The Inhabitants of the Philippines Part 63

The ports of Legaspi, Tacloban and Leyte, were opened to foreign commerce.

November 14, 1873, violent earthquake in Manila. Eruption of the Mayon volcano, from 15th June to 23rd July.

1874. Manuel Blanco Valderrama, being acting governor-general, fighting took place in Balabac, where the Spanish garrison was surprised by the Moros. Jose Malcampo y Monge, a rear-admiral, took over the government of the islands, and, during his administration, the news of the proclamation of Alfonso XII, as King of Spain was received, and gave great satisfaction in Manila, which had never taken to the Republican Government in Spain.

Malcampo led a strong expedition, consisting of 9000 men, against the Moros, and took Jolo by a.s.sault, after bombarding the Cottas by the ships' guns. At the end of his time, the regiment of Peninsular Artillery had become demoralised, and its discipline very lax. Finally, the soldiers refused to obey their officers, and broke out of barracks.

Two of them were shot dead by the officer of the guard at the barrack-gate, Captain Brull, but the affair was hushed up, and no one was punished. Discipline was quite lost.

1877. Great devastation by locusts in province of Batangas. Domingo Moriones y Murillo arrived, and took over the government on 28th February. His first act was to shoot a number of the Spanish mutineers, put others in prison, and send back fifty to Spain in the same vessel with Malcampo. This incident is related in greater detail in Chapter III. The Treasury was in the greatest poverty, and the poor natives of Cagayan obliged to cultivate tobacco and deliver it to the government officials, had not been paid for it for two or three years, and were actually starving. Moriones did what he could for them, and strongly insisted on the abolition of the "estanco."

To this worthy governor, Manila and the Philippines owe much. He insisted on the legacy of Carriedo being employed for the object it was left for, instead of remaining in the hands of corrupt officials.

He also made good regulations against rogues and vagabonds.

1879. Nov. 8th. Violent typhoon pa.s.sed over Manila, doing much damage.

July 1st. Commencement of earthquakes in Surigao (Mindanao), which lasted over two months.

1880. Fernando Primo de Rivera became Governor-General, 15th April.

On July 14th, a violent earthquake took place, doing enormous damage in the city of Manila and the central provinces of Luzon. The seismic disturbance lasted till the 25th July. The inhabitants of Manila were panic-stricken, and took refuge in the native nipa houses.

General Primo de Rivera made an expedition against the Igorrotes, and the vile treatment the soldiers meted out to the Igorrote women has delayed for years the conversion of those tribes.

1881. Eruption of the Mayon volcano, which began on July 6th, and lasted till the middle of 1882.

At times there were loud subterranean noises, after which the flow of lava usually increased.

1882. Dreadful epidemic of cholera which, in less than three months, carried off 30,000 victims in the city and province of Manila. In the height of the epidemic the deaths reached a thousand a day. The victims were mostly natives, but many Spaniards died of the disease. Only one Englishman died, and this was from his own imprudence. A typhoon pa.s.sed over Manila on October 20th, and caused great damage on sh.o.r.e and afloat. Twelve large ships and a steamer were driven on sh.o.r.e, or very seriously damaged.

On November 5th, another typhoon, not quite so violent as the first, took place. After this, the cholera almost entirely stopped. On December 31st, another typhoon occurred.

1883. Joaquin Jovellar y Soler, captain-general in the army, and the pacificator of Cuba, a.s.sumed the government 7th April, and was received with great show of satisfaction by the Spaniards.

The old tribute of the natives was replaced by the tax on the Cedulas-personales.

During his time there were threats of insurrection, and additional Peninsular troops were sent out. He resigned from ill-health 1st April, 1885.

October 28th. Typhoon pa.s.sed over Manila.

1885. Emilio Terrero y Perinat a.s.sumed the government of the islands on April 4th.

He conducted successful expeditions against the Moros of Mindanao and Jolo.

In the month of May, during the great heat, the River Pasig was covered with green sc.u.m from the lake. The water was charged with gas, the fish and cray-fish died, and the stench was overpowering, even at a couple of miles distance from the river.

