Count of Monterey, 1596 
263 
to the council of the hacienda, the report has always been that there are 
only five hundred or a few more persons going and that without turning 
the governor out of the ship in which he is to go (for I ordered, as is right, 
that he should have his choice), all the people could be embarked and 
your Majesty saved from hiring the third ship, the San Francisco, or the 
expense of buying her, which, though it might seem less, would be worse 
in fact, for she is an old ship, in bad condition, and there is a poor opinion 
of her here. Although on several occasions her owner had tried to sell 
her to your Majesty he had never succeeded, and I am informed that he 
has now disposed of her, at a very cheap price, for a purpose for which 
I desired her very much, the promoters [ armadores ] of the expedition to 
the Californias —which was very poorly equipped for navigation, with, 
only one small vessel and launches—having bought her. They tell me 
she will be of great value for their voyage and can be made very useful 
by breaking her apart there and constructing boats of the sort that are 
used in this South Sea. These will be convenient in exploring ports. 
I consider it to be a matter of great importance that, with this, the voyage 
of the viceroy, that of the governor and the people whom he is taking*, and 
that of the promoters who are going to the Californias are well arranged, 
although there remains no ship in the port for this year. Although this 
must result in some inconveniences, when it has been explained to persons 
of good sense they have held it to be excusable, at least for this year, the 
necessity being so great for all to make the voyage and the provision being 
so small that it was not possible to carry it out except by the method and 
scheme related above. The ship Santa Margarita, in which the viceroy is 
going, as the officials of Acapulco wrote to me in a letter of the eighth of 
this month, was waiting for the viceroy to come to set sail. I believe 
this must have taken place some days ago, had he not fallen sick on the 
road, where he had an attack of gout, with fever, and was delayed for 
days; but after convalescing he continued the journey and wrote to me 
from a point near the port, from which I hope that at this hour he will 
have set out on his voyage. In order to send your Majesty this report, 
which may so greatly relieve your care for the affairs of Peru, and in 
order that the affairs of the Marquis of Cañete shall be arranged, since 
his departure depends upon the despatch of the silver 14 and fleet, I have 
been delaying the packet of letters for this ship. At the instance of Vice¬ 
roy Don Luís de Velasco I sent a small vessel of your Majesty to Peru 
with advices of his coming, in which went some servants of the viceroy, 
part of the boat being loaded with merchandise for the benefit of the 
hacienda of your Majesty in aiding to pay the expense that is being in¬ 
curred in so many directions during this year. May God keep your 
Majesty. Mexico, February 28, 1596. 
The Count of Monterey. [ With rubric.'] 
[On the back is written:] Examined on May 27, 1596. Let him be in¬ 
formed in reply that he did well in buying the ship which he spoke of, and 
let him be thanked for the care that he took in making arrangements for 
the viceroy of Peru and the governor of the Philippines. 
[With rubric.] 
