From this table it appears that all the principal islands and groups of islands have harbors for the largest vessels in all kinds of weather at all seasons, except the island of Bohol, which has no harbors, and that there are many harbors which are safe only according to the season of the year. The prevalence of the trade winds, or monsoons as they are popularly called, and the frequency, character, and path of the typhoons, or baguios, are fully described in the special report which follows this geographical sketch of the islands, and which was consulted in the preparation of this table.

The dominating feature of the currents in the islands is the great Equatorial current, which, sweeping across the Pacific from east to west in a broad belt, divides east of these islands. The northern portion, which farther north is known as the Japan current, sends numerous streams through the passages among the islands, thus forming a complicated system of currents almost impossible of description. The system is still further complicated by surface drifts, set in motion by the southwest wind in the summer and fall, making currents in various directions among the islands at different times of the year.

Tides in the archipelago are exceedingly irregular, differing greatly in different places, owing to the directions in which tidal waves move, and differing also greatly at different times of the month. For details regarding them reference should be made to the sailing directions prepared by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.

There are few large rivers in the Philippine Islands, the Cagayán of northern Luzón, the Río Grande de Mindanao and the Agusan of Mindanao, being the only three which can be classed as large streams. These, which are in approximately the same class, have a length exceeding 200 miles, and owing to the abundance of precipitation carry large volumes of water even during the low stage. The Pampanga river of central Luzón is nearly as large, and this is followed in magnitude by the Agno of central Luzón and the Abra in the northern part of the same island. Probably there are no other streams in the islands which exceed 100 miles in length.

AREA.

Mr. G. R. Putnam, in charge of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in the Philippine Islands, at the instance of the Director of the Census, made a count and measurement of all the islands and islets comprised in this archipelago, including everything, however small, which at high tide appeared as a separate island. The total number thus enumerated by him was 3,141, of which 1,668 were listed by name, while 1,473 are, so far as known, without names, the whole being shown in the tables which follow this article.

It is not to be understood that this table contains all the islands, for although the number found is nearly twice as great as heretofore

known, it is certain that as more accurate charts of the archipelago are made, the number will be increased. The number is simply that shown at present by the best and most detailed charts which have been produced.

From the tables the following general facts are obtained. The total area of the islands is 115,026 square miles. It must, however, be understood that this area, while carefully measured on the best charts obtainable, is subject to considerable correction. Most of these charts are necessarily inaccurate, and it is quite probable that when the coasts of the islands have been mapped with accuracy, the area of the entire group and of most of the islands will be changed materially. There are 2 islands with areas exceeding 10,000 square miles each, namely, Luzón with 40,969, and Mindanao with 36,292. There are 9 islands, each of which has an area of more than 1,000 square miles and less than 10,000. There are 20 between 100 and 1,000 square miles, 73 between 10 and 100 square miles, and 262 between 1 and 10 square miles. The remaining number, 2,775, or seven-eighths of all, have areas less than a square mile each.

At the date of the census, March 2, 1903, the islands were divided into 40 civil provinces, the city of Manila, and 9 military districts. Thirty-eight of the civil provinces were divided into municipalities, or municipalities and townships, and two provinces, Benguet and LepantoBontoc, into townships alone, the township being a simple form of municipal government adapted to such of the non-Christian or wild tribes in the several provinces as were not sufficiently advanced for the municipality. The municipalities and townships were divided into barrios, each barrio consisting of a small settlement with outlying territory. There was another municipal subdivision in the Philippine Islands which, while it had no legal existence, was locally recognized and known to the people as a sitio. This may be described as a small settlement forming part of a barrio, although many sitios were said to be isolated, and not part of a barrio. Sometimes a sitio was represented by a single hacienda, and again by several. From this fact it happened that in some provinces all the municipalities were reported by the supervisors of the census as divided into barrios, others into sitios only, and others into barrios and sitios and even caserios (hamlets). In other words, the municipal divisions created by the municipal code had not, at the date of the census, adapted themselves to the ideas of the people, who in some parts of the archipelago still retain their ancient municipal designation.

The following is a list of provinces and military districts with their areas and capitals, and here should be interpolated a word of caution to the reader. The areas given are those of provinces, which in no case are the same as islands, although they may bear the same name, since the province contains, besides the main island, other