The trade of the Philippines has been the subject of careful investigation because the ed States being essentially a commercial nation, looks first to possibilities in that me, Che more the situation is studied the more it reveals of promise and expansion, The figures that I use here are only given after thorough study of exports and imports well us of inter-island exchange. While they may not always be exact they are approximate. 0 A reasonable estimate of the foreign trade of the Piilippines under ordinary conditions would be $62,000,000 Mexienn, When pence and quiet are established this should begin to expand and easily reach within five or six years $10,000,000, and. $20,000,000 in fifteen ars, In 1897 the exports amounted to $37,000,000, chief among which were hemp $13,340,000 sugar $13,130,000; leaf tobacco $4,150,000;" copra (or dried cocoanut) $4,065,000; cigars $2,125,000; sapanwood $83,000; coffee $66,000. ' Among imports.'1897 there were petroleum 114,330 conl 90,000 tons; woven fancy gauls $%,800,000; shirtings, grey cloths, drills, and croydons $3,000,000; prints, printed muslins, ete, $2,700,000; yan and sewing thread' $1,300,000; "ironware, hollow-ware, fluey articles of the kind $2,300,000. To these can be added $4,000,000 of miscellaneous imports from Chinn, Although these figures of imports are helpful they do not represent by any means the total trade, For some reason it has been almost impossible to obtain authetic tabulated data from the Spanish Custoins returns, and these data Ihave personally obtained from leading British, Swiss merchants of M: tell me that the possibilities of trade tension in the Pailippines are larger than generally supposed. To show the division period of 16 months, 9 British houses paid in duties alone to the Custom House $3,365,000; five Swiss houses, $735,700 nine German houses $546,300. In other words British houses paid in duties nearly three times as auch a3 the, others combined. One British finn alone' paid duties of $752,000 while four others averaged over $100,000. In face of these figures it must be admitted that Great Britain has much at stake in the future of the Philippines. Summarising it might be suid that both imports and exports represent only what was done under the restrictive conditions of the old regime opposed to extension of progress, and hence there is no reason why under American control the variety and value should not be doubled in the near future. The bulk of the exports are made up of hemp, sugar, leaf tobacco, manufactured toba Copra, sipanvwood, coffee, together with gum mastic, indigo, mother of pearl, and numerous other lesser articles; the imports include mostly manufactured products like cotton piece goods and yarns of many varieties, hardware, fancy articles, gal forged and east iron, cutlery, earthenware, glassware, and machinery, along with coal, kerosene oil, flour, canned goods, and wines, and liquors anda lesser list ad infinitum.
PRODIGAL NATURE, Nature has certainly been prodigal in her provision for this Archipelago. Speaking from my own observations and travels not only in the chief cities and along the winding coast line of the group, but in the interior, and comparing what T have seen there with what it has been my experience to observe in extended travels in other parts of sid, I ai prepared to state and prove, questioned, that a richer isolated land, of group of islands, viewed comparatively as to area and population, variety of agricultural, mineral, and forest resources undeveloped, well as those already improved, cannot be found on this globe.
Quoting from an article on the subject which I wrote for Harper's Weekly, I said: "But itis not only I that say this, Every authority that I have consulted affirms this opinion or adds to its en 1 are not only old_and silver, but i coal; not only vast forests of sh house-building woods, but rarest for furnishing, finishing, and ornamenting not only great area given up to the cullivay tion of sugar, hemp, tobaceo, tice, corn, cocoa nut, spices, and coffee, but wide reaches of virgin soil untouched and waiting the hand of the pioneer, supported by an honest government. "There are one or two railways but there should be. score, There are a few lines of communication with the numberless islands large and small, but there should be systems of Jaunches and steamers by which every one of these garden spots could be reached and de-Yeloped. When I first visited the Philippines I was so impressed with the prodigality of nature that I made a list of resources that came under my observation. Of wood there are cedar, sapan-wood, iron wood, bamboo, ebony, log-wood, palma-brava, gum, and a wonderful variety of ordinary hard and soft woods. Cultivated or growing wild are to be found hemp, sugar cane, tobacco, rice, coffee, bananas, ginger, vanilla, cassis, pepper, indigo, pineapples, coeer, cacao, wheat, maize, rimie, cotton, as well as' tamarind, mangoes, durians, oranges, guavas, limes, citrons, inck fruit, custard apples, and all kinds of garden pro-duets." Of minerals aside from gold and silver, iron, and coal, already mentioned, there ure copper, quicksilver, tin, antimony, saltpetre, and sulphur. From the sea come coral, tortoise shell, amber, and pearls, Beds' of marble and deposits of gypsum are being worked to a small degree. Among the more useful animals are hardy ponies, indispensable water buffaloes, swine, cattle, goats, and a few sheep, with a long list of of trade, I can give a few interesting Ggures. wild fauna as varied as the flora which are indeed marvellous in both beauty and ty. Deer, wild boar, wild duck, pheasa snipe, pigeons, woodcock, afford sport all year round."
