One cannot help reflecting how great and distressing would be the anxiety and uneasiness of the governor if the enemy should attack him and he were without possibility of collecting the forces with which to drive him from these islands.  But for all that might happen, and in case the enemy should divide his fleet, in order to be able to make use of any good opportunity, the governor placed in order two good galleons—­a flagship and an almiranta—­two other quite small ships, and two galleys.  That represents the total strength of your Majesty’s fleet in this port and all the islands.  In order to equip them with men, the governor withdrew as many men as possible from the presidios of Oton, Cibu, and Nueva Segovia.  He sent edicts to all the provinces to assemble the wandering Indians therein.  Although the greatest rigor was employed for this purpose, those collected amounted to so few, that their number did not reach seventy persons.  It is a pitiful thing to see how few men your Majesty has for service in these islands, as I can certify, since the army is in my charge.  For the paid infantry does not exceed four hundred in actual service, outside of the crippled and sick in the hospital, where they are continually dying.  Many of those who are not on pay escape to India and other regions, without any possibility of avoiding it.  Consequently, Sire, this matter remains in the above condition, and demands very speedy betterment, which your Majesty should furnish by sending a number of men and the other things needed for the conservation of all this land.  For by doing otherwise, a well-known danger is invited, as your Majesty will learn more fully from the relation that the governor will send, to which I refer.

On the thirteenth of the month of last June, a ship from Malaca anchored in this port, bearing news of the advices that your Majesty ordered to be sent to Portuguese Yndia, in regard to the alliance between the states of Olanda and Ynglaterra, and their purpose to attack these regions with the huge fleet that was thought to have come for that purpose.  It also brought news that sixteen Dutch ships had already arrived at La Sunda, and that the rest of the fleet was on the way.  May God, in His infinite goodness, bring their evil plans to naught, since we here are so in need of human forces to frustrate them.  I can assure your Majesty that we will always exercise the requisite care and vigilance here, if your Majesty will send and provide the most important and necessary things; this the governor has begun to do, especially in his cleansing the country of so many people that occupy it, with whom there is very little security.  Especially is that true of the Japanese, who are seditious and arrogant, with whom the enemy hold so intimate trade and intercourse in their own country.  For these reasons we keep strict and careful watch over them, since the suspicions conceived of them have been often verified.  The number of Sangleys whom