The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-08
4 wHALER's rnopnEcY Fu1T1I1Ep.

kuOta an nOur ana ought 10 get tnero On July
/. That will be quite in time for a Fourth OF
July celebration In the city.
A wHALERs RoPHEcY FULFILLED.
or all the residents OF Guam with whom
members OF the First Brigade cam in contact
Nicolas DlaZ was most impressed with the
capture OF the island by the Americans. To
him It was the fulnlment Of prophecy. Three
years ago. he said. an American whnler said to
him:
Nicolas. you wait. Some day before long
a big American warship will come around that
point and take this place"
. Nicolas waited. He kept his W counsel.
because. as he said. 1T was not good to talk
too much In Sournaye aboutthe Spanish" He
kept his faith. too. and sure enough the war
ship did come. and three other ships with II,
and Guam is American.
They are a simple. hosritnblo people. these
Chamorros. They sold their machctes to the
soldiers. who wanted them az cnriosities. for a
song, and getting more is mighty difficult.
They use the machete for everything, all the
pursuits OF peace and war. In peace they can
make a shift to do without machetes. but
In their small rows II Is different, as one old
woman said when her husband parted with his
biR knife for two silver dollars: Not can fGht
with money" Last night q party from one Of
the ships went In bathing on n little sand beach,
NAh"N i~o Va VI oOuAliaJV' III . WV "
them left his revolver. This morning early n
boat put out from Sournaye with the revolver.
and made search OF the transports until the
owner was found.
H CLIMAT OF GUAM DELIGHTFUL.
Undoubtedly Guam would be a valuable pos
session for the United States. Its resources
have never been touched development OF them
has never been dreamed OF. The climate about
San Luis d'Apra and Agafa is delightful. 1t
Is almost better than Honolulu, and there are
no mosquitoes. 1t rains every day. and at
irregular hours; sometimes rains hard. but the
squalls do not last long, and are very refresh
ing. They keep the temperature down and
the air free from distressing humidity. One
does not mind the rain. II you get wet it
makes no difference. Your clotheT are not
hurt by the rain in the least. and you get dry
almostdmmediately. You do not evnn take the
trouble to shift. The breeze always blows
fresh and cool, and it's really very pleasant. II
Manila is only half as endurable we shall get
along very well.
The taking away OF the Governor OF Guam
and his staff and soldiers leaves the island in n
curious situation. In theory 1t is in possession
Of tho United States. The Spanish flags have
been surrendered and the Stars and Stripes
raised and saluted. But no representative Of
United States is left to rule In place OF the
Spaniards taken away. The Spanish have not
concerned themselves much with the admins
tration OF the affairs Of the Chamorros. They
have left that to the natives themselves. All
they have looked out for is the collection OF the
taxes. which they have imposed on almost
every simple act Of life. such as killing n pig. or
buying q pony. or planting a field. or
selling a barrel Of cocoanuts. Civil process.
such as it Is. has lain with the Chamorro chief.
The policemen" appointed by the Spanish
| hnun hann utDnnly thn fnN# nnfharnrc pnlinn
work as we know it has been done by the SOL
diers. The military force maintained by the
Spanish has been just enough to hold the sim
pie and mild-mannered natives by a show Of
strength. The one company Of regulars was
enough to insure the impressment service Of
the company Of natives, who were not so well
armed as the Spanish regulars. The natives
were commanded by q native Sergeant.
Capt. Glass talked with Mr.. Portusac. the one
American citizen in Guam. about the status Of
the country after the Spanish rulers were re-
moved. and came to the conclusion that 1t was
not necessary toleave any representative OF his
Government in the island. Portusac was quite
satisfied that affairs would go along in their
usual smooth, quiet course. The collection OF
taxes had caused the greatest and practically
the only trouble, and now the freedom from
Spanish taxes would do AWAY with that. The
civil process would not be disturbed. Portusac
was StllSIleu IildI Ills OWL luttTtbtS were all
right without any sort OF forceful protection.
and there 1t was left. Theoretically Guam is a
United States possession practically il is an in
dependent island.
The Mariana or Ladrone Islands were dis
covered by the great Magellan on the cruise
which ended in his death in the Philippines.
There are n dozen or fifteen OF them. Guam is
the largest. apd Agana is the capital of the
group. The Spaniards called them first the
Ladrones because OF the thieving propensities
Of the natives. Sometimes they called them
the Latteen Islands because Of the latteen
sails nsed In the ~piratical phahus OF the natives.
But in 1868. when most of the natives had been
killed by the Spaniards and the remaining few
thoroughly subdued, the name Mariana. in
honor OF Maria Anna OF Austria. widow
OF Philip ". Of Spain, was given to
the islands. The population OF the entire
group is estimated variously. but is probably
about 10000 or $1,000. That Of Guam is in the
neighborhood of 10000. Agana has about
1000; some N the natives say 5000. The
islands can be made immensely valuable. and
II the United States retain the Philippines
these islands surely ought to be held. The
harbor OF Sau Luis d'Apra can be made a mag
nifcent coaling station at very slight expense.
1t is almost in the direct line between Homo.
lulu and Manila, and the whole island Is capa.
BILE OF the easiest md best defence. o. X. D.
T--