Vickipedia

PHI’LIPPINE ISLANDS, lie to the north of Borneo and Celebes, in 5° 80′—19° 42′ N. lat., and 117° 14′—126° 4′ E. long,. They are more than 1200 in number, with an area of about 150,-000 square miles. Pop. (1876) 6,173,632, three-fourths of whom are subject to Spain, the remainder governed, according to their own laws and customs, by independent native princes.

Luzon, in the north, has an area of 51,300 square miles, and Mindanao, or Magindanao, in the south, fully 25.000. The islands; lying between Luzon and Mindanao are called the Bissayas, the largest of which are—Samar, area 13,020 square miles; Mindoro, 12,600; Panay, 11,340; Leyte, 10,080 ; Negros, 6300; Masbate, 4200; and Zebu, 2352. There are upwards of a thousand lesser islands of which little is known. To the south-west of the. Bissayas lies the long, narrow island of Paragoa or Palawan,, formed of a mountain-chain with low coast-lines, cut with numerous streams, and exceedingly fertile. The forests abound in ebony, log-wood, gum-trees, and bamboos. Area 8820 square miles. To-the north of Luzon lie the Batanen, Bashee, and Babuyan islands* the two first groups having about 8000 inhabitants, the last unpeopled.

The Sooloo Islands form a long chain from Mindanao to Borneo, having the same mountainous and volcanic structure as the P. I., and all are probably fragments of a submerged continent. Many active volcanoes are scattered through the islands; Mayon, in Luzon, and Buhayan, in Mindanao, often causing great devastation. The mountain-chains run north and south, and never attain a greater elevation than 7000 feet. The islands have many rivers, the coasts are indented with deep bays, and there are many lakes in the interior. Earthquakes are frequent and destructive.

Manila, the capital, having been nearly destroyed by one in 1863. In 1864, another terrific earthquake visited Mindanao, destroying most of the houses. Three successive earthquakes in 1880 did great damage, especially in Manila, where many buildings were totally ruined. The soil is fertile, except where extensive marshes occur. In Mindanao are numerous lakes, which expand during the rainy seasons into inland seas. Rain may be expected from May to December, and from June to November the land is flooded. Violent hurricanes are experienced in the north of Luzon and west coast of Mindanao. Especially during the changes of the monsoons, storms of wind, rain, thunder and lightning prevail. The weather is very fine, and heat moderate, from December to May, when the temperature rapidly rises and becomes oppressive, except for a short time after a fall of rain. The fertility of the soil and humid atmosphere produce a richness of vegetation which is nowhere surpassed. Blossoms and fruit hang together on the trees, and the cultivated fields yield a constant succession of crops.

Immense forests spread over the P. I., clothing the mountains to their summits; ebony, iron-wood, cedar, sapan-wood, gum-trees, &c., being laced together and garlanded by the bush-rope or palasan, which attains a length of several hundred feet. The variety of fruit-trees is great, including the orange, citron, breadfruit, mango, cocoa-nut, guava, tamarind, rose-apple, &c.; other important products of the vegetable kingdom being the banana, plantain, pine-apple, sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco, indigo, coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, cassia, the areca-nut, ginger, pepper, Ac., with rice, wheat, maize, and various other cereals.

Gold is found in riverbeds and detrital deposits, being used, in form of dust, as the medium of exchange in Mindanao. Iron is plentiful, and fine coal-beds, from one to four feet thick, have been found. Copper has long been worked in Luzon. There are also limestone, a fine variegated marble, sulphur in unlimited quantity, quicksilver, vermilion, and saltpetre—the sulphur being-found both native and in combination with copper, arsenic, and iron.

Except the wild cat, beasts of prey are unknown. There are oxen, buffaloes, sheep, goats, swine, harts, squirrels, and a great variety of monkeys. The jungles swarm with lizards, snakes, .and other reptilia; the rivers and lakes with crocodiles. Huge spiders, tarantulas, white ants, mosquitoes, and locusts are plagues which form a set-off to the beautiful fire-flies, the brilliant queen-beetle (Elater noctilucus), the melody of myriads of birds, the turtle-doves, pheasants, birds of paradise, and many lovely species of paroquets, with which the forests are alive. ‘ Hives of wild bees hang from the branches, and alongside of them are the nests of humming-birds dangling in the wind.’

