The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-10-24

carry about 40 persons comfortably.
They are called bancas. and the natives
! handle them wonderfully we'll The
proas are larger vessels, with covered
| decks. The sides are protected from
small shot by a sheathing OF "A very
hard wood that IL found in the forests
They carry a tremendous sail which is
4 usually made of palm leaves. The ma
tives have trick OF handling their
boats by which they can sail them
backward as easily as forward An
outrigger almost as long as the vessel
is made fast 10 the side and prevents
IL from capsizing. Thus equipped the
sailors take their vessels out i'm the
teeth Of a storm without the slightest
fear.
IL was with this class Of craft that
the sultan of Sulu worried the mer-
chantmen who ventured near the coast
OF his domain, and as late as 1890 he
threatened Manila with a fleet His
downfall was foreshadowed when steam
was introduced as a means Of propul-
sion In that section OF the world. Both
England and Spain joined in sending
feet OF light draft gunboats into these
waters and a great change was made
About 1861 the pirates were nearly
cleaned out. England sent her first
steam fleet TO the Philippines as early
as 1928 to 1880. In 1851 the Balabac pi-
rates sent a squadron to the walls OF
Manila. but il was beaten off and early
i'm the sixties complaints concerning the
depredations OF pirates practically
ceased. 1t was the delight of the latter
day pirates to worry the Spaniards and
Portuguese. They seldom interfered
with either the English or Americans
and would never attack them except
when in overwhelming force.
Many of the pirate crews were COM
posed in part OF Spanish and Portu-
guese renegades. They We're well or
gapized, and their vessels were fitted
with armament taken from prizes. The
flagship OF the sultan of Sulu carried
several 6 FOUNDER guns Many of the
vessels used by him were stolen, and
among them were n number OF fast
American trading schooners. The spoils
were divided between the officers and
men OF the crew according 10 their rat
ings, and they in turn had to pay trb-
ute not only TO the sultan of Sulu; but
the subsultans OF Palanan, Pampango
and southern Mindanao.
The Mindanao pirates were by far the
most troublesome. They were re-en-
forced by the Malays, Chinese, Euro
pean renegades and Spanish and Portu-
guese half breeds. They became famous
for the part they took in the work
along the coast of the Philippines and
other islands. When the British Ash
attic squadron started in TO extermi-
nate the pirates, they were TO be found
everywhere, and when they completed
their work they had destroyed more
than 1000 vessels that had flown the
black flag and killed more than 10000
of the men who had manned the ships.
Canton records state concerning the
Mindanao pirates that they got consid-
cradle ammunition and n number OF
guns in trade with the Chinese. They
purchased some of the vessels and 9TH
er material with which TO carry on
their business from the Chinese. pay
ing for them In gold. OF which they
seemed TO have large quantities. 1t is
known that the gold mines Of Mindanao
were worked and guarded by the
pirates. The Moros. who still inhabit
the islands make their own coin. This
is done by filling quilts with coarse gold
dust and some OF the quilts weigh from
two TO three ounces.
The Moros are not pure race. They