The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 09 of 55 / 1593-1597 / 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

[In the margin at the beginning of this document:

“To Don Francisco Tello, governor of the Philipinas Islands, in regard to the establishment of the Audiencia, and the receiving of the royal seal.”] Page 183

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[1] See the detailed account of the ceremonies with which the royal seal of the Audiencia was received on its arrival at Manila, as related by Morga in his Sucesos (Hakluyt Soc. trans.), pp. 89—91.

[2] The archbishop of Manila, in a letter to the king dated August 15, 1624, makes the following interesting observation on the state of affairs in Manila after the suppression of the Audiencia: “The principal motive that influenced Philippo Second, our sovereign, to reëstablish, in the time of the governorship of Don Francisco Tello, the royal Audiencia in these islands, which had been suppressed some years before, was that, in districts Page 182nso remote and distant from his royal presence, the governors might not be so absolute, but that there might be a superior arm to check them, and not allow extortions upon an innocent people.”

Letter from Luis Perez Dasmariñas to Felipe II

Sire:

By the ships which sailed for Nueva España in July of this year 95, I wrote at length to your Majesty, giving account of some things which, in my poor judgment and opinion, would be to the glory and service of God and of your Majesty; and very necessary, important, and fitting for the common good, preservation, and increase of these towns. Therefore I felt myself urged and obliged to break silence; and I would not now refrain from referring to those matters, if I did not fear and doubt that this present letter would not reach the royal hands by this way, and did I not believe that several of those I have written by another way, namely by Nueva España, have arrived there.

The present occasion for writing to your Majesty is to inform you of the arrival of the religious and ministers whom your Majesty was pleased to send here. This was of great moment and importance, because of our great need of them. I am writing also to say that the fathers of the Society of Jesus have taken under their charge the island of Leyte, one of the Pintados, which has hitherto had no instruction. Although but four fathers went there, so great good Page 184has resulted from their labors, within six months or so, that two days ago the father vice-provincial told me that he had received a letter saying that the fathers now preach to the Indians in their own language. The good results and benefits are so great that there are now more than five thousand four hundred catechumens—who, without being at all compelled to do so, have themselves destroyed and cast down their false idols. This gives no little encouragement and occasion to praise God; and shows how important, necessary, and beneficial is the presence here of good ministers.