Evening star., 1898-08-27
Discovered by Columbus on His Third
Voyage.
IT'S PEARLS And PRECIOUS STONES
How English Gin and Coco Water
Were Nicely Blended
PUERTO RICON HISTORY

Written for The Evening Star.
Now that Puerto Rico has fallen, there
will never more be any likelihood of Span
ism ownership of American islands. or of
Spanish fleets cruising in American wat
ers The mills of the gods grind slowly,
but they finally deliver their grisj. 1t has
taken nearly four hundred years to de-
liver the two Americas from the horrors
OF Spanish rule: but at last it has come
that deliverance-and the flag of Spain
will no longer feat in places where it has
for centuries been 2 familiar object feared,
as well as hated
But the best of Spain remains behind,
and that is her traditions. Probably no
other country of Europe would have fur
Dished us with such a stock of romantic
traditions and poetic associations as Spain.
She came here fresh from the conquests of
Moor and Saracen Uhese terms are not
equivalenD, and her ''conquistadores'
brought with them swords and arquebuses
that had seen service en- many a field in
Andalusia 1 myself have seen in Santo
Domingo and had the pleasure of bringing
to this country, veritabie old ."Toledos."
that had been fashioned by Arab armorers
On the banks of the golden Tagus.
The Spanish Main.
How it came about that the north coast
of South America, between the Bay OF
Paria and Darien, received the name of the
Spanish Main" L do not know: but it
early spcrted This appeIlation, anG was
probably so called from the Spanish set
Elements on the south shore of the Carib-
bean sea. 1t was discovered by Columbus
the year he found his way to Trinidad, or
in 149S. on his third voyage; but another
navigator, one AmericuS VeSpucci. reaped
the credit of il. That is, Americus came
a Nan in rnr11-
pany with the sturdy Spaniard Ojeda,
and these twain gathered up what Colur1-
bus, in his haste to get to Santo Domingo,
left behind-namely bushels and bushels of
pearls from the islands Cumana and Mar
garita- These isles have since been ia
nous as seats of pearl fisheries, but their
glory has now departed in this respect.
Well, Vespucci and Ojeda coasted the
north shore of South America landing at
various places. and finally arriving at the
Gulf of Maracaibo. where they first of all
Europeans, saw the Venezuelan lake dwell
ers, living then, as they live today, in huts
perched upon piles driven into the bed of
the lake or gulf. In fact, it was the aspect
of this collection of lacustrine dwellings
that suggested to Vespucci the name by
which ever since the country has beer
known-Venezuela, or Little Venice.
He and his companions explored the inte-
rlor little and made some charts of the
coast, and it is related that, in these jour-
r=ys inland, every Indian thought himself
happy, when they came to ford rivers if
he could carry a Spaniard over on his
shoulders. and he that oftenest carried any
over looked upon himself as the most for
tunate'
Having secured, through barter with the
Indians, cargo of pearls and curiosities,
OJeda and NespUcci departed for Spain, be-
ing possessed of sufficient sense to know
when they had enough. l fancy it was
Nespucci, though. who counsaled this wise
course, for poor Ojeda died in poverty and
les buried-what there is left OF HMM
the convent Church of San Francisco. in
the city-of Santo Domingo.
Shrewd Vespucci.
But Americus was shrewd and knowing,
1t has not been proved that he himself de-
sired. or at least intended, to bestow his
own name upon the new continents discoy-
cred by Columbus. The old historian saws:
When King Ferdinand returned to Spain.
in 1907. he ordered Juan de Soils, Vincencfo
Hanez Pinzon, John de Ia Cosa and Ameri-
Gus Nespucius to come to court, and while