The Philippine Islands, 1493 to 1898 by Various

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_Hieronimo de Salazar y Salcedo_

Complaint of the Cabildo of Manila Against Morga

Sire:

The most faithful city of Manila in the Philipinas Islands humbly
informs your Majesty that for some years past this city and realm
have suffered, and are at present suffering, so many hardships and
misfortunes, both in wars and in the loss of wealth and prestige, that
it has been very close to entire ruin. This has arisen and arises
not from unavoidable accidents which ordinarily happen in states
and communities, but from those which the persons in charge of the
government and who reside there could avoid, but do not prepare for;
and they are notoriously due to the fault and misgovernment of the
persons to whom your Majesty has entrusted the administration of these
islands--partly on account of their scant energy and vigilance, but
most of all through what has resulted from their not being willing
to fulfil the orders, instructions, and royal decrees which your
Majesty had previously issued for the attainment of your objects
and for particular ends; these they have directly violated. Since
such conditions require a remedy, and as this must depend upon the
royal will of your Majesty, who are not informed of the actual truth
concerning events which have occurred here, these states must remain
without relief on your Majesty's part, and with the said danger of our
ruin. Owing to the general obligation which rests upon us as vassals
of your Majesty, and that which in conscience especially obliges us
as regidors of this city, which is the capital of all these islands,
the following account has been written.

In the first place, a matter whence many other losses have resulted
is this. Your Majesty having ordered the conquest of the kingdom of
Mindanao to be entrusted to Captain Estevan Rodriguez de Figueroa,
conformably to the edict or ordinance which treats of the conquest of
newly-discovered countries and settlements in the Yndias, and this
order having been despatched to the said Captain Estevan Rodriguez
de Figueroa, Governor Don Louis Das Marinas arrived here in the year
96. When the former reached Mindanao with his expedition, he (and he
alone) was killed by the natives of that island on the unfortunate
day of St. Mark of the same year. When Don Francisco Tello arrived
in the following June of the said year and took this government, he
immediately undertook to send a person to conduct the said conquest
of Mindanao. As all the troops were there which had been taken by
the said Captain Estevan Rodriguez, and as Don Joan Ronquillo (your
Majesty's commander of the galleys and of naval affairs in these
islands) had gone there with another detachment of troops, and had
remained in the said islands until March of the year 98--where, during
all this time, he won many victories over the enemy, and latterly one
against the king of Terrenate (who was sending his fleet to aid the
said island), wherein he routed and captured the vessels and killed
their commander, who was an uncle of the said king of Terrenate--at
this the natives of the said island of Mindanao, who until that
time had defended themselves, began negotiations for surrender,
and for rendering submission to your Majesty; a part of them did
so, and paid tribute to your Majesty. The said Don Francisco Tello,
with the approval of Doctor Antonio de Morga, without considering
the state in which this matter lay, or reflecting upon the injuries
which might result from issuing such orders as they did (as may be
seen later by what will be written further on), sent the said Don
Joan Rronquillo an order to dismantle the fortifications of the said
island, without leaving any fortified station, and to tear down the
forts which your Majesty held there. Although he saw the great loss
which would result from this, yet, as there was a clause in the said
order directing him to do this without any reply, under penalty of
being held contumacious and liable to punishment, he left the said
island and came to this city with the fleet and troops which he had
there, in the month of April of the year 98. The said Don Francisco
Tello and the said Doctor Morga, seeing the great error which they had
committed, attempted to exonerate themselves before the said Don Joan
Rronquillo should arrive in this city. They arrested him, charging him
with having taken away the protection of the said island of Mindanao,
without their having sent him any strict order which would oblige him
to do it. In order to give color to this--as they were aware that, in
the voyage which the said Don Joan Rronquillo made while returning,
his ship was partly wrecked, and they supposed that the said order
which they had sent him had been lost, they intrigued with the
government notary, and had him produce in the prosecution against
the said Don Joan the order which had been given to dismantle the
fortresses of Mindanao, omitting therefrom those words which made
it obligatory for him to do so--namely, that he should do so under
penalty of being contumacious and liable to punishment. In this way
they were released from responsibility for their act, and the said
Don Joan Ronquillo was inculpated without excuse, since in so serious
an affair he, being on the spot, should not have done so for a simple
command. The case having been continued, and he having presented the
original order which they thought had been lost, and having given other
explanations, he was even by them acquitted of that charge. All this
appears sufficiently by the record of the case, which remains in these
islands. Your Majesty having been made aware of the abandonment of
the said islands during the last year, there arrived here your royal
decree directing the investigation and punishment of whomsoever was
responsible. As they were to blame in the affair, as can be seen by
this relation, they remained silent, and have taken no action. From
the abandonment of what was already gained, through the said order,
it has followed that the Indians who are natives of the said islands of
Ufanos, which the Spaniards had left, considering that this was due to
fear, assembled, with others from other neighboring kingdoms, to come
to work havoc in the lands of your Majesty. Accordingly, in the past
year of 1600 they came with a fleet of many vessels to the Pintados
provinces, which are subject to your Majesty; and in the region known
as Bantayan they burned the village and the church, killed many, and
took captive more than eight hundred persons. Thence they came to the
river of Panay, an encomienda assigned to the royal crown, and killed
a great many more, taking six hundred more prisoners from the said
encomiendas. They burned the church and the image of our Lady which
was in it, which a few days before that had for a considerable time
miraculously sweated out many drops of water, as if in premonition of
the impending event. They drank out of the chalice in their feasts,
scoffing at the consecration of it, after the fashion of Mahometan
people, whereby the natives and Spaniards of those regions were
greatly afflicted and terrorized, as may be imagined.

