Govern- The SpanHh territories are minutely divided into vice-royalties, |kti~
M£NT- diences, provinces, governments, partidos, or departments, and mlffi|ns,
or parifhes eftablifhed among the favages. The enumeration would |not
only be: complex and tedious, but unfatisfaftory; .gs.frequent Ranges
occurr The grand dSvifions are the vice-royalty of Bpeqns-Ayres'; that
of Peru which includes Chili; and that of New Granada to* the,north:
the capital of the firft being Buenos-Ayres, of the feconddLima, and of
the third Bogota, or SantaTe. de Bogota, N. lat. 4.0. ^The vice-royalt^ of
New Granada was eftablilhed to 1718 ; and that of. Buenos-Ayres 1778 :
hut the governments are ftill too extenfive, andougktohe fubdivided,
as the vigilance of one man cannot prevent the groffeft malversations
and oppreffions; and, in the opulence of the income, duty is* facrificed
to luxury.
Population. The general population of South America being, as already mentioned
about 43,0 0 0 ,000,it is probable that the Spanilh poflelEoj^&n-
tain about 9,000,000. The ufe of fpk^ons liquor^ and the /madhpox,
with another endemial difeafe, which a£ts- at intervals like ,a xp^ilence,
obftruQ: the increafe of the natives. The Spaniards and Creqls^re far
snore numerous in New Spain, than in South America, where itiisjpro-
bable that they do not exceed 2,000,000. The product of the mines of
South America is fuppofed to be about £.4,000,000 fterHng yearly;
and the royal revenue perhaps amounts to £«8005000. But in,$|>ain,
according *° Me. Townfend, the «ofonlfeg me Tcaroely /ctm^dered a§
affording any free income to the crown, when all the expenc.es blurred
on their account are duly eftimated.
Manners and The manners of the Spaniards in South America have been illgimted
Cnftoms. j j j many popular books of voyages.“ Among .the native nations, the
Peruvians are by far the moft interefting, having in fotoe inftanees ad*
v a n c e d nearer to civilization than the Mexicans. The Llama, which
may be called a fmail camel, had been rendered fubfervient to their in*
duftry ; ana their buddings, erected of ftone, ftill remain, while, of the
earthen edifices of the Mexicans, even the ruins have periftied. The
hiftory of the Peruvian monarchs is indeed vague and unfatisfadory,
the noted Quipos fomewhat refembling the Wampum of the Nbrth
Americans,
Arihririearkbei-rig, brief and^raklfojtyt . ^p^-gov^rnH^ntik^®'
:-fecas_was a ki-ndkf * t3h'c©wa^,ut-4p4 !^^Sfi®Pl'!^|taik jtev ered a .<k|qe
idefeent, not claimed*, by ‘the- Mexican., mowjaSfcl^., Tk^l jrpl^ino fef
the Peruvians, the Mexicans
feem, in 'ffhekcrujd* rites-,. the’fear 'of
ihalignant deities. Sofne{f^eri.fi^'pf*f|h^ ampiais, and offerings
of fijbits and flowers, formed the |h|ef ^^sKo’£).,Peru!vian»,*fiip€ri]tifiQn.
The Mexican monarchy wag.founded;tW‘j t h ^ ^ e r | j ^ a n by
fuperiority of wifdorm;, and thfe ca|>tiyes;taken in Wtar.jyetfe- npt immolated,
pm inftru£ted in^nrarts’ett civilization. ^ An excellent writer j uIdly jgre-
noh'nces,.that-fthe -Peruvians had advanced-.far beyo^K-h the\,Mcxj,ed,!?is$
both in the, neegflary arts of. lifoj |ahd^fei&cb>^as Ha^e tf©mdtitle‘.t%fthe
name of elegant;1 Manures andriiHgkoqiwefei not though
a kind of rnatfoc formed tnl^cnief iriftrumeiit of1 ’R^rifflffore;;' ,l* ^TiMir
edifefes* werefotoetimes of bricks hardened-in' tHd fun; ;biaG' others were
conftrudted or large ftones, th'e walls- however never exceeding twelve
feet in heighferferThe' great roads^between’ Cuzco al l arf e. indeed
flight and pferfftfable, when compared with Eurqpean exferfioas,, yet
become wond^rfk, when eftimated with the otheft parts!, krjfavage
America. Their weapons and ornaments alfo afpI^Sd no fmail deg^le
of fkill, particularly in cutting and piercing emeralds,fw'gWi!bf ..grogt
hardnefs. Amidft all thefe laudable qualities, it IS tC bd1reg¥6tte2,%iat
feperftition led them to facrified numerous vwfti'ms on the deathr-plya
cif&efi; and a favqurite.. monarch was fometimes followed4 to the to-fefe
by a th!ou&ndrkuighterecb fefvants. Had the-cMmleffl of Ameri&<&&n
effeSfed b^ fffo Spaniards af h pferiod like the prefent,1 when European
warfare has loft half of its'ferocity, the Peruvian ndqriarch yqrspgkhke
been refpedted and preferved-j -lbr iii the other'pa^ of S|fH,th America
there is a fuperabundance of thfe jsrecious metalsfto' fatfate theufmdfb with
or avarice. Whether the TuHfig people be Hh'ifefty t ’Qtt'O'ff, or from the
mere; depreffion, of flavferyj it is iiH^ofBble'’to difeover in the m®iriers
of the Peruvian natives stay marks of their ancient advakejtient.
Mausers
C u s t o m s .
■
'■ ‘Robertfon, iil. 209.
' -4 s 2 The