THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 
67 
was afterwards rebuilt and consecrated in 1879. There 
is a small museum and a public library, which are not too 
crowded. The Manilan prefers the promenade in the 
Paseo de la Luneta, whither he drives at top speed in his 
calesa when business is over for the day. Here the whole 
world of the city, from the cigarera to the wife of the 
Governor, meets to chat and listen to the band, of which 
Manilans are justly proud. Music of some sort—good, 
bad, or indifferent—the Filipino must have. Other amuse¬ 
ments are scanty enough. There is a European theatre, 
and two or three others where the performances are in 
Tagalog, but the evenings are chiefly devoted to tertulias , 
or “ At Homes,” of which, as is not infrequently the case 
in other countries, it may be said that they are more 
numerous than amusing. 
The population of the old town in 1879 was 17,950, 
and that of the immediate suburbs 116,670, making a 
total of 134,620, but it appears that there has been some 
decrease of late years, since the official returns of 1891 
give the number of inhabitants of the town and suburbs as 
107,171. There is apparently no agreement, however, 
as to what should be described as Manila. The outlying 
ing, after a day of tremendous heat, while all Manila was busy in its prepara¬ 
tions for the festival of Corpus Christi, the ground suddenly rocked to and 
fro with great violence. The firmest buildings reeled visibly, walls 
crumbled, and beams snapped in two. The dreadful shock lasted half a 
minute ; but this little interval was enough to change the whole town 
into a mass of ruins, and to bury alive hundreds of its inhabitants. The 
cathedral, the government house, the barracks, and all the public build¬ 
ings of Manila, were entirely destroyed, and the few private houses which 
remained standing were seriously damaged. Subsequent examination 
showed that 46 public and 570 private buildings were thrown down, 28 
public and 528 private buildings were nearly destroyed, while all left 
standing were more or less injured. Four hundred persons were killed, 
and two thousand injured, and the loss of property was estimated at eight 
millions of dollars.” 
