The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55: 1609; 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 16 of 55: 1609; 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
of Santiago, and enclosed the old one. He finished the cathedral,
and, from the foundation, the church of Santa Potenciana, patroness
of the island, as a shelter for women. Then he started the casting of
cannon, and brought good artisans, who furnished the city with large
and small artillery. He built galleys for the trade and commerce or
merchandise--the subsistence of those lands. And in fulfilment of his
promises in Espana, he cast his eyes on Ternate and all of Maluco, on
the late disgrace and the unfortunate results of his predecessors who
had attempted the conquest of that choice kingdom, and the punishments
of its tyrants. He communicated these thoughts orally and by letters
with zealous persons, more particularly with Marta, [282] a priest of
the Society of Jesus, a serious and energetic man, whose experience
and instruction had been of great use in those regions. This man gave
him information, counsels, and helpers for the preparation and for
the work. One of the latter was Brother Gaspar Gomez, a Spaniard,
a lay religious of the same society. Among the many conferences that
were held upon this matter, I find an exhortation from Father Antonio
Marta, in a letter written from Tydore. As it is the original, and
good for the better understanding, I will place it here, translated
from the Portuguese....
[The letter above mentioned holds out to Dasmarinas the three
inducements of service to the king, service to God, and personal
ambition, in the proposed Molucca expedition. The war will be an
arduous one, for "it will be fought not with the Ternatans alone, but
with all the Moros of this archipelago," and the natives are brave and
determined. "The people of Tydore already say that they do not want
Spaniards in these regions," and Gomez Perez will find it prudent to
dissemble with them, "so that they will not join the Ternatans." Father
Marta sends a map of the archipelago, promises immense booty, and
assures the governor of the prayers of the religious. This letter,
and conferences with one Geronymo de Azevedo and Brother Gaspar
Gomez, decided the governor to undertake the expedition. He sent
Gaspar Gomez with instructions to visit and inspect various parts of
the archipelago; and the latter visited Ternate, Tydore, Mindanao,
both Javas, and other regions as far as Malaca. The rest of book
five is taken up with a relation of Pedro de Acuna's services and
his appointment to Cartagena in Nueva Espana.]
Conquest of the Malucas Islands
Book Sixth
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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