TheofficialcapitalwasplacedatCandelaria，ontheeastbankoftheParana。InthattowntheSuperiorofthemissionshadhisofficialresidence，andfromthenceheruledthewholeterritory，havingnotonlytheecclesiasticalbutthetemporalpower，thelatter，fromthepositioninwhichhewasplaced，somanyhundredmilesfromanySpanishGovernor，havingbydegreesgraduallycomeintohishands。
ThelittletownofLaCandelariawas，whenIknewit，inamostneglectedstate。ThebuildingsoftheJesuits，withtheexceptionofthechurch，wereallinruins。
Thestreetsweresandyanddeserted，thefoot
walkseparatedfromthembyalineofhard
woodposts，which，astraditionsaid，werelefttherebytheJesuits；butthehardwoodsofParaguayarealmostasimperishableasiron。
Inall，themissionsamountedtothirty；andfortheirrelativesituationsvidethecuriousmap[notavailableinthisASCIItext]，theoriginalofwhichwaspublishedintheworkofPadrePedroLozano，C。deJ。，`Descripcionchorographicadelterreno，rios，arbolesyanimalesdelasdilatadissimasprovinciasdelGranChaco，Gualanba\'，etc。
Cordoba，delTucuman，enelColegiodelaAssumpcion，porJosephSantosBalbas，1733。
A`balsa\'
thatis，aflyingbridgeworkedbyacable
pliedfitfullyacrosstheParanatoYtapua，alsoalittleex
Jesuittownupontheotherside。Eachshophadasignoutside，aswasthecaseinEnglandahundredyearsago。Indianssuppliedtheplacewithvegetables，floatingdownincanoespiledupwithfruit，withflowers，withsweetpotatoes，andreturninghomeempty，orfortheircargothreeorfourtinpails，alooking
glass，orotherofthemarvelswhichEuropesendsasasampleofhermanufacturestolittlefrontiertowns。
Allwasasquiet，orperhapsmuchquieterthaninthetimewhentheSuperioroftheJesuitswasinresidence，andifithadbeennecessary，duringthehothoursofnoon，Godivasbythedozenmighthaveriddendownthestreets，hadtheybeenabletofindhorsesquietenoughtoride，certainthatnooneinthetownwouldlosehisafter
breakfastnaptolookatthem。
IneverymissiontwochosenJesuitslived。Theelder，selectedforhisexperienceofthecountryandknowledgeofthetonguefromamongstthosewhohadbeenrectorsofcollegesorprovincialsoftheOrder，wasvestedwiththecivilpower，andwasresponsibledirecttotheSuperior。
Thesecond，generallystyledcompanionelCompanero，actedashislieutenant，andhadfullchargeofallthingsspiritual；
sothattheywereacheckononeanother，andtheirdutiesdidnotclash。
IndifficultiestheSuperiortransmittedorders，likeageneralinthefield，bymountedmessengers，whofrequentlyrodeoverahundredmilesaday，relaysofhorsesalwaysbeingkeptreadyforemergencieseverythreeleaguesupontheroad。
FromLaCandelariaroadsbranchedofftoeveryportionoftheterritory，mostofthemfitforcarts，andallsuperiortothosetrackswhichweretheonlythoroughfaresbuttwentyyearsago。RoadsrantoCorrientes，toAsuncion，othersfromYapeyutotheSaltoGrande，ontheParana。
UpontheUpperUruguaywereabouteightyposts，allguarded，andwithhorsesreadytoequipthemessengers。ButtherewerealsoroadsinthedistrictoftheUpperParana，whichImyselfrememberasawilderness，uncrossed，uncrossable，wheretigersroamedaboutandIndiansshotattheraretravellerwithpoisonedarrowsoutofablow
pipe，whilsttheyremainedunseenintherecessesofthewoods。
InthedistrictsoftheUpperUruguayandParana，besidestheroadsandrelaysofpost
horses，theyhadafleetbothofcanoesandboatsinwhichtheycarried`yerba\'andtheotherproductsoftheland。
Thus，withtheirfleetofboatsandofcanoes，theirhighroadsbranchingoutoneveryside，andtheirrelaysofpost
horsesatintervals，mostprobablynoStateofAmericaatthetimehadsuchinteriormeansofcommunicationwiththeseatofgovernment。TheIncasandtheAztecscertainlyhadpostswhocarriedmessagesandbroughtupfishfromthecoastwithgreatrapidity；
