be known to enable the making of a good choice of places for experimental gardens-say one main garden, not too far from a big centrum, and two smaller branch gardens.

On the other hand, traveling all over the islands will give a first-rate opportunity for gathering a big and fine collection of herbarium specimens. We and our herbarium collections here shall always be at the disposal of your Government officers for the identification of the specimens collected in your colony.

If in the course of planning and laying out the Philippine experimental gardens our advice on some details may turn out to be useful, your people applying to us will always find us ready and happy to prove that we are good neighbors.

If there is some other information you may want, please apply freely to me; and believe me, with kind regards,

Yours very faithfully,

P C 1901-PT 2--23

TREUB.

APPENDIX K.

REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE MINING BUREAU TO THE CIVIL GOVERNOR FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1901.

Hon. Wм. H. TAFT,

OFFICE OF THE MINING BUREAU,

Manila, P. I., September 30, 1901.

Civil Governor of the Philippine Islands, Manila, P. I.

SIR: In accordance with your instructions of July 30, 1901, I have the honor to submit the following report of this bureau for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1901:

GENERAL AND SPECIAL REPORTS.

The following reports have been made and submitted by the bureau during the fiscal year:

(1) September 24, 1900. Special report on the "Cacub" coal mine of Surigao; the "San Jose" coal mine of Samar; the "Dinagat" gold mine of Surigao and the "San Isidoro" and "San Luis" gold mines of Cagayan de Misamis, known as "The Sanger, Vera & Co. " claims, by direction of the honorable Secretary of War.

(2) September 27, 1900. Report on the Spanish title of the "Capunga," "Tabio," and "Acupan" gold mines in Benguet.

(3) October 4, 1900. Report of the "La Candelaria" gold mine in Ambos Cama

rines.

(4) October 4, 1900. Report of the "San Ricardo," "El Angel," and "El Patriarca" gold mines in Ambos Camarines.

(5) October 9, 1900. Report of the "Pilar," "Santa Rita," "San Luis," and "San Antonio" gold mines in Lepanto.

(6) October 9, 1900. Special report on canon taxes and their collection, under the Spanish mining laws in the Philippines.

(7) October 10, 1900. Report on Spanish title of the "Santa Catalina" and the “La Aurora" gold mines in Nueva Ecija.

(9) November 3, 1900. Special report on the mining industry in the archipelago, the Spanish mining laws regarding titles and demands and requirements of the mining industry. (10) December 28, 1900. Special report on "The Quarries of Mariveles" and the various claims for title thereto (with complete translation of all official papers and documents relating thereto, and statement of the law of quarries) in Bataan.

(11) January 4, 1901. Special report on the counterfeit copper coinage in Lepanto, (12) January 5, 1901. Report on Spanish title of the "La Esperanza" coal mine in Sorsogon (island of Bataan).

(13) January 5, 1901. Report of the "Capunga," "Tabio," and "Acupan" gold mines in Benguet.

(14) January 12, 1901. Report of the "San Eugenio y Eduardo" and "Pilar y Mercedes" gold mines in Lepanto.

(15) January 12, 1901. Report of the "San Alberto" gold mine in Lepanto.

(16) January 12, 1901. Report of the "Adela y Micaela" and "Maria Asuncion y San Lorenzo" gold mines in Lepanto.

(17) January 19, 1901. Report of the "San Andres" and "San Juan" coal mines in Mindoro.

(18) January 19, 1901. Report of the "Santa Maria" coal mine of Mindoro (island of Semirara).

(19) January 23, 1901. Report of the "San Felix" gold mine in Ambos Camarines. (20) January 29, 1901. Report of the "San Juan," "San Antonio," "San Deogracias," and "Santa Eufemia" coal mines in Mindoro.

