Paris
26 May 1890
Juan Luna
Mr. Jose Rizal
Dear Rizal:
According to a letter that I have just received from La Unión, my brother, who resides in that province, has not received Blumentritt’s pamphlet, Consideraciones del Estado de Filipinas and issues of La Solidaridad which I have sent him by registered mail. The pamphlets were with other prospectuses which the administrator of the post office in Agoo[1] said had been bundled together in the Manila post office, showing that in Manila they take care of the cleaning of registered mail.
My brother wishes to subscribe to La Solidaridad. Tell me if he will receive it in Agoo, because through me, it is impossible. I have tried to send him three times and he did not receive any one of them.
In his letter he tells me that the province suffers from so many reforms, not because they are bad but because they are badly implemented by people who are against our progress. The exorbitant taxes and still more fines. That there are very many abuses….
Rumors are circulating in Manila that the Governor of Barcelona has circulating several packages and pamphlets of ……. Painter Luna [destroyed portion]. Boy, what people, what a rabble! Tell me what you know about the Filipino duels in Madrid. It seems that they are behaving with dignity. A contest of “Chinese” [Filipino] marksmen in Madrid in the same course of the year would not be bad, for example, so that we would be respected and the kastilas de entremés [farcial Spaniards] would know us better.
Regards from Paz, kisses of Luling and Bibi, and an embrace of your affectionate.
Juan Luna
P. D.: My brother is on friendly terms with the friars and other personages of his province, and he can be useful to us, for he is on our side and anti-friar.
03-529 [Reformists]
[1] A town in La Union Province.