ssed in the royal
Council, and a decree issued (July 10, 1635) ordering the governor
of the Philippines to investigate the need for such appropriation,
and to report it, with other information, to the king. Pedro de Arce,
who has been ruler _ad interim_ of the archdiocese of Manila, notifies
the king (October 17, 1635) of his return to his own bishopric of
Cebu; and of his entrusting to the Jesuits the spiritual care of the
natives of Mindanao, where the Spanish fortress of Zamboanga has been
recently established. He asks the king to confirm this, and to send
them more missionaries of their order.

In 1632 a memorial is presented before the municipal council of Manila
by one of its regidors, representing the injuries and losses arising
from the trade which has been commenced there by the Portuguese of
Macao. It seems that they have absorbed the trade formerly carried on
by the Chinese with Manila, and have so increased the prices of goods
that the citizens cannot make a profit on the goods that they send to
Nueva Espana. Navada presents seventeen considerations and arguments
regarding this condition of affairs. He states that in earlier years
the authorities of Manila forbade the Portuguese to come to Manila,
for the same reasons that are now so urgent; that investments of
capital are now seldom made by citizens of the Philippines, for lack
of returns thereon; and that the royal revenues are defrauded by the
enormous losses in the proceeds from the customs duties on the goods
brought by the Portuguese, as compared with those realized on the goods
of the Sangley traders. The Portuguese are making enormous profits, and
this is ruining the citizens of the islands; moreover, they buy their
goods from the Chinese at sufficient prices to satisfy the latter,
and they misrepresent the condition and actions of the Spaniards, so
that the Chinese are prevented from coming to Manila. The Portuguese
will make no fair agreement as to prices, and some of them remain
in Manila to sell their left-over goods; and these even ship goods
to Nueva Espana in the royal ships, with the connivance of certain
citizens--all of which defrauds the Spaniards, and violates the royal
decrees. Moreover, the Portuguese bring from China only silks, for
the sake of the great profits thereon; while cotton cloth and other
articles needed by the poor (which formerly were supplied by the
Sangleys) are now scarce and high-priced. The Portuguese should be
forbi