Papua are the Admiralty group, about thirty in number, with something over 1,000 square miles of area, and a population of 25,000.

They are not a prominent group in a topographical sense, lying but a hundred feet or so above the sea level; although for fertility and indigenous tropical products, they rival some of the more famed islands. The inhabitants are very similar to those of New Guinea.

Basko, or Admiralty Island, is the principal in the group, having an area of about 450 square miles.

They were first discovered by the Dutch navigator Cornelius Schooten, in 1616, and were afterwards re-discovered by Phillip Carteret, in 1767, who located them definitely on the charts, and gave them the name they bear to-day.

NEW IRELAND.

South by east from the Admiralty group, and northeast from Papua, we have New Ireland and New Britain.

There are some six islands in the former group, New Ireland being the only one requiring any description here. It is about two hundred miles long by fifteen wide, with some hilly ranges rising to a height of 2,000 feet. The island is well wooded and watered, and said to be healthy in the extreme. Tropical fruits are to be found in great abundance; while the forests that cover the sloping hills from valley to summit, abound in fancy woods of great commercial value. There are great numbers of tortoise taken here, whose shell is of the most beautiful and valued kind. The inhabitants, like all the islands around New Guinea, excepting always Great Australia, are of the woolly

fleet; and narrow inlets and creeks, so embowered in shade that large ships might harbor in them and not be discovered by a passing enemy. Then, from the bright and picturesque shore, the ground rises inland with a continual ascent, until the undulating plains are succeeded by low ranges of wooded hills, and these by lofty ranges, which here and there culminate in magnificent mountain peaks. In and among these ranges, which are irregular in their direction, and throw off numerous short chains and spurs, lie slopes of perennial verdure, and valleys so gifted with the bounties of nature that they surpass the dreams of the Arcadian poets. Here, too, are broad, deep lakes, in their general features reminding the traveler of the charming basins of the Scottish Highlands; while many streams flow through the verdurous glens to unite in ample rivers, which, with full channels, descend to the

sea.

The vegetation of the Phillippines is among the richest of tropical climes. A fertile soil is assisted by a genial climate. Droughts are unknown; the tropical heats are tempered by abundant moisture and by the constant alternation of the land and sea breezes. In the western portions of the group, the rainy season begins in June and ends in September; in the east it begins in October and ends in January; and the rains are then so heavy and so continuous that the low grounds are converted into extensive lakes.

It

This inundation, however, increases the fertility of the soil and favors the growth of exuberant crops. may almost be said that the only misfortune to which the islands are liable-the only shade on a picture which astonishes us by its splendor-is the frequency and severity of their earthquakes. They form a part

of the great volcanic chain to which, in describing the Eastern Archipelago, we have so often found it necessary to allude; and they possess several volcanoes, both active and extinct-among the most important of which is that of Taal. Manilla, the capital of Luzon, and the chief town of the group, was ruined by a convulsion which broke out on the evening of the 3d of June, 1863. The cathedral, with its noble dome, was shattered into ruins by a shock which occurred while the priests were chanting vespers. The Viceroy's palace was destroyed, and the British consulate. Not one of the churches escaped, and the only one left standing (that of Binondo) was rent from roof to basement. Nearly two thousand persons perished.

MINERALS.

The Phillippines are not only rich in vegetation, but abound in subterranean treasures. The sands of their rivers yield no inconsiderable quantities of golddust. All the palaces of earth might be rebuilt from their extensive quarries of marble and limestone. The coal fields cover a wide area and produce an excellent fuel. Iron--the wealth of strong and powerful nations -and copper of the best quality, are found in all the mountain ranges. Sulphur, magnesia, quicksilver, vermillion, saltpetre and alum are also plentiful. So vast, indeed, are the resources of the Phillippines, that only an able government is needed to give them the position of a wealthy, influential and prosperous commercial state. But the colonial administration of Spain has never been marked by either vigor or sagacity; and though the recent development of commerce has been considerable, it is by no means proportionate to the capabilities of these beautiful islands.

The forest trees which cover the valley slopes and ascend the mountain sides are very valuable. Among the plants cultivated for use, we find the gornuti or cabonegro palm, the abuca, the cocoa and other palms, the pineapple, the cacao tree, cotton and coffee, the tamarind, indigo and sugar-cane. Tobacco is largely grown, and the Manilla cigars are scarcely less celebrated than those of Havana. Rice is raised in immense quantities, and forms a principal article of trade; and the vegetable wealth of the group also includes cassia, cloves, red and black pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmegs, maize, wheat, yams, the sweet potato, and a variety of the most delicious fruits on which the ripening sunshine of the tropics falls.

ANIMALS.

Animal life is neither less various nor less exuberant. The horses of the Phillippines are small, but strong and lively; the deer supply a capital venison; hogs, goats, sheep, buffaloes and oxen are bred by the agriculturist; foxes and gazelles frequent the valleys; monkeys, squirrels, wildcats, and the bagua, a kind of · flying cat, the woods. The jungles are enlivened by the bright plumage of humming birds, parrots, and the rhinoceros bird. The sea swallow builds her edible nest in the hollows and caves of the rocky coasts. The forests swarm with eagles, falcons, herons, pigeons, game cocks, quails, and the lakes with aquatic birds. Pools and rivers teem with fish; but here an unpleasant fact obtrudes itself upon us-crocodiles are numerous. Serpents lurk in the dense growth of the forests; leeches swarm in the swampy lowlands; reptiles abound, and insect life displays itself with a luxu

riance which both native and stranger find good cause to lament.

We have spoken of the forest trees. They attract attention by their enormous bulk and by their huge canopies of spreading foliage. They are bound together by the remarkable bush-rope or palaseru, which grows in festoons several hundred feet in length; while a whole world of epiphytous plants, parasites, creepers, climbers and liaries find nourishment in their bark, or support on their stalwart arms, and spread everywhere such a tangle of leaf and stem and blossom, that the traveler can only force his way into the forest depths, axe in hand.

INHABITANTS.

The industrial occupations of the natives include a very ingenious method of working in horn; the manufacture of gold and silver chains; of cigar cases, and fine hats in various vegetable fibres; of beautifully colored mats, embroidered with gold and silver; the dressing and varnishing of leather; ship-building and coach-building. The manufacture of cigars gives employment to a large number of people. The cordage of the Phillippines is held in good repute. The textile fabrics are said to be fifty-two in number, from the delicate and costly shawls and handkerchiefs, made from the fibre of pine-apple leaves, called pinas, and sold at the rate of one or two ounces of gold a piece, down to a coarse cotton and stout sacking, wrought from the fibres of the abaca and gornuti palms.

We have nearly completed our general view of islands, but a few details seem wanting for the full information of the reader. The two principal races are the Tagals and Bisayers, who inhabit the towns, vil