Recollections of Manilla and the Philippines

Recollections of Manilla and the
Philippines, by

Robert Mac Micking This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at
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Title: Recollections of Manilla and the Philippines During 1848, 1849
and 1850
Author: Robert Mac Micking
Release Date: December 26, 2006 [EBook #20189]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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RECOLLECTIONS OF MANILLA ***

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RECOLLECTIONS
OF

MANILLA AND THE PHILIPPINES,
DURING 1848, 1849, AND 1850.

BY
ROBERT MAC MICKING, ESQ.

LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty.
1851.

INTRODUCTION.
The Philippines, in many respects situated most advantageously for
trade, having long been governed by a people whose notions of
government and political economy have never produced the happiest
results in any of their once numerous and important colonies, appear at
last to be slowly reaping the benefit of the new commercial maxims
now in course of operation, in Spain, and show symptoms of
progressing with increased speed in the march of civilization,
encouraged by commerce. As such a state is always interesting, more
especially to my countrymen, whose commercial and manufacturing
welfare is closely bound up with the rate at which civilization advances
in every part of the world, I have attempted to give some idea of the
actual state and prospects of this valuable colony, as they appeared to
me during a residence there of the three years 1848-9-50, with the
double object of directing more attention to these islands than has
hitherto been paid to them by our merchants and manufacturers, and of
deriving some employment in doing so, during a tedious voyage from
Singapore to Hongkong, when, being in a great measure debarred from
personal activity, an interesting occupation was felt to be more than
usually necessary to engage the mind.

There are many imperfections in the execution of my task; but for these
the critical reader is requested to make some allowance, and entreated
not to forget the inconveniences all landsmen are subjected to at sea.
September, 1851.

RECOLLECTIONS
OF
MANILLA AND THE PHILIPPINES.
CHAPTER I.
About the time the Spanish arms under Hernan Cortez, Pizarro, and
Almagro, were meeting with their most splendid successes in America,
the thought occurred to Hernando Magallanes, a Portuguese gentleman
in the service of King Charles the Fifth of Spain, that if by sailing south
he could pass the new Western World, it would be possible to reach the
famous Spice Islands of the East, which he supposed to contain
untold-of wealth in their bosoms. This vast, and, in the state of their
knowledge at the time, apparently hardy and even rash idea, met with
approval by the King, who honoured Magallanes with the distinguished
military order of Santiago, and appointed him to the command of a
squadron which he immediately set about fitting out to accomplish the
project, with the view of conquering and annexing these islands to his
crown.
At length, when all the preparations were completed, on the 10th of
August, 1519, six ships, no one of which exceeded 130 tons, and some
of them being less than half that size, sailed from the port of San Lucan
de Barrameda on this bold and perilous enterprise.
In the prosecution of their voyage, many obstacles were encountered;
but everything disappeared before the ardour of their chief, who,
discovering, passed through the Straits of Magellan, which alone

immortalize his name, and spreading his sails to the gale, stood boldly
with his squadron, now reduced to three crazy vessels, into the
unknown and vast ocean which lay open before him, with all the
hardihood characteristic of his time, traversing in its utmost breadth the
Pacific, without, however, chancing to meet with any of the numerous
islands now scattered throughout its extent. At last, the Mariana or
Ladrone Islands were descried on the 16th of August, 1521, and a few
days afterwards a cape on the east coast of Mindanao was seen.
Coasting along the shores of Caraga, the ships anchored off Limasna,
where Magallanes was well received by the natives of the place; from
thence steering towards Cebu, he managed to establish a good
understanding with the country people, although upwards of two
thousand of them had assembled, armed with spears and javelins, to
oppose his landing.
Having constructed a house at this place, in order that mass might be
decently said, he landed to hear it, accompanied by his crews.
The royal family of Cebu, curious to observe the manners of their
strange visitors, attended its