The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-01-20
Miscellany.


AWAtHs q hcIe
Could you give me any information about
such islands, if any, as the. Government is
going to purchase? 1t is an uncle OF mme
that wants to know. He is an industrious
man, and well disposed, and wants to make
living in an honest, humble way, but mole
especially he wants TO be quiet. He wishes
TO settle down and be quiet and nostenta-
tious. He has been to the new island-St
Thomas-but he says he thinks things are
unsettled there. He went there early, with
an attache of the State department, who was
sent down with money to pay for the island.
My uncle had his money in the same box, and
SO when they went ashore, getting receipt,
the sailor broke open the box anu took all the
money, not making any distinction between
Government money, which was legitimate
money to be stolen, and my uncles which was
his own private property and should have
been respected. But he came home and got
some moro and went back. And then he
took the fever. There are seven kinds of
fever down there, you know, and as his blood
was out of order by reason OF want of sleep
and general wear and tear OF mind he failed
to cure the first fever. and then somehow he
got the other six. He is not a kind of man
that enjoys feyers, though he is well meaning
and always does what he thinks is right and
SO he was a COOL deal annoyed when it APP
peared that he was going. to die. But he
farm. He fenced it in, and the next day that
great storm came and washed the most Of it
over to Gibraltar, or around there somewhere.
He only said in his patient way, that ii was
gone, and he wouldn't bother about trying to
find out where it went to, though it was his
opinion it went to Gibraltar. Then he invest
ed in mountain and started a farm up there,
to be out of the way Wien the sea came
ashore again. 1t was good mountain and a
good farm-but it wasn't any use-an earth
quake came the next night and shook 1t all
down. 1t was all fragments, you know, and 80
mixed up with another mans property that
he could not tell which were his fragments
without going to law, and he would not do
that, because his main object in going to st.
Thomas was TO be quiet All that he want
ed was to settle down and be quiet. he
thought it all over, and finally be concluded
to try the low ground again, especially. as
he wanted to start brick yard this time.
He bought a flat and put out ten thousand
brick to dry, preparatory to baking them. Bu1
luck appeared to be against him. A volcano
showed itself through there that night, and
elevated his brickyard about two thousand
feet in the air. He has been up there and he
says the bricks are all baked right enough,
but he can't get them down. At first he
thought may be the government would get
them down for him, because ii the govern
ment bought the island it ought to protect
the property where man has invested in
good faith but all he wants is quiet, and SO
he is not going to apply Tor the subsidy he
was thinking about. He went back there
last week in a couple of ships of war to pros
pect around the coast for safe place for a
farm, where he could be quiet; but another
earthquake came and hoisted both ships out
into one of the interior counties, and he
came near losing his life. SO he has given
up prospecting in a ship, and is discouraged.
Well, now he doesn't know what to do. He
has tried Walrussia; but the bears kept after
him SO much, and kept him so on the jump,
as 1t were, that he had to leave the country.
He could not be quiet there, with those bears
prancing after him all the time. That is how
he came to 50 to the new island we have
bought-St. Thomas. But he is getting to
think st. Thomas is not quiet enough for
man of his turn of mind, and that is why he
wishes me to find out if the government is
likely to buy some more islands shortly. He
has heard that the government is thinking
about buying Porto Rico. If that is true he
wishes to try Porto Rico, if it is quiet place.
How is Porto Rico for this style of man?
Do you think the governm ent will buy it?