Part 9

The King: To Don Francisco Tello, my governor and captain-general of the Filipinas Islands, and president of my royal Audiencia therein established. Your letter of June 23 of last year, 98, has been received. I understand by it that quiet and peace has been restored in Mindanao, and that you were examining the papers brought by the master-of-camp, to see whether any of the subdued people were to be punished or not. Keep me informed of what you shall do in that respect.

You speak also of other insurrections among the Canbales Indians in Panpanga, who were already pacified; and of your intention of taking to that city [Manila] an Indian who has been the chief of those people, in order to remove him to a location where his presence would be less dangerous. This is well; do what is needed and keep me informed of the proceedings.

We have considered what you say of your caution and forethought concerning the fears which Japan is wont to cause; also your behavior, friendship, and correspondence with certain chiefs of that country, whom you have entertained. It is well to continue these efforts, and to give us notice of what takes place.

What you say about retiring two companies is commendable; nevertheless, if you think best in the future to increase one of them, do so, and make the necessary provisions. Keep me informed of the measures that you shall take.

I am writing to the viceroy of Nueva España, that I have assisted you with what is necessary, and shall ask him to see that the people whom he sends to those islands be useful and carry weapons. He shall take care to punish the captains for their excesses. You shall do the same in what concerns you.

In regard to the needs of the soldiers, which you attribute to their not having, and the impossibility of providing them with, encomiendas for a long time; and as it concerns the temporary employments which you give them instead of the servants, and even these employments are not sufficient for all--you shall observe the instructions, laws, and ordinances which you possess. You shall see that the distribution of what is available be made among worthy men who have served in that land.

As to the remedy which you propose in the marriage of elderly women, and encomenderas of the land, you shall introduce no innovation. But you shall enable marriages freely to take their proper course. At Denia, August 16, 1599.

_I The King_

By order of the king our sovereign:

_Juan de Ybarra_

The King: To my governor and captain-general of the Philippinas Islands, and the president and auditors of my royal Audiencia thereof. I have understood that the Chinese Indians who trade in that country bring thither each year eight hundred thousand pesos' worth of merchandise, and often more than a million; and that in the ten days which they spend in that country they make more than a hundred per cent, and that in the last year, ninety-eight, it was said that they secured two hundred per cent. Since in their own country they pay increased duties, and since so great profit comes to them from the merchandise which they bring to those islands, while they pay me no more than three per cent in duties, which is the amount formerly imposed by Governor Don Gonzalo Ronquillo, it would be just that they should pay the said duties proportionately to the profits; and accordingly these might be increased by at least another three per cent. As I wish to be informed more minutely concerning what is expedient in this matter, and whether an increase of the said duties would or could result in any inconvenience whatsoever, and for what reason; and, in case that there is no objection, to what extent the duty can be increased--I command you to send a report thereof, with your opinion. Done at Denia, on the sixteenth of August, of the year one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine.

_I The King_

Countersigned by _Juan de Ybarra_.

Signed by the Council.

I [the King:] to the archbishop of Manila.

[_Endorsed:_ "To the governor and Audiencia of the Philippinas; let them give information concerning the report that the duties can be raised on the merchandise from China."]

Documents of 1600

The pacification of Mindanao. [Unsigned and undated; 1600?] Oliver van Noordt's attack on Luzón. Francisco Tello, and others; October-December.

_Source_: These documents are obtained from MSS. in the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla.

_Translations_: The first document is translated by Robert W. Haight; in the second, the commission to Morga is translated by James A. Robertson; the instructions to him and to Alcega, by Jose M. and Clara M. Asensio; the account of the battle, by Arthur B. Myrick, of Harvard University, and James A. Robertson.

