The age-herald., 1898-10-26
THE PHILIPPINE
 CAPITAL CITY

From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
 Manila, P l., September 3-Manila has population of about 25O.0OO. and is divided into the old and new city Old Manila is given a picturesque appearance by it's me- dieval Notifications and od-fashioned buildings. It is completely surrounded by a massive stone wall about three miles in length twenty-five feet high and twenty- five feet thick. Outside the wall is a moat, each entrance has drawbridge, and the whole forms fortihcation that could stand off almost any army. Had not Dewey been here with his fleet the Spaniards could have given us all the fighting we wanted.
 The wall is green with moss, and is said to be about 300 years old. Strange stories are told of dungeons under the wall con- tainng skeletons and old-time instruments of torture. I have been unable to find them, but have no doubt they exist and that some great revelations could be made.
 The buildings are mostly of stone. brick and cement, with tile roofs. None of them are lofty, but many have elegant interiors. I have been through the palace, now Gen. eral Merritt's headquarters. a number of times, and think 1t worthy of standing by the side of anything in St. Louis. The low
 
 the upper one of mahogany. Fine statuary. paintings and wood-carvings abound the throne room being particularly elegant I suppose it Is the finest building in the islands, but have seen others that resem- ble it. Churches and cathedrals are found on every hand. and their interiors show that no expense has been spared.
 New Manila is located just across the pao riu md Taoo wall was built. The Pasig is small and as muddy as the Mississippi at St. Louis. A stone bridge connecting the cities bears the date of 1632. The new city does not differ materially from the old, having the same cobblestone street payements, the same barred windows and the same innumerabie churches. I have seen more churches, crosses, cruoifixes and corruption here than l ever saw anywhere. Private residences are surrounded by high stone walls, with broken glaass- on top. The windows have iron bars, and everything looks as if Mcky Mack or Buck OMalley was around with a gang.
 There are numerous small retail stores here, but anything like Crawford's or the Famous has never been dreamed of There are only two hotels of any size but what we need most of all is a good American restaurant. had dinner in a Spanish res- taurant the other day, seven courses paid I.50. and had just enough to eat to mako me hungry. If our army could be turned loose on Union Market tonight they would make short work of it. The barber shops have sstraight-backed chairs, and man getting shaved sits upright. A shave or hair cut costs 15 cents, and the Spaniards are good barbers. There are a couple of horse car lines in the city. and the fare is 2 anf rraf1n nrA 4f Ixof.. horses pulls a car, but the driver always has good whip, so the horse is seconda- ry consideration. I rode two miles last n ght, and had to get out three times and help lift the car on the track.
 There are two beer halls in the town, one of them. the Alhambra, somewhat resem- bling Koerner's Garden. They are thronged every night with American and Spanish sol- diers. and German and English sailors. Drinks about the same price as in the states, and everything is to be had except lemonade. They know nothing about it. and the nearest we can come to it is lemon soda. The saloon keepers and small mer- chants are nearly all Spanish and Chinese. the wholesale houses being English. The Spana ards are all slow, and a saloon keeper like Tom Allen would make a fortune here.
 Dewey's fleet is lying out in the bay, but his men are not allowed ashore. They would eat the Spaniards first, and then start in on the Germans. Visitors are not allowed on board, but having once served aboard the Olymp a, l managed to get out to her. I went out in a small boat along with an old man I took to be a country preacher, but afterward found to be Murat Halstead I found about 100 old shipmates on the Olympia, and soon had great col- lection of war relics. I send you sailors cap ribbon off of the Castil a, the ship that fired the first shot against Dewey. Dewey is better looking than the pictures you see of him. and is well liked by his men. He talks and acts like man that knows his business, and his men say that the best way to get him mad is to try and show h'm how to do something Two street arabs. who came here with the Tenth Pennsylva- mia, managed to get aboard somehow and asked to see Dewey. He invited them into his cabin, took fancy to them and gave them permission to make a visit to Hong- kong in the Olympia. They address him with all the amiarty of old schoolmates.
 I send you a copy of the Bounding Billow. a paper published on the Olympia, which the ships printer sells at 50 ceflts copy. The Baltimore also turns out one called the Searchight. They are not published with any regularity, and are hard to ohtain.
 Dewey's men have not been ashore sinoa April but his ships are going to Hong Kong, one at a time, to go in the dry dock
 The weather here is similar to that oa St. Louis at this time of year, and I turn in tonight to the tune of mosquitoes just as used to on tele old Mississippi.
 THE BIRDS EvENsONG
 Walter Herries Pollock in i.jhgman's