it, although by the
mercy of God, this is becoming somewhat remedied by the coming of the
ministers of the gospel, with whose advent these grievances cease in
some places. After Don Geronimo [31] Ronquillo carne to govern, [it
was decreed] that from the Indians should be taken the [taels?] [32]
of gold which the Indians manufacture. Whether or not this has been
done by order of your Majesty, I do not know; but I know that if
your Majesty were in this country you would not order this law to
be executed now; because most of them are still infidels, and I do
not know what right there is to exact these taxes from the infidel,
nor to what a people so [_illegible in original MS._] might be driven
by such rigor. From this result many injuries to the Indians. For,
as is well known, they have wrought the gold which they received from
their ancestors, and they regard it as lost. [33] All the Indians
are compelled to declare all the gold that they possess, and the
amounts are placed on a list, in order that if they should come into
possession of more gold in the future, it may be taken from them--not
as the royal fifth, but as forfeited. Moreover as these Indians
wear chains and ajorcas, [34] the alcaldes-mayor, in the attempt
to profit thereby, require that these should be declared, on the
ground that these are ornaments which the Indians have manufactured,
and on which they have not paid the fifth; and although this may be
a lie, it costs the Indian, before he is free, a good share of his
gold. Indeed, they denounced an Indian before the governor himself;
and in spite of many entreaties from religious, he fined the Indian
one hundred and twenty pesos, which was the third part of the gold
about which he was accused. A religious assured me that it was gold
received from his ancestors; but the Indian could not help himself.

I could never finish--and it would be a very annoying subject for your
Majesty--relating all the hardships that befall these unfortunates in
this country. They ought to be feasted and favored, in order that they
may become attached to our faith, and understand the mercy that God
has shown them in bringing them to the knowledge and manifestation
of it; but those who here continue to forget this are the cause of
their abhorring the faith. They consider your Majesty a cruel king,
and think that you are trying only to profit by their estates and to
claim their personal service--although all is so much to the contra