The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-02
a NEW OCEAN.
The Pacific Regarded Spanish LAX
Until About "A Century Ago.

The Pacific Regarded Spanish Lake
! Until About "A Century Ago
1t seems rather curious to recall the
fact that very little more than one
hundred years ago the Pacific was re-
garded as a Spanish lake, says the
Washington Star. That nation claimed
it on the strength of Balboa's discov-
cry in 1918, and insisted that it should
| be regarded as mare clausum. When
/ Sir Francis DNake circumnavigated the
globe his sailing across these waters
was seriously resented by Spain, which
demanded restitution to her of the
plunder 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 fuss
because its monopoly of the Pacific
was infringed on. It ordered the com
mandante of San Francisco to seize the
Columbia, the first vessel that carried
the American flag around Cape Horn.
In 1899 two Spanish men-of-war seized
several English fur traders on the
northwest coast and war was very
nearly the result. It is odd that the
Spaniards, though discoverers of new
lands and waters, were among the
poorest navigators of their time. After
coming upon the Solomon islands they
could not find them again, and they
We're lost for one hundred and fifty
years. The water supply of their gal
Icons was not kept in casks, but in big
earthen jars. AS it was impossible to
provide sufficient supply for a six
months voyage on board of ship car
rying four hundred or five hundred
people they always took to sea great
numbers of mats. Whichever it rained
the mats were spread to catch the
drops. which were drained off into jars
through split ba mboos. The mortal
ity from scurvy 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
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 reckoned.
According to tradition only the captain
and his sister were saved. The natives
received them kindly and gave them
food. They intermarried with the
Hawaiians and became the prnGenitors
of certain well known families of
chiefs. In early times the control Of
land on the Hawaiian islands was held
by 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 feudalism. They
furnished supplies TO 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 despotie 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 new chief came into power there
was fresh distribution Of lands.
Thus the country was always full of
people who were dispossessed and
homeless. Kauehameha III over
turned this system by granting 70 his
people a bin Of rights which made their
tenure OF the soil permanent.