10

. . . the rebels until . . . were

Petition of caught alive. This is the vaholly dis-

Ocon against interested ... of all that is taking

the CCanary3 place in that presidio in order that, in

Islanders view thereof, the grandeur of.Your Excell-

ency may determine the.bestmeans whereby

the priests and the settlers of that presidio and villa

and the captain may be freed from malicious litigations

and may., accordingly, live peacefully :and without conten-

tions. This will contribute to the progress ... of that

province. Because, in tru:th, Most Excellent Sir,'ali of

this litigation amounts to aJumble of.tales; and because

of the original source of its inception, which I have

stated, I considered it my duty as a senior councilman

of that villa to make.this representation to Your Excellency

to the end that the discords and dissentions that have arisen

there as a result of special circum:stances and unjust'hatreds

may be completely extinguished by means of Your Excellency's

superior authority. Therefore, I beg you to so decide because

that is' just and I swear thereto in the name of Our Lord

God.

Antto. Rodrigues Mederos

I, Don Pedrode.Oconitrillo, by virtue of the power

from the vecinos agregadoe of the presidio of San Ainttonio

11

de Ve'xar found in folios ... of the records of the pro-

ceedings that the CCanary3 Island residents of the villa

of San Fernando have instituted against Captain Don Thori-

Cbio3 de Vrrutia, and in their name,. do hereby appear before

Your Excellency in the. best manner according to law to reply

to the instrument presented on October 26 of the past year

of t17344, a copy of. which was given to me, which consists

of several complaints against my party by reason of his

position; and to statethat, in spite of the allegations

and petitions of the said instrument, may it please Your

Excellency to decide as I have asked in my petition on

f6l1o.164 because that is just, as. is clear and consequent..

from the proceedings and the law. Because Your Excellency

will find that the instrument to whicYr I am replying as

well as all that have preceded it, that is all the instru-

ments.which the said CCanary3 Islanders have presented, are

nothing but a jumble of gossip and old wives tales wiith no

substantiation and an accumulation of captiousness and

ejaculations.which are harmful and slanderous not only to

the captain of San Arittonio but to all the sundry types of

persons living in those environs, without exceptizig the

holy missionary fathers. All this tempest of gossip lacks

not only substantiation but sufficient proof and serves

only as evidence of the rebeilious, captious, and perverse

nature of the said CGanary3 Islanders, who are so proud of

12

the title of tfirst3 settlers that they want to be the

privileged class of that region to the detriment of the

vecinos agregados, who without cost . to His Majesty were

and are really the true and oldest settlers and conquerors

of that region. In order that Your Excellency may form an

opinion of the truth of this cause and of the perversity of

the said.CCanary3 Islanders,I shall make:.. . and other

statements coricerning`the circumstances surrounding these..lv .

...//and then I shall reply/toone of them. By reason

of the fact that the above-mentioned.instrument is parti-

cularly directed against the captain because they believed

that he had c shovun3 favor in our interest, and also because

it ignominiously ruins his reputation, I cannot fail to let

Your Excellency know the temerity with which they accuseand

hiffil the apostolic missionaries in the very same manner,

without any trace of reason. First,.in order to learn

which side is supported by justice and reason, it must

be borne in mind that the.parties referred to in these

proceedings are the very ones that constitute the citizenry

of that region and consist of five classes of persons;

namely, the CCanary3 Islanders, the vecinos agregados,

the soldiers, the Indians, and the religiQus. To these

should be added the captain and the governor of the pro-

vince as head of all. It is noteworthy that the CCanary3

Islanders should complain against the captain, the

13

vezinos agregados, the soldiers, the Indians, and the

religious who constitute the citizenry of that presidio;

