Relacion Del Gobierno Del Ex[celentísi]mo Señor Don José De Ezpeleta, &, En El Nuevo Reyno De Granada
Resumen del Libro
A copy of the official status report on the viceroyalty of New Granada, dated December 3, 1796 by the outgoing viceroy, José de Ezpeleta, for his successor, Pedro Mendinueta. Ezpeleta summarizes the state of the viceroyalty as he found it upon taking office on July 31, 1789, noting that priorities at that time–colonizing Darien and the Mosquito Coast, subjugating the Indians, finding a passage across the isthmus of Panama to link the two oceans, developing mining and agriculture, and maintaining a strong coastal defense–resulted in a debt of 2 million pesos. He goes on to describe the present state of the viceroyalty, his achievements while in office, and issues that have yet to be resolved. His report deals systematically with 4 areas of government: ecclesiastical matters and the administration of the archbishoprics and missions, the functioning of the legal system, public education, and mines and commerce, fiscal issues such as tax revenues and public debt, and the fortification and defense of the viceroyalty. The report is dated December 1, 1796 in Bogotá, with additional comments added on December 3, 1796.
