Iloilo, Capital of the Province of Panay.
In the province of Iloilo, in the southern part of the island of Panay,
is the town of Iloilo. It is on the sea, and is built on a low, marshy
plain. Iloilo is the capital of the province in which it is situated,
and it is also one of the principal sea-ports of the colony. The harbor
is excellent, being well-protected by the island of Guimaras, which
lies just beyond. This island is much higher than the mainland, with
which it forms a kind of funnel, so that there is a constant breeze,
which makes Iloilo much cooler and healthier than Manila. During the
spring-tides the whole town is covered with water.
Iloilo is a manufacturing town. Its principal product is piña, a fine
cloth made from the fibre of the pineapple-leaf. Jusi--another fabric
made from silk and woven into various colors--is also manufactured
here.
The country around the town is very fertile, and is extensively
cultivated. The facilities for transportation to and from the interior
of the island are very poor. This, of course, is a great bar to the
development of the commerce. However, over 1,000,000 piculs of sugar
are raised around Iloilo; also a great amount of tobacco; much rice,
too, is raised here. The town is doubtless destined to become a great
commercial centre. It is about 250 miles from Manila. Typhoons are
not uncommon, though earthquakes are infrequent. Most of the traders
are Chinese Mestizos. Some of them are very wealthy.
The port of Iloilo is of recent date, its opening being wholly due to
foreigners. The produce shipped from there comes mostly in American
sailing vessels to the United States. Iloilo has become the shipping
centre for the crops of sugar and sapan-wood of the islands of Negros
and Panay, and the opening up of this port has greatly encouraged
agriculture in the Visayas district. Manila is too far away. The
Iloilo district includes the large islands of Panay, Negros, Cebú,
and others, and has a second port of rising importance, Cebú, on the
island of that name.
Cavité is a fortified town, on a small peninsula, in the bay of
Manila, about ten miles from the capital. To it a steamboat runs twice
daily. The Government arsenal and the only shipyard in the colony are
located here, and it is, therefore, the chief naval station in the
islands. Cavité is also the residence of most of the Spanish naval
officers and of many foreigners: their handsome bungalows are on the
outskirts of the town. Some fine shops, a theatre, a few cafés, and
the old Cathedral are the most noteworthy objects of interest in the
town itself. The Cathedral is large and imposing, and its architecture
is characteristic of most of the churches of the colony. The houses
in Cavité were formerly of wood, but since a fire, in 1754, which
destroyed the town, most of them are built of stone or brick. But
even this did not save the town; for the earthquake of 1880 again
laid it waste.
Cavité was taken by the British in 1763, and has always been deemed
the key to the capital. It was the seat of the rebellion of 1872,
when the rebels seized and plundered the arsenal. This insurrection,
however, was put down, and the leaders executed or deported. Cavité,
on account of its strategic value, was the first place taken by Admiral
Dewey after the battle. As elsewhere described, it then became the
headquarters for Aguinaldo and the insurgents. Under a humane and an
advanced government of the islands, Cavité should become a large city.
Majajay is a picturesque mountain-town, in Luzon; it contains several
fine streets and many charming residences. The church and the convent
are striking; the scenery in the vicinity is magnificent. The waterfall
of Botócan is well worth a visit. It is about 600 feet high, and 60
feet wide. The view is impressive.
Lúgbang, near Majajay, is a thousand feet higher. Around it are
extensive rice-fields. In the town are several fine canals, some
good streets, and many commodious residences. A stone church and a
convent front the little plaza. On the other side is the Tribunal,
an imposing government building.
Tayabas is the capital of Tayabas province. In some of the streets
are canals. Besides the houses of the wealthy planters, there are the
usual church and convent. In the vicinity of Tayabas are extensive
timber-yards.
Laguimanoc, a small town on the coast of Luzon, is also a port. The
mail steamers stop there. The chief trade is in building-timber; for
around the town are magnificent forests. The harbor is an excellent
one, and, with increase of trade, the place should have a great future.
Lipa is the capital of the Batangas province, Luzon. It is a centre of
the coffee-trade. Besides, the temperature there is cooler than that of
most of the Philippine towns. It is noted for its large church and its
convent--among the most remarkable in the colony. Most of the houses
are three stories high, and many wealthy planters live in the vicinity.
Taal is one of the principal towns of Luzon. It is situated on a
hill upon the left bank of the Pansipit river. On the opposite side
is the town of Lemeri. A bridge connects the two.
