As several of the principal Men of the Place were likewise concerned with him, the Captors were justly apprehensive that little or nothing more was to be got by fair Means, and were willing to secure what was still in their Power; and therefore ordered their Agents to bring into the City what Merchandize was belonging to the said Men in the Suburbs, as a Security till they made good their Ransom. But were greatly surprized to find the East India Company’s Governor had placed Guards, and would not suffer the Agents to remove any one Thing, by which the Captors lost upwards of 200,000 Dollars. The Captors therefore to secure what little yet remained in their Power, gave Directions to seize, and dispose of a Ship, named the Santo Nino,[5] that lay in the Port of Cavita at the Time of the Town being taken, and placed her Produce to the Account of the four Million (altho’ she was not mentioned or included in the Capitulation). This was the only Ship taken in the Port, and sold for only 16,000 Dollars, and which the Spaniards have since artfully and jesuitically endeavored to propagate to be the Santissima Trinidad; tis therefore in this Place necessary to make known, that the Santissima Trinidad sailed from Manila on the 1st of August, which was upwards of seven Weeks before the Squadron arrived there, and had proceeded several hundred Leagues on her Voyage to Acapulca; when meeting with a Storm she was dismasted, and endeavouring to put back to refit was met with off the Island of Capul by two of our Ships, the Panther and Argo (the two Ships that were detached after the Phillipina) and after an Engagement taken by them, above two hundred Miles from the Port of Manila, and which Ships knew nothing at that Time of the Surrender or Capitulation of Manila. These two Ships that were sent after the Phillipina (in Consequence of Intelligence obtained by a Gally we took in the Bay soon after our Arrival) had got as far as the Island of Capul, in their Way to Palapa, when they met with the Trinidad, and she being much disabled, and having a great Number of Men on Board, they were obliged to return to the Bay of Manila with her; on which, as soon as possible, two Frigates were dispatched again after the Phillipina, but before they could reach the Streights of St. Bernardino, the North-East Monsoon was set in, and the Weather too stormy to pass the Streights, and after ten Weeks fruitlessly attempting it, were obliged to return.
The Squadron being obliged (by Instructions on that Head) to return to the Coast of India for the Protection of the East India Company’s Settlements, before the North-East Monsoon was expired, sailed from the Bay of Manila the beginning of March, leaving orders with the Commanding Officer of the Ships left for the Protection of the Place, so soon as the South-West Monsoon prevailed, to proceed to Palapa, in order to take Possession of the Phillipina, who, on his Arrival, found only the Ship, the Treasure having been carried in small Vessels to the Island of Luconia by Orders from the Inhabitants of Manila, who had all this Time amused us with the Promise of the Money of this Ship for Payment, and even sent Men as Hostages[6] in our Ships to get it, notwithstanding they themselves well knew it was removed from that Place. Through the whole of the above Transactions, the Spaniards by Evasions avoided complying with the Capitulation in every one Respect, except in the bringing in the Money from the Misericordia and Ordentercara, which was out of their Power to secrete. They basely and ungratefully took up Arms against us, after having their Lives given them. They preached publicly in their Churches Rebellion, and meritorious to destroy us.
And these people have still furthermore the Impudence to charge us with an Infringment of the Capitulation, and the Effrontery to claim the Santissima Trinidad, which was taken above 200 Miles from Manila by two of his Majesty’s Ships, who knew nothing of the Surrender of the Place, nor was in any Shape mentioned or included in the Capitulation, having sailed on her Voyage seven Weeks previous to our Arrival, as may be seen by the Capitulation annexed hereto.
It is true they have given Bills on the King their Master for Part of the Ransom, which he does not acknowledge they had a Right to draw, and therefore refuses Payment of. But surely I may with Equity be permitted to add, that as he allows them a very large Sum annually for their Support, and has again put the Place into their Possession, is he not bound in Honour and strict Justice to oblige his Subjects to make good their solemn Covenant and Capitulation, having the Means so fully in his Power?
The Account of Ransom stands correctly thus:
| dollars | r. d. | dollars | r.d. | |||
| Ransom agreeable to Capitulation | 4,000,000 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Received from the public Funds andCollections | 515,802 | 3 | 10 | |||
| Plunder taken from the Seamen and Soldiers | 26,623 | 0 | 0 | 542,425 | 3 | 10 |
| Remains due to the Captors | 3,457 574 | 4 | 2 | |||
One third of which is the Proportion belonging to the East India Company.
The King’s Instructions were, if we succeeded in the Conquest of Manila, to deliver up the Fortifications, with the Cannon, Stores and Ammunition, to the East India Company, until his Majesty’s Pleasure should be signified with Regard to the future Dispositions of the said Conquests, &c.
Upon the Peace, when the Place was delivered up to the Spaniards, the East India Company applied to the Secretary of State for Leave to carry the Artillery and Stores to Madrass, but received for Answer, That they must remain for the Defence of the Place; but were afterward told, That if the Spaniards would give Security for the Payment of the Value of them, they were to be left; if they would not, the East India Company might remove them to Madrass. This last Answer did not arrive in India till after Orders had been sent to deliver it up, and the Season too late to send that Year.[7]
[Here follow the “Conditions” and “Proposals,” q.v., ante, pp. 75–80.]