The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; 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, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 36]

1649-1666] RECOLLECT MISSIONS, I646-60

II7

for that was a very strong work and dominated the
fortress. Consequently, he thought that it was a
necessary precaution to destroy it. Thereupon the
governor called a meeting of auditors, judges, and
officials of the royal treasury; and on the nineteenth
of December, 1647, they despatched a general order
to all the alcaldes-mayor commanding that the stone
churches and convents built along the sea shore be
demolished. The reason given was that if the
Dutch succeeded in capturing them in their invasions, they would find in them forts enabling them
to continue their raids with greater persistency.
Already the said captain had been withdrawn from
Tandag and Don Juan Garcia appointed in his
place when that order from the royal Audiencia
was received. He called a meeting of Captains
Juan de Sabata and Don Marcos de Resines, also
summoning Sargento-mayor Don Andres Curto and
the same alcalde-mayor who had been at Tandag -
of whom he did not yet even know that he had
given the said report. They recognized that the
church could be burned and pulled down in less than
six hours, in case the Dutch came; for its walls were
built of the weakest kind of stone and the roof of nipa,
which is as combustible as straw. On the other hand,
they saw the Indian natives somewhat sad and feared
that they would take to the mountains in flight in
order not to be forced to work at a new building.
Therefore they resolved, by common consent, to suspend the execution [of the order] until those reasons
could be represented in the royal Audiencia, and the
most advisable measures taken for the service of both
Majesties.
236. Don Diego Faxardo and the royal assembly