_An act decreeing that the alguazils, as soon as they arrest
delinquents, shall give notice thereof to one of the auditors and to
the commissioners, who shall formulate their cases and bring them to
the office of the clerk of court._

In the city of Manila, on the third of April, one thousand five hundred
and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia
of the Philipinas Islands declared that, whereas it is continually
happening that the alguazils of this court arrest delinquents whose
cases the notaries and commissioners undertake, and, without giving
notice to the aforesaid president and auditors, or taking such cases
to the office of the present secretary, they allow them to remain in
their possession, and the said prisoners to remain in jail, without any
note or account of their imprisonment, whence result vexations to the
said prisoners, and the said alguazils and commissioners do not fulfil
the obligation which rests upon them: therefore, to find a remedy
for this and other annoyances which may result from it, they ordered,
and they did so order, that now and henceforth, as soon as the said
alguazils shall arrest any delinquent, they shall give notice thereof
to one of the above-mentioned persons, in order that he may take the
fitting action in regard to the said imprisonment. Any commissioner
who shall undertake the cause of said prisoner or prisoners shall
immediately take it to the office of the present clerk of court,
so that in this manner there may be the necessary system. Whatever
one or the other may do shall be despatched with all promptness and
punctuality, and no favor--under penalty of a fine of six pesos for
anyone who shall disobey this decree, to be given the poor in the