(21) February 20, 1901. Report of the "San Mauricio," "La Concepcion," "San Sebastian," "San Federico, ," "Santa Gertrudis," "San Alfredo," " "Santiago," "San Ciriaco," "Nieves," "San Ciriaco" (of September 29, 1892), “San Marcelina," "San Juan" (of September 29, 1892), "San Vicente," San Juan,' "San Juan" (overplus), "San Enrique," "San Antonio," "San Antonio" (first overplus), "San Antonio" (second overplus), "Trinidad,' "Dona Maria," ," "Animas del Purgatorio," "Dona Margarita," "San Jorge," "Santo Tomas," "Esperanza," Francisco," "Maria,” Noria,' "Felicidad," "Caridad,' "San Ramon," "Aurora," "Nueva Galicia," "Rosalia," and "Luisa" gold mines in Ambos Camarines.

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(22) February 25, 1901. Report of the "Alfa," "Beta," "Delta," and "Epsilon" kaolin mines in Laguna.

(23) March 1, 1901. Report of the "La Esperanza" copper mine in Lepanto. (24) March 4, 1901. Special report (to the chief engineer, Division of the Philippines) on "The quarries and marbles of Romblon Island.”

(25) March 26, 1901. Special report on the "Danao Coal Mining Company" of Cebu.

(26) March 26, 1901. Report on the Spanish title of the "Santa Balbina," "La Concepcion," and "San Nicolas" gold mines in Ambos Camarines. (27) March 27, 1901. Report of the "Magallanes," "Germania," "Nueva California, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th," gold mines in Ambos Camarines. (28) April 2, 1901. Report of the "La Constancia" gold mine in Ambos Camarines. (29) April 11, 1901. Report of the "San Rafael" gold mine in Ambos Camarines. (30) June 5, 1901. Narrative report to the United States military governor of the Philippine Islands for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1901.

(31) June 25, 1901. Report to the United States military governor of the Philippine Islands on "The Coal Measures of the Philippines," with maps, plates, and tables.

The above list includes only such matters as have been completed, and, while representing a large variety of subjects, is really but a small portion of the work actually accomplished, as there are many more cases pending in the bureau and in a more or less advanced state of progress. The subject-matter of these reports and cases will be referred to hereafter under appropriate heads.

DEMANDS FOR A MINING CODE.

There has been an active and increased demand for a mining code, and from two distinct and, I may say, opposite sources; on the one hand from the American miners and prospectors, who have asked and demanded the recognition of their locations based upon discoveries in accordance with the provisions of the United States mining laws; and, on the other hand, from the natives and resident foreigners, who have as persistently asked and demanded the recognition of their locations, also based upon discoveries, and in accordance with the provisions of the Spanish mining laws in force in this archipelago prior to the American occupation, and with whose provisions they were more familiar. The recognition of neither class of claims has been conceded in and by this bureau; and wherever an attempt has been made to grant a partial and semiofficial recognition thereof on the part of officials, either military or civil, by means of the opening of offices for receiving and recording notices of locations and petitions for denouncement, and such action has been reported to this bureau, the attention of the proper executive authorities has been called thereto, and on the part of both the civil and military government such unwarranted action has been disapproved and its continuance ordered suspended. Notwithstanding these directions and orders, the bureau is led to believe that

many instances exist where these claims have been granted such semiofficial recognition; but so far as this bureau is advised, it believes that such action on the part of civil and military subordinate officials has been voluntary in every instance, and in no case approved by the superior authorities. These matters are mentioned in this connection, since this unwarranted and unauthorized recording will undoubtedly be urged upon Congress as an equitable claim that should receive official recognition in the enactment of a mining law for these Islands, and included in the same category are the numerous claims that have been "staked," and which have been in many instances recorded in recorders' offices of mining districts organized by the miners themselves in the manner that is customary and so well understood in the United States.

DRAFT FOR A MINING CODE SUBMITTED.

At the date of the last annual report of this department a proposed mining code for the Philippine Archipelago was in the course of preparation, with a view of having such code put into force by virtue of a general order of the United States military governor in the Philippines, in a manner similar to that provided for the forestry bureau. This code was completed and submitted to the military governor, together with a brief explaining at length the objects and purposes of such code and the changes and amendments proposed to the Spanish mining law hitherto controlling in the Philippine Islands.

