the building. Therefore,
because of the aforesaid reasons, our convent at Manila was begun
in stone. It is now, as I have remarked, the best in the islands;
and daily it is being made more notable by further work.

The fathers held a chapter meeting in 1578, and peaceably and quietly
cast their votes for father Fray Agustin de Alburquerque, a man of
whom we have already said sufficient of his occupations, virtue, zeal,
and prudence. As soon as he beheld himself invested with the ermine,
he gave his attention to everything possible, looking after both the
spiritual good of the province--the principal thing--and the temporal,
extending and spreading the province. He established religious in
Bulacan, and that place is now one of the principal and more desirable
convents. It has an excellent stone house and church, and about six
hundred tributes. [92] It is about six leguas north of Manila. It
has usually two religious. The Tagal language is spoken there. The
alcalde-mayor of that jurisdiction, which has about four thousand
Indians, lives in Bulacan. All the Manila religious extol the Indians
of this town as the most tractable and most attached to the church.

He established religious in Candava also. This is the last convent
in Pampanga, and formerly was most flourishing, although now it in
very dilapidated. Near it is a beautiful and copious river, [93]
which divides into many branches as it approaches the sea, and all
these branches empty into Manila Bay. Hence one may go to all these
convents both by sea and by the estuaries, without sail. Therefore,
one can go and come without depending on the weather. It has now about
six hundred Indians. [94] It is one and one-half day's journey from
Manila. Two religious live there. It has a very fine wooden house,
and the church is built of the same material.

Religious were firmly established in Macabebe. This is, in my opinion,
the finest priorate of all Pampanga, and the chief one. It lies on
a branch of the Candava River, as above stated; and in the middle
of the road has a very good wooden house and church. Three religious
lived there generally, for it had more than one thousand three hundred
Indians. A visita called Minalampara was taken away from it, which
is a vicariate. With that the said town of Macabebe was left with
about one thousand Indians. [95] Two religious live there generally.

All this Pampanga country is swampy. For such is the condition of the
rivers, tha