336 MANILLA. 



Sturges had a letter, who informed them that the other party had left 

 the place the evening before for Manilla. 



This party had proceeded to the town of Baia, where they arrived 

 at daylight on the 15th. Baia is quite a pretty place, and well 

 situated ; the houses are clean and comfortable, and it possessed a 

 venerable stone church, with towers and bells. On inquiring for the 

 padre, they found that he was absent, and it was in consequence im- 

 possible for them to procure horses to proceed to the volcano of Taal. 

 They therefore concluded to walk to the hot springs at Banos, about 

 five miles distant. Along the road they collected a number of curious 

 plants. Rice is much cultivated, and fields of it extend to some dis- 

 tance on each side of the road. Buffaloes were seen feeding and 

 wallowing in the ditches. 



At Banos the hot springs are numerous, the water issuing from the 

 rock over a considerable surface. The quantity of water discharged 

 by them is large, and the whole is collected and conducted to the 

 bathing-houses. The temperature of the water at the mouth of the 

 culvert was 180°. 



The old bath-house is a singular-looking place, being built on the 

 hill-side, in the old Spanish style, with large balconies, that are 

 enclosed in the manner already described, in speaking of the houses 

 in Manilla. It is beautifully situated, and overlooks the baths and 

 lake. The baths are of stone, and consist of two large rooms, in each 

 of which is a niche, through which the hot water passes. This build- 

 ing is now in ruins, the roof and floors having fallen in. 



Banos is a small village, but contains a respectable-looking stone 

 church, and two or three houses of the same material. Here the 

 party found a difficulty in getting on, for the alcalde could not speak 

 Spanish, and they were obliged to use an interpreter, in order to 

 communicate with him. Notwithstanding this, he is a magistrate, 

 whose duty it is to administer laws written in that language. Find- 

 ing they could not succeed even here in procuring guides or horses, 

 they determined to remain and explore Mount Maquiling, the height 

 of which is three thousand four hundred and fifty feet, and in the 

 mean time to send for their bancas. 



The next day they set out on their journey to that mountain, and 

 the first part of their path lay over a gentle ascent, through cultivated 

 grounds. Next succeeded an almost perpendicular hill, bare of trees, 

 and overgrown with a tall grass, which it was difficult to pass through. 



