Next to the monastery of St. Francis is located the hospital for natives, [181] which is under royal patronage.  It was founded with alms, by a holy lay-brother of St. Francis, one Fray Joan Clemente.  A great many natives, suffering from all diseases, are treated there with great care and attention.  It has a good edifice and workrooms built of stone.  The discalced religious of St. Francis manage it; and three priests and four lay-brothers, of exemplary life, live there.  These are the physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries of the hospital, and are so skilful and useful, that they cause many marvelous cures, both in medicine and in surgery.

The streets of the city are compactly built up with houses, mostly of stone, although some are of wood.  Many are roofed with clay tiling, and others with nipa.  They are excellent edifices, lofty and spacious, and have large rooms and many windows, and balconies, with iron gratings, that embellish them.  More are daily being built and finished.  There are about six hundred houses within the walls, and a greater number, built of wood, in the suburbs; and all are the habitations and homes of Spaniards.

The streets, squares, and churches are generally filled with people of all classes, especially Spaniards—­all, both men and women, clad and gorgeously adorned in silks.  They wear many ornaments and all kinds of fine clothes, because of the ease with which these are obtained.  Consequently this is one of the settlements most highly praised, by the foreigners who resort to it, of all in the world, both for the above reason, and for the great provision and abundance of food and other necessaries for human life found there, and sold at moderate prices.

Manila has two drives for recreation.  One is by land, along the point called Nuestra Senora de Guia.  It extends for about a legua along the shore, and is very clean and level.  Thence it passes through a native street and settlement, called Bagunbayan, to a chapel, much frequented by the devout, called Nuestra Senora de Guia, and continues for a goodly distance further to a monastery and mission-house of the Augustinians, called Mahalat. [182]

The other drive extends through one of the city gates to a native settlement, called Laguio, by which one may go to a chapel of San Anton, and to a monastery and mission-house of discalced Franciscans, a place of great devotion, near the city, called La Candelaria. [183]

This city is the capital of the kingdom and the head of the government of all the islands.  It is the metropolis of the other cities and settlements of the islands.  In it reside the Audiencia and Chancilleria of his Majesty, and the governor and captain-general of the islands. [184]

Manila has a city cabildo with two alcaldes-in-ordinary, twelve perpetual regidors, an alguacil-mayor [i.e., chief constable], a royal standard-bearer, the scrivener of the cabildo, and other officials.