A Visit to the Philippine Islands

rtance; already enough has been done to make a retrograde or even a stationary policy untenable. Every step taken towards emancipation from the ancient fetters which ignorance and monopoly laid upo

th, and certainly not without value as means of comparison between the results of that narrow-minded exclusive system which so long directed the coun

privilege; and no one was allowed to adventure unless he were a vocal de consulado, which required a residence of several years in the islands, and the possession of property to the extent of 8,000 dollars. The privilege often passed clandestinely, by purchase, into the hands of friars, officials, women and other speculators-and it may well be supposed at what prices the goods had to be invoiced. Such being the licensed pillage in Asia, on arriving at Acapulco, in America, to which place the cargo was nece

ines, in 1785, gave to monopoly another shape,

comparative prosperity-a prosperity to be measured by the amount of emancipation which has been introduced. Had the Spanish authorities t

; and in the meantime many beneficial reforms have been pressed upon the attention of the government with such conclusive statistics and irresistible logic, that, if it depended on these alone, the Philippines might hope to enter upon the early enjoyment of their heritage of future advancement. The reform of the tariffs-the removal of petty vexatious fiscal interferences-improvements in the navigation of the rivers-the cleansing the harbours-lighthouse, buoys and other appliances for the security of shipping-are among the more obvious and immediate claims of commerce. In Manila the absence of docks for repairing and harbouring vesse

loping the riches of the Philippine Islands by extending their foreign trade. The British merchants, after expressing a general wish that the islands should enjoy the ben

for every cargo boat employed, leads to m

iest impost, to give encouragement to native dyers. Many articles are estimated much beyond their real value, so that the percentage duty becomes excessive. Lawns, for instance, are tariffed at double their market price. Iron chains worth five dollars per cwt. are tariffed at twelve dollars. A

e mud, while the protective duty encourages the Chinese settler to become a manufacturer, who is less wanted than the agricultural labourer. In the same spirit the tailors are protected, i.e. allowed to overcharge the consumer to the extent of 40 to 50 per cent., the duty on imported clothes, which goes principally to the Chinese. Foreign fruits, preserves and liquor

s, place the Philippine trade in a disadvantageous position. Among the documents which I collected is one from a native merchant, in which he says:-"The demonstrations of political economists, and the practical results of free-trade legislation, establish the fact that public credit and public prosperity are alike benefited by the emancipation of commerce, and narrow is the view which, looking only to the temporary defalc

rts. Though the permission was then temporary, it has now become permanent, and I found that the emancipation of these important articles from all custom-house interference had been attended with the best results, by regulating

dinarily double that of paddy. The average

inese, is important. One of the leading articles of export is the edible bird's-nests, of whose collection a Spanish writer gives the following account:-"The nests are collected twice a year; those most valued from deep and humid caverns. Early training is needful to scale the localities where the nests are found, and the task is always dangerous. To reach the caves it is necessary to descend perpendicularly many hundred feet, supported by a rope made of bamboo or junk, suspended over the sea waves as they dash against the rocks." There is also from Jolo a considerable exportation of tortoise-shell. Trepang (sea-slug, Holothuria) and shark-fins are sent to the

Indeed, in the remoter islands months frequently pass without arrivals from the capital. Some of the fairs in the interior are largely attended by the Mahomedan and heathen natives, who will not visit the ports or larger towns. That of Yligan (Misamis, in Mindanao) is much visited by Moros, who bring thither for sale paddy, cocoa, coffee, gold dust, cotton fabrics, krises and weapons of war, with many other native articles, which they exchange mostly for European and Chinese wares. Panaguis, in Luzon, is another market much frequented by the Igorrote Indian

ercial establishments. In the new ports there is no European house of business except at Iloi

ing to Manila five hundred living shrikes (mimas?), as the bird was reported to be most useful in destroying the insects which were at that time seriously damaging the harvests. I believe not a single bird was ever brought. It would have been about as easy and as reasonable to require them

d of natives under European officers, and is charged with both land and sea service. They wear a military unifo

