CHAPTER IV

THE \VELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA

1. The contract of 152$. II. ,\,nl,roitis Ehinger governor. Iii.Arrival of Federrnann at Corn. IV. Governor Ehinger's secondexpedition and death. V. Conflict of factions at Coro. VI.Federnmon and Hohermut von spicier. VII. Von Hutten's ex-pedition. VUI. Carvajal,

MAMY of the slave-traders who infested the northern coastof South America in the early decades belonged to a law-less class of persons, over whom no government exercisedany effective control. The conduct of these persons be-came at length so scandalous that the audiencia of SantoDomingo was moved to intervene, and it decreed thatthe right to enslave the aborigines should be held only bythe conquistadores, and not by the crowd of obscurepirates who devastated the country.'

The difference which the Spanish government soughtto emphasize was the difference between unregulated andregulated plundering. In order to check the piraticalincursions, Juan de Ampués was commissioned to visitthat part of the coast which lay near the islands inhabitedby the pirates, and which was, therefore, especially subjectto their raids. He was not authorised to form settlementson the continent, but he became convinced that withouta permanent establishment on the land lie could dovery little to diminish the activity of the slave-traders.He consequently entered into friendly relations with the

Baralt y Diaz, !iisto,üz aft Venezuela, i. aGo.57

8 THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

powerful chief Manaure, who was willing to place himselfin a position of feudal subjection to Ainpués, and to recog-nise the sovereignty of the Spanish crown. In order tocarry out hi; plin, Arntj; obtained possessions in thecountry, and founded the city of Santa Ana de Coro in1527. The peaceful course pursued by Arnpués mighthave brought happiness and prosperity to the land,if it had been continued, but this was not in keep-ing with the warlike spirit of Spain's government underCharles V.'

The wars in which Charles V was engaged, and the ordi-nary undertakings of his government, involved him inexpenses which exceeded his regular revenues, and tosupply the deficit he had recourse to borrowing. Promi-nent among his creditors were the Augsburg merchantsof the house of Welser. For some years this house hadhad establishments in Spain, and if a province was to beceded to any company, the concession would very natur-ally be made to a company that had already extensiveinterests in Spain and Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo,at this time, was the point from which expeditions finallydeparted for the continent, and from which authoritywas exercised over establishments on the coast of TierraFirme. In 1528 the Spanish crown made an agreementgranting to Heinrich Ehinger and Hieronymus Sailer anexclusive right to explore and settle a region extendingalong the coast of Venezuela from Cape Maracapana onthe east to Cape de la Vela and the border of the provinceof Santa Marta on the west. This grant did not differfrom those that were made usually to the early conquis-

Baralt y Diaz, Hisiovia de Venezuela, l. 147, 151 ; Haebler, tinier-eJuuungen der Weiser, 137-9 Benedetti, Hisloria de Colombia, 122

1-luinbert, Lee origines vdndzuêlicnnes, 31-3 Herrera, Dec. IV, I, vi, c. I.Oviedo y Banoslib. i. cap. iii. ; Rojas, Esludios hislOvicos, 93; Kioden, inZeilschrifl Jar allgenieine Erdieunde (Berlin, 1855), 437; Klunzinger,AntIwil der Deutscken an der En gdeckung von Sildamerika (Stuttgart,1857), ', S MacbIer, in Hislorisches Taschcnbucl, von Raumcr (Leipzig,iSgo), 207.

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 59

tadores. The union of the Welser company and the houseof Ehinger had given new force to the corporation andwas apparently one of the causes of its prosperity at thetime the grant was made.,

The principal provisions of the grant were the follow-ing: The persons receiving the grant should found twotowns within two years. Each of the towns should con-tain three hundred settlers. They should also establishthree forts, but no limit was fixed for the term withinwhich the forts must be established. The title of governorand captain-general for the lifetime of the persons receiv-ing the concession, the hereditary titles of aguacil-mayor,adelantado, and teniente were at the disposal of thegrantees, under the supreme authority of the crown. Allarticles needed for the sustenance of the settlers shouldbe admitted free of duty ; but this freedom did not ex-tend to wares employed in trade. Horses and cattlemight be imported from the West Indian Islands, or ex-ported to these islands. The colonists should receive,without charge, lots for their houses and ground for cul-tivation, which should become their property after thelatter had been cultivated by them for four years. Fora period of eight years the colonists should be free fromall taxes. For the first three years they should deliverto the crown only a tenth part of the precious metals, andthereafteran amount increased annually by such a sumthat with the eighth year and afterwards the normalamount of one-fifth of the whole annual product shouldbe surrendered. The grantees might also make slaves ofsuch Indians as offered resistance to the Europeans. Dur-

The statement made by Herrera and others who have repeatedhis opinion, that the grant was made by Charles v in considerationof the services of the Welser company in loaning money to the emperorhas been called in question by Haebler, Elsie deutsche Kotonie in Vene-zuela, 210, and the view of Macbier is accepted by Humbert, L'occ,,-

atio,i allemande du Vc,,e.aucta a,, XVI sidete (Paris, 1 905), 5capitulacion que so tomá eon Enrique conquer y Guillermo Sayller,

pan Ia pacificactén de In provincia do Santa Marta, Doe, med., xxii.zjiOi.

