I MANILA ■ |
g AND THE M
1 PHILIPPINES. J
fif Interesting Information About This Great Archi- |p
M Over Which Our Flag
=- LL authorities
agree that the ■
world. They lie
J&T,. in the north
h ff tropic zone and
separate the
' South China Sea
on the west and the Pacific Ocean on
the east. The eastern shore of the prin
cipal island is about 600 miles east of
Hong Kong; it is the largest and most
northern great islaud of the group—a
group which, extending from five de-
TYPEK OF MANILA VOLUNTEERS.
These are business men of Manila, who |
volunteered to defend the capital against
the insurgents.
grees to twenty degrees north latitude,
and over a longitude of ten degrees to 1
117 degrees east of Greenwich, covers 1
a north and south line of 1050 miles, *
and an east and west line of about 700 '
miles.
It is estimated that this group com- i
prises 1400 islands, of which by far <
the larger part are mere islets. They 1
are of coral and volcanic 'formation, i
the latter often having tremendous
eruptions. The largest of them are
Luzon, on the north, of nearly 41,000 i
A SCENE IX ARSENAL STREET, MANILA.
square miles area, and Mindanao, on
the southeast, having an area of 37,456
square miles. The total area is com
puted at 114,000 square miles.
The chief seaport of the group is
Manila, overlooking a capacious bay
on the southwest shore of Luzon.
The other chief ports are Iloilo and
Cebu, on the islands oi the same
name, inthe central part of the archi
pelago.
There are half a dozen other islands
in the central and western part of the
group, the areas of which rauge from
that of Rhode Island to that of Con
necticut. They are inhabited, in
round numbers, by about 8,000,000
people, of whom a dwarfed race of
Negritos, now driven into the moun
tains and interior lands, seem to be the
descendants of the aborigines. The
bulk of the population is Malayan, of
whom there are numerous tribes; the
dirtiest aud most pagan is known as
the Igorrotes, and yet they display
exemplary qualities. They are one of
the most important mountain tribes of
Luzon and are among the population
who virtually escape omnivorous
Spanish taxation. They are good
farmerß, laying out terraced tields on
the mountains, constructing irrigation
canals and having a considerable rep
utation as metallurgists. Their do
mestic morality is favorably in contrast
with that of their neighbors.
Another element of the population
are the Chinese aud their Mestizos, or
descendants of mixed Sinitic and native
blood. There is scarcely a community
on these islands where the Chinese are
not fonnd. Petty trade and banking
are almost entirely in their hands.
Europeans aud their descendants are
not numerous here, although there is
a considerable breed of half-castes,
derived from European fathers.
It was not until the close of the six
teenth century that the archipelago
passed under Spanish domination, dur
ing the reign of Philip 11. About the
middle of the century au expedition
sailed from Mexico in five ships, but
- accomplished little. In 1566 Don
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi reached the
islands and founded a Spanish settle
ment at the town of Cebu, and it is in
his correspondence that the name of
Philippine Islands is first recorded.
It was given in honor of his sovereign.
Under this monarch nil ecclesiastical
organization, principally of monastic
orders, was established.
The history of these islands during
the nineteenth century has been one
of oppression, restrictions on com
merce and ferocious, taxation, in which
the ecclesiastics used their influence
for the support of the Spanish sov
ereignty. The last revolt broke out
in 1896. The conspiracy was discov
ered before the day appointed for the
rising, and the plans of the insurrec
tionists were disconcerted. Yet when
the authorities proceeded lo arrest
those known to be involved the rebels
mustered in force, amounting to sev
eral thousand, but were dispersed
when they offered battle in the neigh
borhood of Manila. The insurgents
established themselves in the province
of Cavite, on the south shore of Manila
Bay, eight miles southwest of the port
of Manila, and held it until the arri
val of 25,000 reinforcements from Spain
and of a considerable naval fleet, which
enabled the government to suppress
them. Here was the scene of the bat
tle of the Ist of May, 1898, between
the American Commodore Dewey,
with seven vessels of war and two
transports, and the Spauish Admiral
Montijo, with ten armored vessels, in
which the liatter was disastrously de
feated.
In the inaccessible mountainous
parts of the islands there are still un
subdued savages. In the last census
returns the number of natives not sub
jected to the civil government and
paying no tribute is given as 002,853,
while the number of natives paying
tribute is returned as 5,501,356.
*The latest records of the Philadel
phia commercial museum furaish
these statistics:
The public revenue of the island is
about 53,000,000, of which the larger
part is raised from direct taxes, poll
taxes, customs, monopolies and lot
teries.
