ANNO DOM. 1729.
The Administration of Don Fernando Valdes y Tamon.
Don Fernando Valdes y Tamon took possession of his government on the
14th of August, 1729. He found Manila totally destitute of military
stores; the losses sustained by ships, the reinforcing the different
garrisons, and the armaments against the Moors, having occasioned
a great diminution in the stores of cannon and small arms, both
of which it became necessary to purchase from foreigners, as the
foundery at Manila was not capable of supplying the deficiency. He
made arrangements accordingly for procuring the necessary supply
from the Peninsula of Asia, and from Batavia, taking care that the
arms should be always kept in good order, a task, however necessary,
yet extremely difficult in so humid an atmosphere. Indeed he in
all respects proved himself an expert military man, by the several
fortifications he constructed, the walls with which he surrounded
the city, the out-works he formed for its better security, and the
new establishment he erected for the manufacture of gunpowder.
He determined to chastise the audacity of the Moors, who were, as
usual, infesting the provinces and coasts of Bisayas, and he sent
against them an armament which succeeded in burning their towns and
villages: but this was by no means doing them any essential injury;
they had little to lose, and in return they laid waste nearly the
whole of the Spanish possessions with fire and sword. However much
Senor Tamon was desirous of repressing the depredations of these
pirates, he found it impossible, the low ebb of the treasury opposing
a sufficient bar to his fitting out such a force as might answer any
other purpose than that of a temporary check on their ravages.
The Governor's resources being thus too much limited to enable him to
make the necessary exertions against the Moors, he called a council
of the principal inhabitants of Manila, in which it was resolved,
that it was absolutely requisite for the public safety that a number
of different armaments should be fitted out; that forts should be
erected along the coasts, and points of communication and rallying
established between the towns; and that, in aid of the royal funds,
a contribution of five hundred dollars should be imposed on each
town. Some of the religious establishments had found it necessary
to adopt the expedient of erecting works round the different
churches, where the Indians might take refuge from the inroads of
the Moors. Others constructed watchtowers on elevated situations,
with a view to discover the enemy, and give the necessary alarm,
taking due care to visit them during the night, to ascertain that the
centinels were sufficiently vigilant, thus discharging the twofold
duty of pastors and military officers. By this arrangement, even no
fishing town was without its small fort or station for its protection.
The royal funds, however, contributed in no respect to this desirable
object; the public was indebted for it solely to the friars, who,
from their slender stipends, made the necessary disbursements to the
superintendants of the works and for the pay of the soldiers; and
succeeded, by persuasion and threats, in inducing the towns to furnish
materials and workmen, expending much money, and exercising great
perseverance, in order to complete the necessary means of defence.
No sooner did the alcaldes mayores see these military posts put into
an effective state, than they determined to take them under their
own control; and an officer is now annually sent for that purpose to
each station, with orders to draft a certain number of natives for its
service. The officer regularly keeps these men at work on his own farm,
or obliges them to purchase, with money, an exemption from this labour,
leaving, generally speaking, the post completely abandoned. This is
every way a severe hardship on the adjacent inhabitants, and proves the
truth of Senor Solorzano's observation, that whatever is done with a
view to benefit the Indians, by some means or other is converted to
their prejudice.
The conquest of the islands of Carolinas and Palaos having been
suspended from the time of the Conde de Lizarraga, began again to
attract the notice of government [3]. There had arrived at the Marianas
two vessels out of four, which in passing from one of the Carolinas to
a neighbouring island, had met with a gale of wind, and were driven on
our coasts, without knowing what had become of their companions. The
Governor of Marianas determined to take these Indians to their own
country, having in view, at the same time, a more accurate examination
of the islands in question. Accompanied by the Jesuit Cantova, he
accordingly proceeded on his voyage of discovery with these vessels;
but being unable even to find the islands, he pursued his voyage to
Manila, where he persuaded the Governor to accede to his undertaking
this object. In the year 1730 he returned to the Marianas with the
permission he had solicited, and reiterated his attempt, in company
with the Jesuit Friars Cantova and Victor, eleven soldiers, and eight
seamen, taking with him as a guide an Indian of Palao, who had been
baptized, and who, they presumed, would be able to conduct them in
safety to their destination. They discovered the island of Moymoy,
and erected a military station in that of Talalap, where they built a
church and a house, baptized some children, and instructed some adults
in the first duties of religion, by which they were vain enough to
believe that the conquest was completed, and they began to think of
despatching the vessel for additional aid, to enable them to subdue
the remainder of the islands. The Friar Cantova, with some soldiers,
took up their residence there, while Friar Victor with the remainder,
and some of the islanders, who had expressed a wish to accompany them,
sailed on their return to the Marianas, but not being able to make
them, bore away to Manila, where one of the Indians was baptized,
the Governor standing godfather. The Friar Victor embarked in a
patache, with the necessary succours, to his companions; but arriving
at Talalap, he found that the church and the house of Friar Cantova
had disappeared, and from one of the natives he understood that the
whole party had been murdered. Convinced of the difficulty attending
the subjection of these islands, he returned to Manila, and since
that period no similar attempt has been made.
