I The King

I, secretary of the king, our sovereign, had this written by his order.

Juan de Ybarra”

I have been informed recently that, because of the great distance of those islands from the city of Mexico (to whose Audiencia must be sent appeals in the said causes), many, especially the poor, refuse to prosecute their suits; for in some of them the costs amount to more than the principal, besides the annoyance of the delay.  This serves as a cause for grief and annoyance, from which the wealthy profit to the injury of most of that community.  As I desire the relief of this state of things, I order, with the concurrence of my royal Council of the Indias, for the present that henceforth all suits for the value of one thousand ducados or less be concluded in the courts of the said Philipinas Islands.  If appeal be made from the sentences given at the first instance, and substantiated in the second, in conformity with law, the case shall be regarded as closed with the sentence imposed by the said lieutenant-governor in the second instance, and no appeal can be taken from it.  In suits and causes for more than one thousand pesos [sic], appeal may be made to my said royal Audiencia of Mexico, in accordance with the tenor of the decree inserted above.  In order that this may be public and manifest, I order this my decree to be published in the said city of Manila.  Given at Madrid, January seventeen, one thousand five hundred and ninety-three.

I The King

Countersigned by Juan Bazquez, and signed by the council.

[In the margin:  “In order that suits and causes of one thousand ducados and less may be concluded in the court of the Philipinas islands; and, if the amount be in excess of the above sum, they may be appealed to the royal Audiencia of Mexico.”]

Restrictions on Commerce

The King:  Inasmuch as, whenever we have promulgated ordinances prohibiting trade between the Western Yndias and China, and regulating that of the Philipinas, I have been informed that there has been neglect in the execution thereof; and that, as the merchants and other persons in the Northern Sea who trade in these our kingdoms of Castilla, and in the Yndias, have suffered so many losses during past years, and those engaged in the profits of the Chinese trade have gained so much, the latter has increased greatly, while the commerce of these my said kingdoms has declined, on which account both these kingdoms and my royal income have received great damage:  therefore, since it is so important that the commerce of these my said kingdoms and of the Yndias be preserved and increased, and that there be quite usual communication and trade between them, I have, with the concurrence of my royal Council of the Yndias, determined to prohibit by new orders—­as by this present I do pruhibit, forbid, and order—­in the future, in any