The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-25
| PHILIPPINE ISLAND ATLAS
A Valuable Compilation From the
Maps of the Jesuits,
Thirty CoIored Plates Showing the
Geographical Formation OF the
ArehipeIaGO-Intere Data as
to the Provinces and Subdivisions

Geographical Formation o. the
ArehipeIaEo-Intere Data as
to the Provinces and subdivisions
The War Department has received from
the Coast and Geodetic Survey copies OF
an atlas of the Philippines containing
thirty coIored and carefully executed
plates showing all the islands of the ar
chipeIago and their various provinces
Shortly after the first Philippine Com
missfoners reached Manila. it was learned
that d series of maps covering the more
important islands OF the group was being
prepared at the Jesuit Observatory under
the supervision of the director. the Rev
Jose AIque. s J.
An inspection of such of the maps as
had been completed satisfied the Com
mission that they We're superior to any
thing hitherto published 1t was learned
that the Jesuit fathers had planned 10
make the series quite complete, but that
they had no definite ideas as TO when the
work would be finished OF how the maps
would be published eventually.
The Commission conceived the idea Of
| securing their cooperation in the prep
aration of a comprehensive atlas OF the
archipelago. and with this end in view
asked them TO submit a tentative list OF
maps. The request was promptly com
piled with After some discussion the
| Commission decided to publish the series
! prepared by the Iesuits. and an arrange
merit was entered into whereby It should
be completed and become the property Of
/ the Commission.
/ The Coast and Geodetic Survey in sub
/ hitting the atlas calls attention to the in
| teresting fact that all of the technical
1 work in connection with the maps was
executed by native Philippine craftsmen.
| The work is of a high order and has
| been highly commended by the Superin-
| teIldent of the Coast and Geodetic Sur
/ vey. although the men who accomplished
| il are a portion of the people whom the
Administration declares are inca pabIe of
| government The drafting was
| carried on under the supervision OF the
! Rev. Jose Alque. S J., the director of the
/ Manila Observatory
i The entire absence of accurate surveys
/ OF many OF the islands was necessarily a
| serious drawback, but the Jesuits spared
/ no pains in securing all the available data
and verified them byl consultation with
( members of the other religious orders. as
| well as with old residents. travellers and
! explorers. To the admirable work of
/ their own order is due practically all of
our present knowledge of the interior of
Mindanao-
While strictly accurate maps can never
/ be prepared until the necessary surveys
] nave been made, it is believed that the
atlas made from the Jesuit maps fairly
represents the present state OF geogra phic
knowledge of the Philippine Archipelago
( and It embodies large amount Of new
! information. At the suggestion Of the
! Philippine Commission and of the De-
I partmenI OF State. and in view OF its use
4 fuiness as a preliminary compilation il
was decided 70 publish the maps through
the agency Of the United States Coast
and tSeodetic Survey Owing to the con-
/ tEadictiOns involved in the arbitrary scale
and the projection the original draw
! ings, some of The maps were redrawn al
! the Coast and GeOdetic Survey Office.
/ The The atlas contains considerable in
/ formation concerning the islands. and q
| practically complete list of all the cities
and towns In addition 10 the geographic
I and phSSiOgrd pilic plates in the atlas
I there is an ethnOgraphical map. an oro-
! graphical, and vOicanOgra phicaI map. d
! map showing the meteorological districts
/ and stations. and map of the archi-
pelagO. showing the distribution of earth
HtiE keS- There are number Of actiTs
/ and inactive volcanoes in the Islands and
the data concerning these WAS collected
1 s}E the seismic meteorological service eS
tabllshed III Manila since 1884. Numerous
destructive earthquakes have occurred II
the islands. The earliest recorded took
place in 1915. while the most recent Was
/ the destructive eruption of Mayor in 1897
I The statistical information IN the atlas
the Island of Cebu and three small Isl!
/ andS adjacent, TO be the most BepulolS
! containing 5U4096 Inhabitants. while Man
ito Province has al estimated population
Of yJ.0JH. ilOilo Province is third witt
f.5,.9A people, and Batangas fourth, witt