of Jesus.

Letter from the Fiscal to Felipe III

Sire:

I, the licentiate Geronimo de Salazar y Salcedo, fiscal for your
Majesty in the royal Audiencia and Chancilleria of the Philipinas
Islands, say that, as it has been heard in the islands that your
Majesty has done them the favor of appointing Don Pedro de Acuna as
governor and captain-general, and president of the royal Audiencia,
this has greatly pleased and satisfied them, on account of the good
reputation which he has of being an excellent soldier, and not at all
self-seeking. Therefore his arrival is desired, because it is very
necessary for all and [_illegible in MS._] for the matters of war,
in which many mistakes have been made up to the present time--which I
will not mention, however, since the remedy is so soon expected with
the arrival of Don Pedro de Acuna. If this had occurred a year ago,
it is certain that a great misfortune would have been avoided which
these islands suffered, and which was as follows.

On the sixteenth of October of the year 1600 just past, there entered
the little bay of Aluay, which is in these islands, near the entrance
to them, two vessels, which, from some people who went on board of
them, were found to belong to strangers. After having robbed some
vessels they came toward the port of Cavite, which is two leguas from
this city, and is the place where vessels anchor. It was decided that
some ships should be fitted out in the aforesaid port--namely, a ship
built in the island of Cebu, called the "Sant Diego," which belonged
to some private persons; a galicabra called the "Sant Bartolome," which
belongs to your Majesty; a galley of twenty benches, also belonging to
your Majesty; and a pataje belonging to some Portuguese from Malaca,
who were in the port. [47]

It seemed to Don Francisco Tello, governor and captain-general of
these islands and president of the royal Audiencia, and to the doctor
Antonio de Morga and the licentiate Cristoval Tellez de Almacan,
auditors therein, that it would be well, in order that the ships
might be got ready in the best way and as quickly as possible, for
the aforesaid Dr. Antonio de Morga to go to Cavite for that purpose,
and so he went there early in November. Later, desiring to go as
commander-in-chief of the expedition, he asked for that office from
the president, who proposed it to the licentiate Cristoval Tellez de
Almacan, desiring him to secure it through a session of the Audie