"Tho' I had much discourse about it, with the Fathers of the Society, and other Missioners, who converse with these Blacks, _Manghians, Mandi_ and _Sambali,_ I could never learn any thing of their Religion; but on the contrary, all unanimously agree they have none, but live like Beasts, and the most that has been seen among the Blacks on the Mountains, has been a round Stone, to which they pay'd a Veneration, or a Trunk of a Tree, or Beasts, or other things they find about, and this only out of fear. True it is, that by means of the Heathen _Chineses_ who deal with them in the Mountains, some deformed Statues have been found in their Huts. The other three beforemention'd Nations, seem'd inclin'd to observing of Auguries and _Mahometan_ Superstitions, by reason of their Commerce, with the _Malayes_ and _Ternates._ The most reciev'd Opinion is, that these Blacks were the first Inhabitants of the Islands; and that being Cowards, the Sea Coasts were easily taken from them by People resorting from _Sumatra, Borneo, Macassar_ and other Places; and therefore they retir'd to the Mountains. In short, in all the Islands where these Blacks, and other Savage Men are, the _Spaniards_ Possess not much beyond the Sea Coasts; and not that in all Parts, especially from _Maribeles,_ to Cape _Bolinao_ in the Island of _Manila,_ where for 50 Leagues along the Shoar, there is no Landing, for fear of the Blacks, who are most inveterate Enemies to the _Europeans._ Thus all the in-land Parts being possess'd by these Brutes, against whom no Army could prevail in the thick Woods, the King of _Spain_ has scarce one in ten of the Inhabitants of the Island, that owns him, as the _Spaniards_ often told me." [18] Journal Anth. Inst. Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 15. [19] Pygmies, p. 111. [20] Montano, Mission aux Philippines, p. 316. [21] MS. Coll. of The Ethnological Survey. [22] Voyage aux Philippines, p. 71; Mission aux Philippines, p. 315. [23] MS. Coll. of The Ethnological Survey. [24] In the footnote on page 29 is given an extract from Careri's Voyages, in which the following occurs: "True it is, that by means of the heathen Chinese who deal with them in the mountains, some deformed statues have been found in their huts." End of Project Gutenberg's Negritos of Zambales, by William Allan Reed