In the city of Manila, on the sixteenth of March, one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia and Chancilleria of the Philipinas Islands declared that, in order to assign to the cabildo, magistracy, and administration of this city the place of seating that it must keep in the cathedral:  in order to ascertain the custom hitherto followed in the aforesaid matter, and in order to provide what is necessary concerning it, they ordered, and they did so order, the said cabildo, magistracy, and administration of this city to give an account of the part and place in which it has been regularly seated in the cathedral of this city—­both in the time when the royal Audiencia formerly resided in these islands, and after his Majesty ordered it to be suppressed—­in order that, upon examination, the necessary provisions may be made.  By this act they so voted, ordered, and decreed.

Before me:  Pedro Hurtado Desquibel

An act concerning the royal magazines.

In the city of Manila, on the eighteenth of March, one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia and Chancilleria of the Philipinas Islands, having examined the opinion of the official judges of the royal exchequer of these islands, on the question of building magazines in which to store the merchandise coming from China to this city, and having investigated other matters connected with the aforesaid, and further matter which is contained in the decree of the king our sovereign, ordering that this said Audiencia attend to the matter:  they declared (in conformity with the opinion of Joan de Bustamante, accountant of the royal exchequer) that at present, and until experience further shows what it is most advisable to enact in this matter, the said Chinese merchandise shall be registered and appraised on the same vessels on which it was brought, as has been done hitherto.  In order that there may be good accounts and reports, and less opportunity for fraud in the royal customs, they ordered that the official judges of his Majesty in these islands, as soon as each ship enters this harbor and anchors therein, shall go out to inspect it, registering and appraising all the merchandise and other things in the cargo.  They shall exert diligence in the matter and make their inspection with the punctuality advisable, so that the said merchandise, or any part of it, may not be discharged or concealed.  In order that this may be enforced more effectually, the necessary guards shall be placed on the said ships and in the bay, who are to be trustworthy persons, to the satisfaction of the said president and auditors of this royal Audiencia, by whom they shall be approved and appointed, The said official judges shall have, as a reward for their occupation and labors, one third part of the confiscations which are levied upon any merchandise found and seized because it had been hidden