would cause greater delay and dangerous annoyances to the natives, because of certain reasons and causes vexatious to them; for the auditor could inspect in one year and summer but one province, and in that would not be doing little. The next year he would have to visit another province, and so on, until he had finished the whole country. But if the bishops act as inspectors inasmuch as they have to go through their bishoprics annually, each one in his own district, the inspection would be completed in one year, and very comfortably and conveniently, especially for the Indians. This would not be the case, were the inspection made by others. To give the reasons for the aforesaid, as ought to be done, so that your Majesty may be pleased to order it, much space would be needed; and there are many evidences and proofs that the present is the worst plan, because of the great offenses and annoyances it has caused, as is well known. And on the other hand this is what proves best how advisable is the latter method, and how necessary are such special expedients, even though they should be extraordinary, since the necessity and wrongs are so. I shall not go into details concerning this lest I go beyond bounds. But I shall only refer to one advantage in addition to the above, in having the bishops act as inspectors—namely, the respect that the governor will have for them, and his abstaining from interfering with them in some measures that may be desirable to adopt. If he were to attempt, by importunity or pressure of any kind, thus to interfere with other inspectors (as he could more easily, inasmuch as they would have to proceed with greater caution and obsequiousness), the result might be very harmful.
