Before we anchored, the ship was boarded by a Spanish officer, despatched by the Corregidor to make the usual inquiries. Our arrival was communicated by telegraph to Manila. The officer’s boat was rowed by sixteen Indians, and armed with four neat, small brass swivels, small-arms, pikes, &c., to enable them to combat with the pirates who occasionally frequent the bay, and to capture smugglers.
Having previously paid the commandant and family a visit, by whom we were received in a most hospitable manner, we landed in the morning at the base of Marivales, in search of adventure. The ship anchored the following afternoon, in the roadstead of Manila, about four miles from the low-stone lighthouse, situated at the embouchure of the river Pasig, and being only twenty miles from our first anchorage-ground. On the succeeding morning, the captain of the port paid the usual visita, (visit,) accompanied by Mr. Henry Sturgis, of the very respectable American house of Russell and Sturgis, and Mr. Edwards, the American consul. Having received a kind invitation from these gentlemen, to take up our abode with them, I moved on shore, bag and baggage, to the house of the latter gentleman, finely situated at St. Cruz, opposite the city of Manila, and directly upon the banks of that beautiful river.
MANILA.
The noble bay of Manila is about forty-five leagues in circumference and nearly free from dangers; the scenery is of a varied character: mountains and hills are discernible in the distance, from Marivales, sweeping in a circle around the bay, till the most lofty form the eastern boundary of the island, the shores of which are washed, on one side, by the ocean, and on the other, by the waters of Lago de Bria; from the lake flows that rapid steam, the Pasig, (pronounced Parseek,) into the bay, at the distance of twelve miles, watering a rich extent of low land.
The city of Manila lies on the south side of the river, and is enclosed by dark stone-walls, having a broad and deep ditch; so high are the city-walls, that only the red tiled-houses, and the towers and domes of churches, can be seen in the distance above them. On entering the city, you are struck with the stillness and gloomy appearance of the streets, interrupted only occasionally by the march of soldiers going to relieve guard in this garrisoned town, the rumbling of a solitary carriage, the tinkling of a bell, announcing the approach of the host on its way to administer the last religious rites to a dying sinner, or a distant convent-bell summoning the religious to prayers. The streets, although narrow, are kept clean, and have good “trottoirs;” the great square in the centre of the city contains a fine bronze statue of Charles the Fourth of Spain, erected by his dutiful and affectionate son, Ferdinand the beloved, so says the inscription on the pedestal; three sides of the square are occupied by the cathedral or church of the “Immaculate Conception,” the consistorial palace, and the palace of the governor-general. Manila contains about ten thousand souls, and is garrisoned by two regiments of soldiers; at Binonda, St. Cruz, and the villages in the vicinity, three more are stationed, besides three thousand placed in different parts of the island. Of these, twelve hundred only are Europeans, the remainder being Indians; they are well clothed, fed, lodged, drilled, and paid. The houses are built in a quadrangular form and are very massive, having covered balconies, from the second story, projecting over the street; they are generally spacious, well-furnished, and neat; the ground-floor, called the “bodega,” or “godown,” is occupied as a magazine for goods, as a stable, and for other purposes. Instead of lattice-work or glass, the mya shell is used, set in frames about four inches square; it affords a very agreeable light, equal to that passing through ground-glass; the windows thus formed extend round the house, can be slid at pleasure, and render the dwellings light and airy; the second story is of thin brick, or light framework, and plastered; the roof is covered with tile, the framework being so constructed that it will readily yield to the shock of an earthquake, (which is of very frequent occurrence,) without being easily thrown down. A very large proportion of the buildings, in the towns and villages, are in the native style, being for the most part, owing to the low swampy ground, erected on piles from three to six feet high, and are constructed with the bamboo or palm-leaf; the interior is much exposed to view, as the windows made with palm-leaf or bamboo lattice, occupy three fourths of their fronts and are let down at daylight.
Within them may be seen, in the evening, the Holy Virgin, surrounded by lights and placed in a glass-case, dressed in a gay attire, holding in her arms the infant Saviour; around her are seen the whole family, at prayers, before retiring to rest, thanking her for the blessing bestowed during the day and imploring her guardianship from all enemies during the night; at other times, the inmates are chewing buyo or areca nut, &c., smoking cigars, (of which they are immoderately fond,) combing and oiling their long thick hair, or thrumming on the guitar and singing. Sewing is but little attended to, as their dresses are simple and their children are permitted to run about naked. They cook twice daily on the outside of their houses; their fare consisting principally of rice and some fruit, with an addition perhaps of a fowl, some fish or locusts. All their washing is done at the river, where they bathe daily. Every man among the Indians owns a game-cock, and he frequently loses all he has, even to his waistcloth, in that barbarous species of gambling, cock-fighting; the birds are armed with scythe-shaped spurs, and one or both expire, generally, during the first few rounds. The immense number of licensed cock-pits which are found in every town and village, serves to show the prevalence of the passion for this amusement.
Manila is connected with the towns on the right bank of the river, by means of a single bridge, built very neatly of stone, the arch of which was thrown down a few years since by an earthquake, and is rebuilt of wood. The commerce of the city is carried on at the right side of the river, at Binondo, St. Cruz, &c.; that side having the advantage of numerous natural canals or branches, from the main river, on which are situated extensive warehouses, so that the cascoes, which are large boats, having moveable or sliding roofs, in sections of about six feet in length, can land their goods immediately at the wharf without exposure to the weather.
The city of Manila, within the walls, was computed by a census taken in 1818, to contain a population of six thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, exclusive of the military. Buildings which rent from five to fourteen hundred dollars per annum, in Binondo, contiguous to the river and its branches, will not in Manila, rent for more than one fourth of that sum, owing to its want of water communication, yet the government have very inconveniently placed the new and extensive custom-house close to the city-walls. There are about seven thousand Chinese settled here; all the Europeans, including the military, do not exceed twenty-five hundred; the rest are Indians, who, were they aware of their strength, might easily wipe from the face of existence, the handful of Europeans and other foreigners, who hold them and their lands in subjection.
Provisions are so low in value, that it is said four dollars will furnish a labourer, in rice, &c., sufficient for his yearly consumption. Labour is exceedingly low; the wages for a servant-man, being from one to one and a half dollars per month. Rice has been sold here for three quarters of a dollar the caban of one hundred and thirty pounds: at this time it is double that price, in consequence of vast quantities having been shipped to Canton. A person possessing the immense sum of twenty-five dollars is considered, among the Indians, as “passing rich,” and immediately quits labour to keep shop in the street, with a moveable stall, or in front of his bamboo-hut; the goods usually consist of burgo, alias areca nut, and betel-leaf, well prepared with liquid chunam for immediate mastication, cocoa-nut oil, a little coarse pottery, wooden shoes, palm-leaf hats, and perhaps a few mats. A great number of the shops contain only the first-named article, and the stock in trade may possibly amount to the sum of two rials, (twenty-five cents;) here they sit cross-legged, during the whole day, or, desiring a change, sideways, on a gridiron bamboo-seat. I have frequently feared the whole stock in trade, would be ejected into the street by their insatiable masticatory powers, but occasionally seeing the havoc they are making, and fearful of becoming bankrupts, they thrust a corner of one of the handspike cigars (which are in common use) into their mouths and finish off the evening with it.