42 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



tions, over 4,000 slaves belonging to the residents of Santo Domingo ; 

 there are many free mulattoes. 



105. The Admiral Christopher Columbus was Governor of the 

 island till the year 1499. Francisco de Bobadilla followed him as 

 Governor, and in consequence of charges made against him, sent 

 him in chains to Spain. Bobadilla governed 3 years; in 1502 he was 

 succeeded by Commander Nicholas de Ovando, who governed the 

 country in most Christian fashion for 7 years, up to 1509, and moved 

 the city to where it now stands, as has been said. He was followed 

 as Governor by the Admiral of the Indies, Don Diego Colon, son of 

 Christoplier Columbus, who governed for 7 years, till 1516; then as 

 a result of charges brought against him, he went to Spain, and in his 

 place the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, Don Fray Francisco 

 Ximenez de Cisneros, ruler of Spain after the death of King Don 

 Fernando the Catholic and in the absence of the Emperor Charles V 

 his grandson, sent over as Governors Fray Luis de Figueroa, Prior 

 of La Mejorada ; Fray Alonso de Santo Domingo, Prior of San 

 Juan de Ortega ; and Fray Bernardino Manzanedo, all Hieronymites. 

 They governed the island some 3 years, and after their arrival there 

 was established a Circuit Court (Audiencia) in the city of Santo 

 Domingo ; this was the first in the Indies. The first Justices were 

 Marcelo de Villalobos, who founded the city of the island of Mar- 

 garita ; Juan Ortiz de Matienzo ; Lucas Vazquez, who went to Cuba 

 and Vera Cruz to keep Diego Velazquez and Panfilo de Narvaez 

 from interfering with Fernando Cortes in the great exploring expe- 

 dition he was conducting ; and Cristobal Lebron ; later, the President 

 of the Chancery was Don Sebastian Ramirez de Fuenleal, who held 

 the same post in Mexico. 



106. The Court has a President, 4 Justices, an Attorney (Fiscal), 

 Secretaries and the other officials needed for its wide jurisdiction ; 

 from E. to W., it covers over 550 leagues, and over 300 N. and S. ; 

 it comprises 8 State Governments (Gobiernos), i Alcaldia Mayor, 

 I Archdiocese, 3 Dioceses and 2 Abbacies, plus over 100 other islands 

 included in the district. The State Governments are those of Puerto 

 Rico, Santiago de Cuba and Havana, Florida, Venezuela, Cumana, 

 Margarita, Guiana, and that of the island of Jamaica, which is under 

 the Duke of Veragua. The Alcaldia Mayor is that of the Tierra 

 Adentro (Inland), plus part of the State of Santa Marta, since the 

 whole valley of the Rio de la Hacha belongs to it. The Prelacies are 

 the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, the Dioceses of Puerto Rico, 

 Cuba, and Caracas, with the Abbacies of Jamaica and Guiana. This 

 covers the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court. In addition. His Majesty 



