LETTER FROM A CHINESE OFFICIAL TO ACUNA

(Translation of a letter from the inspector-general of Chincheo in the kingdom of China, which was received in this year 1605, addressed to Don Pedro de Acuna, governor and captain-general of the Filipinas Islands.  The address is to the great captain-general of Luzon.  The same letter was sent by the viceroy of Chincheo and the eunuch of the same province; and since they are all three identical, without any discrepancy except in the signatures, this copy stands for all of them.)

Learning that the Chinese who went for purposes of trade to the kingdom of Luzon have been put to death by the Spaniards, I have inquired into the cause of these deaths and have prayed the king that he will do justice upon the person who has been the cause of this great evil, that redress for it may be undertaken and that the merchants may enjoy peace and quietness.  Some years before I came here as inspector, a Sangley, by name Tionez, [sic; sc. Tiognen] [37] went by permission of the king of China with three mandarins to Luzon, searching at Cabite for gold and silver.  The whole thing was a lie, for they found neither gold nor silver; accordingly the king directed this deceiver Tionez to be punished, that the strict justice done in China might be known.

During the time of the preceding viceroy and eunuch, Tiognen and his companion, named Yanlion, told this lie; and I, after I came hither, begged the king to have a copy made of all the documents in the case of Tiognen, and to command the said Tiognen to be brought before him with the record in the case.  I myself saw the aforesaid papers and caused him to see that the whole thing had been a deceit uttered by the said Tiognen.  I wrote to the king declaring that on account of the deceits of the said Tiognen the Castilians had suspected us of intending to make war upon them; and that on this account they had put to death more than thirty thousand Chinese in Luzon!  The king did as I asked him and therefore punished the said Yanglion by ordering him to be killed, and the said Tiognen, by commanding his head to be cut off and suspended in a cage.  The Chinese who were put to death in Luzon were innocent, and I with others discussed this matter with the king, that we might learn what was his will in this grave affair.  There was also another matter of importance to be considered, which was that two English ships had come to this coast of Chincheo, a very dangerous thing for China.  This we did that the king might learn what was to be done in these two matters of such importance.  We also wrote to the king that his Majesty should command the two Sangleys who pointed out this port to the English to be punished.  After we had written the aforesaid letter to the king he answered us that since English vessels had come to China, they should be commanded to go away immediately to Luzon, for fear that they had come for piratical purposes; and