butalltheSpanishcoloniescontemporaneouswiththeJesuits\'settlementsinParaguayhadfallenintoastateoflethargyandofinteriordecay。
TheroadstheIncasusedinPeruwerefallingfastintodisuse，andittookseveralweekstosendaletterfromBuenosAyrestothePacificcoast。
AletterofacertainJesuitnamelost，butdated1715saysthattherewereatleasttwothousandcanoesinconstantuseontheParana，andalmostasmanymoreontheUruguayBrabo，`Inventarios\'，etc。。
Thesystemofinteriorgovernmentinthemissionswasinappearancedemocratic
thatistosay，therewereofficials，asmayors1andcouncillors；
butmostofthemwerenamedbytheJesuits，andallofthem，evenalthoughelected，owedtheirelectionentirelytotheirpriests。
Thissortofthought
suggestedrepresentationwasthemostfittingfortheIndiansatthetime，2andthosewholookintotheworkingsofaCountyCouncilofto
daycannotbutthinkattimesthatthemajorityofthecouncillorswouldhavebeenbetterchosenhadtheelectoratehadthebenefitofsomecontrollinghand，thoughfromwhatquarteritisdifficulttosee。TheproblemwhichmostwritersontheJesuitshavequitemisunderstood，ishowtwoJesuitswereabletokeepamissionofseveralthousandIndiansinorder，andtorulesupremewithoutarmedforces，oranymeansofmakingtheirpowerfeltorofenforcingobediencetotheirdecrees。
Undoubtedly，thedangerouspositioninwhichtheIndiansstood，exposedononesidetothePaulistas，andontheothertotheSpanishsettlers，bothofwhomwishedtotakethemastheirslaves，placedpowerintheJesuits\'hands:fortheIndiansclearlyperceivedthattheJesuitsalonestoodbetweenthemandinstantslavery。
MostcontroversialistswhohaveopposedtheJesuitsassertthattheIndiansofthemissionswere，inreality，halfslaves。
Nothingisfurtherfromthetruth，ifoneconsultsthecontemporaryrecords，andremembersthesmallnumberoftheJesuits。TheworktheIndiansdidwasinconsiderable，andundersuchconditionsastodepriveitofmuchofthetoilsomenesswhichisincidenttoanykindofwork。
Theveryessenceofaslave\'sestateisbeingobligedtoworkwithoutremunerationforanotherman。NothingwasfartherfromtheIndiansthansuchastateofthings。Theirworkwasdoneforthecommunity，andthoughtheJesuits，withoutdoubt，hadthefulldispositionofallthemoneyearnedincommerce，3andofthedistributionofthegoods，neitherthemoneynorthegoodswereusedforself
aggrandisement，butwerelaidoutforthebenefitofthecommunityatlarge。
Thetotalpopulationofthethirtytownsisvariouslyestimatedfromonehundredandfortytoonehundredandeightythousand，4
and，curiouslyenough，itremainedalmostatthesamefigureduringthewholeperiodoftheJesuitrule。ThisfacthasbeenadducedagainsttheJesuits，andithasbeensaidthattheycouldnothavebeengoodrulers，orthepopulationmusthaveincreased；butthosewhosaysoforgetthattheIndiansofParaguaywereneveringreatnumbers，andthatmostwritersonthewildtribes，asDobrizhoffer5andAzara，remarktheirtendencynevertoincrease。
1Corregidores，regidores，alcaldes，etc。
2Itisnottobesupposed，however，thattheIndianswerekeptinignorance。P。Cardiel`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\'，p。222，quotingfromtheCedulaRealof1743，saysthat`ineveryoneofthetownsthereisaschoolestablishedtoteachreadingandwritinginSpanish，andthatonthataccountagreatnumberofIndiansaretobemetwhowritewell。\'Cardieladds，onthesamepage，`Dosdeellosestancopiandoahoraestoqueyoescribo，ydemejorletraquelamia。\'
3DeanFunes`EnsayoCritico\'，etc。putstheincomefromcommerceofthethirtytownsatahundredthousanddollars，andinformsusthat，aftertaxationtotheCrownhadbeendeductedfromit，itwasappliedtothemaintenanceofthechurchesandothernecessaryexpenses，andbytheendoftheyearlittleofitremained。
