62 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 



weapons from Ecuador, illustrated the native industries of that State. 

 Similar collections were present from Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, the 

 Argentine Republic, Uruguay, Patagonia, and the southern extremity 

 of the continent. As in most instances the tribes from which these 

 articles were obtained were not stated, their scientific value was 

 merely of a general character. This was still further the case with a 

 series of objects exhibited from America in general without other deter 

 mination of the locality whence obtained. 



A portion of the Exposition was. set apart for objects from the Phil 

 ippine Islands, a valuable colony of Spain. It is well known that 

 their native inhabitants generally belong to the great Polynesian 

 branch of the Malayan race, and, of course, are entirely disconnected 

 by blood or culture with any of the American tribes. Historically, 

 however, these islands came under the domination of Spain at about 

 the same time as many of her American possessions, and for this 

 reason the collection was placed parallel to this from the American 

 continent. It included a number of specimens of the ancient and 

 modern industries of the inhabitants, and also a series of skulls, 

 some of them being from cemeteries believed to be anterior to the year 

 1519. Interesting examples were shown of the early and later indus 

 tries; also of their work in clay and the accuracy in moulding which 

 they displayed previous to the arrival of the Spaniards. A curious 

 series was one of cones of gold and silver; and although it has been 

 denied by some authorities that these objects were used as coins, there 

 is sufficient evidence to accept it as probable. 



The national board of mining engineers contributed to the Expo 

 sition a series of models and plans of mines, specimens of charts 

 and collections of works upon every branch intended to illustrate the 

 geological and economical character of the country first visited by 

 Columbus, including the island of Cuba and other portions of the 

 West Indies. Of these it may be said in brief that they embraced all 

 the material requisite to prepare a memoir of the mineral riches of 

 Spanish America with considerable completeness. 



Secondly, a collection of 600 specimens of rock and soils from the 

 island of Cuba. 



Thirdly, a collection of 214 fossils from the same island, carefully 

 revised and classified and properly catalogued. 



Fourthly, a collection of 150 specimens of minerals from the island 

 of Cuba; maps, plans, photographs, and sketches of mines in the 

 island ; collections of minerals from the islands of Puerto Rico and Santo 

 Domingo and from some parts of Mexico, Peru, etc. 



This portion of the Exposition would be found of much utility in 

 studying the development of the mining industry during the period of 

 Spanish occupation of the New World. It was highly appropriate, 

 therefore, that it should find a place in an exposition devoted to illus 

 trating the growth of America in the early centuries of its subjection 

 to European influence. 



