In the city of Manila, on the sixteenth day of the month of January,
one thousand six hundred and twenty-nine, Don Juan Niño de Tavora,
knight of the Order of Calatrava, comendador of Puerto Llano, member
of the Council of War of the king our sovereign, his governor and
captain-general of the Philipinas Islands, and president of the royal
Audiencia therein, called a meeting of theologians and juries in
order to discuss matters of his Majesty's service, and those touching
cases of conscience and justice. And in the royal buildings and the
palace of the governor's dwelling, in the presence of Licentiate
Marcos Çapata de Galvez, fiscal of the said royal Audiencia; the
reverend fathers, Fray Domingo Gonzalez of the Order of St. Dominic,
commissary of the Holy Office and rector of the college of Sancto
Tomas; Fray Juan de Montemayor, of the Order of St. Augustine, Fathers
Diego de Bobadilla and Francisco Colin of the Society of Jesus of this
city, father Fray Gaspar de Santa Monica, lecturer on theology in the
convent of St. Nicolas of the Order of the discalced Augustinians; and
Licentiate Don Rodrigo Gonzalez de Varreda, his Lordship's assessor;
and all being assembled: the lord governor ordered me, the present
government secretary, to read a paper, which his Lordship gave me
for that purpose. I read it, and it was of the following tenor.

"In May of one thousand six hundred and twenty-eight, there took
place at the bar of the river of Sian the capture and burning of the
junk from Xapon, caused by our galleons. In July of the same year, it
was decided, at a meeting of four theologians and two jurists which
was called to discuss the matter, that this act had been unjust,
for lack of authority by him who did it; and that, accordingly, the
one who caused the damage was under obligations to make it good to
the Japanese.