76 



INTRODUCTION. 



the king. The other seven parts, were appropriated 

 to the support of the parochial clergy, and to other 

 pious uses. The hull de crusada, a tax upon the 

 piety of the people is also productive. It is a papal 

 dispensation, issued every two years, and sold to the 

 Americans at certain prices graduated by the purses 

 of the buyers. There are other bulls, the most re- 

 markable was that of composition, which enabled a 

 tliief or scoundrel to retain with a clear conscience, 

 the property of which he had cheated his neighbor. 

 The messada and primer annata, were revenues de- 

 rived from the first fruits of civil and ecclesiastical 

 offices. The first, was a portion of the income of the 

 benefices, generally equal to a month's salary, but not 

 exacted until after four month's enjoyment. The lat- 

 ter, is one half of the year's salary exacted before en- 

 tering upon the office, civil as well as ecclesiastical. 

 The vacant es may ores and minor es were incidents 

 of the church revenues. The proceeds of all va- 

 cant benefices which, according to the laws of the In- 

 dies, must be paid into the royal treasury. The con- 

 fiscated property of the Jesuits in some parts amount^ 

 ed to a considerable sum. 



The sale of offices was also considered a source of 

 public revenue. With few exceptions, the colonial of- 

 fices were exposed to sale; and itis not improbable, that 

 this may have been one cause of their extraordinary 

 multiplication. The author of Gil Bias, can hardly 

 be accused of exaggeration, in his description of the 

 manner in which offices are bought and sold, or in- 

 trigued for at the Spanish court. 



A revenue of no trifling amount, was derived from 

 the monopolies of tobacco, salt, and quicksilver; as 



