Besides the said loss, there was much artillery which the said Doctor Morga was taking in the said ship, and supplies of war, as he had taken what lay in the forts of this city, leaving them destitute of supplies, and the royal storehouses almost without powder; for he took six hundred barrels of it on the said flagship. Owing to the lack of men—so great that hardly anyone appeared on the streets—and that of the said artillery and arms of various kinds, this city was in such danger of ruin as never before, if some of the many enemies who surround it had attacked it with even a small force. Likewise the opportunity for the capture of the said flagship of the enemy was lost, in which was stored all which they had captured since leaving Olanda, and twenty pieces of artillery which they brought, many stores, and eight hundred muskets—all of which they were carrying, according to the declaration of the enemies who were in our power. For this country, where there is such a want of that kind of articles, and so many occasions continually arising in which they are necessary, it would have been of great importance and value; but the enemy is taking them away to buy with them cloves and pepper, and other drugs from these regions, as they are at present doing. For we have certain news that they went to the Maluco Islands, where they are anchored, and will leave the enemy there—who are most warlike, and who are most continually making war upon us—strengthened with arms like ours, whereby they will become skilful in their use; and from that will follow many difficulties, as may be imagined.
Likewise there results another very great injury to these regions, because, the said ship of the enemy having escaped, they carry with them an excellent knowledge of these regions and of the sailing-routes; for day by day they record in writing their bearings, and the courses by which they have navigated. There is a society which has been formed in Olanda and other states, for the destruction of these regions, according to the account which all the enemies who were captured alive agreed in. Five great galleons for this purpose were being built here, so that if any of those ships should come from there the Spaniards might sally out with more force.
We are sending your Majesty a copy of an information in this matter which was secured by your Majesty's fiscal with great secrecy, before the licentiate Almacan, auditor of this royal Audiencia. There is likewise a testimonial concerning the arms, military stores, artillery, and troops taken by the said Doctor Morga, in his flagship against that of the enemy; of the troops, not more than fifty-six people in all came back. There is another to the effect that on the morning of the day when the enemy were discovered the commander sent to the admiral fourteen of the twenty-seven that he had. There are some documents, drawn up at the petition of the said Doctor Morga, concerning the artillery and other articles which he caused to be given to the third ship that he was to take with him. On account of his not waiting for this two hours, and not being willing to assign it men, the misfortune came about by which, as he confesses in his petition, two hundred persons escaped; whereas it is known that the dead of the Spaniards alone amounted to more than a hundred and twenty, so that, according to this, he took five or six men with him for every enemy.
He has drawn up a number of informations which, considering the dignity and power of his office, may obscure this truth and give some color to his case, as he is confident that it has done—and as he has likewise done in other matters, as he has used such bold and excessive measures ever since his arrival in this country. In this manner he has reached such a point that he petitioned for justice because he, as commander, had to divide the prize which he took in the enemy's captured ship, and maintained that a great part of it belonged to him. Afterward, by another petition he says that, as a vassal and servant of your Majesty, he relinquishes the part which falls to him and gives it to your Majesty, so that a share of what was taken may be given to him. A copy of these petitions is being sent, which makes this evident.
There is also sent a copy of the commission as commander which the said Doctor Morga bore, and an edict which he drew up and enacted, by which the governor ordered him to go as commander. We do not undertake to explain to your Majesty any of the matter therein contained, since in these papers may be plainly seen what audacity he shows in trying to make it understood that he is a warrior, and that at other times, by your Majesty's order, he has had similar matters in charge; and from those very papers may be learned his conduct in many other matters in this country, against many people, without his taking into consideration in the least what was owing to them.
The majority of the people through all this city have been hurt and injured, from the time when he came to this country, by the procedures of the said Doctor Morga, both in his actions and words against them, and in letters which he has written treacherously regarding the circumstances of various people, signing false names to them, and disguising his handwriting. Afterward he showed copies of these to other persons, in order to give the impression that he was not the author of them. At present, since this affair, the ill-feeling has grown with all these people, and become much greater, because most of the soldiers whom he took (serving at their own expense) went under threat and against their will; and as the relatives of our citizens died on this occasion, and their death was notoriously due to the fault and mismanagement of the said Doctor, it could not fail to arouse resentment against him. In the same way the said Doctor has been opposed to them, so that all the men who went in the almiranta are desirous of maintaining that they conquered, and not he; consequently what with the ill-feeling of the said Doctor against some of them, and of others against him, there are very few people in these islands who are not concerned. Accordingly he is odious and suspected in his office by all men; and no lawsuit is brought up in which he is not accused, as is now happening in several cases. The general ill-feeling here is no less owing to the fact that, whereas there are so many soldiers here who have come to these regions with no declared object except to serve your Majesty, and have done so since their arrival here, with good success, the said Doctor Morga should bring this about under the claim and pretext that there were no persons in these islands to whom such a matter could be entrusted; and that by this means the Spaniards had lost a victory so obviously theirs that it would without doubt have been gained if it had been entrusted to the least famous soldier here. We humbly beseech your Majesty in consideration of all these matters pertaining to the said Doctor, that a remedy may be applied to them, as is usually done by your Majesty, owing to your holy zeal and righteous justice. May our Lord protect your Majesty as we, your Majesty's vassals, desire. Manila, July 20, 1601.
Don Gonzalo Ronquillo de Vallesteros Francisco de las Missas Francisco Mercado Dandrade Hernando da [illegible in MS.] Bernardino de Avila Diego Melendez Florez
By command of the city of Manila:
Luys de Contreras, clerk of the cabildo.
Letter from Morga to Felipe III