Illustrations



Title-page of _Annuæ litteræ Societatis Iesv_ (Dilingæ, M. DC. X);
photographic facsimile, from copy in Library of Congress 51
Title-page of _Documentos, datos, y relaciones para la historia
de Filipinas_--MS. collection of transcripts from documents in
Spanish archives, for the period 1586-1792, by Ventura del Arco
(Madrid, 1859-1865), possession of Edward E. Ayer, Chicago;
photographic facsimile 101
Autograph signature of Gregorio Lopez, S.J.; facsimile from tracing
of original, in Ventura del Arco MSS. (Ayer library) 141





PREFACE


The present volume covers the seven years from 1609 to 1616,
the leading subjects in the documents therein being commerce and
navigation, missions, and ecclesiastical affairs. The commercial
and navigation laws covering a quarter of a century previous to
this period give incidentally much curious information on social and
economic conditions in the islands. The outflow of silver from Nueva