These Malucas Islands give from year to year four thousand four hundred bares of cloves in clusters, which are called “selected,” according to the relation which is made and the information given by Don Juan de Silva, knight of the habit of Santiago, when he governed the Filipinas Islands. Others say that there are eight thousand, and still others, six. The first statement is the most accurate, and agrees with another note made by Captain Gregorio de Vidaña, a citizen of Manila; he was a person very learned in manuscripts, who spent many years there, and sought to inquire into the matter out of curiosity.
Four thousand four hundred bares of cloves, each bare containing 640 libras, amount to 2,816,000 libras—which at one ducado, the price at which they are sold [in Europe] will bring the same number of ducados. All this can be bought for a hundred thousand ducados.[23] It is not bought with money, but with cloth purchased in India and in China; and what in those countries costs ten is sold in the Malucas at fifty. This profit is at present possessed by the Dutch, who buy on the coast of Caramendel, and from the Chinese in Cochinchina and Java, whence they take the merchandise which they trade for cloves in Maluco. The nutmeg, according to Don Juan de Silva, is worth 500U ducados, when transported to these parts.
The cloves gathered in the island of Ambueno amount to a great deal, although I have no exact account of the quantity.
The pepper which is taken from Greater Java is much, although I do not know the exact quantity. They likewise have a factory and a treaty friendship with the king of Achen, in the island of Samatra, where there is much merchandise. He is an enemy of ours, as well as he who attacked Malaca in the year 16, and burned a galleon of the four which were awaiting Don Juan de Silva. Soon afterward seven Dutch galleons arrived to aid him, and burned the other three. Malaca is a very important place, and it is very necessary that your Majesty should preserve it, as it is the passage to all the kingdoms and districts of that archipelago of San Laçaro, where there is so much wealth.
Chapter V. Of the expense incurred by your Majesty to maintain the fortified posts of Tidore and Terrenate in the Malucas Islands.
I said in the second part of this relation that the reënforcements of money and men which are brought from Nueva España to the Filipinas were not to preserve those islands, but were occasioned by the war with the Dutch. I shall now set down here a memorandum of the expenses of those forts, without the many other requisites.
Relation of the salaries and expenses which your Majesty has to pay in the Malucas Islands
| Pesos | |
| A warden and commander of the troops, with two thousand ducados of salary each year, which at eleven reals to the ducado, makes 2757 pesos, 2 tomins, and 9 granos | 2U757 |
| Seven captains of Spanish infantry, with 990 pesos of salary a year, amounting to. | 6U930 |
| Seven alferezes of these companies, with 412 pesos, 4 tomins of salary each per year. | 2U887 |
| Seven sergeants, with 206 pesos, 2 tomins, apiece each year, amounting to. | 1U443 |
| Fourteen drummers, at 171 pesos each per year, amounting to. | 2U394 |
| Seven fifers, at 165 pesos a year, amounting to. | 1U155 |
| Seven shield-bearers, at 103 pesos each, amounting to. | 0U721 |
| Seven standard-bearers, at 115 pesos per year each, amounting to. | 0U815 |
| Two adjutant sargentos-mayor, with 412 pesos, 4 tomins, each per year, amounting to. | 0U825 |
| A campaign captain, at 330 pesos of salary per year. | 0U330 |
| A captain of artillery, with a salary of 480 pesos per year. | 0U480 |
| A constable for land and sea, with 300 pesos per year. | 0U300 |
| Twenty artillerymen for land and sea, at 200 pesos each per year, amounting to. | 4U000 |
| There are continually 600 soldiers, and at times more, seldom less. These usually earn 115 pesos per year, amounting to 69U000 pesos. | 69U000 |
| Of this number 140 are musketeers, who get 36 pesos each per year beside their ordinary salary, amounting to 5040 pesos. | 5U040 |
| Thirty ducados of eleven reals each as extra pay to each company each month, amounting to 2520 ducados, which makes 3465 pesos. | 3U465 |
| Twenty-eight squadron leaders, with three pesos of extra pay each month, amounting in a year to 1008 pesos. | 1U008 |
| One accountant of the royal exchequer, with a salary of 800 pesos per year, and 50 fanégas of cleaned rice. | 0U800 |
| One superintendent of supplies and munitions, with 500 pesos of salary and rations. | 0U500 |
| One secretary of mines and registries, who serves on a salary of a major official of the office of accounts, with 400 pesos; and one minor official with 150, which amount to. | 0U550 |
