viii 



INTRODUCTION. 



chief promoter of troubles in thefe parts. Garfa contrived a 

 method to foften the yoke of the hidians^ and to reduce them to the 

 Chriftian faith i when having fettled all to his fatisfadion, though 

 he came without money and afted upon credit, lie paid his debts, 

 and carried v/ith him into Europe, for the King's ufe, near two 

 millions, referving not a penny for himfelf ; the firft in autho- 

 rity that ever did the like. 



This is a fuccindt account of the manner in which the Spamjh 

 nation have gotten poffeffion of far the bell and largefl part of the 

 continent of America^ extending from the north cf California 

 to the fcreights of Magellati ; a fpace of between 6 and 7000 miles. 

 The reader may imagine that in this amazing tra£l: of territory, 

 the produ(5lions muft be as various as the climates ; let it fuffice to 

 fay, that fcarcely any thing is wanted, were it properly managed, 

 that can conduce both to the convenience, and even iuxury of 

 life ; the foil of thefe countries being m general exceeding rich and 

 fertile, fo as to require but little pains of cultivation ; yet after all, * 

 however juit and well-founded our panegyric upon the foil and 

 produdions may be, the richts upon the furface fall fai fhort of 

 thofe within the bow^els of the earth, wheiein lie the fountains of 

 thofe immenfe treafures which have fupplied Europe for almoft ' 

 three centuries paft with fuch profufion of gold and filver, not 

 to m-ndoa the pearls and gerijs of various forts, with which the 

 new v^or!d aboirids. To preferve the fole commerce with thole 

 regions wO diemleivcs, a^id the crown of Spam, the Spaniards 



have 



