That bishopric has five secular benefices, where eight thousand four hundred souls of natives are ministered to.

The Order of St. Francis owns twenty-four convents with guardianias and presidencies, and ministers to forty-five thousand souls.

The Society of Jesus has one residence, where they minister to three thousand two hundred souls.  Hence the souls of the natives cared for in the said bishopric of Camarines amount to fifty-six thousand eight hundred.

The number of souls of Indian natives ministered to in the Filipinas Islands.  According to the evidence of this relation, the souls of Indian natives ministered to in this archbishopric and in its suffragans, the three above-mentioned bishoprics, amount to five hundred and six thousand. [45]

The need of ministers, which explains why many souls of Indian natives remain to be converted to our holy religion.  The number would be far greater, Sire, were there more ministers.  Through lack of them a considerable number of those already pacified and who pay tribute remain to be converted.  There are some of these even among the Indians who are Christians, especially in the bishoprics of Zibu and Cagayan; while even in the bishopric of Camarines there are some pagans, but not so many, and those of this archbishopric of Manila are still fewer.  Consequently it will be very advisable that religious of the said orders come to these islands, so that they may attend to this instruction and conversion, for all the islands are in pressing need of them.

The arduous work of the ministers in the conversion of the Indians.  One would not believe how arduously the ministers to the Indians in these islands work, and how they should be esteemed; for not only do they attend to their baptisms, confessions, communions, marriages, and burials, but also—­and this is of far greater labor, work, and occupation—­to the daily instruction of all in the church (even though they be the children and grandchildren of Christians) in the prayers and whatever is necessary so that they may know and understand our holy faith, in order that the holy sacraments may be administered to them.

Hospitals

Royal hospital of Manila, where Spaniards are treated.  There is, Sire, within the city of Manila, the royal Spanish hospital, where all the ailments of only the Spanish men are treated.  It is maintained from your Majesty’s royal treasury, the medicines, delicacies, wine, and some other things being brought from Nueva Espana, while the rest are bought here.  There are generally from seventy to one hundred sick men, most of them soldiers of this camp.  As the needs of the royal treasury have been so great these years, the sick have so little comfort that for lack of it many of them die.  The hospital is in charge of a steward appointed by the governor, and has its physician, surgeon, apothecary, barber, and other paid helpers.  The Order of St. Francis administer the sacraments to the sick.  One or two priests of that order live in the hospital, and two others, lay brethren, act as nurses.  It would seem advisable that that hospital and the others be placed under the charge of the brothers of St. John of God (who have the care of hospitals as an object of their profession), if a sufficient number of them came from Espana.