Although by right of my office I can proceed to punish the captains and soldiers of the land, and do so, there are, mingled with the good men, so many who are vile and vicious that the majority of the men are constantly informing on one another. This vice, as well as that of writing defamatory libels and letters, is very prevalent. This is a state of affairs very unfortunate for this land, and one by which our lord is very ill served; and great and serious misfortunes follow. If your Majesty were pleased to charge each of the auditors here, in turn, privately to investigate these cases and give the offenders exemplary punishment, a great part of the present difficulty might be remedied. I assure your Majesty, that one of the things which make me most dissatisfied and anxious to leave the country, is the matter above stated. Therefore I have petitioned your Majesty to grant me favor and license for it, as I hope for it from your royal clemency. Many times I have considered and been brought face to face with the great evil that is done in this land by the marriage of elderly widows with whomsoever they may choose. They are old and but ordinary women, as they were those who first came here. Their husbands pacified the best encomiendas, and died; and these widows are left with five or six thousand pesos of income. They marry and have married despicably and irregularly, and old soldiers, honorable gentlemen, and noblemen have been defrauded, who by their descent would have inherited and succeeded to these encomiendas. I have thought of a plan suitable to correct this evil, about which I have conferred with grave religious persons—namely, that the childless widow who shall marry after the age of forty years shall hold Page 166but a life-interest in the encomienda. Will your Majesty have this considered and provide accordingly, considering the extreme importance of it.
Your Majesty's treasury is greatly embarrassed, as I have noted in the letter pertaining to the royal finances. It occurs to me to declare here what may be done in this regard, should it appear best to your Majesty. The Chinese who come here to trade every year bring eight hundred thousand pesos and sometimes more than a million. During the ten days they spend here they gain more than a hundred per cent; and this year, according to the universal opinion, fully two hundred per cent. They find plenty of money and sell as they would in their own land. Each outgoing ship pays as anchorage five hundred pesos and the duties that are paid to your Majesty are only three per cent, as imposed by Don Juan Rronquillo. If your Majesty would increase the duties by another three per cent, it would not hurt them to pay that amount, and your Majesty's royal treasury would receive much relief thereby. The goods brought by these heathen Chinese are silks of little cost and value, the scum of what they have; and they take back in return gold and silver.
I humbly beseech your Majesty in respect to this point, as to all my other suggestions, to accept so much as may be best for the royal service, which my zeal but desires to further. May our Lord preserve your Majesty for many long years, as we your Majesty's servants and vassals need. Manila, June 19, 1598.
Don Francisco Tello
Sire:
The report which by your royal instructions your Page 167Majesty commands me to send, as to the religious orders in these islands, the number of houses and religious that they contain, and the number needed—whom may your Majesty order to be sent, so that there may be sufficient religious instruction in the islands—will accompany this letter. It is sent with the promptness commanded by your Majesty, whose Catholic and royal person may our Lord preserve, as is necessary to Christendom, and as we your vassals desire. Manila, July 9, 1598.
Don Francisco Tello
[Endorsed: “Manila. To his Majesty, 1598. Don Francisco Tello. July 9.”]
[Instructions of the council: “Have the superiors of the religious orders of España notified to send useful religious to the Philipinas. Let the viceroy of Nueva España be directed by letter that he shall assemble the superiors of those religious orders, shall confer with them in regard to the annual selection and despatch of religious who are fitted to engage in this conversion, and shall direct them in the matter. Let a letter be sent to the archbishop of Manila asking for definite information as to the houses there, how they are distributed, how many religious are in each one, and how many would be needed in order to provide the necessary instruction; and let him be directed to see that there is no lack, but that the conversion shall continue to increase.”]
Report of the religious orders in these Philippinas Islands, of their provinces and houses, and of the religious whom they have and those whom they Page 168need from España,in order that there may be sufficient religious instruction in the islands.