s to the royal treasury and court-rooms of this royal
Audiencia. By this act they so declared, ordered, and decreed.

Before me: _Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_

_An act decreeing that the officials of this royal Audiencia shall give
bonds at the beginning of every year, and that likewise, they shall
give them for the time during which they have already held office._

In the city of Manila, on the twenty-first day of January, one thousand
five hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal
Audiencia and Chancilleria of these Philipinas Islands declared that,
whereas, in order to conform to the decrees and provisions of his
Majesty, and to be just with the parties entering suits, the officials
of this royal Audiencia are under obligation to give bonds that they
will undergo residencia for the right exercise and discharge of their
duties, at the beginning of each year: therefore, because hitherto they
have not given bonds for the time while they have exercised their said
offices, and because they should give them, both for the aforesaid time
and for the future, they resolved and ordered that the commissioners
of examination, attorneys, assessor of taxes, collector of fines,
deputies of the alguazil-mayor, and the prison warden of this court,
shall each one of them, within fifteen days after being notified of
this act, give safe and reliable bonds, before the undersigned clerk
of court, that they will undergo residencia for the use and exercise
of their offices, and pay everything which may be adjudged against
them in the matter, and also in the suits which may be instituted
against them. They are also warned that after the said term of office
has expired, they shall exercise the said offices no longer, which
shall be immediately declared vacant, and other persons appointed
thereto. Likewise, within the said term and under the said penalty,
they shall give bonds for all the time during which they have already
exercised the said offices in the royal Audiencia, for which they have
not given them. In the future, they shall be notified and ordered to
renew the said bonds at the beginning of every year, under the said
penalty. By this act they so provided, enacted, and decreed.

Before me:

_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_

_An act decreeing that cases of twenty pesos or less shall not be
brought to trial; and that the notary shall not take a larger fee
than one-half peso from each party._

In the