m Nueva Espana.

Yet besides this, on account of the straitened circumstances of
your Majesty, and the need of attending to other pressing matters,
it is indeed true, in view of the great importance to your Majesty
of not allowing the enemy to get possession of that archipelago (for
he would infallibly become master of the whole of India, and become
more powerful than can be understood here), that there appears to
be another measure less costly in the meantime; although it will not
result in dislodging them, at least it will give them such diversion
and do so much damage that the profit which they will secure will be
dearly bought. This is, that your Majesty should command the governor
of the Filipinas to build eight galleys, and keep them in Terrenate;
I will explain what their cost would be, shortly. These would be
of great importance, as can be readily seen here, if one considers
these reasons and the letter which Don Geronimo de Silva writes to
his cousin, and another from Master-of-camp Lucas de Vergara to the
dean of Manila, and to myself--the originals of which I possess,
and which, as they explain the situation of those islands, I place
at the end of this relation.

In the first place, the enemy has no ports in those islands in which to
take refuge; and ordinarily his fleet goes about, one way and another,
among the coasts there.

Second, every day in the year (or almost every day) there are six
or eight hours of dead calm, at which time galleys never meet a
galleon under these circumstances without taking it or sending it
to the bottom; for it has been seen by experience with a galleon and
a galliot which the Spaniards possess there, what excellent results
they have produced.

Third, on account of this expedient of the galleys the enemy will not
dare to divide their forces among the factories to carry on their
negotiations; and, as they will have to go together, the cost will
be so great that they cannot support it.

Fourth, the supplies will be taken away from their fortresses;
for they have nothing wherewith to support themselves except it be
brought from other islands. This would be very easily accomplished,
and the enemy would have no means to remedy it. The natives who are
devoted to them would be so terrorized that they would be obliged
to come over to our side. If they accomplish that in this way and
through the effective plans of whomsoever shall govern there, and the
negotiations which he would