3. _Item_: That your Majesty has granted to the citizens the toneladas
of the said trading-ships, and that your governors allot these,
to each one according to his rank and wealth. The citizens have
been greatly injured in this, as happened in the year 613, when the
governor despatched two small ships, and did not give the citizens one
single tonelada; and under pretext of granting gratuities to retired
officers, the citizens were obliged to buy space for their freight
from those officers, at exorbitant prices. Further, he apportions
a considerable number of toneladas to charitable institutions, so
that they may sell the space and use, and the price obtained for
it; and thus these toneladas are given to the great injury of the
common welfare. The further disadvantage follows from this (besides
defrauding the citizens of the reward given them by your Majesty)
that the toneladas are sold to whomever will pay most for them, and
they are bought for this reason by merchants who have companies in
Mexico. Consequently, it is quite common for such men to own a great
part of the said merchandise of the ships, and thus the citizens are
deprived of the profits with which your Majesty has rewarded them.
He petitions your Majesty to order that these be not distributed at
will, but that the orders given in this regard by your royal decrees
be obeyed, and that the violation of your royal will in this be made a
clause of the residencia, with the penalty that may be assigned to it.
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