ards in 1566, a kind of desultory war was
waged by them upon the various islands, in the hope of conquering
them and extending their religion. In these wars they succeeded in
gaining temporary possession of a part of Sulu, and destroyed the
tomb of Sayed Alli. The Spaniards always looked upon the conversion
of the Moslems to the true Catholic faith with great interest; but in
the year 1646, the sultan of Magindanao succeeded in making peace,
by the terms of which the Spaniards withdrew from Sulu, and were to
receive from the sultan three cargoes of rice annually as a tribute.

In 1608, the small-pox made fearful ravages, and most of the
inhabitants fled from the scourge. Among these was the heir apparent,
during whose absence the throne became vacant, and another was elected
in his stead. This produced contention for a short time, which ended
in the elected maintaining his place.

This tribute continued to be paid until the flight of Amir to Basilan,
about the year 1752, where he entered into a secret correspondence
with the authorities at Zamboanga, and after two years a vessel was
sent from Manila, which carried him to that capital, where he was
treated as a prisoner of state.

[The English treaty.] In June, 1759, an English ship, on board of
which was Dalrymple, then in the service of the East India Company,
arrived at Sulu on a trading voyage. Dalrymple remained at Sulu
for three months, engaged in making sales and purchases. The Sultan
Bantilan treated him with great kindness, and sought the interest of
Dalrymple to obtain the liberation of his brother, who was now held
prisoner by the Spaniards at Manila, by telling him of the distress
of his brother's wife, who had been left behind when Amir quitted the
island, and had been delivered of twins, after he had been kidnapped
by the Spaniards. Dalrymple entered into a pledge to restore Amir,
and at the same time effected a commercial treaty between the East
India Company and the Sulu chiefs. By this it was stipulated that
an annual cargo should be sent to Sulu, and sold at one hundred per
cent. profit, for which a return cargo should be provided for the China
market, which should realize an equal profit there, after deducting all
expenses. The overplus, if any, was to be carried to the credit of the
Sulus. This appears to have been the first attempt made by the English
to secure a regular commercial intercourse with this archipelago.

In the year 1760, a large fle