Note 1 — REPRESENTATION OF FILIPINAS IN THE SPANISH CORTES

Three times in their history have the Philippines had representation in the Spanish national Cortes,1 namely, for the years 1810–1813, 1820–1823, and 1834–1837. In the first two periods is emphasized the backwardness of the Philippines politically as compared with the Spanish-American colonies. In all three periods, one cannot point to any single great measure that was enacted solely at the initiative of the Philippine representatives (unless with the possible exception of the suppression of the Acapulco galleon), and indeed, not to a great many in which they took part.2