The Pacification of Mindanao

_Concerning the pacification of the island of Mindanao; in the year 1600_

In the relation of the last year you will have learned how occurred the death, in the pacification of the island of Mindanao, of Estevan Rodriguez de Figueroa, who offered to carry out this pacification under the conditions which he stipulated with Gomez Perez Dasmariñas, formerly governor of these islands--copies of which were sent to his Majesty, and to master-of-camp Juan de Lajara, formerly of the said expedition, who succeeded to his place when the camp was abandoned, and came to Manila. Don Francisco Tello, governor and captain-general of the said Philipinas Islands, who at that time had taken possession of the government was considering how to aid and stimulate the said pacification at the expense of the heirs of Estevan Rodriguez, and with the agreement of the captains and persons who were long resident and experienced in war in the said islands. Don Juan Ronquillo was appointed commander of the galleys, to prosecute the said pacification; and in the meantime, in order to be present and continue the expedition, Captain Torivio de Miranda was sent forward to encourage and animate the troops, under orders to keep them in his charge; and in case the post should be abandoned, and a retreat made to Manila, he should detain the troops and return to Mindanao. The said Captain Toribio de Miranda having arrived at the island of La Caldera, which lies forty leagues from the river of Mindanao, there found the whole camp, which was returning from the said islands. Conformably to the orders which he had, he turned back and fortified the site where they had first been, which was on the river, four leagues from the forts of the enemy. Juan Ronquillo, having been despatched to Mindanao, had taken the camp in his charge, and begun to achieve some success. He achieved a victory in the battle which he fought with the Terrenatans, who had entered with eight hundred men to give aid to the people of Mindanao. Before these successes, he had written a letter in disparagement of that country (a copy of which was sent to his Majesty)--on account of which, in a council of war which had been held, the general Don Juan Ronquillo had been ordered to make a last effort against the Mindanaos, doing them all possible damage. He was then to come to the island of La Caldera, and there build a fort, to be garrisoned with a hundred Spanish soldiers, with artillery, arms, and munitions; and leave them there as a check upon Terrenate and Mindanao, in charge of a good soldier, one of the captains of the camp, and with the rest return to Manila. Although Don Juan Ronquillo received this order, after having won considerable victories, he again wrote that he would not abandon that place, even if such were the order, because it would not be expedient to retire from the camp and comply with what had been ordered, when he was leaving the island of Mindanao already pacified--the chiefs, with whom he had used gentle means, that they might all be more contented, having again rendered submission to his Majesty; and likewise as the king of Jolo again rendered obedience and submission. Confiding in this, Captain Cristoval Villagra, whom Don Juan Ronquillo had appointed commander of the garrison of La Caldera, had sent thirty soldiers to the island of Jolo for supplies. They found at this time in Jolo a Mindanao chief--an uncle of the king of Mindanao, and a brother-in-law of the king of Jolo--who had been driven out of Mindanao because he was rebellious. He treacherously killed thirteen Spanish soldiers. When news of this was brought, Juan Pacho was sent to take the troops of La Caldera in charge; and, when it should seem best to him, to try to inflict punishment on the king of Jolo. Having gone out to inflict the said punishment with six hundred Spaniards, the enemy unfortunately killed the said Juan Pacho and twenty-nine Spaniards, the rest of them retiring without any success. This news having come to the governor, he sent in place of Juan Pacho Captain Toribio de Miranda, a person in whom he had entire confidence, with an order not to attempt any punishment until he had force enough for it. After this Captain Toribio de Miranda arrived at La Caldera on the twenty-sixth of August in ninety-nine. When the garrison was given into his charge he put the defensive works in order; and with the arms which he brought, and those which he found in the fort, he armed all the troops, amounting to a hundred and fourteen soldiers. As directed by an order of the governor, he sent a chief of the Pintados to Mindanao with letters to the chiefs of the island, in which he informed them that they would be protected, favored, and upheld in justice, as vassals of his Majesty, and that with this object a garrison had been placed in La Caldera; and that to aid in maintaining it, and in covering the expenses which they had caused in the war by their disobedience, the largest possible quantity of tributes would be collected for his Majesty, and that he would send for them shortly--which had not been done earlier because the Mindanaos had been so spent and afflicted. Having arrived on the second of September at the river of Mindanao, and delivered his despatch, this chief was well received, and found the people in the settled state in which General Don Juan Ronquillo had left them. Adiamora, the main chief of Mindanao, in the name of them all, sent him back on the fifteenth of the said month, offering to give to his Majesty all the tribute which they could collect.

At this time--news from the chief captain of Malaca having reached the governor, to the effect that in the Sunda, [15] a hundred and fifty leagues from that port, there had been seen a number of English ships, whose designs were not known; and, a little later, word from the commander of the fort of Maluco that there were at Terrenate, within the port, two English ships with four hundred men and fifty pieces of artillery--a council of war was held as to what was best to do. The said council decided to withdraw the garrison from La Caldera to Zibu, so that the enemy should not take that place; and, if they should attempt to do damage to that province, they would find it in a state of defense. Accordingly an order was sent to Captain Toribio de Miranda to withdraw with the troops, arms, artillery, and munitions, dismantling the fort; he was also told that he could return shortly to the island with more troops and arms, in order to assist in its defense. On the ninth of September Captain Toribio de Miranda arrived at Zibu, with all the troops, artillery, arms, and munitions; and at the same time General Don Juan Tello arrived at Zibu with a hundred men, who came as reënforcement from the city of Manila. Having spent six months there and commenced to build a fort of stone, the governor, as they had no more news of the English referred to, sent an order to the said Don Juan to come to the city of Manila--which he did with the hundred men, leaving the province of Zibu in a prosperous condition, with the troops which are usually kept there, and those of the garrison of La Caldera, which in all amount to two hundred and fifty Spaniards.

