CHAPTER VI.

I. Disappointment of the Spaniards in relation to the treasure found in Mexico....II. Torture of Quauhtimotzin and the king of Tlacopan....III. General submission of the provinces....IV. Christopher de Tapia appointed to supercede Cortesis induced to return to St. Domingo....V. The proceedings of Cortes are confirmed by the Geronymite fathers-He sends new deputies to SpainIs appointed Captain General and Governor of Mexico....VI. His measures to consolidate his conquest....VII. Subjection of the kingdom of Mechoacan....VIII. Cortes proposes to make discoveries in the Southern ocean.... ...IX. Conquests of Sandoval....X. Of Guatemala by Alvarado. ....XI. Enterprise of De Garay-Conquest of Panuco by Cortes....XII. Barbarous execution perpetrated by Sandoval at Panuco....XIII. Expedition of De Olid to Honduras....XIV. Of Gil Gonzales D'Avila....XV. Discovery of Nicaragua....XVI. Gonzales enters Honduras. ....XVII. He prepares a new expedition.... XVIII. Enterprise of Francisco Hernandez to Cordova, under the direction of Pedrarias.... XIX. Conflict between Hernandez and Gonzales. ....XX. Hernandez is put to death by Pedrarias. ....XXI. Las Casas is sent by Cortes to punish the defection of de Olid-Death of de Olid.... XXII. Resolution of Cortes to proceed to Honduras.... XXIII. State of Mexico.... XXIV. Preparations of Cortes for his journey..........XXV. Present from Cortes to the Emperor.... XXVI. His journey to Honduras.... XXVII. He puts Quauhtimotzin and the other Indian kings to death... XXVIII. His proceedings at Honduras.

....XXIX. Dissensions in Mexico....XXX. Indecision of Cortes-His return to Mexico.

I. The exultation of the Spaniards on the capture of the city was excessive, but was soon allayed by the disappointment of those hopes which had sustained them through so many labours and dangers. The whole of the treasure, they were enabled to collect, amounted only to one hundred and thirty thousand pesos; a sum much inferior to that, which they had formerly divided. Quauhtimotzin, unable to defend his kingdom and his treasures, resolving that his conquerors should not possess the latter, had caused the remnant of the wealth amassed by his ancestors to be thrown into the lake; and the Indian auxiliaries, whilst the Spaniards were engaged in conflicts with the enemy, had carried off the most valuable part of the spoil. Hence, the sum to be divided among the soldiers was so small, that many rejected it with disdain; all murmured; some against Cortes and his confidants, whom, they, not without cause, suspected of having secretly appropriated to their own use a large portion of the riches which should have been brought into the common stock-others against Quauhtimotzin, whom they accused of obstinacy in refusing to discover the place where he had cast his treasure.*

II. Every effort of the General to soothe the angry soldiers, proving vain, he, from a solicitude to check the growing spirit of discontent, gave way to a deed, which stained the glory of all his great actions. Regardless of the former dignity of Quauhtimotzin and the reverence due to the virtues he had displayed, he subjected the emperor and his chief minister and favorite the king of Tlacopan to torture, in order to compel a discovery of

*Bernal Diaz. Solis. Herrera. Robertson.

the subtracted treasure. The soals of their feet were bathed with oil, and they were suspended over a glowing fire. Quauhtimotzin bore this refined torment with invincible fortitude; but his fellow sufferer overcome by the violence of the anguish, turned his eyes upon his master as if imploring permission to reveal what he knew. The former, with a glance of authority mingled with scorn, asked, "Am I reposing on a bed of flowers?" Overawed by the reproach, the favorite persevered in his dutiful silence. Cortes, ashamed of a scene so horrid, rescued the royal victims from the hands of the torturers, and prolonged lives reserved for new indignities and sufferings.*

