send persons to Nueva Espana to sell or take care of their merchandise; and that no one might consign them, except to one of the persons appointed for that purpose, who would reside in Mexico, was put into execution; but that, in violation of it, many of the inhabitants secretly send large quantities of merchandise to Mexico, entrusting those goods to the passengers and sailors without registering them, although that city has persons of credit and trust in Mexico.  Thus result many embarrassments and frauds to my royal duties.  He petitioned me to be pleased to have my royal decree issued, ordering that such unlawful acts be not permitted.  The matter having been examined in my royal Council of the Indias, bearing in mind what my fiscal said there, I have considered it fitting to advise you of the aforesaid, so that you may understand it, and I order you, in so far as it pertains to you, to keep, obey, and execute, and cause to be kept, obeyed, and executed, what has been enacted in this respect.  Madrid, March 25, 1633.

I the King

By order of the king our sovereign: 
Don Fernando Ruiz de Contreras

LETTERS FROM TAVORA TO FELIPE IV

I

Government affairs

Sire: 

I sent a despatch by way of India in the month of November of the past year 631, because the flagship which sailed for Nueva Espana sank here in port, and the almiranta put back.  A copy of the despatch which they carried goes in the first mail, with this, and I refer to it.  Accordingly I shall now begin to give an account to your Majesty of what has happened since then.

The ships which had remained in Nueva Espana last year, reached here during the last part of May after a favorable trip.  Therefore I trust that they will depart earlier than in previous years, and that the voyages may become regular. [In the margin: “Seen.”]

The ships brought as a subsidy two hundred and thirty-four thousand pesos for the royal treasury.  Two hundred thousand came last year.  The viceroy writes that he can do no more.  The visitor here will not, I believe, consider it little, since he does not have it in his charge.  Certain it is that the last six remittances which the viceroy has made to these islands have all been smaller than those made by the other viceroys.  I confess that the times have become hard; but one can but ill sustain a number of men, or take care of the expenses of war, on less than what their pay and salaries amount to.  The accounts for the five years which were asked are enclosed, and have been made out with all clearness.  For the last three, it will be seen how much smaller have been the receipts and expenses than those of my predecessors. [In the margin: “Seen.”]