Altamirano,thoughaJesuit,appears(atfirstatanyrate)
tohavebeenanxiousthatthetreatyshouldbecarriedout。
In1752(September22)hewrotefromthereductionofSanBorjatoP。MathiasStroner,orderingalltheJesuitstoassistincarryingouttheevacuationoftheseventowns。ByhisadviceFreiredeAndradeandValdeliriosmetatCastillos,and,afterhavinglaidoffsometwentyleaguesofboundaryline,returnedrespectivelytotheColoniaandtoBuenosAyres。
ArchivodeSimancas,Legajo7,378,folio17
alongandcuriousletter。
`Stroner\'mayhavebeen`Stoner\',inwhichcasehemusthavebeenanEnglishman。TherewerefewEnglishnamesamongsttheParaguayanJesuits,ifoneexceptJuanBrunodeYorca(JohnBrownofYork),PadreEsmid(Smith),thesupposititious`Stoner\',andthedoubtfulTaddeoEnnis,who,thoughsaidtobeaBohemian,wasnotimpossiblyaMilesian。
Butinthemissionsthingswereinastateborderingonrevolution。
WhentheletterfromtheprefectofthemissionsreachedSanMiguel,theIndiansassembledoutsidethechurch,andhavinglearnedthesituationofthelandstowhichtheyweretomove,theirfuryknewnobounds。Theyallrefusedtostir,sayingtheyhadinheritedtheirlandsfromtheirforefathersandbythegraceofGod。Theirexamplewasatoncefollowedbythreemoreofthetowns,andvirtuallyastateofabsolutedefiancetotheordersoftheSpanishcrownensued。
DeanFunes,`EnsayodelaHistoriaCivildeParaguay\',etc。,bookv。,p。52。
Theyalsosaid,inamemorialpresentedtotheMarquisofValdeliriosbytheProvincialBarreda,preservedatSimancas(Legajo7,447),`ThattheyhadvoluntarilymadethemselvesvassalsoftheKingofSpain
despuesdeChristianarnos,noshizimosvoluntariamentevasallosdenuestroCatholicoReydeEspan~aparaqueamparandonosconsupoderfomentasenuestradevotaChristiandad。\'Itwasnotlikely,therefore,thattheywouldvoluntarilybecomesubjecttothePortuguese,theirmostbitterpersecutors。
JustatthismomentAltamirano,thecommissary,arrived,andfoundthestateofthingsmostserious。1ThecommissaryAltamiranosettoworkatoncetoplacebeforetheJesuitsoftheseventownsthedangertheyexposedthemselvestoiftheyrefusedtohelphimtocarryouttheordersofthecrown。Almostimmediatelyonhisarrivalhewrote2toDonJosedeCaruajalyLancastretosendmoretroops,andtothevariouspriests3todestroytheirpowder,andceasetomanufactureanymore。4Itismostlikelythat,ifAltamiranohadnosecretunderstandingwithhisbrotherJesuits,hislettersmusthaveconsiderablyamazedthem,andcertainlytheygaveoffencetotheIndians,whodeclaredhecouldnotbeaJesuitatall。SixhundredIndians,underachiefcalledSepeTyaragu,marcheduponSantoThome,whereAltamiranohadtakenuphisresidence,withtheavowedpurposeofdiscussingwhetherhewasaJesuitornot,and,ifthelattersuppositionprovedcorrect,ofthrowinghimintotheriverUruguay;5butAltamiranodidnotwaittheircoming,andreturnedprecipitatelytoBuenosAyres。Thecommissionwhichhadsetouttomarkthelimitsbetweenthecountries,6
buriedinthewoods,ormarchingalongtheriver,wasabsolutelyunawareofwhatwasgoingonamongsttheIndianstilltheyarrivedinSantaTeclaonFebruary26,1753。ThefirstnoticethattheyhadofitwaswhentheyfoundthemselvessurroundedbyastrongforceofIndians。
Oneofthecommissaries,DonJuandeEchevarria,isknowntohaveleftacuriousaccountoftheproceedings,fromwhichDeanFunes,Ibanez,andmostofthewritersonthesubjectmusthavecopied。7
1JoseBarreda,theFatherProvincialofthemissions,inacuriousletterunderdateofAugust2nd,1753,tellstheMarquisofValdeliriosthathefearsnotonlythatthe30,000Indiansresidentintheseventownsmayrebel,butthattheymaybejoinedbytheIndiansoftheotherreductions,andthatitispossibletheymayallapostatizeandreturntothewoods。
Brabo,inthenotestohis`AtlasdeCartasGeograficasdelosPaisesdelaAmericaMeridianal\'(Madrid,1872),givesasynopsisofthisletter,whichformedpartofhiscollection,andcontainedthegreatestquantityofinterestingpapersontheJesuitsinParaguayandBoliviawhichhaseverbeenbroughttogether。In1872,afterpublishinghis`Atlas\',his`ColecciondeDocumentos\',andhis`Inventarios\',hepresentedhispapers(morethan30,000innumber)
