The description of the town of Manilla. inhabited with Spaniards to the number of sixe or seuen hundred persons: which dwell in a towne vnwalled, which hath 3 or 4 small blocke houses, part made of wood, and part of stone beeing indeede of no great strength: they haue one or two small Gallies belong to the towne.
Trade from Acapulco to Manilla.
Marchants of China.
Marchants called Sangueios.
It is a very rich place of golde and many
other commodities; and they haue yeerely trafficke
from Acapulco in Nueua Espanna, and also 20 or 30
shippes from China and from the Sanguelos, which
bring them many sorts of marchandize. The marchants
of China and the Sanguelos are part Moores
and part heathen people.
Siluer exchanged waight for waight for golde. They bring great store of gold with them, which they trafficke and exchange for siluer, and giue waight for waight. These Sanguelos are men of marueilous capacitie in deuising and making all maner of things, especially in all handie craftes and sciences: and euery one is so expert, perfect, and skilfull in his facultie, as fewe or no Christians are able to goe beyond them in that which they take in hand. For drawing and imbrodering vpon satten, silck, or lawne, either beaste, fowle, fish or worme, for liuelines and perfectnes, both in silke, siluer, gold, and pearle, they excell. Also the 14 day at night wee entred the streights betweene the island of Luçon, and the island of Camlaia.
The island of Capul at which our men stayed 9 dayes. The fifteenth of Ianuary wee fell with an island called Capul, and had betwixt the sayd island and another island but an narrowe passage, and a marueilous rippling of a very great tyde with a ledge of rockes lying off the poynt of the island of Capul: and no danger but water ynough a fayre bredth off: and within the point a fayre bay and a very good harborough in foure fathomes water hard aboord the shore within a cables length. About 10 of the clocke in the morning wee came to an anker.
One of the chiefe gouernours of the island came aboord vs. Our shippe was no sooner come to an anker, but presently there came a canoa rowing aboord vs, wherein was one of the chiefe Casiques of the island whereof there be seuen, who supposing that we were Spaniardes, brought vs potato rootes, which they call camotas, and greene cocos, in exchange whereof we gaue his company pieces of linnen to the quantitie of a yard for foure Cocos, and as much linnen for a basket of potato rootes of
