Visit to the governor. 

 Royal cigar manufactories. 



MANILLA. 



Manufactures. Pina. Occupations 

 of the higher classes. 



321 



One of my first duties was to make an official 

 call upon his Excellency Don Marcelino Oroa, who 

 is the sixty-first governor of the Philippine Islands. 

 According to the established etiquette, Mr. Moore, 

 the vice-consul, announced our desire to do so, and 

 requested to be informed of the time when we 

 would be received. This was accordingly named, 

 and at the appointed hour we proceeded to the 

 palace in the city proper. On our arrival, we were 

 announced and led up a flight of steps, ample and 

 spacious, but by no means of such splendour as 

 would indicate the residence of vice-royalty. The 

 suite of rooms into which we were ushered were 

 so dark that it was difficult to see. I made out, 

 however, that they were panelled, and by no means 

 richly furnished. His excellency entered from a 

 side-door, and led us through two or three apart- 

 ments into his private audience-room, an apart- 

 ment not quite so dark as those we had come from: 

 our being conducted to this, I was told afterwards, 

 was to be considered an especial mark of respect 

 to my country. His reception of us was friendly. 

 The governor has much more the appearance of an 

 Irishman than of a Spaniard, being tall, portly, of 

 a florid complexion. He is apparently more than 

 sixty years of age. He was dressed in a full suit 

 of black, with a star on his breast. 



Mr. Moore acted as interpreter, and the governor 

 readily acceded to my request to be allowed to 

 send a party into the interior for a few days ; a 

 permission which I almost despaired of receiving, 

 for I knew that he had refused a like application 

 some few months before. The refusal, however, I 

 think was in part owing to the character of the 

 applicants, and the doubtful object they had in 

 view. I impute the permission we received to the 

 influence of our consul, together with Mr. Sturges, 

 whose agreeable manners, conciliatory tone, and 

 high standing with the authorities, will, I am satis- 

 fied, insure us at all times every reasonable ad- 

 vantage or facility. 



The term of the governor in office is three years, 

 and the present incumbent was installed in 1841. 

 This length of time is thought to be sufficient for 

 any one of them to make a fortune. The office is 

 held by the appointment of the ministry in Spain, 

 and with it are connected perquisites that are 

 shared, it is said, by those who confer them. 



During our stay at Manilla, our time was occu- 

 pied in seeing sights, shopping, riding, and amusing 

 ourselves with gazing on the throng incessantly 

 passing through the Escolta of the Binondo 

 suburb, or more properly, the commercial town of 

 Manilla. 



Among the lions of the place, the great royal 

 cigar manufactories claim especial notice from their 

 extent and the many persons employed. There are 

 two of these establishments, one situated in the 

 Binondo quarter, and the other on the great square 

 or Prado ; in the former, which was visited by us, 

 there are two buildings of two stories high, besides 

 several storehouses, enclosed by a wall, with two 

 large gateways, at which sentinels are always 

 posted. The principal workshop is in the second 

 story, which is divided into six apartments, in 

 which eight thousand females are employed. 

 Throughout the whole extent, tables are arranged, 

 about sixteen inches high, ten feet long and three 

 feet wide, at each of which fifteen women are 

 seated, having small piles of tobacco before them. 



The tables are set crosswise from the wall, leaving 

 a space in the middle of the room .free. The 

 labour of a female produces about two hundred 

 cigars a day; and the working hours are from 6 A.M. 

 till G P.M., .with a recess of two hours, from eleven 

 till one o'clock. The whole establishment is kept very 

 neat and clean, and every thing appears to be car- 

 ried on in the most systematic and workmanlike 

 manner. Among such numbers, it has been found 

 necessary to institute a search on their leaving the 

 establishment to prevent embezzlement, and this is 

 regularly made twice a day, without distinction of 

 sex. It is a strange sight to witness the ingress 

 and egress of these hordes of females ; and pro- 

 bably the world cannot elsewhere exhibit so large 

 a number of ugly women. Their ages vary from 

 fifteen to forty-five. The sum paid them for wages 

 is very trifling. The whole number of persons 

 employed in the manufactories is about fifteen 

 thousand ; this includes the officers, clerks, over- 

 seers, &c. 



As nearly as 1 could ascertain, the revenue de- 

 rived from these establishments is half a million 

 of dollars. 



The natives of the Philippines are industrious. 

 They manufacture an amount of goods sufficient to 

 supply their own wants, particularly from Panay 

 and Y locos. These for the most part consist of 

 cotton and silk, and a peculiar article called pina. 

 The latter is manufactured from a species of bro- 

 melia (pine-apple), and comes principally from the 

 island of Panay. The finest kinds of pina are ex- 

 ceedingly beautiful, and surpass any other material 

 in its evenness and beauty of texture. Its colour is 

 yellowish, and the embroidery is fully equal to the 

 material. It is much sought after by all strangers, 

 and considered as one of the curiosities of this 

 group. Various reports have been stated of the 

 mode of its manufacture, and among others that it 

 was woven under water, which I found, upon in- 

 quiry, to be quite erroneous. The web of the pina 

 is so fine, that they are obliged to prevent all cur- 

 rents of air from passing through the rooms where 

 it is manufactured, for which purpose there are 

 gauze screens in the windows. After the article is 

 brought to Manilla, it is then embroidered by girls; 

 this last operation adds greatly to its value. 



This manufactory had work engaged for nine 

 months or a year in advance. The fabric is ex- 

 tremely expensive, and none but the wealthy can 

 afford it. It is also much sought after by fo- 

 reigners. Even orders for Queen Victoria and 

 many of the English nobility were then in hand ; 

 at least I so heard at Manilla. Those who are 

 actually present have, notwithstanding, the privi- 

 lege of selecting what they wish to purchase ; for, 

 with the inhabitants here, as elsewhere, ready 

 money has too much attraction for them to forego 

 the temptation. 



Time in Manilla seems to hang heavily on the 

 hands of some of its inhabitants ; their amuse- 

 ments are few, and the climate ill adapted to ex- 

 ertion. The gentlemen of the higher classes pass 

 their morning in the transaction of a little public 

 business, lounging about and smoking. In the 

 afternoon, they sleep, and ride on the Prado ; and 

 in the evening, visit their friends, or attend a ter- 

 tulia. The ladies are to be pitied ; for they pass 

 three-fourths of their time in dishabille, with their 

 maids around them, sleeping, dressing, lolling, and 



