744 
P E 
had been naturally dire£led to the growing importance 
of the colony in Peru. It became obvious, that, governed 
by a band of rapacious, ignorant, and cruel, adventurers, 
the arts or manufa£lures could not flourifh ; and confe- 
quently that Peru could form no important, or at lead 
permanent, addition to the power and revenues of'the 
mother-country. It was alfo apparent that the Indians 
(uffered much from their horrid talk-mailers; and fortu¬ 
nately they found a warm advocate in Bartholomew de 
v las Cafas, who, both in his writings and in his appeals to 
the emperor, fet forth in the dronged colours their mi- 
fery and depopulation. Independent of the natural pity 
which was excited in Spain by the accounts of the cruelty 
of the invaders towards the native Indians, it was urged 
that, in confequence of this ill ufage, the (laves who 
worked at the mines died fo rapidly, and bred fo (lowly, 
that it was apprehended they might in a (hort time be 
totally extinfr. The natural confequence of a continu¬ 
ance of this treatment would have been that no one 
would be left to-work the mines or cultivate the lands j 
and therefore the newly-acquired territory would be a 
perpetual drain on the population and refources of Spain. 
Impreffed with thefe fafts, the emperor, with decifion, but 
perhaps with too much abruptnefs, framed a fyftem of 
government for Peru, which went the length of enfran- 
chifing the native Indians; for it enacted that “the 
dated tribute due by them to their fuperior (liould be af- 
certained, and that they (hould be paid as fervants for 
any work they might voluntarily perform.” Confidering, 
moreover, that the vad trafts of land pofleffed by the early 
adventurers might, when cultivated and peopled, render 
their proprietors too powerful for fubjedts, the emperor 
further ordained that they might, where exceffive, be re¬ 
duced to a moderate extent by the court of royal 
audiences, and that they (liould revert to the crown on 
the deceafe of the poffeffor, and not defcend, as before, to 
his wife and children. Befides thefe important regula¬ 
tions, the emperor appointed Blaco Nunez Vela viceroy 
of Peru; and edabli(hed, under the title of “royal 
audience,” a council which might drengthen his admi- 
nidration. 
The enfranchifement of their (laves, and the difmem- 
berment and eventual confifcation of their edates, were 
not meafures to be tamely fubmitted to by the fierce and 
ungoverned fettlers of Peru. They did not fail to exclaim 
loudly and fiercely againd a government which tore from 
them thofe poffefiions which had been granted as the re¬ 
ward of hardfliips and dangers almod unparalleled ; the 
women alio, who faw the inheritance of their children 
torn away, and themfelves liable to be plunged from the 
highed profperity to the deeped poverty, fanned with 
their dimulating voices the flame of rebellion. This dif- 
affeiflion was rather increafed than diminiflied by the 
haughty conduct of the new viceroy; and, the malcontents 
having found a (kilful leader in Gonzalo Pizarro, 
(brother of the difcoverer,) a civil war broke out. The 
rebellious party foon overpowered that of the Spanidi go¬ 
vernment ; for, in the latter, diffentions arofe even be¬ 
tween the viceroy Nunez Vela and the judges. The 
viceroy interfered with the decifions of the judges ; they 
in their turn thwarted all his meafures, and even went fo 
far as to judify the general difaffedlion his condufl ex¬ 
cited, and to imprifon him on a defert ifland until he 
could be fent to Spain. 
The viceroyalty thus broken up, the judges in vain en¬ 
deavoured to exadt obedience from Pizarro. He marched 
boldly to Lima; and Carjaval, the prompter of all his 
actions, entered the city in the night and hanged feveral 
perfons who were obnoxious to his party. The next day 
the court of audience appointed Pizarro governor and 
captain-general of the province. 
