The Island of Palawan, or Paragua.
The Tagbanúas—Tandulanos—Manguianes—Negritos—Moros of southern Palawan—Tagbanúa alphabet.
The island of Palawan, or, as it is called by the Spaniards, La Paragua, is situated between the parallels 8° 25′ and 11° 30′ N. lat. The capital, Puerto Princesa, was founded in 1872, and is situated on the east coast in lat. 9° 45′, being 354 miles from Manila, 210 miles from North Borneo, and 510 miles from Singapore. Palawan is about 250 miles long, and from 10 to 25 wide, with an area of about 5833 square miles, the third in size of the Philippine Islands. There are several good ports in the northern part, which is much broken up, and its coasts studded with numerous islets, forming secure anchorages.
Off the western coast is a large submarine bank, with many coral reefs and islets. The navigation on this coast is very dangerous, and can only be done in daylight.
The harbour of Puerto Princesa is an excellent one, and sufficiently large for all requirements.
Limestone and other sedimentary formations predominate. No volcanic rocks are known to exist. It is conjectured that the island has been formed by an upheaval, and it bears little resemblance geologically to any of the other Philippines. Plastic clays suitable for making bricks, tiles, and pottery, abound.
Nothing is known about the mineralogy, except that rock-crystal is found, a magnificent specimen of great purity and value was sent from the island to the Madrid Exhibition of 1887.
A chain of mountains, with peaks of varying elevation up to 6500 feet, runs lengthways of the island, much nearer to the western coast than to the eastern. The descent from the summits to the eastern coast is, therefore, gradual, and on the western coast it is abrupt. Mount Staveley, Mount Beaufort (3740 feet), Pico Pulgar (4330 feet), and the Peaks of Anepalian, are in the central part of the island.
The following record is taken from the observations made by Captain Canga-Arguelles, a former governor, during his residence of three years in Puerto Princesa.
| Month. | Mean Temp. | Barometer. | |
| Fahrenheit. | Inches. | Rainy Days. | |
| January | 85 | 30.34 | 4 |
| February | 81 | 30 | 3 |
| March | 85 | 30.07 | 4 |
| April | 87 | 29.92 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 29.80 | 4 |
| June | 82 | 29.90 | 12 |
| July | 80 | .. | 17 |
| August | 82 | 29.84 | 4 |
| September | 79 | 29.88 | 20 |
| October | 85 | 29.90 | 20 |
| November | 82 | 29.95 | 8 |
| December | 82 | 30 | 4 |
| Mean | 82.83 | 105 |