The secession of Mexico from the Spanish Crown in the second decade of last century brought with it a complete revolution in Philippine affairs. Direct trade with Europe through one channel or another had necessarily to be permitted. The "Situado," or subsidy (_vide_ p. 244), received from Mexico became a thing of the past, and necessity urged the home authorities to relax, to a certain extent, the old restraint on the development of Philippine resources. In 1839 the first Philippine Budget was presented in the Spanish Cortes, but so little interest did the affairs of the Colony excite that it provoked no discussion. After the amendment of only one item the Budget was adopted in silence. It was not the practice in the earliest years to publish the full Philippine Budget in the Islands, although allusion was necessarily made to items of it in the _Gaceta de Manila_. However, it could be seen without difficulty in Madrid. Considering that the Filipinos had no political rights, except for the very brief period alluded to in Chapter xxii. (_vide Cortes de Cadiz_), it is evident that popular discussion of public finance would have been undesirable, because it could have led to no practical issue. There is apparently no record of the Philippine Islands having been at any time in a flourishing financial condition. With few exceptions, in latter years the collected revenue of the Colony was usually much less than the estimated yield of taxes. The Budget for 1888 is here given in detail as an example. PHILIPPINE BUDGETS Financial Estimated Income Difference. Year. Income. Realized. P P P 1884-85 11,298,508.98 9,893,745.87 1,404,763.11 1885-86 11,528,178.00 9,688,029.70 1,840,148.30 1886-87 11,554,379.00 9,324,974.08 2,229,404.92 1894-95 13,280,139.40 13,579,900.00 299,760.60 1896-97 17,086,423.00 17,474,000.00 387,577.00 ANTICIPATED REVENUE, YEAR 1888 P cts. Direct Taxes 5,206,836 93 Customs Dues 2,023,400 00 Government Monopolies (stamps, cock-fighting, opium, gambling, etc.) 1,181,239 00 Lotteries and Raffles 513,200 00 Sale of State property 153,571 00 War and Marine Department (sale of useless articles. Gain on repairs to private ships in the Government Arsenal) 15,150 00 Sundries 744,500 00 9,837,896 93 Anticipated Expenditure, year 1888 9,825,633 29 Anticipated Surplus P 12,263 64