The chief articles of produce are
sugar, hemp, tobacco, coffee and
copra. The foreign trade is confined
to the ports of Manila, Iloilo, Cebu
and .Tamboanga.
The climate of the Philippines
varies little from that of other moun
tainous tropical countries. The range
of the thermometer during the year is
from a little over sixty degrees to
about ninety. The year may be di
vided into three seasons; the first,
cold and dry, commences in Novem
ber; the second, warm but still dry,
commences in March, the greatest
heat being experienced from April to
the end of May, and the third, which
is excessively wet, continues from
June to the middle of November.
Generally speaking, the natives are
mild and amiable, predisposed to re
ligious observances, extremly super
stitious and very hospitable. Those of
Batangas, Cagayan and Southern Ilocos
are better aud more industrious la
borers than those of the other prov
inces. During their youth they work
with energy and a certain mental
vigor, but on reaching more advanced
age lapse into indolence, which is one
of their greatest defects.
The women are averse to idleness,
have a spirit of enterprise and often
PHILIPPINE NATIVES.
eu gage >n various trades with suc
cess. They are economical and sac
rifice themselves cheerfully for those
to whom they are attached.
Before the days of Spanish rule
there was considerable commercial in
tercourse between the Philippines and
China and Japan, but this, which
would naturally have developed enor
mously if tho Spanish trade between
Manila and America had been left free,
wat interrupted and at times almost
completely stopped by absurd restric
tions devised to secure to Spain a
monopoly of the American trade. For
11
A PHILIPPINE MALAY BEAtTTI'.
a long period only a single galleon,
and that under government super
vision, was allowed to proceed yearly
from Manila to Acapulco, the value of
the cargo each way being restricted
within a prescribed sum. Direct
trade from Europe via the Cape of
Good Hope commenced in 1764; but,
as if the exclusion from it of all but
Spanish ships was not sufficient, in
1785 a monopoly of this commerce was
bestowed on the Royal Company of
the Philippines. With the close of
the eighteenth century a certain
amount of liberty began to be conced
ed to foreign vessels. The first Eng
lish commercial house was established
in Manila iu 1809, and in 1834 the
monopoly of tho Royal Company ex
pired. Manila remained the only port
for forfeigu trade till 1842, wlieu Cebu
was also opened. Jamboanga (Min
danao), Iloilo (Pauay), Sual (Luzon),
Legazpi or Albany (Luzon) and Ta
cloban (Leyte) are now in the same
category, but only Manila, Iloilo and
Cebu have proved of real importance,
as they are the only ports where for
eign-bound vessels have liitheito load
ed.
The exports from the United States
to the Philippines have always been
very insignificant, although our im- s
ports from the islands have often
reached large proportions. The prin
cipal articles exported from this coun
try to the Philippines are flour, petrol
eum, leather goods, iron and steel, etc.
Imports from the Philipiues are chiefly
sugar and hemp.
The foreign trade of the Philippines
has always been subject to great fluc
tuations. The insecurity arising un- j
der the Spanish administration, and j
the consequent dissatisfaction of the I
native population, together with con- j
stantly recurring insurrections, have j
prevented these islands from develop- ,
ing the riches with which nature has |
bountifully endowed them. Gold, |
sulphur and large deposits of excellent j
steaming coal are widely distributed
over the country, and an intelligent |
government, coupled with enterprise j
iu business and humanity of spirit, j
could rapidly turn this fertile region
into a source of great wealth for man
kind.
Witch Wreaths.
A remarkable object illustrating a
popular survival of the belief in witch
craft has just been presented to the i
museum of the University of Pennsyl
vania by Professor William Romaine I
Newbold. It consists of a matted ring
of chicken feathers, about three inches
in diameter, described as a "witch
wreath." It was socured by Dr.
George B. Kline, of Pittsburg,. who :
gave it to Dr. Newbold, who irans- \
ferred it to the museum.
A resident of Pittsburg who had j
been ill for several years, died in .Tuly,
1897. During his last illness, extend
ing over several months, he would
frequently throw his pillow away, sny
ing: "There is something in that pil
low that hurts my head." His wife
said that this was impossible, as she
had gathered the feathers and made
the pillow hers«lf a few years before.
Some days after her husband's death
the widow claimed that something
seemed to say to her, "Look at the
pillow." Upon opening the pillow she'
found this object within it. When
questioned closely she declared that
the sewing was hers, and that it
showed no signs of having been tam
pered with, l'he neighbors believe in
the woman's truthfulness.
