The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-23
LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES
SAVAGE NATIVES IND INCOMPE-
TENT IL ULERS.

spnin's Sovereignty Only Nominal Out
side of Towns-A nj thometan Poten-
tnte- characteristics of the People.
On June 10, 1894, arrived in Manila
Bay from Singapore on board the
Nuestra Sonora de Santa Loreto. The
faith of the pious Spaniard who gave
the steamer her long name had been
abundantly justified, or she must have
gone to the bottom years before, for a
more ramshackle craft never set foot
upon. Luckily we had no rough wealth
err, or these lines might never have been
penned, the protection of Our Lady of
Holy Loreto" Notwithstanding. 1t was
night when we came anchor, and the
spectacle of the lamps on the Lunetta
gave me a blessed feelings of security
which had been lacking many a day.
If the Nuestra Sonora, ETC., should go
down at her anchorage I might pos
sibly swim ashore
Landing at 9 o'clock next morning,
visited the custom house. Officials,
Spanish and Creole, were lounging
about, cigarette or cheroot in mouth,
and presently one Of them condescend-
ed to inform me that my luggage would
be examined at o'clock. 1t was then
$3.50 a. m. At the appointed hour I re-
turned; but in Manila four years ago
no one dreamed of hurrying, and an
other hour passed before I was free of
the port. An acquaintance assured me,
however, that my good fortune had
been great, and when, three days later,
| obtained licensia, or permit to stay
in the islands, the same gentleman con-
soled me for the delay with the remark
| that such dispatch was phenomenal-in
Manila. During my stay I made the
acquaintance of one of the leisurely of
Gals, Creole. In a burst of confidence
| he gave me to understand that a great
deal of money was received at the Man
| lila custom house, but the government
saw very little of it.
| I am told that they have the electric
| light in Manila to-day, but in 1894 the
! oll tCt0 WtIt III Will pll ioilipo, oll Ppoto
more or less resembling the famous
tower of Pisa. The Notifications had a
very ancient look not surprising when
! it is remembered that they were built
between two and three centuries ago.
Leaving the Lunetta, | passed through
| a beautiful avenue of feathery bam-
boos, swaying to the gentlest breeze,
and so reached the town in time to wit
ness very pretty sight. 1t was fu-
neral. -Four white ponies, harnessed in
sky-bluC and silver, driven by coach
man similarly arrayed, drew the hearse,
which was painted white, blue and gold
and decked with plumes of snowy
| feathers.
| AS my business in the Philippines
was to collect plants on the mountains
of South Palawan I left Manila by the
| first steamer taking two natives as
personal servants. One of them, NAM
/ ed Minico, was very small, not more
than four feet in height, but brave
| enough, nevertheless. My fellow-pas-
sengers numbered seven. One of them
a gentleman of martial aspect, I ad-
dressed in my best Spanish:
| cit is fine day, captain"
"Senor," he answered, giving his
/ mustache an upward twist, you mis-
| take l am colonel" And he turned
on his heel There our acquaintance
began and ended. The Spaniard is SC
seldom dscourteous-at least, to Euro
peans-that l fear he was scarcely 6
good sample. Possibly, however, Ad.
miral Dewey has by this time taught
the colonel better manners.
Steaming past the Calamaines ISL
ands we eventually anchored at Maran'
gas, in Palawan, which was my des-
tination.
The settlement comprised two small
houses inhabited by Cinnamon, and {
stockade less than a hundred yards
square, containing hut for the Officer
in command, one for the garrison o.
thirty soldiers and another for stores
At every corner of the stockade rose E
watch tower, matched with "alang
alang" grass, occupied night and day
by sentries with loaded rifles, lest the
"Moros," as the Spaniards can the ma
tives, should attempt surprise.
/ advise no one to visit this Palawar
Settlement unless obliged. There wal
csarcely any food to be had for low
for money. Mosquitoes swarmed al
they do nowhere else on earth, think
Ono morning ] counted thirteen alliga
tors marching in a troop along thu
beach toward the mouth of a small
river Ants, millions of them, were ev
erywhere-in the soup, the jam, m!
bed, my shirt, on the table-whereve
an ant can crawl. A species more We
nomous I never encountered. My Ma
Mia men suffered terribly. Scarcely al
inch of their bodies escaped, and thu
wounds, if rubbed, suppurated Xix
smallpox. To crown all, Marangas il
notorious for a special kind of fever o
the most virulent character. Half tn
garrison We're down while I was there
and their commander was hardly eve
well.
The Cinnamon were engaged in thu
"Damar" trade, which is carried on il
rather a peculiar manner. The Sultan
will not allow the natives of the in
terror to sell their resin to the Celes
tials direct; they must dispose of it tt
the Sulus, who dwell on the coast AM
these trade with the Cinnamon. A
may be supposed, the poor natives ar,
plundered shamefully.
Having arranged with 10 Chang, tn
principal Chinese merchant, for use O
a hut, I paid a visit to Lieutenant Gar
cha, the officer in charge of the stock
ade. He invited me to vino tinto ant