The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 03 of 55: 1569-1576; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 03 of 55: 1569-1576; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
The necessary preparations having been made for this expedition,
the master-of-camp and the said captain embarked in two of our
small ships, with three large pieces of artillery, and accompanied
by fourteen or, fifteen ships of the Pintados Indians, our friends,
who in their own language are called Viseys. They sailed out of
the river of Panay in the year of seventy, above mentioned, on the
third of May, the day of Sancta Cruz. I did not take part in this
expedition but shall describe literally everything which occurred in
it. I have drawn my information from the others who participated in it,
and more especially from two of my associates, both of whom went on
this expedition, and who are men of great reliability--an advantage,
as I have before mentioned. The master-of-camp arrived at the island
of Mindoro, the village and port of which had the reputation of being
very great and very strong, but which proved to be an exaggeration,
for the village is small, containing only about three or four hundred
inhabitants. The master-of-camp having arrived, as I have said,
at that port, the Indians were drawn up on a declivity before the
village, and made signs that they intended to prevent the entrance
of the Spaniards. The master-of-camp, with all his soldiers, leaped
ashore in front of the village on a little plain, and, approaching the
village in a zigzag course, thus attacked it. The gunners who were in
the ship were ordered to discharge a cannon in the air when the attack
was made, and this was done. The Indians seeing that they intended
to enter the village by force, made peace with the master-of-camp,
and paid him tribute; and they have remained friends and vassals of
the royal Spanish administration up to the present day. This is the
port where enter all the passengers who come from the islands of the
Pintados and from España to this island of Luzón, where the governor
resides. From here the master-of-camp set sail for the island of
Luzón, or rather the port and village of Manilla, which was said
to be large and very strong. It is but just to say that it is not
more than one-tenth as large and as strong as in Nueva España and
in other places it is reported to be; and yet, in comparison with
the natives of this land, the inhabitants of Manilla were powerful,
for they had twelve pieces of small and inferior artillery and a few
culverins, with such other weapons as I have already mentioned. This
village of Manilla is situated on a tongue of land extending from
east to west between the river and the sea, and a fort had been
built on the extreme western end of this peninsula at the entrance
to the port. The sea makes a very large harbor about thirty leagues
in circumference; and bordering upon this harbor are many villages,
among which is that of Manilla. [43] Manilla is now a Spanish city,
founded in the name of his Majesty by the governor Miguel López
de Legazpi. The captain-general and Captain Juan de Sauzedo having
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