ARRIVAL AT MANILLA.--FIRST DAY ON SHORE.
The _Osprey_ steamed on the next day and the next, and on the third
morning after leaving Sarawak the boys found themselves entering a broad
bay, which the captain told them was the Bay of Manilla, in the
Philippine Islands.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.]
"It's large enough to hold all the ships in the world," Frank remarked,
as he looked around him, and gradually took in the extent of the sheet
of water.
"Yes," said Fred, "provided they did not object to a little crowding
here and there. It seems to me larger than the Bay of Yeddo, in Japan."
"You are quite right," chimes in the Doctor. "It is larger than the Bay
of Yeddo, and Frank is not much out of the way when he thinks all the
ships of the world could assemble here at once. The Bay of Manilla is
120 marine miles in circumference, and its waters wash the shores of
five provinces. There is good anchorage in the greater part of it, but
owing to its enormous size, it is less secure than a smaller bay would
be."
The captain of the _Osprey_ was standing near them during this
conversation, and nodded assent to the Doctor's statement. "Manilla has
no harbor, properly speaking," he remarked, "and the only place for
ships, till they enter the river, is in the open roadstead. During the
north-east monsoon we are all right, and can drop our anchors a mile or
so in front of the city the same as we do at Batavia; but when the
south-west monsoon is blowing, and in all the time of the change of
monsoons, the roadstead is dangerous. Then we go to Cavite, a naval port
seven miles down the coast, and all our cargo must be landed there or
brought to Manilla in lighters. No ship of more than 400 tons can enter
the river at Manilla safely, as there is not sufficient water on the
bar. We shall anchor in front of the town, and you will go on shore in a
small boat."
[Illustration: SCENE ON MANILLA BAY.]
The entire shores of the bay were not distinctly visible at the same
moment, owing to the great distance across, but what there was to be
seen was quite picturesque. In the background was a range of mountains,
in front of them was a table-land, and in the immediate foreground lay a
stretch of low coast covered with tropical vegetation, among which the
bamboo and the palm were prominent. As they approached near the land our
friends could see that it was intersected by numerous canals, and the
captain told them that in the rainy season these canals overflowed their
banks, and converted all the low-land into a vast lake. When the water
recedes, the moist land is planted with rice, and in a few days what was
before a wide stretch of water becomes a most luxuriant field. The rice
product of the Philippines is very large, and the soil seems admirably
adapted to the culture of the article that forms the daily food of more
than half the human race.
There were but few ships at anchor in the roadstead when the _Osprey_
came to a halt at the spot her captain had designated, and the signs of
great business activity were altogether wanting. The Doctor informed his
young companions that the trade of Manilla was less than that of Batavia
or Singapore, and hence the smaller number of ships in port. The
Philippine Islands belong to Spain, but there is not a great deal of
commerce between the two countries, since neither produces much that the
other wants. Down to a very recent date there was a heavy protective
duty that was intended to favor Spanish ships to the detriment of
others, but somehow, while it kept off the vessels of other
nationalities, it did not bring as many Spanish ones as was expected.
The customs duties were formerly seven per cent. for merchandise
imported in Spanish ships, and double that figure if the ships were
foreign. Then they had a system of levying tonnage dues on foreign
ships, in addition to the duties on the cargo; a ship in ballast paid a
certain rate, while a cargo ship was taxed about double. If a ship in
ballast landed the smallest parcel of any kind whatever, she was
immediately taxed at the higher rate; and it was said that the officials
used sometimes to bribe a sailor on board a ship to carry a small bundle
on shore, so that they could have the pretext of levying the high
charge. The consequence was that foreign ships avoided Manilla as much
as possible, and only went there when specially chartered. In 1869 a
decree was issued making a uniform duty on all goods, no matter under
what flag they were imported, abolishing all export duties, and doing
away with the objectionable features of the port charges.
Hardly was the anchor down before a boat from the custom-house came
along-side, and the officials mounted to the deck. A little time was
required to take the declarations of the strangers relative to the
objects of their visit, and the time they intended to remain; the
Spanish in the Philippines have pretty nearly the same regulations
concerning strangers as the Dutch in Java, and for a similar object--to
keep the country for themselves; and if a visitor does not like the
restrictions thrown around him, he is at full liberty to leave.
When the formalities were over, our friends entered a boat and were
rowed ashore. Manilla stands on both banks of the river Pasig, but the
larger portion is on the southern side. There is a breakwater at the
mouth of the river, to prevent injury from the waves that sometimes
sweep in during the change of the monsoons. On more than one occasion
the water has flooded all the lower parts of the city; but at the time
of which we are speaking the weather was at its best, and the breakwater
was more ornamental than useful.
[Illustration: COAST SCENE IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.]
The boys were amused at the appearance of the houses along the banks;
they had expected to see broad windows that would give as much
ventilation as possible, and also allow strangers to have a peep at the
internal arrangements without taking the trouble to enter. But they
found, on the contrary, that the windows were generally narrow, and few
in number, and the inhabitants consoled themselves for the lack of
ventilation by spending a goodly portion of their time on the balcony.
