ANNO DOM. 1635.
The Administration of Don Sebastian Corcuera.
On the 25th of June, 1635, Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, who had
been Governor of Panama, took possession of this government, and the
same day Senor Guerrero took possession of the archbishopric, although
the bulls had not yet arrived. Dissensions immediately begun between
these two, originating between the Dominicans and bearded friars,
respecting the division of their provinces, and on which account
his Excellency was determined to be revenged of the Archbishop,
the very first opportunity. An occasion very soon presented itself:
the Archbishop having taken a female slave from an artilleryman,
because he had an illicit intercourse with her, the artilleryman met
her one day in the street, and, for some unknown cause, murdered her,
taking refuge in the church of St. Augustine.
The Governor ordered the troops to seize him in the church, without
first applying to the friars; they obeyed their orders, seized
the criminal, and delivered him up to their commanding officer,
who sentenced him to death. The sentence was executed in front of
the church of St. Augustine, a place which had never been used for
public punishment: the Archbishop attempted to prevent the violation
of the church privileges, but his attempt proved ineffectual.
During the disputes between the Governor and the Archbishop, the
Moors were ravaging our towns, and for the space of eight months
committed horrible atrocities. His Excellency determined to go in
person to chastise them. He sailed from Manila with a squadron on the
2d of February, 1637, and having arrived at Lamitan, the residence of
Corralat, petty sovereign of Mindanao, he possessed himself of it with
ease. Corralat retired to a hill well defended by batteries, and the
best troops he had. The Governor attacked him, but after losing many
Spaniards, he sounded a retreat. The day following he renewed the
attack by a road more accessible, when he possessed himself of the
fort, and made great slaughter of the Moors, who threw themselves
headlong over the precipice in their confusion. The Governor now
retired to Zamboanga, where he received the chief of Buhayen, and those
of the island of Basilan, upon both of whom their fears had operated
to beg for peace, promising to consider Corralat as a common enemy,
and receive Friars into their dominions.
From Zamboanga he passed to Jolo, and sat down before the famous
hill fort of the island, and which the Spaniards had never been able
to possess themselves of. He found it, however, so well fortified,
that after attempting to batter it, he was obliged to have recourse
to some other mode of attack. He prepared five mines, and springing
them at the time of assault, he blew up part of the works, with
fifty men; but the Spaniards advanced so slow, that the Moors had
time to recover themselves, and returning to the charge, repulsed
them effectually. The next day two more mines were sprung, which did
great damage. The Spaniards then advanced rapidly to the remaining
fortification, but behind the rampart which had been blown up, contrary
to their expectation, they found another work erected, and by which
means they were repulsed. The Governor observing the little effect
produced by these assaults, determined to surround the hill, though a
league in circumference, with a wall and forts, converting the siege
into a strict blockade. This measure, however, proved by no means
adequate to the end in view, the besieged defending themselves with
great resolution, and destroying numbers of the assailants. It was,
therefore, resolved to construct a battery on a position completely
commanding the hill. The Moors on this were desirous of capitulating,
but the Governor commanded them to surrender at discretion. Thinking
these terms harsh, they became desperate, and assaulted the Spanish
camp; but not being able to force it, they took the opportunity of
quitting the hill by the back part of it, which had been left for
the time lightly guarded.
His Excellency found himself in possession of the enemies position,
and all their riches, with the Queen and her nephew, Tancun. The
Queen requested permission to bring the King and his chiefs into the
presence of the Governor; he consented, and she took that opportunity
of escaping. The Governor then sent Tancun for the same purpose, and he
returned with the keys of the royal coffers; but by the carelessness
of the guard, being left too much at liberty, he contrived to get
possession of all the treasure, with which he secured his retreat. His
Excellency leaving a garrison of two hundred Spaniards, and two hundred
Pampangos in Jolo, returned to Manila, where he was received with
great honours, as conqueror of Jolo and Mindanao. It is undeniable
that Senor Corcuera reduced the inhabitants of Jolo and Mindanao, and
would have retained his conquest, had greater harmony subsisted between
the Jesuits, and the commanders of the different garrisons. He was
successful as a soldier, but unfortunate in his choice of the means
to secure his acquisition. The dissensions between the Jesuits and
the military rose to such a pitch, that at last all the positions were
abandoned, and all our exertions, and sacrifices of men and resources,
rendered of no avail.
By the year 1639, the number of Chinese in these islands had
increased to thirty thousand, most of them cultivators in Calamba
and in Binan. Among these began a disaffection, which spreading to
those of Santa Cruz, Parian, and Manila, they at last converted the
church of St. Peter Macati into a kind of strong hold, in which they
established their head-quarters. The Governor sent against them two
hundred Spaniards, and a large body of Indians, who easily dislodged
them from this position. Dispersed into separate bands, they plundered
the houses of the Spaniards, and some Indian towns, committing great
atrocities. The Spaniards followed them, making dreadful havock among
them, from November 1639, to March following, when being reduced in
number to seven thousand, they surrendered. Very few of our people
were killed, but Manila was reduced to great distress, by the loss of
so many of its useful class of citizens, as unquestionably the Chinese
were. The Indians fortunately had remained perfectly tranquil, which
was rather to be attributed to their fixed hatred of the Chinese,
than their attachment to the Spaniards.
In the year 1642, the Archbishop Guerreo visited his diocese, and in
the harbour of Naryan, in Mindoro, a pirate seized his vessel, with
all his equipage, he himself, with great difficulty, saving himself by
flight. This disaster had such an effect upon him, that he died on the
2d of July at Manila, and was buried in the church of St. Augustine.
The kingdom of Portugal, which had been united to the crown of
Castile in 1640, shook off the Spanish yoke, and electing the Duke of
Braganza King, the possessions of that nation in India immediately
followed the example of the mother country, and declared for that
family. This year the Dutch reduced Malacca, and by this conquest,
and the separation of the Spanish and Portuguese interest, it was
apprehended they would renew their attempts on the Philippines, which
had now, for many years, remained unmolested by them. This conjecture
proved true; they commenced their operations by stationing, for two
successive years, a squadron in the route of the ships from Acapulco,
but the Jesuits, in the island of Samar, frustrated their design. They
then planned the capture of the island of Formosa, with a view to
interrupt the commerce to China, and as a ladder for the conquest of
the Philippines. They proceeded on the enterprize in the year 1642,
with four ships, a patache, and several smaller vessels, and in a few
days succeeded in their object, the island having surrendered. Great
consternation prevailed at Manila on information of this conquest,
as it was expected that the Dutch would follow up their success by
an attack on that capital; but the glory of repelling these intruders
was reserved for the successor of Senor Corcuera.