IS4 A VOYAGE TO Book VII 



ters of those Spaniards or iiiliabitants of other nations, 

 \yhose countries are situated conveniently for trading- 

 "with Paraíí:ua)% by insinuatino- that they are iniiver- 

 sally fraudulent and dissolute: but, on the otlier 

 hand, amonfi- such numbers, it would be very strange 

 if there was not some; and one single person of 

 such a character would be suOicient to infect a whole 

 country. And who could pretend to say, tjiat, if 

 free admissou were allowed to forcip;ncrs, there might 

 not conic in, among a multitude of virtuous^ one of 

 such pestilent dispositions P Who can say that he 

 might not be even the ^ cry first? Hence it is that 

 the Jesuits have inflexibly adhered to their maxim of 

 not admitting any foreigners among them : and in 

 this they ;ire certainly justified by the melancholy 

 example of the other missions of Peru, whose decline 

 from their former happiness and piety is the eU'cci of 

 an open intercourse. 



Though in the several parts of Paraguay, where 

 the r^iissions have been always settled, Ihere are no 

 mines of gold and silver ; several are to be found ia 

 ^ome adjacent countries under the dominion of the 

 king of Spain ; but Ihc Portuguese reap the whole 

 benefit of them : for having encroached as far as the 

 iake Xarayes, near which, about twenty years ago^ 

 a rich mine of gold was discovered ; they without 

 any other right than possession, turned it to their 

 own use : the ministry in Spain, in consideration of 

 tlie harmony subsisting Between the two nalioiss, and 

 their joint interest, forbearing to make use of any 

 Torcibhi methods. 



V. Bibhoprick of the audience of Charcas. 

 Buenos Ayres. 

 The ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the bishop of 

 Buenos Ayres extends to'all the countries under the 

 temporal government of the same name ; and this 

 begins on the oriental and southern coast of that part 

 of America, and extend? westward as far as Tucu- 



mau ; 



