month of May just
passed, another fleet went there to punish and to reduce them. I trust,
our Lord helping, that they will remain quiet, although they are not
Christians; for there is little confidence to be placed in them.

The four pataches which were sent to Terrenate arrived there safely;
and the enemy were unable to overtake them, although they came with
hopes of doing much more here than usual, and searched for the ships
from dawn until four o'clock in the afternoon. Pedro de Heredia is
somewhat disconsolate at seeing that your Majesty does not withdraw
him. He sent no news of importance, except that the enemy is not
so powerful as formerly. During the coming year I intend to send a
greater reenforcement than usual, in order to see whether we can
capture the enemy's ship which prowls thereabout. There will be
considerable opposition, and there are very few men for what is
necessary, but I shall do what is possible.

Nueva Espana aids me with very little money; for this year not more
than two hundred and thirty-four thousand pesos has come for the
expenses of the treasury, and during all the past years aid came in
almost the same way. The viceroy thinks that he is doing his duty in
not sending more. I would like him to have charge of affairs here,
to see whether he could maintain armed fleets, infantry, friars,
ministers of justice, the extraordinary expenses of presidios, and
many other expenses--which will be seen there from the reports which
your Majesty asked, and which are sent this year--with so little
cloth. He also sent me only ninety soldiers as a reenforcement, for
whom, I am assured, twenty warrants were given. The best of all is
that I am told very positively that the levy will begin very early,
just as if that had the tune that was to attract many men. If the
captains who raise the men were the ones who had to bring them, they
would make men. But as they are not the ones to bring them, and as
the matter is reduced to three companies who have to come here, and
the captains of these come to obtain the men on the wing--that is,
on the road or at the very port of Acapulco--they find that already
the men have deserted to the other captains. Many of them die here,
and there is but a low birth rate in this country. Thus the garrisons
at Terrenate and the other presidios lack men, although the visitor
thinks it all too much. I am not surprised at that, for his desire is
the same as mine, namely, to cut shor