The King. To Marques de Cadereita, my relative, member of my Council
of War, and my viceroy, governor, and captain-general of the provinces
of Nueva Espana: in a letter written to me by the royal officials of
the port of Acapulco under date of last February 24, of this year,
[they stated] that you sent the auditor [contador], Christoval de
Medina, to that port with a salary of twenty-three ducados which
was distributed among himself, the constable, and the notary, to
investigate the merchandise that came from Philipinas this year in
the patache that was sent from those islands; and that my royal
duties scarcely amounted to four thousand ducados. Since I have
three satisfactory and trustworthy officials in the said port, they
have petitioned me to have the above three men removed from that
place. They say that by the going of such judges they themselves
serve only as witnesses of what is public, since no other thing is
permitted them; and that such an action deprives them of the authority
and exercise of their offices, and they are disaccredited and left
without respect and reputation, as all think and believe that you
did it because of some incapacity in them. The matter having been
examined in my royal Council of the Yndias, together with what you
wrote me in regard to it, I have considered it fitting to issue
the present. By it I give you authority to send such ministers to
Acapulco whenever any extraordinary causes shall arise; but that,
if there are no such causes, this may be dispensed with, because of
the expenses that are incurred by my royal estate, especially since
Don Pedro de Quiroga was there so short a time ago. Inasmuch as the
commerce of those islands has been reported to be in great distress,
I charge and order you to try to encourage and aid it by all possible
means. Since some change has been made in the amount permitted to
them, you shall see what can be done for their greater relief, until
the arrival at those kingdoms of Don Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, [42]
of my royal Council of the Yndias, to whom the settlement of those
matters is committed. Madrid, September 16, 1639.
[I the King]