CHAPTER XIIn which a relation is given of the government and order observed by the house of the Santa Misericordiain the administration of the funds under its charge, and the dependencies annexed to them. The alms which it gives regularly from one year to another, when there are no shipwrecks, and the account which is given annually in it.I do not believe that any of the many houses of the Misericordia throughout Christendom, can be declared to be governed with better rules or have better accounts than that of this city of Manila. I am not speaking without sufficient foundation, since I have read with special attention the great order which rules in the house of the capital of Lisboa. That house is the mother and pattern and source of them all, to whose teaching this faithful daughter of hers, not only has not kept its great talents which I expect from her zealous care, idle, but also has been able ingeniously to exceed her in the pious indulgences of increasing and treasuring up more copious annual reënforcements for the relief of the needs of her neighbor.1 am very certain that this truth would run no danger amid the extensive shoals of self-love, for it navigates governed by the demonstrable reality which removes all kind of doubt; it is current knowledge that the alms which are annually distributed by the royal house of Santa Misericordia of Lisboa amount to forty thousand pesos more or less; but it is not less well-known and certain that those distributed by this house of Manila, when no shipwreck happens, or other misfortunes, amount on the average to seventy thousand pesos annually, making one mass of the benefit which the funds of the sea yield, in addition to those which are produced by those which are founded in bonds, possessions,monopoly, encomienda of his Majesty, chaplaincies of which he is patron, and other sources of wealth which are added to the huge mass of the said sum. This truth is so well known to all this city that it need no further support than the same certainty in which it is founded.The order with which this house of Santa Misericordia is governed is that on November 21, the day of the presentation of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, and the day on which the brothers who have formed the board for that year, and which begins the election of other new members, the election is made by ten electors, whom all the brotherhood appoint, in the manner provided by our rules. They number in all thirteen brothers, the first being the new purveyor. [Next are the] secretary and the treasurer, the latter being the one who was secretary the previous year, who remains in that office in order to give account of the dependencies and affairs of the house since he has handled them all most intimately. After the above are the majordomo of the chapel, the general manager of the house, and all annexed to it; majordomo of prisoners; steward of the dish in which the alms are collected; while the rest of the brothers are occupied in other important duties of the house, such as visits of the treasury and of the prisons, the distributions of alms, secret investigations which are committed to them by the board, and others of like tenor.So great is the authority and power of the purveyor of the house over all the brothers of the Santa Misericordia, and so prompt the obedience of the brothers, that it rather seems a well-ordered community of religious than of seculars, for the firstthing which they swear on the holy gospels when they join the brotherhood is to well and faithfully observe the rules of the brotherhood, and that whenever they are summoned by the purveyor and councilors of the board, and should hear the signal of the bells, they will go thither promptly, if there is no legitimate hindrance that they can see. The purveyor may, when in the board, command, agree, vote, talk, and keep silence, whenever he pleases. He can command a board meeting called, and a general meeting of the brotherhood at the advice of the deputies, appointing the day which he considers best. He may transfer the board and apportion among the brothers of it the duties of collector of alms, and visitors of the prisons. He may remove the chaplains if they commit any notable error in his presence, as well as the servants of the board, and the rectress or portress of the college when he thinks best. He may proceed to the correction and fitting punishment of the collegiates by means of the rectress when they deserve it, and he may (which is more than all the rest) remove with the advice of the councilors of the board those brothers who are disobedient and break the rules of the brotherhood. He may remove those who violate their privileges and those who live after a scandalous manner, if having been warned three times they do not turn over a new leaf. He may appoint others in their place, so that they may serve God our Lord in this His house. Finally, he may (although I do not) do many other things which limit of space does not permit me to write here.The seven deputies who are named above with determined duties shall receive from their predecessorsthe books of which each one of them has had charge, in order to enter therein the new accounts of debit and credit of all that which shall be given into their power in the course of the year, and all that shall be disbursed in order to fulfil the pious ends which are entrusted to them. This having been inferred, I say that the first thing which is asked by the new board from the new purveyors is to take charge of the girls’ school, which is managed according to past custom with allowances and expenses which are occasioned with it in the food and clothing of all the girls, the salaries of the rectress and portress, and other servants who are employed in it. And having accepted this duty, he goes ahead to arrange the provisions of rice, oil, and sugar, and other substances increased in times of the greatest cheapness and advantage; for whose constancy in the new account which is opened in the book of expenses of the purveyors, he sets down monthly the expense which is made in each one of them, and in this way he proceeds in all those of the year, placing each item down separately and procuring that the expenses shall not be increased unless there be a greater number of girls or wards, and, at the end of the year, he presents the book with his account. Its examination and review is entrusted to the present secretary, who balances it, either in favor or against, and having set forth the balanced part, the said secretary places his approval at the bottom of it and signs it, and enters it in the minutes of that day so that it may stand forth for all time.The secretary of the board on whom devolves the greater part of the work has his new record book in which are entered all the despatches of the petitionswhich are presented, the distributions which are made, and the applications of the alms, both of dowry for the schoolgirls, and the orphan girls outside [the school], the salaries which are paid to the chaplains of the house, the portress and the servants of the house, and the alms of the masses of Alva, 9 and 11, which are said in our church on all feast-days. Especially with great care does he enter the two inspections or general balances, which are struck at the beginning and end of each board, of all the sums of pesos, both of current funds, of dowries and alms, and of deposits which are contained in the treasury under separate headings, in order to apply them to the purposes which their founders assigned by full directions. He affixes his rubric to the memoranda which are in the sacks, with the statement of what each one contains, with the day, month, and year of the record in which they are set down. The writing of all the above with his own hand is an operation so indispensable to his obligation that he is obliged to do it under oath. In case of his absence, the same is done by the treasurer who supplies his absences by writing in a separate book whatever occurs in regard to the business matters of the house. And as soon as the secretary takes charge of the current despatch of the house, he is obliged to transfer to his book whatever shall have been decreed during his absence, so that by such a proceeding all that which belongs to the record of that year may be found in one volume. He is also obliged to enter all the sums of pesos which are received in the treasury in the books prepared for them, both of the dues collected and the usufruct which are yielded by the sea funds, besides the great number of very troublesome collections, although the love of God makes themmild and easy, to whomever works for the welfare of his neighbor and the preservation of this house.He is also obliged to adjust the appointments of the chaplains of the many chaplaincies of which the board of the Santa Misericordia is patron, by virtue of which, and of those presented as said chaplains, a collation of the chaplaincies has always been given to them so far as it concerns them, and the fitting support has been decreed and given as a relief for their poverty. In this there is no other consideration, either in this court or in other superior courts, but it is passed upon before the said secretary just as in the house of Lisboa, which has as a special privilege that the secretaries of the said house may give attestations in all and any court.The treasurer, who has charge of the possessions of the Parián of the Sangleys, attends to the collection of their rents, and the distribution of the alms, which are distributed every Saturday throughout the year to the self-respecting poor at the door of the house of the Santa Misericordia; and also the alms in pesos for the masses which are said throughout all the months of the year by one of the chaplains of the house for the soul of the founder, who endowed it with the said possessions. And in the book which is delivered to him with the enumeration and individual account of the places and location of said possessions and of the purposes for so charitable a foundation, the said treasurer enters the debit and credit account of all the sums which are received monthly and are disbursed by them, collecting receipts of them all for the account which must be given at the end of the year, which passes in review and must be balanced like the other accounts.The treasurer is also the one who is present at thetime of the two inspections or general balances of the treasurer. If between the last of the board which has just ended and the new one which is formed for its government there is any difference because of some quantity of pesos having been drawn in the interim, for any purpose for which it has fallen due, he gives prompt account thereof by the vouchers made and that appear from the preceding record book and by his receipts. In this way he continues until the conclusion of the said general review, which is generally the first thing. Following, other important points are begun by the new board without any confusion arising.The chapel steward receives in inventory all that belongs to the church and its sacristy, with the aid of the chaplain-in-chief of the house, from the acting secretary of the board, and the past steward. In his presence, the list is formed item by item in the book of inventories, and is received by the acting steward, and when it is completed to the satisfaction of all, the four sign it, and it is placed in the first record so that it may stand forever. He has also another separate book of the new expenses, which are made in the church, sacristy, and other things in his charge in the course of the year. In it he forms the debit and credit account in minute detail, and at the end of the year he presents the book; proceeding to his resolution with the same solemnity as the others whom we have mentioned.The attorney-general who attends to all the business and interests of the house (except those of the annuities which have a separate attorney with a paid advocate) receives in the book of suits all those which the preceding board left pending, and alsothe writs and other papers which are to be in his charge for that year. For the better direction, management, and outcome of said suits, an intelligent advocate is appointed for him to whom he may apply in all his doubts. And in all that which he does in pursuance of this order, he gives account in all the board meetings which are regularly held semi-weekly. A secretary, who keeps the keys of the archives, is obliged to give him all the documents that he asks for, and shall