o show courage in difficulties, and management in all things,
brevity in executing useful determinations, yet not as if carried away by
passion, but always upon good counsel; considering much what a charge was
upon him, for this thought would be useful to him at all times: and above
all things he was to take heed (in order that the same thing might not
happen to him which had happened to the admiral) that when any occasion
for dealing briefly with an offence occurred, he should have swift
recourse to punishment, for in such cases the remedy ought to be like a
thunderbolt."

After reading the above, we cannot say that the Catholic monarchs were
inattentive to the government of their Indian possessions, nor can the
sagacity which directed that attention be for a moment questioned. Indeed
that sagacity is so remarkable, that it may naturally occur to the learned
reader to inquire, whether Machiavelli's "Prince" had yet been published,
and whether King Ferdinand could have read that much-abused manual of
crafty statesmen. It was, however, about twelve years after this memorable
audience granted by Ferdinand and Isabella to Ovando that "The Prince" is
alluded to by Machiavelli, and described as a small unpublished work.

HE ARRIVES AT ST. DOMINGO.

Charged with these instructions, then, Nicholas de Ovando left the port of
San Lucas on the 13th of February, 1502, to take possession of his new
government, having under him a gallant company of two thousand five
hundred persons, a large proportion of them being hidalgoes. On his way he
met with a terrible storm, in which one of his largest vessels foundered,
and he had some difficulty in reaching St. Domingo at all. This, however,
he succeeded in doing on the 15th of April, and entered at once upon the
reforms which he was commissioned to institute.

OVANDO'S ADMINISTRATION

He announced the residencia of Bobadilla, and placed Roldan under arrest.
He exerted himself to found settlements along the coast, and at first, no
doubt, he endeavoured to carry out the merciful directions which he had
received with regard to the Indians. But, like Bobadilla, he was a knight
of a religious order, with a certain narrow way of looking at things
incident to his profession, with no especial culture that we know of, and
with little originality of character. In these respects he presented a
remarkable contrast to Columbus, who was a man of various accomplishments,
large minded, enthus