The St. Johns herald., 1894-02-01
A NEW OCEAN.
The Pacific Regarded as Spanish Lake
 Until About Century Ago.

The Pacific Regarded as a Spanish Lake
 Until About Century Ago.
 It seems rather curious to recall the fact that very little more than one hundred years ago the Pacific was re- garded as Spanish lake, says the Washington Star. That nation claimed it on the strength of Balboa's discov- cry in 1513, and insisted that it should be regarded as mare clausum. When Sir Francis Drake circumnavigatedt 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 a naughty reply. Not long before the close of the last century the Span ish crown again began to make fuss because it's 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 17S9 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 were 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. Whenever it rained the mats were spread to catch the drops, which were drained off into jars through split bamboos. 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 reenforce 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 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 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 despotic 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 a fresh distribution of lands. Thus the country was always full of people who were dispossessed and homeless. Kamehameha III. over turned this system by granting to his people bill of rights which made their tenure of the soil permanent. 4aB.;as9sse