The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898; Volume 49: 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 49: 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
A short letter from Eugenio Carrion, S.J., to Joseph de Rueda, S.J.,
written from San Pedro Macati, July 8, 1765, notes the conclusion
of peace and the arrival of a new proprietary governor, Francisco
Raon. Francisco de la Torre, governor ad interim, has left Manila in
a good state of defense and has begun operations against the Moros,
which will doubtless be continued by Raon. This will make the trade
of the Visayan Islands flourishing once more. In their retirement
from the islands the British have lost one-half their boats and men,
the latter numbering in all 8,000. News of the Chinese affairs will
have been received through the Portuguese fathers. There are still
about thirty fathers in that empire, ten or eleven of whom live
openly in Pekin, while the others are in hiding. Carrion prays that
the Society may safely weather the storm (the approaching suppression)
that has assailed it as a whole.
The last of this series of documents is a letter from Bernardo
Pazuengos, S.J., the Philippine provincial, to Joaquin Mesquida,
S.J., the procurator-general, written from Santa Cruz. The first
part of the letter, dated June 17, 1765, complains of Francisco
de la Torre, who has lived as a libertine and has been especially
hostile toward the religious orders. The arrival of a new governor
is awaited eagerly by all the decent inhabitants. The Jesuits and
Dominicans are fully resolved to resign their missions as existing
conditions of affairs will not permit them longer to hold them. So
poor are the fathers, whose stipends are no longer paid, that they
are compelled to make their shoes out of the parchment of their
books. Their missions are heavily in debt. The Moros, and even the
Christians, have raided the missions. The Visayan Islands are ruined,
and one-half their inhabitants have been killed and captured. Jesuit
estates have been burned. The Recollects have escaped no better, in
all probability. Auditor Galban has declared that the pious funds are
the ruin of the islands and of trade. Vigorous measures are being taken
against the Jesuits. The fiscal urges action against all the religious
orders. The arrival of the "Santa Rosa" with the new governor on July
3 is noted. The letter finally closes on July 20.
The Editors
January, 1907.
DOCUMENTS OF 1759-1765
CONQUEST OF MANILA BY THE ENGLISH, 1762, AND OTHER EVENTS,
1762-1765
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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