76 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGKAPHY AND TRAVEL 



Dedica, and gradually grew till it attained its present 

 height of about 800 feet. 



The lakes of Luzon are very numerous, especially in 

 the province of Pampanga. The Laguna de Canaren, on 

 the highest part of this plain, has two rivers flowing from 

 it in opposite directions — one northward to the Gulf of 

 Lingayan, the other south to Manila Bay. The Laguna 

 de Cagayan in north Luzon is another great sheet of 

 water. The term Pinag is applied to the temporary 

 lakes which are so abundant in the rainy season from the 

 overflow of the rivers. Of these one of the most import- 

 ant is the Pinag de Candava, about 30 miles north of 

 Manila. During the rains it is 15 miles or more in 

 length, but in the dry season it becomes a verdant plain 

 of grass with a few permanent pools of water. 



According to the latest estimate, the population of 

 the island of Luzon is 2,964,933. It is divided among 

 twenty -nine provinces, and there are many populous 

 puellos of from 10,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. That a 

 steady increase has taken place in some parts of the 

 island is evident from the following statistics of the 

 Tayabas Province : — 



Year Population 



1754 .... 21,000 



1831 .... 59,000 



1850 .... 81,000 



1882 .... 104,000 



Manila, Sual (Lingayan), and Legaspi (Albay) are free 

 ports, but few British vessels enter the two latter. 



MiNDORO. 



Mindoro, though one of the great islands, and the 

 nearest to Manila, is one of the least known and least 



