ANNO DOM. 1590.
The Administration of Gomez Perez Dasmarinas, the fifth Governor
of Manila.
The clergy of Manila about this period, sent to the court of Madrid
and Rome the Friar Sanches, a Jesuit, under the pretence of soliciting
some objects, for the spiritual as well as temporal welfare of these
islands. Arriving at Madrid, he petitioned that the Royal Audience
should be removed, and that Gomez Perez Dasmarinas, a noble Galician
knight of the order of Santiago, Corregidor of Logrono, should
be sent as Governor. This nobleman arrived at Manila in May 1590,
in one of the two ships which the Viceroy of Mexico had despatched,
and in which he had sent four hundred troops, a supply, by this time
highly requisite in the islands. The other ship which accompanied
her struck on a shoal, close in with the land of Maranduque, and was
lost, but all the people were saved. The King gave the new Governor,
as a salary, ten thousand Castile ducats out of the royal revenue of
New Spain, and which was remitted annually to the Philippines.
He brought an order that the proceedings of the Royal Audience
should be suspended; and in performance of this, the year following,
the Oidores composing it embarked for Mexico; the Oidor Roxas alone
remaining, as the ad interim successor of the Governor. The Bishop, who
had some disagreement with the Governor, feeling the importance of the
Royal Audience, as the only tribunal capable of curbing the power of
the Governor, and persuading himself it was not safe, to trust in the
hands of one man, the uncontrolled exercise of authority, in a country
so remote from the seat of government, it was his intention to proceed
to New Spain, with a view to procure the re-establishment of the Royal
Audience in Manila, and on various, affairs of his bishopric. The
Governor, that he might not effect his purpose, would not allow him
to embark with the Oidores; and the Bishop in the mean time contented
himself, with giving full powers and instructions to the Augustine
Friar Ortiga, who was going to Madrid, to appear to any allegations
which might be preferred against him. In the short time this government
lasted, great undertakings were performed; such as building a wall
of stone round Manila, erecting the fort of Santiago, and furnishing
it with good artillery. The royal magazines in Manila and Cavite
were built; and the asylum of Santa Potenciana was erected for the
maintenance, at the cost of the state, of a certain number of young
persons, daughters of deceased military officers, until they should be
married. The Governor established among the different religious orders,
a salutary ecclesiastical control over the Indians, assigning to each
order their different towns and provinces, and converting the colony
into a complete republic; supplying every defect in the government;
and putting the whole in a respectable state of defence, by means of
his four hundred regular soldiers, divided into detachments.
Among the natives of many adjacent islands which traded with Manila,
those of Japan, in particular, brought the richest merchandize for the
consumption of the colony, and for the commerce with Acapulco. A keen
and able man of this nation, named Faranda Kicmon, who had renegaded
from the faith, persuaded Taycosama, Emperor of Japan, to send an
embassy to Manila; and promised him, that if he would give him the
commission, he would procure him to be acknowledged King of Manila,
and that a regular and lucrative commerce, might be established between
the two nations. The Emperor gave credit to his representations, and
despatched him with letters to the Governor, claiming the vassalage of
the Philippines. The Governor received this embassy, and replied to it
immediately, without bringing into question the point of vassalage,
by proposing to establish a commercial intercourse; sending for this
purpose, the Franciscan Friars Pedro Bautista, Francisco de San Miguel,
Bartholome, and Gerardo de San Miguel, who likewise had determined to
avail themselves of this opportunity, to establish themselves in that
kingdom to preach the gospel: he likewise sent with them a Portuguese
of the name of Carvallo, and they bore a handsome present to the
Emperor. Notwithstanding many malicious falsehoods which Faranda
had circulated, Taycosama received the friars with much courtesy,
and granted them permission to remain in his kingdom, treating them
with much respect in the first instance, although, at a subsequent
period, he murdered them. About this time ambassadors from the King
of Camboa arrived, with two elephants, as a present to the Governor;
and endeavoured to engage him, to grant them assistance against
the King of Siam, who had commenced hostilities against them. The
Governor answered the King of Camboa with another present, giving
them great hopes, but evading immediate assistance, on the plea that
his projected expedition to the Moluccas, required all his resources,
however desirous he was of giving the aid they demanded.
