The Monticellonian., 1898-10-14
twice it's size anywhere else.

twice it's size anywhere else
 Theclimate since we have been here is about like our July i'll onlynow 1t IS the rainy season, and of course that temp CTS the heat Itrains more or less all the time When the sun does shine it goes right on through your shirt and tans and burns your skin. You will sunburn when 1t shines in less than no time and sunburn is bad here.
 The mosquitoesl Oh myl They ars worse than either the insurgents or Spaniards They literally overpoWtr you by force ofnumbcrs and then, not satis- fled with taking your blood, pro- ceed to poison you, and the bites have to be doctored
 There are all sorts of snakes here, but like other natives, they are too lazy to get up and bite, and are considered harmless.
 The interior is unknown to the people here. Negritoes in habit it and they kill every one they can who tries to invade thcir country Tie natives around the coast fear them very much. The country is of such a nature that 1t would be hard to ever drive them out, and after you had driven them out it would not be worth the trouble.
 For every acre in cultivation there are 10000 on the outside. An American could make money farming here but for the fact that it would require a guard  night and day to keep the na- tives from stealing everything he raised and carrying off his fence.
 The people are natural born gamblers. and both sexes indulge in the vice. Cock fighting is the principal amusement, and many large pits are built in Manila. Some accomodate 0,OOO per sons,
 Manila cigars are fine, and 212 cents Gh American money) buys a fine one, as good as the EIeva- tor Scent cigar, and 5 cents buys a Gen. Arthur.
 The river Pasig flows between the new and old towns. It Is about like Poteau, only deeper, and the entrance IS into the bay.
 Nothing but small vessels can come i'll to the pier. Large steamers are unloaded on flat boats and toWed into port by tugs
 There is a species of butterfly here as large as q meadow lark. They are very beautiful.
 Monkeys abound in greatnum- bers here and 75 cents will buy a full grown tame one They make the nights .hideous, in the jun gles, with their unearthly cries. Toncats Interviewing each oth- CT i'll the back yard are not cir cumstance, and a boot-iack can't be utilized to make them hush.
 Typhoons are a frequent oc- curence. One swept up the western coast and demolished everything, just four hours after the third expidition passed into the bay. We played in luck, for that would have sure got us.
 Choridiyer island is in the cen ter of the entrance of the bay and stands 500 feet above the level of the sea. No fleet could ever pass an American fort on this island and be seaworthy again. It's a second Gibraltar.
 The isle of Luzon contains a. bout the same area of square miles as the state of Illinois.
 Earthquakes are of frequent occurrence here and all houses are built to withstand the shocks. They are built to be dry in the rainy season, and that means a rock base five to twelve feet high
 Large timber is scarce here and fire-wood is at premium Our army is now eating food cooked with fine mahogany and rosewood furniture.
 The natives wear few clothes and live out of doors as much as ,>o.c.iIa *ota E.,,,,,o.4 Io.L