ce. He
was a pious man and one of noble purposes, and he died of grief, as may
be deduced from a letter which he wrote me before his death. There is
no doubt that the reason we do not die is because we have not grieved
over matters with the charity and good zeal which were his.

Something has been done by the governor of these islands, Don Francisco
Tello, in which the auditors also must have been concerned. A ship was
sent from these islands to China, and, as I understand--your Majesty
will learn the facts by other means--it sailed to a port very near to
the town of the Portuguese. If God and your Majesty provide no remedy,
this expedition will be the total destruction of what is held here by
the crowns of Castilla and Portogal, with great offense to the faith,
or the destruction of preaching and conversion. It is most difficult
of correction, for there are interested in this matter first, the
governor; secondly, the auditors; and thirdly, their followers and
ministers. I hope, God helping, that all the good works which have
been commenced here will not be abandoned for aught but the interest
and profit of those who, according to right, should not regard their
private welfare, but the common good, and the service of God and their
king. In this I do not refer to the present auditors and governor, for
I do not know what they have done of good or of bad in this despatch to
China, but I speak of what is their custom and what is infallibly done
by governors and auditors, unless they are people very much devoted
to God's service. There are few if any persons that come who do not
destroy this land, by sending much money to China. Of this there is
no doubt, and every day more light is shed upon the subject. From
this vessel sent to China is resulting the total destruction of the
Portuguese town called Macan. Its sole support consists of the trade
carried on there with the Chinese, exporting goods thence to Japon and
elsewhere. By means of the friendly relations between the Portuguese
and the Chinese, they succeed in buying the stuffs very cheaply, and
by the little which is afterward gained in Japon and other places,
these people are supported. Even should we go there, we have not that
success in business, that concord among ourselves, or that patience
and phlegm, and we seek greater profits. Necessarily, we must greatly
increase the price of the goods--more especially as the Chinese are
very shrewd traders; and on seeing our