If an ordinary amount of care were taken in negotiating with this king, he would, as he is so well disposed to the Spaniards, be so devoted to your Majesty that he would not allow the enemy to enter his port.

Besides, his friendship with them is already greatly strained; and there is a great disposition among all that people to receive the gospel.
Seventh, as those islands have no posts where cloves may be laded, the Dutch send their ships far from the artillery of their own forts, which they cannot approach; and it will be easy to secure the vessels, or not allow them to lade anything.

Considering the calms which prevail, even if there were many ships they could not aid one another, whatever injury the galleys were inflicting upon them--the least being to dismantle them, so that they cannot sail, for there is nothing there with which to make a mast or rudder.
Eighth, as they have a number of posts where they only keep twenty-five or thirty men with a squadron commander, and the forts have no ditches or drinking-water, they could be deprived of these at any time with ease.

Galleons would be of no use in such engagements, as they cannot vie with galleys, which can get under cover whenever they wish.

Likewise it must be understood, as their forts are in such danger, they will need so many men to keep them from being taken, and so much to maintain them, that their profit will be so small that it will be gain for them to abandon it.