The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-18

pine archipelago, the home of the half
civilized MALAY
The Philippine Islands are under the
supreme charge of a governor general. who
resides in Manila. a town of considera INV
more than 100000 inhabitants among them
Soodly number OF British men of busi-
ness whose well appointed club is the GEN.
ter of foreign and social intercourse In
Madrid the interests of the colony are
specially intrusted to a council of state for
the Philippines, which acts as an advisory
pody 10 the minister of the colonies. There
IS also council of state in Manila, which
mas voice in questions affecting the ma
terlal progress of the islands, which are
divided into provinces, each under its gov
ernor. The provinces are subdvided into
districts, and these again into communes
or parishes. The gobernadocillo Qittle gov
ernor) stands on the lowest rung of the
official ladder, being the elected head of
a commune, and wearing as the symbol of
office stiff, mushroom-shaped hat re-
splendent with solid ornaments of silver
bullion. In these communes or parishes
the cura (priesO, especially if he be a
Spaniard, as is generally the case in the
more important parishes, exercises SUI
preme power He is the father and coun-
sellor of his people, and helps them not
only with spiritual advice, but also furth-
ers their material interests Many of
these Spanish curas have done much good
work in the way of making roads and
bridges, and the building of churches, act
ing frequently as their own engineers and
architects, with far less unsightly results
than one might expect from persons who
are supposed TO be more conVersant with
brevar and rosary than with rule and
compass.
The Spanish priests, friars of strict or
ders, come to the islands for aye and
good and with searcely-any exception do
Priests of native extraction do not quite
come up to the high standard of their
Spanish confratres. They cannot all live
up to the severity of monastic rules These
native curaS moreover, suffer under the
proverbial disadvantage 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 Philippine natives
find and take life easy. Their require
ments are few. The sum of f5 will pro-
vide a native household with a dwelling
of it's own and ample furniture. Under a
genial climate, on a soil lavishly grateful
for the slightest tending, by waters teem-
ing with fish, they know naught of hunger
and have much time left for amusements-
such dancing and public rejoicngs on
the smallest occasion, music, for which
w.,
is scarcely a commune without a fairly
trained brass band-and gambling Cock.
fighting is the national sport, and no mean
source of revenue TO the authorities. AL
most every native owns fighting fowl
which is as dear to him as her lapdoe
10 a European lady. He carries it about
with him, and bets his bottom dollar on
it's performance in the arena. Thus the
native is an intermittent rather than a
steady worker, and his delight in feasts
and holy days, and his content, which
passes him off as rich in his own mind
with $40 in his purse, make him as a la
borer. dOcile as he is, and willing to please,
d source of frequent annoyance to his en-
Iloyers.
There is no doubt that mining for the
precious metal was praciiced in the ISL
ands long before the advent of the Span,
iards In fact, ii may be that the alluval
deposits, accessible 10 the Chinese and
Malay traders, who had intercourse with
the islands long before they were known
TO Europeans have been to a great ex-
tent worked over ana 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 contentediy
single file, laden with their simple i'm
plements, through the trackless primeval
forests, cutting i InSir way patiently
through endless tangles of lianas and
swaying labyrnths of luxurant greenery
which would make a botanists heart
swell. In many parts vehicles of any kind
are unknown; in others their only repre-
sentative is the creaking country car
drawn by a pair of stolid buffaloes.
1.-The engineers of the Philippines Min
eral Syndicate were, driven to many odd
shifts when moving heavy machinery from
the port to the syndicate's chief establish
ment In the first place, a road had to be
made. and, though it is barely three and a
half miles long, half a dozen bridges had
10 be built, roughly, yet strong enough to
bear the weight of many tons. And when
the road was ready, native carriers ask
ed absurd sums for the conveyance of a
couple of boilers, weighing AZ and 3l5 tons
respectively. In the end a simple sedge
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
Philippines Mineral Syndicate Also an
other 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, rid
ding in places the ground Ike sieve with
their pits 1t Is well known that the ma
tives in the mountains, which 20 a great
extent are unexplored, oil traffic in gold
fba