But The Two Most Southerly, Mindanao And St John, Are Not
Subjected By The Spaniards.
The Island of St John, or San Juan, is about the lat.
Of 9 deg. N. on the
east side of Mindanao, and about four leagues from that island, being
about thirty-eight leagues in length from N.N.W. to S.S.E. and about
twenty-four leagues broad in the middle, having a very rich and fertile
soil. Mindanao, next to Luzon, is the largest of the Philippines,
being sixty leagues long by forty or fifty leagues broad. Its southern
end is in lat. 5 deg. 30' N. the N.W. extremity reaching to 9 deg. 40' N. The
soil is generally fertile, and its stony hills produce many kinds of
trees, most of which are unknown to Europeans. The vallies are supplied
with brooks and rivulets, and stored with various sorts of ever-green
trees, and with rice, water-melons, plantains, bananas, guavas, nutmegs,
cloves, betel-nuts, durians, jacks, or jackas, cocoa-nuts, oranges,
&c.; but, above all, by a species of tree called libby by the natives,
which produces sago, and grows in groves several miles in length. The
poorer people feed on sago instead of bread for several months of the
year. This tree resembles the cabbage-tree, having a strong bark and
hard wood, the heart of which is full of a white pith, like that of the
elder. They cut down the tree and split it open, taking out the pith,
which they stamp or beat well in a mortar, after which, putting it into
a cloth, and pouring in water, they stir it well, till the water carries
all the farinaceous substance through the cloth into a trough. After the
farinaceous matter has settled to the bottom, the water is poured off,
and the sago is baked into cakes, which they use as bread. The sago,
which is carried from hence to other parts of the East Indies, is dried
into small grains, and is used with milk of almonds as a remedy against
fluxes, being of an astringent quality.
The other fruits of this island, being well known or described by
various authors, need not be here mentioned. The nutmegs here are very
large and good, but the natives do not care for propagating them, being
afraid lest the Dutch, who monopolize the spice islands, should be
induced to pay them a hostile visit. This island also produces abundance
of animals, both wild and tame, as horses, cows, buffaloes, goats, wild
hogs, deer, monkeys, and others; also guanas, lizards, snakes,
scorpions, and centipeds. These last are not thicker than a goose-quill,
but five inches long, and they sting fiercer even than scorpions. Of
tame fowl, they have only ducks and hens; but have plenty of wild birds,
as pigeons, parrots, parrakeets, turtle-doves, bats as large as our
kites, and an infinite number and variety of small birds. Their wild
hogs feed in the woods in prodigious herds, and have thick knobs growing
over their eyes. There are mountains in the interior of this island,
which afford considerable quantities of gold. Their chief fish are
bonitos, snooks, cavallies, breams, and mullets; and they have abundance
of sea-tortoises; and the island has many harbours, creeks, and rivers.
Considering the situation of this island, so near the Line, its climate
is by no means excessively hot, especially near the sea, where the
sea-breeze cools the air by day and the land-breeze at night. The wind
blows from the east between October and May, and then blows from the
west till October. The west wind produces the wet season, which is
heaviest in July and August, and, gradually lessening in September,
ceases in October, when the east wind brings fair weather, which lasts
till May. The inhabitants of this island, though all resembling each
other in colour and stature, and all Mahometans, differ considerably in
language and government. The mountaineers, or Hillanoons, who inhabit
the interior, and are masters of the gold-mines, are also rich in
bees-wax, both of which they exchange with the Mindanayans on the
coast for foreign commodities. The Sologus inhabit the N.W. end of the
island, and traffic with the inhabitants of Manilla and some other
adjacent islands, but not with the Mindanayans. The Alfoores were
formerly under the same government with the Mindanayans, but were
separated from them by falling to the share of the younger children of
the sultan of Mindanao, who has of late laid claim to their allegiance.
The Mindanayans, properly so called, are of low stature, with small
limbs, little heads, straight bodies, small eyes short noses, wide
mouths, thin red lips, and sound black teeth, having black lank hair,
and tawny complexions, but rather brighter than other Indians. They are
ingenious and nimble, much addicted to indolence, obliging to strangers,
but implacable when once disobliged. They wear turbans on their heads,
formed of a cloth tied once round, the ends of which hang down, and are
ornamented with lace or fringe. They also wear breeches, over which
they have a kind of frocks, but have neither shoes nor stockings. The
women tie their long black hair in a knot, which hangs down behind,
being smaller featured than the men, with very small feet. Their
garments consist of a piece of cloth sewed together at both ends,
forming a kind of petticoat, with a frock reaching a little below the
waist. They covet the acquaintance of white men, and are very free with
them, as far as they have liberty. When any strangers arrive at the city
of Mindanao, the men come aboard and invite them to their houses, where
they immediately ask if any of them wish to have a pagally, or female
friend, which they must accept, and return the favour by some small
present, which is repeated from time to time, in return for which they
eat, drink, and sleep, in their friend's house.
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