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. 24]

I630-I634]

TAVORA TO FELIPE IV

203

to have intercourse and against whom it is necessary
to be on our guard. I do not say that there should
not be a council in the form ordered by your
Majesty; but after the council the governor should
have the power to take such measures as he deems
best. I do not petition this for myself; for, when a
reply to this shall come, already the term of my government will be finished. Your Majesty's service
moved me, through my zeal for it. I shall exercise
the opposition to the visitor which seems advisable
in this matter of the treasury tribunal, your Majesty
always retaining the right to order what shall be
your pleasure. [In the margin: " Seen."]
In the letters which I am writing by way of
Yndia, I discuss the controversy which the royal
officials had with the city, before the visitor, in regard to the seats. That contention ceased after the
visitor had pronounced judgment against the city,
to which I did not assent, affairs having been adjusted in this regard until your Majesty should order
what should be most to your pleasure. After many
excommunications which had been issued, search
was made for the decree in which your Majesty mentions the form which must be observed in this, and in
which you order that they be seated in the places
which they occupied while regidors; finally, the
decree appeared among the others that the royal
officials had in their office. The same Don Francisco
de Rojas found it by chance, while looking for other
decrees in the books which he had demanded from
them for the inspection, and after they had, under
oath, denied having it. The excommunications
which intervened in the matter having been annulled
(for in this way do we live in the Yndias), the visitor