The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 2]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 2

Farther north than our settlement, or almost to
the northwest not far from here, are some large
islands, called Luzon and Vindoro, where the
Chinese and Japanese come every year to trade.
They bring silks, woolens, bells, porcelains, perfumes,
iron, tin, colored cotton cloths, and other small wares,
and in return they take away gold and wax. The
people of these two islands are Moros, and having
bought what the Chinese and Japanese bring, they
trade the same goods throughout this archipelago of
islands. Some of them have come here, although
we have not been able to go there, by reason of having too small a force to divide among so many districts.
The people who remain here are very needy and
poor, on account of having had, hitherto, no advantages or profits in the islands; and they have endured
many miseries and troubles, with very great zeal and
desire to serve your majesty, and are worthy of receiving remuneration. I humbly beg your majesty
to be pleased to be mindful of their services, to grant
them all favor (since these regions and districts contain sufficient for it), because a hundred merit it, and
have served well and will serve much more in the
future. Therefore I beg your majesty in addition,
that your majesty approve the duties and offices given
and assigned for these districts, and that your majesty
confirm them to the persons who hold them, together
with the greater favors that you may confer on them;
for in these men are found the necessary qualifications, and they fulfil their duties with all fidelity.
As this ship was about to sail, there arrived at this
port two small galleys from Maluco, carrying certain
Portuguese with letters from the captains of the fleet