edral, and a priest). They are couched in almost
the same words as the foregoing. The testimony of all shows the high
cost of living in the islands, and ascribes the cause to the great
number of Spaniards, the deaths by disease and war of many natives,
and the coming of great numbers of Chinese for purposes of trade,
they as well as the Spaniards being non-producers. Of the natives
many have engaged in trade and but few till the soil, thus increasing
the dearth of provisions and forcing prices still higher. The two
priests do not take the oath in the same form as the laymen, but by
"placing the hand upon the breast, and swearing by their priestly
word." After all of these depositions, each of them attested in due
form by the notary, the document continues:]

All the above, according to what passed before me, the said clerk of
the court, I have given and delivered, signed with my name and signet
[i.e., flourish] to the honorable president and auditors, written on
ten sheets together with this present, accompanied with my signet. In
the city of Manila, in the Filipinas islands, on June thirtieth,
in the year one thousand five hundred and eighty-four--the witnesses
being Rodrigo de Leon and Alvaro Mendez de Herrera.

Luis Velez Cherino.

The words are crossed out where is read _poner, a, y, queste de_; and
corrected where is read _hacienda, tostones_, and _come_; and _de_
has been inserted between the lines. I, Luis Velez Cherino, court
clerk of the royal Audiencia established in this city of Manila,
have written this and caused it to be written; and here I affix my
signet to such document, in witness of the truth.

Luis Velez Cherino.

Letter from Melchior Davalos to Felipe II

Royal Catholic Majesty:

It was through divine inspiration, we may believe, that your Majesty
appointed a president and auditors for this extremity or beginning of
the world; for at the very time when Governor Don Gonzalo Ronquillo had
just died or was about to die, in this city of Manila, the Council,
more than four thousand leagues from here, resolved upon and decreed
the foundation of the royal Audiencia in Manila, and we came hither--as
president and governor, Doctor Santiago de Vera; I, who was living
quite neglected in Mexico, as first auditor; the licentiate Rojas
as second auditor, and the licentiate Ayala as fiscal. It is said
that another auditor, the licentiate Bravo, remained in Castilla;
all of us excepting him cam