Arizona republican., 1898-09-10
THE SPANISH MAIN.


 ly four hundred years to deliver the two Americas from the horrors of Spanish rule, but at last it has come that deliverance- and the flag of Spain will nc longer float in places where It has for centuries been a famil- jar object, feared, as well as hated.
 But the best of Spain remains be- hind, and that is her traditions Prob ably no other country of Europe would have furnished us with such a stock of romantic traditions and poetic asso- citations as Spain. She came here fresh from the Conquests Of Moor and Sara cen tthese terms are not equivalenD and her ''conquistadores" brought with them swords and arquebuses that had seen service on many field in Anda- lusia. 1 myself have seen in Santo Domingo. and had the pleasure Of bringing to this country, veritable old "Tolados, that had been fashioned by Arab armorers on the banks of the golden Tagus.
 How it came about that the north coast of South America, between the Bay of PaTia and Darien, received the name or the Spanish Main" I do not know; but it early spo-ted this appel lation, and was probably so called from the Spanish settlements on the south shore of the Caribbean sea. It was dis covered by Columbus the year he fCund hi; way to Trinidad, or in 149S, on his third voyage; but another navi- gator. one Americus Vespucci, reaped the credit for it. That is, Americus came sailing along the next year, 1499, in company with the sturdy Spaniard Ojeda. and these twain gathered up what Columbus, in lis haste to get to Santo Do1,ingo, left behind-namely, bushels of pearls from the islands Cumana and Margarita. These isles have since been famous as seats of pearl fisher .es, but their glory has now departed in this respect We'll, Yes puoci and Oleda ccasted the north shore os South America, landing at various places, and finally arriving a. the Gulf Of Maracaibo. where they, first of all Europeans. SEW the Venezuelan lake dwellers, living then, as they live to- day, in huJs perched upon piles driven into the be6 of the lake or gulf. In fact, it was the aspect of this collec- ton that suggested to Vespucci the name by which ever since the country has been knOwn-VeneZuela or Little Venice
 He and his companions explored the interior little and made some charts of the coast, and it is related that, in these journeys 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 fortunate
 Having secured, through barter with the Indians, a cargo of pearls and curi- osities, Ojeda and Vespucci departed for Spain, being possessed of sufficient sense to know when they had enough l fancy il vas Vespucci, though, who counseled this wise course, for poor Ojeda died in poverty and lies buried what there is left of him-in the city Of Santo Domingo.
 Spanish settlers followed hard after the discoyerers, but it was not until 1516 or '17 that the first English ships came into the Caribbean, being two ships of var under Sebastian Cabot and Sir Thomas Pert Two years af- ter that the first English trading yes sel arrived at Porto Iiico. Captain John Hawkins followed in 1865 and Captain Francis Drake in 1872; but no settle ment was formed by either It was during this audacicus voyage of Drake's that the gallant seaman climbed tree on the highest point of Darien and saw for the first time the Pacific ocean, which he later sailed across, being knighted by Elizabeth on his return, in 15S1. He was then en- gagged in the exciting sport of "singe- ing the king of Spain's whiskers"-in other words. of attacking his ships in home ports and marrying the ports Of his foreign possessions. It was his wise policy, in attacking and destroy ing so many of the Spanish store ships in the Earbor of Cadiz, that delayed the "inyincible Armada which was fitted out by Philip II to invade Eng land, and aided in accomplishing it's ultimate destruction.
 As the Spanish settlements on the main increased, and from the interior country as well as across the isthmus, from the mines of Peru, came vast treasures of gold and silver, which was taken to SraIr in slCw-sailing galleons, Sir Francis and his companion free bcoters had most royal sport and royal plunder. As early as 1868, or the year before Shakespeare was born, Hawk ins made a profitable voyage to Guinea ana Dack, erlnSlnS to tEe west 1HulVS a cargo Of slaves. He was the origi- nal shaver, as his friend and kinsman, Drake, was the original royal free bcoter. In the interim of his slaving voyages he sacked and bOmbarded Spanish cities in the Caribbean, or bombaIded thern first and sacked them afterwar,l, and Drake did the same. This pair of precious privateers made the Caribbean sea an exceedingly warm place for the Spanish galleons, and for thli Spanish settlements as well.
 The Spanish ships and settlements afforded glorious sport for Drake, Hawkins, Raleigh and all that rollick- ing crew Of adventurers for many years, until they wearied the king of Spain to the extent that he fitted out the great armada. Then, indeed, these old sea lions had Philip on the hip, for they worried and harried those big sea castles and bulky gallcons until, of the six score and more which sailed so gall lantly ou5 Of the port of CadiZ, in the summer Of 15SS, intent upon the wiping Of England from the map of nations