The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-06-23


toes ofths civilization which the English had com
menced.
Santa Isabel is situated on the sea shore, on
level plain at the very foot OF mountain
which towers up 10 Hill feet above the sea, and
about whose head eternal clouds hover. In
n ont OF Santa Isabel Is situated little Key,
some four hundred square yards in extent, without
blade Of grass single tree and this Is the jail OF
persons sentenced to Imprisonment In Fernando Po
| Six months Is the maximum time that any one has
ever been able TO live upon IT, They die OF dropsy
| and not unfrequenty Of hunger and thirst.
The arrival.of the Borja Fernando Pc created,
was natural, intense excitement In the little CON-
munity. The Governor required three days TO make
up his mind whether he would allow the exiles
70 land, fearing they would create famine in tho
place but at length, when that cholera or
some other epidemic would inevitably break out on
board. he reluctantly yielded his consent. The sd
/ dress with which this ohcial received them is
typical Of spaniards all the world 81 am the
| man." he said, who ercels all others In kindness.
II meet ant in my path step aside, in order not
| TO destroy IT, But I an at the time upright,
| so inHexible Judge, that should look upon my
self as most unfortunate to allow any fault,
| however trivial, TO 20 unpublished. know no such
feeling as pity, I despise entreaties, and take
| pleasure In seeing guilty people suGier. On this
island there neither judges, officers, nor mil
|
own judgment and my will. Nor are there
here any other punishments than the prson-you can
see II from here-and the stake Whoever conducts
himself well will And fither In me the delinquent
will be instantly punished As to the rest, your re-
sdence this island be but OF short duration;
there Is no food for you here, and shall so inform
the Government OF the nation. No charge has been
made against any one Of you. You have been sent
here by an ofncial order OF the Captain
| Of Cura uA ia int trna vnur
departure may be fastened and your lot improved
can offer you resources whatever. You are free
| to go, provided you do not leave tho isllni Feel
and lodge yourselves as best you cam"
Fortunately, the exiles found hospitality on the
island iron the colored people Of the place.
The island, which Is a miles long and 10 broad, Is
situate to the south OF the Gulf OF Bafra, Is miles
OF the coast Of Africa in lat deg. 10 min. N. and
long. 8 deg. 90 min. L. OF Greenwich. The popula
ton OF the island Il some i2O00, all savages with
the exception OF $50 residents in Santa Isabel.
| The census OF last year, taken In January 1869
Males. Femsles.
S ws: :::.:....:......::..s 90 IS
, sSs as
| In religious. matters more than 30 per cent. are
| idoiaters, the rest are equally divided between
Q | Protestants and Catholics.
| C1arencetown, as Santa Isabel was called before
England ceded the island contained In 1883 more
than 5000 souls. But the rule Of Spain produced in
Fernando Pc the infallibe results elsewhere.
| The natives were sent to prison to make them re-
8 nounce Professionalism and the Spanish residents
a | petiuoned the home Government for the right to
enslaye the natives, the only whereby the
/. fertile and abandoned fields could be brought into
cultivation. Spain, from fear Of England, refuse
o | her consent but the hope is not yet dead In the
hear, OF the splniards. The author says he has
, many times heard them say, What pity tlese
. | negroes are rot slaves 1"
v Fernando Pc has Spain the lives Of thousands
| OF soldiers since her acquisition OF 1t, but 1t was
|. useful to the Spanish Government as port where
the savetraders OF the Antilles might be cared for
. There are three distinct tribes of negroes on th'
island besides the Congos and three kings, who are
called cocorocos The author one Of these kings
e who passed with several OF this wives, the latter
"a perfectly naked by the door OF his house. Iii.
Majesty mad on little cloth in front apparently mad
" the tendous OF deer big stick in his hard, an
10 on his head hat shaped something like bishop'
M mitre with red parrot feathers stuck In 1t. HIS
,e body painted red all over, with white and black
A spots and he went shoeless. No more ridiculou
or ngure can be imagined lie going to see thu
n. Governor, Souza, to whom he took present OF
| fowl He afterward called upon one OF the Cubans
Mt jose Resell who IL very fond of botany, and want
Al cd to learn all he could OF the trees and plants
ho the island Resell gave him old coat, which he In
ke media,ey put much pleased and invited the give
nd to his residence not far OF in the woods He WI
A, feasod with glass OF wine and good cigar, an
while stretched on a sofa said ~ will never retur
IA, to santa isabel. The Governor did not offer n
w. even a seat and ifhe wants to see me, let him cou
w to me-" This savage even resented the despot
"a treatment he had received from the spaniards, wh'
-, compared with the kindness and politeness he M
With at the hands OF the Cubans.
-, These kings, we learn, often make war upou eac
!. other without any inter ference the part OF Il
Governor, which proves that Spain exercises T
20 sovereignty in the interior. Nothing whatever
heen done by Spain toward internal improvements
- no roads built, woods cleared, no council forme
"a Of the c,lored people. justices OF the peace
settle trivial disputes between neighbors; no stoc
OF cattle goats, or horses distributed ong the nj
uves: no clothes even given to the geople for I
49, last four years, so that the men ant women wi
clothed their naxedness In the city a. least In 81
' tune OF the English, now perambula,e IA the &C
49,. tunes OF our hrst parents.
20 ofcour.e there 10 q Jesuit mission on tie isl1nt
1t has been established nine years. and atnoug
there have never been more than three pastors the
zee at any one time twelve have already been buried
ild tile cemetery OF Santa Isabel.
ers The origin Of the to yn OF the Congos on Il
on island is curious. They emaL pados sent fro
Cuba-that is. captured slayes-wno, after hay
ere served their term of labor on Cuban plantation
eht where at any they may have acquired certa
ar amount OF civilization and formed certain ties al
led attachments. are ruthessly sent to Fernando !
hch without any fault charged against them. Il
the sundi, when In Cuba, had sent of some ninety.
tho these more than forty died OF IN short time ma
ain OF them in prison, the rest OF levers hung
aeI thirst or dysentery; two died on the passage, a
int. two we're eaten by shrrks when 1nleayoring
oes swim from the Key TO the island. There remain
for only in tho town Of the Congos some thirty VIII
tic the BORA arrived there, and they were shipped
rom BY order of the Governor, who Instructed the CT
few | tain to land them In Madeira.
de The fact was that Souza, the Governor, vas ar
ape OF them. He had only forty soldiers, of VIII
ever twenty were In the hospital and twenty perlct
lcu- emaeiated with fever; they were "akln, skee.o
old, and when on guard could 4rdly carry ! ict.
all Business OF all kinds is Of course most iimu
. 10y There s an EnEis consulate hore, ani two
uel hsh lines OF steamers touch there for water
i at coal twice a month. The production Of palm o.
ers, decreased since the Standards have held