The viceroy obeyed most carefully and assiduously his Majesty’s orders.  He fitted out the fleet at great cost, and despatched it from Puerto de la Navidad in the year sixty-four.  As general of it, and governor of the land to be discovered, he appointed the honorable Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, who died afterward in the same islands with the title of adelantado, one year previous to the entrance into China of Fathers Fray Martin de Herrada, Fray Geronymo Marin, [23] and their associates.  The Spaniards explored the said islands, and colonized some of them for his Majesty, especially that of Manila.  This island has a circumference of five hundred leagues.  The city of Lucon (also called Manila) was settled there.  It is, as it were, the metropolis of the island.  In this city the governors who have gone to the Felipinas since their discovery have, as a rule, resided.  There also a cathedral church has been founded, and a bishopric erected, his Majesty appointing to this office the very reverend Don Fray Domingo de Salazar of the order of Preachers, in whom are found the qualities of holiness, upright conduct, and learning requisite in that province.  He was consecrated in Madrid in the year one thousand five hundred and seventy-nine.  There are also, at present, three monasteries of religious—­one of Augustinians, who were the first to enter these islands in obedience to his Majesty’s orders, and have preached the evangelical law to the great gain of souls, and with no little suffering, many of them having lost their lives in this occupation; the second, of descalced friars of the order of St. Francis, of the province of San Joseph, who have approved themselves by their good example, and have been very useful in those regions; and the third, of Dominicans or Predicants, who have been of no less service.  All of these have passed a certain time in these islands.  Afterward the Jesuit fathers came to these regions; they have been of great help to the above-mentioned religious.

On their arrival at these islands, the Spaniards at once heard many things concerning the great kingdom of China, both through the relations of the islanders, who told of that country’s wonders; and through what they themselves saw and heard, after a few days, from the crews of certain vessels entering that port with merchandise and very curious articles from that kingdom.  These latter told them in detail of the greatness and wealth of that country, and the many things related in the first three books of this history.  As soon as the Augustinian religious (then the only religious in those islands), and especially their provincial, Fray Martin de Herrada—­a man of great worth, and most erudite in all branches of learning—­were aware of the greater advantages possessed by the Chinese, who come to trade among those islands, in comparison with these islanders, and especially in the matters of civilization and ability, they immediately conceived a great desire to go to preach the gospel to those people, so capable of receiving