The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-07-08
An Exhaustive Paper on The
Philippine Group.
READ HERE BY ". R. CASTLE
Presented for Discussion = Heard
BY Many Visitors - A Land Of
which 10 Little Known.

For the regular weekly prayer meet
ing at Central Union Church on We'd
nesday evening there was an attend
ance of a couple of hundred men from
the transports. For their benefit there
was special music. The following in
teresting and carefully compiled paper,
for .-,cussion, was read by w. II.
Castle:
Because of Dewey's splendid victory
in Manila Bay, the world. and especial
ly Americans, have learned more of
the geography and history Of that in
teresting country within the past two
months than 1t has known in three
hundred years.
1t Is not easy to say anything fresh
or new, but almost everything con-
corning that far easten land is full OF
interest. All thinking men feel in
stinctively that the great battle has
done something greater and fuller OF
moment to Americans than over
whelming and destroying a few poor
war ships Of Spain. A new era Is
dawning; Americans are looking be-
yOnd the borders of their own great
land, into the new world about them.
The people begin to feel that there
are concerns which effect them, and in
which they must have an influence,
that are not local to America.
The Philippines extend south from
Formosa about $50 miles or IA degrees
Of latitude to within degrees Of the
nd Wi not
to west, or degrees of longitude.
Within their embrace Is the whole
OF the Sulu sea; south and 300 miles
away lies Celebes. Manila, about $50
miles south of the extreme north, is
nearly 700 miles south east of Hong
kong, and over 5000 miles south of
west of Honolulu, lying in latitude
Is north.
Although nearly four centuries have
elapsed since their discovery, a great
deal OF uncertainty still exists about
the geography of this group. 1t Is
believed that there are over 1,400 ISL
ands, the most OF which are insignifi-
cant in area, but LuZon and Mindanao,
the northern and southern, are truly
majestic, the one containing nearly
II, 1000 square miles, the other over 3D.
900. The whole group Is believed to
contain about 5000 square miles, or
double the area OF New York State.
Samai, Panay, Mindoro, Negros and
PaIawan each have an area a little
more or less than that of the Island
NJ Hawaii mr. something over 1000
aouare miles In no mart of the world
ia volcanic activity more evident. al
though hut few active crate.s attest
the fact. In some respects the ,e vol
canoes are remarkable. Taal. As niles
south of Manila. is a low mounta,, in
the middle of a lake a fifth as la &c
as the island Of Oahu over 100 sauh
miles in area and 100 fathoms deep. n
10 said that where this lake and active
volcano now exist. two hundred years
apo lofty mountain reared its head
nearly 10 900 feet into the clouds, but
A. swiftly dropped into the depths, and
the lake and volcano took its place
The Bulusan. at the extreme south
point OF Luzon, has for centuries guild.
cd the mariner far at sea with its nil.
lar NJ cloud Inv day and OF fire at night
Mayon has always maintained a repu.
tation for terrible destructive power
In 1914 an eruption overwhelmed more
than ~. 600 persons. Vast deposits Of
debris in places covered the TALES,
forest trees. In 1876 one OF the terri
fic storms, for which the Philippines
have dread notoriety, burst over this
mountain and In short time such
vast quantities OF loose material hat
been washed over the surrounding
country, that over 5000 houses and al
roads, canals and farms were ruined
for miles around. Earthquakes are
very frequent In all parts OF the Isl
ands. Sometimes they are OF terrlh'
character and very destructive. NO
where have they left such evidences
Of their power. Mountains have beer
shivered to fragments, valleys hlled
passages rent from the ocean to tn
interior: the courses OF rivers nave
been changed, and lakes have peer
drained or new ones created. witt
such terrific forces OF nature In con
slant operation. the works OF mar
could stand but poor show, ant
many times have towns and Villages
been wholly destroyed. A great earth
quake In 1868 destroyed the city o
Manila, with the loss OF nearly 800