Note 84 — Chapter X · THE AUDIENCIA AND THE CHURCH: THE ROYAL PATRONAGE

Nevertheless, the audiencia’s share of direct control over these funds was still considerable. On January 23, 1803, a cédula was issued ordering that the money of the temporalities and obras pias should be put at the disposal of the acuerdo of the audiencia.84 A report was submitted to that tribunal by Superintendent Aguilar on July 20, 1804, in accordance with this cédula. The report of Aguilar showed a balance on hand of 151,625 pesos waiting to be sent to Spain by the first transportation. In 1809, the jurisdiction of these funds was completely restored to the audiencia, with the provision that the oidores who acted as their administrators should receive a three per cent commission. As the funds were constantly drawn upon, and there were no further confiscations of property of this sort, they can be accounted as of little importance, yielding practically no revenue from that date. Owing to the continual appeals of the government for money with which to defray the expenses of putting down the various insurrections from 1808 to 1814 and subsequently, the funds of the temporalities, like every other peso that came into the treasuries of the colonies, were sent to Spain as rapidly as they were collected.85