第14章

TheofficialcapitalwasplacedatCandelaria，ontheeastbankoftheParana。InthattowntheSuperiorofthemissionshadhisofficialresidence，andfromthenceheruledthewholeterritory，havingnotonlytheecclesiasticalbutthetemporalpower，thelatter，fromthepositioninwhichhewasplaced，somanyhundredmilesfromanySpanishGovernor，havingbydegreesgraduallycomeintohishands。

ThelittletownofLaCandelariawas，whenIknewit，inamostneglectedstate。ThebuildingsoftheJesuits，withtheexceptionofthechurch，wereallinruins。

Thestreetsweresandyanddeserted，thefoot

walkseparatedfromthembyalineofhard

woodposts，which，astraditionsaid，werelefttherebytheJesuits；butthehardwoodsofParaguayarealmostasimperishableasiron。

Inall，themissionsamountedtothirty；andfortheirrelativesituationsvidethecuriousmap[notavailableinthisASCIItext]，theoriginalofwhichwaspublishedintheworkofPadrePedroLozano，C。deJ。，`Descripcionchorographicadelterreno，rios，arbolesyanimalesdelasdilatadissimasprovinciasdelGranChaco，Gualanba"，etc。

Cordoba，delTucuman，enelColegiodelaAssumpcion，porJosephSantosBalbas，1733。

A`balsa"

thatis，aflyingbridgeworkedbyacable

pliedfitfullyacrosstheParanatoYtapua，alsoalittleex

Jesuittownupontheotherside。Eachshophadasignoutside，aswasthecaseinEnglandahundredyearsago。Indianssuppliedtheplacewithvegetables，floatingdownincanoespiledupwithfruit，withflowers，withsweetpotatoes，andreturninghomeempty，orfortheircargothreeorfourtinpails，alooking

glass，orotherofthemarvelswhichEuropesendsasasampleofhermanufacturestolittlefrontiertowns。

Allwasasquiet，orperhapsmuchquieterthaninthetimewhentheSuperioroftheJesuitswasinresidence，andifithadbeennecessary，duringthehothoursofnoon，Godivasbythedozenmighthaveriddendownthestreets，hadtheybeenabletofindhorsesquietenoughtoride，certainthatnooneinthetownwouldlosehisafter

breakfastnaptolookatthem。

IneverymissiontwochosenJesuitslived。Theelder，selectedforhisexperienceofthecountryandknowledgeofthetonguefromamongstthosewhohadbeenrectorsofcollegesorprovincialsoftheOrder，wasvestedwiththecivilpower，andwasresponsibledirecttotheSuperior。

Thesecond，generallystyledcompanion(elCompanero)，actedashislieutenant，andhadfullchargeofallthingsspiritual；

sothattheywereacheckononeanother，andtheirdutiesdidnotclash。

IndifficultiestheSuperiortransmittedorders，likeageneralinthefield，bymountedmessengers，whofrequentlyrodeoverahundredmilesaday，relaysofhorsesalwaysbeingkeptreadyforemergencieseverythreeleaguesupontheroad。

FromLaCandelariaroadsbranchedofftoeveryportionoftheterritory，mostofthemfitforcarts，andallsuperiortothosetrackswhichweretheonlythoroughfaresbuttwentyyearsago。RoadsrantoCorrientes，toAsuncion，othersfromYapeyutotheSaltoGrande，ontheParana。

UpontheUpperUruguaywereabouteightyposts，allguarded，andwithhorsesreadytoequipthemessengers。ButtherewerealsoroadsinthedistrictoftheUpperParana，whichImyselfrememberasawilderness，uncrossed，uncrossable，wheretigersroamedaboutandIndiansshotattheraretravellerwithpoisonedarrowsoutofablow

pipe，whilsttheyremainedunseenintherecessesofthewoods。

InthedistrictsoftheUpperUruguayandParana，besidestheroadsandrelaysofpost

horses，theyhadafleetbothofcanoesandboatsinwhichtheycarried`yerba"andtheotherproductsoftheland。

