deinands of the Spaniards concerning the region of gold, they answered, pointing to the west, "Culchua" and "Mexico"-a name destined to a wide and unhappy celebrity. Coasting westward, after this triumph, the expedition arrived at the island of San Juan de Ulua, opposite the present site of Vera Cruz. With the natives of this place, who, conciliated by the former visit of Grijalva, came off in numbers to the ships, Cortes was enabled to communicate by the double interpretation of a Spaniard once resident with the Indians of the South, and of Donna Marina, a Mexican female, who had been given him by the caciques of Tabasco. She was young and beautiful, and of remarkable intelligence, soon acquiring such a knowledge of Castilian as to spare the necessity of a second interpreter. She became the mistress of Cortes, to whom she bore a son, and in all the eventful scenes which distinguished the conquest, bore a conspicuous part, as his interpreter and companion. But before proceeding to a narration of those scenes, it is proper to give some account of that singular nation, the first, and, with one other exception, the only people encountered by Europeans in the New World, possessed of regular government, illustrated by national history, and adorned with the arts of civilization. CHAPTER II. THE MEXICAN ABORIGINES.THEIR ORIGIN AND THE original inhabitants of ancient Mexico were so unlike the timid and unsophisticated islanders with whom the Spanish discoverers of America first held intercourse, that the early historians of the Conquest, themselves partakers in the enterprise, were at a loss for language in which to express their admiration. The dim and uncertain records and traditions of the natives throw little light upon the question of their origin, and of the rise and progress of their civilization. It appears that, at a remote period, the nation of the Toltecs migrated from some unknown northern region to the beautiful Valley of Mexico; and that, after a period of power and prosperity, they became reduced by pestilence and other causes, and were succeeded or driven off by the barbarous Chichimecas. These, in turn, gave place to the seven tribes of the Nahuatlacas, to which nation belonged the tribe of the Aztecs, the possessors of the country at the period of European discovery. The foundation of their capital upon the lake was commenced, according to their chronology, in the year 1325. The Aztecs, like their predecessors, came originally from the north, and in their gradual progress southward formed many temporary settlements upon the route at least the character of the ruins still to be seen between the Valley and the borders of Upper California appears to corroborate the national tradition of the migration. Of their general physical conformation, the following brief description, given by Pritchard, in his Natural History of Man, from Clavigero, will suffice: "The Mexicans are of a good stature, generally rather exceeding than falling short of the middle size, and well proportioned in all their limbs. They have good complexions, narrow foreheads, black eyes, clean, firm, regular white teeth; thick, black, coarse, glossy hair; thin beards, and generally no hair upon their legs, thighs, and arms: their skin is of an olive colour. "There is scarcely a nation upon earth in which there are fewer persons deformed; and it would be more difficult to find a single hump-backed, lame, or squint-eyed man among a thousand Mexicans than among a hundred of any other nation. Among the young women of Mexico, there are many very beautiful and fair; whose beauty is rendered more attractive by the sweetness and natural modesty of their behaviour." Their mental capacity was, without doubt, greatly superior to that of the wilder races of North America. Their architectural skill and their proficiency in the mechanic arts gave proof of no small measure of ingenuity, industry, and enterprise, and notwithstanding the ferocious cruelty and loathsome cannibalism attendant upon their strange system of religion, they evinced, in many respects, a refinement, a moral purity, and an intuitive perception of the proprieties of life, superior to that of their European contemporaries. A general idea of the national character and customs can be gathered from the detail of the events of the conquest. The succession to the crown was not entirely hereditary, but depended upon the decision of four electors, from among the nobles, who were to decide which of the deceased monarch's brothers, or nephews should be elevated to the vacant office; a peculiarity, so far as regards the exclusion of lineal descendants, singularly uniform among the aborigines of America. There appears to have existed a body of powerful nobles, each despotic within his own district, who held their estates or offices by a feudal tenure of military service. The king originated all laws, but the chief magistrates, or judges to whom was confided their administration, although appointed by the crown, held office for life, and from their decision there was no appeal. The criminal code was severe, and severely enforced; many offences generally consid ered as venial being punishable by death. As far as can be gathered from the uncertain accounts of the old historians, an established order and system was observable in the whole machinery of government, in the collection of revenue, and the administration of the laws. The splendour of the monarch's court, with the punctilious etiquette and wearisome ceremonial by which he maintained his dignity, are described at great length in the early accounts of Mexico. No prince ever exacted or received more obsequious homage from his nobles and attendants; and, as may well be supposed, these subordinates were not behind-hand in ostentation and parade in the presence of their inferiors. In the Mexican system of religion and religious ceremonial were seen the strangest incongruities and contradictions. In several particulars most striking coincidences appeared between their forin of worship and their