Chapter VI

The Second
Tour To Europe

Hong Kong

On February 3, 1888 after spending six months in

Calamba, Rizal left Manila and went to Hong
Kong. During his stay in Hong Kong made the
Following observation:
The Dominican order was the richest religious
order in Hong Kong. It owned more than 700
houses for rent and many shares in foreign
banks. It deposited million of dollars in banks.
There were cemeteries in Hong Kong for
protestants, the Catholics and the Muslims
respectively.

 The

protestants cemeteries were the

most beautiful because of their welltended plants and clean pathways.

Rizal Arrives in Japan

Rizal went to yokohama and stayed at the

Tokyo hotel. There, he was visited by the
head of the Spanish legation, Juan Perez
Caballero. Rizal agreed to leave the hotel
and to stay at the headquarters of the
Spanish Legation. Rizal and Juan Perez
Caballero then became good friends. He
stayed in Japan for one month and within
that time mastered and wrote in the
Japanese Language.

Rizal Impression of Japan

Rizal

was impressed by Japan. He observed

the culture, customs, and lifestyle of the
people. What particularly impressed Rizal
about japan were as follows:
The beauty of country
The cleanliness politeness and industry of
the Japanese people;
The picturesque dress and simple charm of
the Japanese women;

 The

fact that as there were very few

thieves in Japan, the houses remained
open day and night, and in the hotel
rooms, one could safely leave money on
the table; and
Beggars were rarely seen in the city
streets unlike manila and other cities.

Katakana
Rizal Learned form O-Sei-San
how to write his name:
(HO SE RI ZA RU)

Rizal Arrival in San

Francisco
When

Rizal arrived in San Francisco

California, he was quarantined for six days
aboard the Belgic, anchored off San
Francisco Bay. He then boarded at Palace
Hotel.
Rizal went around to observe the city.
From San Francisco, he started his strip
across the American Continent, passing
through Reno, Ogden, Denver, Farmington

Salt Lake City, Provo, Colorado, Nebraska,

and finally Chicago. He then reached Albany
and later traveled along the bank of the
Hudson River. This ended his
transcontinental trip. Arriving at New York in
the morning. He boarded at Fifth Avenue
hotel. His good impressions were the
material progress of the country: as shown
in the great cities huge farms, flourishing
industries, and busy factories;

The natural beauty of the land; the high

standard of living; and the opportunities for
a better life offered to the poor immigrants.
Rizal's bad impression of America, on the
other hand, was the fat that there was no
racial equality therein. There existed racial
prejudice, which was inconsistent with the
principles of democracy and freedom that
it was known to espouse.

London
Rizal

arrived in London by train on May

25, 1888. He chose to visit this English
city because it was the greatest political
power in the world at that time. He also
wanted to improve his knowledge of
English and to study and annotate
Morgas Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas a
rar copy of which he heard was
available at the British Museum.

While in London, Rizal came to know Dr.

Reinhold Rost, the librarian of the Ministry of
Foreign affairs of England then, and a
famous Malayongist, through a letter from
Dr. Blumentritt.
In August 1888, Rizal was admitted to the
reading room of the British Museum of
London. He copied Morgas book and
annotated it for publication as his gift to the
Filipinos. Aside from such boo, he also
wanted

 To

publish Blumentrits Tribe of Mindano

including some new documents that he
found at the British Museum.

Paris

In Paris Rizal was intending to board at

Hotel del Restaurant de Rome, but having
received bad news form home, he
accepted the invitation of his Filipino
friend to stay at the latters house so he
could forget such news. Then on
September 10, 1888, he left Paris and
went back to London to Continue copying
Morgas book at the British Museum.

Back in London
Rizal

went back to London to finish

copying the whole book of Morga. He
was admitted to study at the
Department of Greek and Roman
Antiquities in the British Museum of
London. In a letter, he told Mariano
Ponce that he was working hard day and
night at the British Museum in London
so he could defeat his enemies. On
October 13, 1888, at 7:30 in the

 evening,

he received a telegram from

Hong Kong informing him that Manuel
Hidalgo, the husband of his sister
Saturnina, had been deported to Bohol
without being informed of the reason for
his deportation. Then, while busy with
historical studies in London, Rizal received
a letter form Filipinos in Madrid, inviting
him to direct the society that they

 planned

to put up, called Association La

Solidaridad (solitary association). Rizal
received the new that he was elected
honorary president of the association in
spite of his opposition to it. It was
inaugurated on December 31, 1888 with
president; Manuel Santa Maria,
secretary; Mariano Ponce; treasurer; and
Jose Ma. Panganiban, accountant.