Thus，withtheirfleetofboatsandofcanoes，theirhighroadsbranchingoutoneveryside，andtheirrelaysofpost

horsesatintervals，mostprobablynoStateofAmericaatthetimehadsuchinteriormeansofcommunicationwiththeseatofgovernment。TheIncasandtheAztecscertainlyhadpostswhocarriedmessagesandbroughtupfishfromthecoastwithgreatrapidity；

butalltheSpanishcoloniescontemporaneouswiththeJesuits"settlementsinParaguayhadfallenintoastateoflethargyandofinteriordecay。

TheroadstheIncasusedinPeruwerefallingfastintodisuse，andittookseveralweekstosendaletterfromBuenosAyrestothePacificcoast。

AletterofacertainJesuit(namelost，butdated1715)saysthattherewereatleasttwothousandcanoesinconstantuseontheParana，andalmostasmanymoreontheUruguay(Brabo，`Inventarios"，etc。)。

Thesystemofinteriorgovernmentinthemissionswasinappearancedemocratic

thatistosay，therewereofficials，asmayors1andcouncillors；

butmostofthemwerenamedbytheJesuits，andallofthem，evenalthoughelected，owedtheirelectionentirelytotheirpriests。

Thissortofthought

suggestedrepresentationwasthemostfittingfortheIndiansatthetime，2andthosewholookintotheworkingsofaCountyCouncilofto

daycannotbutthinkattimesthatthemajorityofthecouncillorswouldhavebeenbetterchosenhadtheelectoratehadthebenefitofsomecontrollinghand，thoughfromwhatquarteritisdifficulttosee。TheproblemwhichmostwritersontheJesuitshavequitemisunderstood，ishowtwoJesuitswereabletokeepamissionofseveralthousandIndiansinorder，andtorulesupremewithoutarmedforces，oranymeansofmakingtheirpowerfeltorofenforcingobediencetotheirdecrees。

Undoubtedly，thedangerouspositioninwhichtheIndiansstood，exposedononesidetothePaulistas，andontheothertotheSpanishsettlers，bothofwhomwishedtotakethemastheirslaves，placedpowerintheJesuits"hands:fortheIndiansclearlyperceivedthattheJesuitsalonestoodbetweenthemandinstantslavery。

MostcontroversialistswhohaveopposedtheJesuitsassertthattheIndiansofthemissionswere，inreality，halfslaves。

Nothingisfurtherfromthetruth，ifoneconsultsthecontemporaryrecords，andremembersthesmallnumberoftheJesuits。TheworktheIndiansdidwasinconsiderable，andundersuchconditionsastodepriveitofmuchofthetoilsomenesswhichisincidenttoanykindofwork。

Theveryessenceofaslave"sestateisbeingobligedtoworkwithoutremunerationforanotherman。NothingwasfartherfromtheIndiansthansuchastateofthings。Theirworkwasdoneforthecommunity，andthoughtheJesuits，withoutdoubt，hadthefulldispositionofallthemoneyearnedincommerce，3andofthedistributionofthegoods，neitherthemoneynorthegoodswereusedforself

aggrandisement，butwerelaidoutforthebenefitofthecommunityatlarge。

Thetotalpopulationofthethirtytownsisvariouslyestimatedfromonehundredandfortytoonehundredandeightythousand，4

and，curiouslyenough，itremainedalmostatthesamefigureduringthewholeperiodoftheJesuitrule。ThisfacthasbeenadducedagainsttheJesuits，andithasbeensaidthattheycouldnothavebeengoodrulers，orthepopulationmusthaveincreased；butthosewhosaysoforgetthattheIndiansofParaguaywereneveringreatnumbers，andthatmostwritersonthewildtribes，asDobrizhoffer5andAzara，remarktheirtendencynevertoincrease。

1Corregidores，regidores，alcaldes，etc。

2Itisnottobesupposed，however，thattheIndianswerekeptinignorance。P。Cardiel(`DeclaraciondelaVerdad"，p。222)，quotingfromtheCedulaRealof1743，saysthat`ineveryoneofthetownsthereisaschoolestablishedtoteachreadingandwritinginSpanish，andthatonthataccountagreatnumberofIndiansaretobemetwhowritewell。"Cardieladds，onthesamepage，`Dosdeellosestancopiandoahoraestoqueyoescribo，ydemejorletraquelamia。"

