422 THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



carry with them a supply of such articles as were adapted to 

 the wants of the Indians, and distribute them amongst them. 

 Being obliged to pay for these at moderate prices, it was thought 

 would be an incentive to industry, and the means of improve- 

 ment. Such was the principle of the repartimiento, or distri- 

 bution, which, in practice, became the most horrible system of 

 tyranny and oppression that history has recorded, and contri- 

 buted in no small degree to the great bloodshed and depopula- 

 tion of South America. 



On receiving his appointment, the corregid6r went to any 

 merchant in Lima, whom he might find willing to give him 

 credit, and purchased an assortment of articles to be distributed 

 in his corregimento. He generally took a large portion of un- 

 saleable articles off the merchant's hands, and paid an exorbi- 

 tant price for every thing; for, being poor, he was unable to 

 make cash purchases. 



He commenced the distribution by assigning to each Indian 

 a certain quantity of goods, at an arbitrary price, and then 

 gave a list of them to the cacique of the village or town. It 

 was in vain that the Indian protested against the price, and his 

 total inability to pay for articles which he did not require, and 

 of which in many instances he did not even know the use. Of 

 what use was a yard of velvet or satin to these poor savages, 

 for which they were charged forty or fifty dollars ! — or silk 

 stockings ; — to what end were locks to men living in straw ca- 

 bins, without a single article of furniture, save perhaps an earth- 

 en cooking vessel and a few gourd dishes. — What a cruel jest 

 it was to practice on men, who, entirely destitute even of down 

 on any part of their bodies, to force upon them razors, looking- 

 glasses, and scissors, though they never cut their hair; yet all 

 those things, and more, the Indian was compelled to receive at 

 almost incredible prices. Two years and a half were given to 

 pay for the first distribution, at the end of which period another 

 was made ; the second was not so great, and consisted of arti- 

 cles which might serve them for some useful purpose. Besides 

 these two general repartimientos, or distributions, the corregi- 

 d&r made frequent visits to the towns, and gave to those who 

 were prompt in payment, such articles as they absolutely re- 



