Gotern-
Population.
• now f if iS thoufand ducats ; but the difpofal of lucraU%;pffic|^mono-
polies, connivances, prefents, jjj fometimes fwell them to an enormous
amount. The court of the viceroy is formed on the, regal model, with,
horfe and foot guards, a grand houfehold, and numerous attendants. } In
the provinces there, are tribunals called Audiences, of which there are
eleven for Spanilh America; and the Council of the Indies, reiident in
Spain, controls_ even the viceroys. Some of the provinces feem to be
merely geographic, or ecclefiaftic denominations of fees, without |gy,
municipal or peculiar jurifdi&toS ijm tjpm e havq fpyejp^s apgoi^ed
by the viceroy. Befides the laws of Spain there are particular codes and
ftatutes, which are confulted in legal decifions.
The population of, all % Spaniflr.p^vi^cpsju North; AjUftif^has
been eftimated at little more than,X^v^p. ^
called Indians, are fupppfed to amountfta four
niards and inhabitants o f mixed 'race:* ar^com^ipedj_at^pe^pons,
o f which the Spaniards may conftitjije, oner t ^ d J>JfT ^ ^ b p l^ | o n is
hpweyer.cMi^dered as liberal, jwbiif it|is pjphahle
lation of SpaniflrlNorth Ainprica^oes p^^eepd fix * & '« • •
finall-pox is remarkably fatal'; and ,t% black y ^ ^ ,a lr^ a ^ ,ip ^ |e d
as allied tp fibte yellow fev.er of the,United St a t e s ,a t ^g r y^s pith
the rayages of a peftilence, The nun%rt ,9^ pri,e£ts,, xp^nks^pduyuis
is. alfo;; injurious to poped,ation; which,jhowever, appearsguppn^$£,
whole to have greatly increafed. In 1612 the inhabitants of, Mexico
were computed at 15,000: they are now 150,000.f.
The population of America, before the Europeanxonqueft, appears
to have been greatly exaggerated, as _ufual in every cafe of the like nature
; and from rough calculations, offered even by claffical authors,
perhaps -four, fifths' may be always deduced. That this is the. cafe at
leaft with the difeoverers of new countries, may. be judged from our
own enlightened times, in which the Englifli voyagers to Otaheite fup-
pofed the inhabitants to exceed, one hundred thoufand, when,, upon actual
enumeration, there were found little more than fixteen thoufand.
* From the recent travels of Helms, it appears, that the population in Mexico is .far Tuperior to
that of Peru. ,
. ^ • Careri in 1697 computed them at too,000. - s ^
It is probable that when America was difeovered, the whole population, Po?ula^
including the Weft Indies, did not exceed four millions. Befides the TIOKufual
miftakes, there was an additional foiirce of'exaggeration, as the
Spanilh conquerors, like knights-errant, counted hundreds by thoùfànds;
and the oriental vein of hyperbole, introduced by the Moors, has
tainted the early Spanilh authors. I f we allow that a hundred 'or two
of Europeans could fubvert a mighty Américain empire/ we muft inta-
Jfifie that its aritiies were fmall, as well ^cffMtrdiy antf uhfkîtfüt1' 11
The^opaniffi armres-in AmèncTintflf a gM a ^ f n ’è ïfiir'e , upon Army,
the fupplies fent from Spain ; and jealoufy feemis to have prevented àïfy
juft .ideas ’cpnherning the military jfpXce'côn^'apéy^jm|un®hê^:ïrf garri-
mns'àtid other ftauGps, 'to chçck'Athe"hatîv^Pana pÏCTënt^hïêî^ri?in-
vhfim?^'SpaniIh troops’ have’ nowever 'f greatly heclined in 're’pûVatïori’ ;
hdFmjeS' the^cnffïlLt'erhf * their'pbileifibhs in AmëncÆlfem<fa^bmM^T& | |
côuwè' ^InteVpMe.1 '* ’EM'' naVÿ i^’llfo “fR^af il?tr ]®rbnV çbuhtrÿ j ”
but tïfê're’ ate many giiard fhips’ arid commercial velfels' Iblely ‘appropriated
to the ‘American colonies.* | The revenue1 which’ Mexico yields Revenue.
toJfhe-Spahlfti cfoWrir jpRf been fhewn by Dr.! RobeftFohl to àmolht to
above a million iterling, but there ire gre^f'eXfiëiïcæ^^'By ■ feffe m'bft re-
cenriàcfeôunt the total revenue derived by Spain from America and the
Philippines, is 2,700*6001.; of which one half muft Beftied!u£fce,d. for thèr :
extravagant charges of admînîftraüb'n. It his -beeni afferted that the
king’s fifth of the mines of New Spain only was two millions fterling}
which iWould fwell the aftnüal produce-of the Mexican minés ; to tea .
millions» Dr. Robertfon Ihe-ws, from Càtnpomanes, ;-tbatt the whole
prodttêe of the American mines'is 7,425",book of which the king’s fifth,' v
if regularly paid,.Would bei ï^fj^doo : aiïd it? Is1 prdbable that the. mines
of New Spain or Mexico, prior to the opulent, difeoveries in the north-
weft-provinces, did not yield-above ôiie half ©f the whole 'àrhount.u’c
The political importance' o f colonies is of courfe merged in that o f the political im.
parent country. I f the fpirit of bigotry could be fuppr,efled, whic
neglèfts every worldly concern, and if the Spanilh colonies were thrown -
* Four corvettes, of tjvclve guns, and one' goleftal are ftationed. .at Mcmterey, to fupplj.‘the,j)re-s
fidenciesipf North California with, héceffaries; -Thefe veffels performed the Spanilh expeditions to.
the north-weft coaflf of America.
4 H 2 open