Go THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

ing this year, 1528, a number of agreements were made be-tween the Spanish crown and Effinger and Sailer. In oneit was stipulated that they should introduce fifty Germanminers into the colony but in none of them did the crownincur any obligations, except that of guaranteeing to theother party to the contract the use of the territory in ques-tion. This party, moreover, had the privilege of intro-ducing into the province of Venezuela four thousand negroslaves within a period of four years.'

II

When the men had been enlisted, and the Welser ex-pedition made ready, the fleet of four vessels set sail fromthe harbour of San Lucar, on the 7th of October 1528.Garcia de Lerma, the new governor of Santa Marta, wason board, and it had been agreed that if he needed assist-ance to restore order in his disturbed province, men fromthis expedition should be furnished for his service. Lermawas taking to Santo Domingo the emperor's confirmationof the appointment of Ambrosius Ehinger to be the gover-nor of the province of Venezuela. Ambrosius Ehingerwas at this time agent of the company in Santo Domingo,

A more complete statement of the terms of the contract of 1528is given in Humbert, L'occu potion alte,,:a,zdr dtc T'eneznthz art XVI'siecle,5 -TO see also 1iaeb1cr, Die ubcneciscl,en Urterrwixnxr.ngexs derlVelsev mid i/we, Grretlsclraftcr, 52-89. In the documents relating tothis contract, there is evidence of somewhat more than the usualcare-lessness with respect to the fern, of names. The name of one of thecontracting partiesappears as Eynguer, Ynguer, Einger, Inger, Ynger,Ehinger, and Alfinger. The torn, Alfinger, particularly a' applied toAmbrosius, appears iii English, but l-laebler retains the more usualform of Ettinger- Humbert uses Alfinger when referring to An,bro,iusand Ehinger when designating the other brothers.. ' Was urkundlichober dic Familie Iest,teht, ist das folgende: Ileinrich, Georg, undAmbrosius Ehinger, die anseheinend o n

e dxci um 1528 in Bexiehungenzu der \Velserisclien Gesellschaft standen, waxen leibliche Bruder end,tammten von Konstanz " (Haebler, Die ?iberseeischen U,,ternein-mungen do, We/se,, 'i). See Real Cédula, August 7, 1 535, Dec. i,zéd.,lxi. 344.

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 61

and when he became governor of Venezuela he was suc-ceeded by Sebastian Rentz von Ulm. The number ofemigrants going by this fleet was two hundred and eighty-one, and Governor Lerma, being the person of highest rankon board, was virtually in command of the fleet. Whenhe arrived at Santo Domingo, Lerma determined to remainthere longer than Anibrosius Ehinger wished to do; hewas consequently allowed, in accordance with a previousagreement, to have one of the smaller vessels, fifty men,and a sixth part of the fleet's supplies. AmbrosiusEhinger, the newly-appointed governor, assumed the chiefcommand of the three remaining vessels, and, sailing forthe coast of Venezuela, landed near Core, February24, 1529.

The force that landed with Governor Ehinger con-sisted of about three hundred men. Although the enter-prise was under the direction of the German company, theparticipants were not all Germans. Among them wereSpaniards, Portuguese ) and a number of negroes fromNew Guinea. Ehinger communicated to Ampuds theroyal order which required his removal to the islands ofOruba, Cnraçao, and l3uen Ayre, and placed the companyin possession of Core and the province. Ampuós was sur-prised by the announcement of the proposed change, andwas disposed to resist the execution of the order. He wasnot, however, in a position to offer effective resistance.Lest he should be placed in a position of disadvantage asa consequence of his hostility to Governor Ehinger, thatofficer was ordered, in new instructions dated February ig,1530, not to interfere in any way with Ampu&' adminis-tration of the islands left in his charge. Ampués, whohad founded the town of Coro, and established peacefulrelations with the Indians, was obliged to surrender hisauthority, and witness the introduction of a policy underwhich the Indians were regarded as a part of the spoils ofconquest.'

Humbert, L'occu/iation aIie,na,,dc du Venezuela, 14, 75 thisvriter affirms that Ehinger was accompanied by sept cents hommes

62 THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

The original purpose of the Welser company inVenezuela was the acquisition of wealth by trading, andthis purpose was emphasized until the withdrawal ofHeinrich and Georg Ehinger. At this time a new policywas adopted, under which extensive expeditions into theinterior of the country were undertaken.

After the depressing experiences of the voyage, theinvaders found themselves safely established at Coro,where they made an agreeable and convivial use of theabundant supply of provisions they had brought withthem. In the meantime, stories of immense treasureswhich the natives had accumulated were circulated amongthem, and inspired them with an impatient zeal to securethe wealth which they fancied could be had without diffi-culty. It was, therefore, with great expectations thatGovernor Elunger formed an expedition composed of apart of his men, and entered upon his first journey intothe wilderness. He proceeded towards the south, alongthe shore of Lake Maracaibo, but he failed to find theexpected treasure, and even the needed food waswanting. His men, disappointed and discouraged, wereanxious to abandon the expedition, and the leader,having fallen ill, wished to return to Core. Soon afterhis arrival at Coro, he sailed for Santo Domingo insearch of more favourable conditions for the recovery ofhis health.'

et quatre-vingt cavaliers." Castellanos, Etegias do varones ilustresdo J,,dias, part ii. eleg. I ; Oviedo y Baüos, Con quista y poblacidn doVenezuela, i. cap. ; Schumacher, Die Unterue/j .niingen der A ugs-burger Weiser, 39 ; TopS, Deutsche Statlizaiter nod Konqecistadoren inVenezuela, 12 ; Haebier, Ueberseeische Uenternehrnungen der Weiser,143-146.

