The Holbrook news., 1911-05-26


 department in Washington that
 negotiations for the acquisition oi
 the Galapagos islands, oil the
 coast of Ecuador on the west coast of South America, by the United States as a naval base have been un- der way for some time between the United States and Ecuador The islands, which are sparsely settled cannot be bought outright, because of a clause in the constitution of Ecua- dor which prevents their sale.
 It is said in Ecuador that the United States offers to pay $35,00O,000 in rent. That would be $35S, 1000 a year.
 From a commercial or m industrial point of view they would be of little value to the United States. Their total area Is only about 2,4OO square miles. But they would serve, thrust out into the Pacific as they are, as an advance post of the Panama canal And. which Is the main point, they would not be the menace to 1t they would be under certain circumstances for the next 100 years.
 So, the completion of the Panama canal will bring the Galapagos islands Into the limelight of the world stage. In almost straight line and half way from Southampton to Sidney, their fu- ture maritime importance cannot be exaggerated The islands, about two days run from Panama, stand in the same relation to the Pacific entrance of the canal that the West Indies does to its Atlantic gateway. It will also be noticed that they are little more than half way on the trade route from San Francisco to Valparaiso.
 It needs no prophet to foresee that the now almost unknown archipelago will soon be a port of call for the steamships of the world and their DO sition be Hkened in some degree to that of the Hawaiian group in the northern Pacific. The settlement on Chatham island will be changed from the status of penal colony to that of a commercial center. The rapidly in creasing trade between the west coast of South America and Japan brings these islands in the pathways of the mercantile vessels of the latter coun- try.
 This group is remarkable in many ways, and the story of the isles from the prehistoric period when nature in the throes of some great agony threw them up from the bed of the Pacific, to the time of their discovery and occupation by man, holds much of interest
 Nothing is known definitely of the date when the islands came into be- ing, except that they were of dis tinctly later appearance than the mountains of the South American mainland. Some scientists think them the remains of a now-sunken conti- nent Owing to the isolation of the islands, there is no authentic record of active eruptions, but we know that as far back as 1735 volcanic disturb ances were noticed, while in 1874 and 1925 English shippers reported the craters active, and as late as 1907 new opening appeared on James island, from which a torrent of lava flowed to the sea-
 The archipelago consists of 15 larger islands and about 40 smaller, with a total area variously estimated at from 2,400 to 5000 square miles.
 Leaving the question of discovery perhaps forever undetermined, we do know that Thomas de Berlanga, third bishop of Panama, was the first Flu ropean to sight the Galapagos, on the 10th of March, 1885 This exploring prelate is also credited with being re- sponsible for the introduction of bananas into the western continent
 His discovery of the Galapagos islands was quite accidental and came about during voyage from Panama to Peru, whither he had been sent to report on the doings of Pizarro, for the worthy bishop enjoyed the conf dence of his king. The good bishop was scientist as well as a church man, and he determined the exact lat Itude and longitude of the archipela- go; but he gave no name to the group, and after stay of ten days turned the prov of his ship toward Peru. The archipelago now was well known to the Spanish mariners, and for req sons already suggested were called he Enchanted Isles. During the pc -iod of revolution against Spanish au- -hority in South America the islands were much used by the privateers hat preyed on Spanish commerce. With the fall of Spanish power the sles were in a measure forgotten