3DeanFunes(`EnsayoCritico"，etc。)putstheincomefromcommerceofthethirtytownsatahundredthousanddollars，andinformsusthat，aftertaxation(totheCrown)hadbeendeductedfromit，itwasappliedtothemaintenanceofthechurchesandothernecessaryexpenses，andbytheendoftheyearlittleofitremained。

4DonMartindeBarua，inhismemorialtotheKing(1736)，complainingoftheJesuits，putsthenumberoftaxableIndiansatfortythousand。TheCommissionappointedtoexamineintothechargesin1736，whichreportedin1745(areasonableinterval)，affirmedthatthetaxableIndiansonlynumbered19，116。

EachIndianpaidanannualpoll

taxofonedollarayeartotheCrown。

Inadditiontothat，everytowngaveonehundreddollarsayear。

Thesalaryofthepriestswassixhundreddollarsayear(Azara，`Voyagedansl"Ame/riqueMe/ridionale")。

5`AccountoftheAbipones"。London:JohnMurray，1822。

AllthisrelativelylargepopulationofIndianswasruled，ashasbeenseen，byaquiteinconsiderablenumberofpriests，who，notdisposingofanyEuropeanforce，andbeingalmostalwaysonbadtermswiththeSpanishsettlersinParaguayonaccountofthefirmstandtheymadeagainsttheenslavingoftheIndians，hadnomeansofcoercionattheircommand。HencetheIndiansmusthavebeencontentedwiththeirrule，foriftheyhadnotbeensotheJesuitspossessednopowertostopthemfromreturningtotheirsavagelife。Azara，1althoughinthemainanopponentoftheJesuits，inthesamewaythata`goodLiberal"ofto

daywouldopposeanythingofaSocialistictendency，yethasthismostsignificantpassageintheirfavour。AfterenumeratingtheamountoftaxespaidbythemissionstotheCrown，hesays`enfaisantlebilantoutsetrouvaite/gal，ets"ilyavaitquelqueexce/dant，ile/taitenfaveurdesJe/suitesoudespeoplades。"2Seldomenoughdoessucharesulttakeplacewhenthebalanceisstruckto

dayinanycountrybetweentherulersandtheir`taxables"。Followingtheirsystemofperfectisolationfromtheworldtoitslogicalsequence，theJesuitssurroundedalltheterritoriesoftheirdifferenttownswithwallsandditches，andatthegatesplantedaguardtopreventegressoringressbetweenthemissionsandtheouterworld。3

Muchcapitalhasbeenmadeoutofthis，asitisattemptedtobeshownthattheIndiansweretherebytreatedasprisonersintheirownterritories。

Nothing，however，hasbeensaidofthefactthat，iftheditches，palisades，andguard

houseskeptintheIndians，theyalsohadtheeffectofkeepingtheSpaniardsout。WhenmenwholookedupontheIndiansaswithoutreason，andcapturedthemforslaveswhenitwaspossible，begantotalkofliberty，itlooksasifthe`sacrednameofliberty"wasusedbutasastalking

horse

asgreasyTestamentsareusedtoswearuponinpolice

courts，whenthewitness，withhistongueinhischeek，raiseshiseyestoheaven，andthenwithfervencyimprintsakissuponhisthumb。

1`Voyagedansl"Ame/riqueMe/ridionale"。Paris:Denton，1809。

2Pera/mas(`DevitaetmoribussexsacerdotumParaguaycorum，PetrusJoanesAndrea"，lxxxiv。)statesthatitappeared，frompapersleftaftertheirexpulsion，thattheincomeoftheJesuitCollegeofCordobajustpaidtheexpensesofadministration(`eraconescasadiferenciaiguala/losgastos")。

IntheArchivoGeneralofBuenosAyres，legajo`Compan~iadeJesu/s"，thereisadocumentreferredtobyP。HernandezinhisintroductiontotheworkofP。Cardiel(`DeclaraciondelaVerdad")，whichstatesthatintheyearoftheexpulsiontheincomeofthethirtytownsfellalittleshortoftheexpenses。

