[12] Pedro Cano was born in the archbishopric of Toledo, on February 22, 1649. In 1670 he entered the Jesuit order at Sevilla, in order to join the province of Filipinas, where he arrived in the following year. He was procurator of the college, and of the province. Being appointed procurator for Madrid and Rome, he died while on the voyage thither, near Acapulco, December 18. 1692. (Murillo Velarde, fol. 369.)
[13] On September 28, 1687 (Diaz, p. 788).
[14] This man held the office of sargento-mayor, and had been (before 1683) alcalde-mayor of Cagayán.
[15] In 1687 “there was an increase in the calamities of the country, which suffered great scarcity of provisions on account of the grain-fields having been ruined by the heavy and constant rains which fell—which injured the salt springs even more, so that a half-fanega of salt, which usually is worth two or three reals, reached the price of twelve pesos. In La Estacada there was a great conflagration on Good Friday, in the night, which destroyed many houses. In the following year the scarcity of food was increased by a plague of locusts, which swept away all [vegetation]; and a caban of rice came to be worth twenty and twenty-four reals. But what caused the most suffering was the havoc made by the catarrh, in the year 1687–88; it was a sort of epidemic sickness, which killed many persons, especially children and the aged; and so many were sick that they could hardly cultivate the fields, or do other things necessary for human life.” (Murillo Velarde, fol. 345 b, 346.)
[16] Spanish patacones; “a silver coin weighing one onza, and current in Batavia, Brazil, and Turkey.” (Dominguez).
[17] These seem to be memoranda intended by the writer of this document to be expanded and written out in detail.
The Pardo Controversy
Brief relation of events in the city of Manila, in the Filipinas Islands
The fiscal of the royal Audiencia of these islands, Licentiate Don Diego Viga, received two letters and an official report, with many depositions of witnesses, which were sent to him by the alcalde-mayor of the province of Ilocos.[1] These letters and documents were to the effect that by the continued residence of Bachelor Sebastian Arqueros de Robles, ecclesiastical head of the bishopric of Nueva Segovia, in the village of Vigan (which is the capital of the said province of Ilocos)—under the pretext of ministering ad interim to the natives of the village of Bangues,[2] which had for many years remained vacant—the natives were becoming uneasy and disturbed. This was hindering in the exercise of their duties not only the officers of justice, but also Licentiate Diego de Espinosa Marañón, the proprietary beneficed cura of the said village of Vigan, with whom the said acting bishop had notorious disputes. [According to the aforesaid documents], all the trouble arose from the fact that the said ecclesiastical ruler maintained his brothers and relatives in the said village, who with his authority and presence there were causing notable injuries and annoyances; and a decree was asked from the royal Audiencia, providing that the said acting bishop should nominate in the usual form persons for presentation to the benefice of Bangues, and that he should change his residence to the capital of his diocese,[3] and should not live at the village of Vigan, except during the period which is allowed to the ecclesiastical visitors by the holy Council.