In the month of August of the same year, 1548, Ruy Lopez, sent Bartholomew de la Torre in a small ship to New Spain, to acquaint the viceroy of his proceedings. Torre went first to the islands named _Siria, Gaonala, Bisaia_, and many others, in 11° and 12° N. lat. where Magellan and de Castro had both been formerly, and where the latter baptized many of the natives; and the Spaniards called these the _Phillipinas_, in honour of the prince of Spain[104]. In these islands Torre procured provisions, and wood and water, whence he sailed for several days with a fair wind, edging towards the north-east, till he came right under the tropic of Cancer. On the 25th of September, they came in sight of certain islands, which they named _Malabrigos_, or the evil roads; beyond which they discovered _Las dos Hermanas_, or the Two Sisters; and beyond these again, four islands which they called _las Volcanes_. On the second of October they came in sight of _Farfana_, beyond which there is a high pointed rock, which throws up fire in five places. Sailing in this manner, for some time, in 16° of north latitude, they were obliged by continual contrary winds, to bear up again for the Philippine islands, and in their way back, had sight of six or seven additional islands, but did not anchor at any of them. They found also an archipelago, or numerous cluster of islands, in 15 or 16 degrees of north latitude, well inhabited by a white people, with beautiful well-proportioned women, and much better clothed than in any other of the islands of these parts; and they had many golden ornaments, which was a sure sign that there was some of that metal in their country. These people likewise had barks or vessels of forty-three cubits long, by two fathoms and a half in breadth, constructed of planks five inches broad, and which were rowed with oars. The people told the Spaniards that they were in use to sail in these vessels to China, which was not above five or six days sail from thence, and offered to supply them with pilots, if they were inclined to go thither. Several of these barks, handsomely decked, came off to the Spanish ship, in which the master, and other principal people, sat on a high platform, while the rowers sat underneath, who were _blackamoors_ or negroes with frizzled hair. Being asked whence they had these negroes, they answered that they were brought from certain islands near Sebut, where there were abundance to be had. The Spaniards wondered much at finding negroes in this place, being above 300 leagues from the nearest land of the negroes. It is therefore probable that these people were not originally natives of this part of the world; but that they have been scattered somehow in various places over the circuit of the earth, as they are found in the islands of Nicobar and Andaman, in the bay of Bengal. From thence, for the space of 500 leagues, we do not know of any other black people: Yet Vasco Nunnez de Valboa pretends to have discovered them,