11.  It attends with the necessary secrecy to securing reconciliations between persons at enmity—­sometimes of husbands with their wives, and sometimes between other persons; and thus the brethren bring to an end many evils and prevent injuries.  They likewise correct many persons of vices of which they have secret knowledge, which without doubt greatly redounds to the service of God our Lord.

12.  It attends to the execution of many wills, which are entrusted to it by persons who leave their property to be distributed for pious works and for chaplaincies.  Leaving the matter in the care of this Confraternity, they feel certain that their trusts will be executed forever.  It is a great consolation to them to know that the execution has been accepted by the Confraternity.  In particular, the execution of the wills of poor persons who leave heirs in Nueva Espana and Espana, and in Yndia, is accepted by the Confraternity.

13.  All of these works of charity are performed by the said Confraternity from the alms which are received from the citizens, from the brethren, and from persons who at death leave them bequests because they see how well is allotted and spent that which is collected.  The income is obtained with much pains, because of the smallness of the population.  Should your Majesty make a grant to the Confraternity, it could accomplish more in caring for cases of need which every day occur, requiring aid and claiming pity.

Pedro Hurtado Desquivel, clerk of court.

This is an accurate copy of the original section: 

Juan Lopez de Hernani

Trade of the Philippines with Mexico

Report from the Council of State

Sire: 

Your Majesty was pleased to order that the enclosed reports from the Council of the Indias and that of Portugal be examined in the Council, and that they should make such recommendations as they deemed proper; and having examined them, the members gave their opinions as follows: 

The chief comendador [40] of Leon, in a meeting held at Valladolid, insisted that it was not desirable that there should be trade from Nueva Espana to the Filipinas on account of the great drain of silver thus caused; it is occasioned by the large profits obtained by investing the silver in the merchandise which comes to those islands from China—­partly through the cheapness of these goods, and partly through the great value of silver.  He also stated the difficulties which are presented, in that, through this trade, the need for the merchandise from these regions would cease, and with it the dependence of those colonies, which it is so important to preserve.  It should be considered that, although the trade of Nueva Espana with China should be prohibited, this would be of no use if trade with the Philipinas were left open; for by that means the Chinese will have an outlet for their merchandise.  Accordingly