keep a record of the withdrawal of such.He also has another book, in which he enters in alphabetical order the accounts of the funds, the costs belonging to each one, which are caused in prosecution of the said suits, the signature of writs and the cancellations [chancelaciones] of them.Later he forms from them the general debit and credit account in which he places the salaries of advocate, procurator, and attorney in the royal Audiencia with the other expenses which belong to the said matters. At the end of the year, he presents it, and with it the fitting obligation of review, balances, and approval is made, as in all those above mentioned. But independently of this, he shows the book of current suits, writs, and other papers. Having been compared by the secretary, with the statement of those which were given to him at the beginning of the year, and of those which were given to him from the archives in his term, if the whole thing agrees, he is absolved from his charge, but in no other manner until the total fulfilment.The steward of prisoners has in charge the collections of the possession of the sites of the paddy-fields, whose usufruct is distributed half and half in thetwo prisons of the court, and of the city, for the support of the poor prisoners, and the other half in the hospital of the Misericordia, which is in charge of the religious of St. John of God, as a relief for sick men and women. Besides this relief, which is monthly, they share other large alms which are furnished from other funds administered by the house of the Misericordia. In his book of the said possessions, with the statement of their purposes, he forms his account of debit and credit, and, at the time of its presentation, gives his discharge by the receipts which he collects from the wardens of said prisons. That is generally, or always, executed with the knowledge of the minister who has charge of the inspection of the prisons and the relief of the needs experienced therein.The steward of the dish in which the alms are collected is obliged to send it every fortnight to two brothers of this venerable brotherhood, so that on Sunday they may go out to collect alms in all the public parts of this city. They having observed this measure, return the dish and the alms to the said steward. The latter, observing the same rule throughout the months of the year, draws up his debit and credit account. The alms which he declares before the board are equal in sum to those which have been collected, according as it appears. In that conformity it is approved, the same measures as before with the others having preceded.This is the government, order, and method which the house of the Santa Misericordia has maintained faithfully, with the punctual assistance and encouragement of the zealous, disinterested Christians. They are the work of its brothers, whose powerful example in the faithful administration of the fundsentrusted to them has enabled them to obtain exemption from inspection of their house until the present time. They are today more assured than ever by dint of royal decrees, the first dated Madrid, September 7, 1699; in which his Majesty resolves and declares that this brotherhood, in order that it may be maintained and continue its exercises with more encouragement, shall not be subject to visits by the ordinaries, archbishops, provisors in vacant see, or by any other ecclesiastical minister; and that it shall be allowed to make use as hitherto of its good government and to observe its rules and ordinances. And in the same vein is another decree given in Buen Retiro, under date of June 11, 1708, in which his Majesty also resolves that the decree above inserted be kept, fulfilled, and executed, exactly according to the terms expressed therein, and that no embarrassment or obstacle be opposed or permitted to be opposed to the fulfilment of its contents, as such is his royal will. In that one can see clearly how, having been well informed, his Majesty approves the good government of this house and the practice of its rules and ordinances. This is the greatest intent of this chapter, and we leave the rest so that the parties may discuss it in or out of court.
CHAPTER XIIn which a relation is given of the government and order observed by the house of the Santa Misericordiain the administration of the funds under its charge, and the dependencies annexed to them. The alms which it gives regularly from one year to another, when there are no shipwrecks, and the account which is given annually in it.I do not believe that any of the many houses of the Misericordia throughout Christendom, can be declared to be governed with better rules or have better accounts than that of this city of Manila. I am not speaking without sufficient foundation, since I have read with special attention the great order which rules in the house of the capital of Lisboa. That house is the mother and pattern and source of them all, to whose teaching this faithful daughter of hers, not only has not kept its great talents which I expect from her zealous care, idle, but also has been able ingeniously to exceed her in the pious indulgences of increasing and treasuring up more copious annual reënforcements for the relief of the needs of her neighbor.1 am very certain that this truth would run no danger amid the extensive shoals of self-love, for it navigates governed by the demonstrable reality which removes all kind of doubt; it is current knowledge that the alms which are annually distributed by the royal house of Santa Misericordia of Lisboa amount to forty thousand pesos more or less; but it is not less well-known and certain that those distributed by this house of Manila, when no shipwreck happens, or other misfortunes, amount on the average to seventy thousand pesos annually, making one mass of the benefit which the funds of the sea yield, in addition to those which are produced by those which are founded in bonds, possessions,monopoly, encomienda of his Majesty, chaplaincies of which he is patron, and other sources of wealth which are added to the huge mass of the said sum. This truth is so well known to all this city that it need no further support than the same certainty in which it is founded.The order with which this house of Santa Misericordia is governed is that on November 21, the day of the presentation of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, and the day on which the brothers who have formed the board for that year, and which begins the election of other new members, the election is made by ten electors, whom all the brotherhood appoint, in the manner provided by our rules. They number in all thirteen brothers, the first being the new purveyor. [Next are the] secretary and the treasurer, the latter being the one who was secretary the previous year, who remains in that office in order to give account of the dependencies and affairs of the house since he has handled them all most intimately. After the above are the majordomo of the chapel, the general manager of the house, and all annexed to it; majordomo of prisoners; steward of the dish in which the alms are collected; while the rest of the brothers are occupied in other important duties of the house, such as visits of the treasury and of the prisons, the distributions of alms, secret investigations which are committed to them by the board, and others of like tenor.So great is the authority and power of the purveyor of the house over all the brothers of the Santa Misericordia, and so prompt the obedience of the brothers, that it rather seems a well-ordered community of religious than of seculars, for the firstthing which they swear on the holy gospels when they join the brotherhood is to well and faithfully observe the rules of the brotherhood, and that whenever they are summoned by the purveyor and councilors of the board, and should hear the signal of the bells, they will go thither promptly, if there is no legitimate hindrance that they can see. The purveyor may, when in the board, command, agree, vote, talk, and keep silence, whenever he pleases. He can command a board meeting called, and a general meeting of the brotherhood at the advice of the deputies, appointing the day which he considers best. He may transfer the board and apportion among the brothers of it the duties of collector of alms, and visitors of the prisons. He may remove the chaplains if they commit any notable error in his presence, as well as the servants of the board, and the rectress or portress of the college when he thinks best. He may proceed to the correction and fitting punishment of the collegiates by means of the rectress when they deserve it, and he may (which is more than all the rest) remove with the advice of the councilors of the board those brothers who are disobedient and break the rules of the brotherhood. He may remove those who violate their privileges and those who live after a scandalous manner, if having been warned three times they do not turn over a new leaf. He may appoint others in their place, so that they may serve God our Lord in this His house. Finally, he may (although I do not) do many other things which limit of space does not permit me to write here.The seven deputies who are named above with determined duties shall receive from their predecessorsthe books of which each one of them has had charge, in order to enter therein the new accounts of debit and credit of all that which shall be given into their power in the course of the year, and all that shall be disbursed in order to fulfil the pious ends which are entrusted to them. This having been inferred, I say that the first thing which is asked by the new board from the new purveyors is to take charge of the girls’ school, which is managed according to past custom with allowances and expenses which are occasioned with it in the food and clothing of all the girls, the salaries of the rectress and portress, and other servants who are employed in it. And having accepted this duty, he goes ahead to arrange the provisions of rice, oil, and sugar, and other substances increased in times of the greatest cheapness and advantage; for whose constancy in the new account which is opened in the book of expenses of the purveyors, he sets down monthly the expense which is made in each one of them, and in this way he proceeds in all those of the year, placing each item down separately and procuring that the expenses shall not be increased unless there be a greater number of girls or wards, and, at the end of the year, he presents the book with his account. Its examination and review is entrusted to the present secretary, who balances it, either in favor or against, and having set forth the balanced part, the said secretary places his approval at the bottom of it and signs it, and enters it in the minutes of that day so that it may stand forth for all time.The secretary of the board on whom devolves the greater part of the work has his new record book in which are entered all the despatches of the petitionswhich are presented, the distributions which are made, and the applications of the alms, both of dowry for the schoolgirls, and the orphan girls outside [the school], the salaries which are paid to the chaplains of the house, the portress and the servants of the house, and the alms of the masses of Alva, 9 and 11, which are said in our church on all feast-days. Especially with great care does he enter the two inspections or general balances, which are struck at the beginning and end of each board, of all the sums of pesos, both of current funds, of dowries and alms, and of deposits which are contained in the treasury under separate headings, in order to apply them to the purposes which their founders assigned by full directions. He affixes his rubric to the memoranda which are in the sacks, with the statement of what each one contains, with the day, month, and year of the record in which they are set down. The writing of all the above with his own hand is an operation so indispensable to his obligation that he is obliged to do it under oath. In case of his absence, the same is done by the treasurer who supplies his absences by writing in a separate book whatever occurs in regard to the business matters of the house. And as soon as the secretary takes charge of the current despatch of the house, he is obliged to transfer to his book whatever shall have been decreed during his absence, so that by such a proceeding all that which belongs to the record of that year may be found in one volume. He is also obliged to enter all the