ble, and the most efficacious means of all,
if he could have carried it out as he conceived it. I believe that,
in order to facilitate that, he wrote to your Majesty, whereupon this
court was filled with hopes. But to place it in execution, he had
as much foundation as will be seen here. The forces of India are so
few, that, although Silva was told that the viceroy could not send
him six ships--and those that could go would be poorly equipped;
and that if he did send them, the coasts of India would be left
unprotected, which were daily being infested; and, besides, that they
knew by experience--the little love that the Portuguese bear to the
Castilians and that he should not trust in them--still by sending money
to build galleons and for the men, of which at least one-half million
[pesos] would be necessary, the viceroy would send that fleet. Don
Juan de Silva was without funds; on the contrary, the royal treasury
was deeply in debt from the expedition to Maluco. Still, in order
to forward his designs, he sent his master-of-camp, Christoval de
Azqueta, with pledges and securities made out by the royal officials,
binding your Majesty's royal treasury in order to get the money
there from merchandise, and paying interest on them--a transaction
which was considered ridiculous to those who knew India. He gave the
master-of-camp sixteen thousand pesos which he borrowed in gold from
the inhabitants of Manila, in order that he might bring back some
necessary things. The master-of-camp sailed in a ship accompanied by
forty Spaniards to indicate his authority. As yet, not one of them
has been seen; and it is considered certain that all were drowned,
since no further news has been heard of them. On the other hand, Silva
wrote to the viceroy of Nueva Espana that he was building that fleet,
and requested money, men, and ammunition from him. He despatched so
late the ships, which had arrived on time, that although the viceroy
made his utmost exertions he could not perform the friendly offices
that Silva desired.

He began to place the said galleons on the stocks, and, as they
were so large, scarcely could he find the necessary timbers in
the forest. Consequently, he had to have them sought under great
difficulties, and by penetrating the thicker recesses of the
woods. There having found them, it was necessary, in order to drag
and carry them to the shipyard, to depopulate the surrounding villages
of the Indians, and to drag the timb