j 9 o NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

province of New Spain, were thirty, in Quito fixteen, inthe New Kingdom of Granada thirteen, in Peru feven-teen, in Chili eighteen , in Paraguay eighteen; in all ahundred and twelve Colleccion General de Providenciashafta acqui tomadas fobre el eftranamiento, &c. de la Com-pagnia , part i. p. 19. The number of Jefuits, prieftsand novices in all thefe , amounted to 2245. MS.Irenes me.

In the year 1644, the city of Mexico prefented a peti-tion to the king, praying that no new monaftery mightbe founded, and that the revenues of thofe already eftab-lifhed might be circumfcribed, otherwife the religioushoufes would fooh acquire the property of the whole coun-try The petitioners requeft likewife, that the bifhopsmight be laid under reftrictions in conferring holy orders,as there were at that time in New Spain above fix thoufandclergymen without any living. Id. p. 16. Thefe abufesmuft have been enormous indeed, when the fuperftitionof American Spaniards was Ihocked, and induced to retmonftrate again!! them.

NOTE LVIII. p. 280.

This defcription of the manners of the Spanifh clergy,I fhould not have ventuted to give, upon the teftimony ofproteftant authors alone, as they may be fufpecled of pre-judice or exaggeration. Gage, in particular, who hada better opportunity than any proteftant , to view theinterior ftate of Spanifh America , defcribes the corruptionof the church which he had forfaken, with fo much of theacrimony of a new convert, that 1 fhould have diftruftedhis evidence, though it communicates fome very curiousand ftriking fads. But Benzoni mentions the profligacy ofecclefiaftics in America at a very early period after their fet-tlement there. Hi!!, lib. ii. c. 19, 20. M. Frezier, anintelligent obferver, and zealous for his own religion,paints the diffolute manners of the Spanifh ecclefiaftics in