THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 
71 
and the Tagals; to the south the vast hemp-producing 
regions, Albay and Camarines, with the Bicols as the chief 
inhabitants. Near Manila there are the particular indus¬ 
tries connected with large cities, as the “ petite culture 55 ; 
and land fetches a high price. One of the great sights 
of Luzon is Pateros, or Duck-town, as it may be rendered, 
where many hundreds of thousands of ducks are annually 
reared for the Manila market. These establishments 
occupy the banks of the Pasig river for nearly two miles. 
The birds are hatched by incubators, and are fed upon 
shell-fish taken in Manila Bay. Ascending the Pasig, 
the great sheet of water known as the Laguna de Bay is 
reached, which has an average length and breadth of 
about twenty-five miles. It has been suggested, and with 
some probability, that it was formerly an arm of the sea 
which was cut off and formed into a lake by the eruption 
of one of the neighbouring volcanoes, as the lake of Taal 
a little further to the south undoubtedly has been. 
Sharks and other sea fish are reported to be found in its 
waters. At the present time its surface is said to be 58 
feet above the level of the sea, and its depth to average 
about 100 feet. Fifteen rivers flow into it, but the Pasig 
is the only exit. Its shores are extremely fertile and the 
scenery is beautiful, and owing to the number of towns 
and villages surrounding it, its waters are covered with 
native boats. 
Occupying the region to the north of Manila Bay are 
the two provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, which are 
perhaps the most flourishing parts of the island. Magni¬ 
ficent haciendas and sugar plantations evince the fertility 
of the soil, but the earthquake of 1880 wrought tremen¬ 
dous damage, and its effects are still to be seen. Daily 
steamers connect the capital of the first-named province 
with Manila. Farther north, in the province of North 
