Olivier van Noort arrives at the Albay Bay in the Philippines

In October 1600 Olivier van Noort arrived in the Philippines with two ships, the Mauritius and the Eendracht. The expedition sailed to the southeast side of the island Luzon and went into a bay Albay Bay. On 15 October a Spaniard came to their ships and they pretended to be Frenchmen under commission of the French king. Initially this ruse was successful and the Dutch obtained fresh supplies from bartering with the local people. However, on the 18th a Spanish officer came on board with a priest and asked to see the papers. The Dutch captured them, but soon released them. They soon left the bay and continued to the Strait of San Bernardino.

The image shows the Dutch ships in Albay Bay, here called “La baye”. On the bottom right, the cape Espiritu Santo on the island Samar is indicated. The description accompanying the image in the journal is not entirely clear on what is depicted on the ship. Possibly it shows the first or second encounter with the Spaniards in the bay.