290 TRADE OF MANILLA. 



lovely tropical country. How richly has Nature 

 endowed it, and how little is her bounty appre- 

 ciated by the Spaniards ! The whole world does 

 not offer a more advantageous station for com- 

 merce than the town of Manilla, situated as it is 

 in the neighbourhood of the richest countries of 

 Asia, and almost midway between Europe and 

 America. Spanish jealousy had formerly closed 

 her port ; but since the revolt of the American 

 colonies, it has been opened to all nations, and 

 the Philippines are consequently rising rapidly 

 to importance. As yet, their export trade has 

 been chiefly confined to sugar and indigo for 

 Europe, and the costly Indian bird's-nest, and 

 Trepangs, for China. The latter is a kind of 

 sea- snail without a shell, which not only here, 

 but on the Ladrones, Carolinas, and Pelew Is- 

 lands, even as far as New Holland, is as eagerly 

 sought after as the sea-otter on the north-west 

 coast of America. The luxurious Chinese con- 

 sider them a powerful restorative of strength, 

 and purchase them as such at an exorbitant 

 price. But what an inexhaustible store of com- 

 mercial articles might not these islands export! 

 Coffee of the best quality, cocoa, and two sorts 



