Tandag

1.  The convent of Tandag, head of those in the province of Caragha, where there is a presidio of Spaniards, is one hundred and fifty leguas distant from Manila.  It has to its account seven hundred Christian families.  It was founded by father Fray Miguel de Santa Maria.  At first it was more than one legua up the river but was afterward removed to the seashore for certain reasons of convenience.  It has a devout confraternity of the most holy Virgin, and another of the girdle of our father St. Augustine, which has been already established in the other convents.

A captain (whose name is carefully suppressed) having been buried in the church of that house, the prior noted one day that his grave was higher than the others.  Attributing it to the carelessness of the sacristan, he ordered the latter to level it.  That was done; but on the following day, it was seen to be in the same shape as on the preceding day.  It was leveled again, and a quantity of earth taken away, but still the grave did not discontinue rising.  That novelty caused much talk, and at last the said prior ascertained that the said captain had died excommunicated.  He ordered the body to be exposed, and then, absolving it in the manner that the holy Roman church orders, they buried it again without the earth after that making any more show of casting him out.  By such demonstrations does God give us to understand the respect and fear that should be extended to the censures of the Church.

Butuan

2.  The convent of Butuan is situated on the shore of the river.  That village numbers one thousand five hundred Christians.  The convent was founded by father Fray Francisco de San Nicolas a native of Portillo, and a son of the house of Valladolid.  He was a most zealous minister and preacher to those people.

Cuyo

3.  The convent of Cuyo, in the island of that name, has to its account two thousand Catholic families.

Cagaiang

4.  The convent of Cagaiang governs and teaches one thousand eight hundred faithful persons.

Sidargao

5.  The convent of Sidargao, [56] which is an island ten leguas distant from the fort of Tanda, has two thousand Christian families.  According to the testimony of persons of credit, certain manikins, small and beautiful, resembling pigmies in appearance and size, were seen in the said island on a certain occasion.  They fled with great swiftness through the thickets of the forests, so that, notwithstanding the efforts made, they could not be caught.  However, it is said that some of them were caught in former times, but that they died of fright in a few hours.  A cross is preserved near the village of Sapao, on top of a rock of the size of two dedos above the stone, which has certain letters.  Those letters cannot be read now, as they have been obliterated by the lashing of the sea, which beats against it continually.  It is a tradition that the first Spanish discoverers of that gulf made that cross, although it is not known when.