Gold. 



Boats. 



Arms. 



Manillas 



ACAiN< 



MANILLA ISLANDS, 



]irefence of a great multitude affembled on the occafion. Their 

 manners were innofFenfive, friendly, and honeft, not only among 

 themfelves, but to the new vifitants, who ;poiribly were the firft 

 Europeans they had feen. 



In general the men went naked, excepting the ufual <\Tapper 

 about their loins; fome had jackets of plantain leaves ; the rudeft, 

 fays Dampier, of all clothing. The women had a ftrong thick 

 Hiort petticoat of cotton, made of the lefTer cotton plant, the pro- 

 duct of their own illes. Both fexes wore large ear-rings of a 

 yellow metal, which was found in their mountains; it was heavy, 

 and, like the paler gold, it faded with time, but the natives re- 

 Ilored it to its original brightnefs, by fmearing it over with a 

 red earth, and flinging it into a fire till it was red hot. • Our na- 

 vigator had no means of proving whether it was gold. 



To the women was left the care of the plantations. The 

 men were engaged in f filing; they built with much fkill their 

 fmall boats, which refembled the Deal yawls, formed of very 

 narrow planks, faftened with pins ^nd nails. They had alfo 

 larger boats, which carried forty or fifty men, and were rowed by 

 twelve or fourteen oars on a fide. It feems as if they went to 

 the ifland of Maiiilla for their iron ; which they manufadured 

 at home. From thence they get their other only import, pieces 

 of buffaloes hides, with which they make their defenfive armor, 

 or buff coats : their fole ofFenfive weapons are lances headed 

 with iron; all this implies the feai of enemies, and makes it pro- 

 bable that they are fubjed to the attacks of the piratical htdians. 



After this digrefiion, let me return to the great group of the 

 Manillas, The illand oiMindora lies fouth of that of Manilla ; and 



JIS 



