The times., 1898-10-14
AT MANILA.
sights and Uniforms on the Popular
Promenade

Writing from Manila a recent visitor
says that leading from the walled
city at two,5o its main gates are
roads which converge and unite at
the Puenta de Espana, the princi-
pal bridge crossing the Pasig This
bridge is about at the corner of the
walled city and is the great connecting
link between official Manila and the big
modern business section called Benondo.
In the course Of a day nearly everybody
In the town crosses the bridge, and one
can be sure to meet all his friends and see
everybody else if only he waits long
enough at the end. A constant procession
of people and carriages is going back and
forth. 1t is the Broadway and Twenty
third Street or the place de rOpera" of
Manila. for sooner or later. all Manila
passes that way As soon as the Ameri-
cans gained control they divided the sides
between the going and coming. All trav-
cling in one direction were made to take
one side and all going in the other direc-
tion were made to use the remaining side
Consequently there is never any con-
gestion.
The Puenta de Espana is one of the
most interesting places in Manila to
study people. for you see all classes. The
Spanish officers riding brisk, smart lit
tie horses. or walking along with mill
Ca 90 Att oit dS Il btltIdl TIlt Hdnu-
some. well-cared-for men. They nearly
all wear boards that are models of per-
fection and thoughtful culture Then.
there are the Spanish gentlemen and la
dies riding In carriages. with coachmen
and tigers. The ladies are usually a lit
tie stout, as a rHle. but very grand-iook-
ing, and occasionally a very pretty one
passes. When out riding the ladies al
ways so bareheaded. II Is considered the
proper thing to stare at them. and ii is
said that instead of being indignant or
offended, they appreciate the long and
analytic character study that each trim
Castilian gentleman greets and follows
them with. Then, there are the Spanish
soldiers-thin and hungry looking There
does not seem TO be one strong healthy
looking one in town. They all wear rak-
ish straw hats, many of which have the
names of the companies or departments
TO which they belong painted on the
bands. There is stream of them saun-
tering across the bridge from the escolta
to the walled city and back again at all
hours of the day. except the siesta hour.
early in the afternoon. They don't seem
to have anything to do, and appear TO
enjoy the Job.
Then there is that vast foreign popuIa-
ton. the big husky boys in brown from
America. They go in punches, in ones. in
carriages. and on horseback Some have
blouses, some don't have felt SLOUGH hats
and some straw hats. and usually each
one is smoking a fat cigar with a gor-
geous belly-band around 1t. The sight
of four soldier boys in a two-seated car
riage, wearing the homeliest, most SER
viceable uniform that ever In the history
of the world blighted the fairness of a
landscape, smoking cigars and telling the
driver to "pronto" ito the "Cally Reel is
something worth treasuring in the mem
ory. The American officers. riding small
ponies. are usually very fine-looking. be-
cause the linen suits they wear with
their gold buttons and stripes of blue
trimmings. are certainly striking and eff
fective. A good many of them have
taken to "khaki-' or "carkee," the
brownish yellow material used so gener-
ally by English troops in the tropics, and
the combination is all right
Then there are the insurgent soldiers
and the insurgdht officers, the latter with
blue and white Striped uniforms. the same
as are worn by the Spanish soldiers and
officers. but with a"distinguishing mark
on their rakish hastraw hats This mark is
a red, white and blue ribbon, the colors
composing the tnsursent flag with a lit
tie touch of yeilow.Ei There are hundreds
of Chinese coolies, carrying on an aver
age of 100 pounds apiece. Then come the
men, women and children, natives, who
can be roughly summed up as Villagers ~
etc. There are heavy carts. pulled by wa
ter buffalo or caribou. and carromattas
and carriages and troops of marching
soldiers. and everything else that goes to
make up wonderful panorama.