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]

246

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 2

and because of the close relationship and friendliness
of our sovereigns which obliged me to do this, and
nothing less, in order to fulfil on our part, the compact made between the emperor Don Carlos, whom
may God preserve, and the royal sovereign Don
Joham the Third, whom may God maintain in glory.
As it turned out I did not see him, owing to the stress
of weather which constrained me to go directly to
Maluco-whence I sent Antonio Rombo Dacosta
and Baltesar de Sousa in two caracoas 10 to visit his
grace, and ascertain from him what he needed from
our fleet, offering him most willingly everything that
it contained. From the fortress likewise, the same
offers were made by Alvoro de Mendonna its commander; but his grace neither accepted nor besought
anything from the fleet or from the fortress. And
hearing from Antonio Rombo that there was great
need of many things, through lack of which much
hardship was suffered, I left Maluco again on the
thirteenth of October one thousand five hundred and
sixty-seven, in search of his grace, very well provided
with everything necessary for his aid-no inconsiderable amount - at the cost of his highness and of
his captains. And I failed again to see him, in spite
of all my efforts, in consequence of setting out late,
and having encountered a very violent monsoon. On
the twenty-sixth of August, one thousand five hundred
and sixty-eight I returned to Maluco, only to retrace
for a third time my way. And our Lord was pleased
to allow me to arrive at this our port where I en109 The caracoa is a large canoe used by the Malayan peoples -
"with two rows of oars, very light, and fitted with a European
sail, its rigging of native manufacture " (Dic. Acad.). According
to Retana (Zutiga, ii, p. 513*), the word caracoa is not to be
found in Filipino dictionaries.