The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 22 of 55 / 1625-29 / 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.

by Unknown

Relation of 1626

Relation of the condition of the Filipinas Islands and other regions surrounding, in the year 1626.

Although I have been interrupted for several years in doing this, because of occupations that have allowed me no time for it, and have neglected to give advice of the condition of these islands, at present I have not, although my occupations are not fewer than in the past, attempted to shirk my duty in reporting what has happened this year in these regions, but briefly and concisely.

Commencing with the Malucas Islands, they are at present in the best condition that they have experienced, from our standpoint; for the Dutch enemy are spent, inasmuch as no succor has been sent to them from Holanda for many years—it appearing that the wars which they have had there must have hindered them. Consequently, it has been recognized that, when the war ceases, their ships will come here in multitudes; and we shall enjoy war, and Flandes peace. The king of Tidore, who was very aged, and was always our friend, died this year. One of his sons took his place, and continues the same friendship [with us]. The Ternatans, who have always been friends of the Dutch and very hostile to us, made peace with us. That has had a very good result for us, for we receive more damage from them than from the Dutch themselves. There have been in this city since the time when the strongholds of the Malucas were taken—which was twenty years ago, during the term of Governor Don Pedro de Acuña—certain cachils, who are chiefs among them, and the same king of Ternate, a great Moro. The governor sent one of the cachils to Maluco to talk and confer with his people, especially with Cachil Leali. The latter had, as it were, usurped the kingdom of Ternate—and, as we understand, prevented his fellow-countrymen from receiving the king whom we hold captive here, even if he should return—and continued the war against us. The matter turned out well, and now the said cachil who went from here is returning, in the capacity of ambassador of his people, petitioning that their king be sent to them, whom they promise to receive as such, and to make and unmake for us. I do not know what Governor Don Juan Niño de Tabora will do. What I know is, that the Dutch do not like any of these agreements and friendships that we are making with the Ternatans; but since they are at present fallen, and can do no more, they endure it patiently.

The Dutch have no fleets in the Malucas, while there are scarcely two hundred men in their forts in their islands of Terrenate, Machien, and Motiel (five or six in number); and many of these are so discontented, because of the hardships and misery which they suffer, that some six or eight have come to our camp this year, and many more would have come if there were a place for them, or if opportunity for it had offered. That was a fine opportunity to attack them with our fleet, which was already prepared in the port of Cavite. It is not certainly known where it is going, but we suspect that it is going to attack the fort of the Dutch in the island of Hermosa. It is also thought that the following year will not pass without the fleet attacking them. If the wars in Flandes continue, and help does not come to the Dutch, we may hope for a very fine outcome.

The Camucones (who are certain robbers who infest these seas, pillaging, and are, moreover, a vile people, to whom we have paid but little attention) came with their fleet of small vessels in the past year of 1625, and at dawn one morning in October attacked a village, where the archbishop of Manila was visiting the cura. He as well as his followers had great trouble in escaping, all without clothes or nearly so. They captured all his wardrobe and his pontifical robes, among which he had some very rich garments.

The enemy then attacked a boat in which there was a father of our Society, who was returning to his house and residence, which is located on the island of Marinduque, after having preached at some missions of Franciscan friars who had invited him for that purpose. They spied the enemy suddenly, in a place where it was impossible to escape, and it was necessary for them to fight. Father Juan de las Missas (such was the name of the father) commenced to encourage the Indians with a crucifix to make them fight. But it happened that a shot from a verso, fired by the enemy at the first encounter, struck the father. The enemy immediately entered the boat even while the father was yet alive and took his skull from his head to use as a drinking cup—a thing which they are accustomed to do to Spaniards, without granting life to anyone. After that event, guided by a treacherous Chinese, they suddenly attacked the chief town of Samar, which is a very fine village called Catbalogan. They attacked at dawn, and the father rector and another father and a brother had no little trouble in escaping; they were scarcely able to remove the monstrance of the most holy sacrament, and to hide it in a thicket. The Indians also fled, as far as they were able. Some had not time to do so much, and were captured. Some were sick with smallpox, a kind of pestilence that was among the Indians at that time. They were unable to escape, whereupon the enemy arriving relieved them all of the smallpox by cutting off their heads. In short, they plundered as much as they could, especially the silver and ornaments of the church, which were many and excellent, our residence there being better supplied than our others.

When news was received of the damage inflicted by the enemy, two Spanish fleets went in pursuit of them—one from the island of Cebu, and the other from that of Panay. But such was our misfortune that they were unable to encounter the enemy by any means. Thus did the latter go away, laughing at the robberies that they had committed and greedy to make others.

