226 duke de linares viceroy british slavery treaty. 



Don Fernando Alencastre Norona y Silva, 

 Duke de Linares, 

 XXXV. Viceroy of New Spain. 

 1710—1716. 



The Duke of Linares entered Mexico in 1710. The first years 

 of his administration were uneventful, nor was his whole govern- 

 ment distinguished, in fact, by any matter which will make it par- 

 ticularly memorable in the history of New Spain. 



In 1512, Philip V. found himself master of nearly the whole 

 of Spain, and being naturally anxious to end the war with honor, 

 his emmissaries improved every opportunity to withdraw members 

 of the combined powers from a contest which threatened to be in- 

 terminable. Accordingly, he approached the English with the 

 temptations of trade, and through his ambassadors who were 

 assisting at the congress of Utrecht, he proposed that the British 

 Queen Anne should withdraw from the contest, if he granted her 

 subjects the right to establish trading houses in his ports on the 

 main and in the islands, for the purpose of supplying the colonies 

 with African slaves. A similar contract had been made ten years 

 before with the French, and was about to expire on the 1st of May. 



Anne, who was wearied of the war and was glad to escape from 

 its expense and danger, was not loath to accept the proffered terms ; 

 and the treaty, known by the name of El Asiento, which was put 

 in force in Vera Cruz and other Spanish ports, resulted most bene- 

 ficially to the English. They filled the markets with negroes, and, 

 at the same time, continued to reap profit from the goods they 

 smuggled into the colonies, notwithstanding the treaty forbade the 

 introduction of British merchandise to the detriment of Spanish 

 manufactures. This combined inhumane and illicit trade contin- 

 ued for a considerable time, until the authorities were obliged to 

 menace the officers of customs with death if they connived any 

 longer at the secret and scandalous introduction of British wares. 



In 1714, a brief famine and severe epidemic again ravaged the 

 colony. In this year, too, the Indians of Texas once more mani- 

 fested a desire to submit themselves to Spain and to embrace the 

 christian faith. Orders were, therefore, given to garrison that 

 northern province, and the Franciscan monks were again com- 



Note. — The year 1711, is remarkable in the annals of the valley of Mexico for 

 a snow storm, which is only known to have occurred again on the Feast of the Puri- 

 fication of the Virgin in 1767. In August of 1711, there was an awful earthquake, 

 which shattered the city and destroyed many of its strongest houses. 



