The province of La Laguna

The province of La Laguna ["the Lake"], commences at the lake—­which is the body of water above this city of Manilla where the river of this city rises, as well as others in the mountain hard by—­six leagues from this city. [5] It is about twenty leagues in circuit, and in this territory, inhabited by eleven thousand Indian tributarios, there are twelve religious houses—­ten of Franciscans, with fifteen priests and nine brothers; one of Augustinians, with three priests; and, in the other house, one ecclesiastic.  Two thousand seven hundred of the inhabitants are his Majesty’s, and two thousand four hundred [6] are distributed among eight encomenderos.  Of all the provinces in these islands, this one has the most instruction.  It needs three more priests.  It has one alcalde-mayor, and should have besides one corregidor.  Near the coast of the bay of this city is the province of Bonbon y Balayan.

The province of Bonbon y Balayan

The province of Bonbon contains the people of the Lake, who amount to four thousand men, belonging to the Mariscal. [7] It comprises the villages of Batangas, Galbandayun, Calilaya, and the lowlands of Balayan, which amount in all to nine thousand tributarios.  His Majesty has one thousand two hundred of them, and five encomenderos seven thousand eight hundred.  There are four religious houses—­two of Augustinians, in Bonbon and Batangas; and the other two of Franciscans, in Balayan and Dayun.  These houses contain four Augustinian priests, and three Franciscan priests and two brothers.  Ten more ministers are necessary.

Province of Camarines

The province of Camarines lies fifty leagues from this city.  In it is located the city of Caceres, with thirty citizens, who have generally thirty soldiers quartered among them.  Twenty of these citizens are married, six of them to native women.  The city has its own cabildo and governing body; also a church with one vicar, one Franciscan monastery with two priests and two brothers besides, and one alcalde-mayor.  It could have three more corregidorships.

This province has twenty thousand tributarios, of whom two thousand five hundred are his Majesty’s, and seventeen thousand five hundred are distributed among twenty encomiendas.

There are ten Franciscan houses in this province, besides the convent of the city, with eleven priests and eight brothers in all.  There are two more ecclesiastics in two districts, not counting the curate of the city.  Twenty more priests are necessary.  The faith has had an excellent opening in this province of Camarines, and the preaching of the gospel has shed its rays far and wide therein.  The natives are especially inclined to the sacrament of Penitence; and it is a thing to marvel at, to see the churches continually filled, especially during Lent, with people asking confession.