The roofs were covered with red tiles after the Spanish manner, and the
Doctor remarked that the Spaniards in the Philippines, like the Dutch in
Java and the English in India, had brought many of their home customs
with them when settling in the eastern half of the world.
[Illustration: BARGE AND HOUSE ON THE PASIG.]
They passed a barge laden with merchandise from one of the ships at
anchor in the roadstead; it was propelled by men with long poles, which
they fixed in the bottom of the river after the manner of the "setting
poles" formerly in use on some of the streams of America. A broad plank
was attached to each side of the barge just above the water-line, and on
this plank two men walked as they pushed against the firmly fixed poles.
The barge was a clumsy affair, with a roof of pandanus leaves, woven
together and arranged in sections, so that it could be lifted off to
receive cargo. There was a broad rudder at the stern of the barge, and
the steersman stood under the mat roof, so that he was quite sheltered
from the rays of the tropical sun.
There were many native craft in the river, and a few vessels of foreign
rig; but all the latter were of small tonnage, and evidently employed in
coast service among the islands. The boat with the three travellers
pushed on to the custom-house, where the baggage was inspected, and, on
being found to contain nothing liable to duty, was allowed to pass. Then
the strangers were at liberty to seek a hotel, and they lost no time in
doing so.
There are not many visitors in Manilla, and consequently the hotel
accommodations are limited; there are only two establishments worthy the
name, and even these are far from equal to the pretentious hostelries of
Madrid and Seville. Frank remarked that they would be quite content as
long as they had a roof to shelter them, and enough to eat; Fred pointed
to a large hole above his bed where several tiles had been removed, and
suggested that the shelter was not very promising at the outset. The
attention of the hotel-keeper was called to the opening, and he quietly
remarked that the rainy season was over, and the hole would do no harm.
The hotel was not in Manilla proper, but in the suburb of Bidondo, where
most of the foreigners reside, and where the bulk of the commerce is
conducted. It is on the northern bank of the Pasig, and those who live
there are accustomed to regard themselves as of more consequence than
the dwellers on the opposite side of the stream. Back of Bidondo there
are some pleasant villages and private residences, and several of the
latter are fitted up with a considerable attempt at luxury. The boys
thought the houses were not as comfortable as in Singapore and Batavia,
and the Doctor told them that Manilla was a more expensive place to live
in than either of the cities they had named, and consequently the same
amount of money would procure fewer necessaries or luxuries of life.
Those who had only fixed salaries to rely upon frequently found it
difficult to make both ends meet; and even the merchants were compelled
to practise more economy than they desired. The houses were generally of
two stories, but the lower one was rarely inhabited, on account of the
dampness that rose constantly from the ground. It was generally used as
a stable, and consequently the occupants of the upper floor had the
advantage of a variety of smells without extra charge.
Doctor Bronson had a letter to a gentleman residing in Manilla, and as
soon as the party was settled at the hotel, he set out to deliver it.
During his absence the boys took a stroll in the neighborhood, and
crossed the bridge that leads to the city proper, on the southern bank
of the Pasig.
[Illustration: OLD BRIDGE AT MANILLA.]
There was formerly a stone bridge of ten arches that spanned the river;
it was erected more than two hundred years ago, and was regarded with
pride by the inhabitants, but the earthquake of 1863 destroyed it. An
iron suspension-bridge was constructed in its place, and the most of the
piers of the old structure were removed in order to facilitate
navigation.
[Illustration: A MANILLA DANDY.]
Frank and Fred found many things that were new to them in their walk.
They had not gone a dozen yards before they met a man whose appearance
raised a smile on their faces, but they carefully concealed it till he
had passed. He was dressed in what he doubtless regarded as the
perfection of wardrobe, and swung a light cane with all the dignity of
the most accomplished promenader of Broadway or Fifth Avenue. His
trousers were of a checked pattern, and his feet--bare of
stockings--were thrust into patent-leather shoes. The rest of his
costume consisted of a shirt, a stove-pipe hat, an eye-glass, and a
cigar; and the novel feature of the dress was that the shirt was worn
outside the trousers, and had no necktie. The boys at first thought they
had encountered some one who did not know how to clothe himself
properly; but they soon ascertained that it is the custom in Manilla to
wear the shirt outside the trousers, and the man they met was a dandy
who had gotten himself up "regardless of expense."
[Illustration: A NATIVE GIRL IN MANILLA.]
A few steps farther on they met a different sort of inhabitant--a native
girl with a jar of water on her head, and bearing a large leaf in one
hand. She was tall and well-formed, and her dress was very simple; it
consisted of a light chemise, and a skirt that showed her bare feet as
she walked gracefully along, and paused to take a glance at the
strangers. Her thick hair was braided into a heavy tress, which formed
an excellent cushion for the jar to rest upon; and her complexion was so
light that Frank could hardly believe she was not a Spaniard, rather
than a native of the islands. Afterward they met many more of the same
type; and as they also encountered Spaniards and half-castes, they were
not long in learning how to distinguish the various inhabitants of
Manilla.