totheArchivoHistoricoNacionalofMadrid。Theretheyremain,andformarichminefordoggedscholarswhohavenotpassedtheiryouthonhorsebackwiththelazointheirhands。
2ArchivodeSimancas,Legajo7,378,folio146。
3Ibid。:`Quetodalapolvoraquetenganloscurasymisionerossequemeoseinutilizeypierdahechandolaalrio,yqueenlospueblosdondesefabrica,ceseluegoestelabor。\'
4Inanotherletter,alsopreservedatSimancas,anddatedatYapeyu,hecomplainsbitterlyofhisownsufferingonthejourney:
`Memolitantoconeltraqueoviolentodelcarretonquenohepodidovolversobremi。\'Theroadstothemissionsseemtohavebeenasbadasthosewhichproducedthehistoricalexclamation,`OduratellusHispaniae!\'ItiscertainlythecasethatIbanez,inhis`RepublicaJesuitica\'(Madrid,1768),givesaverydifferentversionofthedoingsofAltamirano;forhesaysthatRafaeldeCordoba,Altamirano\'ssecretary,`embarkedinaschoonercalled`LaReal\'
agreatquantityofgunsandleadforballs,packingthemallinboxes,which,hesaid,werefullofobjectsofapiousnature……
This,\'saysIbanez,`wastoldmebythemasteroftheschooner`JoseelIngles\',amanworthyofcredence。\'Thisispleasingtoone\'snationalpride,but,still,oneseemstowantalittlebetterauthorityeventhanthatof`Bardolph,theEnglishman\'。
5DeanFunes,bookv。,cap。iii。,p。54。
6Inamostcuriousletter(preservedatSimancas,Legajo7,447),themayorandcouncilofthereductionofSanJuanwritetoAltamiranoupbraidinghimwithbeingtheirenemy,andtellhimthat`St。MichaelsentbyGodshowedtheirpoorgrandfathers(`suspobresabuelos\')wheretoplantacross,andafterwardstomarchduesouthfromthecrossandtheywouldfindaholyfatheroftheCompany。\'This,ofcourse,turnedoutasthesainthadforetold,andafteralongday\'smarchtheyencounteredtheJesuitandbecameChristians。
7Thisaccountseemstohavebeenlost,andacarefulsearchhasnotdisinterreditfromtheMaelstromofSimancas,thatprison
houseofsomanydocuments,withoutwhoseaidsomuchofSpanishhistorycannotbewritten。
Historians,likelawyersinconveyancing,catcherrorsonefromanother,andtransmitthemastruthsortitlestoposterity。CertainitisthatEchevarriasentforthenearestJesuitpriesttomediate,andheluckily,orunluckily,provedtobethatFatherThadeusEnnis,whoplayedsoprominentapartinthefutilerisingwhichtheenemiesoftheJesuitshavechosentodignifywiththehigh
soundingtitleofthe`JesuitWar\'。
IfFatherEnnisreallythoughttheIndianscouldholdheadtoboththeSpaniardsandthePortuguese,orifhethoughtthattherisingwoulddrawattentiontotheinjusticeofthetreaty,isdifficulttosay。Whether,indeed,heheadedithimself,orifhemerelyaccompaniedtheIndiansastheirspiritualguide,givingthemnowandthenthebenefitofhisadviceonmatterstemporal,afterthefashionoftheambitiouschurchmanofalltime,
isnowunknown。Whateverhisopinionswereuponthismatter,FatherEnnisshowedhimselfalmostfromthefirstirreconcilable。
Herefusedtomeetthecommissioners,andinhisplacesenta`cacique\'(chief)oftheIndians,oneSepeTyaragu,anofficialofthereductionofSanMiguel。Thischief,seeingtheescortofthecommissionwasbutsmall,`putonhisboots\',
andtookhighground,daringtotalkabouttherightsofman,oftheloveofcountry,andsaidthatlibertyconsistedinbeingallowedtoenjoyhispropertyinpeace,sentimentswhich,thoughadmirableenoughinawhiteman\'smouth,formenofcolourarebutfitforcopy
books。
His`Efemerides\',orJournal,printedandmutilatedbyIbanezinhis`RepublicadeParaguay\',givesthebestaccountofthebrief`war\'
whichhascomedowntous;itissupplementedbythe`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\'ofFatherCardiel,whichdealswiththemisstatementsofIbanezandothersagainsttheJesuits。
Inregardtohisownshareinthewar,PadreEnnissays:
`Atqueinexercitascuratorem,spiritualemmedicumsecumirepostulat。\'
`Sepusolasbotas\'。
The`cacique\'firmlyrefusedtovacatehislands,andsaidtheKingofSpain,ashelivedfaraway,couldnothaveunderstoodthebearingofaffairsinParaguay。Suchargumentsasthese,togetherwiththeperhapsoffensivetoneofthe`cacique\',hadsucheffectonthecommissionersthat,afterhavingthreatenedhimwithvengeance,whichatthetimetheyhadnopowertocarryout,theybothwithdrewoutoftheterritory。