III. The fate of the capital, as both parties had foreseen, decided that of the empire. The provin

This well told tale is from Dr. Robertson, who adds, that the favorite expired under torture, but does not give us his authority for the statement. It is wholly inconsistent with the relation of Bernal Diaz, who mentions the torture of the king of Mexico and his "confidential friend," the king of Tacuba, (Tlacopan,) at the instance of the Spanish soldiers and against the wishes of Cortes. But neither died under the torture; and both confessed, that they had, four days previous to the surrender of the city, thrown the treasure into the lake, together with the arms which had been taken from the Spaniards. The place pointed out by Quauhtimotzin was carefully searched, in vain. In a deep pond at his palace, was found a sun of gold similar to that presented by Montezuma to the Spaniards, with many ornaments of inconsiderable value, his private property. The king of Tacuba declared, that he had gold at a residence near his capital, and that he would point out the spot where it was buried. When taken there, however, he averred that he possessed no gold, but had made the assertion in hopes that he might die upon the road. "The fact is," continues Diaz, "that the treasury was diminished to a mere trifle before it came into Quauhtimotzin's hands; and I, and many others who saw it at first, knew that it appeared to be then worth twice what it was, when brought out to have his majesty's share deducted; I observed many articles of remarkable and curious workmanship missing at that time. They were taken for the public service. Most of the gold went to the coffers of the king of Spain, in exchange for prisoners purchased by the soldiers for slaves."

ces submitted one after the other to the conquerors; and the most wealthy were apportioned among the principal Spanish officers for exploration. The

books or tribute rolls of the Mexican kings enabled them to learn the products of the several parts of the empire, and to appreciate with tolerable correctness, the wealth that might be drawn from them. No mines were found in the Vale of Mexico; nor did it produce the valuable articles of cacao and cotton; the countries in which these abounded were the first objects of attention, for the conquerors. In employing his officers and troops in these expeditions, the politic General rid himself of those who were disposed to look too nearly into his mea

sures.

IV. Whilst Cortes was acquiring such extensive territories for his native country and preparing the way for future conquests, he was not only destitute of authority from his sovereign, but was regarded as a disobedient and seditious subject. The affairs of the Indies being administered in Spain, by the Bishop of Burgos, who was much devoted to Velasques, Portecarero and Montejo were very coldly received; the presents they brought, were delayed, and the letters of Cortes, of the municipal authorities of Villa Rica, and of the army were suppressed; and the young Charles, then resident in Flanders, was kept in ignorance of the enterprise and merits of his subjects. By the influence of Fonseca, the conduct of Cortes, in assuming the Government of New Spain, was declared an irregular usurpation in contempt of the royal authority; and Christopher de Tapia, royal inspector of St. Domingo received a commission empowering him to supercede Cortes, to seize his person, to confiscate his effects, to make a strict scrutiny into his proceedings, and to transmit the result of all his inquiries to the Council of the Indies, of which

the bishop was president. A few weeks after the reduction of Mexico, Tapia landed at Vera Cruz with the royal mandate to strip its conqueror of his power, and to treat him as a criminal. Alvarado, then Governor of the town, respectfully declined to acknowledge his commission, but referred him to Cortes, who, when apprised of his arrival, recalled his principal officers from their several expeditions, and commanded them to meet the royal lieutenant on his way to Mexico. With many compliments and much ceremony, they persuaded him to go to Chempoalla; where having verified his commission in due form, they placed it upon their heads in token of respect and submission. But, these public demonstrations of obedience covered the measures which Cortes privately took to defeat the object of Tapia's commission. He involved him and his followers in a multiplicity of negotiations and conferences, in which he had sometimes recourse to threats, but more frequently to bribes and promises, and at length prevailed on him to abandon a province he was incompetent to go

vern.

*

V. Soon after the departure of Tapia, Alonza D'Avila, whom Cortes had sent to Saint Domingo, after the defeat of Narvaez, in order to make a favorable impression of his views on the royal commissioners, the Geronymite Friars, returned with their sanction of his proceedings. But still the tenure by which he held his power was too precarious to permit him to remain at ease; and he resolved to send D'Avila, and Anthony de Quinones to Spain, with a pompous account of his conquests, further specimens of the productions of the country, and rich presents to the king; requesting in recompense for his services, the royal approbation of his

• May 15, 1622