An Historical View of the Philippine Islands - The Original Classic Edition

This is a new and freshly published edition of this culturally important work by Martinez de Zuniga, which is now, at last, again available to you.

Enjoy this classic work today. These selected paragraphs distill the contents and give you a quick look inside An Historical View of the Philippine Islands:

The established intercourse of these islands with Japan and China offers a ready transit for [vii]manufactures; and although it is understood that the East India Company furnishes an adequate supply of our woollen staple to the China market, we may yet fairly expect that British enterprize will not overlook the advantages which the opening of the India trade holds out in this quarter; nor will the introduction of British manufactures into these islands, either with an ultimate view to the above markets, or to those of Spanish America, in any material degree interfere with the staple trade of the Company: there is full scope for adventure in this new vineyard, and labourers will not be wanting.

. . . The translator has found him too often occupying his pages with contentions between the respective religious orders, insignificant in their nature even to a Spaniard, and so much more so to the English reader, that he has taken the liberty of altogether omitting them in the translation, except where connected with the political affairs of the settlement; and although by these means several of the chapters are reduced to almost nominal importance; yet considering the division of the subject in this form as adopted on fair grounds by the author, he [ix]hopes he will be deemed justifiable in retaining it even with the sacrifice of something of appearance.

. . . It is certainly consonant to reason to presume that the aborigines,