As has already been said, the reason for the coming of these
Indians to inflict the said damage was the command to take away your
Majesty's camp from the said land of Mindanao. But the cause for
their having wrought those injuries after they arrived was, as was
said at the beginning, that the order and decree of your Majesty
was not obeyed. For your Majesty had in this camp four captains
of infantry with the four hundred soldiers which your Majesty had
commanded to be left there as a garrison, and the said captains were
satisfactory persons; and it was ordered that there should be no more
than the said four captains there, as any more would be superfluous,
since there were so few soldiers. Doctor Antonio de Morga, auditor of
this royal Audiencia, has reached such arrogance and restlessness of
mind, caused by his having wrought so many injuries to this afflicted
commonwealth through the power and authority which he has, both
in general and in particular, to many citizens thereof; but, with
his customary facility for speaking ill to some one's prejudice, he
escapes, without anyone daring to speak of the matter. In the little
time which he had spent in this country, he found himself rich and
powerful through his trading and commerce. Accordingly he commenced to
procure taking away the employments and offices from soldiers and men
of war whom your Majesty has here, and appropriated them to himself
and his relations. Thus, contrary to the said limitation of number,
and in violation of what your Majesty commands by your ordinances
and decrees--namely, that offices of profit shall not be given to the
auditors, or to their kindred, servants, or dependents--Governor Don
Francisco Tello appointed, as alcalde-mayor of the island of Mindoro,
a certain Pedro Cotelo de Morales, a first cousin of the wife of the
said Doctor Morga, who came with the latter to these islands; and
passed by, in giving it, many of the conquerors and poor settlers. But
the said Doctor Morga would not accept this, saying that he would
have no appointment for him unless it was a paid captaincy. The man
was a mere youth, and in all his life had never fired an arquebus,
and was not skilled or experienced in war. On the contrary, he had
led a very evil life, which cannot be fittingly described to your
Majesty, and so is left unsaid. Accordingly, to give some color to
what he desired to do, and in order that he might not appear to
be exceeding the said number of four captains, the said governor
appointed this man captain of infantry, so that he could go out of
this city to the said Pintados provinces, where they were in fear
that the said enemies were going. He was assigned the regular salary
for a captain, and in like manner the other officers of his company
were established with pay; and they likewise were men of the same way
of life and the same amount of experience in war as the said Pedro
Cotelo. He went with the troops to the city of Santisimo Nombre de
Jhesus, which is in the said provinces of the Pintados, thus leaving
in this city of Manila the four regular captains of infantry, who had
some knowledge of the affair, in idleness and without any troops;
for among all four of the companies there did not remain a hundred
soldiers fit for service. As he was in the said city at the time when
the said enemies came, and received word that they were in the said
village of Bantayan, the alcalde-mayor and commander of the troops
of war, who was in the said city, despatched the said Pedro Cotelo
de Morales with ships and troops against them. Although the journey
from the place where he was to that where the enemies were situated
was two days long, he took four to it. If he had arrived at the time
when he might have done so, he would have found the enemy drawn up
on the land, and would have burned their fleet and taken away their
prizes. When he arrived, sailing on from that place, he again heard
the noise of the engines of war which they had with them, near some
islands; and some of the soldiers, even, climbing up the masts of
the ships, saw those of the enemy. But he would not go against them
either, alleging various excuses--as your Majesty may have seen more
at length by the information which accompanies this.

