Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-05-23
MANILA AND THE PHILIPPINES
Brief Notes of the Population, Bust
ness, Climate and History.

ulatlon OF 100000, are 1900 in num-
| per, many Of them, of course, very
small. Their extent geographically
is about 1,050 miles north and south
and 700 east and west Formosa lies
between two and three hundred miles
to the north, and much closer to the
south is the island of Borneo, of
which the Philippines, according to
| the biologists, may be considered the
| geological extension. All the going
| and coming is by the way of Hong
Kong, which is $50 miles to the north
west Of Manila. Only about forty of
the islands are of any Importance,
and the largest is Leezon, 4O,O24
square miles, on which is situated
! Manila, the capital, which with its
| surrounding suburbs has a population
estimated Variously at from 200 900 to
| oOO,OOO. Other towns are Laoag, 80
900; Lipa, $4,000; Banang, $4,000: Ba-
tangas. $4,000. Only third, or posi-
| Oily even less, of the population is
Whlte, and mostly Spanish. There
are 100000 Chinese. The balance are
natives and half breeds. The origi-
+, nal inhabitants were undoubtedly Of
Malay origin. The resident Span
lards are principally soldiers, officials
and priests. Most of the local mer-
chants are Chinese. The islands were
| discovered by Magellan in 1921, and
Manila was founded after the Spanish
conquest by Legaspi in 1871, since
which time they have been under the
Spanish crown, except during very
brief intervals.
The chief products are hemp, sugar,
coffee, copra, tobacco leaf, cigars and
indigo. Official statistics as to bus1.
ness are generally missing, and only
approximate figures can be given. In
1895 the imports were something like
SlO,5OO,OOO, and exports $4,000 900.
The chief imports are rice, -four
wines, dress goods, petroleum and
coal, though recently there has been
some coal mining in Cebu. Gold
mining also is now being carried on
in Leezon with great promise. The
revenues of the islands for 1894-95
were estimated at $13,0OO,OO0, and the
expenditures at a few thousands less.
There is an export duty on tobacco
and almost every import is heavily
taxed. OF the imports about thirty
four per cent. are from Great Britain
and her dependencies, and very little
from the United States.
Manila is a very busting port, stu
ated on one of the most spacious and
beautiful harbOrs in the world. The
| bay is oval in shape with periphry
| OF l20 miles. On the left bank of the
Pasig river, which empties into Mani
La bay, is situated the fortified portion
OF the city, which is the city proper.
one authority says the Spanish and
creole population constitutes only
about one-tenth of the whole, but this
| is probably exclusive of the sOldiery.
The city proper, consisting of a group
OF forts, converts and administrative
buildings, is surrounded by lofty
walls and connected with the COM
merc1al part of the community on the
right bank of the Pasig by two fine
| bridges. Manila is connected with
the seaports on the opposite or east
ern side of the island by canal, and
the Pasig is navigable. In the mar
| rows at the entrance of the bay is
the Island of Corregidor. When the
| high tides come during the southwest
monsoon ships of 500 tons can an
chor in the mouth of the Pasig under
| cover of a long jetty, and small war
| ships can enter the cove of Cayite.
nine miles further down. Altogether
it is commanding situation for gen
! eral commerce. The Manila cathe-
dral is the metropolitan church for
all of Catholic oceanica.
The city strikes one at first, after
leaving the free English ports, as
dirty and no1some, but after one is
used TO this gayety, the brightness and
hospitality of the residents are no.
tlceaDle. Around the walls of the
fortified portion and by the edge of
the bay is the calzada, fashionable
arrive lined with almond trees, which
every evening presents gay scene of
carriages filled with the aristocratic
residents. There is usually no dust.
Inc air is balmy and the heat is tenn
| pered by sea breeze. 1t is described
as the most Europeanized city of the
East, a tropical compound of Naples
and Venice, modified by Chinese
thrift, English energy, Spanish slow
ness and Indian jolly Indifference.
The same writer says: ''The priests
as class are as intelligent and
charitable as their brethren else
Where. They are identified with the
well being Of the country There
are no Capuchins in the Philippines,
only Dominicans, Augustines, Fran
! clscans and Jesuits.
From November to April the tenn
perature, though often reaching 80 de-
grees, is not oppressive; the nights
and early mornings are generally
COOL. In the rainy season, from May
to November, the heat is like that of
| our dog days. 1t is eneryatine and