

PHILBKRT, ST. 



PHILIPPINES, THE. 



164 



Northern Libertiea. The firr-ougin* establishment consists of 7o 

 ff rmH. S3 bring engine companies, 33 how companies which 

 supply UM fire-engine* with water, and 3 hook and ladder companie*. 

 The firemen are all volunteer*. The institution is kept up with an 

 nthuuutu- public spirit, and fire* are extinguished with a promptitude 

 which crraUy siirpnus stranger*. There is an association for the 

 relk f oTdfcabled firemen. 



The river Delaware, in front of the city, is about a milo wide, but 

 UM width U contracted by an island, which extends nearly the whole 

 fourth of the city, and *ouMwbat impede* the navigation. Both the 

 Delaware and the Schuylkill are froaen over during the winter months, 

 which renders Philadelphia, a* a harbour, inferior to New York. A 

 portion of the navy of the United State* is stationed at the southern 

 extremity of UM city, and ship* of the largest sin are built. The 

 Dxlowar* is navigable for steam-boats and small vessels as high as 

 Trrntoo. The Schuylkill Navigation Canal, and the Chesapeake and 

 Drlaware Canal greatly facilitate the commerce of the city; while 

 eight line* of railway which terminate at Philadelphia afford rapid 

 communication with every important place in the Union. 



In respect to foreign commerce Philadelphia now ranks third among 

 UM cities of the United States : and it U the only city in Pennsylvania 

 in which foreign commerce is carried on. [PENNSYLVANIA.] Tho 

 export* to foreign countries in 1S53 amounted to 6,527,996 dollars, 

 UM import* to 18,834,410 dollar*. The exports chiefly consist of 

 wheat, muse, flour, meat, wool, and manufactured iron. The slug 'ping 

 belonging to the Philadelphia district in 1851 amounted to 2 

 too*. The arrivals of ships from foreign countries in 1851 were 576 ; 

 the clearances in 1850 were 479, of which 309 vessels of the aggregate 

 burden of $1,276 tons were American, and 170 vessels of 30,342 tons 

 burden were foreign. The coasting and internal trade is much greater 

 than the foreign commerce. In 1851 the number of vessels arriving 

 coastwise was 26,484. The home trade is chiefly in grain, flour, coals, 

 cotton, and tobacco ; but the coal trade is now the most important 

 branch. In 1851. 8126 vessels engaged in this trade arrived at Port 

 Richmond, the terminus of the Reading railway. 



The manufactures of Philadelphia are very considerable. The 

 capital invested in manufactures in 1850 was returned at 33,787,911 

 dollar* ; the number of hands employed was 59,099, of whom 15,803 

 were female*. The principal establishments ore warping-inills, sugar 

 refineries, machine shops, rope-walks, marble-works, two shot-towers, 

 and manufactories of cutlery, nails, leather, hardware, gold and silver 

 good*, musical instruments, furniture, carriages, ic. There were in 

 1852 in Philadelphia 13 banks with capitals amounting in the aggre- 

 gate to 10,650,000 dollars; 4 savings banks; 19 tire and marine, and 

 y 1 if- insurance companies. In 1 850 there were 64 periodicals published 

 in Philadelphia, of which 11 were daily, and 38 weekly newspapers. 



The federal government has very extensive naval and military 

 establishments at Philadelphia. Tho United States arsenal near 

 ford is an immense establishment for the manufacture and 

 .-ring of military matcrinl : it includes one of the largest powder 

 magazines in America. The United States arsenal at Moyamensing 

 conmut* of four largo warehouses forming a hollow square three stories 

 high, and serving as a depot for military clothing, camp equipage, &c. 

 The United Stated navy yard on the Delaware, Southwark district, 

 coven an area of 12 acres, and includes large stacks of warehouses, 

 workshops, moulding lofts, officers' residences, ship houses, and dry 

 docks capable of raiting the largest steam vessels and ships of the 

 line, with hydraulic cylinders, railways, and other connected works, 

 ted with thin is the United State* naval asylum, which consists 

 of three building*, the principal one being of marble, three stories 

 high, with a frontage 380 feet long, and affords accommodation for 

 140 pensioner* ; it* ground* cover an area of 25 acres and ore beau- 

 tifully la:o 



The city of Philadelphia proper (like tie city of London) forms but 

 a jMjrtion of what is known by that name, always understood when 

 the town U spoken of, and included in the official statement of the 

 population. The city proper contains but 121,376 inhabitants, or 

 little moro than one-third of that given above ; it has however its 

 own municipal government consisting of mayor, select, and common 

 council, 4c. The other district* Kruniugton, the Northern Liberties, 

 Richmond, and Spring Garden on the north ; Uoyamensing, Passyunk, 

 and Southwark on tho south; with West Philadelphia, Oxford, 

 Germantown, 4c. on the west and north-west, are governed by boards 

 of commissioner*. 



Philadelphia was founded by William Pcnn in 1682. On the 5th 

 of September, 1774, the members of the first Congress assembled at 

 Philadelphia, where they adopted the 'Declaration of Rights,' and 

 subsequently the Declaration of Independence,' which was proclaimed 

 at Philadelphia in April, 177*. The British force* obtained possession 

 of the city on the 26th of September, 1777, and occupied it till the 

 18th of the following June. The city was the seat of the federal 

 government till the year 1800, and the capital of Pennsylvania 

 till I. 



1'llll.r.KRT, ST. [1 UIKI-BE.! 



PHILIP i NUIIK.LK ISLAND.] 



nill.H'PKVll.i.!:. [Amfc>; XAMUR.] 



I'HII.irri. TIIEHIAI.T.] 



