The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 51, 1801-1840: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 51, 1801-1840: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
[21] These funds were chiefly the obras pías which had been
administered by the Jesuit order in Filipinas up to their expulsion
from the islands; at that time, nearly half of these foundations
were extinguished by the authorities, and such moneys as remained in
them were covered into the royal treasury. Forty-five of the Jesuit
obras pías were thus left, which were administered by the government
in the following manner: The capital was divided (as had long been
the custom of all the orders in Filipinas in administering obras
pías) into three parts; one of these was invested in the commerce
of Acapulco, another in that of the Coromandel Coast and China,
and the other third remained on deposit as a reserve to make good
any losses in the amounts invested. Much light is thrown on the
management of these funds by the Jesuits, in the official report made
(June 23, 1797), in pursuit of a command from the Spanish government,
by Angel de la Fuente, the chief of the Bureau of Secular Revenues
[Contaduría de Temporalidades] at Manila; the original MS. of this
is in the possession of Edward K. Ayer, Chicago. Fuente examined the
account-books which the Jesuits had kept of these funds, and found them
full of confusion, discrepancies, and omissions; but after comparing
and verifying them so far as he could, he made a list of them, with
statement of their origin, amount, and application. He found that in
seventeen of these funds there was no evidence that the money had been
applied as directed by the donors, and only partial indications of this
in fifteen others. He reported that many of these obras pías had been
contributed for the advantage and benefit of the Jesuits themselves,
and therefore, since that order had been suppressed, the funds might
now justly be applied to any desirable pious purpose. To this end,
he recommended that nineteen of the funds be placed in charge of
the diocesan authorities, and twelve others used by the government
for specified purposes, and that the rest be covered into the royal
treasury.
[22] "In order to give aid to the widow of Torres, and pay the
expenses of her voyage to España, a subscription was raised which
produced 12,000 pesos; but we note that the promoter of this married
the widow, and they returned to the Peninsula together." (Note by
Montero y Vidal.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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