s sown which they
do not destroy. A great famine and pestilence have sprung up among
the natives of that island, so that more than half of them have died;
and they will continue to die until God our Lord is pleased to remove
his anger from over it. From that island to the island of Luzon it is
about sixty leagues, and in the course is that of Mindoro. This is an
island where much wax and honey is produced. It contains many gold
mines, and rivers where gold is gathered. I have been all about it;
on the farther coast, which is to the south, it is well populated,
while on the northern coast is the village called Mindoro, as well as
other thickly-populated rivers. Those who have not seen it or set foot
upon it say that it contains about eight thousand men. I shall dare
to affirm from what I have seen of it that it has more than fifteen
thousand. It is very near the island of Luzon. Between this island
and the others above named, lie many small islets, which are friendly,
although they have but small populations. As I say, next is the island
of Luzon, where the governor resides now, and which was settled in the
manner above related. This island is thickly populated and large. The
greater and better part of it is still to be conquered, I would say
from what I have seen of the villages and land. It does not seem to
me that there will be any more resistance from any of them when they
learn of the advantages of friendship with the Spaniards; for they
have already been informed of the way in which those are treated
who resist. To the present time, all that has been explored in this
island is about fifty or sixty leagues along the coast from Manilla
to Yvalon, [47] which is the landing-place for the ships sailing to
Nueva Spana. On the farther coast, to the north, nothing is explored
except the mines of Paracali, which were discovered by Captain Juan
de Sauzedo when crossing from Manilla to the other sea with sixty
men, as I have told above. Near these mines there is a large and
thickly-populated river called Bico. [48] According to the reports of
the natives, all of it is thickly populated. This island extends a long
distance from Manilla toward the west. Toward the south is a province
called Yloquio, which is said to be very rich in gold mines; but the
Spaniards have not seen it as yet. The natives have not been able to
say how far this island extends in longitude. I have already said that
all of it is thickly populated, and that