Captain Juan Pacheco Maldonado sends to Felipe ii (probably in 1575) a report on the condition and needs of the Spanish colony in the Philippines.  He begins by narrating briefly the conquest of Luzon; then describes the island and its trade, which is carried on with both China and Japan.  On account of its wealth and importance, Luzon should be thoroughly subjugated; and Maldonado enumerates the provisions that should be made for that end.  Forty or fifty ecclesiastics should be sent; and to aid in their labors a prelate should be appointed, for which post the writer recommends Fray Diego de Herrera.  Maldonado urges that five hundred soldiers be sent from Spain and that with these troops conquest should be made of the Liu-Kiu and Japan Islands.  He asks also for artisans to build ships, suggesting for this purpose the negro slaves thus employed at Havana.

The new governor, Francisco de Sande, issues a decree (May 26, 1576) forbidding royal officials in the islands from holding encomiendas of Indians, and appropriating to the crown those formerly granted by Lavezaris.  The affidavits annexed to this document enumerate the payments of tribute made by the natives, and indicate the need for Sande’s action.  The governor sends to the king a report (dated June 7, 1576) of his first year’s work, accompanied by a letter (dated June 2).  He desires to subjugate China, an undertaking which he eloquently urges upon the king.  This report will be given in the next volume.

The Editors

March, 1903.

Documents of 1569

        Letter to Felipe ii.  Guido de Lavezaris; June 5. 
        Letter to Felipe ii.  Andres de Mirandaola; June 8. 
        Letter to Marques de Falces.  Miguel Lopez de Legazpi; July 7. 
        Relation of the Filipinas Islands.  Miguel Lopez de Legazpi;
        July 7. 
        Confirmation of Legazpi’s title.  Felipe ii; August 14.

Sources:  MSS. in the Archivo general de Indias, at Sevilla.

Translations:  The first two documents are translated by Arthur B. Myrick; the others, by Alfonso de Salvio.

Letter from Guido de Lavezaris to Felipe II

Sacred Royal Catholic Majesty: 

This letter will serve to advise your Majesty that by the capitana “San Pablo,” which left this port on the first of July in the past year 1568, I wrote at length to your Majesty regarding events which had happened up to that time; and I refer you to the letters which will go on this despatch-boat in the general budget, which is thus accidentally increased.  Now I shall relate the history of this ship, and what happened to us after it left, with as much brevity as possible, both to avoid prolixity and because the governor Miguel Lopez will give your Majesty a longer and fuller relation.  This ship