Page:The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 (Volume 06).djvu/317

Majesty ordered that the said Audiencia look into the matter of the three per cent customs duty imposed on goods, both imports and exports, by Don Gonzalo Ronquillo, when he was governor of these islands; and, in case this duty be not expedient, to remove it, or to take such measures as they deemed best. Considering the poverty of the royal treasury of these islands, and the many current expenses here, the Audiencia ordered that the three per cent duty continue in force; but in order to make its payment easier, and not to harass by this tax the inhabitants of this city and other people serving in these regions, it was decided that the citizens and soldiers and traders should not be obliged to declare in detail the number of pieces of silk carried, or their length in varas—it being sufficient to state the quality of the silk and what it had cost, so that the goods might be appraised according to their value for the payment of the three per cent duty. The same order obtains in regard to all the rest of the cargo—goods in bundles, robes, and other articles—this measure being taken for the sake of avoiding the annoyances caused at the port of Acapulco were the officials sent from Mexico for this purpose, since they would open the boxes and undo the packages, thus occasioning a great deal of damage and loss to the inhabitants of these islands, both soldiers and merchants. Now we have learned that the viceroy has given orders that the goods of those who have not declared the number of pieces of each article carried, and the number of varas they measure, and a like account and calculation for everything else, be seized and confiscated—for which purpose he has begun to send to the port a judge, who proceeds with great rigor. We beg your Majesty