INTRODUCTION. 



88 



For more than a century, the whole commerce of 

 Spanish America centered in the city of Seville. No 

 vessel was permitted to sail for America, without first 

 being examined at this port, to which she was in like 

 manner compelled to return. A policy originating in 

 the jealousy of all intercourse with the Spanish Indies. 

 Fortunately that jealousy could not counteract the laws 

 of nature, however it might cramp and embarrass their 

 operations. The wants of the Indies came to be sup- 

 plied by those very foreigners whom Spain was so 

 studious of excluding from any participation in their 

 trade. It gave rise to that most extraordinary prac- 

 tice of smuggling, whose effect was to place Spain in 

 a worse situation in respect to her colonies, than every 

 other nation which thought proper to take advantage 

 of her folly. Before the contraband system had been 

 completely organized, the products of America, with 

 the exception of her gold and silver, were worth ab- 

 solutely nothing; because of the total want of compe- 

 tition between the different ports of Spain, as well as 

 between the different nations of Europe; while Euro- 

 pean manufactures bore such enormous prices, that 

 none but those who were engaged in robbing the In- 

 dians of their gold, or in compelling them to dig for 

 it in the mines, could afford to purchase. The temp- 

 tations which were therefore held out to commercial 

 men of all nations, was such as to justify almost every 

 risk. So deeply was the interest of the Americans 

 enlisted in favor of the contraband, that it became a 

 matter of honor to render it every assistance in their 

 power. It was in vain that religion was brought in 

 to aid its suppression, or that smuggling was de- 

 nounced as a mortal sin, and the clergy forbidden to 



