on account of this, and more in proportion as we are always blinded by avarice.  What must be lost by the holy gospel and the Christian law is evident; for sailors and soldiers will go hence in the ship—­an ungodly people, guilty of sins of the flesh as well as other offenses, who know naught except to commit offenses against those with whom they deal.  Moreover, the heathen cannot receive a very good example from the wars and enmity which will exist between the Castilians and the Portuguese.  The Chinese who come here to Manila have some poor examples; but they also receive very good lessons from the religious, and in the churches, the holy ceremonies of the church, and in the life of several very good Spaniards, and even of some Indians.  But when the ship of the governor and auditors, or any others, is sent there, the Chinese can have but the examples of soldiers, sailors, and impious people.

God knows what the import and export duties and incomes of your Majesty would profit and gain by the bringing of goods from China and exporting them to Nueva Espana, because everything has to pass through the hands of avarice, and of ministers who can do as they please here.

I do not know what can have been the reason for sending this ship to China and beginning an enterprise so prejudicial.  In a general clause, however, of an instruction to the governor, your Majesty ordains that the governor may send to Japon, Macan, or other pagan countries, also to ports of the heathen and of the Portuguese in order to ascertain if they would like trade with us.  But China is not mentioned by name in said clause; and the law of justice is that what is not conceded in particular is not understood to be granted in a general statement.  The point under discussion was not only not particularly conceded by your Majesty, but had been expressly prohibited by a special decree.  Not only did your Majesty ordain that no ship whatever should go from other Spanish possessions to China, but it is even decreed that the Chinese merchants coming here shall not take back Spanish money to China; and that merchandise shall not be exported from China on account of the Spaniards, but on account of the Chinese themselves.  Even in the same instruction, in the two clauses immediately preceding the one to which I refer, your Majesty commands a thing incompatible with the sending of a vessel to China, which has been undertaken this year.  Your Majesty decrees that all the goods coming from China should be sold at the pancada and that nothing should be bought on private account until after the pancada.  The aforesaid decree would be futile if license were then to be given to send money to China, and also ships, to buy there the stuffs and merchandise for the Spaniards.  It may be that there are those who represent that this has been done for the sake of opening a door to the evangelization of China; but such persons do not have as a profession the preaching of the gospel.  The evident truth is what I state.