Don Fernando de Silva, who was then governing, because Don Juan Niño had not yet arrived, despatched a small fleet this year to the lands of those enemies, to punish them. Their country lies near Borney, to whose king they are subject. But inasmuch as they have no fixed house or dwelling, as they generally live in their boats, today here and tomorrow there, nothing was done. Consequently, Don Juan Niño, upon his arrival, ordered our fleet prepared in the island of Oton, so that when that enemy came it might attack them. The enemy came, and our fleet sailed out; but half of the caracoas were wrecked in a storm. However, our fleet reforming pursued the enemy, but were unable to overtake them; for as their boats are light and have two prows, in order to escape they do not have to turn their boats about, but only to change the rowers and so return. At least, the result obtained was that the enemy did no damage this year in these islands, and did not capture anything.

The island of Mindanao, which is one of these Filipinas Islands, has rebelled against us; and its chief places have easily accepted the law of Mahoma, which was brought there from the Malucas by the Ternatans. They have done us no damage this year. On the contrary, we have done them considerable. Captain Beñitez has made some very successful raids in their country, and has killed many and captured others—who are made slaves, in accordance with the old-time usage of this country, on account of the damages which we have received from those enemies. Now the governor has offered to conquer that island, which is not a very difficult thing to do; but there is always so much attention to be paid to the Dutch, that he has as yet been unable to attend to this.

The Dutch enemy, together with the English, went to attack Macan during former years with seventeen ships. They landed many men on the shore, but the affair turned out so badly for them that they were forced, after many men had been killed, to retire and to raise the siege. But the Portuguese, fearing that the enemy would attempt another year what they had not been able to accomplish then, set about enclosing the city with an excellent wall (for it had none before), and sent Father Geronimo Rodriguez[1] to Manila for some good artillery, which Don Alonso Fajardo gave him. A master founder also went there to make many other pieces, which have been founded; and the city is placed in a very good state of defense. The Portuguese also asked for a good captain and some infantry for whatever occasion might arise. Don Alonso Fajardo gave them as many as one hundred infantrymen, with Don Fernando de Silva, sargento-mayor of the camp of Manila, and an excellent soldier. They stayed in Macan for some time, but the Portuguese, seeing that the Dutch enemy did not come, and that, even if they did come, the city was more than defended; and inasmuch as they did not get along very well with the Castilians, since there was considerable quarreling and strife between those of the two nations, tried to despatch them to Manila. They did so, in a vessel that carried more than five hundred thousand ducados in merchandise.

The Spanish encountered so grievous a storm on their voyage that they were forced to put in at Siam, where they unladed their ship; and, trying to get over the bar of a river in order to relade, they were wrecked. They bought in place of that ship two others, in order to go to Manila; but as the season was advanced, and they could not get away so quickly, they despatched a champan with some eight Spanish sailors. The latter took some of the merchandise, and came to Manila to give news of what had happened. At that time there was a Dutch patache established in the river of Siam, a very beautiful and large river. That vessel had also entered and traded in that kingdom. It was rumored among our men that that Dutch patache had captured the champan that our men were sending to Manila—although such a rumor was untrue, for the said champan arrived safely at Manila. But induced by that false report, Don Fernando de Silva, who was stationed some leguas up the river, having one day observed the Dutch patache attacked it at night with certain very small craft (I think they were two small boats or lanchas, for they had not bought larger vessels); and after fighting with the enemy, with the loss of only one Spaniard, captured the Dutch patache. It had more than twenty thousand pesos in silver and merchandise, and the Dutch aboard it were captured. Had the matter ended there, it would have been a fortunate result. The king of Siam was informed of it, and sent a message to Don Fernando de Silva saying that he should set the Dutch at liberty and give them back their ship and the property which he had taken or captured from them, since it was captured while the Dutch were in his kingdom, under his royal favor and protection. Don Fernando de Silva answered that he would not do so, and broke out in words that might well have been avoided toward the king. The latter quickly collected a numerous fleet of boats, and one day attacked our ships with Japanese (who form the guard of that kingdom) and many Siamese. Our men, fearing what would happen, were hurriedly embarking their merchandise, in order to come to Manila. Our men began to serve the artillery, but there were so many hostile boats that they covered the water. The Spanish craft ran aground in the confusion and danger, whereupon the Siamese (and chiefly the Japanese) entered the ships. Don Fernando de Silva, with sword and buckler in hand, sold his life dearly, and others did the same. But the enemy killed them except those who fled at the first stroke of the victory, who remained alive. I think some thirty were captured. The goods were pillaged, notwithstanding the fact that the king had ordered that good care be taken of them.

