Page:The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 (Volume 11).djvu/271

receive no injury or molestation from enemies. You will inform me of all that is being done.

The fiscal of the Audiencia of the said islands has written me that since the Indians do not pay the eight reals tribute in kind, as they were wont to do, but it has been left to their choice instead, many difficulties have been and are being experienced, detrimental to the newly-pacified Indians, to my exchequer, and to the commonwealth; because, when they gave the produce of the land in payment of the tribute, they cultivated and gathered it, and, besides paying the tribute, there was left to them a large quantity of produce, which they kept for their trade and crafts. The result was that the community was well provided with abundance of supplies, at little cost, and with cloth of various fabrics, with which they clothed themselves. The encomenderos shipped these articles to Nueva España, and the returns therefrom remained in the islands instead of being taken away by the Chinese, as is done now; for the stuffs are being bought from the Chinese, and the Indians of the islands no longer manufacture them. Much gold was also taken to Nueva España, from which the tenth was paid to me to the yearly amount of six or eight thousand pesos, not to mention the larger amount which was paid for the tributes of the encomiendas which are assigned to my crown; but since the tribute is not paid in kind, hardly any gold is mined now. Another trouble that results from this is, that the Indians, who are naturally prone to idleness, easily earn enough with which to pay the tribute and buy stuffs from the Chinese with which to clothe themselves, and so do not manufacture these. In order to remove these difficulties, it would be expedient to