MtVTTTi Manufacture*.— Plus.— Orcupailuiis 



MAMLLA. ofthcbl B herclMi. c *. 321 



Vliit to the governor. 

 Iloval eiV'-ir manufaelorfei. 



Due of in v final duties was to make an official 

 call upon his Excellency Don Mareelino Uroa, who 

 is tho sixty-first governor of the Philippine islands. 

 According to the established etiquette, Mr. Moure, 

 the vice-consul, announced our desire to do so, and 

 requested to he informed of the lime when we 

 would be. received. This watt accordingly named, 

 and at tho appointed liour we proceeded to the 

 palace in the city proper. On our arrival, we were 

 announced and led up a flight of steps, ample and 

 spacious, hut by no means of such splendour as 

 would indicate the residence of vice royalty. The 

 suite of rooms into which we were ushered were 

 so dark that it was difficult u> see, I made out, 

 however, that they were panelled, and by no means 

 richly furnished. His excellency entered from a 

 side-door, and led us through two or three apart- 

 ments into his private audience -room, an apart- 

 ment not quite so dark as those wc had come from: 

 unr being conducted to this, I was told afterward*, 

 was to he considered an especial mark of respect 

 to my country. His reception of us was friendly. 

 The governor has much more the nppearance of an 

 Irishmrui tiian of a Spaniard, being tall, portly, of 

 a florid complexion. He is apparently more than 

 sixty years of age. He was dressed iu a full suit 

 of black, with a siar on his breast. 



Mr. Moore acted as interpreter, and the governor 

 readily acceded to my request to hu allowed to 

 send a party into the interior for a few days ; a 

 permission which I almost despaired of receiving, 

 for I knew that he had refused a like application 

 some few months before. The refusal, however, I 

 think was in part owing to the character of l lie 

 applicants, ami the doubtful object they hud in 

 view. I impute the permission we received to the 

 influence of our consul, together with Mr. Sturges, 

 whose agreeable manners, conciliatory tone, and 

 high standing with the authorities, will, I am satis- 

 fied, insure us al all limes every reasonable ad- 

 vantage or facility. 



The term of the governor in office is three years, 

 and the present incnmbent was installed in Ill-Hi. 

 This length of time is thought to be sufficient for 

 any one of them to make a fortune. The office is 

 held by the appointment of the ministry in Spain, 

 and with it are connected perquisites that are 

 shared, it is said, by those who confer them. 



During our stay at Manilla, our time was occu- 

 pied in seeing sights, shopping, riding, and amusing 

 ourselves with gazing on the throng incessantly 

 passing through the Eacolta of the Biuondo 

 suburb, or more properly, the commercial town of 

 Manilla. 



Among the Iioiib of the place, the great royal 

 cigar manufactories claim e«|>eeial notice from their 

 extent and tho many persons employed. There are 

 two of these establishments, one situated in the 

 I tinondo quarter, and the tuber en the gn at square 

 or I'rado ; in the former, which was visited by us, 

 there are two buildings of two stories high* besides 

 several storehouse*, enclosed by a wall, with two 

 large gateways, at which sentinels are always 

 posted. The principal workshop is in the second 

 story, which is divided into six apartments, in 

 which eight thousand females are employed. 

 Throughout the whole extent, tables are arranged, 

 about sixteen inches high, ten feet long and three 

 f'-et wide, at each of which fifteen women are 

 seated, having small piles of tobacco before them. 



The tables are set croaiwisc from the wall, leaving 

 a space iu the middle of the room free. The 

 labour of a female produces about two hundred 

 cigars a day; uud (he working hour* are from ti a.m. 

 till fj p.m., with a r< cess of two hours, from eleven 

 till one o'clock. The whole establishment is kept very 

 neat, and clean, and every thing appears to be car- 

 ried on in the most systematic and workmanlike 

 manner. Among such numbers, it has been found 

 necessary to institute a search on their leaving the 

 establishment (o prevent embezzlement, and thin is 

 regularly made twice a day, without distinction of 

 sex. It is a strange sight to witness the ingress 

 and egress of these hordes of females ; mid pro- 

 bably the world cannot elsewhere exhibit so large 

 a number of ugly women. Their ages vary from 

 fifteen to forty-five. The sum paid them for wages 

 is very trifling. The whole number of persons 

 employed in the manufactories is about fifteen 

 thousand ; this includes the officers, clerks, over- 

 seers, &c. 



As nearly as 1 could ascertain, the revenue de- 

 rived from these establishments is half a million 

 of dollars. 



The natives of the Philippines are industrious. 

 They manufacture an amount of goods sufficient to 

 supply their own wants, particularly from Pansy 

 and Vlocos. These for the most "part consist of 

 cotton and silk, and a peculiar article called pina. 

 The latter is manufactured from a species of bm- 

 melia (pine-apple), ami comes principally from the 

 island of Pansy . The finest kinds of pina are ex- 

 ceedingly beautiful, and surpass any oilier nmteria! 

 iu its evenness and beauty of texture. Its colour is 

 yellowish, and tho embroidery is fully equal to the 

 material. It i* much sought after by "all strangers, 

 and considered as one of the curiosities of this 

 group. Various reports have been slated of the 

 mode of its manufacture, and among others that it 

 was woven under water, whieh I found, upon in- 

 quiry, to be quite erroneous. The web of the pina 

 is so fine, tltat they are obliged to prevent all cur- 

 rents of air from passing through the rooms where 

 it is manufactured, for which purpose there are 

 gauze screens in the windows. After the article is 

 brought to Manilla, it is theu embroidered by girls; 

 this last operation adds greatly to its value. 



This manufactory had work engaged for nine 

 months or a year in advance. The rubric is ex- 

 tremely expensive, and none but the wealthy can 

 afford it. It is also much sought after by fo- 

 reigners. Even orders for Queen Victoria" nod 

 many of the English nobility were then in hand ; 

 at least I so heard at Manilla. Those who are 

 actually present have, notwithstanding, the privi- 

 lege of selecting what they wish to purchase ; for, I 

 with the inhabitants here, as elsewhere, ready ' 

 money has too much attraction for them to forego 

 the temptation. 



Time in Manilla seems tn hang heavily on the 

 hands of some of its inhabitants ; their amuse- 

 ments are few, anil the climate ill adapted to ex- 

 ertion. The gentlemen of the higher elapses paw 

 their morning iu the transaction of a little public 



business, I giug about and smoking. Jn the 



afternoon, they sleep, and ride on the Prado ; nnd 

 in the evening, visit their friends, or attend a ter- 

 tulia. The ladies are to be pitied; for they pass 

 three-fourths of their time in dishabille, with their 

 maids around them, sleeping, dressing, lolling, and 



x 



