The Judge Accordingly Proceeded Legally Against
Them, Hanged Adrian As The Chief Author Of The Conspiracy, And Banished
Others.
He kept D. Ferdinand in prison till the 13th of June, when he
delivered him with other prisoners to the charge of Gonsalo Blanco, to
carry them to La Vega or the Plain, where the admiral then was.
This
example restored the country to quiet, and the Indians again submitted
themselves to the authority of the Christians.
Such rich gold mines were now discovered, that every man in the island
left the royal pay and went away to the mines on their own account,
applying themselves to dig for gold at their own expence, paying a third
part of all they found to the royal coffers. This prospered so well, that
a man often gathered five marks, eight ounces each, in one day, and a
single lump of gold has been taken up worth above 196 ducats[3]. The
Indians were perfectly submissive, being afraid to offend the admiral, and
many of them became Christians, merely to oblige him and conciliate his
favour. When any of their chiefs had to appear in his presence, they used
their utmost endeavours to be decently clothed. In consequence of all
these favourable circumstances, the admiral resolved to make a progress
over the island, and set out for that purpose, accompanied by his brother
the lieutenant, on the 20th of February 1499[4], and came to Isabella on
the 19th of March. From thence they set out for the Conception on the 5th
of April, and reached that place on the Tuesday following. The lieutenant
went thence for Xaragua upon Friday the 7th of June; and on the Christmas
day following, in that year 1499, he makes the following memorandum, which
I found among his papers.
"Being forsaken by all the world, the Indians and rebel Christians fell
upon me, and I was reduced to such distress, that, leaving all behind me
to avoid death, I put to sea in a little caravel. But our Lord presently
relieved me saying: "Thou man of little faith fear not I am with you." And
so he dispersed my enemies, shewing how he could fulfil his promises.
Unhappy sinner that I am, who placed all my hopes on this world[5]."
From the Conception, the admiral meant to set out on the third of February
1500 for St Domingo, to prepare for returning into Spain to give their
Catholic majesties an account of the affairs of the colony. While these
disorders were going forwards of which mention has been made, many of the
rebels, by letters which they sent from Hispaniola, and by some of their
adherents who returned into Spain, continually conveyed false information
to their majesties and the council against the admiral and his brothers;
alleging that they were cruel and tyrannical and unfit for the government
of the colony, both because they were strangers and aliens, and because
they had not formerly been in a condition to learn by experience how to
govern and command over gentlemen. They affirmed, if their highnesses did
not apply some remedy, those countries would be utterly ruined and
destroyed; or that the admiral would revolt and join in league with some
prince who would support him, for he pretended that the whole belonged to
himself, as having been discovered by his industry and labour: That the
better to compass his designs, the admiral concealed the wealth of the
country, and would not permit that the Indians should serve the Christians,
or that they should be converted to the holy faith; because by
conciliating them he hoped to draw them to his side, that he might fortify
himself against the authority of their highnesses. They proceeded in these
and such like slanders, continually importuning their majesties and
perpetually speaking ill of the admiral, and complaining that there were
several years pay due to the men, which gave occasion to all that were
about the court to rail against the admiral. At one time about fifty of
those shameless wretches brought a load of grapes and sat down in the
court of the castle and palace of the Alhambra at Granada, crying out that
their majesties and the admiral caused them to live in misery by
withholding their pay, and using many other scandalous expressions; and if
the king went out they all flocked round him, calling pay! pay!
My brother and I were then at Granada as pages to the queen; and when we
chanced to pass by these people they would cry out in a hideous manner,
making the sign of the cross, "There go the sons of the admiral of the
Morescoes; he that has found out false and deceitful countries to be the
ruin and burial place of the Spanish gentry." Adding many more such
insolencies, which made us very cautious of appearing before them. By
continual complaints and constantly importuning the favourites at court,
it was at length determined to send a judge to Hispaniola to inquire into
all these affairs; who was authorized, if he found the admiral guilty of
what had been laid to his charge, to send him home to Spain and to remain
himself as governor of the colony. The person chosen for this purpose was
Francis de Bovadilla, a poor knight of the order of Calatrava, who besides
his full and ample commission was supplied with blank directed letters
subscribed by their majesties, which he was empowered to direct to such
persons as he might think fit in Hispaniola, commanding them to be aiding
and assisting to him in the discharge of his commission.
Thus furnished with ample powers, Bovadilla arrived at St Domingo in the
latter end of August 1500, at which time the admiral happened to be at the
Conception settling the affairs of that province, in which his brother had
been assaulted by the rebels, and where the Indians were more numerous and
of quicker capacity and more enlarged understandings than in any other
part of the island.
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