3Azara，`Voyagedansl"Ame/riqueMe/ridionale"；alsoFunes，`EnsayoCriticodelaHistoriadelParaguay"；andPadreGuevara，`HistoriadelParaguay，RiodelaPlatayTucuman"。

Itwillbeseenthatthecommunismofthemissionswasofalimitedcharacter，and，thoughthelandwascultivatedbythelabourofthecommunity，thattheproductswereadministeredbytheJesuitsalone。Thoughithasbeenstatedbymanypolemicalwriters，suchasIbanezandAzara，andmorerecentlybyWashburne，whowasAmericanMinisterinParaguayduringthewarwithBrazilandtheArgentineRepublic(1866

70)，thattheJesuitshadamassedgreatwealthinParaguay，noproofhaseverbeenadvancedforsuchacharge。CertainlyCardenasmadethesamestatement，butitwasneverinhispowertobringanyconfirmationofwhathesaid。

ThispoweralonewasinthehandsofBucareli(1767)，theViceroyofBuenosAyres，underwhoseauspicestheexpulsionoftheJesuitswascarriedout。ByseveralextractsfromBrabo"sinventories，andbythestatementofthereceiverssentbyBucareli，Ihopetoshowthattherewasnogreatwealthatanytimeinthemissionterritory，andthattheincomewasexpendedintheterritoryitself。

Itmaybethattheexpenditureonchurcheswasexcessive，andalsothatthemoneylaidoutonreligiousceremonieswasnotproductive；

buttheJesuits，strangeasitmayappear，didnotconductthemissionsafterthefashionofabusinessconcern，butratherastherulersofsomeUtopia

thosefoolishbeingswhothinkhappinessispreferabletowealth。

NothingcangiveabetterideaofthewayoflifeofaJesuitpriestandofhisdailylaboursthanthecuriousletterofNicolasNeenguiru，originallywritteninGuarani，butofwhichatranslationisextantintheNationalSpanishArchivesinSimancas:

ArchivoGeneraldeSimancas，Estado，legajo7，450，folios21y22，5a，Copiadelascartas(sinfirma；lasiguienteesdeNicolasNeenguiru/)

quesehallaronenletraGuarani/traducidasporlosinterpreteonombradosenlassorpresahechaalpueblodeSanLorenzoporelCoronelD。JoseJoaquindeViana，GobernadordeMontevideo，eldia20deMayode1756:

`ElmododevivirdelPadrees，cerrarbientodaslaspuertasyquedarseelsolo，suMayordomo，ysumuchacho。SonyaIndiosdeedad，ysoloestosasistensolodediaadentro，ya/lasdocesalenafuera，yunviejoesquiencuidadelaPorteria，yesquienSierralapuertaquandodescansaelPadre，o/quandosaleelPadrea/versuchacara。

Yaunentoncesvansolos，sinoesconunIndiodehedadquienlosgiuaycuidadeelcaballoydespuesdeestoa/misaya/latardealRosariodeMariaSantisimallamandonoscontoquedecampana，yantesdeestoa/losmuchachosymuchachittaslosllamaconunacampa/nillaydespuesdeesoelbuenodeelPadreentrahaensen~arleslaDoctrina，yelpersinarsedeelmismomodo，todoslosdiasdefiestanosPredicalapalabradeDios，delmismomodoelSantoSacramentodelaPenitenciaydelaCommunion，enestascosasseexercittaelbuenodelPadreytodaslasnochessesierralaporteriaylallavesellevaalaposentodelPadreysolosevuelvea/abrirporlaman~anaquandoentraelSachristanyloscosineros……

`LosPadrestodaslasman~anasnosdicenmisas，ydespuesdemisa，sevanasuaposentoyhaicogenunpocodeaquacalienteconYervaynootracosamas；despuesdeestosalealapuertadesuaposentoyahaitodoslosqueoyeronmisasearrimenabesarlelamano，ydespuesdeestosaleafueraaverlosIndiossitrabajanenlosoficiosquecadaunotiene，ydespuessevanasuaposentoaresareloficiodivino，ensulibro，yparaqueDiosleayudeentodassuscosas。Alasoncedeeldiavanacomerunpoquitto，noa/comermuchosolocogecincoplattitosysolobeveunavezelvino，nollenandounvasopequen~o，yaguardientenuncalotomanyelvinonolohaiennuestropueblo，sololotraendelaCandelariasegunloqueenviaelPadreSuperiorlotrahendeaciaBuenosAires……

