In 1517, Francisco Fernandez de Cordova discovered the province of Yucatan and the Bay of Campeachy, but soon afterwards, like Ponce de Leon, was mortally wounded by the natives. The pilot of Fernandez in the following year conducted another squadron to the same shores, under the command of Grijalva. The amount of gold which was here collected, and the costly presents of the unsuspecting natives together with the rumours of the magnificent empire of Montezuma, excited the general imagination, and led to the enterprise of Cortes. While events were thus opening the way for the conquest of Mexico, seven wealthy men of St. Domingo, at the head of whom was Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, despatched two vessels as slavers to seek for labourers in their mines and plantations. These ships were driven northward from the Bahamas by adverse winds upon the coast of Carolina, which they called Chicora; they anchored at the Cambahee river, to which they gave the name of Jordan. The natives received them with great kindness, being new to the sight of Europeans, and visited their ships in crowds, both with curiosity and good faith, but when they were all below, the hatches were suddenly closed, and the perfidious Spaniards sailed away. One of these ships was lost, the captives in the other refused food, and died of starvation and distress of mind. Again de Ayllon sailed with three ships to the newly-discovered Chicora, of which he was appointed governor, intending now to take formal possession. But the largest of his ships was stranded and lost at the mouth of the river Cambahee, and he himself, though received with apparent kindness by the natives, narrowly escaped with his life, many of his men having been killed, the friendly aspect being merely a feint on the part of the incensed natives to get them more completely into their power. This unsuccessful attempt preyed so severely upon de Ayllon’s heart as to cause his death. But now let us return to the discoveries of Francisco Fernandez de Cordova and Grijalva on the northern coast of Yucatan. On approaching the shore, the Spaniards had been astonished to find no longer rude and half-clad savages, but people well dressed in cotton garments, and dwelling apparently in edifices of stone. They were of a bold and martial character, and received the strangers with demonstrations of hostility. Cordova being, as we have said, wounded, his expedition hastened back to Cuba, only however to be followed by a second, when the southern coast of Mexico was discovered, and Juan de Grijalva carried home with him a large amount of treasure obtained by traffic with the natives. Valesquez, the governor of Cuba, highly pleased with the result of this expedition, resolved on the conquest of this rich country, and hastily fitted out an armament of eleven vessels for this purpose, giving the command to Fernando Cortes.