180 MERRILL. 



• if plants fi'om tln' sniiiiiiii of Apo \vliicli were collected hy the latter. 

 Since LSSO Moniit A|)») lias Ixhmi clinihed many times \)\ various persons, 

 to my kno\vle(l_<f(' by at least ten Aiiiei'icans within the past five years, 

 and I am iiifoiined hy those who have made the ascent that there are 

 coinparat ivelv lew ditliciilties to be encountered, either in the approach 

 to the mountain oi' in its ascent. jNTevertheless, as late as liX),") 1 have 

 seen accounts in Manila newspapers "of the first ascent of Mount A})o." 



We have no records that ^fount Malindang, the second highest moun- 

 tain in the Phili|)pines, had been ascended previous to l!)()(i, when in 

 May of that year Maj. E. A. Mcarns and W. I. JliitcJiinsoii and their party 

 reached the summit. ^Mounts Banajao, Pinatubo. Ton>^l()n, Data, Solis, 

 and Mayon. all in jju/on, C'anlaon in X^egros, Madiaas in Panay, all 

 7,000 feet in altitude or higher, have been ascended one or many tinu'S 

 each, by various })(!rsons, and secondary mountains such as Mariveles, 

 Arayat, ^hujuiling, Isarog and Triga in Luzon, Silay in Negros, Pulgar 

 and \'ictoria in i'alawan. and many others, are more or less known. 



Ilalcon the third highest peak in the Philippines, is situated in the 

 noiih-central ])art of jMindoro. With no known trails leading to it. 

 suri-ounded by dense forests, cut off from the coast hy ditbcult ridges 

 and large rivers subject to enornunis and ap])alling Hoods, it stood 

 seemingly inaccessible. Its location is jierhaps in the most humid jtart 

 of tlie lMiili]ipines, where the rains continue for nine months in th(> 

 year, in a region geogi'aphically quite unknown and iidiahited hy a 

 spars(! ])opulation of entirely wild and very timid peo|)le. and on an island 

 regai-ding which there is a widespread and generally accepted helief as 

 to its unhealth fulness. Although within 100 miles of Manila and not 

 more than !•") from Calapan. the c-apital of Mindoro. so far as I have been 

 ahle to deteruiiiie it I'emaineil nncon(|Uered up to the year 1!H)(). 



]^IIND()I{0. 



Mindoro I'anks as seventh in size among the islands (d' the I'liilippiiie 

 .\rchi|)elago. heing locateil a little north of the ceiitei' n\' the eulil'e 

 group and having an ai'ea of approximately .'),S.")1 scpiare miles. In 

 general outline it is roughly triangular, its gi-eatest length being from 

 northwest to soutlieast, 110 miles, its greatest breadth from northeast 

 to southwest, •")(> miles. (Geographically, it is in closer proximity to 

 Luzon than to any other large island of the group. 



\'er(le Island j)assage, separating Mindoro from the south coast of 

 liatangas Province. Luzon, is but 7.', nnles in width in its narrowest ])art 

 betw<'en hlsearceo I'oint. Mindoro. and Maloeot Toint. liU/.(»n. The 

 small island of Lubang li<'S I'l udles noith of the northwest point, while 

 the larg<'r island <d' Marindu(pie is ■.'.". miles east of the central part <d' 

 Mindoro. 'i'ahlas is situated -'ll miles east (d' soulhei'ii Mindoro. and 

 I'anay 3(1^ miles east of south. I'.usuanga, the heginniug of the ralawan 

 chain, is ,3,1 miles southwest. 



