The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-05-26
BENTON, LOUISIANA,
THURSDAY ,::::::::::::::::::::::MAY 26, 1898.

BENTON, LOUISIANA,
THURSDAY, :::::::::::::::::::::::MAY 26, 1898.
The Philippine Islands.
The PHILIPPINE group lies between
the China sea and the Pacific ocean,
extending over thousand miles from
north to south and seven hundred
from east to west. The group is COM
posed of about 1,400 islands with a
combined area Of 114,000 square
miles This is territory as large as
that of Great Britain and Ireland and
five times as large as the State of
New York.
These islands were discovered by
Magellan in 1921, and settled by the
Spsnisrds in the reign of Philip H.,
after whom they were named.
The natural wealth and resources of
these islands are vast and beyond any
computation. But, like Cuba, they
have suffered from the blight of Span
ish misrule and oppression. All en-
terprise has been throttled by onerous
taxation and by absurd restrictions
until the people are reduced to pow
erty and driven to rebellion.
The minerals found there are gold,
copper, iron and coal But with the
exception of a number of primitive
copper works, operated by the natives,
the mineral wealth is undeveloped.-
The soil is extremely fertile and pro-
duces the abaca, or manila.hemp,
tobacco, rice, sugar, coffee, bananas
and other tropical fruit.
The best known of all the Philip
pine productions is the abaoa or
Manila hemp. This plant belongs to
the banana family. 1t is propagated
from cuttings. These are cultivated
for two years and then the plant takes
care Of itself. It takes three or four
years for the plant to produce. The
branches on the mature plant grow so
rapidly that they can be cut every
eight or ten weeks. From one to two
tons to the acre is produced. The
hemp is known as vegetable silk. The
coaser quality only is exported, the
finer being retained and woven by
the women upon the most primitive
looms into a fabric as fine as cambria
or muslin.
In Luzon, the largest island, and
upon which Manila is situated, there
are three seasons. The cold season,
when wooden clothes can be worn with
comfort, is from November to Febru.
airy or March. Then the hot season
begins and lasts until July, when the
wet season begins.
The principal animals of the islands
are the buffalo, the wild boar, the
deer and the crocodile. The buffalo
belongs to the same family as that Of
America, but it is very different in
appearance. It runs wild in the for.
ests and is also domestioated, making
most useful and docile beast o1
burden.
A great part Of the surface of the
islands is covered with almost impen
etrable tropical forests. Although
the islands were discovered in 1921,
a great portion of the land is still
UNEMPLOYED and unknown.
The original inhabitants were 8
tribe Of black dwarfs of an average
height of 4 feet 8 inches. Some o.
them still remain. They are naked
savages, Informed and repulsive.-
This tribe, known as Negritos, wat
conqured by Malay tribes, which nov
compose the bulk of the population
The latter had attained to q consid
cradle degree of civilization before
the Spanish occupation. They are
light in color and have long hair. and
some of them are handsome.
Manila, the capital of the islands
is over 5000 miles from the nearest