The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 29 of 55, 1638–40: 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 29 of 55, 1638–40: 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
At that time the island was ruled by a Moro named Buysan who claimed
the entire seacoast as his. Another Moro, named Silongan, ruled the
well-populated district along the river. These two Moros conspired
together, and called to their aid other friends, and even in certain
ways their subjects--as those of the island of Sanguil and Sarragan;
and the Caragas, who inhabit the further [i.e., from Manila] shores of
this same island of Mindanao, which from that side faces our islands
of Pintados. They gathered great fleets of caracoas and jungas,
which at times numbered over one hundred and even one hundred and
fifty vessels--arming them with several large guns, many culverins,
a large number of arquebuses and muskets and many other arms; and
manning them so heavily, that they could land six to eight thousand
soldiers. In this way masters of the land and sea, they infested the
high seas, capturing all our ships that navigated those waters, robbing
and burning towns, sacking churches, carrying off the ornaments and
consecrated vessels, committing a thousand desecrations on the sacred
images, breaking them into pieces and insulting them, and capturing
Christian Indians in so great number that it would break one's heart
to tell of it; for one time those whom they carried away numbered over
two thousand and five hundred. The Spaniards had no better fortune; for
some were killed, and others carried away as slaves. In the year 1616,
they set sail with a powerful fleet, after effecting an alliance with
the Dutch, who came with ten galleons, and entered the bay of Manila
on All Saints' day. They were, however, defeated and destroyed in the
following April, 1617, by our fleet under the leadership of General
Don Juan Ronquillo. While the Dutch aided the Mindanaos, the latter
worked dreadful havoc, capturing, massacring, robbing, and burning
everything there was. They came as far as Balayan, a large and rich
town on the island of Manila, and not far from the city itself. They
attacked the shipyards at Pantao, where a galleon and a patache were
in process of construction, and indeed almost finished. These they
burned, and murdered almost thirty Spaniards--among them Captain
Arias Giron and Captain Don Juan Pimentel, who were in command of
the yards. Others, besides many Indians, they made prisoners. They
captured from us a large quantity of firearms and some artillery,
and inflicted on us great damage. Even the fathers and ministers of
the gospel have not been exempt; for, on the last occasion of which I
have spoken, they captured and murdered two Franciscan fathers. Before
that, on other occasions, they captured Father Hurtado, who was kept
a long time in captivity in Mindanao, and Father Pasqual de Acuña,
who was a prisoner at Caraga and still lives. Before and since the
time of his captivity, he has labored gloriously for the space of
almost forty years in the islands of Pintados--teaching those Indians
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