The times., 1898-05-15

the captain general calls for volunteers
TO assist the regular troops. A prompt
response generally comes from the ma
tives of all races and colors, but on
recent occasion, when the new recruits
were examined by a surgeon, it was
found that most of them bore on their
arms or legs sears Of the blood COM
pact" which showed that they were Sc
cret members of the katipunan.
Less than a year ago the insurgent
forces in LuZOn We're said TO number 40
COO, about 500 Of whom were armed with
Mauser rifles, the others bearing bowie
knives, spears and formidable bamboo
lances. They have a few cannon, mostly
cast from church bells, and 4 mitraiIleuse
or two fashioned from cast-iron water
pipes. Last October they were in un-
disputed possession Of Cavite. San Ma
teo linus and Novalete. four miles from
Cavite Bodies of insurgents were en-
camped within three hours march OF Ma
Mia, which they might have captured by
a sudden dash.
Mr.. Foreman, who Travelled through
the islands, looking at the case from the
standpoint of an Englishman concerned
for the safety of the British millions in
vested in Manila and in the sugar planta-
tions of the island of Negros. hopes the
insurrection will be suppressed, but ne
cannot help remarking that the theocracy
Wllcn. 2ILGT kNEtt ttliN u VI i@-4A
domination, still rules the island group,
has proved a failure.
Yet these Islands, like Cuba, would be
a verftable paradise If order could be
maintained John Barrett who was
United States minister to Siam, wrote of
them last year: The prodigality Of ma
| ture impresseS the traveller wherever he
| travels. In the forests he sees ebony.
/ loswood ironwOOd. sapanwood and ce-
| dar; between the forests and the gar
| dens the fruit trees. orange, mango, ia
marind. euava and cocoanut; in the cul-
! tivated area sugar cane, tobacco, rice,
/ hemD. coffee, cotton bananas. vanilla
| cassia ginger, pepper, indigo, cocoa,
| pineappIes. wheat and corn. The miner
| ais include gold, copper, iron. coal, quick
| silver and saltpeter. From the sea.
| mother of pearl, coral. tortoise shell and
| amber are derived. The animal kingdom
| keeps pace with the vegetable and the
| mineral To say nothing of the water
| buffalo. the most useful beast IN the
| trcpics, goats, sheep, swine and tough
| little ponies the jungle SwarmS with
| such a variety of fauna that the natural
| ist finds here a paradise Snakes and LIZ
ards. spiders and ants. tarantulas and
| crocodiles abound. Strange to relate,
| there are few beasts of prey worthy of
note. The flora of the country IS as rich
ton of Luzon is conducive to extensive
cultivation and large population. The
high mountain range in the interior grad
ualIv lowers to the sea. making beauti-
full valleys. rolling hills. upland and low
land. forest and field, drained with nu-
merous rivers. and dotted here and there
| with lakes The coast line Is irregular
and the bays and bayous extend far in
land
It is the boast of Manila that its for
| aien trade now amounts to $50 600. 900 a
| wear. and comprises an export of over
IS 600 900 of hemp Sc, 600 of sugar and
So G00 000 of tobacco. But this volume OF
foreign exports seems slim for such a re-
| gion, inhabited by S,00O,00 people. Under
| a more enlightened government the com
mercial movement would be very much
larger. Like Cuba and British India, the
colony is cherished by the mother coun
try because it furnishes a nursery il
which men of good family in Spain ant
young men with influential connection:
can grow rich in short period OF time
Until lately, when the expense of putting
down rebellions involved drain on tn
Spanish treasury. the Philippines wer'
also valued because of the coin they sup
Piled Everything in sight IS taxed, in
cluding the natives themselves, and thu
the islands are made to yield an annua
revenue of some IS. 0,000 a year.
Dana c. Worcester states that both tn
poll tax and the taille are exacted by tn
officials In some cases the poll tai
amounts to S25 year. and women hav
10 pay it as well as men. The Chimes
pay a special tax. There are taxes ol
stores and shops, on weights and meas
ures. on house property. taverns and tn
smallest factories. man must pay
tax for the privilege of killing his ow1
buffalo or pig meat. or of owning horse
or of pressing oil out of his cocoa
nuts. For the collection of these take
Spanish ingenuity has revived the pla
t which was in use in France before tn
ferniers generauX came into vogue. Fo
; each town or district tax collector
appointed by the governor of the pro
vince He is called a gobernadorcillC
: and he is responsible for the estimate
amount which his district should pay i
! taxes so that if collections should ia
short he must make them good out c
his own pocket. He has under him
number of deputy collectors known 4
cabezas, each of whom collects the take
t of from forty to sixty taxpayers, and