On their return to the hotel, they found the Doctor was there before
them, as the gentleman he sought was not at his office, and therefore
his visit had been very brief. They sat down to lunch, and just as they
finished it there was a call for the Doctor. It proved to be from Mr.
Segovia, a partner of the gentleman to whom he brought the letter, and
he kindly offered to show any courtesy to the strangers in his power.
[Illustration: NATIVE AMUSEMENTS.]
"I am afraid," said he, "that you will find Manilla a dull place. We
have no theatre at present, and the newspapers contain nothing you would
care to read; the only relief we have to the prevailing monotony is the
religious processions, and I believe there will be none of these for two
or three weeks. The amusement of the people is in cock-fighting, a vice
that was introduced by the Spaniards, and has been adopted by every
native that can afford to keep a bird. Some of them never go
out-of-doors without their favorite birds in their arms; and there is
hardly an hour of the day or night when there is not a fight going on in
a dozen places in Manilla."
After some further talk about the city and what it contained, it was
agreed that the gentleman would call late in the afternoon with a
carriage to take the Doctor and his young companions to the evening
promenade. The arrangement concluded, the gentleman retired, and the
party sat down on the veranda to pass away the hot hours of the middle
of the day and talk about the sights of the city.
The boys brought out their note-books to record what they had seen in
their morning's walk; and when they had finished, they had a
conversation with the Doctor relative to the Philippine Islands and
their history since the time the Spaniards went there. They were
astonished to find that the group comprised more than 1200 islands; but
their surprise was somewhat diminished when Doctor Bronson told them
that only twenty of the whole number were of any consequence, the rest
being principally rocky islets. The entire group was said to have an
area of about 120,000 square miles, and a population of from five to six
millions. Some of the islands are independent, but the largest and most
important belong to Spain, and have so belonged for more than three
hundred years.
[Illustration: SPANISH GALLEONS ON THEIR WAY OVER THE PACIFIC.]
"The group was discovered," said the Doctor, "in 1521 by the celebrated
navigator Magellan, and occupied by the Spaniards about thirty years
later. There have never been more than 10,000 Spaniards here at any one
time, and probably there are not to-day over 5000 or 6000 persons of
pure Spanish blood in all this region. For a long time the most of the
trade of the Philippines was with Mexico, and once a year a ship or
galleon was sent from Manilla to Acapulco with a load of silks and other
valuable products of the East, which were sold for more than twice their
cost. The last of these voyages was in 1811, owing to a royal decree
that broke up the monopoly held by the rulers of the islands. Sometimes
two or more galleons sailed together; the voyage across the Pacific
Ocean was frequently more than one hundred days in length, and instances
have been known of one hundred and fifty days being taken between
Manilla and Acapulco. Now a sailing-ship that would not make the voyage
in forty-five or fifty days would be considered slow, and a steamer
would accomplish it in twenty-five."
One of the boys wished to know what the galleons brought back from
Mexico in return for the silks they carried there.
"The greater part of their cargoes," was the reply, "was in silver
dollars, and it is from this course of trade that we now find the
Mexican dollar in such general circulation in the Far East. Then they
brought quicksilver, which was sold in China at a large profit; and they
brought cochineal and other dye-stuffs. Sometimes a single cargo would
sell for $2,000,000, but this was unusual; the ordinary value of a cargo
was about $500,000 at starting, and the returns were double that amount.
There was very little produce of the islands in these cargoes, but
mainly the silks and other Chinese goods which had been bought by the
merchants of Manilla with gold-dust, sapan-wood, skins, and edible
birds'-nests, together with the silver dollars, of which the Chinese are
very fond.
"The Spaniards kept a monopoly of their trade down to the beginning of
the present century. All other Europeans were carefully excluded from
the islands until 1809, when an English house was allowed to establish
itself here, and this concession was followed in 1814 by permission for
all foreigners to come here under certain restrictions. The Spaniards
always reserve the right to send away any foreigner who makes himself
obnoxious, but the occasions when they do so are very rare. Even at the
present day it is difficult for a foreigner to obtain permission to
visit the interior of the island; and as late as twenty years ago there
was a royal order that forbade their going there under any pretext
whatever."
"Can we go there?" Fred asked. "I should so much like to see the
interior of the island we are on."
"We have not time," the Doctor answered, "to go through the whole of the
island, even if we could obtain permission; but I dare say we can make
some short excursions, so that we will not be entirely ignorant of the
Philippines when we go away."
After some further talk about the country they were in, the party
separated, in order to follow the custom of Manilla, and devote an hour
or two to sleep before going on their evening drive.
[Illustration: MOUTH OF THE BAY OF MANILLA.]