The father provincial went further, and established religious in the island of Panay. The reader may remember the description that we gave of it, and which he will find in the next to the last place to the convent of Tigbauan; for there the provincial established resident religious. This convent has been in many different hands; for at first, as appears, we had it in charge, and then the seculars had it. The fathers of the Society followed the latter, after which a Portuguese secular had charge of it for a considerable time. He, in order to relieve his burden, exchanged it for another district of the order called Ibahay, which was the first priorate given me in these islands by the order, and in my opinion better than Tigbauan. The only thing which made it troublesome were five islands which had visitas that belonged to it, where it had all that was needed. The order has held it for some time, and it is not so good as others. It is a royal encomienda. The village of Arevalo is situated near by. Therefore, whenever the religious are sick, there is never lack there in the presidio of a surgeon, who, without being able to distinguish his right hand, bleeds and purges, so that in a brief time the sick man is laid in his grave; and a religious or a Spaniard is worth a great deal in this country. Daily our number is lessening, for the country furnishes but little help. It cannot be compared to Nueva Espana, which has enough inhabitants for itself, and to spare. Nothing increases here, or succeeds. The creoles do not reach their majority, and death comes upon them unseasonably. [99] Chapter XXIV _Of the chapter held in the islands, in which was elected the fourth provincial, our father Fray Andres de Aguirre._