The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 | Page 8

account and risk, and sell them there by wholesale. The governor and captain-general with the council of the city of Manila shall annually appoint two or three persons, whom they shall deem best fitted, to appraise the value and worth of the merchandise, and shall take the goods at wholesale from the Chinese, to whom they shall pay the price. Then they shall distribute it among all the citizens and natives of those islands, in accordance with their capital, so that they may all share in the interest and profit that arises from this traffic and trade. The persons thus appointed shall keep a book, in which they shall enter the amount of money invested each time, the price at which each class of merchandise is valued, among what persons the merchandise is divided, and the amount that falls to the share of each. The governor shall take particular pains to ascertain and discover how the said deputies make use of their commission. He shall not allow them to be rechosen the following year. He shall send annually a report, signed by them, of all the aforesaid to our council, and another to the viceroy of Nueva Espa?a. [Felipe II--Madrid, January 11, 1593.]

Law XLIV
The apportionment of the permitted amount of two hundred and fifty thousand pesos, conceded to the inhabitants of the Filipinas Islands, must be made among them, and the whole amount must be registered. Endeavor shall be made to have less than one third part return in gold; and the governor shall prevent and take precautions against any fraud or deceit, and shall take what measures he deems expedient. This also we charge upon the viceroy of Nueva Espa?a in whatever pertains to him. [Felipe II--Madrid, January 11, 1593.]
Law LXVIII
We declare and order that the Chinese merchandise and articles which have been and shall be shipped from Filipinas to Nueva Espa?a, can and shall be consumed there only, or shipped to these kingdoms after paying the duties. They cannot be taken to Per��, Tierra-Firme, or any other part of the Indias, under penalty of confiscation of all those found and apprehended in the possession of any person whatever, and shall be applied to our exchequer, the judge, and the denouncer. [4] [Felipe II--Madrid, January 11, 1593; Felipe IV--Madrid, February 10, 1635.]
Law LXXI
We order and command, that under no consideration in any manner can any ship go from the provinces of Per��, Tierra-Firme, Guatemala, Nueva Espa?a, or any other part of our Western Indias, to China to trade or traffic, or for any other purpose; nor can any ship go to the Filipinas Islands, except from Nueva Espa?a, in accordance with the laws of this t��tulo: under penalty of the confiscation of the ship; and its value, money, merchandise, and other things of its cargo shall be sent to these kingdoms in accordance with law 67 [5] of this t��tulo, and thus it shall be executed. We prohibit and forbid any merchandise being taken from Nueva Espa?a to the provinces of Per�� and Tierra-Firme, that shall have been taken there from Filipinas, even if the duties should be paid according to the rules and ordinances; for it is our purpose and will that no goods shipped from China and the Filipinas Islands be consumed in the said provinces of Per�� and Tierra-Firme. Whatever shall be found in the possession of any person, we order to be confiscated, applied, and regulated, as contained in this law. [Felipe II--Madrid, January 11, 1593, and July 5, 1595. Felipe III--Valladolid, December 31, 1604.]
Law LXIV
It is advisable for our service to have constant reports on what passes in the trade and commerce between the Filipinas and Nueva Espa?a, in order to ascertain and discover whether it continues to increase, and what kinds of merchandise are traded, their prices, and in what money or material. Accordingly we order the viceroys of Nueva Espa?a to send to our royal Council of the Indias in each trading fleet, a copy of the registers that the ships brought from those islands, and also of those of the ships sent thither; and all shall be made with great distinctness and clearness. [Felipe II--Madrid, January 17, 1593; and Toledo, June 9, 1596.]
Law XXVIII
The viceroys, presidents, and auditors, and all other officers of justice shall make efforts to find all those who shall have been sent to Filipinas to reside during the time of their obligation, who have remained in Nueva Espa?a and other parts of their jurisdiction, and shall force them with all rigor to go to reside in those islands, proceeding against their persons and properties and executing the penalties that they shall have incurred. The fiscals of our Audiencia in Manila shall plead what is advisable in regard to the aforesaid. [Felipe II--Madrid, February 20, 1596.]
Law LIV
We order