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Romance and Poetry: Spaniards

The Spaniards had propagated wild stories of the wealth that abounded in the southern hemisphere. There was much truth, however, in these reports. In 1511 Cortes had set forth on his expedition to Mexico. Among the instructions given him by the Spanish Government was-"after using his best efforts for the conversion of the Indians, to impress upon them the grandeur and goodness of his royal master, to invite them to give their allegiance, and to manifest it by regaling him with such comfortable presents of gold and precious stones as, by showing their own goodwill, would secure his favour and protection." The latter recommendation was, no doubt, to be more deeply impressed on the Indians than the former. Accordingly, Cortes received magnificent presents from Montezuma, the Mexican Emperor, including a vast quantity of precious stones.