eat of passion, has taken secret measures and
procured documents with which to inform your Majesty in a sinister
way to my prejudice.

Since it is just that in all matters your Majesty should be informed of
the truth, I send certain documents which are not drawn in secret, nor
cunningly, nor maliciously, whereby the truth will appear--especially
the information which was drawn by the alcalde-mayor of the province
of Valayan (on whose coast and in whose district the ship was lost),
the very next day, and obtained from the men who were saved from the
wreck. By this may be seen what passed in this region, and the guilt
of the said factor, and that of the admiral, as has been pointed out.

Beside this, in the ships which leave here this year goes a religious
of the Order of St. Augustine, Fray Francisco de Valdes by name, who
was sent, in company with Fray Diego de Cerrabi, by his order to the
court of your Majesty on the business of the order. This religious
can inform your Majesty of all which occurred on the said expedition,
as his order sent him on it to confess and administer the sacraments;
and he was present during the fight on the commander's ship, and saved
himself by swimming. As a trustworthy and disinterested person, he will
tell the truth, without being influenced by personal considerations.

I humbly beg your Majesty that, with this understanding, your Majesty
may be pleased to command that opportunity be not given for distortion
of facts in such a way, by persons so jealous and so suspicious, who
are moved alone by anger and passion to avenge themselves and procure
satisfaction from the ministers who, for the service of your Majesty,
have administered (as they still do) justice in your behalf; and
that you will command that the illegality which appears to have been
committed in this be punished, as is most fitting for the service of
your Majesty. God protect the Catholic person of your Majesty. Manila,
July 8, 1602.

_Doctor Antonio de Morga_

Sire:

I, the licentiate Geronimo de Salazar y Salcedo, your fiscal in
the royal Chancilleria of the Philipinas Islands, say that on the
sixteenth of January of the year one thousand six hundred your Majesty
was pleased to command that a royal commission be given to Don Pedro
de Acuna, governor and captain-general of these islands, empowering
him, when he should reach them, to cause the royal officials to give
him a report of what they have collected from Don