Ch. I. S O U T H A M E R I C A. 295 



known from ocular infpedion. So that we have fuf- 

 ficient reafon for warranting the truth of the contents 

 of this hiftory. 



The large province of Qiiito, at the time when the 

 Spaniards firft fettled in it^ was annexed to the king- 

 dom of Peru, and continued fo till the year 17 185 

 when a new viceroyalty being ereded at Santa Fe de 

 Bogota, the capital of the new kingdom of Granada, 

 it was difmembered from Peru, and annexed to Gra- 

 nada. At the fame time the audience of Quito vv^as 

 fupprefiTed, together with that of Panama, in the king- 

 dom of Terra Firma though the latter continued de^ 

 pendent on the viceroys of Lima. The intention in 

 this frugal fchem.e was, that the falaries of the great 

 number of officers in both, which ceafed on this aboli- 

 tion, fhould be applied to the fupport of the new vice- 

 royalty, in order to prevent any additional burden on 

 the royal revenue a confequence otherwife unavoida- 

 ble. But experience has fhewn the impropriety and 

 infufficiency of this meafure-, and that the tribunals 

 abolilhed were of indifpenfable neceffity in their re- 

 fpedive cities an infupportable detriment refulting 

 to the inhabitants from the vafl diftance of the au- 

 diences affigned them ; which were, Lima for the 

 kingdom of Terra Firma, and thofe of the province 

 of Qiiito were to apply for juftice to the audience of 

 Santa Fe. And as the amount of all the falaries 

 fupprefTed, befides the prejudicing many families, was 

 not fuflicient to fupport the dignity of a viceroy, new 

 ideas fucceeded and rather than keep it up at the 

 expence of the royal revenue, the viceroyalty was 

 fuppreffed, and things placed again on their ancient 

 footing in the year 1722 : the officers v/ere reftored to 

 their former polls which they had fo v/orthily filled^^ 

 and the audiences have continued the fame as before^ 

 But the motives for ereding a new viceroyalty at 

 Santa Fe, being confefTcdly of the greateft importancey 

 its reftitution was again brought on the carpet j and 

 : ^ • U 4 the 



