The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 35, 1640-1649 / 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, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century

by Unknown

LETTER FROM FELIPE IV TO CORCUERA

The King. To Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, knight of the Order of Alcantara, my governor and captain-general of the Filipinas Islands: In my royal Council of the Indias, and in the military conference for those regions, some letters have been considered which you wrote to me about various matters of government, war, and revenue; and reply is here made to the points therein on which a decision has been reached.

By a certificate which you send it appears that there has been a saving to my royal exchequer of certain amounts of money, the proceeds of donations that have been made of two-thirds of the year[ly dues to persons in my service], for which satisfaction should be made to the creditors of pay-warrants in arrears, giving them what is due them; because my royal intention is, that what is justly due them should be paid to them in full, without giving any opportunity for such remissions [of debt as these]. You are duly notified that for the future this innovation shall not be put into practice in any way, but that every person shall be paid that which is clearly his due; and this mode of saving has been severely censured, because it is to the injury of the parties concerned.

You know how much I regard and cherish all the Indian natives of my western Indias, and that the preservation of those provinces is dependent on their prosperity and kind treatment. Accordingly it has seemed fitting to me to charge you anew with this; and I command that you, attentive to the decrees which declare in their favor, be very heedful of the kind treatment of those natives, and not allow them to receive any wrong from the officials or from other persons.

You say that you have appointed the chief notary of the government to the office of judge for the usual licenses of the Sangleys, in order that that office may by this combination not only increase in money value, but be held in greater repute; I have approved your arrangement to this end.

The archbishop of those islands has reported to me how expedient it is that some archiepiscopal buildings should be erected in that city; and in order to the execution of this plan I have decreed that you shall inform me what measures and means can be employed for the accomplishment of this work without causing expense to my royal exchequer. You say that some donations could be accepted from the employed seamen and mariners who sail in the ships, and that the archbishop himself could aid by some contributions which he could solicit in the city, since these cause no loss to me or to the vassals who serve me in those islands. In my opinion, these measures cannot be approved; but those who hold maritime offices should go gratuitously, without its costing them anything; but if, after they return from Nueva España, they should choose to make some voluntary contributions for the erection of the archiepiscopal buildings, it may be proposed to them. It is best to proceed in this manner, gathering together what can be obtained, and not to solicit any donations, in order that this fund may be placed in my royal treasury. In every case, effort should be made that the mates of ships, the boatswains, and other maritime officials who go to Nueva España be the most meritorious, and be selected from the most capable men, without asking from them any donations. Then with the money from voluntary contributions, or in other ways which do not cause expense to my royal treasury, let the work of building these houses be undertaken, avoiding all other measures which may cause embarrassment or annoyance; and you shall act according to this plan and counsel, making such arrangements as shall be most suitable. You shall wholly exclude donations that shall not be voluntary, and shall not allow them to be bargained for at any time.

You state that you have commanded a gallery to be made in the royal buildings, facing the Plaza de Armas; and that by this arrangement all the offices were accommodated, so that it was not necessary to look for any official outside of the palace. As it has been considered that this gallery and extension will be an advantage to the said buildings, what you have accomplished in this is approved.

By a special commission from me is entrusted to Juan Bautista Zubiaga, auditor of accounts for those islands, the collection of the results of accounts which Don Francisco de Rozas y Oñate, late visitador of that Audiencia, left unsettled. And since the death of that auditor might cause some failure in these collections, and they might not proceed as they should, I command that you take such precautions in this matter as I may expect from you.

A relief ship having sailed from those islands for Terrenate in the year 1639 was, as you have learned, assailed by a tempest, and it returned to that port, where the artillery that it carried was lost. This occurred, as you say, in water one and a half to two brazas in depth; and as it is certain that this artillery will be greatly needed, you shall endeavor to have it drawn out of the water, making every effort possible to accomplish this. I charge you to be heedful of this matter.

As for what you say in regard to the purchase that Don Fray Hernando Guerrero, the late archbishop of those islands, made of some houses from Pedro de Heredia, to the amount of one hundred and forty pesos, and that the fiscal of the Audiencia there demands that these houses be added to the property of my royal crown for the same sum, and as you judge that from the property left by that prelate the debts which he left can be paid: it has appeared best to charge you, as I do, that you allow the property thus left by this archbishop to follow the natural course [of law], without making any innovation in this case. Zaragoza, August 4, 1643.

I the King

By command of the king our sovereign:
Don Juan Bautista Saenz Navarrete