sters, I am writing
a separate letter to your Majesty. I am sending a very long and
exact account of the encomiendas and encomenderos in these islands
of your Majesty, both with and without instruction and justice;
also of the ministers there are and those who are needed. I beseech
your Majesty to have them provided, since it is so great a service
to God and for the good of these souls, and a means by which so many
evils and troubles will cease. May our Lord preserve your Majesty for
many long years as is needed by the Christian world. Manila, June 20,
1591. The papers referred to in this letter are inside the first sheet.

_Gomez Peres Dasmarinas_

[_Endorsed_: "Manila. To the king, our sovereign. From Governor Gomez
Perez Dasmarinas, June 20, 1591."

"July 16, 1592. Make an abstract of the different points." "Relation
abstracted as ordered." "Provided within; let the petition be acted
on at once." "Everything has been examined and provisions made."

"Let examination be made of the provisions made in clauses 9 to 21,
that came recently with the duplicate of this letter. The other
clauses are answered, and despatches sent."]

The Fortification of Manila

Sire:

As there are no funds here belonging to your Majesty, and as this
city is very poor and has no established source of income to meet
the expense involved in carrying on the erection of the wall around
it--which is absolutely necessary for its protection and safety
because it is quite exposed without it--therefore an effort must
be made to find some source of revenue in order that so important
an undertaking may not be given over. I have accordingly in your
Majesty's name granted the merchants' peso [_peso merchante_] on
Chinese goods for two years. The amount of this is thus far unknown,
because it has not hitherto been laid. The most profitable source of
income is the monopoly of playing-cards which has been established
for the benefit of your Majesty's exchequer. I apply the proceeds
of this to the wall for the present until your Majesty commands
otherwise. This amounts in one year to two thousand five hundred,
or three thousand pesos. I considered that the whole amount was
very small, while it was absolutely necessary to fortify this place,
which is entirely open and exposed to every sort of danger. Hence,
seeing that there was a great quantity of Chinese stuffs here this
year, and that there were present a number of merchants from Peru and
Me