To the north of the province is the little Island of Culion where the leper colony is situated. There is no regular transportation except by the government cutter that makes periodical trips, and the colony itself is not ordinarily open to visitors. There are about 2,000 inmates in the colony and they are well taken care of by the Philippine Government, many having been cured completely of the unfortunate malady. In minor matters the lepers form a self-governing community electing their own council and supplying the policemen and other subordinate officials. [Underground River] On the west coast of Palawan, almost uninhabited and still largely uncharted, there is a very remarkable underground river. This has been explored several times by Government officials, a launch having in one instance entered the mouth and proceeded under the mountain for more than 2 miles. At present the river can only be reached by taking a long and expensive trip away from the main routes of travel, but it is destined some time to be known as one of the remarkable sights of the world. ROMBLON PROVINCE.--The Province of Romblon has nothing of special interest to the tourist except the town of Romblon which has one of the best natural harbors in the islands and the extensive marble deposits which have been quarried and used for years and are now disappearing. THE VISAYAS.--The "Visayas" is the general name given to the central portion of the Philippine Archipelago. It includes the large Islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar, and a very great number of smaller islands and islets. Though greatly broken up by mountains, these contain the most thickly populated districts in the Islands and constitute by far the largest area inhabited by a single stock (the Visayan) and speaking, though with many dialect variations, one language. Within this area are the best sugar and some of the best hemp lands, and many other important products of the Islands grow well. To the tourist, perhaps, they do not, outside of the cities of Cebu and Iloilo, abound in "sights." But the larger islands exhibit many fine vistas; and the smaller ones, mostly mountainous, form with the surrounding tropical waters a combination which, for color and variety of outline, rivals the Inland Sea of Japan at its best. SAMAR PROVINCE comprises the whole Island of Samar which is the fourth largest island in the Archipelago. It lies southeast of Luzon and is separated from the Province of Sorsogon by the San Bernardino Strait. The island is very rugged and nearly all of the towns are located near the coast. Another characteristic feature of the mountain regions is the presence of caves of which the most noted is the Sohotan cave near Basey. River transportation is the chief means of communication. [Where the Spaniards first landed]