work, and
it has remained in that condition ever since.) The royal building is
well arranged and sufficiently capacious, serving as palace for the
commander of the Pintados fleets; he is also warder of a good stone
fortress (triangular in shape) and commander of the port, and at the
same time alcalde and chief magistrate of the entire province--which
includes the islands of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, and a great part of
the coast of Mindanao, with other smaller and adjacent islands.

"The cause for the city's being depopulated, at present, of Spanish
inhabitants is nothing else than the cupidity of some persons who
came from Manila to the government of the province with appointments
as alcaldes, whose greed did not allow any partnership, in spite of
the oath that they take not to carry on trade, either in person or
through another person, within the limits of their jurisdiction. These
are indeed lands where no one can live without barter or trading;
for not one of the Spaniards applies himself to cultivating the soil,
nor do they have fixed incomes from the country with which to meet
their obligations. Moreover, they have to buy whatever they need, with
either commodities or money; accordingly, if the alcaldes-mayor forbid
the inhabitants (as they do) from going out through the province to buy
what they need, the latter find themselves in Cebu in the condition of
one who is shut up in a prison, where no one can search for or find
him. If vessels arrive to sell their merchandise the alcalde-mayor,
near whose house they anchor, is the one who first avails himself of
everything--either for his own use, or to sell the goods again--leaving
for the rest of the people only what is of no use to himself. If any
one has energy enough to press forward to purchase what he needs,
he is immediately threatened with imprisonment, seizure of his
goods, flogging, and the loss of everything from which any profit
was expected--as I have many times seen, because I lived several
years in that country, where only recourse to God is near, or to
superiors who are very far away. This is the reason why the Spanish
residents have withdrawn from Cebu, to avoid continual quarrels and
annoyances--going to Manila, where they can live with greater peace
and quietness, although not so profitably, on account of the choice
commodities which they could obtain in the Visayan provinces for
the increase of their wealth. The only ones who remain and bear the
heav