CHAPTER VII. THE IMPORTATION OF NEGROES.-MONOPOLIES OF LICENSES. -DEPOPULATION OF THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS. AR otherwise was it with the negroes, the history FAR of whose importation into the Indies we must now resume. They flourished in the new land. It was at first thought that they were nearly immortal, as for some time no one had seen a negro die, except by hanging; and it was noticed that negroes and oranges seemed to have found their natural soil in the island of Hispaniola.* The system of granting monopolies of licenses to import negroes was continued. The reader will recollect that the first monopoly by Charles the Fifth, for which Las Casas has been held so much to blame, was given in the year 1517 to the Governor de Bresa,† the grand master of the king's household, and that it was for the importation of four thousand * "Probaron tan bien los Negros en la Isla Española, que se tuvo por opinion, que si no acontecia ahorcar al Negro, nunca moria, porque no se havia visto ninguno, que de su enfermedad acabase, i así hallaron los Negros en la Española, su propria Tierra, como los Naranjos, que les es mas natural, que su Guinea."-HERRERA, Hist. de las Indias, dec. ii., lib. iii., cap. 14. + Lorens de Gomenot, Governor de Bresa, Baron de Montinay, and Knight of the Golden Fleece. (See Doc. Inéd., tom. xiii., p. 569.) The Governor de Bresa was described as a Fleming in a former part of this work. It appears, however, that he was a Savoyard. The Venetian embassador, Contarini, thus describes him: "Il governatore di Bressa, Savoiardo, è pur egli degli allievi, over creati di madama Margherita. Costui ha l'ufficio di maggiordomo maggiore di Cesare, che è onoratissimo luogo, ed è uomo da bene, religioso, prudente, ma un poco frigido. Costui sempre ha aderito al gran cancelliere in tutti li suoi progressi." -Relazioni, vol. 2o, p. 56. My attention has been drawn to this fact about De Bresa by my Importation of Negroes. 197 negroes in eight years. The next great monopoly was granted in 1523, before the expiration of the first, to the same personage, and it also gave license for the passing to the Indies of four thousand negroes in the course of eight years.* The representatives at court of the different islands remonstrated against this grant, alleging the scarcity of slaves which it had caused. The monopoly was recalled, and instead of it, permission was given for the importation of fifteen hundred negroes (half to be men and half women) to Hispaniola; three hundred to Cuba; five hundred to Porto Rico; three hundred to Jamaica; and five hundred to the province of Castilla del Oro, on the main land. De Bresa was compensated by having assigned to him the customs duties on the fifteen hundred negroes imported into Hispaniola. It was also ordered that, in any household, the negroes should not be more than a fourth of the household, and that the Christians should be well armed.t In 1527 a thousand negroes were allowed to be imported into Cuba. In 1528 another great monopoly was granted to certain Germans for the importation of four thousand negroes.‡ Meanwhile, the Indians of the islands were rapidly friend Mr. James Doyle, whose skill and perseverance in historical research have been often taxed by me throughout this work. * "Lorenço de Garrebod (without doubt, a Spanish version of the name Lorens de Gomenot), mayor-domo mayor del Emperador, tuvo licencia para passar 4000 esclavos negros, hombres, y mugeres, á las Indias, en espacio de ocho años."-HERRERA, Hist. de las Indias, dec. iii., lib. v., cap. 8. (Año, 1523.) + "Se mandó, que nadie pudiesse tener negros, sin que tuviesse la tercera parte de Christianos, que estuviessen bien provehidos de armas, de manera que siempre huviesse las tres partes de Christianos, y una de negros."-HERRERA, Hist. de las Indias, dec. iii., lib. v., cap. 8. "En lo de los negros, el Rey mandó tomar assiento con Enrique Ciguer, y Gerónimo Sailler, Alemanes, para que se llevassen á las In 198 Importation of Negroes. wasting away. The Bishop of St. Domingo in Hispaniola, writing to the Empress in 1531, informs her that the perpetuity of that island, and also of Porto Rico and Cuba, consists in the negroes, and he suggests that they should be imported without license.* This suggestion was also formally recommended by the Audiencia of that island.† In 1537 the Empress is informed that in Cuba very few natives remain. In twenty estancias that were visited, only a hundred and thirty Indians were found, including the Indian slaves that had been imported. The treatment of the negroes seems to have been almost injudiciously lenient. It appears that they had a holiday of four months. In 1542, one of his majesty's chaplains, who had traversed the island of His dias, dentro de cierto tiempo quatro mil esclavos negros.”—Herrera, Hist. de las Indias, dec. iv., lib. iv., cap. 11. * "La perpetuidad desta isla, í aun de San Juan í Cuba consiste en los negros Débese mandar puedan traerlos todos libremente."-'A LA EMPERATRIZ, el OBISPO í PRESIDENTE DE SANTO DOMINGO; de oi 11 de Agosto, 1531. Coleccion de Muñoz, MS., tom. lxxix. + " Quanto á la Isla Española, tambien el Audiencia Real buscava sus remedios para su conservacion: pedia, que se mandasse conceder licencia general de los esclavos negros, pagando solamente los derechos de almoxarifazgo."