MANILLA. 277 



Here the government dockyard is situated, and this harbour is conse- 

 quently the resort of the few gunboats and galleys that are stationed 

 here. 



The entrance to the canal or river Pasig is three hundred feet wide, 

 and is enclosed between two well-constructed piers, which extend for 

 some distance into the bay. On the end of one of these is the light- 

 house, and on the other a guard-house. The walls of these piers are 

 about four feet above ordinary high water, and include the natural 

 channel of the river, whose current sets out with some force, particu- 

 larly when the ebb is making in the bay. 



The suburbs, or Binondo quarter, contain more inhabitants than the 

 city itself, and is the commercial town. They have all the stir and 

 life incident to a large population actively engaged in trade, and in 

 this respect the contrast with the city proper is great. 



The city of Manilla is built in the form of a large segment of a 

 circle, having the chord of the segment on the river: the whole is 

 strongly fortified, with walls and ditches. The houses are substan- 

 tially built after the fashion of the mother country. Within the walls 

 are the governor's palace, custom-house, treasury, admiralty, several 

 churches, convents, and charitable institutions, a university, and the- 

 barracks for the troops; it also contains some public squares, on one 

 of which is a bronze statue of Charles IV. 



The city is properly deemed the court residence of these islands ; 

 and all those attached to the government, or who wish to be con- 

 sidered as of the higher circle, reside here ; but foreigners are not 

 permitted to do so. The houses in the city are generally of stone, 

 plastered, and white or yellow washed on the outside. They are only 

 two stories high, and in consequence cover a large space, being built 

 around a patio or courtyard. 



The ground-floors are occupied as storehouses, stables, and for 

 porters' lodges. The second story is devoted to the dining-halls and 

 sleeping apartments, kitchens, bath-rooms, &c. The bed-rooms have 

 the windows down to the floor, opening on wide balconies, with blinds 

 or shutters. These blinds are constructed with sliding frames, having 

 small squares of two inches filled in with a thin semi-transparent shell, 

 a species of Placuna ; the fronts of some of the houses have a large 

 number of these small lights, where the females of the family may 

 enjoy themselves unperceived. 



After entering the canal, we very soon found ourselves among a 



motley and strange population. On landing, the attention is drawn 



to the vast number of small stalls and shops with which the streets 



are lined on each side, and to the crowds of people passing to and fro, 



Y 



