Count of Monterey, 1596 
261 
some difficulty in arranging- for their despatch; but with all this it has 
been finally managed. In respect to this, with the agreement of the 
council of the hacienda, the ship Santa Margarita was bought. 
Captain Estévan Rodríguez de Figueroa built it on his own account in 
the islands and came from there this year ahead of your Majesty’s San 
Pedro and San Pablo. There was a very good report here of this ship, 
not only that it was new, but also that it was very strong and well built, 
and of a portage of 450 tons. For this reason, and since your Majesty 
had no more than four ships on this route, and it had been ordered by the 
viceroy that two should always go and leave one in the port, I decided to 
buy it, having been assured by Viceroy Don Luis de Velasco and many 
persons experienced in this business that it is almost impossible for the 
ships that go to return the same year; neither can the order 12 which your 
Majesty has given be carried out in less than five. Without this ship your 
Majesty had four, as I have said, and of these two in the islands were not 
to come back the past year because they went in that same year, while one, 
because it was sent there as a useless old ship, was not to return at all, 
as is known. For this reason it seemed more necessary than ever to buy 
this other, and made more urgent the need [for that route] of your 
Majesty’s two ships, San Pedro and San Pablo, which were not expected 
for many days after the Santa Margarita arrived. Finally when the 
San Pedro did arrive a very bad report was brought of the state in which 
the ship San Pablo was coming and the fear which, for this reason and 
because of her over-load, might be felt that she might be lost. We saw 
ourselves threatened with having for the voyage to the islands and that 
of the viceroy only one of your Majesty’s ships, although three were 
necessary, and it would be very expensive to charter one belonging to some 
private person against the account of the real hacienda of your Majesty. 
Therefore, taking this means as the most convenient, I caused the pur¬ 
chase to be made for 22,500 pesos, sending the payment of eight thousand 
to San Juan, after the departure of the fleet. I gave the viceroy the choice 
of the ships that were in the port, and he chose this new one; I therefore 
ordered her to be made ready, in accordance with the cédula of your 
Majesty which he [the viceroy] showed me in the first part of December. 
I also ordered, with the agreement of the council of the hacienda and 
the approval of the viceroy, that the royal officials of Acapulco, to aid in 
paying the expense of the purchase of this ship, should load her with goods 
for trading to the fourth part of her tonnage, for with this she would go 
free and buoyant for the comfort and good voyage of the viceroy. For 
the Philippines I ordered the ship San Pedro to be prepared, it appearing 
that another ship, the San Francisco del Mariscal, [Captain] Gabriel de 
Rivera, which was in Acapulco, could supply the place of the San Pablo; 
but afterwards she [the San Pablo'] arrived, and your Majesty’s two ships, 
the San Pedro and the San Pablo, have been put in order for the voyage. 
Although the governor 13 [of the Philippines] has insisted that the afore¬ 
said San Francisco del Mariscal should go also, and I believe will complain 
to your Majesty because I did not take that measure, and although there 
are many religious and people going, and the governor says that the two 
ships will not hold them, when I have mentioned this on various occasions 
