The times., 1899-10-30
IN PHILIPPINE Waters
Lieutenant EIIicott's Report of the
Voyage of the ZafrO.
of the Islands De-
scribed by the Intelligence officer
of the baltimore - Facts About
Comparatively Unknown Coast
Towns and ViIInEes-The Climate.

Towns and XiIInEes-The Climate.
The report Of Lieut. John NJ. Ellicott
United States Navy, intelligence officer of
the Baltimore. on the result of his cruise
among the Philippine Islands, has been
given out by the Navy Department The
report is dated August /, last, and is based
upon information gathered while cruising
among the islands in command Of the des-
patch boat Zairo. The report states in
part:
We left Manila July i, during period
of incessant and almost unparalleled rain
fall, which had then lasted ten days, and
which continued at Manila and on the
west coast of Luzon for about twelve
days more, accompanied by fresh and
squalIy southwest winds. This weather
prevailed in Verde Island Passage and the
Sea OF AIindoro. but we ran out of 1t near
the coast of Mindanao. and learned from
the Castine, near Zamboanga, that the
weather in that vicinity had been uniformly
clear. cool, and pleasant for long period.
This was found also to have been the
case at Cebu, our next stopping place. Cur
run between these ports, and from Cebu
along the west coast of Leyte to Makapipi
Islands was under a clear sky and through
/ a smooth sea with light breeZes, but upon
going TO the westward to visit lloilo we
ran again into the wind and rain of the
northeast coast Of Panay. At Iloilo the
I weather was such as we had left at Ma
Mia, and I was informed it had prevailed
! there for the same length of time After
/ leaving IIoilo we retraced our course as
4 far as Makapipi Islands, and ran out OF the
! bad weather at the same point we had
/ entered il.
During the remainder of the cruise we
J c0asted along Samar, Masbate and the
smaller islands Of the Visayas, ran about
/ thirty miles up the east coast of Luzon,
I then skirted the southwest coast of that
+ island to Manila encounterilg throughout
the most perfect weather imaginable. The
/ barometer remained low, as ii had been in
Manila, with slight fluctuations during the
/ cruise beginning 10 rise only two days
+ before its termination. ! am led to the
/ conclusion that during the southwest mon
soon season the prevailing weather in the
( Visayas east Of Panay, in the southeastern
extremity of Luzon. except when traversed
by typhoon, and in Mindanao is clear.
comparatively cool. and free from storms
Island Cha ructeristics.
The east coast of Mindoro shows no.
sign of cultivation and but little of habita-
tion. It is high and thickly wooded. On
the west coast of Mindanao there is mar
row belt sloping from the mountains TO the
I sea which is thickly populated and under
cultivation, with frequent coc0anut groves.
The north coast is abruptly mountainous
and more sparsely settled.
The country around the town of Cebu is
supeTbly picturesque and beautiful. 1t is
under cultivation in hemp and vegetable
/ products and is traversed by good roads
and paths. Ii is gently undulating, rising
( to a mountainous background and lux
/ uriantly but not densely covered by trop-
/ ic8l foliage trees OF many shades of green.
/ The natives and their villages are here re-
1 MAJ kaBiy clean, the former being gentle
and exceedingly friendly. This is the most
! ideal residence spot l have seen i'll the
I islands. The business part of the town
itself however, is treeless, dusty, and hot.
The island Of Leyte is a high. irregular
plateau with plenty Of open country, COW
l cred with hemp or growing wild in grass.
/ Around the shores Of Okmok there are, be-
4 sides those OF hemp large fields of Indian
/ corn. The island of BilaTan is a bunch of
high volcanic peaks, sloping steeply to the
/ water. There are a few villages along its
shores IN small cOcoauut groves.
The north coast of Leyte, about which
the sailing directions admit ignorance, is
steep, wild, deHsely wooded, and uniformly
about l,5O0 feet high as far east as Kari
. CARA, then running down in long slope TO
meadows and swamps. Along this stretch
I is the large town Of Karigara. smaller
one, Baruyo, and two small Nipe villages.
Malagit and San Miguel
The island Of Samar has the same char
/ acterisJics as Leyte. but is in some places
more mountainous The little islands Of
. Puercos, Kapul ana Naranyos are not of
( great height, but densely covered with CO.
coanut palms and bOTdered with broad and
( exceedingly white sand beaches.
The Island Of Masbate shows signs o.
I cultivation and vegetation in its southern
part similar to Samar and Leyte, but its
I northern part consists CT low. treeless,
/ grass-covered hills. Tikao is long, mar
row, wooded ridge. BuIias is d ridge of
moderate Mills sparsey wooded and grass
covered especially its northern half.
/ Martinique is mountainous. rugged, ana
wooded, its southern part q high ruggeI
volcanic peak.
The Scenery of LuzOn.
"On a clear day the scenery Of the