ernment; but on the following day a resolution of the real acuerdo ordered his immediate return to Tacuba, there to await the proper moment for his installation into office. This did not take place until May 13, 1648,3 when the bishop-governor, with the usual retinue, made his official entrance into Mexico, and exhibited in the palace his credentials.

His rule was brief and eventful. An epidemic is said to have caused great devastation at Vera Cruz in the latter half of the year 1648, but in view of the scanty information on the subject, considerable allowance must probably be made for exaggeration. On his decease in April of the following year the audiencia assumed the government; and the senior oidor, Matías de Peralta, acting as president, removed to the viceregal palace. Before the exequies of the late governor were concluded his entire estate had been sequestered, partly to guarantee the sum of twenty thousand pesos, which he had received in advance of salary, and also because suspicions had arisen that a large part of his estate belonged to the crown, and had been fraudulently appropriated by the secretary and nephew of the deceased, Juan de Salazar. To that end the surrender was ordered under severe penalties, of all the property of the bishop, and that of his relatives, to the senior oidor, who, together with the fiscal, had assumed the functions of executor of

2 Guijo, Diario, in Doc. Hist. Mex., 1st ser., i. 7-8, adds that returning to Tacuba the bishop found that all the furniture of his residence, belonging to Salvatierra, had been removed in the mean time.

3 Mayer, Mex. Aztec, i. 202, following the Liceo, Mex., ii. 223, says erroneously March 13th.

Torres was on bad terms with the audiencia, and in January 1649 had some dispute with the municipal authorities, caused by his pretentious conduct. It is said that this brought on the sickness which terminated fatally on April 22d. Cogolludo remarks that Torres, not supposing his illness to be of a serious nature, did not make such provisions for the administration of affairs as his high position required. Hist. Yuc., 702. This does not appear probable, judging from the deed executed by the governor on the 8th of April, and appointing, in case of his demise, the audiencia to succeed him ad interim. Vir. Instruc., MS., 1st ser., no. 23, 1–2.

He was buried on the 25th of April in the church of the Augustinian convent at Mexico; the bishop-elect of Habana, Nicolás de la Torre, officiated, as the archbishop was absent. Guijo, Diario, 55–62.

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the governor's will. Steps were also taken to prevent the shipment of such property by the fleet, then ready to sail; and on the 15th of May 1649 orders were sent to the governor of Yucatan to attach all the estate of the late bishop in that province.

Although a considerable amount was delivered up to the president, a repetition of the order was resolved upon, and to make it more effectual was published from the pulpits, ecclesiastical censures being threatened against all who failed to surrender it or even withheld information as to its concealment. It seems, however, that the conduct of the audiencia was guided more by personal hostility against Torres and his kindred than by pretended loyalty; for Salazar, having laid his case before the India Council, was acquitted, and the audiencia reproved and ordered to restore all the sequestered property."

For nearly fifteen uneventful months Peralta held the reins of power in New Spain, until, in May 1650, a new viceroy arrived in the person of Luis Enriquez de Guzman, conde de Alva de Liste, and marqués de Villaflor.7

His rule was a quiet one, interrupted only in 1651 by the revolt of the Indians in the northern regions, where the Tarahumares, Conchos, and other tribes in open revolt killed several Spaniards, among whom

The decision reached Mexico in May 1650, and its ratification in 1657. The audiencia was reprimanded for disrespect shown at the funeral of Torres, and ordered to make restitution to all the servants and followers of the bishop. Guijo, Diario, 107-8, 379-80.

His other titles are: gentilhombre de la cámara de su Magestad, señor de las villas de Garrovillas, Carvajales, Membibre, i Castro Calvon, i lugares de su jurisdicion, alférez i alguacil mayor de la ciudad de Zamora, alcaide perpetuo de las Torres i Fortaleza de ella, por el Rey N. Señor, alcaide mayor de sacas, y escribano mayor de rentas de la dicha ciudad. Frailes Doctrineros, in Disturbios de Frailes, MS., ii. 131. Vetancurt, Trat. Mex., 15, followed by Cavo, Tres Siglos, ii. 34, and others, writes Alvadeliste; Zamacois, Hist. Méj., v. 360, and Ribera, Gobernantes, i. 177, call him de Aliste; Guijo, Diario, 121, says de Lista. Miravel y Casadevante, El Gran Dicc., i. 411, in his genealogical account of the count's family, gives the name as in the text, and is herein followed by Lorenzana, Hist. Ñ. Esp., 24, and Alaman, Disert., iii. app. 31. The official entry of the new viceroy was made July 3d. Lorenzana, list. N. Esp., 24, says erroneously it was on the

were three friars, and burned the churches. The governor of Durango was ordered to subjugate them, and during the following year restored peace throughout the disturbed districts.

The old dispute about the submission of the doctrineros to the episcopal authority was revived during the term of viceroy Alva, but his prudent conduct prevented it from assuming such significance as the former one. Royal orders, tending to check the efforts of the regular clergy to become more independent of the jurisdiction of the crown, were also successfully enforced without encountering serious opposition.

Although the count appears to have made a moderate use of his authority, he was jealous of his rights as the representative of a powerful monarch, and did not fail to guard them when occasion happened. Among other instances may be mentioned a case which occurred in June, 1651, when a dispute arose about the place which the chapter of the cathedral and the pages of the viceroy should occupy in the procession of corpus christi. The procession was forcibly interrupted by order of the count, who in unison with the audiencia issued several orders, which caused great excitement among the people. The matter was settled by the chapter yielding to the demand of the viceroy, when the ceremony was allowed to proceed."

