The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 13]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 13

for those who in the school for children were already
advanced in reading, writing, and reckoning. Although many of the boys remained in the lower school
as pupils, a considerable number of students began
the study of grammar with the new master, Father
Francisco Vicente Puche, who as an initiation to the
studies, and as a welcome to the bishop, gave with
his students a two-hours' dramatic representation in
the cathedral, in honor of his Lordship, which
proved most agreeable, learned, dignified, and devout, and gave extraordinary pleasure to all the citizens, who had never before seen such a thing in their
city.
There were two Indian peoples among whom we
were especially laboring at that time: one the Bissayans, who are the natives of that country, to whom we
preached, on Sundays and feast-days, throughout the
year, in their own language; the other the Chinese -
many of whom, coming from their own land into this
(and many do come in the merchant-vessels), remain
here. They have established in this city, near our
house, a quarter of their own, which at that time was
in charge of the Society; and our fathers administered the sacraments to them and their families, including their women and servants -Chinese, Japanese, Malucos, and Bissayans. They repaired with
great frequency to confession and communion, especially on days in jubilees and' in Lent; and we always
had catechumens among the infidel Chinese, whom
we baptized only at the notable feasts, and with great
solemnity - excepting on occasions when that sacrament was bestowed on persons at the point of death.
The first confirmations which the lord bishop celebrated outside of his cathedral were in our church,