United States, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden and Chili, are represented by members of commercial establishments, who exercise consular authority in Manila. T

f Luzon, and southwards as far as Samar and Leyte, but all the other eastern and southern islands are left to the chances which the coasting trade offers and are frequently many months without receiving any

-eight hours after the arrival, of the steamers from Europe. It is conducted with great regularity and the letters from Spain arrive in about fifty days; but many days would be saved were there a branch steam

ny for the service of the islands, offering 45,000 dollars annually as a State contr

xchange and lends money on mortgage. The general rate of interest in the Philippines fluctuates from six to nine per cent. The yearly operations of the bank exceed 2,000,000 of dollars. The value of about half-a-million of bills of exchange is usually under discount. Its ordinary circulation does not exceed 200,000 dolla

ents. It would be, indeed, a wretched compliment to the population of England (let me say it in passing) if, as certain opponents of improvement have averred, they would never be brought to appreciate or comprehend a change to decimal denominatio

easures used in t

bs. Spanish) = 2

al (100 l

1·44 E

b

y = 1·39

b

tties (36 lbs. Span

b

= 25 g

= 8

Spanish

lish i

= 3

lish i

lean) weighs 132

a

03? avo

il 96 av

ves the exports from Ma

ROM MANIL

California. Continent o

289,953 10,14

r Pe

,038 17,2

Wood P

2,491

Qtls. 5

obacco

,1

4,613 3,4

ls. 2,389 2

ge Pe

,

s Pe

113

ttings

92

-Pearl Sh

05

ell Catties

h Pieces.

ga Peculs.

es Pe

,

Cav

y Ca

de Mer

Indig

orns Pecu

Nests

root

15

Dust

M?.

ones

M?.

e Log

ANILA FOR 1858

ish Islands. South America, Cape of Goo

100 28

369 170 15

,200 4,607 2

igo

obacco

2,552 24,489 11

764 55 1,

50 999 3,293

1,69

ttings

Pearl Shel

-Shell 3

loth 35

iga 14 1,

es 16

1,361

1,30

Mer 3,8

ndigo 4,

lo Ho

Nests

root

st 1,72

es

ones

20 1,3

Logs 1,

mission of inquiry into the state of these islands, published an article on

ned, in 1850, 4,000,000 of people in a state of subjection and 1,000,000 unsubdued, had a trade of less than 5,000,000 of dollars. He calculates the coloured population of Cuba at 500,000; the white population of the Philippines at from 7,0

sugar, coffee, tobacco, indigo, cocoa and cotton-is most excellent; that it possesses almost a monopoly of aba

ation in its present forms; and states, what is most true, that to the development of

e propos

ew ports to

roduction, manufactur

the population

nd fears of the capital were probably influential. It ought not to have been forgotten that the new ports, charged with all the burdens which pressed upon Manila, offered none of its facilities, the creation of many generations-wharves and warehouses, accomplished merchants, capital, foreign settlers, assured consumption of imports and supply of exports; these counterbalanced the cost of conveyance of goods to or from the capital, while, on the other hand, the introduction of a custom-house has prejudiced the trade which previously existed-as, for example, the call of whalers at Zam

d proposes a duty of 70 dollars per cwt., which is more than five times the cost of the article. He gives satisfactory reasons for the conclusion that cigars would be made much more economically by the peasantry than by the government, shows that the cost of the machinery of administration might be greatly diminished, asserts that the Indians employed at home would be satisfied with lower gains than the wages paid by the government, and supposes that the unoccupied houses of the natives would be dedicated to the making of cigars as a pleasant and profitable domestic employment. It may be doubted whether he estimates at its full value the resist

vigilance of government, and cigars are purchaseable in many of the islands at one-fourth of the government price. The personal establishment for the protection of the tobacco monopoly consists of nearly a thousand officials and more than thirty revenue boats. It is, notwithstanding, cultivated largely in prov