AsFunes1wellobserves,theSpaniardshadestablishedthemselvesintheseparts(theRiverPlateandParaguay)toobtainalimitlesssubmissionfromtheIndians。Anyresistancedrovethemtofury,andexcitedthemtotakerevenge。AsalltheIndians\'crimewastheirunwillingnesstoquitthelandsonwhichtheyhadbeenborn,itseemedalittlehardtoslaughterthem,evenbeforetheirpetitiontotheKinghadbeenrefused。
Mostprobablyallhadbeenpreparedbefore,forValdeliriosatonceissuedanorder,whichhehadthepowertodounderasealedletterfromtheKing,totheGovernorofBuenosAyres,Andonaegui,toprepareforwar。Activehostilitiesbrokeoutin1754,andFatherEnnishaspreservedaday
by
dayaccount,writteninpriestlyLatin,2
ofwhattookplace。Aftersomeskirmishes,whichatthefirstwerefavourabletotheIndians,whotookgreatcouragefromthem,3
thefirstencounterofaseriousnatureoccurredonFebruary24,1754。
Quitenaturally,thevictorywasonthesideofthebest
armedbattalions,andtheIndianslostmanyoftheirbestmen,andtheirlargestpieceofordnance。4
1DeanFunes,`EnsayodelaHistoriaCivildelParaguay\',BuenosAyres,etc。,bookv。,cap。iv。,p。58。
2LuckilyIbanez(`RepublicaJesuiticadeParaguay\')hasnotcorrectedthemanyfaultsofspellingandLatinityintowhichPadreEnnisfell。
Those,thoughleftinfrommalice,asIbanezwasabitterenemyoftheJesuits,servetopresentthemaninhishabitashewrote。
However,Ibanezhassomuchmutilatedthetextofthejournalthatoccasionallythesenseisleftobscure。
3`Hocitaquenunciolaetialteroacincensi……Sacramentoexpiationisetpanefortimroborati\'(Ennis,`Efemerides\')。
4Cardiel,inhis`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\',p。426,says:
`Lomismoes28,000milIndiosqueigualnumerodemuchachos。\'
Withvaryingsuccessthewardraggedonforseveralyears,afterthestyleoftheGauchowarfareintheRiverPlatewhichwascommontwentyyearsago,orthatinVenezuelawhichobtainsto
day。
Alternatelyeachpartycarriedofftheother\'shorses,droveeachother\'scattle,or,iftheycaughtastraggler,tiedhishandsandcuthisthroatorlancedhim,thepartywhohadlostthemanprotestinghewas`massacred\'
aterminuseevento
daywhenthepartytowhichone\'sselfbelongssustainsreverse。
Forthefirsttwoyears
forwarsinSouthAmericatilltwentyyearsagoweretothefullasinterminableasthatofTroy
FatherThadeusEnniskepthisjournal,faithfullychroniclingallthathesaw。
OccasionallyinaperfunctorywayhesayshismissionwiththerevoltedIndianswasasapriestandphysiciantothesoulsandbodiesofhisflock;butnowandthenhesetsdownthecaptureofaconvoyofsomethirtycarts,orthecuttingoffsomemessengercarryingdespatchesfromtheGenerals。InthisheseesthehandofGod(putforthtohelphisJesuits1),althoughhenowandthencomplainstheIndianswereremissinfollowingupanysuccesstheyhad。Afterthefirstencounter,theIndiansseemtohaveemployedtheimmemorialguerillatacticswhichsooftenwasteallthestrengthofanarmywhichhasconqueredinthefield。FatherCardiel2describestheIndianarmy,quotingfromthewritingofaSpanishofficerwhoservedagainstthem,asquitecontemptible。Theircannonwerebuthollowreeds,boundroundwithhide,whichcouldonlybefiredtwoorthreetimes,andcarriedballsapoundinweight。3Somelancesandbowsandarrowswhichtheyhadappearedtohimmoreformidable。Mostofthemcarriedbannerswiththepaintedfigureofasaint,underwhoseaegistheydeemedthemselvessecurefromcannon
balls。Theirtrencheswerebutshallowditches,withafewdeeperholestoshelterin,butwhich,asCardielobserves,servedmanyofthemforgraves,astheywereopentoartillery,havingbeenconstructedwithout`anounceofmilitaryart\'。TheofficeraddsthatnosoonerhadtheIndiansheardthecannonthantheyfled,leavingalmostninehundredonthefieldandlosingone
sixthprisoners。4
Finally,theofficerremarkswithdisgustthattheofficialchronicleroftheaffair`liesfromfirsttolast\'5whenhedeclaresthattheIndianscouldmakeanyresistanceagainstdisciplinedtroops。
Withvaryingfortunethecampaigndraggedon,untilin1756
