TILE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, CHINA AND MOROCCO. * " THE mighty a
tide of tendency,' says Sir John Bowring,' is giving more and more importance to the oriental world." To • A Visit to the Philippine Islands. By Sir John Bowring, LL.D.,•F.R.S., late Governor of Hongkong, H. B. M.'s Plenipotentiary in China, &c. Published by Smith, Elder, and Co.
Piettsres of the Chinese. _Drawn by themselves. Described by Reverend R. H. Cobbold, M.A., Rector of Brosely, Salop, late Archdeacon of Ningpo. Published by John Murray. Travels in Morocco. By the late James B,ichaidson, &c. Edited by his Widow. In two volumes. Published by Skeet..
aid the eastward flow of this tide, by siontributing. to (mil ledge of the resources of an insular fraction of this gio significant moiety of our planet is we suppose the object
her Majesty's late Plenipotentiary in China proposes to himself in the publication of A Visit to the Philippine Islands. "Tlltless
and the despotism" of the doctors were the Proximate eauees.,ef Sir John Bowring's sea voyage. The relations of China with the Spanish Eastern Archipelago and the nascent commercial liberal- ism of the Spaniards, induced him to select the Philippine Islands as an appropriate subject of inquiry. Accepting the friendly offer of Sir Michael Seymour, the naval commander-in-chief, who placed her Majesty's ship Magicienne at his disposal. Sir Jelin left Hongkong on the 29th of November, 1858. After a rough passage through the tempestuous China Seas, on the fifth day, he " sighted the lighthouse at the entrance of the magnificent har- bour of Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands, with its fort and garrison, its cathedral and its palace, each of the latter buildings occupying a side of a. square in the fortress, whose centre was adorned with flowers of remarkable splendour and beauty, and leaves of all colours from the brightest yellow to the deepest green." From Manila he proceeded to La taguna and Tayabas, and finally inspected the new ports of Iloilo, Sue, and Zamboango. The Philippines, according to an accepted-geological theory, are the scattered fragments of a vast primitive continent. The extent of the Archipelago is about 300 leagues from North to South and 180 leagues from East to West. It is composed of innumerable islands; it is traversed by a range of mountains it is partially
fertilized by the inundation of large lakes. The climate of the Philippines is described in a Spanish proverb as " six months of dust, six months of mud,six months of everything;" In general, however, the rainy season lasts one-half and the dry season the other half of the year. The Archipelago is subject to hurricanes; and earthquakes are nowhere more remarkable than in this i group of islands. Sir John celebrates the woeful serenity and magnificent beauty of the primaeval forests, with " nothing to dis- turb the silence, but the hum of insects, the song of birds, the noises of wild animals, the rustling of the leaves and the fall of decayed branches; where creeping plants wander from tree to tree and lovely orchids hang themselves from trunks and boughs." Three hundred and forty veers have elapsed, since the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand de Magalhms or Magellanes passed the straits that bear his name: discovered the Ma- riana Islands ; took part with the King of Zebu in his military enterprises and died of his wounds which he received in battle. Two other expeditions were subsequently commissioned "to pro- secute the discoveries of which Magalbs had had the initiative." Ultimately Villabos reached the Archipelago and gave to the islands the name they now bear " in honour of the Prince of As- tuiias, afterwards Philip II." A fifth expedition was required to conquer, pacify, and people, the islands. Manila was founded in 1581. Its population including that of the suburbs is about 150,000. Next to the Government of Cuba that of the Philippine Archipelago is the most important and lucrative post which the Cabinet of Madrid has to bestow. The Administration has for its head and chief a captain and governor-general who resides in Manila : under him is a lieutenant-governor' and under him pro- vincial governors with subordinate assistants.
The Christian population of the Philippines'has been estimated at 3,560,000; its entire population at 4,000,000. According to M. Mallat, however, it amounted in 1846 to 7,000,000. The mixed races form a numerous portion of the Felipinos. The Ladino races are not in general distinguished for intellectual superiority. They are superstitious, credulous, fond of • gaming, addicted to cock-fighting. In most localities there are more cocks than human inhabitants. These cocks are the chief objects of the Indian's solicitude. They are their constant companions : at- tending them even to the church-door. For their service they seem principally to live, The "Negritos" are said to be the original inhabitants of the islands. The Indies who resemble the Malays, invaded the islands and obliged them to retire into the wilder districts. A dexterous and prehensile foot characterizes the more savage races. Though they have a pantheon of gods and goddesses, they baVe neither temple nor ritual. They believe in omens; invoke Cansbunian (God,) the moon, and the stars; " sacrifice a pig to pacify the Deity when it thunders, and adore the rainbow after a storm." Among the converted' Indians a kind of worship of ancestors still prevails. "If an Indian gather a flower, he silently asks leave of the nono or forefather." Woods and rivers are sacred to these departed genii, and are never passed without invocation of the dead. The ancient Indian name for God was Bathala. To Bathala was attributed the creation of the world. There is also a god of the harvest, of the fisherman, of the huntsman, and a. "native devil in the shape of a little black old man, a wild horse, or monster."
The particular interest felt in the state of the Philippines by foreign nations is of a commercial character. Though disagreeing with M. Moist, who says—" Manila might easily become the centre of the exports and. imports of the entire globe," Sir John Bowring is yet of opinion that "the Spanish Archipelago might be much elevated in value and influence." Sir John complains of the present system of requiring permits for cargo boats ; Of monopolies ; prohibitions and heavy differential duties; and hid- mates that if the Spanish authorities had the courage to utter the magic words, "Laissez faire, laissez passer," the prosperity of the
Alffil4ritO *Add be insured. " The natural riches of the ciltintri;" es4s Id. Marcaida, " are incalculable." Among these resources he:enumerates tracts of fertile soil, rivers, streams,. and lakes ; mountains of mineral, metals, and marbles; valuable timber forests, gums, roots, dyes, and fruits ; guita-percha, caoutchouc, gum-lac, gamboge, &o. The same intelligent mer- chant of iianila applauds the docility and imitative virtues of the natives ; and though he pronounces them wanting in fore- thought, he considers them incomparably superior to any Asiatic or African race subjected to European authority.
