Directory_and_Chronicle_1898 — Page 953

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MANILA

for the customary promenade. 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 has been since rebuilt, but again sustained considerable damage in 1880, when the tower was so much shattered that it had to be pulled down. There are several theatres, but none worthy of the place. The opera is well supported in Manila. A statue of Charles IV. stands in the centre of the Palacio Square, and one of Isabella II. opposite to the Variedades Theatre. The Observatory, admirably managed by the Jesuit Fathers, is well worthy of a visit. There is a good English Club. Of the hotels the Hotel de Oriente is the principal. The city and its suburbs contain a population of 300,000 and are the seat of a con- siderable and yearly increasing commerce. The principal articles of export are hemp, sugar, tobacco, cigars, coffee, and indigo, while of the imports cotton goods form the chief item. The anchorage is distant some three miles from the shore. The river presents a scene of great animation, being crowded with native craft interspersed with vessels of foreign build. The police of the city is under military discipline and is composed of natives. A new department of the police has recently been formed called the Municipal Guard. There is also a force of watchmen who patrol from ten o'clock at night until five in the morning through the more populous parts of the city, and are paid by the merchants and tradesmen.

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 reaps a large portion of its revenue from the sale of lottery tickets. A race meeting is held in the spring. There are six daily papers, El Diario de Manila, La Oceania Española, published in the morning, and El Comercio, La Voz Espanola, El Español, and El Noticiero, which appear in the evening. The hot season commences in March and continues until July. The rains commence in August and continue to December, during which time the roads and streets get into a very bad condition. The maximum annual rainfall recorded is 114 inches and the minimuin 84 inches. The maximum of the thermometer is about 92; a cool sea breeze sets in at night, reducing the heat to an endurable temperature for sleeping. According to the census of 1883 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.

In 1880 special dues were imposed on the trade of the port for the construction of a new harbour, namely, 2 per cent. on imports, 1 per cent. on exports, tonnage dues, and a tax on fishing boats. The total sum collected amounts now to a large total and the works are in progress.

Tramways run in the principal streets of the city, and a railway to Dagupan was opened to traffic throughout its entire length, 123 miles, on the 23rd November, 1892. There is also a steam road to Malabon; and electric lights have been laid in the public squares and walks, in the business houses, and in the principal streets. There are a marine arsenal and a patent slip at Cavite, on the opposite side of the Bay. It has also been decided to make an important naval station and arsenal at Subic, slightly to the north of Manila at the entrance to the Bay. In connection with these works it is proposed to construct a branch line of railway from Dagupan to Libre, close to Subic. This branch line, joining the Manila Railway Company's line at Dagupan, will be constructed by the Government,

The city and its suburbs receive their drinking water by pipes leading from Santalan, on the river Pasig. The water is carried to fountains, distributed in con venient places through the streets, whence the inhabitants may draw for their domestic needs. The telephone system extends throughout the city and out as far as Malabon. Manila possesses many educational and charitable institutions, among others the Royal and Pontifical University of St. Thomas, which is managed and maintained by the Dominican Fathers. In this there are schools of theology and church law, jurisprudence, notarial law, medicine, and pharmacy. The College of St. Thomas, which belongs to the Univer sity, maintains forty free scholarships for Spanish boys, who may pursue both primary and advanced studies. The College of San Juan de Letran, also under the Dominicans, devotes itself to the education of natives, and this college, as well as the other. is provided with an abundance of select scientific materials and with good physical and chemical outfits and exhibits and museums of natural history and fine arts. The College of San José (St. Joseph) is under the immediate direction of the Viceregal Patron and in this college instruction is given in medicine and pharmacy. The Orphan Asylum of Cambobong, founded by the Ladies' Union at Manila in 1882, is in charge of the August- inians and imparts elementary and advanced instruction and qualities boys for clerical

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