The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 48, 1751-1765: 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 48, 1751-1765: 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
20. This wood (of which, according to the said author, the strong
ships of Philipinas are built) is in my opinion the teca [i.e., teak],
which comes from the Coast; or that which is known here (and I am
inclined to think that this is meant) by the name of molave. This
abounds in all the islands, and is so compact that it petrifies in
the water, which I myself have seen; of it are made the ribs of
the ship's frame, the knees, and all the principal timbers that
strengthen the ship. The keels are made of another wood, equally
strong, which is called guijo; it never rots in the water, nor does
the boring worm, which is bred on the ships in the port of Cavite,
penetrate it. There are other woods as useful as the guijo, and among
them is the dongon, which is better. As a rule, the lower masts are
made from the mangachapui, which is another timber of especial value;
for, although it is somewhat heavy, it never splinters, and is very
elastic. The yards and topmasts are of palo maria; and for whatever
is made of boards the lavan, the banaba, and the tangili [156] are
also used, from which kinds of wood very long and broad planks are
obtained. There are pines here, and various other kinds of trees,
which can be put to the same use; and plantations could be made of
the teca tree (the wood of which lasts more than a hundred years in
the water), for there is more than enough land for this purpose in
the vicinity of Manila and Cavite. Likewise, sawmills could be built,
in order to save the expense of [hiring] sawyers; also dry-docks,
for careening the ships and preserving them under cover.
21. In Ilocos are manufactured the blankets which serve as sails
for our ships; and canvas can be made (as it has been) of excellent
quality and in enormous quantities, for there is no end to the cotton
which is and can be gathered, with the greatest facility, and of
the finest quality. Moreover, on the many tracts of land which the
sloth of the Indians leaves untilled hemp could be cultivated--which,
even if it should not yield well on the lands of one province, would
without doubt succeed on those of another; for there is nothing among
all the products of the earth which is not afforded by these islands,
by searching for the climate--whether hot, cool, or temperate--which
is suited to the needs of the crop. Flax would be produced with the
same ease as hemp, without any other cultivation than that which rice
receives on irrigated soil [en tubigan]; and the seed of both these
plants has been sown, and is yielding very well, in the province
of Cagayan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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