Despuesquesaledecomeryparadescansaranpoco，ymientrasdescansasalenfueralosqueassistenenlacasadelPadre，ylosquetrabajandentroenalgunasobrasytamvienelSachristanyelcosinero:

todosestossalenfuerayquandonosetocalacampanaestanserradaslaspuertas，ysolounviejoeselquecuidadelaspuertas，yquandovuelvanatocarlacampana，vuelveesteaabrirlasparaquevuelvanaentrarlosquetrabajandentro，yelPadreCogeelBrebiarionoairaparteninguna。

Alatardetocanlacampanillaparaqueserecojanlascriatturas，yentreelPadrea/ensenarlesladoctrinachristiana。"

`Themanneroflivingofthefatheristoshutallthedoors，andremainalonewithhisservantandhiscook(whoareIndiansofaconsiderableage)，andtheseonlywaitonhim；butbydayonly，andattwelveo"clock，theygoout，andanoldmanhascareoftheporter"slodge，anditishewhoshutsthegatewhenthefatherisasleep，orwhenhegoesouttoseehiscultivatedground，andeventhentheygoalone，exceptitbewithanoldIndian，whoguidesthemandattendstothe(father"s)horse；andafterthathegoestoMass，andintheeveningtotheRosaryoftheBlessedVirgin，callingustogetherbythesoundofthebell，andbeforethathecallstheboysandgirlswithasmallbell，andafterthatthegoodfatherbeginstoteachthemdoctrineandhowtocrossthemselves。

Inthesameway，oneveryfeastday，hepreachestoustheWordofGod，inthesamewaytheHolySacramentofPenitenceandoftheCommunion；

inthesethingsdoesthegoodFatheremployhimself，andeverynighttheporter"slodgeisclosed，andthekeytakentotheFather"sroom，whichisonlyopenedinthemorninginorderthatthesacristanandthecooksmayenter……

`TheFatherseverymorningsayMassforus，andafterMasstheygototheirrooms，andthentheytakesomehotwaterand`yerba"(`mate")，andnothingmore；afterthathecomestothedoorofhisapartment，andthenallthosewhoheardMasscometokisshishand，andafterthathegoesouttoseeiftheIndiansarediligentattheirtasks，andafterwardstheygototheirroomtoreadthedivineserviceforthedayinhisbook，andtopraythatGodmayprosperhiminallhisaffairs。

Ateleveno"clocktheygotoeatalittle，nottoeatmuch，forheonlyhasfivedishes，andonlydrinkswineonce，notfillingalittleglass；

andspiritstheyneverdrink，andthereisnowineinourtown，exceptthatwhichisbroughtfromCandelaria，accordingtothatwhichtheSuperiorsends，andtheybringitfromsomewherenearBuenosAires……Afterhehasfinishedeating，torestalittlehegoesintothechurch；afterwards

yes，heretirestorestalittle，andwhilstheisrestingthosewhoworkinthefather"shousegoout，andthosewhodoanykindofindoorwork，andalsothesacristanandthecook:

allthesegoout，andaslongasthebelldoesnotringthedoorsareshut，andonlyanoldmanguardsthegate，andwhentheyringthebellagainheopensthedoorssothatthosewhoworkindoorsmaygoinside，andthefathertakeshisbreviaryandgoesnowhere。Intheeveningtheyringthebellsothatthechildrenmaycomehome，andthefathercomesintoteachthemChristiandoctrine。"

Perhapstheforegoingsimpledescription，writtenbyanIndianinGuarani，andtranslatedbysomeonewhohaspreservedinSpanishallthecuriousinversionsoftheGuarani，presentsasgoodapictureofthedailylifeofamissionpriestinParaguayasanythathaseverbeengiventothepublicbywritersmuchmoreambitiousthanmyselforNeenguiru。NicolasNeenguiru，thewriteroftheletter，afterwardsfiguredinthewaragainstthePortuguese，andseveralofhislettersarepreservedinthearchivesofSimancas，thoughnonesointerestingandsimpleasthatIhavetranscribed。

Dobrizhoffer，inhishistoryoftheAbipones，saysofhimthathewasasimpleIndian，whomoftenhehadseenputinthestocksforpettyfaults；

atanyrate，heseemstohavebeenoneofthoseIndianswhomtheJesuitshadatleastfavourablyimpressedbythesystemtheyemployed。

Afterthemannerinwhichhewrote，hundredsofIndiansmusthavethought，orelsethemissions，placedastheywere，surroundedonallsidesbyenemies，couldnothaveenduredasingleday。Whatwasit，then，whichraisedtheJesuitsupsomanyandsopowerfulenemiesinParaguay，wheninthedistrictsoftheMoxosandtheChiquitoswheretheirpowerwastothefullasgreat，amongsttheIndians，theyneverhadaquarrelwiththeSpaniardstillthedaytheywereexpelled?

Manyandvariouscausescontributedtoalltheyunderwent，butmostundoubtedlytworeasonsmusthavebroughtabouttheirfall。

PerhapstheentireisolationoftheJesuitsinthesetwoprovincesaccountsfortheirabsolutequiet；andifthisisso，itgoesfartoprovethattheywererighttoattemptthesameisolationinParaguay。

ThecomparativenearnessoftheSpanishsettlementsfrustratedtheirattemptsinthisinstance。

SincethetimeofCardenas，thereportthattheJesuitshadrichmines，whichtheyworkedonthesly，hadbeenpersistentlyontheincrease。

Althoughdisprovedathousandtimes，itstillremained；evento

day，inspiteof`science"anditswonderfuldiscoveries，therearemanyinParaguaywhocherishdreamsofdiscoveringJesuitmines。Humanitylovestodeceiveitself，althoughthereareplentyreadytodeceiveit；

andifmencanbothforgeforthemselvesfablesandatthesametimedamagetheirneighboursinsodoing，theirpleasureisintense。

Itakeitthatmanyreallybelievedthestoriesofthemines，beingunabletocreditthatanyonewouldlivefarfromtheworld，surroundedbutbyIndians，foranyotherreasonthantoberich。

Butletacountryhaverichminerals，eveniftheyexistbutinimagination，anditbecomesacrimeagainsthumanitytoshutitup。SothatitwouldappearoneofthereasonswhichinducedhatredagainsttheJesuitswastheideathattheyhadenormousmineralwealth，whicheithertheydidnotworkorelseworkedinsecretforthebenefitoftheirsociety。

Theotherreasonwasthequestionofslavery。Oncegetitwellintoyourheadthatyouandyoursare`reasoningmen"(`gentederazon")，andthatallcolouredpeopleareirrational，andslaveryfollowsasanaturalsequence；for`reasoningmen"havewittomakeagun，andonthegunallreasontakesitstand。FromthefirstinstantoftheirarrivalinAmerica，theJesuitshadmaintainedafirmfrontagainsttheenslavementoftheIndians。TheymayhavehadtheirfaultsinEurope，andinthelargercentresofpopulationinAmerica；

butwheretheycameincontactwiththeIndians，theirswasthesolevoiceraisedupontheirside。

For`reasoningmen"，andhowthismonstroussuperstitionstillprevailsinVenezuela，seethecharmingbookofS。PerezTriana，`DeBogotaalAtlantico"，etc。，pp。156

158(Paris:ImpresaSudAmericana)。

Areallyinterestingbookoftravels，withoutcant，andwithoutaneyeonthepublic。Strangetorelate，theauthorseemstohavekillednothingduringhisjourney。

