ovalle's historical relation of chile. 173 



The archltefture of the ahar, and the tabernacle for keeping the holy facrament, 

 are valued at a prodigious fum. The altar rifes to the top of the church ; and becaufe, 

 according to art, it ought to have reached from wall to wall, which it does not, the 

 empty places are filled up with two reliquaries on each fide, which join to the altar : 

 this being all gilded, feems, when one firft comes in, to be one plate of gold. 



CHAP. IV. — Of the Civil Governfiient, both Ecclejiajlical and Secular^ of the City of " 

 St. Jago ; and of the Nature and Properties of its Inhabitants. 



GOVERNMENT is the foul of the body politic ; and therefore, at the fame time 

 that the city of St. Jago was founded, the corporation was fettled to adminifter juf- 

 tice, without which no government can ftand. The corporation confifts of two 

 ordinary Alcaldes, an Alferes royal, an Alguazil mayor, a general Depofitarius, fix 

 counfellors, or aldermen, chofen every year, half out of the gentlemen called Enco- 

 menderos, and half out of the inhabitants of the place, who have bought that privilege 

 for themfelves and their defcendants. Of the two Alcaldes, he that is of the Encomen- 

 deros has the precedence and firft vote, and the inhabitant the other : they divide 

 the year between them by fix months. There is a prefident to the affembly, who 

 is always corregidor, and lieutenant to the captain-general ; and it is a place of great 

 honour : and though it be of more charge than profit, by reafon of the expence be- 

 longing to it being unavoidable, yet it never fails of pretenders, becaufe of its authority, 

 and the refpeft paid to the office. There are chofen yearly, with the two Alcades, two 

 others of the holy fraternity, or Hermandad, whofe jurifdiftion is without the bounds 

 of the city, as is pradifed in other parts. About thirty years ago there was founded 

 a royal chancery in this city, which confifts of a prefident, four Oydores, or counfel- 

 lors, and two fifcals ; one who is the ordinary, and another, who has been added 

 within thefe four years, and has the fame honours, who has the proteftion of the 

 Indians, and the matters belonging to the holy Cruzada. After thefe is the Alguazil 

 mayor de Corte, who has alfo the magiftrate's habit, and a chair of ftate : then are 

 the officers called the chancellor, fecretaries, referendaries, and others, as in fuch 

 courts. There is no appeal from the fentence of review given in this court, but to 

 the royal council of the Indies ; and then there is a certain fum, below which there 

 is no appeal neither. It cannot be denied but the majefty of this tribunal has very 

 much adorned the city ; though there want not thofe who lament the hindrance it has 

 given to its riches and increafe, which would have been more confiderable, if the 

 inhabitants had continued in their firft fimplicity, cloathing themfelves with the manu- 

 factures of the country, and avoiding all thofe pompous liveries which are now in 

 ufe; for thofe who before might walk in the pubhc place in a plain drefs of the 

 country, and be honoured and refpetted, muft now appear in filk, or Spanifti cloth, c£^f(^ ^j^ 

 which yet is dearer than filk, for a yard of it cofts fometimes twenty pieces of eight. 

 Any gentleman of eftate cannot now appear decently in public without many fervants 

 in rich liveries ; and within a few years they have brought up a vanity of rich para- 

 fols, umbrellas, which at firft were only ufed by the people of the greateft quality j i^,-.-,* .», 

 and now nobody is without them, but thofe who cannot compafs them ; and though 

 it is a thing of great gravity, and very ufeful to preferve health, yet it increafes thofe 

 forced expences ufed in great cities ; for this, and fome other reafons, fome were of 

 opinion, that it would have been better for the city and kingdom, that they had con- 

 tinued to govern themfelves without this court of a royal Audiencia, *as they did for- 



g merly : 



