conference therefore with Atabalipa, his men, as they had been previously inftructed, furioufly attacked the guards of that prince, and having butchered 5000 of them, as they were preffing forward, without regard to their particular fafety to defend the facred perfon of their monarch, feized the emperor himself, whom they carried off to the Spanish quarters. Atabalipa was not long in their hands before he began to treat of his ranfom. On this occafion, the ancient ornaments, amaffed by a long line of magnificent kings, the hallowed treasures of the moft magnificent temples, were brought out to fave him, who was the fupport of the kingdom, and of the religion. While Pizarro was engaged in this negociation, by which he propofed, without releafing the emperor to get into his poffeffion an immenfe quantity of his beloved gold, the arrival of Almagro caufed fome embarraffment in his affairs.) The friendship, or rather the external fhew of friendship between these men, was folely founded on the principle of avarice. When their interefts' therefore happened to interfere, it was not to be thought that any measures could be kept between them. Pizarro expected to enjoy the most confiderable fhare of the treafure arifing from the emperor's ranfom, becaufe he had the chief hand in. acquiring it. Almagro infifted on being upon ant equal footing; and at length, left the common caufe might fuffer by any rupture between them, this difpofition was agreed to. The ranfom was paid in without delay, a fum exceeding their conception, but not capable to gratify their avarice. It exceeded 1,500,000l. fterling, and confidering the value of money at that time, was prodigious: and the dividend, after deducting a fifth for the king of Spain, and the fhares of the chief commanders and officers, to each private foldier was above 2000l. English money.

The immenfe ranfom was only a farther reafon

for detaining Atabalipa in confinement, until they difcovered whether he had another treasure to gratify their avarice. But whether they believed he had no more to give, and were unwilling to employ their troops in guarding a prince, from whom they expected no farther advantage, or that Pizarro had conceived an averfion against the Peruvian emperor, it is certain, that by his command Atabalipa was put to death. Upon the death of the Ynca, the principal nobility fet up the full brother of Huefcar; Pizarro fet up a fon of Atabalipa; and two generals of the Peruvians endeavoured to establish themfelves by the affiftance of the army. Thefe diftractions, which in another empire would have been extremely hurtful, and even here at another time, were at prefent rather advantageous to the Peruvian affairs. The candidates fought against one another, their battles accustomed the harmless people to blood; and fuch is the preference of a fpirit of any kind raised in a nation to total lethargy, that in the courfe of thofe quarrels among themselves, the in, habitants of Peru affumed fome courage against the Spaniards, whom they regarded as the ultimate caufe of all their calamities. The loffes which the Spaniards met with in thefe quarrels, though incon fiderable in themselves, were rendered dangerous, by leffening the opinion of their invincibility, which they were careful to preferve among the inhabitants of the new world. This confideration engaged Pizarro to conclude a truce; and this interval he employed in laying the foundations of the famous city of Lima, and in fettling the Spaniards in the country. But as foon as a favourable opportunity offered, he renewed the war against the Indians, and after many difficulties, made himself mafter of Cufco, the capital of the empire. While he was engaged in these conquefts, new grants and fupplies arrived from Spain. Pizarro obtained 200 leagues along the fea-coaft, to the Southward of what had been before granted, and Almagro 200 leagues to

the

the Southward of Pizarro's government. This division occafioned a warm difpute between them, each reckoning Cufco within his own district. But the dexterity of Pizarro brought about a reconciliation. He perfuaded his rival, that the country which really belonged to him, lay to the Southward of Cufco, and that it was no way inferior in riches, and might be as eafily conquered as Peru. He offered him his affiftance in the expedition, the fuccefs of which he did not even call in question.

