TRAVELS IN THE CALIFOP. NIAS. 
259 
Their labors of love, however, draw to a close. The soci¬ 
ety of Jesus or Jesuits, to which they belong, has existed 
about two hundred years. It has sent its missionaries into Per¬ 
sia, Hindostan, China and Japan. It has written more than 
one hundred volumes in the Chinese language alone, many 
hundreds more in the different dialects of the Eastern tongues ; 
has chided and controlled the civil powers of Europe; has 
made the kingdoms of the whole earth feel its power. The 
Pope himself holds his throne at the sufferance of this mighty 
association. The most profound learning of the age is found 
in their colleges, and the most vigorous moral movements of 
the times receive their life from them. 
Whenever the sword of Conquest is drawn over the head of 
the defenceless, the Jesuit’s hand arrests its fall, or alleviates 
its wound. In fact, on the American continent they have 
spanned the whole breadth of human society, except that part 
of it existing between the Alleghany mountains and the At¬ 
lantic, and brought a large majority of the native population 
under their control. In Paraguay indeed, they have organ¬ 
ized armies, and established an Empire of their own; and from 
California to the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, Spain holds 
sway only so far as these priests permit. They protect the 
savages against the ruthless cruelty of Spanish barbarity. 
England in 1604 has expelled them from her dominions ; Ven¬ 
ice in 1606, Portugal in 1757, France in 1764, Spain now in 
1767, does the same. 
That government would have the sole sway over the bones, 
sinews and intellects of the Indians. Its worthless officials 
would be unrestrained in the use of them, to dig for the pre¬ 
cious metals, and work their plantations. The Jesuits have 
prevented this. They have uniformly befriended the Indians 
and elevated their bodily and mental condition. They have 
so organized and enlightened them, that they can annihilate 
the Spanish name from the continent, in a day. This state of 
things is well known. A remedy is devised. Secret orders 
of government are issued from Madrid to every Alcalde and 
