The Audiencia in the Spanish Colonies Volume 9; As Illustrated by the Audiencia of Manila (1583-1800) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AUDIENCIA OF MANILA (1583-1598). The conditions which, determined the establishment of an audiencia in the Philippines differed little, if at all, from those in Spain's other colonies. All of Spain's dependencies were situated at great distances from the mother country; the Philippines were farther away than any. Furthermore, the Philippines were isolated and could not be successfully maintained, if dependent on, or identified with any other colony; distance and other factors which we shall note made undesirable and impracticable a continuance of established relations with New Sfdin. If, however, the governor of the Philippines came to be almost absolute in his authority, his absolutism differed in degree rather than in kind from that of the governors and viceroys of other colonies. The contiguity of China and Japan, the constant danger of military invasion and naval attack by outside enemies and the dependence of the colony on the commerce of China also made the case of the Philippines somewhat different from that of the colonies in America. In general, the situation in the Philippines called for a distinct audiencia with the same powers and functions as were exercised by the audiencias of the other colonies. A-uysteij1 for the administration of justice in the Philippines had be.2n definitely established and organized, before the audiencia svas inaugurated in 1584. Many prominent features of the judicial and administrative systems of Spain and America had been already introduced into the Islands. At the head of both judicial and administrative affairs was the governor and captain- general, who was practically absolute, and whose authority wasEarly Philippine Government 33 final except in certain matters of litigation which could be ...