PHILIPPINE HATS. 99 
to the two towns in the southeastern corner of Laguna, Majaijai and 
r 
Luisiana. At the former, it has been used for about two hundred rears, 
at the latter about fifty. At both tliere is an extension of the hnntal 
work from Lucban, in Tayabas, but this is of recent date, at Luisiana 
this began in 1900, at Majaijai the first teaching commenced in Sep- 
tember, 1904. The result of the latter is the most conspicuous success 
of the school work in the Islands, as the town not only supplies all its 
own wants, but exports hats to the value of 400 pesos per week. At 
Lucban, the hunial work is of long standing, but I have been unable to 
obtain estimates. 
The quotation already cited from Cavanilles gives tlie earliest data procured 
for the southern provinces. .Tomas de Comyn, in a work written about ISIO 
and published in 1S20, mentions "Sombreros de nito superfinos Alhay y Cama- 
rines" and "Sombreros de bejuco de colores Pangasinan," -* the latter doubtless 
from Calasiao. 
Buzeta's dictionary, the materials for wliich were largely compiled before 
1842, refers to the making of fine hats at Baliuag and San Isidro {now Pulilan) 
in Bulaean, Calasiao in Pangasinan, and Camaligan in Caninrines. This work 
also has the earliest reference found to an existing export trade. In 1S41, "La 
Australia » * * Sidney saca sombreros;" and "Manila exporta para diclio 
punto (Singapur), sombreros y petacas de bejuco y nito." -^ 
ilallat -^ notes hats of hejuco and nito as made in Bulaean, but says nothing 
of its present chief material, bamboo, this being in accordance with local tradition. 
Jagor, who visited the Philippines in 1859 and 1860, describes the Manilans 
as wearing salacois, refers to the cigarette-cases of Baliuag, but not to its hats, 
and figures the knife still often used there for preparing the strands, speaks of 
fine buntal hats made at Lucban, cheap bamboo hats and more expensive satacois 
in Camarines, and figures a nito salacot from the Visayas.^ 
The Sociedad economica del Amigos del Pais, so active in the commercial 
development of the Philippines half a century ago, appropriated 500 pesos to 
buy specimens illustrating the industries of the country for exhibit at the London 
Exhibition of 1851. Their minutes have 'been destroyed by fire, but copies of 
the official reports have boon obtained through the kindness of Lieu tenant -Colonel 
D. Prain, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. They speak in the 
highest terms of the material hejuco and of cigarette-cases woven from it, for 
which medals were awarded. The actual hat exliibit seems to have been coufined 
to the crown of one of hejuco. In 1862, a more extended exhibit was made, in- 
cluding hats from Pangasinan^ mats from Pangasinan^ ^^ambales, and Bulaean, 
and cigarette-cases. 
A very wide variety of Philippine products was sho\\Ti at Madrid, in 1887, 
and among these, hats took a prominent place, representing many localities and 
materials. The list is so extended that it may be taken as a a good index of 
the industry at its height under Spanish auspices. Omitting a fairly large 
'"Las Islas Filipinas progresos en 70 auoe. Reprint (1878) 195, 196. 
"Buzeta, M. Diccionario geogrAfico, estadfstico. hist6rico, de las Islas Fili- 
pinas. 1 (1850) 234. 
""Mallat, J. Les Philippines. (1840) 192. 
'* Jagor, F. Reisen im Philippinen (1873) 25, 48, 59, 128, 227. 
