This would indeed be making a pretty game of war, and cutting their throats with a wooden sword.  And I assure your Majesty that this idea is not only my own, but that of all experienced men in Maluco There resides at this court Juan Gomez de Cardenas, who gained considerable experience in Japon with a Dutch factor, who never thought that this man was a vassal of your Majesty.  The latter made known to him the said reason, and said that they feared nothing until your Majesty should send there six or more galleys.

It now remains to tell the ease and little cost with which your Majesty could maintain these galleys and man them; and if this is explained for one, it holds in regard to all.  The hull of a galley of twenty-four benches, put together and fitted for sailing, costs in the Filipinas four thousand ducats.  The gang to man it must be secured in this manner.  The governor of the Filipinas should send to Mindanao three hundred soldiers, by whom—­besides setting free more than ten thousand Christian captives, vassals of your Majesty in the Filipinas—­sufficient men could be captured to man the galleys.  If this measure be not sufficient, a frigate or two should be sent to Malaca for cloves on your Majesty’s account, which would bring back negroes at two hundred reals, more or less, with which to man them; these oarsmen are very satisfactory, as experience has shown.  In order to maintain the crew and replace those who die, men could be captured continually from our enemies, on a thousand occasions, without fail.

The support of the galley slaves is inexpensive, for they live on rice, fish, and a little jerked beef—­which, besides, is often captured from the enemy there; and is very low in price when it has to be bought, as, at present, in the island of Macacar.

The third and last measure is, if these two fail, such that I dure not write it, for that is not expedient; but I will explain it to your Majesty, if you are pleased to learn it.  I shall not go into this matter any further, nor explain the reasons more in detail, as this is not to be long; but if your Majesty should be pleased to carry out any of the suggestions here made, I shall explain away the doubts which may present themselves.

In the second place the person who is to govern should have the said requisites, for he is the soul of the undertaking; and it is he who must execute whatever your Majesty orders and commands.  Whatever he is, such will be the rest.  That this may not appear an exaggeration, I will prove it by evidence.

There are dependent upon the governor not only the secular Spanish residents of those islands, but the ecclesiastics; also war and peace, and the royal Audiencia, the archbishop, the bishops, and all the other soldiers and citizens; for it is he who must reward and honor them with offices of peace and war.  He must assign the cargoes of the ships, the profits and advantages.  The royal Audiencia, because he appoints their relatives