59 



and govern as absolute masters ; but the people, who 

 cannot endure despotism, oppose their pretentions, 

 and compel them to keep within the bounds pre- 

 scribed by their customs. 



The civil laws of a society whose manners arc 

 simple, and interests but little complicated, cannot 

 be very numerous. The Araucanians have but a 

 few ; these, however, would be sufficient for their 

 state of life, if they were more respected and less 

 arbitrary. Their system of criminal jurisprudence, in 

 a particular manner, is very imperfect. The offences 

 that are deemed deserving of capital punishment are 

 treachery, intentional homicide, adultery, the rob- 

 bery of any valuable article, and witchcraft. Never- 

 theless, those found guilty of homicide can screen 

 themselves from punishment by a composition with 

 the relations of the murdered. Husbands and fa- 

 thers are not subject to any punishment for killing 

 their wives or children, as they are declared, by their 

 laws, to be the natural masters of their lives. Those 

 accused of sorcery, a crime only known in countries 

 involved in ignorance, are first tortured by fire, in 

 order to make them discover their accomplices, and 

 then stabbed with daggers. 



Other crimes of less importance are punished by 

 retaliation, which is much in use among them, un- 

 der the name of thaulonco. Justice is administered 

 in a tumultuous and irregular manner, and without 

 any of those preliminary formalities, for the most 

 palrt useless, that are observed among civilized na- 

 tions. The criminal who is convicted of a capital 

 oifence, is immediately put to death, according to 



