PORTUGUESE AND SPANIARDS 79 



monopoly in the Moluccas, and the Spaniards determined to 

 make the centre of their Eastern Empire in the group of 

 islands to the North which Magellan had discovered, and 

 in which he had died. In 1545 they founded a colony here, 

 but Portuguese jealousy pursued them, and the plan failed. 

 Once more the attempt was made to return to Mexico by 

 " the coast of Os Papua." " They ranged all along the 

 same, and, because they knew not that Saavedra had been 

 there before, they challenged the honour and fame of that 

 discovery, and because the people there were black and had 

 friseled hair they named it Nueva Guinea, for the memory 

 of Saavedra there was almost lost." x Then in 1564 an The 

 expedition was sent from Mexico under Legaspi, which Spaniards 

 succeeded in founding a flourishing colony in the islands, colony in the 

 which were now named the Philippines in honour of the p h} n PP ines . 

 Spanish King. Manila was founded. The natives were 

 " conquered by arms or by the industry of the monks who 

 sowed the Holy Gospel, in which all laboured valiantly." 

 The famous monk-seaman Urdaneta solved the problem, 

 which had hitherto baffled seamen, of the return voyage to 

 Mexico, and a regular service of ships was established 

 between Manila and Acapulco. It was found possible, by 

 sailing in June, to reach Acapulco in a voyage of five or six 

 months : a long and tedious journey, seeing that the out- 

 ward voyage to Manila could be done in less than three 

 months. But Spanish colonists must get back to Spain. 

 The Portuguese jealously barred the Cape route. It was 

 necessary to sail back Eastward, and "without any better 

 or more speedy way having been discovered by the South 

 Sea, though it has been attempted." So wrote De Morga, 

 ex-lieutenant-governor of the Philippines in 1609. 



The Spanish rule in the Philippines is described by De 

 Morga in enthusiastic detail. 2 He had spent there " eight 

 years (1595-1603) and the best years of my life." He tells 

 and his testimony is accepted by the modern scholar 3 

 of the good government of the Spaniards, their humane and 



1 Galvano, p. 239. 



2 The Philippine Islands, by Antonio de Morga (Hakluyt Society). 



3 See The Philippine Islands from 1493 to 1898, ed. Blair and Robertson. 



