_Letter from the nuns_

Sire:

His Catholic Majesty the king our sovereign, your Majesty's father
(who is in the enjoyment of Paradise), gave us permission to come here
to found a convent of the first rule of our mother St. Clare in these
islands. Upon our arrival at this city we founded a convent, and have
continued to receive in it the daughters of citizens, conquistadors,
and old settlers, many of them very poor. By that method, God our Lord
has aided them with so perfect an estate as is that of the religious
life. We, as founders, rear these girls and teach them to observe
and follow our rule, so that, if we nuns who come from Espana pass
away, they may teach the same to, and cause it to be observed by,
those who shall take the habit hereafter. God has been pleased to
cause all those who have taken the habit to flourish in virtue--so
greatly that they furnish an example to the old nuns--who are now
all daughters of our mother St. Geronima, whom they follow closely,
imitating her in devotion and penances. We inform your Majesty of this,
as we have heard that you will rejoice greatly, as one who knows and
has information of the great results that God has obtained from our
coming, and which He is continuing to obtain through the new foundation
[we refer to those of our number] who went to train nuns, who left this
convent for that purpose to go to the city of Macan--which belongs to
the crown of Portugal, at the entrance and mainland of China--where
there are at present many nuns of especial devotion who have taken
our habit, which had had no convent there any more than at this place.

As soon as we arrived, our holy mother undertook the building of a
convent, where we might live with modesty and humility, and with the
aid of alms which were given to us by some citizens; and orphan nuns
sent what they possessed. We have been building a house and church
near the wall which overlooks the river of this city--in the part
that appeared the most remote from trade and very secluded, and with
no other view than that of the heavens. In front of it is the street
in the middle of which is the royal hospital of the Spaniards, which
has been administered since its foundation by the religious of our
seraphic father St. Francis. There the religious who is vicar of this
convent, who administers to us the holy sacraments, had a cell. From
the alms given us we provide for his support. Lately, Governor Don
Sevastian Hurtado de Corc