The Philippine islands are favourite places of resort to the migratory Chinese. Whole streets of Manila are occupied by them ; thousands upon thousands arrive and depart to be succeeded by, others of their race. The women of China refuse to accompany these male birds of passage. Yet so numerous is this flying immigration of Chinamen, that they have obtained almost a monopoly of the retail trade in the Philippines. For instance, of 784 shoemakers in the capital, 633 are natives of the Celestial Empire.
Commending Sir John. Bowring's account of his visit as both informing and entertaining, we avail ourselves of the last topic briefly to notice Mr. Cobbold's Pictures of the Chinese Drawn by themselves.
The unpretending little volume which this gentleman offers to the public, after a residence of eight years among the Chinese at the port of Ningpo, is made up in part of pen and ink etchings by a native artist, of wood-cuts, and of letter press descriptions, very well written, by the responsible author of the book. This attempt to introduce us to the Chinese at home is in our opinion entitled to a literary ovation. In accompanying Mr. Cobbold we really penetrate into the interior of the domestic life of this in- genious people. From the quack toothache curer, with whom the panorama opens to the brazier with whom it closes, we are amused and instructed by a succession of professional personages, no fewer than thirty in number. There is the street singer who strikes her flower gong and leads a merry dissipated life. There is the physician who does not " know what is inside a man : " the small boy at the barley-sugar stall, with " two little tufts of hair bound up into a soft horn and ornamented with a piece of crimson silk ; ' the Buddhist priest, whose province is to beg ; his Monist rival, who believes that all things were made by Taon (the word), and that nothing was made that was not made by it ; the wine-carrier with his dry sherry or cape provocative of appe- tite ; the lantern-seller, " with his light yet enormously long and cumbrous burden ; " the tailor, who " is the greatest sinner in the world ; " the cobbler, who goes from street to street with his annunciatory rattle ; the needle-maker, the florist, the barber, the water-carrier, and many others. The etchings are asserted to be faithful representations of the Northern Chinese. In our judg- ment they are many of them very clever, exceedingly character- istic, and producing with great accuracy in artistic outline very admirable esthetic results. Perhaps the " florist," the " stone- squarers," the " scavenger" (No. 2), and the " water-carriers," are among the most successful of the etchings. The book derives i an added interest from its various illustrative wood-cuts, among which we may specify the one entitled " Chinese gentleman and servant," and the " funeral procession," as the most meritorious. If the Chinese connect us with the Philippine Islands the Phi- lippines connect us with. Spain, and under the existing political aspects the transition to Morocco seems natural enough. Mr. Richardson's travels in that country, though neither for compo- sition nor philosophical remark entitled to much consideration are yet not without significance in the present emergency. Cap- tain Cave, in a short introduction, testifies to the value of " the information imparted to us by the lamented" author, and adds some observations of his own on the actual state of affairs in that part of the African continent. The superficial extent of the empire of Morocco comprises 219,420 square miles ; the population is estimated at about eight millions, a large proportion of which is military and predaceous. The regular army consists of less than 30,000 men ; but every Arab is an expert horseman and the Berbers make good foot soldiers. In fact, the Emperor has but to raise the " Standard of the Holy War for a vast though undisciplined army to rally round it." Captain Cave regards Moroecco as more hostile to the Euro- pean than China. He thinks that should the present action of France and Spain not result in conquest, that toleration ought to be forced upon the Moors and European capital and labour al- lowed a free development throughout their empire.
Barbary possesses an excellent soil and climate ; vast mineral wealth ; plains that produce corn, rice, and indigo ; forests of cedar, ilex, cork, and olive trees ; antelopes, bears, and a good breed of horses. If we rightly understand Captain Cave, he calls for a Crusade against the Moors. "A race whose religion teaches them to regard us as dogs," should, he thinks, be-hunted out of the fair lands they occupy and forced back into their ancestral deserts. Mr. Richardson appears to have had faith in a less drastic policy. In Morocco he laboured to advance the amelioration of its strange inhabitants and to introduce a legitimate commerce, with the ulterior views of suppressing the slave-trade and diffusine° Chris- tianity. He died, his widow informs us, at Boutnou, in Central Africa., whither he was sent by her dajesty's Government, to enter into treaties with the chiefs of the surrounding districts. In the two volumes of his travels edited by Mrs. Richardson, who accompanied her husband to Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, the author gives an account of the policy ef Morocco, and the diplo- matic intercourse of the court with England; describes the man- ners and customs of the Moors and the resident Jews (500,000) ; characterizes the position of the French Consuls " who have real power and influence with the Government; " and enlarges on the fidelity and bravery of the Negro soldiers. The geography, the climate, the soil, the political divisions, the towns and cities on the Maroquine coasts and the capitals of the empire, are noticed at considerable length. Mr. Richardson visited. El-Jereed, the country of dates, with its hard soil and beautiful palm-trees ; Toser the Tisurns of ancient geography, with its brick huts, beautiful gardens, and blue doves ; saw the poetic oasis of Nefta, with its oranges and lemons ; and had a splendid view of the Sahara, with its imaginary water and illusory shores, inlets bays, and islands. He finally embarked for England from Mogador ; a narrative of the French bombardment of which port in 1844, with brief statistical notices of the commerce with Morocco forms the Appendix with which the work concludes.
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