1828.} Facundo Quiroga, Governor of La Rioja. 599 
number of straggling huts, containing about 150 souls, descendants of 
the indigenous inhabitants, or Indians, of the country, was situated in a 
small plain, through which ran a fine rivulet, serving to water a number 
of corn-fields, vineyards, orchards, &c., disposed in irregular figures, 
according to the fancy of the owners. The governor now applied to 
these poor people for their title-deeds, or grant (merced ) from the king 
for the possession of their lands ; but they had none to produce, as they 
merely possessed them from their forefathers, by the right of inheritance, 
without ever considering that the King of Spain had any thing to do in 
the matter. This was sufficient for Agueros, who immediately turned 
them out of their possessions, without giving them any remuneration 
whatever, and commenced the business of laying out and cutting streets 
through the cultivated grounds of the poor Indians, which just at the 
period had green crops upon them. The consequence was that the cattle 
got in, and every thing was destroyed. The governor then returned to La 
Rioja, applauding himself on the dexterity of his plan, without reflecting 
on the misery of the poor families whom he bad reduced to a state of 
starvation. But retribution was hanging over his head. 
The Indians, as their only resource, went in a body to the Llanos, to 
complain to Quiroga of the outrage. The cunning soldier had from 
the first foreseen what would happen. Though he did not consider the 
misery the Indians endured as of the slightest importance, still it was an 
excellent pretext for crushing the governor; and he forthwith sent an 
order to Agueros to restore the Indians their possessions, which he com- 
plied with in fear andtrembling. About a week afterwards, Quiroga 
appeared in the suburbs of the town, at the head of about 200 gauchos ; 
and, ordering}them to helt, he rode forward to the governor’s house 
alone, where he dismounted at the door, and entered in a gaucho-dress. 
' Agueros immediately received him with the greatest humility, and 
- desired him tobe seated. “No!” replied Quiroga ; “ it does not become 
a vulgar countryman, so clownishly dressed, to sit down in the presence 
of my lord governor.” Quiroga’s pretended humility satisfied the 
governor that it was all over with him, and he began to deprecate his 
anger in the most abject terms. Two gauchos entered at this moment 
with a pair of fetters (grillos ), which, by Quiroga’s orders, they instantly 
placed upon the quondam governor, who was declared to be deposed ; 
and Quiroga then seated himself in his chair, saying, he did not now, 
break through the rules of etiquette, in sitting down, as the governor 
was once more a private citizen. He then commenced a strain of 
coarse invective on the deposed puppet — telling him ! of his villany 
with regard to the coin, swearing that he should pay the poor Indians 
the damage he had done them, and that he would never leave him till he 
had stripped him of all his ill-gotten plunder. This, however, was not 
to be got at ; for Agueros, who had been in the constant expectation of 
such a mischance as now befel him, had taken care to remove his pelf 
out of reach. He wasnow carried across the Plaza, and thrown into the 
common prison (which, in Spanish towns, is almost always opposite to 
the governor's house), amidst the shouts of the common people, who 
rejoiced over the fall of the petty tyrant—forgetting that he, by whose 
means he had been deposed, was a greater tyrant still. The province, 
now remained for upwards of a month without a governor, Quiroga 
transacting all the public affairs, without holding any cognizable situa- 
tion, except that of commandvr-in-chief. - 
