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]

24

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 13

Manila) as being equally vicious and dangerous.
For all these reasons, he causes a secret investigation
to be made of the whole matter, which he has not
been able to induce the governor to do. Further
testimony to the same effect is given by several witnesses. Talavera, a cura of the natives in Manila,
states that he has been told that the Mindanao pirates
were incited to hostilities by the Chinese; also that
the archbishop had repeatedly striven, but in vain,
to correct the evils arising from the proximity of the
natives to these vicious foreigners. A sworn statement by Francisco de Avila (June I5) is appended,
showing that Chinese were then residing in the
houses of prominent citizens of Manila. A letter
is written (March, I605) by the officials of the
Chinese province of Chincheo, to Governor Acunia,
demanding investigation of the late Sangley revolt
at Manila and redress for the killing of so many
Chinese.
The leading Augustinians at Manila send to the
king (May 4) a formal complaint against Fray Lorenso de Le6n, whom they charge with arbitrary and
illegal acts, and with scheming to gain power in
the order, and with forcing his own election as provincial. They ask the king to induce the papal nuncio to revoke Fray de Le6n's authority, and to send
a visitor to regulate the affairs of the order in the
islands. This request is supported by a brief letter
from the commissary of the Inquisition (a Dominican). One of the Augustinian officials signing the
above document, Joan de Tapia, writes another and
personal letter to the king, giving further accounts
of Fray de Le6n's illegal acts and general unfitness for his office. Tapia also accuses him and