4DonMartindeBarua，inhismemorialtotheKing1736，complainingoftheJesuits，putsthenumberoftaxableIndiansatfortythousand。TheCommissionappointedtoexamineintothechargesin1736，whichreportedin1745areasonableinterval，affirmedthatthetaxableIndiansonlynumbered19，116。
EachIndianpaidanannualpoll
taxofonedollarayeartotheCrown。
Inadditiontothat，everytowngaveonehundreddollarsayear。
ThesalaryofthepriestswassixhundreddollarsayearAzara，`Voyagedansl\'Ame/riqueMe/ridionale\'。
5`AccountoftheAbipones\'。London:JohnMurray，1822。
AllthisrelativelylargepopulationofIndianswasruled，ashasbeenseen，byaquiteinconsiderablenumberofpriests，who，notdisposingofanyEuropeanforce，andbeingalmostalwaysonbadtermswiththeSpanishsettlersinParaguayonaccountofthefirmstandtheymadeagainsttheenslavingoftheIndians，hadnomeansofcoercionattheircommand。HencetheIndiansmusthavebeencontentedwiththeirrule，foriftheyhadnotbeensotheJesuitspossessednopowertostopthemfromreturningtotheirsavagelife。Azara，1althoughinthemainanopponentoftheJesuits，inthesamewaythata`goodLiberal\'ofto
daywouldopposeanythingofaSocialistictendency，yethasthismostsignificantpassageintheirfavour。AfterenumeratingtheamountoftaxespaidbythemissionstotheCrown，hesays`enfaisantlebilantoutsetrouvaite/gal，ets\'ilyavaitquelqueexce/dant，ile/taitenfaveurdesJe/suitesoudespeoplades。\'2Seldomenoughdoessucharesulttakeplacewhenthebalanceisstruckto
dayinanycountrybetweentherulersandtheir`taxables\'。Followingtheirsystemofperfectisolationfromtheworldtoitslogicalsequence，theJesuitssurroundedalltheterritoriesoftheirdifferenttownswithwallsandditches，andatthegatesplantedaguardtopreventegressoringressbetweenthemissionsandtheouterworld。3
Muchcapitalhasbeenmadeoutofthis，asitisattemptedtobeshownthattheIndiansweretherebytreatedasprisonersintheirownterritories。
Nothing，however，hasbeensaidofthefactthat，iftheditches，palisades，andguard
houseskeptintheIndians，theyalsohadtheeffectofkeepingtheSpaniardsout。WhenmenwholookedupontheIndiansaswithoutreason，andcapturedthemforslaveswhenitwaspossible，begantotalkofliberty，itlooksasifthe`sacrednameofliberty\'wasusedbutasastalking
horse
asgreasyTestamentsareusedtoswearuponinpolice
courts，whenthewitness，withhistongueinhischeek，raiseshiseyestoheaven，andthenwithfervencyimprintsakissuponhisthumb。
1`Voyagedansl\'Ame/riqueMe/ridionale\'。Paris:Denton，1809。
2Pera/mas`DevitaetmoribussexsacerdotumParaguaycorum，PetrusJoanesAndrea\'，lxxxiv。statesthatitappeared，frompapersleftaftertheirexpulsion，thattheincomeoftheJesuitCollegeofCordobajustpaidtheexpensesofadministration`eraconescasadiferenciaiguala/losgastos\'。
IntheArchivoGeneralofBuenosAyres，legajo`Compan~iadeJesu/s\'，thereisadocumentreferredtobyP。HernandezinhisintroductiontotheworkofP。Cardiel`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\'，whichstatesthatintheyearoftheexpulsiontheincomeofthethirtytownsfellalittleshortoftheexpenses。
3Azara，`Voyagedansl\'Ame/riqueMe/ridionale\'；alsoFunes，`EnsayoCriticodelaHistoriadelParaguay\'；andPadreGuevara，`HistoriadelParaguay，RiodelaPlatayTucuman\'。
Itwillbeseenthatthecommunismofthemissionswasofalimitedcharacter，and，thoughthelandwascultivatedbythelabourofthecommunity，thattheproductswereadministeredbytheJesuitsalone。Thoughithasbeenstatedbymanypolemicalwriters，suchasIbanezandAzara，andmorerecentlybyWashburne，whowasAmericanMinisterinParaguayduringthewarwithBrazilandtheArgentineRepublic1866
