GOVERNOR FRANCISCO RAMON DE VILLALOBOS
Governor Villalobos served as governor of the Mariana Islands from 1831- 1837. Safford writes about Villalobos in his book, "Useful Plants of Guam," page 33-36:
"On December 17, 1828, new regulations were issued by Don Mariano Ricafort, the captain-general of the Philippines, for the government of the Marianne Islands; and Don Francisco Ramon Villalobos, captain in the royal corps of artillery, was sent thither to study the condition of affairs in that group, with a view of reporting upon them and making such suggestions as he might see fit for the improvement of the islands and the people. Instead of sending his correspondence through the governor, he communicated directly with the captain general of the Philippines, as may be seen by his letter books in the archives atAgana.
"In the new regulations Article II provided for the absolute liberty of trade and for the abolishing of dues paid by vessels arriving at the islands. The object of this was to stimulate the application and the industry of the natives and inhabitants of the Marianne Islands, so that they might attain greater prosperity, even to such an extent, perhaps, as to become self -supporting. Villalobosbelonged to that school of economists who believe " wealth" and '' money" to be synonymous terms, estimating the wealth of a country by the amount of coin it contains, and holding that trade should be restrained in such a manner as to prevent money from being sent out of the country. He writes to the captain-general as follows:
"On December 17, 1828, new regulations were issued by Don Mariano Ricafort, the captain-general of the Philippines, for the government of the Marianne Islands; and Don Francisco Ramon Villalobos, captain in the royal corps of artillery, was sent thither to study the condition of affairs in that group, with a view of reporting upon them and making such suggestions as he might see fit for the improvement of the islands and the people. Instead of sending his correspondence through the governor, he communicated directly with the captain general of the Philippines, as may be seen by his letter books in the archives atAgana.
"In the new regulations Article II provided for the absolute liberty of trade and for the abolishing of dues paid by vessels arriving at the islands. The object of this was to stimulate the application and the industry of the natives and inhabitants of the Marianne Islands, so that they might attain greater prosperity, even to such an extent, perhaps, as to become self -supporting. Villalobosbelonged to that school of economists who believe " wealth" and '' money" to be synonymous terms, estimating the wealth of a country by the amount of coin it contains, and holding that trade should be restrained in such a manner as to prevent money from being sent out of the country. He writes to the captain-general as follows:
'The lack of circulation of coin is the cause of the very small interior and exterior trade of this territory, which consists almost entirely in bartering certain goods for others, with the countless difficulties arising therefrom which caused the establishment of money by our remote ancestors. This same cause has prevented the natives from de"licating themselves exclusively to one branch of industry or trade, each family finding itself obliged to engage in all occupations according to its needs, with the consequent imperfection and scarcity resulting therefrom, and, finally, as it is not possible for a single person or family to procure for itself as many articles and resources as are necessary for its nourishment, clothing, and conveniences, these natives have lacked the advantages enjoyed by other countries, in which the free circulation of money secures for them everything needful.
'It is evident, then, in order that the Marianne Islands may issue from so sad a plight, it is indispensable that there should be in them iin abundance of money, and as long as this is not the case, whether, as in the former system, little comes in and soon goes out, or whether great sums come in and go out immediately, as will happen in the present system, the evil will always be the same or nearly the same. At present there are in the Marianne Islands no articles of export to attract the attention of the foreigner but some edibles or beverages made from the coconut palm. Freedom of trade once estabUshed, it would introduce many articles, and the few things produced by the country would not suffice to pay for them, so that the difference would have to be made good in money. From this it would follow that money paid for salaries would remain here only temporarily; the country would be merely a channel through which the money from the royal treasury would flow to foreign parts with no hope of its return. The Mariannes would be deprived of the spirit of agriculture and industry, which I think ought, in a certain degree, to come before commerce, and the islands would be no less poverty stricken than they have been up to the present time. '
'It is evident, then, in order that the Marianne Islands may issue from so sad a plight, it is indispensable that there should be in them iin abundance of money, and as long as this is not the case, whether, as in the former system, little comes in and soon goes out, or whether great sums come in and go out immediately, as will happen in the present system, the evil will always be the same or nearly the same. At present there are in the Marianne Islands no articles of export to attract the attention of the foreigner but some edibles or beverages made from the coconut palm. Freedom of trade once estabUshed, it would introduce many articles, and the few things produced by the country would not suffice to pay for them, so that the difference would have to be made good in money. From this it would follow that money paid for salaries would remain here only temporarily; the country would be merely a channel through which the money from the royal treasury would flow to foreign parts with no hope of its return. The Mariannes would be deprived of the spirit of agriculture and industry, which I think ought, in a certain degree, to come before commerce, and the islands would be no less poverty stricken than they have been up to the present time. '
"Don Francisco goes on to make the following suggestions:
'First, considering the impossibility of preventing the arrival of foreigners in these islands, they should be obliged to pay at least the established anchorage dues; second, industry and agriculture on the part of the natives should be fostered, obliging them, on their own account and for their own benefit, to engage in producing objects easy of exportation, such as dyewood, indigo, cotton, tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl, arrowroot, and beches de mer, and in the breeding of animals, the more extensive cultivation of land, and the production of wines, brandies, sugar, and other articles " all in accordance with the regulations of good government " which will not be hard to formulate according to the system in force in the Visayan Islands; third, the said freedom of trade will allow the natives to sell their goods, as will be seen; fourth, the royal treasury will continue to send half of the appropriation for the pay of the forces on the island in goods at prices as moderate as practicable; and fifth and last, if national or foreign vessels arrive with articles of commerce, they shall take away with them the equivalent of what they leave in the country in products of the island, and, if they do not wish the latter, they shall be sent away.'
