the first ships leaving these islands for Nueva España, to the king
our sovereign in his said royal Council. By this act they so voted,
ordered, and decreed.

Before me:

_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_

_An act decreeing that the treasurer of the royal exchequer shall
collect all the fines that are in any wise imposed by this royal
Audiencia_.

In the city of Manila, on the nineteenth of December, one thousand
five hundred and ninety-eight, the president and auditors of the
royal Audiencia of the Philipinas Islands declared that, whereas the
king our sovereign, in one of his ordinances, orders and commands the
said Audiencia, that the treasurer of his Majesty's royal exchequer
in these islands shall collect all the fines that are in any wise
imposed by this royal Audiencia, which are to be applied both to
the use of the royal treasury, and to the courts and other judicial
expenses; that the chief alguazil of this court shall have charge of
executing them; that whatever the said treasurer collects, he is to
present immediately to the officials of the royal exchequer; that
the aforesaid officials shall place it in the chest with the three
keys; that they shall enter in a book all that they may collect from
such fines, placing on one side the fines for the royal treasury,
and on the other those of the courts; that the aforesaid officials
shall take care that charge of them is given to the said treasurer;
that the latter, at the end of each year, shall audit the said fines;
and that then a succinct report of them shall be sent to the royal