Owing to the wars almost continuously carried on

Several cédulas were issued to protect the royal jurisdiction. One of September 18, 1650, ratified on the 6th of June, 1655, declared all briefs and bulls of the holy see issued to the people of New Spain as null and void, if not authorized by the council of the Indies, to which they were to be sent. To the same scrutiny were subjected all those patents for religious orders which introduced important innovations or referred to the founding of new convents. Montemayor, Svmarios, 37–8; Ordenes de la Corona, MS., ii. 219–21.

9 Guijo, Diario, 179-82; Robles, Vida, 127-9. The viceroy would probably have encountered more opposition had there been an archbishop. The last one, Juan de Mañosca y Zamora, had died on December 12, 1650, not in 1653 as Vetancurt, Trat. Mex., 25, has it. Guijo, Diario, 157-9, 167; Panes, Vir., MS., 100; Concilios Prov., 1555-65, 219. The see remained vacant for two years until December 25, 1652, when Pedro de Barrientos took possession of it in the name of the new appointee, Marcelo Lopez de Ascona, who arrived in July, 1653. He died after a few months, on November 10th of the same year. Guijo, Diario, 227, 229-30, 248-70; Concilios Prov., 1555-65, 220. Panes, Vir., says erroneously 1654. MS., 101.

EARTHQUAKE AND DROUGHT.

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in Europe by the Spanish crown, communication with the mother country had become dangerous, and the peril of raids on the coast of New Spain increased. In order to guard against these inroads, the viceroy stationed some soldiers at Vera Cruz, and provided the fleets despatched to Spain with a force at least strong enough to leave them no longer at the mercy of the first pirate or man-of-war they might encounter. It was indeed necessary to take some precautions that the treasure remittances should reach Spain in safety. The money was greatly needed; for it was only by means of the contributions of the colonies, that the monarch was enabled to carry on the expensive wars which were to sustain the glory of Castile. The king was always hard pressed; and confident of the forbearance and patriotic zeal of his subjects in the New World, had seized about a million of pesos belonging to private persons, the amount having been remitted by the fleet of 1649. Viceroy Alva soon after his arrival informed the people of this proof of the confidence of their royal master, but at the same time assured them, under pledge of the royal word, that it would not be repeated, and that measures had even been taken to make repayment in redeemable warrants against the revenue, derived from the media anata.10

During the last months of Viceroy Alva's rule, earthquake and drought visited the province of Mexico. The former disaster was portended by the appearance of a comet which was visible from the middle. of December of 1652 till the first days of 1653. The

shock was severely felt in the capital," and destroyed the walls of several buildings, causing greater damage

10 Tenia librada la satisfaccion de esta cantidad en juros y media annata.' Guijo, Diario, 121. The publication of a similar cédula in March 1651 implies that this manner of making loans was repeated, notwithstanding the promise made.

11.Duró mas del tiempo que...rezar dos credos con devocion.' Id. 232. A minute account together with a scientific treatise on the comet is given by Ruiz, Discurso hecho sobre Impressiones meteorologicas, Mexico, 1653, 1 et seq. According to Guijo, Diario, 239, in the same year, 1653, a conflagration destroyed the whole city of Colima.

in the environs. That no others were felt was supposed to be due to a solemn procession, held during the following days in honor of the conception of the Serenísima Reina de los Angeles. With similar good effect the interposition of the vírgen de los Remedios was implored some months later; when want of rain had produced diseases, and supplications lasting nine days were ordered. The supplications were quickly heard, for within nine days abundant rains fell throughout the province.

The viceroy's term of government had meanwhile expired, and in the beginning of July 1653 news reached him of the arrival of his successor at Vera Cruz, and of his promotion to the viceroyalty of Peru. On the 1st of August he formally laid down his authority and proceeded to San Cristóbal, to greet the new ruler, the duke of Alburquerque. He remained in Mexico for more than a year, as there was no vessel to carry him to his destination. The 17th of October 1654 he left for Acapulco with a large retinue. At every point along his route he received marks of respect, for his benevolence and integrity had gained for him the sympathy of the people.12

Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, duque de Alburquerque and grandee of Spain,13 arrived at Vera Cruz accompanied by his wife, a daughter of the exviceroy Cadereita, early in July, 1653, and made his official entrance into Mexico on the 15th of August, amidst the usual ceremonies. In personal qualifications no less than in rank he was a worthy successor

12 His juez de residencia sentenced him to the payment of several amounts of money claimed from him, and transferred the decision of other charges to the India Council, but nevertheless declared him 'por bueno y recto ministro de S. M.' Guijo, Diario, 270. After serving his term in Peru he went to Spain, where he died about 1667.

13 He was of one of the noblest houses of Spain, and besides the titles given in the text, and such as his new position gave him, held those of marqués de Cuellar y de Cadereita, conde de Ledesma, conde de Guelma, señor de las villas de Mombeltran y de la Codosera, gentilhombre de la cámara de Su Magestad, and capitan general de las galeras de España. Ordenes de la Corona, MS., vii. 1; Frailes Doctr., in Disturb. de Frailes, MS., ii. 129, 152.