[50] Regarding this, Fajardo wrote thus to the king, on August 17, 1623 (a letter found in the Sevilla archives): "The expedition to take possession of the gold mines of the Ygolotes, which border on peaceful lands of this island, has been accomplished, although it has entailed some expense, not a little labor, and some bloodshed; for those barbarians are so indomitable, and occupy fortifications, in which are Spaniards and Indians belonging to the peaceful vassals of your Majesty. The indications of the mines, the disposition of the ridges, and the quality of the earth where they were, promise more richness than do the trials which have been made thus far by washing and separating the gold. Until all the tests which are used for this purpose have been made, it can not be certainly said what their value, will be--although it appears to me that that cannot be small, considering the large amount of gold which these natives take from the mines and barter with the friendly Indians. Even if the profit is not large enough to make it expedient to administer it on your Majesty's account, in pacifying and reducing to obedience these Ygolotes Indians there will be no little advantage, besides the taxes, from reducing them to the vassalage of your Majesty, and to instruction in our holy Catholic faith, which they have never received." [51] "The nutmeg [_Myristica fragrans_] grows naturally in Cebu and in Laguna province, and will grow in all parts of the islands cultivated" (_Report_ of U.S. Philippine Commission, 1900, iii, p. 271). Delgado states (_Historia_, p. 537) that in 1737 he found the nutmeg growing wild in Leyte, a native of the Visayas Islands. He adds: "It could be cultivated in these islands, if the natives would apply themselves to this work--or at least if the alcaldes-mayor would compel them to do so, as they do now in La Laguna of Manila, from which results to the people of the islands no little benefit." [52] Probably the same as Ramón Beguer, who arrived in the islands in 1615, and ministered in various missions in Pangasinan. Finally he retired to the Dominican convent in Manila, where he died in 1661 (_Reseña biog. Sant. Rosario_, i, p. 348). [53] George F. Becker in his "Report on Geology of the Philippine Islands"--in _Twenty-first Annual Report_ of U.S. Geological Survey (Washington, 1901), part iii, pp. 487-625--cites (p. 622; cf. also p. 517) the geologist R. von Drasche thus: "Layers of tuff [or tufa--a volcanic rock formed of agglutinated volcanic earth or scoria] are also exposed (_Fragmente zu einer Geologie der Insel Luzón_, pp. 29-31) at many points between Aringay and Benguet, but these tuffs toward the interior, even at Galiano, are 'no longer earthy, but quite hard, crystalline, and sandstone like.'" This probably explains Martin's description of the hard ground. Ariñgay is located on the northwestern coast of Luzón, at the mouth of Ariñgay River, in the province, of Unión.