As to the increase of your Majesty’s dominion, there is no doubt that while you are master and lord of the Filipinas, your crown encircles and embraces all the world; for today your kingdom stretches on the eastern side from Portuguese India to Malaca, and between the point of the mainland of Malaca and the island of Samatra is the strait of Sincapura by which one enters the South Sea and goes to the above-named places and the Filipinas, while on the western side the coasts of Piru and Nuevaespana border on the South Sea, whence one goes likewise to the Filipinas.  Thus it is proved that with those islands your Majesty’s crown encircles and embraces the whole world—­a greatness which furnishes a reason for great energy.  Further, if the enemy succeeds in getting possession of the Filipinas, toward which end he is putting forth so great effort, not only will this richest fragment of your Majesty’s crown be lost, but the enemy will make himself master of Portuguese India immediately; and then by way of the South Sea, he will disturb Piru and Nuevaespana, so that they can be of no profit to your Majesty.  And if the enemy perceives himself to be so powerful, he will even dare to undertake other great enterprises.

As to reputation, one word is sufficient.  All the kings and nations of the world are watching to see who comes out ahead in this undertaking—­your Majesty or the rebels of Olanda.

As to wealth, to see the efforts that the Hollanders are making for it, having experienced it—­for nothing but wealth comes to them—­might well answer as sufficient proof.  But yet I notify your Majesty of three extremely great sources of wealth in the Filipinas:  first, the wonderfully rich gold mines, of which I have given accounts separately, so that I shall not repeat them now; second, the cloves of the Malucos, which amount to three and one-half millions per year.  Of this likewise I have given detailed reports.  It is the sole inducement of the Hollanders to go there, and therefore they have exerted great care and effort to gain possession, as they have done, of the islands where it is grown, so that they enjoy nearly all of it.  The third is the trade from China to Japon, and from Japon to China, in which—­as those two kingdoms bear so mortal a hatred to one another that under no considerations can they trade with one another, and China has so much silk that is wanted in Japon, and Japon so much silver, so desired by the Chinese-the inhabitants of the Filipinas, which lie between both kingdoms, traffic in these articles with very great profit.  The Hollanders desire that traffic exceedingly; and, as they have acquired the trade of Japon, so they will be able to acquire that of China, although the Chinese are hostile to them, because of the robberies that the Hollanders have committed on them.  But, for this very reason it might even be feared that, seeing the Hollanders so powerful and superior on the sea, and that they steal their property from them, without