ALBAY, anciently called Ibalon, a province of Luzon, one of the twenty into
which it is divided, and forming the south-eastern end of the island. To the south,
it is divided froni the island of Samar by the Straits of San Bernadino, and to the
north by the province of Gamarines Sur, the river Ugot being here the boundary.
The portion of Albay on the main land of Luson extends in its greatest length 90
geographical miles from north to south, and in its greatest breadth from east to west
35 miles. Its area will be about 1265 geographical miles. But the province includes,
besides, the considerable islands of Masbate and Ticao, with several smaller ones.
The coast of the main land is broken, irregular, and of difficult approach. It is
indented by three deep bays, those of Langonay and Albay on the eastern side, and
that of Sorsogon on the western. The last forms the best harbour, and is the place
where were, in former times, built and equipped tho celebrated Acapulco galleons.
Albay is generally a mountainous country, a portion of the great cordillera which
traverses Luzon, passing through it. Two of the mountains of this chain within its
boundaries, Bulusan and Mayon or Albay, both active volcanoes, are of great elevation,
especially the last, which is visible far at sea and a landmark for mariners. The
principal rivers are the Calaunan, which falls into the bay of Sorsogon; the Langonay,
which falls into the bay of the same name; and the Ugot already named.
The mountains of Albay abound in building timber and fancy woods, ebony and
sapan-wood. The most remarkable of the wild animals arc the buffalo, the wild
hog, several species of deer and monkeys, with the common fowl. The mountains
are inhabited by the wild tribe called Igorrotes, a brown-complexioned people, and
by the Aeta or negritos; but the civilised inhabitants, forming the bulk of the
population, do not differ essentially from those of the rest of the island. Their
language, called the Yicol, is peculiar.
t The province of Albay is eminently fertile in soil, and well watered. The inhabitants
are peaceable and industrious, but their industry has been too often disturbed
by destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. I t produces rice, maiz, sesame,
indigo, some cacao and coffee, the coco-nut palm, and the palm called by the natives
the buri, the pith of which yields a sago, and the leaves a material for fine mats. It
produces also some cotton and the abaca-yielding banana which is an important obj ect
of culture. The province is traversed by roads which, although hilly, are passable
for wheel-carriage.
In 1735, the total population of the province of Albay was no more than 28,469 ;
in 1799, it had increased to 80,203; and in 1810, to 118/533. But the volcanic
eruption of Mount Mayon, or Albay, in 1814, having destroyed four out of its five
towns, including the capital, it was found by a census taken in 1818, that the population
had decreased to 92,065.. Since that year it has sustained an extraordinary
increase, for by the enumeration of 1849 it was found to amount to 219,740. This
great increase, however, seems to have been produced chiefly by an exchange of
territory with Camarines in 1846, by which it gained 41,369 inhabitants. In 1849, the
number of marriages was 1046; of births, 4872; and of deaths, 2121. In 1847, the
number of these, respectively, was 950, 6176, and 5621; the population of that year
being 225,154. In 1850, the number of persons assessed to the poll-tax was 38,896,
and the population being reckoned at 238,177, no fewer than one person in six was
assessed. The total amount of poll-tax (tributo) in that year was 378,969 reals of
plate, or 7958/.; thus each contributor paid about 49 pence.
ALBAY. Name of the chief town in the last province, latitude north 13° 24',
and longitude east 124° 28'. Albay lies on the shore of the bay of the same name,
on the left bank of a river also of the same name, and at the foot of the volcanic
mountain of Mayon, and in a direction south-west of it. The old town was totally
destroyed by a violent eruption of the mountain in 1814, and the present built at a
short distance from it. Most of the houses are built of slight materials, but a few
are of stone, as the government-house, the town-hall, the office of the wine and
tobacco farms, and a -church. I t has a preparatory school, supported by funds
furnished by the Commune. By a recent census, the total number of houses was
found to be 3257, and the population 19,546.
ALBAY. Name of a wide bay of the province above described, on its eastern
coast. In its greatest extent from north to south it is three leagues and a half in
breadth. To the north-east it is closed in by many islets, the largest of which are
Datan, Rapurapu, and Pingan. In its centre there is very deep water, and towards
the coasts rocks and shoals, but in some situations anchorage and shelter for vessels
of small burden.
ALBINO 9 ALBOQUERQUE AFFONSO
AL,BnI/ t ? ' f eT.sons !?orn w ithout the colouring matter of the skin, eyes, and hair,
tr iL nf%he X Pi ’ ° £ P T ly st0 v- T n in every race and «very nation and
- a S I '« « ! “ 2 S r C P“ W ‘” t o » 0» Europ.,
ALBOQUERQUE AFFONSO, or, as his name is more usually written, Alfonso
Albuquerque, was the second son of Gonsalvo de Alboquerque, lord of Villaverde
and an illegitimate descendant of the royal family of Portugal. He was born in 1452
In 1503, only six years after the discovery of the passage to it by the Cape, he made
his first voyage to India, m the joint command of a fleet with his relative Francisco
Alboquerque. Returning home in 1503, he was appointed to the command of a
squadron bound for India, forming part of a fleet under the orders of Tristan da
Cunha, who proceeding himself to India left Alboquerque to carry on a desultorv
K s B E Q B S K tfhe ^ u1! Mah0mT dan Stat6S Ainca. Iired by this kind of predatory war, he resolved o°nn Ethea sctoenqr une sct ooafs tt hoef
T5n« h u “ v. Persian Gulf.—took it, but was quickly driven out of it In
1508, he acquired the government of India. In 1510, he attacked, and after a first
unsuccessful attempt, succeeded m capturing Goa, which has ever since continued
the capital of the Portuguese possessions in India. In 1511, he undertook and
npre sent Vork “ ffisTlaasst tal clhlielvelmle nf tH w aesn t*h®erP criosneq wuehsitc ho f cOornmneucs,t ss ohoisn anfatmere wwhiitchh t hhee
b’ f°“ d
■ 1 1 1 ¿ s k a ? s :
artillery and the king in person
■ H R a l a s i f e . ^
served in India, “ down to this d a v says Castanheda, who had himself
“ 2 : ; : , ! “ b“ n k ? J I » " d™ . « g
coverable exception consists in the coining of monev With th a n * +• ^
counters, for the small traffic of the market the E le™ Wi exception of tin
was the first act of kistioe tv world and the same writer adds, “ this
the 27th day of December 151 1 ” The M h 0lty\ a th,e execution took place on
the chief supports o fth e commerceof$ £ £ £ ^ 8 radef ^W e s te rn Asia were
Moors, the Portuguese u n d e r the ° • r under the denomination of
t.h.e.i r shipPpPi ngb,, mmafssssaaccrriinngg tthheeiiJr cerreew s, ^m‘“ tthl e same qmUaenrnqeure ’a ast tthaoekye wd oaunldd hpaluvned deorende