Semi=weekly graphic., 1898-05-18
TIE PHILIPPINES.
THE ISLANDS WERE NAMED
 IN HONOR OF PHILLIP II.
Tobacco and Manila Hemp Are the Principal Products of spain's Rich Colonial Possess
 ions.

The Philippines were the last dis covery of Magellan and have ever since been claimed by Spain, says the Chicago News. This discovery was made march 31, 152l, and on April 9, 1522. Magellan was killed by native of Mactan, one of the smaller islands His ship, the Victoria, which made the first voyage around the world, was taken back to Spain by Sebastian Cano, who succeeded in command.
 The islands are of volcanic forma- tion, many of them being simply bare rocks polished by the action of the waves. Those which have any soil at all are very fertile Tobacco is tn principal product and abaca ore Manila hemp comes next. Ex- eepting Cuba, the Philippines are Spain's richest colonial possession, and, like Cuba, they have nearly al- ways been misgovegened and large portions of their territory have never been more than no1ninally under the control of Spain.
 Class feeling runs very high. The Philippine Spanish are considered not quite up to the tone of the peninsu- lar Spanish; together they hate all the other races, all the other races hate them and each other, and everybody joins in the most cordial hate of the foreigner.
 Owing to the confguration of the land-0pen toward the China sea and practically land-locked toward the Paeifc-the tides run to excess sive heights. Sometimes two tides running in opposite directions hurl themselves against each other and the noise of the shock can be heard for a mile. Ships caught in the rush of waters are utterly helpless.
 The Philippines are the most northern group of the Indian archi- pelago. They have a range of l, ,050 miles from north to south and TOO miles from east to west. There are only forty of any importance, of which Luzon, $50 miles long and 175 miles wide, Is the largest. The is- lands, with their fantastic, tortuous forms, furrowed by straits, stretch out in every direc tion their long, narrow peninsulas and capes. From ,F9 9clo Borneo and a chain of small islands to Formosa.
 From November to April the tenn perature, though often reaching S2 degrees, is not oppressive and the nights and mornings are generally cool. During the rainy season, which continues from May to Novem- Der, the heat is very oppressive and eneryating and Is unhealthy to strangers. Epidemic diseases are, however, rare. Colera is occasional ly epidemic, but not more so than in other and cooler countries.
 The bay of Manila is one of the most spacious and beautiful in the world. The old city of Manila, which was founded by Lagaspi in 157l, Is surrounded by crumbling wall of masonry 200 or 300 years old. In this wall are vaults for storage and a number of guns are mounted on the top. Soldiers and priests are plentiful in the narrow, dark streets of the old city. The River Pasig, which flows into the harbor, is rival in filth to our own Chicago river. There are many ruins in evil dence of the hidden power of the earthquakes which occasionally work great damage in the islands. The streets of Manila are lighted by kerosene, as the frequency of earth quakes makes the laying of gaspipes impracticable.