The Bicol is spoken only in the two Camarines, Albay, Luzon, the islands of Masbate, Burias, Ticao, Catanduanes, and the smaller islands adjoin ing. Spanish has scarcely acquired a footing.
Mr. Crawfurd remarks that whether the prin cipal languages of the Philippines be separate and distinct tongues, or mere dialects of a common language, is a question not easy to determine. Certainly, he says, the phonetic character of the Tagala, the Bisaya, the Pampangan, and Iloco are, sound for sound or letter for letter, the same. It does not appear, from a comparison of the phonetic character and grammatical structure of the Tagala with those of Malay and Javanese, that there is any ground for fancying them to be one and the same language, or languages sprung from a common parent, and only diversified by the effects of time and distance ; and an examination of the Bisaya dictionary gives similar results. The great islands of Mindanao, Palawang, and the Sulu group of islets, forming the southern limits of the Philippine Archipelago, contain many nations and tribes, speaking many languages of which little has been published. Mr. Crawfurd, on the informa tion given by Mr. Dalrymple, informs us that even in the little group of the Sulu Islands a great many different languages are spoken ; and he gives a short specimen of 88 words of one of those most current.
The alphabet of the Tagala nation of the great island of Luzon or Luzonia consists of thirteen characters. It is the only one existing in the whole of this group, and seems at one time to have been used among the civilised tribes of the neighbouring islands, having spread even to Magindanan and Sulu. The forms of the letters are rather bold, and more complex than that of the Sumatran alphabets.
Spain has in all her conquests kept prominently before her the propagation of Christianity in the form embodied in her church. The Philippines therefore present a spectacle which contrasts strongly with the Dutch dependencies in the east. Spain appears in the Archipelago in her religious earnestness, her ecclesiastical assumption, and her gorgeous establishments. The natives of the Philippines have generally been converted and received into the Catholic Church. It is observed by Malte Brun, in his sketch of the inhabitants of the Philippines, that they are the only people in the Eastern Archipelago who have improved in civilisation from an intercourse with Europe. A commercial monopoly formed no part of the Spanish policy in that quarter of the world. No rich spices, no precious gums, no abundance of rare metals or drugs, were there to allure Spanish cupidity. The Spaniards nevertheless appear to have been guided in their plans of colonization— at least in the Indies—by a theory which nations still more great, and infinitely more free, might have adopted with advantage to themselves and to all humanity. They were not sordid monopolists ; they ruled less by terror, and more by moral influence and the persuasions of their priests ; and their power, not founded on the edge of the sword, was tolerable to the native race. They encouraged
settlements, they allowed freedom to traffic ; and though they levied unjust and-irksome taxes, their system has been productive, within its narrow sphere, of more good than that of other con querors in the Eastern Archipelago. That their commerce in tho further east never developed itself to any lustre or grandeur, is true, but it was because their monopoly was less rigid, not because their vigour was less manly, than that of the Dutch. Had Spain been more energetic, and still more liberal, her prosperity in the Eastern Archipelago might have rivalled that which she once enjoyed in the western world. The Tagala, who dwelt in tbo district round about Manilla, and are derived, according to their traditions, from tho Malays, have submitted thoroughly to their rule, and become the servants of strangers. The Zebuans appeared firm in the defence of their independence, but were driven from their position by a body of men landed in good order from the ships.
The Philippine Islands have 21 species of mammals and 288 species of birds. The large and curious Idea leueonoe, with its semi-transparent white wings veined and spotted with black, is copied by the rare Papilio idreoides from the same islands. The sileucao is a logwood of an excellent quality. They have also the braziletto, another dye-wood; the eagle-wood, narra, a species of red ebony striped ; the tindal-wood, all red ; the sandal wood ; the pangasinang fir, the mo]ave, an incor ruptible wood, the guijo, excellent for shipbuilding, as well as the banava, calantes, or Philippine cedar, the sagovan, red and white, mary-wood, for small masts, spars, etc., the manga-chapuy betis, dasag, dungol, ealumpan, and many others.
Rice is largely used as food, and, as in other countries where it is grown, there are many varieties. Manilla hemp, from the Musa textilis, has acquired a high character in Europe ; 25,000 tons were shipped in 1858 from Manilla alone, of which Great Britain received one-fourth. In 1877 to 1879 the quantities of it and values re ceived by Britain from the Philippines were as under :— Cwt. Value. Cwt. Value.
1877, 332,304 £488,069 1879, 337,687 £434,037 1878, 421,160 551,856 In 1879, the value of the sugar, hemp, and tobacco exported was twelve millions of dollars. Coal occurs in the island of Zebu.
Gold is found in the mountains and in alluvial deposits, abounds in Luzon and in many of the other islands ; but in the mountains the mines are not worked, indeed it may be said they are scarcely known. The wild races collect it in the brooks and streamlets. The natives of the pro vince of Camarines in Luzon partly devote them selves to the working of the mines of Mambulao and Poracale, which have the reputation of being very rich.—Mr. Rich, Botanist to the United Stales Exploring Expedition ; Lubbock's Orig. of Civ.; Marryat's Indian Archipelago ; Wallace, ii. p. 218 ; Quarterly Review, No. 222 ; Walton's State ; Earl, Papuans ; St. John's Indian Archipelago ; Crawfurd's Malay Gram. and Diet.; China, Japan, and Philippines Chronicle and Directory.