hich he has built at his own
cost), and asks that such be furnished for the use of the colony. The
garrison at Manila is insufficient and demoralized; and the writer
makes various recommendations for improving its status. Many persons
in the artillery service are incompetent; the writer demands a sort
of civil-service test for those appointed to such places. He also
asks for a competent artillery-founder. Better provisions should be
made for the ecclesiastical government of the islands. He asks that
silver bullion from Japan may be legalized as money in the Philippines;
and concludes with the request that the religious and the officials
there be compelled to treat the Indians more kindly. A letter by Rios
Coronel, included in this document, is deferred to _Vol_. XIX.

The Editors
August, 1904.

DOCUMENTS OF 1617-1618

Letter to Felipe III. Andres de Alcaraz; August 10, 1617.
Trade between Nueva Espana and the Far East. [Unsigned and
undated; _ca_. 1617].
Events in the Filipinas Islands, 1617-1618. [Unsigned];
June, 1618.
Description of the Philippinas Islands. [Unsigned]; 1618.
Dutch factories and posts in the Orient. [Pedro de Heredia];
[1618?].
Memorial regarding Manila hospital. [Unsigned]; 1618.
Letter to Felipe III. Alonso Fajardo de Tenza; August 10, 1618.
Letters to Fajardo. Felipe III; December 19, 1618.
Filipinas menaced by Dutch. Joan de Ribera, S.J.; December
20, 1618.

_Sources_: The first, and last four, of these documents are obtained
from MSS. in the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla; the remainder,
from MSS. in the Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid.

_Translations_: The first and seventh are translated by James
A. Robertson; the second, third, and fourth, by Herbert E. Bolton,
Ethel Z. Rather, and Mattie A. Austin, of the University of Texas;
the remainder, by Robert W. Haight.

LETTER FROM LICENTIATE ALCARAZ TO FELIPE III

Sire:

The enclosed papers were taken from the ships that were going last
year to Nueva Espana. Those ships were despatched to make the voyage
by way of Yndia; but as the Dutch enemy was lying at the entrances of
this bay with his ten warships, it was not possible for the ships to
leave, for it would have been only to have fallen, beyond all doubt,
into his hands. In them I inform your Majesty of everything occurring
up to their date. In this I shall inform you of what is new. The coming
of