the port of Callao to superintend the preparation of a large fleet, as he had been informed that pirates had passed and were along the coast. The enemy, fearful of this, and recalling the fact that, five years previously, Arricharse de Aquines, [25] an Englishman, was defeated and captured by our men, after the greater part of his force was killed, decided to abandon their voyage to the Californias, and to head for these islands, with the intention of awaiting at the Ladrones the shipments of silver from Nueva España to Manila. With the said intent, they put to sea, but after sailing for several days, they encountered a storm, which brought them all nearly to the verge of destruction. One very dark and stormy night they lost sight of the almiranta, and never saw it again. Seeing himself without this vessel, the general chose as almiranta the fly-boat which he had remaining. This was a vessel of perhaps fifty toneladas burden, called "La Concordia," under command of a captain called Esias Delende. Then they resumed their course, with the same intention of capturing our silver, but, if unable to do more, to proceed to Maluco to barter for cloves, for which purpose they carried mirrors, knives, basins, and other small wares. They reached the Ladrones Islands--our Lord thus permitting--four or five days after our vessels had passed. They were detained there for several days, where, upon seeing their plans frustrated, they burned the fragata that they had brought from Piru. Thereupon they set sail and made the principal channel of these islands, eighty or ninety leguas from this city of Manila, where they stopped--either for iron, or, as our people here said, because of a need of provisions; or, as I believe, and as they themselves asserted, purposely. In short, instead of going by way of Capul, the right and necessary path for the voyage they were making, they entered a small bay called Albay, on the Camarines coast, where they anchored as if they were in their own harbors, and with as little fear and mistrust, as was clearly seen later on. They were hospitably received in this district, for our people supplied them with abundance of rice, with which to satisfy their need. They paid well for it, in order to relieve their necessity--they could not, had they wished, pay for more--for the purpose of assuring the natives that they had not come to harm them. They told the natives that they were vassals of the king Don Phelipe, our sovereign, in whose service and by whose permission they were coming. As is proved by those selfsame papers, the general showed the natives some counterfeit decrees, with which they ought to be satisfied. A messenger was sent to Manila to give information of the vessels that had arrived there. The news reached here on the nineteenth of October, when Captain Xiron reported that he was in the Camarines, and that he had boarded the general's ship, which was coming well-supplied with munitions, arms, and artillery. He gave