Humbert, Loccupation allemande do Venezuela, 20; Simon, Lasconquistas do Tierra Pir,ne, i. 37-9.

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 63

III

While Governor Ehinger was absent on his first expedi-tion, Nicolas Federinann arrived at Coro. He had leftSan LUCaS', October 2, 1529. At Coro he caused the colo-nists to recognise him as interim governor, and persuadeda hundred men, nearly all of whom were Spaniards, tofollow him towards the south in search of the undiscoveredtreasure. He had made haste to enter upon the journey,in order to be the first to reach the treasure, for it had beenreported to him that both Lerma, of Santa Marta, andSedeflo, of Cubagna, were also preparing expeditions tothe unexplored country. The notices of Federmann'sitinerary are so confused that those persons who have

attempted to trace it have reached very different con-clusions. The events of the journey, in their generalcharacter, were not greatly unlike those of other exploringenterprises in this part of America. There were attacks onthe Indians and attacks by the Indians; attempts toforce caciques to reveal treasures which they did notpossess the flight of some of the natives to the moun-tains, and the stubborn resistance of others ; scarcity offood, and disease produced by want and exposure; andthe discovery of a sufficient number of valuable articlesto keep alive the desire for further explorations. OnMarch £7, £531, Federmann and his followers returnedto Coro.'

A French translation of Federmann's narrative of his first ex-pedition and return to Spain is found in Ternaux's Voyages, relations cC

,ne,nQires originaiix Paz,, sevu', a Ihistoire de la dtcouverte de 14 uerique(Paris, 1837). Reference may also be made to K]upfel, K., Nih. Fed cv-mann und die WeIscnsche Unlerneh,nsing (in Bib. des. Lit. Vereins,xlvii. 199) Kiunzinger, K., Aniheil der Deuischen an der lint-dechung von Sid-4,neviIea, cap. 6, 24-62: Weinhold, IM., Fedennann'sReise,Anhaugezs.denjahresbericl;tendes Vereinsfflrlirdhnnde,inDresden,iii. (1865), 94-112 Schumacher, Die tJnternehnsusgen der AugsbicvgevlVelser in T'eneuela, cap. iv. 56-e9 ropf, Deutsche Statthaleer u udKonquistadoren in Venezuela, 18-19 Pfister, A, 4mbrosius Daljinger

64 THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

For several years members of the Ehinger family hadbeen especially prominent in the management of thecompany's affairs. They had been efficient in the con-duct of the commercial house established at Seville undera concession made by Charles V in 1525. This concessionconveyed to them all the rights respecting trade inAmerica that were enjoyed by Spanish subjects. 1 Theenterprise was regarded at that time as little more thana venture of this family. The name of Weiser does notappear in the contracts with the Spanish government,and Ambrosius Ehinger became the governor of the pro-vince. But in 1530 Heinrichi and Georg Ehinger withdrewfrom the company, requesting, in a communication to theemperor, that the rights which had been given to themmight be transferred to Anton and Bartholomaus Weiser.Charles V reported this request to the Council of the Indieson November 20,1530; and on February 15 of the follow-ing year, an ordinance was issued which conferred theserights upon Anton Welser and Bartholonlaus Welser.This ordinance contained essentially the same provisionsas the contract of 1528. With this change the under-taking fell more immediately under the control of theWelser family, and it was carried on in their name; but,in spite of the change, Ambrosius Ehinger continued tohold the office of governor.2

mid Nikolaus Federnmann, in der Augemeinen Deutschen BiographienSimon, Las Conquistas de Tierra Firma, i. iii. Haebler, Ueberseeisc lieUnlernebmungen da y We/se,, i8-96, for an account of Federmano'slater expedition and his meeting with Quesads, see pp . 246-77;Carla de los Ofyciales JIeales de Venezuela a Sit Magestad, July 30,

1530. Doe. i;zéd., xli. 315-28Herrera, Dec. (Antwerp, 1614), iii. 208 ; flaebler, Unterneb-

munge,m dr y We/se,', 48 ; Schumacher, Die Unternehmzmngen der Augs-burger l ye/se, in Venezuela, in Hamburger Festschrift, Bd. II,

Humbert, L'ocemtpalion allemande di. Venezuela, 12 ; HaeblerUneerne/ttnungen tier lye/se,, 104.

