Paris
4 September 1888
My dear Friend,
I am here on visit and probably I shall make a trip to Spain because I have received bad news from home. I will tell you what I have read in the Hong Kong Telegraph:
A correspondent writes from Manila under date the 21st instant (July) to the following effect:
Last Tuesday night, the 17th instant, the house of a medical student named Laureano Viado was searched y the magistrate of Binondo, D. Martín Pireaces, and his clerk D. Rafael Llanos. They were accompanied by a number of policemen who surrounded the house. The Civil Governor, Sr. Pastor y Magau, the Superintendent of the Police, two inspectors and some sergeants were also present. The result of the search was that in the house were found some books named “Noli me tángere” (written by Mr. Rizal) and some books and letters from Europe. The poor student and his landlord were at once hand-cuffed, and sent as prisoners to the Bilibid Gaol, without any trial, as according to the Penal Code of Spain, it is forbidden to read any book written against the ecclesiastical authorities. The young man declared that he bought the books from the owner of a shop called “Great Britain.” Two others he got from D. Tomas del Rosario, and others from the governor of Binondo, D. Timoteo Lanusa. Mr. Ramos’s shop and house were searched the next day from 11 o’clock a.m. till 2 p.m. About 6 o’clock p.m. of the same day the house of the father of Mr. Ramos at Pandacan was searched. The house of the governor of Binondo was also searched. No books were found in all of them. The individual who gave the information about all this is the brother of a friar. The searching of the house at Manila and Cavite is still going on.[1]
I add no comment to this.
The Pardo family received a letter from their daughters-in-law informing them that Trinidad Pardo de Tavera has been forbidden to treat patients. Beware! Is this the first blow against Pardo? Pardo de Tavera has made many enemies among the Peninsular Spaniards in Manila. Of that I am sure, but I thought that they would behave with more prudence.
According to private letters I have received, my book is very much persecuted. For that reason they write me to put out a second edition.
Greetings.
Yours,
Rizal
02-328 [Blumentritt V.1]
[1] This is in English.