I am very sorry that the articles which I sent by Fathers Buena Ventura Plana and Joseph Bobadilla were lost, through an accident; for this has deprived me of the pleasure which I would have felt if they--as being things from this country, although of little value--had reached the hands of your Grace and other gentlemen to whom my gratitude and affectionate good-will had addressed them. I think that the aforesaid fathers are now in Nueva España, on their return journey, and I do not doubt that in passing by way of the court there [i.e., Madrid], on their return from Rome, they exerted whatever good offices they could in my favor, on account of the special affection which I owe them, and [which], your Grace is pleased to declare, they displayed. And although I take into consideration the fact that at present the other fathers who reside at that court cannot accomplish much, for the reasons which you give me, I persuade myself that it will do no harm if your Grace will please to preserve (if you can do so without special trouble) communication with all those to whom you caused the letters that went from here to be delivered; for they will not fail to render aid in whatever may arise. Nevertheless, even without their aid I have entire confidence that your Grace will employ the other means which you have obtained through your great ability, and such others as you may find convenient, if one alone do not prove sufficient for the attainment of one of the governorships which I have mentioned. Again I assure your Grace--to say nothing of the fact that this hope itself affords me some pleasure--that it will be a favor so praiseworthy, and so great a kindness, for me to be able to escape as soon as possible from this chaos, this deep well, that (as I have already said) I shall not have words with which to express it, and therefore to manifest to your Grace sufficiently the gratitude which I shall always feel toward you. I flatter myself that at the same time there may come an order to the governor to give me the command of the galleon in which I shall have to make my voyage, for the reason which I have already explained to your Grace on other occasions, in order that in this way I can perform it with more convenience, and without so great expense. In case the granting of such order be refused (although I imagine that there will be no obstacle that can arise in the way of issuing it), it will be desirable to obtain letters from the secretary (present or future) in the general office of state who has charge of matters concerning the Indias, recommending to this gentleman [i.e., the governor of Filipinas] to be sure to grant me this favor; it would even be worth while for Señors Legarra and Maturana, and likewise Sargento-mayor Castro of the Guards, also to write to him on this subject.