Though the mines of Veraguas and Panama are not exposed to these dangers, yet they are not worked with more vigour than the others; and this for two reasons: namely, the first is, that, besides their being less rich in metal than the others the gold they yield is not of so good a quality as that of Darien; the second, and indeed the most weighty, is, that as these seas, by their rich produce of pearls, offer a more certain, and at the same time a more easy profit, they apply themselves to this fishery preferably to the mines. Some, indeed, though few, are worked besides those above mentioned on the frontier of Darien.

Besides the advantage arising to Panama from the commerce, as the revenue here is not equal to the disbursements, a very considerable sum of money is annually remitted hither from Lima, for the payment of the troops, the officers of the audiencia, and others in employment under his majesty.

F. THE CITY OF QUITO1

The principal square in Quito has four sides, in one of which stands the cathedral, and in the opposite the episcopal palace; the third side is taken up by the town house, and the fourth by the palace of the audience. It is very spacious, and has in the centre an elegant fountain. It is indeed rather disfigured than adorned by the palace of the audience; which instead of being kept in repair conformable to the dignity of government, the greatest part of it has been suffered to fall into ruins, and only a few halls and offices taken any care of; so that even the outward walls continually threaten to demolish the parts now standing. The four streets terminating at the angles of the square are straight, broad, and handsome; but at the distance of three or four quadras (or the distance between every two corners, or stacks of building, and which here consists of about a hundred yards, more or less) begin the troublesome declivities. This inequality deprives the inhabitants of the use of coaches, or any other wheel-carriage. Persons of rank, however, to distinguish themselves, are attended by a servant carrying a large umbrella: and ladies of the first quality are carried in sedans. Except the four streets above mentioned, all the rest are

1 Juan and Ulloa, A Voyage to South America, I, 212-214.

crooked, and destitute both of symmetry and order. Some of them are crossed by breaches, and the houses stand on the sides of their winding course and irregular projections. Thus some parts of the city are situated at the bottom of those breaches, while others stand on their summits. The principal streets are paved; but those which are not, are almost impassable after rain, which is here very common.

Besides the principal square, there are two others very spacious, together with several that are smaller. In these the greatest part of the convents are situated, and make a handsome appearance; the fronts and portals being adorned with all the embellishments of architecture; particularly the convent of the order of Franciscans, which, being wholly of free-stone, must have cost a prodigious sum; and indeed the justness of the proportions, the disposition of the parts, the elegant taste and execution of the work, render it equal to most of the admired buildings in Europe.

The principal houses are large; some of them have spacious and well-contrived apartments, though none are above one story in height, which is seldom without a balcony toward the street; but their doors and windows, particularly those within, are very low and narrow, following in these particulars the old custom of the Indians, who constantly built their houses among breaches and inequalities, and were also careful to make the doors very narrow. The Spaniards plead in defence of this custom, that the apartments are freer from wind; but be that as it may, I am inclined to think that this peculiarity owed its origin to a blind imitation of the Indians.

The materials made use of in building at Quito are adobes, or unburnt bricks, and clay; and to the making of the former the earth is so well adapted, that they last a long time, provided they are defended from the rain. They are cemented or joined together by a certain substance called sangagua, a species of mortar of uncommon hardness, used by the ancient Indians for building houses and walls of all kinds, several remains being still to be seen near the city, and in many other parts of the kingdom, notwithstanding the remarkable inclemency of the weather; a sufficient proof of its strength and duration.

59. A VOYAGE TO THE EASTERN PART OF TERRA FIRMA

[1801-1804. François Raymond Joseph Depons, A Voyage to the Eastern Part of Terra Firma, or the Spanish Main, in South America, during the Years 1801, 1802, 1803, and 1804, I-III. Published by I. Riley and Company, New York, 1806. The original is in French.]

François Raymond Joseph Depons was a French business man who made a voyage of about four years in what is now Venezuela. He had an unusually good opportunity to study the conditions in Caracas and other parts of Venezuela, and has in these three volumes given an excellent account of them at the beginning of the last century. The following excerpts are illuminating.

A. RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS 1

The catholic, apostolic, and roman religion, is not only predominant, but exclusive, in all the Spanish possessions, as in the metropolis. The schismatic, or the person who is even suspected of being such, passes a very uncomfortable time there.

TRIBUNALS OF THE INQUISITION

Three tribunals of the inquisition, or holy office, which have their sessions at Mexico, Lima, and Carthagena of the Indies, are inexorable defenders of the faith in all Spanish America.

