Moreover, since the minister of this hospital is always a father who is a priest, who will administer the sacraments not only to the sick who come to the said hospital for treatment, but to all the people who serve therein or who reside on the stock-farm which belongs to the hospital, as well as to many other people in all this city and in the islands who usually come to this hospital for confession; and besides this, your Majesty pays from his royal treasury the archbishop, qura, and canons of the cathedral of Manila for their labors in ministering to the Indians, in all matters for which the tithes are not sufficient—­I entreat your royal Majesty to command your royal officials in this city of Manila that they recompense the said archbishop, cura, and canons in such manner that they shall not enter the stock-farm of the said hospital to collect tithes and firstfruits, since hitherto they have never entered there.  And in all things I entreat the royal Majesty of your royal Majesty, etc.

Letters from the Royal Fiscal to the King

Sire: 

After having given an account to your Majesty, in so far as concerns my office of fiscal of this royal Audiencia of these Philipinas Islands, of the affairs of justice, by another letter which accompanies this, it seemed best to me to give one concerning those things which touch the royal exchequer, in the following manner.

1.  The royal exchequer of your Majesty in these islands is not sufficient by a large sum to supply the salaries and expenses which are here paid out and incurred.  For before the royal Audiencia came here, the archbishop and bishops drew from Mexico fifteen, twenty, and some years thirty thousand pesos apiece; but, even with all this, all those who had to draw money from the royal treasury were complaining and irregularly paid.  Many works were neglected, and necessary expenses were abandoned.  With the new stipends and salaries of an archbishop, three bishops, four auditors, and a fiscal, which amount to twenty-four thousand pesos, we must cut down much more.  All that sum, which is the salary of powerful people, must be maintained; and therefore we must suffer wretched service, and abandon, as has been done, works and affairs in which there should be no lack.  For some remedy and alleviation of this difficulty, I will point out some expedients which, in my opinion—­as one who understands the present state of affairs, and has some knowledge of the country—­your Majesty, if you are so pleased, can use, employing such of them as appear to be most expedient.