before the statesmen moft anxious for humanity will be able to reduce this gigantic evil in the leaft. We may notice again that the firft repartimientos made by Columbus were very different in principle to the encomiendas of Ovando, though in practice the two things might ultimately have come to much the fame refult. Columbus apportioned to any Spaniard, whom he thought fit, fuch and fuch lands, to be worked by such a Cacique and his people-a very different procedure to giving men-a feudal fyftem as Muñoz juftly calls it, not a system of slavery.

Let no one say that the Indians were to be blamed for keeping away from the Spaniards, or that this averfion of theirs to join their invaders, shewed any inaptness for civilization. Such arguments were of great force in those days, but are worth nothing. These Indians were in the main well off before: and what did the fo-called civilization of the Spaniards offer them? What peace, what love, what beauty or holiness of life did they fee amongst the Spaniards that should have temptany fane Indian to wish to be amongst these new

ed

-especially to take up the part of servants to them? The civilized man did not then poffefs those fire-waters which are now so potent in attracting and clearing off the favages adjacent to

the outskirts of civilization. The Indians had already what distraction could be got out of certain herbs and fruits, and were not obliged to go to the Spaniards for thofe alluring infanities. The implements, drefs and toys of the Spaniards might have had some attraction for the Indians, but furely not enough to conquer their reasonable distaste for Spanish bloodhounds. And as for any inducements which the Spanish religion held out to the Indians, we may judge how far they were understood, or estimated, by the story of Hatuey, Cacique of a part of Cuba, who kept spies at Hifpaniola to tell him of the goings on there of the Spaniards. He feared that they would come, as they afterwards did, to his territory; fo calling his people together, and recounting the cruelties of the Spaniards, he said that they did all these things for a great lord whom they loved much, which lord he would now show to

them. Forthwith he produced a small basket Idol of the filled with gold. "Here is the lord whom they Christians. "ferve and after whom they go, and, as you

"have heard, already they are longing to pass "over to this place, not pretending more than to "feek this lord; wherefore, let us make to him "here a festival and dances, fo that when they "come, he may tell them to do us no harm."*

The Indians approved this counsel and danced round the gold till they were exhausted, when the Cacique turned to them and said that they should not keep the god of the Christians anywhere, for were it even in their entrails, it would be torn out, but that they should throw it in the river, that the Christians might not know where it was. "And fo," fays the account," they threw it.”

There is something fo ironical in this story that it almost looks as if it had been intended by fome good Dominican as a fatire on his parishioners; and it may have crept into history without good warrant. Still we shall probably not be wrong in concluding that the inducements held out either by the religion, or the polity, which the Spaniards exhibited in the Indies were not fuch as to lead any Indian to give up his freedom willingly and come and live in fellowship with them and their dogs. An impartial obferver would have thought much more slightly of the mental powers of the Indians if they had shown this willingness and he would have pronounced those Indians the wisest

* Veis aqui fu feñor a este firven, y tras efte andã, y como aueys oydo, ya quieren passar aca, no pretendiendo mas de buscar este feñor, y por tanto hagamos le aqui fiefta, y bayles, porque quando vengan, les diga que no nos hagã mal. Herrera, Hift. de las Indias, dec. 1, lib. 9, cap. 3.

who betook themselves at once to the remoteft and most inacceffible parts of the island, or by war or artifice, strove to the uttermost to get rid of their invaders.

Before Los Reyes had authorized Ovando to give repartimientos of the peaceful Indians of Hifpaniola, the monarchs had iffued an edict allowing the capture of Cannibals when rebels. In this edict are recounted the steps that had previously been taken on behalf of these Cannibals,— how it had been forbidden to capture them, how some that had been captured had been sent back; yet as they still perfevere in their idolatrous and cannibal ways, (idolatrando y comiendo los dichos Indios) it is now declared by Ifabella that if the Cannibals will not receive her Captains and listen to them in order to be inftructed in the Faith, and to be in her fervice and under her fway, they may be made captives of.* As might be expected, this permiffion to capture Cannibals led to great abufe.

But we must return to Hispaniola, where worse things than capturing Cannibals are about to take place. Before entering, however, upon that part of Ovando's administration, which it is

* Navarrete, Col. Doc. Dip. vol. 2, p. 414.

impoffible not to condemn, we must premise that in his government of the Spaniards he seems to have been exceedingly successful. He fully acted up to Ferdinand's advice of coming down upon malefactors like a thunderbolt. If there were a turbulent perfon, an incipient Roldan for instance, Ovando would fend for him on some fair pretext, just when there happened to be veffels returning to Spain. Then inviting him to dinner, he would talk with him about his neighbours and their eftates, and enquire on what terms they lived with each other. The unwary colonist exults in thinking that he is now in high favour Ovando's with the Governor and likely to have more Indians mode of weeding allotted to him: when fuddenly Ovando turns the Coloupon him with this question. "In which of "thofe fhips (probably visible from where they were fitting) would you like to go to Caftile?" The rofy look of a man who thinks he shall get more Indians changes to the paleness of one who is about to be fent home ruined to his friends. He falteringly asks "why, my Lord?" The ftern Comendador Mayor answers "You have nothing elfe to do but to go.' "But, my Lord, I have not the wherewithal, not even for my paffage." "It fhall be my care to provide for that" answers the Governor and in this fummary manner he

ny.