Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/432

 418 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS PHILIPPOTEAUX Luzon is subject to typhoons, which blow be- tween May and December and last from six to eight hours, often causing great destruction to the shipping and property on shore. The ag- ricultural products of the Philippines include sugar, indigo, tobacco, rice, millet, maize, sago, hemp, and coffee. Tobacco thrives, and forms a staple export in the shape of Manila cigars. Kice is widely cultivated, and forms the princi- pal article of food of the bulk of the popula- tion. Fruits and vegetables introduced from more temperate regions grow well. The trees with which many of the mountains are cov- ered furnish various kinds of valuable timber, as well as dye woods and gums. Among the animals are strong buffaloes, which are caught and trained when young, and used as beasts of burden and for all purposes of tillage and hus- bandry ; small but hardy horses, introduced by the Spaniards; goats, pigs, sheep, and large numbers of water fowl as well as domestic poultry. There are no wild beasts, but croco- diles and snakes infest the lakes and marshes. Swallows build edible nests in the chalk cliffs ; parrots and pigeons are met with in all the islands. The sea and rivers abound with fish, which the Malays prefer to meat. The popula- tion is extremely mixed. The pure Spaniards do not exceed 5,000 in all, but there are many Creole Spaniards, metis, Chinese; Chinese half- breeds, and Mohammedans from the East In- dies. The Malay Indians form the bulk of the population, and are divided into two tribes, the Tagals and the Bisayans. They make matting, straw hats, cigar cases, baskets, cloth and tis- sues of every sort, cordage, and leather, and are clever workers in gold, silver, and copper ; the women are especially expert in needle- work. Their agricultural implements are very simple, and their plough is remarkable for its lightness and efficiency. The race called ne- gritos by the Spaniards were probably the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines, and are still found in considerable numbers on the mountains. They appear to be gradually dying out, and when the Spaniards first landed had already been driven back by the Malays to the mountainous parts. (See NEGRITOS.) The Spanish laws for the Indians are extreme- ly simple. Every township annually elects a deputy governor, who acts as mayor, justice, and magistrate. In important affairs he is de- pendent upon the governor of the province, the latter being subordinate to the captain general, whose seat of government is at Ma- nila; the other important islands are presided over by lieutenant governors. Every male in- habitant must, besides paying a small personal tax, give 40 days' labor annually to the pub- lic works department ; besides which, in some parts of Luzon, the polistas or coolies (num- bering 957,427 in 1871) must cultivate tobacco for the government, but from this service they may purchase exemption. The Philippines were discovered by Fernando Magalhaens in 1521 ; but the Arabs had already established communication with these islands by sailing along the shores of India, and thence cross- ing the bay of Bengal. Magalhaens was killed on one of the islands. In 1564 Philip II. sent a squadron under Lopez de Leguaspi from Mex- ico, which first landed at Cebti, and soon sub- dued it. In 1570 a second fleet sailed from Panay for Luzon, and finally, after repeated engagements with the native chiefs, effected a settlement on the bay of Manila. In the following year the Spanish admiral proclaimed Manila the capital of these possessions for his royal master, after whom they were thencefor- ward called. With the exception of fruitless attempts on the part of the Dutch and the Chinese during the 16th century to obtain a footing on the islands, which had meanwhile opened a valuable trade with Japan, the Span- iards remained in undisturbed possession till 1762, when the English stormed Manila under Admiral Cornish and Sir William Draper. The city saved itself from plunder by agreeing to pay a ransom of $5,000,000. The smaller isl- ands long suffered severely from the attacks of pirates, who had always infested those seas. In 1851, however, their depredations were the island of Sooloo, the sultan of which was deposed, and a permanent Spanish settlement was established there. The Philippine islands were explored in 1863 by Mr. Semper, and more recently by the German naturalist Dr. Meyer. Many restrictions still hamper com- merce, and only four ports are open to foreign shipping: Manila and Saal in Luzon, Zambo- anga in Mindanao, and Iloilo in Panay. PHELIPPOPOLI (Turk. FilibeK), a town of European Turkey, in the vilayet of Edirneh (Adrianople), about 230 m. W. N. W. of Con- stantinople, with which and Adrianople it is connected by rail ; pop. about 45,000, consist- ing of Turks, Bulgarians, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and gypsies. It is situated in the midst of a broad fertile plain on the Maritza (Hebr'us), is well built, with paved streets and good ba- zaars, and has an important commerce. Its suburbs contain numerous villas, vineyards, and orchards, and the best rice in Turkey is raised in the vicinity. The town is the seat of a Greek archbishop, has a number of churches and mosques, a synagogue, and several schools. The manufactures include silk, cotton, leather, tobacco, and soap. The place was founded by Philip of Macedon, taking the name of Philip- popolis, and under the Romans, by whom it was sometimes called Trimontium, from its situation on a hill with three summits, it was an important town and the capital of the province of Thrace in its narrower sense. In 1818 the town was almost entirely ruined by an earthquake, but soon recovered and became very flourishing. PHILIPPQTEAUX, Felix Emmanuel Henri, a French painter, born in Paris, April 3, 1815. He studied under Leon Cogniet, and in 1833 exhibited his first picture, representing an