Taal was formerly on the shore of the Lake of Taal, near the volcano,
but the old town was destroyed by the earthquake of 1754. The new
town is hilly, and is surrounded by sugar-cane plantations and
great forests. The streets are lined with modern shops and spacious
residences. Many of the inhabitants are of Japanese origin; but the
Chinese, strange to say, are not tolerated. As there is considerable
trade in sugar, in coffee, and cotton stuffs, trading-steamers ply
between Taal and Manila. The population of the town and its suburbs
is about 50,000.
Batangas, another town in Luzon, is the capital of the province of
that name. It is near the sea, and is the residence of the Governor
and the other chief officials of the province. There is a beautiful
park in the centre of the town, and a fine drive, where the European
residents are wont to meet. In and around the town are many pretty
bungalows and some large sugar-factories.
Santa Cruz de Malabon is a town in the rice-district of Luzon. It is
a charming little place, and some wealthy natives live there. Near the
town are several water-power rice-husking mills, that give employment
to hundreds of natives. The country all around is low and flat,
but not lacking in beauty.
Silan is also in Luzon, and is a good-sized town. It is noted for its
religious feasts and fairs. The church and the convent are celebrated,
and are among the handsomest in the colony.
Carmona, Perez Dasmariñas, and Viñan, are flourishing towns in the
vicinity of Silan. All are well worthy of a visit.
At the foot of the Maquiling mountain is Calamba, a market-town. Nearly
all the land thereabouts is owned by the Dominicans, who rent it to
the native rice and sugar-planters.
Below the Maquiling mountain, which is a crater, are hot springs. Near
them is the town of Los Baños, or the Baths. These springs are
beneficial in curing rheumatism and other ills. A hospital, therefore,
has been erected there, which is dedicated to our Lady of the Holy
Waters.
Other objects of interest are a vapor bath-house and the remains of
several large public buildings. Los Baños was once a popular resort,
and was under the administration of the Franciscans. The Government,
however, desiring a share of the profits, gradually, by onerous
exactions, caused the ruin of the place. If some enterprising American
would get hold of it, Los Baños could be made a great resort.
A few miles from Los Baños, on the Malanin river, about 1200 feet
above the sea, is the boiling lake of Natungos. This, too, possesses
wonderful medicinal properties.
Santa Cruz is the capital of the Laguna province. It is a market-town
of considerable size and importance, and contains a fine church and
one or two impressive government buildings. The principal street is
also called the Escolta. Santa Cruz is the centre of the cocoanut
trade, and is a meeting-place for stock-dealers.
Pagsanjan, a small old town near Santa Cruz, contains some elegant
residences. It has, however, an air of fallen grandeur. And well
it may! for it was once an important place. Around it are extensive
forests of cocoanut palms.
Puerta is on Palaúan Island, and has an excellent harbor. Near it is
a lighthouse and a naval station. It is a penal settlement, and is
surrounded by large sugar-estates, worked by the convicts. The town
is pretty, and the suburbs are delightful.
The principal port of Mindanao is Zamboanga, a small but interesting
town. Sulu is the principal port of Sulu, and is the centre of the
pearl trade.
The capital of Negros is Bacólod. It contains, besides a church and
a government house, some handsome residences belonging to the chief
traders and to the government officials. The town is on the coast,
but, as the water is very shallow, steamers are obliged to anchor
a half-mile from the shore. Bacólod is a good field for investors,
as it is in the very heart of the sugar and rice-district of Negros,
and its trade is constantly growing.
Mataban, Talisay, Silay, Sarávia and Victoria are rising towns in the
same province. Cádiz Nuevo, a small town just beyond Victoria, has
some fine streets, and many large shops owned by the irrepressible
Chinamen. The new stone church and convent of the town are the
handsomest on the island. In the country round about live many wealthy
native-planters, famed for their hospitality.
Cebú: a Mecca for Many Filipinos.
Cebú is the capital of the island of Cebú, and ranks next to Iloilo
among the ports of the Philippines. The town is well-constructed,
and is surrounded by fine roads. The people are conservative, and
lack thrift and enterprise. The principal exports are hemp and sugar,
most of which comes from the large plantations of the neighboring
islands of Leyte, Camaguin, and Mindanao. The cathedral of Cebú is
one of the most celebrated in the islands. It contains the shrine of
the Holy Child of Cebú, which thousands of pilgrims visit yearly.
General Topography of the Islands.
The Philippines, with the Sulu Protectorate, number about 600 habitable
islands, that lie all the way from 4° 45' to 21° N. latitude.
The area of the eleven largest islands is variously computed to be
somewhere between 55,000 and 150,000 square miles. It is probably
not far from the latter sum. All the islands together are about as
large as the combined area of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Maryland, and Delaware.
The eleven largest islands are: Luzon, Mindanao, Sámar, Panay, Negros,
Palaúan, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebú, Masbate, and Bojol. Luzon and Mindanao
are probably as large as all the others combined.