Besides this, the said Pedro Cotelo Morales, having arrived with
his fleet at the town of Arevalo, a settlement of Spaniards, the
commander and alcalde-mayor there resident gave him more ships and
troops, and ordered him in a council of war (in which Pedro Cotelo
himself took part) to go and seek the enemy; and, if he did not find
him in an island near there, to come back immediately to the said
town of Arevalo on account of the fear lest the enemy should escape
thither. The said Pedro Cotelo, taking no heed of the said order,
as one who held the post of alcalde should, and in order to flee the
battle, did not observe this command, and went into another region
without coming back to the said town. In the meantime the enemy came
there and landed, and the town was almost ruined. They killed the
alcalde-mayor and commander of the troops, and then withdrew. If the
said Pedro Cotelo had come back as had been ordered by the said council
of war, he would have found them fighting there with their ships
in the bays and rivers, in such wise that not a man or a ship could
escape. In this way the enemy left with the two prizes mentioned. And
this year we have even now information that they are coming back with
increased forces; and in the preparation which has been already made
or is now under way, more than fifty thousand pesos have been spent
from the exchequer of your Majesty and furnished by private persons,
to say nothing of the losses which the pirates will inflict when
they return. The said Doctor Morga has been to blame for all this;
because, contrary to the orders of your Majesty, he succeeded in
having his relative placed in an office which he did not deserve, and
for which he was not competent. Concerning this last affair, a copy
of the proceedings of the council of war was sent to your Majesty,
in which was the above-mentioned order to the said Cotelo. In order
that it may be more thoroughly proved, they sent to the said town of
Arevalo to have the matter investigated; but the magistrate there,
for fear of the said Doctor Morga, would take no action.

