Washington sentinel., 1898-06-04

nose IS OUT OF water. lhe Wacel
buffalo is particularly valuable tC
the inhabitants as a beas Of bur.
den, as it can drag plough anc
can walk when knee deep in mud
The milk Of the female is very
generally used instead of cows
milk, but its meat is unfit for food.
In the two best streets of Manila
there are excellent stores in which
goods Of all kinds can be pur-
chased at moderate prices, many
of the merchants being Chinese.
The churches must have been i'm
posing buildings years ago before
they were shaken and in some
cases wrecked by earthquakes.
They contain no works OF art of
any value. The inhabitants are
very faithful to their Church, and
the archbishop possesses almost
unlimited influence with the inhab &.
itants. 1t has often been said, if
the priests we're taken away the
natives would be ungoVernable.
The dwelling houses in ManilI
are constructed with a view of
shutting out the intense heat of
the summer, The houses are
rarely more than two stories in
height. owing to the ravages of
earthquakes. Glass is of course
unknown, as the earthquakes
would shiver every pane.
Strange to say, life in the old city
does not present many points of
interest to the traveller, for the
streets are narrow and the houses
solid and gloomy. 1t is a marked
contrast to the businesslike cities
of South America. The Spaniards
born in the Iberian Peninsula look
down up those born in the islands,
so that class distinctions are very
closely drawn. This has resulted
in the failure to make political
combinations. Hatred and jeal-
ousy Of the foreigner are carried
to extreme limits. the Chinese COM
ing in for a large share of their
disfavor. The theatres are poor;
concerts are rare, and there is no
library, and their amusements are
mostly limited to hearing the band
play, attending balls on Sundays
and cock fights. The cockpits are
licensed by the Government, and,
though the betting is limited by
law, the citizens will not hold to it.
The revenues Of the island are fur
nished by direct taxes on every
Indian, halfbreed and Chinese.
The dress of the natives is exceed
ingly picturesque and is never
adopted by the Spanish. Cigar
makers in and around the city Of
Manila number az 900, and they
are all girls and women except
aboutI,5oo men. They present
picturesque appearance with their
native costume and huge hats in.
tended to protect them from the
rays of the sun. They make their
cigars squatting on their heels or
sitting on bamboo stools two
inches high. They frequently come
from considerable distances, going
back and forth in boats. Tobacco
has always been and probably will
continue to be the most important
product of the Philippines; and,
according to the old laws, the Indi-
ans we're compelled to raise to-
bacco in quarters which were not
adapted to growing it, even to the
exclusion of other crops. but IN
1888 the laws were repealed, and
the result was the securing of finer
tobacco and better cigars, for they
are now made at a higher rate.
The wants OF the natives are few
and are easily supplied They live
on the banks of the rivers in huts
made ofbamboo and cane thatched
with palm leaves. Some of the
views in the suburbs of Manila are
enchanting.