ry; they weave
matting of extraordinary fineness and of the brightest
colors, straw hats, cigar cases and brackets; they
manufacture cloth and tissues of every sort from cotton,
silk, and abaca; they, from filaments taken from the leaves
of the _etuana_, make cambric of a texture much finer than
that of France; and they also manufacture coarse strong
cloth for sails, and ropes and cables of all dimensions;
they tan and dress leather and skins to perfection; they
manufacture coarse earthen ware, and forge and polish arms
of various kinds; they build ships of heavy tonnage, and
also light and neat boats; and at Manilla they frame and
finish-off beautiful carriages; they are also very clever
workers in gold, silver, and copper; and the Indian women
are specially expert in needlework, and in all kinds of
embroidery.

"The island of Luzon is the largest of the Philippines, and
extends from north to south for the length of about six
degrees. It is divided throughout its whole extent by a
chain of mountains, which in general owe their formation to
volcanic eruptions. In the provinces of Laguna and Batangas
there is the high mountain called Maijai, one of the
loftiest in Luzon, which is beyond doubt an ancient crater;
on the summit a little lake is found, the depth of which
cannot be measured. At some period the lava that then flowed
from the summit towards the base, in the neighborhood of the
town of Nacarlan, covered up immense cavities, which are now
recognizable by the sonorous noise of the ground for a great
extent; and sometimes it happens that, in consequence of an
inundation or an earthquake, this volcanic crust is in some
places broken, and exposes to the view enormous caverns,
which the Indians call 'the mouths of hell.' In the district
about the town of San Pablo, which is situated on the
mountain, are found great numbers of little circular lakes
and immense heaps of rotten stones, basalt, and different
descriptions of lava, which show that all these lakes are
nothing else than the craters of old volcanoes. Altogether
the soil to the southward, in the province of Albai, is
completely volcanic, and the frequent eruptions of the
volcano bearing that name may, as the natives say, be
attributed to the same cause as the e