sums of pesos which are received in the treasury in the books prepared for them, both of the dues collected and the usufruct which are yielded by the sea funds, besides the great number of very troublesome collections, although the love of God makes themmild and easy, to whomever works for the welfare of his neighbor and the preservation of this house.He is also obliged to adjust the appointments of the chaplains of the many chaplaincies of which the board of the Santa Misericordia is patron, by virtue of which, and of those presented as said chaplains, a collation of the chaplaincies has always been given to them so far as it concerns them, and the fitting support has been decreed and given as a relief for their poverty. In this there is no other consideration, either in this court or in other superior courts, but it is passed upon before the said secretary just as in the house of Lisboa, which has as a special privilege that the secretaries of the said house may give attestations in all and any court.The treasurer, who has charge of the possessions of the Parián of the Sangleys, attends to the collection of their rents, and the distribution of the alms, which are distributed every Saturday throughout the year to the self-respecting poor at the door of the house of the Santa Misericordia; and also the alms in pesos for the masses which are said throughout all the months of the year by one of the chaplains of the house for the soul of the founder, who endowed it with the said possessions. And in the book which is delivered to him with the enumeration and individual account of the places and location of said possessions and of the purposes for so charitable a foundation, the said treasurer enters the debit and credit account of all the sums which are received monthly and are disbursed by them, collecting receipts of them all for the account which must be given at the end of the year, which passes in review and must be balanced like the other accounts.The treasurer is also the one who is present at thetime of the two inspections or general balances of the treasurer. If between the last of the board which has just ended and the new one which is formed for its government there is any difference because of some quantity of pesos having been drawn in the interim, for any purpose for which it has fallen due, he gives prompt account thereof by the vouchers made and that appear from the preceding record book and by his receipts. In this way he continues until the conclusion of the said general review, which is generally the first thing. Following, other important points are begun by the new board without any confusion arising.The chapel steward receives in inventory all that belongs to the church and its sacristy, with the aid of the chaplain-in-chief of the house, from the acting secretary of the board, and the past steward. In his presence, the list is formed item by item in the book of inventories, and is received by the acting steward, and when it is completed to the satisfaction of all, the four sign it, and it is placed in the first record so that it may stand forever. He has also another separate book of the new expenses, which are made in the church, sacristy, and other things in his charge in the course of the year. In it he forms the debit and credit account in minute detail, and at the end of the year he presents the book; proceeding to his resolution with the same solemnity as the others whom we have mentioned.The attorney-general who attends to all the business and interests of the house (except those of the annuities which have a separate attorney with a paid advocate) receives in the book of suits all those which the preceding board left pending, and alsothe writs and other papers which are to be in his charge for that year. For the better direction, management, and outcome of said suits, an intelligent advocate is appointed for him to whom he may apply in all his doubts. And in all that which he does in pursuance of this order, he gives account in all the board meetings which are regularly held semi-weekly. A secretary, who keeps the keys of the archives, is obliged to give him all the documents that he asks for, and shall keep a record of the withdrawal of such.He also has another book, in which he enters in alphabetical order the accounts of the funds, the costs belonging to each one, which are caused in prosecution of the said suits, the signature of writs and the cancellations [chancelaciones] of them.Later he forms from them the general debit and credit account in which he places the salaries of advocate, procurator, and attorney in the royal Audiencia with the other expenses which belong to the said matters. At the end of the year, he presents it, and with it the fitting obligation of review, balances, and approval is made, as in all those above mentioned. But independently of this, he shows the book of current suits, writs, and other papers. Having been compared by the secretary, with the statement of those which were given to him at the beginning of the year, and of those which were given to him from the archives in his term, if the whole thing agrees, he is absolved from his charge, but in no other manner until the total fulfilment.The steward of prisoners has in charge the collections of the possession of the sites of the paddy-fields, whose usufruct is distributed half and half in thetwo prisons of the court, and of the city, for the support of the poor prisoners, and the other half in the hospital of the Misericordia, which is in charge of the religious of St. John of God, as a relief for sick men and women. Besides this relief, which is monthly, they share other large alms which are furnished from other funds administered by the house of the Misericordia. In his book of the said possessions, with the statement of their purposes, he forms his account of debit and credit, and, at the time of its presentation, gives his discharge by the receipts which he collects from the wardens of said prisons. That is generally, or always, executed with the knowledge of the minister who has charge of the inspection of the prisons and the relief of the needs experienced therein.The steward of the dish in which the alms are collected is obliged to send it every fortnight to two brothers of this venerable brotherhood, so that on Sunday they may go out to collect alms in all the public parts of this city. They having observed this measure, return the dish and the alms to the said steward. The latter, observing the same rule throughout the months of the year, draws up his debit and credit account. The alms which he declares before the board are equal in sum to those which have been collected, according as it appears. In that conformity it is approved, the same measures as before with the others having preceded.This is the government, order, and method which the house of the Santa Misericordia has maintained faithfully, with the punctual assistance and encouragement of the zealous, disinterested Christians. They are the work of its brothers, whose powerful example in the faithful administration of the fundsentrusted to them has enabled them to obtain exemption from inspection of their house until the present time. They are today more assured than ever by dint of royal decrees, the first dated Madrid, September 7, 1699; in which his Majesty resolves and declares that this brotherhood, in order that it may be maintained and continue its exercises with more encouragement, shall not be subject to visits by the ordinaries, archbishops, provisors in vacant see, or by any other ecclesiastical minister; and that it shall be allowed to make use as hitherto of its good government and to observe its rules and ordinances. And in the same vein is another decree given in Buen Retiro, under date of June 11, 1708, in which his Majesty also resolves that the decree above inserted be kept, fulfilled, and executed, exactly according to the terms expressed therein, and that no embarrassment or obstacle be opposed or permitted to be opposed to the fulfilment of its contents, as such is his royal will. In that one can see clearly how, having been well informed, his Majesty approves the good government of this house and the practice of its rules and ordinances. This is the greatest intent of this chapter, and we leave the rest so that the parties may discuss it in or out of court.
CHAPTER XIIn which a relation is given of the government and order observed by the house of the Santa Misericordiain the administration of the funds under its charge, and the dependencies annexed to them. The alms which it gives regularly from one year to another, when there are no shipwrecks, and the account which is given annually in it.I do not believe that any of the many houses of the Misericordia throughout Christendom, can be declared to be governed with better rules or have better accounts than that of this city of Manila. I am not speaking without sufficient foundation, since I have read with special attention the great order which rules in the house of the capital of Lisboa. That house is the mother and pattern and source of them all, to whose teaching this faithful daughter of hers, not only has not kept its great talents which I expect from her zealous care, idle, but also has been able ingeniously to exceed her in the pious indulgences of increasing and treasuring up more copious annual reënforcements for the relief of the needs of her neighbor.1 am very certain that this truth would run no danger amid the extensive shoals of self-love, for it navigates governed by the demonstrable reality which removes all kind of doubt; it is current knowledge that the alms which are annually distributed by the royal house of Santa Misericordia of Lisboa amount to forty thousand pesos more or less; but it is not less well-known and certain that those distributed by this house of Manila, when no shipwreck happens, or other misfortunes, amount on the average to seventy thousand pesos annually, making one mass of the benefit which the funds of the sea yield, in addition to those which are produced by those which are founded in bonds, possessions,monopoly, encomienda of his Majesty, chaplaincies of which he is patron, and other sources of wealth which are added to the huge mass of the said sum. This truth is so well known to all this city that it need no further support than the same certainty in which it is founded.The order with which this house of Santa Misericordia is governed is that on November 21, the day of the presentation of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, and the day on which the brothers who have formed the board for that year, and which begins the election of other new members, the election is made by ten electors, whom all the brotherhood appoint, in the manner provided by our rules. They number in all thirteen brothers, the first being the new purveyor. [Next are the] secretary and the treasurer, the latter being the one who was secretary the previous year, who remains in that office in order to give account of the dependencies and affairs of the house since he has handled them all most intimately. After the above are the majordomo of the chapel, the general manager of the house, and all annexed to it; majordomo of prisoners; steward of the dish in which the alms are collected; while the rest of the brothers are occupied in other important duties of the house, such as visits of the treasury and of the prisons, the distributions of alms, secret investigations which are committed to them by the board, and others of like tenor.So great is the authority and power of the purveyor of the house over all the brothers of the Santa Misericordia, and so prompt the obedience of the brothers, that it rather seems a well-ordered community of religious than of seculars, for the firstthing which they swear on the holy gospels when they join the brotherhood is to well and faithfully observe the rules of the brotherhood, and that whenever they are summoned by the purveyor and councilors of the board, and should hear the signal of the bells, they will go thither promptly, if there is no legitimate hindrance that they can see. The purveyor may, when in the board, command, agree, vote, talk, and keep silence, whenever he pleases. He can command a board meeting called, and a general meeting of the brotherhood at the advice of the deputies, appointing the day which he considers best. He may transfer the board and apportion among the brothers of it the duties of collector of alms, and visitors of the prisons. He may remove