Letter to the Audiencia of Mexico (May 28, 1565).—­The original MS. is in the Archivo de Indias; pressmark, “Simancas—­Filipinas; descub. descrip. y pob.  Filipinas, anos 1537 a 1565; est. 1, caj. i, leg. 1, 24, no. 24.”  This letter was accompanied by a memorandum of supplies needed for the military post established in the Philippines by Legazpi; and with the above-named MS. is a list of this sort—­which, however, must have been placed in this legajo by some error, as it mentions some articles that had been sent in the year 1570.  But in another patronato—­which has the same title as the above, but for the years 1566-68—­in “est. 1, caj. 1, leg. 2, 24,” is a list of similar character, with the title, Memoria de los rescates y municiones que se pidieron a Nueva Espana, para enviar al campo de S.M. que reside en el puerto de Cubu.  This document is undated; but internal evidence makes it probable that it is the list which was sent with this letter to the Audiencia, with which we have accordingly placed it, transferring the other list to a later date, 1571.

Legazpi’s Relation (1565).—­The original MS. is in the Museo-Biblioteca de Ultramar, Madrid; pressmark, “170-20-3_a_, caja n_o_. 22.”  It has not, so far as is known, ever been published.  Nothing indicates positively the name of the person to whom it was written; but we may reasonably conjecture, from the style of address, that it was probably sent to the president of the Audiencia of Mexico.  As Legazpi’s own account of his voyage and achievements, this document possesses special interest and value.

Copia de vna carta venida de Seuilla a Miguel Saluador de Valencia (1566).—­This little pamphlet (Barcelona, Pau Cortey, 1566) is generally regarded as the first printed account of Legazpi’s expedition.  But one copy is known to exist—­the one which was in Retana’s collection, now the property of the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas, Barcelona.  For this reason, we present this document in both the Spanish text and English translation—­the former being printed from an exact transcription made from the original document at Barcelona.  The original is in two sheets (four pages) of quarto size, printed in type about the size of that used in this series; it is bound in red boards, and is in good condition.

Letters to Felipe II (July 12, 15, 23, 1567, and June 26, 1568).—­The original MSS. of these four letters (from copies of which our translations are made) are in the Archivo de Indias at Sevilla; pressmark, “Simancas—­Secular, Audiencia de Filipinas; Cartas y expedientes de gobernador de Filipinas vistos en el consejo.  Anos de 1567 a 1599; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 6.”

Negotiations between Legazpi and Pereira (1568-69).—­The originals of these documents are in the Archivo de Indias at Sevilla; pressmark, “Est. 1. caj. 1, leg. 2, 24, n_os_. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.”  A MS. copied or compiled from these originals for use in the South American boundary negotiations at Paris in 1776, is in the Archivo general at Simancas; pressmark, “Leg. 7412, fol. 87 y 88;” from a copy of this MS. our translation is made.