Dec. 2, 1901.] 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICtTLTtTmST. 
THE AMERICAN "BOY TRAVELLER" 
ROUND THE WORLD. 
IM THE PHILIPPINES : 
WHAT HE THINKS OF MANILA AND 
ITS TRADE, NEW AND OLD PRO- 
DUCTS, PROSPECTS, &c. 
AMERICAN JUSTICE AND THE "FILIPINOS." 
Manila, P. I., Sept. 28. ' 
I am leaving on Monday for Hongkong, 
and this morning the spirit moves me to 
write and tell you something of my ex- 
periences since leaving Ceylon. It seems an 
age since I visited your sunny isle, not but 
what I have a lively recollection of your 
kindness and my good times, but because 
so much has transjDired since. As you know, 
we proceeded from Colombo to 
SINGAPORE, 
where, much to my disgust, we remained 
five days. I didn't find the city nearly so 
interesting as your capital, and one day 
sufficed to exhaust all the " sights " there 
were to see. I visited the Botanical Gardens 
the first night, to attend a band concert, but 
that was the only experience in Singapore 
which I will remember with real pleasure. 
The Chinese were everywhere, and I think 
we have too many of them in New York 
to be interested in seeing them out here. 
I thought at first that their siiops and resi- 
dence streets were worth seeing, but they 
were all alike, and the smells were nauseat- 
ing. I think you should be glad that you 
haven't the Chinese plague in Colombo : the 
Sinhalese are ever so much nicer to have 
around. All the English in Singapore say 
they couldn't possibly get along with only 
the Malays to do the work, and that is 
doubtless true, so they are wise in makind 
the Chinaman welcome. 
I have been in 
MANILA 
now for three weeks, and in some ways I 
am greatly pleased with our new possessions. 
The city of Manila, under proper laws, should 
become one of the greatest ports in the East, 
if not the very greatest, next to Hongkong, 
because the Islands are evidently rich in 
agricultural, mineral and timber resources ; 
and there must eventually be built up a 
great exporting business. The Government 
has experts who are investigating these 
resources, and their reports have so far 
been very encouraging. In lumber alone 
there is untold wealth, and there are 
millions of acres of uncultivated fertile lands. 
The tobacco and orange plantations are by 
no means as numerous as they should be, 
and, of course, there are unlimited possibil- 
ities in the cultivation of lieiiii> .and coco- 
nuts. This must surely be one of the richest 
archipelagoes in the world, and I trust we 
Americans can make it pay. 
Conditions, as you have read, have been 
rather discouraging until the last few months. 
The insurrectos kept up their guerilla war- 
fare in several of the provinces, and the 
whole country was unsettled and anxiously 
awaiting what was to corne next. But since 
Civil Government was established, on July 
4th, everything has quieted down. There is 
fighting in only two or three of the most 
remote districts, and the vast majority of the 
Filipinos seem to have become good Ameri- 
cans. In Manila business of every kind is 
on the increase, and everyone takes it for 
granted that the war in the Philippines is 
over. But the Civil Commission has still a 
great deal of hard work ahead of it. They 
have to proceed with exceeding care, for 
fear of making a mistake now which will 
have to be paid for with interest later on. Gov- 
ernor Taft is a strong man, and he is making 
a deep study of conditions, so I have faith 
' that everything will come out all right. 
Business development will be slow until our 
Congress meets in December and decides the 
status of the islands. Then American banks 
can be established, and large corporations 
will not hesitate to invest their capital. It 
appears certain that some great fortunes will 
be started out here within a very few years, 
and I hope that there will soon be several 
lines of American steamers running around 
the islands. The line which at present does 
all the business ie owned in England, and 
unfortunately the managers are not dis- 
posed to treat Americans with much con- 
sideration. The same is true of tlie two 
English banks here, so that I am afraid your 
countrymen are not laying a good founda- 
tion for future success here. 
The streets and public buildings of Manila 
are being rapidly improved, but there is 
plenty to be done before the city can com- 
pare with Colombo, Hongkong and other 
English Colonial cities in the East. The 
Spaniards found the Philippines a source of 
revenue, but the revenue was certainly not 
spent here, from the looks of things. It is 
expected that an electric railway will soon 
be started by an American Company, and 
various manufacturing concerns are contem- 
plated. The Government has erected the 
largest artificial ice plant in the world, so 
our soldiers have plenty of coolness during 
these hot days. 
There is a large element 
"AT home" 
which is anxious co get rid of these colonies 
in any possible way, but I'm sure that if 
they saw these people and how glad they 
are to have American justice, they would 
be willing to accept this great responsibility 
which fate has thrown upon us. It is pos- 
sible that we won't be quite so successful at 
fli'st as England is now in governing her 
colonies, but I feel confident that we will 
in time do just as well. I hope we won't 
be looked upon as you English look upon 
France and her colonies, — something to be 
laughed at. What man lias done, man can 
do, and after all, we're of the same blood, 
and should sh.are the same capabilities for 
colonisation. I only hope that the extreme 
Republicans at home won't insist on giving 
the Filipinos full citizenship. They may 
deserve it after a while, but at present they 
need a lot of educating. Several hundred 
school teachers have recently arrived from 
the States and ape being scattered tjirou^^h- 