70，thattheJesuitshadamassedgreatwealthinParaguay，noproofhaseverbeenadvancedforsuchacharge。CertainlyCardenasmadethesamestatement，butitwasneverinhispowertobringanyconfirmationofwhathesaid。
ThispoweralonewasinthehandsofBucareli1767，theViceroyofBuenosAyres，underwhoseauspicestheexpulsionoftheJesuitswascarriedout。ByseveralextractsfromBrabo\'sinventories，andbythestatementofthereceiverssentbyBucareli，Ihopetoshowthattherewasnogreatwealthatanytimeinthemissionterritory，andthattheincomewasexpendedintheterritoryitself。
Itmaybethattheexpenditureonchurcheswasexcessive，andalsothatthemoneylaidoutonreligiousceremonieswasnotproductive；
buttheJesuits，strangeasitmayappear，didnotconductthemissionsafterthefashionofabusinessconcern，butratherastherulersofsomeUtopia
thosefoolishbeingswhothinkhappinessispreferabletowealth。
NothingcangiveabetterideaofthewayoflifeofaJesuitpriestandofhisdailylaboursthanthecuriousletterofNicolasNeenguiru，originallywritteninGuarani，butofwhichatranslationisextantintheNationalSpanishArchivesinSimancas:
ArchivoGeneraldeSimancas，Estado，legajo7，450，folios21y22，5a，Copiadelascartassinfirma；lasiguienteesdeNicolasNeenguiru/
quesehallaronenletraGuarani/traducidasporlosinterpreteonombradosenlassorpresahechaalpueblodeSanLorenzoporelCoronelD。JoseJoaquindeViana，GobernadordeMontevideo，eldia20deMayode1756:
`ElmododevivirdelPadrees，cerrarbientodaslaspuertasyquedarseelsolo，suMayordomo，ysumuchacho。SonyaIndiosdeedad，ysoloestosasistensolodediaadentro，ya/lasdocesalenafuera，yunviejoesquiencuidadelaPorteria，yesquienSierralapuertaquandodescansaelPadre，o/quandosaleelPadrea/versuchacara。
Yaunentoncesvansolos，sinoesconunIndiodehedadquienlosgiuaycuidadeelcaballoydespuesdeestoa/misaya/latardealRosariodeMariaSantisimallamandonoscontoquedecampana，yantesdeestoa/losmuchachosymuchachittaslosllamaconunacampa/nillaydespuesdeesoelbuenodeelPadreentrahaensen~arleslaDoctrina，yelpersinarsedeelmismomodo，todoslosdiasdefiestanosPredicalapalabradeDios，delmismomodoelSantoSacramentodelaPenitenciaydelaCommunion，enestascosasseexercittaelbuenodelPadreytodaslasnochessesierralaporteriaylallavesellevaalaposentodelPadreysolosevuelvea/abrirporlaman~anaquandoentraelSachristanyloscosineros……
`LosPadrestodaslasman~anasnosdicenmisas，ydespuesdemisa，sevanasuaposentoyhaicogenunpocodeaquacalienteconYervaynootracosamas；despuesdeestosalealapuertadesuaposentoyahaitodoslosqueoyeronmisasearrimenabesarlelamano，ydespuesdeestosaleafueraaverlosIndiossitrabajanenlosoficiosquecadaunotiene，ydespuessevanasuaposentoaresareloficiodivino，ensulibro，yparaqueDiosleayudeentodassuscosas。Alasoncedeeldiavanacomerunpoquitto，noa/comermuchosolocogecincoplattitosysolobeveunavezelvino，nollenandounvasopequen~o，yaguardientenuncalotomanyelvinonolohaiennuestropueblo，sololotraendelaCandelariasegunloqueenviaelPadreSuperiorlotrahendeaciaBuenosAires……
Despuesquesaledecomeryparadescansaranpoco，ymientrasdescansasalenfueralosqueassistenenlacasadelPadre，ylosquetrabajandentroenalgunasobrasytamvienelSachristanyelcosinero:
todosestossalenfuerayquandonosetocalacampanaestanserradaslaspuertas，ysolounviejoeselquecuidadelaspuertas，yquandovuelvanatocarlacampana，vuelveesteaabrirlasparaquevuelvanaentrarlosquetrabajandentro，yelPadreCogeelBrebiarionoairaparteninguna。
