The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 287 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55.

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 287 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55.

[Here follows a very brief account of the descent on Manila by Limahon, who is forced to retire to Pangasinan—­Medina says Cagayan.  There the pirates published news that the Spaniards had all been killed.  Medina continues:]

Those who hastened to believe this were the Indians of Mindoro, who are also something like the Moros.  This island is more than twenty leguas from Manila on one side; on the other it is so near that there are but two or three leguas to cross, namely, by way of Batangas.  The island is very large, and very well covered with mountains; and it has beautiful rivers and a plentiful supply of fish, and above all, of wax.  It has a corregidor, and is more than one hundred leguas in circuit.  It has two benefices, in which live beneficed seculars.  One is called Bacoy, and the other Nauhang.  They have about six and seven hundred Indians respectively.  Services are held in the Tagal speech.  But there are here, further, some Indians whiter than the Tagals, who live in troops in the mountains.  They are the ancient inhabitants of the country, and it is they who gather the great abundance of wax which is yielded there.  I said that there was a benefice of them, namely, of the people called Mangyan. [76] They are very good, and if they were instructed and taught, it would be easy to reduce them to settlements and missions.  But no one attempts to do any work in the Lord’s service.  Especially do these Mangyanes fear the sea.  They pay no tribute.  They fear lest the Spaniards take them to man their ships.  They go naked; and deliver the wax to the Tagals, which the latter pay as tribute, and give as their share.  More than three hundred quintals of wax yearly must be obtained in this island.  This mission, then, was first in our charge, and at the time of the pirate Limahon’s descent upon Manila, that island was a priorate.  Its prior was father Fray Francisco de Ortega, and his companion was father Fray Diego Mojica. [77] As soon as those Moros heard, then, of the result at Manila, they threw off the yoke, attacked the fathers, seized them, and talked of killing them.  However, they forbore to kill the fathers immediately—­I know not for what reason, since the Moros were setting out to execute that resolve.

[The governor, hearing of the imprisonment of the fathers, sent for them, but they had already been released.  The Moros of Manila, instigated by Borneans, took occasion to revolt at this time, choosing as their two leaders Lacandola and Raja Soliman.  “Seeing this, father Fray Geronimo Marin determined to go to the other side of the river and talk to those chiefs concerning the cause of their rising, so that, if there were complaints, as cannot fail to arise among soldiers, they might be remedied.”  Quiet was finally restored in this quarter, the greatest difficulty being found with Raja Soliman, who “did not act fairly in whatever the Spaniards were concerned, nor did he regard them with friendly eyes.” 

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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.