All these matters are very serious, hard to decide aright, and worthy of being considered very closely and attentively. They concern the discharge of the king's conscience, the royal authority, the conservation and increase of the king's treasury and the royal patrimony, and the public welfare and conservation of these islands. For all of them, I beseech your Lordship to be pleased to provide and order what shall be most to the service of his Majesty and the public convenience. In that I shall receive grace and justice.] DECREE ORDERING REENFORCEMENTS FOR THE ISLANDS To the Conde de Salvatierra, my relative, and viceroy, governor and captain-general of Nueva España, and president of my royal Audiencia which there resides: Captain Melchor de Barrasa Enrriquez, procurator-general of the Filipinas Islands, has reported to me that the condition in which those islands are exposes them to danger; that the colony is held together only by the few troops who remain in it since the wars in Mindanao and the insurrection of the Sangleys; and that, since this is the case, considering also the Portuguese rebellion and the power which the Dutch possess, it is necessary for that colony to stand continually on the defensive. For this reason, it is desirable that you, and those who shall succeed you in those offices, hasten the usual reënforcements [that are sent there], and that these be considerable, both of men and of military supplies--since those provinces [of Nueva España] now contain more idle people than ever before; and the Filipinas Islands have a much smaller number of men than they always have had, on account of losing so many in the military expedition above mentioned. In order that these reënforcements may be sent in time, and may be sufficiently large, it is decreed that you commence them early in December, making repartimientos of men [50] in all the provinces, according to the population of each one. You shall also command that the alcaldes-mayor and the corregidors shall fill the respective quotas allotted to them, from the vagabonds and criminals; for otherwise it will be impossible to collect a sufficient number, or to further [the needs of] my service. Unless there can be sent each year five hundred soldiers, and as many seamen as possible, the relief will not be sufficient to meet the needs of those islands. The amount of money sent should also be in accordance with what has been decreed, and with it should go the supplies that shall be required [for the islands. The said procurator-general] entreats that I be pleased to command that an urgent decree of mine be despatched, requiring you to send this relief promptly and efficiently, of all the above kinds; and to report annually what you sent during the year. This matter having been examined in my royal Council of the Yndias, together with a letter to me from Don Diego Fajardo, my governor and captain-general of the Filipinas Islands,