The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-14
ITEMS oF INTEREST.

Az e-NA-lfa AehbAiEA CAE4pQS 70 LbtdA Tic ldIb
that very little more than 100 years ago the
Pacific was regarded as a Spanish lake, says
the washington star. that nation claimed
IL on the strength OF Balboa discovery in 1913
/ ana insisted that it should be regarded
] as mare clauSum This will bear
/ comparison with the claim recently made to
/ a IKE eject by the CnIted States in regard
/ 10 the northern part of the same ocean
/ called Bering sea. When Sir Francis Drake
/ clrcumnavlgated the globe his sailing across
/ these waters was seriously resented by Spain,
when demanded restitution TO her Of the
/ pIunQer which he took. but Queen Elizabeth
/ made naughty reply. Not long before the
/ close OF the last century the Spanish crown
began TO make fuss because its monopoly of
the Pacific was intringed on. 1t ordered the
/ commandant OF san Francisco to seize the
/ Columbia, the first vessel that carried
the American flag around Cape
horn In i7s9 two spanish men
! traders on the northwest coast. and war was
/ very nearly the result. 1t is odd that the
! Spaniards, though dfscoverers OF new lands
! ana WaterS.Were among the poorest naVigatorS
! OF their time. After coming upon the Solo
/ mon Islands, they could not lind them again
! ana they were lost for $50 years. Phe water
| supply OF their galleons was not kept in casks
/ but In big eaFthen iars AS it was iInpos-
| slole TO provide sufficient quantity for a six
months voyage on board of a ship carrying
! 4UO or 800 people, they always took to sea
| great numbers Of mats. Whenever it rained
] the mats were spread to catch the drops,
| which were drained of into Jars through split
DoA4bSOc- ne LOTbdHUy from SCQrFy on
long trips was frightful. Cortez, after the
conquest of Mexico fitted out three small
ships 10 sail to the Moluccas and reinforce
the Spanlards there. They were scattered by
tempest and two of them were lost. One Of
these vessels 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 e reekoned. According to
tradition only the captain and his
sister were saved The natives
received them kinkly ard gave them
1000 They intermarried with the Hawaiians
and uecame the progenitors of certain wei
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 di
vlded the rest among the leading men subject
10 them. The position of the latter was an
alogogs to that Of the barons Of European
leuualSfn. Ihey furnished supplies for their
sovereign ana IN case OF war were expected
TO take the field with what lighting men their
estates could furnish. These barons held al
most deSpotlc sway over their domains. APP
poruoning the territory which they controlled
among their followers. according to the within
OF the moment or the demands 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 dlspossessed and homeless. kameha-
meha III. overturned this system by granting
10 his people bill of rights which made their
tenure OF the soil permanent.
Not only d the ancient Egyptians en-
balm the bodies of the human dead-they
performed like operation upon the remains
OF the sacred animals, though in general less
expense and trouble were taken over them
ANIMALS being chiefly prepared by soaking in
natron. The list of sacred animals is long
Que says writer in London Society, though
the very ones that were most highly esteemed
IN some places were most abhorred in others
Inc HSt includes dogs, cats monkeys lions,
wolves ja3kalS, foxes, hyenas bears ichnu-
mon shrew mice, bulls, deer goats sheep
h5lppopotaml, .yultures' eagles, falcons,
hawks, owls. Ibis, geese, swallows, croc-
odlles, toads. lizards, serpents. fish of
various kinds. rats. mice, beetles and even
insects and flies. AS a rule, with the larger
animals the head only was mummied the
| body being represented by pieces OF wood
The birds are squeezed together and lose
their shape, except the ibis, which, accord
| ing to Belzonl, is formed like fowl ready to
pc cooked. The lblS and the hawk appear to
have the most care bestowed upon them for
rosln and asphalt are frequently found within
their envelopes. Birds in general. having
been wrapped in their bandages were then
placed in an earthern urn and deposited in
the tomb. No mummies of animals are to be
met with in the tomts of the higher class per-
sons. Most of them had their own proper
sepulchers consecrated and appropri-
ated to their species only but
they were occasionally found mixed
The catacomb of birds is distinct from
the catacomb OF human mummies. One bird
only IS lnclosed in each earthen pot, and an
| indefinite number of pots were found in good
order, whole and sailed The hot nature of
balmed had, however, dried up the greater
numter to powder. Upon the possession of
Egypt by the French upward OF 500 mummies
OF the ibis alone were discovered in the cata-
comb of birds. Certain animals were main
tanned at the public expense IN sacred parks
and people were appointed to nourlsh them
with the greatest care. Bread milk honey
meats, birds, fish, etc. were all supplied &C
cording to the nature of the animals No ex-
penSe was spared. The keepers bore upon
their persons the resem blance of the
species to which their care was devoted and
people paid marks of respect to them as they
passed along. The greatest sorrow was man.
| ifested at the death Of any of them They
were embalmed and inferred with great pomn
and splendor. So great was the generation in
which these animals we're held that though
when famine afflicted Egypt. the people
were driven to eat human flesh vet the
sacred beasts, birds. reptiles or fishes we're
always respected. They would rather eat
their own species than lay sacreliqious
hands upon what might be gods in disguise,
Animals of the lowest character even nox-
ious insects, were foStered in their temples
nourlshed by their priests. embalmed after
death. entombed with pomp and received all
kinds of honOrS. Those who, either by acct
dent or design, occasiOned the death OF any of
these animals, paid the forfeit of their lives
as the penalty of the ofense DiodoIols
S1culas saws. He who has voluntarily
killed consecrated animal is punishable
with death, but ii any one has inVoluntarily
killed cat or an tblS it is impossible for him
to escape capital punishment The mob
dragS him to 1t, treating him with every
cruelty, and sometimes without waiting for
! Tr,1 1rv,n l.,