The Philippine Islands

produce great quantities of excellent tobacco, sugar, and hemp, and many thousands of men page 26 and women were employed at the time of my visit in manufacturing cigars in the great monopoly manufactory belonging to the Spanish Government. During my stay at Manila I lived very pleasantly at the house of my agent, an English merchant, and after taking in a cargo of the famous Manila cigars and sandal-wood sailed for Batavia. We had very stormy weather in the China Sea, which moderated, however, when we reached the coast of Borneo. Sailing into Batavia Roadstead through a large fleet of ships of all nations, I was glad to discern the trim and attractive appearance of the Tartar, my brother Patrick's own brig, with his wife and family on board, so that I had at length the pleasure of spending some days with them before they sailed away, and I never saw my brother again. As my health continued unsatisfactory, I resolved to carry out the idea I had been led to form of trying the effect of