Page:The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 (Volume 11).djvu/101

may be the better understood, I shall relate a case in which it happened. A certain captain, Juan Maldonado Borrocal, one of the conquerors of these islands, holding a repartimiento as an encomienda, went from here to the court in Spain; and there married a widow, and returned with her to these islands. He died, and conformably to the law of succession, the wife succeeded to the encomienda. The latter had a son by her former husband, and as, on her death, the said encomiendas would remain vacant, she resigned them, and the governor assigned them anew to the son, who was a boy. Neither he nor his father had served in these islands. It is easy to imagine how this pleased the old soldiers who had shed their blood on the said encomiendas to conquer them, and some were eager for that repartimiento. Accordingly it is easy to see how much remedy there was left, when the governor granted the said encomiendas contrary to what your Majesty has ordered. To correct this, it would be fitting that your Majesty order that such resignation should not be made in any manner; and that in such cases the governor cannot assign any repartimiento of Indians.

[In the margin: "Have the decrees which are despatched for the settlement of these matters duplicated, also those that direct that appointments cannot be made by resignation and renunciation of the said encomiendas; order that these be exactly observed and complied with; and let it be again ordered that encomiendas which have been resigned shall not be filled by the governor, but that he shall advise his Majesty, who may order according to his pleasure in the matter. If he appoints to them, they shall be