that you may see them. If the report that has been made of
this seems to you correct, you shall immediately attend to the remedy
for this damage; and I order my fiscal of that my royal Audiencia, by
another decree, to prosecute that case and to plead whatever he judges
suitable for the advantage and increase of my royal treasury, and
the observance of the orders and decrees issued, since that pertains
to him by reason of his office. Of all that you shall enact and that
you shall continue to do in this matter, you shall advise me. Given
in Madrid, November ten, one thousand six hundred and thirty-four.

_I the King_

By order of the king our sovereign:
_Don Gabriel de Ocana y Alarcon_

[A decree of the same date and of like tenor, addressed to the fiscal
of the Manila Audiencia, Juan de Quesada Vitado y Mendoca, follows, in
which he is ordered to prosecute the case. A decree of the same date is
also addressed to the royal officials; which, after the same general
statement at the beginning, continues: "And although I order that
Audiencia by another of my decrees of equal date with this to attend
to the remedy of this damage, and the fiscal to plead in prosecution
what he sees to be necessary, I have thought it best to advise you of
it, so that after you have understood it, if you are sure that there
is fraud in the collection and administration of my royal duties,
you also shall plead what you consider to be advisable, since you
see what is your obligation by virtue of your office. And of what
you shall hear, and what shall be done, you shall keep me advised."]

Sire:

Don Juan Grau y Monfalcon, procurator-general of the noble and loyal
city of Manila, metropolis and capital of the Philipinas Islands,
declares that the past year he represented to your Majesty the
great damages and injuries which the inhabitants of that city are
experiencing from the Portuguese of Macan having introduced the custom
of going to buy their merchandise at the fair of Canton in China,
and bringing the same to the city of Manila to retail it--where they
make a monopoly of it, without the inhabitants [of Manila] being able
to make any profit, such as they had before when the Chinese came to
the said city to sell their merchandise. The latter, besides selling
the merchandise for very suitable prices, gave credit for them until
they came back again. Without spending money, the inhabitants then
were benefited, and sent the said mercha