The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-07-23

galleons were plying the seas Of the
world in search of riches and new
places to conquer, constant communica
ton was kept up between the Ladrones
and the coast of Mexico. But now
Spain has nothing to 80 there for. She
has managed to kill Off the greater part
of the population, she has taken every
thing in sight, and reduced the few re-
naming inhabitants to condition of
practical servitude. But the natural
conditions still exist for the raising OF
such produce as will find an easy mar
ket in the United States, and it may be
taken for granted that American thrift
and commercial energy will bring the
islands to state of perfection.
There is little known concerning the
native history of the individual islands.
Modern research began with the visit of
Commodore Arson, who landed on the
island of Tinian in August, 1742. Byron
visited the Ladrones in 1865, Wallis in
1867, and Crozet in l772. During the
present century Freycnet in 1929 gave
much additional knowledge, as did the
Spanish Captain Sanchez Zayas in
1865.
When first visited by Europeans the
archipelago was found to contain a con-
siderable population. The Chamorros,
unjustly stigmatized by Magellan as
Ladrones, or robbers, appear to have
been akin to the Tagals, at least in
speech; but the physical appearance of
of their few descendants would lead to
the supposition that the aborigines were
half-caste lndonesian and Papuan race.
These two elements may have been rep
resented by the two distinct classes of
| mobiles and people, between whom mar
| riage was forbidden. But, however this
be, the Spanish conquest ended by re-
| ducing all alike to common state OF
servitude
Long after the occupation of the archi-
| pelago the Chamorros continued to hold
| out valiantly against the oppressive
measures of the authorities, and when
| all resistance ceased, toward the end OF
the Seventeenth century, it was found
that of the $4,000 or 10000 natives, more
than half had persisted OF escaped to the
Caroline islands; over two-thirds of the
$50 villages had fallen to ruins. Then
| came the epidemics, which swept away
most of the natives Of Guam, and when
| they were replaced by compulsory I'M
migration from Tinian, nearly all the
new arrivals persisted Of hamilton. Tin
ian had been entirely ,depopulated with
out any advantage to: Guam.
| In 1850 the population of the Marianas
had been reduced to 1864 souls, and it
I was then that recourse was had to Tagal
| colonists from the Philippines, who alb
sorbed most of the surviving aborigines.
| In 1876 not more than 600 in total
| population of nearly 5000 were regarded
as of more or less pure Chamorro stock.
In Guam are concentrated six-sevenths
of all the inhabitants, who have steadily
increased since the outbreak of measles
in 1856. The northern islands are oc-
cupied only by few families, engaged
| In fishing Tinian has only single viii
lage and community of lepers; Rota
| and Sayan have each not more than
few hundred souls.
The natives of the Marianas have fall
en- off in culture as well as in numbers:
although baptized and capable of read
ing Spanish, they have forgotten the
industries practiced by their forefathers.
Agriculture has greatly deteriorated, the
art OF pottery has disappeared, the
| woven fabrics are conrser than formerly.
the perfectly symmetrical houses seen
by Arson in Tinian are no longer con-
structed, and rude canoes have replaced
the beautiful outriggers admired by the
early navigatOrs Anson's crew calcu-
lated that this craft could make 20 knots
an hour running before a brisk trade
wind; when driven from their proper
route, they often reached islands lying
at great distances from the Mariunas
Agano capital of the archipelago, on
the northwest coast of GUAM contains
more than half of the population, as
we'll as all the political prisoners ban
ishcd to this region. The port is ac-
cessible only to small boats, and the
postal service in Manila is made only
once in the twelvemonth.
| The government of the Marianas is
military, the garrison consisting of 300
natives, recruited by CONSUMPTION. The
cluster Of islets, such as Parry and Vol
cano. scattered over the northern waters
in the direction Of the Ogasavara, on
BONN group, belonging to Japan, are
nearly all uninhabited. On many ma
rine charts they are still designated by
the collective name of the Magellan
archipelago, but their total area scarcely
exceeds 40 square miles.
A special dispatch from Chattanooga,
to the Chicago Times Herald, dated July
II, says: During the last week several
disturbances have occurred between the
Protestant and Catholic members of the
9Th Massachusetts. Some of the boys
| have haan Alien,