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. 13]

I604-1605]

PREFACE

I7

ing the scattered settlements into mission villages - in
Loboc, " more than a thousand souls, gathered from
the mountains and rivers, most of them people reared
in war, robbery, and murder;" and on the Viga River
two wild hill-tribes, who had never before seen a
priest.
Ledesma visits many villages in that island, finding
the people eager to receive baptism, and hospitable
toward the missionaries; and many conversions occur
among the savage and fierce mountain tribes. On
one occasion Ledesma goes, alone and unarmed, to
meet a hostile band (who had never before seen
a Spaniard); and by his gentle and kind demeanor,
and some small gifts, induces them to depart in peace,
after winning their friendship for himself and his
converts. The harvest is great, and more laborers
are greatly needed in that field. This is largely due
to the policy of the missionaries in forming the mission reductions of converts. The savage mountaineers still continue to migrate to these mission
villages; and heathen priestesses are converted to the
faith. In the Bohol mission there are now more than
three thousand Christians. The island is again menaced by the Moro pirates of Mindanao; in 600o they
ravaged other islands, but did little damage in Bohol.
Various citations from missionary reports show the
docility and eagerness of the natives in embracing
the Christian faith.
At the request of the secular priest in charge there,
the district of Tanai (in Negros Island) is placed in
the mission-field of the Jesuits, and Gabriel Sanchez
is transferred thither from Bohol; he is welcomed by
the people. His report contains accounts of numerous conversions and miraculous cures, as well as of