Letter Of The Commissary-general Of Chincheo To Don Pedro De Acuña, Governor Of The Philippines

Letter Of The Commissary-general Of China To Don Pedro De Acuña

To the powerful Captain-General of Luson.

The Chinese who moved to the kingdom of Luzon to trade were murdered by the Spaniards. I have investigated the motives for these massacres and begged the King to exercise justice on the murderers with a view to security in the future.

In former years, before my arrival here as royal commissioner, a Chinese merchant named Tioneg, together with 3 mandarins, went with the permission of the King of China from Luzon to Cavite, to prospect for gold and silver.

It appears to have been an excuse, for he found neither gold nor silver. I thereupon prayed the King to punish this impostor Tioneg, thereby making patent the strict justice which is exercised in China.

It was during the administration of the ex-Viceroy and Eunuchs that Tioneg and his companion, named Yanglion, uttered the untruth already stated. Subsequently I begged the King to transmit all the papers bearing upon the matter, together with the minutes of Tioneg’s accusation.

Because of the untruth from Tioneg, the Castilians suspected that the Emperor of China wished to make war on them. This is why they murdered more than 30,000 Chinese in Luzon.

The Emperor, complying with my request, punished the accused Yanglion without putthing him to death. Neither was Tioneg beheaded or confined in a cage.

The Chinese who had settled in Luzon were in no way to blame.

I and others discussed this with the King in order to ascertain what his pleasure was in this matter, as well as in another, namely, the arrival of two English ships on the coast of Chincheo (Fukien) a very dangerous circumstance for China; and to obtain His Majesty’s decision as to both these most serious matters.

CHINESE ROYAL COMMISSIONER’S LETTER

“We also wrote to the King that he should direct the punishment of both these Chinese ; and, in acknowledging our communication, he replied to us, in respect of the English ships which had arrived in China, that in case they had come for the purpose of plundering, they should be immediately commanded to depart thence for Luzon; and, with regard to the Luzon difficulty, that the Castilians should be advised to give no credence to rogues and liars from China ; and both the Chinese who had discovered the harbour to the English should be executed forthwith ; and that in all other matters upon which we had written to him, our will should be his. Upon receipt of this message by us— the Viceroy, the Eunuch, and myself—we hereby send this our message to the Governor of Luzon, that his Excellency may know the greatness of the King of China and of his Kingdom, for he is so powerful that he commands all upon which the sun and moon shine, and also that the Governor of Luzon may learn with what great wisdom this mighty kingdom is governed, and which power no one for many years has attempted to insult, although the Japanese have sought to disturb the tranquillity of Coria, which belongs to the Government of China. They did not succeed, but on the contrary were driven out, and Coria has remained in perfect security and peace, which those in Luzon well know by report.

“ Years ago, after we learnt that so many Chinese perished in Luzon on account of Tioneg’s lies, many of us mandarins met together, and resolved to leave it to the consideration of the King to take vengeance for so great a massacre ; and we said as follows:-

The country of Luzon is a wretched one, and of very little importance.

It was at one time only the abode of devils and serpents.

Only because (within the last few years) so large a number of Chinese went thither for the purpose of trading with the Castilians has it improved to such an extent; in which improvement the accused Sangleyes materially assisted by hard labour, the walls being raised by them, houses built, and gardens laid out, and other matters accomplished of the greatest use to the Castilians; and now the question is, why has no consideration been paid for these services, and these good offices acknowledged with thanks, without cruelly murdering so many people ?

We wrote to the Emperor 2-3 times on these circumstances. He answered us that he was indignant about the before-mentioned occurrences. He has 3 reasons why we should not seek revenge nor wage war against Luzon.

1. The Castilians have been friends of the Chinese for a long time

2. No one can predict whether the Castilians or the Chinese would be victorious

3. Those whom the Castilians have killed were wicked people, ungrateful to China, their native country, their elders, and their parents, as they have not returned to China now for many years.

The Emperor valued these Chinese but little.

He commanded the Viceroy, the Eunuch, and myself, to send this letter through those messengers, so that all in Luzon may know that the Emperor of China has a generous heart, great forbearance, and much mercy, in not declaring war against Luzon.

His justice is indeed manifest, as he has already punished the liar Tioneg.

The Spaniards are wise and intelligent. How does it happen that they are not sorry for having massacred so many people, feeling no repentance thereat, and also are not kinder to those of the Chinese who are still left?

Then when the Castilians show a feeling of good-will, and the Chinese and Sangleyes who are left after the dispute return, and the indebted money is repaid, and the property which was taken from the Sangleyes restored, then friendship will again exist between this kingdom and that, and every year trading-ships shall come and go; but if not, then the King will allow no trading, but on the contrary will at once command a thousand ships of war to be built, manned with soldiers and relations of the slain, and will, with the assistance of other peoples and kingdoms who pay tribute to China, wage relentless war, without quarter to any one ; and upon its conclusion will present the kingdom of Luzon to those who do homage to China.

“ This letter is written by the Visitadór-General on the 12th of the second month.”

A contemporary letter of the Governor of Japan forms a somewhat notable contrast:

LETTER OF DAIFUSAMA, THE GOVERNOR OF JAPAN

To the Governor Don Pedro de Acuña, in 1605

I have received two letters from you as well as all the donations and presents described in the inventory.

Amongst them was the wine made from grapes, which I enjoyed very much. In former years your Excellency requested that 6 ships might come here, and recently four, which request I have always complied with.

I was greatly displeased when 1 of the 4 ships acting on your behalf, the one from Antonio, made the journey without my permission.

This was very audacious and disrespectful to me.

Does your Excellency wish to send that ship to Japan without my permission?

Independently of this, you and others have many times discussed your interests in Japan. These requests I have rejected.

This territory is called Xincoco, which means “consecrated to Idols,’ which have been honoured with the highest reverence from the days of our ancestor until now, and whose actions I alone can neither undo nor destroy.

This is why your laws should not be promulgated and spread over Japan.

If, in consequence of these misunderstandings, your Excellency’s friendship with the kingdom of Japan should cease, and with me likewise, it must be so, for I must do that which I think is right, and nothing which is contrary to my own pleasure.

Finally, I have heard it frequently said, as a reproach, that many Japanese-wicked, corrupt men-go to your kingdom, remaining there many years, and then return to Japan.

This makes me angry. You should not allow such persons to return in the ships which trade here.