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ADMINISTRATIVE AND JUDICIAL SYSTEMS.

that the candidate should owe nothing to the treasury. He must tender oath for faithful and loyal performance of duty, give bonds in many cases, and in certain instances inventory of estate. In term offices a certain period must elapse ere the same person could be reappointed.[1] While lieutenants could be chosen by governors and others in different towns, office could not be held by substitutes without special permission, nor could they be resigned in favor of another. The pay varied greatly even for similar offices according to location and wealth of districts.[2] Temporary holders, till removed or confirmed, received merely half pay when it fell below a fair amount.[3] It was clearly specified to whom salaries should come from the royal treasury, and who should receive their pay from fines, fees, and other sources.[4] Payments were made three times a year, in silver—gold being reserved for Spain[5]—the time counting from date of taking possession, although several obtained pay from the day of leaving Spain.[6] To some advances were made for travelling expenses. Certain deductions served to form a pension fund for widows and orphans of those who died in office, and others in form of media anata[7] went to the king. The civil pension sys-

  1. Three years by decree of 1687. Ordenes de la Corona, MS., i. 88. Calle gives the form for despatching confirmations and titles. Mem. y Not., 173-5.
  2. During the seventeenth century the Recop. Ind., ii. 114—16, instances the following: corregidor of Mexico, 500,000 maravedis; governor and captain-general of Yucatan, 1,000 pesos de minas; corregidor of Vera Cruz, 1,000 pesos; alcalde mayor and captain of war at Acapulco, 1,000 ducados; alcalde mayor of Tabasco, 300 ducados; Guadalajara governor and president, 3,500 ducados; governor and captain-general of Nueva Vizcaya, 2,000 pesos de minas, and corregidor of Zacatecas, 1,000.
  3. By decree of 1790 those with less than 400 pesos were exempt, and this limit being shown to be too low for decently supporting the official, a decree of 1792 raised it to 1,000, with a partial reduction on amounts less than 2,000. Revilla Gigedo, Bandos, no. 72.
  4. The Mexican treasury had to supply funds for the Philippines and other quarters when their treasuries were empty.
  5. Recop. Ind., ii. 581 et seq.
  6. Yet a decree of 1646 decided that pay must be allowed only from date of taking possession. Id., 255. Salaries stopped with death. No deduction was made during sickness or justified absence.
  7. The sources were a half month's pay, a small regular percentage, also salaries accruing during vacancies, termed vacaciones; also deductions from certain offices, called quitas, and other sources. From the latter came special