A new governor-general was sent to the islands, with instructions to carry out the decree. This official was Don Gomez Perez Desmarinas (gö meth´ pā reth´ des mär ē´näs). He was a man of great energy and force of character, and no doubt meant to be just and fair. He did not, however, get along well with the Bishop of Manila, and before long the trouble between Church and State broke out again. This time the bishop decided to go, himself, to Spain, and see whether some understanding could not be had by which peace could be kept.
Bishop Salazar (säl ä thär´) was then seventy-eight years old. He was an Augustine friar, and had been parish priest of Manila. In 1581, when Pope Gregorio XIII. founded the See of Manila, Salazar was made bishop; but he now felt that the Church must have still greater authority in the islands. One object of his visit to Spain was to get the consent of the king and of the Pope that Manila should be made an archbishopric. In this he succeeded. The Pope issued a bull dated August 14, 1595, creating the Archbishopric of Manila, and Salazar was made the first archbishop. He died, however, before official notice reached him of his new dignity.
News traveled slowly in those days, but in the course of time the emperor of Japan heard that a colony of Europeans had settled in the Philippine Islands. He seems to have thought that Japan had some interest in these islands; for in 1593 he sent an ambassador to Manila. The name of this ambassador was Farranda Kieman (fä rän´dä kī ā´män).
His coming was the cause of some anxiety to the Spanish. As soon as he landed in Manila he waited upon Governor-General Desmarinas with his message. This was a demand upon the Spanish in the Philippines to surrender, and to declare themselves to be vassals of Japan. If they did not do this, Kieman told Desmarinas, the emperor would send war junks to take the country by force.
To all this the governor-general replied with great politeness, but very firmly. He told the ambassador that he and the other Spanish colonists were already subjects of a great king, in whose name he ruled, and that he could not yield the country to Japan. At the same time his king wished to be on good terms with the emperor, whose power and greatness were so well known, and the governor-general hoped a treaty could be made between the two rulers. Such a treaty, he pointed out, would be a great help to both countries.
THE CITY WALL AND MOAT, MANILA.
Farranda Kieman thought that all this was reasonable, and soon afterwards envoys were sent from Manila to the court of Japan. They were well received, and a treaty was made for trade and mutual defense between Japan and the Philippines. However, the ship on which the envoys were returning home was wrecked, and they and the treaty were lost.
In May, 1593, another envoy, Fray Pedro Bautista (pā´drō bä ö tēs´tä), was sent to Japan, and a new treaty was made. A copy of this was sent back to Manila, but the friar envoy asked permission to stay in Japan. His request was granted; he stayed in Japan, and began preaching to the people. Some years later the fruit of this act, which at the time seemed so slight, came back to Manila in a way most unexpected.
In the meantime Governor-General Desmarinas was busy in Manila. He was anxious to see the city walls finished, and kept the people at work on this great task. The fort at the mouth of the river was completed, and the walls of the city already made a noble showing. The Cathedral of Manila and the Santa Polenciana (sän´tä pō len´sē ä´nä) College of Orphans were built, and many other good buildings were completed. Desmarinas had also brought the provinces of Zambales (thäm bä´lēs) and the Camarines under Spanish rule.