According to Gil Gonzalez Davila, the complete establishment of the American church in all the Spanish fettlements was, in the year 1649, I patriarch, 6 archbishops, 32 bishops, 346 prebends, 2 abbots, 5 royal chaplains, 840 convents. Teatro Ecclefiaftico de las Ind. Occident. vol. i. Pref. When the order of Jesuits was expelled from all the Spanish dominions, the colleges, profeffed houfes, and refidencies, which it poffeffed in the province of New Spain, were thirty, in Quito fixteen, in the New Kingdom of Granada thirteen, in Peru feventeen, in Chili eighteen, in Paraguay eighteen; in all a hundred and twelve. Colleccion General de Providencias hafta acqui tomadas fobre eftranamento, &c. de la Compagnia, part i. p. 19. The number of Jefuits, priefts and novices in all thefe, amounted to 2245. MS. penes me.

In the year 1644, the city of Mexico prefented a petition to the king, praying that no new monaftery might be founded, and that the revenues of thofe already established might be circumfcribed, otherwife the religious houfes would foon acquire the property of the whole country. The request likewife, that the bifhops might be laid under reftrictions in conferring holy orders, as there were at that time in New Spain above fix thoufand clergymen without any living. Id. p. 16. Thefe abufes muft have been enormous indeed, when the fuper

ftition of American Spaniards was fhocked, and induced to remonftrate against them.

NOTE LVIII. p. 309.

This defcription of the manners of the Spanifh clergy, I fhould not have ventured to give, upon the teftimony of proteftant authors alone, as they may be fufpected of prejudice or exaggeration. Gage, in particular, who had a better opportunity than any proteftant, to view the interior state of Spanish America, defcribes the corruption of the church which he had forfaken, with fo much of the acrimony of a new convert, that I fhould have diftrufted his evidence, though it communicates fome very curious and ftriking facts. But Benzoni mentions the profligacy of ecclefiafticks in America at a very early period after their fettlement there. Hift. lib. ii. c. 19, 20. M. Frezier, an intelligent obferver, and zealous for his own religion, paints the diffolute manners of the Spanish ecclefiafticks in Peru, particularly the regulars, in ftronger colours than I have employed. Voy. p. 51. 215, &c. M. Gentil confirms this account, Voy. i. 34. Correal concurs with both, and adds many remarkable circumstances. Voy. i. 61. 155. 161. I have good reason to believe, that the manners of the regular clergy, particularly in Peru, are ftill extremely indecent. Acofta himself acknowledges that great corruption of

manners had been the confequence of per mitting monks to forfake the retirement and difci pline of the cloifter, and to mingle again with the world, by undertaking the charge of the Indian parishes. De procur. Ind. Salute, lib. iv. c. 13, &c. He mentions particularly those vices, of which I have taken notice, and confiders the temptations to them as fo formidable, that he leans to the opinion of those who hold that the regular clergy fhould not be employed as parifh priests. Lib. v. c. 20. Even the ad vocates for the regulars admit, that many and great enormities abounded among the monks of different orders, when fet free from the reftraint of monaftick difcipline; and from the tone of their defence, one may conclude that the charge brought against them was not deftitute of truth. In the French colonies, the ftate of the regular clergy is nearly the fame as in the Spanish fettlements, and the fame confequences have followed. M. Biet, fuperior of the fecular priefts in Cayenne, inquires with no less appearance of piety than of candour, into the causes of this corruption, and imputes it chiefly to the exemption of regulars from the jurisdiction and cenfures of their diocefans; to the temptations to which they are expofed; and to their engaging in commerce. Voy. p. 320. It is remarkable that all the authors, who cenfure the licentioufnefs of the Spanifh regulars with the greatest severity, concur in vindicating

the

the conduct of the Jefuits. Formed under a difcipline more perfect than that of the other monaftick orders, or animated by that concern for the honour of the fociety, which takes fuch full poffeffion of every member, the Jefuits, both in Mexico and Peru, it is allowed, maintained a moft irreproachable decency of manners. Frezier, 223. Gentil, i. 34 The fame praise is likewife due to the bifhops and moft of the dignified clergy. Frez. ibid.

A volume of the Gazeta de Mexico for the years 1728, 1729, 1730, having been communicated to me, I find there a striking confirmation of what I have advanced concerning the spirit of low illiberal fuperftition prevalent in Spanish America. From the news-papers of any nation, one may learn what are the objects which chiefly engross its attention, and appear to it most interefting. The Gazette of Mexico is filled almoft entirely with accounts of religious functions, with defcriptions of proceffions, confecrations of churches, beatifications of faints, feftivals, autos da fé, &c. Civil or commercial affairs, and even the tranfactions of Europe, occupy but a fmall corner in this magazine of monthly intelligence. From the titles of new books, which are regularly inferted, it appears that two-thirds of them are treatifes of fcholaftick theology, or of monkish devotion.

ROBERTSON Vol. III. F f

NORE LIX. p. 310.

Solorzano, after mentioning the corrupt morals of fome of the regular clergy, with that cautious referve, which became a Spanish layman, in touching on a fubject fo delicate, gives his opinion very explicitly, and with much firmness againft committing parochial charges to monks. He produces the teftimony of feveral refpectable authors of his country, both divines and lawyers, in confirmation of his opinion. De Jure Ind. ii. lib. iii. c. 16. A ftriking proof of the alarm excited by the attempt of the Prince d'Efquilachè to exclude the regulars from parochial cures, is contained in the Colbert collection of papers. Several memorials were presented to the king by the procurators for the monaftick orders, and replies were made to these in name of the fecular clergy. An eager, and even rancorous, fpirit is manifeft on both fides, in the conduct of this difpute.

NOTE LX. p. 315,

Not only the native Indians, but the Meftizos, or children of a Spaniard and Indian, were originally excluded from the priesthood, and refufed admiffion into any religious order. But by a law iffued Sept. 28th, 1588, Philip II. required the prelates of America to ordain fuch meftizos born in lawful wedlock, as they