As I have said before, I had determined to write nothing whatever in detail concerning the damages that the viceroy of Nueva Espana had done to these kingdoms.  It seems to me that your Majesty will have had advices thereof, and will have ordered a means of correction.  Moreover, as many are interested and have grievances, there will be no lack of a person to advise your Majesty thereof.  Nevertheless, I have since thought that I neglect my duty in failing to send a testimonial to your Majesty which was forwarded to this city from Lope de Palacios, captain of the ship “Sant Martin,” which went to China.  He sent to this city, asking that he be granted permission to leave Macao, because he feared that they were about to kill him in order to gain possession of his property.  I am the only person who can send this memorial to your Majesty, as Lope de Palacios sent it to this city with much secrecy, and in the same manner was it given to me.  I discussed the matter with the president, saying that we should send for the captain as if the idea were our own and he had not requested it—­employing so great secrecy, so that the Portuguese who were here would not learn of it; for the same Lope de Palacios had declared that he would be certainly put to death if they knew that he was trying to come here.  Nevertheless, the request to send for him was in vain, and I was moved to forward this testimonial to your Majesty.  It states therein the great harm done by the viceroy in sending the ship “San Martin” to Macao.  As the same person who went to learn the damage gives testimony thereof, no witness more worthy of credit can be entered in the cause.  I am also writing to the viceroy of Nueva Espana in regard to the injuries which he wrought on these kingdoms by despatching the ship “San Martin” to China—­although God supplied the remedy, by the loss of the same ship.  I tell him that if that ship had been sent to this city a more prosperous voyage would have been made than the investors could have expected, for so many Chinese merchants came this year to this city, that the merchandise was worth nothing; and if the ship “San Martin” had come here a satisfactory and cheap cargo could have been obtained, perhaps even in greater quantity than at Macao.  Instead of damaging this city, those persons would have been enriched, who on account of greed were unable to see the damage done to all of us.  Thus God has punished them all, by depriving them of that profit the desire for which had blinded them to their duty.

They also say that the ship “Sant Ana” was sold for thirty thousand pesos and ordered to make a voyage to Macao.  These proceedings also were put to confusion by God, through means which have cost us dearly, namely the loss, of that vessel.  It can be said that if it had been at Macao somewhat less damage would have been done to these islands than in the burning of the ship by the Englishman.  As I wrote to your Majesty, via Malaca, for ships