After all this, in June of 1600 the governor received news, by way of Malaca, that the ships which had passed to the South Sea belonged to Dutch merchants, who had come to load with spices in the Maluco Islands. Having transacted their business, they had returned to their own country by way of Yndia, without doing any damage to the islands of the west; it therefore seems that we are safe, notwithstanding the news received of those enemies.

Oliver van Noordt's Attack on Luzon

_Commission to Antonio de Morga_

In the city of Manila, on the thirty-first of October of the year one thousand six hundred, the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia and Chancillería of the Philipinas Islands having assembled, the president announced to the said auditors that news had been received that, on the sixteenth of the current month and year, two foreign ships had anchored in the bay of Albay, outside the mouth of the channel of these islands; whereupon he sent by land Captains Pedro de Arceo, Cobarrubias, and Christoval de Axqueta with seventy soldiers--arquebusiers and musketeers--to the place where said ships were stationed, in order to make the defense and resistance that occasion and opportunity might offer. He also ordered several ships to be equipped and prepared at the port of Cavite, so that they could attack the said vessels. At this juncture of affairs, it was now reported that, on the twenty-fourth of the current month and year, the said ships had weighed anchor, left the said bay of Albay, entered the channel of Capul, and anchored at the island of Capul, where they still were. The enemy's intention, according to the president, is to advance upon this city. Accordingly, whatever may happen, both in order to resist him, and to prevent among these islands the possible effects to them and the vessels about to come from Castilla, it is very advisable and necessary to go, with all haste, in pursuit of said enemy, and to assure the safety of the vessels and the port of Cavite. As has been gathered from recent discussions held in the presence of the said president and auditors, with certain captains and men of experience, it is necessary to equip the deep-draught vessels quickly, and what light vessels can be prepared, so that they may attack the enemy. Now in order that the aforesaid preparations may be effected and executed with all diligence and precision by all, it is advisable for the said president and auditors--the latter acting jointly with the said president--to attend personally to this matter, on account of its importance; for thus will the despatch be effected more quickly, and with the necessary equipment. The president requested that, attentive to the aforesaid, they decide and determine the course advisable to pursue in this matter. After having considered the above proposition, the said president and auditors resolved that Doctor Antonio de Morga, auditor of this Audiencia, should go immediately to the port of Cavite and take charge of the despatch and preparation of the vessels about to go to attack the said enemy, and to place the said port in a state of defense. For this purpose he shall request the necessary means, which shall be given him as may be provided and ordained. The licentiate Tellez Almazan, also an auditor of this Audiencia, shall remain in this city to attend to what is necessary for its defense, and for the provision of the said port of Cavite. The president declares that the commandant at either place shall also assist and aid in such work as may be necessary, and as occasion may demand, so that by this means all possible diligence, together with the requisite haste, may be observed.

_Don Francisco Tello_ _Doctor Antonio de Morga_ The licentiate _Tellez Almazan_

Before me: _Pedro Hurtado de Esquivel_

In the city of Manila, on the thirteenth of January in the year one thousand six hundred and one, I, Pedro Hurtado de Esquivel, clerk of court for the king our sovereign, in his royal Audiencia and Chancillería of these Philipinas Islands, at the request and order of Doctor Antonio de Morga, of the council of the king our sovereign, and his auditor in this said royal Audiencia, had this copy drawn from its original, which is in the book of the government of his royal Audiencia. It is a true and faithful copy, and agrees with the original thereof, witnesses to its copying, correction, and comparison, being Pedro Muñoz de Herrera, Joan de Arana, and Miguel de Talledo, citizens of Manila.

In testimony thereof, I affix my seal, in witness of the truth.

_Pedro Hurtado Desquivel_, clerk of court.

[_Endorsed_: "Testimony of the resolution of the Audiencia of the Filipinas in respect to the entrance of the Dutch corsair among the islands."]

_Instructions given by the governor to Doctor Antonio de Morga_

The course of action to be pursued by Doctor Antonio de Morga, auditor of the royal Audiencia of these Filipinas Islands, and captain-general of the fleet about to go in pursuit of the English [_sic_] enemy, is as follows.

First: Inasmuch as news has been received that the English enemy, against whom this expedition is directed, is stationed in the harbor of Marayuma, and inasmuch as he might take flight without awaiting attack, should he, by any chance, hear of our fleet, it is ordered that our fleet, with the least possible delay, shall start in pursuit of the enemy, in order to engage and fight him, until, with our Lord's help, he is killed or sunk.

_Item_: The engagement with the enemy must be conducted with all diligence and care, whether in firing or in boarding his ships--whichever may be possible, in accordance with the best and readiest opportunity permitted by the weather. Should the enemy take flight on sighting our fleet, he must be pursued, until the object sought is accomplished.