the chaplains if they commit any notable error in his presence, as well as the servants of the board, and the rectress or portress of the college when he thinks best. He may proceed to the correction and fitting punishment of the collegiates by means of the rectress when they deserve it, and he may (which is more than all the rest) remove with the advice of the councilors of the board those brothers who are disobedient and break the rules of the brotherhood. He may remove those who violate their privileges and those who live after a scandalous manner, if having been warned three times they do not turn over a new leaf. He may appoint others in their place, so that they may serve God our Lord in this His house. Finally, he may (although I do not) do many other things which limit of space does not permit me to write here.The seven deputies who are named above with determined duties shall receive from their predecessorsthe books of which each one of them has had charge, in order to enter therein the new accounts of debit and credit of all that which shall be given into their power in the course of the year, and all that shall be disbursed in order to fulfil the pious ends which are entrusted to them. This having been inferred, I say that the first thing which is asked by the new board from the new purveyors is to take charge of the girls’ school, which is managed according to past custom with allowances and expenses which are occasioned with it in the food and clothing of all the girls, the salaries of the rectress and portress, and other servants who are employed in it. And having accepted this duty, he goes ahead to arrange the provisions of rice, oil, and sugar, and other substances increased in times of the greatest cheapness and advantage; for whose constancy in the new account which is opened in the book of expenses of the purveyors, he sets down monthly the expense which is made in each one of them, and in this way he proceeds in all those of the year, placing each item down separately and procuring that the expenses shall not be increased unless there be a greater number of girls or wards, and, at the end of the year, he presents the book with his account. Its examination and review is entrusted to the present secretary, who balances it, either in favor or against, and having set forth the balanced part, the said secretary places his approval at the bottom of it and signs it, and enters it in the minutes of that day so that it may stand forth for all time.The secretary of the board on whom devolves the greater part of the work has his new record book in which are entered all the despatches of the petitionswhich are presented, the distributions which are made, and the applications of the alms, both of dowry for the schoolgirls, and the orphan girls outside [the school], the salaries which are paid to the chaplains of the house, the portress and the servants of the house, and the alms of the masses of Alva, 9 and 11, which are said in our church on all feast-days. Especially with great care does he enter the two inspections or general balances, which are struck at the beginning and end of each board, of all the sums of pesos, both of current funds, of dowries and alms, and of deposits which are contained in the treasury under separate headings, in order to apply them to the purposes which their founders assigned by full directions. He affixes his rubric to the memoranda which are in the sacks, with the statement of what each one contains, with the day, month, and year of the record in which they are set down. The writing of all the above with his own hand is an operation so indispensable to his obligation that he is obliged to do it under oath. In case of his absence, the same is done by the treasurer who supplies his absences by writing in a separate book whatever occurs in regard to the business matters of the house. And as soon as the secretary takes charge of the current despatch of the house, he is obliged to transfer to his book whatever shall have been decreed during his absence, so that by such a proceeding all that which belongs to the record of that year may be found in one volume. He is also obliged to enter all the sums of pesos which are received in the treasury in the books prepared for them, both of the dues collected and the usufruct which are yielded by the sea funds, besides the great number of very troublesome collections, although the love of God makes themmild and easy, to whomever works for the welfare of his neighbor and the preservation of this house.He is also obliged to adjust the appointments of the chaplains of the many chaplaincies of which the board of the Santa Misericordia is patron, by virtue of which, and of those presented as said chaplains, a collation of the chaplaincies has always been given to them so far as it concerns them, and the fitting support has been decreed and given as a relief for their poverty. In this there is no other consideration, either in this court or in other superior courts, but it is passed upon before the said secretary just as in the house of Lisboa, which has as a special privilege that the secretaries of the said house may give attestations in all and any court.The treasurer, who has charge of the possessions of the Parián of the Sangleys, attends to the collection of their rents, and the distribution of the alms, which are distributed every Saturday throughout the year to the self-respecting poor at the door of the house of the Santa Misericordia; and also the alms in pesos for the masses which are said throughout all the months of the year by one of the chaplains of the house for the soul of the founder, who endowed it with the said possessions. And in the book which is delivered to him with the enumeration and individual account of the places and location of said possessions and of the purposes for so charitable a foundation, the said treasurer enters the debit and credit account of all the sums which are received monthly and are disbursed by them, collecting receipts of them all for the account which must be given at the end of the year, which passes in review and must be balanced like the other accounts.The treasurer is also the one who is present at thetime of the two inspections or general balances of the treasurer. If between the last of the board which has just ended and the new one which is formed for its government there is any difference because of some quantity of pesos having been drawn in the interim, for any purpose for which it has fallen due, he gives prompt account thereof by the vouchers made and that appear from the preceding record book and by his receipts. In this way he continues until the conclusion of the said general review, which is generally the first thing. Following, other important points are begun by the new board without any confusion arising.The chapel steward receives in inventory all that belongs to the church and its sacristy, with the aid of the chaplain-in-chief of the house, from the acting secretary of the board, and the past steward. In his presence, the list is formed item by item in the book of inventories, and is received by the acting steward, and when it is completed to the satisfaction of all, the four sign it, and it is placed in the first record so that it may stand forever. He has also another separate book of the new expenses, which are made in the church, sacristy, and other things in his charge in the course of the year. In it he forms the debit and credit account in minute detail, and at the end of the year he presents the book; proceeding to his resolution with the same solemnity as the others whom we have mentioned.The attorney-general who attends to all the business and interests of the house (except those of the annuities which have a separate attorney with a paid advocate) receives in the book of suits all those which the preceding board left pending, and alsothe writs and other papers which are to be in his charge for that year. For the better direction, management, and outcome of said suits, an intelligent advocate is appointed for him to whom he may apply in all his doubts. And in all that which he does in pursuance of this order, he gives account in all the board meetings which are regularly held semi-weekly. A secretary, who keeps the keys of the archives, is obliged to give him all the documents that he asks for, and shall keep a record of the withdrawal of such.He also has another book, in which he enters in alphabetical order the accounts of the funds, the costs belonging to each one, which are caused in prosecution of the said suits, the signature of writs and the cancellations [chancelaciones] of them.Later he forms from them the general debit and credit account in which he places the salaries of advocate, procurator, and attorney in the royal Audiencia with the other expenses which belong to the said matters. At the end of the year, he presents it, and with it the fitting obligation of review, balances, and approval is made, as in all those above mentioned. But independently of this, he shows the book of current suits, writs, and other papers. Having been compared by the secretary, with the statement of those which were given to him at the beginning of the year, and of those which were given to him from the archives in his term, if the whole thing agrees, he is absolved from his charge, but in no other manner until the total fulfilment.The steward of prisoners has in charge the collections of the possession of the sites of the paddy-fields, whose usufruct is distributed half and half in thetwo prisons of the court, and of the city, for the support of the poor prisoners, and the other half in the hospital of the Misericordia, which is in charge of the religious of St. John of God, as a relief for sick men and women. Besides this relief, which is monthly, they share other large alms which are furnished from other funds administered by the house of the Misericordia. In his book of the said possessions, with the statement of their purposes, he forms his account of debit and credit, and, at the time of its presentation, gives his discharge by the receipts which he collects from the wardens of said prisons. That is generally, or always, executed with the knowledge of the minister who has charge of the inspection of the prisons and the relief of the needs experienced therein.The steward of the dish in which the alms are collected is obliged to send it every fortnight to two brothers of this venerable brotherhood, so that on Sunday they may go out to collect alms in all the public parts of this city. They having observed this measure, return the dish and the alms to the said steward. The latter, observing the same rule throughout the months of the year, draws up his debit and credit account. The alms which he declares before the board are equal in sum to those which have been collected, according as it appears. In that conformity it is approved, the same measures as before with the others having preceded.This is the government, order, and method which the house of the Santa Misericordia has maintained faithfully, with the punctual assistance and encouragement of the zealous, disinterested Christians. They are the work of its brothers, whose powerful example in the faithful administration of the fundsentrusted to them has enabled them to obtain exemption from inspection of their house until the present time. They are today more assured than ever by dint of royal decrees, the first dated Madrid, September 7, 1699; in which his Majesty resolves and declares that this brotherhood, in order that it may be maintained and continue its exercises with more encouragement, shall not be subject to visits by the ordinaries, archbishops, provisors in vacant see, or by any other ecclesiastical minister; and that it shall be allowed to make use as hitherto of its good government and to observe its rules and ordinances. And in the same vein is another decree given in Buen Retiro, under date of June 11, 1708, in which his Majesty also resolves that the decree above inserted be kept, fulfilled, and executed, exactly according to the terms expressed therein, and that no embarrassment or obstacle be opposed or permitted to be opposed to the fulfilment of its contents, as such is his royal will. In that one can see clearly how, having been well informed, his Majesty approves the good government of this house and the practice of its rules and ordinances. This is the greatest intent of this chapter, and we leave the rest so that the parties may discuss it in or out of court.
