Relation of the Filipinas Islands. Francisco de Sande; June 7,
1576.
Relation and description of the Phelipinas Islands. [Francisco
de Sande]; June 8, 1577.
Bull for erection of the diocese of Manila. Gregory XIII;
February 6, 1578.
Letter to Felipe II. Francisco de Sande; July 29, 1578.
Indulgence to those who visit Franciscan churches;
Gregory XIII; November 15, 1578.
Sources: These documents are obtained from MSS. in the Archivo de Indias, Sevilla, excepting the papal decrees; the first of these is from Doc. inéd., Amér. y Oceanía, xxxiv, pp. 72-79, the second from the Crónica de la provincia de San Gregorio of Fray Francisco de Santa Inés (Manila, 1892), i, pp. 215, 216.
Translations: The first document is translated by Rachel King; the second, by José M. Ascensio; the third and fifth, by Rev. T.C. Middleton, O.S.A.; the fourth, by G.A. England.
Relation of the Filipinas Islands
Royal Catholic Majesty:
I sailed from the port of Acapulco, Nueva España, on the sixth of April of the year seventy-five, as I had previously informed your Majesty from that port. On account of setting sail during the calms, we were delayed, so that it took us seventy-two days to reach the Ladrones. There we filled our water-butts, and I took on board a large anchor that I found there that had belonged formerly to the flagship lost there by Ffelipe de Sauzedo; in the other ship we placed four small boat-loads of ballast. All this detained us only a day and a half. On nearing the cape of Spiritu Santo in Tandaya, one of the Philipinas, our progress was impeded by the vendaval, and our pilots also gave us considerable trouble, so that I arrived at Manilla on the twenty-fifth of August of the year seventy-five. On that day I took possession of the office of governor and captain-general.