at—­as many as are necessary, as was well known by them.  Thereupon they told me all the information that they had for certain from various Indians—­not only from the Christians, some of whom had gone up peacefully to trade, but likewise from those from above who came down to the province.  The bishop certified that there was the greatest wealth in the world; and that they had brought him from one hill a little red earth, of which the whole hill is composed, which was as much as they could put upon a silver platter.  They washed it, in his presence, and took out seven taes of gold, which amount to forty-four castellanos. [50] He asserted that in every part of the hill the earth was all of this richness.  With all this information I went to Don Juan de Silva and told him what had happened, and how I had pacified the friars.  He agreed that we should go and discover it and said that he would go in person when he finished that expedition.  He was overtaken by death, as has been said, and accordingly the matter has remained in this condition.  And even if there were not in these mountains the wealth of which we are told, it seems that the obligation to pacify these Indians exists, and that the holy gospel ought to be preached to them—­in the first place, because your Majesty has undertaken so just and holy an enterprise; and second, because they are in the same island [with our Spaniards].  It is a shame that, being in the neighborhood of Manila, they do not enjoy the blessing that the others do.  Beside this, there is the fact that these as well as their neighbors will not allow other people to trade in their territory; by the law of nations, therefore, the Spaniards have a right of action.

The ease and little cost connected with this enterprise are such that if the governor would send a single person suitable for it, with two hundred soldiers from the garrison of Manila, and levy a thousand Indians from the two provinces to help them and transport the supplies, they would subdue those savages without difficulty, if the man who does it is prudent and has ambition to make the enterprise a success.  This is not the place to discuss the other measures and affairs in detail; but if your Majesty should be pleased to have this done, I offer to give information of all that is necessary to provide, and to solve any doubts that may arise.  I protest before the divine Majesty that I am not moved by covetousness, nor by desire that your Majesty should grant me any favor for this, nor am I trying to secure favors by this means; but I am only seeking the glory of God, the service of your Majesty, and the welfare of that land.

Chapter VI.  Of the persons who are needed in the government of the Filipinas.

One (and the most important) of the matters which are necessary for the preservation and growth of that kingdom—­whereon depends, as it were, the attainment of its object—­is that the governors should be such men as are suitable for that post, and have the requisite qualifications demanded by that government.  As so few have hitherto gone there who are thus qualified, the hindrance to the growth of that country has been much more than can be understood here.