and contempt, proud of ancestry, which some of them carry to a remote epoch, fond of dress and show, hunting, riding, and other field exercises; but prone to gambling and dissipation. He is active, industrious, and remarkably ingenious. He possesses an acute ear and a good taste for music and painting, but little inclination for abstruse studies. He has from nature excellent talents, but these are useless from want of instruction. The little he has received has rendered him fanatical in religious opinions, and long contempt and hopeless misery have mingled with his character a degree of apathy which nothing but an entire change of system and long perseverance will efface from it." This, however, does not exhibit the worst features of their character.

"Under the name of Mestizos are included not only the descendants of Spaniards by Indian women, but also those of Chinese, who are in general whiter than either parent, and carefully distinguish themselves from the Indians. The Mestizos, with the Creoles of the country, like those of all colonies, when uncorrected by an European education, inherit the vices of both progenitors, with scarcely any of the virtues of either. Their character has but few marked traits. The principal ones are vanity, industry, and trading ingenuity. Money is their god. To obtain it they assume all forms, promise and betray, submit to every thing, trample and are trampled on. All is

alike to them if they can obtain their end. And when their wishes are answered, they dissipate their wealth in law-suits, firing cannons, fireworks, illuminations, processions on feast days and rejoicings, in gifts to the churches, and in gambling. This anomaly of action is the business of their lives. Too proud to consider themselves as Indians, and not sufficiently pure in blood to be acknowledged as Spaniards, they affect the manners of the last, with the dress of the first, and despising, are despised by both. Such are the three great classes of men which may be considered as natives of the Philippine islands. The Creole Spaniards, or those whose blood is but little mingled with Indian ancestry, pass as Spaniards. Many of them are respectable merchants and men of large property, while others are sunk in all the vices of the Indians and Mestizos."

"The Chinese residents retain here, as in every place, their national character, active in business, and not above its meanest minutiæ, winning their way by pliancy and presents-unprincipled in acquiring, and gross and sensual in enjoying their gains. Their close combination, and large share in the most profitable and least laborious employments, have always brought on them the envy and hatred of the Indians. Upon the complaints of the latter, government has been led to treat them severely. Yet they have proved themselves serviceable to the country, and its other in

habitants. Few of them are men of much property, though doing a great proportion of the commercial business of the country. They procure licenses to remain, receive baptism, become Catholics, intermarry and hold property, but when able to return to China, they appear not to regret leaving their families and their faith behind. Their number is probably twenty thousand, which is a mean between the low official estimate, and common opinion." Such is the feeling of hostility towards the Chinese, that they have had their commerce interrupted, have been expelled from the island, and sometimes slaughtered in great numbers.

"That this highly favored country should have re. mained till the present day almost a forest, is a circumstance which has generally excited surprise, and has been attributed to the indolence of the Spaniards and Indians; but this is a superficial view of the subject. The true reason is "because there is no security for property." Does an unfortunate Indian scrape together a few dollars to buy a buffalo, in which consists his whole riches? Woe to him if it be known and if his house stand in a lonely situation. He is infallibly robbed. Does he complain, and is the robber caught? In a short time he is let loose again to take vengeance on his accuser, and renew his depredations. Hundreds of families are yearly ruined in this way. The imperfect mode of trial, both in civil and criminal cases, lays them open to a thousand frauds."

That which in the history of these islands is most to be deplored, and which has been perhaps the principal cause of the ferocity and treachery which in the East characterise Manilla men,* is their religion. "The church of Rome has here proselyted to itself the entire population. The natives have become bigotted Catholics. The services of the church are administered by nearly one thousand "frailes," "curas," cleros,” &c; the first offices being held by the Spanish clergy." At the head of this colonial establishment is an archbishop, who has three suffragans and two hundred and fifty Spanish clergy, besides about eight hundred natives. The influence of these priests is unbounded. They hold the minds of the miserable natives in complete subjection, while they themselves are the slaves as well as patrons of iniquity. Their ministrations are confined to the altar and the confession box. "Common report attributes to the priests lives deformed with the grossest immoralities. In the obscurity of their parishes, much concealment to their licentious conduct is not attempted, nor have the majority of them refinement enough to think it becoming." One source of vice and poverty among the natives is the number of religious observances to

* Such is the revengeful and sanguinary character of these men, that it is said they affect the insurance of the ships in which they are employed. The massacre of 1820 illustrates the ferocity of their character.

which they are obliged to attend. "The church has marked out, exclusive of Sundays, above forty days in the year, on which no labor must be performed throughout the island. Besides these, there are numerous local feasts, in honor of the patron saints of towns and churches. These feasts invariably result in gambling, drinking, and debauchery of every description.

While the Spaniards retain the possession of these islands and the priests bear the rule, we scarcely see how any efforts can be made for the spiritual welfare of the natives. The importation of Bibles is strictly prohibited. Every ship is searched, and the most serious consequences might result to those who incurred the displeasure or even the suspicions of the priests. The city of Manilla, which contains some forty thousand inhabitants, and is described as an agreeable tropical residence, would be a most advantageous post for missions. Let every Christian pray that the power of the Beast may be destroyed, and the sceptre of Jesus be extended over these perishing souls.