“ In their selection, the editors have resorted to the fountain-Researches made in Spanish archives and foreign libraries for unknown books and manuscriptshead. Manuscripts have been copied from the great Spanish archives at Madrid, Simancas, Seville, etc., and many libraries in this and foreign countries have been and will be visited in the hope of discovering new material relative to the Philippines. The archives at Seville are the fullest, and contain the richest treasures in Philippina; and naturally they have been consulted more than others. ”

“ The man of commerce who plans to embark in new ventures in the Philippines needs to know the conditions New ventures in the Philippines, and the natural resources and possibilities of such enterprises, and the the natural resources of those islands, and what has already been accomplished toward their development; accordingly he will profit much by the study of the material afforded by this series. ”

“ Occasional copies of other early works have been found, notwithstanding their great rarity, in the large reference libraries of the United States, mainly at Harvard and Lenox: and it is a matter of just pride to Americans that in our libraries may be found copies of some works which are rarities in foreign libraries, sometimes even in those of Spain. Among these is the Chirino, one of the rarest Jesuit Chirino's Relacion de las Islas Filipinas (Roma, 1604) , described by Quaritch in 1901 as "one of the rarest of books on the Philippines;" ”

“ The plan of publishing detailed accounts of navigators, explorers, and officials, lay and ecclesiastical, drawn directly from original documents, will give your work permanent historical value, and enable us all to form a solid and correct judgment on the work done by Spain and the great religious orders in the far East. Nothing could be more timely or more important. ”

“ Indispensable in colleges universities, historical societies and to scholars, historians, etc. and to the private libraries of scholars, historians and collectors. Attention is again called to the Bibliography of Philippina, which is one of the unique and specially valuable features of this work; it will include not only printed books bearing upon the subject, Unique bibliography but many interesting manuscript documents which are contained in Spanish archives, which limited space will not allow to be included in this series. ”

“ The illustrations for this series will be chosen with direct reference to their historical importance, and will consist of portraits, views, Illustrations of historical importance, from Spanish originals, manuscripts, etc.maps and plans, facsimiles of writing, etc. Some of the portraits and views will be photographic reproductions from original paintings existing in libraries, archives, and convents in Spain, some of these works of art being of great value. Maps and plans will be reproduced not only from books, but from manuscripts in various archives and libraries at home and abroad. ”

“ One is divided between admiration of the enterprise and audacity of the undertaking, and satisfaction in the prospect of having available in the English language such a mine of information about the islands and their people. ”

“ Of vital interest at the present time when a correct knowledge is absolutely necessary Coming before the public at this time, when one of the most important questions before the American people is that of our retention of the Philippines and our relations with their inhabitants, this work is of vital interest to all classes. ”

“ Other rare works are Aduarte's Historia de la provincia del Santo Rosario de Filipinas (Madrid, 1640) , Combés's Historia de las Islas de Mindanao, Jolo, etc. (Madrid, 1667) , and the Historia de la provincia de Philipinas (Manila, 1749) of the great Jesuit geographer, Murillo Velarde. Jesuit missionaries Several letters by Jesuit missionaries are selected from Lettres édifiantes (Paris, 1717–76) ; and some documents are taken from Retana's Archivo del bibliófilo Filipino (Madrid, 1895–98) , as being good reproductions of valuable manuscripts in Spanish archives. ”

“ As the Philippine Islands occupy so large a place in the attention of the nation, and indeed of the whole world, your projected work, in which you propose to tell the story of their gradual evolution from utter barbarism to their present state, will undoubtedly arouse very great interest. ”

“ Notes—geographical, historical, ethnological, etc.The text will be further elucidated by careful annotations regarding the geography, history, and ethnology of the Philippines, with information linguistic, scientific, and biographical which will greatly enhance the value of the work to its readers. The researches made by the editors will be supplemented Contributions by well-known scholars and specialists by special contributions from eminent scholars, well known in their respective fields. ”

“ The American people realizes its responsibility, but is at a loss to know what should be done, as so much uncertainty exists as to the conditions."—Paul S. Reinsch, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin. ”

