[These documents are printed in the latter part of the appendix to volume v of Navarrete's Col. de viages; and although the voyage of Saavedra is connected so intimately with that of Loaisa, it is thought better to present it separately therefrom, as a whole, inasmuch as this was the first expedition fitted out in the New World for the islands in the far East. It is evident thus early that the vantage point of New Spain's position as regards these islands was clearly recognized. The letter from Cortés to the king of Cebú is given entire, as being somewhat more closely within the scope of this work than are the other documents.]
Granada, June 20, 1526. By a royal decree Cortés is ordered to despatch vessels from New Spain to ascertain what has become of the "Trinidad"[1] and her crew that was left in the Moluccas; to discover news of the expedition of Loaisa, as well as that under
- ↑ This was the flagship of Magalhães, which remained at Tidore after the departure of the "Victoria." The "Trinidad" set out for Panama on April 6, 1522, but was compelled by sickness and unfavorable winds to return to the islands. She was then captured by the Portuguese; the ship was wrecked in a heavy storm at Ternate, and her crew detained as prisoners by the Portuguese. Hardships, disease, and shipwreck carried away all of them except four, who did not reach Spain until 1526.