thediaryofFatherEnnis,badLatinityandall,comestoanabruptconclusionatthetakingofSanLorenzo,wherethestout
heartedpriestwastakenprisoner。Hispapersfellintounfriendlyhands,andweremadeuseofbyIbanez,withthecontextdulydistortedinvariouspassages,andservedasoneofthemostformidableindictmentsagainsttheJesuitsintheexpulsionunderCharlesIII。
1`NectamenresipiscebatetDivinamNemesimquamquamclareexperiebaturprocausa^Societatis。\'
2`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\',p。404。
3Infact,theymuchresembledthose`crakysofwarre\'which,withthe`tymmerisforhelmys\',Barbour,inthe`Bruce\',takesnoticeofasthetwonoteworthyeventsofabattlethathechronicles:
`Twanoweltyisthatdaythaisaw,ThatforouthinScotlandhadbenenane。
Tymmerisforhelmyswarthetane,ThatthaimthouchtthaneoffgretbewteAndalsuawondyrfortose。
Thetothyr,crakyswar,offwer,Thatthaibeforherdneuirer。\'
`TheBruce\',BookeFourteene,p。392。
4Thiswasinanactionintheyear1756。
5`Mientedelacruzalafecha\'。
AlthoughThadeusEnnisandotherJesuitsaccompaniedthetroops,andnodoubtaidedmuchbytheiradvice,theIndianshadasageneraloneNicolasNeenguiru,styledintheGazettesofthetimetheKingofParaguay。Aboutthismanallkindsofmonstrouslegendssoonsprangup。Onelittlelyingbook,entitled`HistoiredeNicolasI。,RoyduParaguaietEmpereurdesMamalus\',whichbearsuponitstitle
page`SaintPaul\',1756,especiallyexcels。
Inthatbriefworkofbutonehundredandseventeenpages,printedonyellowishpaper,andwithoneofthefinestlittlevignettesofabasketoffruitandflowersuponitstitle
pagethatonecouldwishtosee,asortofparodyofaSpanishpicaresquenovelinduodecimoissetforthwithcircumstance。
TheMamalucos,orPaulistas,were,ofcourse,thebitterestenemiesofeverythingParaguayan,sothataKinghadaswellbeenstyledof`IcelandandofParaguay\'。
IfthisassumestobeSaoPaulodePiritinangainBrazil,itisnotunlikelyoneofthefewbookspublishedthereintheeighteenthcentury,ifnottheonlyone。Happyisthecityofonebook,especiallywhenthatworkhasnothingofatheologicalcharacterinit,eventhoughitliesfrom`lacruzalafecha\'。
NicolasRoubioniisdulybornin1710,inasmall`bourgadedel\'Andalousie\'
bearingthenameofTaratos。Thenamecarriesconvictionfromthestart,andpronouncedalafrancaise,withtheaccentequaluponallthesyllables,isquiteasSpanishasthemostexigentofcomicoperascouldpossiblydesire。Hisfather,`ancienmilitaire\',lefthimalonetoeducatehimselfashebestliked。ArrivedateighteenyearsofageherunsawaytoSeville,andafterseveraladventuresinthestyleofthoseofRinconeteandCortadillo,seenthroughFrenchspectacles,enterstheserviceofaladybearingthewell
knownSpanishnameofDonnaMariadellaCupidita。
UndertheunnecessaryaliasofMedelino,andinthecapacityofcook,hebecomesthelady\'sloverasindutybound。`Chasse\'fromSevillebyajealousbrotherofhislove,hefliesforrefugetoa`bourgade\'
(namenotchronicled)somesevenleaguesaway。Hethenbecomesamuleteer,andatMedinaSidoniakillsaman,and,forcedtoflee,repairstoMalaga,wherehelivespeacefullytenyears。Findinglifedullthere,hejourneystoAragonandjoinstheJesuits,andfromhenceforthhisfutureisassured。AfteranintervalhereappearsatHuesca,andatoncefallsinlovewith`unebelleespagnole\',DonnaVictoriaFortini,whomhecourtsundertheguiseofagentlemanofSeville,returningeverynighttotheconventoftheJesuitstochangehisclothes。Sogreatbecomeshiseffronterythatunderthestyleandtitleof`ComtedelaEmmandes\',hepubliclymarries`sabelle\',theJesuitseitherconsenting,ortooastoundedatthefacttointervene。ThingsgettinghotinHuesca,heembarksforBuenosAyresasamissionary,leavingpoorDonnadelaVictoria`dansuneinquietudemortelle\',asshemightwellhavebeen。
ArrivedinBuenosAyresjustatthemomentofthecessionofthesevenJesuittowns,heseeshisopportunity,learnsGuaraniinthebriefspaceofsixorsevenweeks,andjoinstheIndians。
Theynaturally,havingbeentrainedtolookoneveryforeigneroutsidetheOrderoftheJesuitsasanenemy,receivehimastheirKing。
