294 AN INSURRECTION. 



directed against the government, and an insur 

 rection soon after attempted proved unsuccessful. 

 The former were occasioned by a few innocent 

 botanists wandering through the island in search 

 of plants ; and an epidemic disease breaking out 

 among the Indians about the same time, of which 

 many died, a report suddenly spread among 

 them, that the foreign collectors of plants had 

 poisoned the springs in order to exterminate 

 them. Enraged at this idea, they assembled in 

 great numbers, murdered several strangers, and 

 even plundered and destroyed the houses of 

 some of the old settlers in the town of Manilla. 

 It has been supposed that the Spaniards them 

 selves really excited these riots, that they might 

 fish in the troubled waters. 



The late governor, Fulgeros, is accused of not 

 having adopted measures sufficiently active for 

 repressing the insurrection. This judicious and 

 amiable man, who was perhaps too mild a go 

 vernor for so rude a people, was murdered in 

 his bed a year after by a native, of Spanish 

 blood, an officer in one of the regiments here, 

 who followed up this crime by heading a mutiny 

 of the troops. The insurgents assembled in the 