CHAPTER XIIn which a relation is given of the government and order observed by the house of the Santa Misericordiain the administration of the funds under its charge, and the dependencies annexed to them. The alms which it gives regularly from one year to another, when there are no shipwrecks, and the account which is given annually in it.I do not believe that any of the many houses of the Misericordia throughout Christendom, can be declared to be governed with better rules or have better accounts than that of this city of Manila. I am not speaking without sufficient foundation, since I have read with special attention the great order which rules in the house of the capital of Lisboa. That house is the mother and pattern and source of them all, to whose teaching this faithful daughter of hers, not only has not kept its great talents which I expect from her zealous care, idle, but also has been able ingeniously to exceed her in the pious indulgences of increasing and treasuring up more copious annual reënforcements for the relief of the needs of her neighbor.1 am very certain that this truth would run no danger amid the extensive shoals of self-love, for it navigates governed by the demonstrable reality which removes all kind of doubt; it is current knowledge that the alms which are annually distributed by the royal house of Santa Misericordia of Lisboa amount to forty thousand pesos more or less; but it is not less well-known and certain that those distributed by this house of Manila, when no shipwreck happens, or other misfortunes, amount on the average to seventy thousand pesos annually, making one mass of the benefit which the funds of the sea yield, in addition to those which are produced by those which are founded in bonds, possessions,monopoly, encomienda of his Majesty, chaplaincies of which he is patron, and other sources of wealth which are added to the huge mass of the said sum. This truth is so well known to all this city that it need no further support than the same certainty in which it is founded.The order with which this house of Santa Misericordia is governed is that on November 21, the day of the presentation of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, and the day on which the brothers who have formed the board for that year, and which begins the election of other new members, the election is made by ten electors, whom all the brotherhood appoint, in the manner provided by our rules. They number in all thirteen brothers, the first being the new purveyor. [Next are the] secretary and the treasurer, the latter being the one who was secretary the previous year, who remains in that office in order to give account of the dependencies and affairs of the house since he has handled them all most intimately. After the above are the majordomo of the chapel, the general manager of the house, and all annexed to it; majordomo of prisoners; steward of the dish in which the alms are collected; while the rest of the brothers are occupied in other important duties of the house, such as visits of the treasury and of the prisons, the distributions of alms, secret investigations which are committed to them by the board, and others of like tenor.So great is the authority and power of the purveyor of the house over all the brothers of the Santa Misericordia, and so prompt the obedience of the brothers, that it rather seems a well-ordered community of religious than of seculars, for the firstthing which they swear on the holy gospels when they join the brotherhood is to well and faithfully observe the rules of the brotherhood, and that whenever they are summoned by the purveyor and councilors of the board, and should hear the signal of the bells, they will go thither promptly, if there is no legitimate hindrance that they can see. The purveyor may, when in the board, command, agree, vote, talk, and keep silence, whenever he pleases. He can command a board meeting called, and a general meeting of the brotherhood at the advice of the deputies, appointing the day which he considers best. He may transfer the board and apportion among the brothers of it the duties of collector of alms, and visitors of the prisons. He may remove the chaplains if they commit any notable error in his presence, as well as the servants of the board, and the rectress or portress of the college when he thinks best. He may proceed to the correction and fitting punishment of the collegiates by means of the rectress when they deserve it, and he may (which is more than all the rest) remove with the advice of the councilors of the board those brothers who are disobedient and break the rules of the brotherhood. He may remove those who violate their privileges and those who live after a scandalous manner, if having been warned three times they do not turn over a new leaf. He may appoint others in their place, so that they may serve God our Lord in this His house. Finally, he may (although I do not) do many other things which limit of space does not permit me to write here.The seven deputies who are named above with determined duties shall receive from their predecessorsthe books of which each one of them has had charge, in order to enter therein the new accounts of debit and credit of all that which shall be given into their power in the course of the year, and all that shall be disbursed in order to fulfil the pious ends which are entrusted to them. This having been inferred, I say that the first thing which is asked by the new board from the new purveyors is to take charge of the girls’ school, which is managed according to past custom with allowances and expenses which are occasioned with it in the food and clothing of all the girls, the salaries of the rectress and portress, and other servants who are employed in it. And having accepted this duty, he goes ahead to arrange the provisions of rice, oil, and sugar, and other substances increased in times of the greatest cheapness and advantage; for whose constancy in the new account which is opened in the book of expenses of the purveyors, he sets down monthly the expense which is made in each one of them, and in this way he proceeds in all those of the year, placing each item down separately and procuring that the expenses shall not be increased unless there be a greater number of girls or wards, and, at the end of the year, he presents the book with his account. Its examination and review is entrusted to the present secretary, who balances it, either in favor or against, and having set forth the balanced part, the said secretary places his approval at the bottom of it and signs it, and enters it in the minutes of that day so that it may stand forth for all time.The secretary of the board on whom devolves the greater part of the work has his new record book in which are entered all the despatches of the petitionswhich are presented, the distributions which are made, and the applications of the alms, both of dowry for the schoolgirls, and the orphan girls outside [the school], the salaries which are paid to the chaplains of the house, the portress and the servants of the house, and the alms of the masses of Alva, 9 and 11, which are said in our church on all feast-days. Especially with great care does he enter the two inspections or general balances, which are struck at the beginning and end of each board, of all the sums of pesos, both of current funds, of dowries and alms, and of deposits which are contained in the treasury under separate headings, in order to apply them to the purposes which their founders assigned by full directions. He affixes his rubric to the memoranda which are in the sacks, with the statement of what each one contains, with the day, month, and year of the record in which they are set down. The writing of all the above with his own hand is an operation so indispensable to his obligation that he is obliged to do it under oath. In case of his absence, the same is done by the treasurer who supplies his absences by writing in a separate book whatever occurs in regard to the business matters of the house. And as soon as the secretary takes charge of the current despatch of the house, he is obliged to transfer to his book whatever shall have been decreed during his absence, so that by such a proceeding all that which belongs to the record of that year may be found in one volume. He is also obliged to enter all the sums of pesos which are received in the treasury in the books prepared for them, both of the dues collected and the usufruct which are yielded by the sea funds, besides the great number of very troublesome collections, although the love of God makes themmild and easy, to whomever works for the welfare of his neighbor and the preservation of this house.He is also obliged to adjust the appointments of the chaplains of the many chaplaincies of which the board of the Santa Misericordia is patron, by virtue of which, and of those presented as said chaplains, a collation of the chaplaincies has always been given to them so far as it concerns them, and the fitting support has been decreed and given as a relief for their poverty. In this there is no other consideration, either in this court or in other superior courts, but it is passed upon before the said secretary just as in the house of Lisboa, which has as a special privilege that the secretaries of the said house may give attestations in all and any court.The treasurer, who has charge of the possessions of the Parián of the Sangleys, attends to the collection of their rents, and the distribution of the alms, which are distributed every Saturday throughout the year to the self-respecting poor at the door of the house of the Santa Misericordia; and also the alms in pesos for the masses which are said throughout all the months of the year by one of the chaplains of the house for the soul of the founder, who endowed it with the said possessions. And in the book which is delivered to him with the enumeration and individual account of the places and location of said possessions and of the purposes for so charitable a foundation, the said treasurer enters the debit and credit account of all the sums which are received monthly and are disbursed by them, collecting receipts of them all for the account which must be given at the end of the year, which passes in review and must be balanced like the other accounts.The treasurer is also the one who is present at thetime of the two inspections or general balances of the treasurer. If between the last of the board which has just ended and the new one which is formed for its government there is any difference because of some quantity of pesos having been drawn in the interim, for any purpose for which it has fallen due, he gives prompt account thereof by the vouchers made and that appear from the preceding record book and by his receipts. In this way he continues until the conclusion of the said general review, which is generally the first thing. Following, other important points are begun by the new board without any confusion arising.The chapel steward receives in inventory all that belongs to the church and its sacristy, with the aid of the chaplain-in-chief of the house, from the acting secretary of the board, and the past steward. In his presence, the list is formed item by item in the book of inventories, and is received by the acting steward, and when it is completed to the satisfaction of all, the four sign it, and it is placed in the first record so that it may stand forever. He has also another separate book of the new expenses, which are made in the church, sacristy, and other things in his charge in the course of the year. In it he forms the debit and credit account in minute detail, and at the end of the year he presents the book; proceeding to his resolution with the same solemnity as the others whom we have mentioned.The attorney-general who attends to all the business and interests of the house (except those of the annuities which have a separate attorney with a paid advocate) receives in the book of suits all those which the preceding board left pending, and alsothe writs and other papers which are to be in his charge for that year. For the better direction, management, and outcome of said suits, an intelligent advocate is appointed for him to whom he may apply in all his doubts. And in all that which he does in pursuance of this order, he gives account in all the board meetings which are regularly held semi-weekly. A secretary, who keeps the keys of the archives, is obliged to give him all the documents that he asks for, and shall keep a record of the withdrawal of such.He also has another book, in which he enters in alphabetical order the accounts of the funds, the costs belonging to each