Father Fray Nicolás de la Cruz, native of Zalaya, son of the convent of San Felipe, twenty-eight years old. He was a minister in the provinces of Bisayas, and died in Cebú in the year 1675.
Brother Fray Diego de la Puente, native of Madrid, son of this province, twenty-one years old. He was a minister in the province of Pampanga, and very fluent in that language. He was a religious in whom were reposed great hopes, which were disappointed by his early death in 1677.
Brother Fray Juan de Ibarra, native of Durango, son of this province. He was a minister in Ilocos for a short time; most of his life (which was very long), he passed in the convent of Manila, where he was an example of poverty and humility, and where he died in 1713, aged 75.[67]
Of the two auditors the senior in rank, by concession of his Majesty, was Don Francisco Coloma. But Don Francisco Mansilla, as he was stronger and younger went on ahead in forced journeys, and took possession of his seat in the royal Audiencia. After a considerable time, Don Francisco de Coloma arrived, and demanded the seniority that belonged to him by precedence in their appointments as auditor. Don Francisco de Mansilla alleged the act of prior possession; and that gave rise to a suit that caused great trouble, as will be seen later.[68] The sentence was sent to the supreme Council of the Indias, and the preference was given to Don Francisco de Coloma, in whose favor the declaration from España came after a number of years.
[One of the first acts of the new governor is the taking of the previous governor’s residencia which is entrusted to Auditor Coloma. Many complaints are made by the citizens; for the government of Filipinas “as it is more absolute, is more apt to create dissatisfaction,” arising from the governor’s severity, or from envy. He is, however, cleared of all charges in Spain; and 60,000 pesos that he has been compelled to deposit are returned to him from the treasury of Mexico.]
Don Diego Salcedo commenced his government with the disaster of the return in distress of the ship “San Sabiniano,” under charge of Commander Juan de Chaves. That caused great affliction, since no galleon had succeeded in making its voyage to Nueva España in safety. But divine clemency willed that better success should be experienced by the first galleon that he despatched during his government, namely, the “San José”—the vessel in which he had come, and in which Don Sabiniano Manrique de Lara returned to Nueva España. That galleon was the most fortunate of all that have been built in these islands, for it never had to put back in distress, and lasted for many years. It brought two governors to Filipinas, Don Diego de Salcedo and Don Manuel de León; besides taking back in safety the other, Don Sabiniano.
[Andrés de Medina, who had been deposed by the new governor on the high sea from his ill-gotten command, obtains permission from the latter after their arrival in the islands to go wherever he wishes, to secure treatment for the illness from which he is suffering. He has a ship prepared secretly, and goes first to Bolinao, “where he discharged and paid the rowers. With the aid of father Fray Juan de la Santísima Trinidad—a discalced Augustinian religious who was minister of that village, and afterward provincial of that province of San Nicolás—ship’s-stores and all else needed for the voyage were prepared, and they crossed the sea toward the west to the mainland of Cochinchina, where it appears that they arrived; and where the natives of that country murdered them for the sake of robbing them.” Some of their merchandise, and some of the mathematical instruments belonging to Medina are afterward offered for sale to some Portuguese who go to Cochinchina.]
Governor Don Diego de Salcedo was a man of great intelligence and wisdom, and commenced to govern to the satisfaction of all. His first measure was to place on the stocks the galleon “Nuestra Señora de la Concepción” a work of the great master, Juan Bautista Nicolás. He sent ambassadors to the surrounding kingdoms to build up the commerce which is the mainspring of the community of Manila and all these islands. He sent the commander Don Juan de Vergara to the kingdom of Camboja, accompanied by Captain Fernando Quintela, to discuss the building of galleons in that kingdom. That mission had no effect, however. He sent Don José de la Vega, a native of Manila, treasurer of the royal exchequer, a man of great intelligence and capacity, to the kingdom of Banta; and Don Francisco Enríquez de Losada to the kingdom of Siam. All complied with the obligation of their duty, which was directed to the establishment of commerce and friendly relations. He also sent Don Juan de Zalaeta to Batavia to buy anchors for his galleons, as there were no smithies in Filipinas where they could be made of the size demanded by those galleons. That commerce was very good in his time, and Captains Juan de Ergueza, Diego de Palencia, and others made repeated voyages, and brought back quantities of cinnamon and spices which are very profitable to the commerce of Nueva España. In these and other arrangements and provisions the whole year 1664 passed during which time no event of consideration, or any worth writing, occurred.