First Blacks in The Americas

[fo. 506v.] 

so that the slaves/
that may be carried to La Española/
without license be/
lost /
_____________________

[Don Carlos etcetera] to you our President and oidores /
of our Royal Audiencia of the Indies that resides /
in the Española island, and our officials in it, greetings.
[You] must know that we are informed that many persons /
without having a license and authority for it have carried and /
carry to that island many Black slaves secret and /
surreptitiously, and others, under the disguise of some licenses/
of ours that they have, carry many more than the contained /
in the said licenses, going and carrying against what /
is prohibited and mandated by us in regards to the above said /
to defraud the duties on them that are owed to us /
Saying that, by paying at the said island the duties of almojarifazgo, they /
can carry them freely, which has been and is in great/
disservice [    ] which, as it is said, is prohibited /
and mandated by us, and damaging and destructive to our/
revenues and treasury.  And wanting to decide and remedy /
about the above said, it was agreed by those of our Council /
of the Indies that we should mandate /

[fo. 507r.]

to have this our letter issued for you in the said regard, and we /
deemed it as good, for which we mandate that all and /
any persons [who], once this our letter may be proclaimed /
in that said island, carry into it any Black slaves /
without explicit license, have them lost and lose them to/
our chamber and treasury for which we mandate to you that, /
once this our letter is shown to you, you have it proclaimed /
publicly in squares and markets of the cities /
village sand places of that island wherever it may be necessary./
And if after the proclamation is done, one or some /
persons carry the said slaves without a license of ours, as /
it has been said, you must seize and apply them to our said chamber /
and treasury,  since we hereby apply them to it.  Issued in /
Valladolid on twenty eight days of the month of June, year /
of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ of one thousand and five hundred and /
twenty seven years.  I the King.  Certified by Covos./
Signed by the bishop of Osma and the bishop of Canaria and doctor /
Beltrán and Licenciado [Marmol?] /

[Iden?] to the islands of San Juan and Fernandina.  /