with those of Manila--all of which may be proved by the documents in the archives of the Council of the Indias. This trade of Manila in silks from China enriches a small class of wealthy merchants (in both Manila and Mexico), the only ones who have the wealth to engage in and profit by it--and this at the expense of the poor and those who have but moderate funds, by absorbing the opportunities and profits in which the latter ought by right to have a share. The Chinese goods, moreover, are of poor and flimsy quality, and last only one-fourth to one-half the time that the Spanish fabrics do. Cadiz supports its arguments by many citations from the laws of the realm; among these are prohibitions against exporting the products or commodities of one province or city to another--as, no salt, wine, must, or vinegar might enter Castilla from Aragón or Navarra; and the silk of Calabria and Napoles must not be imported into the cities of Segovia, Zamora, Salamanca, Cordova, and Cuenca--although all these were parts of the Spanish empire. In line with these is the desired prohibition of the silk trade to Manila, especially since that trade is so injurious to the commerce and industry of the mother-country. In that case Manila should have (by another law cited) an equivalent benefit; and Cadiz has already proposed this, in the spice trade--to which it has a right, but is willing to cede it to Manila. The arguments brought forward by Manila as to the consumption of spice in Nueva España, the bulky character of that merchandise, the costs of transportation and sale, duties, etc., are met by Cadiz with others to refute or weaken the former. The Manila galleon brought to Acapulco in 1729 cinnamon to the amount of 99,233 libras, and in the following year 167,100 libras. The fleets from España carried thither the following cargoes of that spice: In 1723, 105,201 libras; in 1725, 143,629 libras; in 1729, 225,012 libras; in 1732, 182,163 libras. Add to this the amounts which the Manila galleons transport; those which are carried in pack-cloth bales [arpillería] (subject to palméo [16]), in order to gain the benefit of the [reduced?] freight charges; and, besides, those which the licensed ship from Inglaterra conveys (of which no definite calculation can be made): it is morally certain that the annual consumption of Nueva España will amount to and even exceed the 250,000 libras. Even if it should fall below that, there are other facts to be considered. It is true that "when the traders from España, England, and Filipinas all come at the same time--that is, in the month of March, when the fairs are held (for the first two nations, at Xalapa; and for the last, at Acapulco)--the price is usually broken to 18 reals of silver a libra, as the deputies state; but they omit what is more worthy of consideration. This is, that in the intermediate years between the trading-fleets, and according to the circumstances of the times, the price of this commodity rises