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 6

Iv

The crown issued the usual orders that the Indiansshould be treated as free men, and that they should notbe given too much work but at the same time providedthat, in case they resisted the Europeans ) they might bereduced to slavery. This permission was quite sufficientto nullify the former orders, since the Europeans were notdisposed to be satisfied with less than the lull advantagewhich their circumstances offered. Thus the altruisticinjunctions of the crown brought little or no profit to theIndians. The Germans received their concession, not forthe sake of any opportunity for missionary work which itmight present, but for the acquisition of wealth by trading.They had apparently less regard for the natives than eventhe Spaniards and a consideration of their treatmentof the Indians will help to modify the view that crueltiesequal to those practised by the Spaniards would not haveappeared if any other nation had been put in the placeof Spain.'

The abuses which appeared in the slave-trade carriedon under the agreement of 1528, led the Spanish govern-ment to issue a decree on August 2, 1530, abolishingIndian slavery in Venezuela. But this action called fortha multitude of protests. Governor Ehinger petitionedthe government to recall its prohibition, and urged insupport of his petition that the Venezuelan undertakinghad already cost eighty thousand ducats, and that theslave-trade was almost the only source of revenue thatseemed to make it possible for the company to meet its

Las Casas represents Arnbrosius Ehingcr and his German followersas ferocious beasts: Leer unique objet, dit-il, était denlever Fordo pays, a que]que prix quo cc Hit; its employèrent des moyens Si

adieux quo los Espagnols parurent do gens do bien a côté de ces nou-veaux sp*culateurs its surpassërent los tigres on férocité, et no con-nurent ni Dieu, ni roi, ni sentiment d'humanité.' Memorial addressedto Prince Philip, afterwards Philip II, in 1552, article NV.

VOL. 1. E

66 THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

expenses. At the same time he called attention to thefact that the agreement of 1328 expressly gave him theright to make slaves of the Indians. The king's reply,dated May io, 1 53 1 , was that the old order might stand,but with the important limitation that slaves might notbe sold to be taken out of the province. This limitation,however, met with no more favour than the original decree.The colonists, called together by Antonio Orejon, framedand signed a new petition, in which they demanded theright to export slaves. By permitting the company toenslave the Indians who offered resistance to the invaders,the government practically surrendered all ground onwhich opposition to the colonists might be made ; it leftto the colonists to determine when the Indians were offer-ing resistance. The attempt to prevent the exportationof slaves was ineffectual, and it became evident that,whatever were the wishes of the Crown, the fate ofVenezuela depended less on the royal will than on theinterests of the company.

When F'edermann reached Coro after his journey ofexploration, Ambrosius Ehinger had returned from SantoDomingo, and resumed his duties as governor. Legalproceedings were instituted against Federmann on thecharge that he had exceeded his rights and acted withoutauthority. As a result of this trial he was obliged to returnto Europe. The various expeditions into the interior hadfailed to produce the expected wealth, and, as a conse-quence, the colonists found themselves not only withoutfunds, but also in debt to the Welser company. Thecompany was more or less embarrassed by the fact thatmany of those to whom it had made advances had died,leaving nothing to liquidate the claims against them.Nevertheless, the colony was still disposed to depend onincursions into the territory of the natives. On the 9thof June 1531, Ambrosius Ehinger entered upon his secondexpedition, leaving Bartolome de Santillana as his deputyat Coro. He halted at the settlement of Maracaibo, and

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 67

sought for facilities for transportation by river, but, failingin this, he left Maracaibo, September i, 1 53 1 . with onehundred and thirty men on foot and forty men mounted.The region through which he passed after he left Mara-caibo presented no difficulties. In the course of his marchhe came to the territory of the Pacabueyes. At a towncalled Pauxotto, he remained a number of days, duringwhich, by various means, he obtained from the nativesarticles of gold valued at twenty thousand dollars. These,with some part of 'his previous accumulations, he deter-mined to send back to Coro, to be delivered to the agentof the Welser company. This property was entrusted toCaptain Inigo de Vascufia, who was placed in commandof twenty-four Europeans. He was ordered to proceeddirectly to Coro, by the southern end of Lake Maracaibo,instead of going back to the town of Maracaibo by theroute over which the expedition had advanced. Thedifficulties of the route chosen were very great. Near thesouthern shore of the lake there were extensive swampsand rivers to be crossed. The company was too small andtoo poorly equipped to defend itself against attacks bythe natives. There were no guides, no interpreters, noadequate supply of food, and no means of transportation.When it became evident, on account of exhaustion anddisease, that the company would not be able to reach Coro,they buried the treasure, and agreed that each should befree to save himself in any way he might choose. Theyseparated into little groups of two or three, and wanderedabout hopelessly in the forests. Only one survived totell the tale of the disaster. Francisco Martin, after un-told privations and dangers, was hospitably received byan Indian tribe, and became scarcely less a savage than hisnew associates.

In the land of the Pacabueyes, where AmbrosiusEhinger and his men spent several months, he gathereda quantity of gold, but, at the same time, he was sorelyoppressed with anxiety concerning the fate of Vascuna.

68 THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

He feared, moreover, that while he was pursuing elusivefortune in the wilderness, the establishments at Coro andMaracaibo might be wrecked by the assaults of nativesor by the contests of internal factions. Finally, in a fightwith the Indians in the valley of Chinacota, he waswounded in the neck by a poisoned arrow, and died a fewdays later.'

