THE nilLIlTINE ISLANDS 35 



iron ores are very abundant in Luzon and ^Mindanao. 

 That there are extensive coal-measures in the archipelago 

 there is little doubt, but they have been little exploited, 

 and coal forms one of the largest imports of the group. 

 The Compostela mine only turned out 700 tons in 1881. 

 As yet no deep shafts have been driven, and what has 

 been obtained affords very rapid combustion, and is not 

 well suited for steamers. Zebu and Negros are especially 

 rich in this product. Since the archipelago lies midway 

 between the great coal beds of northern Borneo and 

 Formosa, it is probable that the mineral will in the 

 future be worked to sreat advantage. 



4. Climate, e^c. 



Situated between 4° and 20° of X. latitude, the 

 Philippines exhibit a purely tropical climate. The mean 

 temperature of Manila, deduced from data extending 

 over ten years, is 81° Fahr. ; the extreme minimum 59°, 

 and the extreme maximum 96°. But owing; to the great 

 amount of sea which interpenetrates the islands, the sea 

 breezes have free access to the land, and the heat is on the 

 whole not excessive. At Artol, in the province of Ben- 

 guet, the thermometer occasionally sinks to 38° Fahr. The 

 rainfall is very great, in some places almost incessant. 

 For, owing to their position and elevation, the islands 

 attract the copious rains of each monsoon, and in some 

 localities where the breadth of the land is much reduced, 

 as at the S. Caraballos mountains and the volcano of 

 Majaijay, the rainclouds of both monsoons discharge* 

 their contents, and torrential showers fall almost every 

 day. This superabundant rainfall is a leading feature of 

 the group. The rivers overflow their banks and pour 



