The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-08-09
LADRONE ISLANDS.
Though Enormously Fertile They
Yield No Revenue.



States cruiser Charleston found the
Spanish governor of the Ladrones igno-
rant that a war was in progress.
Once a year the Spanish governor
heard by way OF Manila what was go
ing on in the outside world; once year
the outside world. IL 1t felt any curios-
ity, had a chance TO learn what was
going on in the islands The Ladrones
returned no revenue TO Spain; they re-
ceived nothing from that country. Un-
der Spanish rule. Spanish cruelty anu
Spanish abuse their population dwin-
died from over 10000 TO about 5000. Ves-
sells cleared for them occasionally
cleared for Guam, but they never got
TO Guam, never even started for IT.
Clearing for Guam on the Pacific Is
equivalent to refusing 10 tell where one
is going. Guns defended the seaport
still defend il. though the Spanish gov
ernor had no powder-antique guns
descended from the days OF the past.
Some are old enough to have fired on
Drake when he forced his way into the
Pacific.
And yet the islands are fertile. Like
all the Pacific islands they perhaps may
be made producers of wealth. And
Uncle Sam, now he owns them, may
find them source of revenue.
When Magellan, in 154l. stumbling
around the world in his stubby boots.
gitude east IA deg, he found chain
of Is little tropical islands struggling
across the ocean. He named them the
Ladrones, because his experience led
him to believe that the natives were all
thieves. The name has always clung
to them. though II was changed to Ma
riana out OF compliment is the widow
nf ~
jealous in the practice of the Catholic
religion, sent missionaries TO the ISL
ands. and their reports show that there
was then a population OF about $4,000
people. Then commenced the peculiar
methods of Spanish colonization, and
the population In 1871 had decreased to
about 5000 souls.
These 10 islands, divided into two
groups, have a total area Of AIT square
miles. The northern group OF 10 ISL
ands is uninhabited. while the five OF
the southern group, Guahan, Rota,
Aguigan, Tinian and Saypan. contain
all the population there IL. On Guahan
is situated the only town colony. San
Ignacio de Agana. and the fortified har-
Dor of Umata, navigable only to small
boats.
The climate OF the Ladrones is salu-
brious and the vegetation luxuriant.
As in all tropical regions the products
of the islands are chiefly areca, cocoa
nut palms. rice, maixe sugar. tobacco.
cotton, indigo. breadfruit, bananas and
castor OIL Through long continued op-
preston. which seems to be character
istic of Spanish colonizing effort, the
natives have become extremely indolent
and careless. and as consequence
agriculture is almost entirely neglected.
Nature has endowed the islands with
an unsurpassed climate. and soil for the
growth of tropical products, and for
many years commercial effort has been
almost entirely abandoned. and as a
consequence Spain has not derived a
single peseta of revenue from this part
of her dominions.
The present population of the islands
is totally different to what 1t was when
they were discovered by Magellan. They
consist now of a mixture Of the orig
inal Chamorros,. of Tagal settlers from
the Philippines, and of a mixed race
formed by the union of the Spaniards
dolent poor as Job, and. despite the
fact that the Jesuit missionaries have
operated in this field for many years,
their morals are Indifferent. Little or
nothing has been done TO improve their
social or intellectual condition, and so
far as religion and education go they
have been allowed to fall intosa deplor-
pan there is a colony from the Caro-
line islands, and these people are more
active and thrifty than the natives.
They have founded village. Garapan,
and show every evidence OF taking ad-
vantage of superb natural conditions.
In the heydey of Spanish colonial
tion, when her galleons were plying the
seas of the world in search Of riches
and new places to conquer, constant
communication was kept up between
the Ladrones and the coast of Mexico.
But now Spain has nothing to go there
for. She has managed to kill off the
greater part of the population. she has
taken everything in sight, and reduced
the few remaining inhabitants to con-
dition Of practical servitude.
There is little known concerning the
native history Of the individual islands.
Modern research began with the visit
of Commodore Anson, who landed on
the island of Tinian I'm August, 1742.
Byron visited the Ladrones in 1865,
Wallis In 1867 and Crozet in 1772. Dur
ing the present century Freycinet in
1929 gave much additional knowledge,
as did the Spanish Capt. Sanchez y
Zayas in 1866.
Exposed during the so-oalled dry sea-
son, from October to May, to the regu-
lar northeast trade winds, the Marianas
receive their most abundant rains from
the moist southwest currents, which
prevail during the four summer months
from June to September. But moisture
Is precipitated at all times, and the
streams are everywhere copious except
where absorbed by the porous call
carous soil and volcanic scoriae. The
destruction of the forests has also re-
duced the rainfall and rendered the
freshets more sudden and the droughts
more protracted.
The Indigenous flora, consisting chief
ly of Asatic species. has mostly dis
appeared and the present vegetation
has been mainly introduced by man in
recent times. Here. as in most tropical
islands, the prevailing forms are the
cocoanut palm and the rima. or bread
tree. The only indigenous mammal fs
the large "Kiraudren" bat. the flesh OF
which is eaten by the natives. notwith-
standing its disagreeable odor. There
are but few species OF birds, and the
parouuets, so richly represented In the
Moluccas, are totally absent. Even in
sects are rare, and the reptile order Is
limited to a few kinds of lizards and a
single species of serpent.
When first visited by Europeans the
archipelago was found TO contain a
considerable population. The Chamor-
rps. unjustly stigmatized by Magellan
as Ladrones. or robbers. appear to have