fleet now on the way for Nueva España, in order to go to the said
islands. And in order that your Highness may consider as excellently
employed all that you have spent from your royal exchequer in the
furtherance of this apostolic and sovereign work of conversion, he
[Ortega] gives a report as to the monasteries of religious and the
ministers of the three orders there, and the great results produced
by the preaching of the gospel among those natives. This is to the
great merit of your Highness, since they [the monasteries] have been
the chief instrument of the relief and salvation of the Indians.

19. There is one monastery with four religious of his order of
St. Augustine, in the island of Cubu. They have baptized about six
thousand, large and small, of the Indians in their charge there.

20. There is another monastery of the same order in another small
island, called Batayan. It has two religious, who have baptized three
thousand souls.

21. In the island of Panay, the best island after that of Luzon, are
six monasteries of his order. The island has sixteen ministers, who
have baptized more than thirty thousand persons, large and small. Each
day the conversion extends farther and it is through lack of ministers
that more are not baptized.

22. In the island of Luzon, where the city of Manila is located, in
a province called Pampanga, in a territory of eighteen leguas, are
twelve monasteries of his order. These have twenty-nine religious,
all priests. This district has twenty-three thousand five hundred
tributarios, or ninety thousand souls--more, rather than less--for
they are a people who multiply rapidly. Of all this number, there