In so far as concerns their departure, the regulation of that is not at present in the power of the governor of these islands; for the enemy are accustomed to come hither, as has been evident during the little more than three years while I have been here; they have come twice, and I am likewise expecting them now—­and always with at least twice the fleet and troops that we have.  Every day they are gaining more strength, as is seen by the presence of so many of them on this coast.  The ships from China do not come, and it is with their merchandise that our ships must go to Nueva Spana.  We are, moreover, obliged to keep the small vessels which can be manned, ready for war, in order to compel the enemy not to divide their forces and thus inflict the damage which, without this check, they would accomplish; and in order to fight with them, offering them an opportunity to do so even though they might obtain from us some advantage, which might be made up by the gain [of keeping them in check].  As we had to attend to this and then direct our efforts to fitting up the ships for Nueva Spana—­shutting up the gun-ports, and changing the vessels so that they are suitable for merchant ships, and even at times enlarging them and increasing the conveniences within, and waiting until the amount of the merchandise has been completed, so that they may carry it—­we could not get them off so quickly as was wished, nor upon an appointed day as before, when there was no war, and when at Christmas we used to have thirty or forty ships from China.  The viceroy can inform you of this, for he too can ascertain this through the relations, as well as I.

As for the memorial which your Majesty orders me to send touching the diminution of the quantity of silver which comes from Nueva Spana to these islands, having looked into the matter it appears to me that not only is this design a proper one, but that it is very necessary to bring about this result; for I judge that only with the utmost difficulty can the drain of so much silver every year from that country and those mines be continued.  They, too, are being exhausted like those of other countries, and the natives are diminishing; so that the silver is obtained in the most costly and scanty fashion, to be carried hither and go away to lie in the treasure-house of the king of China.  I did not neglect to consider this when I proposed to your Majesty that the trade of these islands with Nueva Spana should be exclusive of silk and woven goods, except linen and other products of this country, which are not of great importance; for although the coming of silver from there would not thus be altogether stopped, there is no doubt that it would be less, and we would avoid the drain from Espana by the French, English, and Flemish, of what they are accustomed to take away [in payment] for the linens which they carry thither to sell, and this saving would pass to the Yndias, as I have explained more at length in the letter which treats of this, a copy of which accompanies the present.  If this is done, there will undoubtedly be more trade with Xapon, with the opportunity given by the silk trade; and in this manner we might continue establishing a trade so that the linen trade with Nueva Spana might also be restricted, if linens for Indias could be more advantageously provided by some other part of Espana.