to understand that they occupy a higher position than that formerly
accorded to the Chinese in this Colony (_vide_ Chinese, Chapter viii).

On my first visit to Manila alter the American occupation I was struck
to see Chinese in the streets wearing the pigtail down their backs,
and dressed in nicely-cut semi-European patrol-jacket costumes of cloth
or washing-stuffs, with straw or felt "trilby" hats. Now, too, they
mix freely among the whites in public places with an air of social
equality, and occupy stall seats in the theatre, which they would
not have dared to enter in pre-American times. The Chinese Chamber
of Commerce is also of recent foundation, and its status is so far
recognized by the Americans that it was invited to express an opinion
on the Internal Revenue Bill, already referred to, before it became
law. The number of Chinese in the whole Archipelago is estimated
at about 41,000. When an enterprising American introduced a large
number of jinrikishas, intending to establish that well-known system
of locomotion here, the Chinese Consulate very shortly put its veto
on the employment of Chinese runners. The few natives who ran them
became objects of ridicule. The first person who used a jinrikisha in
Manila, with Chinese in livery, was a European consul. Other whites,
unaccustomed to these vehicles, took to beating the runners--a thing
never seen or heard of in Japan or in colonies where they are used in
thousands. The natural result was that the 'rikisha man bolted and the
'rikisha tilted backwards, to the discomfort of the fool riding in
it. The attempted innovation failed, and the vehicles were sent out
of the Colony.

Apart from the labour question, if the Chinese were allowed a free
entry they would perpetuate the smartest pure Oriental mixed class
in the Islands. On the other hand, if their exclusion should remain
in force beyond the present generation it will have a marked adverse
effect on the activity of the people (_vide_ pp. 182, 411).

At the period of the American occupation the _Currency_ of the
Islands was the Mexican and Spanish-Philippine peso, of a value
constantly fluctuating between 49 and 37 cents. gold (_vide_ table
at p. 647). The shifty character of the silver basis created such an
uncertainty in trade and investment transactions that the Government
resolved to place the currency on a gold standard. Between January 1
and October 5, 1902, the Insular Treasury lost $956,750.37 1/2 from