MANILA.
Manila, the ca ital of the Pilippin s, is situated on the island of Luzon, at the mouth of the river Pasig, which empties itself into the Bay of Ma:ila. The city was founded in 1571. In 1645 it was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake, in which upwards of three hundred lives were lost. In 1863 a great part of the city was again destroyed from the same cause, and the inhabita: ts are in constant fear of these visitations. Tue dwelling-houses are built with especial reference to safety under such circumstances, and, although, large, possess fow pretensions to architectural beauty. The streets, also, are narrow and but small attention has been devoted to securing shade by the growth of trees. There are several ancient churches which are worthy of notice. The cathedral, founded originally in 1578, has been several times destroyed by earthquakes and did not escape in 1863. It is now being re-built. The city and its suburbs contain a population of nearly 300,000 and are the seat of a considerable and yearly increasing commerce. The principal articles of export are hemp, sugar, tobacco, ci ars, coffee, and indigo, while in the imports cotton goods form the chief item. Only a small portion of the present city is enclosed within the walls. The anchorage is distant some three miles from the shores. The river presents a scene of great animation, being crowded with native craft, interspersed with vessels of foreign build. The passport system is in force and no one can enter or leave without previously obtaining a pass. Before landing passengers are obliged to pull alongside a Cu-tom-house guard boat stationed near the landing place to pre- vent smuggling. The garrison of Manila consists of the European and several native regiments. The police of the city is also under military discipline and is composed of natives.
A very low average of crime is said to exist, but the native classes are much addicted to gambling, an offence punishable by law, although the Government raps a large portion of its revenue from the sale of lottery tickets. A race meeting is held in the spring and usually good sport is afforded. The chief standing amuse- ment is the opera, very gool companies being induced to visit the islands by the liberal patronage they receive. The orchestra is usually composed of natives, who possess a remarkably good ear for music. The principal theatre was burnt down on the 13th October, 1878, and is now being rebuilt. There are two daily papers, El Diario de Manila, published in the morning, and El Comercio, which appears in the evening. An attempt was made in 1878 to establish an illustrated journal, but after an existence of a few months it expired from lack of support. The hot season commences in March and continues until July, when the rains commence and continue to December, during which time the roads and streets get into a very bad condition. The maxi- mum annual rainfall r corded is 114 inches and the minimum 84 inches. The maxi- mum of the thermometer is about 92, with a range of ten degrees during the twenty- four hours, a cool sea breeze setting in at night and reducing the beat to an endur- able temperature for sleeping. According to the census of 1873 there were residing in Manila 250 foreigners of European origin, 4,189 European Spaniards, 15,157 Chinese, 46,066 Chinese mestizos (or half-breeds), 3,849 Spanish mestizos, and 160,896 pure natives.