With the arrival of a ship which has come from Xapon to the island of Mariveles, at the mouth of this bay (whence I do not know where it went), I received the letters which came for me.  I learned by them that nine armed ships were ready to sail from that country to join on this coast two others which came out earlier to cruise along the coast of China.  It appears, however, that they certainly have left Xapon, as this was made known and affirmed by a Dutch factor, who fled from them in Malayo.  His declaration accompanies this letter, to the effect that this fleet is already equipped, and that it has been detached merely to come to these coasts to rob the ships from China, and to bring about an encounter with those from Nueva Spana, keeping a place to retire to and fit up in some Japanese ports.  I am not surprised if this also is true, as it has been learned from many besides this factor that the Flemish and English nations have a hundred vessels and more in these parts, besides those that are expected, and are said to be coming.  But God is before and above all.  Your Majesty will arrange and decree what is most suitable; meantime, while I live, and remain here, I shall do what I can, and, with the divine favor, I expect no evil result.

Don Alonso Fajardo de Tenca

[Endorsed:  “See whether this letter is a duplicate, for it is old.”]

DOCUMENTS OF 1622

Letter to the king.  Alvaro Messa y Lugo; 1621 and July 30, 1622.  Letters from the archbishop of Manila to the King.  Miguel Garcia Serrano, O.S.A.; 1621-22.  Royal decrees regarding the religious.  Felipe IV; December 31.

Source:  These documents are obtained from MSS. in the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla.

Translations:  All these are made by James A. Robertson.

Letters from Auditor Messa y Lugo to the King

Sire: 

Immediately upon my arrival in this country, I informed your Majesty, at the first opportunity, of everything possible, both of the condition in which I found affairs here, and of what I could conjecture in the beginning made by the new governor, Don Alonso Fajardo—­of whom I immediately conceived suspicions and fears—­and in the little that I saw of the beginnings of his government, by which he would not satisfy the need of the country for justice and [good] administration.  Then in my next despatch, [26] [I informed you how this idea was confirmed] by the demonstrations which may be called want of prudence; then, at intervals, I continued to add to my letters whatever occurred that was more intimately connected with this particular.  Thus have I been doing on all the other occasions when ships have sailed from this country, both for Mexico and via Yndia, in addition to what the Audiencia has written to your Majesty.  Although it has been impossible to inform your Majesty so minutely