Almagro, that he might have the honour of fubduing a kingdom for himfelf, liftened to his advice; and penetrated with great danger and difficulty, into Chili; lofing many of his men as he paffed over mountains of an immenfe height, and always covered with fnow. He reduced, however, a very confiderable part of this country. But the Peruvians now made an effort for regaining their capital, in which, Pizarro being indifpofed, and Almagro removed at a great diftance, they were well nigh fuccefsful. The latter, however, no fooner got notice of the fiege of Cufco, than, relinquishing all views of diftant conquefts, he returned, to fecure the grand object of their former labours. He raifed the fiege with great flaughter of the affailants: but having obtained poffeffion of the city, he was unwilling to give it up to Pizarro, who now approached with an army, and knew of no other enemy but the Peruvians. This difpute occafioned a long and bloody ftruggle between them, in which the turns of fortune were various, and the refentment fierce on both fides, because the fate of the vanquifhed was certain death. This was the lot of Almagro, who, in an advanced age, fell a victim to the fecurity of a rival, in whofe dangers and triumphs he had long fhared, and with whom, from the beginning of the enterprize, he had been intimately connected. During the courfe of this civil war, many Peruvians ferved in the Spanish armies, and

learned,

learned, from the practice of Chriftians, to butcher one another. That blinded nation, however, at length opened their eyes, and took a very remarkable refolution. They faw the ferocity of the Europeans, their unextinguifhable refentment and avarice, and they conjectured that thefe paffions would never permit their contefts to fubfide. Let. us retire, faid they, from among them, let us fly to our mountains; they will fpeedily deftroy one another, and then we may return in peace to our former habitations. This refolution was inftantly put in practice; the Peruvians difperfed, and left the Spaniards in their capital. Had the force on each fide been exactly equal, this fingular policy of the natives of Peru, might have been attended with fucccfs. But the victory of Pizarro put an end to Almagro's life, and the hopes of the Peruvians, who have never fince ventured to make head against the Spaniards.

Pizarro, now fole master of the field, and of the richeft empire in the world, was ftill urged on by his ambition, to undertake new enterprizes. The Southern countries of America, into which he had fome time before difpatched Almagro, offered the richeft conqueft. Towards this quarter, the mountain of Potofi, compofed of entire filver, had been difcovered, the fhell of which only remains at prefent. He therefore followed the tract of Almagro into Chili, and reduced another part of that country. Orellana, one of his commanders, paffed the Andes, and failed down to the mouth of the river of Amazons: an immenfe navigation, which difcovered a rich and delightful country, but as it is moftly flat, and therefore not abounding in minerals, the Spaniards then, and ever fince, neglected it.

The fuccefs of Columbus foon infpired the other European nations with a defire of making new difcoveries. About the time of his third voyage, the

Portu

powers,

Portugueze discovered Brazil, Sebaftian-Cabot, a Other native of Briftol difcovered the North-Eaft coafts, Eurowhich now form the British Empire in America, pean and Americus Vefpufius, a merchant of Florence, are led to failed to the Southern continent, and being a man adopt of addrefs, had the honour of giving his name to Columthis of the globe. quarter

bus' fyf

tem.

bound

This great Western continent, (now denominated Extent the New World,) extends from the So degree and North, to the 56 degree South latitude; and where ries of its breadth is known, from the 35 to the 136 degree America. of Weft longitude, from London, ftretching between 8 and 9000 miles in length, and in its greateft breadth 3690. It has two fummers and a double winter, and enjoys all the variety of climates which the earth affords. It is wafhed by the two great oceans. To the eastward it has the Atlantic, which divides it from Europe and Africa. To the weft it has the Pacific, or great South-fea, by which it is feparated from Afia. By thefe feas it carries on a direct commerce with the other three parts of the world. It is compofed of two great continents, one on the North, the other upon the South, which are joined by the kingdom of Mexico, which forms a fort of ifthmus 1500 miles long, and in one part at Darien, fo extremely narrow, as to make the communication between the two oceans by no means difficult, being only 60 miles over. In the great gulph, which is formed between the ifthmus, and the Northern and Southern continents, lye an infinite multitude of islands, many of them large, moft of them fertile, and denominated the Weft-Indies, in contradiftinction to the countries and islands of Afia, beyond the cape of Good-Hope, which are called the Eaft-Indies.

Though America in general be not a moun- Mountainous country, it contains the greatest mountains tains. in the world. In South America the Andes, or

Cor