as is also the fact that the said eCanary3 Islanders

should give vent to so many complaints.and charges against the

said Oaptain while the religious, the vezinos Cagregados3,

and his soldiers do not do so but rather praise him. Similarly

cnoteworthy is the fact3 that the three governors under whose

administration and command he has been since he became captain

and whowere very zealous and strict about military discipline

and their political administrations should have had no occasion

whatever to reprimand him or to enter any complaints against

him in this captaincy general in any of their visitas or during

the time of their administrations. From this it may be seen

that only in the opinion of these capricious CCanary3 Islanders

.is he bad and does he fail to comply with the duties of his

office. This one point alone is sufficient to make known to

Your Excellency's. keeri intelligence the injustice, malice,

and captiousness of the said CCanary3 Islanders and the

Ju.stified conduct of the said captain. This is all3the

more tsignificarit3 if we bear in mind the larger number of

persons who credit him with a different reputation and

distinction than .edo3 the said ECanary3 Islanders. For

ther.e are only 14 families of the latter, while the Indians

are innumerable and the religious are few Csic3. The fact

that the governors made no complaint to Your Excellency cis3

equally significant. Leaving aside the presumption.of the

said tCanary3 Islanders, which is inimical to them, their

bad habits, captiousness, and the intrepidity of their

.quarrelsome dispositions, we must bear in mind that they

do not represent the best and most desirable elements.from

the Canary Islands; but rather the same typeof persons

that have eome from that place, from the port of Vera` Crus,

the Windward :I s].ands, and the Philippine Islands. This ie

plainly manifested by the abusive language and the unrestrained

expression of their-feelings which abound in these records and

by the fact that they were not constrained to respectfulness

by the.prudent realization that they were addressing Your

'Excelleney. On the other:hand, this is the first represen-

tation made to Your Excellency by my parties, who have been

engaged only in the royal service of His Majesty but without

e- _^. - _ -A. L A.9_ _ - -9 i___ ______

many2

years earlier than the said cCanary3 Islanders . ... IIservice, as is recorded in the inquisition in 8 folios which

has been presented in due form and.which the ... cCanary'

Islanders have very rudely endeavored to suppress; revo.ke,

or nullify by petitioning for the abrogation of the power

and by. means of the other strategems they have employed^l

.This is evident from the very proceedings which they:entered

recently against my parties who remitted to me the aforesaid

inquisition which I am presenting.., For this reason their

15

captiousness deserves the severe punishment which I am

imploring of Your Excellency, especially in view of the

fact that no.injustice is done them by the claims entered

by my parties. This fact ctogether with3the sole petition

cpresented3, and the remarks I have made thus far are

sufficient to dispel all the captious gossip of. the said

CCanary3 Islanders; eoneequently there is no'need for

exhausting Your Excellency^s patience by replying to each

point in particular. However,in order that Your Excellency

may be informed of the perversity of their character, I

shall reply now to each of their calumnies in spite of.the

fact that they are unsubstantiated. First, in the first

paragraph they summarize all their complaints which are

the same as those they gave in the beginning, relative to

Your Excellency's having decided,on the recommendation of

the Judge Advocate, upon the dispatch on folio 97. The sum

and substance of this is that the captain treats them badly.

They specify that he imprisons them in the guardroom, in the

prison, or in the stocks. This,complaint should be based

upon the very reasons for their imprisonment in order that

the Justice or injustice oP the same might be seen. But

they neither express the.reasons nor prove that they were

unjust. Consequently, this complaint was rightly laid aside.

If Your Excellency were to order an investigation of these

causes and if the proof of this C.complaint3 were received.,

16

it would become apparent that some of them Cthe Canary

Islanders3 deserve not only to be imprisoned but calsol

to be.burned. The se'cond complaint is that the c.aptain

should not take their corn for the maintenance of the

presidio. This complaint, which they emphasize the most,

is the one that has the least.justification, because, in

the first place, not only ie it true that the captain

would be justified in taking their corn, but also that

he paid them for it in advance and that they still owe.

him some ccorn3 which they did not deliver. In the second

place,.it must be noted that some years when they had cno3

corn the captain bought some from the vezirios ragregados3

and the missions at high prices, and this also will be

proved. Last year, because the cCanary3 Islanders had

no.ceorn3 and were suffering, the said captain gave to

many of the said eCanary3 Islanders some of. the said corn,

which he had to buy in,greater quantities than he needed

in order that they. should not suffer. CHe did this3 with

no.further interest or condition than that they should

return It the corn3 to him when they had some. He,did

the same thing under the same circumstances for the vezinos

cagregados3. This leads us to understand how bad the captain

is, and the contemptible rnanner in which they reciprocated

... They want him to buy the said corn from them precisely

and not from.others in order that .., pay what they want.

