The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-08
BerEinep Is JEZiUe.
The Famous Statesman Sends
a Report From the Canaries.

Solomon BerIiner, the famous United
States consul at Teneriffe, Canary ISL
ands, has sent in long report at last to
the state department. 1t is a minute and
panstakius report, but shows none of
that rare hnmor for (which Mr. Berliner
has been known so well in New York.
One CT two letters have been recefv.
from Mr.. Berliner since he reached his
post Of duty, but this is his first official
cOmmunication-the one for which the
country has been waiting.
Even the appointment of Hon. Sol Ber-
liner as United States consul to Tone
rife, the chief port in the Canary islands,
was insufficient to prevent the war with
Spain SO he Wafted1sa Year before he
started for his post of duty. When the
war was over and the genial Sol an
nounced that he was ready to serve his
country in the Canaries he learned to-
his horror that he had been officially pro-
nOUnced dead by the state department.. A
Sol Berliner was killed in a fight over
money on the steamship Columbia, on Its
way from San Francisco 20 Honolulu,
in October, 1888, and the state depart
ment came to the rash conclusion that it
was Mr.. Berliner, of New York. Strenu-
GUS efforts on the part of the citizens of
New York, who were deeply and enthuE
siaStfcally Interested in having Mr.. Ber-
liner so to the Canaries, corrected the
blunder of the department, and he sailed
away for his post last August. Mr.. Ber-
liner and his consulate were treated as a
joke, and after he sailed away the joke
was forgotten. But now he has sent to
the state department the most complete
and scholarly report it has ever received
from Teneriffe on national and municipal
taxation, port charges, military service,
etc, III the Canaries. Before sailing for
Teneriffe Mr.. Berliner said TO a New
York Press reporter, or, at least, the re-
porter declares:
you see, l don't know much about
these Canary islands, except what have
seen in the map, and read OF in the geog
raphY. When it was decided that was
to have foreign mission ! went to the
senator and told him I wanted place
where man could make record of
which the countrX would be proud. He
suggested that [ go to Dahomey, but
Perry Carson wanted The position, and [
withdrew in favor of him. Then he said:
The .Ianaries-nothing but singing birds
singing all the time; nothing to DO but
represent The governn eut and draw sal
ary 1 said. Yes
cat that time 1 had not heard Of the
Canaries and did not know they were
and then I saw their Importance. In the
meantime L have studied the language OF
the inhabitants L have been constant
visitor to a Third avenue bird store for
the last year, and now speak Canary
tongue almost as well as native.
''The lines OF American goods which I
will represent In the Islands were in
creased today by my agreeing to represent
firm which manufactures pinochle
decks. [ have signed contract with
them to teach the natives pinoehle and
then sell cards to them. OF course teach
ing them pinochie will be hard, uphill
work and will cost them money. But
what does that matter when the whole
| island is missing meals playing pinochle
and trying to neId 100 aces?"
The consul promised all his friends to
bring back Canary birds for them when
he should return. The post of consul at
Teneriffe is said to be worth easily Su0
a year in anything like good season.