The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898—Volume 34 of 55, 1519-1522; 1280-1605: 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 centuryPigafetta, Antonio
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898—Volume 34 of 55, 1519-1522; 1280-1605: 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
Pigafetta, Antonio
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
“In regard to the master, clerk, and pilot, I am writing to the chief
captain that it will be more to the service of your Highness to order
them beheaded than to send them there. I detained them in Maluco
because it is an unhealthy country, with the intention of having them
die there, as I did not dare order them beheaded for I was ignorant
whether such action would meet your Highness’s approval. I am writing
to Jorge de Alburquerque to detain them in Malaca, which is also a
country that is very unhealthy.”
Navarrete describes the adventures of the “Trinidad” and the fate
of her crew in his Col. de viages, iv, pp. 98–107; for a translation
of which see Stanley’s First Voyage, pp. 237–241. Cf. also the
account in Guillemard’s Magellan, pp. 298–307, where many details
not in Navarrete are to be found. The mortality of the crew of the
“Trinidad” was terrible, and of the 53 men left with Juan Carvalho
at Tidore, only the following returned to Spain, and that only after a
number of years: Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa, alguazil; Ginés de Mafra,
sailor; Leon Pancado [mentioned above by Brito], sailor; and Juan
Rodriguez of Seville, sailor. The German gunner, Hans Vargue, also
reached Lisbon with Espinosa and Ginés de Mafra, but died almost
immediately upon his arrival there, in prison. See Guillemard, ut
supra, pp. 338, 339.
The goods left and accumulated in Tidore by the Spaniards is thus given
by Brito (Navarrete, iv, p. 310): “The goods which remained in Tidor
belonging to the Castilians amounted to 1,125 quintals 32 libras of
copper, 2,000 libras of quicksilver, two quintals of iron, three
bombards with iron blocks (one is a pasamuro and two are roqueiras), 14
iron culverins without any chamber, three iron anchors (consisting of a
fugareo, one large one, and one broken one), 9 crossbows, 12 muskets,
32 breast-plates, 12 serveilheras, 3 helmets, 4 anchors, 53 iron bars,
6 iron culverins, 2 iron falconets, 2 large iron bombards with four
chambers, and 1,275 quintals of cloves.”
[538] So Pigafetta calls the minister in charge of the religious
matters of Tidore, which had embraced the Mahometan worship.
[539] MS. 5,650 adds: “was forty-five years old.”
[540] MS. 5,650 omits mention of the camotes. The comulicai becomes
comulicar in MS. 5,650. Eden reads: “and a marueilous coulde frute
which they name Camulicai.” The comulicai is perhaps a species of
Anona. The fruit like the peach called guava is evidently the mango or
manga (Mangifera Indica). See Crawfurd’s Dictionary, p. 263 (who
fails to note that Pigafetta mentions this fruit as existing in the
Moluccas). It is mentioned by the Italian traveler Varthema (Travels,
Hakluyt Society edition, pp. 159, 160).
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