17

In the third place, it must be noted that there is as much

Justification . . . for taking the corn from the cCanary3

Islanders as from the yezinos cagregados3, and that ... he

should not buy from others as much as they gather because he

cannot ... ever have need of all of it. Consequently,

when the crops are acant, he will. be able to take.. .. and2v

when.... //`. .. of their privileges or solicited coddling

on the strength of their Ebeing3 such settlers, but modestly,

prudently, and without litigations, they have continued to

-endure the domination that the cCana.ry3 Islanders have tried

and are trying to establish there cand whieh they have

carried3 to the extent of depriving them of the.water necessary

for their homes. With little<r.espect for the -religious, who.

are exemplary and apostollc men,,the ECanary3 Islanders accuse

them of injustice and covetousness and fail to recognize their

exemplary lives and habits, Cwhich area well known in these

dominions. They want them to be removed from there in order

not to have any one to correct or reprimand them for their

vices. The condition of the Indians is.wretched and the

. cCana.ry3 I slanders vnant to take advantage of them and use

them as slaves.. Because they are not permitted to do so,

they complain. The soldiers are the restraining influence

not only against the invasions of the Apache Indians but

also against the CCanary3 Islanders themselves. Consequently,

in order to understand the justice of this cause and to

1s

discredit the charges of the said eCanary3 Islanders, we

must take into account the number of persons of distinction

and rank among them, who on careful consideration are more

trustworthy than the said rCanary3 Islanders. The second

observation that needs to be made is that all the proofs

that the said CCanary3 Islanders have presented for the

justification of their complaints are some affidavits and

inquisitions made by them, themselves, with witnesses.from

their faction and.they themselves as Judges, without citation

of the captain, the fathers, or the.vezinos ag regados. Their

depositions are so extraordinary that on being questioned

about several different occurrences in which they should

depose specifically by the exact statement of events, time,

and circumstances, they do not do so, but thoughtlessly and

unrestrictedly depose that everything that is asked of them

is true. With these inquisitions and affidavits they hope

to obtain everything they imagine rthey°,°want3. But this and

many other instruments with similar shortcomings can be

destroyed by a single petition from any of the parties: namely,

that it may please Your Excellency to order that the proof of

t.his cause be received.in due form, in order that each party,

with the citation of the others, Cmay present3 the proofs that

they may deem advisable before the governor of that province,

who shall proceed to ascertain the motives, conduct, and way

of life of everyone. Thereby Your Excellency, with your

.19

greatefeeling for3 justice, will be satisfied that everything

the said c Canary3 Islanders say is vicious. Their designs

also will then beascertained; for they want to become

absolute and unrestrained there in order that they may do as

they please.. That is why they do not want to have a chief

justice or the religious so near. tTheir object3 is to-

become absolute in order to dominate and subject all the

-rest of the settlers and to become masters of their free

will. In addition to what has been said, with their rustic

machinations and their.endeavor to have the three missions

near the villa demolished,.they will thwart and impede the

p.rogre$s of that province with respect to the conversion

of the Gentiles. The said CGanary3 Islanders. verify this

and the rest that ... reported to Your Fxcellency by the

proceedings which:. .. to make that presidio, after having

come of late in order that my eparties.3 should withdraw

their petition and the special service which they intend

to render ... Majesty as well as that of remaining there

and adding to the 49 families an additional 21,.. .. total

of 70, with the qualities that, in their name, I have

recorded by means ...:.document. I must not fail to say

to Your Excellency that their exceedingly prudent thought-

fulness ... the 15 families of cCanary3 Islanders ...

cost the royal treasury one thousand pesos; those vezinos

Cagregados3 have occasioned no cost whatever to His Majesty

... Their ... amount to more than three hundred fifty3

thousand pesos . . . //Special . . . The ECanary3

Islanders do not attend to the welfare,and advancement

of the region as the captain and the religious attend to

it; and that is why they are endeavoring to compel ...

