The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-26
THE LADR0NE ISLANDS.
THEIR HISTORY SINCE THEIR DIS
COVEItY.

COGEUY.
A Curious Theory-EarIy Explorers.
Religious Conquest by Diego de
SanYitOres Poets About Their
Government and Population - The
Capital Which Surrendered to the
Charleston.
From the New York Post.
The recent taking OF the Ladrones by
the Americans recalls the old theory Of
the peopling of America from these ISL
ands. Magellan, some years before he
sailed westward as a naturalized Span
lard, 70 discover the Ladrones and lose
his life in the Philippines, had already,
as native Of Portugal, sailed eastward
to the Spice Islands, a part, geographic
cally, of the Philippines. When the Por-
tuguese settled in the Spice Islands, they
found the natives exchanging spices for
silver and emeralds from the Ladrones.
The Portuguese, however, were never able
to find any mines of precious stones or
metal IN the Ladrones; and the question
arose, Whence came the silver and emer-
aids of the Ladrone islanders?" Consid-
ering that emeralds were not produced in
the East Indies, that the Ladrones had
been evidently the home of an old civlli-
cation, and that the Ladrone islanders
were still remarkable as navlgators, 1t
was concluded by certain writers that
their silver and emeralds were from
America; and, this connection establish
ed, 1t was conjectured that here lay the
answer to the question, Whence came
the American Indians?"
OF the flying proas of the Ladrone ISL
anders, the reports of travellers are al
most Incredible The appearance of the
proa hlled the early Voyager with aston
lshment, and its speed with wonder.
This invention" says a. recent writer,
would do credit to any civilized nation"
Inc stem and stern are alike, and are
very sharp. The boat sails in either di-
rection, and always with the same side
TO the wind. On the windward side is a
long out-rigger and at its extremity is
log of wood pointed at both ends and
parallel with the boat This prevents the
capsizing of the boat, the lee side of
which is vertical to prevent drifting to
leeWard, while the weather side is built
in the ordinary manner.
To change the direction of the boat the
free end of the yard is brought down while
the other is raised and thus the direction
OF the boat is reversed, with that of the
lateen or triangular 'sail, while the outrig-
ger IS still to windward. These proas pass
ed between Magellans ships going at full
san ana the boats they toWed astern 80
quickly and skilfully thar it was a mar
vel. Van MORT the first Dutch circumnav-
igator, says that Sometimes two hundred
OF these proas, with four or five men apiece,
would come to trade, all following togeth-
er Hero, Hero, that is, Iron, Iron and
with very eagerness run their proas upon
the SHIPS" jacques lie Hermte, who was
off the coast of Guam in 1925 says that
the inhabitants came out six miles 10
meet him, with all sorts of refreshments
10 exchange for their iron, and that there
were a hundred and fifty proas trading
with him at one time. An old writer SAYS
that one of these proas being despatched
from Guam to Manila, which is 40 good
leagues, performed the voyage in four
days"
Dampier, who was at Guam during one
OF his voyages round the world saws: Il
believe they are the fastest boats In the
world. Sailing one by our log, we had u
knots on our reel and the whole of it was
run out before we turned the half minute
glass, which was y miles per hour l be-
heVe they run nearly "A miles an hour.
Maite-Brun speaks of these flying proas
as models of naval architecture"
From these pToas Magellan gave the ISL
ands the appropriate name Islas de las
Nelas Latinas, or the Lateen-san Islands:
but his sailors called them Ladrone or
Hobber Islands Drake called the Pelew
lslands, htty-eight years later the Islands
OF IhleVes. The Ladrone islanders were
honest among themselves, and were kind
to the stranger in distress. In 1888 the
snip Conception was wrecked on one of
these islands. 1.-THE natives" writes lie
GOhlRn DC -fesf- IL
who were saved of the Spanish crew, and
endeavored to alleviate their misfortune
by kind treatment" Los Jardines or The
Gardens, and Dos PraZeres, of The Pleas
ant Islands, are among the names that
have been given to those islands but since
1868 their official designation, in honor of
Marianne of Austria, has been The Ma
riannes.
The first period of their known history,
1921 TO 1868, is one of voyage and discov-
cry. The master spirit Magellan, with his
scurvey-stricken, starving crew, steered
his failing ships across the waste of wa
ters towards the high peak of Rota, then
southwestward to the evergreen asylum
of Guam. Refreshed, they proceeded
Magellan to his death in the Philippines,
and the Victoria to the completion of her
circumnaVigation. The Trinidad, endeav-
oring to recross the Pacific, touched at two
other islands of the Ladrones, and three
sailors ran away, one OF whom was pick
ed up i've years later by the ships of 10y
asa in still another island OF the La
droues.
In 1928 Saavedra took nominal possession,
as did Legaspi in 1865, but no settlements
were made. Gaspar and Grijalva, writing
in this latter year, describe the houses as
lofty, neatly built, and we'll divided into
apartments, the whole raised a story from
the earth, and supported upon strong pill
- H..
houses, the natives had others for their
proas, one of which contained four large
proas. During this period Drake, Cav
endish, Van Mort, SpilDergen, Schouten,
lie Marie, and the Nassau fleet, on their
way around the world, stopped at the La
drones and were heartily welcomed and
entertained by the natives.
The account given by Dampier of the
remarkable bread-fruit tree is The best: "A
certain fruit called the bread-fruit growing
on tree as big as our large apple trees
with dark leaves. The fruit is round, and
grows on the boughs, like apples of the