ble for a while on account
of the quantity of lava. Taal, once so important as a trading centre,
was now gone, and Batangas, on the coast, became the future capital
of the province.

The actual duration of this last eruption was 6 months and 17 days.

In 1780 the natives again extracted sulphur, but in 1790 a writer at
that date [10] says that he was unable to reach the crater owing to
the depth of soft lava and ashes on the slopes.

There is a tradition current amongst the natives that an Englishman
some years ago attempted to cut a tunnel from the base to the centre
of the volcanic mountain, probably to extract some metallic product
or sulphur. It is said that during the work the excavation partially
fell in upon the Englishman, who perished there. The cave-like entrance
is pointed out to travellers as the _Cueva del Ingles_.

Referring to the volcano, Fray Gaspar de San Agustin in his History
[11] remarks as follows:--"The volcano formerly emitted many large
fire-stones which destroyed the cotton, sweet potato and other
plantations belonging to the natives of Taal on the slopes of the
(volcano) mountain. Also it happened that if three persons arrived
on the volcanic island, one of them had infallibly to die there
without being able to ascertain the cause of this circumstance. This
was related to Father Albuquerque, [12] who after a fervent deesis
entreating compassion on the natives, went to the island, exorcised
the evil spirits there and blessed the land. A religious procession was
made, and Mass was celebrated with great humility. On the elevation of
the Host, horrible sounds were heard, accompanied by groaning voices
and sad lamentations; two craters opened out, one with sulphur in it
and the other with green water (sic), which is constantly boiling. The
crater on the Lipa side is about a quarter of a league wide; the other
is smaller, and in time smoke began to ascend from this opening so that
the natives, fearful of some new calamity, went to Father Bartholomew,
who repeated the ceremonies already described. Mass was said a second
time, so that since then the volcano has not thrown out any more fire
or smoke. [13] However, whilst Fray Thomas Abresi was parish priest
of Taal (about 1611), thunder and plaintive cries were again heard,
therefore the priest had a cross, made of Anobing wood, borne to the
top of the volcano by more than 400 natives, with the result that
not only the volcano ceased to do harm, bu