Recollections of Manilla and the Philippines | Page 6

of an earthquake, has not been rebuilt, but is replaced by wood. It has
been proposed to construct a drawbridge at this point, so as to allow the
colonial shipping to proceed up the river above the bridge, which they
cannot now do. And should the project be carried into effect, it is likely
that the small sized coasting vessels, when nothing better offers for
them to do, will go on to the Laguna, and supersede the clumsy cascos
which now solely navigate the lake and bring down the produce of the
fruitful country which surrounds it, to dispose of in the market of
Manilla.
Without the walls nearly all the trade is carried on, the Escolta and
Rosario, on that side of the river, being the principal streets, built
however without any regard to regularity, so that they are not
handsome, but in them nearly all the best Chinamen's shops are situated.
These are in general very small confined places, though crammed with
manufactures, the produce of Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, and
of many other European and Chinese manufacturing marts. Some of the
shops may also be seen stuffed to the door with the valuable Piña cloth,
husè, and other productions of the native looms.
The great object of the Chinese shopmen appears to be, to show the
most varied, and frequently miscellaneous, collection of goods in the
smallest possible space; as, their shops being for the most part not more
than ten feet broad towards the street, leaves but little space besides the
doorway to display the attractions of their wares, and every inch has to
be made the most of by them. These China shopkeepers have nearly

driven all competition, except with each other out of the market,--very
few Mestizos or Spaniards being able to live on the small profits which
the competition among themselves has reduced them to. A China
shopkeeper generally makes his shop his home, all of them sleeping in
those confined dens at night, from which, on opening their doors about
five in the morning, as they usually do, a most noisome and pestiferous
smell issues and is diffused through the streets. The Mestizos cannot do
this, but must have a house to live in out of the profits of the shop; and
the consequence has been, that when their shopkeeping profits could no
longer do that, they have nearly all betaken themselves to other more
suitable occupations, from which the energies of their Chinese rivals
are less likely to drive them. The number of Chinamen in Manilla and
throughout the islands is very great, and nearly the whole provincial
trade in manufactured goods is in their hands. Numerous traders of that
nation have shops opened throughout the islands, their business being
carried on by one of their own countrymen, generally the principal
person of the concern, who remains resident at Manilla, while his
various agents in the country keep him advised of their wants, to meet
which he makes large purchases from the merchants, and forwards the
same to his country friends. Besides having many shops in the
provinces, each of these head men is generally in the habit of having a
number of shops in Manilla, sometimes upwards of a dozen being
frequently all contiguous to one another, so that any one going into one
of his shops and asking for something the price of which appears too
dear, refuses it and goes to the next shop, which probably belongs to
the same man, and is likely to buy it, as he is apt to think--because they
all ask the same price--that it cannot be got cheaper elsewhere, so gives
the amount demanded for it, although it is probably very much too
dear.
There is another advantage which the Chinese have found from the
system they pursue,--that large purchasers of goods from the merchants
who import them for sale are frequently able to buy them for less
money than those smaller traders who are not in the habit of making
purchases to the same amount from the importers,--as the credit of a
small dealer is not sufficiently good to induce a merchant to sell them
more than he imagines he is likely to be paid for.

In these Chinese shops, the owner usually engages all the activity of his
countrymen employed by him in them, by giving each of them a share
in the profits of the concern, or, in fact, by making them all small
partners in the business, of which he of course takes care to retain the
lion's share, so that while doing good for him by managing it well, they
are also benefiting themselves. To such an extent is this principle
carried, that it is usual to give even their coolies a share in the profits of
the business in