THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. Gl 



This tradition, and similar ones of the living sea- 

 weed, &c. of the people with tails, &c. which Fr. 

 Juan de la Conception relates in his history are 

 still recorded by the Spaniards ; for nobody here 

 has any taste for natural history, or indeed for any 

 science, and every one asks only for what he wants, 

 or what is necessary to him in his business. The 

 collection of natural history of D. Gonzales de 

 Caragual, intendant of the Philippine islands at the 

 time of La Peyrouse, (I787,) has since been sent 

 from Manilla to the mother-country. 



The learned Cuellar, who was sent from Spain 

 with a commission to promote several economi- 

 cal objects, the cultivation of cotton, of cinnamon, 

 &c., and, after a long residence on these islands, 

 died several years ago at Manilla, had formed a 

 botanical-garden in Cavite, of which there is now 

 not a trace remaining. Cuellar sent specimens of 

 natural productions of all kinds to Madrid j took 

 much pains to purchase Chinese books ; enriched 

 the gardens of Madrid and Mexico with the seeds 

 of several plants of this country, and maintained 

 learned correspondences in both the Old and the 

 New Worlds. We have examined his papers, and 

 convinced ourselves, that every thing relating to 

 science had been snatched from oblivion and sent 

 to Spain. It appears that Cavanille has described 

 his collection of plants, as well as those of Males- 

 pina's expedition, which lost here one of its na- 

 turalists. 



