have been, owing to the untimely death of the archbishop,
which occurred on the fourteenth of August of the said year of 1598.

3. _That the bishop of Camarines has not come, and that the other two
arrived in the year 98, and did not bring bulls for the partition of
their bishoprics, and that they are getting along well._

The bishop of the province of Camarines [32] did not come, and
therefore it is being ecclesiastically governed by the chapter of the
cathedral of Manila, _sede vacante_, as has been done hitherto. The
bishops of the city of Nueva Segovia and of Cebu arrived in these
islands in the past year of 1598, as I wrote to your Majesty. They
did not bring bulls from his Holiness nor decrees from your Majesty,
directing the division of their bishoprics. Each one has therefore
taken what seemed best to him: he of Nueva Segovia took the territory
beyond the province of Pangasinan, and he of Cebu took possession
of the island of Panay, saying that his bishopric included all the
province of the Pintados. The chapter of this holy metropolitan church,
_sede vacante_, held otherwise, and the case was brought before this
royal Audiencia. Its decision left the bishop in possession, to avoid
disagreement, until your Majesty should command that the partition
be definitively made. He is at present in this city celebrating
confirmation in the place of the archbishop, and will officiate at
the obsequies of the king our lord, of glorious memory. The bishop of
Nueva Segovia is in his church. They are men of holy life and fulfil
their duties well.

4. _That to finish the work on the great church entirely, there is
needed a tower and sacristy; and that these are not built, for lack
of money, which is being raised by various alms and grants._

The work on the great church of this city would have been completed
some time ago, but for the lack of money; and, with the tower and new
sacristy which are being built, it will be finished in all points. The
work is of stone, moderately elaborate; when the means are at hand
it will be continued to completion. I manage always to help it with
various alms and expedients, and at present I am assigning it two
toneladas for the chalices and ornaments, which sell at two hundred
pesos. That you may know how the fourteen thousand ducats which
your Majesty, in your royal instructions, ordered me to assign it,
has been spent in it, that sum was given toward the building and
ornaments; I have ord