rticles of dress than those I
had on--a white jacket, trousers, and striped shirt. A sudden thought
crossed my mind: what if I were to remain at Manilla, and practise my
profession? Young and inexperienced, I ventured to think myself the
cleverest physician in the Philippine Islands. Who has not felt this
self-confidence so natural to youth? I turned my back upon the ship,
and walked briskly into Manilla.

Before continuing this recital, let me describe the capital of the
Philippines.

CHAPTER II.

Description of Manilla--The two Towns--Gaiety of
Binondoc--Dances--Gaming--Beauty of the Women--Their Fascinating
Costume--Male Costume--The Military Town--Personal Adventures--My
First Patient--His Generous Confidence--Commencement of my
Practice--The Artificial Eye--Brilliant Success--The Charming
Widow--Auspicious Introduction--My Marriage--Treachery and Fate
of Iturbide--Our Loss of Fortune--Return to France postponed.

Manilla and its suburbs contain a population of about one hundred and
fifty thousand souls, of which Spaniards and Creoles hardly constitute
the tenth part; the remainder is composed of Tagalocs, or Indians,
Metis, and Chinese. The city is divided into two sections--the military
and the mercantile--the latter of which is the suburb. The former,
surrounded by lofty walls, is bounded by the sea on one side, and
upon another by an extensive plain, where the troops are exercised,
and where of an evening the indolent Creoles, lazily extended
in their carriages, repair to exhibit their elegant dresses and
to inhale the sea-breezes. This public promenade--where intrepid
horsemen and horsewomen, and European vehicles, cross each other in
every direction--may be styled the Champs-Elysees, or the Hyde Park,
of the Indian Archipelago. On a third side, the military town is
separated from the trading town by the river Pasig, upon which are
seen all the day boats laden with merchandize, and charming gondolas
conveying idlers to different parts of the suburbs, or to visit the
ships in the bay.

The military town communicates by the bridge of Binondoc with the
mercantile town, inhabited principally by the Spaniards engaged in
public affairs; its aspect is dull and monotonous; all the streets,
perfectly straight, are bordered by wide granite footpaths. In general,
the highways are macadamised, and kept in good condition. Such is
the effeminacy of the people, they could not end