The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 51, 1801-1840: 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 51, 1801-1840: 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
[50] A higher and purer praise is due to this gentleman than having
written the work alluded to: it is that he acted on its spirit, and
first taught the "red man" to know himself as man, and (a far more
arduous undertaking), he taught the white man that his prosperity
was essentially connected with that of the native. The country
in which the foundations of our power were laid on such a basis,
should not have been given away like a ministerial snuff-box. [50-A]
[50-A] Java was conquered by England in 1811, but was restored to
Holland five years later. During that time the island was governed
by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), who published a History
of Java (London, 1817); he was afterward governor of the English
settlements in Sumatra (1818-24), in both these posts ruling with
great ability and vigor and an enlightened and liberal mind. Gilbert
Elliot, Baron Minto, a noted English statesman, was governor-general
of India during 1807-13, and went with Raffles to Java to organize
its government.--Eds.
[51] See Descripcion Geografica y Topografica de la Ysla de Luzon,
Por Don Yldefonso de Arragon, Parte IV. Prov. de la Pampanga, p. 3,
5, &c. The author is a colonel of engineers. [In 1818-20, he was
chief of the topographical bureau at Manila.--Eds.]
[52] Ibid.
[53] "Estos (Pueblos) aunque immediatos a las orillas de la mar,
estén libres de las invasiones de los Moros; la espesura de las
Manglares occulta y hace dificil la entrada, &c."
"These (towns), though close to the sea shore, are free from the
invasions of the Moors (pirates); the thickness of the mangroves
conceal and render the entrances difficult." The writer is speaking of
towns, of which none are more than 20 miles from Manila!-- Descripcion
Geog. y Topograf.
[54] The writer was once obliged to arm all his servants against 16
soldiers with their muskets from a neighboring military post. The two
parties remained some minutes with their arms levelled at each other,
when a parley was begun, which ended the affair without bloodshed. The
origin of the quarrel was a dispute at cockfighting between his
servants and the soldiers.
[55] Such are, for example, Nuestra Señora de Antipolo, about 20 miles
east of Manila, and the Santo Niño (Holy Child) of Zebû: to both of
these it is reckoned almost indispensable to make a pilgrimage: the
natives of Luzon to the first, which is about 25 miles from Manila;
and those of all the Bisayas or Southern Islands to the other. From
Antipolo [55-A] alone have been sent in a single year 180,000 dollars
as the produce of the masses! And the writer has conversed with
pilgrims from the province of Ylocos! In all cases of peril and
difficulty, a vow is made to one of these saints, which is seldom
left unfulfilled. The crew of a small vessel of men offered 54 dollars
for masses at the convent of St. Augustin (I think), on the day of the
feast del Santo Niño.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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