"In going to the city we have to pass through Manila Bay, which is
really a sea of itself; and, though it is land-locked, it affords little
if any protection for vessels in heavy weather, for it is about thirty
miles long from north to south, and twenty-five from east to west. A
west or south-west wind rakes it about the same as the ocean.

"The city forms a circle, with a piece of it cut off on the bay; and the
suburbs are on several islands in the river and bay. To keep a clear
channel, the Pasig is extended into the bay between two piers, with a
fort at the end of one, and a lighthouse at the end of the other. The
anchorage in the bay is good enough so far as holding ground is
concerned, except in the south-west monsoon, when vessels of four
hundred tons or more have to go to Cavite, ten miles south south-west
from the city; and their cargo must be taken to and from them in
lighters.

"The oldest part of Manila is on the southern bank of the Pasig, and is
strongly fortified; but it has a dilapidated look, for it was founded in
1571. On the north side of the river is the Binondo suburb, as it is
called, which is more populous than the old part. The foreign merchants
live here, and it is the more important commercial centre. You would
hardly know, if you waked from a sleep there, whether you were in a
Spanish or an Oriental city, for you would see something of both.
Gloomy-looking churches, awkward towers, and heavily built stone houses
are mixed up with pleasant cottages in groves of tropical trees. I
believe the people are now inclined to build more of wood than stone on
account of the prevalence of earthquakes, which shake down the heavier
structures, and crush the occupants under the weight of the material.

"As in Burma and Siam, the cottages I mentioned are built on posts; for
the land is sometimes inundated, and the water requires a free passage,
or it would do more mischief. In the month of August, nearly two feet of
water falls on a level; and it makes bad work in the low places. The
streets are wide and not paved; and in the rainy season, with a foot or
two of water lying loose around, they become very nearly impassable. The
houses are built in Spanish fashion, with a central court-yard. They are
generally two stories high; for in an earthquaky country like this,
where terra firma becomes terra shaky, the people are not encouraged to
erect buildings twenty stories high, as in New York and Chicago.

"An ir