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]

I630-1634]

CABILDO TO FELIPE IV

255

cause there are not any faithful officials to execute
the so pious and excellent order that was decreed and
determined by the royal decrees of your Majesty, and
by the glorious progenitors of your Majesty; especially in regard to the money that passes annually
from Nueva Espafia to these islands. We inform
your Majesty that, besides the permission of the four
hundred thousand pesos that your Majesty has given
for the inhabitants of this city, it is certain that two
millions are brought. That sum is brought from
Nueva Espafia by companies and agents who call
themselves inhabitants of Mexico; and your judges
and officials [there] allow them to pass, and dissimulate because of the great profit that falls to them
in Acapulco. The efforts are not made in this city
either that could be made by those who ought to
make them. Accordingly, having seen this so great
loss, both to your Majesty and to the inhabitants of
this city, in assemblies of the orders that the reverend
bishop, governor of this archbishopric, called on petition of the city, censures were issued, ordering no
one to employ the money of the inhabitants of Nueva
Espaia or Piru, thinking that that would be an
efficient remedy. But experience has demonstrated
that it has been of no effect, for all have employed
that money and no one has been denounced. This
needs a stringent remedy, and there is no other except
to carry out fittingly what was ordered by your
Majesty, by appointing trustworthy officials of
Christian spirit and well-known zeal for your
Majesty's service. [In the margin: "Let them be
advised of what decision was made in this."]
One of the greatest services that the cabildos and
corporations can perform for your Majesty is to