and rushing torrents are very common. Between the ridges, and along the streams are found alluvial deposits, which broaden and widen as they approach the sea, until, in the region of their mouths, they constitute a vast plain, unsurpassed for fertility and productiveness. But it must not be inferred that this excellence of soil is restricted to the plains; rank vegetation and towering hardwood trees cover the major part of these ranges to their summits. There is a grotesque grandeur in the scene. The abrupt declivities, the precipitous walls, the rugged, towering pinnacles and peaks, are exhibitions of Nature in its wildest aspects. There is Mindanao, a wonder and surprise throughout the whole 10,000 feet of elevation from the sea to the summit of Apo. This is likewise true of Halcon in Mindoro, 8900 feet, and also Mayon, in Luzon, over 8000 feet. This last is well known to have been a volcano, and not long since in violent action; in fact the whole region may be said to be a land of extinct volcanoes, giving evidences of the most destructive eruptions. The latest convulsions are those noted as occurring in 1863 and in 1880, when the destruction was great in Manila. In 1627 one of the most elevated mountains in the province of Cagayan disappeared, and in 1675 a passage was made to the sea on the Island of Mindoro, from which a vast plain emerged.

EARLY HISTORY UNKNOWN.

But little is known of the origin and early history of the inhabitants of these islands. Their traditions, which should give us some clew, appear, under the educational influences of the Catholic clergy, to have been sup

pressed, changed, or inex

tricably intermingled

with inventions of the friars themselves.

It

is believed that the original type is found in the Aetas or Negritos, a species of dwarfish blacks now found in the mountain regions of Luzon and Negros, but fast becoming extinct. Large areas in the interior, however, are inhabited by the Their number is unknown, but from the best information obtainable, is supposed to approximate one million. All estimates, however, of the total population are conjectural, as there has never been a complete or reliable census of the islands. The estimates vary, and range from eight to ten millions. We should judge from the density of the population of the provinces best known-a tabulated statement of a few of which is subjoined that the above total is rather under than over the actual number.

NATIVES GRINDING RICE.

The population of the best known provinces is exceedingly mixed. Malays predominate largely, and with these are found Aetas, Negritos (pure blacks), Chinese, Japanese, Indios, Moors and Europeans, and every conceivable shade of intermixture. It is estimated there are quite as many different tribes as islands, and that at least five hundred different languages and dialects are spoken. It may be said generally of the inhabitants that they are amenable to government, that the Malays are superior to many other Asiatics, and that they are honest, honorable, and readily yield obedience to better influences.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.

A province under the Spanish dominion was a division of land, with a capital and government of its own, but all subordinate to the Governor-General at Manila. Luzon had thirty-five of these subordinate provinces, as follows:

The province of Manila, the seat of the general government, has an area of 264 square miles, and a population of over 400,000. Manila proper, or Old Manila, contained a population, previous to the war, of 110,000. The main part of the

population of the locality known as Manila was in the suburbs, chief of which were: Pueblo, Binondo, San Jose, Santa Cruz, with fifteen wards; Quiapo, with two wards; San Miguel, with seven wards; Sampaloc, with thirty-nine wards, and Tondo, with eighteen wards. All of these suburbs are easy of access, and in them are centered the chief mercantile transactions of the islands, while not only in business, but in most of their attractions, they far outrank Old Manila. The total distance east and west, in a direct line through Manila, is 44 miles, and total distance north and south, 41⁄2 miles.

The following are the chief cities and towns of the province :

* The distances given are calculated from the Walled City or Old Manila With highway to Caloocan.

DISTANCE FROM MANILA

5 miles from city limits 3 miles from city limits 4 miles from city limits

8 miles from city limits 23 mile from city limits 6 miles from city limits 4 miles from city limits 7 miles from city limits 16 miles from city limits 21 miles from city limits .6 miles from city limits

2 miles from city limits .6% miles from city limits

7 miles from city limits

3 miles from city limits .3% miles from city limits .21⁄2 miles from city limits

2 miles from city limits 17 miles from city limits 3 miles from city limits

3 miles from city limits 91⁄2 miles from city limits

Cavite is the capital of the province of Cavite. The province has an area of 480 square miles, and within this is a population of 133,926. It is contiguous to, and closely identified with, Manila in its enterprises. The towns and cities range from 1000 to 15,000 in population. Bulacan, the capital of the province of Bulacan, has a population of 13,186, distant 22 miles from Manila. The area of the province is 965 square miles, and it has a total population of 230,000. This is one of the richest provinces in the archipelago, and maintains a variety of industries, agricultural, manufacturing, and commercial. The cities are in close proximity to each other, with good means of communication.

Close at hand, and north of Manila province, is the province of Pampanga; it has an area of 787 square miles, and a population of 250,000, distributed among 22 pueblos and 329 barios. Bacolor, the capital, has a population of 10,642, and is situated 47 miles from Manila. The pueblos or cities range in population from 3000 to 20,000, and are distant from each other and the capital from 1 to 20 miles. The foregoing will suffice to illustrate the distribution of the great bulk of the population of the Island of Luzon.

THE VISAYAS.

Constituting a part of the Philippine system is a group of islands known as the Visayas, which have long been famous for their fertility and productiveness, and here is found a veritable mass of humanity. Up to the present time, except at Iloilo, and slight disturbances in the Islands of Negros and Cebu, there has been no special opposition to American control.

The population can be better enumerated by the provinces as follows:

Three of these provinces are on the Island of Panay, viz., Capiz, Iloilo, and Antique; and, as the table shows, their total population is 781,325, while the area is 4540 square miles. The province of Iloilo is 99 miles in length by 27 miles in width. Iloilo, the capital, is 355 miles from Manila, and has a population of 10,380. The distribution of the population may be set down as follows:

The province of Cebu comprises the island of that name. The capital, Cebu, has a population of 35,243, and is distant from Manila 460 miles; the area is 2090 square miles, and population, as before stated, 504,076. The city and locality of Cebu long ranked Manila in importance, and is now considered the most important of the Visayas. On account of its varied industries, commercial facilities and numerous inhabitants, it may be fitly termed the mercantile center of the islands. The following indicates the distribution of population: