all
for much amelioration; accordingly they are sending the said father
to your Majesty's presence. I recognize in him a very religious and
learned man. I am sure that it would be for the great service of the
Lord if your Majesty would listen to him, and give your royal favor
and attention to all he may say in regard to reformation, and the
general welfare of his order, and the betterment of this land--as to
a man who was present in this affair of the Chinese, and knows the
misfortunes and captures in these islands due to the naked Indian
wretches of Mindanao, and as to a learned and religious man. Manila,
December 16, 1603.

_Fray Miguel_,
bishop, and archbishop elect of the Philipinas.

[_Endorsed_: "Manila, to his Majesty; 1603. The archbishop; December
16, 1603." "September 26, 1606. Have this placed with the other
letters-credential of Fray Diego de Guevara."]

LETTERS FROM PEDRO DE ACUNA

Sire:

Having written and sealed the folio which will go with this, on
Friday the eve of St. Francis' day of this year, and set thereto the
date of the following day, when some one was to depart and take it,
on that same Friday night there occurred the insurrection of the
Chinese which I shall recount in this.

In the letter of the third of July of this year, which went with the
ship which left here for Nueva Hespana, I wrote to your Majesty that
three mandarins had come to this city from the kingdom of China,
under pretense that they were coming to investigate a lie which a
Sangley who had been here had told to their king--saying that in
Cavite there was a great quantity of gold; and that with that and
the silver which could be obtained from this kingdom every year
his vassals might be relieved from tribute. The care which was
exercised in this matter, and what occurred to me in regard to it,
I have written to your Majesty in the said letter. I told you how I
was preparing, being in uncertainty, what appeared to me necessary,
so that if anything should happen I should not be caught unprepared;
accordingly, as the houses of the Parian were very near to the wall,
I had several of them demolished so that this space might be free. I
wrote to the alcaldes-mayor and magistrates of this district, and
they sent me a memorial concerning the natives in the jurisdiction
of each one, what weapons they possessed, and in how far they might
be trusted. I had them visit the Sangleys, and see what arms and
provisions they had, pa