[Manilhas Bay]

The earliest obtainable map of Manila Bay, Philippines.

The map is oriented to the north east and shows present day Cavite, Manila with the Pasig River river named R. Papanca. Two cloisters are marked and named including; of St. Domingo, St. Lucas while others are noted.

 Valentyn studied theology and travelled twice to the East Indies in the employ of the VOC, firstly as a Calvinist minister on the spice island of Amboina (1686-1694) and then to Java (1706) and again Amboina (1707-1713). In the preparation of his historical account of the VOC in the East, Valentyn was given privileged access to the secret archives of the company, enabling him to provide detailed information on previous Dutch voyages to the Indies, including those of Abel Tasman.

From Francois Valentyn’s, historical account of the Dutch East India Company Oud en Nieuw Oost Indien.