The trade is limited to a certain value, which the annual cargo ought not to exceed.  Some Spanish manuscripts’, I have seen, mention this limitation to be 600,000 dollars; but the annual cargo does certainly surpass this sum; and though it may be difficult to fix its exact value, yet from many comparisons I conclude, that the return cannot be greatly short of three millions of dollars.

This trade from Manilla to Acapulco and back again, is usually carried on in one or at most two annual ships, which set sail from Manilla about July, and arrive at Acapulco in the December, January, or February following, and having there disposed of their effects, return for Manilla some time in March, where they generally arrive in June; so that the whole voyage takes up very near an entire year:  For this reason, though there is often no more than one ship employed at a time, yet there is always one ready for the sea when the other arrives; and therefore are provided three or four stout ships, that, in case of any accident, the trade may not be suspended.

The ship having received her cargo on board, and being fitted for the sea, generally weighs from the mole of Cabite about the middle of July, taking the advantage of the westerly monsoon, which then sets in, to carry them to sea.  It appears that the getting through the Boccadero to the eastward must be a troublesome navigation, and in fact it is sometimes the end of August before they get clear of the land.  When they have got through this passage, and are clear of the islands, they stand to the northward of the east, in order to get into the latitude of thirty odd degrees, where they expect to meet with westerly winds, before which they run away for the coast of California.[2] It is most remarkable, that by the concurrent testimony of all the Spanish navigators, there is not one port, nor even a tolerable road, as yet found out betwixt the Philippine Islands and the coast of California and Mexico; so that from the time the Manilla ship first loses sight of land, she never lets go her anchor till she arrives on the coast of California, and very often not till she gets to its southermost extremity:  And therefore, as this voyage is rarely of less than six months continuance, and the ship is deep laden with merchandise and crowded with people, it may appear wonderful how they can be supplied with a stock of fresh water for so long a time.  A supply indeed they have, but the reliance upon it seems at first sight so extremely precarious, that it is wonderful such numbers should risque perishing by the most dreadful of all deaths, on the expectation of so casual a circumstance.  In short, their only method of recruiting their water is by the rains, which they meet with between the latitudes of 30 deg. and 40 deg. north, and which they are always prepared to catch:  For this purpose they take to sea with them a great number of mats, which they place slopingly against the gunwale, whenever