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]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 13

men who shall go in the said ships for each voyage,
the wages that they may assign as their earnings, and
as just, for the said voyage; for to these no more
[than to their superiors] shall permission be given
to lade, or cause to be laded, merchandise in quantities small or great, under the said penalties.
And as it has been understood that in the past more
commanders than necessary have been appointed for
the ships on the said route, and they have carried
in the posts of artillerymen and sailors many who
were not such, it is my will that this should cease and
be corrected henceforth; and that for each piece of
artillery that the ships carry, there shall go one artilleryman, and no more, nor shall wages be paid to
superfluous men.
And in order that there may be the fitting account
and regularity in all things, all proceedings shall be
conducted equitably and with great precision in the
matters ordered. It is my will and command that
there shall be in the said vessels, and sail with them,
an inspector and an accountant, to keep account and
system in everything. And they shall inspect the
articles laded as merchandise, and carried back on
return in the said ships, and account for them in
their books. The said inspector and accountant
shall be appointed by the governor and archbishop
in the same maner as they select the commander, admiral and other officers, and with the same intervention of the senior auditor of the Audiencia in
case they do not agree. They shall take care that
these be persons of approved qualifications, satisfactory, and worthy of confidence; and shall assign
them such salary as may appear sufficient and just,
provided that it does not exceed two thousand ducats