Majesty’s royal Council to defraud your royal treasury and the merits of those who have served well, I assure your Majesty that I have heard that many inquiries have been made with less justification than might be advisable.  Moreover, I am an eye-witness of the evidence taken so earnestly by Auditor Don Albaro de Messa in the assembly in the case of one Juan de Herrera, whose inquiry he had made.  Because we did not detail so fully as he wished regarding [the reward] that we informed your Majesty could be given him, he refused to affix his signature after the opinion that he there gave in favor of Captain Alonso Estever, a valiant man who has served and serves very well.  I do not know whether he has signed in his opinion of Captain Antonio de Esquibel, which he also gave to him at that time.  In order that your Majesty may know with what passions they proceed in this, and on what this was based, and may see how little was the justification of this protege of Don Albaro, namely, the said Juan de Herrera (who it is said came here as the servant of the factor Juan Saenz de Quen [86]—­of which I am not at all certain, since he has been a soldier here, and even a collector of tributes and encomiendas, and once alcalde-mayor, when the Audiencia was governing; and after his services in these employments, he was found deserving of an encomienda of two thousand tributes, of being appointed commander in the Nueva Espana line, and of an allowance); because cognizance was not taken of this in its order, in the report, Don Albaro was made especially angry.  There are also other and less justifiable inquiries, for there was an excellent notary, named Goncalo Velazquez de Lara, who forged many inquiries and other papers; and who recently forged my signature, in order to defraud your Majesty of the fees from the licenses of the Sangley Chinese.  I sentenced him to be hanged yesterday, so that he may do it no more, and that others might be warned.

The fathers of the Society of Jesus say that they need more religious of their order than are here.  They have asked me to petition your Majesty to grant them the accustomed grace in this matter.  What I can certify is that whatever aid and concession your Majesty may grant them will be well employed, for they are men who bear considerable fruit, and not as many of them return [to Nueva Espana] as of the other orders, particularly that of St. Dominic.  Of the latter I have heard that more of them than I would wish have left the order,” [87] for they are well regulated men and furnish a good example.  Although they deny it, I have come to believe that it is not because of the strictness of their life, and that they can all endure it, if your Majesty will order something to prevent it.  Of the Order of St. Augustine, I can tell your Majesty that I have heard that they have always applied themselves very earnestly to their charge of facilitating and executing all that has been, and is, necessary to be done in