one, which are caused in prosecution of the said suits, the signature of writs and the cancellations [chancelaciones] of them.Later he forms from them the general debit and credit account in which he places the salaries of advocate, procurator, and attorney in the royal Audiencia with the other expenses which belong to the said matters. At the end of the year, he presents it, and with it the fitting obligation of review, balances, and approval is made, as in all those above mentioned. But independently of this, he shows the book of current suits, writs, and other papers. Having been compared by the secretary, with the statement of those which were given to him at the beginning of the year, and of those which were given to him from the archives in his term, if the whole thing agrees, he is absolved from his charge, but in no other manner until the total fulfilment.The steward of prisoners has in charge the collections of the possession of the sites of the paddy-fields, whose usufruct is distributed half and half in thetwo prisons of the court, and of the city, for the support of the poor prisoners, and the other half in the hospital of the Misericordia, which is in charge of the religious of St. John of God, as a relief for sick men and women. Besides this relief, which is monthly, they share other large alms which are furnished from other funds administered by the house of the Misericordia. In his book of the said possessions, with the statement of their purposes, he forms his account of debit and credit, and, at the time of its presentation, gives his discharge by the receipts which he collects from the wardens of said prisons. That is generally, or always, executed with the knowledge of the minister who has charge of the inspection of the prisons and the relief of the needs experienced therein.The steward of the dish in which the alms are collected is obliged to send it every fortnight to two brothers of this venerable brotherhood, so that on Sunday they may go out to collect alms in all the public parts of this city. They having observed this measure, return the dish and the alms to the said steward. The latter, observing the same rule throughout the months of the year, draws up his debit and credit account. The alms which he declares before the board are equal in sum to those which have been collected, according as it appears. In that conformity it is approved, the same measures as before with the others having preceded.This is the government, order, and method which the house of the Santa Misericordia has maintained faithfully, with the punctual assistance and encouragement of the zealous, disinterested Christians. They are the work of its brothers, whose powerful example in the faithful administration of the fundsentrusted to them has enabled them to obtain exemption from inspection of their house until the present time. They are today more assured than ever by dint of royal decrees, the first dated Madrid, September 7, 1699; in which his Majesty resolves and declares that this brotherhood, in order that it may be maintained and continue its exercises with more encouragement, shall not be subject to visits by the ordinaries, archbishops, provisors in vacant see, or by any other ecclesiastical minister; and that it shall be allowed to make use as hitherto of its good government and to observe its rules and ordinances. And in the same vein is another decree given in Buen Retiro, under date of June 11, 1708, in which his Majesty also resolves that the decree above inserted be kept, fulfilled, and executed, exactly according to the terms expressed therein, and that no embarrassment or obstacle be opposed or permitted to be opposed to the fulfilment of its contents, as such is his royal will. In that one can see clearly how, having been well informed, his Majesty approves the good government of this house and the practice of its rules and ordinances. This is the greatest intent of this chapter, and we leave the rest so that the parties may discuss it in or out of court.
CHAPTER XIIn which a relation is given of the government and order observed by the house of the Santa Misericordiain the administration of the funds under its charge, and the dependencies annexed to them. The alms which it gives regularly from one year to another, when there are no shipwrecks, and the account which is given annually in it.
I do not believe that any of the many houses of the Misericordia throughout Christendom, can be declared to be governed with better rules or have better accounts than that of this city of Manila. I am not speaking without sufficient foundation, since I have read with special attention the great order which rules in the house of the capital of Lisboa. That house is the mother and pattern and source of them all, to whose teaching this faithful daughter of hers, not only has not kept its great talents which I expect from her zealous care, idle, but also has been able ingeniously to exceed her in the pious indulgences of increasing and treasuring up more copious annual reënforcements for the relief of the needs of her neighbor.1 am very certain that this truth would run no danger amid the extensive shoals of self-love, for it navigates governed by the demonstrable reality which removes all kind of doubt; it is current knowledge that the alms which are annually distributed by the royal house of Santa Misericordia of Lisboa amount to forty thousand pesos more or less; but it is not less well-known and certain that those distributed by this house of Manila, when no shipwreck happens, or other misfortunes, amount on the average to seventy thousand pesos annually, making one mass of the benefit which the funds of the sea yield, in addition to those which are produced by those which are founded in bonds, possessions,monopoly, encomienda of his Majesty, chaplaincies of which he is patron, and other sources of wealth which are added to the huge mass of the said sum. This truth is so well known to all this city that it need no further support than the same certainty in which it is founded.The order with which this house of Santa Misericordia is governed is that on November 21, the day of the presentation of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, and the day on which the brothers who have formed the board for that year, and which begins the election of other new members, the election is made by ten electors, whom all the brotherhood appoint, in the manner provided by our rules. They number in all thirteen brothers, the first being the new purveyor. [Next are the] secretary and the treasurer, the latter being the one who was secretary the previous year, who remains in that office in order to give account of the dependencies and affairs of the house since he has handled them all most intimately. After the above are the majordomo of the chapel, the general manager of the house, and all annexed to it; majordomo of prisoners; steward of the dish in which the alms are collected; while the rest of the brothers are occupied in other important duties of the house, such as visits of the treasury and of the prisons, the distributions of alms, secret investigations which are committed to them by the board, and others of like tenor.So great is the authority and power of the purveyor of the house over all the brothers of the Santa Misericordia, and so prompt the obedience of the brothers, that it rather seems a well-ordered community of religious than of seculars, for the firstthing which they swear on the holy gospels when they join the brotherhood is to well and faithfully observe the rules of the brotherhood, and that whenever they are summoned by the purveyor and councilors of the board, and should hear the signal of the bells, they will go thither promptly, if there is no legitimate hindrance that they can see. The purveyor may, when in the board, command, agree, vote, talk, and keep silence, whenever he pleases. He can command a board meeting called, and a general meeting of the brotherhood at the advice of the deputies, appointing the day which he considers best. He may transfer the board and apportion among the brothers of it the duties of collector of alms, and visitors of the prisons. He may remove the chaplains if they commit any notable error in his presence, as well as the servants of the board, and the rectress or portress of the college when he thinks best. He may proceed to the correction and fitting punishment of the collegiates by means of the rectress when they deserve it, and he may (which is more than all the rest) remove with the advice of the councilors of the board those brothers who are disobedient and break the rules of the brotherhood. He may remove those who violate their privileges and those who live after a scandalous manner, if having been warned three times they do not turn over a new leaf. He may appoint others in their place, so that they may serve God our Lord in this His house. Finally, he may (although I do not) do many other things which limit of space does not permit me to write here.The seven deputies who are named above with determined duties shall receive from their predecessorsthe books of which each one of them has had charge, in order to enter therein the new accounts of debit and credit of all that which shall be given into their power in the course of the year, and all that shall be disbursed in order to fulfil the pious ends which are entrusted to them. This having been inferred, I say that the first thing which is asked by the new board from the new purveyors is to take charge of the girls’ school, which is managed according to past custom with allowances and expenses which are occasioned with it in the food and clothing of all the girls, the salaries of the rectress and portress, and other servants who are employed in it. And having accepted this duty, he goes ahead to arrange the provisions of rice, oil, and sugar, and other substances increased in times of the greatest cheapness and advantage; for whose constancy in the new account which is opened in the book of expenses of the purveyors, he sets down monthly the expense which is made in each one of them, and in this way he proceeds in all those of the year, placing each item down separately and procuring that the expenses shall not be increased unless there be a greater number of girls or wards, and, at the end of the year, he presents the book with his account. Its examination and review is entrusted to the present secretary, who balances it, either in favor or against, and having set forth the balanced part, the said secretary places his approval at the bottom of it and signs it, and enters it in the minutes of that day so that it may stand forth for all time.The secretary of the board on whom devolves the greater part of the work has his new record book in which are entered all the despatches of the petitionswhich are presented, the distributions which are made, and the applications of the alms, both of dowry for the schoolgirls, and the orphan girls outside [the school], the salaries which are paid to the chaplains of the house, the portress and the servants of the house, and the alms of the masses of Alva, 9 and 11, which are said in our church on all feast-days. Especially with great care does he enter the two inspections or general balances, which are struck at the beginning and end of each board, of all the sums of pesos, both of current funds, of dowries and alms, and of deposits which are contained in the treasury under separate headings, in order to apply them to the purposes which their founders assigned by full directions. He affixes his rubric to the memoranda which are in the sacks, with the statement of what each one contains, with the day, month, and year of the record in which they are set down. The writing of all the above with his own hand is an operation so indispensable to his obligation that he is obliged to do it under oath. In case of his absence, the same is done by the treasurer who supplies his absences by writing in a separate book whatever occurs in regard to the business matters of the house. And as soon as the secretary takes charge of the current despatch of the house, he is obliged to transfer to his book whatever shall have been decreed during his absence, so that by such a proceeding all that which belongs to the record of that year may be found in one volume. He is also obliged to enter all the sums of pesos which are received in the treasury in the books prepared for them, both of the dues collected and the usufruct which are yielded by the sea funds, besides the great number of very troublesome collections, although the love of God makes themmild and easy, to whomever works for the welfare of his neighbor and the