and happy.  The enemy were left chastised and ruined for many years.  Then our fleet went to another island near there, called Taguima, whose inhabitants went out to pillage with the Joloans.  They had already been advised, and accordingly fled to the mountains.  Our men landed, and burned a large village, in which there was nothing but common things.  They laid waste all the palm-trees, and did them all the damage possible.  Then the fleet went to the island of Mindanao.  A letter was despatched from the port of La Caldera to the sultan of that island, notifying him to come to see our commander, but he refused to do so, and made excuses; but the truth was, that he was afraid.  He sent an ambassador and wrote a letter to the governor of Manila, in which he begged for fathers of the Society and one hundred infantrymen to build a fort (which is the thing that we desire), from which to destroy the Joloans, who are also his enemy at present.

A great portion of the province of Cagayan, which is located in this island of Manila, has been in revolt for some years.  An extensive raid was made this year by our Spaniards and two thousand friendly Indians.  Some of the enemy were killed, and eight villages burned.  The country was laid waste, with the fields that the enemy had there; and thus were they punished for the insolent acts that they had committed.  Consequently, these islands have four wars on the tapis at present:  in the island of Hermosa, with the natives and the Dutch; in Terrenate and the Malucas Islands, with the Dutch also; in Jolo and other near-by islands whose inhabitants infest our seas; and in Cagayan with the insurgents.  For so much war we must have greater aid from Espana and Nueva Espana, so that the condition of these islands may not fall lower.

I will conclude this relation with the fires that we have experienced this year, which have been many and important.

The convent of St. Francis, the hospital, and other houses were burned in Maluco.  The convent of St. Nicolas (which belongs to the Recollects) in Cebu was burned March 29; and that of St. Augustine and a great portion of the city on April 8.  It was a miracle that our residence escaped, for the fire was near it.

Fire caught, at one o’clock at night on March 13, in the Parian or alcaiceria of the Chinese, where more than twelve thousand Chinese live, outside the walls of this city of Manila.  Inside of five hours it was all leveled.  It naturally seems impossible that so large a settlement, with wooden pillars which two men could not encircle, could have burned in so short a time.  But that must have been the fire and punishment of heaven for the so horrible sins by which those heathen Chinese have provoked the wrath of God.  The church and convent of St. Dominic, which is one of the most splendid wooden buildings that there can be, escaped from the midst of this fire of Sodom.  A house owned there by the Society, which was even yet unfinished, was also unburnt.