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. 24]

r630o-634]

TAVORA TO FELIPE IV

227

because they hear how wretched a post it is. Your
Majesty could abolish that bishopric by adding the
half of it to that of Cebu, which is very conveniently
located for this purpose, and the other half to this
archbishopric of Manila, which does not have too
great a district; and by that means would save that
salary, and avoid many animosities that he who shall
arrive from Espaina to occupy that bishopric must
surely encounter. [In the margin: "To be considered by all the Council, together with what the
viceroy wrote." "A bishop has already gone to
Camarines."]
The religious orders are at peace, and are attending to the welfare of the natives and your Majesty's
service. Three of them held chapter-meetings this
year, and all quietly. That of St. Francis, and that
of the Augustinian Recollects were exemplary, and
they made their elections immediately. The calced
Augustinians also made their elections - but not so
quickly that we could avoid sending to them to remind them not to allow the disturbances of other
times to occur in their chapter-by having made
them beforehand through their devotion to the outgoing provincial, who managed the succession for
another as worthy as he.9~ May God grant that the
elections be canonical.
A procurator is sent to ask your Majesty for more
religious. On other occasions, your Majesty has
been informed of the existing need for exemplary
religious who may assist in the reformation of the
province. As for him who is not so, it were better
that he do not come. I cannot hide these things, nor
90 This was Father Jeronimo Medrano; he was again elected to
the dignity of provincial in I641 and in I650.