AREA, TERMATIC AND CLIMATE, 'A. conservative estimate of the aren of the Philippines is 115,000 square miles, or larger than Italy or Cores, of which the principal and most northerly island, Luzon, Comprises approximately 50,000, or nearly the same 3 Illinois in the United States, and Mindanao, the second and most southerly, covers about 30,000 square miles. Of the 1,000 or more islands that constitute this resourceful archipelago only about 25 are large and prominent, After Luzon and Mindanao the chief in order of importance are Panay, Negros, Cebu; Leyte, Samar Mindoro, Masbate, Bohol, Palawan, and Sulu (all'of which I call to you attention on the map). Aside from Manila the only other ports of any importance are Iloilo in Panay, Cebu in Cebu, and Zamboanga in Mindanao. The charmed terms of the Philippines which you would remember if you would assume the air of familiarity are, for islands, Luzon, Panay, Mindanao, and Sulu; for cities, Manila, Loilo, Cebu, and Zamboanga, Tfyot can tench your tongue to roll through these " few times you will pass for a Phil pine expert provided, however, you group with them passing references to hemp, woman, few incidental comments on pens tobacco, sugar, and coffee and, if you are
and jussi cloth.
But, seriously, if any of you ever seck to make a cruise through new waters that will equal or surpass in attractive water seenes and Janistapes the glories of the Tapanese or Corean Inland Seas and rival the most beautifial portions of the Mediterranean and coast of Norway, all the time reminding you that their shores form islands whose rolling uplands and well verdured mountains are everywhere interspersed with rich and fertile valleys, fit for the garden of Bien, bearing splendid crops and giving way here and there to more rugged portions where neral wealth abounds, go I say, to the jppines and slowly make your way from La to Zamboanga. I am painting you my words fail to do it justice. You etn false picture, I have seen it myself and
pardon my praise of the islands when I state thas comparing my observations of the interior of Luzon with that of Japan where [have also travelled extensively and off the beaten tracks, the advantage is in favor of Luzon, In fact nowhere in the United States or Europe is there an equal aren more varied in conformation, or more uniformly broken with lowland and upland, bot wooded and watered, more fertile and resourceful, more Sutited to support. a great population, and still more capable of development. With the opening of the interior soon to follow building of railways, starting of rice, sugar, hemp, and tobacco mills, digging of mines, and general exploitation' that must follow American occupation, the Philippines are sure to experience growth and progress second only to that of Japan, Of the climate I need only say that in the cities such as Manila it is much like Hongkong, Bangkok, and Calcutta except that Manita's location on the broad bay gives it adelightfal sweep of sen breezes. October, November, December, January, and February ire quite comfortable months and remind one of the Riviera. Most of these months are dry. March, April, and May are the hottest, while June, July, August, and September are the wettest when it often commences to rain from a blue sky and keeps at it ten days at a time. The two best months are December and January. Under American occupation there is no reason why, with broad benches at the seaside, large Jakes in the neighbouring interior, and high mountains forming ideal resorts, sanitariums, and summer stations, such as the English have in India, foreigners who reside in the Philippines as officials or business men should not live long and be happy. The dangers of the tropics
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.