St. Augustine—60 houses; they have 163 religious, and ask for 20 each year. The Order of St. Augustine has occupied the provinces of Tagalos, Pampanga, Ylocos, and Pintados. Being the first established in these regions, they occupy the whole country. They have in the islands sixty houses, which contain from two to three religious each—one hundred and eight being priests, and fifty-three lay brethren. They will have to establish more houses—not only for the newly-entered countries, but that there may be sufficient religious instruction in these islands. For this it is necessary that your Majesty send each year twenty religious. These might be brought at a less cost to the royal estate from Nueva España, where there are many of them; and they would do very well, as they are used to instructing Indians, and have already come half the way.
St. Francis—40 houses; they have 120 religious, and need 50. The Order of St. Francis has occupied the province of Camarines, and has there forty houses, and one hundred and twenty religious—ninety-seven being preachers and priests, and twenty-three lay brethren. They need fifty religious.
The Society of Jesus has 12 houses and 43 religious. The Society has twelve houses, and occupies the province of Pintados, in Leite and Ibabao. In them are forty-three religious—twenty-three of these priests, and the rest lay brethren. They will occupy many houses. Religious of the Society have gone to the pacification of Mindanao, where they will administer Page 259instruction and establish more houses. They have need of fifty religious.
St. Dominic—12 houses; they have 71 religious, and need 50. The Order of St. Dominic has occupied the province of Cagayan, where there are twelve houses and seventy-one religious. They need fifty religious, in order that there may be sufficient instruction in the province of Cagayan, where they must occupy a number of houses. Those sent should be priests, because all the lay brethren that are necessary are being received in the islands.
In all these four orders there are persons of much learning and many accomplishments, and good linguists who instruct the natives, among whom they have achieved great results. In the houses of the Society of Jesus there are two colleges—one at Manila and the other in the city of Santisimo Nombre de Jhesus—in which religious of very exemplary life teach Latin to the Spaniards and give instruction to the natives.
Copy of a letter written in the past year (1598) concerning the erection of prebends and half-prebends of the cathedral church at Manila. Cited in clause 7 of the governor's letter of July 12, 1599.
Sire:
In accordance with what your Majesty orders me in his royal instruction, we, the archbishop and myself, made a visitation of the cathedral church, which is greatly lacking in all necessaries, and particularly in chaplains, which is noticeable on feast-days. Accordingly it seemed advisable to institute two prebendaries, each with a stipend of two hundred pesos per year; and two half-prebendaries, with a hundred Page 260and fifty pesos of stipend each per year—to be paid in the same manner as the other canons. I beg your Majesty to have this approved, since it has been done in conformity with your Majesty's order to provide whatever was necessary. We are considering from what source the other necessaries can be provided, as, outside of the royal exchequer of your Majesty, there is at present no other fund; and the royal treasury is in great need, between the mortality of the natives and the taxations of Don Luis Perez de las Marinas; the yearly income has diminished by more than fifteen thousand pesos. We shall try our best to order affairs in the best possible way. May our Lord protect the Catholic person of your Majesty, as we your servants and vassals have need. Manila, the twelfth of July, 1598.
[Francisco Tello]
Statement of the accounts received from the director of the hospital for the natives. Cited in clause 8 of the letter of the governor of July 12, 1599.