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. 48]

175I-1765]

VIANA'S MEMORIAL

307

promotion of crops, and the exportation of all these
to foreign kingdoms and colonies. For all will be
successful in these islands with the Indians, who, if
well paid, will do what they are ordered to.'57
35. I have already mentioned the indescribable
readiness with which our Indians learn perfectly
whatever they see, even without the necessity of a
master to instruct them. There are some who write
well, without knowing how to read, as they have had
no teacher; for by their natural inclination they devote themselves to imitation of the letters, and easily
succeed in doing so, without being able to read what
they write. This is one proof of their readiness,
above mentioned, but they have still more of it in
embroidery. It is a marvelous thing to see, that there
is hardly an Indian who cannot embroider, and that
they learn this art without any teacher save their own
attention and their extraordinary patience. The
hands of the Indian women are the most delicate, for
every kind of sewing and needlework; and the company, by availing itself of this skill of our Indian
men and women, could employ an innumerable number of people in embroidery, needlework, and the
making of hose - they make them of fine quality, in
Zebu of cotton, and in La Laguna of silk - and obtain
much profit through these industries, in finding a
market for them.
36. Near Paracali in the province of Camarines
there is abundance of rock crystal, very transparent
and choice. In the province of Cagayan are some
stones that are very singular and rare; one of these
1 7Marginal note by Viana.-"The mulberry trees yield wonderfully in these islands, and, by making suitable plantations of
them, and bringing silkworms from China, [the production of]
this valuable article of commerce can be promoted."