The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: 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 43, 1670-1700: 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 following are the piratical establishments of Sooloo, obtained
from the most authentic sources, published as well as verbal. The
first among these is the port of Soung, at which we anchored, in
the island of Sooloo; not so much from the number of men available
here for this pursuit, as the facility of disposing of the goods. By
the Spaniards they are denominated Illanun or Lanuns pirates. [72]
There are other rendezvous on Pulo Toolyan, at Bohol, Tonho, Pilas,
Tawi Tawi, Sumlout, Pantutaran, Parodasan, Palawan, and Basillan,
and Tantoli on Celebes. [73] These are the most noted, but there are
many minor places, where half a dozen prahus are fitted out. Those of
Sooloo, and those who go under the name of the Lanuns, have prahus of
larger size, and better fitted. They are from twenty to thirty tons
burden and are propelled by both sails and oars. They draw but little
water, are fast sailers, and well adapted for navigating through these
dangerous seas. These pirates are supposed to possess in the whole
about two hundred prahus, which usually are manned with from forty to
fifty pirates; the number therefore engaged in this business, may be
estimated at ten thousand. They are armed with muskets, blunderbusses,
krises, hatchets, and spears, and at times the vessels have one or
two large guns mounted. They infest the Straits of Macassar, the Sea
of Celebes, and the Sooloo Sea. Soung is the only place where they
can dispose of their plunder to advantage, and obtain the necessary
outfits. It may be called the principal resort of these pirates,
where well directed measures would result in effectually suppressing
the crime.
Besides the pirates of Sooloo, the commerce of the Eastern islands
is vexed with other piratical establishments. In the neighbouring
seas, there are the Malay pirates, who have of late years become
exceedingly troublesome. Their prahus are of much smaller size
than those of Sooloo, being from ten to twelve tons burden, but in
proportion they are much better manned, and thus are enabled to ply
with more efficiency their oars or paddles. These prahus frequent the
shores of the Straits of Malacca, Cape Romania, the Carimon Isles,
and the neighbouring straits, and at times they visit the Straits
of Rhio. Some of the most noted, I was informed, were fitted out
from Johore, in the very neighbourhood of the English authorities at
Singapore; they generally have their haunts on the small islands on
the coast, from which they make short cruises.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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