Under this Governor was terminated the discussion which had subsisted
between the Chamber of Commerce of Seville and the merchants of Manila,
the subject having occupied the public attention many years. The
merchants of Seville argued, that the galleon ought not to carry
silk from Manila to New Spain, in either its raw or wrought state;
and that the commerce of the Philippines with that country ought to be
restricted to cotton goods, flag-stones, wax, and spices; and even to
this they insisted on the propriety of limits being placed, on account
of the great injury arising to the mother country from the trade. The
consequence of these discussions was a royal decree, which granted
to the merchants of Seville the full extent of what they required;
but the Viceroy of Mexico, to whom the decree was forwarded, would not
put it in force, representing, in his justification, that the commerce
of the Philippines was absolutely necessary to the kingdom of Mexico,
as the duties levied upon that commerce fully repaid the expenses of
the public establishments requisite for these islands as a colony; and
as he had just then received intelligence, that the island of Luzon
had suffered most severely not only from the locusts, but from the
violent and injudicious conduct of the then Governor (the marshal),
he did not conceive he would act correctly in putting the order into
execution. Upon this representation being laid before the council, it
was resolved, that the Philippines should have two galleons in future,
and that the merchants there should be permitted annually to ship in
them for New Spain, to the value of three hundred thousand dollars, in
goods of every description, wrought silks and gold embroidery excepted,
both which were prohibited. As a return cargo, they were permitted
to carry back double that amount in silver, and the residue of their
profits to be invested in merchandize, or in produce of New Spain.
The merchants of Manila again petitioned his Majesty on the subject,
and, in compliance with their request, he permitted them to take
wrought silk to Acapulco; but on a second representation from the
merchants of Seville, stating the heavy loss these concessions would
create, the Viceroy of Mexico was finally instructed, that for five
years the trade should remain on its old footing, except that the
merchants of Manila should not be allowed to send wrought silk to
New Spain.
The Viceroy of Mexico had sent this royal order to Senor Tamon,
the then Governor of Manila, and when it was communicated to the
merchants, various meetings were held, and it was resolved that no
alteration in the shipments should take place, and that it should
be given out that the royal order had not arrived in due time to be
promulgated, previous to the arrangements which had been made for the
usual shipments. In short, great consternation prevailed. The Governor
did not interpose his authority against the general sentiments, but
intimated his apprehension that the Viceroy would seize the goods
on their arrival at Acapulco. During this agitation of the public
mind the galleon arrived, bringing the order from Madrid, which is
in force to this day, and by which it is ordained, that the merchants
of Manila may ship to the amount of five hundred thousand dollars in
cotton goods, manufactured silk, wax, spices, and every description
of goods from China, the Peninsula of India, and the islands, and
that they may take in return one million of dollars in silver, and
the rest in merchandize, or South American produce [4].
Our guarda costas, during this year, captured a Dutch vessel, and
brought her to Manila, where she was condemned, under the pretence that
she was carrying arms to our enemies the Moors. As soon as the Dutch
in Batavia understood this, they despatched three ships to cruize off
Mariveles, with a view to intercept the galleon which was expected
to sail about this time for Acapulco, as well as the one which was
expected to arrive. Intelligence of the disposition made by the Dutch
was forwarded to the straits of St. Bernardino, but the messenger on
his arrival found that the galleon was aground in the bay of Calantas,
and that the silver had been taken out and sent to Sorsogon. Some
works had been erected to protect the ship, and many unsuccessful
attempts were made to get her off, when she was eventually set fire
to, that she might not fall into the hands of the Moors.
The Dutch annoyed these islands considerably, by thus preventing any
vessels from entering or leaving the port of Cavite. The Governor
viewed with deep concern this attack on our possessions, and found
himself embarrassed how to act, as he had transmitted to court
the account of the seizure of the Dutch vessel, and had decreed her
condemnation; but as the Dutch seemed determined to avenge the insult,
he had every reason to apprehend that serious misunderstanding between
the two powers might be the result. In this dilemma he resolved
to restore the vessel, and write to the Governor of Batavia on the
subject, on which the Dutch retired, and left the bay open. Nothing
else worthy of notice took place during this long government, except
the arrival of a new archbishop on the 24th of January, 1737.