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]

i63o-I634]

CABILDO TO FELIPE IV

249

which appointments are being made, be given to the
church, in accordance with the condition of the
encomienda, at the will of the governor - as has been
done with the house of the Society of Jesus in this
city, to which your Majesty made a grant of ten
thousand pesos, as an aid to the edifice that they are
at present erecting. [In the margin: "See what
has been ordered in this." "The concession was
made."]
We have often represented to your Majesty the
great importance of having this church well served,
as this city is a place of so great trade and commerce,
where so many and so different nations come, as has
been said. The number of prebendaries that the
church has at present is not at all sufficient; for
besides the five dignidades, it has no more than four
canons, two racioneros, and two medio-racioneros.
And since the land is so unhealthful and sickly, most
of the prebendaries are generally disabled, and for
the greater portion of the year the work is loaded
upon only one canon and one racionero. For that
reason, we earnestly desired in the past years that
your Majesty would give us an increase of two additional canons and four racioneros; but seeing that
that was not effected because of the great need in
which the times have placed your Majesty, we have
found an easy and feasible remedy for it-namely,
to apply to this church some of the benefices and
missions that the orders hold near this city. Let the
governor and archbishop select those which would
be most suitable; and let each of them be given to
two seculars-or more, if they should be so rich.
There is a mission outside the walls of this city
owned by the religious of St. Augustine, by name