Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-21

when the plans are carried out no one who
likes a tropical climate will refuse to re-
side there
$50 7S2 are Filipinos, q go are Chinese,
1850 are Americans. 2,52S are Spaniards
and l III are natives of other European
countries
The City Wall and Moat.
The city lies on both sides of the Pasig
river, where it flows into the Bay OF Mania.
What is called 1.-The Walled City" lies upon
the left or south bank, an area of about a
hundred acres. inclosed by a wall twenty
eight feet high and two miles and quarter
long, which is considered fine example
of military engineering. Its destruction has
been threatened from time to time, but has
been prevented because of it's architectural
merits and picturesque appearance. Engi-
neers say that there is no better object
lesson in existence for students of the art
of fortified ton 1t is heavy, solid stone
work, erected by Chinese labor in 1880 and
until few years ago was mounted with
many guns.
There are eight gateways, all fine speci-
mems of Spanish sixteenth century design
but they narrow and inconvenient and
obstruct traffic 1t is proposed to allow
them to remain as ornaments to the city,
but the wall Is now being broken in several
places to accommodate the public which
esteems utility higher than sentiment At
two places the wall Is being cut down to
admit an electric car line which is to pass
through the walled city and connect the
suburbs with the business section
The wall is surrounded by a moat sixty
feet wide and twenty feet deep, with eight
draw bridges which, during the last gen
GRAFTON, were in working order, but have
since been replaced by solid structures of
stone, and the massive gates of oak and
iron, which formerly protected the portes
and during the Spanish regime were closed
at nightfall, have disappeared. There are
sluices for turning the water. of the river
into the moat, but they are choked or
walled up. The moat is said to be paved
upon its sides and bottom. but is almost
filled with filth, rubbish, microbes and de-
caying vegetation, which the Spaniards
would not remove because medical COM
mission as late as 1887 declared that any
disturbance of the deposit would be fol-
lowed by epidemics of fever and other
diseases The present authorities must
clean 1t out sooner or later 1t cannot be
allowed to remain always as 1t is. and
will have to take vacation and leave
town for time.
Little Good Architecture.
Within the walled city are the offices of
the colonial and municipal governments.
the palace Of the governor. the, cathedral
and palace Of the archbishop, several
| churches and monstrous monasteries, the
university and several schools, the mint
| and various other public institutions, resi-
| dences formerly occupied by Spanish off,
! Gals, two or three hotels, a few shops and
| lawyers offices. The ancient palace Of the
| governor was destroyed by An earthquake
| in 1903 and the foundations were laid for
another, but they remain as they were ten
| or twelve years ago, an Illustration Of Span
| ish procrastination. The cathedral is the
| most notable building in the city and Is
| large and ugly. 1t has been badly shaken
| by earthquakes several times. and the pres
10 MI nf fcIax III
| bining all the schools of architecture and
| the various methods which have been de-
| vised to secure building that Is earth
| quake proof. The archbshop's palace,
| overlooking the bay, Is large. and one of
the most comfortable residences In the
| city. The present headquarters of the gov
eminent. called the Ayuntamento. contains
| a stately audience chamber and several
| large apartments In which the commission
ers have their desks. The monasteries are
the most solid, permanent and pretentious
| structures in all the Philippine Islands,
| cover q vast area, and represent an enor-
nous expenditure of money Each has a
| large church attached, built on a similar
SCALE but none of them have architectural
merit. Indeed. Manila is entirely without
architectural monuments. There Is not one
building In the city, and l am told there is
none in the archipelago, that is worth COM
smenting upon, although many OF them rep
resent large expenditures. This Is attribut-
| ed to the frequency of earthquakes.
Visited by Earthquakes.
The city has been practically destroyed
several times. The last serious shaking &C.
CURED in 1853, and since 1870 there have
been 1877 earthquakes. of which thsrty-four
were merely percepttble, ninety-hve were
slight, fifteen were moderately violent and
| thirteen were severe and did more or less
damage. The most violent during, the last
twenty-five years was in July, 1880. Manila
] did not suffer 80 much az the rest OF the