wed to live in the houses
of Spaniards; their suits shall come first before the governor of the
Parian, with appeal to the Audiencia, and that neither auditors nor
municipal officials shall begin such suits; the Audiencia shall not
meddle with the affairs of the Parian, which shall be in charge of the
governor of the islands; and assessments of fowls shall not be made
upon the Chinese. The governor is ordered to promote agriculture among
them, and not to exact personal services; their number must be limited
to six thousand, and no bribes or fees for licenses may be exacted;
they must be kept in due subjection, but always through mild and just
methods; provision is made regarding the fees for their licenses;
Chinese converts are exempted for ten years from paying tributes; and a
limit is placed to the assessment made upon them for the royal service.

The king orders the Audiencia of Manila (May 21, 1627) to punish
certain Augustinians who have attacked a government official. On June
11 following, he grants certain additional supplies to the Augustinian
convent at Manila. Later (November 4) the Council of the Indias
recommend that a grant be made to the Recollects in the islands, of
a certain amount for medicines. In a decree of September 10, the king
orders that a protector for the Chinese be appointed, who shall not be
the royal fiscal; and that any balance in the fund that they maintain
for the royal service shall be left to their disposal, or credited on
the next year's assessment. Another decree, dated November 19, recites
the oppression of the Chinese in the Parian in compelling their hair
to be cut at baptism, and levying from them an extortionate tribute;
and orders that both these vexations be abolished.

Juan Cevicos, a resident of Manila who is at the Spanish court, writes
a memorial (December 20, 1627) on "the inadvisability of a Spanish post
in the island of Hermosa." He thinks that the Dutch have established
themselves there not so much to pillage the Chinese merchant ships,
as to establish a factory on Formosa, from which they can gain the
Chinese and Japanese trade. Their success in this would result in the
destruction of Macao and ruin the Japan trade for the Philippines;
therefore they should be driven out of Formosa, and before they
have time to lure the Chinese trade also from the Spaniards. But,
even then, it is an expensive and undesirable enterprise for the
Spaniards to maintain a fort there, as th