[The artillery corps is in better condition than any other part of
the military force of the islands; it is under better discipline,
and has always been under European officers. The Indians are in great
terror of the cannon. When in the tumult of 1820 Folgueras ordered
three pieces to be planted at various points outside the walls,
the natives implored him to take the cannon away, as the inhabitants
were so terrified that they did not dare to cross the streets; and
in the disturbances of 1809 in Ilocos, "only one four-libra cannon,
fired by a revenue-clerk, the ball from which hit a church-tower, was
sufficient to curb and disconcert more than 10,000 insurgents." To
this corps might be added (but as footmen) the company which should
be disbanded in the cavalry, since in so rough and broken a country
as Luzon horsemen are of little use. The artillery in Manila is of
wretched quality: almost all of it was cast there, at various periods,
and by unskilled founders; not only the guns but their carriages
are irregular, clumsy, unreliable, and are difficult to manage;
and for these very reasons the foundry there has been abolished, but
since that time no cannon save a small siege battery has been sent
thither from Europe. The artillery cast in Manila is sufficiently
good to provide for the defense of the provinces against the Moros;
but measures should be taken to provide for the better defense of
that city. The working of iron and the making of artillery are almost
entirely in the hands of the Chinese of Manila, [143] and the Indians
therefore are unskilled in this industry; some skilled masters should
be sent over from Spain to teach them and oversee the manufacture
of iron. The country abounds in rich mines of iron, but these have
been barely scratched and then abandoned; only some common utensils
are made there, and other iron articles are sold to the people at
high prices by foreigners, who carry great sums of money out of
the country. "The iron of Manila has been examined in the artillery
workshops, and has been found to be very soft and fibrous." Attempts
have been made by the Spanish government to utilize the mines
and introduce machinery into their operation; but the officials
entrusted with these enterprises have been ineffective, caring only
to draw their salaries. Bernaldez urges the encouragement of private
capital to undertake these works, with concessions, privileges, and
protection which shall be adequate to enlist their energies; this
would lead to the development of the natural riches of the islands,
the population would be increased by skilled artisans and mechanics,
and the great increase thus obtained in wealth of the country would
likewise bring incalculable benefits to the royal treasury--not only
in revenues from the increased commerce and manufactures, but in the
great saving in the expenses of furnishing the army with weapons,
made in the country at so much less cost than before. In the arsenal
reform is needed; all its workmen except the gunsmiths should be
replaced gradually by Indians, who are so skilful and work for less
wages than the Spaniards; and the gunsmiths should have a regular
military organization. Better provision should also be made for a
supply of gunpowder. At the beginning of the century, a powder factory
was erected, which cost eighty thousand hard dollars, although it was
made of only bamboo and nipa; with this a large supply of powder was
made, but its quality was poor, on account of the impurities in the
saltpetre, which they had to obtain from India. There has been talk of
building another factory (the former one being apparently no longer in
existence); it is likely to be as costly an enterprise, because the
lack of a strong current in the rivers "has rendered impracticable
the installation of hydraulic machinery." The Spanish government
ought to take measures to provide the large amount of powder needed
for the use of the forts, army, navy, and revenue service. Bernaldez
advises that this be done by making contracts (with either Spaniards or
foreigners), by which they can secure powder of better quality and at
lower prices; and besides this they ought to send immediately to the
islands a scientist (whose salary ought to be paid from the funds of
the Economic Society and the consulate of commerce)--"whose mission
shall be not only to establish in the capital a chair of mineralogy
(which is so necessary for exploring the hitherto unknown interior
of the islands), but himself to make researches in the provinces of
the archipelago for places where the saltpetre can be found--which he
will find, without fail." Then gunpowder can be made in the islands,
and they will be independent in the means for their defense.]