The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-08-14

ehah W Sldio de uel, tlieu ScNeidl ueler'
mined stares on pretty girls, and they en-
dured it with perfect serenity.
Gradually the carriages start off and drive
up and down for an hour, then the band
begins to play, and all stop at the Paseo OF
walk, broad mall with trees on either
side, and lamps, which make it very light
even when there is no moon; and moon.
light and lamps in the foliage together form
a pretty combination. Here all alight and
saunter back and forth; you watch the
graceful undulating step of the Spanish
girls, listen to the music, and take your only
exercise for the day. Little girls skipped
around us and asked us in Spanish to kiss
them; it sounded very pretty, and we kissed
a few.
The carriages used here are small ba-
rouches and Nictorias, drawn by native
ponies. When tired of walking we took
to ours again, leaned back, put our feet up,
and drove to the city by the light of the
moon; the barouches jingle along, the ladies
go by in their white gauzy dresses, and the
natives pass in their brilliant costumes. We
all fell in love with Manila at first sight.
In the evening we went to the native
theatre; the play was in Indian, so the
Spaniards understood nothing that was
said, but applauded, cracked jokes in Span
ish, and kept the house in roar; one CON-
ical duke pushed the native orchestra leader
down the prompter's trap and led the band
himself with his cane. The acting was all
high tragedy; whenever the audience wish
ed the performers to fight they would sing
out Gue-r-r-ra!" WAR, and they would
at once set-to. The native Indians are all
fond of music, and play by ear entirely;
there are nearly forty bands in this place;
they play on European Instruments, and
give you any air you like. The girls play
we'll on the harp; passing along the streets
of the native town you may hear the ia
mliar strains of some opera coming out of
the windows of poor little hovel. The
native houses are mostly elevated in queer
way on bamboo stills; the English base
ment is therefore an open space, in the
cool shade of which, pigs, fighting cocks,
and cats congregate to enjoy their siesta.
The dress of the Indians in Manila is a
pair of modern trowsers, straw hat, and
shirt worn outside; some very wealthy
natives wear beautifully worked pima shirts
with gold studs, collar, etc., worth hun
dreds of dollars; but always with the flaps
outside. What bliss in Summer! One could
almost wish to be an Indian.
l have only spoken of old Manila inside
the wall, with the more exclusive Spanish
population. The greater population is out
side, in the new town, where reside Euro
peans other than Spanish, few Spaniards,
and vast concourse of half and half, Span
ish, Chinese, and Indian, as it were,-quad-
rooms, octoroons, etc. These are called
the best Spanish society, and there are also
the first and second classes of Mestizo So
ciety.
Our second day in Manila we were all
invited to a first class Mestizo ball at the
house of the widow Mogez, given by some
of the American merchant houses there
Promptly at s o'clock we drove into the
widows basement; we assembled the stone
stairway, and scene of splendor, bril-
liant colors, and black eyes, burst upon
our view. The Mestizo girls were sitting
in Of ho
forty of them; some decked in gay plu-
mage, yellow, pink, and green being promi-
nent colors, others dressed in sombre hues;
they were mostly very pretty, with 1.-the
graceful figures, and eyes as black as coal.
The gentlemen lowered near the doors of
the grand sala, like hawks eying chickens;
at the first note of the music they all made
pounce for partners,-as l saw that pounc-
yellow -and-green, ratified off a sentence
from the fifteenth lesson in Ollendorf-
"Will you do me the favor to bailar COM
migo9" and started off on a dance l had
never seen before, but which was easy to
learn; it was the Habanera, a sort of walk
ing embrace to slow music; you make a
step to the right, rise on your toes, step to
the left, rise, swing round, step to the right,
rise and so on; then, when you wish to
balance, you wink at some fellow, stop in
front of him and go through the ladies'
chain, then clasp your partners waist and
take the other ladv's right hand; the other
fellow does the same, and now with the
music you sway up to the center, sway
back, and resolve in an ecliptic at the same
After swaying six times you drop the other
lady's hand and gradually sail off again
with the step and turn. The girls cling
quite closely, and gaze up occasionally,
Spanish fashion.
After the dance, we refreshed our part
ners and ourselves with claret-punch or
beef-tea, and l then took up my position
among the hawks, who began to circle as
the band tuned up their instruments. 1t
was principle not to engage dances ahead,
but to keep off for an even start when the
SGlihCo up opObtCu q HUG
girl in white gauze, and, at the first toot, l
made dash for her, neck and neck with
four rivals, but beat them, and off we flew
to quick polka, in which they give lively
step, making it faster than the galop.
had never enjoyed a dance as 1 did that
dash over the polished floor. The Mestizo
girls understood no English, and it was fun
to hear the remarks of the fellows; one
flew past me, and called out: "Stand clear
of this planetary SYSTEM" another cried
"Port your helm, Tommy; don't you see
her starry top-lights?" and another fellow
came dashing down the room, saying
"clear the decks Gangway for silver.
heeis!" passed our skipper with shout,
burst off vest button, carried away my
collar-b band, and, as the music stopped
sank exhausted in chair, and called fol
boullon for two. So we kept it up, dance
after dance, and the hall resounded with
shouts of laughter.
Whenever the couples ran against eacf
other, the girls sang out with sharp little
"Hl!" which was very amusing. They
have great way of kissing each other al