AN EVENING PROMENADE.--VILLAGE LIFE NEAR MANILLA.
Mr. Segovia called at the hotel according to agreement, and found the
party ready to start on the evening drive. The boys enjoyed it greatly,
if we are to judge by the following account which they wrote after their
return:
[Illustration: VIEW OF MANILLA FROM THE BINONDO SUBURB.]
"We have found Manilla very interesting, and have seen so much in our
ride, that we hardly know where to begin. The streets are wide and
straight, and they have solid sidewalks of stone that remind you of some
of those in New York or Boston. There is a large square or plaza, with a
statue of one of the Spanish kings in the centre, and a good many people
were gathered there as we drove along one side and stopped a few moments
to look at the statue. The part of Manilla on the southern bank of the
river is the military city, and contains the cathedral and other
churches, together with the government barracks, the custom-house, and
several other public buildings; the Binondo suburb on the north is not
so well off, and perhaps it is for this reason that the streets are not
so well paved, and not as regular and wide. But there are more people on
the north bank than on the south, and the most of the foreigners live
there and try to enjoy themselves.
"We went along at a good speed in an open carriage drawn by a pair of
lively young horses that were said to have been newly imported from
Australia; they will lose their spirit after a while in this hot
climate, and a year or two from now it will not be easy to get them to
go faster than a slow trot. Everybody takes a drive who can afford it,
besides a good many who cannot stand the expense. Their doing so has
caused a curious custom to be adopted by the drivers; whenever you hire
a cab in the streets, you must pay for it in advance, or the driver will
not go with you. The drivers have been cheated so much that they have
become suspicious and won't trust anybody, and certainly they are not to
be blamed. Mr. Segovia says that a great many of the Spaniards who come
here are without money or character, and think they have a right to
swindle any one who will trust them. The merchants are obliged to be
very cautious, but in spite of all their care they lose a good deal by
these adventurers.
"Every little while in our drive we came to a canal, and a portion of
the way we followed the banks of the Pasig. The canals are small, and
only scantily filled with half-stagnant water, and the smells that rise
from them are anything but nice. Dead dogs and cats were floating on the
water, but the men rowing the numerous boats did not seem to mind them.
You can go all around the Binondo suburb in a boat, and some day we mean
to do so, if we can stand the odors.
"As we passed near the river we saw a funny sight--a raft of cocoa-nuts,
with a native on it, floating down the stream. The nuts are tied
together with pieces of the husk, which are partially detached with a
knife, and the whole mass is so buoyant that a hundred of them attached
to each other will support a man. A native starts with a raft of nuts
from somewhere up the river, and floats down to market. He goes to sleep
there, and lets the current carry him along; and if his conveyance runs
on shore, he wakes up, gives it a push out into the stream, and goes to
sleep again. It is an easy and cheap mode of travelling, and when he has
sold his raft, he walks home, or works his passage on a boat bound in
his direction.
[Illustration: A CREOLE IN EUROPEAN DRESS.]
"Mr. Segovia pointed out the various classes of people in Manilla, and
it did not take us long to be able to distinguish them from one another.
He divides them into Spaniards, Creoles, Tagals, Chinese, and Mestizoes;
the Tagals are the natives, the Creoles are children of Spanish fathers
and native mothers, and the Mestizoes are of Chinese parentage on one
side, and native on the other. The word Mestizoes is generally
abbreviated to "Metis," as our friend explained to us, and we will call
them so in this letter.
[Illustration: SPANISH METIS.]
"The first pair he pointed out were Spanish Metis, or Creoles, and they
were dressed in their best clothes for an evening walk. The man wore a
pair of gay-colored trousers that looked as though they were made of
calico, and he had above them a frock like a shirt worn outside, of
nearly the same material as the trousers. Then he had an umbrella and a
tall hat, and his feet were in slippers instead of boots. The woman at
his side was likewise in slippers that showed all of her feet except the
toes; she had no bonnet on her head, but in its place she wore some
flowers and a sort of wreath like a pad. There was a bright handkerchief
around her neck, and her dress was of an equally gaudy color. These
people appear to be very fond of lively colors and contrasts, if we may
judge by the universal use they make of them.
[Illustration: CHINESE METIS.]