-HERRERA, Hist. de las Indias, dec. v., lib. ii., cap. 5. + "Este mes de Febrero segun lo mandado por Vuestra Magestad visité las estancias de esta Ciudad para ver como indios í negros eran dotrinados í tratados. Resulta lo que dixe que no haviendo Clérigos no havia dotrina. Parecen pocos Indios. En 20 estancias (que trae la visita original adjunta á esta Carta en 8 foj.) del termino de la Ciudad se quentan 130 entre hombres í mugeres asi naturales libres como de otras partes esclavos (entre quienes entran los que llaman Guanajos), porque solemos embiarlos minas destinando para hacer estancias í haciendas los negros que trabajan como quatro Indios. Los negros son en manera de mas calidad que los Indios. Por lo comun se les da de comer bien. (La comida era Cacabi, boniatos í carne.) Les dan su huelga de 4 meses segun las órdenes."-A LA EMPEratriz, GONZALO DE GUZMAN; desta la Fernandina, 8 Abril, 1537. Coleccion de Muñoz, MS., tom. lxxxi. Importation of Negroes. 199 paniola, informs the Council of the Indies that, according to his belief, there were from twenty-five to thirty thousand negroes in that island, and the number of the masters was twelve hundred.* In 1550, a letter addressed to the Emperor in council informs his majesty that "there is scarcely a single native left in the island," and that, of those Indians who had been brought to the island as slaves, the greater part had fled into the depths of the country, as "the companionship of the Spaniards is abhorred by them." Those that had remained in the town had been educated, and were ladinos. The good intentions of his majesty with regard to the Indians could not, therefore, take effect.† Meanwhile, the negroes were being gradually imported into the New World. In 1536 a monopoly was granted for the introduction of four thousand negroes (one third to be women) in four years.‡ * "Estando yo en esa Corte, sirviendo en la capilla de Su Magestad como Capellan suyo, muchas veces fué preguntado de esta Ysla por la haver andado toda una vez y muchas partes della quatro ó cinco, visitando los lugares indios í españoles. "Creo yo que pasan de 25 ó treinta mil negros los que hai en esta isla, no hai en toda ella mil doscientos vecinos digo que tengan haciendas en el campo í saquen oro á quien yo tengo por vecinos í pobladores."-Al Consejo de Yndias, el ARCEDIANO ALBERTO DE CASTRO; Santo Domingo, 26 Marzo, 1542. Coleccion de Muñoz, MS., tom. lxxxiii. +"'A los Prelados de Santo Domingo San Francisco í Merced de esta Ciudad se dieron las casas para que entendieran en enseñar á los Indios la doctrina í nuestra lengua. Aceptaron con gran boluntad. Pero advertimos que en esta isla no hai casi ninguno de los naturales. De los de afuera esclavos ahora libres, los mas se han hido tierra adentro porque les es aborrecible la compañía de Españoles. Los que en esta Ciudad han quedado son mui ladinos í saben bien la lengua. Algunos hai en hatos de vacas mui lejos. Así que no habrá efecto alguno lo mandado."—Española; al EMPERADOR en el Consejo, LICENCIADO GRAJEDA, HURTADO; Santo Domingo, 30 de Diciembre, de 1550. Coleccion de Muñoz, MS., tom. lxxxv. "Dáseles facultad de llebar á indias 4000 esclavos en 4 años í ven 200 * Importation of Negroes. In July, 1542, a monopoly was granted for the importation into the Indies of twenty-three thousand negroes, and in the same year, in December, we find that the annual importation of negroes into Hispaniola was two thousand, and that for every hundred that entered openly two hundred were introduced secretly.† The money arising from the licenses and customs duties on the importation of the negroes was employed in building the fortress-palaces of Madrid and Toledo. Many of the noted buildings on the earth are of most questionable origin; but these two palaces derlos al precio que puedan, siendo la hembras. En estos 4 años á ninguno se dará licencia de pasar esclavos, salbo si se hace merced alguna para descubrimiento ó Conquista nueva de 100 esclavos í á algun Conquistador í poblador de llebar cada 2 esclavos. "Por ello pagarán en la feria de octubre immediata (esta de Valla dolid, 1536) 26,000 ducados. "Parece no haber tenido efecto porque Alonso Caballero í Gaspar de Torres vecinos de Sevilla proponen lo mismo, refiriéndose á lo que se havia tratado con Rodrigo de Dueñas, con fecha 2 Noviembre, 1536, proponen sobre los 26,000 ducados prestar á Su Magestad otros 14,000 í hai otra minuta de asiento con estos."-Minuta de Asiento de Su MAGESTAD CON ENRIQUE EINGUER (probably Ciguer) Caballero de Santiago í Gentilhombre de la casa del Emperador, í RODRIGO DE DUEÑAS. Coleccion de Muñoz, MS., tom. lxxx. * 66 'Capitulacion del Príncipe con Fernando Ochoa de Ochandiano, cambio en corte en que Su Alteza en nombre de Su Magestad le da 23,000 licencias de esclavos para pasar á Yndias á ocho ducados cada uno í se obliga á que dentro de 7 años no dará otra licencia alguna.”Corte. PRÍNCIPE-CONSEJERO-LOPEZ-SANDOVAL-RIVADENEYColeccion de Muñoz, MS., tom. Al lxxxvi. "Aquí entran anualmente 2000 negros í tráenlos sin registro mas de lo que dicen los Maestres, í si dicen 100, entran doscientos ocultamente."-Española, al EMPERADOR, LICENCIADO ESTEBEZ; Santo Domingo, 10 de Diciembre, de 1552. Coleccion de Muñoz, MS., tom. lxxxvi. "Los dineros destas licencias y derechos que al Rey se dan por ellos, el Emperador asignó para edificar el Alcázar que hizo de Madrid, é el de Toledo, con aquellos dineros ámbas se han hecho."-LAS CAHist. de las Indias, MS., lib. iii., cap. 128. SAS, |