The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 18 of 55: 1617-1620; 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 18 of 55: 1617-1620; 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
Another reason is that, since the galleys draw much more water than
the enemy's vessels, when the former try to make land they can cause
no injury. Another reason is that the galleys are generally anchored
in the river of Manila, and, when any necessity arises, before they
can leave the port they have to get provisions for the crew. Often
it is necessary to seek contributions of food from house to house,
because there is none in the royal magazines. If the wind is only
slightly contrary, which is generally the case, the ships cannot move,
and when they finally begin to look for the enemy, the latter are
at home, and laughing at us. Another reason is that the galleys are
an intolerable burden, which it is impossible to sustain. They have
so consumed the supplies, and so endangered the royal treasury, that
other very necessary things cannot be attended to. Further, they cause
the ships of the line, to be short of necessities and poorly equipped,
because in attending to the construction of the galleys, they neglect
the ships. And since there are many ship-worms there in the river,
which eat the ships, it is necessary to rebuild them every year, and
to be continually repairing them. Further, they are dens of thieves,
who are always assaulting and plundering the Indians. In short, they
are the destruction of that community; and hitherto have accomplished
nothing, either good or bad, that is of any importance. Further,
your Highness is under great expense with them in paying their many
salaries. Consequently, as there is little cloth in the Filipinas
with which to clothe so many, everything is, of necessity, going to
ruin, where the expenses are not measured by the revenues. All the
above evils can be corrected by ordering ships made according to the
plan and model that I left with the governor at my departure; for,
considering the said wrongs, and wishing to remedy them, I made a
ship at my own cost, which has the following peculiarities, of which
I give a description.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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