Sire:
By the death of Don Pedro de Acuña, governor of these islands, who died
on Saturday, June 24, this Audiencia succeeds to their government. In
it has been considered a new order which your Majesty commands to be
followed in sending out the merchant ships that are to go from these
islands to Nueva España. Since those which are to go this year are
already laded, and must set sail within three or four days, it has not
been possible to put your Majesty's commands into execution for the
present year. Although this city has prayed for this new order and for
the decrees which have been granted in pursuance of it, yet on account
of the many fires which have occurred in this city in recent years,
the wars, the forced return of some ships, and the loss of others,
by which a great amount of property has been lost, the inhabitants of
these islands are burdened with heavy afflictions and necessities,
which render them unable to pay the new duties imposed by the royal
command. Although these necessities are well known, the new order
of your Majesty will be followed next year, in spite of the fact
that some details involve much difficulty, and that some sections
might well be moderated and limited in the form in which each one is
stated. This matter is of importance to your Majesty's royal service,
and to the welfare of the inhabitants of these islands.
In the first section your Majesty commands that only the inhabitants
of these islands and no others may ship the merchandise which is to
be transported to Nueva España, and that the amount invested therein
shall not exceed two hundred and fifty thousand pesos of eight reals,
as was previously determined by other orders and decrees; while
the returns from this shall not exceed, in principal and profit,
five hundred thousand pesos. As for this section, it deserves serious
consideration that after the expenses of sending out a cargo--including
the fees to be paid here and in Nueva España, which amount to thirty
per cent in all, with the addition which the new decree imposes--it is
impossible to recover from five hundred thousand pesos the principal
and the [present] profits on the investment of the said two hundred
and fifty thousand pesos which are granted by this permission. To
reach this amount, it is considered necessary that at least three
hundred and fifty thousand pesos be spent on the cargo. In addition
to the charges referred to, many expenses fall upon the inhabitants
of this city for the maintenance and provision of their houses,
and thus are consumed and expended a part of the profits made on
the investments which they make here. If your Majesty were pleased
to permit that the amount of these investments might be at least
three hundred thousand pesos, wherewith all expenses might be paid,
then the permission to bring back five hundred thousand might well
stand. Until it is known what decision will be reached on this point,
your Majesty's commands shall be fulfilled. Care will be taken that the
investment shall not reach three hundred thousand, or pass far beyond
two hundred and fifty thousand. It should also be considered that
when his Majesty, the sovereign of the realm, who is now in heaven,
granted this permission, it was at a time when these islands were
beginning to be settled. Then there were no inhabitants who could
invest so great a sum, while now there are many. They do not send as
much as they might lade in the vessel; and if this condition of affairs
continues to increase, there is no other means of support than this
trade, nor does the country produce those means. If it shall diminish,
the people who come to live in these islands will likewise become
fewer in number. If it should increase somewhat beyond the new grant,
so many more people will come to the colony here. This population,
however great it is, is all very necessary, in view of the way in
which this country consumes the whole of it, no matter how many come.
The second section provides that four freight ships should be built,
each one of two hundred toneladas; and that two of them shall make
the voyage every year, very early, while the other two lie in port,
ready for the following year. In this matter your Majesty's will
shall be fulfilled, and the first ships that shall be built will be
of this tonnage.
The third section provides that there shall be only one commander
for the said two ships, with a lieutenant who shall be second in
command. The intention of this section is to avoid the great expense
which has previously been incurred in this voyage. The section also
provides that each vessel may carry a military captain in addition
to the master, with as many as fifty effective and useful soldiers
on each ship, who shall receive pay. They may also have the necessary
seamen, a certificated pilot, and an adjutant. If this section is to
be fulfilled in this form, then, instead of avoiding many expenses,
it will be the means of increasing again many others which are much
greater. Such will be the result if fifty soldiers sail in each vessel,
since because of the requirement that the capacity of the vessels shall
be so small, they cannot carry so great a number of people. The voyage
is so long that five to seven months are spent in it, and the seasons
are very severe. Many people die at sea; and it is necessary to carry
so many sailors and ship-boys that a great amount of provisions must
be taken for them and the other men. For this reason the late governor
of these islands kept down the number of permissions to go hence to
Nueva España to a very small number. He granted them so seldom that he
did not allow the tenth part of those who asked for them to go. Yet
in spite of all this, the commanders of the vessels were obliged,
on account of the great amount of space occupied by the necessary
ship stores, to send on shore, before leaving these islands, some
of the few passengers who had received official permission. In the
despatch of the ships this very year, our experience is of the same
sort. There had returned from the expedition to Maluco many captains,
ensigns, and soldiers detained on shipboard, whom it is necessary
to send back again to España. It was found very difficult to put
more than thirty soldiers on a ship of the capacity of four hundred
toneladas, although its cargo amounted to no more than three hundred
and fifty. As for this number of fifty soldiers voyaging [in one ship],
the regulation cannot be carried into effect. If it were to be done,
it could only be at the risk that most of the men on board the ship
should perish, while all would travel in great discomfort. Further,
at the time when the ships are sent out, it would be hard to find in
the city two hundred soldiers having the qualifications necessary for
them to be useful in any battle. It would be a serious evil for this
garrison to be left with so small a number of people. It is considered
as beyond doubt that those who go away from here will not return again
to this city; this will also cause others to abandon the idea of coming
here. Hence it seems that on this point it is not desirable to make
any innovation upon that which has hitherto been done, as that would
be of little advantage, and cause much expense. When the ships return
to these islands they are of much use in defense if they come well
supplied with arms and ammunition, with a hundred soldiers in each as
reënforcements for the troops in these islands. As for the regulation
that the officials who are to go on these ships are to be appointed
here, and that they shall be chosen from among the most influential
and most honored citizens of these islands and those best qualified
for such posts, and that they shall give bonds and that residencia
shall be exacted from them, your Majesty's decrees shall be fulfilled.