V

After the death of Ambrosius Ehinger, the history ofthe colony was a series of misfortunes, which proceededchiefly from two groups of events. These were the in-ternal confusion and contentions with respect to thegovernment, and the expeditions by which the countrywas overrun and pillaged. Immigrants were added to thecolony from time to time, but the majority of them weredrawn into the exploring expeditions, while the lands re-mained uncultivated, and Coro as the capital continuedto be merely an unprogressive and miserable village.

Ambrosius Ehinger had maintained that the spoils ofthe journey should be turned over to the Welser com-pany in Coro, and that it should be there determined whatamounts should be assigned to the different persons.Pedro de San Martin, the royal factor, held that an accountof the treasure accumulated should be made, and that itshould be distributed among the members of the expedi-tion without delay. This opinion was naturally popular,and San Martin was immediately elected to the leader-ship made vacant by the death of Ehinger. The royalfifth was then withdrawn, and when the division of thebalance had been made, it was decided that each personshould be paid one-half of his allotment, and that the restshould be given to the Welser company to cover its claimsagainst the individual persons concerned. After this

Haebler, Uebersceische Unternehiizi.ngen der We/se,, 196-210Humbert, Loccupatian allemande du Venezuela, 27-36 Simon, Lasconquistas de Tierra Firin g , 39-48.

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 69

transaction, the members of the expedition took up themarch for Coro. On this journey they discovered Fran-cisco Martin among the Indians of one of the tribes whichthey encountered. He was the sole survivor of the com-pany that had been sent to Coro under Vascufla. AtMarac.aibo they halted for a period of recuperation, andthen, under the command of Pedro de San Martin, theyreturned to Coro, where they arrived November 2, 1533.'

The fears which Ambrosius Ehinger had entertainedrespecting the relation of the several factions to oneanother at Coro proved to be well founded. The royalofficials were opposed to the officials of the Welser com-pany; Santillana, as interim governor, was in conflictwith Rodrigo Vasquez de Acuña, the treasurer; and thefriendly relations which Ampués had formed with theIndians under Manaurd were broken off. The inhabitantsof Coro had received articles of food from the Indians whocultivated the lands near the settlement ; but, after thebreach with Manauré, that chief withdrew with his tribes-men to the interior of the country. This compelled theEuropeans to seek food elsewhere, and placed them undersevere embarrassment, not merely for lack of provisions,but also for lack of labourers. This inconvenience of thecolonists was also further increased by an uprising of theIndians, which induced Santillana to order that no oneshould venture more than a few rods beyond the limits ofthe town. A new element was added to the confusion,when the royal officials sought to draw the audiencia ofSanto Domingo into the controversy, by sending to thatbody an extensive document containing charges againstSantillana. At this point the survivors of Ehinger's ex-pedition arrived. They became involved in the contest

Haebler, Uebe.,seeische Urlernel:ninrgei der TVelsev, 210, 211

Castellanos, Elegias, 202 Simon, Las conquislas cit Tierra F,r,,,e, I.3, Oviedo y Banos, Historia cit la conquisla y poblaciói de Vene-

zuela, i. cap. vii; Humbert, L'occnpatio'c aliencande du Venezuela, 36Piedrahita, Histo,ia general de (a conquis(a clef nuevo reyno cit Granada,88.

7° THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

in opposition to Santillana, who was imprisoned, and theheadship of the colony was conferred temporarily uponPedro de San Martin. When the news of Ehingers deathreached Santo Domingo, the audiencia formally deposedSantillana, and, on May , 1534, appointed Bishop Rodrigode Bastidas to be the provisional governor of the province.'

Bishop ]3astidas had been appointed to the office ofProtector of the Indians by the crown with the view todefend them against the greed of unscrupulous settlers.The functions of this officer extended only to such Indiansas had been made subject to Europeans, either as houseslaves or as vassals under the system of repartirnientos.But the plan was not successful. The material interestsof the colonists were ranged against the decrees of the kingand the orders of the protector. In this case, and in manyother cases, royal decrees or orders that contravened theinterests of the dominant persons or class in the colonieswere not carried out.

VI

The members of the Welser company regarded theaction of the audiencia as an unwarranted interferencewith their rights; and they finally concluded to ignorethis action and to proceed to elect a governor on whomthey could rely. The choice fell at first on NikolausFederinann, and the election was ratified in Spain,July 19, 1533. Having been confirmed in this office,

Haebler, (Jcberseeischc Mike ne/tu:lugcn dcv Wetter, 212-17.

Bishop Bastidas was a son of Rodrigo de I3astidas, one of the earlyexplorers of Tierra Firme, who sailed from Spain in 'zoo, and whobecame the first governor of Santa Marta. He was created Bishopof Core by clement VII, July i, 1532. At the time of his appoint-ment he was dean of the cathedral of Santo Domingo. For an exa-mination of the career of Bishop Bastidas, See A. Rojas, Esiudioshisearicos, 1. 104-22: " Armados de Is eritica más severs podemosjuzgar al Obispo Bastidas conlo un espiritu ereador, redo y earitativo,A pesar de liaber side victima durante Sn permaneneia en Venezuela,de Ia epidemia de El Dorado," p. 122.

