vered after death for his good works.]

[Chapter viii notes the twelfth general chapter of the Recollect
order held at the convent at Toboso. Philippine votes were lacking,
due probably to the non-arrival of delegates in time. The remainder
of the chapter does not concern the Philippines.]

CHAPTER IX

Our province of Philipinas takes charge of the spiritual administration
of the island of Mindoro where several convents are founded. Several
religious venerated as saints, end their days in Espana.

The year 1679

Sec. I

Description of the island of Mindoro, and considerations in regard to
its spiritual conquest, which was partly obtained before our discalced
order assumed its administration.

... 785. Mindoro is located in the center of the islands called
Philipinas. It is surrounded by all those islands, and is encircled
by them in a close band as the parts of the human body do the
heart. It has a triangular shape whose three ends are three capes
or promontories, one of which is called Burruncan and looks to the
south, another looks to the north and is called Dumali, while the
third which looks to the west is called Calavite. In regard to its
extent, Mindoro comes to be the seventh in size among all the islands
of that great archipelago. [32] It is about one hundred leguas in
circumference. Its climate is very hot, although the continual rains
somewhat temper its unendurable heat. In its rains it exceeds all
the other nearby islands. However this relief bears the counterpoise
of making the island but little favorable to health, because of the
bad consequences of the heat accompanied by the humidity. But for
all that it is a very fertile land, although unequally so because
of its rough mountain ranges, and the thick forests. There are many
trees of the yonote, [33] and of the buri, from which sago is made,
which is used for bread in some places. There are also wax, honey,
the fruits of the earth, flesh, abundance of fish, and rice where
the people do not neglect through laziness to plant it. That island
was formerly called Mainit, but the Spaniards called it Mindoro from
a village called Minolo which is located between the port of Galeras
and the bay of Ilog. [34]

786. Its inhabitants had sufficient courage to cause all their
neighbors to fear them. Especially at sea were they powerful and
daring as was lamented at different times by the islands of Panay,
Luzon, and others, when they were attacke