The captured Spaniards were taken to the court of the king, which is a city more than twice as large as Sevilla.[2] They were led manacled through the streets, receiving many blows, and regarded as traitors. That happened in the year 1624. This disastrous event was learned in Manila by way of Macan, but no attention was given to the matter on account of the death of Governor Don Alonso Fajardo. In the year 1625, another Don Fernando de Silva, of the habit of Santiago, came to act as governor. At that time Father Pedro Morejon[3] arrived at Manila. He came from Roma by way of Yndia and Camboja (which lies next Siam), and was informed of that disaster there. Governor Don Fernando de Silva, seeing that Father Pedro Morejon, as he had been so long a minister in Japon, had great knowledge of, and access to, the Japanese, and that those Japanese who live in Siam have a great part in the government of that kingdom, suggested to the father to go there as ambassador, to see whether he could get what they had captured from our Spaniards, which belonged for the most part to the inhabitants of Manila. The father replied that he could not neglect, before all else, to go to Macan in order to advise his provincial of his procuratorship to Roma; but that his Lordship should write to him, and that he would return at the beginning of the year 1626, which was the season when one could go to Siam. The governor wrote, and the father provincial of Macan sent Father Pedro de Morejon for the said time, besides another Portuguese father, called Antonio Cardin.[4] They reached here in good time. The governor prepared a vessel with some Spaniards of good standing, and despatched them all by the month of January. They reached the kingdom and court of Siam and negotiated what they were able—namely, that the captives be delivered to them, as well as the artillery, and a quantity of iron belonging to our king which the ships were carrying, and which they seized from us, and some other merchandise. For although the king ordered everything to be given up, thinking that the goods were safe, as he had ordered, it was impossible to get them, the soldiers having pillaged them and divided them among themselves.

Father Pedro de Morejon was given a cordial reception by the king, who showed him many favors. At his departure the father told the king that he was leaving Father Cardin in his kingdom, and asked his Highness to protect him. The king offered to do so, and gave permission for all who wished to become Christians. Father Cardin erected his church and commenced his ministry. Father Morejon and the Spaniards returned to Manila, where they arrived in August of 1626; and they delivered to Governor Don Juan Niño, who had now arrived, a present given to them by the king of Siam. Father Morejon, being summoned by his provincial, went to Macao for the second time, where he is now. It is now reported that the governor is not satisfied with what they sent him. Perhaps he will attack Siam with the galleys, in order to punish that kingdom for its actions toward the Spaniards.

In order to destroy the trade between this city of Manila and Great China, and between Macan and Japon—the former for us, and the latter for the Portuguese—the Dutch formed a scheme to build a fort on the island of Hermosa. That is an island between Japon, China, and Manila, which extends north and south for more than fifty leguas, while it is about thirty broad. The Dutch built the said fort some years ago, and they have been fortifying it ever since; so that they have already erected four cavaliers, in which they have mounted twenty-four pieces of artillery—besides others that they have mounted on a platform which defends the entrance of the port, as those of the fort do not command it. The Dutch also have a stock-farm, which they began with cattle and horses brought from Japon. For its defense they built another large cavalier in which they mounted a half-dozen pieces, and stationed a few Dutchmen to guard it. They are now at peace with the natives, with whom they were formerly at war and who killed some of their men. In this way they have been established for some five or six years at that point, which they call Pachan. The Chinese have gone there with a great abundance of silks and other merchandise to trade. Consequently, they have made on that account a large alcaicería, where there are generally more than six thousand Chinese. The Japanese have also gone there from Japon with their ships, although it is said that they are ill satisfied because of I know not what duties that the Dutch asked them to pay. From that, notable damage can ensue to Castilians, Portuguese, and Chinese, since the Dutch are in the passage by which one goes from here to China, and from Macan to Japon. If we have not yet seen the damage so plainly with the eyes, it has been because the enemy are in great lack of ships and men.

In order to counterbalance that scheme and the designs of the Dutch, Don Fernando formed another scheme. He went to seize another port on the same island of Hermosa, some twenty leguas distant from China and thirty from the enemy. For that purpose he sent, in this year of 1626, two galleys with many small boats, infantry, and all that was necessary for the settlement, under an experienced captain called Carreño. They occupied the said port, and it is very good and suitable for our purpose. As our men entered the port, the whole population, numbering fully a thousand houses of the natives who were settled there, fled. Entering the houses, they were enabled to see, by the articles that they found there, that those people were intelligent and civilized. Our soldiers took some food, of which they kept account in order to pay for it—as they ought to do; since I know not what pretext they could have for showing hostility to the natives, since they had received no injury from them.

