650 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



Justices. There is also an apartment where the royal seal is kept, 

 and the record book of the decisions and decrees of the Circuit Court, 

 and the principal apartment, where the President lives ; nearby is 

 the Court Prison. 



Chapter XXII 



Continuing the Description of This City of La Plata. 



1701. This city has a handsome and sumptuous building for its 

 Council Chamber. It has the coat of arms given it by Viceroy Marques 

 de Caiiete, Don Hurtado de Mendoza in the year 1559 — two ridges, 

 the right-hand one high and the other low, at its foot, signifying 

 the Potosi range, which is famous the world over for its richness, 

 with five veins of silver ore running from top to bottom, and at its 

 highest point, a gold cross ; on the low ridge there are six guayras, 

 as the Indians call the little furnaces in which they melt the silver 

 ore ; at each one stands an Indian dumping ore into these guayras. 

 The other ridge, which is to the left, stands for the Porco range, so 

 named (Pig) because of its great richness and its silver ore. These 

 ridges and the settlements built on their slopes, belonged to the 

 jurisdiction of this city, and the Council sent out an Alcalde from here 

 to dispense justice, since one ridge was only 5 leagues from the other. 

 Between the two ridges is a royal eagle with a crown, resting on two 

 columns set on these ridges, representing the insignia of the Em- 

 peror Charles V of glorious memory, in whose time it was discovered 

 and settled. In the other quarterings under these two ridges, stand 

 four castles and two lions, without any indication of their meaning 

 in the legend. In between the castles is an armed hand with a white 

 flag and on it a red Jerusalem cross. The shield has 10 heads for 

 a border ; these are the heads of lo rebels, who rose against the 

 royal crown in these provinces ; this city defeated them, at its own 

 expense, and cut ofif their heads. 



1702. The offices of Alguacil Mayor de Corte and de la Ciudad, 

 of Chancelor, Registrar, Receiver General of Fines, 2 Council Secre- 

 taries, 8 Receivers, Alferez Mayor (Ensign-Major), Depositor 

 General, both with voice and vote in the Council, 4 posts of Public 

 Scribe (Escrivanias), 2 provincial and 2 public in thh city; another 

 for the Council, and public ; another of the Juzgado Mayor de Bienes 

 de Difuntos (Registrar of Wills) ; and 17 posts of Regidor (Council- 

 man) — these are all offices acquired by purchase and transferable; 

 they have no salary other than their rights and perquisites, except 

 that the chapter members of the Council get a salary of 15,000 



