island in company with Alvaro de Saavedra. In the year
of 28, he returned to this land and anchored, when wrecked by terrible
storms that they experienced, which forced them to return. Then they
did not land, but from the coast, the island appeared very pleasant,
and displayed good anchorages and ports. Its inhabitants are black,
tall, robust, and well built in general. Hence, Father Urdaneta thought
it advisable to go to this island first, and make a few entrances,
until they could discover its products, and if it were fertile and
suitable, to colonize it. If it were not suitable, still, some one
of its ports would be of great importance, to serve as a station for
all the other expeditions, which they might wish to make to all the
islands of the archipelago, which are innumerable and nearly all
undiscovered." The viceroy, while not opposing the opinion of the
friar, and even giving him to understand that it would be followed,
at the end gave a different order.]

[For the voyage the Augustinian provincial, with the concurrence of
the other religious, selected the missionaries who were to be "the
foundation stones upon which that church was to be established:"
the prior, Andres de Urdaneta; Martin Rada, "the most eminent man
in the astrology of that time," who proved of great aid to Urdaneta
in scientific lines; Diego Herrera, who was to spend "all his life
in the Filipinas, with great temporal and spiritual gain, until
at last, he lost his life in the year of 76, when he was drowned;"
Andres de Aguirre, who was also to spend all the rest of his life
in the islands, making two journeys to Spain in their interest;
Lorenzo Jimenez, "who died while waiting at Puerto de la Navidad
to embark;" and Pedro de Gamboa. When all was about in readiness to
sail, the viceroy Luis de Velasco died. In eulogizing him, Esteban
de Salazar says: "Of his virtue and valor, and his Christian spirit,
we cannot speak in sufficiently fitting terms, for he was the light
and model of all goodness and for all Christian princes. Although he
lived amid the treasures of the Indians so many years, he kept his
soul so noble and so uncorrupted, and his hands so continent, that
he died poor." Notwithstanding the death of the viceroy, preparations
went on. Legazpi, on arriving at port, took inventory of his men, and
found that, counting soldiers, sailors, and servants, they amounted to
more than four hundred. There were two pataches and two galleys. The
f