As the province of San Nicolàs de Tolentino had been founded in the Filipinas Islands by our religious, and since they had many missions in various districts to which to attend--not only converting infidels, but comforting and sustaining those converted--they thought that it would be necessary for them to send repeated missions of religious and to conduct them from España to those districts. The usual route is by way of Mexico, a most famous city; and since our Recollects had no house there where the religious could await in comfort the opportunity to embark for the said islands, they determined to take a house or hospice in which they could live and where those who fell sick from the long and troublesome journey could be treated. The Order petitioned it from the king our sovereign, Felipe Fourth, who, exercising his wonted charity, issued his royal decree in this year of 1647 for the founding of the said hospice; and it was actually founded. It does not belong to this history to relate the conditions that were then accepted; we have only thought it best to give this notice of it here. [The remainder of this book does not concern Philippine affairs]. [The following is translated and condensed from Diego de Santa Theresa's Historia general de los religiosos descalzos, being vol. iii in the general history of the Recollect order.] [27] DECADE SEVENTH--BOOK FIRST CHAPTER I Treats of the fifth intermediary chapter; and of some events in the province of Philipinas. [The first section treats of the fifth intermediary chapter of the order, which was held at Madrid, May 27, 1651]. § II The convent of Tándag, in the province of Carágha of the Philipinas Islands, is demolished