Bartolome De Las Casas, the apostle to the American Indians, born in Seville, Spain, in 1474, died in Madrid in July, 1566. His father accompanied Columbus both on his first and second voyages, and on the latter of these took with him his son, then 19 years of age, who till that time had pursued his studies with brilliant success at Salamanca. Bartolome went also on the third and fourth voyages of Columbus. On his return to Spain he entered the order of the Dominicans, with a view of being employed as a missionary to the Indians. He went to Santo Domingo in 1502, was ordained there in 1510, and celebrated the first high mass that had ever been heard from a X>riest ordained in the new world. Two years afterward he accompanied Velasquez to Cuba as his chaplain, and attracted attention by the influence which his mildness and charity gained over the native population. He entered with zeal into the interests of the unfortunate Indians oppressed by their European conquerors, and in 1515 sailed for Spain to obtain for them measures of redress.

Cardinal Ximenes, who in the following year became regent, sent out three Hieronymite monks to correct the abuses complained of; but the efforts of this commission not satisfying the devotion of Las Casas, he soon returned again to Spain for stricter and more efficient regulations, and was appointed "universal protector of the Indies." At last, to save the Indians from the complete extermination which threatened them, Las Casas, who had seen the African thriving and robust beneath the sun of Hispaniola, proposed the introduction of negro slaves to labor in mines and on sugar plantations, and relieve the natives. The plan which benevolence had suggested was quickly caught up by the colonists, the traffic in negroes became a lucrative commerce, and the servitude of one race was only given up for that of another. Seeing the failure and perversion of his plan, Las Casas formed the project of establishing a colony under his own guidance, and obtained from Charles V. the gift of 270 leagues of land on the coast of Venezuela for this purpose.

This plan too failing after a short trial, he retired for a time in despair to the Dominican convent at Santo Domingo. In 1527 he went as missionary and preacher through the provinces of Nicaragua and Guatemala, and into Peru and Mexico; after which in 1539 he returned to Spain to explain to the emperor the situation of the Indies and to obtain from him new reforms. Charles V., wishing to reward him for his many labors, appointed him to the rich bishopric of Cuzco. Las Casas declined this appointment, but accepted the next year the much poorer bishopric of Chiapas, in Mexico; and at the age of 69 years he left Spain for the eighth time. His zeal in behalf of the Indians provoked a hostile attack from Sepulveda, an officer of the Spanish court, who undertook to justify the conduct of the Spaniards. To defend himself Las Casas wrote his work upon the destruction of the Indies, which contained many particulars of cruelties by the colonists, and was translated into several European languages. He met with difficulties in the administration of his bishopric, and having refused the sacraments to those of the colonists who reduced the Indians to slavery, he drew upon himself not only the hostility of the planters, but also the disapproval of the church.

Abandoned by all, he returned finally to Spain in 1551, after having during 50 years signalized in America his zeal and his virtues. He retired to the convent of St. Gregory in Valladolid, and devoted the remainder of his life to various compositions, one of the most valuable of which, his "General History of the Indies," commenced in 1527, has never been published. Several other works in Spanish, and two in Latin, also remain unpublished. The printed works were published in 1 vol. 4to (Seville, 1552). Several of his works were edited by Llorente, and published in Spanish and French, each edition in 2 vols. 8vo (Paris, 1822).