The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 | Page 5

July 27. Letters to the king. Francisco Tello; July 14
and August 7. Letters to Tello. Felipe III; August 16.

_Sources_: All these documents save one are obtained from MSS. in
the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla; the second of the king's letters
(August 16) is from the "Cedulario Indico" in the Archivo Histórico
Nacional, Madrid.
_Translations_: The first of these documents is translated by Arthur B.
Myrick, of Harvard University; the second, by Emma Helen Blair; the
third, and part of the sixth, by Robert W. Haight; the fourth, by James

A. Robertson; the fifth, by Norman F. Hall, of Harvard University, and
José M. and Clara M. Asensio; the first letter in the sixth, by Alfonso
de Salvio, of Harvard University.

Ordinances Enacted by the Audiencia of Manila (_concluded_)

_An act ordering the alcaldes-mayor and their officials to observe the
royal tariff._
In the city of Manila, on the seventh of January, one thousand five
hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal
Audiencia of the Philipinas Islands declared that, whereas, in the
collection of taxes by the alcaldes-mayor of the provinces of these
islands, and by their notaries and officials, there is great excess and
disorder, from failing to observe his Majesty's royal tariffs, whence
arise many difficulties and obstacles to the service of God our Lord,
and of his Majesty: therefore, to remedy these evils, they ordered, and
they did so order, that all the alcaldes-mayor, both now and henceforth,
in all of the provinces of these said islands, shall observe and cause to
be observed the royal tariff of his Majesty and his royal Audiencia; and,
in conformity with it, shall levy and cause to be levied the taxes to
them appertaining, as also shall their notaries and officials--levying on
the natives a third less than on the Spaniards, according to the
declaration thereof in the said tariff; and that each one of them shall
have a copy of this tariff. They shall neither use nor levy the said taxes
by any other tariffs, under penalty of a fine of one hundred pesos for
the treasury of his Majesty and the expenses of justice. By this act they
so provided, ordered, and decreed.
Don Francisco Tello Doctor Antonio de Morga The licentiate Tellez de
Almazan The licentiate Zambrano Before me:
Pedro Hurtado Desquibel _Proclamation_: In the city of Manila, on the
twenty-second of January, one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine,
the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia of the Philipinas
Islands, who signed their names to the above act, declared and
proclaimed it in public session.
Pedro Hurtado Desquibel

_An act decreeing that there shall be no suits without the filing of a
sworn memorandum of the fees that the parties have paid._
In the city of Manila, on the seventh of January, one thousand five
hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal
Audiencia, Court, and Chancillería of these Philipinas Islands declared
that, whereas it has come to their knowledge that certain persons--not
only Spaniards, but Indians and Sangleys--who bring suits in this royal
Audiencia and outside of it, in the provincial and ordinary tribunals,
complain of the large sums that are charged by the courts, in great
excess of what they are ordered to charge by the royal tariffs; and that
the notaries of the said tribunals, contrary to orders, send the appealed
suits to this royal Audiencia, without placing at the end of them the fees
they have paid; therefore, in order to remedy the aforesaid evil, and to
put an end to complaints of similar acts of injustice, they ordered, and
they did so order, both the officials of this royal Audiencia and the
others in the provincial and the ordinary tribunals, and those outside of
this city, now and henceforth, not to bring or send any suit to be
reviewed in the court of this royal Audiencia, unaccompanied by a
memorandum, signed and sworn to by the parties to the suit, of what
they have spent thereon, and to what persons they have given the
money; and not to bring any suit for revision in any other manner,
under penalty of a fine, for each time when they shall disobey this order,
of ten pesos for his Majesty's treasury, to be equally divided between
the treasury and the court--to which, from that moment, they are
considered as condemned. By this act they so provided and ordered,
and they signed the same.
Don Francisco Tello Doctor Antonio de Morga The licentiate Tellez
Almazan The licentiate Alvaro Zambrano Before me:
Pedro Hurtado Desquibel _Proclamation_: In the city of Manila, on the
twenty-second day of the month of January, one thousand five hundred
and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia and
Chancillería of these