The said Doctor Morga, continuing his bold acts, was not content with
having been responsible for the losses to property. Two Dutch ships
having arrived in the past year of six hundred, in these islands,
and having come in the month of November to the mouth of the bay of
this city, while they were beating about in the bay, ships were put
in readiness to go out against them. The said Don Joan Ronquillo,
commander of the naval forces of your Majesty, having gone to the
port of Cavite for this purpose, the said Doctor Morga commenced his
machinations, and claimed that he should go as commander of the said
expedition. To give this some foundation and color, when the said Don
Joan Ronquillo had come to this city to seek various supplies for the
said expedition, he was arrested; and on the next day following the
said Doctor Morga went to the port of Cavite, saying that he had best
be present in person to encourage the despatching of the fleet. In
fact, through scheming and plotting, and by the authority of his
office, he succeeded in taking the said expedition away from the said
Don Joan Rronquillo, and having it given to himself. He wrote letters,
the originals of which are extant, to the governor of these islands,
asking him that, even if Don Joan Rronquillo should petition for
judgment against him, he in no wise respond or have to do with him
until the despatch of the vessels should be completed, so that the
latter might not appeal to the Audiencia and obtain a decree which
would hinder the said Doctor Morga in the expedition. When three ships
were armed and fitted with artillery to go out against the enemy's
fleet, he went with the two vessels, which were the flagship and
almiranta, to the island of Mariveles, eight leagues from the point of
Cavite and five leagues from where the enemy were--without awaiting
the other third ship which lay at Cavite, and belonged to several
Portuguese, which arrived at the said island of Marbeles the same night
when Doctor Morga sailed away. Having sighted the enemy on Thursday
morning, without waiting for Captain Joan de Alcega, who was in the
other ship, as admiral, or taking advice as to what should be done,
he was confident of the victory on account of the report which had
been made concerning the few troops which the enemy carried, and the
large number that he himself had on board with him. Consequently the
flukes of the anchors were put upon the side of the ship; and having
come up with and grappled the enemy at the sixth hour, the latter,
seeing the force which the flagship had, gave up, and put himself
with all his men under cover, without firing a single arquebus for
more than an hour by the clock. Some of the soldiers and sailors from
our ship, having entered theirs without orders (for the said Doctor
was not able to give the order), and having found the deck of the
enemy's ship without men and all the troops withdrawn--the banners
being captured, and cast over to our ships--when the enemy saw how
little care was given to the taking possession, since the troops were
coming aboard without orders or any plan, they began to recover their
courage somewhat, and commenced to defend themselves. When they had
killed one or two of ours, as the latter had no one to command or
direct them--because the said Doctor, as soon as they came in to
close quarters with the enemy, had thrown himself down behind the
capstan of the ship with a number of mattresses--the troops became so
demoralized that no one was able to accomplish anything. Although some
of them went up to the said Doctor and told him to board the ship,
or to send troops on board of it with an order, he would not do so,
as he was so overcome by fright and lacking in courage. Likewise,
when they came to tell him that the ship was taking in much water
through the gun-ports, because, when the fleeing troops left the
side where they were grappled, and passed to the other side without
fighting, the said ship careened and the water entered--although
he was told of this several times, that he might remedy it, it was
the same in this matter as the rest. Accordingly so much water was
entering the ship that it was in danger. A father of the Society of
Jesus, bearing a crucifix in his hand, told him that since the ship
was in danger he should go over with the men to that of the enemy;
since as they were so near together, and there was no resistance,
it would be like passing from one dwelling to another. He would
not do it, but on the contrary threw the mattresses with which he
had fortified the capstan into the water, in order to go to a small
islet which lay near and escape, as he did. The enemy rushed upon
all the troops, who threw themselves into the water, and the killed
and drowned amounted to more than one hundred and twenty Spaniards
of the most distinguished and important people of these islands,
without counting more than a hundred negroes and natives beside.

Such was the manner of the surrender of the said ship of the enemy
as soon as it was grappled. When the said captain, Joan de Alcega,
arrived with his almiranta on the other beam of the enemy, giving him
a volley of artillery and musketry, and when he finally undertook to
board the enemy's ship, the Spaniards who were on the inside under
its deck (among them being the adjutant of the sargento-mayor), told
them not to fire, or they would kill the Spaniards; and to go ahead
and follow the enemy's almiranta, which had taken to flight, as the
flagship was already in your Majesty's hands, and there was nothing to
do there. Accordingly the said admiral went after the other ship, and,
coming up with it three or four leagues away, caused its surrender and
brought the enemies who remained alive to this city, where justice was
meted to them. The ship, with very good artillery, lies in this port.

Besides the said loss, there was much artillery which the said Doctor
Morga was taking in the said ship, and supplies of war, as he had
taken what lay in the forts of this city, leaving them destitute of
supplies, and the royal storehouses almost without powder; for he
took six hundred barrels of it on the said flagship. Owing to the
lack of men--so great that hardly anyone appeared on the streets--and
that of the said artillery and arms of various kinds, this city was
in such danger of ruin as never before, if some of the many enemies
who surround it had attacked it with even a small force. Likewise the
opportunity for the capture of the said flagship of the enemy was lost,
in which was stored all which they had captured since leaving Olanda,
and twenty pieces of artillery which they brought, many stores, and
eight hundred muskets--all of which they were carrying, according
to the declaration of the enemies who were in our power. For this
country, where there is such a want of that kind of articles, and
so many occasions continually arising in which they are necessary,
it would have been of great importance and value; but the enemy is
taking them away to buy with them cloves and pepper, and other drugs
from these regions, as they are at present doing. For we have certain
news that they went to the Maluco Islands, where they are anchored,
and will leave the enemy there--who are most warlike, and who are most
continually making war upon us--strengthened with arms like ours,
whereby they will become skilful in their use; and from that will
follow many difficulties, as may be imagined.

