256 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [VOL. 50 



and then, driven away by inhospitable natives, 1 turned to the shores 

 of China. I think that in this manner a rational explanation of the 

 event may be given. The account of the "Sung shih" is certainly 

 incomplete and abrupt; but how should the Chinese, then entirely 

 ignorant of the far-off Philippine Archipelago, have obtained a more 

 detailed knowledge of a handful of people who paid only a flying 

 and hostile visit to their coast ? But the brief sketch of them show- 

 ing their craving for iron, their mode of fighting, their bold Viking 

 raid, is an ethnographical document of great impressiveness. If 

 the identification of Pi-sia-ye with Visaya is justified, we have here 

 the oldest historical allusion extant to a tribal movement and event 

 of the Philippines. 



A special section in the "Ming shih" is devoted to the Malayan 

 tribe of the P'ing-ka-shi-lan, which I identify with the Pangasinan, 

 who inhabit the western and southern shores of the Bay of Lingayen, 

 on Luzon. Before the Conquest their territory extended much 

 farther northward, but they were gradually repulsed by the Ilocanos. 

 Since 1572 they have been subjected to the Spaniards, and at the 

 present time they are all Catholics. 2 According to the Chinese 

 records as preserved in the "Ming shih" (chap. 323, p. 20), they 

 seem to have formed a small realm of their own in the beginning of 

 the fifteenth century. Their first embassy to China mentioned was 

 despatched in 1406 to the court of the Emperor Yung-lo, whom they 

 presented with excellent horses, silver, and other objects. In return 

 they received paper money and silks. Their second embassy falls 

 two years later, in 1408; and a third was sent in 1410. In the 

 former of these last two embassies the chieftain appeared personally 

 with a large retinue, having selected two men from each village 

 subject to his authority, each of whom led a number of his tribal 

 clan to bring tribute to the court. The Emperor bestowed paper 

 money (ch'ao) on the two sub-chiefs, and six pieces of an open- 

 work variegated silk fabric for coats and linings for a group of a 

 hundred men. Their followers also received gifts. In the same 

 year, 1410, another embassy from the Philippines is mentioned, the 



'Compare especially chapter ix in Davidson's book, "Wrecks and Outrages 

 on Navigators." It must be also remarked that the communication between 

 Formosa and Luzon had no difficulties. According to Davidson (p. 563), the 

 present plains tribes of Formosa, once in prosperous and powerful circum- 

 stances, formerly crossed the Bashee Channel to the south and maintained 

 communication with Luzon. The traveling distance from Formosa to Manila 

 is given by the Chinese to be 60 "watches" (king), i. <?., 6 days and nights 

 (Ming shih, chap. 323, p. 18 b) . 



1 F. Blumentritt, Versuch einer Ethnographic der Philippine!!, pp. 21-22. 



