The decree in which your Majesty lays down the order that must be observed in the changing of missions and in the appointment of the ministers thereof on account of the death of their predecessors, was obeyed, and notice of it given to the bishops and to the superiors of the orders. The latter oppose it stoutly, and say that in no event can they be ruled by it without the order of their generals, and that they will abandon their missions first. In the year of 29 I wrote to your Majesty at length upon this matter, in regard to which no particular answer was given to me besides the sending of this decree--which, as I judge, is general for all the Yndias. The point is very serious, and is one of peculiar difficulty in these islands. Although we here are sufficiently ministers of your Majesty to be able to decide it in case that the religious leave their missions, yet we desire to have some clearer light on the matter from there, in order that we may better succeed in your Majesty's service. [_In the margin_: "File it with, the letter of the bishop of Zibu, who writes concerning this matter, which is submitted to the fiscal."] For many years the bishopric of Camarines has had no prelate; for, although your Majesty has appointed many, no one comes here. That must be because they hear how wretched a post it is. Your Majesty could abolish that bishopric by adding the half of it to that of Cebu, which is very conveniently located for this purpose, and the other half to this archbishopric of Manila, which does not have too great a district; and by that means would save that salary, and avoid many animosities that he who shall arrive from Espana to occupy that bishopric must surely encounter. [_In the margin_: "To be considered by all the Council, together with what the viceroy wrote." "A bishop has already gone to Camarines."] The religious orders are at peace, and are attending to the welfare of the natives and your Majesty's service. Three of them held chapter-meetings this year, and all quietly. That of St. Francis, and that of the Augustinian Recollects were exemplary, and they made their elections immediately. The calced Augustinians also made their elections--but not so quickly that we could avoid sending to them to remind them not to allow the disturbances of other times to occur in their chapter--by having made them beforehand through their devotion to the outgoing provincial, who managed the succession for another as worthy as he. [90] May God grant that the elections be canonical.