The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 40]

I690-I691] SAN AGUSTIN ON FILIPINOS

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whose burin has not the like in all the Indias (and I
was even about to pass farther if shame did not restrain me), as is seen clearly in the many good engravings that they make daily. They are good sculptors, gilders, and carpenters. They make the water
craft of these islands, the galleys, pataches, and ships
of the Acapulco line. They act as sailors, artillerymen, and divers; for there is scarce an Indian who
cannot swim excellently. They are the under-pilots
of these seas. They are very expert in making bejuquillos,335 which are gold chains of a very delicate
and exquisite workmanship. They make hats, petates
or rugs, and mats, from palm-leaves, rattan, and
nito,336 which are very beautiful, and embroidered
with various kinds of flowers and figures. They are
remarkable mechanics and puppet-showmen, and
they make complicated mechanisms which, by means
of figures, go through various motions with propriety and accuracy. There are some jewelers. They
make powder, and cast swivel-guns, cannon, and
bells. I have seen them make guns as fine as those of
Europa. There are three printing houses in Manila,
and all have Indian workmen. They have great
ability in music. There is no village however small,
that has not its suitable band of musicians for the
services of the Church. They have excellent voices
-sopranos, contraltos, tenors, and basses. Almost
all of them can play the harp, and there are many
335 These chains were also of Chinese manufacture; apparently
the Filipinos took up this industry through their tendency to imitate.
336 The Lygodium scandens, also called Gnito and nitongputi,
a climbing fern found throughout the Philippines. Blanco gives
the name of the genus as Ugena. The glossy, wiry stems are used
in the making of fine hats, mats, cigarette and cigar cases, etc.
See Census of Philippines, iv, p. i66.