Our soldiers have fortified themselves there excellently. However, at the beginning, the land tried them, for many died, and they suffered great wretchedness and hardships—eating even dogs and rats, also grubs, and unknown herbs, because they soon finished the provisions which they had brought with them, and others had not arrived from Manila, as I shall relate later. But afterwards they got along very well, for many ships came from Great China with many presents and food. The climate is very fine, and like that of Nueva España. It has its winter and summer quite temperate, and has many fruits such as we have in our España—as for instance, pears and peaches, which are indications that it is as fine a country as is reported. We have also heard that wheat is harvested. The soldiers found skins of lions and tigers; and although there were none of those animals, as there are none in Filipinas, they had no lack of the skins. They sent to summon the Indians, some of whom came. They won them by means of caresses and presents, so that they continue to come. They are not driven from our fort; and they even delivered two infants to us for baptism, and others are petitioning it. There is great need of learning their language. They bring some food, which they exchange for jars, gems, agate, and silver, which they know thoroughly, and whose value they esteem. They have no headman or chief who governs them, but each village governs itself, and some villages have war with others.

The joy received in Manila at the news of the island of Hermosa was exuberant. At that time Don Juan Niño came to govern. He was unable to send them help at the right season [for sailing]; consequently, after it had sailed, the ship put back and was detained for more than four months in a port of this island. It sailed again, and again took refuge at Macan, whence they tried to make the voyage for the third time. They had so severe a storm that they lost their rudder, and reached the coast of China. After great danger and opposition from the Chinese of that region, they refitted, and finally made our port in the island of Hermosa, where they arrived April 29, 1627, and were received with the joy that can be imagined. They left there the supplies they had brought, and returned to Manila.

The governor sent to Macan to ask for a mestizo, Salvator Diaz, who was in the fort of the Dutch and who escaped from them. He has also prohibited vessels from sailing to China which pass near the establishment of the Dutch on the island of Hermosa. It is inferred from that that he is thinking of attacking the fort of the Dutch.

The persecution of the missionaries in Japon has daily been assuming greater fury, and the doors are daily being shut more closely on the religious. It has been ordered under penalty of death, and of being burned with their merchandise and ships, that no ship sail from Manila to Japon. Accordingly, one ship which sailed last year and which they had not notified of the edict, they notified and ordered to return immediately to Manila, without allowing anyone to disembark, or to buy or sell anything—keeping them, on the contrary, shut up on the ship and guarded. The Japanese made a law that no Japanese could leave or enter the kingdom unless he first forswore our holy faith, etc.

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[1] The only Jeronimo Rodrigues, and who was probably the one in our text, mentioned by Sommervogel was the Portuguese born at Villa de Monforte. He went to the Indias in 1566, and became visitor of the provinces of China and Japan. He died while rector of Macan. He left several letters and treatises, some of which have been printed. See Sommervogel’s Bibliothèque.

[2] The old capital of Siam was Ayuthia (also written, in early documents, Yuthia and Odia). It was founded in the year 1350, and was built on an island in the river Meinam—the proper name of which, according to M.L. Cort’s Siam (New York, 1886), p. 20, is Chow Payah, the name Meinam (meaning “mother of waters”) being applied to many rivers—seventy-eight miles from the sea. Ayuthia was captured and ruined by the Burmese in 1766, and later the capital was removed to Bangkok (founded in 1769), which lies on the same river, twenty-four miles from the sea. Crawfurd, writing in the middle of the nineteenth century, gives the estimated population of Ayuthia at 40,000, and that of Bangkok at 404,000—the latter probably much too large. See his Dict. Indian Islands, article, “Siam.”

[3] Pedro de Morejon was born in 1562, at Medina del Campo. He entered his novitiate in 1577, and set out for the Indias in 1586, and spent more than fifty years in the missions of the Indias and Japan. His associates were Jacques Chisaï and Juan de Goto, who were martyred. In 1620 he was sent to Rome as procurator of Japan, became rector of the college of Meaco in 1633, and died shortly after. San Antonio (Chronicas, iii, pp. 534, 535) gives a letter written by him to the Franciscan religious martyred in Japan in 1596 while on the road to execution; and he was the author of several relations concerning Christianity in Japan. See Sommervogel’s Bibliothèque.

[4] Antonio Francisco Cardim was born at Viana d’Alentejo, near Evora, in 1596, and entered his novitiate February 24, 1611. He went to the Indias in 1618, where he visited Japan, China, the kingdom of Siam, Cochinchina, and Tonquin. He died at Macao, April 30, 1659. He left a number of writings concerning his order and their work in the Orient. See Sommervogel’s Bibliothèque.