CHAPTER XXIV

PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO AND ASIATIC ISLES

IN 1559 the viceroy of New Spain was ordered by King Philip to send forth an expedition for the temporal and spiritual conquest of the Philippines, which was done. With Legaspi and his soldiers were sent "holy guides to unfurl and wave the banners of Christ in the remotest parts of those islands, and drive the devil from the tyrannical possession which he has held for so many ages, usurping to himself the adoration of those people". And Christianity after the Spanish fashion has reigned there ever since.

The conquest of Malacca, in the Golden Chersonese, by the Portuguese in 1511, gave knowledge of islands of spices which Antonio de Abreo sailed to see. After finding the Moluccas he returned and told Captain Fernan Andrada, who told Francisco Serrano, who visited the Spice islands and fought the pirates. All which coming to the ears of Magellan led to his discovery. After that King Philip, being advised by the viceroy of New Spain and the friar Andres de Urdaneta that the voyage to the Spice islands and Magellan's important discovery might be more easily than elsewhere made from the west side of New Spain, ordered equipped, as before mentioned, a fleet for the South sea, in the port of Navidad, the command of which was given to Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a resident of New Spain, and native of Quipuzcoa. Sailing in 1564 with five ships and 500 men, Legazpi crossed the ocean and anchored at Cebu. After subduing this island for Spain, the Spaniards turned to Luzon, and entering Manila bay saw a town on the shore by a river, which was fortified and defended by a chief named Mora. Across the river was another town, whose chief was Matanda, also fortified by stockades and defended with bronze cannon. Taking possession May 9, 1571, Legazpi founded the town of Manila. The chiefs found there

were called rajas; and prior to the Indian invasion of which they were a mark, the Chinese were masters, and they still sent every year their ships to Manila bay with iron copper and gunpowder, sulphur quicksilver and flour, besides cotton silk and porcelain. The Japanese came also from Nagasaki to trade; and being then more arrogant and less enlightened than now, they haughtily demanded for their emperor suzerainty over those isles; but the governor, Perez Gomez, having in 1590 fortified the town, casting cannon and erecting a battery on the point, building also a cathedral and other stone edifices, paid no attention to the high-flying demands of the Japanese.

During the seventeenth century war between the Dutch and Spanish raged fiercely even at this distance from home, the Hollanders attacking the Manila fleets to the great damage of the latter. Once a Dutch fleet arrived off Manila bay which might easily have captured the city had the Hollanders known that the governor was ill and unprepared for them. There was a Spanish colony at Formosa which suffered at the hands of the Dutch. In 1662 the Chinese living in Manila were goaded into revolt by the impositions of the Spaniards, who thereupon rose up and slew them to the number of 24,000. In 1762 the British admiral, Cornish, having received instructions to take the city, landed troops and held the place for $4,000,000 indemnity, which was but partly paid.

Very long ago Antonio de Morga, he who fought the Dutchman Van Noort off Manila, wrote a history of the Philippine islands, at the end of which he gave some interesting facts regarding the early navigation between New Spain and the Philippines. He says that immediately after the conquest of the islands by Legaspi, Navidad was the port of outfit for westward bound ships from New Spain, and afterward Acapulco. The time of departure was usually in February, but not later than the 20th of March, so that the ships would not arrive at the Philippines during the westerly monsoon, which begins there in June.

The coast of Mexico being subject to calms, the course pursued by the galleons on leaving Acapulco was southward to latitude 11° or 10° north, where the trade wind is steady and reliable, thence veering back to latitude 13°, and then straight to the Ladrones. Along this line the ships would

sail for seventy days, often times without shifting sail or seeing land. Returning, all was not quite so serene. Leaving Manila with the beginning of the westerly monsoon, they sailed northeast, and even north on meeting the easterly winds, continuing this course until beyond the limits of the trade wind, when they made their way eastward to the American coast as best they could, the time occupied in the east-bound passage being usually five or six months. At the start, as Admiral de Morga says, "having gone about 600 leagues from the Philippines, they pass between islands which are seldom seen, and meet with tempests and cold weather in the neighborhood of the islands Rica de Oro and Rica de Plata."

Says a Spanish pilot at Manila a century or so later: "The navigation from the Philippine island to New Spain not being performed by the general trade wind, but with all winds, there can be no fixed route. But it is always the practice to sail to the north, leaving now as formerly the islands on the right hand. An intermediate port between the Philippines and New Spain would at all times be convenient." It is somewhat singular that the Spaniards could sail back and forth every year for 200 years, passing so near the Hawaiian islands both in going and returning, passing them on either side in every voyage, without once seeing this intermediate port which would prove so convenient.

