The province of Cagayan has many rivers and bayous.  On its principal river, by name Taxo, the city of Nueva Segovia has been founded, being situated two leagues inland.  This city has forty citizens who are encomenderos.  It has one Augustinian monastery, containing two priests; one alcalde-mayor, two alcaldes-in-ordinary, one alguacil-mayor, and six regidors, who constitute the cabildo; and a royal hospital, which has for its income the tribute-money collected here for his Majesty.  There is a fort with seven large pieces of artillery, and an equal number of small pieces—­such as small culverins and falcons—­a number of muskets and arquebuses, pikes, and coats-of-mail, which constitute the weapons and armor used in this land.  For its maintenance this fort has assigned to it the tribute from one village, which amounts to about one hundred pesos.  It has its own governor.  The forty citizens of this city maintain in addition forty soldiers, who help to pacify, conquer, and collect the tribute of the encomiendas.  Ten of these citizens are married, the remainder single.  Twenty-six thousand Indians, of whom seven thousand are pacified and pay tribute, are apportioned to thirty-three of these citizens—­some along the principal river Taxo, and the remainder in the districts near the same.  Along this river and in its neighborhood his Majesty has one thousand seven hundred tributarios, of whom a thousand are pacified and pay their tribute.  This river Taxo is very broad and deep, and large vessels can ascend it even to the city.  It has an excellent bay.  It rises fifty leagues inland, and is inhabited along its entire course by the above-mentioned people.  Its water is excellent, and the whole land is quite fertile and healthful, and abounds in rice, swine, fowls, and palm-wine; and there is much hunting of buffaloes, deer, wild hogs, and birds.  A great amount of wax, cotton, and gold is collected in this district, in which articles the natives pay their tribute.  Two leagues opposite the bar of the river Taxo is the dense population of the Babuyanes Islands.  One island is an encomienda under the control of his Majesty, and is said to contain one thousand men.  The tribute has not been collected, because the inhabitants, it is said, are not pacified.  The eight other islands are distributed among the seven [other] citizens [of Nueva Segovia].  They number three thousand men, more rather than less from all of whom their masters collect three hundred tributes.  All of these islands are distant three or four leagues from one another.  Sixty priests would be needed for the care of these thirty thousand Indians, counting two priests to each thousand tributarios.  At the present time, sixteen priests are needed for those who are pacified, as we have said.  These priests are very important for the pacification and permanent settlement of the natives, and for [the spiritual needs of] the soldiers.  This province of Cagayan lies seventy leagues from the mainland of China and the coast cities of that country.  Seventy ministers are necessary, who, with the help and protection of the soldiers, will gather the inhabitants together and pacify them all, and seek out the rest of the people—­who, as we are informed, exist in great number as far as Cagayan.