An Historical View of the Philippine Islands, Vol 2 (of 2) / Exhibiting their discovery, population, language, government, manners, customs, productions and commerce.

by Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga

The Governor was given to understand that Angulo would not attack the galleon even with his three ships, as he was one of those who had entered into the conspiracy against him, when it was determined that the Chinese should be murdered. All, in short, were become heartily disgusted with his tyranny, and were ripe for rebellion, though few had concerted any regular plan for the purpose. The Governor, whose destiny led him to the edge of the precipice, instead of tranquillizing the minds of the public by resorting to prudent measures, began to commit still greater enormities. This alarmed the Señor Villa, who was the only Oidor that remained, and who had been appointed Fiscal. It appeared clear that the Governor’s conduct would produce some dismal catastrophe, and, unable to oppose it, fearing likewise that his own life was insecure, he took shelter in the convent of the Augustines.

On the retirement of the Señor Villa, the Royal Audience was annihilated, as Señor Torralba was in prison by order of the King, and the Governor would not permit the Señor Pavon to return to his office again; the former fiscal was dead, and the Señors Velasco and Torribio, the honorary Oidors and law professors, had had all their property confiscated, and had been imprisoned. The annihilation of the Royal Audience was a misfortune both to the inhabitants of Manila, and likewise to the Governor, as it was the means of giving validity, in the name of the King, to his atrocities. He consulted Señor Torralba, and agreed that he should be released from his dungeon, and confined in the hall of the Royal Audience, where the functions of this respectable tribunal were exercised by one individual, of notorious character, who had been deservedly disgraced, and was a prisoner by order of his Majesty. Under this authority the Governor began to imprison those whom he chose to consider as obnoxious to him, none being exempt but those who had taken refuge in the churches, which were by this means filled with the first people of Manila and its neighbourhood. A notary public, among others, had retired to the cathedral; his effects were immediately seized, and, upon examination, his register of sales, contracts, &c. was missing from his office. The ordinary Alcalde who seized his effects consulted the Governor upon this circumstance, and stated, that although he had taken refuge in a sanctuary, yet, legally, he ought to be compelled to deliver up the register. The Governor submitted it to the decision of the Royal Audience, which being composed of Señor Torralba solely, he immediately despatched an order, to which the royal seal was affixed, addressed to the Archbishop, in which he was directed to enter the cathedral, and deliver up to justice the notary public, who had taken refuge there.

Señor Cuesta, who did not wish to have an unavailing dispute, consulted the two universities upon the point, and they unanimously gave it as their opinion, that Señor Torralba could neither give due authority to royal orders, nor could the archbishop direct the royal jurisdiction, even if duly authenticated, to be exercised within the church. He forwarded to the Governor these opinions, with a view to justify himself in declining obedience to the order which had been issued by Señor Torralba. This reply was forwarded by the Governor to the Royal Audience, and it occasioned the issue of another order still more severe, in which the archbishop was treated with little ceremony, and threatened to be compelled, by force, to obey, and no longer shelter himself behind a consultation with the two universities. The archbishop, convinced that Señor Torralba was the principal instigator of these unhappy disputes, with less prudence than the circumstances of the times required, issued a process against this violator of ecclesiastical sanctuary, and excommunicated him. This was the grand error he committed, and from which melancholy consequences resulted; for having sent two of the clergy to intimate to him the sentence of excommunication, Torralba, on observing them approach, went to meet them, and snatched from them the paper containing it. Immediately afterwards appeared a publication from him, accusing the clergy of an intention to take away his life, and suborned witnesses: having, on examination, confirmed this charge, the Governor was induced to commit to prison the Archbishop, and several of the clergy and religious orders, with such other persons as had taken refuge in the churches.

Before, however, this order was put in force, a proclamation was issued, requiring all the inhabitants in the vicinity to assemble in the office of the royal auditor, in aid of the civil power; and that on the signal of the discharge of a cannon, with ball, they should all repair to the palace. When the time arrived to put the scheme in execution, the artillery was levelled against the city, and the gates leading into the square, and the fort of Santiago being secured, and ammunition distributed to the guards appointed there, the signal gun agreed on was fired, and all in the vicinity repairing to the palace, they were detained there.

Having thus made his dispositions, the Governor ordered the Archbishop, with all the ecclesiastical Cabildo, the Commissary of the Inquisition, the heads of the religious orders, and various other clergy, to be seized. By these arrests and preparations, consternation was spread over the whole city; nothing was seen but knives at people’s throats, and it was said that it was the intention of the Governor to decapitate all the Spaniards, and escape to the coast of Mexico with their property. Even this extravagant charge was credited, as he was known to be a man who respected no tribunal, and who had violated the sanctuary of the churches, by dragging from thence those who had taken refuge there, committing them to prison, not even excepting the ecclesiastics. Despair alone produced a tumultuous assemblage of the inhabitants, but without any premeditated plan, nor is it an easy matter now to discover how the disturbances began.

