Note 3 — Letter from Alonso Fajardo de Tenza to Felipe III

Recopilación de leyes contains the following law in regard to Page 248nthe rations of rice: “Inasmuch as the presidents and auditors of the Audiencia of the Filipinas Islands, and the officials of our royal treasury are accustomed to divide among themselves all the tributes of rice belonging to us in La Pampanga for the expense of their houses, taking it at the price at which the tributarios give it at the harvest, whence it happens that the rations given on our account are lacking, and that they must be bought at excessive rates; and as such procedure is very prejudicial to our royal treasury: therefore we order the president and royal officials to avoid it and stop so pernicious a custom, for thus is it advisable for our royal service.” [Felipe III, Madrid, December 19, 1618 —lib. ii, tit. xvi, ley lxxii.]