hand is written: "Filipinas Islands, city of Manila, assembly of
April 19, 1586. Royal Audiencia, judiciary, and magistracy. Bishop
and clergy. Orders, and religious and ecclesiastical estate. The
master-of-camp, captains, and soldiers, and the secular estate. The
person who should come: Father Sanchez." Other memoranda refer to
various letters from Philippine officials, dated during the years
1583-86, which seem to have been consulted in reference to the
"Memorial."]

[In the library of Edward E. Ayer, Chicago, is a collection of MSS.,
transcripts from documents in Spanish archives, which were made
during the years 1859-65 by a Spanish official at Madrid, who had
been in the Philippine Islands, named Ventura del Arco: it has been
kindly loaned to us by Mr. Ayer for use in the present work. This
series, in five volumes, large octavo size, contains some 3,000
pages of matter regarding these islands, from the original MSS. in
the archives; some is copied in full, but often a synopsis only is
given. To many of the documents are added tracings of the original
autograph signatures. Although spelling, punctuation, and capitals
are considerably modernized, the work of transcription appears to have
been otherwise done carefully, intelligently, and _con amore_; and the
collection contains much valuable material in Philippine history. It
covers the period of 1586-1709, and begins with the proceedings of the
junta of 1586, which are found in vol. i, pp. 1-101. The "Memorial"
is given in a full resume; and at the end is cited (pp. 48-49) the
following paragraph, which is not contained in our Sevilla copy,
or in that of the Madrid MS. which we have followed:]

In the city of Manila, on July 26 of the year 1586, the following
persons met in the royal building: The honorable president and auditors
of the royal Audiencia of these islands, and his Majesty's fiscal of
the Audiencia; Don Fray Domingo de Salazar, bishop of the Filipinas;
and the religious, the captains, the magistrates, and the municipal
officers of this city--who hereunder signed their names. They met
to discuss fully the matters contained in this document, about which
Father Alonso Sanchez as procurator-general of this country, and acting
in its name, is to confer with his Majesty, and solicit aid from him,
that the prosperity and colonization of these islands may continue
to increase, and that God and his Majesty may be served. The above
articles having been read, a