Last year two ships sailed from these islands for Nueva Espana.  The almiranta, while sailing out of a strait where these islands come to an end, encountered seven hurricanes, so furious that it seemed as if the sea would swallow it up; and those who were aboard gave themselves up a thousand times for lost.  They tried to make port in Japon, but it was impossible; and they finally arrived at Manila, rounding Cabo del Bojeador.  The men arrived in very bad condition, and many of them blinded with the salt water which had dashed into their eyes.  Three days before these tempests commenced they sighted the capitana, but never saw her again.  We do not know here what became of her, whether she was lost or arrived safely in Nueva Espana.

At nine o’clock in the evening on the eleventh of May, there was an occurrence in this city as pitiable as it was unfortunate, the cause of it being a man who had been expelled from our Society.  After having been a member of it for seven years, he left the Society, and was married three times, although he was not yet thirty years old.  Our Lord often brought him back, warned by bitter experience of troubles and remorse of conscience; so that for a long time he did not dare to go to sleep without first confessing himself—­especially on the long trip from Nueva Espana to these islands, where he was wrecked on a ship which was on its way with silver and other wealth belonging to these islands.  The vessel escaped miraculously, with sails torn by shots from three Dutch vessels, which they took for one of their own.  They ran aground, but all the silver was saved.  Among others Joan de Messa (the name of the outcast of whom I have just spoken) removed all the silver and goods, to the value of thirty thousand pesos or more, belonging to people in Mexico.  It had been entrusted to him, and he kept it, as was done by all, in a house and church of one of our residences, situated where the ship happened to halt.  While he was there he proceeded as if he were a religious, both in example and in frequenting the sacrament, until he came to this city of Manila—­where, with certain curious articles, he obtained entrance to and communication with the wife of the governor of these islands, Dona Catalina Sambrano, who had little care for what her position and her dignity demanded.  Their sin began on Holy Thursday, with so little secrecy and so bad an example, that the affair was beginning to leak out.  So badly did it appear that certain persons came to one of our fathers, advising him to warn Joan de Messa that they would kill him.  The father did, but Messa took no notice of it.  The governor, meanwhile, was informed of his wife’s evil conduct; and, wishing to detect them, he pretended to go down to the harbor and fort of Cavite, situated two leguas from here.  He had been wont to do this on other occasions, because the enemy with nine ships was within sight of the fort.  He retraced his steps, leaving his entire retinue about a legua from here.  He entered the