Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-07-06

WIN soild ornaments or silver
pu'ion. In these communes or parishes
the cura priesp. especially II he be a
spaniard, AZ ia generally the case in the
more important parishes. exercises su-
pfeme power. He Ia the father and
counsellor OF his people, and helps them
not only with spiritual advice, but also
furtners their material interests Many
OF these Spanish 1curas have done much
Soou work In the way OF making roads
ana bridges. and the building OF churches.
acting frequentlyas their own engineers
and architects, with far less unsightiy
results than one might expect from per-
sons who are supposed 70 be more con-
versant with breviar and rosary than
With rule and compass.
The Spanish priests. friars OF strict
orders, come TO the islands for aye and
good, and With scarcely any exception
do their duties faithfully and devotedIy.
Priests OF native extraction do not quite
come UP 10 the high standard OF their
Spanish contracts. They cannot all
live up TO the severity OF monastic
rules. These native curas, moreover.
suffer under the proverbisl dis
advantage which affects the prophet
In his own country. and lacking the
strength OF mind and tenacity of VOW
OF the Spanish priests. sometimes seek
consolation in diversions OF not quite
clerical or monastic character.
ION the whole, the Philippines natives
find and take life easy. Their require
ments are few. The sum of IS Will
provide a native household with a dwell
ing II it's own and ample furniture
Under genial climate on a soil lavishly
grateful for the slightest tending. by wa
tiers teeming with fish. they know naught
Of hunger and have much time left for
amusements-such as dancing and pub
lie rejoicings on the smallest occasions.
music, for which they have natural
talent. so that there is scarcely COM
mune without fairly trained brass band.
and gambling. Cockfghting is the nat
ional sport, and 10 mean source of rev.
enue TO the authorities. Almost every ma
tive owns a fighting fowl. which is as
dear TO him as her lapdog 10 a European
lady. He carries II about with him, and
bets his bottom dollar on its performance
in the arena. Thus the native is an inter-
Inittent rather than a steady worker,
and his content. which passes him of as
rich. in his own mind. with so in his purse,
make him as q laborer, docile as he is,
and willing to please, a source of fire.
quent annoyance to his employers.
precious metal was practiced in the is
lands long before the advent of the
Spaniards' In fact, it may be that the
alluvlal deposits, accessible to the Chinese
and Malay traders, who had intercourse
with the islands long before they were
known 10 Europeans. have been to
great extent worked over and over again.
1.-THE most serious impeachment to mining
in the Philippines is the utter absence
Of practicable roads. The natives, with
their primitive ways of working, do not
feel the want of roads. They trudge
cOntentedly single file, laden with their
simple implements, through the trackless
primeyal forests, cutting theF way
patiently through endless tangles of
lianas and swaying labyrinths of luxu-
RANT greenery, which would make a
botanists heart swell. In many parts
vehicles OF any kind are unknown; in
others their only representative Is the
creaking country car drawn by pair
Of stold buffaloes.
THE engineers OF the Philippines Nine
raj Syndicate were driven TO many odd
shifts when moving heavy machinery
from the port TO the syndicate's chief
establishment. In the first place, a road
had TO he made, anC, though IL Is
barely three and half miles long, half
a dozen bridges had TO be built roughly,
yet strong enough to bear the weight OF
many tons And when the road was
ready, native carriers asked absurd sums
for the conveyance Of "A couple of boilers,
IL and 1-2 tons respectively.
In the end a simple sledge, devised by
British ingenuity, did the job for small
fraction of the sum asked by the natives.
"Thus far the fringe only of its particu-
lar district has been investigated by the
Mineral Syndicate. Also
another district, hundreds of miles away,
has been examined, with the result of
finding an extensive alluvial gold field
at the foot of the mountains. There also
the natives have worked in their usual
fashion. Kidding in places the ground
like a sieve with their pits. 1t Is wen
known that the natives of the mountains,
which TO a great extent are uneXplored,
all traffic in gold, and from the general
evidence it seems probable that the
auriferous formation, from which the
alluvial deposits were stocked by the
process of erosion, continues throughout
the backbone of the island But for
practical purposes mining enterprise must
keep near the coast for years to come,
until, in the progress of events. more
distant mines can be reached with con-
venience.
"The question is often asked: How is
il that 50 little is known of Philippine
gold?' The answer Is simple. There
Is no official control of the output, or tax
On t. The miners live in isolated dis
Lricts and villages, with rare communi-
,atiOn between them. And the universal
man OF business is the omnipresent
Chinaman, now storekeeper with fixed
abode. now perambulating pedler, who
generates the most distant settlements,
ouys the gold with his wares and sends
[ out of the country over 10 HongkonS !
II Annoy, or elsewhere. 1t is not his
business to swagger over the volume OF
us trade; in fact, ne keeps it dark. Those |
who know are aware that the gold export |
) considerable and very much exceeds |
he official computation, whatever that |
nay be.
Gold is found in many other islands |
If the group. Senior Abella found traces !
II alluvial workings in Cebu. Mindora
which is but little known, is said 10 be |
.ich I'm gold. Panaon. small island |
,orth OF Mindanao, has at least one |
yell-defined vein of auriferous quartz,
while Mindanao itself is the centre of
considerable trade in alluvial gold. From
pecmens brought from that island. the
occurrence of rich quartz veins cannot
,e a matter of mere conjecture Mindanao,
hough the first discovered island OF the
.roup. is the least known and least
ettled Of all. Many points. especially |
N the south coast, are still held by
Ialay sultans and rajahs, who, while
acknowledging the suzerainty or Spain.
Annual safes over O 200, 900 Eoxes