[103] Churchill's _Voyages_, iv, p. 491. I am aware that grave doubts as to the reality of Gemelli Careri's travels existed in the eighteenth century. Robertson says "it seems now to be a received opinion (founded as far as I know, on no good evidence) that Careri was never out of Italy, and that his famous _Giro del Mondo_ is an account of a fictitious voyage." Note 150, _History of America_. The most specific charges against Careri relate to his account of his experiences in China. See Prévost's _Histoire des Voyages_, v, pp. 469-70. His description of the Philippines and of the voyage to Acapulco is full of details that have every appearance of being the result of personal observation. In fact, I do not see how it is possible that this part of his book is not authentic. The only book of travels which contains a detailed account of the voyage from Manila to Acapulco written before Careri published that is described in Medina's _Bibliografia Española de Filipinas_ is the _Peregrinacion del Mundo del Doctor D. Pedro Cubero Sebastian_, of which an edition was published in 1682 in Naples, Careri's own home; but Careri's account is no more like Cubero's than any two descriptions of the same voyage are bound to be; nor is it clear that Careri ever saw Cubero Sebastian's narrative. [104] Zúñiga, i, p. 268. Careri mentions the case of a Dominican who paid five hundred dollars for the eastern passage. _Op. cit_. p. 478; on page 423 he says the usual fare for cabin and diet was five hundred to six hundred dollars. [105] Churchill's _Voyages_, iv, p. 499. [106] _Op. cit_. p. 491. Yet Careri had no such experience as befell Cubero Sebastian in his voyage. When they were nearing the end of the voyage a very fatal disease, "el berben, o mal de Loanda" (probably the same as beri-beri), broke out, as well as dysentery, from which few escaped who were attacked. There were ninety-two deaths in fifteen days. Out of four hundred persons on board, two hundred and eight died before Acapulco was reached. _Peregrination del Mundo de D. Pedro Cubero Sebastian_, Zaragoza, 1688, p. 268. [107] Careri: _Op. cit_. p. 503. [108] Montero y Vidal: _Hist. Gen. de Filipinas_, i, pp. 458, 463. On page 461 is a brief bibliography of the history of Philippine commerce. According to Montero y Vidal, the best modern history of Philippine commerce is _La Libertad de comercio en las islas Filipinas,_ by D. Manuel de Azcarraga y Palmero, Madrid, 1872. [109] Montero y Vidal, ii, p. 122. [110] _Ibid_., ii, p. 297. [111] Comyn: _State of the Philippine Islands_, pp. 83-97. [112] _Estadismo_, i, p. 272. [113] Zúñiga, i, p. 274.