As some of the Franciscan friars who have come to the Philippines
have preferred to labor in China, Penalosa orders (March 2, 1582)
that no person shall leave the islands without his permission. In a
letter dated June is of that year, he complains to the king that he
has not received the expected reenforcements of men from New Spain;
that the Audiencia of that country (in which is now Sande, superseded
by Penalosa as governor of the Philippines) meddles with his government
and threatens to make trouble for him; and that he needs a competent
assistant in his office. Ternate is now under Spanish control,
and Spain monopolizes the rich spice-trade; Panama is the best
route therefor. An "English pirate," presumably Sir Francis Drake,
has been intriguing with the Malays at Ternate, and the post there
should be more heavily fortified. The newly-appointed bishop, Salazar,
has arrived; on account of his austerity and his wish to dominate,
he is not a favorite with the people.

_The Editors_

April, 1903.

Documents of 1576-78

Relation of the Filipinas Islands. Francisco de Sande; June 7,
1576.

Relation and description of the Phelipinas Islands. [Francisco
de Sande]; June 8, 1577.

Bull for erection of the diocese of Manila. Gregory XIII;
February 6, 1578.

Letter to Felipe II. Francisco de Sande; July 29, 1578.

Indulgence to those who visit Franciscan churches;
Gregory XIII; November 15, 1578.

_Sources_: These documents are obtained from MSS. in the Archivo de
Indias, Sevilla, excepting the papal decrees; the first of these is
from _Doc. ined., Amer. y Oceania_, xxxiv, pp. 72-79, the second from
the _Cronica de la provincia de San Gregorio_ of Fray Francisco de
Santa Ines (Manila, 1892), i, pp. 215, 216.

_Translations_: The first document is translated by Rachel
King; the second, by Jose M. Ascensio; the third and fifth, by
Rev. T.C. Middleton, O.S.A.; the fourth, by G.A. England.

Relation of the Filipinas Islands

Royal Catholic Majesty:

I sailed from the port of Acapulco, Nueva Espana, on the sixth of
April of the year seventy-five, as I had previously informed your
Majesty from that port. On account of setting sail during the calms,
we were delayed, so that it took us seventy-two days to reach the
Ladrones. There we filled our water-butts, and I took on board a large
anchor that I found there that had belonged formerly to the flagship
lost there by Ffel