_Item_: Should the enemy have left this coast when the fleet is despatched against him, and should information be received that he has gone to any other of these islands, then the fleet shall seek and pursue him, until he is captured or sunk. Should the enemy have left these islands, he shall be pursued as far as possible, in accordance with his [Morga's] judgment, in order that the end desired may be attained.

_Item_: Inasmuch as the master-of-camp and the captains present at a council of war, held on the second of this current month and year, declared that, in their opinion, if no exact information as to the course and route taken by the enemy should be received, said fleet should follow the coast of Ilocos toward the strait of Zincapura, where it is thought the enemy must pass, in order to make his voyage. Yet, notwithstanding the said council of war, the said general, in the event of receiving no information as to the enemy's course, shall pursue what course he considers most advisable, as he is the one in direct charge of the matter, and as weather and occasion allow, endeavoring to attain the end desired--namely, the pursuit and destruction of the enemy.

_Item_: Should the fleet encounter any enemies whatsoever, pirates or others, who may be among the islands, or who shall have left them after committing depredations among them--whether English or Japanese, Terrenatans or Mindanaos, or from any other nation--they must be attacked and punished, in order that some good result may be attained in this case also, should opportunity arise.

_Item_: After the capture of the enemy, as it is hoped, God our Lord willing, the fleet will return with as many of the enemy as are still living, and the captured ships.

_Item_: The booty found in said ships shall be divided among those who gain the victory, as is customary on similar occasions.

_Item_: The greatest care must be taken that the crews of the fleet are peaceable and well disciplined, in regard to which the regulations followed on similar occasions shall be applied.

_Item_: Good management must be exercised in regard to the supplies and ammunition carried; and they must be consumed sparingly, especially if the fleet leaves these islands.

_Item_: If perchance the fleet shall have engaged the enemy, or pursued him outside these islands, it must return to the islands as soon as possible after the desired end has been attained. Should the weather not permit the return voyage until the coming of the monsoon, then he [Morga] shall endeavor to preserve, provide, and equip the fleet with all needful things, at his Majesty's expense, in order that his voyage may be made with the greatest promptness and security possible. Given in the city of Manila, on the tenth of December, one thousand six hundred. [16]

_Don Francisco Tello_

By order of the governor and captain-general,

_Gaspar de Azevo_

_Instructions given by Doctor Antonio de Morga to Captain Joan de Alcega_

The order to be pursued by Captain Joan de Alcega, admiral of this fleet of the king our sovereign, in the course of this voyage and expedition, is as follows.

[1.] First: Inasmuch as the end for which this fleet has been prepared is for the search and pursuit of the English [_sic_] ships, which have come but lately among these islands, and, as we are informed, are near this place; and as in conformity with the instructions of the governor and captain-general of these islands, the said enemy must be pursued and followed with all care and diligence wherever found, and must be engaged, and captured or sunk: therefore it is necessary that the said almiranta [17] proceed very cautiously, and be ready with sailors, soldiers, and artillery, in order, on their part, to accomplish the said purpose, when opportunity offers.

[2.] Further, the said almiranta shall follow the flagship to leeward, unless it be rendered necessary for progress, or because of the enemy, to beat to windward. It shall have a care that the other smaller vessels of the fleet do not fall behind or deviate from the course--this to be without prejudice to their navigation and voyage, and their accompanying the flagship, which is the most important thing.

[3.] _Item_: Should opportunity be offered to engage the enemy, the almiranta shall endeavor to engage him at the same moment as the flagship or alone, in case that flagship is to leeward, or so situated that it cannot do the same so quickly; for the flagship will endeavor to come to its aid in whatever happens, with all haste and speed possible.

4. _Item_: Upon overtaking the two ships of the enemy, efforts shall be made to grapple and board their flagship, where their force is carried. This same effort shall be made by the flagship of this fleet; but in case the flagship of the enemy cannot be overtaken, and their almiranta is in such a condition that something may be done with it, it shall be attempted.

5. _Item_: Should our fleet attack the enemy and grapple, both ships--the almiranta and the flagship--shall endeavor to grapple on the same side. But if that cannot be done, care shall be taken that our artillery and arquebuses are not turned on our own ships and men. In this the greatest possible care and precaution shall be observed.

6. _Item_: Upon grappling the enemy, efforts shall be made to make him fast to our ship and to lower his sails, so that he may not become separated from us. Before boarding with troops, the nettings and deck of the enemy shall be rendered safe by clearing and raking them, in order that there may be as little risk as possible to our men.

7. In the course of this voyage in pursuit of the enemy, not a musket or arquebus shall be fired, nor a powder-box touched, until after his discovery. Neither shall any artillery be fired, for an effort must be made to find the enemy at anchor, and to see that he have no knowledge of the fleet that is pursuing him.

8. Should the almiranta be in any urgent need that requires aid, a shot shall be fired in the direction of the flagship, as a signal for help. The same will be done by the flagship in case it encounters a like necessity.