Page:A New Survey of the West Indies or The English American his Travel by Sea and Land.djvu/39

Guatemala subject to the Government of Mexico and Mercenarians, whereof the three Orders of Dominicans, Franciscans, and Mercenarians, are the only Preachers and Parish Priests throughout all the forenamed Provinces. And these three Orders have still kept under the Criolian party, never as yet suffering any of them to be Provincial, bringing every two or three years, some one year and some another, Missions of Friers from Spain to maintain and keep up their faction against the Criolians. The Provinces of Peru being more distant from Spain, and hard to come to by the Sea, have no Missions sent unto them. There are of the most Romish Religious Orders, yet the chief are Dominicans; and they all live above their Vow of Poverty, abounding in Wealth, Riot, Liberty and Pleasures. In the Kingdom of Nueva reino de Granada, and Cartagena, Santa fee, Barinas, Popayan, and the Government of St. Martha, are Dominicans, Jseuites, Franciscans, Carmelites, Augustines and Mercenarians; whereof the Dominicans, Jesuites and Franciscans till this day admit of Missions from Spain. The Island of Cuba, Jamaica, la Margarita, Puerto rico, all are subject to the head Provincial of Santo Domingo, being Dominicans, Jesuites, and Franciscans, and have all now and then Missions from Spain. Yucatan hath in it only Franciscans, who live most richly and plentifuly, and strongly uphold the Spanish faction with European Missions: Mechoacan belongeth to the Mexican Friers, and is in the same condition as was said before of Mexico. Thus have I briefly run over all America that pertains to the Crown of Castilia: for the East India's they belong to the Crown of Portugal and Brasil, as first discovered and possessed by the Portugals, and now doubtless are subject to King John, the new King of Portugal. Yet the Islands of Philippinas are subject to the King of Spain, and there are Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustines, and Jesuites, all which lie still in wait in Manila the Metropolitan City, for some sure Shipping to Japan, to Convert that Kingdom. And though they admit of some few Criolio's among them, especially some of their Converts of China and Japan; yet their chief number and strength is of Spanish Missionaries, who are more frequently