Sire:
In the year ninety-nine I came to these islands, by order of my
general, to console and visit in his name the fathers and brothers
of our Society who reside in them. We were much pleased to see how
much has been done for the service of our Lord and your Majesty,
and the good of the Indians.
The Society of Jesus has in its charge a good part of the islands
called the Pintados, where the holy gospel had never been preached. In
the period of four years, eleven or twelve thousand have been converted
and baptized. Matters are now in such course that in a short time,
with the divine grace, there will be more than forty thousand
baptized. As the priests who are occupied in this conversion are
not more than thirteen, [45] the results, if there were many more,
would also have been incomparably greater. For the honor of God, I
beseech your Majesty to be pleased to command that workers be sent,
as it is a great shame that, when the season for the harvest is upon
us, it should be lost through lack of reapers.
_[In the margin of the preceding paragraph_: