ur
Majesty has sent to these regions, at the cost of his royal estate,
for the conversion of these peoples and the direction of those who are
converted--are and have been occupied, with the utmost solicitude, in
fulfilling their obligations and your Majesty's command by gathering
rich fruits, both spiritual and temporal.

It is now eight years, [1] Sire, since this province received
a brief from his Holiness Gregory Fifteenth of blessed memory,
that was obtained improperly, through the efforts of the religious
who are in this province who are born in these regions. In it his
Holiness ordained that all the elections among the said religious,
from that of provincial to that of the most petty official, should
be shared between the religious of these regions and those who have
come from Espana at your Majesty's cost. The execution of this decree
was impossible, because the number of the said religious who were
born in these regions was much less than that of the offices which,
it was ordained, must be conferred upon them. On this account, appeal
was made to his Holiness, who was more clearly informed [about the
matter]. Nevertheless, these letters have caused great commotions in
the order itself and in the community; for many persons in the colony,
on account of being kindred of the religious of this country, and
many others who, like those religious, were born here, have taken up
the cause as their own--thinking that they are thus defending their
native land. This is a difficulty that may give rise to many others;
and these provinces have during all this time suffered many anxieties
and losses, as will appear from the reports which we are sending to
your Majesty with this letter. This year it pleased our Lord that
another brief should come, from his Holiness Urban Eighth, which
revoked the former brief of Gregory Fifteenth. It was sent to the
archbishop of this city of Manila, so that he might--as the truth of
the allegations made in Rome by the father-general of our holy order
was evident--annul the former brief, and leave the elections of this
province in the liberty which our constitutions provide, without any
discrimination between nationalities. We gave many thanks to our Lord
for the favor that He had granted us; for, with this second brief,
we promised ourselves the peace and quiet that are necessary in order
that we all may more freely occupy ourselves in our Lord's service,
and in fulfilling the purpose for which