That this expedition might not turn out as the former had done, Gomez
Perez Dasmarinas determined to accompany it in person. He sailed
from Cavite on the 19th of October 1593, and arriving off Santiago,
encountered a strong gale from the eastward, and the whole of the
fleet was separated, his own ship alone remaining: this compelled
him to anchor at Brimstone Cape, to effect which he was obliged
to have recourse to his boats, on account of the great variety
of currents. The Chinese, to the number of one hundred and fifty,
though able to pull at the oar, assisted but very little; and the
Governor abused them for the little exertion they made. These people
resented this ill-treatment; and considering themselves as superior
in force to the few Spaniards in the ship, conceived the design of
murdering them the same evening. Whilst the Spaniards took their
siesta (or afternoon nap), little dreaming of the designs of the
Chinese, the latter commenced their carnage by killing the Governor,
and all those who were not able to effect their escape in the launch,
or by swimming, sparing only Friar Montilla, a Franciscan, and Juan de
Cuellar, secretary to the Governor, whom they took with them. After
this massacre they sailed for China, and passing by Ylocos, they
entered the port of Sinay to water, where the Indians fell on them,
and killed twenty of their number. The following day they disembarked
in another port; and actuated by superstitious motives, sacrificed
one of the native converts, in revenge for the slaughter the Indians
had made the day before, and by which sacrifice, they expected to
propitiate their gods in favour of their voyage. They tied him to a
cross, and opening his chest, took out his heart, which they offered
to their idols. They then made sail, and coasted for several days:
they resolved to set on shore Friar Montilla, Secretary Cuellar,
and those Philippine Indians who had been their shipmates. They
then proceeded to Cochin China, where, in the end, they received the
punishment due to their crimes.
On the death of the Governor, the Licentiate Rosas succeeded to the
Command, and immediately despatched two ships in search of the Chinese,
under the command of Don Juan Ronquillo. They made enquiry in several
ports; but not being able to gain information respecting their route,
they returned without effecting their object. That they might not,
however, remain without punishment for such atrocious crimes, and
supposing that the Chinese might have taken shelter in the province of
Chancheo in China, of which they were natives, he sent Don Fernando de
Castro, to solicit of the Viceroy of that province, due satisfaction
against the aggressors. Unable, however, to reach that destination,
he was, by the interposition of divine Providence, compelled to bear
away for Cochin China, where, on his arrival, he found the murderers
had retired. He communicated his business to the King, and the whole
of them were imprisoned and executed. Some of those, likewise, whom
the Portuguese Governor of Molucca, had sent on the expedition with
the Chinese, were hanged in Manila. The whole, however, affording
small consolation for the melancholy catastrophe which had taken place.
Forty days after the death of the Governor, Friar Montilla and
Secretary Cuellar arrived at Manila, after having suffered many severe
hardships, and being brought out for death repeatedly, whilst they were
with the Chinese. The deceased Governor had given in charge to these
gentlemen a trunk, to be delivered to his son Luis Perez Dasmarinas;
and on opening it, papers of great importance were found: among
the rest, a royal order, by which he had the power to nominate his
successor, in virtue of which he named his own son Luis. At first Luis
found some difficulty in being acknowledged as such, the Licentiate
Roxas being firmly seated; and unwilling to deliver up his authority,
for which he had begun to entertain a great attachment; he, however,
on the 3d of December, in the same year, left Luis in quiet possession.
