La Sunda. I
saw those papers in their own flagship, as I was captured by the Dutch
in the said year 610, when I was returning from the wreck at Japon to
the Filipinas. Nor does it contradict this that since then they have
continued to plunder the Chinese, since they have given out that they
do it because the silks were bought for silver which the Spaniards
of Manila are sending to China; and because even supposing that the
silks be some belonging to the Chinese, they do not wish the latter
to trade with the Spaniards, their enemies. Consequently, although
the Dutch have pillaged them, it has been by affecting this pretext,
and giving them to understand that the Dutch were not their enemies.

But what most persuades me to believe that this is the object of
the Dutch is because they are not ignorant of the great advantage to
them of buying silks from the Chinese and taking their investments
to Japon; for it is evident to them from the high profits made by the
Portuguese of Macan. That profit will be greater for them because of
the greater ease of making the investment, and their nearer and easier
navigation. Whenever any other nation wishes to trade with the Chinese,
that trading must be done entirely with silver; and as the Dutch can
take so little silver from Europa, and have no opportunity to get it
from Japon unless in exchange for Chinese merchandise, it is certain
that, both because of the high profits of this trade and in order to
maintain themselves in their factory at Japon--whence they furnish the
forts of the Malucas, Ambueno, and other places with supplies and some
food--they will procure the trade with the Chinese by all possible
means, by maintaining a factory in the island of Hermosa. Thus,
becoming wealthy, they will utterly destroy Macan and deprive the
Filipinas of the trade of Chinese silks which they had in Japon,
which was formerly of so great profit that the investment generally
yielded one hundred per cent in eight or nine months.

It is to be noted that this trade of Macan and Filipinas with Japon
is the principal thing that should be aided by Espana, for it does
not involve the danger of having the silver of the Indias wasted in
China, if voyages are made to Macan from Lisboa by way of India,
because it comes from China to Portugal, and from Nueva Espana to
the Filipinas in return for what is taken to Nueva Espana. As for
the investments made in Macan and Filipinas for Japon, the return
for thes