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a silver, or in case the person is rich, a gold-hilted sword.

Several proceedings of government are likewise regulated by etiquette, or rather, are in their nature, but a mere ceremonial. Amongst these are the king, queen, and prince of Asturia's birth-days, and the festivals of the king's tutelar saint. These sorts of ceremony they call dias de besamenos, (days of kissing hands.) They are, like all the other Spanish festivals, purely religious. All the military officers, and members of the audience, repair to the governor and captain-general's houses. From the governmenthouse they go to church. The captain-general, as president of the audience, heads the procession along with the regent and oidors. The military follow. They join in a solemn Mass and Te Deum, during which a detachment of regular troops make three discharges. They return in the same order to the government house. Immediately after, all the civil and religious bodies go to compliment the captain-general, as the representative of the king. There occurred some difficulty in ascertaining whether the bishop was bound to pay that visit. The king decided in the affirmative; but to mollify the asperity of that proceeding, the same order requires, that the moment the prelate shall have discharged this duty, the captaingeneral, with all his retinue, shall go and visit the bishop as prince of the church, and this is performed with the greater punctuality, as the Spaniards are not to be trifled with on the subject of etiquette.

It is a very natural reflection, that in a country where compliments flow in full tide, frankness should VOL. I.

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be at a very low ebb; for men who have composed for themselves a code of laws for the regulation of all intercourse public and private; who see one another, not out of friendship but formality, are far from discovering a spirit of harmony, union and benevolence. Every one lives in a distant unsocial manner, and when they do make any approaches, they are chiefly actuated by motives of policy, not by those of cordial attachment. In a community, where the whole intercourse of life is conducted upon principles of formality and mere outward show, none of those advantages can be enjoyed which are attached to the social and civilized state. To this defect in the manners of the Spaniards, may perhaps be attributed that propensity which they discover to lodge criminal informations against one another; those which respect smuggling, are the only ones reprobated by public opinion. All others are regarded as indifferent and sometimes meritorious. Among the Spaniards in America, you never see, as in Europe, a company of young ladies decently assemble, in order to amuse themselves with innocent diversions, by which means an opportunity is afforded of contracting friendships and acquaintance, at an early period, which frequently last for the remainder of their lives; not even the young men are observed to associate in parties of pleasure. No juvenile balls are given at the expense of the young gentry; no social entertainments known, where every member of the cheerful club is at once landlord and guest; where frolick some gaiety creates a kind of sympathy, which time can never impair, nor the reverses of life extinguish.

Their bad Effects.

The want of free communication and friendly attachment give rise to a secret and dissembled jealousy which is provoked by the prosperity of another, but which policy takes care to conceal under appearances calculated to impose. Hence the reason may naturally be assigned why the Spaniards are in reality so susceptible of the malignant passions, yet in appearance are so placid and composed. An indirect or unguarded speech, an equivocal expression with regard to the antiquity of his family, his nobility, or the nature of titles, throws the Spaniard into a transport of rage, and kindles in his bosom the desire of revenge. He bears merriment more patiently at his own expense than at that of his ancestors. As soon as he finds. himself grossly offended on those very delicate points, he has recourse to law. The duel, condemned by sound reason, and proscribed by the laws of all governments, yet every where supported by public opinion, except in the Spanish dominions, where it perfectly corresponds with the rigor of the laws; the duel is never employed among the Spaniards to atone for injuries. When a rupture has once taken place they are never disposed to any sincere reconciliation, nor generously to consign the offence to oblivion. As soon as a Spaniard has vowed hatred against any one, it is for life, and according to the importance of the cause, which has excited his resentment, it is transmitted with more or less violence to succeeding generations. But although this vindictive disposition does not impel them to any sanguinary measures, it keeps

them perpetually engaged in vexatious law suits, by which they become a prey to the harpies of a profession, which, with all the subtilty of chicane, make it their object to multiply litigious pleadings, perplex the simplest causes, and protract the decisions of justice, in order to involve their clients in greater expenses. There are very few Spanish families of any note, who are not engaged in several law suits, which entirely turn upon points of personal pride.

The Spaniards are Litigious.

The Spaniards of America teaze the courts of justice by the frequency of their applications, as much on account of their interests, as their prerogatives. They seem to be continually upon the watch to seize an opportunity of engaging in a law suit. They are pas sionately fond of judicial investigations, and this passion, which ruins themselves, furnishes abundant subsistence to a prodigious number of rapacious scribes, whose reputation is advanced in proportion to the talent they have acquired of starting incidental obstacles, that is to say, of ingrafting process upon process in endless succcession. This I affirm with the frankness and impartiality which dictate my thoughts, and guide my pen; there is not a country in the world which abounds so much in law suits, as Spanish America. Above all the rest, the soil of the island of Cuba is pre-eminent for this species of production. One would hardly think it credible, that in the city of Havanna alone, where there was no court of appeal, there were computed to be, in 1792,

seventy-two advocates, independently of those who were scattered over the other cities and villages, amounting to thirty-four, and making, with the seventy-two of the Havanna, a total of one hundred and six advocates. The entire population did not exceed, at that same period, two hundred and fifty-four thousand eight hundred and twenty-one souls, reckoning freemen and slaves, and the territorial exports did not amount to the value of 5,000,000 milled dollars, whilst St. Domingo, with a population of six hundred and sixty thousand souls, and produce to the value of 27,000,000 milled dollars, had, in the two councils, and over the whole colony, but thirty six advocates. From this litigious spirit of the Spaniards arises that swarm of vermin that surround the tribunals in order to devour the substance of families, which the restlessness and personal pride of the possessors expose to all the arts of chicane.To the facility with which a livelihood is gained in this manner in the practice of the law, which requires no other talent than that of sophistry, is to be ascribed the avidity with which so many enter into that profession, and the aversion which is generally discovered for agricultural labour. From the enormous sums which the cultivator spends in litigation, necessarily result the declining and ruinous condition of the plantations. Many persons, whose characters inspire confidence, estimate the expenses of every kind which are annually made within the jurisdiction of the audience of Caraccas, at 1,500,000 milled dollars. I have seen none, who stated them at less than 1,200,000. If a happy reform could reduce both that expense and the number of those who depend upon it to one

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