3. Item:  The said father Fray Francisco de Ortega declares that fourteen years ago, when he came from those islands the first time, your Majesty at his request and supplication granted favor to that province, by ordering your royal officials to give annually, to each religious who was a priest, two arrobas of wine for the mass, and to each convent of his order in the province six jars of oil for the lamp of the most holy sacrament, as was done throughout Nueva Espana.  This was not fulfilled, because before the arrival of the time for the royal officials to give this alms the said convent of St. Augustine was burned; and among the property and papers destroyed was your Majesty’s royal decree, bestowing the said favor.  He begs and entreats your Majesty, in confirmation of the said favor and alms, to issue your royal decree, inserting the first decree therein, so that henceforth the said grant may take effect; and to direct the officials of the royal treasury in Mexico to send the things granted in kind to the royal officials of Manila, so that the latter may give them to the monasteries of the said order, in pursuance of and conformity with your Majesty’s commands.  By so doing the decree will be fulfilled and the expense to your Majesty’s royal exchequer will also be diminished. [In the margin:  “Have this decree renewed.”]

4.  Further, he declares that at the convent of San Augustin de Manila the novices are taught, and that the arts and theology have been and will be regularly studied there.  It is a seminary whence they go, and will continue to go, to other districts to preach to and convert those natives, and to instruct those already converted, and to administer the sacraments of our holy Catholic faith.  There they receive and lodge the religious going to those islands from this kingdom to engage in the apostolic work of the conversion of those natives.  The house is poor, so that with its present resources it is impossible to support eight friars, without the alms that your Majesty ordered to be given for four-there being, as a general rule, more than twenty religious in the said convent.  He begs and entreats your Majesty, in consideration of the aforesaid, to order the grant increased to the number of twelve religious, more or less, as may be your Majesty’s pleasure.  They will receive this as a great help and bounty. [In the margin:  “That which is provided for the second section above.”]

5. Item:  He begs and entreats your Majesty, in consideration of the aforesaid and of the fact that the convent at Manila is an infirmary for all that province, where all those engaged in the conversion and administration of the sacraments in the Indian villages come for treatment when sick, to grant bounty and alms to the said convent, by ordering that the physician and the medical supplies necessary for the treatment of the said religious be at the cost of your Majesty’s royal exchequer, as your Majesty has done in the kingdom of Peru. [In the margin:  “Let him be given the decree in accordance with the declaration made.”]