Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/336

 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.

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