erooms of the officers of
the ship do not occupy that space. The officers sell the storerooms
to the passengers for considerable money, and stow goods in them,
which is not among the least of all the troubles.

_Item_: That the freight and cargo that the said ships must contain
be stowed in the first hold, and that between decks shall be only the
ship's stores, the chests of the sailors, the messrooms, rigging,
sails, and all necessary supplies. They should carry even rigging
for the port of Acapulco, since there is rigging at Manila which is
very cheap; and then your Highness will not have to spend vast sums
in taking it from San Juan de Lua to Acapulco overland, which is one
hundred and fifty leguas.

_Item_: That all the passengers who shall come from Filipinas to
Nueva Espana in the said ships should pay a fare of two hundred pesos
if they have a berth or messroom under deck, and those who do not so
have berth or messroom, one hundred pesos, as an aid in the expenses
of the ships. This should be understood not on the outward trip
[to the islands] but on the return trip. [99]

_Item_: That the sailors be not allowed to take aboard more than one
chest of goods, of the size assigned by the governor; for there is the
utmost confusion in this regard, and the sailors are allowed to carry
two or three very large chests, larger than common. They overload and
embarrass the ship; and, under pretext that they are carrying their
clothes, they take those chests full of merchandise.

_Item_: That all the passengers shall carry swords and bucklers
and arquebuses; and that the royal officials shall place on ship
arquebuses, muskets, and lances for the sailors. Those weapons are
cheap in Manila; and with them, and the artillery carried by the
ships, the latter will be well defended. They need no soldiers for
the return trip [to Nueva Espana], for rather the ships then carry
too many people.

_Item_: No passengers or sailors shall carry with them slave women,
a practice which gives rise to very great offenses against God. Such
shall be regarded as confiscated in the port of Acapulco. This is very
advisable, for many persons carry these women as concubines--not only
the owners of them, but others in the ships. It is not right that there
be any occasion for angering God when there is so great risk in the
voyage, as I dare to affirm; and it is certain that, in the last ten
years, while this has been so prevalent, many disasters ha