Dr. Kline writes that a similar
wreath was found in the pillow of a
six-year-old child who died of the
same disease and about the same time
as the above-mentioned patient. This
was burned by the witch doctor with
out Dr. Kline seeing it, but he is in
formed that it was precisely like this
one. By inquiry Dr. Kline learned
of four or five other families who were
said to have found witch wreaths in
their pillows, and who ascribe to
their presence cases of illness in their
families.
It appears that a belief in the evil
efforts of witch wreaths is extremely
common in parts of Pennsylvania and
New Jersey among the descendants of
German settlers, and it used to be
customary to put a Bible under the
pillow to prevent their forming.—
Philadelphia Press.
Diamond Combustion.
No one can tell where the diamond
goes to in combustion. Burn it, and
it leaves no ash; the flame is exterior,
like that of a cork, and when it has
blazed itself out there remains not
even BO much as would dust the an
tennas of a butterfly.
There are forty varieties of tlifc to
bacco plant.
"Ptf SL
TARMssggV
Keeping Apple* In Pit*.
A uniform temperature and one but
little above freezing is more easily
maintained in au out-of-door pit cov
ered with soil than in the house cellar
which is always kept too warm for the
best keeping of fruit or vegetables.
But in keeping apples in pits, care
should be taken not to leiive the fruit
in .contact with earth or where soil
filtered water can get to it. This will
give apples an earthy and disagreeable
taste, which makes them unfit to eat
raw and is not wholly removed by
cooking.
Locutions for Been.
Many people fail of success with
bees, because they do not place the
hives right. If too shaded the bees
are likely to be attacked by the moth
miller, which breeds those worms that
destroy the honey. It is well to have
the bees up early,so the hives should
front to the east, so as to catch the
first rays of the morning sun. Either
a well-roofed, low building should be
put up as a bee stand, or the hives
should be set on a bench under a tree
all through the summer. In winter it
is not best that bees should see sun
light. If au underground cellar out
of doors can be fitted up where the
temperature may be kept below freez
ing all the time, it will be much bet
j ter than the warmer house cellar.
Seedllni; Pencil Trees.
In every peach orchard free from
I the yellows, there will be more or
less seedling peach trees springing up
every year from pits dropped after the
I peach was eaten the previous fall. It
j requires freezing to open these pits,
and the germ usually comes forth
! with the first warm weather of spring.
| These seedlings will usually be of
poor quality, as they are only natural
fruit. But if they are set out in rich
! soil as soon as the shoots start, they
j will grow rapidly and be plenty large
j enough to be budded in July next. It
| is a comparatively easy thing to learn
|to bud. In this way a stock of peach
I tree* can easily be secured if one
I plants peach stones from healthy fruit
| in the fall, and takes care to use only
; buds from healthy stock for budding
| purposes.
I.ettuce I'recetUnff Cucumbers.
One of the favorite uses for the hot
j heuse by market gardeners is in win
ter to grow successive crops of lettuce
; planting us many as three successions,
and then following with a cucumber
| crop, which may continue bearing
until all danger of frost is passed, and
when the hothouse may be kept warm
| enough by the sun's rays shining in
on the plants during the daytime. In
i fact, the sun will heat any hothouse
; too warm for any vegetables at this
time of year. The windows must be
| opened for ventilation all through the
day. Some beos should be kept by
i every gardener who grows cucumbers,
as they are necessary to carry pollen
from the male to the female blossoms.
; The male blossoms are the first that
appear on the cucumber vine, and
I they are much visited by been. So
soon as the female blossoms appear
i the bees also visit them and fertilize
■ the flowers. When cucumbers are
grown in hothouses a swarm of bees
inside the building devoted to this use
is a necessity.
An Inexpensive Hotbed.
There was no one who had time or
inclinatiou to help about making a
hotbed out of doors, and it was deemed
absolutely necessary to start a few
early plants. Experience has demon
strated that a large number of plants
may be grown iu a very small space,
»nd a novel idea presented itself.
There was in the storeroom a wornout,
rnsted-out kitchen sink. This was
filled with earth fine and mellow and
carefully sifted to make it as light and
soft as possible. The seeds were
planted,the sink was placed on a large
box and inside of the box a lighted
lamp was put with the flame just high
enough to prevent smokiug. It was a
small lamp and consumed but little
oil, but it furnished the bottom heat
that makes plant growing such a suc
cess. Almost before one could be
aware the seeds pushed their tiny
leaves up to the light, and the roots
crept down to find the warmth below.
