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
30. With the funds of a company, enterprises could be undertaken that
would be both extensive and easy. The province of Pampanga alone is
capable of producing more sugar than can be consumed in China (to which
the Sangleys carry it when it is cheap), in the coasts of Coromandel,
Malabar, and Vengala (where it is scarce, and is sold at a high price),
and in all the ports of India; having a market, all that is required
of this product will be supplied in abundance, especially if the said
company encourages the Indians to cultivate their lands. It would be
the same with the dyes; and with deer's hides, sinews, and tapa (or
dried meat) which all come from the same province, and are sold to the
Chinese who come here to trade. By establishing a mart in the capital
[of Pampanga], on the company's account, it will gather in all the
said products, in exchange for cloth, especially if credit be given
to some persons until the time of the harvest; and the gains will be
enormous, since profits will be made on the sale of the cloth, on the
purchase of the products, and on the export of these to other colonies.
31. The same method ought to be observed in the other provinces
for promoting the cultivation of the lands and the abundance of so
highly valuable products as they yield; by this means there would
be obtained in Pangasinan all the gold which the infidels bring
down from the mountains there, which exceeds three hundred thousand
pesos each year, and with that which is brought from other provinces
reaches five hundred thousand pesos. This commodity is very useful
in all the commerce of India, and can also be carried to Europa, as
is done by the English and Dutch, to whom regularly comes the gold
from Philipinas; its current price is at the rate of sixteen pesos
for the tae of 22-carat metal (each tae has the weight of ten reals),
and in this ratio is purchased that of 21, 20, 19, and 18 carats.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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