The Republican journal., 1896-06-04
From the Canaries to Turks Island
Capt. Richardson Spins an Interesting Yarn !Or
Journal Readers.

dItncl Wa lcl 20 On ItDtIl1ic. ilC va
nalv Islands are worth telling about, but
I have refraned from Writing to The
journal regarding them because by the
last az Il received ] saw that regular
col1esPolcent was in the MaGeiras, and
no doubt the natural swing of her orbit
landed leI nigh and dry in tie Canaries
before reached them. But the sea is
nine and may write of it without fear
Of crow ding. AS rule, no good, natural
lalbors exist around any volcanic islands,
OF along the shores of any other lands of
that kind. There is not one safe, natural
halbor in all of the Azoyean, Madeirian,
Canalien o. Cape de Verde groups. Bends
in the coast, forming e-sided protec-
ton, is all that nature has afforded. To
overcome the dangers, and to produce
some little convenience for their COM
merce, artificial harbors, at great expense,
have been OF are being made; the greatest
works of the kind undertaken amongst
IT, islands are at the Azorean port of
san Mikael and at Puerto de la Luz, Gran
Canalia The latter place now has mole
one and a quarter miles long, starting
from one horn of the crescent bay aud ex-
tending like bar toward the other point,
culvirg inward towards the end, SO that
when completed the harbor Will be large
and perfectly safe.
1t is built of concrete blocks. each
weighing from Is to 30 tons, all placed by
divers in perfect order. 1t is laid in an
average depth Of sc feet Of water and
raised j. feet above the surface The
works have been Thirteen years under con
strction, with an annual expenditure of
500. GOO, In looking over the slow and
costly work. the brilliant thought struck
ma of What wide opening there is to the
VcIy mountains Of wealth for some Amer
fcan engineer to undertake, and success
tully accomplish. contracts for moving
chose lcss favored and unshelteled parts
ri the earth. We cannot probably raise
oranges in Maine, but we have haIbors to
rive away Tile whole Penobscot BAY.
Will all its branches, is one grand. safe
Aalhol, considering the way that vessels
ue nov found with chains and anchors
ami what tley have 10 accept for harbors
I'll some 81 THEN 0andelings from home.
At Tenelitfe deere is but short mole, so
tan. and ao general protection for ship
ping. they are continually at work, how
evel sinking rough stone by which in
time breakwater may be produced.
While We were i'll the ports Of Santa
(luz and las Palmas our flag was to those
spanish people like a red cloth to the tor
tuned bulls which produce their chief
amusement. | was earnestly assured that.
gust as soon as Spain properly subdues
Cuba she will send over and wipe America
oft the map Of the world All European
people speak Of The United States as
'-America,' and their general IGNORANCE
fegardtn5 our government would cover
even a larger continent. We, the United
states people, Of couIse have no dstjnc-
tive an citation beyond the word Gamer
'can, which We are always clad enough
10 use. and which is generally understood
10 oe ours ny sort OF unpatented right.
enough the greasy Mexican, . and many
o'helS not less Objectionable, cannot in
justice be denied the use of tie same
proud title. Among ourselves the name
ahkee given to us by the Indians
ana meant by them for 'English' means
only tile people of New England: but
when foreigner desires to speak in re-
lloach OF, or to, if he dares. any r. s
American he mistakenly calls him cyan
kee' little knowing that Down Easter
plide III being Yankee is only second to
that OF being an American. On beino
calIed the latter he tingles with pride and
pauioJlsm; when termed the former he
considers it commentator, as belonging
10 race OF physically strong. puritanical
and Intelligent people; hence the intended
reproach is entirely lost.
We we've in Las Palmas Passion Week
with its many holidays, and while in the
two ports had many other scattering DAYS
OF idleness. We might have worked Sun
days had we wished, but were not broupbt
up that way, and so with the loss of the
days kept holy by the Romans. and those
we ourselves revere as such, there was but
little time for work, and could not helm
but to meanly calculate how much the
maintenance Of two kinds of religion was
costing me. When a mutual working day
happened to be found on the calendar
and there was any mutual working hours
between the differences of Spanish and
American meal times, we thrashed out
cargo at rate not agreeable to Dago
views Of labor, nor at all in conformity
s'ith his desire for moderation. Twenty
three days at the islands, landing twelve
hundred and fifty measurement tons.
Il ough We could easily have handled it
all in five days OF less
How The labor of such a tired people
can produce enough for their large num-
bels to live on isa question; but it seems
to be one Of the worlds laws that the
least tlelnetic ucOllle are .1uavS t,,rpa1