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Federmann left the court, which was then at Valladolid,to return to Seville. He was, however, soon overtaken andrecalled by:a courier from the Council of the Indies. TheCouncil had acted without full information, and, when ithad learned more about Federmann, and received the pro-tests of the colonists presented through their delegates,it annulled the confirmation of the election. By a newelection the company presented the name of GeorgHohermut von Speier, its commercial agent in Seville,whom the Spaniards call Jorge de Spira. He had not beenin America, and was not antagonised by any of the factionsin the province. There was, therefore, no effective opposi-tion to his confirmation, which was had January 28, 1535.To allay the disappointment of Federmann, the office ofcaptain-general was separated from that of governor,and conferred upon him. In the meantime the emigra-tion agents had brought together six hundred personsto be added to the population of Venezuela. By themiddle of October 1534, the little fleet of three vessels,which was designed to take them and the new governorto America, was ready to put to sea. The first attemptto depart was defeated by a storm, which drove themback to port, and it was not until February 7, 1535, thatVon Speier reached Coro.

On landing in Venezuela, the governor had to considerwhat policy should be pursued whether the decree ofthe king, requiring the distribution and colonisation ofthe lands already explored should be carried out, or newexpeditions of discovery should be undertaken. In thedetermination of this question, not merely the wish ofthe governor, but also the inclination of the settlers, hadto be consulted. It was found, however, that all wereof one mind. The spirit of adventure in all partiesdemanded new expeditions - into unexplored regions.The possibility of obtaining rich spoils was more attrac-tive than the certainty of an assured but meagre exist-ence supported by cultivation. It was, therefore, agreed

72 THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

that the policy of the preceding governor should be con-tinued. This state of mind, and the fact that the Indianshad withdrawn from the district of Corn, made the pro-posed distribution of hind of no importance whatsoever.The Spaniards would not cultivate it, and the Indianshad found it for their interest to retire from the neigh-bourhood of the Europeans. The few expeditions ofexplorers in America that had brought wealth to the parti-cipants exerted a more powerful influence on the minds ofthe colonists than the man y that had brought disasterand poverty. Thus, with four hundred men, the newgovernor took up his march into the interior, and for fouryears be scoured the wilderness for gold and slaves.

Fedcrmann held an anomalous position at Coro afterHohermut von Speier had entered upon his expeditioninto the interior. He had been awarded the title ofcaptain-general, but it was not clear what the functionsand duties of this office were, when it was separated fromthat of viceroy, governor, and president. He remainedfor some time inactive at Coro, expecting to receive infor-mation that he had been appointed governor of the pro-vince. Such an appointment was made on November 5,1535 . It was similar to that of July 19, 1534, which wasrevoked. But as late as February 17, 1536, the certificateof this appointment had not reached him. He made anexpedition along the coast to the boundary of the neigh-bouring province, where Governor Lerma had pursued aliberal policy with respect to the explorers from Venezuela.Even expeditions of discovery, in the time of GovernorAmbrosius Ehinger, did not provoke him to hostility, orcall forth a protest. But this state of things underwenta change after the arrival of Governor Lugo, who not onlyprotested against the incursions of his neighbour, but madethem the subject of judicial proceedings. Having returnedto Coro, Federmann prepared for a new expedition, whichbecame especially noteworthy for his merciless treatmentof the natives, and for his final advance to the plateau of

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 73

Bogota, and his meeting with Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesadaand Sebastian de Benalcázar}

While Federmann and Hoherrnut von Speier wereabsent from Coro, the audiencia of Santo Domingo ap-pointed Dr. Antonio Navarro, July 6, 1537, as royal com-missioner and judge to subject the conduct of the Welsercompany to a judicial investigation. The members ofthe audiencia were moved to this action by the numerouscomplaints which had reached thorn concerning the abusesof the Welser administration. The investigation pro-posed was the residencia, to which ordinarily the conductof individual officials was subjected at the expiration oftheir term of service. The salary of the judge was to bepaid out of the funds of the province, and, during the con-tinuance of the inquiry, the power of the public officialswas suspended and provisionally conferred upon the judge.The circumstances of the province at the time chosen forthe process were not favourable for a thorough examina-tion of the grounds of the complaints. The majority ofthe inhabitants were with Federmann and Hohermut vonSpeier in the interior of the country. At Coro there werenot more than sixty persons, and these had not gone withthe rest, because, on account of sickness or some other in-firmity, they had not sufficient force for the undertaking.Prior to the appointment of Navarro they had been tem-porarily under the rule of Francisco de Venegas; but ashort time before his death, which must have occurredearlier than July 6, 1537, he transferred his authority toPedro de Cuebas. This miserable remnant of the colonycould not and would not give the evidence required.Navarro, therefore, found it necessary to postpone thecase indefinitely, a result which was probably not dis-

1 Macbier, Uebevseeische Uuterizchuiuuçc,, der IVelser, 246-60Oviedo y BaUos, Conquista y pobtacion de l'eneziicta, I. cap.Kioden, Die IVetser ak Eesitzer ton l'epacgzceja, 441 IClunzingcr, A ,iheitder Deutselsen, 84-91 Schumacher, Die Uuternej,,n u;igen der I Vetser,113-16 TopI, Deutsche State/latter, 12-6 Herrera, Dec. VI, cap. xx.KIupfeI, Nikolaus Fcder,,lann, in Bib. Lit. Vereins, xlvii. igg.

THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

agreeable, inasmuch as, while exercising the chief powerin the province, lie demanded the salary of the governorin addition to that which he was already receiving asjudge.

The sending of Navarro was regarded by the Welsercompany as another unwarranted intervention on thepart of the audiencia of Santo Domingo ) and on a directappeal by the members of this company to the centralauthority, the unfortunate episode of Navarro's rule wasbrought to an end in 1538. Navarro was finally arrested,and embarked for Santo Domingo ) and died on the voyage.'

The next year, 1539, the governor, Flohermut vonSpeier, returned to Coro from his principal excursion intothe wilderness. Of the four hundred men with whom heset out, only one hundred and sixty remained alive. Onemight well suppose that the men who had returned gauntand exhausted from four years' wandering in a savage andtrackless country would regard themselves as fortunatein having escaped the sad fate of the majority of theiroriginal company, and that for the future they would bedisposed to avoid similar expeditions, where the chancesof perishing outnumbered those of surviving. But thespirit of these men is not presented by such a supposition.After a short period of recuperation, they awaited withimpatience the organisation of a new expedition. When,therefore, Hohermut von Speier determined to make onemore journey of exploration, he found his men were readyto follow him. He went to Santo Domingo to expeditework on his equipment, and was again in Coro in the springOf 1540. His preparations were so far advanced that hefelt justified in sending forward a division of one hundredmen under the command of Lope de Montalvo. But hewas destined not to follow. He died on June II, 1540.

No provision had been made for a successor, except hisappointment of Pedro de Villegas to hold the position until

I-Iaebler, Uebcrsceischg Uuterne/i'nu'zgem der Vtiser, 222-46, 278-297 Simon, Las conqi.istas de Tier,, Firme, 93-114, 165-73.

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 75

the arrival of a new governor. This disposition of affairsmet with opposition, and in the autumn the audienciaapproved the accession of Bishop Bastidas, since he hadalready been designated by the Welser company to succeedHohermut von Speier.

Bishop Bastidas, who tinder Navarro had exercised abeneficent influence as a mediator between the hostileparties of Coro, had too much of the blood of the con-quistador to be satisfied with the mission of a peace-maker. He had been in the country a number of years,and had been made protector of the Indians, but there isno evidence that he furnished them any protection, orthat he protested against the abominable practices of theWelsers. He had not only been silent, but, having suc-ceeded to the place of chief authority, he even followed theexample of his predecessors. He sent an expedition againstthe Indians of Maracaibo, which returned with a smallamount of gold and five hundred Indian slaves. Anotherexpedition sought El Dorado, but the gilded prince wasnot found, and a few more outrages were added to thosewhich marked the rule of this company. Almost the onlyeffort in behalf of civilisation during the eighteen years ofthe \Velsers' domination was the founding of the city ofTocuyo, in 1545, by Governor Carvajal. Its first popula-tion Was fifty-nine Spaniards; its government was placedin the hands of two alealdes and four regidores. This wasthe only municipal establishment made in Venezueladuring the domination of the Weiser company, and theimpulse under which it was formed proceeded from theSpanish authorities, and the persons who actually madethe settlement were Spaniards, and not Germans,

VII

After H.ohermut's death the company which he hadsent out under Montalvo determined to continue the ad-vance, and to follow the course of Federmann's march.

76 THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

They reached the plateau of Bogota, and thus, establish-ing themselves there, withdrew a hundred men from theWelser province. The population of the province ofVenezuela was, however, increased by new arrivals fromEurope, among whom was J3artholomäus Welser, whoproceeded to organise an expedition, which was placedunder the leadership of Philip von Hutton. Under VonHutton there were two captains BarthoIomäus Welser,appointed on account of his family's position, and Pedrode Limpias, on account of his experience in connectionwith previous expeditions and his known ability as a leaderunder the conditions they were destined to encounter.

The expedition appears to have been organised in sucha manner as to make it as independent of Indian carriersas possible. The execution of this design was facilitatedby the unusual number of horses that were available. Onsetting out from Coro, August x, 1541, the company con-sisted of about one hundred and fifty men, nearly all ofwhom were mounted. After the departure of Von Huttenthe bishop-governor found little to engage his attention inCoro, which, with the loss of Montalvo's men and themembers of Von Hutten's expedition, was reduced to a dullvillage of the frontier. His prospect of promotion natu-rally lessened the attractiveness of his office at Coro. Hereturned to Santo Domingo, and, while there, in January1542, he was informed of his appointment to the bishopricof San Juan, in Porto Rico. This transfer closed his con-nection with the Welser administration of Venezuela, inwhich, for ten years, lie had played a more or less im-portant role.

