the year ninety-eight. Your Majesty's commands will be fulfilled with all punctuality, in each and every respect; and the viceroy of Nueva España will be advised of what concerns him, in order that he may also observe your Majesty's commands. It is best for the service of your Majesty that the viceroy should punctually send the reënforcements supplied to this kingdom, and carefully attend to all other things pertaining thereto. I am very sorry to see the manner in which your Majesty's revenues are being wasted, and with so small a result; for the troops are in a wretched condition and without arms, and the captains try rather to rob them of their money than to secure good and serviceable troops. They are striving to deprive this last contingent, who are poor and unprotected, of the greater part of their pay. Owing to a misunderstanding, the viceroy also does something unsuitable to your Majesty's service—namely, he sends freight on certain ships which are despatched to these regions by private persons. To avoid expense to the royal exchequer, he makes entry thereof, and gives them license to carry a large sum of money.[1] From investing this they secure four times its value in goods; and all this wealth they use, and lade on their ships, and they take away the cream of the trade from those who were born in this country. As a result, this land is poor, harassed, and wretched; and the Peruvians and Mexicans are rich and powerful, for it is they who are engaged in this
- ↑ This statement is somewhat blindly worded; but Tello apparently means that the viceroy, to save expense to the royal treasury, sends government supplies to the Philippines on private ships; and, instead of paying the owners freight thereon, he permits them, contrary to the royal decrees, to carry money to the islands for investment, on which they make enormous profits.
