need that your Majesty should aid and favor them; but asks that this be done by allowing them to hold slaves.  Your Majesty will order this to be carefully examined, for it is a certain and well-established fact (and admitted by the very persons who hold and attempt to gain possession of slaves) that although among the Indians there are some who are really slaves, these are few; and that, rather than sell these now, the Indians will sell one of their children.  All others are wrongfully obtained and unjustly enslaved—­as would be done by a people so barbarous as this, who at this very time sell a relative for gain, and among whom the more powerful will sell the weaker.  Most of those who today are in Manila as slaves are of this class.  As soon as this decree was presented to him, the governor asked me to advise him what he should do.  Accordingly, I convened the superiors of the orders, and the religious therein who had long resided here, with some very learned men who came with me.  All of them, without one exception, were of one opinion, a copy of which goes with this letter; your Majesty will please order it to be examined—­although it profits little, because proclamation of the decree and orders that it be obeyed were not issued until March of this year.  Would to God that it had not been proclaimed! because before that the masters were afraid, and had already determined to give their slaves liberty, seeing that they were urged thereto in the confessional.  But when the decree was proclaimed, and the petition which the city referred to your Majesty was granted, all returned to their obstinacy.  Upon seeing this, I again convened the fathers and priests, and we agreed to admit the owner of slaves to confession, but on condition that they make no objection to what your Majesty may order; or that within two years from the departure of this ship (the term assigned to them by your Majesty) they should free the slaves.  But I am sure that if your Majesty does not renew your order the masters would not release them, if two years or even twenty should pass.  It is a great hardship, and a scandal, to have to deny them confession; and many say that they will not release their slaves until your Majesty so orders, even though they remain without confession.  The decrees made by the city and by the protector of the Indians are being sent to you.  Your Majesty will order examination of them, and whatever else may be proper, and command accordingly; because, although I have been of the opinion that for the present the masters may be absolved, many of the religious refuse to do so unless the slaves are first given their liberty.