Islands of Maluco

With the lure of the cloves and drugs which are found in these Malucas
Islands, more and more ships from foreign nations are continually
coming to them; The French have built a factory in Macasar and have
at present four ships there. Between the English and the Hollanders
there is constant strife. In Jaba and Sumatra the English have twenty
galleons; the Dutch general set out for that place with sixteen
galleons which he had collected, but it is not known how the affair
has ended, although it is known that there has been war between the
two nations.

This year Don Luis de Bracamonte was sent from this city of Manila
as governor of the military posts in Maluco. He took with him two
galleys and four or five pataches, loaded with a great quantity of
supplies and more than two hundred infantry. When the galleys and the
pataches had entered our fortress of Terrenate, one of them, called the
"Sant Buena Ventura," remained behind as rearguard. A Dutch ship well
supplied with artillery attacked it, and in sight of our own fortress
overpowered it. Our galleys then sailed out and attacked the Dutch
ship; but the wind arose, and thus the enemy had an opportunity to
take shelter under their fortress at Malayo. This victory was felt
by us, because the enemy took from the patache a quantity of money,
three thousand fanegas of rice, and other provisions and munitions
belonging to his Majesty. The worst of all is that they took over
one hundred men--Spaniards and Indians--and the capture cost them
nothing. May God remedy this by giving us some great victory by means
of which the loss may be repaired.

On the way from India to Maluco two Portuguese galeotas encountered and
conquered a good Dutch ship loaded with cloth and other merchandise;
the Hollanders themselves escaped in the batel [_i.e._, launch]. In
the same way, one of our pataches took from the people of Terrenate
a ship loaded with provisions.

Of Eastern India

When Don Alonso Fajardo, governor of the Filipinas, saw the necessity
for having a strong fleet here for such troubles as might arise
with the Holland enemy, and that the impossibility of preparing it
here was as great as the necessity for it, he sent Captain Vidana
to Eastern India to arrange with the viceroy that he should send
us some galleons to help us in the defense of this archipelago. At
the same time he sent the viceroy a very rich present, consisting of
various articles of grea