[45] ‘Comentarios de Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca’, contained in Barcia’s ‘Historiadores Primitivos de las Indias Occidentales’.

[46] The ‘patriots’ are always those of the prevailing party in a State.

[47]

‘(I.H.S.)

‘God preserve your Excellency, say we, the Cabildo, and all the Caciques and Indians, men, women and children of San Luis, as your Excellency is our father. The Corregidor, Santiago Pindo and Don Pantaleon Caynari, in their love for us, have written to us of certain birds which they desire we will send them for the King. . . . We are sorry not to have them to send, inasmuch as they live where God made them, in the forests, and fly far away from us, so that we cannot catch them. Withal we are the vassals of God and of the King, and always desirous to fulfil the wishes of his Minister . . . so we pray to God that that best of birds, the Holy Ghost, may descend upon the King. . . . Furthermore, we desire to say that the Spanish custom is not to our liking—for everyone to take care of himself, instead of helping one another in their daily toil.’

This quaint and touching letter was written originally in Guaraní, and is preserved at Buenos Ayres. ‘That best of birds, the Holy Ghost,’ shows faith grounded, at least, on ornithology, and the whole spirit of the simple document is as pathetic as its unconscious philosophy is true.

[48] Guevara, ‘Historia del Paraguay’ (printed in ‘La Coleccion de Angelis’, Buenos Aires, 1836), book vi., p. 108, says of Alvar Nuñez: ‘Merecia estatua por su rectitud, justicia y Christiandad.’ And in another place Guevara says: ‘La Florida lo cautivó con inhumanidad; La Asuncion lo aprisionó con infamia; pero en una y otro parte fue ejemplar de moderacion . . . recto, prudente y de sano corazon.’ Alvar Nuñez died holding the office of ‘Oidor de la Audiencia de Sevilla’, according to P. del Techo (‘Historia del Paraguay’); or as a member of the Consejo de Indias, according to Charlevoix.

[49] Acquaviva was General of the Order at this time; he was a man of marked ability and great energy.

[50] Before this date the Jesuits in Paraguay had been under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Bishops of Peru.

[51] Paranapané = the White Paraná, or, according to others, the Paraná without fish.