The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 36]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 36

diencia and office of the captain-general receive
those complaints kindly and very easily dictate
measures humiliating for the alcalde, and impose
fines on him, of which a copy is given to the complaining parties. Rarely is it that one leaves his
alcaldeship without having paid many fines. The
Filipinos make the greatest ado, as is natural, over
those triumphs against authority, but authority loses
decorum and moral force. All this comes from the
bad system established, for, since the governor from
the moment that he becomes a merchant, must be a
bad governor and a usurer and tyrant, the government of Manila is predisposed against his acts, and
declares itself the protector of the Filipinos. In
this way one evil is remedied by a worse. The supreme authority instead of supporting and sustaining the subordinate government punishes and degrades it. Illusion, respect, and fear vanish. It is
believed that that severity against those who rule is
advantageous in making our yoke loved, and that the
natives will say, "The government is kind for it punishes the alcaldes," while it would be better for them
to say, "The government is kind because it gives us
good alcaldes."
Shortly after my arrival in the islands, being at
the feast of Cavite, distant four hours from the capital, I wished to go thither on horseback, but all who
heard of it dissuaded me from the idea, asserting
that I was about to commit a rash act. Another time
when I was coming from Laguna, on passing
through Montinlupa, the manager of the estate of
that name was so greatly alarmed that he wished to
accompany me with his servants until we came near
the city, and in fact I learned soon that I was running