ity, the warehouses abandoned and the company dissolved. There have been many expeditions for the destruction and confiscation of illicit tobacco; and on more than one occasion insurrections, tumults, serious loss of life and very doubtful resu

iced to conquer the abhorrence with which a Chinese female contemplates the abandonment of her country, nor the general resistance to such abandonment on the part of the Chinese clans. Chinese female children have been frequently kidnapped for conveyance to the Philippines, and some horrible circumstances have come to the knowledge of British authorities in China, followed by the exposure and punishment of British subjects concerned in these cruel and barbarous deeds. An establishment of a sisterhood in China, called that of the Sainte Enfance, has been looked to as a means of christianizing female children, and conveying them to the Philippines; they have collected or purchased many orphans, but small succes

erroneous decision probable; circumstances are constantly changing, and what would have been judicious to-day may be wholly unadvisable to-morrow. Then there is the greatest unwillingness to surrender even the shadow of authority, or any of those sources of patronage which a government so enervate and corrupt as that of Spain clings to as its props and protection. Again, the uncertainty of tenure of office, which attaches to all the superior offices held under the Spanish Government, is alike calculated to demoralize and discourage. Before a governor has surveyed his territory and marked out to himself a course of action, he may be superseded under one of those multitudinous changes which grow out of the caprices of the court or the clamour of the people. It was a melancholy employment of mine to look round the collection

to stretch out his hand, and food drops into it. The fibre of the aloe, which the female weaves with the simplest of looms, gives her garments; the uprights and the floors and the substantial parts of his dwelling are made of the bamboo, which he finds in superfluous abundance; while the nipa palm provides roofs and sides to his hut. Want

no Colocolos, are named in their songs, or perpetuated in their memories. There are no ruins of great cities or temples; in a word, no records of the remote past. There is a certain amount of dissatisfaction among the Indians, but it is more strongly felt against the native gobernadorcillos-the heads of barangay-the privileged members of the local principalia-when exercising their "petty tyrannies," than against the higher authorities, who are beyond the hearing of their complaints. "The governor-general is in Manila (far away); the king is in Spain (farther still); and God is in heaven (farthest of all)." It is a natural complaint that the tribute or capitation tax presses equally on all classes of Indians, rich or poor. The heads of barangay, who are charged with its collection, not unfrequently dissipate the money in gambling. One abuse has, however, been reformed-the tribute in many provinces was formerly collected in produce, and great were the consequent exactions practised upon the natives, from which the treasury obtained no profit, but the petty functionaries much. I bel

admitted, in reference to the legislation of the colonies of many nations, that the Spanish code is comparatively humane and that the influence of the Romish clergy has been frequently and successfully excited for the protection and bene

ers to give effect to those reforms which are suggested by local knowledge, but which are overrule

tter education of the church functionaries, a great augmentation of the number of parochial priests (many of whom have now cures varying from 3,000 to 60,000 souls). He would have the parish clergyman both the religious and secular instructor of his

yto in the Peninsula is held to be as great a curse as a suit in Chancery in England, with the added evil of want of confidence in the administrators of the law. Their character would hardly be improved at a distance of 10,000 miles from the Peninsula; and if Spain has some difficulty in supplying herself at home with incorruptible functionaries, that difficulty would be augmented in her remotest possessions. There seemed to me much admirable machinery in the traditional and still existing usages an

agglomeration is friendly to civilization, good government and the production of wealth, and more likely than the dispersion of the inhabitants to pr

ary purposes of life; gums, roots, medicinals, dyes, fruits in great variety. In many of the islands the cost of a sufficiency of food for a family of five is only a cuarto, a little more than a farthing, a day. Some of the edible roots grow to an enormous

lobe. The docility and intelligence of the natives, their imitative virtues (wanting though they be in forethought), make them incomparably superior to any Asiatic or African race subjected to European authority.

aumentarlas, por D. Sinibaldo de Mas (afterwards Mini

he Fathers Blanco, Santa Maria, Zu?iga, Concepcion, and Buzeta. He speaks hig