The new Governor was desirous of sending another expedition to Molucca,
but desisted from it at that time from prudential motives. It
was fortunate that he formed this resolution, as in this case,
Manila would have been left with only a few troops, and exposed to
another attack from the Chinese, on whom little reliance could be
placed. Indeed, there was reason to suspect they had something of
that nature in contemplation, as many junks about this time arrived
with Mandarins in them, and the cause of their appearance was never
ascertained. They landed very frequently, and visited the Governor,
but did not attempt any thing, nor could he comprehend their object;
most fortunately, however, at this moment, arrived the two ships which
sailed this year from Acapulco, bringing a sufficient force with them,
to resist enemies more powerful than the Chinese.
Our historians have, with great minuteness, stated the losses and
arrivals of the ships which are sent to New Spain, on account of their
being so interesting to these islands, which depend upon them for
their subsistence, and, of course, their loss or arrival occasions
a very general sensation. There is no reason to think, that these
misfortunes are to be attributed to the difficulty of the passage,
nor to stormy weather, so much as to the ignorance of the pilots,
who are chosen without examination as to their nautical skill, the
bad construction of the ships, their sailing out of season, and too
heavily laden. These are, unquestionably, the principal causes of
their failure; and it is a pity it is not remedied, for it is with
justice affirmed, that the avarice and knavery of some rich people,
have buried in the ocean many millions of dollars.
In the year following, the same two vessels again made this voyage,
and Senor Morga came in one, as successor to the late Governor,
but this nobleman was afterwards promoted to be Oidor of Mexico,
where he wrote the history of the Philippines. There came likewise
in these ships, a sufficient number of troops, sent by the Viceroy
of Mexico. Don Luis Dasmarinas was now, therefore, enabled to give
the King of Camboxa that relief which his father had promised. He
likewise despatched an expedition to the island of Mindanao; and
he quelled an insurrection in some of the provincial towns which
had revolted, and refused to pay the tribute, particularly those in
Cagayan and Zambales. He did many praiseworthy actions, and governed
with more approbation than his father, possessing greater abilities,
at the same time that he was more affable to all.
In the month of February 1596, the flag ship of the squadron of Alvaro
Mendana de Neyra arrived at Cavite. He had sailed from Callao, the
port of Lima, with four ships, to colonize the islands of Salmon;
and having begun his new settlement in the island of Negros, near
New Guinea, he died there, and his wife, Dona Isabela Barreto, at the
instigation of the people, left the colony, and came in his ship to
Manila. The Governor received her with great attention, and gave her
every assistance, to enable her to return to New Spain.
An important establishment was now founded here, called the Pious
Work of Mercy, which originated with a clergyman of the name of Losa,
and who, together with Captain Esquerra, an inhabitant of Manila,
employed themselves in collecting donations for this purpose; and
their exertions were so successful, that they were soon enabled to
build the college of Santa Isabel, where many female orphans are
maintained, and on whom marriage portions are bestowed. In emulation
of this pious work, many others were endowed in the convents, and
in the cathedral. The projectors traded with their funds to China,
Batavia, the coast of Coromandel, and Acapulco, the produce of which
was destined to be employed in like manner as above, in hospitals,
dowers to orphan females, in ransoming children in China [20], and
for masses for souls in purgatory, reserving part of it for the
annual increase of the funds of these pious establishments, and to
alleviate the distresses occasioned by the losses of the annual ships,
of which they thus became the assurers to a certain extent. Such
establishments may be useful to new settlers, since the parties
desirous of commercial pursuits, may, if they possess any credit,
be certain of meeting in these resources a capital with which they
may trade. I am not of opinion, however, that they are very useful
to these islands, generally speaking, because the rich merchants, who
have sufficient capital, employ it in objects attended with no risk,
and in their store-houses, and trade with that which they draw from
this charity, by which they escape the chance of loss. If there had
not, unfortunately we may say, been this resource, no doubt some mode
would have been resorted to, of insuring the Acapulco adventures, at
less than the pious foundations have been in the habit of contributing,
and which often exceeds fifty per cent., and never falls below twenty
per cent. Like all other adventures managed by a public body, there is
never such strict oeconomy as when under the control of individuals,
whose interests are involved in the result.