It is interesting to read now what was written of the Philippines by an Englishman a century and a half ago. "The island of Luconia", as the author of Anson's Voyage calls Luzon, "though situated in the latitude of 15° north, is esteemed to be in general extremely healthy, and the water that is found upon it is said to be the best in the world. It produces all the fruits of the warm climates, and abounds in a most excellent breed of horses, supposed to be carried thither from Spain. It is well seated for the Indian and Chinese trade, and the bay and port of Manila, which lies on its western side, is perhaps the most remarkable on the whole globe, the bay being a large circular basin, near ten leagues in diameter, great part of it entirely land-locked. On the east side of this bay stands the city of Manila, which is large and populous. The port peculiar to the city is called Cabite, and lies near two leagues to the southward; and in this port all the ships employed for the Acapulco trade are usually stationed."

The cargo of the galleons, intended to supply the wants of Mexico and Peru as well as those of Spain, consisted, as an eighteenth century writer declares, of "Spices, all sorts of Chinese silks and manufactures, particularly silk stockings, of which I have heard that no less than 50,000 pair were the usual number shipped in each cargo; vast quantities of Indian stuffs, as callicoes and chints, which are much worn in America, together with other minuter articles, as goldsmith's work, which is principally wrought at the city of Manila itself by the Chinese; for it is said that there are at least 20,000 Chinese who constantly reside there, either as servants, manufacturers, or brokers."

Although Spain, by the discovery of the Philippine islands, acquired no property in the Spice islands, no sooner was Manila founded than it became the most important city, not only of the Spanish possessions in that quarter, but of all the southeastern isles of Asia, as well as of the coast of China. Communication was soon established with the coast of America, first with Callao, on the coast of Peru, then with Panamá, and finally with Mexico, which last was guarded with every aid and restriction, and continued for over a century. Thus for this trade were gathered at Manila from far and near silks and spices, and all the Indian commodities, of which it was soon the chief mart, for the galleons brought back silver for the goods sold at Acapulco, so that Manila and her merchants grew to be exceedingly opulent, greatly to the satisfaction of the court of Spain, under whose special care and consideration was this commerce, which came to be regulated by royal edict. Why in its incipiency the Manila trade took its course to Callao, instead of to some more northern port, was on account of the trade wind which favored that navigation, the voyage of three or four thousand leagues to the coast of Peru being often made in two months, though the return was exceedingly troublesome, and frequently occupied twelve months, particularly if the ships attempted, as they did at first, to beat back against the wind that brought them over. Later, shipmasters learned to follow the coast northward to California, before striking out westward across the ocean, and they finally found that the voyage could be made better both ways to and from Acapulco, than to and from either Callao or Panamá. Thus from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries this traffic con

tinued, to the great enrichment of Manila, Mexico, and Spain.

About the time of Magellan's voyage the southern Philippines were visited by the Moros, or Malay pirates from Borneo. Taking possession of Sulu and Basilan, they rapidly spread over the adjacent isles, and finally occupied Mindanao, Balabac, and the southern part of Palawan. They had many sanguinary encounters with the Spaniards, but were never entirely overcome. They were Mohammedans, fierce and bloody-minded, and hated the Spaniards, and above all the Spanish priests, with an intense hatred. Their weapon was the barong, somewhat like a butcher's cleaver, more effective in battle than the sixteenth century weapons of the Spaniards. The Moros worked in steel, and their barong was well tempered and highly finished.

Until the coming of the second viceroy, Ruis de Velasco, the administration of the Philippines was under the immediate direction of the viceroy of Mexico; Velasco, however, found it necessary to appoint a visitador who would reside at the islands for the superintendence of their affairs. The governor of Manila was president of the audiencia and disposed of all offices, except such as belonged specially to the king's monopolies.

Some believed these islands to be the Baruffæ of Ptolemy. Magellan called the Philippines the archipelago of San Lazaro. The Portuguese called them Manilhas, being the native name of the principal island, the natives being known as Luzonas. The Carolines were first called the New Philippines. "Ships go to Manila," says Torquemada, "both Spanish and Portuguese, from all parts of the world, from Macao, Moluccas, Malacca, China, Japan, Borneo, Siam, Patan, Kamchatka, Europe, India, and South America."

Commerce with Europe was given, for a consideration, as a monopoly to a company in Spain, while for yet more princely pay the sovereigns gave all the commerce of Manila with Mexico into the hands of the Manila friars as a monopoly. The Malays manufactured earthenware, which went to China, cotton stuff to Mexico; they plaited straw and strips of wood; they made hats, some of them selling as high as $20 each. Finally the Portuguese were driven away, and then no vessels besides Spanish were allowed at Manila except those of the Chinese.