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]

I700-I736]

PREFACE

23

in Spain is bought by the industrial nations of
Europe and manufactured into fabrics, which are
brought back to Spain by these foreigners to supply
not only that country but her colonies, the goods
being shipped to the Indias in Spanish bottoms.
The royal fiscal at Madrid supports the contention
of Manila, but would confine its trade strictly to the
amount allowed it by the government; and he
thinks that the complaints by Cadiz arise from the
frauds and abuses in the Manila trade, rather than
from the mere fact of its including Chinese goods.
Manila proposes for the conduct of the commerce a
plan which will obviate the difficulties therein, but
this is opposed by the fiscal and other officials.
Direct appeal being made to the king, he consents
(October, I726) to test this plan for five years. The
remainder of Abreu's work will appear in VOL. XLV.
THE EDITORS
September, I906.