Elsewhere, however, he attempts to justify his action by making the following statements:-- "The political or governmental problem being now reduced from 3141 islands to eleven, the last three [323] of the nine contained in the above table may also be eliminated as follows: [324]-- "Mindoro, the large island just south of the main bulk of Luzon, pierced by the 121st meridian of longitude east of Greenwich, is thick with densely wooded mountains and jungle over a large part of its area, has a reputation of being very unhealthy (malarious), is also very sparsely settled, and does not now, nor has it ever, cut any figure politically as a disturbing factor." [325] Apart from the fact that the political problem involved in the government of the important islands which Blount would thus leave out of consideration, is not solved by ignoring it, certain of his further statements cannot be allowed to go uncorrected.
The allegation that the island has never "cut any figure politically as a disturbing factor" is absurd.

In the Spanish days its forests furnished a safe refuge for evildoers who were from time to time driven out of Cavite and Batangas.

A large proportion of its Filipino inhabitants were criminals who not infrequently organized regular piratical expeditions and raided towns in Masbate, Romblon and Palawan.

The people of the Cuyos and Calamianes groups lived in constant terror of the Mindoro pirates, and _tulisanes_, [326] who paid them frequent visits.

I myself have been at Calapan, the capital of the province, when the Spanish officials did not dare to go without armed escort as far as the outskirts of the town for fear of being captured and held for ransom.