an de Bargas Hurtado. In it,
after mentioning the wrongs above mentioned, and the love which they
always professed to our religious, their first ministers, they urgently
petitioned that the Augustinian Recollects be assigned them as parish
priests. The fact that the cura, Don Antonio de Figueroa, the only
missionary in Calamianes, in addition to having been presented for
the curacy of Tabuco in the archbishopric of Manila, had now been sick
for two months and unable to administer the sacraments, lent force to
that representation. On that account he petitioned with double justice
that a successor be sent to him, but no secular ecclesiastic could
be found who knew the language of the country, nor would risk the
mission which was now of but very small profit. For those reasons,
the abovesaid governor despatched an order to our provincial on May
11 of the said year, asking and charging him, and even ordering him
in the king's name, to assign religious of his order, in order that
they might go to reassume possession of the villages of Calamianes,
so that they might attend to its spiritual administration. He hoped
that by means of their wonted zeal, that province would be restored
to its former splendor through their direction and teaching, and that
the number of the Christians would increase in the proportion desired.

827. But notwithstanding that, the father provincial negotiated with
his definitory in order to interpose a supplication in regard to
the said act, and refused to send evangelical laborers, the total
cause of such action being the lack of religious. He alleged, then,
that since his province had assumed charge of the ministries of the
Contracosta and of Mindoro, where many subjects were employed; and in
consideration of the lack of men which the discalced order suffered
there, which could not be helped: not only was it clearly impossible
for him to assign missionaries to Calamianes, but also that he saw that
it was necessary for the reformed branch to reiterate his petition
made previously to the royal Audiencia, in regard to withdrawing the
two ministers who were occupied in the island of Cuyo, as there was a
notable lack in other villages. That allegation was sent by decree of
the superior government to Don Diego Antonio de Viga, of the Council of
his Majesty and his fiscal in the Audiencia of Manila. On the sixteenth
of the same month and year, he maintained that notwithstanding the
representation made by th