preservation of this house.He is also obliged to adjust the appointments of the chaplains of the many chaplaincies of which the board of the Santa Misericordia is patron, by virtue of which, and of those presented as said chaplains, a collation of the chaplaincies has always been given to them so far as it concerns them, and the fitting support has been decreed and given as a relief for their poverty. In this there is no other consideration, either in this court or in other superior courts, but it is passed upon before the said secretary just as in the house of Lisboa, which has as a special privilege that the secretaries of the said house may give attestations in all and any court.The treasurer, who has charge of the possessions of the Parián of the Sangleys, attends to the collection of their rents, and the distribution of the alms, which are distributed every Saturday throughout the year to the self-respecting poor at the door of the house of the Santa Misericordia; and also the alms in pesos for the masses which are said throughout all the months of the year by one of the chaplains of the house for the soul of the founder, who endowed it with the said possessions. And in the book which is delivered to him with the enumeration and individual account of the places and location of said possessions and of the purposes for so charitable a foundation, the said treasurer enters the debit and credit account of all the sums which are received monthly and are disbursed by them, collecting receipts of them all for the account which must be given at the end of the year, which passes in review and must be balanced like the other accounts.The treasurer is also the one who is present at thetime of the two inspections or general balances of the treasurer. If between the last of the board which has just ended and the new one which is formed for its government there is any difference because of some quantity of pesos having been drawn in the interim, for any purpose for which it has fallen due, he gives prompt account thereof by the vouchers made and that appear from the preceding record book and by his receipts. In this way he continues until the conclusion of the said general review, which is generally the first thing. Following, other important points are begun by the new board without any confusion arising.The chapel steward receives in inventory all that belongs to the church and its sacristy, with the aid of the chaplain-in-chief of the house, from the acting secretary of the board, and the past steward. In his presence, the list is formed item by item in the book of inventories, and is received by the acting steward, and when it is completed to the satisfaction of all, the four sign it, and it is placed in the first record so that it may stand forever. He has also another separate book of the new expenses, which are made in the church, sacristy, and other things in his charge in the course of the year. In it he forms the debit and credit account in minute detail, and at the end of the year he presents the book; proceeding to his resolution with the same solemnity as the others whom we have mentioned.The attorney-general who attends to all the business and interests of the house (except those of the annuities which have a separate attorney with a paid advocate) receives in the book of suits all those which the preceding board left pending, and alsothe writs and other papers which are to be in his charge for that year. For the better direction, management, and outcome of said suits, an intelligent advocate is appointed for him to whom he may apply in all his doubts. And in all that which he does in pursuance of this order, he gives account in all the board meetings which are regularly held semi-weekly. A secretary, who keeps the keys of the archives, is obliged to give him all the documents that he asks for, and shall keep a record of the withdrawal of such.He also has another book, in which he enters in alphabetical order the accounts of the funds, the costs belonging to each one, which are caused in prosecution of the said suits, the signature of writs and the cancellations [chancelaciones] of them.Later he forms from them the general debit and credit account in which he places the salaries of advocate, procurator, and attorney in the royal Audiencia with the other expenses which belong to the said matters. At the end of the year, he presents it, and with it the fitting obligation of review, balances, and approval is made, as in all those above mentioned. But independently of this, he shows the book of current suits, writs, and other papers. Having been compared by the secretary, with the statement of those which were given to him at the beginning of the year, and of those which were given to him from the archives in his term, if the whole thing agrees, he is absolved from his charge, but in no other manner until the total fulfilment.The steward of prisoners has in charge the collections of the possession of the sites of the paddy-fields, whose usufruct is distributed half and half in thetwo prisons of the court, and of the city, for the support of the poor prisoners, and the other half in the hospital of the Misericordia, which is in charge of the religious of St. John of God, as a relief for sick men and women. Besides this relief, which is monthly, they share other large alms which are furnished from other funds administered by the house of the Misericordia. In his book of the said possessions, with the statement of their purposes, he forms his account of debit and credit, and, at the time of its presentation, gives his discharge by the receipts which he collects from the wardens of said prisons. That is generally, or always, executed with the knowledge of the minister who has charge of the inspection of the prisons and the relief of the needs experienced therein.The steward of the dish in which the alms are collected is obliged to send it every fortnight to two brothers of this venerable brotherhood, so that on Sunday they may go out to collect alms in all the public parts of this city. They having observed this measure, return the dish and the alms to the said steward. The latter, observing the same rule throughout the months of the year, draws up his debit and credit account. The alms which he declares before the board are equal in sum to those which have been collected, according as it appears. In that conformity it is approved, the same measures as before with the others having preceded.This is the government, order, and method which the house of the Santa Misericordia has maintained faithfully, with the punctual assistance and encouragement of the zealous, disinterested Christians. They are the work of its brothers, whose powerful example in the faithful administration of the fundsentrusted to them has enabled them to obtain exemption from inspection of their house until the present time. They are today more assured than ever by dint of royal decrees, the first dated Madrid, September 7, 1699; in which his Majesty resolves and declares that this brotherhood, in order that it may be maintained and continue its exercises with more encouragement, shall not be subject to visits by the ordinaries, archbishops, provisors in vacant see, or by any other ecclesiastical minister; and that it shall be allowed to make use as hitherto of its good government and to observe its rules and ordinances. And in the same vein is another decree given in Buen Retiro, under date of June 11, 1708, in which his Majesty also resolves that the decree above inserted be kept, fulfilled, and executed, exactly according to the terms expressed therein, and that no embarrassment or obstacle be opposed or permitted to be opposed to the fulfilment of its contents, as such is his royal will. In that one can see clearly how, having been well informed, his Majesty approves the good government of this house and the practice of its rules and ordinances. This is the greatest intent of this chapter, and we leave the rest so that the parties may discuss it in or out of court.
I do not believe that any of the many houses of the Misericordia throughout Christendom, can be declared to be governed with better rules or have better accounts than that of this city of Manila. I am not speaking without sufficient foundation, since I have read with special attention the great order which rules in the house of the capital of Lisboa. That house is the mother and pattern and source of them all, to whose teaching this faithful daughter of hers, not only has not kept its great talents which I expect from her zealous care, idle, but also has been able ingeniously to exceed her in the pious indulgences of increasing and treasuring up more copious annual reënforcements for the relief of the needs of her neighbor.
1 am very certain that this truth would run no danger amid the extensive shoals of self-love, for it navigates governed by the demonstrable reality which removes all kind of doubt; it is current knowledge that the alms which are annually distributed by the royal house of Santa Misericordia of Lisboa amount to forty thousand pesos more or less; but it is not less well-known and certain that those distributed by this house of Manila, when no shipwreck happens, or other misfortunes, amount on the average to seventy thousand pesos annually, making one mass of the benefit which the funds of the sea yield, in addition to those which are produced by those which are founded in bonds, possessions,monopoly, encomienda of his Majesty, chaplaincies of which he is patron, and other sources of wealth which are added to the huge mass of the said sum. This truth is so well known to all this city that it need no further support than the same certainty in which it is founded.
The order with which this house of Santa Misericordia is governed is that on November 21, the day of the presentation of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, and the day on which the brothers who have formed the board for that year, and which begins the election of other new members, the election is made by ten electors, whom all the brotherhood appoint, in the manner provided by our rules. They number in all thirteen brothers, the first being the new purveyor. [Next are the] secretary and the treasurer, the latter being the one who was secretary the previous year, who remains in that office in order to give account of the dependencies and affairs of the house since he has handled them all most intimately. After the above are the majordomo of the chapel, the general manager of the house, and all annexed to it; majordomo of prisoners; steward of the dish in which the alms are collected; while the rest of the brothers are occupied in other important duties of the house, such as visits of the treasury and of the prisons, the distributions of alms, secret investigations which are committed to them by the board, and others of like tenor.
So great is the authority and power of the purveyor of the house over all the brothers of the Santa Misericordia, and so prompt the obedience of the brothers, that it rather seems a well-ordered community of religious than of seculars, for the firstthing which they swear on the holy gospels when they join the brotherhood is to well and faithfully observe the rules of the brotherhood, and that whenever they are summoned by the purveyor and councilors of the board, and should hear the signal of the bells, they will go thither promptly, if there is no legitimate hindrance that they can see. The purveyor may, when in the board, command, agree, vote, talk, and keep silence, whenever he pleases. He can command a board meeting called, and a general meeting of the brotherhood at the advice of the deputies, appointing the day which he considers best. He may transfer the board and apportion among the brothers of it the duties of collector of alms, and visitors of the prisons. He may remove the chaplains if they commit any notable error in his presence, as well as the servants of the board, and the rectress or portress of the college when he thinks best. He may proceed to the correction and fitting punishment of the collegiates by means of the rectress when they deserve it, and he may (which is more than all the rest) remove with the advice of the councilors of the board those brothers who are disobedient and break the rules of the brotherhood. He may remove those who violate their privileges and those who live after a scandalous manner, if having been warned three times they do not turn over a new leaf. He may appoint others in their place, so that they may serve God our Lord in this His house. Finally, he may (although I do not) do many other things which limit of space does not permit me to write here.
