Mirandaola's letters of 1569 and 1574 are bound Page 289together. Regarding the MS. of “Requisitions of supplies” (1571?), see Bibliographical Data of Vol. II, under “Letter to Audiencia of Mexico” (1565). The account of the conquest of Luzón (1572) has been published by Retana in his Archivo bibliófilo filipino, t. iv, no. 1; our translation is made therefrom. The original MS. of Diego de Artieda's relation (1573) is conserved in the Museo-Biblioteca de Ultramar at Madrid; its pressmark is “711, 20–3a, caja no 22.” The MS. ascribed by some former archivist to Juan de la Isla, but apparently almost identical with Artieda's (see notes thereon in the text), is in the Archivo de Indias at Sevilla; its pressmark is: “Simancas—Filipinas; Descubrimientos, descripciones y poblaciones de las Islas Filipinas; años 1537 á 1565; est. 1, caj. 1, leg. 1|23.” It is out of its proper chronological place. We have adopted the Madrid MS. for our text, because it contains Artieda's signature; but have incorporated therein all additional matter, or important changes found in the Sevilla copy, as has been stated ante, note 54. The letter of Enriquez (1573) is taken from Cartas de Indias (Madrid, 1877), pp. 290–296; the material for this publication is found, as stated by the editors, in the Archivo Histórico Nacional, Madrid; but they do not locate therein the documents selected by them. Riquel's relation (1574) is a MS. in the Archivo general of Simancas; its pressmark is: “Secretario de Estado, leg. 155.” In Museo-Biblioteca de Ultramar, Madrid, is a MS. containing part of the material of this document; it is bound with the Artieda relation. In the Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, is another MS. (a copy by Muñoz) which is similar to the document of our text, in part; the MS. from Page 290which we translate may be a compilation from these other documents and from other letters written by Riquel which are alluded to therein. The document of our text was written partly on shipboard (in a vessel which left Manila July 1, 1573), and completed at Mexico, from which city it was despatched to Spain in January, 1574. The royal decrees of 1574 are taken from Doc. inéd. Amér. y Oceania, xxxiv, pp. 68–71; the originals are probably in Sevilla. The decree forbidding encomiendas to royal officials is at Sevilla, its pressmark being, “Simancas—Secular; Audiencia de Filipinas; Cartas y expedientes de los oficiales reales de Filipinas vistos en el Consejo; años 1564 á 1622; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 29.” Sande's relation of 1576 has been published in Retana's Archivo, ii, no. 1.
It may be well to explain here the method of, arranging and locating documents which is employed in the Sevilla archives. The first division is that of patronatos (sections), designated by names which show the character and source of the documents therein—as “Simancas—Bulas,” that is, papal bulls, which had been brought to Sevilla from Simancas. Each patronato is divided into estantes (shelves), these into cajons (cases), And these again into legajos (packets); the legajo is sometimes further divided into ramos (parts) and números (numbers). Any document may thus be easily and accurately located.