The drainage was excellent and all
conditions seemed favorable. When
the plants were well up and established,
less water was given and stronger,
more stocky plants were never planted
out from au indoors nursery to an
open garden. Large-sized galvanized
pans are not at all expensive and are
very manageable. When first planted
a number of them may be stacked one
above another with cross sticks to
-keep them separate. If they are
kept in the dark it will be quite
as well, as the roots will grow
faster than the tops and furnish a
most excellent start in life.—The
Ledger.
Cowpm » Sntinfa) tury Crop.
Select such land as was sown iu
peas or some cultivated crop last year.
Poor land with a liberal oivering of
stable manure and all the phosphate
at your command, put on in the
spring, or at the time of planting, wil!
not produce a profitable crop of peas.
Plow about the middle or last of
March, sow and barrow in or drill
200 pounds of South Carolina rock,
200 pounds of fish strap and 100
pounds muriate of potash per acre.
With a small plow work out rows two
feet wide and four inches deep. Sow
peas with drill or by hand at the rate
of two bushels per acre. Cover with
plow or corn coverer. Before the
peas come through drag or barrow the
patch over well so as to loosen the
top of the soil and kill all young
weeds. A* soon as the peas are well
through the ground cultivate with a
small tooth harrow once a week for
two weeks, then once more with a
large tooth cultivator. By this time
they will have begun to fall over and
are ready to lay by.
If this method is carried out a
drouth or hot spell at time of bloom
ing or maturity will not to any extent
injure the crop. The vines should be
cut just before the pods begin to turn
a light color, or the peas yellow. Peas
are profitable. lam sure of getting
SSO worth of peas per acre. The vines
are worth at least $5 for hay. They
are planted in spring and come off in
time to plant the land in corn, potatoes,
cabbage, tomatoes, celery or millet.
They take very little plant food from
tho land. I sowed five bushels last
year and delivered $143 worth to the
factory. The crop was grown on two
and one-half acres of laud. Part of
this land after pea crop grew thirty
bushels corn per acre.—B. F. B. Wood
all of Delaware iu New England Home
stead.
Pieplnnt in tlit* Garden.
No vegetable responds more readily
to a minimum amount of cultivation
than rhubarb, and it makes a first
class substitute for fruit. Two meth
ods of starting a bed of rhubarb may
bo adopted, either by growing the
seed or planting roots; but the latter
is much preferable. If a few old
roots can be obtained, they may be di
vided with a sharp spade into as mauy
pieces as there are eyes.
Care must be taken to insure of
there being an e.ve or bud to each
piece, as they will not grow if this is
missing. Rhubarb is a very heavy
feeder of soda, one of the alkalies con
tained in the ashes of plants,much the
same as potash in its agricultural char
acter and uses, and this fact must Be
taken into consideration when prepar
ing the land for planting. The plants
should be set out in rows five feet
apart each way, care being taken not
to bury the crown, which should be
about level with the surface. Fall
planting gives the most satisfactory
results, and a coating of well-rotted
manure spread on the bed to the depth
of six inches every fall and plowed
in will materially assist development.
Never allow the plant to run to seed,
but on the first appearance of flower
spikes remove them, as they greatly
tend to lessen the vigor, besides caus
ing the whole plant to become tough
and insipid.
The composition of the ash of the
rhubarb stalk as given by Salisbury
is: Carbouic acid, ..-40; silicic acid,
0.45; sulphuric acid, 10.72; phosphoric
acid and peroxide of iron, 17.'20; lime,
3.57; magnesia, 0.20; potash, <S.O9;
soda, 33.20; sodium, 0.97; chlorine,
1.48; organic matter, 12.1").—Andrew
H. Ward in New York Tribune.
I'ttrm and (iarilrn Note*.
Wood ashes are one of the best fer
tilizers for strawberries currants, rasp
berries, blackberries, etc.
Cultivate thoroughly, thin severely,
fertilize abundantly, and you will
come out in the right place.
Destroy currant worms by sprink
ling leaves with helleboie powder, a
tablespoouful to a pail of water.
Strawberi ies require abundant sup
ply of moisture during the growing
and fruiting seasons. Cultivate after
rains, or mulch to preveut escape of
moisture.
Stale baker's bread if not mcldy,
makes an excellent chicken food,soaked
in milk and then squee/.ed out pretty
dry. Only soak what is needed for a
meal at one time.
Don't forget to dust the lieu well
with insect powder before giving her
the eggs,and again before she hatches.
There is nothing that will sap the
chick's vitality quicker than lice.
