or's wife must be placated
in it; and whether the position to be occupied by her is to be before
or behind that of the Audiencia. [_Marginal note_: "Have the Audiencia
informed that they must not miss one of the prescribed days, and
are to report on the other matters. Write to the archbishop that the
Audiencia has already been notified to attend on the prescribed days."]

Your Majesty has already provided by your royal decrees that the
ships should set sail for Nueva Espana from this port, under any
circumstances, during the month of June, because of their peril of
having to make some port in distress, or of being wrecked, if they sail
later. It would be expedient to apply a more constraining remedy,
in order that this be executed; for were your Majesty's decrees
observed in these islands, as I have many times said, there would
be no errors made in what pertains to the service of our Lord and
that of your Majesty, the welfare of these islands, and the profit
of their inhabitants. But, Sire, as they are not obeyed, and there
is no execution of them, there is general error in what could with
so great facility be done aright. [_Marginal note_: "Have a letter
written to the governor, telling him that we have heard that those
ships that sail to Nueva Espana sail very late, and that consequently
they suffer in the tempests and hardships that are known; and that
now and henceforth he shall see that they sail as was the custom
before and as is ordered."]

When the city of Manila petitioned your Majesty to be pleased to have
the governors of these Filipinas make the appointments to the offices
of the ships which are despatched hence to Nueva Espana, from that
of commander to the least office, it was to obviate one disadvantage,
according to their opinion (and in truth not a slight one), by which
the said offices were given by the viceroys to their relatives and
retainers, thus depriving this country's inhabitants of them. That
disadvantage not only has not been corrected by this expedient--since
the governors, not heeding more than their own private interests,
give the said offices to their own followers--but has even given rise
to a greater disadvantage, respecting the return of the ships to these
islands. For, since the viceroys do not appoint to the said offices as
they did before, the result is usually a lack in the reenforcements
that are sent from there [_i.e._, Nueva Espana]; and there is less
care bestowed on the despa