capital of the island of Luzon, and of the group of the Philippines, is situated on the E. shore of the bay of the same name, on the S. bank, and near the mouth of the River Pasig; N. Lat. 14. 36, E. Long. 120. 53. The city proper is fortified, being surrounded by walls and a ditch, but it is not sufficiently strong to be able to stand a siege. The walls are about 2 miles in circuit, and the ditch is supplied with water from the River Pasig. The streets are regularly laid out and well paved, the carriage-ways being formed of quartz mixed with loam. The river is crossed by a bridge of ten arches, which leads to the suburb of Binondooc, in which most of the trade is carried on. Although in the town itself the houses are generally built of stone, in the suburbs bamboo is almost solely employed for building purposes. The houses have in general balconies; and the place of glass is supplied by thin plates of shell, which, though not transparent, are very effectual as a defence against the heat. In the suburb of Binondooc the houses are generally raised on wooden posts to the height of 8 or 10 feet, and the suburb in general presents more of an oriental appearance than the town, which is entirely Spanish in character. Binondooc is not so regular and well paved, but it affords a more agreeable variety of appearance. It is intersected by numerous canals, on which boats are continually plying. In the centre of the Spanish city there is a public square about 100 yards in length and breadth, surrounded on three sides by the governor's palace, the cathedral, and the government offices. The square also contains a bronze statue of Charles IV. of Spain, which was presented to the town by Ferdinand VII. in 1824. The town possesses many churches and convents, and a fine custom-house or Adana. It has also a university, royal college, nautical academy, commercial school, an hospital, and a number of other benevolent institutions. Most of the buildings are of a substantial nature, being composed for the most part of volcanic tufa. Manila, as seen from the bay, presents a grand and beautiful appearance; it is surrounded by hills, covered with verdure, which slope gradually down to the sea. On the land side of the town there is a large plain, which is set apart for military exercises, and round which there is a fashionable drive called the Calzada. The Pasig is navigable to some distance above the town for vessels of 200 or 300 tons burden; but there is a bar at its mouth with a depth of only 13 feet at low water. The trade of Manila is considerable; but it is repressed by the restrictions imposed by the Spanish government. The principal articles of export are—sugar, hemp, rice, indigo, various kinds of woods, tobacco, cigars, coffee, cotton, tortoise-shell, ebony, &c. The tobacco of the Philippines is of first-rate quality; but being a monopoly in the hands of government, its production is very limited. In the royal tobacco factory at Binondooc about 5000 women and 600 men are employed. The imports consist of iron, cotton and woollen stuffs, muslins, handkerchiefs, &c. The trade is principally in the hands of British merchants. The number of the clergy in the town of Manilla is very great; they are said to exceed in number the garrison, which consists of 7000. The religion is Roman Catholic. Manilla, which was formerly a native town, was first settled by the Spanish in 1571. It has been several times injured by earthquakes, especially in 1645, 1762, and 1824. In 1762 Manilla was taken by the