[1] Spanish, buenas collas de bendabales. In August the prevailing
winds at Manila are from the southwest, the vendavals. It often happens
that in the months of June and July there develop in northern Luzon
centers of minimum pressure so slowly that they appear to remain
stationary for many days, followed, as is natural, by continuous
currents and showers of rain from the third quadrant, known by
the native-born residents as "collas" (Report of U. S. Philippine
Commission, 1900, iv, pp. 229, 236; this chapter is furnished by the
Jesuit fathers in charge of the Manila Observatory).
[2] Juan Zubelzu, a native of Biscay, and a novice in the Dominican
convent at Mexico, came to the Philippine Islands in the mission of
1615. After his ordination, he ministered to the Indians in Bataan,
and in Cavite and Manila--where he died, December 14, 1657. He built
a stone church in Samal, for which, it is remarked, he did not harass
the Indians, although they were few in number. (Resena biografica,
i, p. 350.)
[3] "Son of the devil, scourge of God, and other similar things."
[4] Spanish, padres barbados; also known as Barbones, from their
practice of wearing long beards; they came in 1635, with Corcuera,
headed by Collado, and formed the congregation of San Pablo (for
mission work only), by "warrants fraudulently obtained." A royal decree
of February 21, 1637, commanded the Dominican provincial at Manila
to suppress the Barbones; it is the execution of this decree which
is described in our text. See Resena biografica, i. pp. 338, 391, 420.
[5] This statement about the Sangleys is printed by Barrantes
as a postscript to Lopez's letter of July 23, 1637 (q.v.,
VOL. XXVII). Internal evidence indicates Juan Lopez as the author of
the present document, and that it was written at Cavite, where Lopez
was in charge of the Jesuit house.
[6] Melchor de Vera was born in Madrid about 1585, and entered the
Jesuit order at the age of nineteen. Two years later, he departed
for the Philippine mission, and after his ordination labored in the
missions of Visayas and Mindanao. He was for a time minister of Manila
college, and afterward rector of Carigara, and superior at Dapitan and
Zamboanga. He was well versed in architecture and military defense,
and several forts were built (especially that at Zamboanga) under
his direction. He died at Cebu, April 13, 1646. See Murillo Velarde's
Hist. Philipinas, fol. 153 verso; and Combes's Hist. Mindanao.
[7] Fernando de Estrada, a native of Ecija, Spain, was a missionary
among the Bisayans and Tagals, and at Ternate. He died at Manila in
1646, at the age of forty-five. See Murillo Velarde's Hist. Philipinas,
fol. 193 verso.
[8] Charles I sought at various times to play Spain against France,
but his Spanish policy was, on the whole, a failure.
[9] Morabites: the name of a Mahometan sect, founded by the son-in-law
of Mahomet. The name was also used among Mahometans to indicate a
wise man or a mystic.
[10] Antonio Francisco Cardim was born at Viana, Portugal, in 1596,
and entered the Jesuit order in February, 1611. Seven years later
he went to India, and labored in Japan, China, and other countries
until his death--which occurred at Macao, April 30, 1659. Sommervogel
describes several missionary reports and other writings by Cardim.
[11] That is, the small amount of their returns from Mexico prevented
the Manila merchants from making their usual large purchases from the
Chinese traders, and it was feared that the latter would not think
it worth while to bring their goods to Manila.
[12] This was Tsongching (VOL. XXII, p. 197, and note 44), the last
emperor of the Ming dynasty; he was favorable to the Jesuits, but can
hardly be called a convert to the Christian faith. By "Father Pablo"
is probably meant Paul Siu (or Sin, according to Cretineau-Joly),
a Chinese official of high standing, who was converted by Father
Ricci, and served as an evangelist among his people, besides aiding
the missionaries with gifts and his influence at court, and revising
their writings in Chinese. See Cretineau-Joly's Hist. Comp. de Jesus,
iii, p. 172; and Williams's Middle Kingdom, ii, pp. 302, 304.
[13] A marginal note reads: "Translated from the Spanish relation
printed at Mexico in the year 1638; dedicated to Don Garcia de Haro
y Abellaneda, count of Castilla, president of the royal Council of
the Indias."
[14] Marginal note: "The rules of this traffic, which will be found at
the end of the relations of the Filipinas, elucidate this point." This
evidently refers to the Spanish originals.
The "list of relations and voyages" at the beginning of Thevenot's work
contains this title: "Three relations of the Philippine Islands, with a
large map of China," etc. To correspond with this, the text contains:
the "Relation" of Banuelos y Carrillo; the "Relation and memorial"
by Hernando de los Rios Coronel; and a "Memorial in behalf of the
commerce of the Philipine Islands," by Juan Grau y Monfalcon--all
with consecutive pagination; and apparently abridged or paraphrased
to suit the editor. These are followed by (Bobadilla's) "Relation
of the Philipine Islands," and an "Account of the great island of
Mindanao" (which contains a letter by Mastrilli)--also with their own
and consecutive pagination; these, however, are not mentioned in the
list above referred to. We translate from Thevenot the documents by
Banuelos and Bobadilla; but for the others we have recourse to the
Spanish originals.
[15] Lope Diaz de Armendariz, marquis of Cadereita, the sixteenth
viceroy of Mexico, was appointed (1635) to succeed the marquis
of Cerralvo (who was removed at his own request, because of poor
health). His term of office was quiet, and only marked especially by
his quarrel with the archbishop, with whom the royal Audiencia seem
to have sided. He was removed in 1640, his successor being Diego
Lopez Pacheco Cabrera y Bobadilla, duke of Escalona and marquis de
Villena. See Bancroft's Hist. Mexico, iii, pp. 93-98.
[16] Marginal note: "Bartolome Tenorione."
[17] The following letter from the Sevilla archives ("Cartas y
espedientes del gobernador de Filipinas vistos en el Consejo; anos
1629 a [1640]; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 8"), contains an interesting
reference to Banuelos's relation, and also suggests the well-known
deficiencies in Thevenot's "translations." It is to be feared that
he has omitted much valuable matter from Banuelos's account; but no
other source is available:
"I return the paper which your Lordship sent me, concerning the
military exploit in Mindanao, which was written and sent, as appears,
by Father Marcelo Mastrili. Although its contents must be true, and
it is well written, yet as your Lordship knows, the Council thought
it advisable not to have it printed until they could compare it with
the letters that the governor had written about the same exploit,
and with others written by various persons, which make it out to have
been of little value and importance. They even attempt to say that
we have lost rather than gained in that campaign--particularly in a
discourse or treatise printed in Mexico by Don Geronimo de Banuelos
y Carrillo, and addressed to your Lordship. In it he declares that
those who were conquered were not Moros, but certain poor Indians;
I do not know whether [he says this] from zeal for the truth, or
because he has little affection for the governor. He wounds him quite
to the quick in this and in other things. I was making an abstract of
them in order to report to the Council, as I was ordered; but today,
on going out, Don Juan Grao Monfalcon told me that he is at present
printing another report, to oppose that of Banuelos. I do not know who
has given permission for it, nor that, in the care of the relation of
Father Mastrili, there is anything that is not well understood. What
the Council discussed was (as I have said), only whether it is exact
and faithful to what happened; and of this I have not yet been able
to form a sufficient judgment or idea. I am getting new documents
hourly from the secretary's office, and I shall detain them until
the one that I am now enclosing is returned, if convenient. May God
preserve your Lordship, as we your servants desire. Today, Tuesday,
February eight, one thousand six hundred and thirty-nine.