He petitions your Majesty that, favoring by your sovereign mercy a work so greatly to the service of our Lord, you will be pleased to order that some encomienda of Indians, or a pension from those that shall be allotted, may be set aside for the said seminary—­or in any other manner which your Majesty pleases, and for the period that your royal will deems best. [I ask this] because from it will follow considerable profit for your royal service; for the boys reared there incline to become soldiers, and up to the present time forty of them have gone out to serve your Majesty in that employ, while five have become friars, and twelve are studying.  And, in order that they may learn the art of navigation, will your Majesty be pleased to command an examined pilot to come to the said seminary to teach it to them.  Will your Majesty also be pleased to order that, inasmuch as there are many children of Spaniards among the Indian women of these islands, conceived by the latter, these children may be taken from them and brought to be reared in the said seminary, so that they may not become idolaters like the Indian women, when they are grown.  Our Lord will be served by that, and will receive especial blessing and favor.

[Endorsed: “The seminary of Sant Juan de Letran for orphan boys in the city of Manila.”]

[Instructions: “Senor Don Fernando Ruiz de Contreras:  Let a decree be issued for them that, in the same manner as the other three hundred pesos, I set aside for them, from the taxes that I shall possess there, the further sum of three hundred ducados.  As for the other things that he requests, refer them to the governor, so that he may take what measures are advisable in everything, in order that the service of God our Lord and of his Majesty may be attended to.  November 18.”]

[In the margin:  “In regard to what is asked in this section, his Majesty issued a decree, that the governor of Philipinas shall assign the said seminary three hundred ducados in taxes that do not belong to the treasury, as another three hundred pesos were assigned.  All the other things requested are referred to the governor, so that he may provide everything advisable, in order that they may attend to the service of God and that of his Majesty.”]

Sire: 

Since the beginning of the so firm foundation of this seminary of San Juan de Letran, I have made known to your Majesty by faithful relations the great fruit obtained for God our Lord and for the service of your Majesty, in protecting and sheltering in the seminary so many orphan boys, the sons of old Spanish soldiers, who [without it] would evidently be ruined for lack of instruction and good morals.  So good results have been achieved in this, as experience has shown by those who have left this seminary—­forty for the service of your Majesty, to serve as soldiers, six others as religious, and six who serve in this cathedral church as acolytes.  There are now in