1044 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S05. 



the more I rejrct that the miserly 

 Henry, when applied to by Co- 

 lumbus, was not inspired by the 

 demon of avarice, if no more lau- 

 dable motive could have actuated 

 him, to have fitted out tiie noble 

 adventurer, and by that means to 

 have secured this country, this rich 

 delightful country, to the crown of 

 Britain. The Spaniards possess 

 blessings they never did, nor ever 

 will, know how to appreciate ; for, 

 slaves to gold, they neglect every 

 other advantage. Had the English 

 possessed this southern world, 

 thousands and tens of thousands, 

 nay millions, would have blest (he 

 hour when they became their con- 

 querors. 



" The Jesuits, though now abo- 

 lished, have siiewn, in the immense 

 superstruchire they have raised in 

 the interior of this and the adjoin- 

 ing provinces, what wise legislators 

 they could make if gifted with the 

 rod of power, by the several large 

 commonwealths (if I may use the 

 word) which they have established : 

 and when I consider the fragile 

 foundation on which tlicy erected 

 an edifice that amazes and con- 

 founds the world, 1 know not 

 which to admire most, their zeal for 

 religion, or their superior political 

 wisdom and thorough knowledge 

 of the human heart. The more I 

 reflect upon it the more I imagine 

 that the fathers who lirst attempted 

 tlie conversion of the Indians must 

 have been inspired : few could have 

 persevered under such dreatlful 

 hardships as they suffered if they 

 had not experienced a divine im- 

 pulse : (hey knevv the secret work- 

 ings of (he passions ; (hey possessed 

 penetration beyond the depth of 

 common men, and saw that cruelty 

 asd deceit w«j-« not the means to 



2 



win the hearts of rude untutored 

 beings, living in a state of nature, 

 and sensible of no laws but those 

 which she imposes. 



" But the hope of bringing over 

 these poor people to a knowledge 

 of the true and only God was not 

 the only motive that actuated these 

 deep and cunning politicians ; they 

 liad a greater and more enlarged 

 sphere of action in view, Tiiey 

 daily witnessed the imprudence of 

 exercising coercive measures over 

 t!io poor conquered jjcople, who 

 had made such noble and heroic 

 stands (o preserve their native 

 blessing, liberty, and repress their 

 barbarous invaders : the fathers 

 were convinced that men who had 

 acted uniformly with such deter- 

 mined valour would be much sooner 

 won by mild and gentle treatment 

 than by acts of violence and op- 

 pression : they, therefore, about 

 tlie middle of (he sixteenth centu- 

 ry, petitioned his catholic majesty 

 ■ for leave to enter the interior of 

 I'aniguay and Tucuman, and en- 

 deavour, by means of persuasion 

 f>nhi, to initiate in the principles of 

 the christian religion tijc hordes of 

 Indians who had fled from the 

 persecutions of the Spaniards ; and 

 by (hus plan(ing the gospel in these 

 remote regions, bring over to the 

 service of the state thousands that 

 were then wandering far distant 

 from any Sjianish settlement. 



" Their petitions were granted ; 

 and a vast number of missionaries, 

 selected from the society of Jesus, 

 were sent out at the king's expcnce 

 to put in practice the theory they 

 had adopted ; and it was settled 

 between his majesty and the mis- 

 sion, that the state should be at the 

 charge of transporting them to the 

 seens of action^ where thej wer» 



t9 



