Sire:
I, the licentiate Geronimo de Salazar y Salcedo, fiscal for your
Majesty in the royal Audiencia and Chancilleria of the Philipinas
Islands, say that, as it has been heard in the islands that your
Majesty has done them the favor of appointing Don Pedro de Acuña as
governor and captain-general, and president of the royal Audiencia,
this has greatly pleased and satisfied them, on account of the good
reputation which he has of being an excellent soldier, and not at all
self-seeking. Therefore his arrival is desired, because it is very
necessary for all and [_illegible in MS._] for the matters of war,
in which many mistakes have been made up to the present time--which I
will not mention, however, since the remedy is so soon expected with
the arrival of Don Pedro de Acuña. If this had occurred a year ago,
it is certain that a great misfortune would have been avoided which
these islands suffered, and which was as follows.
On the sixteenth of October of the year 1600 just past, there entered
the little bay of Aluay, which is in these islands, near the entrance
to them, two vessels, which, from some people who went on board of
them, were found to belong to strangers. After having robbed some
vessels they came toward the port of Cavite, which is two leguas from
this city, and is the place where vessels anchor. It was decided that
some ships should be fitted out in the aforesaid port--namely, a ship
built in the island of Cebu, called the "Sant Diego," which belonged
to some private persons; a galicabra called the "Sant Bartolome," which
belongs to your Majesty; a galley of twenty benches, also belonging to
your Majesty; and a pataje belonging to some Portuguese from Malaca,
who were in the port. [47]
It seemed to Don Francisco Tello, governor and captain-general of
these islands and president of the royal Audiencia, and to the doctor
Antonio de Morga and the licentiate Cristoval Tellez de Almacan,
auditors therein, that it would be well, in order that the ships
might be got ready in the best way and as quickly as possible, for
the aforesaid Dr. Antonio de Morga to go to Cavite for that purpose,
and so he went there early in November. Later, desiring to go as
commander-in-chief of the expedition, he asked for that office from
the president, who proposed it to the licentiate Cristoval Tellez de
Almacan, desiring him to secure it through a session of the Audiencia,
but the latter opposed it. I afterward spoke to him of the lack there
was of auditors, and of some other matters, and suggested to him to
write about this and let each one give his opinion. Yet, although
the said president agreed to do so, he did not, but secretly gave
the title of commander-in-chief of the fleet to the said Dr. Antonio
de Morga, although your Majesty had here Don Juan Ronquillo, who was
receiving a salary as commander-in-chief of the galleys, and who was
a veteran soldier, together with many others who have well approved
themselves on the occasions for service which have arisen. The doctor,
fearing that the president might change his mind, made haste to leave
the port; and, although he could have had the galeota fitted out,
he did not do so. It was understood that the reason given was that
Don Juan Ronquillo said that it should not go out because he was
commander-in-chief of the galleys for your Majesty, and that the
right to go in the galeota could not be taken from him. Likewise,
although he could have taken the pataje from Malaca, for which he had
received some supplies and artillery at your Majesty's expense, he did
not wait for it; and some say that friends of the doctor said that he
ought not to take the pataje, because the Portuguese on it said that
he should not, although the victory would have been to their account.
So on the twelfth of December he set out from Cavite for the port of
Mariveles, which is seven leguas distant, and there [_MS. illegible_]
the flagship which was the ship "Sant Diego;" and on the following day,
the thirteenth, at eleven or twelve o'clock of a very black night,
he left the port of Mariveles, without informing his admiral's ship,
which was the galicabra, and in which sailed as admiral the captain
Juan de Alcega. However, after the flagship had been gone more than an
hour, the other ship saw it by accident, and went after it. At daybreak
our flagship recognized that of the enemy, which, together with its
admiral's ship, was between the islands of Anacebu and Fortun. On
account of the roughness of the weather, they were unable to unite;
so the enemy's flagship kept up into the wind to wait for ours,
which gained the windward of it and closed with it under full sail,
while the admiral's ship of the enemy took to flight.
