[In December of 1654 is celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin--which was formally proclaimed as a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, December 8, 1854. The celebrations in Manila extend over a number of days, and all take part in them. The papal permission for the feast has been obtained from Innocent X by the entreaty of Felipe IV.]
Wreck at Boronga of the galleon "San Francisco Javier;" and the election of our father Fray Alonso Quijano as provincial.
[The loss of the galleon "San Francisco Javier" in the port of Boronga, in the island of Leyte--one of the best harbors in the Philippines--is keenly felt in the islands; and, together with the putting back in 1655 of the two ships "Victoria" and "Santiago," which had sailed for Nueva España, is provocative of much misery. The people of the first-named vessel are all saved, but all the cargo and money are lost. The Filipinos along that coast are the only gainers of the wreck, for they recover much of the money. The loss is investigated by the auditor, Francisco Samaniego Cuesta, who shows himself unnecessarily severe in his investigations. The wreck is looked upon by people generally as a punishment from Heaven for the cruelties practiced on the natives in the building of the "San Francisco Javier." The islands are reduced to a wretched condition "both for the lack of money (although some was recovered from the 'San Francisco Javier'), and because the reënforcements of infantry were delayed which the governor had requested from the duke of Alburquerque, "who was governing Nueva España; as well as through the fact that trade with China had greatly fallen off, because of the lack of the food which preserves it, namely, Mexican pesos."]
Our father provincial, the lecturer Fray Andres Verdugo, finished the term of his governorship to the universal satisfaction of all because of his great prudence; and all were desirous to reëlect him after the six years had passed, which is the length of time assigned by our rules before the provincial as well as the definitors and visitors can be reëlected. The time for the chapter meeting having arrived, the fathers assembled May 6, 1650, in the convent of Manila. Father Fray José de la Cuesta, the only definitor (as the other three first ones had died) presided over the chapter. As provincial they elected our father Fray Alonso Quijano, a native of Corral de Almaguer in La Mancha, a minister of very long standing in the provinces of Visayas; he was a man of great prudence and wisdom, and great knowledge, and very skilled in the difficult science of commanding. As definitors were elected Fray Dionisio Suárez, the lecturer Fray Baltasar de Herrera [94] (who afterward joined the Order of St. Francis), the father master Fray Lucas Ortiz, [95] and father Fray Juan de Torres. [96] The visitor of the preceding triennium, father Fray Alonso Clemente [97] and Fray Pablo Maldonado, were present. They passed acts very suitable to the excellent administration of the missions in our charge, and for the better observance of our rules.