Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/436

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426 Reviews of Books Carlos Pereyra. Tomo 'II.] (Mexico, Bouret, 1906, pp. viii, 295.) Don Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, as Fiscal of the Indies, Protector of the Natives, Visiiador General of New Spain, Viceroy, judge of the residencias of three viceroys, Bishop of Puebla, and Archbishop of Mexico, played so prominent a part in a troubled and important period of the history of New Spain that students will welcome any addition to the sources of our knowledge of the man and his times. Of the eleven documents in Sefior Garcia's collection, three (nos. i., viii., and X.), occupying nearly a third of the volume, have hitherto been unpub- lished, and are, therefore, an accession to the printed literature of the subject. Two other documents (nos. iii. and ix.), though hitherto extant in printed form, have been extremely rare, and belong practically in the class with the foregoing. For these five documents, even students having access to large collections of Spanish-Americana will be glad to turn to Senor Garcia's volume. The three documents hitherto un- printed are : " Informe del Ilmo. Sr. D. Juan de Palafox, Obispo de Puebla, al Exmo. Sr. Conde de Salvatierra, Virrey de la Xueva Espana. 1642"; "Autos hechos sobre el alboroto acaecido en la ciudad de Puebla con motive de haberse recibido las remisoriales de Su Santidad para las diligencias previas a la beatificacion del Ilmo. Sr. D. Juan de Palafox, 1729"; and " Actas del Concilio Provincial Mexicano IV, celebrado en el ano de 1771, en las cuales consta haberse resuelto pedir a Su Santidad Clemente XIII la promocion de la causa del Exmo. Ilmo., y V. Sr. D. Juan de Palafox, y asimismo la extincion de la Compania de Jesus, 1771." The contents of the last two of these three documents are indicated by the titles, and it will be seen that they bear rather upon Palafox's reputation long after his death than upon his acts and his times. The first is a report, such as was customarily made by retiring viceroys, by Palafox to his successor Salvatierra, on the condition of New Spain, embodying suggestions for the improvement of the gov- ernment. It is an excellent summary of the state of the country, and, taken with no. xi., Palafox's " De la Naturaleza del Indio ", admirably reflects the dominant interests of the period. The remaining documents are reprints of sources that may be had in most large collections on Spanish-America, and consequently will be useful mainly to students who have not access to such libraries, or to persons who wish illustrative sources on the period in convenient form. And these classes of students, the ones to whom the book as a whole will most appeal, are the very ones who will most regret its chief short- coming—the lack of adequate editorial helps. It is to be hoped that in subsequent volumes Senor Garcia will give his readers the benefit of more of these helps, which both his knowledge and his facilities so well enable him to supply. Viewed as a collection of illustrative ma- terials on the period, the selection of matter has been well made, although one misses documents bearing directly on the altercations be- tween the viceroy, Escalona, and Palafox, such, for instance, as might have l)cen taken from El J'ciicnihlc Stvlor. Herhert F. Roi.tox.