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. 44]

I700-I736]

JESUIT MISSIONS

41

the Jesuits are accustomed to do, he walked through
the aisle of the church, asked questions, and
explained the Christian doctrine to the slaves and
negroes. The community experienced the greatest
edification at seeing their pastor so worthily occupied
in instructing his sheep, not heeding the outer color
of their bodies, but looking only at their precious
souls -for in the presence of God there is no distinction of persons.
[Fol. 22:] The island of Malindig-named thus
on account of a high mountain that is in it, and which
the Spaniards call Marinduque - is more than forty
leguas from Manila, extends north and south, and
is in the course which is taken by the galleons on the
Nueva Espafa trade-route.8 There Ours carried on
a mission with much gain, at the instance of its zealous pastor, who was a cleric; and in the year 1622
this island was transferred to the Society by his illustrious Lordship Don Fray Miguel Garzia Serrano,
the archbishop of Manila, who was satisfied by the
care with which the Society administers its charges,
and desirous that his sheep should have the spiritual
nourishment that is necessary for their souls - for it
was exceedingly difficult for him always to find a
secular priest to station there, on account of the distance from Manila, the difficulty of administering
that charge, and the loneliness which one suffers
there. The Society gladly overcame these difficulties
for the sake of the spiritual fruit which could be
gathered among those Indians; and our ministers,
8 Marinduque is an island off the coast of Tayabas province,
Luzon; it is round in shape, about twenty-three miles in diameter,
and has a population (Tagalog) of about 48,000. It has some
good harbors; and it produces abundance of rice, cocoanuts, and
abaca. (U. S. Gazetteer of Philippines, pp. 643-647.)