The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 | Page 2

24 ...
234
Letter from the Manila cabildo to Felipe II. Andres de Villanueva, and
others; Manila, June 25 ... 242
Letter to Felipe II. Antonio Sedeño; Manila, June 25 ... 247
Letter to Felipe II. Domingo de Salazar; Manila, June 26 ... 251
Letter from the Audiencia to Felipe II. Santiago de Vera, and others;

Manila, June 26 ... 254
Letter to Felipe II. Pedro de Rojas; Manila, June 30 ... 265
Letter to Felipe II. Juan de Moron; Manila, June 30 ... 275
Measures regarding trade with China. Felipe II, and others; Madrid and
Manila; June 17-November 15 ... 279
Brief erecting Franciscan province of the Philippines. Sixtus V; Rome,
November 15 ... 290
Documents of 1587-88
Letter to Felipe II. Alvaro, Marques de [Villa] Manriquez; Mexico,
February 8, 1587 ... 295
Letter to Felipe II. Santiago de Vera; Manila, June 26, 1587 ... 297
Letter from the Audiencia to Felipe II. Santiago de Vera, and others;
Manila, June 25, 1588 ... 311
Bibliographical Data ... 323

Illustrations
Title-page of Historia del gran reyno de China, by Juan Gonçalez de
Mendoça (Madrid, M.D.LXXXVI); from copy (Madrigal edition) in
Library of Congress ... 83
Title-page of "Itinerario" at end of Gonçalez's Historia, from copy in
Library of Congress ... 135
Signature of Alonso Sanchez, S.J., from MS. in Archivo general de
Indias, Sevilla ... 228

Preface
The present volume covers the period of 1583 to 1588 inclusive. At the
close of two decades of Spanish occupation in the Philippines, the
native population is decimated, and the Spanish colonists are poor,
heavily burdened with taxation, and largely non-producing. The islands
are but nominally defended by a small, irregular, demoralized force of
unpaid soldiers, whose lawlessness and arrogance render them
dangerous to their own countrymen, and tyrants over the helpless
natives. The Audiencia is a costly institution, a burden of which all the
people complain. They have other grievances and many needs, which
finally impel them to send a special envoy to Spain, to procure relief
and aid from the home government. The documents in this volume

contain much valuable information regarding the economic condition
of the colony, and its commercial relations with China and Mexico
respectively. As the Spanish settlers in the Philippines find that they are
largely dependent upon China for their food, those who are wise see the
necessity of encouraging and extending agriculture in the islands; but
others are fired with the lust for wealth and conquest, and urge upon
Felipe II a scheme for subduing China by force of arms, thus to give
Spain the control of the great Oriental world, and incidentally to enrich
a host of needy Spanish subjects.
In Volume V was presented the greater part of the royal decree
establishing the Audiencia of the Filipinas; the document is here
concluded. The duties of certain subordinate officials of that
tribunal--commissioners of examination, jail-wardens, and
interpreters--are carefully prescribed. Such commissioners are
forbidden to play games of chance, except for articles of food ready to
be eaten. Prisoners in jail shall not be allowed to gamble, except for
food. The document closes with a general provision for a tariff of
official fees, and for the care of the Audiencia's archives.
Felipe II decrees (June 21, 1583) that the Audiencia aid the Franciscan
missionaries in the islands; and (April 24, 1584) that the religious
orders there continue to receive from the royal treasury the gratuities
originally bestowed upon them by Legazpi. The officials of the treasury
furnish a statement of their accounts, which shows a yearly deficit in
current expenses; and extraordinary expenses besides, which nearly
equal the total revenue for the year. Alarmed at this condition of affairs,
the Audiencia institutes an inquiry (June 15, 1584) into the commercial
and industrial status of the colony; the witnesses all testify that great
scarcity of supplies, and poverty among the people, are prevalent; that a
considerable portion of the native population has perished; and that the
non-productive elements of the population are much too large.
One of the auditors, Melchor Davalos, writes (July 3, 1584) to the king
a letter which, withal containing some valuable information regarding
matters in the islands, is a curious mixture of pedantry, bigotry, egotism,
and vanity. He mentions the arrival and establishment of the Audiencia
at Manila, complains that he cannot obtain the salary due him, and
relates the services which, he thinks, entitle him to better treatment. He
asks for instructions as to what shall be done with the Mahometans, and

cites the permission formerly given to Legazpi by the king to enslave
the Moros in certain cases, also the example set by the sovereigns of
Spain and Portugal in expelling or crushing the Moors who inhabited
their dominions. Davalos also desires the king to settle the question of
slaveholding by the