123 



when the company should be reestablished. I 

 can cite a respectable testimony, which proves 

 incontestibly, that the viceroy of New Grenada 

 had not warned the jesuits of Santa Fe of the 

 danger, with which they were menaced. Don 

 Vicente Orosco, officer of engineers in the ser- 

 vice of the King of Spain, related to me, that 

 being arrived at Angostura, jointly with Don 

 Manuel Centurion*, to arrest the Missionaries 

 of Carichana, he met an Indian boat, that was 

 going down the Rio Meta. The boat being 

 manned with Indians, who could speak none 

 of the tongues of the country, gave rise to suspi» 

 cions. After useless researches, a bottle was at 

 length discovered, containing a letter, in which 

 the superiors of the company, residing at Santa 

 Fe, informed the missionaries of the Oroonoko 

 of the persecutions, to which the jesuits were 

 exposed in New Grenada. This letter recom- 

 mended no measure of precaution ; it was short, 

 without ambiguity, and respectful toward the 

 government, whose orders were executed with 

 useless and unreasonable severity. 



Eight Indians of Atures had conducted our 

 boat through the raudals ; and seemed well 

 satisfied with the slight retribution we gave 

 thenvf-. They gain little by this employment ; 

 and in order to give a just idea of the poverty 



* The same who was governor of Guyana till 1777. 

 + Scarcely a franc and a half for each man. 



