296 SUPPEESSION OF AGRICULTURE. 



degrading the whole population of South Ameri- 

 ca was the only one which suggested itself to the 

 cupidity of the Spaniards. And to ensure the 

 permanence of a system so liable to revulsion, the 

 whole country was covered with active and ex- 

 perienced agents, deeply interested in the main- 

 tenance of the same order of things. Humboldt 

 has ascertained, that there were no less than three 

 hundred thousand old Spaniards in the colonies. 

 Every art also was used to prevent the increase 

 of population, by collecting the people together 

 in towns, where, besides being more easily con- 

 trolled by the military, they were prevented from 

 forming establishments, and augmenting their 

 wealth ; as they unquestionably would have done, 

 had they been allowed to spread themselves over 

 this fertile country, wherever their tastes or in- 

 terests should direct them. Agriculture, indeed, 

 was not allowed to extend itself ; and even so late 

 as 1803, when Humboldt was in Mexico, orders 

 were received from Spain to root up all the vines 

 in the northern provinces, because the Cadiz 

 merchants complained of a diminution in the con- 

 sumption of Spanish wines. I was informed at 



4 



