296 EAMBLES OP A NATUEALIST. [Oh. XVIII. 



mouths. The same dress is worn by young girls, except 

 that their dress is often of so transparent a material that the 

 whole form can be distinctly discerned through it ; and the 

 children of both sexes of the lower orders are often un- 

 encumbered by any clothing whatever. 



These Mestizas, as they are termed, are the native Indians 

 of the Philippines, whose blood has to a great extent 

 probably been mingled with that of their Spanish rulers. 

 They are a very exclusive people, speaking a language of 

 their own, called Tagalan; and have their own places of 

 amusement and entertaiument, in the form of a theatre, in 

 which the performances are of course aU in Tagalan, and 

 Mestiza balls, to which no one is admitted who does not 

 don the costume of the country as described above. They 

 do not, however, bear a very high character for morality, — 

 in fact, Manilla in this respect is undoubtedly at a very 

 low ebb. 



Beiag a Spanish town — and a Catholic withal — the in- 

 cessant beatiag of drums, and clanging of trumpets, is fuUy 

 accounted for ; and if proficiency upon these warlike instru- 

 ments makes a great nation, then must the Spaniards be 

 reckoned in the first rank. And if the jangling of beUs 

 makes a people religious, then must Manilla be a saintly 

 spot ; but one would imagine that three more discordant 

 instruments (for the bells never ring a peal) could not have 

 been invented to vex the ears of the inhabitants at all hours 

 of the day and night. Two other features of the place 

 which must strike the visitor may be alluded to — ^viz., the 

 frequency of cassocked priests, not uncommonly to be seen 

 with a cigar in their mouths ; and the convicts, who, chained 

 together in pairs, work thus side by side, and are allowed to 

 go about without immediate supervision. 



