or because the governor’s wife took a seat beside her husband—­a thing that has never been practiced in this city in the time of the former governors.  Will your Majesty decide what should be done in this matter, as the governor’s wife must be placated in it; and whether the position to be occupied by her is to be before or behind that of the Audiencia. [Marginal note:  “Have the Audiencia informed that they must not miss one of the prescribed days, and are to report on the other matters.  Write to the archbishop that the Audiencia has already been notified to attend on the prescribed days.”]

Your Majesty has already provided by your royal decrees that the ships should set sail for Nueva Espana from this port, under any circumstances, during the month of June, because of their peril of having to make some port in distress, or of being wrecked, if they sail later.  It would be expedient to apply a more constraining remedy, in order that this be executed; for were your Majesty’s decrees observed in these islands, as I have many times said, there would be no errors made in what pertains to the service of our Lord and that of your Majesty, the welfare of these islands, and the profit of their inhabitants.  But, Sire, as they are not obeyed, and there is no execution of them, there is general error in what could with so great facility be done aright. [Marginal note:  “Have a letter written to the governor, telling him that we have heard that those ships that sail to Nueva Espana sail very late, and that consequently they suffer in the tempests and hardships that are known; and that now and henceforth he shall see that they sail as was the custom before and as is ordered.”]

When the city of Manila petitioned your Majesty to be pleased to have the governors of these Filipinas make the appointments to the offices of the ships which are despatched hence to Nueva Espana, from that of commander to the least office, it was to obviate one disadvantage, according to their opinion (and in truth not a slight one), by which the said offices were given by the viceroys to their relatives and retainers, thus depriving this country’s inhabitants of them.  That disadvantage not only has not been corrected by this expedient—­since the governors, not heeding more than their own private interests, give the said offices to their own followers—­but has even given rise to a greater disadvantage, respecting the return of the ships to these islands.  For, since the viceroys do not appoint to the said offices as they did before, the result is usually a lack in the reenforcements that are sent from there [i.e., Nueva Espana]; and there is less care bestowed on the despatch of the said ships for the return than is fitting.  Consequently, they arrive so late that already the season of the vendavals, the contrary winds of these islands, has set in; and therefore the ships have been compelled to put in at Xapon, as happened in the year 17, and last year.  On that