31 July 1895

Dapitan

Sending her a white pearl – Received the sugar, chocolate, and cigars – Father cannot come at the moment – Josephine Bracken (Miss B.) came back – Managed to save the life of the alferez – He has much fruit – Details on what food is available and what isn’t – A case of Adolfo against the Chinese – Send nothing except salt, soap, and stamps – Still many patients – The feast of Santiago was sad.

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Dapitan, July 31, 1895

Miss Trinidad Rizal

My dear Sister:

I received your letter of the 27th and I understood its contents. In the next mail I will send you the white pearl which Miss B. returned to me; it will be inside the cabinet which I am sending as a gift to mother.

I received the sugar, chocolate and cigars and I am thanking you so much; the invoice of the others has not come, such as for example, the notebooks and the geography books, etc. The pipes are somewhat big and I do not know how to fix them. If father cannot come now, I will have to be patient; I am very pleased already with your information that he was going to come.

Miss B. has come back, although I did not expect her, but she did well. The story goes around in Manila that I sent her away and she, to prove it otherwise, has returned. But she wants to leave afterwards. It is not good to have such news spread, for they prejudice me.

I sent the list to the mother of Rome; Martina is in Sindangan seriously ill and I sent Rome there. I was able to save the alferez[1] with the help of God: when he got well he did not remember anything that happened to him. He was unconscious more than four days.

My lanzones have lost more than half their fruit because of a strong wind we had, followed by rain. I have gathered very sweet guavas with few seeds. The yambo[2] is starting to flower. I have so many mangoes that the wild hogs come and eat them. We have surplus of fruits, like pineapples, atis [sugar-apples], mangoes, etc. Beef, I eat very rarely, and once a month I kill a chicken. On the other hand I am tired of pork. This month alone I killed more than five, and yesterday I killed one which should give us more than 6 gantas of lard. I have given to everybody, because here food spoils; what remained, two legs and the head and some more pieces, gave us a demijohn of lard. On the other hand, fish is becoming scarce, and we only have anchovy and small shrimps; of vegetables, not like before when you were here, now we are lacking because I do not plant them anymore. I am very sorry that you did not receive the stamps.

Adolfo had a case with the Chinese: they beat him and one night after, the Chinese were assaulted: we went to the Justice of the Peace; I was already going to win, but they proposed a compromise which I accepted but without paying the costs.

Do not send me anything more except salt, soap and 8-centavo stamps. Do not send me cigarettes: Miss B. brought me plenty; nor even chocolate, because here I make them. I have promised not to buy anything from the Chinese.

Naria is getting better; all the houses are full of patients. The feast of Santiago, very sad, according to what they say. I stayed here. Next month I shall send some money to our parents.

Miss B. sends you her greetings.

Your brother who loves you.

Yours,

RIZAL

01-861 [Family]