The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624

ⷨPhilippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624, The

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Title: The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624 Explorations By Early Navigators, Descriptions Of The Islands And Their Peoples, Their History And Records Of The Catholic Missions, As Related In Contemporaneous Books And Manuscripts, Showing The Political, Economic, Commercial And Religious Conditions Of Those Islands From Their Earliest Relations With European Nations To The Close Of The Nineteenth Century
Author: Various
Editor: Emma Helen Blair
Release Date: June 25, 2005 [EBook #16133]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898
Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century,
Volume XX, 1621-1624

Edited and annotated by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson with historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord Bourne.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME XX

Preface Documents of 1621
News from the province of Filipinas. Alonso Roman; Manila, [July?]. Death of Do?a Catalina Zambrano. [Unsigned]; Manila, July. Letter to the king. Alonso Fajardo de Tenca; Manila, July 21. Letter from the archbishop of Manila to the king. Miguel Garcia Serrano, O.S.A.; Manila, July 30. Letter to the king. Geronimo de Silva; Manila, August 1. Affairs in the Franciscan province. Pedro de Sant Pablo, O.S.F., and others; Manila, 1620-21. Letter to the king. Alonso Fajardo de Tenca; Manila, December 10.
Documents of 1622
Letters to the king. Alvaro Messa y Lugo; Manila, 1621 and July 30, 1622. Letters from the archbishop of Manila to the king. Miguel García Serrano; Manila, 1621-22. Royal decrees regarding the religious. Felipe IV; Madrid, December 31.
Documents of 1623-1624
Letter to Fajardo. Felipe IV; Madrid, October 9, 1623. Royal permission for the Dominican college in Manila. Felipe IV; Madrid, November 27, 1623. Expedition to the mines of the Igorrotes. Alonso Martin Quirante; Alingayen, June 5, 1624.
Bibliographical Data.

ILLUSTRATIONS
Autograph signatures of Valerio de Ledesma and Alonso Roman; photographic facsimiles from tracings in the Ventura del Arco MS. Weapons of the Igorrotes; photograph of weapons in the Colegio de Agustinos Filipinos, Valladolid. Weapons of the natives of North Luzón; photograph of weapons in the Museo-Biblioteca de Ultramar, Madrid.

PREFACE
The years 1621-24, although not marked by great battles, conquests, or calamities, contain much that is of interest in the internal development of the Philippine colony; and these documents vividly illustrate the ceaseless play and interaction of human interests and passions--especially in the romantic but tragic love-affair of Fajardo's wife, in which is material for a brilliant novel. The usual conflicts occur between the civil authorities and the friars, and between the governor and the Audiencia; but the records of these controversies furnish an unusual revelation of human nature and its complicated phenomena. The alliance between the Dutch and the English menaces this far Oriental Spanish colony with even more dangers than it has already experienced; and its feeble defenses and insufficient equipment of arms and men keep its people in constant dread and anxiety. For defense against the expected attacks of the heretics against Manila more ships and fortifications are constructed; but this imposes additional burdens on the poor Indians, which the governor tries to mitigate by endeavors to protect them from the oppression that they endure from the Spaniards. Controversies arise between the various orders, and within that of St Francis, which are settled by the intervention of the bishop and governor. Reports made by the orders show that over half a million of the natives are receiving religious instruction; but the bishop deprecates the favorite missionary policy of gathering the converts into "reductions," and advises that all the missions should be placed under the supervision of the bishops. The foreign population of Manila still increases beyond the safety-line, and spasmodic efforts are made to restrict it; but corrupt and lax officials render these of little use. The difficulties involved in the Chinese trade and its economic effects on the Spanish colonies are still discussed, but without any satisfactory solution to the problem. The gold mines in northern Luzón are explored and tested, but with meager results.
A Jesuit at Manila, Alonso Roman, gives the "news from Filipinas" for 1621. He recounts the persecution of Christians that is still continuing in Japan, with many martyrdoms. Various encounters between the Dutch and English occur until, an alliance being concluded between Holland