The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 | Page 3

Spaniards, which he is inclined to justify; and to
take such action as will prevent the Chinese from obtaining all the
money which comes to the Philippines. The utmost poverty prevails
among the Spanish soldiery, who are unpaid; and Davalos advises that
they be sent to make fresh conquests, by which they can support
themselves. The Spanish post in the Moluccas is menaced by the native
king of Ternate, and a large force of troops is to be sent to its aid. A
controversy arises among the Spanish officers over the appointment of
a commander for this expedition, which Davalos proposes to settle by
himself going as commander--thus satisfying all the discontented
captains, as he informs his royal correspondent. He desires the king to
grant him authority to punish the Chinese for vicious practices, and
thinks that the friars should convert and baptize these heathen more
rapidly than they are doing.
The new governor, Santiago de Vera, writes (June 20, 1585) to the
archbishop of Mexico. He encounters many difficulties--coolness on
the part of the bishop, lack of support from his associates in the
Audiencia, and but little acquaintance with the needs of the islands in
the royal Council of the Indias. His duties are onerous and his
responsibilities too great; he asks the archbishop to aid him in an appeal
to the king for relief from these burdens and vexations. Vera cannot yet
procure the quicksilver which he has been asked to send to Mexico, but
will try to obtain it from the Chinese traders. The king of Ternate has
revolted, and affairs there are in bad condition; more troops are needed,
but cannot be spared from Manila. Vera discusses various matters
concerning some of his officers, and affairs both military and civil. He
sends to Spain, under arrest, two prisoners--one of them Diego
Ronquillo, a kinsman of the late governor Gonzalo Ronquillo de
Peñalosa, charged with defalcation in the trust of the latter's estate.
A Franciscan official in Spain, Geronimo de Guzman, sends to the king
(1585) certain recommendations regarding the government of the
Franciscan friars in the Philippines. An Augustinian friar, Jhoan de
Vascones, who has evidently gone from the islands to Spain, writes in

behalf of his brethren there (1585?) to ask the king that more religious
be sent to the Philippines and to other Oriental lands; that these friars
be sent from Spain by way of India instead of Nueva España; that the
authorities of India, secular and ecclesiastical, be commanded to aid the
friars in their missionary journeys; that the latter be permitted to build
monasteries as they may choose, "in remote and infidel lands," without
awaiting government permission; and that the authorities at Manila be
not allowed to send, at their own pleasure, the friars to other lands.
From the Historia del gran Reyno de China (Madrid, 1586) of the
Augustinian Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza, we have translated such
matter as relates to the Philippine Islands--portions of part ii, and of the
"Itinerary" appended to Mendoza's work. He narrates (book i, part ii)
the efforts of the Augustinian friars to carry the gospel to the Chinese.
These are unavailing until, after the defeat of the Chinese pirate
Limahon (whose exploits are narrated in some detail) by the Spanish
forces, a Chinese officer named Omoncon, who has come to Manila in
search of the pirate, forms a friendly acquaintance with the Spaniards,
and, in return for favors at their hands, promises to convey to China
some Spanish friars. For this mission are selected Fray Martin de
Herrada (or Rada) and Fray Gerónimo Marín, with two soldiers as an
escort--one of whom is Miguel de Loarca, author of the curious
"Relation" which appears in Volume V of this series. They are well
treated by the Chinese, but are unable to establish a mission in that land,
and finally are sent back to the Philippines. In the second book is
related the voyage made by the Franciscans to China in 1579. At first
they ask permission to go thither, which Sande is not willing to grant;
but the conversion of a Chinese priest through their efforts makes them
still more desirous of opening a mission in that country, and, Sande still
refusing to allow this, they decide to go without informing him of their
departure. To this account is appended an "Itinerary" of the journey
made by another party of Franciscan friars from Spain to China and
return. The writer relates various particulars concerning the Ladrones
and Philippine Islands and their people, both historical and descriptive;
the custom of slavery among them, and their religious beliefs; and the
progress of Christianity in the archipelago--stating that the conversions
therein now number 400,000. A supernatural appearance of a dead
man's spirit, who describes the delights of the Christian heaven,