Underthetitleofthe`SonoftheSunandStarofLiberty\'herulesthem,lookedonasaGod。Thebriefmendaciouschronicleleaveshimonthethrone,justafterhavingjoinedtheempireoftheMamalucostothatofParaguay,andpromisingtogivetheworldmoreofhishistorywhenitcomestohand。
BystoriessuchasthosecontainedinthemendaciouslittlebookimprintedatSt。Paul,theeasy
mindedpublic
then,asnow,alwaysmoreeasilyimpressedwithliesthanwiththetruth
wasbiassedagainsttheJesuitsinParaguay。FatherDobrizhoffer,
whoknew`King\'Nicolasfromhisyouthup,hasleftaverydifferentversionofhishistory,inwhichnoDonnadellaCupiditaordelaVictoriaevenremotelyflourishes。NicolasNeenguiruwasborninthetownshipofLaConcepcion,ofwhichinafter
lifeherosetobethemayor。HemarriedanIndianwoman,not`unebelleAndalouse\',andDobrizhoffersaysafriendofhis,oneFatherZierheim,hadhimwhippedpubliclyforpettytheftwhenayoungman。
Atthetime(1753)when,incompanywithanotherIndian,oneJose,mayorofSanMiguel,heheadedtheIndianrevolt,hewasamanofmiddleage,tall,taciturnandgrave,andnotill
looking,thoughmarkedacrossthecheekwithadisfiguringscar。
AtnotimewasheevenalaybrotheroftheJesuitOrder,asbytheirrulesinParaguaynoIndianswereevertakeneitheraslaybrothersoraspriests。Solittlewasthemanfearedbytheauthoritiesthat,oncetheIndians\'resistancewasover,NicolaswenttotheSpanishcamp,wasquietlyheard,dismissed,andthencontinuedinhisofficeasthemayorofhisnativeplace。
ThelegendsprangfromamistakeinGuarani,towhichperhapsalittlemalicegaveitsartfulcharm。InGuaranitheword`Rubicha\'
signifiesachief,whereas`Nfurabicha\'meansking。Thetwo,pronouncedbyonebutillacquaintedwiththelanguagesoundidentical。
NothingwasmorelikelythanthattheIndiansshouldcalltheirgeneraltheirchief;hadtheythoughtreallyofsettlinguponaking,itiscertainthattheywouldhavechosenoneofthefamilyofsomewell
knownchief,andnotanIndianmerelyappointedmayorbytheJesuits。
Butbethatasitmay,GeneralNeenguiru,thoughhehasleftsomeinterestingletters,whicharepreservedinthearchivesofSimancas,showednocapacityforgeneralship。Throughoutthecourseofthecampaignheendeavouredtoreplacehiswantofskillbytricksandbyintrigues,butofsofutileanaturethattheywerefrustratedandrendereduselessatonce。Hisfirstendeavourwastogaintime,whenhefoundhimselfwithseventeenhundredmenopposedtoAndonaegui,GovernorofBuenosAyres,whohadanarmywellequippedwithguns,ofabouttwothousandmen。
NeenguiruwrotetoAndonaegui,tellinghimthattheIndianswerereadytosubmit,andthen,whilstwaitingforananswer,setaboutfortifyingthepositionwhichheheld。Warnedbyaspy,Andonaeguiattackedatonce,anddrovetheIndiansfromtheirtrencheslikeaflockofsheep,takingtheirwoodencannon,lances,andbanners,andkillingthirteenhundredofthem。
`AccountoftheAbipones\',vol。i。,p。32。
TheonlymantheIndiansproducedwhoshowedanyaptitudeasaleaderwasachiefcalledSepeTyaragu。Athisdeathinactionin1756
NicolasNeenguirusucceededtohispost。
Agloriousvictory,and,asFatherEnnissays,`tobeexpected,andwhich,haditchancedotherwise,musthavecoveredtheSpaniardsandthePortuguesewithshame。\'Infact,avictoryofthesamekindasthosewhichsincethattimehavebeenmostusualwhenwell
armedEuropeantroopshavefacedhalf
naked,ill
armedsavages,butwhich,ofcourse,reflectnocreditonthevictor,or,atbest,justasmuchcreditasabutcherrightfullyreceiveswhenhedefeatsacalf。
ButevenafterthevictoryovertheIndiansofNicolasNeenguiruthetroublesoftheallieswerenotquiteatanend。
Theusualdissensionsbetweenallieswhomutuallydetesteachothersoonbrokeout,andGomezFreire,theGeneralofthePortuguese,onlypreventedacollisionwiththeSpaniardsbyconsiderabletact。
Afterashortcampaignofafewmonths,thealliesenteredtherebellioustownsandtookpossessionofthemall,withtheexceptionofSanLorenzo,whichcontinuedtoholdout。Amonthortwoservedtoreduceit,too,andthewholeterritoryoftheseventownssubmittedtothepowerofthejointforcesofPortugalandSpain。
Thestruggleover,NeenguiruwasquietlyagainreinstatedmayorofConcepcion,thebruisedwoodencannondulysetupasmonuments,thedeadleftontheplainsandthe`esteros\'
