The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-08-13
THE SPOILS OF WAR.
CANARIES AND cAROLINEs
MAY BE OURS.
A Glance ct the History OF These
Valuable Spanish Possessions = The
Former Known to History ESQ n. c.
Latter Known Since 1888, v

cape Verde Islands. They are situat-
ca between the parallels of q degrees
minutes and 20 degrees 8 minutes
north latitude and the meridians of 10
degrees minutes and 10 degrees 2
minutes west longitude. The nearest
island to Africa is only sixty miles
distant from its western coast. There
are seven large islands in the archipe-
lago, and several unimportant and I'M
inhabited islets, the total being 1886
square miles. They are roughly divis-
rDle into two groups. The western
group comprises the islands of Tenerife,
Palma, Gomera and Hero. Through
the island of Hero, or Ferro, as it is
sometimes called, passes the meridian
which is taken as the dividing line be-
tween the eastern and western hemi-
spheres. The eastern group embraces
Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerte-
ventura. The largest island of the
group is Tenerife, from which rises the
famous Pico de TeYde, or Peak Ten
erite, to height of 1920 feet above
the level of the sea. : his island is
about fifty miles long and has an aver
age width of about twenty weight miles.
Gomera is the smallest of the seven,
being but seventeen miles in length and
Of about the same width. The islands
are all of volcanic formation and have
high rocky coasts.
The history of these interesting is
lands can be traced back but a few CEN
turtles. Legend and tradition, however,
will lead us into the realm of antiquity.
The islands have frequently been called
and We're formerly known as the "For-
tunate Islands, or the elsie of the
Blest." Before their existence was
even suspected, there were islands of
imagination described by the ancient
poets so like the Canary islands, that
when these were really discovered, the
fanciful descriptions of the Elysian
fields by Homer, and the Fortunate
Isles" of Hesiod and Pindar were found
to apply to them. Homer's description
Of the abode Of happy departed spirits
resem'bled so nearly these islands that
when found they were at once called
the Fortunate Islands," There is rea-
son to suppose that the Phoenicians
and Romans knew of them. The ear
Hest mention that we have of them as
actually existing is in the treatise, "De
Mirabilis," about ESQ B. G. This and
an account by Diodorus are no doubt
from the historian Timaeus, his au-
thority being the Greek navigator Ply
theas and the tales of the Punic and
other sailors. Status Sebosus, about
40 B. c., is the first who gives names to |
five islands, which can be identified |
from their description as being the |
Canary Islands of today. From this |
period for thirteen centuries, all knowl |
edge of the islands was lost and the |
Garden of Hesperides became once
more fable. They were really exist
ing islands buried in oblivion. The
Portuguese claim to have been their
discoveries. Many tales are told of
their re-discoyery prior to the fifteenth
century, but nothing definite or of i'm
portance seems to have been done until
400. In that year a Norman noble
man, Jean de Bethencourt, organized
an expedition together with other
Frenchmen in search of adventure. and
left Rochelle to conquer the Canaries.
France seems to have given her coun-
trymen no assistance, money, men and
supplies being obtained from Spain.
Bethencourt received a grant of the
Islands from Henry III. of CASTLE and
by the year 1404 he was in possession
Of LanZarote, Fuerteventura, Gomera
and Hero. Bethencourt returned Tn
France in 1408 and died there shortly
afterward. His nephew, Maciot de
Bethencourt, was left as governor of
the islands. but he proved a bad ruler.
queen Catharine sent one Barba to
control him. Maciot ceded the islands
to Barba, went to Madeira and sold
them over again to Prince Henry Of
Portugal. The islands were then pass
ID back and forth several times be-
tween the two countries, each altern-
Itely claiming them as her possessions
It was not until 1879 that the DISPUTE
was finally settled and they became
spanish possessions. Tenerife Gran
Janaria and Palma, however, still re-
nained to be conquered and the tale
II that unequal struggle is one Of
and horror. The Guanobes !
allied repeatedly around their native
Iings, but, unlike the spaniards, they
lad no recourse to re-enforcements. and !
heir numbers were constantly dimin- /
shed by pestilence as we'll as war. In
444 Diego de Herrera became lord of :
he islands and from that time tilI their !
inal subsection, over fifty years later.
heir history is a most painful one of !
neanness, treacheTy, cruelty and blood !
he'd on the part of the Spaniards
gainst an innocent, honorable and