Food and lodging for Indians.

Religious worship.

that the system of encomiendas was to be retained.

In their preamble these legiflators pronounce upon the indolence and depravity of the Indians; and declare that the best thing which can be done at prefent, is to break up the Indian fettlements and to place the Indians in the neighbourhood of the Spaniards: that thus both in body and mind the aborigines will be well cared for.

The laws were to the following effect:The Indians were first to be brought amongst the Spaniards; all gentle means being used towards the Caciques, to perfuade them to come willingly. Then, for every fifty Indians, four Bohios (large huts) fhould be made by their maffters. The Bohios were to be thirty feet in length by fifteen in breadth. Three thoufand montones (the hillocks which were used to preserve the plants from too much moisture*) of yuca, of which they made the caffava bread, two thousand montones of yams, with a certain space for growing pimento and a certain number of fowls, were to be affigned for the living of these fifty Indians.

Every Spaniard who had an encomienda of In

* The Indians planted their potatoes, also, upon hillocks—a circumftance which may be worth heeding in the prefent times. See Oviedo, Hift. Gen. lib. 7, cap. 4.

dians was to make some sort of rude building for a chapel; in it was to be placed an image of the Virgin Mary and a bell. Prayers were to be read morning and evening-the Ave Maria, the Pater Nofter, the Credo and the Salve Regina. Besides this chapel for each encomienda, there was to be built a church for the general neighbourhood, in which mass was to be faid.

the mines.

By these laws it was fettled that the Indians appointed to work at the mines were to stay there Work at five months; then they were to have forty days for holidays to till their ground in; then they were to go to the mines for another five months. Certain regulations follow about the food to be given to the Indians working at the mines or on the Spanish farms. Las Cafas grows furious in condemning the quantity and quality of this food as being utterly inadequate. Amongst other arrangements, certain little fishes called fardines are ordered to be eat on faft-days. Such an order, as Las Cafas fays, was ridiculous; for men employed in fuch labours as the Indians were, would have no time for fishing, and it would have been impoffible to bring a fufficient supply of fish from Spain and convey it into the interior of Hispaniola.

The employment of the Indians in the mines is not only encouraged but infifted upon; for it is

Wages.

Vifitors

ordered that a third part of each encomienda, or if the owner wish it, more than a third part, fhould be fo employed. Thofe Spaniards who were very distant from the mines (one hundred leagues off) were not to be bound by this law. They might, however, be in partnership with those of their countrymen who lived near the mines. And in practice it came to this: that those who lived near the mines furnished provifions, and thofe who lived far off brought Indians; so that this exception to the law only added to the mifery of the natives.

With regard to the wages, it was ordered that one pefo of gold should be given annually to each Indian, to provide clothes with.

Then there was a law in favour of women with child.

Then followed a law which might have led to important results, but little good came of it. It was that Visitors fhould be appointed, two for appointed. each Spanish fettlement; but these Visitors were themselves, to have encomiendas; and therefore we can hardly expect that their proceedings should be confiderate, or even impartial.

Caciques.

The Indian dances were forbidden.

The regulations refpecting the Caciques were, that they should have a certain number of their

Indians fet apart for their service, (never to exceed fix) and the Cacique with his attendants was to go to whatever Spaniard had the greatest number of that Indian Prince's tribe allotted to him. The Cacique and his attendants were not, however, to be idle, but were to be employed in easy and light services. Poor fellows! to come down from governing a people (which they did after their fashion and not fo badly) to looking after fowls!

The above laws were promulgated at Burgos, the 27th of December, 1512. Much cannot be faid in praise of their justice, wisdom, or humanity.

My readers may recollect that the king, on receiving the complaints from the official perfons of St. Domingo against the Dominicans, fent for the Provincial of that order and spoke to him about those sermons of Father Antonio's, doubtless blaming them exceedingly. The Provincial wrote to Peter de Cordova, the head of the Dominicans in St. Domingo; and in confequence of that, or wishing to aid Father Antonio by his presence, Peter de Cordova came over to Spain and presented himself at Court. He was a perfon

of
great repute and authority; and when he had
read these laws of Burgos and had expreffed to
the King his diffatisfaction with them, Ferdinand

S

Laws of

Burgos.

Peter de

Cordova

comes to

court.

Peter de

Cordova will not legiflate

for the Indians.

σε

faid to him "Take upon yourself, then, Father, "the charge of remedying them, you will do me a great fervice therein; and I will order that what you decide upon shall be adopted." "It is "not my profeffion to meddle in fo arduous a matter," the Vicar replied. "I befeech Your Highness, do not command me." And so passed away one of the greatest opportunities of doing good that any man ever had. Those who have taken up a great cause must facrifice even their reserve and their humility to it—often, perhaps, the hardest thing for a good man to do. And, as to responsibility, any one who is not prepared to take all the responsibility that may come of his moving in any matter, can with difficulty justify his moving at all in it. However, let us say as little as poffible against Peter de Cordova, who was a very good man.

As Peter de Cordova would not take the arrangement of the Indian laws upon himself, the King fummoned another Junta with two new theologians in it, to fee if the laws could be ameliorated. Peter de Cordova affifted at this Council; but did not fucceed in doing much, though all that was done, was of very good tendency.

This Junta, in their report suggested certain additions to the laws of Burgos; namely, that