In their primitive institution, their cognizance was confined to matters strictly of heresy. Inquisitores non possunt se intermittere in aliis, causis quam in delictis contra fidem. Clem. de hæres. cap. mult. prim. parag. propter. The law soon assigned to them cases of divorce, polygamy and sodomy, which it has since successively referred to other tribunals.

The abuse that a priest can make of confession, by rendering it subservient to his passions, comes under the cognizance of the inquisitors. As in this case it is necessary to proceed against the priest on a denunciation not supported by proofs, the least appearance of rancour, hatred, or vengeance, occasions its rejection. Nothing is admitted except merely the denunciation, accompanied with the circumstances which render the crime probable.

1 Depons, A Voyage to the Eastern Part of Terra Firma, II, 74–82.

These tribunals can condemn to fine, confiscation, banishment, the galleys or the flames. The secular judges, even the audiences, must respect their sentences, and cause them to be executed. The principal functions of these inquisitorial tribunals consist in anathematizing all books the contents of which wound the tenets of religion, offend modesty, or tend to deprive government of its consideration, and the laws of that respect which is their due.

Such is the vigilance of the inquisition that this regulation concerning the police of books, is more rigorously executed both in Europe and America, than any other regulation appertaining to the Spanish regime.

From whatever part books may come, in whatever language they may be written, neither the entrance, circulation, nor use, are permitted, until they have been judged orthodox by the commissaries of the holy office.

Every bookseller in the Spanish dominions, is bound to furnish, in the two first months of every year, an inventory of the books he exposes for sale: to this must be subscribed his oath that he has no others than those contained in the inventory.

He is forbidden to purchase or sell any book prohibited by the inquisition, under penalty, for the first offence, of interdiction from all commerce in books for two years, banishment, during the same term, to twelve leagues distance from the place in which he was established, and a fine of two hundred ducats to the profit of the inquisition. Repetitions of the offence are proportionally punished. The book forming the substance of the crime, may have been already sold, and in the hands of a third person, but the declaration of the purchaser suffices to subject the bookseller to all the penalties specified.

Every bookseller must have in his store a catalogue of the books censured by the inquisition, under penalty of forty ducats. It is even necessary, that the catalogue should be his own; for if it is borrowed, he is equally liable to the fine, as if he has none.

No bookseller may proceed to the inventory, estimate, purchase, or sale of private libraries, without furnishing to the commissary of the inquisition, a statement, containing the names and surnames of the authors, the titles of the books, the subject matter, and the place and year of the impression, under penalty of fifty ducats.

Every person who enters the country with books, must make a declaration detailed and sworn to, which is sent to the tribunal of the

inquisition or its commissaries, who have the power to permit their introduction or to seize them. The omission, or imperfect execution of this declaration, occasions a confiscation of the books, and a cost of 200 ducats for the expenses of the holy-office.

When books, as most frequently happens, are deposited at the custom-house, with other effects, or merchandise, the officers of the customs cannot release the books, but by express permission of the commissary of the inquisition: which he does not grant till he has previously examined them.

Catalogues, which Spaniards may receive from abroad for the selection of books, must, before any use is made of them, be sent to the · holy-office, which may retain or restore them.

Whoever may have the temerity to elude the vigilance of the inquisition, is not therefore in peaceable possession of the proscribed books he has received. He remains exposed to those domiciliary visits, which the commissioners of the inquisition have a right to make at any hour either of day or night.

The tribunal of the holy inquisition, can grant particular permissions to read prohibited books. This is frequently done to persons whose manners are unequivocally national, and whose principles are steadfast and unalterable. The priests and monks most readily obtain these permissions; but they do not extend to all the books prohibited. Some are so strictly forbidden that neither the inquisition nor the pope permit them to be read, except in cases extremely rare.

Formerly it sufficed for a book to contain a single proposition of questionable orthodoxy, a single equivocal maxim, to provoke its entire prohibition. At present it is thought sufficient to suppress the vicious or suspected part. This operation is called expurgar, (purifier.) In this case, they obliterate the offensive passages of the book, and with those exceptions, permit it to be reprinted or read.

But when the basis of its principle appears impious, scandalous, or obscene, the whole work is condemned; and according to the importance of its injurious tendencies, it remains interdicted, even to those who have the privilege of reading prohibited books. Thus the books on whom the holy inquisition has exercised its authority, may be divided into three classes, viz. corrected books, which become national; forbidden books, which may be read on permission; and proscribed books, which cannot be read without a special permission.