endental to all classes of Philipinas
by the practice of good works. He did not care to return to Manila,
although he could have done so, but remained with all his family in the
said port until he could get passage the next year. Among what he was
able to save of his lost possessions, he placed his first attention in
seeing that the holy image of the holy Christ of Burgos which was on
the ship as its titular, should not be lost; for it was his intention
to place it at his own expense in some church, so that it might have
public veneration for the benefit of souls. Scarcely, then, did he have
that celestial treasure in his hands, when he exposed it to worship on
the high altar of the church of Ticao with ornaments suitable to his
devout affection. Thereafter followed the assignment of some income
so that there might be a resident evangelical minister there, both
so that a chaplain might not at least be wanting to the holy image,
and so that the Indians might not lack more continual teaching. For
that reason, the province afterward determined to found a convent in
Ticao. To it were assigned the villages situated in the islands of
Ticao and Burias, and to the convent of Mobo those of the island of
Masbate. The ministers were thus able to obtain more relief because
their number had increased, although they still had much to do in
order to attend to everything.

Sec. II

Relation of the progress made by Catholicism in those islands by the
preaching of our laborers; and the great hardships that they suffered
for that end.

1116. In the year 1724, the province of Philipinas begged the king to
confirm, by special decree, the possession that had been given them
in his royal name of the islands of Masbate. His Majesty ordered the
governor of Philipinas and the bishop of Nueva Caceres, on the eleventh
of February, 1725, to make no innovation in regard to the spiritual
administration of the said district until he should provide what was
needful in his royal Council. He ordered them also to inform him of
the progress that had been made by the faith in that territory since it
had been in our charge. On that account some juridical investigations
were made in Manila in order to inform the king with acts. By them it
appeared that, although there had been only one single parish priest in
all the district of Masbate before, since it had been placed in charge
of the Recollect fathers, three religious at least had always lived
the