Your Majesty would do a great service to our Lord by ordering that a seminary for these people should be established.  I believe that the money which has been collected from the fourths, where there is no instruction, might well be employed in this work.  In all conscience, it ought to be spent for the spiritual good of those Indians, as your Majesty directed by your royal decree.  And none will do so well as this, which is the seed for all the rest.  I have learned that, in the royal buildings at Manila, fourteen or fifteen thousand pesos are spent which are obtained from these fourths.  From these and some other funds which lie in the treasury and are every day accumulating, several of the said seminaries might be well established.

[In the margin of the preceding paragraph: “Have the papers brought which relate to this.”]

It is a great disadvantage for conversions to our holy faith, and for the civilization of these same Indians, for them to be dispersed like wild beasts among the mountains.  It would be a great relief for the burden on the royal conscience of your Majesty, if your ministers should execute the order given by your Majesty to reduce this people to settlements.  As they now are, the labor of the ministers is immense, and the results are small; and they are unable to establish Christianity and civilization as they should. [46]

[In the margin of the previous paragraph: “Write to Don Pedro de Acuna that with the help of these fathers, with all possible gentleness, and at the least cost, he shall see to it that the Indians be thus reduced; and if there be any great difficulty or disadvantage therein, let him advise us of it.”]

The Indians have many grievances against the corregidors and encomenderos.  With fewer or none of these judges there would be more justice; and if the encomenderos or collectors of tributes were not present in villages, the Indians would be better guarded.

[In the margin of this paragraph:  “Let Don Pedro de Acuna send information.”]

The students in this country receive no reward for their studies, and accordingly tire of them and leave them at the most important time.  It would be well if your Majesty would give permission for us to graduate them from our courses of study, which are the first that were established in this country.  In this way the sons of the country will be encouraged; and the cost of bringing masters from Espana, and maintaining them with a perpetual salary, will be saved to the royal treasury.  In great part there will also be saved the expense of bringing ministers from Europe, since they will be trained in this country—­where they are used to the climate, and know the language of the natives.  Although at present we cannot found so organized a university, at least they can be graduated in arts and theology, which are the sciences lectured upon in our Society.

[In the margin of this paragraph:  “Provided for in the duplicate of this.”]