"and as he who goes as general, ... is of his nation and land, and
his intimate friend, he wishes to please the father in everything;
and as the said general has no experience in these things, nor does he
understand anything of navigation, through not having practiced it,
he is unable to distinguish one thing from another, and embraces the
father's opinion in everything." Carrión, in a very brief résumé of
Urdaneta's life, declares that he is a man of over sixty. (Tomo ii,
no. xxiii, pp. 205-210.)

Puerto de la Navidad, 1564. In a letter to the king November 18,
Legazpi announces that he has taken over "two large ships and two
_pataches_, and one small brigantine," in which are one hundred and
fifty seamen, two hundred soldiers, and six religious of the order of
Saint Augustine, the chief of whom is father Fray Andres de Urdaneta;
in all, the number of souls, counting servants, amounts to three
hundred and eighty. "I shall leave this port, please God, our Lord,
tomorrow ... and will display, on my part, all possible diligence and
care, with the fidelity which I owe, and which I am under obligation
to have." He hopes for a successful voyage. He begs the king to bear
them in mind, and send aid "to us who go before," and to commit this
to one who has care and diligence, "as a matter that concerns greatly
the service of God, our Lord, the increase of his holy Catholic faith,
and the service of your majesty, and the general good of your kingdoms
and seigniories." He asks the king to grant (as in his other letter,
_q.v._ above) the requests he had made to the viceroy, and which
the latter had sent to Spain; for the preparation for the voyage
has taken all his possessions. Two days later (November 20) Urdaneta
writes the king to somewhat the same effect, enumerating the vessels,
men, etc. Besides himself there are four other religious, "and the
other ... God has taken to himself in this port." They will set out