ment of mestizos is discouraged. The
city of Manila shall be fortified and garrisoned; and the governor is
instructed to be on his guard against various enemies, "chiefly of
the Lutheran English pirates who infest those coasts," and to build
forts and galleys for the defense of the islands. He is expected
to continue the conquests begun there by the Spaniards, but only in
accordance with instructions furnished him. He must do all in his power
to pacify the Indians in the disaffected provinces. In attempting any
military expedition, the governor must consult with the most learned
and experienced men of the community; he may contract with captains or
encomenderos for the exploration or pacification of hitherto unsubdued
regions. Provision is made for the instruction of the natives; and
extortion and oppression of the natives in collecting the tributes
must be checked. All Indians enslaved by the Spaniards shall be
immediately set free. All lawsuits concerning the Indians shall be
settled as promptly and simply as possible. Religious persons sent to
the islands must remain there, except by permission of the authorities.

Of especial value are two relations (1589) by the Franciscan missionary
Juan de Plasencia, on the customs of the Tagalogs. He describes their
social organization, which was originally patriarchal; and rights of
property, which are partly individual and partly communistic. There
are three classes among the people--nobles, commoners and slaves. The
status and rights of each are carefully defined, and the causes and
kinds of slavery. A somewhat elaborate system of regulations concerning
inheritances is described, also the status of children by adoption,
which usage is widely prevalent among the Tagalogs. Marriage,
dowries, and divorce are fully treated. In the second of these
relations Plasencia describes their modes of burial and worship,
and the religious beliefs and superstitions current among that
people. They have no buildings set aside as temples, although they
sometimes celebrate, in a temporary edifice, a sort of worship. Their
chief idol is Badhala, but they also worship the sun and the moon,
and various minor divinities. They believe in omens, and practice
divination. A detailed account is given of the various classes of
priests, sorcerers, witches, etc., in which the natives believed;
also of the burial rites of both Tagalogs and Negritos.

A letter to the king from Portugal (written early in 1590