BRITISH OCCUPATION.
In the latter part of the year 1761 war was begun between Spain and
France on the one hand, and England on the other. Spain and France were
first to declare this war, but England carried on her part in it with
great vigor. The English took Havana, and an English fleet under Admiral
Cornish (k̤or´nish) was sent to the Pacific with orders to take the
Philippine Islands.
With a fleet of thirteen vessels Admiral Cornish entered Manila Bay on
the evening of September 22, 1762. The ships anchored off Cavite, and
next day Cornish sent to demand the surrender of the city. This was, of
course, refused by Archbishop Rojo (rō´hō), who was then acting
governor-general of the city.
The archbishop’s forces at that time consisted of a small part of the
King’s Regiment, not more than about 600 men and officers, and 80 pieces
of artillery. The English troops, who were landed under command of
General Draper (drā´per), numbered one regiment of British infantry, two
companies of artillery, 2,200 Sepoys from India, and 3,000 seamen—in
all, 6,380 men.
Nevertheless, in spite of the inequality of the two armies, the Spanish
Churchman defied the second demand to surrender. A part of the Spanish
force went bravely out to fight the landing English, but with what
success it is easy to guess. They were driven back into the city, and
the enemy landed in full force. The British encamped around Manila, at
Malate (mä lä´tā), Santiago, and San Juan. On the 24th of September they
began to bombard the city.
At this time one of the royal galleons was expected at Manila. This was
the _Philipina_, carrying a very rich cargo and a large sum of money for
the government. Some of the English ships went out to lie in wait for
her. They missed her; for the Spanish friars managed to reach her first,
and by their aid she gained a place of safety. The British, however,
brought in another galleon, the _Trinidad_, from which they took
$2,500,000.
A nephew of the archbishop was on board the _Trinidad_, and was captured
with the ship. When the English learned who he was, they sent him to
Manila with an escort, and turned him over to his uncle. The escort then
started back to the ship, but was attacked and killed by Filipinos. The
natives cut off the head of the English officer, and refused to give it
up.
The British were greatly angered by this outrage, and they now stormed
the city in earnest. The Spanish had by now got together a large native
force, which was sent against the enemy. They could not stand against
the British regulars, however, and were soon beaten back. The enemy’s
artillery made great breaches in the walls, and on October 5 General
Draper and his army forced a way into the city. By another day the
following terms of surrender were agreed upon:
[Illustration:
ROYAL GATE AND SALLY PORT IN THE CITY WALL, MANILA.
]
The Spanish were to have full religious freedom; private property was to
be held safe; the Supreme Court was to keep order, and free trade was to
be allowed. The Spanish were to pay the British an indemnity of
$4,000,000. These terms were signed, and the British flag floated over
Manila.
The English and Sepoy troops, turned loose in the city, did great
mischief and destroyed much public property. The archbishop then went to
General Draper and begged him to put a stop to this. The general issued
orders forbidding violence and pillage by his soldiers. He himself shot
and killed one Sepoy whom he saw attack a Filipino.
But while the British were in possession of Manila, they were not
without opposition. It was the law in the archipelago that if at any
time the country should be without a governor-general, the Supreme Court
should govern. This law one of the justices of the court now tried to
put in force. Simon de Anda y Salazar (sē´mōn dā än´dä ē säl ä thär´),
the justice in question, pretended to think that the Spanish could have
held Manila but for the weakness of the archbishop. Refusing to listen
to reason, he gathered a band of Filipinos whom he promised to lead
against the English. With a few of them he fled in a prahu to Bulacan
the night before the city surrendered. He took with him some of the
stamped paper of the government. This would, he knew, be a help to him
in a plan which he meant to carry out.
Now, ignoring the fact that Archbishop Rojo was the acting
governor-general, Simon de Anda began an absurd fight against the
English. He claimed the right, as a justice of the Supreme Court, to act
as governor-general. On the stamped paper he wrote a proclamation
ordering the British to leave Manila. He sent this proclamation to
General Draper, who ignored it and declared Anda a nuisance.
After this Anda raised a small army, and fought several battles with the
British. They only served to keep the country stirred up, so that
neither the Spanish nor the British could go about their affairs in
peace. General Draper, meanwhile, was busy restoring the sultan of Sulu
to his throne. Anda had become a hindrance to peace, while at the same
time he had no power to carry on effective warfare. Seeing this, the
Chinese of Pampanga made a plot to kill him.
[Illustration:
THE BRITISH ASSAULT ON THE WALLS OF MANILA.
]
Simon de Anda was told of this plot, and his rage was great. He
collected all his Filipinos and marched against the Chinese. He had real
war at last, and the Spanish accounts say that 8,000 Chinese were slain.
In the meantime the war in Europe was over. By the Peace of Paris, made
February 10, 1763, it was settled that Manila should be restored to
Spain. The British commander made ready to turn over the city to the
Spanish and go home, but at once a new difficulty arose.
Simon de Anda was in command of whatever Spanish army there was in the
islands at this time. Therefore, when a notice was sent to the
archbishop for the “Commander-in-Chief of the Spanish forces,” the
archbishop sent it on to Anda. This notice was to the effect that Anda
should take over the city from the English; but he refused to receive
the notice. He declared that he should have been addressed as
“Captain-General,” and would recognize no other style of address. On
this foolish plea he kept up war with the English until January, 1764,
in spite of the peace between his country and England. All that the
British wished was that Anda should let them hand the city over to him
and depart. This, however, he would not do.
On January 30, 1764, Archbishop Rojo died. There was still, however, no
one to whom to give up Manila, for several men at once claimed the right
to act as governor-general.
At last the Spanish Government sent out from Mexico a new
governor-general. As soon as he reached Manila he sent word to the
British commander that he was ready to take over the city, and he
arranged that Simon de Anda should be the one actually to receive the
city back. It was turned over to Anda for the governor-general, and the
English left the country. Only $1,000,000 was paid of the $4,000,000 war
indemnity agreed upon, but the English received a bill upon the Madrid
treasury for the remainder of that sum.
_Summary._—In the latter part of 1761 war began between France and
Spain on the one hand, and England on the other. In September, 1762, a
British fleet came to Manila and took that city. Archbishop Rojo, who
was acting governor-general, surrendered the city. Simon de Anda, a
justice of the Supreme Court, opposed the surrender of Manila. He fled
to Bulacan, gathered a native army, and issued a proclamation ordering
the British to leave the islands. This proclamation was not heeded.
Several ineffective battles were fought, and strife continued between
the English and Anda’s forces. The Chinese made a plot to kill Anda,
and he fought them with his army. When peace was declared in Europe,
it was decided that Manila should be given back to Spain. Simon de
Anda, as commander of the Spanish army in the Philippines, should have
received the city from the English. He claimed not to have been
properly addressed, and refused to accept the notice telling him of
the treaty of peace. He kept up the war against the British until
January, 1764. The archbishop died on January 30, 1764. Several men
now claimed the right to act as governor-general. At last the home
government sent out a new governor-general, who took over the city,
and the English left the islands.
_Questions._—What countries were at war against England in 1761? What
did the English do? When and how was Manila taken by the British? Who
was Simon de Anda? On what did he base his claim to a right to act for
the country? When was peace made? Why did Anda refuse to take over the
city? How long did he keep up the war? How was the matter finally
settled?
[Illustration]