The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes | Page 5

of
their branches were left above the earth's surface; through the power of
the earthquake mountains were pushed against each other; it threw
down many buildings, and killed a great number of people. Its fury was
greatest in Nueva Segovia, where it opened the mountains, and created
new lake basins. The earth threw up immense fountains of sand, and
vibrated so terribly that the people, unable to stand upon it, laid down
and fastened themselves to the ground, as if they had been on a ship in
a stormy sea. In the range inhabited by the Mendayas a mountain fell in,
crushing a village and killing its inhabitants. An immense portion of the
cliff sank into the river; and now, where the stream was formerly
bordered by a range of hills of considerable altitude, its banks are
nearly level with the watercourse. The commotion was so great in the
bed of the river that waves arose like those of the ocean, or as if the

water had been lashed by a furious wind. Those edifices which were of
stone suffered the most damage, our church and the convent fell in, etc.,
etc."

CHAPTER II
[Customhouse red tape.] The customs inspection, and the many
formalities which the native minor officials exercised without any
consideration appear all the more wearisome to the new arrival when
contrasted with the easy routine of the English free ports of the east he
has just quitted. The guarantee of a respectable merchant obtained for
me, as a particular favor, permission to disembark after a detention of
sixteen hours; but even then I was not allowed to take the smallest
article of luggage on shore with me.
[Shelter for shipping.] During the south-west monsoon and the stormy
season that accompanies the change of monsoons, the roadstead is
unsafe. Larger vessels are then obliged to seek protection in the port of
Cavite, seven miles further down the coast; but during the north-east
monsoons they can safely anchor half a league from the coast. All ships
under three hundred tons burden pass the breakwater and enter the
Pasig, where, as far as the bridge, they lie in serried rows, extending
from the shore to the middle of the stream, and bear witness by their
numbers, as well as by the bustle and stir going on amongst them, to
the activity of the home trade.
[Silting up of river mouth.] In every rain-monsoon, the Pasig river
sweeps such a quantity of sediment against the breakwater that just its
removal keeps, as it seems, the dredging machine stationed there
entirely occupied.
[Few foreign vessels.] The small number of the vessels in the roadstead,
particularly of those of foreign countries, was the more remarkable as
Manila was the only port in the Archipelago that had any commerce
with foreign countries. It is true that since 1855 three other ports, to
which a fourth may now be added, had gotten this privilege; but at the

time of my arrival, in March, 1859, not one of them had ever been
entered by a foreign vessel, and it was a few weeks after my visit that
the first English ship sailed into Iloilo to take in a cargo of sugar for
Australia. [14]
[Antiquated restrictions on trade.] The reason of this peculiarity laid
partly in the feeble development of agriculture, in spite of the
unexampled fertility of the soil, but chiefly in the antiquated and
artificially limited conditions of trade. The customs duties were in
themselves not very high. They were generally about seven per cent.
upon merchandise conveyed under the Spanish flag, and about twice as
much for that carried in foreign bottoms. When the cargo was of
Spanish production, the duty was three per cent. if carried in national
vessels, eight per cent. if in foreign ships. The latter were only allowed,
as a rule, to enter the port in ballast. [15]
[Discouragements for foreign ships.] As, however, the principal wants
of the colony were imported from England and abroad, these were
either kept back till an opportunity occurred of sending them in Spanish
vessels, which charged nearly a treble freight (from £4 to £5 instead of
from £1 1/2, to £2 per ton), and which only made their appearance in
British ports at rare intervals, or they were sent to Singapore and
Hongkong, where they were transferred to Spanish ships. Tonnage dues
were levied, moreover, upon ships in ballast, and upon others which
merely touched at Manila without unloading or taking in fresh cargo;
and, if a vessel under such circumstances landed even the smallest
parcel, it was no longer rated as a ship in ballast, but charged on the
higher scale. Vessels were therefore forced to enter the port entirely
devoid of cargo, or carrying sufficient to cover the expense of the