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. 48]

324

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 48

from the highest to the lowest, proceed by agreement
to defraud the royal duties, and to become rich at
the cost of what they seize from the royal revenues.
I8. Probably no less is the amount of the fraudulent commerce carried on by the Dutch from Curazao; and much greater is that which is conducted
by the two nations (and even by the French) in
Puerto Rico, Cartagena, Buenos Ayres, Campeche,
Honduras, Portovelo, Caracas, Guayaquil, and the
Canarias Islands, and the other ports of the Windward Islands and the two Americas - as also is made
known by the same author whom I have already
cited, besides what we all know.
19. The new and very extensive territory which
the aforesaid English now possess in North America,
and on the Mexican Gulf as far as the Misisipi,
renders this illicit commerce much easier for them
by means of that coast, especially by way of the new
Santender,'63 which has a good harbor for vessels of
moderate size, and many rivers; it is not far distant
by land from Cretaro [i.e., Queretaro] and other
rich cities of Nueva Espana, and by sea it is not far
from Vera Cruz. With these great opportunities,
the illicit commerce can be pushed to the utmost;
for the ambition and covetousness of the trader despises no means which may bring him profit.
20. The commodities which the English illegally
introduce [into our colonies] must necessarily be
cheaper than those which go in our trading-fleets by
way of Vera Cruz, for the latter pay many duties,
163 Referring to the town of Nuevo Santander, near the eastern coast of Mexico; it was founded in 1749 by Jose de Escandon, a Spanish officer, who in that year conquered and colonized
the province of Tamaulipas. This town is on the Santander River,
about i20 miles north of Tampico, and is now the capital of the
province.