"Close behind them was another couple that our friend said were Chinese
Metis, or half-breeds. The costume of the man was not much unlike that
of the other, but his trousers were not as gay, his frock was gathered
in at the waist, and his shirt was white. The woman was prettier than
the other one, and the handkerchief she wore on her head was very
becoming; it fell in graceful folds down to her shoulders, which were
covered with a cape of thin muslin, held in place by a pin at the
throat, and her dress was very pretty: it consisted of a skirt or native
_sarong_, in which there was a good deal of red, and over the skirt
there was a wide sash of rich Chinese silk in red and yellow stripes. It
is wound around the waist in such a way that it holds the figure quite
closely, and hangs below the knee. Her feet were in slippers, without
stockings, and it does not seem to be the fashion for anybody to put on
stockings in Manilla, or at least only among the foreigners.
[Illustration: SPANISH METIS OF THE WEALTHY CLASS.]
"Frequently we saw people on horseback, and were told that many of them
belonged to the wealthy class of the Spanish Metis. Their dress was much
like that of the pedestrians, except that it was somewhat richer, and
the woman wore a tall hat like that of the man; but as the equestrian
costume for a lady in Europe or America is generally supposed to include
a high chapeau, we suppose the head-covering for the fair rider in
Manilla will not be considered out of fashion. They say that fashions
change very little in Manilla from year to year, and milliners do not
make fortunes. The Spanish ladies make some attempt to keep in style,
but, with all their efforts, they do not succeed very well. There is
little chance for variety in a country where it is so hot that only the
lightest garments can be worn with comfort.
"These Metis are in the same social position as the mulattoes of the
United States--they will not associate with persons whose skins are
darker than their own; and, on the other hand, the whites altogether
despise and look down upon them. But they are the richest and most
enterprising of the population, and it is said that a Chinese Meti can
generally beat a genuine Chinese at a trade, no matter whether he is
buying or selling. One of the wealthiest native merchants is the son of
a Chinese trader who married a Tagal wife, and he has made his entire
fortune by his own industry and shrewdness.
"There is this difference between the Spaniards in the Philippines and
the Dutch in Java: that the former have instructed the natives in their
religion, while the latter have not tried to give the Javanese any
religious instruction whatever. All through the Philippines the natives
have been converted to the Catholic Church, and in many districts the
only white inhabitants are the priests. They instruct the natives not
only in religion, but in agriculture and manufactures; but it often
happens that, as they have no practical knowledge of the arts they are
teaching, their instruction does not amount to much.
"When we reached the promenade, we got out of the carriage for a stroll.
Everybody seemed to be there, as it is the fashion to go to the
promenade whenever the band plays, and it happened to be one of the
musical evenings. All the Spanish officials were in uniform, and the
gentlemen who did not happen to hold office wore their black coats. Most
of the other foreigners followed their example, though there were some
that did not. The fashion promises to die out; but it will be some time
before it does, as the Spanish are very conservative.
"The ladies were out in goodly numbers, and Doctor Bronson said many of
them were quite pretty. Most of them wore veils after the Spanish
fashion, and they talked and laughed with the gentlemen, just as they
might do in Madrid or any other Spanish city. The ladies in Manilla do
not appear to spend as much time in-doors as the Dutch ladies do in
Java, for they go a good deal among the shops, and like to turn over
silks and other things by the hour without buying anything. They give
the Chinese salesmen ever so much trouble, but the latter have to smile,
and pretend to like it, exactly as the salesmen in a New York store have
to do when the American ladies go on shopping excursions. In every house
where they can afford it, they have a small army of servants to look
after them; and as the place is in charge of a _major-domo_, or
house-keeper, there is not much for a lady to look after. Mr. Segovia
says the most of the ladies who come to Manilla prefer to remain there
rather than go back to Spain, and the reason probably is that they find
life much easier. It is the same with the men, as not more than one out
of ten ever goes home to Spain for more than a short visit; though it is
proper to say many of them would be glad to go back, only they never
have the means of doing so.
"While we were at the promenade, the bells suddenly rung the hour for
evening prayers. Everybody stopped on the instant; not only those on
foot, but those on horseback and in carriages. It was like one of the
fairy scenes we read about, where the goddess waves her wand, and
everybody becomes petrified till she waves it again, and restores them
to life. The gentlemen raised their hats, and the ladies bowed their
heads, and for a few moments the time was devoted to universal prayer.
Then the bells stopped, and the movement of horses, carriages, and
pedestrians was resumed; the conversation became as lively as ever, and
we had to rub our eyes to make sure we had not been dreaming.
[Illustration: PALM-TREE IN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN.]
