Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-21

tary of the Navy in the administration OF
President Fillmore, accepted the PROPOSE
ton and sent the slOop st. Marys. tneh
cruising in the Pacific, to take possession
and hoist the United States flag: But .hese
is no record In the archives of either the
State or the Navy Department to show
that these instructions were ever carried
out. or that the proposition of Villimfl ever
received formal attention.
Seized by Commodore Porter.
Way back in the war of 1912 Commodore
Porter. father of the late Admiral Porter.
who went around the Horn in the frigate
Essex, took possession of the islands in the
name of the United States. and hoisteG his
flag there, but he was court-martialed for
having exceeded his authority, found guilty
and sentenced to suspension for six months,
which made him SO indignant that he re-
signed his commission and went into the
service of the government of Mexico. At
Chatham Island he seized and destroyed
fleet of British whalers. prizes of war esti
mated at a value of more than $5O00.G00.
He captured so many British ships that the
Essex did not carry enough officers to COM
mand them. Even the doctor, the chap
lain. the paymaster and the officers of ma
rines were placed in command of prizes in
Guiding Mr.. Midshipman Farragut, then
only twelve years old, who was made COM
mander of a whaler of 400 tons Being I'M
able to spare any of his crew to retain pos
session of Chatham Island all Commodore
Porter could do was to mail his flag to the
mast" post notice on the fagpole warn
ing all whom it might concern that the
Galapagos Islands were part of the terri
tory of the United States, and then sail
away with his prizes.
At that time the islands were uninhabit-
ed except for employees of the British
whaling fleet who were detailed as custo-
dams of stores, supplies oil and whale
bone that were left there for transship-
ment to England. The whalers had no title
to the property; the Spanish government.
which then controlled all the west coast
of South America, had not even claimed
them. and, like multitudes of islands in the
Pacific at that time, they were mere dere
licts, subject to seizure and occupation by
the fleets of any nation which cared to
claim them.
The government of Ecuador took possess
sion shortly after 1880, and has since held
claim to them, although there is no govern
ment no formal evidence of authority and
no inhabitants except the employees of
naturalized American citizen named Man
ual j. Cobos, who has ranch there called
The Hacienda del Progresso. with a lot
OF cattle and goats. Cobos pays the gov
eminent of Ecuador a nominal rental for
the use of Chatham Island, the most fertile
and desirable of the sixteen islands that
compose the group. 1t has plenty of water,
timber, healthy climate fertile soil,
good harbors and other advantages, and
was surveyed about twelve years ago by
Capt. Tanner of the navy, when Mr.. Blaine
was trying to make a lease. Occasionally
parties of prospectors visit the islands,
looking for minerals; but thus far no mines
of value have been discovered.
Mr.. Blaine's Negotiations.
| During the Harrison administration Mr..
| Blaine entered into negotiations with the
government of Ecuador through the bu-
reau of American republics at Washington
| and succeeded in securing a proposition
which offered the United States an indirect
hut aot, Of
| ninety-nine years. A certain American cit
| izen, who had confidential relations with
| the then president of Ecuador, was the
| intermediary, and it was arranged that the
| islands should be leased to him for an an
| nual rental of $250,O0O. He was also to
pay bonus of 100000 Under the terms
| OF the lease the government of Ecuador
| practically relinquished sovereignty over
| 1t without conditions. 1t was understood
| by the authorities of Ecuador that the
| lease would be Immediately assigned to the
| government of the United States, which
| would occupy and fortify Chatham Island
| as naval station and pay the $3.50 900 a
| year rent; but the intermediary was nee
| dent against relinquishing sovereignty to
| another nation. The intermediary was to
receive one-half Of the bonus commits
| sion for his part in the negotiations. In
| the meantime Capt. Tanner had made his
| survey and was waiting with the Alba
| tross for orders that never came.
The failing health of Mr.. Blaine, the dis
| fractions caused by the presidential cam
| paign of 1892, and his sudden resignation
| from the cabinet terminated the negotia-
| tons, which were never concluded, although
| they were resumed after the Spanish war,
| which demonstrated the imperative neceS-
| sity of a coaling station in the Pacific. Ad-
| miral Bradford, then at the head of the
| bureau of equipment of the Navy Depart
| ment, tried very hard to convince President
| Mckinley and Secretary Long that the
| United States ought to have the Galapagos
| Islands, but they did not enthuse over the
| idea.
Of Strategic Importance.
| The location OF the islands not only makes
| them desirable as a naval station, but the
| construction of the canal across the
| isthmus makes their strategic Importance OF
| first consideration. From Chatham Island
| it is $40 miles to Guayaquil, $40 miles to
| Panama, 1880 miles to San Francisco and
| $500 miles to Manila.
| Ii is almost certain that the government
| of Ecuador would lease them for a naval
| station if its terms were complied with,
| and Great Britain, Germany, France and
| Chile have all been coveting them. The
| United States will never permit European
| power to occupy a strategic point of such
| Importance and some time it may be COM