islands, and treated Villalobos as an enemy.  After two years of hardships and struggles, he was obliged to place himself in their hands; and, departing for Spain in one of their ships, was seized by a malignant fever, which terminated his life at Amboina, on Good Friday, 1546.  In his last hours he was spiritually assisted by St. Francis Xavier (styled “the Apostle of the Indies").  For biographical material regarding Villalobos, see Dic.-Encic.  Hisp.-Amer., article:  “Lopez de Villalobos;” Galvano’s Discoveries of the World (Hakluyt Society edition), pp. 231-238; and Buzeta and Bravo’s Diccionario Filipinas; Retana’s sketch, in his edition of Zuniga’s Estadismo, ii, p. 593*.

[17] Pedro de Alvarado was, after Hernan Cortes, the most notable of the early Spanish conquerors of New Spain.  He was born at Badajoz, about 1485, and came to America in 1510.  He served with distinction in many wars and expeditions during the conquest, and received from Cortes various important commands.  Among these was the post of governor and captain-general of Guatemala (1523); in the following year he founded the old city of Guatemala, which later was destroyed by the eruption of a volcano.  In 1534 he planned to send an expedition to the Pacific islands; but news of the discovery of Peru and the conquests of Pizarro caused him to defer this enterprise, and he sent instead troops to Peru, fitted out through his extortions on the inhabitants of his province.  Afterward he planned, with Mendoza, the expedition conducted by Villalobos, but never knew its outcome; he died on July 4, 1541, from wounds received while attacking an Indian village.

[18] Antonio de Mendoza belonged to a family of distinction, and was born at Granada, toward the close of the fifteenth century.  He was the first viceroy of New Spain, being appointed April 17, 1535.  He was beloved by the people for his good government; he made wise laws, opened and worked mines, coined money, founded a university and several colleges, and introduced printing into Mexico.  He despatched two maritime expeditions of discovery—­that of Villalobos, and another to California; and made explorations by land as far as New Mexico.  In 1550 he was sent as viceroy to Peru, and administered that office until his death, which occurred July 21, 1552, at Lima.

[19] The title of Marquis del Valle de Oaxaca was conferred upon Hernan Cortes, July 6, 1529.  He had taken great interest in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean and its coasts; and had spent on expeditions sent out with that object no less sum than three hundred thousand pesos (Helps’s Life of Cortes, p. 282.)