the
realms of Great China. For this it is very important to learn that
language, and for some religious of the orders of St. Augustine and
St. Dominic to teach the Chinese in that tongue, since in that wise
they will become fond of our religion. May God bring this to pass,
later. It would tend greatly to the preservation of the soldiers,
should your Majesty order your viceroy of Nueva Espana to send a doctor
to these islands, although he should be given a salary from your royal
treasury of Nueva Espana. For lack of a physician and of someone who
knows how to cure sickness, many of the people die--especially the
soldiers and sailors, who have few comforts.

Your Majesty's galleys in this city are useless, and serve for nothing
whatever. It will be more profitable and less costly to have a couple
of small ships and another couple of armed fragatas. This can be done
if your Majesty will order them to be built, and the galleys to be
broken up.

The fort, which is being built of stone, has been fractured in some
places, from the great weight. They say that it is caused by the
small amount of cement used, and because it is near the water and
built in a round shape. It seemed as if it could be made secure by
building three buttresses with three cavaliers; and this work is
now being done. If the cavaliers had been built at first, much money
could have been saved; but, as there are no engineers here, they have
done the best they could--although several captains say that they had
given warning at the beginning of the work. For this there has been
collected a little more than four thousand pesos from certain duties
which used to be paid to your Majesty on the money brought from Nueva
Espana. Later, collections were made from the Indians of the land,
on each being levied one real--thus raising another twelve thousand
pesos, more or less. Now another tax of one real has been levied on
the Indians, who are oppressed by it; but as your royal treasury is
so poor, everything must be borne.

In last year's letter I advised you that at my petition, taxes were
levied on the Indians in their suits, according to the tariff of Spain,
charging the Spaniards triple the amount. Finding that the clerks
could not support themselves on so small fees, and at risk of levying
too much, it was ordered that the fees be doubled, and it was so done.

Captain Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa, son-in-law of the licentiate
Melchior Davalos, your auditor, k