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Valuable Book Found

Valuable Book Found image
Parent Issue
Day
22
Month
August
Year
1902
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

VALUABLE BOOK FOUND

Written In the Philippines In the Fifteenth Century.

ISLANDS ACCURATELY DESCRIBED

Rare Volume Now Owned by William Spencer of Terrell, Te., Who Discovered It In an Old Cathedral Near Vigan--Is Bound In Strong Red Linen Cloth.

William Spencer of Terrell, Tex., has recently returned from the Philippines, where he was connected with the army, says a special dispatch from Fort Worth, Tex., to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. While stationed at Vigan he went into an old cathedral, which was formerly the show place of the province, and there he found a book, which he brought home with him, and it has proved to be one of great value. An introductory note shows that it was prepared, so far as the descriptive portions go, by Francisco Xavier, a famous Spanish Jesuit missionary, who was born at the castle of Xaviero, Navarre, April 7, 1506, and died on the island of Sancain Dec. 2, 1552. He was known as the "apostle of the Indies." His letters were edited in 1795.

The book was translated into English by William Parties, printer and lithographer, 2, 3 and 6 Santa Ana square. It is a small book of 150 pages, crude in its printing and binding, but the paper and cover show careful work. On the first page appears the following: "The geographical part of this handbook is an authorized translation of the 'Compendio de Geografia de las Islas Filipinas,' by P. Francisco X. Baranera, S. J." Of the inhabitants the book tells: "The aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippine Islands are of a race called Negritos by the Spaniards and Aetas by the civilized natives. They are still to be found in the Interior of the islands, though in daily diminishing numbers. They are of very small stature, of a very black color and have curly black hair. All efforts to civilize them have been In vain." He gives the first discovery of the islands to a European, Magellan, in March, 1521, who arrived that month at Butuan, Mindanao.

The compiler has added notes showing the date of the appointment of the first Spanish governor, Miguel Bopez de Legaspi, during the reign of Philip II. in 1565; how Gomez Desmarinas built the walls of Manila in 1590 and the thorough establishment of the church rule in the provinces. The Chinese insurrection in 1645, the volcanic disturbances In 1641, the terrible earthquake in 1645 and the work of the Chinese filibusters and the English invaders In 1662. The chapters devoted to physical geography and to a description of the provinces are written with a detail that is remarkable to be confined to such a limited work.

Mr. Spencer spent some time In the islands after closely reading this book, and he says the descriptions are really better than anything he has read in any geography, history, atlas or encyclopedia published. The book is bound In strong red linen cloth and bears an imprint of a cocoanut tree, two native huts and a pelican. The effect to produce these in gilt shows the crude methods employed in the print and book shops of Manila. On his return to America Mr. Spencer was importuned by a San Francisco publisher to allow him to have the book for reproduction, but the request was refused. During his stay in the islands he says he never heard of another copy of the book, and this leads to the belief that it is a rare publication.