is not much to ask, since your
Majesty is pleased to entrust special matters and the inspection of
a viceroy of Nueva Espana to a bishop; and the same should be done
with those which are of so much greater importance, and concern so
greatly the glory and service of God, and of your Majesty, the common
welfare of these districts (rightly so favored by your Majesty), and
the alleviation and consolation of their wretched people, whom God has
placed under your Majesty's royal protection. It is true, however, that
as far as this matter of inspection is concerned, I once suggested,
among other matters, that it should be entrusted to specially chosen
private persons; but, when I wrote to that effect, your Majesty had
not appointed any bishops or audiencia for this country. Therefore it
was what seemed perhaps most advisable, considering the condition of
affairs, and the employment of the governor and his lieutenant-governor
in the government and in matters of importance so that they could
not attend to it; and there was no other more advisable method to
be discerned. Even by this method it has always been very difficult
to find men of such qualities as the case demands. However, now that
our Lord has been pleased that your Majesty appoint prelates for this
kingdom--a most useful thing for it--it is evidently most advisable
that they should have charge of the inspection because of their
experience and the great need of a provision for these matters. In
very grave cases, they could be accompanied by some auditor, if
necessary. And if your Majesty should not wish the prelates to make
the inspection, at least the inspector should be no other than an
auditor, and he should have a good salary with fees at the cost of
culprits. This is essential to produce the desired effect. But this
last method would cause greater delay and dangerous annoyances to the
natives, because of certain reasons and causes vexatious to them; for
the auditor could inspect in one year and summer but one province,
and in that would not be doing little. The next year he would have
to visit another province, and so on, until he had finished the whole
country. But if the bishops act as inspectors inasmuch as they have to
go through their bishoprics annually, each one in his own district,
the inspection would be completed in one year, and very comfortably
and conveniently, especially for the Indians. This would not be the
case, were the inspection made by others. T