Letter from Corcuera to Felipe IV
Sire:
1. I am at this port of Cavite, lading the two galleons belonging to your Majesty that carry the merchandise which you have been pleased to grant and permit to the citizens for their navigation and trade to Nueva España. These two ships will carry this year a greater registered cargo than formerly the ten galleons for five years carried. The usual amount registered was from three hundred or four hundred to five hundred chests of silks, stuffs, and cloths [bienzos] (which here they call mantheria); but now I have laden the capitana, and the registration exceeds a thousand chests, while the almiranta, which has a larger hold, will probably carry one thousand two hundred chests. The royal duties which belong to your Majesty will amount to three per cent; the freight charges and further duties at the port of Acapulco will come to six hundred thousand or seven hundred thousand pesos. Accordingly, if your Majesty’s viceroy will send me even the proceeds of the said royal dues alone, I shall be able, in the four years’ [service] that I have offered your Majesty, to relieve this your royal treasury of more than three hundred thousand pesos of debts, and to maintain these islands with what can be obtained from them—a thing which your Majesty has so desired, and which you have so often charged so many governors to do. If God grants me life, that I may employ it wholly in the service of your Majesty, and in efforts to increase your royal estate, I will not content myself with that, but more and more will send you all the cloves from the Malucas Islands which can be procured in trade at your forts in Therrenatte. Thence I will send the spice to the port of Acapulco, to be sent to España to your Majesty—or to be sold there, and the proceeds sent to España. I have also decided to purchase all the wax that comes from the encomiendas of your Majesty’s vassals, and place it with [the products of] your royal encomiendas, to be sent on your Majesty’s account to Nueva España, so that the proceeds of the wax may be sent to your Majesty with that from the cloves. [Marginal note: “Inform him of the receipt of his letter, and say that we hope that he will always do what he can to increase the royal estate; and that he shall endeavor to secure, by all proper and convenient methods, the relief of the royal treasury.”]
2. I was occupied in this service on the morning of St. Peter’s day, being engaged in celebrating a fiesta to the blessed sacrament, and giving thanks to God for the favor that He has shown to your Majesty in bringing to this port, at the same time and hour, your two galleons which I sent with the relief to Therrenatte—of which affair I will give account to your Majesty in another letter. There were two other ships, small ones, which the viceroy, the Marques de Cadereyta, sent to these islands with the usual succor, because last year he had not sent galleons which could carry it. In other letters I have told your Majesty of his reasons of convenience. By these ships I received the decrees which your Majesty has been pleased to command me to issue. In the first, you command me to charge the archbishop, the bishops, the provincials of the religious orders, and all classes of ecclesiastics and virtuous people to commend to God your Majesty’s monarchy, and that they should banish the vices which among your vassals are so displeasing to our Lord; and the same order is laid upon the governors, alcaldes, and higher magistrates of these provinces. This mandate of your Majesty shall be obeyed, Sire, with all promptness, and with the carefulness which so important a matter demands—that not only for the time, but continually, this care may be maintained. And as the beginning has been made by the benefit received on St. Peter’s day from the fiesta of the blessed sacrament, I shall endeavor to secure the regular observance of this fiesta every year, forever, so that what your Majesty desires may on that occasion be implored from God. This decree is dated at Madrid, June 28, in the year 1635. [Marginal note: “Write that this is approved.”]
3. With this decree comes another, in which your Majesty commands that I make secret inquiries, and carry out the directions in the said decree regarding the Frenchmen who have come to these islands and are living in them, and regarding their property. This I shall promptly execute, according to the tenor of the decree, and with such discretion and proper measures as shall be possible. [Marginal note: “Seen; tell him to carry out the commands of the decree.”]
[4.] In another decree, dated at Madrid, March 4 of the same year, your Majesty is pleased to command that when I send the galleons to Nueva España, they shall be in command of a trustworthy person, and that other persons of similar ability shall go with the ships, so that in case of [the commander’s] death these persons shall bring them back [to these islands]. This very arrangement I had made before I saw your Majesty’s decree, for which honor and favor I kiss your Majesty’s feet a thousand times. In another letter I have entreated your Majesty that you will be pleased to command your viceroy of Nueva España to allow the commander and admiral who conduct thither the galleons from these islands to exercise authority and jurisdiction in the port of Acapulco (so long as they are not on the land) to punish their seamen and soldiers, and that the warden of the port shall not interfere with them by endeavoring to have such delinquents punished on shore; for they have always had some men under them who have ability, and have served well, and are very competent—who yet, from the time when the said galleons cast anchor, neither respect nor obey as they should, during the entire time while they remain in port, the said commander and admiral, since they think that those officers cannot punish them until they set sail for the return voyage. This is a great hindrance to the service of your Majesty; and since you have been generously pleased to grant to your governors authority to send future successors for the said offices, may your Majesty be also pleased to grant me this favor which I now entreat, in behalf of their authority and due respect and proper government. [Marginal notes: “Bring hither the orders already given on this subject, and a statement of what is customary in other ports, especially in that of Bera Cruz.” “They are here.” “Let the governor’s request be granted, with the conditions that he mentions; and write to the viceroy that this seems to be the general practice, to judge from precedents found here, and that he is to issue the necessary orders for the execution of the above—unless he finds difficulties in the way which oblige him to do otherwise. Then, when the men on the ships commit any excesses on shore, let a case be made against them, and then referred to the commander and admiral.”]
