upon the Indians. And this is the Christian spirit and the justice
with which we have thus far treated this unfortunate people--we, who
came hither to bestow upon them a knowledge of God! Notwithstanding
all that, we demand that they shall not dare to move, or to open
their lips in complaint. But we have a righteous God, who hears them,
and in His own time will bestow upon each man according to his deserts.

[The Audiencia had enacted laws favorable to the Indians, which the
governor should enforce. For this purpose, it is useless to depend
upon the alcaldes-mayor, since most of them care only for their own
interests and profit.] On this account the president undertook to
reduce the number of the alcaldes-mayor, and to increase the salaries
of those who were left, in order to remove from them the temptation
to plunder. He also wished to abolish entirely the office of deputy,
as he had already begun to do; this would have been no little benefit
to the country. [The country will only be injured by attempting to
increase the number of officials; they aid in the oppression of
the Indians, and care nothing for the bishop's efforts to oppose
them. If the condition of affairs in Luzon is so bad, what must it
be in Mindanao, or Xolo, or other remote districts? The Indians can
not come to the governor with their grievances, and are helpless in
the power of their oppressors.]

[Salazar briefly state the opinions given by the religious persons whom
he has consulted regarding some of the chief points at issue. Most of
them decide that the third part of the tributes will be enough for
any encomendero, no matter how small his holding may be. As for the
restitution of tributes unjustly collected, they all conclude that to
require the return of all the goods thus acquired by the Spaniards
would be too severe a penalty for the latter; but that hereafter no