Alatardetocanlacampanillaparaqueserecojanlascriatturas，yentreelPadrea/ensenarlesladoctrinachristiana。\'
`Themanneroflivingofthefatheristoshutallthedoors，andremainalonewithhisservantandhiscookwhoareIndiansofaconsiderableage，andtheseonlywaitonhim；butbydayonly，andattwelveo\'clock，theygoout，andanoldmanhascareoftheporter\'slodge，anditishewhoshutsthegatewhenthefatherisasleep，orwhenhegoesouttoseehiscultivatedground，andeventhentheygoalone，exceptitbewithanoldIndian，whoguidesthemandattendstothefather\'shorse；andafterthathegoestoMass，andintheeveningtotheRosaryoftheBlessedVirgin，callingustogetherbythesoundofthebell，andbeforethathecallstheboysandgirlswithasmallbell，andafterthatthegoodfatherbeginstoteachthemdoctrineandhowtocrossthemselves。
Inthesameway，oneveryfeastday，hepreachestoustheWordofGod，inthesamewaytheHolySacramentofPenitenceandoftheCommunion；
inthesethingsdoesthegoodFatheremployhimself，andeverynighttheporter\'slodgeisclosed，andthekeytakentotheFather\'sroom，whichisonlyopenedinthemorninginorderthatthesacristanandthecooksmayenter……
`TheFatherseverymorningsayMassforus，andafterMasstheygototheirrooms，andthentheytakesomehotwaterand`yerba\'`mate\'，andnothingmore；afterthathecomestothedoorofhisapartment，andthenallthosewhoheardMasscometokisshishand，andafterthathegoesouttoseeiftheIndiansarediligentattheirtasks，andafterwardstheygototheirroomtoreadthedivineserviceforthedayinhisbook，andtopraythatGodmayprosperhiminallhisaffairs。
Ateleveno\'clocktheygotoeatalittle，nottoeatmuch，forheonlyhasfivedishes，andonlydrinkswineonce，notfillingalittleglass；
andspiritstheyneverdrink，andthereisnowineinourtown，exceptthatwhichisbroughtfromCandelaria，accordingtothatwhichtheSuperiorsends，andtheybringitfromsomewherenearBuenosAires……Afterhehasfinishedeating，torestalittlehegoesintothechurch；afterwards
yes，heretirestorestalittle，andwhilstheisrestingthosewhoworkinthefather\'shousegoout，andthosewhodoanykindofindoorwork，andalsothesacristanandthecook:
allthesegoout，andaslongasthebelldoesnotringthedoorsareshut，andonlyanoldmanguardsthegate，andwhentheyringthebellagainheopensthedoorssothatthosewhoworkindoorsmaygoinside，andthefathertakeshisbreviaryandgoesnowhere。Intheeveningtheyringthebellsothatthechildrenmaycomehome，andthefathercomesintoteachthemChristiandoctrine。\'
Perhapstheforegoingsimpledescription，writtenbyanIndianinGuarani，andtranslatedbysomeonewhohaspreservedinSpanishallthecuriousinversionsoftheGuarani，presentsasgoodapictureofthedailylifeofamissionpriestinParaguayasanythathaseverbeengiventothepublicbywritersmuchmoreambitiousthanmyselforNeenguiru。NicolasNeenguiru，thewriteroftheletter，afterwardsfiguredinthewaragainstthePortuguese，andseveralofhislettersarepreservedinthearchivesofSimancas，thoughnonesointerestingandsimpleasthatIhavetranscribed。
Dobrizhoffer，inhishistoryoftheAbipones，saysofhimthathewasasimpleIndian，whomoftenhehadseenputinthestocksforpettyfaults；
atanyrate，heseemstohavebeenoneofthoseIndianswhomtheJesuitshadatleastfavourablyimpressedbythesystemtheyemployed。
Afterthemannerinwhichhewrote，hundredsofIndiansmusthavethought，orelsethemissions，placedastheywere，surroundedonallsidesbyenemies，couldnothaveenduredasingleday。Whatwasit，then，whichraisedtheJesuitsupsomanyandsopowerfulenemiesinParaguay，wheninthedistrictsoftheMoxosandtheChiquitoswheretheirpowerwastothefullasgreat，amongsttheIndians，theyneverhadaquarrelwiththeSpaniardstillthedaytheywereexpelled?
