The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-06-10
coMPARATIVELY NEW OCEAN:
me acinc Regard an u Spanish
lake l Until About Century,

b Pacific Regard m srnr..S
Lake Until About Century
Ago. 49,
u seems rather curious to recall the
1act that very little more than 100
years ago the Pacific was regarded as
a Spanish lake, says the Washington
Star. That nation claimed it on the
strength OF Balboa's discovery in 1913,
and Insisted that it should be regarded
as q mere clausum. When Sir Francis
Drake circumnavigated the globe his
sailing across these waters was seri-
eusly resented by Spain, which de-
manded restitution to her of the plum
der he took, but queen Elizabeth made
q naughty reply. Not long before the
close of the last century the Spanish
crown again began to make a fuss be-
cause Its monopoly Of the Pacific was
lnfrInged on. 1t ordered the comman-
dante of San Francisco to seize 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. It 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 $50 years. The water
supply Of their ga1leons was not kept
In casks, but In big earthen Jars. AS it
was impossible to provide a sufficient
supply for a six months voyage on
board OF a ship carrying 400 or 500 peo-
pie they always took to sea great num-
bers 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 scurvy on long trips was fright.
| full. ~. 9 ~
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 reckoned.
According to tradition only the captain
uHu Has SiSlcE were SdVeu. I0e natlVoS
received them kindly and gave them
food They intermarried with the Ha-
| waiians and became the progenitors 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 por-
ton they pleased for their W 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 bar.
ons held almost despotic sway oyeG
their domains, apportioning the terri.
tory which they controlled among the
followers according to the whim Of the
moment or demand Of policy. Every
time a new chief came into power
there was a fresh distribution of lands.
Thus the country was always full of
people who were dispossessed and
homeless. Kamechameha LII. over
turned this system by granting to his
people a bill Of rights which made their
tenure OF the soil permanent.