sel
which left Manila July 1, 1573), and completed at Mexico, from
which city it was despatched to Spain in January, 1574. The royal
decrees of 1574 are taken from _Doc. ined. Amer. y Oceania_, xxxiv,
pp. 68-71; the originals are probably in Sevilla. The decree forbidding
encomiendas to royal officials is at Sevilla, its pressmark being,
"Simancas--Secular; Audiencia de Filipinas; Cartas y expedientes de
los oficiales reales de Filipinas vistos en el Consejo; anos 1564 a
1622; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 29." Sande's relation of 1576 has been
published in Retana's _Archivo_, ii, no. 1.

It may be well to explain here the method of, arranging and locating
documents which is employed in the Sevilla archives. The first division
is that of patronatos (sections), designated by names which show the
character and source of the documents therein--as "Simancas--Bulas,"
that is, papal bulls, which had been brought to Sevilla from
Simancas. Each patronato is divided into estantes (shelves), these
into cajons (cases), And these again into legajos (packets); the
legajo is sometimes further divided into ramos (parts) and numeros
(numbers). Any document may thus be easily and accurately located.

NOTES

[1] This document is printed in both Spanish text and English
translation.

[2] Evidently meaning that the ship was proceeding to Spain, since
it carried a cargo of spices for the king.

[3] The words in brackets are conjectural readings, the MS. being
illegible in these places.

[4] Referring to Legazpi's official despatches, evidently sent to
Spain by the same vessel which carried these letters by Mirandaola
and Lavezaris. This document appears at the end of _Vol_. II, under
the title, "Negotiations between Legazpi and Perdra."

[5] A relation purporting to have been written by this officer will
appear later in this series.

[6] The _escudo_ was a Spanish silver coin worth about 50.1 cents of
United States money; it was equivalent to ten _reals_.

[7] These cities of China may be thus identified: Chincheo (also
written Chinchew) is the modern Chwan-Chow-Foo (variously written
Shen-tsheou, Tsiuen-Tchou, and Tsiuan-tchau), in the province of
Fo-Kien. Cantun (Canton; _Chin._ Kwang-Chow-Foo) is the metropolis
of the province of Kwang-Tung. Huechiu is Hu-Chau (Hou-Tchou),
Nimpou is Ning-Po, and Onchiu is Wan-Chau--all in the province
of Che-Kiang. Hinan may refer to one of the towns on the island of
Hainan, which lies south