Manyandvariouscausescontributedtoalltheyunderwent，butmostundoubtedlytworeasonsmusthavebroughtabouttheirfall。
PerhapstheentireisolationoftheJesuitsinthesetwoprovincesaccountsfortheirabsolutequiet；andifthisisso，itgoesfartoprovethattheywererighttoattemptthesameisolationinParaguay。
ThecomparativenearnessoftheSpanishsettlementsfrustratedtheirattemptsinthisinstance。
SincethetimeofCardenas，thereportthattheJesuitshadrichmines，whichtheyworkedonthesly，hadbeenpersistentlyontheincrease。
Althoughdisprovedathousandtimes，itstillremained；evento
day，inspiteof`science\'anditswonderfuldiscoveries，therearemanyinParaguaywhocherishdreamsofdiscoveringJesuitmines。Humanitylovestodeceiveitself，althoughthereareplentyreadytodeceiveit；
andifmencanbothforgeforthemselvesfablesandatthesametimedamagetheirneighboursinsodoing，theirpleasureisintense。
Itakeitthatmanyreallybelievedthestoriesofthemines，beingunabletocreditthatanyonewouldlivefarfromtheworld，surroundedbutbyIndians，foranyotherreasonthantoberich。
Butletacountryhaverichminerals，eveniftheyexistbutinimagination，anditbecomesacrimeagainsthumanitytoshutitup。SothatitwouldappearoneofthereasonswhichinducedhatredagainsttheJesuitswastheideathattheyhadenormousmineralwealth，whicheithertheydidnotworkorelseworkedinsecretforthebenefitoftheirsociety。
Theotherreasonwasthequestionofslavery。Oncegetitwellintoyourheadthatyouandyoursare`reasoningmen\'`gentederazon\'，andthatallcolouredpeopleareirrational，andslaveryfollowsasanaturalsequence；for`reasoningmen\'havewittomakeagun，andonthegunallreasontakesitstand。FromthefirstinstantoftheirarrivalinAmerica，theJesuitshadmaintainedafirmfrontagainsttheenslavementoftheIndians。TheymayhavehadtheirfaultsinEurope，andinthelargercentresofpopulationinAmerica；
butwheretheycameincontactwiththeIndians，theirswasthesolevoiceraisedupontheirside。
For`reasoningmen\'，andhowthismonstroussuperstitionstillprevailsinVenezuela，seethecharmingbookofS。PerezTriana，`DeBogotaalAtlantico\'，etc。，pp。156
158Paris:ImpresaSudAmericana。
Areallyinterestingbookoftravels，withoutcant，andwithoutaneyeonthepublic。Strangetorelate，theauthorseemstohavekillednothingduringhisjourney。
In1593PadreJuanRomero，sentfromPeruasSuperiortoParaguay，onhisarrivalgaveupanestatewithIndiansin`encomienda\'
whichhispredecessorshadenjoyed，allegingthathedidnotwishtogivetheexampleofmakingprofitoutoftheunpaidlabouroftheIndians，
andthatwithouttheirworktheestatewasvalueless。
Charlevoix，bookiv。
Onmanyoccasions，notablyinthetimeofCardenas，theJesuitsopenlywithstoodallslavery，andamongsttheconcessionsthatRuizMontoyaobtainedfromtheKingofSpainwasonedeclaringalltheIndianstobefree。1Ifmoreexamplesofthehatredthattheirattitudeonslaverycalledforthwerewanting，itistoberememberedthatin1640，whenMontoyaandTanoreturnedfromSpain，andaffixedtheedictofthePopeonthechurchdoorsinPiritinanga，threateningwithexcommunicationallslave
holders，acryofrobberywentforth，andtheJesuitswerebanishedfromthetown。
ButinthismatterofslaverythereisnosayingwhatviewanyonegivenmanwilltakeuponitwhenhefindshimselfinsuchacountryasAmericawasduringthetimetheJesuitswereinParaguay。DonFelixdeAzara，aliberalandaphilosopher，amanofscience，andwhohasleftusperhapsthebestdescriptionbothofParaguayandoftheRiverPlate，writtenintheeighteenthcentury，yetwasapartisanofslavery。2
InamostcuriouspassageforaLiberalphilosopher，hesays:3
`TheCourtorderedDonFrancisco，JudgeoftheHighCourtofCharcas，togotoPeruinthecharacterofvisitor。Thefirstmeasurewhichhetook，in1612，wastoorderthatinfuturenooneshouldgototheIndians\'houseswiththepretextofreducingthemi。e。，tocivilization，andthatno`encomiendas\'fiefsshouldbegivenofthekindwehaveexplained
thatistosay，withpersonalserviceoftheIndians。
Icannotunderstandonwhathecouldhavefoundedameasuresopoliticallyabsurd；butasthatjudgefavouredthe`ideasoftheJesuits\'，itissuspectedthattheydictatedhisconduct。\'
1`ConquistaEspiritual\'，RuizMontoya。
2`Voyagedansl\'Ame/riqueMe/ridionale\'。
3Azara，`ViagealAmericaMeridional\'，tomo2，cap12。`Lacorteordeno/aDonFranciscodeAlfarooidordelaAudienciadeCharcaspasaralPeru/encalidaddevisitador。Laprimeramedidaquetomo/en1612fueordenarqueningunoenlosucesivopudieseiracasadeIndios，conelpretextodereducirlos，yquenosediesenencomiendasdelmodoquehemosexplicado，esdecirconserviciopersonal。Noalcanzosobrequepodiafundarseunamedidatanpoliticamenteabsurda:perocomoesteoidorfavorecialas`ideasdelosJesuitas\'，sesospecho/queporaqueltiempoqueellosdictaronsuconducta。\'
Whatstrongertestimonycomingfromsuchamancouldpossiblybefound，boththattheJesuitswereopposedtotheenslavingoftheIndiansandthattheiroppositionrenderedthemunpopular?Inthesameway，nodoubt，somemodern，unwisephilosopher，writinginBrussels，wouldupholdtheslaveryandmassacresinBelgianAfricaasevidencesofawisepolicy，becausetheendcondonesthemeans，andinthefuture，whenprogresshashadtimetofructify，therewillbeworkhousesdottedallupanddowntheCongo，andevery`native\'
willbeforcedtosupplyhimself，atbutatrifleabovethecostinBelgium，withasufficiencyofcomfortableandthoroughlywell
seasonedwoodenshoes。
SoitappearsthattheaforesaidwerethetwochiefreasonswhichmadetheJesuitsunpopularwiththeSpanishsettlersinParaguay。
ButinadditionitshouldberememberedthattherewereinthatcountrymembersofalmostalltheotherreligiousOrders，andthat，asnearlyeveryoneofthemhadquarrelledwiththeJesuitsinEurope，oratthebestwerejealousoftheirpower，theenmitiesbeguninEuropeweretransmittedtotheNewWorld，andconstantlyfannedbyreportsofthequarrelswhichwentonbetweenthevariousOrdersallthroughEurope，andespeciallyinRome。
ButifitwerethecasethattheJesuitsexcitedfeelingsofhatredintheirneighbours，yettheycertainlyhadthegiftofattachingtothemselvestheIndians\'hearts。Noinstitution，condemnedwithcontumelyandthrustoutofacountrywhereithadworkedforlong，itssupposedcrimeskeptsecret，anditsmembersallcondemnedunheard，couldhavepreserveditspopularityamongstthedescendantsofthemenwithwhomitworked，aftermorethanonehundredyearshavepassed，hadthisnotbeenthecase。
