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. 44]

COMMERCE OF THE PHILIPPINES
WITH NUEVA ESPANA
PERIOD III
Occurrences from the year 1640 until that of 1702,
and from this year until 1712.88
17. Although there is no evidence in the Expedi66 In this document we resume the history of the commerce
between the Philippines and Nueva Espafia which is presented in
the Extracto historial (Madrid, 1736), the first two "periods"
of which appeared in VOL. xxx of this series (q.v., pp. 23-II0).
The great length of this work compels us to condense and abridge
most of it here; but "Periods" ii-vi are presented in full (save
for the text of some long decrees), as being of earlier date, and
covering a longer space of time, while they are comparatively
brief in statement. In thus condensing this work, it has been our
aim to retain all matter of vital interest and real value, eliminating only "vain repetitions" and matters of trifling importance.
The first memorials presented by Manila and Cadiz respectively
set forth various facts connected with the Manila-Acapulco trade,
on which are based their main arguments, each endeavoring to
justify its own side of the controversy and its demands from the
Spanish government; the succeeding memorials largely repeat
these statements and arguments, in new combinations, with wearisome iteration -kaleidoscopic effects produced by the same old
bits of glass-which it seems useless to reproduce in our translation. But we have carefully preserved all new facts, dates, and
arguments adduced, and whatever will throw additional light on
that commerce, or on the social and economic conditions of Spain,
the mother-country, at that period, since these must naturally
affect those of her colonies. Wherever possible, we have used the
exact wording of the text, and have made full citations from it
which are indicated by quotation-marks; and the numbers of sec-tions are everywhere retained, thus facilitating easy reference to