Sales catalogue 491: Maggs Bros

Date:
1927
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/13/50
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue 491: Maggs Bros. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    43/326 page 33
    CaRDENOSSO (PaDRE T'HoMas)—continued. that none of these ships should be lost . . . and I have frequently heard the pilots of these vessels speak very well of this place. . . . Besides—if any vessel travelling from the Philippines to New Spain were in distress, we of the Mission might help them here and not let them die at the hands of the Indians, as was the fate (still fresh in our memory) of two vessels, which were once lost off these islands, whose passengers were killed by the Indians, after being saved.’’ Ete. 1680 A.D. [42] BESCO (Padre Bartolomé). Manuscript Letters (in Spanish) from the Vice Provincial of the Mariana Islands, in which he gives news of the early days of the Mission. 4 pp., folio. Agadfia (Guam), ist June, 1680. ; £10 tos Translation :—‘‘ I will here communicate briefly the principal events which have taken place in this Mission since the ship ‘San Antonio’ arrived in the Mariana Islands on the 17th June, 1679.”’ He says that he and a few other Padres embarked in some small Indian boats to meet the big ship which was bringing them the supplies they needed, and although they had set out in fine weather, the wind soon began to rise from the south, and, to their consternation, the ship was steadily being driven away from the coast; and they feared it would not be possible to unload the cargo of good things which they awaited. ‘They filled up the launch belonging to this ship, with as many things as they could; but, having approached a good distance towards the shore, the wind again rose, and there were heavy showers and it was both cloudy and dark, which caused them to lose sight of the vessel. Without troubling to land the cargo of supplies, or considering the plight of the inhabitants of these islands, they turned the launch about, heading for the ship, and by sheer dint of hard rowing, arrived there in a very short time, giving as their excuse the bad weather, which left us all very disconsolate. ‘‘ At about this time, our little barque reached the big vessel, and the poor soldiers having left what they had with great difficulty acquired, such as pigs, sheep, fruit, etc., they did not find a single leaf of tobacco, which is greatly prized nowadays, and which they most desired, neither was there anything upon which to expend a single ‘real.’ They therefore loaded the barque with some of the supplies for the mission, and brought aboard some of the people who are coming to stay in the Island, together with Padre Basilio Roulx, Thomas Ballejo, Brother Balthasar Bonies.’? They delayed until nightfall, and travelled all that night with great difficulty, as the wind was against them, but eventually reached the port of Agadiia, ‘‘more dead than alive.”’ Apparently the writer had been able to board the ship with Padres Pedro Comano, Thomas Cardefioso, Lorenzo Bustillo and Manuel Solorzano [later martyred], but had no barque in which to travel ashore.’’ Etc.
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