God; but Your Excellency, who is just in all things, has

ordered that they Cshould3 work only voluntarily. They

are not prevented from doing this. After fruitless, idle

talk in their petition they continue with their complaints

by saying that the said captain disobeyed Your Excellency's

dispatch in all its, contents. However they do not bring or

express a specific act of disobedience; but what they want

... in which the captain replied to the notification of

the dispatch that he would obey; but that the complaints.of

the eCanaryj Islanders were sinister and that there were

several matters about.which he had to make a representation

to Your Excellency.. CThey allege.3 that later henotified

them to obey in a disgraceful document and this is the

whole reason for the.new .complaint which they parade in

a most diffuse:document in which they'make no new allegation

but only exactly what they had alleged in the document that

motivated the said dispatch. They are so satisfied with

this that they believe that they have already succeeded in

remaining absolute in that region by having the captain

removed from office and the father missionaries thrown.out.

21

But the most noteworthy fact is that among all the complaints

contained in their petition there is not one to be found

that is based on,some particular action taken by the captain

against.them after the diapatch was issued; but only

impertinent tales that area beside the point as will

be seen hereinafter. For the first allegation they make

is that when Don Justo Boneo.came on his visita of the

said presidio, they made several complaints to him by

reason of.which he severely reprimanded the captain in

publie. AlthoUgh they are telling the truth when they

say that they complained; they are not being truthful

sahen they say that the governor reprimanded the captain;

for, on the contrary, it was the ECanary3 Islanders who

were reprimanded because the governor found that all their

complaints were old:wives tales and chimeras without a

trace of truth. And that is the reason why they hastened

to repeat their same complaints in this city, where because

.of the distance, they believe that they can make them

cappear3 more verisimil, as they are unable to do there

where the governor has the. situation in view. The proof

of the fact that the governor did not reprimand the

captain but the CCanary3 Islanders is that in spite

of their complaints he appointed him.chief justice,,

and when he excused himself and even refused it he

compelled him to accept the office.

22

The second callegation3 they make is that the captain

is asserting falsely in his report that there are 11 families

of Canary Islanders who are keeping the situation in a

turmoil; since there are 23 Pamilies. But the truth is

that they do not understand what the captain says in his

report, in which he does not affirm abso].utely. that there

are only 11 farriilies of cCana3 Islanders; but that there

are 11 that.are keeping thepresidio and the missions in

turmoil. But the cCanaryj Islanders are speaki ng untruth-

fully when they say absolutely that there are 23 families;

$ince there are on3.y 14. With regard to their keeping.all

that region in turmoil; that is so true that no further

proof is needed than these very records of the proceedings

that they have instituted cand which3 have harassed the

captain, the Indians, the soldiers, the missionaries, and

the vesinos cagregados3. In addition to this proof, if it

pleases.Your Excellency, several other special cases of the

old wives tales with which they have troubled the Indians

by telling them that the religious intend.to..make them

.slaves can be,proved ... In the heart of the plaza.