"He also suggests that the proceeds from the port dues be applied in part to the payment of premiums to persons who have most excelled in some branch of industry or agriculture or who have been of some benefit to the public.
"By these methods [says Villalobos], sustained with constancy and intelligence and favored by the docility and good disposition which I observe in the inhabitants of these islands, I believe that the day will really come in which the Marianas will have much money, many goods; that they may without difficulty be self-supporting, like other Provinces; that ships will concur, and that all amplitude desired will be given to trade.
"Villalobos did much to benefit the people of Guam. In his official letters to his chief he reports, among other things, the segregation of lepers and provision for their care and comfort; the appointment of hunters to supply the leper hospital with fresh meat by killing wild hogs and cattle; his efforts to encourage commerce, so that Guam may derive profit, like the Hawaiian Islands, from the visiting whalers; the vaccination of the natives as a protection against smallpox; the reorganization of the urban militia; proposed reforms in the administration of the college for the education of native children; efforts to promote the cultivation of coffee, ''which article may be the wealth of this country;" the condition of agriculture on the island; the preparation of the large marsh east of Agana for the cultivation of rice; the injuries to maize caused by rats and weevils, and the consequent restriction of its cultivation to amounts barely sufficient for the needs of each family; the substitution of taro and yams for maize, when the latter has been destroyed by hurricanes, and the use of plantains and bananas as food staples instead of bread; the cultivation of sweet potatoes for supplying visiting ships; the excellence of the pineapples and the use made of pineapple fiber; the fine quality of Guam tobacco, and the means employed to keep the plants free from worms; the introduction of manila hemp and the failure to make it profitable; the cultivation of eggplants, red peppers, tomatoes, squashes, watermelons, muskmelons, and peanuts in the natives' gardens; the scarcity of sugar cane on the island; the importance of the coconut palm, and the manufacture from it of toddy, vinegar, yeast, brandy, oil, syrup, fiber, and thatch for houses; the importance of breadfruit, both sterile and fertile, as a food staple; the manufacture of fecula, like arrowroot, from nuts of "federico" (Cycas circinalis); the yield of betel nuts from Areca palms, growing spontaneously on the islands; the manufacture of mats, hats, and lashings from the leaves of Pandanus; the scarcity of mango trees and sappan wood (used for dyeing); the abundance of achiote or arnotto (Bixa orellana) and the cultivation of the orange, lemon, lime, citron, bergamot, custard apple, tamarind, papaya, carambola, island arrowroot, and turmeric. He also reports on the wild and domestic animals, and states that on the neighboring islands of Saipan and Tinian there are thousands of cattle and swine roaming in the woods.
"Villalobos erected a kiln for making pottery and tiles, paying the cost of it partly from his own pocket. He also made charts of the island at his own expense, and superintended in person the construction of bridges and the repairing of roads, stimulating the workmen by fees and small gratuities. In consequence of mutinies and acts of insubordination on the part of crews of ships in the harbor, England proposed to establish a consulate either at Guam or in the Bonin Islands. Villalobos objected to this, saying that if there were an English consul at Guam questions might arise leading to international complications, which might perhaps result in the loss of the island. On the other hand, if a consulate were established in the Bonin Islands, the whaling fleet would assemble there to the detriment of the natives of Guam, who derived much benefit from trading with the said vessels. He proposed that an arrangement be made whereby the British Government would authorize the governor of the Mariannes to act in settling cases of mutiny and the like. He also recommended the establishment of a store of marine supplies by either one of the two governments, and called attention to the immense advantages of the presence of many ships at Guam with liberty to trade with the islanders, the governor being prohibited from engaging in trade of any kind. Orders having been issued to collect import duties from the ships coming to Guam, Villalobos informed the captain-general that it would bo practically impossible to carry out the provisions of the decree. He stated that if guards were placed on board the ships, the cost of maintaining them would exceed the amount received for duties. If not guards were stationed the duties would be imaginary, on account of the bad faith of those who sold and their lack of "delicacy." Moreover, if it should come to light that a sale had been secretly made and the corresponding duties on the same be exacted from a foreign captain, his pride and insolence would be apt to compromise the dignity of the authorities beyond all bearable limits or bring about disagreeable consequences resembling perhaps an unhappy affair between the ex-Governor Ganga-Herrero and an English captain. Mr. Stavers, who in 1824, died from injuries received while resisting arrest. In view of these difficulties Villalobos on his own authority ventured to grant free trade between visiting ships and the islanders."
