Sire:

Since the last year, 601, an account has been given to your Majesty
of the expedition which I conducted at the close of the previous year,
1600, by order of the governor and president, Don Francisco de Tello,
against Olibert de Norte, a corsair from Holland who entered among
these islands, taking prizes with two ships of war; and of the outcome
of the expedition, by which the said corsair was punished and harassed.

Francisco de las Missas, factor and overseer of your Majesty's
exchequer in these islands, whom I inspected a short time ago
... [under a] [60] special commission from your Majesty, and passed
sentence upon him ... penalties and restitutions as will appear by
the report of the inspection which I have sent to your ... [Majesty]
by three routes. He has been so hostile ... that he displays his
jealousy of me in all matters [in so far as] he can. Accordingly,
on account of this--as well as to cover his fault at the time of
the despatch of the fleet which I took, by sending me unsupplied
with sailors and other things necessary, which it was his duty to
furnish--among other measures which he has taken since the past
year, one has been under color and appearance of proceeding from
the licentiate Salazar de Salzedo, fiscal of this Audiencia (whom,
for private reasons, he holds quite in his power). The said factor
induced the fiscal, in the affair of his investigation, to draw up a
secret information with suborned witnesses--sailors and others, who
are at his call--by which it is intimated that he furnished me well,
and that the commander's ship was lost through my fault, imputing to
me by the statements of these men other and illegal actions, in order
to disparage my faithful service; by this may be seen the malice and
passion of those concerned in this affair. That document was sent to
your Majesty and the ministers before whom this matter is considered.

In like manner Captain Joan de Alcega (his intimate friend,
and likewise a partisan of the said fiscal and factor), whom I
took as admiral, in order to cover up his own guilt--for which he
was arrested by the president and governor, and is being proceeded
against officially because, at the beginning of the fight, he left the
commander's ship unsustained, contrary to the order which he had from
me in writing; and on account of other illegal acts, and because he
took a part of the benefits of the success which resulted--he also,
driven by the same h