They Alleged Farther,
That When They Discovered And Conquered The Country, Which Had Been Done
At Their Own Proper Cost,
It had been expressly covenanted that they were
to enjoy the division of the lands and Indians among them for
Their lives,
with remainder to their eldest sons, or to their widows in case of having
no children; and that, in confirmation of all this, an order had been
issued by his majesty, by which all who had participated in making the
conquest of Peru were to marry within a certain specified time, under the
penalty of losing their lands and Indians, with which regulation most of
them had complied; and that it were now unjust, when they had become old
and worn out, and were encumbered with wives and families, to deprive them
of their substance, when they looked to enjoy repose after all their
fatigues and dangers; being unable from age and infirmity to go in search
of new countries and new establishments.
Great numbers of persons repaired to Cuzco, where Vaca de Castro then
resided, to lay their complaints before him. He told them, that he was
persuaded his majesty would remedy their grievances when informed of the
true state of affairs, and recommended therefore that the procurators or
syndics of the different cities should assemble, and elect a deputation to
carry a true statement of matters to the king and royal council of the
Indies, with a humble supplication that his majesty might apply a proper
remedy, by the revocation or modification of those regulations, which, as
they stood, would produce such ruinous consequences to the colony. On
purpose to facilitate this assembly, the governor promised to repair in
person to Lima, as the most convenient and most central situation for the
deputies of all the other cities. He accordingly set out from Cuzco for
Lima, accompanied by the syndics of all the neighbouring cities, and by
several gentlemen and other persons of consequence.
In the year 1542, while these things were going on in Peru, his majesty
appointed Blasco Nunnez Vela, who had been commissary general of the
revenue in Castille, as Viceroy of Peru, and president of the court of
royal audience, to carry those regulations into effect which we have
already given an accoun of. Vela was chosen to this high and important
office as a person of capacity and experience, who would dispense strict
justice without respect of persons, and would punctually fulfil the royal
orders. The four oydors or judges nominated to the royal audience of Lima
were the licentiate Cepeda, doctor Lison de Texada, and the licentiates
Alvarez and Pedro Ortiz. Augustin de Zarate[1], secretary of the royal
council of Castille, was appointed at the same time auditor general of
accounts both for Peru and the Tierra Firma, as since the discovery and
settlement of these provinces, no accounts of the royal revenues had ever
been rendered to the treasurers. All these persons embarked at San Lucar
de Barrameda on the 1st November 1543, and arrived safe at the harbour of
Nombre de Dios, where they made some stay, on purpose to prepare for their
voyage to Peru.
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