5. In another decree from Madrid, dated May 4 of the same year, your Majesty commands, that in order to prevent the frauds which hitherto have been committed on the ships which sail with merchandise to Nueva España, I shall, since this port is so near, sometimes go to examine and direct the lading, or entrust this duty to some careful person. Before the said decree arrived, I came (as I have informed your Majesty in another letter) to the said port to serve as a royal official; and I have already laden the capitana—which is an undertaking of so much importance that the governor who does not attend to it in person, but entrusts it to some one else whom he supposes to be trustworthy, does not comply with the dictates of his conscience or with the obligations of his office. Notwithstanding that your Majesty has royal officials to whom this task pertains, I have thanked God that I had begun to render this service to your Majesty before I could know your wishes, and whether you had commanded such action. Now that I know what you desire, I will carry it out more expeditiously; for here in the Yndias I need only to show the orders of your Majesty, in order to defend myself from the jealousy and complaints of your vassals, and with these they respect and obey me better. I follow my natural inclination in obeying, as a Christian and a loyal vassal, the orders and commands which your Majesty shall be pleased to give me. [Marginal note: “Seen.”]
6. In another decree, dated May 4 of the same year, your Majesty commands that, on account of the losses which have resulted therefrom, I shall not allow the trade and commerce of the Portuguese with these islands, so that the Chinese trade may not be broken off. I shall obey this very punctually, according to its tenor. Judging that this very thing which your Majesty commands was best, I had, before receiving the decree, sent advices to the city of Macan that they must not send any merchandise to these islands; and that only one ship could come from Macan, which should bring some anchors, muskets, and arquebuses, of which these islands are in great need. Although when I came here I found three of their ships in the port, this year only one has come; and hereafter this commerce will be dispensed with, inasmuch as it will not be expedient to send [to Macan] for anything save what the Chinese cannot bring—such as anchors and firearms, which often get broken. But in everything which shall not be expedient for your Majesty’s service I shall prevent the Portuguese from coming to this port, or to any other, to trade with the Castilians. With the welcome and kind treatment which has been shown to the said Chinese thirty-three of their little ships have come this year, and have brought so great a quantity of merchandise that your Majesty’s vassals have not for many years past seen stuffs so cheap. This has been caused by receiving them hospitably, treating them well, and despatching their affairs graciously and promptly; and by not allowing the officers of justice or those of the treasury to molest them, or to take from them a thread of silk. With this shipment of goods; these your vassals have no need whatever of the trade with the Portuguese; and the customs duties of six per cent which the Chinese pay have amounted this year to more than fifty thousand pesos. [Marginal note: “Seen. Tell him to execute the decree, since he knows how expedient it is.”]
7. In another decree, dated Madrid, December 4, 1634, your Majesty commands your viceroys and governors that, on account of the inconveniences resulting from the vacant see, and as the ecclesiastical cabildos manage some affairs contrary to law and to the service of God and your Majesty, in order to check them such measures shall be taken as shall be most expedient for your royal service in these islands. Thus far, Sire, the vacant [archiepiscopal] see has not been governed by the ecclesiastical cabildo, but by the bishop of Cibú, or by the bishop who has been longest in office; accordingly such irregular proceedings have not occurred here. Moreover, the religious orders and their members avoid these evils, obeying your Majesty and your governors, as also do the ecclesiastics of the cabildo of this holy church who are your very obedient chaplains. They cannot fail to be such, for they live on what your Majesty furnishes them from your royal treasury; and they perform what has thus far been required from them which pertains to your royal service—especially in commending your Majesty to God in their prayers at the beginning and the end of mass, as well as our lady the queen, and our prince and the royal children. They have done this very willingly, although it is something which had not been done before, even among the religious orders—which surprises me, and seems a very unusual thing. In all respects and in every way, I will observe and follow what your Majesty is pleased to command. [Marginal note: “This is well.”]
8. In another decree, dated at San Martin, December 21, 1634, your Majesty commands that I shall not go beyond the decrees in regard to the resignations of saleable offices, in which it is commanded that the third part of the price of such office be placed in the royal treasury. What your Majesty commands shall be fulfilled and carried out. [Marginal note: “Let this decree be brought. Tell him that his course is approved, and he shall act accordingly.”]