AFRO-INDIAN REGIONS. 



515 



11. The Mindanayan East Indian Region. 



On the morning of the 22d, the Vincennes, having passed out of Ma- 

 nila Bay, proceeded South among several small islands towards Min- 

 DORO: a large island in sight, commencing with Calavite Peak, a pyra- 

 midal mountain-mass "two thousand feet" in elevation. As we drew 

 near, the dense forest covering the gradual and rather regular slopes, 

 was observed to be interrupted in various places by extensive openings : 

 towards evening, we reached the island, and were proceeding close 

 along the Western shore, the summit of the Peak from this point of 

 view, instead of angular, appearing rounded. — On the 23d, the wind 

 was very light; the land continuing high, broken, massive, and moun- 

 tainous, at some points projecting above a stratum of clouds, and the 

 extreme elevation being " 3126 feet." From the coast inland, the 

 country seemed everywhere covered with a luxuriant and very nearly 

 unbroken forest. As we proceeded, the Southern portion of the island, 

 though hilly, proved somewhat less elevated. 



In the West, Kalamian was much of the time in sight ; looking like 

 a succession of rocks and rocky islets, rather than continuous land. 



On the 24th, we passed some rocky islets, detached from the main- 

 land of Mindoro, and two or three hundred feet in elevation. They 

 were covered with a continuous forest; bamboos being here and there 

 distinguished in the midst ; and according to Mr. Brackenridge, also 

 palms, a tribe of plants seldom prominent in the forest on the Philip- 

 pine Islands. — On the 25th, in passing the extreme point of Mindoro, 

 some islets came in sight in the Southwest; the outer one, of consi- 

 derable size and one or two hundred feet in elevation, being in great 

 part unwooded ; while the islets Northeast of our position were com- 

 pletely covered with a dense forest. — Turning in that direction, the 

 Vincennes on the 26th passed close around a small islet, rocky and 

 precipitous at its Eastern end; evidently not stratified, but in some 

 places excavated, and though hardly volcanic, bearing much general 

 resemblance to Matthews' Rock in the Pacific. The way being now 

 clear, across the channel, the Vincennes proceeded South. 



On the morning of the 27th, while yet in the channel, some large 

 islands were in sight in the Northeast; and among the rest, "one of 

 the highest mountains in the Philippine Islands, eighty miles distant 



