NATURE 
139 
wealth, of which it is on many accounts desirable that 
modern enterprise should have full and trustworthy in- 
formation. 
The travels recorded in this volume extended through 
the greater portion, certainly the most important and inter- 
esting, of the Spanish Philippines. Manila was the starting 
point. The author first made a short excursion north- 
wards, thence into the province of Bulacan, and returning 
to Manila ascended the river Pasig, at the mouth of 
which it stands, to the great lake of Bay, crossing which 
he made several journeys into the province of Laguna. 
Returning thence to Manila, he crossed its magnificent 
bay, spacious enough to hold all the navies of the world, 
and proceeding by sea along the deeply indented southern 
coast of the great island of Luzon, and traversing the 
Straits of San Bernardino, landed at Albay, the chief 
town of the large insular province of the same name. 
From this point he made an excursion into the extreme 
southern districts of the island, visiting the great volcano 
of Balusan on his way, and returning to Albay, started 
thence in a north-westerly direction on a journey through 
southern Camarines. On this journey many natural 
features of the highest interest engaged his attention, and 
notably the great volcanoes of Mayon and Yriga, the 
Bateo Lake, and the remarkable siliceous wells near 
Tibi, with the great flat cones called the “ white” and the 
“ved,” between which they lie—the whole of this district 
presenting one of the finest examples'of calcareous de- 
positions, in various states of advancement, in the whole 
world. Returning westwards to his main route, he 
reached Meroce Caceres, near the confines of northern 
and southern Camarines, and from this point made a 
considerable digression eastwards, for the purpose of 
visiting the vast volcano Ysarog, of which, and of the 
inhabitants of the region, he has given a full and highly 
interesting description. Again returning to his main 
route, he arrived at Cabusao on the Bay of San Miguel, 
and from this point, partly by land and partly by coasting, 
he explored about forty miles of the eastern coast of this 
portion of North Camarines, making occasional journeys 
inland where the prospect of reward seemed to invite at- 
tention. Returning to Albay, he embarked at that place 
for the next important island in this remarkable archipe- 
lago, Samar. There he landed at the north-eastern point, 
and crossing in a south-westerly direction to its western 
coast, coasted some twenty or thirty miles southwards to 
Carthalogan. From this place he traversed the centre 
“ of the island, and descending the river Ulut, reached the 
eastern side. He next coasted to its south-eastern 
extremity, and thence returned westwards, landing 
at Tacloban, the chief town of the closely adjacent 
island of Leyte, on which he made a journey many miles 
to the south. He then traversed the narrow Straits of 
San Francisco, which separate Samar and Leyte, visiting 
the ancient rock sepulchres in which the inhabitants of 
Bisay and some other localities interred the remains of 
their heroes and their elders. Continuing his return 
journey by sea, he again reached Manila, after having 
visited some minor islands, and obtained interesting in- 
formation relative to them. 
It would be vain to attempt, within the narrow limits of 
space available for our present purpose, anything like a 
substantial account of the innumerable matters of interest, 
with which M. Jagor’s book deals. The mere enumera- 
tion of them would very considerably extend the pro- 
portions of an ordinary review, and there are many, very 
many, which present attractions of the highest order for 
the geographer, the geologist, the ethnologist, the natura- 
list, and others who interest themselves in certain special 
branches of modern science. All that can be done is to 
indicate a few of the more striking portions of the work, 
by which its character and completeness may be judged 
of, referring to the work itself—which we venture to think 
would well repay translation—those specially interested 
in its subject. 
In his first chapter, the author makes some re- 
marks on the situations of the group, and describes a 
few amusing circumstances which resulted from the 
ignorance of Magellan and his followers, of the differ- 
ence of time depending upon difference of longitude. 
Such was the injudicious commercial policy of the 
Spaniards in those dependencies, that the intercourse 
between them and the Mother Country “was limited to 
the conveyance of officials and ecclesiastics, and their 
ordinary necessaries—provisions, wine, and other beve- 
rages (Caldos), and, a few French romances excepted, 
some very dull books—histories of Saints and other 
similar matters.” As regards the aspect of Manila, 
despite the glowing descriptions of it given by many 
travellers, the author experienced considerable disap- 
pointment ; his first impressions being received at a 
most unfavourable moment, since he landed towards the 
close of the dry season. The account he gives of the 
state of society in Manila and its suburbs is anything 
but inviting. “Life in the city proper can scarcely be 
agreeable: pride, envy, place-hunting, caste-hatred, are 
the order of the day. The Spaniards deem themselves 
superior to their Creoles, who, in their turn, reproach 
them with coming to the colony only to eat their fill, 
The same hatred and the same grudge exist between the 
whites and the half-castes.” It appears that cock-fight- 
ing is the great pastime of the population. The social, 
political, and commercial condition of the colony is fully 
developed in the first four chapters of the book, and in 
connection with this part of the subject the author ven- 
tures on a few reflections on the future of the Philippines. 
He says :—‘ Now that the Eastern shores of the Pacific 
are at length becoming populated, and with unparalleled 
rapidity are advancing towards their great future, the 
Philippines can no longer remain in the exclusion which 
has hitherto been their lot; because, for the western 
coast of America, there is certainly no tropical Asiatic 
country so favourably situated ; while as regards Australia, 
it is only in certain relations that Dutch India can dispute 
precedence with them. Their trade with China, on the 
contrary, whose staple-market Manila originally was, as 
also that with the western countries of Asia lying nearer 
to the ports of the Atlantic, they must for ever renounce.” 
The fifth chapter is devoted to a very clear and com- 
prehensive exposition of the geography and the meteoro- 
logy of the Archipelago, the political divisions of the 
Islands, their various populations, and the languages 
spoken in them. 
On his first journey into the province of Bulacan, the 
author was much struck with the fertility of the soil, a 
subject upon which he has a good deal to say, as also 
