m leaves.

We anchored late in the afternoon, and were boarded by a Spanish
military officer, who, to judge by certain signs and peculiarities, had
been imbibing something stronger than water. The captain and some of
the officers went on shore, to call upon the governor. The governor's
house was distinguished by a flag-staff, with the Spanish colours, or,
rather, a remnant of the Spanish colours; and around the door stood a
group of most indifferently clad Luzonian soldiers, turned out, we
presumed, as a guard of honour. The governor was as much in dishabille
as his troops, and shortly afterwards the party was joined by two
priests and the governor's wife, a very pretty Creole, about twenty
years of age. We were regaled with wine and chocolate, and parted late
in the evening, on very friendly terms. The governor's house is a
miserable abode: it has but one story, and the basement is a barrack for
the soldiers. The upper part, inhabited by the governor, was very
scantily furnished: a few old chairs, a couple of tables, and the walls
whitewashed and decorated with prints of the Virgin Mary and his
excellency's patron saint. The house of the priests, which adjoined the
cathedral, was in much better repair, and more gaudy in the inside.

There are three missions in Batan, each settlement having its cathedral
and officiating priests. The natives, who are a distinct race, are
well-proportioned, of a copper colour, and medium stature. They are very
ugly: their hair is black, and cut short. Their usual dress consists of
a piece of cotton, passed round the loins, and a peculiar-looking
conical hat, surmounted with a tuft of goat's hair. In rainy weather
they wear a cloak of rushes, through which the water cannot penetrate.
The sole covering of the women is a piece of cotton, fastened below the
bosom, and reaching down to the knee. Almost the whole of the Bashee
group of islands are very mountainous. At the back of San Domingo the
land rises to a great height, forming a remarkable peak, which can be
seen many leagues distant. Bullocks, goats, pigs, and vegetables, can be
obtained at a very moderate price; but very little fruit is grown, the
natives usually preferring to cultivate yams, cocoas, and sweet
potatoes. The sugar-cane is cultivated, and the tobacco grown here is
considered, with great justice, far superior to any grown at Luzon.
After a week's stay at San Domingo we ran down to Ivana, one of the
missions, and made a ro