As for the fourth section, it provides that the commanders and seconds
in command, and the officers of the said ships, shall have in the
voyage no trade or commerce, either small or large. As regards the
commanders and seconds in command, your Majesty's decrees shall be
executed; as for the other officers, we refer to the following section.
The fifth section deals with the salary paid to the commander, being
four thousand ducados, while the second in command receives three
thousand for each voyage, including the going and the coming. It
seems that this might be reduced, and that it would be sufficient to
allow the commander three thousand pesos and the second in command two
thousand. As for allowing salaries and regular pay to the captains,
soldiers, seamen, and gunners who sail in the said ships with the
regulation that they shall have no trade or commerce, it seems,
with reference to the pay of the captains and soldiers, that for
the reasons referred to in the third section these expenses might
be avoided. It would be sufficient to give wages to the gunners and
seamen, without prohibiting them to trade; for the amount of their
trade is very small, and with the permission to take two bales of
cargo granted to each of the seamen and gunners the whole of their
small capital would be expended. Under these circumstances, if the
ship were to be in any peril from storm they would obey commands with
greater zeal and willingness because of their share in the treasure of
the ship. Without such bait as this, which induces many seamen to come
to these islands, without doing any harm to the residents, it would be
difficult to find anyone willing to come here. If this permission were
taken away, the wages alone would not be sufficient to support the men.
The sixth section provides that only so many officers shall be
appointed as may be needed, that no one shall go as a gunner who is
not one in fact, and that only one gunner shall go for every piece of
artillery carried on the said vessels. In this matter your Majesty's
commands shall be obeyed.
The seventh section provides that an inspector and an accountant
shall go on the said ships to take the accounts and inventory of
all the cargo. It directs that they shall keep books, in which they
shall enter the merchandise shipped from these islands and that which
comes back on the return voyage. It would seem that this expense also
might be avoided, since this account and inventory are taken by the
royal officials of these islands, and also by the royal officials
of the port of Acapulco. By their account it is possible to know
the cargo which goes there, and what returns. From here is sent to
the viceroy of Nueva España a statement in which is contained the
amount of the merchandise sent in the cargo, and the names of the
consignors, in order that in conformity therewith license may be
given, to the citizens who have shipped the goods, for sending back
the money which their merchandise shall have yielded. In this way
the account and inventory required by your Majesty are obtained,
since only the inhabitants of these islands send consignments, and
the proceeds thereof are returned to them and no others.
The eighth section provides that the vessels shall be no more
heavily laden than they ought to be, and that room be left in them
for everything that is necessary for the men that sail in them. This
section also provides that sufficient provisions shall be carried for
this long voyage, so that the men may not perish for lack of food. This
section also decrees that the vessels shall not be overladen and
thus embarrassed and endangered; but that they shall be laden so as
to be buoyant, and able to meet dangers from storms and enemies. It
is also provided that in lading the vessels a proper division of the
space should be made. In all these matters your Majesty's will shall
be carried out.
The ninth section decrees that the freight charges to be paid on
cargoes in the aforesaid vessels, for the voyages both going and
coming, shall be determined and regulated in proportion to the
expenses of the voyage, no more being charged than is necessary to
meet them without any supply being required for this purpose from your
Majesty's treasury. The section provides that for these expenses the
duties shall be increased--by two per cent on the goods carried in the
ships, and another two per cent on the money sent to these islands as
proceeds from the shipment. It provides that this fund shall be put
in a chest apart, and kept in this city, to meet the expenses of the
said ships and the men in them. This sum is to be kept together with
the freight charges collected. The contents of this section require
careful consideration. When the ships return to these islands, they
come laden with the forces intended for this military district and
garrison, and artillery, arms, and ammunition; and with the religious,
and the colonists who come to settle in these islands, in addition
to other things required for the service of your Majesty. Although
they do indeed bring the money for the citizens of this city, they
at the same time bring much required for the reënforcement of the
military establishments here. If these freights are to be apportioned
as your Majesty commands, there will be a large amount which might
fall upon your royal treasury. Hence it seems that, if your Majesty
should be pleased, it would be well for the present not to change the
custom which has hitherto been followed; and that only to assist the
expenditures which your Majesty incurs in sending out these vessels
should the citizens of these islands be charged two per cent on the
merchandise which they ship, and two per cent more for the money sent
them in return. For, although it is said on the other side that the
profits are large, they commonly are not; while the freight, fees,
and duties are very great. From these profits there is paid to your
Majesty in this city five per cent, including the new increase, and
in Nueva España sixteen per cent; while the expenses of the ships
which had to put back to port, and the goods lost in those which have
been wrecked since the year one thousand six hundred, come to more
than a million. It will take many years for the profits to make up
for such a loss. May God keep the Catholic and royal person of your
Majesty. Manila, July 6, 1606.
The licentiate _Telles de Almaçan_
The licentiate _Andres de Alcarez_
The licentiate _Juan Manuel de la Vega_