Volume 34 — LETTER FROM JUAN BAUTISTA ROMAN TO FELIPE II

Sire:

For the last eleven years that I have been serving your Majesty in these regions of the Indias, I have continually written what has occurred to me regarding your royal service and the benefit and increase of the treasury; and although nothing of notoriously great convenience has been enacted, I shall not neglect to inform your Majesty of the things that occur to me at present in order that I may fulfil my obligation and discharge my conscience so that your Majesty may enact what measures are most advisable.

The greatest damage and injury that can be received from this occurrence is that a robber should dare with so few forces to pass among these islands so leisurely; and since he was able to pass without us forming his acquaintance, that he should try to make so much outcry, to boast of his capture, and to utter threats for the future. If your Majesty be so pleased you may consider that the royal Audiencia boasts that there are here in these Filipinas Islands six Spanish settlements, one master-of-camp, thirty-five captains, three galleys, and three ships with high freeboard, the smallest of which is of three hundred tons’ burden, besides many fragatas and native ships, powder and weapons, and four hundred soldiers, all of which has not served or serves for an affair of so little difficulty and one so necessary. I was constantly of the opinion that the pirate should be pursued immediately, and some others were of the same opinion, but the governor and the majority (which always temporizes in regard to following their opinion) held contrariwise, and said that it was possible that a fleet was coming from Inglaterra after the ship, and that if we pursued the latter, this city and fort would be left with insufficient defenders. It was better to attend to the relief and defense of this city than to pursue the pirate. With a determination so illy founded nothing but the strengthening of the fort was thought of, and that with great diligence as if all Ingalaterra were coming to attack us. A few days later I was sick in my bed, and grieving over this so manifest error, I had the bishop and the rector of the Society of Jesus, who are weighty individuals and very skilled and zealous in the service of God and of your Majesty, asked to come to my house. I asked them to treat with the governor since he had not exercised diligence in pursuing the Englishman at that time, to at least assemble the fleet at the island of Çubu (which is near Bindanao), since it is a foregone conclusion that the pirate will have to winter in this archipelago; and, since he would be assured soon that no other English ships were coming, to send the fleet from that island to pursue the enemy. Although the fleet should sail with west and northwest winds, which prevail during August and September and are favorable for our navigation and contrary to that of the Englishman, they could sail in pursuit of him and it would be easy to find him, for the Indians of the islands would immediately report him wherever we went, as the vessel was a foreign one and the men of a race never before seen. We could especially take so many light-oared vessels that they could search for the English ship anywhere. It would not be difficult to capture it with a single galley, and the capture would be much easier with twelve or thirteen fragatas that could be assembled. I also asked him that even if he did not wish to take that upon himself, to at least send word to Juan de Silva, governor of Malaca, and the chief captain of the sea, Don Paulo de Lima, who came from Goa with twenty oared vessels and ships of high freeboard and five hundred soldiers to make war on the king of Joor—one reason being so that they might go or send men along the coasts of the Javas to look for that pirate, as that would be a very easy thing; and another so that the ship which should leave Malaca to sail to Portugal might be warned; and another so that the governor of Malaca might advise the viceroy of India. The latter could despatch the ships or a portion of them early and they could await that enemy at the island of Santa Elena, and at least they would be on the lookout during all their voyage, for the route is necessarily the same until near the vicinity of the Azores Islands. All those warnings are so evident that if your Majesty orders pilots to be assembled, no matter how little they know, they will agree in their account of this voyage. But the governor and his captains held a council, and it was voted in writing (and all were in accord) that not a single one of the above precautions ought to be taken. The one who is least to blame is the governor, for since it is a matter that is foreign to his profession and the manner in which he has lived until his old age, he took counsel with those who understand it or at least ought to understand it. The latter (some of them in order not to go upon this expedition and the others because they had no further news), gave that opinion to the governor nemine discrepante. Finally, the Englishman will return scotfree to his country on this account, while if there were any energy displayed here (I do not mean the precautions abovesaid, but a ship well equipped), a ship might be sent in pursuit of him as far as England, for he is sailing so carelessly that it would be easy to overtake and capture him.

Many useless expenses to the royal treasury result from the poor administration in many things in the government of these islands, especially in the cost of the ships of this line. All of the ships belong to your Majesty, although they could belong to private persons. In the former year of eighty-five, Captain Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa brought a new ship of three hundred toneladas to the port of this city, in order to freight it for Nueva España; but instead of encouraging and aiding him in it, he was denied all protection, so much so that in order that the ship might not rot in the port, he was obliged to sell it for a certain exploring expedition which was made at your Majesty’s expense by order of the archbishop of Mexico. Consequently, all those who intended to build ships were discouraged. The reason for this is that since the governors engage in trade and traffic, they do not want any ships belonging to private persons where heavy freights have to be paid. It is known what goods are exported and whose they are if they do not belong to your Majesty, and that his merchandise goes under false pretense and that he does not pay so heavy freight duties. Consequently, in order that the governors may gain one real, it must cost your Majesty one hundred. Two of your Majesty’s ships are being despatched this year, one of six hundred toneladas and the other of four hundred, at an expense of more than fifty thousand pesos. It is unnecessary to despatch more than one ship, for one ship of one hundred toneladas is sufficient to bring the ammunition and soldiers to be sent from Mexico. However in order that those two might be laden with merchandise they are sent, and this is one of the incongruities above mentioned. If the merchants of Mexico and of these islands wish commerce they should build ships, and not all carry on their business to the so great harm and loss of the royal treasury. Finally these islands have never been or are of further use than to enrich the governor, and to enable him to gain two hundred thousand ducados, while your Majesty loses ten times as much. Things will constantly get worse in this direction, unless your Majesty orders the matter corrected. I am serving your Majesty as factor and treasurer, but I have no part in anything, for the governor manages things to suit himself. I have always advised your Majesty of these and other incongruities, but no relief has ever been given to anything that I have mentioned touching your royal service, and my letters cannot have had the credit that my faithfulness merits. However, I shall at least have performed my duty as your Majesty’s servant and vassal, and to my conscience.

A stone fort is being built in this city of Manila at the governor’s order and at the cost of the royal treasury and of certain imposts on the Indians and Spaniards. All that is spent in this is time and money lost, for as your Majesty will see by its model, it is a rounded pile of stones in the old style, having seven arms on top, covered with tiling. If it were to be beaten down from above, those inside would perish with the stones and tiles which would fall on them. A modern fortress with three ramparts could be built with the amount that it is costing, and not a defense so useless that any Englishman or Frenchman who might besiege it would take it the first day that he bombarded it. For as I say above, the same ruin that strikes the upper works must be the death-blow of its defenders. Besides that there are some towers with stone houses which are built nearby. The fort has no moat or platform, while the artillery cannot be easily handled, for there are only some round loopholes through which the pieces protrude. Consequently, all parts of the fort cannot be commanded or even one curtain aided from another. It is a shame to us that we are building such a fort. Will your Majesty please order the matter examined and corrected? May our Lord preserve your Majesty many years with the increase of kingdoms and seigniories that we your subjects and vassals desire. Manila, in the Filipinas, July 2, 1588.

Juan Baptista Roman