The Hawaiian gazette., 1893-05-23
A MODERN OCEAN.

l n
at All Events 1t is Very New to
Men of Caucasian Anfece-
dents.
It seems rather curious to recall
the fact that very little more than
100 years ago the Pacific was re-
garded as Spanish lake. That
nation claimed it on the strength
of Balboa's discovery in 1913, and
insisted that it should be regarded
as a mare clausem. This will bear
comparison with the claim recently
made to like effect by the United
States in regard to the northern
part of the same ocean, called Behr-
ing sea. When Sir Francis Drake
circumnavigated the globe his sail
ing across these waters was seri-
ously resented by Spain, which de-
manded restitution to her of the
plumber which he took, but Queen
Elizabeth made naughty reply.
Not long before the close of the last
century the Spanish crown again
began to make fuss because its
monopoly of the Pacific was in
fringed on. 1t ordered the COM
mandante of San Francisco td9eize
the Columbia, the first vessel that
carried the American flag around
Cape Horn. In 1889 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 discoveries 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 were lost for 80 years.
The water supply of their galleons
was not kept in casks, but in big
earthern jars. AS it was impossi-
BILE to provide sufficient supply |
for a six months voyage on board |
of ship carrying 400 or 500 peo-
pie, they always took to sea a great
number of mats. Whenever it
rained the mats were spread to
catch the drops, which were drained
off into jars through split bamboos.
The mortality from scuryy on long
trips was frightful.
Cortez, after the conquest of
fitted out three small ships
to sail to the Moluccas and rein
force the Spaniards 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 at about the
same time, as nearly as can be
According to tradition,
,nly the captain and his sister
we're saved. The natives received
hem kindly and gave them food.
They intermarried with the Ha-
yaiians and became the progenitors
# certain well-known families of
:hiefs.
In early times the control of land
IN the Hawaiian Islands was held !
" the ruling chiefs, who reserved
What portions they pleased for their
wn use and divided the rest among :
he leading men subject to them. 5
he position of the latter was anal Z
gous to that of the barons of Euro t
'ean feudalism. They furnished |
upplies to their sovereign, and, in g
ase of war, were expected to take t
be field with what fighting men 9
heir estates could furnish. These !
arons held almost despotic sway
yer their domains, apportioning 8
be territory which they controlled j
mong their followers, according to e
be within of the moment or the de- b
hands of policy. Every time j
ew chief came into power there i
as a fresh distribution of lands. L
'hus the country was always full Z
f people who were dispossessed .
nd homeless. Kamehameha III. .
verturned this system by granting a
} his people bill of rights. which v
lade their tenure of the soil per- O
lanent.- Washington Star. Il
University of California.