The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898; Volume 50: 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 50: 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 feeling against the Chinese in Manila after the English invasion
was very bitter, as has been already noticed; it is reflected in
Viana's official opinions, as is evident in the following (Respuestas,
fol. 127v): "It is a matter of public notoriety that nearly all the
Sangleys of the Parián have been traitors to God and to the king, by
having offered public sacrifices to their idols, aided the English
enemies, and acted basely against the entire Spanish nation. Any
representations made by the said Sangleys ought therefore to be
regarded with suspicion, and more especially when they are not traders;
for such persons cannot carry back to China the profits of the trade,
but only the fears arising from their crime." The Chinese in question
had left the Parián in the late war, and gone to their own country;
and now had returned to Manila, desiring to remain there on their
former footing. Viana advises that a rigorous investigation of their
previous status, actions, and character be made by the government,
and any of them found to have acted treasonably toward the Spaniards
be punished with the utmost severity; while those who had not been
traitors, but had left the Parián on account of their trading or other
like reasons, ought to be fined at least fifty pesos each for having
done so without permission. Again (fol. 134v) he says of a certain
widow (Gabriela Josepha by name), whose dwelling had been seized
on account of her supposed disloyalty, that "as she is a Sangley
mestiza, there is strong reason to suspect that she is the widow
of some traitor." After the English left Manila, the Sangleys there
(in number 400 to 500) were compelled to labor on the ditch and other
defenses of the city, as a punishment for their previous revolt. In
April, 1765, they offered to the government 12,000 pesos, as "a free
donation, in view of the exhausted condition of the royal treasury;"
and 8,000 pesos more to the Audiencia, in order that they might
be relieved from the aforesaid labor, which sum was surrendered by
the auditors to the royal exchequer. Viana recommended (Respuestas,
fol. 125v, 126) that these donations be accepted, and the Sangleys
relieved from the ditch-digging for such time as the 8,000 pesos would
last; he estimated that the work might be completed with this sum,
since the government could order that from the provinces all the
criminals in the jails, and the "vagabonds and mischievous persons
who abound in the villages," should be sent in to Manila to work
on the ditch--thus subserving at once the ends of justice, economy,
and military defense. Viana in this paper sarcastically refers to the
part taken by the Chinese in aiding the English against the Spaniards
during the late war, when, he says, thousands of Sangleys performed
all sorts of labors for the English, besides contributing money to
aid them; he therefore considers it but just that they should now
labor in the royal service, since it is quite enough favor to them
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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