of me in all matters [in so far as] he can.  Accordingly, on account of this—­as well as to cover his fault at the time of the despatch of the fleet which I took, by sending me unsupplied with sailors and other things necessary, which it was his duty to furnish—­among other measures which he has taken since the past year, one has been under color and appearance of proceeding from the licentiate Salazar de Salzedo, fiscal of this Audiencia (whom, for private reasons, he holds quite in his power).  The said factor induced the fiscal, in the affair of his investigation, to draw up a secret information with suborned witnesses—­sailors and others, who are at his call—­by which it is intimated that he furnished me well, and that the commander’s ship was lost through my fault, imputing to me by the statements of these men other and illegal actions, in order to disparage my faithful service; by this may be seen the malice and passion of those concerned in this affair.  That document was sent to your Majesty and the ministers before whom this matter is considered.

In like manner Captain Joan de Alcega (his intimate friend, and likewise a partisan of the said fiscal and factor), whom I took as admiral, in order to cover up his own guilt—­for which he was arrested by the president and governor, and is being proceeded against officially because, at the beginning of the fight, he left the commander’s ship unsustained, contrary to the order which he had from me in writing; and on account of other illegal acts, and because he took a part of the benefits of the success which resulted—­he also, driven by the same heat of passion, has taken secret measures and procured documents with which to inform your Majesty in a sinister way to my prejudice.

Since it is just that in all matters your Majesty should be informed of the truth, I send certain documents which are not drawn in secret, nor cunningly, nor maliciously, whereby the truth will appear—­especially the information which was drawn by the alcalde-mayor of the province of Valayan (on whose coast and in whose district the ship was lost), the very next day, and obtained from the men who were saved from the wreck.  By this may be seen what passed in this region, and the guilt of the said factor, and that of the admiral, as has been pointed out.

Beside this, in the ships which leave here this year goes a religious of the Order of St. Augustine, Fray Francisco de Valdes by name, who was sent, in company with Fray Diego de Cerrabi, by his order to the court of your Majesty on the business of the order.  This religious can inform your Majesty of all which occurred on the said expedition, as his order sent him on it to confess and administer the sacraments; and he was present during the fight on the commander’s ship, and saved himself by swimming.  As a trustworthy and disinterested person, he will tell the truth, without being influenced by personal considerations.