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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 07 of 55 - 1588-1591 by Unknown
page 28 of 283 (09%)
being situated two leagues inland. This city has forty citizens
who are encomenderos. It has one Augustinian monastery, containing
two priests; one alcalde-mayor, two alcaldes-in-ordinary, one
alguaçil-mayor, and six regidors, who constitute the cabildo;
and a royal hospital, which has for its income the tribute-money
collected here for his Majesty. There is a fort with seven large
pieces of artillery, and an equal number of small pieces--such as
small culverins and falcons--a number of muskets and arquebuses,
pikes, and coats-of-mail, which constitute the weapons and armor
used in this land. For its maintenance this fort has assigned to it
the tribute from one village, which amounts to about one hundred
pesos. It has its own governor. The forty citizens of this city
maintain in addition forty soldiers, who help to pacify, conquer,
and collect the tribute of the encomiendas. Ten of these citizens
are married, the remainder single. Twenty-six thousand Indians, of
whom seven thousand are pacified and pay tribute, are apportioned
to thirty-three of these citizens--some along the principal river
Taxo, and the remainder in the districts near the same. Along this
river and in its neighborhood his Majesty has one thousand seven
hundred tributarios, of whom a thousand are pacified and pay their
tribute. This river Taxo is very broad and deep, and large vessels
can ascend it even to the city. It has an excellent bay. It rises
fifty leagues inland, and is inhabited along its entire course by the
above-mentioned people. Its water is excellent, and the whole land is
quite fertile and healthful, and abounds in rice, swine, fowls, and
palm-wine; and there is much hunting of buffaloes, deer, wild hogs,
and birds. A great amount of wax, cotton, and gold is collected in
this district, in which articles the natives pay their tribute. Two
leagues opposite the bar of the river Taxo is the dense population of
the Babuyanes Islands. One island is an encomienda under the control
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