But in the mean time Nunez Vela again appeared in 
arms. The officer who had been intruded to convey him 
to Spain, influenced either by fear or remade, gave up to 
R U. 
his prifoner the command of the veflel, and promifed to 
follow his fortunes and fupport his authority. The 
viceroy landed at Tumbez, and was foon joined by num¬ 
bers who were well affected towards the mother-country, 
or were diffatisfied with the harffi and arbitrary fway of 
Pizarro. Vela obtained at firfi fome advantages ; but the 
decifive battle was fought at Quito in January 1545, 
which ended in his defeat and death. 
The companions of Pizarro now advifed him to throw 
off all allegiance to Spain ; to marry the Coya, or Daughter 
of the Sun next in fucceffion to the crown, (by which 
meafure he might infure the fidelity of the native Peru¬ 
vians,) and to declare himfelf fovereign of the country. 
But Pizarro had not a foul faffiioned to purfue this bril¬ 
liant courfe; a courfe which, if purfued in, would in all 
probability have detached Peru for ever from Spain, even 
at that early period. Pizarro was not formed to be a 
king, but a robber: he confined his views to obtaining 
a confirmation of his authority from the Spanidi court, 
that he might enrich himfelf by plunder. This was 
hopelefs. The firft impulfe of the Spanilh miniftry was to 
declare Pizarro a traitor; and it was only the confider- 
ation of the great (kill and power of the rebel, the re- 
motenefs of the feat of warfare, the difficulty of tranf- 
porting troops, and the abfence of the Spanidi veterans 
who were engaged in Germany, that determined them to 
adopt a milder and more temporizing plan. Without 
replying diredtly to Pizarro, they difpatched to Peru, 
under the title of Prefident of the Court of Audience at 
Lima, an old and infirm man named Pedro de la Gafca. 
He was merely a pried in the Inquifition, and until this 
occafion had been employed only in offices of negociation. 
To Gafca was entruded full and unlimited power, not 
only to aft as circumdances might require in regard to 
Pizarro,but to punifii with death, to pardon, or to reward, 
any one as he might judge expedient; and moreover to 
call to his affidance all or any of the governors of the 
fettlements in Spanifh America. With this authority, 
but without either money or troops, he fet out to quell 
a rebellion which already had baffled a brave and didin- 
guiffled commander. On his arrival at Nombre de Dios, 
July 27, 1546, he found Herman Mexia, an officer of 
note, poded there, by order of Pizarro, with a confider- 
able body of men to oppofe the landing of any hodile 
forces; but Gafca appeared in fuch pacific guife, with a 
train fo little formidable, and with a title of no fuch dig¬ 
nity as to excite terror, that he was received with much 
refpedt. From Nombre de Dios, he advanced to Panama, 
and met with a fimilar reception from Hinojofa, whom 
Pizarro had entruded with the government of that town, 
and the command of his fleet dationed there. In both 
places he held the fame language, declaring that he was 
fent by their fovereign as a meffenger of peace, not as a 
minider of vengeance ; that he came to redrefs all their 
grievances, to revoke the laws which had excited alarm, 
to pardon pad offences,and to re-edablifli order.and judice 
in the government of Peru. His mild deportment, the 
fimplicity of his manners, the landtity of his profeffion, 
and a winning appearance of candour, gained credit to 
his declarations. The veneration due to a perfon clothed 
with legal authority, and adting in virtue of a royal com- 
miffion, began to revive among men accudomed for fome 
time to nothing more refpedlable than an ufurped jurif- 
didlion. Hinojofa, Mexia, and feveral other officers of 
didindtion, to each of whom Gafca applied feparately, 
were gained over to his intered, and waited only for fome 
decent occafion of declaring openly in his favour. 
This was not long wanting. Pizarro oppofed the 
entry of the new prefident into Lima; offered him 50,000 
pefos to go back to Spain ; and indrudted Hinojofa, that, 
if he refufed, he (liould forthwith affaffinate him. But 
this officer, fearing to oppofe the orders of the king of 
Spain, and difguded at the atrocious mandate of Pizarro, 
publicly recognifed the title of the prefident. His officers 
1 followed 
