CHAPTER VIII.

ANNO DOM. 1575.

Of the Administration of Don Francisco La Sande, second Governor of Manila.

Doctor Don Francisco La Sande, born at Caceres in Estremadura, and Oidor of Mexico, took possession of this government on the 24th of August 1575. He instituted an inquiry into the conduct of his predecessor, and acquitted him of any misapplication of his authority. At the commencement of La Sande's government, the embassy returned from China, and proved to have had a favourable issue, as the Viceroy of Fouquien received them with great respect; and although he could not permit the friars to remain in the province, as he had no orders to that effect, he forwarded the letter, which the Governor of Manila had written to the Emperor of China, contributing all in his power to second his views: and this fully appeared by the answer, which the Chinese brought in the month of February, the year following, by which the Emperor appointed one port in his dominions, for commercial intercourse with the Spaniards. The Chinese brought considerable presents, which they would not deliver to the actual Governor, but to Guido de Labexares, who, as Governor ad interim, had despatched the embassy. This affront Don Francisco La Sande felt so severely, that he behaved to them with great coolness, and made them no presents when they returned. The unhandsome conduct of the Governor, frustrated those expectations, which had been raised by the defeat of Limahon, and the subsequent mission; by making a most unfavourable impression on the minds of the Chinese, who discharged their whole vengeance, on the heads of the two Augustine friars. They landed them in the province of Zambales, scourged them most cruelly, murdered, before their eyes, their interpreter and slaves, and left them bound fast to trees; in which situation they must have perished, had not, providentially, Morones been passing that way, who released them, and cured their wounds.

This year, 1576, was unpropitious to the Spaniards in the Philippines; for, independent of this disgrace, they had the misfortune to lose Juan de Salcedo, who died on the 11th of March, and who had been a second Pizarro, or Cortes, in this conquest. He was seized with a fever while in Ylocos, and when in that state, visiting a mine in his domains, he drank some cold water, which operated so powerfully on the intestines, that he died in three hours. On the island of Catanduanes, likewise, a party of Augustine missionaries was shipwrecked: this was a public loss, and most severely felt, as, without the labours of the religious, the military exploits of the Spaniards, would have been of little avail, in securing the subjection of these islands.

This loss was repaired the following year, by the arrival of some more friars, and seventeen Franciscans, whom the Augustines received in their convents, and assigning to them the ecclesiastical authority over a number of towns, the Franciscans began their labours with indefatigable zeal.

About this time, Queen Elizabeth of England, sent the famous Drake with a considerable squadron, for the purpose of subduing the Moluccas. In passing the Straits of Magellan, he lost several of his ships; but he pursued his course in his own ship, committing many acts of hostility on the voyage, and giving a name to several islands which he discovered, such as St. Bartholomew, St. James, and New Albion, a large island, where he was detained six weeks. Arriving at Tidore, he began to gather cloves, without permission from the King of the island, at which the latter took great offence; but Drake having made him presents, he stipulated for the assistance of their arms, in case he should require it, permitting the English to establish factories for collecting cloves and nutmegs, and, in token of his amity, sent a most superb ring to the Queen of England. Richly laden with spices and Chinese merchandize, which he had captured in several of our vessels, on their voyage to New Spain, Drake proceeded on his return to England, where, after a variety of disasters, he arrived, filling all Europe with admiration of the valuable nature of his cargo. That strangers might not, by such means, acquire a footing in the Moluccas and neighbouring islands, the Governor sent an expedition against the island of Borneo, which, by the following circumstances, became a matter of easy conquest. Sirela, King of Borneo, had come to Manila, to solicit the assistance of the Spaniards, in the recovery of his kingdom, of which he had been unjustly deprived by his brother; and he promised, in the event of his success, that the whole of this large island, should become tributary to Spain. Don Francisco La Sande, conceiving this a most desirable object, and that it would necessarily lead to the conquest of all the Archipelago of Maluco, determined to go in person, that he might not lose the favourable opportunity, which now presented itself, by replacing Sirela in the possession of his kingdom.

He sailed from Manila in thirty vessels, with a large body of Spaniards and friendly Indians, and arrived safely at Borneo. Having entered the river, he proceeded along it, until he arrived at the residence of the usurper, upon which he immediately directed his artillery. The King, however, with his troops, gallantly attacked the Spaniards, but in a short time, fled in great disorder, and took refuge in the mountains. The Governor placed his deposed brother on the throne, and returned to Manila, where he planned several other expeditions. He sent a squadron to Jolo and Mindanao, which reduced these two islands, and compelled them to pay the customary tribute to the King of Spain; but from the great distance they were at from Manila, and the very limited number of clergy then in the seat of government, a sufficiency could not be spared, for the purpose of converting the natives to Christianity, during the short time these islands were held. He completed the conquest of the province of Camarines by means of Captain Chaves, who founded the city of Nueva Caceres, close to the town of Naga. The Augustine friars began their spiritual conquest, but finding their number unequal to the task, of duly attending the undertaking, they called in to their assistance the Franciscans, to whom eventually they ceded this district.

Towards the close of La Lande's government, an unpleasant disagreement arose between the clergy and laity. The factors had introduced into their respective districts, several abuses, which the clergy would not countenance. Certain services were required of the Indians, beyond the stipulated rents, which were extremely vexatious, and which little accorded with the Christian character. The friars began by preaching against these abuses, but this had little effect, and in the end, so many complaints were made, that it reached the ears of the King (Philip the Second), who issued an order, in which he reproved the conduct of the factors, and enjoined them, to pay strict obedience to the instructions they had received, to confine their imposts to the stipulated rents alone. The Governor gave every aid to the order of his Majesty, making regulations, by which the Indians might be secured against such encroachments in future. This, in some respect, abated the gathering storm, but tranquillity was never completely restored, as the avarice of the factors set at defiance all laws, human and divine.