The Expedition of Don Luiz to Cambodia

Through this news from Camboja, we learned of the good result attained by Diego Belloso and Blas Ruys.

It was thought difficult to raise the forces needed to establish the Camdbojan king Prauncar.

So Don Luys offered to make this expedition at his own expense with those men who chose to follow him.

The theologians and jurists wanted to ask Camboja to help them conquer Champa as well.

This was because the Champan usurper had committed many other crimes, murders, and thefts, on the Portuguese and other nations.

The governor and president, Governor Don Francisco Tello, held a consultation with the Audiencia and others—religious and captains—on what to do.

They agreed to Don Luys’ plan.

He was to take the men at his own expense, with commission and papers from the governor for affairs of government and war, and provisions from the Audiencia for the administration of justice.

He began preparing ships, men, and provisions, in order to sail as soon as possible.

Governor Tello also despatched Don Joan de Çamudio with a moderate-sized ship to China to buy saltpeter and metals for the royal magazines of Manila.

Don Joan reached Canton and was treated cordially by the viceroy.

The Portuguese residing in Macan near the city of Canton, made many efforts to prevent the viceroy from admitting the Spanish.

The Castilians were assigned a port on the same coast, El Pinal [Pine Grove]. It was 12 leguas from the city of Canton.

They could always enter and make a settlement of their own.

They were given sufficient chapas [i.e., edicts or passports of safety] and provisions therefor.

Thereupon Don Joan de Çamudio, entered El Pinal with his ship and there he was furnished with everything needful by the Chinese at a moderate price while the Spaniards went to and fro on the river upon their business to Canton in lorchas [106] and champans.

Don Luys Dasmariñas:

• equipped 2 moderate-sized ships and a galliot
• collected 200 unemployed men for this enterprise to Camboja
• supplied the necessary provisions, ammunition, and equipment on his ships
• was joined by:
  • Fray Alonso Ximenez and Fray Aduarte of the Order of St. Dominic
  • Fray Joan Bautista of the Order of St. Francis
  • some Japanese
  • natives of Manila

He left Manila in mid July 1598.

As soon as the fleet left the bay, it was so buffeted by the weather that it could not fetch the port of Bolinao or hold the sea.

The flagship sprung a leak, and the ships returned to the mouth of the bay above Miraveles, [108] where they stayed several days refitting.

When the weather moderated they set sail again, but again they were buffeted so violently that the ships were separated from one another, and the galliot—the weakest of them—with difficulty made the port of Cagayan.

Quite dismantled and very necessitous, it entered by the bar of Camalayuga to the city of Segovia, which is at the head of the island of Luzon opposite Great China.

There the alcalde-mayor of that province furnished it the necessary provisions and tackle.

Captain Luis Ortiz, who commanded this galliot, together with 25 Spaniards and some Indians, hastened preparations for their departure and again left that port to rejoin the fleet which he had to follow, according to his instructions, making for the bar of the river of Camboja which was their destination.

He had scarcely left Cagayan, when the almiranta entered the port in the same distress as the galliot. It was also detained some days to refit. Then it left again to rejoin the flagship and the galliot.

The flagship being a stronger vessel kept the sea with difficulty.

The storm lasted a long time, it was compelled to run towards China near Macau.

There it was many times in danger of shipwreck, and parts of the cargo were thrown away daily.

The almiranta, after having been refitted, left Cagayan, made the same voyage in the same storm, and anchored near the flagship, where it was lost with some men and its entire cargo. [109]

The flagship did its best to rescue those who escaped from the almiranta, and although the former kept afloat several days, at length it grounded near the coast.

There it began to leak so badly that, with that and the strong sea which struck it broadside, the vessel went to pieces.

The ship’s boat had already been lost. So they made rafts and prepare framework and planks on which Don Luis and the religious and crew—in all 120 Spaniards—went ashore.

They brought away from the said ship a few of the most valuable objects, the weapons, and the most manageable pieces of artillery, abandoning the rest as lost.

All of the Spaniards were so soaked and in so ill a plight that some Chinese who came to the coast, from some neighboring towns, both from compassion felt for their loss and on account of having been given certain things that had been brought away from the wreck, provided them with food and with a native vessel of small burden in which to leave that place and make for Macan and Canton, which were not far.

As soon as Don Luis and his men sighted Macan, the former sent two soldiers of his company in Chinese vessels to the city and settlement of the Portuguese to announce their arrival and hardships, in order to obtain some help from them.

He sent 2 other soldiers to Canton to ask the viceroy or tuton for assistance and protection, so that they might equip themselves in, and sail from, China, in prosecution of their voyage.

The people of Macan and their chief captain Don Pablo of Portugal received the Castilians so ill that they were thrown into prison and not allowed to return to Don Luis.

To the latter they sent word warning him to leave the coast immediately, as they would treat them all no less ill.

When the Portuguese learned that Captain Hernando de los Rios [110] and one of his companions had gone to Canton for the same purpose, they at once sent 2 Portuguese, members of their council and magistracy [camara and regimiento] to oppose their entry into China.

The people from Don Joan’s ship defended themselves against the calumnies and pretensions of the Portuguese.

Don Joan de Çamudio met Don Luis and provided them with the things that they needed – moderate-sized junk, on which he embarked with some of his men, and the artillery and goods which had been saved.

Don Joan de Çamudio left El Pinal, leaving Don Luis Dasmariñas and his men in 1599. Hereached Manila in 12 days.

After him, Don Luis sent Alférez Francisco Rodrigues with 3 companions to Manila in a small champan to ask for a better ship.

So a moderate-sized ship was purchased and despatched from Manila to E1 Pinal with provisions and other things, under Alférez Francisco Rodrigues.