to be pleased to grant permission to the brothers of [St.] John of
God to come to serve in these hospitals in place of the same discalced
religious, and at their own petition--because of the disorderly acts
that the brothers must have committed in visiting private houses in the
city in the quality of surgeons, and in methods from which, they tell
me, proceeded the relaxation of the order, as well as other things that
deserve correction. For many reasons concerning the service of God and
of your Majesty, it has been, and is, advisable that these hospitals
be administered by the brothers of [St.] John of God, and that the
Order of St. Francis attend to their ministries and the observance
of their rule. In case that your Majesty finds it unadvisable that
the said brothers of [St.] John of God come to these islands, will
you be pleased to have the holy sacraments administered by seculars,
the revenue put in charge of laymen, and several of the very aged
alferezes, who have served long enough and now cannot bear arms, act
as nurses--as they are doing at present with great willingness and
promptness, in order not to lose the accommodations of the hospital by
negligence and poor service. Only the said hospitals of this city and
of the port of Cavite I have withdrawn from the power of the religious
of St. Francis of this city, for the reasons aforesaid, and because
of the opposition which the religious have made to your Majesty's
governor, in their desire to make themselves lords and masters of your
royal hospitals; since neither by reason of their rule, nor by their
own will, nor by anything else can they be proprietors. There was no
hospital at the port of Cavite; but on account of the donations which
some persons have given to your Majesty, I have ordered a house to
be prepared where the governors lived when they went to that port,
and an excellent hospital has been made there. In it five hundred
sailors, three or four hundred convicts belonging to the galleys,
slaves of your Majesty, the common seamen of the galleons, and the
calkers and carpenters of the said port--in all two thousand odd
persons--receive medical treatment. Since this hospital has been
created anew (for a barracks which was used for a hospital has fallen),
the religious do not claim it in ownership, as they do the hospital of
this city. The alms given by the sailors for the said hospital amount
to three thousand pesos per year. With what the calkers, carpent