The herald., 1896-07-08

uel, Immediately south of Point Cohce
coat. and is about to spank his disobed-
lent offspring into subsection, the partic-
MARS of the trouble have not been per-
mitted to publicly transpire.
The story in itself is curious, with the
dash of romantic interest that carries
one back to the by-gone time when the
early adventurous discoverers cruised
the Pacific shores, picking up unconsld-
cred trifles in the way of territory These
were generally very loosely held by the
aborigines, albeit the foreign visitors
were not averse to cutting lew natlVe
throats to the glory of God, II such
thing were necessary as a preliminary
to hoisting the standard and taxing pos
session in the name of His Most Gra-
cious and Catholic Majesty, or any
other majesty for that matter, Oh the
fair homes despoiled from an ignorantly
innocent people.
The various islands scattered along
the Southern Californian coast, ana
known generally as the Santa BARBARA
Channel Islands, each had more OF less
romantic history. A haze OF mysterious
interest has enveloped these Wal1s Oh tle
ocean, which has been intensl1ieu py tne
discoveries made on most OF them OF
all the evidences of a rude civilization
having existed upon them in the past.
By a curious omission these Islands
were not mentioned-Withc certain eXcep-
tionS-in the treaty entered into between
the United States and Mexico, when
California and these islands were ceded
to this country.
AS a result, primarily, OF the IN
definiteness of the wording of the treaty
between the two countries, the island of
San Miguel has occupied most curious
position, and its owner has refused To
recognize Uncle Sans jurisdiction over
the miniature kingdom. And now there
is blood on the face OF the moon and the
American legionS are moving against
this recalcitrant member of the body
polite while these lines are being read.
AN INDEPENDENT KINGDOM
In the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo
referred to the Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz
and San Clemente Islands We're Speci-
tically mentioned, and that in such case
this cession conveyed title also to the
other channel islands under Mexican
jurisdiction. But Captain Walters of
Santa Barbara, who owns the island of
San Miguel, maintains with some show
of reason that his little kingdom never
was under the jurisdiction of the Mexi-
can government, and that that power
never either directly or indirectly eX-
ercised dominion over it, In substantial
tion of this claim Captain Walters has a
mass of testimony in his possession
which goes to show an independent and
direct title for 120 years. At that re-
mote period it was taken possession of
by German traveller, who had got
somehow out of his latitude. and he and
his successors We're left in undsturbed
possession of the island.
All foreign as well as home vessels
when desiring to land at San Miguel
for water have always asked permission
to land, and even Uncle Sam himself
has never called upon Captain Moore
or the people resident upon the island to
pay taxes.
1t has been understood. whether with
legal accuracy or not, that each of these
channel Islands, with the exception Of
San Clemente. were held by private in
dividuals under old Spanish grants. Title
to the Santa Rosa island, the one most
closely adjacent to San Miguel is now
vested in the estate of J. Moore deceas-
ed, late of Santa Barbara and is now in
litigation.
The first specific mention of san Miguel
as being in the possession of the United
States government, is in certain ate
paper published in 1891, but if Gao
tain Walters contention is accented as
valid such reference was a mere as
sumption on the part of the government
based on the fact that the conveyance
of the Santa Rosa. Santa Cruz and san
Clemente islands also carried title to an
adjacent island. to which Mexico had no
title, never professed to have any. AMI
consequently could not deed away what
1T, by its own confession, never possess
ed. Tn the same manner the revised
statutes of California mentioned San
Miguel as being part of Santa Barbara
county, but. according to Captain Wal
ters. this is a Nero assertion. having no
greater weight than the statement con-
tanned in the state paper alluded to-
A RA ANCHER'C PAR ADTcU'
San Miguel is the westernmost of
the channel islands and it is dangerous
to approach 1t is separated from Santa
Rosa by the San Miguel passage, about
three miles in width The
island is irregular in shape, having an