The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-29

every respect TO the West Indian hur-
Ticanes. These are the storms which
we read about in the papers from time
to time, when whole villages are lev
elled and much damage is done to
shipping. On the 4th day the wooded
hills of Luzon and Samar are sighted
and passage is made between them
through the San Bernardino Straits.
We find ourselves in an inland sea
with many islands lying about every
where, rising high and steep and rug
ged from the water. Dotted on the
hill sides, you may see now and then
the little home with matched shacks
Of the peasants, surrounded by cocoa
nut groves or punches of bananas and
hemp trees, and occasionally a village
is passed, made conspicuous by its
highly whitewashed church with tiled
roof and attractive tower. After 80
hours sail among islands great and
small, Corregidor is sighted, the is
land that most of US first took notice
of, on or about May 1, 1898. Corregidor
is admirably situated in the middle
of the wide entrance to the great
Manila Bay, dividing it into a u and
an S. passage. 1t was through the S.
channel wider and clearer than the
u. that the American squadron steam
ed with extinguished lights in the
early morning of the first of May of
that eventful year, subsequently send
ing the little Concord round to the
U. side to dismantle a few obsolete
batteries there.
A visit to the remains of these de-
fnnCaC of he no
and an examination of the hulks of
some OF the Spanish feet which may
be still be seen in Manila, would ex-
plain to anyone's satisfaction why the
casualty list on the U. S. squadron
was SO insignificant, even after we give
the American bluejacket his first due
as the finest fighter in the world. It
must be acknowledged that the con-
test was not an equal one.
Twenty eight miles more and we are
in front of Manila, lying inside the
massive breakwaters, which have
been built since the time of American
occupation, as the only protection
from typhoons Here, ships flying the
flags of every maritime nation may
be seen. Looking ashore, we see the
walled city of the original Manila,
which forms but small portion of
the present day city for it has over
flowed the walls and now stretches
for miles to the northeast and south
over a country unusually level and
featureiess On getting ashore, one
would likely engage a cavouratta, a
small two wheeled vehicle drawn by a.
diminutive pony, and driven by a
stupid Filipino who talks no English
or good Spanish, but who may be
made to comprehend if one knows a
mixture of pidgin English, poor Span
ish and common Tagalog words.
On arriving at the hotel, one is
hound to be disappointed as there is
none worthy of the name in the city
A fact that is so we'll known that
tourists in the Far East are careful to
shun Manila. Although the Islands
have been American territory for more
than 10 years, the ever recurring dis
cussions in our Congress upon what
shall we do with the Philippines has
effectually deferred any investors from
putting money into such a project as
building a first class hotel. The city
of Manila will be found clean and neat
and very good example of the re-
suits of American energy. Up-to-date
fire and police departments, with sew
erage and water systems equal to
those in American cities, and modern
electric cars and electric lights, are
now all provided.
You have doubtless heard and read
much about the comparative heat of
the Philippines and the United States.
No such comparison can be made, for
conditions differ widely in the u S.,
and as well in the P. /. We almost
never have there those suffocating
nights which drive people from their
homes to any open space that offers,
but the necessity for sleeping under a
netting for protection from the disease
producing mosquitoes, deprives one of
make sleep refreshing. Neither do we
have hot spells with temperature of 9S
to 100 degrees followed by cooler
weather, but instead a steady heat of
| 80 to 95 degrees at noon every day
subSiding for the evening to IS or So
degrees. sThe heat is moist and con-
slant and it is these two factors that
go tonmake life almost intOlerable al
times and which compel return to a
cooler and dryer climate after a year
| or two The proximity of the sea and
| of mountains, the configuration of the
| country and many other factors are
all important in determining heat and
| dryness and the occurrence of the
| rainy season, which normally comes on
| in May or June and lasts till Novem-
| Der.
One going to the P. l., these days
| does not suffer many privations. Al
my last station, I was 700 miles from
Manila, at Jolo on the island of Sulu
| nearly down to Borneo. Here we haC
| excellent frozen beef and lamb, from
| Australia and New Zealand, CHECKER
and eggs, ducks and geese, and turk
| eys, creamery butter, fresh milk IL
| cans, apples and American oranges
and the market gardens, cultivated by
| Cinnamon. provided lettuce, string
beans, tomatoes, peppers, spinach
okra,' egg plant, celery, besides tht
tropical fruits such as many varieties
| of bananas, native oranges, mangoes
lines and SO on.
| And best of ALL there is no servan
| question to be considered there, tn.
| Cinnamon and Filipincs are equal t,
| the demand both IL quantity and quail
| ity, so that a lady who is not naturally
\