The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1875-02-03

in foot MokeIumns is often mispronOuneed
Mac al a N.Y." and the Costumes River is not
unfrequently called the Macosme Folsom is
pronounced like the adjective foIsOme. YOsemi-
te has four syllables with the accent on the ante
penuItimate (Yo sem i te). San Rafael is usu-
ally called San Rah feTl,n Tehama "Te bay ma "
ERRONEOUS SPELLING.
The maps issued by the Federal Surveyor Gen.
ersls Office have abounded with errors of SPELL
ing. chargeable to gross ignorance and careless
ness. The publications Of the State Geological
Survey have few. Whitney writes Tsmal
Pals instead of Tamalpais. and "Hetch-hetchy"
instead of Hetchhetcby. The hypben in Indian
names is an absurdity. and has been abandoned
in Tecumseh and Yosemite, and other words in
common use. "PGsH in Spanish means county,
and Marin County was formerly occupied by the
Tamal tribe of Indians and therefore it is sup
posed that the mountain should, out Of respect
for the Spanish language, be called "famal Pals"
But the Spaniards united the two words, and,
instead Of using pals separately, they would say
"el pals de los Tlndies" common error OF
writer's ignorant of Spanish is to say @ths sierras"
This as applied to the Sierra Nevada, is equiva-
lent to speaking of the Rocky Mountain Chains.
There is only one sierra in California.
SACRED SPANISH NAMES
The Spanish names may be divided into the
sacred and profane. The first Spanish settlers
were Catholics missionaries, in whose almanac
every day is named after some SAINT, and 10 whose
faith the saints were but little below divinity. It
was customary for them to keep the saints con-
stantly in mind. and when they came to a strange
place, to name it after the saint upon whose day
they had reached it. Thus it is that nearly all the
settlements made by or under the missionaries
are sanctifed
The male saints have "San," the females "San-
ia" to precede their Christian names, as in Egg
lish we have Saint"
The Missions we're all named from saints or
sacred dogmas There are San Miguel San Ca
briel, and San Rafael from the three archangels.
Michael, Gabriel, and RaphaeD. San Juan Bau-
tista and San Juan Gaplstrano (St John the
Baptist and St. John of Capistrano) San Fran
cisco de Assist and San Francisco de Solano, San
Luis Rey and San Luis 0bispo (St Louis the
King and San Louis the Bishop). San Carlos,
Santa Clara, Santa Barbara, San Jose (St. Jo-
'eph), Santa Inez Virgen Martyr (St Inez the
virgin and martyr), San Antonio de Padua (St.
Anthony, San Fernando Rey (St. Ferdinand the
king), San Buenaventura, La Purisima Concep-
lion (the most pure cOnception), Nuestra Sefiora
lie SOledad Jour Lady of solitude), San Diego
st. James), and Santa Cruz (the Holy Crosse
Among the saints whose names are applied to
places not missions, are San Pedro (Peter), San
Pablo (PauD, San Mateo (Mathew) San An
Treas (Andrew), San Simeon, San Joaquin
Joachim), San Lorenzo (Lawrence), San Lean
ro (Leander), San Felipe Philip, San Rosa.
sacred names, not derived from saints, are Trini-
ad (Trinity), and Sacramento (sacrament)
PRoFANE SPANISH NAMES.
Among the Spanish protane names are valle-
ito little vaIley) EsPeranza (hope), Campo |
LEGO (dry feld), llOrnitos little oven), Salinas
salt pIaces), Alameda Gan avenue of elms or
ottOnwood). Saucelito "a little clump of willows,
lore properly spelled Sauzalito), MERGED (mer-
y. Buena Vista (gOod view, Contra Costa
the opposite coast, the shore opposite the bay
San Francisco), Del Norte Got the north),
umas (f4athers), Tuaro Ia place Of tules), Ell
Dorado (the golden land) Fresno (ash), Nevada
snowy, Sierra (mOuntain chain), Placer (gold
ggings), Calayeras (skulls), Mariposa Clutter
D. Alcatraz (pelican), Farallones (points of
'ck in the sea), Monte (the mountain or forest)
Ionte Diablo (the DEVILS mountain) Montecito
title mountain or little forest), Pajaro (bird),
oyote. aud TETON "a badger) The Spaniards
y ell Rio de las Mariposas (the river of the
ltteraies)' Ell Rio de los Pajaros, La Mission de
an Gabriel (the Mission of San Gabriel), The
mericans drop the common Spanish nouns of
0, and say PajarO River, etc.-FSom Hliel's
esources Of California.