Manila’s far-reaching connections based on the trade in saltpeter have received little attention in the entangled histories of the Indian Ocean and the China Seas. Military supplies were not only in high demand among parties in conflicts in the Philippines and its surrounding waters but also frequently redistributed overseas. That way saltpeter came to link Manila and the Coromandel Coast around 1700. Spanish colonial accounts not only testify to the importance of the delicate matter of saltpeter imports, but also suggest that after 1640, following the trade rupture with Japan and interruptions with Fujian and Macau, maritime business patterns altered significantly. The example of saltpeter cargoes thus sheds light on maritime dynamics beyond the spheres of Iberian mercantilist control, including the agency of actors of various backgrounds including Armenians and Portuguese New Christians, as well as English, French and Danish company merchants.

學者對於馬尼拉在印度洋與中國海間從事遠程硝石貿易此事，仍少有關 心。軍事補給方面的需求，不僅來自對於菲律賓周邊海域互相衝突的各方，也 由此向海外各地分別供給。如此馬尼拉便於1700 年左右與印度東岸科羅曼得 爾海岸產生了聯繫。西班牙文獻證據顯示，1640 年代日本鎖國，並接連與福 建、澳門斷航後，馬尼拉的貿易網絡便有所更動。硝石貿易的實例展現出伊比 利亞商業菁英背後驅動此一變動的力量，當中亦有亞美尼亞商人、葡萄牙猶太 人、英、法、丹麥商人的參與。