officers be returned to their homes by the steamer _Luzon_, if there
should be sufficient coal, or in another if you order it, since they
tell me themselves that because they are far away from their homes
they do not wish to continue in the service in this province. This is
easily arranged as there are now men stationed in this province for
instructing the native volunteers, many of whom have been students,
and will therefore make good officers and non-commissioned officers,
and in this way a battalion could be formed, well disciplined from the
beginning and disgraceful things would be avoided not only towards
the natives of this province but also towards foreigners, which is
the most important. Having stated my case, I place myself always at
your disposal, requesting you will attend to this affair.

"With reference to the 4th Company stationed in the Province of
Isabela, whose captain is Don Antonio Monzon of Panamitan, there are
many complaints of thefts and assaults committed by the soldiers,
and in answer to my questions, Don Simeon Adriano y Villa, Major
and Sanitary Inspector and doctor of this battalion, whom I have
stationed there for lack of a competent person, tells me that he
has always punished and offered advice to officers and soldiers in
order to prevent the recurrence of thefts and assaults, but he has
never been able to suppress them completely, because the soldiers are
abandoned by their officers, and because of lack of example on the
part of the latter; they do not understand that it is a great blot
when they commit these abuses, since when they discover the goods
or house of a Spaniard they believe they have a right to appropriate
everything which they encounter.

"I have learned lately, that some foreigners, residents in that
province, among them some employees of the Tobacco Factory, 'El
Oriente' and of the firm of Baer Senior & Co., who have Spanish
employees in various pueblos of that province, have some very serious
complaints to make of assaults committed against them prejudicial
to their interests; however, I hope that now with the arrival of
General Tirona he will regulate matters, although I believe that this
gentleman is not sufficiently energetic in proceeding against the
officers and soldiers, as I have seen when I reprimanded and punished
them for faults committed he has pardoned them, and it appears that
he censures energetic acts which we must use in order to subject them
to rigorou