The streets of Manilla have at all times a dead and dull appearance,
with the exception of the two already mentioned as being in the
business part of the town. The basement-floor of the houses being
generally uninhabited, there are no windows opened in their walls,
which present a mass of whitewashed stone and lime, without an object
to divert the eye, except here and there, where small shops have
been opened in them, these being generally for selling rice, fruit,
oil, &c., and entirely deficient in the glare or glittering colours
of gay merchandise, nearly all of which is confined to the shops of
the Escolta, Rosario, and Santo Christo.
The houses here, as elsewhere in hot climates, are arranged with great
regard to ventilation and coolness, and are mostly large edifices;
but are seldom well laid out, and are deficient in many respects. The
entire white population, which amounts to upwards of 5,000, resides
either in the city, by which is meant that portion of it within the
walls, or in the principal part of the town outside the walls, and
on the other side of the river from the city within the walls; and
in this district is comprehended the great bulk of the population,
which amounts to upwards of 200,000 souls.
Those resident within the walls are principally government servants,
&c., induced, by the proximity of the public offices, regimental
cantonments, &c., as well as a lower house-rent, to brave the greater
heat usually felt there, from the confined space within the walls,
and the narrow streets, not permitting so free a circulation of air
as is enjoyed in the houses _extra muros_.
The largest description of houses, being the residences of Europeans,
are spacious, and in many cases built on one plan, most of them
being quadrangles inclosing a court-yard within their squares. Here
the stables, &c., are usually situated; and, as may be supposed,
the smell and view of them, should they happen to be in the least
negligently kept, as they frequently are, afford but very little
gratification to persons whose windows happen to be near.
The upper part of the house, or second story, as we would say in
Scotland, is in general the only portion of the house inhabited by
its residents. The rooms below, being considered unhealthy, are in
general converted into warehouses or shops, if they can be let as such
from happening to be conveniently situated, or serve as coach-houses,
lumber-rooms, &c. &c. The masonry of the lower walls is usually very
substantial and strong, being calculated to resist the shocks of
earthquakes, which occasionally happen. Those of the upper stories,
which rise from them, and form the habitable part of the house above,
are much slighter than the lower ones, and the joists and wooden-work
about the roof are adapted for security against such accidents,
by their being fastened with bolts on either side of the masonry,
thus enabling it to give a little play to the motion of the shock,
without being displaced by it, and coming down, as thick and heavy
walls would most certainly do.
However, on the occurrence of an earthquake, it is usual to run down
stairs, and have the protection of the thick lower walls against
any accident, such as that of the roof giving way. As the house I
lived in while there may be taken as a specimen of many others, I
shall describe it. After entering the gateway, the door of which is
always very stout and heavy, and under the constant protection of a
porter, for security's sake, you reach a flight of steps leading to
the habitable part of the house, and enter a gallery running from
the top of the staircase, and a suite of rooms facing the street,
to the gala or drawing-room at the other end of the house, and a
suite of rooms facing the river. The entire length of the gallery
is about a hundred feet, by twenty broad, and it looks into the open
court-yard forming the centre of the building, on one side. There are
several large and spacious bedrooms on the other side, the windows of
which are lighted from a narrow street running to the river. Facing
the gallery, and on the other side of the house, across the central
court-yard, that entire side of the building is appropriated by the
servants for cooking and sleeping-places.
The beams supporting the upper or habitable floor extend four or
five feet beyond the outer wall, towards the street, forming a sort
of verandah, or corridor, as it is called in Spanish as well as in
English, round the entire building, affording a considerable protection
against the sun's rays. The outer side of this corridor is composed
of coarse and dark-coloured mother-of-pearl shell of little value,
set in a wooden framework of small squares, forming windows which move
on slides. Although the light admitted through this sort of window is
much inferior to what glass would give, it has the advantage of being
strong, and is not very liable to be damaged by the severe weather
to which it is occasionally exposed during some months of the year.
There are few buildings distinguishable for architectural beauty,
and those few are for the most part churches. The governor's house,
or the palace, is a large and spacious building within the walls,
and forms one side of the Playa, the other three being formed by
the cathedral, the Cabildo, and some private houses, whose irregular
height detracts considerably from the appearance of the square. In the
centre of the square stands a statue of I forget what King of Spain,
well executed in bronze.
It is usual for a military band to perform before the palace on
Sunday and feast-day evenings, and on these occasions many carriages
go there from the drive, about eight o'clock, to enjoy the music,
and give people a good opportunity for either gossip or love-making,
as their tastes or the moonlight may incline them.
The native Indians appear to have a good ear for music, and execute
many of the finest operas with spirit and taste; and the amateur
musicians in particular, who train the casino band, have brought the
native performers to a very high degree of perfection in most of the
pieces performed by them. A good deal more attention, however, appears
to be paid to training these military bands, than in perfecting the
troops themselves in their evolutions.
Religious processions are as frequently passing through the streets,
as they are in all the Roman Catholic countries of Europe, but
the features of all are very nearly identical, and so need not be
particularly described.
When one of these processions takes place during the day, an awning
is spread along the streets it will pass through, to protect the
bareheaded promenaders from the sun, the canvass being attached to
the house roofs along the streets; making them incredibly hot to pass
along, so long as it remains there.
A good deal of display in silver and gold ornaments may be seen in
some of the churches, the collections of many successive years, as
every incumbent shows his piety and zeal by adding something to them
during the time he holds the cure.
The jewels in some of the dresses of the figures, especially those of
the Virgin, are valued at, or amount to, a considerable sum of money,
and I have heard twenty thousand dollars mentioned as the value of
those belonging to one church in Manilla.
The houses of the Indian and Mestizo population are for the most
part in the outskirts of the business part of the town, those of the
richer sort being built of stone, and those of the poorest class being
composed of _nipa_, or attap. Among houses of this sort, when a fire
takes place, great and rapid destruction is inevitable, and the only
way of saving any portion of them from its fury is by throwing down
all those in the direction of its advance.
Nearly every season, however, some fires happen among them, and
hundreds of families are frequently burned out before its progress can
be arrested. This, however, is not anything like so calamitous an event
for them as such an occurrence would be to the poor of Europe, for as
the chief cost of a _nipa_ house consists in the labour of erection,
after such a misfortune, they are soon replaced by their own personal
labour--for whatever their usual trade or occupation may be, nearly
all of the Indians are quite capable of constructing these houses for
themselves, and often manage to complete them roughly in a few days. No
nails need be used in their construction, everything necessary being
produced in the islands, and easily attainable. Houses so constructed
are very suitable for the climate, affording all the shelter requisite;
and indeed the people appear to be much better lodged than many of
the poor in England, where the cold and damp of the climate demand
a substantial house, which too often they do not possess.