History of the Philippine Islands (Vol. 1&2). Joaquín Martínez De Zúñiga
in quitting these islands, left a greater population than they found in the year 1738; and the Franciscans report that that has increased progressively since. It is certain the population does increase, as is clearly shewn by the lists of the casts. Indeed the inhabitants of the Philippines have doubled every century; and I believe it is the case with all the population of America, although foreigners charge us, with occasioning the diminution of the Indian population, by our oppressive and bad management, quoting our own historians in support of the charge. It ought to be recollected, however, that by these, the number of inhabitants which the Spaniards found on their arrival, is considerably exaggerated, whenever they are desirous of giving additional splendor to the actions of the heroes they celebrate; and, on the contrary, when it is their object to detract, they draw a very opposite picture, and, attempting to diminish their numbers, assert that their diminution is the consequence of oppression. From the amount of the tributes, however, referred to by these historians, and levied at different times, the evident conclusion is, that the Spaniards did not find the tenth part of the inhabitants, which are now in existence.
The geographical description of the Philippines is, that they are in the torrid zone, between five and nineteen degrees of northern latitude; the sun twice passes its zenith, and produces those vapours which, descending in copious showers, and being again absorbed by the earth, form fountains, hot springs, and large lakes. This rainy or wet season lasts while we have the Sun to the north, that is, from about May till September, and at times till the beginning of December, from which latter period till May there is continual spring. The regular winds are the north, the east, and the south-west, and they each prevail between three and four months at a time, the change of one wind for another, being attended with violent storms of thunder, lightning, and, at times, whirlwinds. Indeed these storms are complete hurricanes, which run all round the compass in less than twenty-four hours, tearing up trees by the roots, and laying waste the whole country. These are so frequent, that we may justly complain, considering our proximity to the line, of the want of sufficient solar influence, to render the climate of these islands more agreeable. It cannot be said that we have oppressive heat in the Philippines3; there reigns throughout the greater part of the year, a most beautiful spring, and if the atmosphere were less moist, it would be the most delicious climate in the world. To this moist atmosphere, and moderately warm temperature, is joined of course a great fertility. The trees are always covered with leaves, and the soil with vegetation. The harvests of rice are most abundant; the plants shoot up with great beauty immediately, but the luxuriance of the soil renders it necessary, continually to clear away the weeds, which harbour many insects of a destructive kind, and others so dangerous as to diminish greatly the comforts and enjoyments of a country, which, in point of fertility, returns one hundred fold of rice, the common food of the Indians.
Rice is the principal production of these islands, and it was cultivated to much greater extent before the Spaniards arrived here4. They have likewise some pulse, as mongos, patani, kidney-beans, and millet. The inhabitants breed up, under the same roof with themselves, pigs, fowls, ducks, goats, and even buffaloes. In the mountains there are many deer, and the woods and fields produce all sorts of pigeons, small birds, quails, a species of partridge; woodcocks, &c. Few are disposed to indulge themselves in this latter kind of sporting; they apply themselves ardently to hunting the deer, to which they are particularly partial. The sea abounds with very rich fish, such as the pargo, the eel, the sole, the pampano, the mojarra, the garropa, the shad, the tunny, the corvina, the tanguingui, and an infinite number of others, caught either with hooks or common nets, and likewise with a species of net very much used in these rivers, and even out at sea, so constructed that the fish may enter, but are unable to escape5.
In this occupation the inhabitants of these islands take more delight than in any thing else, as it is a pursuit which at once indulges their indolent habits, and gratifies their partiality to fish in preference to animal food. Throughout the country are found many other productions, contributing to the support of life, and which, though not so relishing as those enumerated above, are probably better suited to their relaxed habits; and the pith of the palm, shoots of the sugar-cane, green withs, and other succulent productions, serve for food to those, who have no desire to labour for their subsistence. They cultivate the bread-fruit, beans, the cacauate, &c. and they pay particular attention to the palm tree, from which they procure both a spirit and an oil, together with a sweet-meat, which they call chancaca. There are few fruit-trees, and those are bad, with the exception of the plantain, of which there is a great variety, and all excellent and fine flavoured, and the orange, of which there are two kinds. The mango, a very rich fruit, it is imagined, the Spaniards imported from the coast of South America. We finish our enumeration with the cultivation of a species of the palm tree, which bears a very hard, little fruit of the form of a green nut. This being cut, a highly scented kernel, or eye, is found enclosed, which is called Itmo. This is laid in lime, to make what they call Buyo, which being chewed, produces a red saliva, together with a disorder in the mouth, to which they are so habituated, that they are uneasy when without it. This custom prevails generally, and even many Spaniards adopt it with great avidity. There are in this country mines of iron and gold, but of little value, either from the indolence of the natives, or the insignificance of these objects to the Spaniards, affording too little profit in their commerce with Acapulco to deserve attention. Gold is likewise, by washing, separated from the sand, which the waters bring down from the mountains.
In Paracale they work the mines in the same manner as they do in New Spain, but the natives are so addicted to sloth, it is not possible to render them so productive as those of South America. In the mountains there is excellent timber for building ships or houses, and the canes are of an immense size, very long, and as thick as a man's thigh; of these latter the Indians construct their houses, covering them with the leaf of the palm. They raise cotton for clothing, which they dye various colours with logwood, indigo, and the achiote, a large tree, whose seed is used for that purpose. There is great abundance of wax and wild honey, amber, pearls, mother of pearl, marble, tar, brimstone, and many other objects of less value in a commercial point of view.
To these productions the Spaniards have added horses and horned cattle, which have multiplied so much that they are to be found in the mountains without an owner, and where those that want may supply their wants at pleasure. They likewise introduced sheep, geese, grapes, figs, wheat, pepper, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tobacco, and various species of plants, which thrive so well, and produce so much, that the Indian, with all his sloth, acknowledges the utility of cultivating them.
There are, in these islands, some natural curiosities deserving particular notice, such as the paxarillo, a species of small swallow, which forms its nest chiefly of the froth of the sea6, and which is held in such estimation by the Chinese, as a principal dish at their table, that they purchase it at any price.
The Balate is a species of sea worm, which, likewise, is sold in China at a high price. The Siguey, is a small shining shell7, which forms the current money of the Malays. The Tabon, is a bird, which lays eggs similar to those of the turkey, burying them very deep in the sand on the sea shore, and when hatched by the heat of the sun, it tears away the sand that covers them, and the young come out. The Caiman, is a species of crocodile; a large and uncouth animal, the more curious in this respect, that it is produced from an egg, of the same size as that of the duck. The Chacon, is a lizard, which takes up its abode in the houses, and repeatedly articulates clearly the word toco. The Calo, is a bird, which has a kind of hollow shell in his head, and crows, at certain hours of the day, the same as the cock. The Taclobo, is a large species of the oyster, the shell of which will hold a pitcher of water; indeed they are used as vessels for holy water in the churches. Our historians mention many curiosities even more rare than these, but I do not enumerate them, as they seem to have been ill informed on the subject, and I fear with good reason, having been too much under the influence of the marvellous, they have given credit to the Indians, who are always desirous of distinguishing themselves by the relation of something very uncommon.
With all these productions, the Indians formed a species of commerce, or barter, among each other, still considering gold as the representative of general value, or medium of exchange; they were likewise in the habit of trading with the Chinese, and with the Moors of Borneo, for flag-stones, copper, articles of furniture,