The religious of the different orders were seen in procession along the streets with crucifixes in their hands, accompanied by people of all classes, particularly those who had taken refuge in the churches, and who had not yet been seized, calling out, “Long live the true faith, long live the church, and long live our King, Philip the Fifth!”—They arrived in this manner at the church of St. Augustine, where the chief people of Manila, who had taken refuge there, joined them, and being provided with arms, they followed the procession to the palace. A page intimated to the Governor that the friars were in procession along the streets, and he immediately gave directions to put a stop to it, though he was ignorant of its meaning, and only presumed there was some tumult. On observing them from the window, however, and being convinced of their mutinous intention, he despatched positive orders to the fort to fire the artillery on the city; but although the Governor of the fort was his son, his humanity, or his disobedience was such, that he only fired two, and those so ill pointed, that the shot did not take effect.

Meantime the immense concourse of inhabitants arrived at the palace without opposition, when the guard, either overawed, or conniving at the measure, permitted them to pass unmolested, and the crowd ascended the staircase. The halberdiers, who were on guard in the anti-room, made no resistance, nor did even one individual attempt to defend the palace except the Governor, who rushing out alone, fired his fusee, and with his drawn sword attacked the crowd. A friar endeavoured to accost him, but he called out, “Leave me, father, unless you wish to murder me,” and making a cut with his sabre, he wounded a citizen. Upon this a general attack was made on him, when his arm being broke, and his head severely wounded, he fell apparently dead. His son, the Governor of the fort, observing from thence that the tumult had reached the palace with every alarming appearance, he mounted a horse in order to assist his father, and entered the palace sword in hand, but he was overpowered, and wounded so severely that he died the same evening. A Jesuit friar approached the Governor, to ascertain if he still lived, when the dying man said, in a faint voice, “Father, do not abandon me until the last moment of my life, which I have well deserved to lose, on account of my misconduct.” He very devoutly confessed himself, and some of the mutineers seeing that he was still likely to live, carried him into an adjoining apartment, and put him in a hammock, with a view to convey him to a dungeon in the court prison, when, in his passage out, he was met by a slave of the chief auditor’s, Don Vincente Lucea, who gave him two mortal stabs with a knife. The father and son were both placed in the chapel of the prison, and the dean sent for surgical assistance, but in the mean time, between five and six in the evening, they both died, having received their wounds between twelve and one in the course of the day.

The mutineers proceeded to the prisons, set at liberty the inhabitants of Manila confined there, and placed in their stead the Oidor Torralba and Doctor Correa, who had officiated as fiscal during these disturbances, and likewise as secretary to the Governor.

The Governor being dead, the ordinary alcalde assumed the reins of government in the civil department, and Don Fernando Bustamente, the son of the late Governor, who had that day lost his life in assisting his father, notwithstanding this succeeded nominally to the military department. The arrangement was every way invalid, as his Majesty had determined, by repeated royal edicts, that on the death of the Governor, the Royal Audience should be invested with the reins of Government. This tribunal, however, had been of late merely a shadow, as it had been composed of Señor Torralba solely, who was a prisoner by his Majesty’s order. The principal people of the city not knowing on whom to bestow the chief magistracy, went to the fort of Santiago, where the archbishop was confined, and requested that he would assume the government. He, however, declined it, on the plea that he was not authorized; but upon their pressing his acceptance of it, he left the fort, and passing by the palace of the Governor, the people attempted to force him to enter and take possession of it, but he resisted, and proceeded on to the archiepiscopal palace. He ordered two notaries public to examine the body of the Governor, who reported that he was dead, and upon this report the principal people in Manila again assembled, and resolved, that under all the circumstances, it was incumbent on the archbishop to assume the direction of public affairs. The archbishop was at last prevailed on to assent, but before taking the customary oaths, he thought it prudent to make the declaration, that what he did was not from any wish to prejudice the right which any person might have to the government through the appointment of his Majesty. The ceremony ended with the citizens doing him the same homage as was usual on the appointment of regular Governors.

The day following he summoned a council, at which, in conjunction with those who had assisted him the day before, were present the Oidor Villa, who had left Manila and had retired to Guadalupe, and the honorary Oidors, Velasco and Torribio, whom the insurgents had released from confinement. The Señor Villa was acknowledged in this assembly as legitimate Oidor, and as such he renounced the right which the laws gave him of holding the reins of government, and recognized, on the day following, in the hall of the Royal Audience, the archbishop, as his legitimate President and Governor, delivering up to him the keys of the secret archives. The Royal Audience being thus formed, it was agreed that in consequence of the want of regular Oidors, the honorary members, Velasco and Torribio, should be added to their number, as there were many suits pending which required immediate adjudication. Velasco and Torribio were not desirous of taking this situation without being duly authorized by the King; but finding that it was the unanimous opinion of all who had attended at the meeting held for the purpose, they at last agreed to it. Finally, Señor Pavon was restored to his office of Oidor, agreeable to the order of the King, and he likewise ceded his right to the Governor, though there was afterwards a dispute between Señor Villa and him respecting precedency as the oldest Oidor, and which dispute the archbishop decided.