“ EXPLORATIONS by early Navigators, descriptions of the Islands and their Peoples, their History, and records of the Catholic Missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial, and religious conditions of those Islands from their earliest relations with European Nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century.
(Translated from the rare originals (Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, etc.) , many of which are now published for the first time ”

“ It is confidently expected that this matter, thus presented, will throw light on present conditions in the archipelago, both secular and ecclesiastical, and thus aid in the solution of the difficult questions now confronting the American people in the Philippines. The material from which this series is compiled consists of both manuscript and printed documents. In the selection of manuscripts great care has been observed; and noImportant manuscripts now first published effort has been spared to make this selection as full and representative as possible. ”

“ Early documents reprintedA few of the earliest documents will be given, for the benefit of scholars, in bilingual form—the original text appearing with a page-for-page English version. The translations are being made in a careful and scholarly manner by Scholarly translations by capable linguists capable linguists, and great pains are being taken to give the most accurate rendering of the various languages of the originals. Disputed points are in all cases referred to eminent specialists, both secular and ecclesiastical. ”

“ Loarca translation) will be found invaluable as giving the earliest and best record of Magellan's voyage of discovery. The relation (1580) of Miguel Loarca, a Spanish goverment official, will prove of great social and economic value. The numerous letters and reports from missionaries will present important information along all lines, religious and secular. These manuscripts are to be presented to the public chiefly through English translation ”

“ We hope to be able to issue the volumes at closer intervals after the first six months, but should we do so, it will be optional with each subscriber whether he takes them as published or continues at a volume per month.
Binding. The set will be strongly and neatly bound in the best imported cloth, uncut, top edges gilt. ”

“ But many other archives and many libraries are rich in this material; and in one case a document was discovered and rescued from oblivion,Manuscripts gathered from Portugal, France England, Italy, Mexico, and Philippines the existence of which was previously unknown to even the officials. Researches have been made in Portugal, France, and England; and farther investigations are being made in all those archives, as well as in those of Italy and Mexico, and in the Philippines. These researches are under the direction of one of the editors, Mr. ”

“ MS. in Museo-Biblioteca de Ultramar, Madrid.] 1565 Posesion de la Isla de Cibabao—Feb. 15, 1565. [MS. in Seville archives.] 1565 Vando para que se manifieste el oro sacado de las sepulturas de los indios—May 16, 1565. [MS. at Seville.] 1565 Carta de Miguel Lopez de Legazpi a la S. C. R. Magd. del Rey.—May 27, 1565. [MS. at Seville.] 1565 [Letter signed by Legazpi and other officials of the Philippines—June, 1565. MS. at Seville.] Undated. Memoria de los rescates y municiones que se pidieron a Nueva Espana, para enviar al campo de S. M. que reside en el puerto de Cubu. [MS. at Seville.] ”

“ July 5, 1576. 1578 [Bull regarding erection of cathedral at Manila—Feb. 6.] 1579 [Royal decree for religious establishments—May 13.] 1580 *Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas, su descubrimiento, poblaciones de espanoles, usos y costumbres de sus naturales, etc.—de Loarca (Spanish official) . [MS. at Seville.] 1580 [Decree concerning offices of cathedral at Manila—May 25.] 1582 Carta al virrey de Nueva Espana sobre lo sucedido con unos navios Japones—Juan Bautista Roman (factor in the. Philippines) ; June 25. [MS. at Seville.] 1582 Indulgencia a los Dominicanos al partir para Filipinas—Gregory XIII ”

“ May 3. 1493 Bull, Inter caetera [granting privileges enjoyed by Portugal to Spain] —Alexander VI; May 4. 1493 Bull, Extension de la concesion y donacion Apostolica de las Indias—Alexander VI; Sept. 25. 1494 [Extract from Treaty of Tordesillas, between Spain and Portugal] —June 7. 1501 Bull, Eximiae—Alexander VI; Nov. 16. 1514 Bull, Praecelsae—Leo X; Nov. 3. [Extract.] 1518–19 [Synopsis of early documents on Magellan’s expedition.] 1519 * [Letter of king of Castile to king of Portugal, concerning line of demarcation—Feb. 28. Original MS. in the Torre do Tombo, Lisbon.] ”