The caverns along the shores are frequented by the swallow, whose edible nest is esteemed by the Chinese a rich delicacy. Some of them are also tenanted by multitudes of bats of immense size. Buffaloes are used for tillage and draught; a small horse for riding. Fowls are plentiful, and incredible numbers of ducks are artificially hatched. Fish is in great abundance and variety. Mother-of-pearl, coral, amber, and tortoise-shell are important articles of commerce. The Tagals and Bisayers are the most numerous native races. They dwell in the cities and cultivated lowlands; 2,500,000 being converts to Roman Catholicism, and a considerable number, especially of the Bisayers, Mohammedan. The mountain districts are inhabited by a negro race, who, in features, stature, and savage mode of living, closely resemble the Alfoors of the interior of Papua, and are probably the aborigines driven back before the inroads of the Malays. A few of the negroes are Christian, but they are chiefly idolaters, or without any manifest form of religion, and roaming about in families, without fixed dwelling. The Mestizos form an influential part of the population; by their activity engrossing the greatest share of the trade. These are mostly of Chinese fathers and native mothers. Few Spaniards reside in the P. I., and the leading mercantile houses are English and American. The Chinese exercise various trades and callings, remaining only for a time, and never bringing their wives with them. The principal languages are the Tagalese and Bisayan. Rice, sweet potatoes, fish, flesh, and fruits form the food of the Tagals and Bisayers, who usually drink only water, though sometimes indulging in cocoa-wine. Tobacco is used by all. They are gentle, hospitable, fond of dancing and cock-fighting.

With the exception of two Spanish brigades of artillery and a corps of engineers, the army is composed of natives, and consists of seven regiments of infantry and one of cavalry. There is also a body of Spanish militia in Manila, whom the governor, as commander of the naval and land forces, may call out in an emergency. The navy has four steamships, one brig, six gun-boats, .and a great number of feluccas for coast service. Education is far behind, and similar to what it was in Europe during the middle ages. There is an archbishop of Manila, and bishops of New Segovia, Nueva Caceres, and Zebu. Religious processions are the pride of the people, and are formed with great parade, thousands of persons carrying wax-candles, &c. The natives not only build canoes, but ships of considerable tonnage. They weave various textile fabrics of silk, cotton, abaca, and very fine shawls and handkerchiefs from the fibre of pine-apple leaves. These are called pinas, and often sell for one or two ounces of gold apiece, The pinilian is the finest sort, and is only made to order—one for the queen of Spain costing 500 dollars. They work in horn, make silver and gold chains, fine hats and cigar-cases of fibres, and beautiful mats of different colors, ornamented with gold and silver. The governor-general is appointed direct from Spain, and resides at Manila. There are also a lieutenant-governor, governors of provinces and chiefs of pueblos or townships, who are elected yearly. Acting governors reside also at Zamboanga in Mindanao, and Iloilo in Panay. They are appointed for six years by the governor-general.

It is to be remembered that all the ports of this archipelago, except Sual, Iloilo, Zebu, and Manila, are still closed against foreign vessels. In 1868, there seemed a gleam of hope that a more liberal commercial policy would be adopted by Spain for their possessions among the Philippine Islands. In that year it was decreed that differential duties should be abolished in April 1871. They were abolished accordingly, but only for three months. In July an, order was issued granting importers, under the Spanish flag, of foreign goods, an advantage of 2-5 per cent. The value of the imports into the United Kingdom for the P. I. and Ladrones in 1880 was £1,688,663; of our exports thither, £1,328,482. The total exports from the P. I. in 1877 were valued at £3.592,900; of which Great Britain got £1,239.000; India. £80,000; Hong Kong, £40,000. The imports for 1876 were £2,397,432, the duties on which amounted to 7f per cent, on their value. The principal exports are sugar, tobacco, cigars, indigo. Manila hemp, or Abaca (q. v.), coffee, rice, dye-woods, hides, gold-dust, and bees-wax. Cotton, woollen, and silk goods, agricultural implements, watches, jewelry, &c., are imported. British and American merchants do the largest business, the imports from Great Britain being about £1,000,000 per annum.

The Sooloo islands have a population of 150.000; are governed by a sultan, whose capital is Sung, in 66° 1′ N. lat., and 120° 55′ 51″ E. long., who also rules over the greatest part of Paragon, the northern corner only being subject to Spain.

Luzon has a population of 2,500.000, one-fifth part being independent; the Bissayas islands, 2,000,000, of whom three-fourths are under Spanish rule. The population of Panay amounts to 750,000, and that of Zebu to 150,000. Of the numbers in Mindanao nothing-is known; the districts of Zamboanga, Misamis, and Caragan, with 100,000 inhabitants, being all that is subject to Spain. The greater part of the island is under the sultan of Mindanao, resident at Selanga, in 7° 9′ N. lat. and 124° 38′ E. long., who, with his feudatory chiefs, can bring together an army of 100,000 men. He is on friendly terms with the Spaniards. Besides Manila, there are very many large and important cities, especially in Luzon, Panay, and Zebu. The great centers of trade are Manila in Luzon, and Iloilo in Panay.

The P. I. were discovered in 1521 by Magellan, who, after visiting Mindanao, sailed to Zebu, where, taking part with the king in a war, he was wounded, and died at Mactan, 26th April 1521. Some years later the Spanish court sent an expedition under Villabos, who named the Islands in honor of the Prince of As tunas, afterwards Philip II. For some time the chief Spanish settlement was on Zebu; but in 1581 Manila was built, and has since continued to be the seat of government.