The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 09 of 55: 1593-1597; 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 Close of the Nineteenth Century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 09 of 55: 1593-1597; 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 Close of the Nineteenth Century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
6. The said father Fray Francisco de Ortega informs your Majesty that
the bishop of those islands, of his own notion and at his own pleasure,
placed religious of his own order of St. Dominic in a settlement of
Sangleys (natives of the kingdom of China) near the city of Manila,
and across a river that flows through it. From the beginning when
that island was gained and settled, the religious of the order of
St Augustine have had the said Chinese and natives in charge, to
whose conversion and baptism they have paid special attention. From
the monastery of his order to the place where the Dominican fathers
have settled the distance is but two shots of an arquebus. This is in
direct opposition to your Majesty's orders and the commands of your
royal decrees--namely, that wherever the monastery of one order is
established, no other shall be placed except at the distance appointed
by your Majesty. As most of the Chinese settled there are idolatrous
heathen, it is a great disadvantage for them to be mingled with the
newly-converted Christian Indians, the natives of another race; and
from this mingling arise many offenses against God our Lord. In order
to avoid these, it would be advisable for your Majesty to have those
Chinese removed thence to the place where the rest of their nation
have settled, leaving those natives free. It would be well also to
decree that the Dominican fathers there shall settle in another place
where there is greater need for them; and that your Majesty entrust
the execution of all the above to the governor of those islands,
[_In the margin_: "Have the governor examine and provide for this."]
7. Further, he says that some three years ago father Fray Mattheo de
Mendoza, of his order, implored and entreated your Majesty, in the name
of that province, to be pleased to grant permission for the founding
of a monastery of Recollet friars of his order, in a hermitage called
Nuestra Señora de Guia, located in a place about one-quarter of a
legua from the city of Manila. Your Majesty ordered your royal decree
to be issued to the effect that the governor and bishop should make
investigations as to whether it would be useful and advantageous to
have the said hermitage granted for the said purpose, and that they
should send their report, together with their opinion on the matter,
to the royal Council of the Yndias. In fulfilment of this direction,
the said governor has sent the said documents to your Majesty. He
[Ortega] entreats you to have it examined and, in accordance with it,
to provide and order what is deemed of most advantage to the service
of God our Lord, and of your Majesty--considering that, if the said
Recollet religious are established there, from their good instruction,
life, and example great results will be obtained, both among the
natives, and from the devotion of the Spaniards. [_In the margin_:
"Let the governor undertake the establishment of whatever religious
of the order of St. Augustine he thinks advisable."]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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