fhould find to be properly qualified, and to permit them to take the vows in any monaftery where they had gone through a regular noviciate. Recopil. lib. i. tit. vii. 1. 7. Some re

gard feems to have been paid to his law in New Spain; but none in Peru. Upon a reprefentation of this to Charles II. in the year 1697, he iffued a new edict enforcing the observation of it, and profeffing his defire to have all, his fubjects, Indians and Meftizos as well as Spaniards, admitted to the enjoyment of the fame privileges. Such, however, was the averfion of the Spaniards in America to the Indians, and their race, that this seems to have produced little effect; for in the year 1725, Philip V. was obliged to renew the injunction in a more peremptory tone. But fo unfurmountable are the hatred and contempt of the Indians among the Peruvian Spaniards, that the prefent king has been conftrained to enforce the former edicts anew by a law, published September 11, 1775. Real Cedula, MS. penes me.

NOTE LXI. p. 320.

Uztariz, an accurate and cautious calculator, feems to admit, that the quanity of filver which does not pay duty may be stated thus high. According to Herrera, there was not above a third of what was extracted from Poto

Ffa

fi that paid the king's fifth. Dec. viii. lib. i. C. 15. Solorzano aflerts likewife, that the quantity of filver which is fraudulently circulated, is far greater than that which is regularly ftamped, after paying the fifth. De Ind. jure, vol. ii. lib. V. p. 846.

NOTE LXII. p. 324.

When the mines of Potofi were difcovered in the year 1545, the veins were fo near the furface, that the ore was eafily extracted, and fo rich that it was refined with little trouble and at fmall expence, merely by the action of fire. This fimple mode of refining by fufion alone continued until the year 1574, when the ufe of mercury in refining filver, as well as gold, was discovered. Thofe mines having been wrought without interruption for two centuries, the veins are now funk fo deep, that the expence of extracting the ore is greatly increased. Befides this, the richness of the ore, contrary to what happens in moft other mines, has become lefs, as the vein continued to dip, and has diminished to fuch a degree, that one is amazed that the Spaniards fhould perfift in working it. Other rich mines have been fucceffively discovered, but in general the value of the ores has decreased fo much, while the expence of extracting them has augmented, that the court of Spain, in the year 1736, reduced the duty payable to the king from a fifth to a tenth.

All the quickfilver used in Peru, is extracted from the famous mine of Guancabelica discovered in the year 1563. The crown has referved the property of this mine to itself; and the perfons who purchafed the quickfilver, paid not only the price of it, but likewise a fifth, as a duty to the king. But, in the year 1761, this duty on quickfilver was abolifhed, on account of the increase of expence in working mines. Ulloa, Entretenemientos, xii XV. Voyage, i. p. 505, 523. In confequence of this abolition of the fifth, and fome fubfequent abatements of price, which became neceffary on account of the increafing expence of working mines, quick filver, which was formerly fold at eighty pefos the quintal, is now delivered by the king at the rate of fixty pefos, Campomanes Educ. Popul, i. 132, Note. The duty on gold is reduced to a twentieth, or five per cent. Any of my readers who are defirous of being acquainted with the mode in which the Spaniards conduct the working of their mines, and the refinement of the ore, will find an accurate defcription of the ancient method by Acofta. Lib. iv. c. I 13. And of their recent more improvements in the metallurgick art, by Gamboa Comment. a las ordenanz. de minas, c. 22.

NOTE LXIII p. 327.

Many remarkable proofs occur of the advanced state of industry in Spain, at the begin

ning of the fixteenth century. The number of cities in Spain was confiderable, and they were peopled far beyond the proportion that was common in other parts of Europe. The caufes of this I have explained, Hift. of Char. V. i. 210. Wherever cities are populous, that fpecies of induftry which is peculiar to them increases, artificers and manufacturers abound. The effect of the American trade in giving activity to these is manifeft, from a fingular fact. In the year 1545, while Spain continued to depend on its own induftry, for the fupply of its colonies, fo much work was befpoken from the manufacturers, that it was fuppofed they could hardly finish it in lefs than fix years. Campom. i. 406. Such a demand must have put much induftry in motion, and have excited extraordinary efforts. Accordingly, we are informed, that in the beginning of Philip II.'s reign, the city of Seville alone, where the trade with America centered, gave employment to no fewer than 16,000 looms in filk or woollen work, and that above 130,000 perfons had occupation in carrying on thofe manufactures. Campom. ii. 472. But fo rapid and pernicious was the operation of the caufes which I fhall enumerate, that before Philip III. ended his reign, the looms in Seville were reduced to 400. Uztariz, c. 7.

Since the publication of the first edition, I have the fatisfaction to find my ideas concern

ning the early commercial intercourfe between Spain and her colonies confirmed and illuftrated by D. Bernardo Ward, of the Junta de Comercio at Madrid in his Proyecto Economico, Part ii. c. 1.,, Under the reigns of Charles V. and Philip II." fays he,,, the manufactures of Spain and of the Low Countries fubject to her dominion were in a moft flourishing state. Thofe of France and England were in their infancy. The republick of the United Provinces did not then exift. No European power but Spain had colonies of any value in the New World. Spain could fupply her fettlements there with the productions of her own foil, the fabricks wrought by the hands of her own artifans, and all she received in return for these belonged to herself alone. Then the exclufion of foreign manufactures was proper, because it might be rendered effectual. Then Spain might lay heavy duties upon goods exported to America, or imported from it, and might impofe what reftraints fhe deemed proper upon a commerce entirely in her own hands, But when time and fucceffive revolutions had occafioned an alteration in all thofe circumstances, when the manufactures of Spain began to decline, and the demands of America were fupplied by foreign fabricks, the original maxims and regulations of Spain fhould have been accommodated to the change in her fituation. The policy that was wife at one period, became abfurd in the other. "