The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-06-07

The Facll- Regarded as Spanish Lake
U=.u About Century A-o.

The PacIlc Regarded as a Spanish Lake
U=-u About = Century A-o.
II seems rather curious to recall the
fact that very little more than one
hundred years ago the Pacific was re-
-arded Is a Spanish lake. SAYS the
Washington Star That nation claimed
it or the strength of Ralboa's discov-
cry IN 1913. and insisted that it should
bc regarded a mare elausum- When
Sir Francis Drake circumnavicated the
globe his sailing across these waters
was seriously resented by Spain. which
demanded restitution TO her of the
plumber he took, but Queen Elizabeth
made naughty reply. Not long before
the close Of the last century the Span
ish crown again began TO make a fuss
because its monopoly Of the Pacific
was infringcd on. Il ordered the COM
manlante of san Francisco TO seize the
ColU-1hia. the first vessel that carried.
the american hag around Cape Horn.
In l7S9 two Spanish men-of-war seized
several English fur traders on the
northwest coast and war was very
nearly the result. 1t is odd that the
Spaniards. thOugh diseoverers of new
lands and waters, were among the
poorest navigators Of their time After
coming upon the Solomon islands they
eould not find them again, and they
were lost for one hundred and fifty
years. The water supply Of their gal
Icons was not kept in casks. but in biz
earthen jars. As it was impossible to
provide u sufficient supply for a six
months voyage on board OF q ship car
ryin- four hundred or five hundred
people they always took TO sea great
numbers of mats. Whenever it rained
the mats were spread to catch the
drops, which were drained OFF into Jars
through split bamboos. The mortal
ity from seurvy on long trips was
frightful.
Cortes, after the. conquest of Mexico.
fitted out three small ships to sail to
the Moluccas and REINFORCE the SPAN
iards there. They were scattered by a
tempest and two of them were lost
One Of these is imagined to have been
the strange vessel which was wrecked
on the rocks of Hawaii about the same
time as nearly as can be rcclzoned-
-ANNbANAA-- - II eAtA4AA14A AAAi LtA@
and his sister We're saved. The natives
received them kindly and gave them
food. They intermarried with the
Hawaiians and became the progenitors
of certain well known families OF
chiefs. In early times the control OF
land on the Hawaiian islands was held
oy the ruling chiefs, who reserved what
portion they pleased for their own use
and divided the rest among the leading
men subject to them. The position Of
the latter was analogous TO that of the
barons OF European feudalisa. They
furnished supplies 10 their sovereign
and in case of war were expected to
take the field with what fighting men
their estates could furnish. These
barons held almost despotis sway over
their domains, apportioning the terri
tory which they controlled among the
followers according to the whim of the
moment or the demand of policy. Every
time n row chief came into power there
was q fresh distribution Of lands.
Thus the country was always fall Of
people WHO We're dispossesscd and
homeless Kanehameha III. over
turned this system by granting TO his
people bin of rights which made their
tenure Of the soil permanent.