The land is fertile, and abounds in all provisions common to this region. [12] If at times some places lack the necessaries of life, it is because the natives are the laziest people in the world, or because they are forced to leave their towns through war, or for other reasons.  The land is neither sowed nor cultivated.  Another cause for the lack of provisions is, that they have so little authority over their slaves.  They are satisfied with what is necessary for the present, and are always more ready to rob their neighbors of their possessions, than to work and cultivate their own land.

More or less gold is found in all these islands; it is obtained from the rivers, and, in some places, from the mines, which the natives work.  However, they do not work the mines steadily, but only when forced by necessity; for because of their sloth and the little work done by their slaves, they do not even try to become wealthy, nor do they care to accumulate riches.  When a chief possesses one or two pairs of earrings of very fine gold, two bracelets, and a chain, he will not trouble himself to look for any more gold.  Any native who possesses a basketful of rice will not seek for more, or do any further work, until it is finished.  Thus does their idleness surpass their covetousness.  In spite of all this, we see that the land possesses much gold; for all men, whether they be chiefs or not, whether freemen or slaves, extract and sell gold, although in small quantities.  Then, too, many ships come every year to these islands, from Bornei and Luzon, laden with cloth and Chinese goods, carrying back gold [13] with them; yet, with all this regular withdrawal of gold, the natives have always gold enough with which to trade.  All these things permit us to infer that, if the mines were worked steadily and carefully by Spaniards, they would yield a great quantity of gold all the time.  Nevertheless, in some places where we know that mines exist, the natives do not care to work them; [14] but, on the arrival of the foreign vessels for purposes of barter, they strike a bargain with those foreigners and allow them to work in the mines for a period agreed upon.  From this it is clearly evident how slothful these people are.

There are places in these islands where pearls can be found, although they are not understood or valued by the natives; therefore they do not prize them, or fish for them.  Cinnamon is also to be found here, especially in the island of Mindanao, where a large quantity of it is gathered on the headland called Quavit, [15] and in Samboaga and other parts of the said island.  In some places we have seen pepper trees and other drugs which the natives do not value or cultivate—­from which, with care and cultivation, they might derive and obtain profit.