In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

155 C H A P T E R XVI What happened to me in Manila, and the events that took place with Doctor Antonio de Morga and the Dutch; and what happened to me on the voyage while returning from Manila to Melaka As soon as I arrived in the city of Manila, Our Lord immediately showered me with bountiful blessings, so much so that in a few days I had many ducats and was received very favourably by Governor [Francisco de Tello de Guzmán], who often used me when an opportunity arose to serve the king, and [this] ensured that I made a great fortune, as did all the gentlemen and citizens, no more no less. I sought to establish myself in that city because of the good fortune I had encountered there and since the land was very prosperous and at the same time efficiently governed. With regard to the city, its streets are well laid out and it is walled similarly to the best cities in Europe, with beautiful buildings and palaces. On the outskirts of the city there is a village of heathen Chinese [called Parián]. Their houses are made of planks covered with tiles, in which live more than 40,000 Chinese. They are all merchants and professionals of all mechanical trades, very ingenious and hardworking people, as all the Chinese generally are. However, they are treacherous people: the Spaniards do not trust them, because when the governor, Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas took them on board  Ms. fol. 58 recto–63 recto. The chapter number is absent in the manuscript.  Ms. palacios.  Ms. de las Marinas. 15-16 MJdC.indd 155 10/18/13 11:25:17 AM The Memoirs and Memorials of Jacques de Coutre 156 as crew on his galley when he went to the Malukus they rebelled during the voyage and killed him together with the other Spaniards who were sailing aboard the galley. Even during my stay in the said city, the inhabitants of the outskirts revolted against the Spaniards. On that occasion they also killed the son of the governor—Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas —whose name was Don Luis Pérez; however, the Spaniards, accompanied by the indigenous inhabitants of the land who were loyal to them attacked them and killed more than 12,000 Chinese and they took some 6,000 of them prisoner. For this reason there are no Chinese inhabitants inside the city and they only enter the city to get all their necessary supplies. The indigenous inhabitants are called Luzones; they consist of four different nations. All of them are Christians and they have been taught the doctrine well. They have gold mines but they are lazy and are more inclined to follow an indolent way of life rather than work. They do not wish to extract from the mines more than what they need to pay their tributes. They have a lot of silver, which comes from New Spain, since every year three or four carracks10 come to Manila from the port of Acapulco11 laden with silver and many wares. Many other baxeles come from Melaka and other ports, which ensures that a great deal of bustling trade is carried out by merchants in that city. The indigenous inhabitants are very bellicose: they have proved to be of good military stock for the Spaniards and have been deployed on all occasions.12  Briggs, “Spanish Intervention”, p. 149. It is noted here that these “were Chinese merchants” who had been “impressed into service’. The mutiny took place off Punta del Acufre in 1593.  This is unlikely to be a reference to the Chinese revolt of 1603, as De Coutre would have already left Manila by that time. There were, however, a series of revolts in preceding years, including 1601 and 1602. See also note 7 below.  Ms. de las Marinas. Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas y Ribadeneira had served as the Spanish governor of the Philippines between 1590 and 1593. See also note 7 below.  Don Luis Perez Dasmariñas who had served as Governor of the Philippines between July 1596 and his death during the Sangley Rebellion of 1603. Concerning his death near the town of Tondo, see the report by Don Pedro de Acuña and the Audiencia of Manila, dated 12 December 1603, in PI, XII, p. 143. It is most unlikely that De Coutre would have still been in Manila at the time this Spanish...

Share