, 1898-09-17


allowed as the equivalent. / lived at he
mess, finding it much the more comfortable.
Indeed, it wo III have been hard to be ais
satisfied with our way of living; and as IL
will show the style in which the great
American houses IN the East are conducted,
l think it worth telling with some detail.
The mess was a fine house, handsomely
furnished, in one Of the pleasantest parts OF
the city. The table was supplied By a
Chinese cook. He was allowed 500 dollars
q month, and given certain of the heavier
groceries. such as -four, lice, &c. He PAID
his undercooks, and was responsible for
meals at the mess, and for breakfast QIke
the French d6euner a la foHrchette) and
afternoon tea. which were taken at the
office by all The employees, except on Sun
days and iestas. Then there was q major.
domo, who had
Control of All Servants,
and had charge Of the house. There was
also an extra house servant and q Chinese
porter. who opened and shut the great house
doors, filled The baths, pulled the punka,
and watered the street in the dry seAsOn.
Then every one had q personal servant, who
took care of his room, attended 10 his clothes,
W tied on HIM at table, prepared his early
breakfast (about 7 q. my and so on. Every.
body also owned "a horse or horses, which
III L o40 III ~ - 'NHS ~ AN~1
a Junior, / contented myself with one pony
aud a two wheeled trap. something like q
dogcart. The others drove victOrias and
pairs. Three of our mess owned rHclng
ponies, which tended to my benefit, as 1t
gave me as much riding as | wished. After
the bath and an early breakfast came the
drive to the office, between 8 and $50;
then work till 1915, at which hour breakfast
WAS served mt The Office; then work again
till $50, interrupted between 3 and 4 by
afternoon tea; then to the bungalow TO dress,
TO drive. and back to dinner 1T 80. To q
lover Of music Manila is q Charming place.
The natives have wonderful musical talent,
and there were numerous bands. Those OF
the three regiments then stationed there
were remarkably good; and four afternoons
each week they played in turn on the
<Luneta.' a sort Of plaza on the shore OF
the bay Just outside the old walls. | recall
yividly the open-nir concert, Ivy 300 instru.
mentS, given in honour of Prince Oscar Of
Sweden. The glorious full moon of the
tropics, far brighter than in more northern
lands, shining on the quiet waters OF the
bay, the innumerable lights, the brilliantly.
dressed crowd, and the thrilling music of
the mighty bands, softened in volume on
the great plain, combined to make it an
occasion to be long remembered. The "Bat'
tie of Casteleios,' which they played, was
inspiring, and the effect was heightened by
the
Repetition of the TIumpet-Calls
by soldiers who were stationed at intervals
far of upon the plains, while the guns on
the city walls added a touch of reality.
During the height of the rainy season, from
about the middle of June to the middle of
September all outdoor pursuits are suspended.
The violence of the downpour is hardly to
be imagined by jewellers in higher lotitudes.
The streets in Manila, aud 80 ne # The roads
for a few miles outside, are fairly good
during the dry season, but quickly become
nearly impossible when the rains set in.
AS l have already mentioned, Manila is
intersected in all directions by creeks, which
are traversed by hundreds of canoes. These
canoes are dugouts, often OF great size, and
the natives are most expert i'll handling
them. Teey are indispensable at times when
vast floods come down from the great lake,
about thirty miles from Manila. of which
the river Pasig is the outlet. One storm
will sometimes raise The river. and overflow
most of the city. After ~ few hours lain,
I have gone direct from our steps into a
'sbanoa'' (canoe), and been padded through
kbo otroafs m tla Office.