PHILI1TIXKS. Till-:, . n.titutc th* most northern group of the 



islands that compose the extensive archipelago known under the name 

 of the Indian Archipelago ; and they lie between 5 and 20' X. Int., 

 119 ami 1-7 K. long. The Strait of Balingtaug, or Great Passage, 

 separates them from the Batanes and Bahee Islands, wli.-ii lie farther 

 north. On the east extends the Pacific, and on the south the ( ' 

 Sea, with the Sooloo Islands, only divided from Magindanao by the 

 Strait of Basilan, which is frequently navigated by vessels sailing to 

 China. The Mindoro Sea and the Chinese Sea wash the western shores 

 of tliis croup. 



The Philippines consist of ten larger and a multitude of smaller 

 island*. The larger islands have altogether an area of more than 

 120,000 square miles, according to the estimate of 1 ' -. Inch 



the surface of Magiudanao is estimated at 36,140 square miles. The 

 smaller islands comprehend, according to the same authority, 

 square miles ; several of the larger islands are to some extent .- 

 to the Spaniards, who have also settlements on the northern and 

 south-western coast of Magiudanao. The total territory however in pos- 

 session of the Spaniards amounts to only 53,271 square mile.*, including 

 their settlements in Magindanao, upon which there was a total popu- 

 lation in 1849 of 2,679,500 persons, under the government of the 

 captain-general of the Philippines, while the entire population of the 

 group is estimated at 5,000,000. The greater proportion of the p OJMI- 

 lation (about 8,500,000) are of the Malayan race, about l/mii.i.im it is 

 estimated of the Papuan negro race, and the remainder arc (.' 

 half-castes, and Europeans. 



1. Luzon, which is by far the largest of these islands, has, according 

 to Berghaus, on area of 57,405 square miles. The form of the island, 

 which is extremely irregular, may bo compared to a bent arm. Ita 

 length measured along the bend is more than 550 miles. The width 

 varies between 10 and 136 miles. Where the bend occurs, which is 

 near 14 X. lat., a deep bay enters the land from the nortl 

 divides the island into two peninsulas. The isthmus whie.li connects 

 the two peninsulas is only from 10 to 12 miles wide, and nearly 

 50 miles long. The rocky coast of the island is indented by a great 

 number of larger and smaller bays, among which the most ext 

 on the larger peninsula are the Bahia de Manila and the Golfo do 

 Lingayen, both on the western side ; and on the smaller peninsula the 

 Bahia dc San Miguel and the Seno de Albay on the northern coast, 

 and the Seno de Ragay on the southern. 



The island is extremely mountainous ; the principal ranges are the 

 Montes Caravollos, which extend from Cape Engailo in 18 N. lat, to 

 Cape St. Ilfonso in 15 5' X. lat., the more southern part being 

 known as the Sierra Madre, and other ranges occupy other portions of 

 the island. In the northern peninsula there are two extensive plains, 

 one on the western side of the Caravallos range, called Liana del 

 Dijuii, watered through its whole length by tho river Tajo, which 

 runs from south to north, and falls into the sea west of Cape Kngano, 

 at a town called Apari. The other lyiug at the south-western base of 

 the Sierra Madre, and the western base of the Caravallos, is a level 

 plain of great extent and fertility, called the Plain of I'ampanga, 

 extending from the innermost recess of the Gulf of Lingayen (ir, ' 

 X. lat.), on the north, to the Bahia de Manila (14 " 45' X. lat.), on the, 

 south. It is about 90 miles in length, with an average width of about 

 30 miles, so that it covers a surface of 2700 square miles. The whole, 

 plain is very little elevated above the sea-level, full of lakes, and 

 traversed by rivers, whose course is nearly imperceptible except in the 

 rainy season. In the northern districts there is a large lake, tho 

 Laguua de Cauarim, ou the most elevated part of the plain ; two rivers 

 issue from it, one towards tho north, which falls into tho Gulf of 

 Liugayeu, and tho other towards the south, which enters the Buliia de, 

 Manila. These rivers, of which the first is called Uio Grande, and tlm 

 second Rio de Pampanga, are of great importance, as the produce of 

 this rich and well cultivated tract, which is mostly covered with 

 plantations of sugar, can be brought by water to Manila during tho 

 rainy months. 



The Bahia de Manila is one of the finest basins in the world. It is 

 nearly of a circular form, and measures from 20 to 25 miles in every 

 direction. It is nearly free from shoals, and contains excellent anchorage. 

 The tides in this bay are very irregular during the north-east monsoon, 

 when the low tides run through the Boca Chica or northern em 

 with rather a strong current for 18 hours, whilst the high tides last 

 only six. The rise is about three feet at full and change. A hilly 

 country begins west of the bay and a mile or two from the shores, and 

 extends eastward to the Laguua de Bahia. This lake is about 20 

 miles long, nd on an average 10 miles wide, but it is divided into 

 two nearly equal parts by a projecting tongue of land and an island 

 situated opposite its termination. The surface of the water is about 

 3(i or 40 feet above the sea-level of the bay. The water of tho 1 

 carried off by five very narrow channels, which soon unite, and, being 

 joined by a small river, constitute a wide and tolerably deep stream, 

 called the Rio Pasig, which flows westward to the Bahia de Manila, 

 and has its outlet between th two towns of which the capital consists. 

 The country that surrounds the lake and extends on both sides of the 

 Rio Pnsig is very fertile and populous. 



From the banks of the river and of the lake the country rises 

 gradually to tho south for 10 or 12 miles, when it is followed by a 

 tract of land the surface of which in extremely uneven, and 

 Dumb** of isolated mountain summit'* scattered over it, many of which 



