In regard to greed for gain, no good rumor is current; and it is said that of the loss therefrom no little share falls to the royal treasury in paying orders that are bought at less than the fourth of their face value.  Consequently at the same time while not one real of advance pay thereon is allowed to the owner of the order—­which is issued to him for his sweat and toil, or to his wife and children on account of his death while serving your Majesty in the war—­it is sold for one-fourth or a less part of its face value, and that is paid in full to its purchaser by the governor’s decree.  A vast sum has been used up in this, for the money brought from Nueva Espana, that derived from the Sangley licenses, the loans of citizens, and that from other sources, have been spent in less than one year.  In order that it may be seen that there is no way in which he does not endeavor to accommodate the fiscal, while the royal treasury was without one single real, and in debt many thousands to citizens who lent it money after the beginning of this year, the governor issued a decree in the month of June (but without it, notwithstanding an order may be issued, he has ordered that nothing be paid) that a definite warrant for three thousand and ninety pesos (of which some Sangleys had made him a gift for three or four years) be given to the fiscal from the duties of the Chinese ships.  But it was not advanced immediately, because the officials of the royal treasury considered that the Sangleys who made the gift were not legally parties [to such a transaction].  As these things are so public, and the citizens are so vexed with loans and ill-treatment, they resent these things greatly.

The same irregular procedure that was followed last year in regard to taking the merchandise from the Chinese at their own weighing was experienced this year.  Although the governor issued a proclamation ordering all persons who should have the merchandise in their possession to return it immediately, so that it could be sold freely, and imposing severe penalties, they did not comply with it; as has been evident from its results, that edict must have been only to caution or amuse, for they only sold openly those goods that they were unable to sell privately without these being taken from them.  And then—­when, with the delay of the ships from Nueva Espana, and the fear of the danger that they ran of being captured by the Dutch; and the city, with having invested its share, was drained of money—­those who had retained the said goods in their possession made lower prices with the many Chinese than those prices at which the goods that were allowed to be sold had been given.  In consequence there were public murmurs from all classes.  One Gonzalez, the governor’s barber, and a prime favorite, whom he has made inspector of the Chinese ships—­which because of their late arrival remained this year for the most part on the coasts of these islands near China, from fifty to one hundred leguas from Manila, sending their goods