In the second place, the reward, to be accepted by me with dignity
and preservation of prestige, must be presented to me in the sense
that it is for the general welfare of the Philippines as implied
in the title of _Grandee of Spain of the First Class_ with the
consequent right to a seat in the Senate to defend the interests
of the Colony, seeing that we have no Members of Parliament,
and parliamentary representation is anxiously desired.

I can show that I possess an income of P25,000 and more,
if necessary.

In the third place, it must be in the nature of a gift and not
a purchase, that is to say, the patent of nobility must be a
free gift.

In the fourth place, it must be valued in dollars, so that the
reward may not be held in contempt by the public, who know my
liberality when I pay, with splendid generosity, sea voyages,
river and land journeys for myself and for my emissaries, or
when I distribute with abundant profusion pecuniary and material
recompenses _to buy over the wills of and unite all the insurgent
chiefs to bring them to surrender to Spain_. Up to the present,
I have not received a cent from the revolutionists or from the
Spanish Government to cover these expenses.

It is notorious that I have worked so grandly that no one can
now ask me to sink into insignificance.

The recent concessions made by the Spanish Government have been
seen by the Philippine public. The grade of Captain-General was
given for subjecting a few Moslem chiefs of Mindanao; promotions
and grand crosses with pensions have been awarded, and I, who have
put an end to the war at a stroke, saving Spain many millions of
dollars--I, who, amidst inundations and hurricanes have assaulted
and conquered the barracks and military posts of the enemy, causing
them to lay down their arms to Spain without bloodshed, and at my
command surrender all their chiefs and revolutionary Government
with their brigades and companies, I think I have good right to
ask Spain, if she wishes to show herself a mother to me, to give
me as much as she has given to other sons for lesser services.

To conclude, for family reasons, _ I want a title of Castile,
that of Prince or Duke, if possible, and to be a Grandee of the
first class_, free of nobility patent fees and the sum of P----
once for all.