The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 | Page 7

is more
fitting for me than any other to do so." Some notable events mentioned
in the log are: the entrance into the Santa Cruz River on January 18,
1526; their arrival on the twenty-fourth at the cape of Las Virgines,
near which Juan Sebastian del Cano's ship founders in a storm; and the

passage of the strait, beginning March 29, by three ships and the tender,
the last-named being lost on Easter Day. A detailed description of the
strait follows. On September 4, "we saw land, and it was one of the
islands of the Ladrones which the other expedition had discovered,"
where they find a Spaniard who had fled from the ship of the former
expedition. On September 10 they depart from this island for the
Moluccas. October 8 they land at an island where the friendly advances
of the natives are checked by a native from Malacca, who declares that
the Castilians would kill all the inhabitants. On the tenth, "the eleven
slaves we had seized in the island of the Ladrones fled in the same
canoe that we had seized with them." On the twenty-first they anchor at
"Terrenate, one of the Malucos, and the most northern of them."
November 4, they have news that the Portuguese are fortified in other
islands of the archipelago. Negotiations with the Portuguese are
detailed at some length. "The islands having cloves are these: Terrenate,
Tidori, Motil, Maquian, Bachan." A description of these islands follows,
and then the pilot adds, "All these islands of Maluco and those near by
are ... mountainous." March 30, 1528 a Castilian vessel anchors at
Tidore, one of three sent by Cortes [5] to seek news of Loaisa. The two
others had been blown from their course five or six days before
reaching the Ladrones. This ship, under command of Captain Saavedra
Ceron, had ransomed three men of the caravel "Santa Maria del Parral,"
one of Loaisa's ships, on an island to the north of Tidore. These men
declare that their ship had been captured by the natives, the captain and
most of the crew killed, and the remainder made prisoners. The
accusation is made that these three men, in company with others, had
themselves killed their captain. The document closes with various
observations as to recent events, and states various needs of the
Spaniards. The governor praises Saavedra, declaring that because of his
diligence he is worthy of great rewards. (No. xiv, pp. 241-313.)
Letters and documents follow which give details of the voyage of
Loaisa, and events in the Moluccas until the year 1535. From a letter
written (May 3, 1529) by Hernando de Bustamante and Diego de
Salivas it is learned that Jorge Manrique, captain of the "Santa Maria
del Parral," had been killed by his own men; and that sixty-one of those
sailing in the fleet died a natural death, nine were drowned when the
"Santi Spiritus" was wrecked, nine were killed by the Portuguese, and

four were hanged. A writ handed to the king from the Council of the
Indies says that German factors denied the report of the death of Loaisa;
and it is advised that one or two caravels be sent from New Spain--from
Colima, or Guatemala, or Nicaragua--to find out the truth of this report.
A letter from Hernando de la Torre states that "Juan Sebastian del Cano,
who was captain of the ship wrecked in the strait," became
captain-general at Loaisa's death and "died a few days afterwards;" and
that of the one hundred and twenty-three men of the "Victoria," and
twenty-five others who came with Saavedra, only twenty-five men
were left. In an investigation concerning matters connected with
Loaisa's expedition, Juan de Mazuecos declares (September 7, 1534)
that Loaisa had died of sickness, four hundred leagues from the Strait
of Magellan; and that all who ate at his table had died within the space
of forty days. Like depositions concerning this expedition are taken
from several others, among them being Fray Andres Urdaneta. A
document made up from the above investigations says that Loaisa's
death was in the last of July, 1526, and that the Ladrones number in all
thirteen islands, "in which there are no flocks, fowls, or animals." (Nos.
xvi-xxv, pp. 323-400. These documents are much alike.)
The noted Augustinian Urdaneta [6] wrote an account of this disastrous
enterprise, and of subsequent events, covering the years 1525-1535;
this relation is the best and most succinct of all the early documents
regarding Loaisa's expedition. It bears date, Valladolid, February 26,
1537; and the original is preserved, as are the majority of the Loaisa
documents, in the Archivo general dé Indias in Seville. Urdaneta, as
befits an actor in the events, uses the first person, and gives a very
readable and interesting account of the expedition. He