The need and poverty of this metropolitan church is known and notorious, for it has no income or revenue other than the concessions of your Majesty, especially the four hundred pesos that have been given thus far, by means of which the church is kept in wine, wax, and oil. For none of those things are given from the royal warehouses, as they are to the other convents of this city. Consequently, we petition your Majesty to continue that concession, for it is not a perpetual concession, but was only for four or six years; and, when that time expired, it was conceded for another term of four or six years. If it were made perpetual, your Majesty would be making it a more valuable concession; for at each prolongation of the time it is necessary to spend at least one hundred pesos with the agent who is sent from here to that court. Thus that amount would be saved, and that is a matter of consideration and importance to so poor a church. [_In the margin_: "See what is provided in regard to this." "The concession was made."]
This church is also in great need of ornaments and of a sacristy. That which it now uses is borrowed; but with the sum of three or four thousand pesos the one that was commenced more than ten years ago could be finished. It has been impossible to finish it, because we had not the means to do so. In order that your Majesty need not spend anything from your royal treasury (which we most earnestly desire), this could be done by your Majesty ordering that vacant encomiendas, or pensions on those to which appointments are being made, be given to the church, in accordance with the condition of the encomienda, at the will of the governor--as has been done with the house of the Society of Jesus in this city, to which your Majesty made a grant of ten thousand pesos, as an aid to the edifice that they are at present erecting, [_In the margin_: "See what has been ordered in this." "The concession was made."]
We have often represented to your Majesty the great importance of having this church well served, as this city is a place of so great trade and commerce, where so many and so different nations come, as has been said. The number of prebendaries that the church has at present is not at all sufficient; for besides the five dignidades, it has no more than four canons, two racioneros, and two medio-racioneros. And since the land is so unhealthful and sickly, most of the prebendaries are generally disabled, and for the greater portion of the year the work is loaded upon only one canon and one racionero. For that reason, we earnestly desired in the past years that your Majesty would give us an increase Of two additional canons and four racioneros; but seeing that that was not effected because of the great need in which the times have placed your Majesty, we have found an easy and feasible remedy for it--namely, to apply to this church some of the benefices and missions that the orders hold near this city. Let the governor and archbishop select those which would be most suitable; and let each of them be given to two seculars--or more, if they should be so rich. There is a mission outside the walls of this city owned by the religious of St. Augustine, by name Tondo, where three seculars could be maintained. One of them could be proprietary, with the title of archdean or prior of such place and canon of this cathedral, with the obligation to serve in it, as do the other canons. By this method the prebendaries would be increased, and the number of religious whom your Majesty would have to send would be lessened; while the students who are growing up here in steadily increasing numbers would be provided for, rewarding the sons of the conquistadors and settlers, besides many other blessings and advantages which would follow by so doing. [_In the margin_: "See what has been provided in this regard, and have this section taken to the fiscal, together with that provision." "It was taken."]