The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 20 of 55: 1621-1624; 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 20 of 55: 1621-1624; 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
The governor also makes a practice of neglecting and sleeping over
affairs of good government, a policy that is fitting [27] for the
conservation of the country in peace and in the service of God; and
he lives in a profound slumber, and neglects taking any precautions
whatever--although the enemy so frequently invades these coasts,
with new forces each day on the sea; while on the land are great
numbers of Chinese Sangleys and Japanese. This has long caused many
men of loyalty and high standing to be anxious with the memory of the
past insurrection of the Sangleys; and not less is the anxiety caused
by the Japanese, for they are numerous and are an extremely warlike
race. [28] And although the governor has orders and decrees from your
Majesty that only the number who would be necessary for the ordinary
service of the trades of the country shall remain here; and although
the facts are well known to him, besides that he has been often told
of this, both in and out of official meetings: yet he does not discuss
its remedy, but only talks of making outside demonstrations by which
he will accomplish much. But one would believe that he means that he
will do much evil. May God in His mercy keep that evil far away. The
governor does the same in what concerns the enemy on the sea; for
not only does he not discuss, nor has he discussed, the building
of ships in order to be prepared, as did Don Juan de Silva, to go
to meet the enemy, but on the contrary, when he reached this land,
although the galleons built by Don Juan de Silva had been wrecked,
and although the Audiencia which was then governing had ordered,
notwithstanding that the treasury did not contain a single real,
some ships to be built, so that they might be finished in place of
those which had been wrecked, yet the governor, on finding them on
the stocks at his arrival, ordered all work to cease, and only two
ships were finished. He ordered even those vessels to be reduced
in size, whereat there are not wanting those who grumbled that he
did it in order to have trading-ships instead of warships. [29] He
has not built any others during all these three years, although the
employees in the accountancy of the royal treasury assure me, and it is
without doubt so, that he has spent three millions [of pesos] of your
Majesty's royal incomes from these regions, and of the funds brought
from Nueva España, during three years. That is a very great pity here,
for it is to be presumed that he has spent a great portion of that sum
in paying due-bills bought at one-third and less [their face value],
as I have said above. The employees of the accountancy have assured
me that five hundred thousand pesos were paid in that way last year,
and that fact is very well known. It is also known that the due-bills
outstanding have been exhausted, so that now they are being sought
very anxiously in the same districts, but cannot be found.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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