All the islands are mountainous and of volcanic formation.
Here is a list of the principal peaks:
Halcon, (Mindoro) 8,868 feet above sea.
Apo, (Mindanao) 8,804 feet above sea.
Mayon: active volcano, (Luzon) 8,283 feet above sea.
San Cristobal, (Luzon) 7,375 feet above sea.
Isarog, (Luzon) 6,443 feet above sea.
Banájao (Luzon) 6,097 feet above sea.
Labo (Luzon) 5,090 feet above sea.
South Caraballo, (Luzon) 4,720 feet above sea.
Caraballo del Baler (Luzon) 3,933 feet above sea.
Maquiling, (Luzon) 3,720 feet above sea.
In the interior of the islands are magnificent forests of stately
trees, splendid with luxuriant foliage and the glorious flora of
the tropics. Here are gigantic creepers and gorgeous festoons,--the
splendid parasites of this opulent clime. Luscious fruits in rich
clusters hang from pendent boughs of myriad trees, inviting the
passer-by to pluck.
One that has never seen it, can form no idea of the splendor of such
a tropical forest--teeming with all that is brilliant and grand in
nature. It would seem as if the Creator had emptied the cornucopia of
his gifts over this garden-spot of the world, making it a veritable
Eden.
There are many rivers throughout the islands,--some navigable. The
Pasig river, in Luzon, empties into Manila Bay. Vessels drawing
thirteen feet of water enter the Pasig river. In the same island,
the Rio Grande de Cagayan is also navigable and runs through the
Cagayan valley northward. It yearly overflows its banks. On them
are the richest tobacco-districts in the colony. The Rio Grande
de la Pampanga flows southward through the glorious valley of
Pampanga, emptying by twenty mouths into Manila Bay. On the banks
of this river are extensive rice-fields and sugar-cane plantations,
and great forests; among them gleam numerous towns and villages,
full of a thriving population. The Rio Agno, which flows southward,
past the port of Dagupan and the Bicol river--which flows from Bato
lake to the bay of San Miguel--is also in Luzon, and navigable.
In Mindanao, the Rio Agusan cuts the island almost in two. It is
navigable only a few miles. In Negros Island, the Danao is navigable.
The Bay lake (Luzon)--Laguna de Bay,--is 25 miles long and 12 miles
broad. It is higher than Manila, and its overflow is the Pasig river.
In the centre of Bombon lake is an active volcano called Taal, which
is no less famed in the history of the colony than is Vesuvius in
the history of Naples. It has had many celebrated eruptions, some
very destructive. In 1754 several towns were overwhelmed by a flood of
burning lava, which was thrown as far as fifteen miles from the crater,
causing great damage, even at that distance. It is said that cinders
fell in Manila, 34 miles away. There was a smell of sulphur in the air
for months; the lake was full of dead fish; and the earth, for miles,
was heaped with burning lava and ashes. This eruption lasted nearly
six months. The town of Taal was entirely destroyed, and most of the
inhabitants perished. On that day darkness hung over the whole sky,
and the air was full of cries and lamentations. It seemed as if the
end of the world had come.
The Mayon volcano, in Albay, has also had several destructive
eruptions. Its crest is always fiery. In 1814, 2,500 natives were
killed and wounded. During the last eruption, in 1888, fifteen lives
were lost, and many cattle.
Near the volcano of Mayon are the sulphur springs of Albay, noted for
their wonderful medicinal properties. Here, no doubt, some enterprising
American will soon build a resort, or a sanitarium. And a most splendid
location indeed it would be!
Though in the heart of the tropics, the Philippines are by no means
unhealthy. The year is divided into the wet and the dry monsoons;
the west coast being dry, the eastern coast wet, and vice-versa. The
annual rainfall is about 90 inches. Mosquitoes and white ants are the
most troublesome pests. Terrific tornados are common, and earthquakes
are as plentiful as blackberries in an Alabama cemetery. In 1875 a
typhoon destroyed 4000 houses and killed about 300 people. In 1863
an earthquake destroyed the greater part of Manila--3000 people were
killed and injured. The earthquake of 1880 was also very destructive.
That of '63 occurred at night, and I remember it well. I was then a
little boy, but the horrors of that night I can never forget. The
earth trembled and seemed to rise and fall; huge fissures opened
in the ground, and dull rumblings were heard everywhere, while the
shrieks of tens of thousands arose on every hand. Many were buried
in the ruins of their houses.
For weeks afterward, the people slept in the streets; for the greater
part of the city was destroyed.
The earthquake of 1880 occurred while the people were at tiffin, or
lunch. Hence the number of casualties was not so great; for most of the
people were able to leave their houses before they were shaken down.