INTRODUCTION. 



59 



judicial sentence within his province must be signed 

 by him^ for which service he is entitled to certain 

 fees over and above his regular salary. The inten- 

 dants of provinces and the corregidors receive their 

 appointments from the king, but are subject to the 

 orders of the viceroy. The term province, as applied 

 in the Spanish system, has a different meaning from 

 that attached to it in these states previous to our re- 

 volution, where each province was a distinct govern- 

 ment, with its governor and local legislature, depen- 

 dent only on the crown of England; and more pro- 

 perly corresponding to the Spanish viceroyalty. But 

 the Spanish province was a much more important 

 division than the county with us. 



The counterpoise of this extensive authority of the 

 viceroy, is the audiencia; properly a court of ap- 

 peals, deciding in dernier resort all cases where the 

 amount of the dispute does not exceed ten thousand 

 dollars; beyond that sum, an appeal lies to the coun- 

 cil of the Indies. It also possesses original jurisdic- 

 tion in causes above a certain amount. The viceroy 

 is the honorary president of this body; whose check 

 upon his power extends no farther than to remon- 

 strate, and to make representations to the council of 

 the Indies. Infinite pains are taken, however, to 

 give respectability to the audiencia; and the viceroys 

 generally find it their interest to cultivate a good 

 understanding. The privileges and immunities with 

 which they are clothed, have also a tendency to raise 

 a certain awe in the minds of the colonists. They 

 are almost invariably Europeans; and considerable 

 pains are taken in their selection. In order to keep 

 them as much as possible^ distinct in feeling and 



