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Reading History

Chapter 2 No.2

Word Count: 3636    |    Released on: 06/12/2017

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fil His will, and may your Majesty be pleased to give orders that I be relieved, if you wish affairs to be safe here; for surely the country will be very quickly in the power of the auditors, if some person does not come from there who will not let it be lost. If God give me life, I shall be contented even with retiring to the post with which your Majesty has favored me, as your commissary of war. Notwithstanding that I assure your Majesty as your faithful vassal, and as a person who would prefer to lose a thousand lives than to utter one falsehood to his king, that the Filipinas have been worth nothing to me, during the six years of my residence herein; but rather I have lost the twenty thousand pesos which I have spent from the dowry that Do?a Magdalena brought me. And had not our Lord been pleased to give me a son (at whose birth she died), she would not have had enough whereby to have returned safely home to her

eir kingdoms, he says that he will arrange that. They send one hundred and thirty lepers in these ships, who were exiled for the faith. We believe, through the assurance that we have of the bad disposition of that race, that this action has been a sort of vengeance or contempt; but it is quite certain that, although they may have done it for that purpose, it has resulted very well for us; for we have exercised an act of charity, which I hope, God helping, will confound them. For we received the lepers with great pomp and display of charity; and this city, aided by the religious orders, is s

ast him some artillery, of the calibers

, who is the one who has to execute it, than to a general of artillery, who has to order another to do it. Juan Bautista de Molina has served your Majesty many years, but the Filipinas do not need so many heads, nor so many to draw pay from its treasury. I, Sire, shall not appoint anyone to the post (although it is vacant), as your Majesty orders me, for I do not desire to do a thing in which I believe that I would be doing you a disservice; and since your Majesty orders me to abolish other posts, I do not believe that it will be disservice to add this post to them. In the

ffairs have been better regulated. May God in His mercy bring them to a knowledge of His holy faith. I am sending two ships there, so that more abundant relief may be sent to our men

e was abolished, for the war has ceased; and hopes are daily ente

ame to it, but it did not fall out as they imagined. The greater part of the province rose, and killed four discalced Recollect religious. A severe punishment was inflicted on them in the month of September; and recently, in

n the afternoon. Pedro de Heredia is somewhat disconsolate at seeing that your Majesty does not withdraw him. He sent no news of importance, except that the enemy is not so powerful as formerly. During the coming year I intend to send a

thinks it all too much. I am not surprised at that, for his desire is the same as mine, namely, to cut short your Majesty's expenses. But it is certain that some economies come to be wasteful. He told me that I should reduce the soldiery in these islands to the number that was established by Gomez Perez Dasmari?as. As he does not know what it means to have Dutch enemies about us, he thinks that we could get along with fewer men [than we have here]. I find, Sire, that your Majesty does not have another military establishment more important in the Yndias than the Filipinas Islands. And, that it may be evident whether I make a wrong assertion, consider what part of the Yndias the enemy have made their own-except Xava, where they hold Xacatra, three hundred leguas from here. There they have their principal fort, and have their ammunition and magazines. Here, Sire, here, is where your Majesty, joining Malaca and Macan to this government, must maintain your forces and oppose them to those of the enemy. If that is not done, there is but little to hope from these Yndias, which will be ruined in a short time; or, at the least, will incur so many expenses that they will be of no use. May God take me to that court, where I hope to make the affairs of these regions understood as they are, and not as people imagine there. Neither heavy expenses nor large fleets are necessary for this. The continual pl

ricts. If those of your Majesty were combined, not only would we defend what has been gained, but we would steadily extend farther. Your Majesty sees them united against you, although they are of so many different sovereigns, religions, and nationalities. Then why do not Portugal and Castilla unite in this South Sea and the coasts of Asia, where

ajesty about making an expedition to the island of Hermosa, asking him for the aid which I considered necessary. I wrote the same to Macan, so that it might for its part make other necessary preparations. I am advised that the said galliot, because it

t, and that this shipbuilding should be established in a place where this ship has been built at much less cost, and from more durable woods, than [it could have been] in these islands. As this one has been built, so can many others be constructed

useless ships and people (as will be seen by the copy of the commission, which is sent to your Majesty in your royal Council of the Indias). Several discontented regidors-thinking to annoy me, and incited perhaps by some of this royal Audiencia who is but little inclined to my course of action-presented a decree of your Majesty (of which a copy is also enclosed to your said royal Council), under date of the year 20, in which it is ordained that, in order to give this commission, the governor must meet with the auditors, and that all in assembly choose the person to whom it shall be given. This detracts authority from the office of the captain-general, to maintain which efforts should be made in that royal Council of the Yndias. I am now with spurs on my heels, as they say, [ready] either for the other w

at he must be judge in the first instance of all the causes which are prosecuted in the island of Hermosa, and in the presidios of Caraga, Cagayan, Zibu, and Oton; and that the commandants there can do no more than to conduct the cause to the point of giving sentence therein, sending it to him so that he may do this. The same is declared by the castellan of the fort of Santiago of this city; but, although it seems that he cites warrant for it, his predecessors have not been wont to exercise it. On the other hand, the castellan alleges that his predecessors have always exercised separate jurisdiction. In regard to the governor of the i

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