business attendant on your charge, I write this only to assure your
Lordship that you may command me.

Great satisfaction was felt in this country that the ship "Mora"
arrived so miraculously at port. The death of the crew, I assure
your Lordship, was not for lack of supplying themselves here with the
necessaries for the voyage; for although but little time was spent in
despatching the ship, I exercised much diligence in seeing that more
men and provisions were shipped than is customary. There are things
which our Lord permits; since it was His will that they should die,
it was an instance of His great clemency.

I have always tried to fulfil your Lordship's commands in regard to the
lord bishop, and he may command me and I will obey; but I know of no
means in the world whereby I can preserve his love and make it lasting.

I kiss the hands of your illustrious Lordship for the kindness that
you do me in encouraging me to the work of this office; but as I am
old and worn, the extra duties are very heavy for me, especially
since I receive so little aid from my associates, and since the
Council [of the Indias] so poorly seconds my efforts. As they are
so far away and do not know affairs here in detail, they make some
regulations so far from what is proper that, if they were complied
with, it would be the undoing of this land, and his Majesty's service
would suffer greatly. In order that your illustrious Lordship may
understand how affairs stand, I declare that everything concerning
the government and war in these islands depends on the president. He
must attend to everything punctually; and, in order to comply with
his Majesty's commands, he must pay over and spend from the royal
treasury what is necessary for the affairs of government and of war. No