304 RAMBLES OF A NATUEALIST. [Ch. XYIII. 



nation are well illustrated at Manilla in many ways. No 

 Protestant church exists, or is allowed to exist there, and 

 many English residents came on Sunday to our ship for 

 the purpose of hearing Divine Service performed by the 

 Bishop of Labuan, who happened to be with us. The re- 

 sources of the country are cramped by the short-sighted- 

 ness of the Government ; and foreign trade is virtually 

 driven away from the place by the severe exactions and 

 vexatious imposts which are levied upon shipping. All 

 merchant ships are mulcted in heavy port-dues, which are 

 demanded according to tonnage ; and not content with this, 

 they add 25 per cent, to English measurement, thus mate- 

 rially increasing the otherwise large expenses. An English 

 ship, driven in by stress of weather, in a partially disabled 

 condition, just before our arrival, on completion of her 

 repairs was not allowed to leave port until a sum of between 

 three and four hundred doUars had been paid ; while all 

 transactions are carried on with such unpleasantness, that 

 it is a wonder that any ships go there at all. 



Lying in Manilla Bay, it was not unusual to see water- 

 snakes (Hydridse), swimming on the surface of the water. 

 This family of sea-serpents is for the most part distributed 

 in the Indian seas, though some are found about Australia 

 and the American coast, and rarely in the Pacific. I noticed 

 them here, and in crossing the China Sea, as well as about 

 the coasts of Borneo and Johore. The usual appearance of 

 these snakes is more or less variegated or striped with trans- 

 verse black and yellow bars — though some are of a more 

 uniform dark colour ; and they are generally about two feet, 

 or two feet six inches long. In calm weather, they may often 

 be seen lying lazily upon the water apparently asleep, and 

 basking in the sun; and they will remain undisturbed while 



