The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-05-05

mostly unpaved, and they are almost i'm
passable during the rainy season.
In the city the houses are two stories
high, and each has its central courtyard.
There reside the heads of the State, the
Church, and the army, and all those who
claim to belong to the aristooracy.
The bridge across the river leads from
the city proper into the Binondo suburb,
where street, called the Escolta, runs to
the right. and to the left. 1t is lined with
1unu merable shops, stores and stalls, and
is usually crowded with people Of vari-
GUS races.
Beyond the Escalta is colony of Chi.
nese, Indians and half castles, who do bust
ness as goldsmiths and jewellers, painters
and enamelers. oil and soap merchants,
confectioners and keepers of gambling
houses and cook shops. The other SUBJ
urbs have their special character. For in
stance, San Fernando is the seat of the
great cigar manufactures, and Santo
Mesa is the centre of the cordage manu-
factory. At the Alcalcerta suburbs the
Chinese sampans discharge their cargoes !;
the fishermen and weavers inhabit the
suburb OF Tondo, and its gardens supply
the markets with fruit and vegetables.
The suburb of h1alate is famous for its
EN- broiderers; Paco is where the artisans
and artists live, and health seekers flock
to Santa Ana and San Pedro Macati.
The principal buildings Of Manila are
the cathedral, the palace of the Governor,
the palace OF the Archbishop. the Town
Hall, beautiful building; zen churches
belonging to the different religious or
ders; several monasteries, number OF
| converts, the arsenal, three colleges for
young men, two colleges for young wom-
en-, the Supreme Court building, the pris-
on, the oivilShospital, the university, the
marine school. the commercial school, the
theatre, large building. the Custo N
House and the barracks. There are Sc "
eral large squares in Manila, the largest
OF which is the Prado, in which is a
bronze statue Of Charles ~.
Manuals municipal history dates from
the year 1911, when the city was founded
by Legaspi. 1t is a splendid natural
| trade centre, and ranks with Calcutta
and Batavia. Being the chief port in the
Philippine Islands, all their productions
flow there, and its harbor in visited by
very great number of vessels of all ma
lions. Its principal exports consist of
sugar, tobacco, indigo, manila hemp and
| cordage, gold dust. birds nests, coffee,
mats, hats, hides, tortoiseshell, cigars,
cotton and rice.
Its manufactures are chiefly cigars and
cheroots, government monopoly; cord
| age from the filaments OF thu abaca,
| beautiful fabrics. known as pinas, woven
from the fibres of the pineapple Leaf and
afterward exquisitely embroidered, vari-
GUS other cloths made of the abaca fla
| ment, pure and mixed cotton fabrics,
| mats and cigar cases.
| In 1915 Manila was nearly destroyed by
an earthquake, and several others have
visited the place since then. A British
fleet captured Manila in 1862, and held it
for fifteen months, when 1t was restored
to Spain by treaty. The population OF
Manila, with its suburbs. is about 1850, 600
The Philippine Islands belong to the
Malay archipelago. Next to Cuba, they
are the most valuable colonial possession
of Spain. In all, there are about 1900
islands in the Philippine group, the princi-
pal of which are Luzon, Mindanae and
Palawan. Their total area is estimated
at about 1858 square miles, and the