Volume 19 / Part 3 — Chapter V. Of the expense incurred by your Majesty to maintain the fortified posts of Tidore and Terrenate in the Malucas Islands.

I said in the second part of this relation that the reënforcements of money and men which are brought from Nueva España to the Filipinas were not to preserve those islands, but were occasioned by the war with the Dutch. I shall now set down here a memorandum of the expenses of those forts, without the many other requisites.

Relation of the salaries and expenses which your Majesty has to pay in the Malucas Islands

Pesos

A warden and commander of the troops, with two thousand ducados of salary each year, which at eleven reals to the ducado, makes 2757 pesos, 2 tomins, and 9 granos 2U757 [293]

Seven captains of Spanish infantry, with 990 pesos of salary a year, amounting to. 6U930

Seven alferezes of these companies, with 412 pesos, 4 tomins of salary each per year. 2U887

Seven sergeants, with 206 pesos, 2 tomins, apiece each year, amounting to. 1U443

Fourteen drummers, at 171 pesos each per year, amounting to. 2U394

Seven fifers, at 165 pesos a year, amounting to. 1U155

Seven shield-bearers, at 103 pesos each, amounting to. 0U721

Seven standard-bearers, at 115 pesos per year each, amounting to. 0U815

Two adjutant sargentos-mayor, with 412 pesos, 4 tomins, each per year, amounting to. 0U825

A campaign captain, at 330 pesos of salary per year. 0U330

A captain of artillery, with a salary of 480 pesos per year. 0U480

A constable for land and sea, with 300 pesos per year. 0U300

Twenty artillerymen for land and sea, at 200 pesos each per year, amounting to. 4U000

There are continually 600 soldiers, and at times more, seldom less. These usually earn 115 pesos per year, amounting to 69U000 pesos. 69U000

Of this number 140 are musketeers, who get 36 pesos each per year beside their ordinary salary, amounting to 5040 pesos. 5U040

Thirty ducados of eleven reals each as [294] extra pay to each company each month, amounting to 2520 ducados, which makes 3465 pesos. 3U465

Twenty-eight squadron leaders, with three pesos of extra pay each month, amounting in a year to 1008 pesos. 1U008

One accountant of the royal exchequer, with a salary of 800 pesos per year, and 50 fanégas of cleaned rice. 0U800

One superintendent of supplies and munitions, with 500 pesos of salary and rations. 0U500

One secretary of mines and registries, who serves on a salary of a major official of the office of accounts, with 400 pesos; and one minor official with 150, which amount to. 0U550

Two secretaries, one of war and one of magazines, with 200 pesos apiece per year of salary, and rations for the magazines secretary. 0U400

One engineer and one surgeon, with 600 pesos each year, amounting to 1200 pesos. 1U200

Two Pampango captains, with 120 pesos; two ensigns, with 96 pesos; two sergeants, at 72 pesos; four drummers, two fifers, two shield-bearers, two standard-bearers, at 48 pesos each; and 200 soldiers, at 48 pesos of salary per year, amounting to 10717 pesos. 10U717

A Spanish smith, with a salary of 300 pesos per year, and one Indian with 48 pesos; another, with 42 pesos; ten others, with 30 pesos; one keeper of arquebuses with 42 pesos and all his rations, which will [295] be mentioned in their place, amounting in money to 732 pesos 0U732

Two Spanish carpenters and 20 Indians—the Spaniards with 300 pesos each per year, and the 20 Indians at 48 pesos and their rations—the money amounting to 1560 pesos 1U560

One Spanish stonecutter, with 300 pesos; and twelve Indians at 24 pesos, amounting yearly to 588 pesos 0U588

Two calkers and one cooper, Spaniards, at 300 pesos each per year, amounting to 900 pesos 0U900

A hundred Indian pioneers, at 48 pesos each per year and rations, amounting to 4800 pesos 4U800

An alguazil of the royal exchequer, at 150 pesos per year 0U150

Ten religious, of the Society of Jesus and the Order of St. Francis, and the vicar, at 100 pesos; and thirty fanégas of rice each, the money amounting to 1000 pesos 1U000

Commander, captains, pilot, masters, and other officials of the two galleys, besides rations, have each year in salaries 5643 pesos, 4 tomins 5U643

Four substitutes,24 who are about the person of the governor of those islands, at 30 ducados of eleven reals per month each, amounting each year to 1U980

Each year presents are taken to the king, his son, and the chiefs, worth 2000 pesos 2U000 [296]

The hospitals expend each year in medicines, food, cloth, and service more than 10000 pesos 10U000

There must be used powder, balls, iron, steel, pikes and boats for minor service, costing for their manufacture or construction more than 10000 pesos 10U000

The expenses of the vessels which bring reënforcements; the galleys which are kept there; the salaries of the captains, pilots, masters, officers, and sailors; the careening; and other smaller expenses for their construction and voyages, amount each year to more than 40000 pesos 40U000

A purveyor, who is present in the province of Pintados, earns each year 700 pesos of salary; and there are others—commissioners, a storekeeper, and a secretary—in all amounting to 1300 pesos per year 1U300

The rice, wine, meat, fish, vegetables, and other minor articles used by the persons who are supplied with rations—as are the sailors, artillerymen, carpenters, smiths, pioneers, commanders, and rowers of the galleys; the religious, and others—will amount in Terrenate to more than twenty thousand pesos per year 20U000

218U372

Beside what has been mentioned, attention must be given to what has been spent on the fleets which have been collected since the year one thousand six hundred and six, when Don Pedro de Acuña recovered [297] it—both in ships and on casting [of artillery], soldiers’ hire, and that which has been lost at different times, which has amounted to a large sum each year; and little or no income has been secured from the Malucas, for in nine years they have not brought in 20U pesos. This has been due to negligence; for if there had been a faithful administrator posted there, and his accounts had been audited, and affairs had been orderly and regular (as they are with the enemy), your Majesty might have secured [sufficient] profit to maintain those forces without expending anything from your royal exchequer, as you now do. The same argument applies from now on. On this account it is very important to your royal service either that correction be applied to this, or that some means be considered, which it does not appear to me expedient to place in this relation, to spare your Majesty so great an expense. When those islands are secure from the Dutch enemy, your Majesty will suffer no expense, and will be able to further the working of the above-mentioned mines which lie near Manila. From them, with the favor of God, so great wealth may be looked for as will suffice to clear your Majesty from debt, and this can be accomplished in no other way; for with the ordinary practice, which has prevailed thus far, there is no more hope than for a sick man declared past recovery, to whom the physicians give no remedies, and whom they declare to be at the end of his life.

See also Sawyer’s remarks (pp. 145–152) on gold and gold-mining in the islands.

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