Austin's Hawaiian weekly. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1899-190?, 1899-11-11
AUST1N'S HAWAIIAN WEEKLY.
ment of new gold to maintain the supply,
even with the African mines forever closed"
A Letter From Manila.


A Washington man, who is an officer in
the Philippines, writing to friend, tells of
the outlook there. The letter was written
at Manila, and is dated September S, 1899.
1t is as follows:
"This city is old-looks older than any
city in Cuba. Everything is so damp that
mold covers the outside walls of the houses
and the old city wall. Tropical plants of
all kinds are found here in great numbers.
There is a beautiful drive along the bay,
lined with cocoanut and palm trees. There
is also band-stand situated on the drive
way, where band plays every evening
when it doesn't rain, which is not often.
Crowds are to be seen on the drive when
the weather is good, and by December /,
the dry season will set in, when, am told,
it is beautiful for few months.
"There is a good deal of fighting going
on now in small way-that is, a few men
and officers killed daily. Yesterday a lieu
tenant of the 18th Infantry was killed few
miles from Manila. Eighteen men were
drowned trying to cross the river on raft.
These men brought out, which makes IA
men killed that came over with me. Agui-
naldo has $4,000 men concentrated about
forty miles up the railroad track, many of
whom will be killed or wounded. The
rebels are we'll armed, and, as rule, fight
from trenches or in ambush. They are
improving in their craftsmanship.
"The country now is flooded. There is
continuous rain, and it makes it hard to get
around, but the rebels are active all the
same. l think great mistake is made in
treating all who come into our lines as
friends, as they only wait for a chance to
kill Cur men and stir up strife in our rear.
We have too many of them, and they
should all be driven out and kept out until
Aguinaldo and his forces lay down their
arms. That is the opinion of all the officers
with whom have conversed with privately,
though they don't and cannot make it
public.
90 This island is fertile and rich if properly
handled, but is priest-ridden to an extent
not imagined by the general public of AM
erica. Much time must be taken to i'm
prove the conditions existing here, even
after peace is made, and many troops will
be required to keep the people in control
and teach them true civilization, as the
average American understands it,
'The hospitals are full of people suffer-
ing from malarial fever and typhoid fever.
How can it be otherwise when men have to
be exposed to rain, and sleep in water day
and night, as they do at the front? One
half of the army here is sick, and the same
conditions will exist with the new troops.
"The city is under martial law, and no
one is allowed out after O'Clock pm,
either soldiers or citizens. All places of
business are closed and guards patrol the
streets at every corner. Officers in uniform
only are allowed out. They are challenged
at every street corner and made to show
why they are out. This is necessary, as
there are 10000 natives in the city, all OF
whom are in sympathy with the insurgents
These people don't fear death, and think il
they die fighting they go straight to paradise