Washington sentinel., 1899-07-08
GoIdinthe Philippines.

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and labor will be expsnded il
seeking the gold which the island
are said to contain. Before thu
outbreak Of hostilities, American
prospectors had made trips in
land; but the attitude Of the native:
prevented any systematic explor'
alton OF the country. Meagre
though the Information acquired
may be, there can be but little
doubt that, in the unknown inte-
rior of many Of the islands and in
Luzon in particular, gold lies
buried away. 1t was the quest for
gold and silver which, four hun
dred years ago, urged Spanish ad-
venturers to begin a great course
OF discovery and exploration. Ii
seems, therefore, incredible that
after having acquired possession
OF these islands and established
here their civilization, these gold
seeking Spaniards should have
left undeveloped the natural @e-.
sources of the territory. But they
never really subdued the natives;
and, although they built up their
great city of Manila and estab-
lished trading stations, their con-
quest was not extensive. They
never subdued even the tribes
which inhabit the country border
ing the coast. During all the long
years OF Spanish dominion, from
founding Of the first colony to the
loss OF the islands, the natives con-
stantly rose up in rebellion against
their rulers. Hampered by their
efforts to bring the insurgent tribes
to subsection, it was impossible for
the Spaniards to explore the land
beyond the beautiful rice fields
and tropical groves, in the deep,
dark jungles of the interior. The
natives themselves have never
extensively engaged in mining;
but the little digging which they
have done has not been without its
good results. In Manila, much
gold in the form of jewelry and
ornaments skiliully worked by the
natives is sold in the shops.
Among many Of the tribes oi
the interior it is considered sac
riligious to disturb the earth; for
which reason they have themselves
not dug for any gold and have pre-
vented others from so doing. Dur.
ing the last lew months they have
resisted the encroachment OF
American gold seekers, because,
they said, they feared that the
wrath OF their gods would fall upon
them, if the earth was made to
yield its treasures. 1t may be that
there are other reasons; for the
natives, although superstitious, are
crafty, and would naturally oppose
the mining OF the noble metals by
any save their own people. Still
another reason nav be advanced
to explain the undeVeloped con-
dition OF Philippine mineral re-
sources. The friars, who weld
so enormous an influence, have
always combated every plan which
would tend to the enlightenment
OF the people aud the growth Of
large industries; and especially
have they been opposed to the dig
ging OF mines, despite the evidence
that precious ores exist. The min
ing of the natives has been con
fined to the alluVial deposits of the
rivers; for there is not a stream
rising in the mountains OF Luzon
and the other islands. which has
not its gold bearing sands and
deposits, from which for centuries
the larger portion Of the precious
metals has been obtained. Hos
tile though the natives may have
been to the advance oil explorers,
the possibilities of the islands un-
der any other rule than Spain's
would, ere this, have been known.
Only with much difficulty was it
possible to obtain a mining grant
from the Spanish officials; and Tor
a foreigner, the obstacles encoun-
tered in obtaining a concession
were well nigh insurmountable.
Since the capture of Manila a
number of American prospecting
parties have been exploring vari-
Gus parts OF the islands. Although
their work has been greatly re-
tarded by the insurge ats, they
have, nevertheless, succeeded in
locating some very rich veins Of
gold, which will be worked when
peace is established. Even before
the outbreak OF our Wlr with
Spain.a company composed largely
OF Spanish residents Of Manila had