291
SUPPRESSION OF THE JESUITS.
building, n o t e x c e p t i n g the foundations o f t h e pyramids erected b y the F r e n c h savans for the measurement o f t h e meridian, is regarded as Inga, pilca,* that is, t h e w o r k o f t h e I n c a ; so o n the O r i n o c o every hidden treasure can b e l o n g o n l y t o t h e Jesuits, an o r d e r w h i c h , n o d o u b t , g o v e r n e d the missions b e t t e r than t h e Capuchins and the m o n k s o f t h e O b s e r v a n c e , b u t w h o s e riches and success in the civilization o f t h e I n d i a n s have b e e n much exaggerated. W h e n the Jesuits o f Santa Fé w e r e arrested, those heaps o f piastres, those emeralds o f M u z o , those bars o f g o l d o f C h o c o , which t h e enemies o f t h e c o m p a n y s u p p o s e d they possessed, w e r e n o t f o u n d in their dwellings. I can cite a respectable testimony, which proves i n c o n testibly, that the viceroy o f N e w G r a n a d a had n o t w a r n e d the Jesuits o f Santa Fé o f t h e danger with which they w e r e m e n a c e d . D o n V i c e n t e O r o s c o , an engineer officer in t h e Spanish army, related to m e that, b e i n g arrived at A n gostura, with D o n M a n u e l C e n t u r i o n , to arrest t h e m i s sionaries o f Carichana, h e m e t an I n d i a n b o a t that was g o i n g d o w n the Rio M e t a . T h e boat b e i n g m a n n e d with Indians w h o c o u l d speak n o n e o f the t o n g u e s o f the c o u n t r y , gave rise t o suspicions. A f t e r useless researches, a b o t t l e was at length discovered, c o n t a i n i n g a letter, in which the Superior o f the c o m p a n y residing at Santa Fé informed t h e missionaries o f the O r i n o c o o f t h e persecutions t o which t h e Jesuits were e x p o s e d in N e w Grenada. T h i s letter r e c o m m e n d e d n o measure o f precaution ; it was short, w i t h o u t a m b i g u i t y , and respectful towards t h e g o v e r n m e n t , whose orders w e r e e x e c u t e d with useless and unreasonable severity. E i g h t Indians o f A t u r e s had c o n d u c t e d o u r b o a t t h r o u g h the raudales, and seemed well satisfied with the slight r e c o m p e n c e we gave them. T h e y gain little b y this e m p l o y m e n t ; and in o r d e r t o give a j u s t idea o f t h e p o v e r t y and w a n t o f c o m m e r c e in t h e missions o f the O r i n o c o , I shall observe that during three years, with the e x c e p t i o n o f t h e boats sent annually to Angostura by the c o m m a n d e r o f San Carlos du Rio N e g r o , to fetch the pay o f the soldiers, the missionary had seen b u t five canoes o f t h e U p p e r * Pilca (properly in Quichua pirca), wall of the Inca.
U 2