ROYAL AUDIENCES CABILDOS FUEROS. 129 



produce the necessaries or luxuries of life for her colonial vassals, 

 whilst they recompensed their parent with a bountiful revenue of 

 gold and silver. 



The bungling, blind, and often corrupt legislation of the Council 

 of the Indies soon filled its records with masses of contradictory 

 and useless laws, so that although there were many beneficent acts, 

 designed especially for the comfort of the Indians, the administra- 

 tion of so confused a system became almost incompatible with 

 justice. If the source of law was vicious its administration was 

 not less impure. The principal courts of justice were the Audi- 

 encias reales, or Royal Audiences. In addition to the presi- 

 dent, — who was the Viceroy, or Captain General, — the audiencia 

 or court was composed of a regent, three judges, two fiscales or 

 attorneys, (one for civil and the other for criminal cases) a reporter, 

 and an alguazil, or constable. The members of these courts were 

 appointed by the king himself, and, being almost without excep- 

 tion, natives of old Spain, they possessed but few sympathies for 

 the colonists. 



After the Royal Audiences, came the Cabtldos whose members, 

 consisting of regidores and other persons appointed by the king, 

 and of two alcaldes annually elected by the regidores from among 

 the people, — constituted a municipal body in almost every town 

 or village of importance. These cabildos had no legislative juris- 

 diction, but superintended the execution of the laws within their 

 districts and regulated all minor local matters. The office of 

 regidor was a regular matter of bargain and sale ; and, as the 

 regidores subsequently elected the alcaldes, it will be seen that 

 this admitted of great corruption, and tended to augment the 

 direct oppression of the masses subjected to their jurisdiction. It 

 was an instrument to increase the wealth and strengthen the tyran- 

 nical power of the rulers. 



These ill regulated audiencias and cabildos, were, in themselves, 

 capable of destroying all principles of just harmony, and were 

 sufficient to corrupt the laws both in their enactment and adminis- 

 tration. But all men were not equal before these tribunals. A 

 system of fueros or privileges, opposed innumerable obstacles. 

 These were the privileges of corporate bodies and of the profes- 

 sions; of the clergy, called public or common; and of the monks, 

 canons, inquisitions, college, and universities; the privileges of 

 persons employed in the royal revenue service ; the general privi- 

 leges of the military, which were extended also to the militia, and 

 the especial privileges of the marines, of engineers, and of the 



