The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-04-27
THE PHILIPPINES.
WHAT ANAvAL MAN SAYS OF THEM

WHAT A NAVAL MAN SAYS OF THEM.
A western newspaper publishes a
very readable account of trip from
San Francisco to the Philippines by W.
M. Smith, naval paymaster with the U.
S. ship Mohican, now at Cavite. After
detailing the trip from San Francisco
down to the Santa Catalina islands,
reached in May, the writer says:
From there we started for the Phil
ippines. We came by the way OF the
Hawaiian Islands and stopped at Hon
olulu, the capital and principal city,
and stayed there for fifteen days. While
there l visited the kings palace, Wal
kiki Beach, Pacific Heights and many
other places of interest. That is the
most beautiful city in all the world. 1t
is composed of beautiful homes, lawns,
yards, palms and flowers. The climate
is simply fine, being only about 80 de-
grees the year around, and bananas,
oranges, grapes, melons, plne-apples
and all tropical fruits grow there the
whole time. If l was a rich man
would certainly make my future home
there. After leaving there we proceed
ed on to Guam, an island about the
centre of the Pacific ocean, and stayed
there for three days, went hunting and
fishing, visited all the principal cities
and villages. They are all villages, but
called cities. We went among the ma
tives and gathered many.of the different
tropical fruits, besides saw their way of
dress, living and their way of building
huts out of bamboo. Quite few curl
osities there.
1--WE left there and sailed for the
Philippines in June and arrived here on
the 5th of July. At present we are at
Cavite, the naval station, about seven
miles from Manila, and are anchored
where Dewey fought his great battle
and can see many of the old ships that
he sunk. Some of them have been
raised and some are still under the
water, but one can see their spars stick
ing out yet.
II have visited Manila, Cavite and
all the principal little towns around
both places Most of them are built on
the old Spanish style and it is quite a
sight to see the towns and cities.
Things are not very pleasant here now,
as it is the rainy season of the year and
it rains almost very day, but the eli
mate is not so hot as | expected to find
1t never gets lower than so degrees OF
higher than 100 degrees, but the air is
SO heavy that it seems awfully warm al
| times
''The natives are a curiosity. They
are lazy-do nothing but fish, eat rice
and drive people around in two-whee
cart called Carometto with buffalo
called Carraboo, hitched to the cart
They have few ponies over here abou
the size of large barn rat. They art
a very small people and are of thu
Malay race, some of them looking lik'
SpaniardS.
The Philippines are a bunch O
trouble, death and destruction, gather
ed together on the western horizon O.
uncivilization. The climate is very
healthy for tarantulas, reaches, scorpi
ons, centipedes, snakes and alligators
and is composed of electrical material!
especially adapted to raising Cain"
''The inhabitants are very industri
Gus, their occupationsl being trench
building, giving poisonous water t.
American solid ers, making bolos
knives and unloading Remington cart
ridges The amusements for the males
are cock fighting, monte and cheating
| "Their diet consists of raw fish, dried
snails, boiled rice, steWed rice, frie(
rice and rice. The principal exports
are rice, hemp, sick soldiers and con
| tagious diseases. Principal imports
rum, beer, to bacco, arms and ammuni
ton. Malaria is so common that the
island frequently has chill.