsequence; and, in what constitutes the real riches ofevery country, the animal and vegetable productions of thesoil, there was at that time nothing which could well justifysuch a representation of them.

The Cori, something between a rat and a rabbit, and sup-posed by Mr. Buft’on to be the same with the Aperca ofBrazil , was the largest viviparous quadruped in St. Domingo.This species seems never to have been very numerous, andthe dogs and cats of the Spaniards are said to have long agoalmost entirely extirpated it, as well as some other tribes of astill smaller size. These, however, together with a prettylaro-e lizard, called the Ivana or Iguana, constituted the prin-cipal part of the animal food which the land afforded.

The vegetable lood of the inhabitants, though from theirwant of industry not very abundant, was not altogether soscanty. It consisted in Indian corn, yams, potatoes, bananes,&c. plants which were then altogether unknown in Europe ,and which have never since been very much esteemed in it,or supposed to yield a sustenance equal to what is drawnfrom the common sorts of grain and pulse, which have beencultivated in this part of the world time out of mind.