Icarenotintheleastfortheories，forthisorthatdogmaofpoliticiansortheologists，buttakemystandonwhatIheardmyselfduringmyvisitstothenowruinedJesuitmissionsinParaguay。
Horsemensayhorsescangoinanyshape，and，wonderfulasitmayseem，mencanbehappyunderconditionswhichnowriteronpoliticaleconomywouldrecogniseasfitforhumanbeings。NotoncebutmanytimeshaveagedIndianstoldmeofwhattheirfathersusedtosayabouttheJesuits，andtheythemselvesalwaysspokeofthemwithrespectandkindness，andendeavouredtokeepuptothebestoftheirabilityallthetraditionsoftheChurchceremoniesandhoursofprayerwhichtheJesuitshadinstilled。
Thattheinteriorsystemoftheirgovernmentwasperfect，orsuchaswouldbesuitableformencalled`civilized\'to
day，isnotthecase。Thatitwasnotonlysuitable，butperhapsthebestthatunderallthecircumstancescouldhavebeendevisedforIndiantribestwohundredyearsago，andthenbutjustemergedfromsemi
nomadism，is，Ithink，clear，whenoneremembersinwhatastateofmiseryanddespairtheIndiansofthe`encomiendas\'andthe`mitas\'passedtheirlives。
Thatsemi
communism，withacontrollinghandinadministrativeaffairs，producedmanysuperiormen，orsuchasrisetothetopinmoderntimes，Idonotthink；but，then，whoarethemen，andbytheexerciseofwhatkindofvirtuesdotheyriseinthesocietiesofmoderntimes?TheJesuits\'aimwastomakethegreatbulkoftheIndiansundertheircontrolcontented，andthattheygainedtheirendthecomplaintsagainstthembythesurroundingpopulationofslave
holdersandhuntersafterslavesgofartoprove。
For`mitas\'and`encomiendas\'，seeforegoingchapters。
Leavingupononesidetheirsystemofadministration，anddiscountingtheirunalterableperseverance，thereweretwothingsonwhichtheJesuitsappealedtotheIndians；andthosetwothings，bytheverynatureoftheirknowledgeofmankind，theyknewappealedasmuchtoIndiansastoanyotherraceofmen。Firstlyandinthiswritersopposedtothem，asBraboandAzara，bothagree，theyinstilledintotheIndiansthatthelandonwhichtheylived，withmissions，churches，herds，flocks，andtherest，wastheirownproperty。
Andinthesecondplacetheytoldthemtheywerefree，andthattheyhadtheKingofSpain\'sownedictinconfirmationoftheirfreedom，sothattheynevercouldbeslaves。NeitherofthesetwopropositionscommendsitselftomanywritersontheJesuitsinParaguay，butforallthatitseemstomethatinthemselvestheyweresufficienttoaccountforthefirmholdtheJesuitshadontheirneophytes。
Brabo，`InventariosdelosbieneshalladosalaexpulsiondelasJesuitas\'。
`Voyagedansl\'Ame/riqueMe/ridionale\'。
ThefreedomwhichtheIndiansenjoyedundertheJesuitrulemightnothaveseemedexcessivetomodernmindsandthoseattunedtothemildruleoftheEuropeansofto
dayinAfrica。Suchasitwas，itseemedsufficienttotheGuaranis，andeven，inalimiteddegree，placedthemabovetheIndiansoftheSpanishsettlements，whoforthemostpartpassedtheirlivesinslavery。
ChapterVIII
DonJosedeAntequera
AppointshimselfGovernorofAsuncion
Unsettledstateofaffairsinthetown
Heiscommandedtorelinquishhisillegalpower
Herefuses，andresortstoarms