code of morals, and those of the Christian religion, in hideous contrast to which stands out their horrible custom of human sacrifice and cannibalism. The extent to which this was practiced cannot now be correctly ascertained: early computations present such remarkable discrepancies that we are at a loss in arriving at the truth, but it is generally agreed that the annual number of victims, about the time of the conquest, must be computed by thou sands. These were, for the most part, prisoners taken in war or exacted from some subordinate kingdom or province, as an atone ment for national offences. At the celebration of any great occurrence, as the demise of the crown, or the dedication of a temple, immense numbers of prisoners were slaughtered, and their remains were piled in order as ghastly memorials of the event. It is true that in some instances the Spanish invaders may have mistaken an ordinary cemetery for a place of deposit devoted exclusively to the victims of sacrifice. A great variety of ceremonials preceded the ordinary performance of this religious rite, but the mode of death was commonly the same. At the summit of the pyramidal temple, where was enshrined the image of the deity to which it was devoted, the victim was stretched upon a large block of stone, and there held by the assistant priests, while the chief official cut open his breast with a sharp stone, and tore out the heart. The body was afterwards prepared for food, and devoured with much ceremony at a grand entertainment. "This was not," says Prescott, "the coarse repast of famished cannibals, but a banquet teeming with delicious beverages and delicate viands, prepared with art and attended by both sexes, who, as we shall see hereafter, conducted themselves with all the decorum of civilized life. Surely, never were refinement and the extreme of barbarism brought so closely in contact with each other!" De Solis speaks of the "Rites and Ceremonies of these miserable Heathens," as "shocking and horrible both to Reason and Nature-incongruous, stupid Absurdities, which seemed altogether incompatible with the Regularity and admirable Oeconomy which was observed in the other parts of that government; and would scarce be believed, were not Histories full of Examples of the like Weaknesses and Errors of Human Capacities in other Nations, who are no less blind, tho' in Parts of the World where they have the Means of being more enlighten'd." The Aztecs had no system of writing, except by the hieroglyphic paintings and symbols so generally adopted by a semi-barbarous people. These were executed upon skins, cotton cloth, or a species of paper; and great numbers of books and rolls containing the records of the empire were carefully preserved, until they were mostly involved in the universal destruction consequent upon the success of the Spaniards. Those which still exist have been subjected to careful and critical investigation, and although the key to most of them is lost, probably beyond hope of recovery, some light has been thrown upon Mexican history and civilization by the rude devices whose meaning has been partially deciphered. The astronomical attainments of the natives were extremely limited; so much so as to excite surprise when compared with the wonderful accuracy of their chronological cycles. They had devised a system of computation by which the length of the year was so precisely defined that, according to Prescott, "more than five centuries must elapse before the loss of an entire day. Such was the astonishing precision displayed by the Aztecs, or, perhaps, by their inore polished Toltec predecessors, in these computations, so difficult as to have baffled, till a comparatively recent period, the most enlightened nations of Christendom." In the mechanic arts they had made great proficiency; labouring under the disadvantage of entire ignorance of the use of iron, and compelled to resort to an alloy of copper, tin, &c., they erected 'such massive edifices of hewn stone as to astonish those familiar with the magnificent monuments of the old world. Enormous masses of rock were transported from quarries many miles distant from the edifices for whose construction they were prepared, and this without the aid of beasts of burden. To the skill of the Mexican goldsmiths and lapidaries the contemporary artisans of Europe bore witness, confessing their own inferiority in certain branches of the profession. The extraordinary beauty of workmanship which enhanced the value of their plundered treasures, excited admiration even at the court of Spain. Although polygamy was allowed, the tie of marriage was deemed as sacred among the Aztecs as with the Christian nations of Europe, and the women were generally treated with a respect and tenderness unknown in a purely barbarous community. Slavery was one of the established institutions of the country, but the master was not allowed an absolute power over the servant, whose privileges were secured by many restrictive provisions of the laws. It seems that no small number of those who occupied this inferior position entered upon it voluntarily for the sake of securing a maintenance, and among the poor, many relieved themselves from the burden of porting a family by a sale of their children. sup The trade of the com try was carried on altogether by travelling merchants-a class of pedlers occupying a position very different from that of the present day. The goods were borne upon the backs of slaves, themselves a most important portion of the investment. Gold-dust, cacao-nuts, and a species of tin coin served as the medium of currency; but trading operations were extensively conducted. by barter and exchange. Very numerous articles of luxury and comfort-such as rich cloths, feather-work, manufactures from the precious metals, &c.-were in universal use among the wealthier members of society. The variety and excellence of their cookery, and the sumptuous display at their feasts and entertainments, form a copious theme for the Spanish narrators. Drinking and smoking |