the country.  It is as necessary as the inspection itself that such shore-master be a disinterested person and a resident of that country; for if he is after money, he will do no good.  Hence, if your Highness be pleased to appoint such an one, there are ecclesiastical persons in the Filipinas, as for instance the bishops, especially he of Cibu, Fray Pedro de Agurto, who is a saintly man; an ecclesiastic, the archdeacon of Manila, called Licentiate Don Francisco Gomez de Arellano, a most zealous servant of God, and a father of that community—­one who seeks no money, but rather gives all his income in alms; also a Dominican friar, the commissary of the Holy Office, who is an excellent man; and another friar of the Order of St. Francis, called Fray Juan Baptista.  These men, besides having experience in the country, and knowing what demands reform, are men disinterested and wholly competent and capable.  Entire faith can be given to any one of them, with assurance.  If the visitor be not one of the inhabitants there, it is inadvisable to send him, nor is it my intent to ask for him.

Item:  For some years past, some Indians living near by, and our enemies, of the islands of Mindanao, Jolo, Burney, and other neighboring islands, have become emboldened and have gone beyond bounds.  They are Mahometans, and have ruined those Filipinas Islands—­pillaging and capturing the natives, burning the churches and images, and cutting the images with knives and destroying them, to the great injury of our holy Catholic faith.  This has reached so shameless and bold a pass that no one—­not only natives but Spaniards—­dares to go among the said islands.  Those enemies have rendered the said natives very liable to revolt, by coming daily to plunder them, and to carry off their possessions, and their wives and children captive; and in fact they have revolted several times, and taken to the mountains, saying that since the Spaniards do not provide for their defense, they will not pay tribute.  Some, who are more loyal, say that, if they are allowed to carry arms as before, they will defend their country.  After examining the cause of these troubles with great care, the following considerations have presented themselves.

First, that, according to the command of one of your Highness’s royal decrees, such men [i.e., the Moros] cannot be slaves.  As they are a race from whom the soldiers can get no other booty, because the Moros do not possess it, they fight unwillingly.  If the soldiers could make captives of them, they would become very eager, and that would be a great incentive for the soldiers to destroy them.  There is less incentive for them to capture those people than to kill them, as they do now.  Again it would be very useful to the said islands, for the natives would also be encouraged to go to war because of their eagerness to possess slaves to cultivate their fields.  Therefore, will your Highness be pleased to order that those people be made slaves, since their enslavement is so justifiable and of so great service to God; or that this matter be committed to the royal Audiencia and archbishop and bishops to determine, inasmuch as they have the matter in hand.