Sire:

Hernando de los Rios Coronel, procurator-general of the Filipinas
Islands and of all their estates, declares that he came the past
year to inform your Majesty and your royal Council of the Indias,
in the name of those islands, of the desperate condition to which the
Dutch enemy have brought them. Desiring that your Majesty understand
the importance of the matter, he gave you a long printed relation in
which he discussed points important for their recovery from the enemy
and the expulsion of the latter from that archipelago. Your Majesty,
upon seeing it, ordered a fleet to be prepared; but that fleet was so
unfortunate as to be lost before beginning its voyage. Although your
Council of the Indias is discussing the formation of another fleet to
sail by way of the Strait of Magallanes, or by the new strait [_i.e._,
of Le Maire], it cannot, if it leaves here any time in July (which is
the earliest time when it can be sent from España) possibly arrive
[at Filipinas] until one and one-half years from now--or a little
less, if it has no bad luck. Now considering the watchfulness of the
enemy, and the forces that they are sending this year, namely, forty
ships, which have left Olanda--whence can be inferred the importance
to them of making themselves masters of those regions, since they
are so persistent in their efforts, and incur so heavy expenses--he
[_i.e._, Los Rios] advises you for the discharge of his conscience,
and his obligation, and his duty as a good vassal of your Majesty,
that there is urgent need that, notwithstanding the relief that your
Council of the Indias is about to despatch by way of the straits,
other help be furnished from Nueva España and Piru; of both men and
money, and to employ this [aid from España] with as great care as the
gravity of the matter requires, and to realize the fact that, were it