Confultations of the emperor concerning his dominions in America,

During thofe violent convulfions in Peru, the emperor and his minifters were intently employed in preparing regulations, by which they hoped not only to reeftablifh tranquillity there, but to introduce a more perfect fyftem of internal policy into all their fettlements in the New World. It is manifeft from all the events recorded in the hiftory of America, that rapid and extenfive as the Spanish conquefts there had been, they were not carried on by any regular exertion of the national force, but by the occafional efforts of private adventurers. After fitting out a few of the firft armaments for discovering new regions, the court of Spain, during the bufy reigns of Ferdinand and of Charles V, the former the moft intriguing prince of the age, and the latter the most ambitious, was encumbered with fuch a multiplicity of schemes, and involved in war with fo many nations in Europe, that it had not leifure to attend to diftant and lefs interesting objects. The care of profecuting discovery, or of attempting conqueft, was abandoned to individuals; and with fuch ardour did men pufh forward in this new career, on which novelty, the fpirit of adventure, avarice, ambition, and the hope of meriting heaven, prompted them with combined influence to enter, that in lefs than half a century almoft the whole of that

extensive empire which Spain now poffeffes in the New World, was fubjected to its dominion. As the Spanish court contributed nothing towards the various expeditions undertaken in America, it was not intitled to claim much from their fuccefs. The fovereignty of the conquered provinces, with the fifth of the gold and filver, was referved for the crown; every thing elfe was feized by the affociates in each expedition as their own right. The plunder of the countries which they invaded ferved to intemnify them for what they had expended in equipping themselves for the fervice, and the conquered territory was divided among them, according to rules which cuftom had introduced, as permanent establishments which their fuccessful valour merited. In the infancy of those settlements, when their extent as well as their value were unknown, many irregularities efcaped obfervation, and it was found neceffary to connive at many exceffes. The conquered people were pillaged with deftructive rapacity and their country parcelled out among its new mafters in exorbitant fhares, far exceeding the higheft recompence due to their fervices. The rude conquerors of America, incapable of forming their eftablifhments upon any general or extensive plan of policy, attentive only to private intereft, unwilling to forego prefent gain from the prospect of remote or publick benefit, feem to have had no object but to amafs fudden

wealth, without regarding what might be the confequences of the means by which they acquired it. But when time at length discovered to the Spanish court the importance of its American poffeffions, the neceffity of new modelling their whole frame became obvious, and in place of the maxims and practices prevalent among military adventurers, it was found requifite to fubftitute the inftutions of regular government.

One evili n particular called for' an immediate remedy. The conquerors of Mexico and Peru imitated the fatal example of their coun trymen fettled in the islands, and employed themselves in fearching for gold and filver with the fame inconfiderate eagerness. Similar effects followed. The natives employed in this labour by mafters, who in impofing tasks had no regard either to what they felt or to what they were able to perform, pined away and perifhed fo faft, that there was reafon to apprehend that Spain, inftead of poffeffing countries peopled to fuch a degree as to be fufceptible of progreffive improvement, would foon remain proprietor only of a vaft uninhabited defert.

The emperor and his minifters were so senfible of this, and fo folicitous to prevent the extinction of the Indian race, which threatened to render their acquifitions of no value, that from time to time various laws, which I have mentioned, had been made for fecuring to that unhappy people more gentle and equitable treat

ment. But the diftance of America from the feat of empire, the feebleness of government in the new colonies, the avarice and audacity of foldiers unaccustomed to restraint, prevented these falutary regulations from operating with any confiderable influence.

The perfons with whom he advifes.

The evil continued to grow, and at this time the emperor found an interval of leisure from the affairs of Europe to take it into attentive confideration. He confulted not only with his minifters and the members of the council of the Indies, but called upon feveral perfons who had refided long in the New World, to aid them with the refult of their experience and obfervation. Fortunately for the people of America, among these was Bartholomew de las Cafas, who happened to be then at Madrid on a miffion from a chapter of his order at Chiapa. f) Though, fince the mifcarriage of his former schemes for the relief of the Indians, he had continued fhut up in his cloifter, or occupied in religious functions, his zeal in behalf of the former objects of his pity was fo far from abating, that, from increafed knowledge of their fufferings, its ardour had augmented. He feized eagerly this opportunity of reviving his favourite maxims concerning the treatment

f) Remefal Hift, de Chiapa p. 146.

इ

of the Indians.

With the moving eloquence natural to a man on whofe mind the scenes which he had beheld had made a deep impreffion, he defcribed the irreparable wafte of the human fpecies in the New World, the Indian race almoft totally fwept away in the iflands in lefs than fifty years, and haftening to extinction on the continent with the fame rapid decay. With the decifive tone of one strongly prepoffefled with the truth of his own fyftem, he im puted all this to a fingle caufe, to the exactions and cruelty of his countrymen, and contended that nothing could prevent the depopulation of America, but the declaring of its natives to be freemen, and treating them as fubjects, flaves. Nor did he confide for the fuccefs of this propofal in the powers of his oratory alone. In order to enforce them, he compofed his famous treatise concerning the deftruction of America, g) in which he relates, with many horrid circumftances, but with apparent marks of exaggerated defcription, the devaftation of every province which had been visited by the Spaniards.

not as

His folicitude to introduce a general reformation of government.

The emperor was deeply afflicted with the recital of fo many actions fhocking to hu

g) Remefal, p. 192. 199.