First Blacks in The Americas

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[fo. 1r.]

1523

                                                                           +

                                                                      The King /

our oidores of our royal audiencia of the Indies that resides in the Española island and Migue de Pasamonte, our treasurer of the said island, after ordering on twenty two days of the month of October of this current year of one thousand and twenty three years that you were written to in response to your letters,  I received your writings of the twelve, fourteen, and fifteen of September that you wrote to me with the vessels in which the Admiral don Diego Colón came, with which the testimonies came in of the proceedings and notifications that were done to the said Admiral in accordance to what I ordered you to mandate.  All of it has seemed to me very well and the diligence and good care that you put into it, and I count it as a service.  The Admiral has arrived safely and with his arrival, God willing, orders will be given so that the things in those places may be in total quiet and reformation,  which I will mandate to look into the soonest possible, and I will mandate that you be notified of what is done about it.   

[…] 

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[fo. 1v.]

[…]

As to what you say, that besides the Blacks that in earlier days had run away from the service of their masters /
now again they have begun to unsettle, another squad of them, I appreciate as a service what you say you have done about it, and since you realize how dangerous a thing it could be if it were not

[fo. 2r.]

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punished and calmed down with great rigor as service to me, that you should not lift your hand until with great care it is calmed down and pacified as you say you will do, and for this it seems it is fair that license is given so that in that island  whatever sisa or repartimiento  that may be required may be imposed, and you may so do in our name if it would seem to you necessary. /  

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[…]

as to what you say about what has happened with the property of Juan Fernández de las Varas, who was jailed by the saint inquisition, it seems to me that it would be good that, despite what the inquisitors ordered, you had [him] executed for our debt, and that the persons who may buy the said properties you manage for them to acquire them peacefully, and thus decide now conveniently on this in accordance to justice /

[…]

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I am informed as well that, because of there being many Blacks in that said Española island and in the [  ] of those places some inconvenience may happen because they are many more than the [   ] /
Spaniards that are there, and they have against the said Christians great daring and shamelessness [  ] /
and they could provoke them to uprise or make some disarray that could be cause of  [  ] /
damage among Christians, and for its remedy it has seemed that it would be good means and some safety /
to mandate that no Christian that may have Blacks may have them without having in his house in Spanish Christians a third part of the Blacks that he may have, persons capable of taking arms when it may happen that it may be needed, and that they be warned and  informed of it, and hereby I mandate that a provisión  on this be sent to you.  You should have it proclaimed and implemented and should let me know how it is complied with.  From Pamplona on XXVII of December of one thousand and five hundred and twenty three years. 

[Signature:]  I the King /

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