In1593PadreJuanRomero，sentfromPeruasSuperiortoParaguay，onhisarrivalgaveupanestate(withIndiansin`encomienda")

whichhispredecessorshadenjoyed，allegingthathedidnotwishtogivetheexampleofmakingprofitoutoftheunpaidlabouroftheIndians，

andthatwithouttheirworktheestatewasvalueless。

Charlevoix，bookiv。

Onmanyoccasions，notablyinthetimeofCardenas，theJesuitsopenlywithstoodallslavery，andamongsttheconcessionsthatRuizMontoyaobtainedfromtheKingofSpainwasonedeclaringalltheIndianstobefree。1Ifmoreexamplesofthehatredthattheirattitudeonslaverycalledforthwerewanting，itistoberememberedthatin1640，whenMontoyaandTanoreturnedfromSpain，andaffixedtheedictofthePopeonthechurchdoorsinPiritinanga，threateningwithexcommunicationallslave

holders，acryofrobberywentforth，andtheJesuitswerebanishedfromthetown。

ButinthismatterofslaverythereisnosayingwhatviewanyonegivenmanwilltakeuponitwhenhefindshimselfinsuchacountryasAmericawasduringthetimetheJesuitswereinParaguay。DonFelixdeAzara，aliberalandaphilosopher，amanofscience，andwhohasleftusperhapsthebestdescriptionbothofParaguayandoftheRiverPlate，writtenintheeighteenthcentury，yetwasapartisanofslavery。2

InamostcuriouspassageforaLiberalphilosopher，hesays:3

`TheCourtorderedDonFrancisco，JudgeoftheHighCourtofCharcas，togotoPeruinthecharacterofvisitor。Thefirstmeasurewhichhetook，in1612，wastoorderthatinfuturenooneshouldgototheIndians"houseswiththepretextofreducingthem(i。e。，tocivilization)，andthatno`encomiendas"(fiefs)shouldbegivenofthekindwehaveexplained

thatistosay，withpersonalservice(oftheIndians)。

Icannotunderstandonwhathecouldhavefoundedameasuresopoliticallyabsurd；butasthatjudgefavouredthe`ideasoftheJesuits"，itissuspectedthattheydictatedhisconduct。"

1`ConquistaEspiritual"，RuizMontoya。

2`Voyagedansl"Ame/riqueMe/ridionale"。

3Azara，`ViagealAmericaMeridional"，tomo2，cap12。`Lacorteordeno/aDonFranciscodeAlfarooidordelaAudienciadeCharcaspasaralPeru/encalidaddevisitador。Laprimeramedidaquetomo/en1612fueordenarqueningunoenlosucesivopudieseiracasadeIndios，conelpretextodereducirlos，yquenosediesenencomiendasdelmodoquehemosexplicado，esdecirconserviciopersonal。Noalcanzosobrequepodiafundarseunamedidatanpoliticamenteabsurda:perocomoesteoidorfavorecialas`ideasdelosJesuitas"，sesospecho/queporaqueltiempoqueellosdictaronsuconducta。"

Whatstrongertestimony(comingfromsuchaman)couldpossiblybefound，boththattheJesuitswereopposedtotheenslavingoftheIndiansandthattheiroppositionrenderedthemunpopular?Inthesameway，nodoubt，somemodern，unwisephilosopher，writinginBrussels，wouldupholdtheslaveryandmassacresinBelgianAfricaasevidencesofawisepolicy，becausetheendcondonesthemeans，andinthefuture，whenprogresshashadtimetofructify，therewillbeworkhousesdottedallupanddowntheCongo，andevery`native"

willbeforcedtosupplyhimself，atbutatrifleabovethecostinBelgium，withasufficiencyofcomfortableandthoroughlywell

seasonedwoodenshoes。

SoitappearsthattheaforesaidwerethetwochiefreasonswhichmadetheJesuitsunpopularwiththeSpanishsettlersinParaguay。

ButinadditionitshouldberememberedthattherewereinthatcountrymembersofalmostalltheotherreligiousOrders，andthat，asnearlyeveryoneofthemhadquarrelledwiththeJesuitsinEurope，oratthebestwerejealousoftheirpower，theenmitiesbeguninEuropeweretransmittedtotheNewWorld，andconstantlyfannedbyreportsofthequarrelswhichwentonbetweenthevariousOrdersallthroughEurope，andespeciallyinRome。