forthechimangosandthecaranchostogorgeupon,and,law\'sduemajestyoncemorevindicated,theconquerorssetabout,in1757,totracethelimitsbetweentheterritoriesofthetwoChristianKings。
`MilvagoChimango\'。
`Polyhorustharus\'。Inrelationtotheword`tharus\',whichfiguresasasortofscientific(ordoggerel)cognomentothisbird,Mr。W。H。Hudsononcepointedouttomethat,likesomeother`scientificfacts\',itoriginatedinamistake。
ThePampaIndiannameofthebirdis`trare\'。Molina(DonJuanIgnacio),inhis`HistoryofChile\',happenedtospelltheword`thare\',insteadof`trare\',andthenproceededtomakeadog
Latinformofit。
Thusthebirdhasreceiveditspresentscientificname。
Mostoftheseventownswerehalfdeserted,theIndianshavingfledforrefugetothewoods,andthecommissionsettoworkuponitslaboursinadesertwhichititselfhadmade。OutofthefourteenthousandIndianswhohadinhabitedthesevenflourishingtownsupontheUruguaybutfewremained;
yetstilltheworkofpacificationandworkingattheboundarywentonslowly,forfrom1753to1759nothingofconsequencewasdone。
In1760FerdinandVI。died,andhissonCharlesIII。succeededhim,andstilltheboundarycommissionworkedonhopelesslyinParaguay。
TheJesuits,whohadworkedunceasinglyduringthelasteightyearstoannulthetreatyhandingthesevenmissionsovertothePortuguese,atlength,in1761,obtainedfromCharlesIII。atreatyannullingallthathadbeendone,andprovidingthattheseventownsshouldremainpartofthedominionsoftheSpanishcrown。
Cardiel,`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\',p。430:`……llegoallidespuesdelafugaydesamparodelospueblos……sacoalosdosPadresqueestabanmuyafligidosporlasoledadyalboroto。\'
Theytriumphed;buttheirtriumphaddedanothersteptowardstheirruin,forthejealousywhichtheyevokedbytheirpersistentfightraisedupmuchanimositytowardsthemselvesinSpain。HowgreatasharetheyhadintheresistanceoftheIndianscannotbeknownwithcertainty。
PaperspreservedinthearchivesofSimancaschargethemwithstirringuptheIndianstoresist;1buttheyarechieflyfromValdeliriosandothers,who,naturallyfindingresistance,putitdownatoncetotheJesuits,whomthen,asnow,itwasthefashiontoabuse。TheIndiansthemselvesseemtohavebeenperplexed,nodoubtencouragedbytheirpriestsononehand,andontheotherseeingthecommissaryAltamirano,himselfaJesuit,callinguponthemtosubmit。
InapatheticletterwrittentotheGovernorofBuenosAyres,anddated`enlaestanciadeSanLuis,Feb。28de1756\',PrimoIbarrenda,ofSanMiguel,says:2`ThisourwritingIsendtoyouthatyoumaytellusfinallywhatistobeourlot,andthatyoutakearesolutionwhatitisthatyoushalldo。Youseehowthatlastyearthefathercommissary3cametothisourlandtobotherustoleaveit:
toleaveourtownsandallourterritories,sayingitwasthewillofourlordtheKing:besidesthisyouyourselfsentusarigorouslettertellingustoburnourtowns,destroythefields,evenpulldownourchurch,whichissobeautiful(`tanlindo\'),andsayingalsothatyouwouldkillus。
Youalsosay,andthereforeweaskyouifitisthetruth,forifitis,wewillalldiebeforetheHolySacrament;butsparethechurch,foritisGod\'s,andeventheinfidelswouldnotdoitanyharm。\'
TheygoontosaytheyhavealwaysbeenobedientsubjectsoftheKing,andthatitisimpossiblethathiswishcouldbetoinjurethem
infact,theletterofinnocentmen,halfcivilized,andthinkingjustice,mercy,andright
doingweretobefoundwithGovernorsandKings。HadmanyoftheJesuitschosentotakethefield,theirknowledgeofthecountryandthevastinfluencethattheyhadupontheIndianswouldhavemadethecampaignperilousenoughevenfortheunitedmilitarypowerofPortugalandSpain。
Asitwas,themiserablewardraggedonforeightlongyears,andforresultruinedsevenmissionswherebeforetheIndianslivedhappily。
Then,whenthefieldsweredesolate,thevillagesdeserted,andtheIndianpopulationhalfdispersed,statesmeninSpainandPortugalsawfittochangetheirminds,toannulthetreaty,andtopassadiplomaticspongeovertheruinandthemiserytheyhadcaused。
