It has been very unfortunate that the funds which your Majesty has commanded and decreed to be set aside for special objects have been employed for other purposes. This has been especially the case with the fund for prebends and for the payment of troops, which should be performed with the utmost regularity. I have done all I could to put this in order; but since the current from the past was very strong it was impossible to accomplish my purpose. The reason given was that one fund ought to aid another. The evils resulting are serious; for both ecclesiastics and soldiers perform their service, and all they get is nothing but poverty. Hence they lament with reason that their salaries are not paid to them. This is a reason that the soldiers are wretched and poor, some of them going about begging for alms. An attempt will be made to correct this when new officials of your exchequer enter their offices; and more certainly your Majesty will provide relief in this direction, so that the soldiers' pay may not fall into arrears. If the Audiencia had not assumed authority to set apart in the treasury the money which came [from Mexico] during the preceding year, one thousand six hundred and five, for persons who had died in previous years in the war with the Sangleys and in other conflicts, to be used to pay the soldiers, it would have been a very great misfortune. With this the matter was set right, and the pay has been kept up; but your Majesty has been obliged to remain in debt for the sum which was taken for this purpose. The president and the auditors have likewise suffered in their salaries, which are at the present time due them for more than a year. Although for these salaries certain specified encomiendas had been set apart, the returns from these have been mixed with other funds. During the term of the former Audiencia, your Majesty commanded that for this purpose certain encomiendas should be assigned to the crown; but no more than six thousand pesos was thus realized. Since the number of encomiendas above referred to will have to be vacated, your Majesty can decree that some shall be set aside for this purpose; then the treasury will be in a somewhat easier condition.