"By these methods [says Villalobos], sustained with constancy and intelligence and favored by the docility and good disposition which I observe in the inhabitants of these islands, I believe that the day will really come in which the Marianas will have much money, many goods; that they may without difficulty be self-supporting, like other Provinces; that ships will concur, and that all amplitude desired will be given to trade.
"Villalobos did much to benefit the people of Guam. In his official letters to his chief he reports, among other things, the segregation of lepers and provision for their care and comfort; the appointment of hunters to supply the leper hospital with fresh meat by killing wild hogs and cattle; his efforts to encourage commerce, so that Guam may derive profit, like the Hawaiian Islands, from the visiting whalers; the vaccination of the natives as a protection against smallpox; the reorganization of the urban militia; proposed reforms in the administration of the college for the education of native children; efforts to promote the cultivation of coffee, ''which article may be the wealth of this country;" the condition of agriculture on the island; the preparation of the large marsh east of Agana for the cultivation of rice; the injuries to maize caused by rats and weevils, and the consequent restriction of its cultivation to amounts barely sufficient for the needs of each family; the substitution of taro and yams for maize, when the latter has been destroyed by hurricanes, and the use of plantains and bananas as food staples instead of bread; the cultivation of sweet potatoes for supplying visiting ships; the excellence of the pineapples and the use made of pineapple fiber; the fine quality of Guam tobacco, and the means employed to keep the plants free from worms; the introduction of manila hemp and the failure to make it profitable; the cultivation of eggplants, red peppers, tomatoes, squashes, watermelons, muskmelons, and peanuts in the natives' gardens; the scarcity of sugar cane on the island; the importance of the coconut palm, and the manufacture from it of toddy, vinegar, yeast, brandy, oil, syrup, fiber, and thatch for houses; the importance of breadfruit, both sterile and fertile, as a food staple; the manufacture of fecula, like arrowroot, from nuts of "federico" (Cycas circinalis); the yield of betel nuts from Areca palms, growing spontaneously on the islands; the manufacture of mats, hats, and lashings from the leaves of Pandanus; the scarcity of mango trees and sappan wood (used for dyeing); the abundance of achiote or arnotto (Bixa orellana) and the cultivation of the orange, lemon, lime, citron, bergamot, custard apple, tamarind, papaya, carambola, island arrowroot, and turmeric. He also reports on the wild and domestic animals, and states that on the neighboring islands of Saipan and Tinian there are thousands of cattle and swine roaming in the woods.
"Villalobos erected a kiln for making pottery and tiles, paying the cost of it partly from his own pocket. He also made charts of the island at his own expense, and superintended in person the construction of bridges and the repairing of roads, stimulating the workmen by fees and small gratuities. In consequence of mutinies and acts of insubordination on the part of crews of ships in the harbor, England proposed to establish a consulate either at Guam or in the Bonin Islands. Villalobos objected to this, saying that if there were an English consul at Guam questions might arise leading to international complications, which might perhaps result in the loss of the island. On the other hand, if a consulate were established in the Bonin Islands, the whaling fleet would assemble there to the detriment of the natives of Guam, who derived much benefit from trading with the said vessels. He proposed that an arrangement be made whereby the British Government would authorize the governor of the Mariannes to act in settling cases of mutiny and the like. He also recommended the establishment of a store of marine supplies by either one of the two governments, and called attention to the immense advantages of the presence of many ships at Guam with liberty to trade with the islanders, the governor being prohibited from engaging in trade of any kind. Orders having been issued to collect import duties from the ships coming to Guam, Villalobos informed the captain-general that it would bo practically impossible to carry out the provisions of the decree. He stated that if guards were placed on board the ships, the cost of maintaining them would exceed the amount received for duties. If not guards were stationed the duties would be imaginary, on account of the bad faith of those who sold and their lack of "delicacy." Moreover, if it should come to light that a sale had been secretly made and the corresponding duties on the same be exacted from a foreign captain, his pride and insolence would be apt to compromise the dignity of the authorities beyond all bearable limits or bring about disagreeable consequences resembling perhaps an unhappy affair between the ex-Governor Ganga-Herrero and an English captain. Mr. Stavers, who in 1824, died from injuries received while resisting arrest. In view of these difficulties Villalobos on his own authority ventured to grant free trade between visiting ships and the islanders."