s, they make
him pay ten duros in expenses so that the man either considers his
beast as lost and the thieves keep it, or the latter get from him
twice as much as it is worth. Hence, if I were to tell all that
passes in this wise, my story would be very long. One of the things
which they are accustomed to do is to let the prisoners go out of
the prison for several days without the government knowing it. I
have seen that done this very year of 1841 in the province of---,
in regard to some prisoners whom the alcalde-mayor believed to be in
prison; but they were working on the estate of the clerk, and one of
those prisoners had committed very serious crimes." "But why do not
the curas remedy all that? I have heard it said that they are really
the ones who govern the villages." "In reality, when the curas take
that matter upon themselves, those abuses are remedied, at least
in great measure, for they know the language well, and every one
in their village knows the truth, if the cura wishes to ascertain
it. That is what happened in former times. And also at that time
the communal funds were deposited in the convent, and [thus] many
tricks and tyrannies were avoided. But for some years the governors
who have come from Espana have desired that the parish priests should
keep to their houses and say mass and preach and not meddle with the
temporal government; without taking heed that in a whole province
there is no other Spaniard who governs than the alcalde-mayor himself,
who generally comes from Europa and goes without reflection to take
his charge without any knowledge whatever of the country or knowing
even a single word of its language. Consequently, many religious,
in order to avoid trouble, see and keep still, and allow everything
to take what course God wills. This is one of the chief causes of the
disorders of the villages, and of the increase of crime." "Now tell me,
do the alcaldes make all the wealth that they are accustomed to acquire
with the kind of trade which you have explained to me?" "They have many
means of hunting [buscar] for that is the technical expression used in
this country, but those means vary according to circumstances. In some
provinces great efforts are made to obtain posts as gobernadorcillos
and officials of justice, and that department generally is worth a good
sum annually. Those are things which the clerk or secretary manages. In
the province of--- while Don--- was alcalde-mayor, that gentlema