Likewise there results another very great injury to these regions,
because, the said ship of the enemy having escaped, they carry with
them an excellent knowledge of these regions and of the sailing-routes;
for day by day they record in writing their bearings, and the courses
by which they have navigated. There is a society which has been formed
in Olanda and other states, for the destruction of these regions,
according to the account which all the enemies who were captured alive
agreed in. Five great galleons for this purpose were being built here,
so that if any of those ships should come from there the Spaniards
might sally out with more force.

We are sending your Majesty a copy of an information in this matter
which was secured by your Majesty's fiscal with great secrecy, before
the licentiate Almacan, auditor of this royal Audiencia. There
is likewise a testimonial concerning the arms, military stores,
artillery, and troops taken by the said Doctor Morga, in his flagship
against that of the enemy; of the troops, not more than fifty-six
people in all came back. There is another to the effect that on the
morning of the day when the enemy were discovered the commander sent
to the admiral fourteen of the twenty-seven that he had. There are
some documents, drawn up at the petition of the said Doctor Morga,
concerning the artillery and other articles which he caused to be given
to the third ship that he was to take with him. On account of his not
waiting for this two hours, and not being willing to assign it men,
the misfortune came about by which, as he confesses in his petition,
two hundred persons escaped; whereas it is known that the dead of the
Spaniards alone amounted to more than a hundred and twenty, so that,
according to this, he took five or six men with him for every enemy.

He has drawn up a number of informations which, considering the dignity
and power of his office, may obscure this truth and give some color to
his case, as he is confident that it has done--and as he has likewise
done in other matters, as he has used such bold and excessive measures
ever since his arrival in this country. In this manner he has reached
such a point that he petitioned for justice because he, as commander,
had to divide the prize which he took in the enemy's captured ship,
and maintained that a great part of it belonged to him. Afterward,
by another petition he says that, as a vassal and servant of your
Majesty, he relinquishes the part which falls to him and gives it
to your Majesty, so that a share of what was taken may be given to
him. A copy of these petitions is being sent, which makes this evident.

There is also sent a copy of the commission as commander which the
said Doctor Morga bore, and an edict which he drew up and enacted, by
which the governor ordered him to go as commander. We do not undertake
to explain to your Majesty any of the matter therein contained,
since in these papers may be plainly seen what audacity he shows in
trying to make it understood that he is a warrior, and that at other
times, by your Majesty's order, he has had similar matters in charge;
and from those very papers may be learned his conduct in many other
matters in this country, against many people, without his taking into
consideration in the least what was owing to them.

The majority of the people through all this city have been hurt and
injured, from the time when he came to this country, by the procedures
of the said Doctor Morga, both in his actions and words against
them, and in letters which he has written treacherously regarding
the circumstances of various people, signing false names to them,
and disguising his handwriting. Afterward he showed copies of these
to other persons, in order to give the impression that he was not
the author of them. At present, since this affair, the ill-feeling
has grown with all these people, and become much greater, because
most of the soldiers whom he took (serving at their own expense)
went under threat and against their will; and as the relatives of our
citizens died on this occasion, and their death was notoriously due
to the fault and mismanagement of the said Doctor, it could not fail
to arouse resentment against him. In the same way the said Doctor has
been opposed to them, so that all the men who went in the almiranta are
desirous of maintaining that they conquered, and not he; consequently
what with the ill-feeling of the said Doctor against some of them, and
of others against him, there are very few people in these islands who
are not concerned. Accordingly he is odious and suspected in his office
by all men; and no lawsuit is brought up in which he is not accused,
as is now happening in several cases. The general ill-feeling here
is no less owing to the fact that, whereas there are so many soldiers
here who have come to these regions with no declared object except to
serve your Majesty, and have done so since their arrival here, with
good success, the said Doctor Morga should bring this about under
the claim and pretext that there were no persons in these islands
to whom such a matter could be entrusted; and that by this means the
Spaniards had lost a victory so obviously theirs that it would without
doubt have been gained if it had been entrusted to the least famous
soldier here. We humbly beseech your Majesty in consideration of all
these matters pertaining to the said Doctor, that a remedy may be
applied to them, as is usually done by your Majesty, owing to your
holy zeal and righteous justice. May our Lord protect your Majesty
as we, your Majesty's vassals, desire. Manila, July 20, 1601.

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