Til E W I'. A l.'J'II OF .NATIONS.

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The cotton plant indeed atlovded the material of a veryimportant manufacture, and was at that time to Europeans undoubtedly the most valuable of all the vegetable produc-tions of those islands. But though in the end of the fifteenthcentury, the muslins and other cotton goods of the EastIndies were much esteemed in every part of Europe , thecotton manufacture itself was not cultivated in any part of it.Even this production, therefore, could not at that time appearin the eyes of Europeans to be of very great consequence.

Finding nothing either in the animals or vegetables of thenewly discovered countries, which could justify a very ad-vantageous representation of them, Columbus turned hisview towards their minerals; anti in the richness of theirproductions of this third kingdom, he flattered himself, hehad found a full compensation for the insignificancy of thoseof the other two. The little bits of gold with which the in-habitants ornamented their dress, and which he was inform-ed, they frequently found in the rivulets and torrents that fellfrom the mountains, were sufficient to satisfy him that thosemountains abounded with the richest gold mines. St. Do-mingo, therefore, was represented as a country aboundingwith gold, and, upon that account (according to the preju-dices not only of the present times, but of those times), aninexhaustible source of real wealth to the crown and king-dom of Spain . When Columbus, upon his return from hisfirst voyage, was introduced with a sort o itriumphal honoursto the sovereigns of Castile and Arragon, the principal pro-ductions of the countries which he had discovered were car-ried in solemn procession before him. The only valuablepart of them consisted in some little fillets, bracelets, andother ornaments of gold, and in some bales of cotton. Therest were mere objects of vulgar wonder and curiosity; somereeds of an extraordinary size, some birds of a very beautifulplumage, and some stuffed skins of the huge alligator andmanati; all of which were preceded by six or seven of thewretched natives, whose singular colour and appearanceac c ei greatly to the novelty of the show.

n conse.quence of the representations of Columbus, thecouncil of Castile determined to take possession of countriesn which the inhabitants were plainly incapable of defend-ing themselves. The pi ous purpose of converting them tofn-istianity sanctified the injustice of the project. But the°Pe of finding treasures of gold there, was the sole motive