Evening star., 1898-05-14
A Group Which Forms One of SPANS
Naval Depots.
ALSO THE VICTIMS OF MISRULE
Description Of the Loftiest Noun
tain in the Word.
LIFE AMONG THE GUANCHES
From ,he 81. Louis Giobe-Demoerut.

a
Verde Islands Of the Spanish fleet. AS they
lie off the line Of tourist and pleasure
travel. these islands are very little kaown,
ard. cut of they are from association
with the continent they have had little in
terest for either the politician or the his
torian. No event of considerable historic
Importance has ever occurred on any of
tfen. their inhabitants are little disturbed
by the changes of nations by the march
OF civilization. and remain in practically
the same condition now that they :00
years ago.
The Canary group comprises the islands
of Teneriffe. Grand. Canary. Palma, Ian
zarote. Fuerteyentura. GomeIa and Ferro.
with an area Of $50 square miles little
less than that of the state of Connecticut.
having populati of .g1 .tsJ. Politically
considered, the islands. for administration
purposes, form a province of Spain. have
repre- sentative in the cOrteS and. therefore,
share in the government. Their affairs are.
however administered by a captain general
appointed by the crown. There two
reasons why the CararieS have always been
quiet. The first is the native population
has nothing whatever to say in local af-
fairs. and i kept by the dominant element
in Ignorance so dense to consider the
existing state of affairs a natural order
which 1t Is vain 10 attempt to change. The
Granches. or Canary natives. are also out
N inberei 10y the Spanish element in such
q, gTye tn3t rebellion would be hopeless.
and. no arms or munitions of any kind
permitted TO the islanders their status
Is hardly better than that of horses or cat
tle. The other reason is there is little to
enrich Spanish official. aHd consequently
Spanish officials do not desire positions on
the islands and regard IN appointment in
th~ CanarieS rather in the nature of an
e&iir from Spain than source of profit.
Natives of the Islands.
The Guanehes. or native Canary Island
erS. are mongrel race. darker in color
than even the population in southern
SPAN. where Moorish blood pl ledominates
They are the descendants of Phoenicians
Car;haginistns. Moors and negroes, all of
whom at one time owned or occupied the
Islands They are IL simple rural folk, de-
voted entirely to such agriculture as the
soil and climate of the islands admit, and
as Industrious might be supposed under
tropical When the islands were
first discovered by Europeans the Guanches
We're Sdrlke, and more than once repeIled
Spanish and Portuguese expeditions sent 70
accomplish their subjugatiOn. The power
OF hrrarmS. however finally oyercame the
arrows and spears of the islanders and
one by ore the different islands of th,.
group were subjected to the control of tbs.
whites For long time they were a source
OF contention between Spain and Portugal,
being ciaimed first by one. then by The,
other. and not until the present century
was tne Spanish authority definitely main
tanned.
Islands Va
en- known TO civilized nations by the
same Maine for at least 1stD years for
theN we're mentioned by PIny. who called
fhem the Fortunate Islands and rho Ro
nanS also denominated them the Canari,s
Iiom the word canis. dog and the facf
that OF these islands there were bred mas
uHs OF unusual size and fierceness, which
were IL nigh repute in Roman hoISabnIds
as guards for the doors. To have a C'auarv
iog was considered an evidence of wealth
,i,. ahI soct"I station. for none but the rich
I IouID amor 10 have them. and some of the
td'7tSt ana most savage cost between s5ipo
ana Ss-p pair The famous Canary dogs
which rendered Cave Canem Beware of
the H"S a familiar legend in every Ro-
man clty. are no longer known in the ISL
Bnds. - '''e iSi-
About generation ago the grape disease
uestFoyed the vineyards of the Canaries
and the rural population of the isT,rJs
turned their attention TO cochinaa7 I,'hIh
low the leading article of export As
tllt is!dhdS. however. are all mountainous
tt4 I'm, oI tneF mountains are very lofty
80 Sto" ies upon the peaks during the
tntlft summer. there is every variety Of
S.iLldt'- M within few miles one may
I@s @ rom Inc tropical to the temperate
I'ht- Most Of the farms, however lie in
the valleys of the creeks ard small stra,,, ~
anu anu ths greater proportion of the proiuc
acter. P'o"i III cLar-
Lofty Teneriffe.
The most important island in IN. C,oror,.
group Is Teneriffe. whose famous rnourtoin
- hA""H 10 navigators as one of the most
imposing landmarks in the world The
mountain rises 12.1s2 feet above the g,
tne peak having the form of sugar loaf
4ie. i.s the iact that the island is itself
IL f.' itsi'' sprlnglng almost perpendicu-
an! rom the ocean, the bottom of which
Is SIX miles below. Tenerife is the loftiast
beah IN tHe world Beside ii Mont Blanc
- NSIny' Cotopaxi Kinchinjunsa and
Mount Everest dwindIe by comparisan
W me all the Islands are volcanic arJ al
.coh'din evidences Of very recent action
f hsi,frIE- Is the only one which still con
uhue> IN eruption. The summit Of III
mountain Is a circular wall iucIosfDr .
.iattr mile IN diameter ard over 100 feet
~ eepth, FROM the offnE. and even from
tlt Se2shoTc. the sides OF Teneriffe So,
as though carved by hand but the ~
nfehSe size Of the mountain is in proDorti1,,
70 tilis crater. although 1t seems incredible
70 the i0oker-on that at the mountain Tin
there should be one of the largest crn,lrp ~
IN ihe world The great crater of Tersrfffa
mas becn Guiescent ever since the island
was redisc0vered by Europeans earl IN
the fifteenth century bur in $50 az az
places on the mountain side there are
smaller craters which continually emit snI
pnufpus stestTns and gases, and occasionaIIv
'htV" "ut small quantities Of lava
The Principal Port
The principal port of the island is SAINT.
Cruz. which has a good harbor and 10 toI-
erabiy safe. a very important point in n
tropical region where hurricanes at the
chahse OF the seasons may be confidently
expected NHe-tenths of the business of
the Canaries is transacted at Santa Cruz
anu under civilized rule the Islands would
become available for their agricuIturaI re
sources but in the Canaries as elsewhere
oPdlish misgovernmeut has done every
tIihs possible to compass the degradati ton
OF thr people. 1t is the Spanish noIicI,
"hlch retains in use the palanquin of the
east ana the caro-. or OK sledge and the
~ ~"i-NsS "hlch are the only means OF trans
portatlon available. But for this stupidity
Pueft" Orptdva, near Santa Cruz wouId
long ago have become a favorite resort for
coBsumptives. its climate being well su,ted
from the altitude Of the village. to weak
lungs, but Spanish dullness is inyincible
even I" the appeals of cupidity.
The Cape Verde Islands are popularIv
supposed 70 belong TO Spain. and the delu-
sion has been cherished by the fact that
the spanish heet is now assembling there
but they constitute q dependency of Portu
gal, one Of The remnants Of the former
Portuguese empire which had its colonies
ali round the world lie