ficials of the India House of Trade, residing there, the despatch
which you bring concerning your said office, informing them fully
and specifically of the method which you think you ought to employ
in guarding the interests of our estates; also of the said voyage,
and the contents of this instruction.

_Yten_: You will cause our accountant of said fleet to take note of
everything spent and which will be spent in said fleet; everything in
the cargo taken in the ships from the said city of Sevilla; and the
wages and provisions, the merchandise carried, both that belonging
to us, and that belonging to others who may supply anything for
the furnishing and maintenance of the said fleet. You must see to
it that a book is kept in which you will make entry of all that is
loaded in the holds. These things must be marked with your mark,
each different class of merchandise being by itself; and you must
designate particularly what belongs to each person, because, as will
be seen later, the profits must be allotted at so much to the pound,
in order that there may be no fraud.

_Yten_: You will ask the said officials of Sevilla to give you, before
the departure of said fleet, an inventory of all the merchandise
and other articles placed on board, both on our account and for any
other persons. Our accountant must put all this in the charge of
our treasurer of said fleet, entry being made in the books of both,
in order that, when, with the blessing of Our Lord, said fleet shall
return, they may give an account and calculation of everything which
can be easily verified and explained. And I order these latter to
give you such account, so that whenever the said articles shall be
bartered in the said lands and islands, during the bartering, the
things bartered shall be unloaded in presence of the said treasurer,
and he shall note everything bartered for them, and he shall do this,
setting down everything fully and specifically.

Furthermore, as you will see, I have ordered certain merchants to
place on board the said fleet the merchandise and articles to be
sent for ransoms. These are they whom the father bishop of Burgos,
very reverend in Christ and a member of our council, may appoint to
furnish the same to the amount of four thousand ducats, which after
subtracting the twentieth part of the profits which God shall give
to said fleet, must be used for the redemption of captives. The
remainder is to be divided between us and said merc