Daily camera., 1897-12-15
OUR OCEAN EMPIRE.
Pacific Islands That Belong to the
United States. K
Sixty of Them Annexed by the Gov
crnment Under a LAW Which Stfll
Remains in FOrce-Rights
of DiscOverers. ~

The proposed annexation OF tne Ia
waiian Islands has induced writer to
examine tho archives of the state depart
ment in regard to the possessions which
we already hold in the Pacific ocean.
Distributed over the mid-Pacific, in
the neigh borhood of the equator, are
quite a lot of small islands that belong
to the United States. Most of them are
from 1000 to 1000 miles to the south
and southwest of Hawaii. Some of them
are near the Gilbert archipelago, and
there is considerable cluster just
about the lesser distance mentioned
and directly south of the Hawaiian
group, including America, Christmas,
Palmyros and other islands of large
size.
Christmas island is about 35 miles
long. 1t got its name originally from
the fact that the famous Capt. Cook
stopped there on Christmas day for the
purpose Of observing an eclipse. 1t is
an atoll, or ring, OF coral formation, in
closing lagoon of water that has be-
come SO salty through evaporation as to
be vcritab,e brine. Fishes thrown
over the reef by storms are picked in it,
and remain perfectly preserved and
good to eat for months.
These isles Of the Pacific belonging to
Uncle Sam number 60 in all. They
have all been annexed to the United
States under an act of congress which
became q law August IS, 1856. This law,
which remains in force to-day, declares
that whenever any citizen of the United
States shall discover q deposit of guano
on any island, rock or key not within the
Lawful! jurisdiction OF any other govern
ment, he shall be at liberty to take
peaceablc possession thereof, and such
island, rock or key may, at the discre-
ton Of the president, be considered as
appertaining to the United States.
The discovercr is required to give due
notice to the department of state, with
atiidavts, describing the island and
showing that possession of the same has
been taken in the name of this country
He is obliged at the same time to give
bond, which is filed in the treasury.
The discovercr, at the pleasure of con-
gress, enjoys the exclusive right to oc-
cupy his island for the purpose of OBJ
tanning guano, and for this product he
is allowed to charge only certain fixed
price, namely, eight dollars ton for
guano delivered at the ships side, or
four dollars q ton for the privilege of
digging it where it lies Furthermore,
he gives guarantee by. his bond to de-
liver the guano only to citizens Of the
United States, and to be used in the
United States.
The law also provides, curiously
enough, that all offenses and crimes on
such island by persons who may land
thereon or III waters adjacent shall be
deemed as committed on the high seas,
on board merchant ship of the United
States, and shall be punished according
ly. The president is authorized to use
the land and naval forces of tic United
States to protect the rights OF the dis
covercr or his heirs.
But Uncle Sans ocean, empire in
cludes great many islands of far great
CT Importance than the guano islands
referred to. In Behring sea there are
several very large islands, besides the
little Pribyloy group to which the seals
resort.
This country owns the entire chain of
Aleutian islands, which separate Behr-
ing sea from the north Pacific. The in
habitants Of these islands, called Aleuts,
are particularly intelligent, much more
civilized than the Eskimo, and the bear
a close resemblance physically to the
Japanese.
On the coast of southern Alaska is
group of islands of great size, on some
of which live the Thlinlet Indians.
These Indians are the most artistic
savages in the world, being skilled wood
carvers. Off the coast of Southern Cali
fornia is the Santa Barbara group, COM
prising a number of large Islands,
Washington Post. ss