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defense of these islands. This is all that occurs to me at present to say concerning matters relating to the royal exchequer, for its welfare. I shall continue always to watch for what is most fitting for the royal service of your Majesty, and shall attempt to further it; and such is always my desire. May God protect your Majesty many years, with a greater increase of kingdoms and seigniories, according to the needs of Christendom. In the city of Manila, which is in the island of Luzon, the principal one of the Filipinas Islands. July 21, 1599.

Sire:

Since I have given to your Majesty an account of the affairs of the administration of justice and of the royal exchequer of these Philipinas Islands by two other letters which accompany this, I will here discuss affairs of government. The thing which seems to me most necessary to do for the good government of these islands—and especially for correcting the great excesses which are wont to be committed by some of the religious who have Indian missions in their charge; and by the alcaldes-mayor, corregidors, deputies, and other magistrates, and the encomenderos of Indian repartimientos—is that, at least every two years, an auditor of the royal Audiencia of these islands, commencing with the oldest of them, should make a visitation over all the country in his jurisdiction, as is provided by the ordinances thereof, and in the form which I wrote to your Majesty in July of the past year, ninety-eight. Although the auditors oppose this, it is to avoid the great labor, expense, and danger to health, by sea and enemies, which they