in the greatest need of being repaired—­one because it was very badly used up in the fight, and another because its decks had not been changed for two years; while most of them were holed along the sides by seaworms and leaked badly, and all their masts, yards, and topmasts were rotten.  Consequently, Don Geronimo de Silva, captain-general of those islands, was preparing to send them to be repaired (except three) to the island of Marinduque, forty leguas from Manila, in order to avoid the expense of hauling the wood, while awaiting the arrival of the ships from Nueva Espana in which Don Alonso Fajardo came last year (one thousand six hundred and eighteen), in order to repair the said galleys with that money [brought by those ships].  He also intended to hold them in readiness, in order to comply with your Majesty’s orders, sent by a despatch-boat, to keep them so prepared that they might join the fleet that was about to sail with reenforcements by way of the cape of Buena Esperanca, to make the journey to the Malucas Islands and drive the enemy from them.

It was necessary to equip two of the said seven galleys so that they could come to Nueba Espana last year, six hundred and eighteen, with the usual merchandise.  Consequently only five were left—­or rather six, with that in which Don Alonso Fajardo arrived.  Since the said Don Alonso Fajardo has reached Manila and finds himselt with only six galleons, it becomes necessary to build some more; for, if the fleet from Espana has not sailed and the enemy learn that Manila has but six galleons, they will go to the mouth of the port and repeat their performance of last year, unless they go to El Embocadero [55] to await the ships from Nueva Espana with the reenforcements, for, in order that the loss of Manila and Maluco may be completed, nothing else is wanting.

As above stated, it will be necessary for Governor Don Alonso Fajardo to devise immediate means for building galleons and to repair the six at Manila.  I regard the present building of ships in that country as impossible.  For with the former ships and fleets, and with the depredations and deaths caused by the enemy in those districts the natives are quite exhausted; for, as I said above, in the former year of six hundred and seventeen the Mindanao enemy captured four hundred native carpenters and killed more than two hundred others.  The year before that, six hundred and sixteen, in the expedition made by Don Juan de Silva to the strait of Cincapura, where he died, it was found from lists that more than seven hundred Indians, of those taken as common seamen (of whom more than two hundred were carpenters), died on that expedition.  Before that, in the year six hundred and fourteen, the said Mindanao enemy captured in the islands of Pintados nine hundred odd Indians, of whom but few have been ransomed.  In the shipbuilding and in the hauling of wood many have died.  Consequently, on account of all combined, there is a lack of natives