presidios--is sent there with some difficulty, because of the long
distance overland from Veracruz to the port of Acapulco, in a land
so open that the companies necessarily lose some men. But it would
prove more costly should your Majesty, in order to avoid this, have to
form a fleet on occasions when it would be necessary. However, I have
thought that an effort might be made, some time, to send the soldiers
who must go to the islands in the trading fleet or galleons sailing to
Puertobelo; [66] and to advise the president [of the Audiencia there],
somewhat earlier, to have small boats provided to take the soldiers
by river from Chagre to Cruces. Since from that point to Panama it is
only five leguas overland, the men might be taken there easily and at
little expense. The viceroy of Peru, having been notified beforehand,
should, without any expense to your Majesty, have a vessel at Panamá,
where the soldiers could embark and go to Acapulco. There they could
change ships for those in the Philipinas line. By this method some
of the greatest inconveniences could be avoided.

And lastly, as the concluding argument of this discourse, I remind your
Majesty that since the Philipinas Islands are surrounded by enemies so
powerful as are Xapon and China--one because of its strength and valor,
and the other because of its incredible multitude of inhabitants--with
only the seven hundred Spaniards that the islands had, during
my government of Nueva España, who could bear arms (a number now
increased somewhat by the presidios of Terrenate and Thidore), they
are preserved solely for this reason, that by their means the trade
of those countries is opened to your Majesty's kingdoms. Thus said
the emperor of Xapon, when he was advised to conquer Manila. The
Chinese king wrote the same words to Don Pedro de Acuña, when the
latter suspected that the insurrection made in those islands by the
Chinese king's vassals had been made by his orders. And it must be