BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-10-11
IN PANAY.
BY Mabel Loornis TODD.

Especial Correspondent Of The Evening
Post.)
Jolo, August "A high soind was churn.
ing the shallow waters of Manila Bay into
white capped hills and ridges when the
United States Army transport Lsston set
forth on her cruise among the southern is-
lands. On his official tour Ofinspection, for
the purpose OF reorganization and consolid
ation, thereby eff cting large reduction in
military expenditure, General Corbin had
invited to accompany him number Of
friends- AN uuusual opportunity, indeed, to
see remote and OtherWise inaccessible par .
parts Of the archipelago, for those fOrtun
ste enough to be included. Almost as beaut
iial as the famed Inland Sea of Japan, the
waterways among these exquisite islands have
afforded rare effects Of colors, OF sunshine
and shadow chasing over smooth green
fields or heavily wooded ridges and ravines;
while sharp peaks, green to their submits
and catching bits Of filmy vapor like shreds
of gauge veil softening every outline, rise
from countless islands high into the southern
SKY. Mount Halcon, on Mindoro, reaches
an altitnde of nearly 5000 feet from the sea.
For scenic be2nty aloEe the trip would be
memorable; but landscape and sea aud sky
have been but the setting.
Scenes At Iloilo.
At Pansy Island, in the lovely little bay
OF I.oi.o, second city Of importance in the
archipelago, the Lawton anchored the next
evening after starting, just as flaming
sunset turned the ripping waters into dusky
scarlet, molten, sombre- Almost entirely
destroyed by the insurgents, and rebuilt in
modern fashion, llOilo is remarkably clean
and correspondingly uup.cturetque. Corru,
gated iron roofs are undoubtedly convenient
to transport, and efficient for their purpose,
but they do Dot add TO the DECORATIVE eject
Of town. One sighs Ior the old tiles Of
softoned, digny red, so frequently seen else
where in the islands; even for the weather.
stained native thatch. The ancient Spanish
church is practically all thar escaped shot
and fame, and here quaint altar fittings,
and paintings, often of p iiefully suggestive
subjects, but interesting 'withal To the
feminine miud, Iloilo is inseparably con.
uected with the manufacture of jissi, that
fascinating, .diaphar cloth Of pinesppiy
fibre, showing cleaning stripes of SILK in
many delicate shades Woven by women In
their homes, on primitive looms, hours might
pass happily in watching the dainty fabric
grown under the swiftly flying shut es of the
little brown workers, crouchIng at their toll.
It Is sold by the piece of twenty four Span
isk yards. The islands in general present.
no such bewildering array Of tempting ar.
ticts as CHINA or Japan, but two or three
products are famous, besides paper and
string. OF them all, this cloth is the most
attractive; with probably Manila hats and
CigArs closely following. Also, to be in
strictly good Philippine form, one should
collect bolos and other native knives and
spears, thousands Of which have been turned
10 by surrendering insurgents, or in many
rases, presented to officers by loyal Filipino
leaders. Another fad, less expensive than
the purchase OF these fine ivory handled To-
lede blades, and indulged 10 by army ladies
and others who may have the opportunity,
s the collecting OF native hats, oddly peak
ID, betasselled, fiat or spiral, and Of many
solors aud materials. A room exclusively
decorated by Filipino hats and knives, with
the native mats woven Of bamboo, is far
rom unattractivo apartment.
Panay, in area equal to Connecticut con-
lists Of sscampy Jungle on its eastern coast, |
,ut 10 fiuely mountainous on the west, while |
ts interior, as brilliant young ofiserI
tstioued at Iioilo remarked, 10 made up OF |
everything, from the bad lands of Arisona
Q the Garden Of Eden.v As matter oil
act, palms, mangoes, and bamboo flourish |
uxufiantly, as we'll as the necessary and |
more practical hemp and rice. The peopleI
re Visayans, with another lhngu ago frcmI
be more widely spread Tagaiog, aud Ger.
ain ranso1 4 .fInrov.noa A.. nIIitf.~ A t1.<s-I Il