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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 11 of 55: 1599-1602; 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 11 of 55: 1599-1602; 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

_Don Gonzalo Ronquillo de Vallesteros_
_Francisco de las Missas_
_Francisco Mercado Dandrade_
_Hernando da_ [_illegible in MS._]
_Bernardino de Avila_
_Diego Melendez Florez_


By command of the city of Manila:

_Luys de Contreras_, clerk of the cabildo.





Letter from Morga to Felipe III


Sire:

During the month of March of the past year, 1600, there passed
through the Strait of Magallanes into the South Sea a squadron of
armed ships from Holland, belonging to Count Mauricio, having as
commander Oliver de el Nort, and as admiral Lamberto Biezman, with
a patent and instructions in Flemish and Castilian to make war with
fire and sword upon the Castilians and Portuguese whom they might
meet in these parts. After they had made a few captures of little
importance on the coast of Piru, the commander's ship and admiral's
ship, together with their long-boats, came to these islands, where they
came out of the channel on the sixteenth of November of the said year.

Governor Don Francisco Tello found himself unprovided with any kind of
fleet to resist them by sea; for he had no galleys and no other kind
of ship with which to carry on offensive warfare, because a galizabra
which had been commenced the year before in the shipyard of Cavite had
been abandoned, and its build changed to that of a merchant ship. As
he feared that the enemy would come down to the said port, and burn
the few ships which were on the voyage from Nueva España, in order
to secure himself from the seaside at all points he commanded Don
Juan Ronquillo de Castillo (who was drawing his salary as commander
of galleys when there were none) immediately to go to the said port,
and put it in a state of defense, and build a fleet with which to go
out against the pirate. He went to the port, which is two leagues
from this city, and on the third day returned to the city without
having undertaken to do anything, or shown any disposition to do
so. He interposed difficulties, and asked for so many things which
he said were necessary, and which were not at hand, that he made the
thing out impossible; and not only was the governor disgusted with him
for it, but Don Juan allowed himself to say things which obliged the
governor to arrest him, as he did. The pirate continued his voyage in
the direction of the bay of this city, and the president and governor,
seeing himself hard pressed, communicated with the Audiencia and sought
its aid. The latter, desiring to make the greatest effort possible,
decided that I should go to Cavite and put the port in a state of
defense and likewise secure a fleet. I opposed no difficulties or
excuses to this, nor did I seek any rewards or aids for the expense,
nor any impossible things. On the contrary, that same day I went to
the port and fortified it so adequately that it was in a good state
of defense--so that, although the enemy came into the mouth of the
bay, they dared not enter or carry out their designs, on account

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 11 of 55: 1599-1602; 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

_Don Gonzalo Ronquillo de Vallesteros_
_Francisco de las Missas_
_Francisco Mercado Dandrade_
_Hernando da_ [_illegible in MS._]
_Bernardino de Avila_
_Diego Melendez Florez_


By command of the city of Manila:

_Luys de Contreras_, clerk of the cabildo.





Letter from Morga to Felipe III


Sire:

During the month of March of the past year, 1600, there passed
through the Strait of Magallanes into the South Sea a squadron of
armed ships from Holland, belonging to Count Mauricio, having as
commander Oliver de el Nort, and as admiral Lamberto Biezman, with
a patent and instructions in Flemish and Castilian to make war with
fire and sword upon the Castilians and Portuguese whom they might
meet in these parts. After they had made a few captures of little
importance on the coast of Piru, the commander's ship and admiral's
ship, together with their long-boats, came to these islands, where they
came out of the channel on the sixteenth of November of the said year.

Governor Don Francisco Tello found himself unprovided with any kind of
fleet to resist them by sea; for he had no galleys and no other kind
of ship with which to carry on offensive warfare, because a galizabra
which had been commenced the year before in the shipyard of Cavite had
been abandoned, and its build changed to that of a merchant ship. As
he feared that the enemy would come down to the said port, and burn
the few ships which were on the voyage from Nueva España, in order
to secure himself from the seaside at all points he commanded Don
Juan Ronquillo de Castillo (who was drawing his salary as commander
of galleys when there were none) immediately to go to the said port,
and put it in a state of defense, and build a fleet with which to go
out against the pirate. He went to the port, which is two leagues
from this city, and on the third day returned to the city without
having undertaken to do anything, or shown any disposition to do
so. He interposed difficulties, and asked for so many things which
he said were necessary, and which were not at hand, that he made the
thing out impossible; and not only was the governor disgusted with him
for it, but Don Juan allowed himself to say things which obliged the
governor to arrest him, as he did. The pirate continued his voyage in
the direction of the bay of this city, and the president and governor,
seeing himself hard pressed, communicated with the Audiencia and sought
its aid. The latter, desiring to make the greatest effort possible,
decided that I should go to Cavite and put the port in a state of
defense and likewise secure a fleet. I opposed no difficulties or
excuses to this, nor did I seek any rewards or aids for the expense,
nor any impossible things. On the contrary, that same day I went to
the port and fortified it so adequately that it was in a good state
of defense--so that, although the enemy came into the mouth of the
bay, they dared not enter or carry out their designs, on account

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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