Von Hutton, like all of the leaders of the expeditions inTierra Firme, was moved by the expectation of finding,among the natives, stores of the precious metals, whichwould enrich all the members of the company. As heproceeded westward along the coast, and then southwardto the region of the Guaviare and the land of the Oniaguas,he received from many sources stories of an immensely

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 77

wealthy people living in the heart of the continent.These were the familiar stories of El Dorado, which in-flamed the minds of explorers for many decades. Notonly were many persons convinced of the truth of thesestories, but sonic, dominated by a peculiar infatuation,affirmed that they had seen the wonderful city, whichcould be no other than the residence of the gilded princebut every expedition had been obliged to halt and turnback before reaching it. Von Hutten's expedition wasno exception to the rule ; but when he vent northwardafter his conflict with the Ornaguas, it was not with theintention of relinquishing his purpose to capture thefamous prince and take possession of his capital. Hefound it necessary to return in order to recruit hisdepleted force and seek additional supplies.'

VIII

Von Hutten expected, moreover, on reaching Coro, toenter upon the exercise of his functions as captain-general,and thus to be placed in a position where he would be ableto undertake further discoveries with greater resourcesthan it had been possible for him to command hitherto.But in the meantime, after the nominal headship of thecolony had passed from Bastidas to Diego de Buiza, andfrom Buiza to Rembold, it was assumed by Juan de Car-vajal, under whom the affairs of the colony drifted intohopeless confusion. Coro suffered now an aggravation ofits many phases of adverse fortune. No one appeared tohave much interest in it, except as a starting-point of ex-ploring expeditions. Wealth that might have furthered

Oviedo y Valdez, ilistoria genera?, ii. 323; Castellanos, Elegies, 228

Macbier, Uebevseeische Un rerneIinnngen der llelsev, 30.1-11 ; in fournumbers of the Bulletin of the Pan-American Union, January to April1912,J, A MaOSO has presented under the title, The Quest of El Dot-ado,a general account of the expeditions undertaken to reach the mythicaldominions of the gilded prince.

78 THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES

its material prosperity was expended in equipping andmaintaining companies of adventurers. The Indians ofthe surrounding country, if they had remained culti-vating the land, might have added greatly to the foodsupplies, but they had found it advisable to withdrawbeyond the town's economic horizon. But quite as fruit-ful of misfortune as any of these facts was the partisanhostility which one part of the inhabitants entertainedfor the rest. An expression of this was seen in Carvajal'senmity as manifested towards Von Hutten and Bartholo-mãus Welser. Intercepting Von Hutten and his men, whowere returning to Coro, he caused Von Hutten and Welserand a number of others to be murdered.'

Although Coro had existed for eighteen years, it wasstill hardly considered as permanently established. Apart of the inhabitants wished to abandon the site, andseek a place where the conditions were more favourablefor building a city; and practically the whole populationrecognised the fact that the German occupation had donelittle or nothing to advance the colony towards civilisation.On the other hand, it had caused such a depopulation ofthe province that a great outcry was raised against theWelser administration. The country was reduced to thestate of a desert, and Coro was converted into a slave-market. The Spaniards were divided into factions, andthe hatred and hostility which they displayed towardsthe German company caused great public disorder.

The grant which had been made to the company wasrescinded, and the rule of the Germans was ended in 1546.The province of Venezuela then reverted to the crown,and Juan Perez de Tolosa was sent from Spain as governorand captain-general. The effect of this change was todiminish plundering expeditions, and to increase the secu-rity of property. Under the new order of things, the

Haebler, Uebeyseeisclze Uvienehni.ngcn der Weisel, 311-38;Oviedo y Ea6os, iii. 228, 324, 157-60, 242, 170, f82 Herrera, Dec. \'ll,236; Castellanos, Elegiac, 235, 237.

WELSER COMPANY IN VENEZUELA 79

Indians, instead of being captured and sold as slaves, weredistributed among the Spanish settlers under the law ofencomiondas and the organisation of the colony wasmade to assume the form that had been established in theother colonies under Spanish rule.

Tolosa was appointed governor of Venezuela onSeptember 12, 1545, but it was nearly nine months later,in the beginning of June 1546, when he arrived in Core,His first task was to relieve the colony of the presence ofCarvajal, who now appeared in the double role of murdererand rebel. The execution of Carvajal ended all the resist-ance; Carvajal's men hastened to acknowledge Tolosaas the legitimate representative of the crown. The ap-pointment of Tolosa was not the end of the Welser epi-sode in the history of Venezuela. This was followed bya series of charges and counter-charges, and by a line ofjudicial processes, which were continued for ten years,until a decision was rendered by the Council of the Indiesin 1555. By this decision all claims of the \Velser com-pany to the province of Venezuela were finally set aside.'

An account of these legal controversies is given by Haebler,Ue&ersecische Unternehrnungen der IVelscr, 338-97. On the state ofCoro in the middle of the sixteenth century, A]tolaguirre, in Rela-clones qeografi car tie la gobernacicn tie Venezuela, xvi., quotes BishopMiguel Jeronimo Ballesteros, who wrote in October so 'On the3rd of April 1549 I arrived in this province ... the city of Coro,which is on the coast, is inhabited by about forty persons, very poorand some of them ILL In the town of Coro there is a church of straw.'