Chap. VIII. CAUSES OF AMARU'S REBELLION. 129 



of the law, the " residencias," or aiTaiigements for examining 

 tlie conduct of every official at the close of his term of office ; 

 all these provisions, which have justly called forth the praise 

 of Mr. Helps, Mr. Merivale,^ and other modern ^^Titers, had 

 become dead letters, absolutely and hopelessly, towards the 

 end of the last century. The laws remained the same, but 

 they were habitually set aside by those whose duty it was to 

 administer them. The tribute fixed for villages when they 

 contained a thousand men was continued the same when the 

 population had decreased to a hundred ; ^ the mita was enforced 

 so mercilessly that whole districts were left without a single 

 adult male inhabitant ; ^ the curas extorted exorbitant fees 

 from their victims, in spite of the law ; ^ and the judges, who 

 were sent to take the " residencias" received bribes to over- 

 look all offences, and usually handed over the complaints 

 which were submitted to them to the officials who were com- 

 plained of in exchange for a sum of money, the price of their 

 silence.^ These evils were long borne patiently ; but when 

 the shameless enormities of the Repartos were superadded, 

 the poor remnant of the descendants of the subjects of the 

 Incas at lengih rose as one man against their oppressors. 



There were not wanting, amongst the Spaniards in Peru, 

 as well as amongst the native Caciques, many good and 

 humane men who raised their voices against the lawless 

 cruelty of the majority of the officials, and earnestly warned 

 the Government of the inevitable consequences. Don Ventura 

 Santalices, the Governor of La Paz, devoted his time and 

 fortune to the cause of the oppressed Indians, and was 

 appointed to a seat in the Council of the Indies, but he was 



" Colonization and Colonies, p. G and 

 p. 2S3 (note). 



s Fapeles Varies, No. 4.— MS. at 

 Lima. 



■' Manifesto de Don Juan de Fadilla. 

 — MS. at Lima. 



1 Snmario del Co^'if^iHo II., Prn- 



vincial tn Lima, lofiT. Also, letter 

 from Dr. Juan IMoscoso, Bishop of 

 Cuzco, July 20, 1782, MS.; and in 

 the collection of Angelis. 



* Practica de visitas y Residencias, 

 Naples, 1096 ; and Papeles Vnrios, 

 No. 4. 



K 