they have proclaimed that they also want to compel the

... Indians to be Christians. We shall also

now that he obtained ... dispatch,.great was

they caused by holding several juntas ... in

Joseph Arrocha and Vicente Trabiesso; for they

prove that

the commotion

the homes,of

became alarmed

23

... for fear that the CCanarya Islanders would reduce

them to aavwl4adds servitude and that they would remain

..., Those responsible for all this are the said

Trauiesso and Arrocha and a homicidal Indian who acts

as advisory for the cCanary3 Islanders in all their juntas

and transactions ... the people mayknow that this is

the capacity in which he serves them ... they have

abandoned their villas and have gone to live in others3v

//. .. although they want to sell it the corn3 for.the_

price they ask in order to make great profits, and to

receive the money at the doors of their homes. This -is

the subject of.their second complaint; it is as vain and

false as the first and exceedingly weak: for it cannot

be substantiated neither is it sufficient for removing

the captain from office. In this eonnection, it is already,

known that after the said CCanary3 Islanders had obtained

a dispatch to the effect that the said captain should take

their corn, the reverend fathers appealed here Cin Mexico3

and obtained another cdispatch3 contrary to it, to the

effect that he should take it from the Indians of their

missions. The 3rd complaint is addressed directly against

the wretched missionaries; although,ineidentally, they

blame the captain in it by saying that he was in league

with them. As any man of Judgment will realize, the

captain could be suspected of being more to blame if the

2 4

religious were to accuse him of being in league with the

said cCanaryj Islanders.. This complaint is that the cattle

of the miss.ions do great damage to their planted fields.

To which one may reply that the damage Is not so great nor

so frequent as they insist; and they are not caused only

by the cattle of the missi.ons but by those of the CCanary3

Islanders;: neither is the captain to blame; for it is. not

his duty to take care.of the crops and the cattle. The

cCana,ryj Islanders should watch over them and have_their

fields fenced and watched and cared for in order to drive

off the cattie. But it is noteworthy that while they

complain of this damage of the cattle they do not confess

that they have killed many head of cattle of the Indians.

With reference to this,proceedings have been instituted

i n the conrt of the cCanary3 Islanders, who have pigeonholed.

them sincethe poor Indians can neither complain nor breathe

easy. And this is one of the:topi cs that will bear investi-

gation.

For what these CCanary3.Islanders want is to have

permission to. inflict . these and other vexations on those

poor wretches; and because the religious and the captain,

in compliance with the duties of their offices, defend them,

the Canary Islanders consequently abhor.them and wish to

remove the . religious and the captain from that region.

The 4th complaintis that the captain does not guard or

25

observe their fueros and privileges. Their specific

basis for Calleging3 this infraction is that he compels

them to go-on the raids and expeditions that are made,

and that the missionaries do not permit the Indians to

help them with their building and their crops. t'Yith

regard to the first point, the captain has already replied

to it in his instrument on folio. 56; consequently, I shall

only say that the said. cCanary, I slanders .have gone forth

only twice and at that, Conly3 three of them, to which

should be added that the Journey was so short that it did

not last 24.hours so that they returned.to their homes to

sleep. This will attest to the lazy life they want to

lead, not.serving the King; while the vezinos cagregados3

have no greater glory than to engage in such expeditions

in the service of His Majesty and defeAse-of the land,'

For.this reason and because they are the first settlers,

they should be treated more courteously and should be

greatly favored. However, what they experience is that

the CCanary3 Islanders instead of considering my parties

as Ctheir3 equals, imprison`them by.placing them in stables^; . .

and"filthy places. And this is the rational and Just.

complaint which my parties should make and which can be.

ascertained and proven if Your Excellency should consider

it advisable.

As for the second point contained in the complaint

26

concerning the missionaries' not permitting the Indians to

work fcyr them in their Cbuilding, and fields; this is

nothing more than a revelation of one of their evil designs

those.wretches. It is a dangerous innovation to

attempt to obligate and force them

difficult,to reduce the others. But these prudent co.nsi-

that with the ... as.an example ... . it wculd become

to occasion ... barbarous or should rebel, or at least

work.which has

never been customary in the new conquests vkiere ... kindly

and gently,• and.it would be eequivalent3 to losing them and

derations ... . CCanary3 Islanders nor that as a primary obli-

gation . . .

CFragment, 17453