indanao with the small boat
of the flagship which was lost in the Ladrones. Up to the present day
none of the Spaniards of our number who were in that ship, have been
in that river. Near this cape there is an island called Taguima,
[46] and between the island and the said cape the vessels of the
Portuguese pass on their way to Maluco for cloves. Therefore if
the king our lord take Maluco for his own (for people say that his
Majesty has a right to it), the ships sent out will be able to carry
out two commissions in one voyage, taking on a cargo of cloves and
of cinnamon, for Maluco lies in the course, and is a very good port,
where they must of necessity touch. I have called attention to what I
have seen in this island. Finally, I shall now speak of all the others
which are on terms of peace, at least as far as concerns those where
the Spaniards have been. The second is the island of Negros, which is
absolutely peaceful. It contains about twenty thousand inhabitants,
and is divided among the Spaniards who remained in Cubu. There are
said to be gold mines there. Next is the said island of Cubu, which
is poorly populated. Between these three islands there are many
insignificant islets, some of them inhabited and some not. These I
shall not mention, in order to avoid prolixity, but in all of them
there are mines. Farther to the northwest from Cubu are Baybay, Bayugo,
Abuyo, Cavalian, Tandaya, Barciogama, and other islets, among these
which I have mentioned. They are divided among the same citizens of
Cubu. Very few of them have peaceable inhabitants. With them as with
the others, it is best to bring about peace in these islands. Rice,
cotton, great numbers of swine and fowls, wax, and honey are produced
there in great abundance. There are many mines, as has been shown, and
the natives say that they are well populated. There is gold in all of
these islands; but the most important thing is wanting, Spanish people
to colonize them. There remains to the west the island of Panay, which
was very populous and fertile, and yielded great abundance of rice,
swine, fowls, wax, and honey. The natives say that there are gold
mines in this island; and, since they say it, it must be true. The
gold found there is very pure. When the governor was in that island
there fell upon it--because of our sins and those of the natives,
or God knows what--an extremely great plague of locusts, which has
lasted three years and still continues. No field i