ButifitwerethecasethattheJesuitsexcitedfeelingsofhatredintheirneighbours，yettheycertainlyhadthegiftofattachingtothemselvestheIndians"hearts。Noinstitution，condemnedwithcontumelyandthrustoutofacountrywhereithadworkedforlong，itssupposedcrimeskeptsecret，anditsmembersallcondemnedunheard，couldhavepreserveditspopularityamongstthedescendantsofthemenwithwhomitworked，aftermorethanonehundredyearshavepassed，hadthisnotbeenthecase。

Icarenotintheleastfortheories，forthisorthatdogmaofpoliticiansortheologists，buttakemystandonwhatIheardmyselfduringmyvisitstothenowruinedJesuitmissionsinParaguay。

Horsemensayhorsescangoinanyshape，and，wonderfulasitmayseem，mencanbehappyunderconditionswhichnowriteronpoliticaleconomywouldrecogniseasfitforhumanbeings。NotoncebutmanytimeshaveagedIndianstoldmeofwhattheirfathersusedtosayabouttheJesuits，andtheythemselvesalwaysspokeofthemwithrespectandkindness，andendeavouredtokeepuptothebestoftheirabilityallthetraditionsoftheChurchceremoniesandhoursofprayerwhichtheJesuitshadinstilled。

Thattheinteriorsystemoftheirgovernmentwasperfect，orsuchaswouldbesuitableformencalled`civilized"to

day，isnotthecase。Thatitwasnotonlysuitable，butperhapsthebestthatunderallthecircumstancescouldhavebeendevisedforIndiantribestwohundredyearsago，andthenbutjustemergedfromsemi

nomadism，is，Ithink，clear，whenoneremembersinwhatastateofmiseryanddespairtheIndiansofthe`encomiendas"andthe`mitas"passedtheirlives。

Thatsemi

communism，withacontrollinghandinadministrativeaffairs，producedmanysuperiormen，orsuchasrisetothetopinmoderntimes，Idonotthink；but，then，whoarethemen，andbytheexerciseofwhatkindofvirtuesdotheyriseinthesocietiesofmoderntimes?TheJesuits"aimwastomakethegreatbulkoftheIndiansundertheircontrolcontented，andthattheygainedtheirendthecomplaintsagainstthembythesurroundingpopulationofslave

holdersandhuntersafterslavesgofartoprove。

For`mitas"and`encomiendas"，seeforegoingchapters。

Leavingupononesidetheirsystemofadministration，anddiscountingtheirunalterableperseverance，thereweretwothingsonwhichtheJesuitsappealedtotheIndians；andthosetwothings，bytheverynatureoftheirknowledgeofmankind，theyknewappealedasmuchtoIndiansastoanyotherraceofmen。Firstly(andinthiswritersopposedtothem，asBraboandAzara，bothagree)，theyinstilledintotheIndiansthatthelandonwhichtheylived，withmissions，churches，herds，flocks，andtherest，wastheirownproperty。

Andinthesecondplacetheytoldthemtheywerefree，andthattheyhadtheKingofSpain"sownedictinconfirmationoftheirfreedom，sothattheynevercouldbeslaves。NeitherofthesetwopropositionscommendsitselftomanywritersontheJesuitsinParaguay，butforallthatitseemstomethatinthemselvestheyweresufficienttoaccountforthefirmholdtheJesuitshadontheirneophytes。

Brabo，`InventariosdelosbieneshalladosalaexpulsiondelasJesuitas"。

`Voyagedansl"Ame/riqueMe/ridionale"。

ThefreedomwhichtheIndiansenjoyedundertheJesuitrulemightnothaveseemedexcessivetomodernmindsandthoseattunedtothemildruleoftheEuropeansofto

dayinAfrica。Suchasitwas，itseemedsufficienttotheGuaranis，andeven，inalimiteddegree，placedthemabovetheIndiansoftheSpanishsettlements，whoforthemostpartpassedtheirlivesinslavery。

ChapterVIII

DonJosedeAntequera

AppointshimselfGovernorofAsuncion

Unsettledstateofaffairsinthetown

Heiscommandedtorelinquishhisillegalpower

Herefuses，andresortstoarms