As we Spaniards say, 'He who attempts many things succeeds in none.' Besides, we generally come here knowing little about the country and leave it when we begin to get acquainted with it.

With you I can be frank, for it would be useless to try to be otherwise.

Even in Spain, where each department has its own minister, born and reared in the locality, where there are a press and a public opinion, where the opposition frankly opens the eyes of the government and keeps it informed, everything moves along imperfectly and defectively; thus it is a miracle that here things are not completely topsyturvy in the lack of these safeguards, and having to live and work under the shadow of a most powerful opposition.

Good intentions are not lacking to us, the governing powers, but we find ourselves obliged to avail ourselves of the eyes and arms of others whom ordinarily we do not know and who perhaps, instead of serving their country, serve only their own private interests.

This is not our fault but the fault of circumstances--the friars aid us not a little in getting along, but they are not sufficient.