After the chicks get three weeks old
wheat and cracked corn may be given
once or twice a day. Feed twice as
much wheat as corn on a clean board
and only what the chicks will clean
up in five minutes.
Appletree grubs should be cut out
with a knife or crushed with a wire.
To preveut their ravages apply in
May or early June and twice later, at
intervals of three weeks, a strong so
lution of soft soap to which has been
added 10 drops crude carbolic acid to
a pint. This prevents the beetles
from laying the eggs from which the
grubs hatch.
The plum curculio should be jarred
from the tree by a sharp rap with a
mallet in the morning when he is
sluggish. Wind one layer of carpet
ing around a block, place it against
the trunk and hit it so as not to in
jure the bark. To catch them spread
a sheet on a frame with a slit from one
side to the centre and mount on
whoels. It may then be so placed »<■
to entirely encircle the tr«*a
OUR FIRST NAVY.
The Brilliant Achievement* ot Admiral
Kzeklel Hopkins.
The outbreak of the Revolutionary
War founil the patriots without a navy
Congress had to create one. Foui
merchantmen were first purchased,
hastily equipped with guns and sent
to sea as qruisers; but their defects as
war vessels soon became so apparent
that Congress determined at once tc
set about the building of a navy. On
October 3, 1775., Congress ordered
two cruisers built; and on Decembei
13 the order was increased to live 32
guu ships, five 28-gun ships and three
24-gun ships. They were to be readj
for the sea by the following April
The names given to the thirteen ves
sels were Boston, Congress, Effing
ham, Delaware, Hancock, Montgom
ery, Raleigh, Trumbull, Virginia.
Warren, Washington and Randolph.
These were the fii'Ht war vessels con
structed in the United States.
The first Commander-in-Chief waf
Ezekiel Hopkins, of Rhode Island, a
younger brother of Congressman
Stephens Hopkins. He was appointed
to this high office on December 22,
1775.
In a short time a fleet of four ships
and three sloops was ready, and with
these Admiral Hopkins set out to win
glory for himself and country. Amonp
his lieutenants was the famous John
Paul Jones, who was, probably, the
most brilliant and daring naval officer
of the wars with England.
The Bahama Islands in the West
Indies were then an English colony,
with New Providence as their princi
pal seaport and seat of government;
ADMIRAL EZEKIEI, HOPKINS.
and hither the new Admiral sailed the
new navy. He attacked the city, cap
tured the harbor fort and town, and
brought back with him to America the
English Governor as ii prisoner, eighty
cannons and a very large quantity of
I ammunition and military stores. This
I brilliant achievement was a godsend
| to the disheartened and impoverished
pati iots. „
Soon after his return from the Baha
mas he met two English ships off
Block Island, and captured both of
them. Two days later he had an en
gagement with the English twenty
nine-gun ship Glasgow, but did not
1 succeed in capturing it.
Ezekiel Hopkins in 1777 equipped a
| fast and powerful privateer and again
went to sea. He sailed to the East
! Indies, where his daring and skill
| found rich rewards. During one cruise
he captured a sufficient number of
rich English merchant.men to cause
his profits to foot up over 51,000.000.
At another time he fell in with a larg9
fleet of English merchantmen pro
tected by a man-of-war. He boldly
joined the fleet, and every night cut
out and captured a vessel, until he
had sent ten home aud could spare no
more men from his crew. He became
the most successful and daring of all
the American privateersmen.
When the war ended he returned to
Rhode Island, and became one of her
most prominent aud busy citizens.
Konton Common's Gate*.
Massive ornamental iron gates,
which were never closed, and the
posts supporting them and bearing
tall lanterns, all of which have stood
for years at one of the entrances to
Boston Common and now have given
way because of the subway excava
tions, are to; be re-erected at the en
trance to the site of the Confederate
military prison at Andersouville, Ga.
When originally placed the gates
were "dedicated" by Governor John
A.. Andrew, of Massachusetts.
First linn oil a Hunk.
The first "ruu" on banking insti
tutions in Loudon was in 1(3(57. Many
Lombard street goldsmiths and bank
ers had lent out the money intrusted
to them, and being called upon for
payment, were unable to meet the de
mand. A crowd of creditors and
jthers assembled aud a riot followed,
in which four bankers were hauged at
.heir o\v:i doors before order could be
-estored and the angry creditors per
suaded that they were not being swin
lled.
Origin of Infantry.
The term "infantry" soldiers origi
nated with the Spanish, and was first
ipplied to the military force employed
by au infante, or young prince of
Spain, to rescue his father from the
Moora.
Stepchildren.