A letter of Frier Alonso new elected Bishop of Mechuacan, to the king of Spaine, written in Peru in the citie de los Reyes the first of March 1590, touching the state of Arica a chiefe Hauen in Peru.
Vpon Christmas euen the yeere 1589, I receiued your maiesties
commission in Potossi. For which I am and shall be continually
bound to pray for your maiesties long health, for the great benefits
which your maiestie hath bestowed vpon me, in sending me to
Mechuacan: whereby my great trauell and paines may be recompenced,
which I haue taken with that vngrateful and desperate
people of the riuer of Plate, which they haue bene the occasion
of, in dealing so badly with me their Pastour, which haue counselled
them, that they should haue a great care to serue God, and
be dutifull to your maiestie, according as euery good and true
subiect ought to do. Now for this gift which your maiestie hath
bestowed on me, I most humbly kisse your maiesties handes a
thousand times. Thus presently I departed from Potossi somewhat
sickely, to accomplish that which your maiestie hath commanded
me. So I arrriued at Lima in safetie the first of February
by the way of Arica, which is an hauen towne, where they
imbarke all the barres of siluer. And there I haue seene
what is done, and what they haue prouided against the Englishmen
in that hauen: which is; That there is a litle fort made hard
by the waters side, with certaine small pieces of ordinance in the
said fort to offend the enemie, if occasion should serue that they
should offer to come into the harbour and offer any
violence. But the principall thing of all that we
want is to haue souldiers, foote men, and horsemen.
100 men wanting. For according as I am informed, here want 100 men which should keepe the coast, if they should offer to land and march vp into the countrey. And likewise the people of this countrey haue told me, that if vpon an high mount which is here in the harbour neere to the hauens mouth, on the Southside of the harbour where the sea doth bear, there were two or three great Canons planted, on the top of the hill, (where very good watch is continually kept) from that place they may reach to doe the enemie great hurt, a league into the sea. The new Vice-roy Don Garcia Vrtado de Mendoça, worthy of that dignitie, is in great fauour with al those of these
