GEOGRAPHIC LITERATURE 



The Philippine Islands. 1493- i! 



Vol. XVIII. 1617-1620. By Emma 



Helen Blair and James Alexander 



Robertson. Pp.346. 6 by 9^ inches. 



Cleveland: Arthur H. Clarke Co. 



1904. 



We can understand present condi- 

 tions in the Philippines only as we are 

 acquainted with the past. Very for- 

 tunately for us and the Philippines, this 

 past history, which has been almost 

 completely hidden from the world, is 

 now being brought to light in the splen- 

 did series of volumes edited by Miss 

 Blair and Mr. Robertson. The great 

 importance of the series and its inesti- 

 mable value to the student of affairs in 

 the Philippines become more apparent 

 with each succeeding volume ; the 

 American people, who wish to thor- 

 oughly understand the islands and the 

 Filipinos themselves, are under immense 

 obligations to the publishers and edit- 

 ors. The scholarly manner in which 

 the volumes are edited and the clear 

 and permanent character of the print- 

 ing and paper make the series complete 

 and attractive. 



The scope of the present volume ex- 

 tends from 1617 to 1620. The islands 

 are still ravaged at intervals by the Moro 

 pirates from the southern part of the 

 archipelago. Even worse are the losses 

 to the commerce of the islands inflicted 

 by the Dutch. Their ships infest the 

 seas about Luzon, and those of the Mo- 

 luccas, in which region they are steadily 

 and even rapidly gaining foothold, and 

 securing the best commerce of those 

 islands. Corruption in the management 

 of the Spanish interests in the Spice 

 Islands renders them an expensive and 

 embarrassing possession, and the new 

 governor, Fajardo, finds the same in- 

 fluence at work in the Spanish colony 

 itself, especially among the auditors and 

 other high officials. The colonial treas- 

 ury is, as usual, short of funds, and can 

 do little to defend the islands from the 

 Dutch. The Madrid Government is un- 



willing to spend much more on the 

 Philippines, although beset with im- 

 portunities to save that colony, and 

 Spanish commerce generally, from the 

 insolent Dutch. The usual building of 

 ships in the islands has so harassed and 

 exhausted the unfortunate natives that 

 it is necessary to have ships built for the 

 Philippines in India and other countries 

 where time and labor are more abundant. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Great American Canals* Vol. I. The 

 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the 

 Pennsylvania Canal. By A. B. Hul- 

 bert. With maps and illustrations. 

 Pp.232. 5 y 2 by 7^ inches. Cleve- 

 land : Arthur H Clarke Co. 1904. 



The Sooth American Republics. Part 

 two : Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, 

 Venezuela, Colombia, Panama. By 

 Thomas C. Dawson. With maps and 

 illustrations. Pp. 513. 5^ by 8 

 inches. New York : G. P. Putnam's 

 Sons. 1904. 



Sweden. Its people and its industry. 

 Historical and Statistical Handbook. 

 By Gustav Sundbarg. With numer- 

 ous illustrations. Pp.1106. 6)4 hy 

 g}4 inches. Stockholm : P. A. Nord- 

 stedt & Soner. 1904. 



The Norwegian North Polar Expedi- 

 tion, 1 893-1 896. Vol. IV. Scientific 

 results. By Fridtjof Nansen. With 

 diagrams and charts. Pp.231. 9 by 

 11^ inches. New York : Longmans, 

 Green & Co. 1904. 



Africa from South to North through 

 Morotseland. By Major A. St H. 

 Gibbons. Two Vols. With maps 

 and many illustrations. Pp. 290 + 

 296. 6 by 9 inches. New York and 

 London : John Lane. 1904. 



De La Cote D'l voire au Soudan et a La 

 Guinee. Par Le Capitaine D'Ollone. 

 With maps and many illustrations. 

 Troisieme Edition. Pp. 311. 6}4 

 by 10 inches. Paris : Librairie Hat- 

 chette et Cie. 1901. 



