The King. To Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, knight of the Order of
Alcantara, my governor and captain-general of the Filipinas Islands,
and president of my royal Audiencia resident therein. In a letter
which you wrote me on the last of June, 1636, you declare that shortly
after your arrival at those islands, that city petitioned you to have
the free negroes and the freedmen, who number about four hundred or
five hundred, removed from it, because of the disorders that they
were creating within the city, as well as the thefts that they were
committing in union with the slaves--the former receiving and taking
to other places to sell what these said negroes had stolen. You
declare that that city demanded that the negroes should go to live
nine leguas away from there, but that that measure has not seemed
advisable; and the fathers of the Society gave you an islet which they
possess in the middle of the river, in order that they might settle
the negroes there, with the obligation to give them instruction--but
there would be no obligation to give the fathers any stipend for
that purpose beyond what is given them from the communal fund of the
Sangleys whom they have in Santa Cruz. Those Sangleys also render me
aid by giving me six reals per annum, besides the general license,
so that they may be allowed to live there with the fathers. They
number from about eight hundred to one thousand Chinese. The fathers
minister to those who have become Christians from this number, as
well as to the negroes--the latter being separated from the former
by an arm of the river. Also the Chinese pay all his salary to the
alcalde-mayor from their communal fund, which has been a saving to
my royal treasury. You declare that, in your desire to economize
and avoid so heavy expenses, you have deemed it best to give the
commander of artillery, who receives seven hundred pesos monthly
salary for his duties, the office of alcalde-mayor of the Parian;
for during the time while he should hold that office, there would
be an annual saving of seven thousand two hundred pesos to my royal
treasury. You also ordered the master-of-camp, Don Lorenzo de Olaso,
to go to live at the port of Cavite with his company, and to serve
there as castellan, chief justice, and governor of that port, with the
same salary as at present, as you say that the sargento-mayor would
be sufficient for you in that city. The above you reported to me, so
that I might understand it; and you say that by the aforesaid measures
and your method of governing, and provided that no one steals from
my royal treasury, you will entirely clear my royal treasury of debt,
and govern those islands from the proceeds of them. The matter having
been examined in my Council, it has been judged best to tell you that
it is thought that you will have given careful consideration to the
removal of the free negroes and freedmen from that city and their
settlement on the islet which was given you by the brethren of the
Society of Jesus; and the rest that you mention in the said letter
touching the said matter is neither approved nor rejected here,
for the present. It is to be feared, however, that those negroes,
having been removed from the city, and settled with the Chinese on
an uninhabited island, may commit more serious damage. Consequently,
you shall watch carefully so that you may remedy what needs correction;
and you are to note that in the matter of government, the best is not
[always] the easiest to execute, nor its results satisfactory. Hence,
for that reason, no new thing can be entered upon suddenly; and you
will, therefore, not carry out the execution of these new measures
until you shall have first reported to me all the things that you shall
see to be for my service, so that orders as to your course of action
may be issued to you. In the meanwhile, you shall not carry out your
proposed change of the persons of the commander of artillery and of
the master-of-camp, Don Lorenzo de Olaso; and I charge and order you,
that, jointly with the session [of the Audiencia], you shall inform
me, both in this regard and in others, of what changes should be made
from the past government, so that in everything decision may be made
as to what measures may be taken.