The Portland daily press., 1899-02-02

war He olassed this period as time of
war, and the Congress at Paris as mere
suspension Of hostilities. at the end OF
which their nation might again be en-
yeloped In war. Our relations with Sn.
villa were mainly official: his manner to-
| ward us was brusQue, and at times dis-
| courteous He was extremely suspicious
OF us, particularly OF the diary that we
Kept from day 20 day, and OF camera
that formed part OF our equipment. he
became slowly convinced however, that
we were not seeking for military informa-
tion. After he had assured himself of
this, he told us that the colonel feared
that We were making maps OF the coun-
try. During the rest OF our journey. we
were entirely free from the taint OF TIL
suspicion. According to Sn. Villas
statement, tho charge had first been made
by the spanish prisoners, VINO have never
ceased to warn the natives, that Ameri-
cans troops would come into the province
TO conquer them, when they would find
themselves in worse bands than before
| they rebelled against spain.
Ii had rained almost constantly during
tho last week and the two rivers between
Carig and Echague wers greatly swollen.
We lost horse In the river Carig, but
crossed without further accident. In
these streams and particularly in the river
| MagRt and the Rio Carance lie CaRayan,
there are many aliigstors, of which the
natives are In great fear. No native Will
venture into the water nor into the grass
along the bank until he has first thrown
| stones In front OF him TO Tighten away
the alligat5rs which may be In the neigh
| borhood.
Eohague Is somewhat larger and more
pretentious than Carig. IL has IA guard
| OF 20 soldiers. From this town we went
| by toat TO IaRsns sending the servants
with the horses by the road. The boat
as a dugout 20 feet long and three feet
wide with grass canopy amidships feet
long. 1t was rowed by six natives.
| There are many eddies and whiripools
In the river rendering IL for some distance
| below kchague almost unnavigable, even
for bancas. We shipped water repeatedly
and were twice nearly swampsh. Furth-
err down, particularly below the mouth
OF this Rio Magat, the stream is deeper
and Quietor, and oascoes and pangas come
| 10 this point with freight received from
| the steamer at APART.
We arrived at llagan that evening
November Let. This town Is the capital
| city of the province of lisa velia. 1t has II
| population of between ten and fifteen
| thousand Inhabitants and has many large
| wooden houses rooted with corrugated
iron, giving 1t rather u European appear
anoe. 1t Ia well situated for defence, Ee-
| ing ut the Junction of tho Rio Pinanan-
auan with the RIO Grande. 1t is pro-
L
points except the.south 10 attack the
city by land from the south, 1t would be
| necessary to bring troops up the eastern
side of the Rio Grande. where there are
no roads. 1he site of tho city Is raised
moreover about Az feet above tho level of
| ths river. In this town We were enter
tanned at the house of wealthy citizen.
The first night after our arrival, a ball
was given in our honor, at which there
were over fifty young ladies, and an equal
| number of well dressed and gentlemanly
men. The ball was wen conducted; the
dances were Spanish The next evening
| We were invited TO the theatre TO see TWO
one.sct Spanish comedies, presented by
the society young people of the town.
They were both eIceiiently given, and
spoke well for the intelligence Of the
players.
We desired to continue our journey from
| llagan to Iuguearao, and from that point
across the mountains to the western coast
This request was wired by Sn. Villa to
Col. Tiorna ut Apart. The officer replied
| that II wonld not be possible 10 make
| the proposed trip ut this season OF ths
year. He repeated mis- invitation to visit
APART, take a steamer from that port,
disem bark at Il northern point on the
western coast, and continue our journey
south by land. This arrangement WAS
accepted as tho most satisfactory one left
| open TO us.
There are many Spanish prisoners in
this town, -olyil officers, priests. soldiers
h lghty four priests were paraded in the
street for our inspection, only four or
tive of them wearing robes of their oil co.
| Nearly all OF them wore long hair R"p
boards. They appeared In good health,
and we could detect no evidence OF nal.
treatment. These prisoners had been as
semblcd from different parts OF the
province. They are kept under strioter
guard than either OF the two other elasses
| of prisoners, for the reason that .
native officials fear that, II permitted t.
go mong the people, they Will use the
iniue nee they possess Trough their posi-
ton In the church TO incite them against
the Philippine government We also met
Don j lose Perez. IA Spaniard who had pr =
viously been governor Of the island. He
| was well dressed and seemed TO be enjoy
ing all the ordinary comforts
| In these two days we passed out of the
province of Isabella, and entirely through
tue province of Iagayen. These are at
leading tobacco provinces in tie Is nj.
An idea OF their wealth can Le obt lined
| from the fact that, before the Pail ppine
Instruction, three million la r In to-
bacoo alone came yearly from TN one
province of Isabella. The tobacco 4 this
| province Is preferred ior e., ort8tt ~ to
that of Cayagan. Both provinces raise
also sugar, rice, cocoa and coffee. Cattle
are shipped from Aparr.
The str. Saturnas, whiah lad left the
harbur the day before rarl lvai. brought
news from Hong Kong papers that The
! Senators from the Unlied states ut the
Congress of Paris o,ed the independ-
ence OF the islanu with an American FRO
tectorate Col. 1irona considered the in
formation of sufficient reliability to
| justify him in regarding the IhIl ppines'
independence as assured, and warfare in
the island at an end. FOR this reason, he
proceeded to relinq ish The military COM
- and he held oyel NE provinces, ana 10
place this power IN TIE hands Of u evil
officer elected by the people This Office
also male IA speech in which he thanke {
the disciplined military forces and their
colonel Tor the service they had rend ,fe4
the province; and assured them that the
work they had begun would be perpetual
cd by the people of the province; where
every man, woman and child stood ready
to take up arms to defend their nswly
won liberty, and 10 resist with the last
drop OF their blood the attempt of any
nation whatever TO bring them lack 70
| their former state OF depenCence. his