The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898/Volume 9/The Audiencia of Manila reëstablished
To Don Francisco Thello, my governor and captain-general of the Philipinas Islands. Through God's grace, the affairs of those islands are daily assuming greater proportions—both because of the many exploring expeditions by which that island and the others of that great archipelago are becoming settled; and because of the Chinese trade and commerce, which likewise are a cause of increase in the consequence of affairs there. Hence, in matters of justice, there should be such expedition as is desirable, without its being necessary for the parties to go to the City of Mexico, in order to carry on their cases—thus spending and consuming their means in these long voyages, or else running risk of losing their rights. And also, if you are disengaged from matters pertaining to justice, you will have more time for matters of government and war; or in important and arduous cases you may find it advisable to have those with whom to take counsel, that matters may be considered with the requisite continuity and by a sufficiently large body of advisers. For these reasons, I have decided to reëstablish an audiencia in that city of Manila, as in former years. You shall be president thereof, holding this office with the offices of my governor and captain-general. My purpose in advising you thereof is that, having taken note of it, you may do all that is requisite for the establishment of the Audiencia and the receiving of my royal seal. This must follow the same procedure which would be observed in the reception of my royal person.[1] Accordingly, as soon as you shall hear of its arrival, you shall go to receive the seal, accompanied by the auditors, the fiscal, all the soldiers in military array, the citizen encomenderos, my officials, and all others in public positions. The said seal will be contained in a box borne under a canopy, the supports of which shall be carried by the regidors of the city. The box will be borne by a horse, richly caparisoned, and having on the two sides of its hangings, which must be of brocade or silk, two shields bearing my royal arms, the face [of the horse] being covered with cloths [a frontal] of the same [material]. You, with your retinue, shall precede the canopy, and the soldiers in military array, with their captains, under rule and command of the master-of-camp as general, shall follow it. All of you shall go straight to the cathedral with bared heads, where the archbishop will be waiting, clad in his pontifical vestments, together with all his clergy. He shall go to the door, where you and all the people shall stop. Then you shall take the box in both hands, and shall approach the altar, near which in the principal chapel there shall be a chair of state. There you shall place the box, and the archbishop shall repeat his prayers, beseeching our Lord to direct the founding of the said Audiencia for His good service, and the pure administration of justice. After the ceremony, the archbishop and his assistants, and the clergy, shall remain there, while you shall take the box again and place it on the horse, which must always be led by the chief constable of the Audiencia, in person and on foot, and with head bared. You shall then proceed with the same assemblage to my royal houses, where you shall deposit the said seal in a suitable place. Then you shall enter upon the proceedings for installing the Audiencia, and together with the auditors and fiscal you shall establish it. This day shall be occupied solely with examining the ordinances of audiencias, with taking the oath from the said auditors, fiscal, and assistants, and with an address from you, in which, in my name, you shall charge them to exercise their offices faithfully, and to maintain peace and harmony among themselves; and you shall enjoin the inferiors to observe respect, secrecy, and diligence. Thenceforth you shall proceed according to the usual form of the other audiencias of these kingdoms and of the Yndias. Given at El Pardo, November twenty-sixth, one thousand five hundred and ninety-five.[2]
I the King
By order of the king:
Juan Ybarra
Signed by the president and members of the Council.
[In the margin at the beginning of this document: "To Don Francisco Tello, governor of the Philipinas Islands, in regard to the establishment of the Audiencia, and the receiving of the royal seal."]
- ↑ See the detailed account of the ceremonies with which the royal seal of the Audiencia was received on its arrival at Manila, as related by Morga in his Sucesos (Hakluyt Soc. trans.), pp. 89-91.
- ↑ The archbishop of Manila, in a letter to the king dated August 15, 1624, makes the following interesting observation on the state of affairs in Manila after the suppression of the Audiencia: "The principal motive that influenced Philippo Second, our sovereign, to reëstablish, in the time of the governorship of Don Francisco Tello, the royal Audiencia in these islands, which had been suppressed some years before, was that, in districts so remote and distant from his royal presence, the governors might not be so absolute, but that there might be a superior arm to check them, and not allow extortions upon an innocent people."