Before the code with its accompanying brief could receive the necessary consideration, the legislative department of the Philippine Archipelago was created and established through the United States Philippine Commission, and the code prepared by this department was referred to said commission for consideration.

The subject of a new mining code was shortly thereafter indefinitely postponed, owing to the fact that the honorable Attorney-General of the United States had given an opinion in relation to mining and mining rights in these Islands to the effect that the power to legislate for the control of mines and mining and the disposition of mineral lands was vested in the Congress of the United States, etc. This decision practically disposed of the question of a mining code for an indefinite period, and the result was very unsatisfactory and disappointing, not only to this office, but to the many prospectors and miners who were operating, and have since that time been operating, at various points in the archipelago.

NECESSITIES FOR A MINING LAW.

From time to time since said code was submitted, the attention of the authorities has been called to the necessity of a mining code in these Islands, and especially through a report to the United States Philippine Commission, made on the 3d day of November, 1900, and accompanied by recommendations that the framing of such code should, in the opinion of the officer in charge, be left to a local legislative body in the Philippines. At that time it was generally believed that the measure as then proposed and popularly known as the "Spooner bill" would be passed by Congress, and that power and authority would be vested in the United States Philippine Commission necessary and requisite to satisfy the demands for an early enact

ment of a suitable mining code for these islands. The passage of the amended "Spooner bill," published in Manila on the 8th of March, and containing a clause of reservation, "that no sale or lease or other disposition of the public lands, or the timber thereon, or the mining rights therein shall be made," put an end to all hopes for the immediate passage of any laws by Congress, or the adoption of any rules and regulations by the United States Philippine Commission, either for the instituting of new mining claims upon the public lands, or the proper regulation, administration, and control of such claims as had been instituted under the Spanish administration.

The chief of this department had no desire to criticise the wisdom of such a restriction upon one of the most important industries of this archipelago an industry that not only could but would exert a most powerful influence for good in these Islands, inasmuch as, besides adding to their wealth, it would furnish employment to many thousands of the native population who find themselves impoverished by insurrection and its attendant losses and misfortunes. This department has to deal with facts, not criticisms; but I deem it proper to state that an examination of the arguments advanced in the public records, the statements of facts relating to the Spanish mining laws and the mineral resources of this archipelago when compared with the information and knowledge had within the mining bureau, clearly indicates that an exaggerated idea and a surprising lack of knowledge prevails in the United States and elsewhere, both in reference to the laws of Spain regulating mining in the archipelago, the history of mining here in the past, and still more of the extent, nature, value, and conditions of the mineral deposits. The Philippine Islands, from a mineralogical standpoint, are neither a terra incognita nor are they an exhausted and barren waste. The discovery and use of gold in these islands of course does not belong in any sense to the Spanish discoverers and their descendants. Centuries before their existence was known to Europeans the original natives were acquainted with and accustomed to the use of gold for purposes of exchange and personal adornment. The tribes of Malays and other races, including the invading Chinese, made a more extended search and a larger use of the precious metals. It is an interesting historical fact in connection with the archipelago that, upon the very first arrival of the Spaniards, after mass had been said at the landing place, an inquiry was immediately instituted for gold, resulting in the establishment of a village of Spanish origin shortly afterwards in that immediate neighborhood which, with temporary interruptions only, has existed as a gold mining camp to the present day. The advent of the Spaniards greatly stimulated the gold-mining industry, but it is a fact most clearly established by subsequent records that, contrary to the current belief in the United States, the Spaniards themselves have never been in any sense a mining people in the Philippine Islands. Certainly they have never mined for gold or any other metallic substances themselves in the Philippines, nor have they allowed this to be done by others. It is useless to enter into explanations of the various causes of this condition; it is sufficient for the present purpose to state the conclusions of fact. The gold products of the Philippine Islands up to the present time have been confined almost exclusively to the placer gold washings, the crude methods of the natives in working quartz (if the methods warrant such designation), and the scarcely less crude and