s to give annually, to
each religious who was a priest, two arrobas of wine for the mass,
and to each convent of his order in the province six jars of oil for
the lamp of the most holy sacrament, as was done throughout Nueva
Espana. This was not fulfilled, because before the arrival of the
time for the royal officials to give this alms the said convent of
St. Augustine was burned; and among the property and papers destroyed
was your Majesty's royal decree, bestowing the said favor. He begs and
entreats your Majesty, in confirmation of the said favor and alms,
to issue your royal decree, inserting the first decree therein, so
that henceforth the said grant may take effect; and to direct the
officials of the royal treasury in Mexico to send the things granted
in kind to the royal officials of Manila, so that the latter may
give them to the monasteries of the said order, in pursuance of and
conformity with your Majesty's commands. By so doing the decree will
be fulfilled and the expense to your Majesty's royal exchequer will
also be diminished. [_In the margin_: "Have this decree renewed."]

4. Further, he declares that at the convent of San Augustin de Manila
the novices are taught, and that the arts and theology have been and
will be regularly studied there. It is a seminary whence they go, and
will continue to go, to other districts to preach to and convert those
natives, and to instruct those already converted, and to administer
the sacraments of our holy Catholic faith. There they receive and lodge
the religious going to those islands from this kingdom to engage in the
apostolic work of the conversion of those natives. The house is poor,
so that with its present resources it is impossible to support eight
friars, without the alms that your Majesty ordered to be given for
four-there being, as a general rule, more than twenty religious in the
said convent. He begs and entreats your Majesty, in consideration of
the aforesaid, to order the grant increased to the number of twelve
religious, more or less, as may be your Majesty's pleasure. They
will receive this as a great help and bounty. [_In the margin_:
"That which is provided for the second section above."]

5. _Item_: He begs and entreats your Majesty, in consideration of the
aforesaid and of the fact that the convent at Manila is an infirmary
for all that province, where all those engaged in the conversion
and administration of the sacraments in the Indian villages