inas declares that, as
such archbishop, he is under obligation to look after the condition
of these islands and of the Christian religion in them; and, as a
member of the Council of his Majesty, to protect the interests of his
royal crown, and of this his dominion--all of which, according to the
counsels of prudence, is at the present moment in great danger. This
danger is one of the greatest that could be, for the powerful king
of China has threatened us with an enormous fleet of ships, saying
that there will be a thousand of them if we do not grant what he
demands in regard to two things. One of these is clearly just; for it
concerns a great quantity of property which was brought into this city
by the Chinese merchants last year, six hundred and three, when the
Sangleys rebelled against this city. Your governor commanded that the
said property, as belonging to enemies (as those who brought it here
were), should be kept, and taken into custody, and should be given
back to them. A great part of this property was afterward sold among
the Spaniards and more than thirty thousand pesos of the proceeds
of the said goods came into the possession of Diego de Marquina,
general depositary of this city, by whom it was all (or nearly all)
turned over to your royal treasury. The rest of the Chinese property
came into the possession of Captain Sebastian de Aguilar, and any
other person who may have received into his keeping and custody other
goods belonging to the said property. The other thing which the said
king of China demands is, that certain Chinese (of whom there are not
many) who remained alive after the war and were at that time taken
prisoners, and are in the galleys, should be given their liberty
that they may go back to their own country. This is a matter for
your Highness to examine carefully, to ascertain whether this be a
just demand, and whether it can be justly exacted. Even if it were
clearly and evidently just that the said Chinese should remain as
convicts in the said galleys, this demand requires much consideration,
on account of the condition of the faith and of the realm, whether
this commonwealth must be forced to break with so powerful an enemy
and enemies as he would be. He brings forward his arguments with much
reason and consideration; by one of his demands--which of itself is
not very important, although more so when, arriving at the question of
justice--he brings up another doubt as to whether it is just