"There is a botanical garden near the promenade, but it is not very well
kept; it reminded us of the gardens at Singapore only by contrast, as it
was overgrown with weeds, and the most of the plants had died or were
dying. A few palm-trees remain, and some of them are quite interesting.
We are told that botanical gardens in all the Spanish possessions do not
appear to flourish; and if this one is to be taken as a sample, we can
readily accept the statement.
"It was late in the evening when we returned from our drive; the people
were thinning out somewhat at the promenade, but the most of them did
not appear in a hurry to get home. Though they go late to bed, they rise
early in Manilla, at least those who have any business; and they make up
for the short hours of night by sleeping in the middle of the day. In
the best of the houses there are bath-rooms, with bamboo windows in fine
lattice-work, and some of the people manage to keep cool by bathing
several times a day. The water for supplying the city comes from the
Pasig River, several miles above Manilla, but the means of distributing
it are very primitive."
The second morning of their stay in Manilla our young friends were out
in good season, and off on an excursion around the city. Their ride took
them along the river, but further up stream than they had previously
been; they continued it beyond the city to a little village, where the
natives were having so jolly a time in the water that the boys proposed
stopping to look at them. The Doctor consented, and so they left their
carriage and sat down on the bank.
[Illustration: LIFE IN THE WATER.]
Three or four girls were in the shallow water near the edge of the
stream, and they amused themselves by splashing a Chinese boatman who
was urging his craft among them. Evidently he did not like the sport, as
he was threatening to strike them with his oar, of which they did not
seem to have much fear. A boy who had never in all probability seen a
circus was balancing himself on the back of a wide-horned ox, and urging
the beast to join the bathing-party; the ox was not at all disinclined
to the bath, and the Doctor told the boys that the oxen, or buffaloes,
of the Philippines cannot exist without frequent bathing. They like to
lie all day in the water, and, if it is not attainable, they will
readily accept mud as a substitute. Consequently, they are not
particularly clean in their general appearance, as they are veneered
with mud for the greater part of the time, and the more mud they can
accumulate the better they are satisfied.
[Illustration: HORNS OF THE BUFFALO.]
The Doctor called the attention of the boys to the wide horns of the
buffalo, and said they were often six feet in length, while specimens
had been known that measured seven feet from tip to tip. He further
remarked that the animal knows how to use them, as any hunter in the
interior of the islands can testify; and some are unable to give their
personal evidence, for the reason that they have been killed by them.
The buffalo is a dangerous beast to encounter when he is enraged; he
will shun the white man as long as he can, but, when pressed and
pursued, he turns and shows fight. "We shall hear more of him
by-and-by," the Doctor remarked, "and what you hear will be likely to
increase your respect for him."
On their way back to the hotel, Doctor Bronson pointed to a series of
large buildings, which he said were the Government tobacco-factories.
"Every smoker," said he, "is familiar with Manilla cigars--at least all
through the ports of Asia--and this is where they are made. Many people
prefer them to Havana cigars, and you will often see a gentleman decline
a Havana and accept a Manilla. The best of the Manilla cigars rarely get
to the United States; and when they do, the price is so high that they
cannot compete with cigars from other countries. Besides, they seem to
lose their flavor in the long voyage over the sea, and perhaps this is
the reason why Havana cigars seem to be lacking in the proper taste when
brought to Japan or China.
"The tobacco-crop of the Philippines pays a tribute of a million dollars
every year to the Spanish Government, which is the principal revenue
they derive from their possessions in the East. It gives employment, in
the factories that you see, to more than 20,000 men and women, besides a
great number in the cities of Spain, where the raw tobacco is also
worked up. The cigars are of three qualities--firsts, seconds, and
thirds; and the prices are graded accordingly. Every box contains a
certificate as to the character of the cigars inside, and there is a
label on the outside to show the date when the cigars were put up. The
clever Chinese in Hong-Kong are in the habit of counterfeiting not only
the cigars, but the certificate and date label: some of them were
prosecuted for the fraud a few years ago, and they have latterly been
somewhat cautious. They have also a trick of selling first-quality
cigars without the box, which they then fill with seconds, so as to pass
them off as firsts. A novice will not discover the cheat till he has
bought and carried away his cigars, and then it is usually too late to
make a change. The old residents of Hong-Kong are not to be caught by
the trick, and carefully examine a box before purchasing."
[Illustration: NATIVE HOUSE IN THE SUBURBS OF MANILLA.]