The countries of the world : being a popular description of the various continents, islands, rivers, seas, and peoples of the globe . THK PHILIPriNES: TlIK SPANISH ISLANDS. iS9 the iudopendent isles, the Spanish Philii)iiincs arc said to be more than 1,^00 iunumber, with an area of 05,000 square miles, and u population of (),ltJ;3,(W^,* ofwliom 5,501,350 arc classed as nominally Christians. Luzon in the north, and Min-danao in the south, are the largest islands of the group, but belween these extremeslie the Bissayas, under which name are included Samar, Mindoro, Ianay, Leyte,Nen-ros, Cebu, Ma
The countries of the world : being a popular description of the various continents, islands, rivers, seas, and peoples of the globe . THK PHILIPriNES: TlIK SPANISH ISLANDS. iS9 the iudopendent isles, the Spanish Philii)iiincs arc said to be more than 1,^00 iunumber, with an area of 05,000 square miles, and u population of (),ltJ;3,(W^,* ofwliom 5,501,350 arc classed as nominally Christians. Luzon in the north, and Min-danao in the south, are the largest islands of the group, but belween these extremeslie the Bissayas, under which name are included Samar, Mindoro, Ianay, Leyte,Nen-ros, Cebu, Masbate, and a vast number of smaller i)atches, regarding which, not-withstanding the long time the group has been occupied, very little is known with anydeTce of accuracy. South-west of the Hissayas is the long narrow island of Palawan,which, though consisting mainly of a mountain-chain, is nevertheless well watered and. very fertile, the const-lying lands yielding rich crops of all tropical prwlucc, while theforest alxmnds in ebony, logwood, gum, and other trees common in the neighbouringArchipelago. North of Luzon are the small Batanee, or Bashee, and Babuyan islets, thelast-mentioned of which is unpeopled. A humid atmosphere and a warm climate combineto give the Philippines a luxuriant vegetation. Blossoms and fruits may W seenhanging on the trees at the same time, and notwithstanding a disregard for ages ofthe agricultural axiom of the necessity for rotation of crops, the fertile soil has notyet been exhausted. All the troi)ical and sub-trojiical fruit-trees have been introducedand prosper luxuriantly, but bananas, plantains, pineapples, sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco,indigo, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, rice, wheat, maize, and the usual tropical crops, add tothe riches of these favoured islands; while the natural forest, which covers a great portionof the country, abounds in ebonj-, ii-on-wood, sapan-
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Keywords: ., bookcentury180, bookdecade1870, bookpublisherlondon, bookyear1876
