half degrees of latitude. If in voyaging from Acapulco to Filipinas
the ships sail in a straight line from the rising toward the setting
sun, from east to west, without change of latitude, they will arrive
at Baler, [37] a village in the northern part of the further coast of
Manila Island, which is in the same latitude as Acapulco. But usually,
as soon as they set sail from Acapulco, they descend to the eleventh
or the tenth parallel in order to find the winds with which they can
navigate; then they again go northward and follow their former course
to a point five hundred leguas from Manila, and one hundred from the
Ladrones Islands--among which they pass, in a latitude of fifteen
degrees. Thence they sail again to lower latitudes, descending to
barely thirteen and one-half degrees--on which line is the Embocadero
of San Bernardino, one hundred leguas from Manila. Thence the voyage
is made between that same island of Manila--which extends as far
as the Embocadero, and remains on the right hand--and other islands
which lie on the left, to the port of Cabite which is two leguas from
Manila. Ordinarily this voyage is made in three months, although the
return trip is usually much longer--sometimes requiring more than
seven months; while in this year, sixty-two, it lasted eight months.

Distribution of these islands

4. Although they are innumerable, hardly more than forty of the
inhabited Filipinas Islands are subject to the monarchy of Espana. The
first and chief of these, and the head of all, is that of Luzon. It is
large, being almost three hundred and fifty leguas in circumference;
and has more than twenty bays and ports where ships of all sizes
can anchor. It is the frontier [of the islands] toward Great China,
which is a hundred leguas distant from Manila. The island lies between
thirteen and one-half and nineteen degrees of latitude, and it has
the form of a square with two narrow arms--one of which extends from
south to north, the other from west to east.

5. In that which points northward lie, on its western coast, four
distinct conquered provinces. The first and nearest of these on the
bay of Manila (and belonging to the archbishopric of that name), and
in latitude 15 deg., is Pampanga; it is very populous, and abounds in rice
and other products of the soil; and it contains some gold-placers. Its
natives have the reputation of being the best and bravest, and
most faithful to the royal crown [of all in the