Meanwhile the two flagships were fighting. For each man of the enemy
our ship had four Spaniards--not to mention the Indians and negroes,
who helped very much--and a great deal of artillery, powder, and
munitions and instruments of war; and they destroyed the enemy to
such an extent that as many of our men as wished to do so entered it
and took the banners and standards and other things belonging to the
enemy, without having anyone appear on it, for they had retired to the
bow. At this point our admiral's ship arrived, and with its artillery
and arquebuses did some damage to the Dutch flagship; and our men on
it, especially Alonso de Mansilla, the sargento-mayor's adjutant,
called aloud, telling the others not to do them any damage, but to
pass on to the admiral's ship of the enemy, because their flagship
had already surrendered to your Majesty; whereupon our admiral's ship
went in pursuit of the Dutch admiral's ship, which was more than two
leguas away. The two flagships remained thus over three hours more,
besides the two during which they had already been together. The enemy
did not fight, and on our ship there was no one to order or govern,
or command anyone to pass to the other ship. Then it was said that
our ship was going to the bottom, and so loudly that the enemy heard
it and took courage again. In our ship there was no one to command
what was to be done, so that it did go to the bottom. There escaped on
mattresses and on shields, and by swimming, Dr. Antonio de Morga and
[_illegible in MS._] other persons; but more than as many Spaniards
again were lost, and more than a hundred Indians and negroes. The best
artillery that there was in these islands, which had been taken from
the fortresses for this purpose, was also utterly lost, besides all
that the vessel carried, which was a great deal. That same day the
admiral, Juan de Alcega, captured the Dutch admiral's ship, and sent
its men to this city.
Then it was that they were found to be Dutch. They called themselves
vassals of Mauricio, Prince of Orange and Count of Nasau; and they
bore a patent, a copy of which is subjoined. The president thought
it well to send after the enemy's flagship, and for this purpose
he ordered that our admiral's ship should go, with Admiral Juan
de Alcega as commander; and that the Dutch vessel should go as
admiral's ship, with Captain Juan Tello de Aguirre as admiral, who
had had the position over the infantry in our admiral's ship. They
went where they were ordered, but did not find a trace of the Dutch
flagship. The commander of this was Oliver van Noordt, and in command
of the admiral's ship was Lanverto Viesman. They were heretics who,
with other ships, had set out from the port of Nostradamus [_i.e._,
Amsterdam] in Olanda, on the twelfth of September in the year 98;
and had come by the Canaria Islands and by Brasil, through the Strait
of Magallanes and along the coast of Chile, to these islands.
As I thought from the beginning, as soon as I knew of the loss of
our flagship, that they would try to conceal it from your Majesty,
I made an investigation about it, a copy of which is subjoined. [48]
From this it can be seen who was to blame; and whatever is written to
your Majesty contrary to this, or to what is contained in the report on
the investigation, is not to be relied upon. The president has made an
investigation in this matter, trying to shield himself and the guilty
ones; and it has been carried on in such a way that it is known that
no witness has dared to tell the truth. On this account I presented a
petition to the president, asking that he refrain from trying the case,
because the witnesses did not speak freely for fear of the power of the
guilty, and because I intended to ask your Majesty to appoint a judge
who could try the case, since the president could not do so. I also
asked that a copy might be given to me of all that had been written
about this matter, in order that I might give it to your Majesty and
ask for what might be proper. This was denied me by the president,
and I appealed to the royal Audiencia, but for lack of auditors,
of whom there was only the licentiate Tellez de Almazan, no action
was taken. If a judge were to be appointed, there would be none who
would dare to declare against the will of the guilty. Although the
licentiate Don Antonio de Rivera Maldonado has come since, it has
been impossible for me to take up this matter, because I have been
ill now for more than forty days. So I beg your Majesty to order
that this report be examined, and that whatever is proper may be
done. Our Lord keep the Catholic and royal person of your Majesty,
with a greater increase of realms and power. From Manila, which is
in the Philipinas Islands, on the sixteenth of July of the year 1601.
_Hieronimo de Salazar y Salcedo_