Twenty years in the Philippines

Contents

Page List of Ulnstrations 11

Preface ... 13

Chapter I

A Family Sketch— My Youthful Days— I Study for the Medical Pr jfesgion — Obtain a Naval Surgeon's Diploma — Early Voyages — Sail for Manilla ia-the Cultivateur — Adventurous Habits — Cholera and Massacre at Manilla and Cavite— Captain Drouant's Rescue — Personal Dangers and Timely Escapes — How Business may make Priends of one's Enemies — An Unprincipled Captain— Tranquillity restored at Manilla — Pleasures of the Chase — The Cultivateur sails without me — First Embarrassments . 17

CHAPTER 11.

Description of Manilla — The two Towns — Gaiety of Binondoc — Dances — Gaming — Beauty of the Women — Their Pascinating Costume — Male Costume— The Military Town — Personal Adventures— My First Patient — His Generous Confidence — Commencement of my Practice — The Artificial Eye — Brilliant Success — The Charming Widow — Auspicious Introduction — My Marriage — Treachery and Fate of Iturbide — Our Loss of Fortune — Return to France postponed 33

VI CONTENTS.

Page

Chapter III

Continued Prosperity in Practice — Attempted Political Revolution — Desperate Street Engagement — Subjugation of the Insurgents— The Emperor of a Day — Dreadful Executions — Illness and Insanity of ray Wife — Her Recovery and Relapse —Removal to the Country — Beneficial Results — Dangerous Neighbours — Repentant Banditti — Eortunate Escape — The Anonymous Friend — A Confiding Wife — Her Pinal Recovery, and our Domestic Happiness restored 47

CHAPTER TV.

Hunting the Stag — Indian Mode of Chasing the Wild Buffalo : its Ferocity — Dangerous Sport — Capture of a Buffalo — Nari'ow Escape of an Indian Hunter — Return to Manilla — Injustice of the Governor — My Resignation of Office — I Purchase Property at Jala-Jala — Retire from Manilla to take Possession of my Domains — Chiuese Legend — Festival of St. Nicholas — Quinaboutasan— Description of Jala-Jala — ^Interview with a Bandit Chief — Formation of Guard — Preparations for Building — Visit to Manilla, and Return to Jala-Jala — Completion of my House — Reception of my Wife by the Natives — The Government of the Philippines — Character of the Tagaloc Indians — Unmerited Chastisement — A C''""''te Appointed — Our Labours at Civilisation — My Hall of Justice -^ Buffalo Hunting Expedition . , , , 62

Chapter V

Description of my House at Jala- Jala — Storms, Gales, and Earthquakes— Reforming the Banditti — Card-playing — Tagal Cock-fighting — Skirmishes with Robbers — Courage of my Wife —

CONTENTS. VU

Page

Our Domestic Happiness — Visits from Europeans — Their Astonishment at our Civilisation — Visit to a Sick Friend at Manilla — Tour through the Provinces of the Ilocos and Pangasinan Indians — My Reception by the Tinguians — Their Appearance and Habits — Manners and Customs — Indian Fett at Laganguilan y Madalag — Horrible Ceremonies to Celebrate a Victory — Songs and Dances — Our Night-watch — We Explore our Cabin — Discovery of a Secret Well — A Tomb of the Tinguian Indians 95

Chapter VI

Visit to Manabo — Conversation with my Guide — Eeligion of the Tinguians — Their Marriage Ceremony — Funereal Eites — Mode of Warfare — I take leave of the Tinguians — Journey to the Igorrots — Description of them — Their Dwellings — A Fortunate Escape — Alila and the Bandits — Recollections of Home — A Majestic Fig-tree — Superstition of Alila — Interview with an Igorrot— The Human Hand — Nocturnal Adventure— Consternation of Alila — Probable Origin of the Tinguians and Igorrots 117

Chapter VII

I return to Jala- Jala — An Excursion on the Lake — Relempago'f* Narrative — Re-organisation of my Government — A Letter from my Brother Henry — His Arrival — He joins me in the Management of my Plantations — Cajoui, the Bandit : Anten-Anten — Indian Superstition — A Combat with the Bandit — His Death — A Piratical Descent — My Lieutenant is Wounded — I extract the Ball, and cure him . . 139 vni CONTENTS.

Page

Chapter VIII

Death of my Brother Eohert — Our Party at Jala- Jala — Illness and Last Moments of my Friend Bermigan — Recovery and Departure for France of Lafond — Joachim Balthazard : his Eccentricity— Tremendous Gale of Wind — Narrow Escape in Crossing the Lake— Safe Return to Jala- Jala — Destruction of my House and the Village by a Typhoon — Rendezvous with a Bandit — Ineffectual Attempts to Reform Him — His Death — Journey to Tapuzi — Its Inaccessibility — Grovernment of the Tapuzians — Morality and Religious Character of their Chief — Their Curiosity at beholding a White Man — Former Wickedness and Divine Punishment— We bid adieu to the Tapuzians, and return to Jala- Jala 162

Chapter IX

Suppression of War between two Indian Towns — Flourishing Condition of Jala-Jala — Hospitality to Strangers — ^Field Sports — Bat and Lizard Shooting — Visit to, and Description of, the Isle of Socolme — Adventure with a Cayman — Cormorants — We visit Los Bancs — Monkey Shooting — Expedition to, and Description of, the Grotto of San-Mateo — Magnificent aspect (if the Interior 181

