and the risk that they run, if it is not carried, I am sending
two ships this year, each with four heavy pieces of artillery, two
falcon guns, and arquebuses and other arms carried by the sailors and
passengers. I am collecting what metal I can find and making thereof
some pieces of ordnance with which to fill the place of those sent
from the said forts. The merchants are paying your Majesty the value
of the artillery, arms, and ammunition carried by one of the ships,
and I have loaned the price of those of the other. They will pay
this also in the coming year, and the ships will sail armed at the
account and cost of the merchants. I beseech your Majesty to command
the viceroy of Nueva España to have the artillery and arms returned
by the same ships; and that the pieces carried by the "Sancta Ana"
be returned to these forts, which greatly need them.

In another letter I have written to your Majesty about the general
fire in this city. The powder and military supplies were burned and
the artillery destroyed. Although I have had the pieces recast, using
the metal which was left, there are only twenty-five heavy pieces and
several lighter ones. This is but little artillery for the needs of
this land, for defense and the expeditions that are made. Some copper
mines have been discovered but although at first they seemed to be
very rich, on commencing to work them, it was found that the labor
was expensive and there was but little metal. Everything necessary
could be brought from Macan, if your Majesty were pleased to have
money sent from your royal treasury of Mexico for this purpose.

I have already written to your Majesty of the necessity that, for the
preservation of this land, the viceroy of Nueva España send annual
reenforcements of troops, arms, and ammunition. As this has not been
done for three years, the majority of the troops have died, and there