ater, by themselves) exceeded the support with
which your Majesty maintained the islands. This was done by the kings,
your Majesty's father and grandfather, for two reasons: in the first
place, by their aiming at the glory of God and the spread of His
holy gospel, since they enjoyed the title of patrons of the church,
upon whom it would seem this obligation rests; in the second place,
on account of the favorable situation of that post for obtaining from
it more wealth than from all the rest of the Indias--and if this has
not hitherto been enjoyed the blame is not upon the country, but, for
reasons which cannot be here set down, upon those who have governed it.

To the second reason--that, as they say, much silver passes to the
Filipinas and does not come to Espana--it may be answered that the
fact is that, to obviate this difficulty, your Majesty has ordered that
the citizens of the Filipinas Islands, in order to support themselves,
be permitted, in return for the merchandise which they send to Nueva
Espana, to have sent back to them 500U [_i.e._, 500,000] pesos of eight
reals; and in the course of this, it is said, a much greater quantity
passes. As it is an easy thing to increase the zeros in an account,
in this manner they have increased it more than double and triple,
basing their figures on what was written to this court by an auditor
of the Filipinas, who was alleging services so that favors might be
granted to him. He said that when he was going from Nueva Espana as
commander, and the capitana in which he sailed was wrecked, he had
placed the commercial silver in a place of safety, and there were three
millions of it. The truth is that he exaggerated this to enhance the
value of his service, increasing the sum by more than half; for from
us, who were there, this matter could not be concealed, and there
has never passed so much silver as in that year. If this service was
placed at such figures, it deserved a heavy punishment, and not the
reward which he seeks. Since that time it is true that as much more
passes, to Filipinas, by the permission which your Majesty gives. The
causes of this excess are two. In the first place, the necessity of
the citizens, who are unable to support themselves with so small a
quantity, or to gain profit in trade; since, if there are no more than
five hundred [thousand pesos] they need all which is sent them for
their living alone. Accordingly, even at a great cost to themselves,
they