oyal books in our charge,
at the order of Don Rodrigo de Bibero, president, governor, and
captain-general of these islands. Manila, August eighteen, in the
year one thousand six hundred and eight.

_Pedro de Caldierva de Mariaca_

_Alonso Despia Ssaravia_

Decrees Regarding Way-Station for Philippine Vessels

The King: To Don Luis de Velasco, [47] my viceroy, governor, and
captain-general of the provinces of Nueva Espana. Your predecessor
in the government of those provinces, the Marques de Montes Claros,
informed me by a letter of May 24 of last year that he had received
my decree of August 19, one thousand six hundred and six, in which
were contained the directions to be followed by him in the opening to
navigation and the settlement of the new port of Monte Rey, discovered
by Sevastian Vizcayno on the voyage from Nueva Espana to the Philipinas
Islands. He stated that the decree could not be carried out in any
respect, since it reached his hands when the trading fleet for those
islands had already set sail, and since Sevastian Vizcayno--whom I
had commanded to undertake that voyage and found the colony, as being
the discoverer of the said port--had departed for that kingdom in the
fleet of that year. He stated that with a view, above all, to reaching
a decision in regard to what must be done for the prosecution of this
business, it seemed to him well to inform me of what he had heard, and
of what had been brought before him with reference to the matter. He
took for granted that it was of great importance to discover a port
where the ships returning from the Filipinas might stop to refit;
for on so long a voyage the greatest part of the danger is due to
the lack of a place where the injuries received in the voyage may be
repaired. If no more suitable place should be found, he said, it would
be advisable to make use of the port of Monte Rrey, of which he had
been notified; but, to understand better the importance of this port,
it would be well to notice that according to the survey made by the
said Sevastian Vizcayno it seems to be in latitude thirty-seven, on
the coast known as the coast of Nueva Espana, which runs from Cape
Mendocino to Acapulco. Now while it is true that most of the ships
on his voyage sight land within one or two degrees of that place,
still, it must be understood that they always regard themselves as
being at the end of their voyage and out of danger on the day when
they reach there. Thi