THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 59 



while, on the other hand, it was found impossible to keep 

 down illicit fields in the wilder districts and the sale of 

 the leaf to private buyers. The abandonment of the 

 r6gie is a step in advance, and will tend to improve the 

 export in quantity, though possibly not in quality. The 

 best tobacco comes from the province of Cagayan in the 

 extreme north of Luzon, but since 1884 plantations 

 have been established in Sulu Island for the growth of 

 " wrappers " (as the outer leaves of cigars are technically 

 termed) for the best Havana cigars, and with some suc- 

 cess. In 1890 some 8000 tons of leaf tobacco and 

 110,000,000 cigars were exported from Manila, showing 

 a slight falling off from the previous year. 



Manufactures are chiefly of two kinds — cigars and 

 textiles. The great cigar factories of Manila employ 

 several thousands of hands. The textile fabrics are 

 chiefly made for home use, an immense quantity of abaca, 

 cotton, and silk stuffs being produced. The fibre of the 

 pine-apple, known in the islands as pina, is wrought into 

 fabrics of excessive fineness, — to such a fineness even that 

 some of the looms are protected with curtains to prevent 

 the breaking of the thread by a current of air. These 

 pina dresses often fetch enormous sums, a single one 

 having been sold for over £300. The Philippines prac- 

 tically clothe themselves, for there is very little importa- 

 tion of stuffs for the people. Mat-making is also a great 

 specialty, as well as hats and cigar cases, made from 

 palm leaves and split rattans. The chief other native 

 manufactures are gold filagree work a,nd coarse pottery. 



The buffalo is the chief beast of labour, and is bred 

 in vast numbers. It is specially suited for a country in 

 which the roads and tracks are for a great part of the 

 year half under water, and utterly impassable for horses. 

 In some of the islands both buffaloes and horses have 



