Page:The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 (Volume 05).djvu/97

 This town of Caçeres is situated in the middle of the entire province, on the banks of the river Vicor. This river district is allotted to eight encomenderos, seven of whom have in charge about seven hundred Indians each, and the other about two thousand. Along the same river, his Majesty possesses the villages of Minalagua and Nagua, with two thousand Indians. Following this river, one comes to a lake called the lake of Libon, which is but scantily populated. The district round about is one encomienda, with one thousand five hundred Indians living in the village of Libon and its environs. This lake of Libon, lying in a mountainous region, has many creeks, by which one can easily go to Yguas, Albay, Camarines, Bicagua, and other places. The town of Caçeres has in all twenty-four encomenderos. Fourteen of them, including the seven above mentioned, have seven hundred Indians each; one has two thousand; another, that of lake Libon, has one thousand five hundred; and the rest have about three hundred Indians each. The inhabitants of the Vicor River district pay their tribute in gold and rice, for they possess these articles in great abundance—for in this province are the excellent mines of Paracale, sixteen leagues from the town; they work also the mines of Catanduanes, thirty leagues from the town. The town has no dependencies, nor does it hold any jurisdiction over other communities. The whole district is under the jurisdiction of the alcalde-mayor of the province of Laguna. This province has a population of about one thousand five hundred, and is allotted to three encomenderos.

Albay and Baquian are inhabited by about eight hundred Indians, who are allotted to two