1Inaletter(ArchivodeSimancas,Legajo7,378,folio128),Valdelirios,writingtothegovernorofBuenosAyres,DonJosedeCaravajalyLancastre,says:`InagotablessonlosrecursosdelosPadresparaquesedilateynoseratifiqueeltratado……\'
ButhegivesnoproofexceptthattheyhadsentpetitionstotheKing
surelyaveryconstitutionalthingforthemtodo。
2TheletterwaswrittenoriginallyinGuarani,andacertifiedtranslationofitexistsatSimancas,Legajo7,385,folio13。
3Altamirano。
ChapterX
PositionoftheJesuitsin1761
DecreefortheirexpulsionsentfromSpain
BucarelisenttosuppressthecollegesanddriveouttheJesuits
Theysubmitwithoutresistance
AftertwohundredyearstheyareexpelledfromParaguay
Thecountryunderthenewrule
Thesystemofgovernmentpracticallyunchanged`Nostormissoinsidious\'(saidSt。Ignatius)`asaperfectcalm,andnoenemysodangerousastheabsenceofallenemies。\'
ThisdangerousstateofcalmwithoutanapparentenemyinsightwasthepositionoftheJesuitsinParaguayin1761。BydesperateeffortsandintriguesinSpaintheyhadkepttheirthirtymissionsfrombeingmutilated;theirinfluenceamongsttheIndianshadneverbeenmoreabsolute。ThegovernorsofBuenosAyresandofParaguayhadtriedafallwiththem,andthehonoursofthestrugglewerewiththeJesuits。Theyhadsucceededingettingputintoforcetheclausesofthe`LawsoftheIndies\',whichkeptSpaniardsoutoftheIndiansettlements。Eventhosesentagainstthemhadbeenforcedtotestifytotheirutility1inParaguay。
ButthroughoutSpainandherenormousempireinAmericaandintheEastperpetualhostilitybetweentheJesuitsandtheregularclergyhadbeengoingonforyears。IneveryportionofAmericatheJesuitswereunpopular,theexcuseallegedbeingtheirwealthandpower;2buttherealreasonwastheirattitudeonslavery。Afterrepeatedgrumblingsofdistantthunder,atlengththestormbroke,andthedecreefortheexpulsionoftheJesuitsinSpainandherdominionswassigned,andtheordersenttoBucareli,GovernorofBuenosAyres,inJuneof1767,toputitintoforceinParaguay。
ThereasonswhichinducedKingCharlesIII。toexpeltheJesuits,mysteriousastheywere,andlockedupadeadsecretintheroyalbreast,3
mayormaynothavebeensufficientinSpain,butcouldinnorespecthaveheldgoodforParaguay,wherethereexistedlittlescopeforcourtintrigue,andwheretheJesuitswerefarremovedfromtheirfellowSpanishsubjects,andoccupiedentirelywiththeirmissionwork。
Manyandvarioushavebeentheexplanationswhichhistorianshavesetforthforthisdecree。CertainitisinSpainthisOrderhadattainedtoconsiderablepower,andthatinRometheableroftheirGeneralsoccasionallykeptthePopesinmentalservitude。
1DonPedroCevallos,GovernorofBuenosAyres,whowasinParaguayin1755,senttheretofightthetroopsofKingNicolas,found,ashehimselfsays,`noKing,andnotroops,butafewhalf
armedIndians。\'
WritingtotheKing,hesays:`LosJesuitassonutilesenelParaguay。\'
2ThefiguresinChapterVII。servetoshowthatinParaguay,atleast,theywerenotexactlymillionaires。InMexico,Palafox,thesaintlyBishopofPuebla,hadsetaboutallkindsofstoriesastotheirriches,butGeronimoTerenichi,anecclesiasticsenttoMexicotoexamineintothequestionoftheJesuitsandtheirwealth,afterayearofresidence,expresslysays`theywereverypoor,andladenwithdebt\'(`eranmuypobresyestabancargadosdedeudas\'):
`ColecciondelosarticulosdelaEsperanza,sobrelaHistoriadelReinadodeCarlosIII。\',p。435。Madrid,1859。
3Theywereexpresslyproclaimedtobe`ocultasyreservadas\'。
CarlosIII。,indefenceofhis`occult\'and`reserved\'reasons,said,`misrazones,soloDiosyyodebemosconocerlas\'
(`ReinadodeCarlosIII。\',vol。iii。,p。120。FerrerdelRio,Madrid,1856)。NodoubtCarlosIII。satisfiedhisconsciencewiththisdictum,butitispermissibletodoubtwhetherthepoweralludedtoinsuchacousin
likemannerbytheKingwasequallysatisfied。
SomehaveaccountedfortheactofCharlesIII。asbeingbutrevengeforthetumultofAranjuezundertheministryofEsquilace,1
arguingthattheJesuitswereinfacttheauthorsofit,andthatitwasbuttheprecursorofaplottodethronetheKingandplacehisbrotherDonLuisuponthethrone,asbeingnotsoliberalinhisideas。
