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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 17 of 55: 1609-1616; 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 17 of 55: 1609-1616; 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

A squadron of galleys came ahead to reconnoiter. Finding our galleons
anchored, and taking note of the soldiers in them and in the city,
it went ahead to the strait to await (as was heard) the Dutch. Our
men feared lest they should attack the trading ships which generally
come at that time from China. Accordingly it was resolved that four
galleons, six galliots, and other oared craft should sail out to drive
the enemy from the coast. They engaged on the fifteenth of November,
and fought all that day, and the one following. The enemy's force
was large. They burned one galliot and forced the men to desert the
others and enter the galleons, which now were in need of men. The enemy
attacked our flagship and surrounded it with twelve large galleys. It
caught fire many times, but our men always extinguished the fire
and defended themselves valiantly. They attacked the galleon of Don
Juan de Silveyra, which was a fine vessel, and a fort of twenty-two
cannons. It caught fire and burned so furiously that the flames could
not be extinguished; and it was accordingly burned to ashes. The said
Don Juan de Silveyra and Antonio Rodriguez Gamboa--his brother-in-law,
and son of Juan Cayado de Gamboa, commandant of that fortress of
Malaca--leaped overboard. They and thirty or forty other Portuguese
were captured by the people of Achen and taken to their king, who
treated them courteously and gave them liberty. Those gentlemen
declared to me, in writing, in Malaca that the fleet of the people
of Achen consisted of three hundred and fifty craft, among which were
sixty large galleys, each with three pieces of artillery at the bow,
while that of the midship gangway had the caliber of sixty libras;
that the royal galley carried one thousand six hundred men, with one
hundred and twenty falcons and half-falcons; and that they lost ten
large galleys in the fight, besides twenty other lesser craft. They
also stated that after returning to his country the king punished
certain of his captains because they had not burned all the galleys;
and that having given liberty to the captives he sent them to Malaca,
with che message that he desired peace with his brother, the king of
Castilla and Portugal.

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

Opening the text

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 17 of 55: 1609-1616; 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

A squadron of galleys came ahead to reconnoiter. Finding our galleons
anchored, and taking note of the soldiers in them and in the city,
it went ahead to the strait to await (as was heard) the Dutch. Our
men feared lest they should attack the trading ships which generally
come at that time from China. Accordingly it was resolved that four
galleons, six galliots, and other oared craft should sail out to drive
the enemy from the coast. They engaged on the fifteenth of November,
and fought all that day, and the one following. The enemy's force
was large. They burned one galliot and forced the men to desert the
others and enter the galleons, which now were in need of men. The enemy
attacked our flagship and surrounded it with twelve large galleys. It
caught fire many times, but our men always extinguished the fire
and defended themselves valiantly. They attacked the galleon of Don
Juan de Silveyra, which was a fine vessel, and a fort of twenty-two
cannons. It caught fire and burned so furiously that the flames could
not be extinguished; and it was accordingly burned to ashes. The said
Don Juan de Silveyra and Antonio Rodriguez Gamboa--his brother-in-law,
and son of Juan Cayado de Gamboa, commandant of that fortress of
Malaca--leaped overboard. They and thirty or forty other Portuguese
were captured by the people of Achen and taken to their king, who
treated them courteously and gave them liberty. Those gentlemen
declared to me, in writing, in Malaca that the fleet of the people
of Achen consisted of three hundred and fifty craft, among which were
sixty large galleys, each with three pieces of artillery at the bow,
while that of the midship gangway had the caliber of sixty libras;
that the royal galley carried one thousand six hundred men, with one
hundred and twenty falcons and half-falcons; and that they lost ten
large galleys in the fight, besides twenty other lesser craft. They
also stated that after returning to his country the king punished
certain of his captains because they had not burned all the galleys;
and that having given liberty to the captives he sent them to Malaca,
with che message that he desired peace with his brother, the king of
Castilla and Portugal.

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

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