The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-24

| HS JSN llSu is Staple afLlcS OF IOOG IN
| the Bahamas. Next in point of excel
lence for the table comes the grouper,
| covered with black and white stripes; the
| turDot shaped like sun-fish, and in
color deep blue; the red mullet, coiored
4 a flaming scarlet, and the blue and white
pilot fish, whose presence is always gn
unfailing sign that sharks are lowering
| close at hand.
! Then there are the lovely gold and pur-
pie hunlming-b fish: the black and
orange angel fish, the velvet fish; its skin
closely resembling black velvet; the bar
| racouta, which is sometimes wholesome
and healthy food, and again, though no
one can tell the reason therefor, fatally
poisonous; the shell fish, the flying fish,
the star fish, the pork fish, the catfish.
the hound fish, the sucking fish, the yell
low and striped snappers; fish that are
! green and black and yellow; fish of all
shades or color and all degrees Of beauty
and usefulness. But the most curious
! fish of all is the whipwray, which has a
! round, fat body and a long and extreme
! ly slender tail, eight or nine feet long,
| from which whips are often made. These
are some of the novel and wonderful
| things to be seen of morning in the
Nassau fish market.
! The flora of the Bahamas is a constant
and unfailing source Of delight. Each
month has its especial floral attractions,
| but most OF the trees and plants bloom
| and blossom all the year around. The
coral vine, with its bright scarlet bios
SONS, so like its sister OF the sea, covers
| all the hedges and walls. while the lava
vine, whose only food is the air, hangs
! from the trees like tresses OF a woman's
| half. Roses, the red, the white and the
tube, and the single leafed Cherokee rose,
bloom everywhere, and pink, white ana
red oleanderS flower the year through.
| Inc yellow JeSsamlne is as plentiful as 1t
Is fragrant and attractive, and the SPLEEN
did nlght-blooming cereus such an object
| OF wonder in the north is met with OH all
| sides. The different species OF the cacti
| abound, the triangular and pendulous
varieties being particularly attractive.
All these floral attractions are encOunt-
cred III walks and drives about Nassau
and its environs. In excursions about
! the island, to which the fine roads con-
| Stantly invite one, other Of natures rarest
! beauties are found in the most uneX-
| pected places. Lovely creepers and ferns
cover the rocks by the roadside, and ole
anders, stephanotis, myrtles, mignon
| cites, begoniaS, acaciaS, passifiorp and
! the glorious famboyant, grow in the cor
/ nerS OF the cocoanut and pineapple fields.
! The pineapple plant with its bright red
| leaves is striking feature of the land
! Scape.
MORE THAN SIX HUNDRED ISLANDS.
| All told, the Bahamas number more
| than $40 islands, stretching from the
southern coast Of Florida to the northern
| coast of Hayti. Less than thirty OF them
are inhabited. The largest islands are
! Abaco, WatIings, san Salvador, inagua,
/ Grand Bahama, lIXuma, Eleuthera An
dros, Acklin's and New Providence All
with the exception OF New Providence
contain only small and scattered villages
Of fishermen and spongers. New provi-
| dence is the Beart OF the Bahamas. aud
the other islands are its arteries. There
the products of the several islands are
| brought for sale and shipment and from
thence the people Of the outlying settle
mGnts draw all their supplies.
The Bahamas were the first lands dis
covered in the western hemisphere, and
! Columbus is said to have landed in New
| Providence during his historic first vow
age OF 1882. However, the Spaniarls,
! busy with more important cOnquestS and
settlements Oh the northern and southern
/ continents, made no use OF the Bahamas,
save 10 carry some f0,UO0 of the natives. a
! gentle, helpless race, away into slavery
among the gold mines and sugar planta-
tons of San Domingo and the pearl fish
cries of the Spanish Main. The islands
remained unsettled for more than Il cent
ury. In 1907 an English captain, it is
said, escaped shipwreck during hurri-
cane, by finding a refuge in Nassau har-
Dor, and in comInemoratiOn of his escape
named the island New Providence. By
virtue of this incident the English laid
claim to all Of the Bahamas, and the Eng
| lish King finally bestowed them upon
the lucky noblemen to whom he had al
ready given the Carolinas, in America.
| One or two settlements were made by
these proprietors, and by residents OF the
Bermudas. The Spaniards, however,
disputed their possession, and the islands
soon became one of the strongholds of the
n roa6n1 WnGt Indian hnpa1nnprS ~
found them a convenient point from
which to prey upon the commerce and
shipping of all nations.
More than century passed before the
buccaneers We're brought into compare
tive subsection by the English Govern
ment, who entrusted the task to Woodes
Rogers, the friend and companion of
Dampier, and himself one of the most ia
nous of British Seamen. Even then they
formed controlling element in the pop
ulation of New Providence, and often
carried things with a high hand. One
Chillingworth, who was Governor in
1870 did something that diSpleaSed them,
and they put him in irons, placed on
board ship and sent him to Jamaica.
! The Spauiards, who, nom Cuba and San
Domingo, kept q watchful eye upon events
III the Bahamas. finally, i'll 1850, deter
mined to teach the buccaneers lesson.
They sent an expedition to New Provi-
-.
and made prisoners of the leading resi-
dents. The Governor, who had sue
ceeded Chillingworth, was taken to Ha-
yana and burned alive in the public
square of that city.
THE SETTLEMENT OF NASSAU TOWN.
1t took New Providence long time to
recover from the blow, and seventeen
years passed before a new settlement was
made and a fort built to defend It. The
nd L
tory was a turbulent one. In 1908 when
it was only few years old, the French
and Standards CAPTURED it and burned it.
but it was soon rebuilt; the proprietary
lords relinqulshed their rights and claims
to the English Government, and Nassau
began to prosper in modest way ONLY
twice during the last two hundred years
have the towns and islands been out of
the control of the English. In 1776 an
American squadron captured and sacked
Nassau, bnt made no permanent use of
the advantage gained.
In 1871 the Spaniards captured Nassau
for the fourth and last time, and held it
until the close of the Revolutionary War.
The manner in which they were defeated
and driven away was most romantic
Colonel DeveauX, n daShing, deYil-may-
care South Carolinian Tory. hearing of
the fate that had befallen Nassau, deter
mined to go to its succor. With an ex-
petition of seventy white men and two
hundred negroes and Indians, fitted out
at his own expense, he sailed from st.
Augustine, and landing in Nassau in the
night, took Fort Montague while the gar
rison was asleep, and trained cannon
upon the residence of the Governor. All
day next day he was landing men from
his vessels in the harbor and marching
them to the fort. The men brought
ashore on one trip would be carried back
in the bottom of the boat in the next.