Rizal and La Solidaridad

Graciano

Lopez-Jaena served as the first

editor of La Solidaridad in Barcelona.
This was a fortnightly periodical that
served as the organ of the Propaganda
Movement. It aimed to attain the
following:
Philippine representation in the Spanish
Cortes;
Filipinos right of assembly;

 Filipinos

right of association and

freedom of thought and speech;
Filipino participation in the government
of the island;
Assimilation of the Philippines to Spain,
as its province. The goals of the
propagandist were inspired by the
principles of the bourgeois revolution of
1789.

Rizal in Brussels, Belgium

In

Brussels, Rizal busied himself writing

articles for La Solidaridad. He also
worked in a clinic to earn additional
income. In April 1891, Rizal wrote a
letter to Jose Ma.Basa, Borrowing money
form him so he could immediately leave
for Hong Kong and provide assistance to
his brother-in-law who had been
deported there by the Spaniards. He
sent two letters

 To

the Philippines through Jose Ma.Basa:

one for Buencamino and another for his
family in Calamba. Before he left
Brussels, thoug, Rizal finished reviewing
the manuscript of his second novel, El
Filibusterismo and awaited for money to
defray the publication expenses.

Paris
From

Paris sent a letter to Jose Ma. Basa,

he indicated that he was definitely going
to Hong Kong. He also wrote Marcelo H.
Del Pilar about the detailed cause of
their misunderstanding and why he
could not return to Madrid. He intimated
to Blumentritt that he would no longer
write for the propaganda to avoid
schism among the Filipinos in Mandrid.

Rizal in Hong Kong

Rizal arrived in Hong Kong on November 19,

1891. He sent Manuel Camus in Singapore
20 copies of his novel El Filibusterismo, six
copies of his annotations to Morgas book,
and four copies of Noli Me Tangere. He was
welcomes by the Filipino residents there,
especially by his old friend Jose Ma. Basa
provided him with a rented room at the
heart of the city of Victoria, on Duddell
Street.

Borneo Colonization
Project
Curing

Rizals trip from Marseilles to

Hong Kong, he discussed the idea of
colonization with the Englishman W>B
Pryer who, along with his wife, was on
his way to North Borneo Company in
1878, as recognized by Spain, Germany
and England, in exchange for Spanish
sovereignty over the island of jolo.

Back to the Philippines

On

June 26, 1892 Rizal and his sister

Lucia arrived in Manila. Upon their
arrival, their baggage's were searched
and the Spaniards officials claimed to
have a package of seditious papers and
leaflets therein. The following reasons
were then cited for the Spanish officials
decision to exile Rizal to Dapitan in
Mindanao:

bundle of handbills entitled Pobres

Frailes in which the patient and humble
generosity of the Filipinos was satirized
and which contained an accusation
against the customs of the religious
order.
Rizals novel El Filibusterismo was
dedicated to the memory of
threetraitors (GOMBURZA) and on the
title page.

The Founding of La Liga

Filipina
Rizal

attended a reunion that was held

in the house of Don Ong-junco a
Chinese mestizo who was living an Calle
Ylla in the district of Tondo to discuss
the proposed La Liga Filipina. Here he
met many Filipinos who were later also
arrested and executed. Among those
present were Pedro Serrano Laktaw a
manson and school teacher ;Domingo
Franco a mason

 Tabaco

shopkeeper; Jose A. Ramos an

engrager and printer, owner of bazar
Gran Bretana, and the first Worship
Master of Nilad, the first filipino masonic
lodge. In such reunion, rizal explained
the objectives of La Liga Filipina, a civic
league of Filipinos that he wanted to
establish and its role in the
socioeconomic life of the Filipino people.