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. 13]

1664-i605]

ACURA TO FELIPE III

231

It is not expedient that there should be an Audiencia
in the Philipinas.
Sire:
For a long time I have been reflecting upon the
matter which I shall here mention, and many times I
have resolved to give your Majesty an account of it,
and of others as important. I have been kept back
and restrained, by fear that it might or could be
suspected that I was moved by some personal interest or passion; but owing to the difficulties which
have confronted me in one way and another, having
consulted and conferred with serious religious and
other persons, both ecclesiastical and lay, who look
at the matter dispassionately [MS. defective] resolved not to delay any longer, for it appeared to
me that otherwise I did not act in accordance with
the obligations of my office, or the favor which your
Majesty has done me by putting me in this position.
Your Majesty has a royal Audiencia in these islands with four auditors, one fiscal, and other officers,
whereby your Majesty spends each year sixteen thousand five hundred pesos. It seems that this might be
dispensed with for the reasons set forth in the paper
which goes with this, and to which I refer, only adding (what I may say in all truth) that, although this
commonwealth is in the greatest trouble, through
the many causes of death, wars, conflagrations, afflictions, shipwrecks, and the destruction of so much
property, as your Majesty has learned, there is nothing which it feels more keenly today, or which
afflicts it more, than to have the Audiencia here
judging, and with it to lack all freedom of person
or property. The name of auditor is so odious here
that it alone offends; and we have come to such a