Gold in the Philippines. From the notes of Henry G. Hanks [pp. 141-144]

GOLD IN THE PHILIPPINES
dued blacks].... They live there because of
the rich gold mines in those parts, which they gather
and exchange with those of'Illocos and Pangasinan for
tobacco, rice and other commodities. All the Island
of Manila produces gold, abundance of wax, civet,
cotton, sulphur, wild cinnamon, cocoa, etc.
Describing the women of Catandanes, he
adds:
Their hair they tie on the crown of the head,
making a knot like a rose; on their forehead they
wear a plate of massive gold, two fingers broad, lined
with taffeta; in their ears three gold pendants...
There are several rivers dangerous to cross, in whose
channels gold is found, brought down from the mountains by floods running down deep trenches The
biggest of them is called Catandangan, whence the
island took its name.
Gemelli, while on Samar, was told of a substance found on neighboring islandsthat must
have been bitumen, found with petroleum.
They also reported that there was such a vast
quantity of ambergris found there that they made use
of it instead of pitch about their boats, which seems
the more probable considering the abundance of it
thrown up by storms on the said island of Palapa.
F. Antony Borgia of the Society of Jesus and General Procurator for the Philippine islands told me
further, as did Michael Martinez, commander of the
Galeon that carried me to New Spain, that a Christian Indian had found a piece of vast bigness, which
he, not knowing the value of, used as pitch about his
boat; but the curate, who was of the society bought
it at a small rate.
But gold is the chief and greatest treasure, for in
the mountains tlere are rich mines and the rivers have
it mixed in their sands. The Governor of Manila discoursed with me several times upon this point; told
me that in all there is to the value of 200,000 pieces
of eight a year, gathered without the help of fire or
quicksilver, by which it may be guessed what a prodigious quantity would be found did the Spaniards
apply themselves as industriously as they do in America. The first tribute paid to the King, in gold, by
the provinces of Illocos and Pangasinan amounted to
109,000 pieces of eight, for then the Indians applied
themselves more industriously than they do at present,
for fear it should be taken from them. The inhabitants of Mindanao find good gold by digging into the
ground, as also in rivers, making trenches before the
flood... There is sulphur enough in the burning mountains, the most ancient of which is Sanxil, in
the territory of Mindanao.
The name Philippines was given in l1543, by Luis
Lopez de Villalobos, in honor of Prince Philip, the
heir to the crown of Spain.... The ancient
name is uncertain. Some authors affirm that they had
a general name,'Luzones," all taking the name of the
biggest, from wooden mortars, in which the natives
pounded their rice-Luzon meaning the land of mor tars.
Captain Alexander Hamilton in his "Ac count of the East Indies," published in 1727,
says:
Luconia [Luzon ] is the largest of the Philippin e
Islands and is the richest in its productions, for it
affords corn, fruits and roots in great plenty; as well
as wild game and fowls. It produces gold but of low
touch.
This expression "low touch" refers to
its color when rubbed on the touchstone
and compared with the similar mark made
with touch needles of known fineness,
thus revealing its low grade or inferior
fineness.
Monsieur de I'ages was a passenger on
the annual galleon in 1768, from New Spain
to Manila. He says of Samar:
The iron tree, ebony and dyeing wood grow in every
part of the island, and gold dust is found in some
quantity in its more interior regions, but the monks, in
their concern for the morals of the people, have been
careful to get this branch of traffic into their own
hands.... The pearl fisheries and the gold dust
found in the interior parts of the island are also objects of importance.
Middleton, "Complete System of (eography," 1777, has written a chapter on the
Philippine islands in which the following
may be found:
To speak of these islands in a general sense it might
be allowed that they are extremely rich and might be
as serviceable to Spain as their American colonies;
but either through the ignorance of the Spanish ministry, or neglect of the Court of Spain. they have
hitherto been rather a burthen than a benefit. That
they might be a source of great wealth to their possessors will appear evident to those who consider that
they produce great quantities of gold and other
metals.... Masbate lies to the westward of
Tandaya, is ninety miles in circumference and abounds
in gold, civit, wax, etc.... Luconia or Manila
is the largest of the Philippines: it is four hundred
miles long by one hundred and eighty in breadth, it is
deemed more healthy than any other of the Philippines. It has many mountains which contain gold.
Abbe Rynall's "History of the Settlements
and Trade of Europeans in the East and
West Indies," 1783, (II., 217) says:
There are incontestable proofs that in the earliest
times the Spaniards sent over to America large quantities of gold found in the rivers by the natives of the
country. If the quantity they can now collect does
not exceed twelve hundred weight this must be imputed to the tyranny of the Spaniards who will not
suffer them to reap the benefit of their own industry.
M. de Guignes bears similar testimony
after a visit to the islands in 1796:
Mines of gold exist, but these are not wrought; the
only portion of this metal is obtained in small grains
washed down by the rivers; the islands are subject to
earthquakes.... Bothal produces palm trees
and some gold... In Manila the inhabitants
collect some gold from the rivers.... Parecala
has mines of gold and produces loadstones...
Illocos. on the western coast of Manila island, is watered by the River Bigan, and the last is bounded by
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