Chapter X

Dumont d'Urville — Rear- Admiral Laplace : Desertion of Sailors from his Ship — I recover them for him — Origin of the Inhabitants of the Philippine Islands — Their General Disposition — Hospitality and Respect for Old Age — Tagal Marriage Ceremony— Indian Legal Eloquence — ^Explanation of the Matrimonial Speeches — The Caymans, or Alligators — Instances of their Perociij — Imprudence and Death of my Shepherd — Method of Entrapping the Mtmstcr which had devoured him— We Attack and eventaally Capture it — Its Dimensions — We Dissect and Examine the Contents of its Stomach — Boa-Constrietors — Their large size — Attack of a Boa-Constrictor on a Wild Boar — We Kill .and Skin it — Unsuccessful Attempt to Capture a Boa- Constrictor alive — A Man Devoured — Dangerous Venomous Reptiles . . 204

CHAPTER XL

The Prosperity and Happiness of my Life at Jala-Jala — Destructiveness of the Locusts — Agriculture in the Philippines — My Herds of Oxen, Buflfaloes, and Horses — My Wife presents me with a Daughter, who dies — The Admiration of the Indian Women for my Wife — Birth of my Son — Continued Prosperity — Death of my Brother Henry — My Friendship with Malvilain — His Marriage with my eldest Sister — His Premature Death — I take my Wife to Manilla — Melancholy Adieus — We Return to Jala-Jala — Death of my Wife — My friend Vidie — I determine to Return to France 228

Chapter XII

My friend Adolphe Barrot visits me at Jala-Jala — The Bamboo Cane — The Cocoa-Nut Tree — The Banana — Majestic Forests of Gigantic Trees — The Leeches — A Tropical Storm in a Forest — An Indian Bridge — "Bernard the Hermit" — ^We arrive at Binangonan-de-Lampon — The Ajetas — Veneration of the Ajetas for their Dead — Poison used by the Ajetas — I carry away a Skeleton — We Embark on the Pacific in an old Cauoe, reach Maoban, and ultimately arrive at Jala- Jala .... 245

CONTENTS.

Chapter XIII

I Determine not again to Separate from my Son — 1 take him to Manilla — The EiFects of the Wound I received among the Ajetas — My Eeeovery — Kindness of the Spanish and other Inhabitants of Manilla — Illness of my Son — I return with him to Jala-Jala — Sorrowful Eemembrances — The Death of my poor Boy — His Interment — My frantic Grief and Despair — I Determine to Quit the Philippines — I am Called to Manilla by Madame Dolores Seneris — My Pinal Departure from Jala- Jala — I Arrive at Manilla, where I resume Practice as a Surgeon— I Embark for France — Discontent — My Travels through Europe — I Marry again — Death of my Mother and my Second Wife— Conclusion 283

Statistics op the Philippine Islands.— Mechanical and Agricultural Products — I. The Soil of the Island of Luzon, and the Sources of its Fertility — 11. Rice — III. Indigo — IV. Tobacco — V. Abaca, or Vegetable Silk — VL Coffee — VII. Cacao — VIII. Cotton— IX. Pepper— X. Wheat— XI. Sugar Cane—

XII. Bamboo— XIII. The Buffalo 305

Agricultural Implements. — I. The Indian Plough— II. Yoke for the Buffaloes— III. Lilit, or the Indian Sickle — IV. The . Comb Harrow— V. Guiligen, or Hand-Mill — VI. The Moriar. 334

Appendix.— I. Testimony of M. Gabriel Lafond 337

II. Testimony of H. Hamilton Lindsay, Esq. . . . 340 Account of a Visit to the Cave of San Maiteo, in

the neighbom-hood of Manilla 342

in. Testimony of M. Dumont d'Urville 366

IV. Testimony of Admiral Laplace ....... 362

V, Testimony of M. Mallat 372

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FEONTISEIECE, A NATIVE WOMAN CARRIED OFF BY A Caymajm

Titus Page, Portrait of the Author.

Nantes

Saving the Life of Captain Drouant

Mouth of the Bat of Manilla .

Spanish Metis, or Half-Breeds

Chinese Metis, or Half-Breeds

Spanish Metis of the Superior Class

Bridge of Manilla -.

Stag Hunting in the Marigondon Mountains

Passage-boat on the Kiver Pasig

Tagal Indians pounding Kice

Father Miguel

Shooting a Buffalo

Horns of the Buffalo

The House at Jala-Jala

Herd of Wild Buffaloes .

Tagal Cock-fighting .

Tagal Indians

Ilocos Indians

The Brain Fkast . ^r

G-TTiNAN Indians -

Page

LIST Ui'' ILLUSTRATIONS.

Weapons op the Tinguian Indians ....

BiKANGAS Indians — Inhabitants of Boilacan

Fishing Eaft

Thk House of Ta PLANOt^JF

Church op Pandacan, in the IjInvirons of Inianilla

Hunting Party at Jala- Jala

Cascade near Jala-Jala

View at San-Mateo

Portrait of Dumont d'Urville

A Tagal Indian Dwelling .

Young Tagal Indian and his Betkothrd

Attacking a Cayman .

Boa-Constrictor and Wild Boar

Attacking a Boa-Constrictor .

EiCE Stacking in the Philippines

The Locust

View on the River Pasig .

A.7ETAS Indians

La Gironiere in Hunting Dress

The Cocoa-Nut ....

The Banana . . . . ' .

Traversing an Indian Porest .

Pruit op the Palm Tree . . .

Inhabitants op Binangonan de Lampon

View op Manilla from the Environs

The Indian Plough

Yoke for the Buffaloes .

LiLiT, or the Indian Sickle

The Comb Harrow

A GrUILIGEN, OR-HaND-MiLL .

The Mortal; ....