A huge waterspout was formed in the bay, and pa.s.sed inland.

November. Death of King Alfonso XII., and mourning ceremonies in all the islands.

October 2nd. Eruption of the Taal volcano.

1886. 5th March. Separation of the executive and judicial powers. Appointment of eighteen civil governors instead of alcaldes--mayores of provinces. Very great inconvenience occurred through the delay in sending out the Judges of First Instance, and the duties were, in some cases, temporarily performed by ignorant persons devoid of any legal training.

11 P.M., 2nd April, an enormous flaming meteor traversed the sky, travelling from E. to W., and when about the zenith it split into two with a loud explosion, the pieces diverging at an angle of perhaps 45; they fell, apparently, at a great distance, producing a violent concussion like a sharp shock of earthquake.

24th April. Attack by bandits on the village of Montalban. Two of them were killed by the Guardia Civil.

8th July. Eruption of the Mayon volcano in Albay. It continued to discharge ashes and lava, bursting out into greater violence at times till the middle of March, 1887.

March 19th. Don German Gamazo, Minister for the Colonies, lays before the Queen-Regent, for her approbation, the project of the General Exhibition of the Philippines, to be held in Madrid in 1887. In it he says:--

"By this we shall bring about that the great sums of money which are sent from the metropolis to purchase in foreign countries cotton, sugar, cacao, tobacco, and other products, will go to our possessions in Oceania, where foreign merchants buy them up, with evident damage to the material interests of the country."

When it is considered that the freight from Manila to Barcelona in the subsidised Spanish Royal Mail steamers was considerably higher than that charged in the same steamers to Liverpool, that enormous duties were charged in Spain on sugar and hemp, which enter British ports duty free, and that British capital was advanced to the cultivators to raise these very crops, the idiotic absurdity and contemptible hypocrisy of such a statement may be faintly realised by the reader.

In May the mud of the Pasig became permeated with bubbles of gas, and floated to the surface. On May 23rd, the writer witnessed several violent explosions of fetid gas smelling like sulphuretted hydrogen from the mud of the Pasig at Santa Ana.

June 7th. Triple murder committed at Canacao by a Tagal from jealousy.

20th May. Three days' holiday and public rejoicings ordered in honour of the birth of the King of Spain (Alfonso XIII.).

1887. January 3rd. Troops embarked in Manila for the expedition against the Moros of Mindanao under General Terrero.

March 5th. The United States warship Brooklyn arrived in Manila.

July 14th. The Penal Code put in force in the Philippines.

December 3rd. The Civil Code put in force in the Philippines.

1888. March 1st. A pet.i.tion is presented to the Acting Civil Governor of Manila by the Gobernadorcillo and Princ.i.p.ales of Santa Cruz, praying for the expulsion of the religious orders and of the Archbishop, the secularization of all benefices, and the confiscation of the estates of the Augustinians and Dominicans. See Chapter VI.

December 15th. Violent eruption of Mayon volcano with subterranean noises, storms, thunder and lightning. Don Valeriano Weyler, Marques de Tenerife, became governor-general.

1890. Agrarian disturbances occurred at Calamba and Santa Rosa between the tenants on the Dominicans' estates and the lay brother in charge. During this year there was a great increase of secret societies. A woman admitted as a mason. A woman's lodge established. See Chapter IX.

February 21st. Violent eruption of the Mayon.

February 24th. Several explosions occurred at the summit, discharging showers of white-hot bombs. About 100 metres of the top toppled over. Many of the inhabitants of the neighbouring towns fled to a distance.

1891. Don Emilio Despujols, Conde de Caspe, became governor-general. See Chapter III.

1893. Doroteo Cortes banished to the Province of La Union, other malcontents banished to different localities.

October 3rd. Eruption of the Mayon and explosion of volcanic bombs. Loud subterranean noises and deafening thunder.

A vast column of smoke ascended to the sky, from which proceeded violet-coloured lightning.