bring the affairs of the kingdom into good order. B. XIX. He made arrangements, as he had done before at Ch. 8. Cusco, for the teaching and conversion of the Indians. He ordered a general inspection of encomiendas to be undertaken, in order to settle the tribute which the Indians should pay to their encomenderos. He gathered a large sum of money (a million and a half of castellanos) to carry back with him to the Emperor. And, finally, having remained about seventeen months at Lima, during which time many encomiendas had become vacant, he prepared a second Act of repartition, which was A second not to be opened until eight days after his departure. He was thus enabled to leave everybody in hopes of obtaining some gratuity, and, for his own part, to escape personal importunity and blame. repartition. Two days before he left Lima, there arrived a despatch from Charles the Fifth, in which the Emperor ordered that all personal service amongst the Indians should be abolished. But the cautious President, seeing that "the state of the country was brittle as glass,"* and knowing how ready the Spanish colonists were for rebellion, took upon himself to suspend the execution of The Presithe Royal order about personal service. This he pends the did on the ground that he was going to inform specting his Majesty of the state of the country, and service. would learn from the Emperor's own lips what he might determine in this matter. The President set sail at the beginning of February, 1550. He narrowly escaped being "Que la tierra estava tan vidriosa." dent sus order re personal Ch. 8. the Presi dent to 282 Return of the President to Spain. B. XIX. seized on his way to Spain by the brothers Contreras, sons of the late Governor of Nicaragua, Return of and grandsons of Pedrarias Davila, who were in revolt. The President's good fortune, however, held by him to the last. The brothers Contreras were defeated, and the Président, with all his treasure, reached Spain in safety. The Emperor had already, in his absence, conferred upon him the bishopric of Palencia. Philip the Second afterwards translated him to the bishopric of Siguenza, which he held until his death in 1567, being one of the few conquerors (for so he may be termed), of the New World, who died peaceably, in the enjoyment of a well-earned reputation. CHAPTER IX. THE REBELLIONS OF SEBASTIAN DE CASTILLA AND FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ DE GIRON. SOME of the Spanish historians have an easy B. XIX. way of accounting for the troubles which continued to beset that unfortunate country, Peru. They say that these troubles proceeded from the instigation of the Devil, who thus sought to prevent the propagation of "the true faith." More obvious causes, however, were at work to prevent the pacification of Peru. There had been one rebellion about that clause in the New Laws which revoked the grant of encomiendas; and there was now to be another rebellion about the clause which forbade the personal service of the Indians. of them who had The President's second repartition was not more successful than his first; and, in truth, it would have been impossible to satisfy the conquerors of Peru. There might have been a few been true to the Royal cause throughout; but these were probably very obscure persons. Almost Almost every person of any note had been concerned in some transaction that was very questionable; and, in the feuds of the Almagros and Pizarros, the attack upon the Royal authority in the person of Blasco Ch. 9. 284 Mendoza appointed Viceroy of Peru. B. XIX. Nuñez Vela, and, finally, the rebellion of GonCh. 9. zalo Pizarro, there had been such a complication Mendoza appointed Peru. 1551. of violence, treachery, and treason, that every man had some reason to urge why another man should not meet with much favour from the Crown. The Royal Officers might have availed themselves of this diversity of opinion; and, observing the old maxim, "Divide et impera," might have succeeded in governing these turbulent colonists, had there not been one subject which tended to unite them. They all wished to get as much labour and profit as possible out of the conquered races. The captain who had been true to Gonzalo Pizarro, might look upon Pedro de Hinojosa and Lorenzo de Aldana as shameful traitors, but he had no doubt that they should have all possible usufruct from their encomiendas. Who was to build, to plant, or to work at the mines, but the native Indian? On the other hand the Court of Spain was religiously determined to favour and protect the Indians in every possible way. It was inevitable that another collision must come. The Viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza, who had Viceroy of governed New Spain admirably, was, by the advice of the President Gasca, chosen by Charles the Fifth for a new command; and was ordered to proceed from Mexico to Peru, and to take the government of that country. He arrived on the 12th of September, 1551, but unfortunately in a state of health so broken that his great experience and sagacity were not long employed for the benefit of Peru. Royal Order respecting Personal Service. 285 He had been but a short time in Lima when a B. XIX. Ch. 9. certain man, named Baltazar de Zarate, brought to him a Royal order, which in fact legalized a monopoly, declaring that this man alone should be empowered for the next ten years to bring camels to Peru. This Royal order was grounded on the supposition that there was no longer any such thing as personal service in that country. It was, therefore, supposed in Spain that these camels would be especially useful as beasts of burden, to replace the services of the Indians. It will be remembered that the President, just before he left Lima, had received a Royal order touching personal service, and had ventured to suspend the execution of it. There came also, according to HERRERA, a letter from Las Casas to the Head of the Dominicans in Peru, in which he said that he wondered that the Auditors had not executed the Royal order about personal service. This letter was shown to the Auditors. They resolved that the Emperor's original order should be promulgated. The Viceroy Mendoza remonstrated, thinking that the time had not yet come for the publication of so dangerous a document; but, the Auditors pressing the question, he replied that he would neither approve nor disapprove; that they must do in the matter what seemed good to them; and, accordingly, the obnoxious document was promulgated. This occurred on the 23rd of June, 1552. The Publication of the Royal Viceroy died in the following month, and the order re Auditors were left to bear the consequences of specting their bold publication of the Royal order. As service. might be expected, this proceeding caused great 1552. personal June, |