Project Gutenberg's The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, by Emma Helen Blair

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Title: The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 Volume VI, 1583-1588

Author: Emma Helen Blair

Release Date: August 6, 2004 [EBook #13120]

Language: English

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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898

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

Volume VI, 1583-1588

Edited and annotated by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson with historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord Bourne.

Editorial Announcement

The Editors desire to announce to their readers an important modification in the scope and contents of this work. As originally planned and hitherto announced, the series was intended to furnish the original sources, printed and documentary, for the history of the Philippine Islands only to the beginning of the nineteenth century. To most of our readers, the reasons for this are obvious: the fact that the classic period of Philippine history is thus bounded; the comparative rarity and inaccessibility of most material therein to the general public; the vast extent of the field covered by Philippine history, and the necessary limitations of space imposed upon the selection of material for this work; the closing of foreign archives to all investigators after an early date in the nineteenth century; and the greater difficulty, in that later period, of securing a proper historical perspective. But so many and urgent requests have come to us, from subscribers and reviewers, for such extension of this series as shall cover the entire period of Spanish domination, that we have decided to modify the former plan in the manner here briefly indicated.

It is our purpose not to exceed the number of volumes already announced, fifty-five. We are able to do this because in our original plan, to avoid a subsequent increase in the number of volumes, a certain amount of space was purposely left for possible future changes as a result of later investigations to be made in foreign archives, or on account of the necessary excision of extraneous or irrelevant matter from the printed works which are to be presented in this series. The new title will be "The Philippine Islands: 1493-1898." The early and especially important history of the islands will be covered as fully as before. For the history of the nineteenth century, we will present various important decrees, reports, and other official documents; and provide a clear, careful, and impartial synopsis of some of the best historical matter extant, down to the close of the Spanish régime. Throughout the series will be used, as has been done from the beginning, all the best material available—historical, descriptive, and statistical—for reference and annotation. With the copious and carefully-prepared bibliography of Philippine historical literature, and the full analytical index, which will close the series; the broad and representative character of the material selected throughout; and the impartial and non-sectarian attitude maintained, the Editors trust that this change will still further enable scholars, historical writers, and general readers alike to study, with reliable and satisfactory material, the history of the Philippine Islands from their first discovery by Europeans to the close of the Spanish régime, and incidentally the history of the entire Orient.

Contents of Volume VI

Preface … 13

Documents of 1583-85

Foundation of the Audiencia of Manila (concluded). Felipe II; Aranjuez, May 5, 1583 … 35

        Two decrees regarding the religious. Felipe II;
        San Lorenzo, June 21, 1583, and Aranjuez, April 24,
        1584 … 45

        Annual income of the royal exchequer in the
        Philippines. Andres Cauchela, and others; Manila,
        June 15-30, 1584 … 47

        Letter to Felipe II. Melchor Davalos; Manila, July 3,
        1584 … 54

        Letter to the archbishop of Mexico. Santiago de Vera;
        Manila, June 20, 1585 … 66

        Two letters to Felipe II. Fray Geronimo de Guzman
        [Madrid? 1585]; and Fray Jhoan de Vascones [1585?] …
        76

    History of the great kingdom of China (extracts relating to the
    Philippines). Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza; Madrid, 1586 … 81

Documents of 1586

        Memorial to the Council by citizens of the Filipinas
        Islands. Santiago de Vera, and others; Manila,
        [July 26] … 157

        Letter to Felipe II. Alfonso de Chaves, and others;
        Manila, June 24 … 234

        Letter from the Manila cabildo to Felipe II. Andres
        de Villanueva, and others; Manila, June 25 … 242

        Letter to Felipe II. Antonio Sedeño; Manila, June 25
        … 247

        Letter to Felipe II. Domingo de Salazar; Manila,
        June 26 … 251

        Letter from the Audiencia to Felipe II. Santiago de
        Vera, and others; Manila, June 26 … 254

        Letter to Felipe II. Pedro de Rojas; Manila, June 30
        … 265

        Letter to Felipe II. Juan de Moron; Manila, June 30
        … 275

        Measures regarding trade with China. Felipe II, and
        others; Madrid and Manila; June 17-November 15 … 279

        Brief erecting Franciscan province of the
        Philippines. Sixtus V; Rome, November 15 … 290

Documents of 1587-88

        Letter to Felipe II. Alvaro, Marques de [Villa]
        Manriquez; Mexico, February 8, 1587 … 295

        Letter to Felipe II. Santiago de Vera; Manila, June
        26, 1587 … 297

        Letter from the Audiencia to Felipe II. Santiago de
        Vera, and others; Manila, June 25, 1588 … 311

Bibliographical Data … 323

Illustrations