The King. Our officials of the Western Islands, whose colonization we
have entrusted to General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi: Know that in
consideration of the services of the said Miguel Lopez, past and
present, in his expedition, and the loss that he has received to his
property in a caravel which sunk, I have after consultation with the
members of my Council of the Indias, considered it fitting to concede
to him, for one time, as I do by this present, a gift of two thousand
ducados (a sum equivalent to seven hundred and fifty thousand
maravedis). I therefore order you that from whatever gold or silver or
any other kind of property you may have in your possession and which
may be in charge of you our treasurer, you give and pay to the said
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, or to whomever shall have his powers of
attorney, the said two thousand ducados of which we thus make him a
concession for this one time for the abovesaid reason. Deliver and pay
them to him, and take his receipt, with which and with this my decree,
I order that the said two thousand ducados be received from you and
placed on your accounts. Given at Madrid, August twenty-nine, one
thousand five hundred and seventy.