The seven deputies who are named above with determined duties shall receive from their predecessorsthe books of which each one of them has had charge, in order to enter therein the new accounts of debit and credit of all that which shall be given into their power in the course of the year, and all that shall be disbursed in order to fulfil the pious ends which are entrusted to them. This having been inferred, I say that the first thing which is asked by the new board from the new purveyors is to take charge of the girls’ school, which is managed according to past custom with allowances and expenses which are occasioned with it in the food and clothing of all the girls, the salaries of the rectress and portress, and other servants who are employed in it. And having accepted this duty, he goes ahead to arrange the provisions of rice, oil, and sugar, and other substances increased in times of the greatest cheapness and advantage; for whose constancy in the new account which is opened in the book of expenses of the purveyors, he sets down monthly the expense which is made in each one of them, and in this way he proceeds in all those of the year, placing each item down separately and procuring that the expenses shall not be increased unless there be a greater number of girls or wards, and, at the end of the year, he presents the book with his account. Its examination and review is entrusted to the present secretary, who balances it, either in favor or against, and having set forth the balanced part, the said secretary places his approval at the bottom of it and signs it, and enters it in the minutes of that day so that it may stand forth for all time.
The secretary of the board on whom devolves the greater part of the work has his new record book in which are entered all the despatches of the petitionswhich are presented, the distributions which are made, and the applications of the alms, both of dowry for the schoolgirls, and the orphan girls outside [the school], the salaries which are paid to the chaplains of the house, the portress and the servants of the house, and the alms of the masses of Alva, 9 and 11, which are said in our church on all feast-days. Especially with great care does he enter the two inspections or general balances, which are struck at the beginning and end of each board, of all the sums of pesos, both of current funds, of dowries and alms, and of deposits which are contained in the treasury under separate headings, in order to apply them to the purposes which their founders assigned by full directions. He affixes his rubric to the memoranda which are in the sacks, with the statement of what each one contains, with the day, month, and year of the record in which they are set down. The writing of all the above with his own hand is an operation so indispensable to his obligation that he is obliged to do it under oath. In case of his absence, the same is done by the treasurer who supplies his absences by writing in a separate book whatever occurs in regard to the business matters of the house. And as soon as the secretary takes charge of the current despatch of the house, he is obliged to transfer to his book whatever shall have been decreed during his absence, so that by such a proceeding all that which belongs to the record of that year may be found in one volume. He is also obliged to enter all the sums of pesos which are received in the treasury in the books prepared for them, both of the dues collected and the usufruct which are yielded by the sea funds, besides the great number of very troublesome collections, although the love of God makes themmild and easy, to whomever works for the welfare of his neighbor and the preservation of this house.
He is also obliged to adjust the appointments of the chaplains of the many chaplaincies of which the board of the Santa Misericordia is patron, by virtue of which, and of those presented as said chaplains, a collation of the chaplaincies has always been given to them so far as it concerns them, and the fitting support has been decreed and given as a relief for their poverty. In this there is no other consideration, either in this court or in other superior courts, but it is passed upon before the said secretary just as in the house of Lisboa, which has as a special privilege that the secretaries of the said house may give attestations in all and any court.
The treasurer, who has charge of the possessions of the Parián of the Sangleys, attends to the collection of their rents, and the distribution of the alms, which are distributed every Saturday throughout the year to the self-respecting poor at the door of the house of the Santa Misericordia; and also the alms in pesos for the masses which are said throughout all the months of the year by one of the chaplains of the house for the soul of the founder, who endowed it with the said possessions. And in the book which is delivered to him with the enumeration and individual account of the places and location of said possessions and of the purposes for so charitable a foundation, the said treasurer enters the debit and credit account of all the sums which are received monthly and are disbursed by them, collecting receipts of them all for the account which must be given at the end of the year, which passes in review and must be balanced like the other accounts.
The treasurer is also the one who is present at thetime of the two inspections or general balances of the treasurer. If between the last of the board which has just ended and the new one which is formed for its government there is any difference because of some quantity of pesos having been drawn in the interim, for any purpose for which it has fallen due, he gives prompt account thereof by the vouchers made and that appear from the preceding record book and by his receipts. In this way he continues until the conclusion of the said general review, which is generally the first thing. Following, other important points are begun by the new board without any confusion arising.
The chapel steward receives in inventory all that belongs to the church and its sacristy, with the aid of the chaplain-in-chief of the house, from the acting secretary of the board, and the past steward. In his presence, the list is formed item by item in the book of inventories, and is received by the acting steward, and when it is completed to the satisfaction of all, the four sign it, and it is placed in the first record so that it may stand forever. He has also another separate book of the new expenses, which are made in the church, sacristy, and other things in his charge in the course of the year. In it he forms the debit and credit account in minute detail, and at the end of the year he presents the book; proceeding to his resolution with the same solemnity as the others whom we have mentioned.
The attorney-general who attends to all the business and interests of the house (except those of the annuities which have a separate attorney with a paid advocate) receives in the book of suits all those which the preceding board left pending, and alsothe writs and other papers which are to be in his charge for that year. For the better direction, management, and outcome of said suits, an intelligent advocate is appointed for him to whom he may apply in all his doubts. And in all that which he does in pursuance of this order, he gives account in all the board meetings which are regularly held semi-weekly. A secretary, who keeps the keys of the archives, is obliged to give him all the documents that he asks for, and shall keep a record of the withdrawal of such.
He also has another book, in which he enters in alphabetical order the accounts of the funds, the costs belonging to each one, which are caused in prosecution of the said suits, the signature of writs and the cancellations [chancelaciones] of them.Later he forms from them the general debit and credit account in which he places the salaries of advocate, procurator, and attorney in the royal Audiencia with the other expenses which belong to the said matters. At the end of the year, he presents it, and with it the fitting obligation of review, balances, and approval is made, as in all those above mentioned. But independently of this, he shows the book of current suits, writs, and other papers. Having been compared by the secretary, with the statement of those which were given to him at the beginning of the year, and of those which were given to him from the archives in his term, if the whole thing agrees, he is absolved from his charge, but in no other manner until the total fulfilment.
The steward of prisoners has in charge the collections of the possession of the sites of the paddy-fields, whose usufruct is distributed half and half in thetwo prisons of the court, and of the city, for the support of the poor prisoners, and the other half in the hospital of the Misericordia, which is in charge of the religious of St. John of God, as a relief for sick men and women. Besides this relief, which is monthly, they share other large alms which are furnished from other funds administered by the house of the Misericordia. In his book of the said possessions, with the statement of their purposes, he forms his account of debit and credit, and, at the time of its presentation, gives his discharge by the receipts which he collects from the wardens of said prisons. That is generally, or always, executed with the knowledge of the minister who has charge of the inspection of the prisons and the relief of the needs experienced therein.
The steward of the dish in which the alms are collected is obliged to send it every fortnight to two brothers of this venerable brotherhood, so that on Sunday they may go out to collect alms in all the public parts of this city. They having observed this measure, return the dish and the alms to the said steward. The latter, observing the same rule throughout the months of the year, draws up his debit and credit account. The alms which he declares before the board are equal in sum to those which have been collected, according as it appears. In that conformity it is approved, the same measures as before with the others having preceded.
This is the government, order, and method which the house of the Santa Misericordia has maintained faithfully, with the punctual assistance and encouragement of the zealous, disinterested Christians. They are the work of its brothers, whose powerful example in the faithful administration of the fundsentrusted to them has enabled them to obtain exemption from inspection of their house until the present time. They are today more assured than ever by dint of royal decrees, the first dated Madrid, September 7, 1699; in which his Majesty resolves and declares that this brotherhood, in order that it may be maintained and continue its exercises with more encouragement, shall not be subject to visits by the ordinaries, archbishops, provisors in vacant see, or by any other ecclesiastical minister; and that it shall be allowed to make use as hitherto of its good government and to observe its rules and ordinances. And in the same vein is another decree given in Buen Retiro, under date of June 11, 1708, in which his Majesty also resolves that the decree above inserted be kept, fulfilled, and executed, exactly according to the terms expressed therein, and that no embarrassment or obstacle be opposed or permitted to be opposed to the fulfilment of its contents, as such is his royal will. In that one can see clearly how, having been well informed, his Majesty approves the good government of this house and the practice of its rules and ordinances. This is the greatest intent of this chapter, and we leave the rest so that the parties may discuss it in or out of court.