| Two secretaries, one of war and one of magazines, with 200 pesos apiece per year of salary, and rations for the magazines secretary. | 0U400 |
| One engineer and one surgeon, with 600 pesos each year, amounting to 1200 pesos. | 1U200 |
| Two Pampango captains, with 120 pesos; two ensigns, with 96 pesos; two sergeants, at 72 pesos; four drummers, two fifers, two shield-bearers, two standard-bearers, at 48 pesos each; and 200 soldiers, at 48 pesos of salary per year, amounting to 10717 pesos. | 10U717 |
| A Spanish smith, with a salary of 300 pesos per year, and one Indian with 48 pesos; another, with 42 pesos; ten others, with 30 pesos; one keeper of arquebuses with 42 pesos and all his rations, which will be mentioned in their place, amounting in money to 732 pesos | 0U732 |
| Two Spanish carpenters and 20 Indians—the Spaniards with 300 pesos each per year, and the 20 Indians at 48 pesos and their rations—the money amounting to 1560 pesos | 1U560 |
| One Spanish stonecutter, with 300 pesos; and twelve Indians at 24 pesos, amounting yearly to 588 pesos | 0U588 |
| Two calkers and one cooper, Spaniards, at 300 pesos each per year, amounting to 900 pesos | 0U900 |
| A hundred Indian pioneers, at 48 pesos each per year and rations, amounting to 4800 pesos | 4U800 |
| An alguazil of the royal exchequer, at 150 pesos per year | 0U150 |
| Ten religious, of the Society of Jesus and the Order of St. Francis, and the vicar, at 100 pesos; and thirty fanégas of rice each, the money amounting to 1000 pesos | 1U000 |
| Commander, captains, pilot, masters, and other officials of the two galleys, besides rations, have each year in salaries 5643 pesos, 4 tomins | 5U643 |
| Four substitutes,[24] who are about the person of the governor of those islands, at 30 ducados of eleven reals per month each, amounting each year to | 1U980 |
| Each year presents are taken to the king, his son, and the chiefs, worth 2000 pesos | 2U000 |
| The hospitals expend each year in medicines, food, cloth, and service more than 10000 pesos | 10U000 |
| There must be used powder, balls, iron, steel, pikes and boats for minor service, costing for their manufacture or construction more than 10000 pesos | 10U000 |
| The expenses of the vessels which bring reënforcements; the galleys which are kept there; the salaries of the captains, pilots, masters, officers, and sailors; the careening; and other smaller expenses for their construction and voyages, amount each year to more than 40000 pesos | 40U000 |
| A purveyor, who is present in the province of Pintados, earns each year 700 pesos of salary; and there are others—commissioners, a storekeeper, and a secretary—in all amounting to 1300 pesos per year | 1U300 |
| The rice, wine, meat, fish, vegetables, and other minor articles used by the persons who are supplied with rations—as are the sailors, artillerymen, carpenters, smiths, pioneers, commanders, and rowers of the galleys; the religious, and others—will amount in Terrenate to more than twenty thousand pesos per year | 20U000 |
| 218U372 |
Beside what has been mentioned, attention must be given to what has been spent on the fleets which have been collected since the year one thousand six hundred and six, when Don Pedro de Acuña recovered it—both in ships and on casting [of artillery], soldiers’ hire, and that which has been lost at different times, which has amounted to a large sum each year; and little or no income has been secured from the Malucas, for in nine years they have not brought in 20U pesos. This has been due to negligence; for if there had been a faithful administrator posted there, and his accounts had been audited, and affairs had been orderly and regular (as they are with the enemy), your Majesty might have secured [sufficient] profit to maintain those forces without expending anything from your royal exchequer, as you now do. The same argument applies from now on. On this account it is very important to your royal service either that correction be applied to this, or that some means be considered, which it does not appear to me expedient to place in this relation, to spare your Majesty so great an expense. When those islands are secure from the Dutch enemy, your Majesty will suffer no expense, and will be able to further the working of the above-mentioned mines which lie near Manila. From them, with the favor of God, so great wealth may be looked for as will suffice to clear your Majesty from debt, and this can be accomplished in no other way; for with the ordinary practice, which has prevailed thus far, there is no more hope than for a sick man declared past recovery, to whom the physicians give no remedies, and whom they declare to be at the end of his life.