SPANISH SEAMEN IN THE NEW WORLD 655 



Fifteen years later this flagrant evil was unabated, and corrup- 

 tion continued to hold full sway. In 1636 another letter to the 

 king again recited the abuse as practiced by corrupt officials. 



As for those poor men, they have not been paid in one, three, ten, 

 or fifteen years. They sell their warrants during such times for the 

 fourth, fifth, or sixth part of their face value; and many have been paid 

 at one hundred pesos for one thousand. The warrants are bought 

 by the servants of the auditors, royal officials, governors, and other 

 ministers, and to them is paid the face value. 123 



Besides the abuses which have been mentioned, the sailors were 

 subjected to petty annoyances by the collectors of port dues at 

 Acapulco, who, when examining the former's small chests and 

 wretched belongings, "practice many extortions on them so that 

 many refuse to return". 124 



It is evident that the compensations of the sailors were uncer- 

 tain at best. And when compared to the 100 to 150 per cent 

 profits commonly made by the merchants, and the severe hard- 

 ships, petty annoyances, and great risks undergone, one cannot 

 but conclude that the sailors and seamen were but poorly recom- 

 pensed for their indispensable services in a trade which yielded 

 such enormous profits. 



Discipline aboard ship was enforced with severity, though 

 probably the Spanish ships of those days were not worse than 

 aboard many American ships within the memory of men still 

 living. Gambling, swearing and blasphemy, and immorality 

 were all punishable, as of course mutiny, desertion, quarreling, 

 and insubordination. Putting men in the bilboes, ducking them 

 from the yard arm, keel-hauling, and the lash, were well known 

 forms of inflicting punishment. When the sailors and seamen 

 sought release from discipline by going ashore at Acapulco, and 



123 Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, [Letter on administrative and financial 

 affairs.], Manila, June 30, 1636. Translation in Blair and Robertson, XXVI. 150- 

 156. Seep. 151. 



124 Los Rios, op. cit., in Blair and Robertson, XVIII. 301. See also Alonso 

 Fajardo de Tenza, [Letter to Felipe III.], Manila, August 15, 1620. Translation 

 in Blair and Robertson, XIX. 90-172. See p. 97. 



