upon their fellows, which must be looked upon as the origin of
that system of _repartimientos_ or _encomiendas_ which was afterwards to
work such mischief among the conquered. In October 1495 Juan Aguado
arrived at Isabella, with a royal commission to report on the state of
the colony; here he took up the position of a judge of Columbus's
government; and much recrimination followed. Columbus decided to return
home; he appointed his brother Bartholomew _adelantado_ of the island;
and on the 10th of March 1496 he quitted Hispaniola in the "Nina." The
vessel, after a protracted and perilous voyage, reached Cadiz on the
11th of June 1496, where the admiral landed, wearing the habit of a
Franciscan. He was cordially received by his sovereigns, and a new fleet
of eight vessels was put at his disposal. By royal patent, moreover, a
tract of land in Hispaniola, of 50 leagues by 20, was offered to him,
with the title of duke or marquis (which he declined); for three years
he was to receive an eighth of the gross and a tenth of the net profits
on each voyage; the right of creating a _mayorazgo_ or perpetual entail
of titles and estates was granted him; and his two sons were received
into Isabella's service as pages.

Third voyage.

Meanwhile, however, the preparing of the fleet proceeded slowly, and it
was not till the 30th of May 1498 that he set sail with his main fleet
of six ships--two caravels had already been sent on ahead. From San
Lucar he steered for Porto Santo, Madeira, and Gomera, despatching three
vessels direct from the Canaries to Hispaniola. He next proceeded to the
Cape Verde Islands, which he quitted on the 5th of July. On the 31st of
the same month, being greatly in need of water, and fearing that no land
lay westwards as he had hoped, Columbus had turned his ship's head
north, when Alonzo Perez of Huelva saw land about 15 leagues to the
south-west. It was crowned with three hill-tops, from which
circumstance, and in fulfilment of a vow made at starting (to name the
first land discovered on this voyage in honour of the Trinity), the
admiral named it Trinidad, which name it yet bears. On Wednesday, the
1st of August, he beheld for the first time the mainland of South
America, the continent he had sought so long. It seemed to him but an
insignificant island, and he called it Isla Santa. Sailing westwards,
next day he saw the Gulf of Paria (named by him the Golfo de la
Ballena), into which he was borne at imm