302 Voyage of the Novara, 



The monastery of the Dominicans is kept clean and com- 

 fortable, and its wide spacious apartments leave a less vivid 

 impression of decay and human indifference than the majority 

 of the monastic edifices. Here also the lofty, light chambers 

 in the upper storeys command a magnificent prospect. The 

 Prior, Padre Vellinchon, received the Austrian travellers with 

 much cordiality, and conducted them in person round all 

 the apartments of the very extensive building. He spoke 

 Latin pretty fluently, and without the peculiar Spanish ac- 

 cent, besides possessing a slight acquaintance with French ; 

 and was somewhat better informed upon European matters 

 than his spiritual confreres. The library of the order is not 

 kept in the convent, but in one of the buildings of the Uni- 

 versity of St. Thomas also used by the Dominicans, but it is 

 quite unimportant, whether as regards the number of works 

 it contains or their scientific value. 



The sjjiritual jurisdiction of the Dominicans extends over 

 eight provinces of the Archipelago, including 76 villages, 

 with in all 427,593 souls, whose eternal interests are watched 

 over by 76 brethren of the order.* 



A Dominican friar, Joaquin Fonseca, is president of the 

 permanent commission of Censorship of Books, consisting in 

 all of nine members, five of whom are nominated by Govern- 

 ment and fom- by the Archbishop of Manila. t We had the 



* In 1857 there were baptized in these 76 villages 21,604 children, 4512 couples 

 were united in wedlock, and 12,002 were buried. 



t In the entire Archipelago there is but one newspaper, " El Boletin Oficial," 



