nually been sent to attempt it. On the first arrival
of the Spaniards in these seas they conquered,
in a short time, all the Philippines, excepting the
small island of Sooloo, part of Mindanao, and a few
other very insignificant islands near them, which, to
this period, have not submitted. These Moorish
Indians are certainly very valiant, and their enmity
has been drawn upon us by our own conduct ;
for, instead of following the laudable example of
the first settlers in these islands, who brought the
natives under subjection, principally by the mild
interference of the priesthood, it seems of late
years to have been the object of the Spaniards,
since the great increase of the lucrative commerce
of .Manila, to acquire, by oppression and force,
lands and establishments on these islands, without
any view to conciliate the natives. Those, therefore,
who have been sent on different occasions to
reduce the country, have, instead of attending to
the object of their mission, been solicitous only to
serve their own purposes, considering that as a primary,
which ought to have been a secondary object
; and the natives, profiting by constant experience
in warfare, during which they discovered
that the Spaniards were mortal like themselves,
have at last become very formidable. There can
be no doubt these Indians may be reduced by the
same means employed with the others, that is, by
sending missionaries amongst them, and a sufficient
number of Spanish stations might be established
to command respect. These garrisons ought to
be independent of the governor of Manila, and
ought to have a chief who should reside there, directing
his whole attention to the improvement of
the settlement, by the extension in the country of
Spanish influence, by temperate measures.” *
It were useless and endless to recount all the attempts
made by the Spaniards to subdue the neighbouring
islands, or the invasion and incursions of
the inhabitants of, these upon the Spanish territories.
In 1628 and 1629, two great expeditions
were sent for the conquest of Sooloo, both of which
utterly failed, and in the last the governor lost his
life. In the year 1637, the Spaniards made a temporary
conquest of Sooloo and' Mindanao, which
they were soon compelled to abandon. In 1645,
the Malays of Borneo, and the people of Sooloo,
ravaged the coasts of the Spanish islands, and the
Spaniards committed reprisals, having burnt the
city of Borneo, and carried off many of the inhabitants
as slaves. In the year 1751, the Spaniards
made their last great attempts against Sooloo, and
were disgracefully beaten. The natives of those
islands being joined to their Mahomedan neighbours,
invaded the Philippines in their turn, and
successfully desolated and laid waste the Spanish