Others,again,havestated2thattheJesuitssetaboutacalumnythatCharlesIII。wasnottheQueen\'ssonbyherhusband,butbyaloverwhomtheysaidshehad。TheonlyreasonwhichseemsfeasibleisthattheKingwasworkedonbythefearthattheOrderhadrisentotoomuchpower,andthatifhedidnotatoncetakestepsthemonarchywouldberenderedbutamereappendageoftheGeneraloftheJesuits。3
1Thiscelebratedtumult,generallyknowninSpainas`elMotindeAranjuez\',andsometimesas`elMotindeEsquilace\',occurredonPalmSunday,1766。TheostensiblereasonwasanedictoftheKing(CharlesIII。)prohibitingtheuseoflongcloaksandbroad
brimmedhats,whichhadbeenforlongpopularinSpain。ThetumultassumedsuchformidabledimensionsthattheWalloonGuardswereunabletoquellit,buttwofriars,PadreOsmaandPadreCueva,insomemannerwereabletostemtheconfusion。TheKingandthecourtweresomuchdisturbedthattheyquittedMadridandwenttoAranjuez。ThereisnoproofthattheJesuitshadanyhandatallintheaffair。
2FerrerdelRio,inhishistoryofthereignofCharlesIII。
3Such,atleast,severalofhisletterstothePope,ClementXII。,wouldseemtoindicate。ItisnotimpossiblethatthestrenuousoppositionwhichtheJesuitsgavetotheInquisitionmayhavehadsomethingtodowiththeirexpulsion。Someofthemwentgreatlengthsintheirattacks。P。AntonioVieyra,thecelebratedPortugueseJesuit,inhis`Relac,ao~Exactissima,Instructiva,Curioza,Verdadeira,NoticiozadoProcedimentodasInquizic,oisdePortugal\'(EmVeneza,1750),isalmostassevereasProtestantwritershavebeenagainsttheInquisition。
ParticularlydoesheinveighagainsttheprisonsystemoftheHolyOffice(pp。3
5,chap。i。)。Inthelastchapter(p。154),VieyracallsSaavedra,thefounderofthePortugueseInquisition,atyrant,andinrecountinghisdeedscallshim`tyranno\',`cruel\',`falsario\',`herege\',and`ladram\'(athief),andfinishesbyassertingthatthetribunalinventedbysuchaman`haditsrootsinhell\',andthat`itsministerscouldnotgotoheaven\'。
Whetheritissoundpolicyofanygovernmenttoexpelarace,orsect,ororderfromitsdomains,nomatterwhattheimmediateexigenciesofthetimesseemtorequire,isamootpoint。TheexpulsionsoftheJews,Moriscos,andHuguenots,andthedissolutionofthemonasteriesinthetimesofthattrueProtestantHenryVIII。ofeverpiousmemory,donotexactlyseemtohavehadtheeffectuponthecountrieswheretheytookplacethatwasatfirstexpectedbytheirinstigators。
ExpelledbyCharlesIII。,theJesuitsto
dayinSpainhavere
acquiredmuchoftheirinfluence。Sothatitseemsthatpersecution,tobeeffectual,mustnotstoponthissideofextermination,andthisourLordProtectorCromwellunderstoodfullwell。
TheViceroyBucarelitowhomthetaskoftheexpulsionoftheOrderintheviceroyaltyofBuenosAyresandofParaguaywasentrusted,wasnoordinaryman。AppointedViceroyofBuenosAyresafteradistinguishedcareerofpublicservice,hefoundhimself,almostwithoutwarning,andwithoutanyadequateforcesathiscommand,obligedtoexecutebyfarthemostimportantandfar
reachingtaskthathadeverfallentothelotofanySpanishGovernorinAmericatocarryout。ButashisserviceshadnotbeenchieflyinAmerica,heheldtheideawhichatthetimewasgenerallyreceivedinEurope,thattheJesuitspossessedgreatwealth,hadbodiesoftrainedtroops,andsowouldresistalleffortsatexpulsiontothedeath。
HisfullnamewasDonFranciscodePaulaBucareliyUrsua。
Brabo(`ColecciondeDocumentos\',etc。)saysofhim,`speakingofthepettyjealousiesandintrigueswhichthedecreeofexpulsionevoked:`Enmediodetantascontrariedades,crimenesymiseriasdestacaserenalafiguradeBucareli,nosolollevandoacaboconincansablecelosucometido,sinoatendiendoasuplirenlaorganizacionreligiosa,intelectualycivillosnumerososvaciosquedejabalafaltadelabsorbenteydecisivoinflujojesuitico。\'
Fullofthesevisions,saysDeanFunes,heconsideredtheorder,whichwastransmittedtohimfromSpain,asinvolvingseriousmilitaryrisk,andevidentlyseemstohavelookedoneveryJesuitvillageasastrongplaceofarms。July22,1767,wasthedayhechose,keepinghisdesignasecret,andpreparingtostrikeinCorrientes,Cordoba,MonteVideo,andSantaFe,onthesameday,orrathernight,fortheterroroftheJesuitswassogreatthathedesignedtoexpelthemallbynight。