INTRODUCTION, 



7o 



defend the coast against the incursion of pirates^ at a 

 period when they were much infested by them; al- 

 though this had ceased long ago^ the tax is still con- 

 tinued. There were also duties of consulate and an- 

 chorage, in order to defray the expenses of the officers 

 employed. These duties yielded a considerable 

 revenue to Spain, in those provinces which had been 

 the seats of the revolution. The revenues derived 

 from Santa Fee de Bogota, from Caraccas, La Plata, 

 and Chili, from these sources, have been lost to Spain; 

 their amount probably exceeded even the produce of 

 the mines; not to speak of the deprivation of trade to 

 these countries, a deprivation which is fast sinking 

 Spain herself, to wretchedness and poverty, stag- 

 gering as she is, under the weight of burthens v/hich 

 have not been diminished, in proportion to the dimi- 

 nution of her strength. 



Tiie king as head of the church, derives also con- 

 siderable revenues from that source. The principal 

 is the tythes, from which nothing is exempted; and 

 their collection is so rigid, that according to the laws 

 of the Indies, no one can change his residence with- 

 out having tirst obtained a certificate of having dis- 

 charged them. They are collected by the king's 

 officers, but deposited in a distinct treasury. In some 

 instances, however, they were collected by the clergy^ 

 who retained all but the king's portion. According 

 to the ordinance of Charles Y. at Madrid, 1539, they 

 were divided in the following manner; one fourth was 

 assigned to the bishop of the diocese, another fourth 

 to the dean and chapter, and other officers of the ca^ 

 thedral. Tiie other half to be divided into nine part^, 

 two of which; los doB noreiiios. to be transmitted to 



