The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-10

rwo decades of centuries agone When chants were said to roam the land, " hen bards were few but great and spokt of tha Mediterranean as tour sea-" an ,onped for immortality then as now. Nun this longing he loved to depict the hi- comparable happiness of those who hsH crossed the golden bar, but when locak ting this elysium he, through sheer DOWN erty of conception, placed 1t In some un-4 known quarter of this earth. Hanno and Hamilco, those two daring brothers of the Carthaginian navy, had not then pierced the Pillars of Melkarth which were still supposed to be the boun- dariea .es the sun god as well as of nav fsation, and Iberia (Spain) was regarded as the land of the setting sun, the home of the Hesperides who grew the golden apples for Hera's wedding gift.
 With geographical knowledge thris cir cumsoribed, elysium was placed in the center of the earth, though some were bold enough to suggest the sun or mid air. but Homer made it plain that 1t was at the end of the earth where life is easiest to man. No snow is there. nor yet great storm nor any rain;' but where was this end of the earth?
 Tn the "Ora Maritama" of Festus Avie- nus we learn that Hamilco reached the Saragossa sea and but for the magicians on board of his ship compelling him to turn back, he would have anticipated the discovery of Columbus by 2000 years, while Hanno skirted the African coast and in his "Periplus' gives us as fas- cinating feast for fancy as Pytheas fur nishes in his description of Thule under the midnight sun, the Identification of rhich keeps us guessing, and has sup plieu arromance that runs throughout the literature or all the cultivated lan- guages of Europe.
 Hamilco touched at the Madeira Is- lands upon his return and gave such a glowing description of them that others undetook to visit them, and so geat was the exodus that the Cathaginian senate forbade on pain of death any further trips to what was called the Fortunate 1s- lands"
 The Canary islands are usually associa- ted with birds, but their name signifies dogs, from a species of canines found there, and they also received the cogno- men of the Fortunate islands, Happy is- lands and Islands of the Blessed, and with the discovery of Hamilco the imag- inary domain of happy souls of the good was located in the Atlantic ocean not far beyond the gates of the setting sun, the straits of Gibralta.
 But anon there came new claimant for the site of the delectable isles and Atlantis became the home of the blessed who had passed to the other shore. Plato had spoken of 1t, and as the Canaries and Madeira became inhabited the inn mortals had to be supplied with another habitat and Atlantis became their home. ( tta1 r.rtt appearing with its inhabitants during a convuision of nature, and this Is charac- teristic of the Azores. an island of which gpoup Is positively known to have dis 5appeared in the deep.
 have always been a believer In the identity of tbe Azores with the lost At lartis of classic times and the delight with which I always visit these gems of Portugal's possession may well be im- agfned. In my three visits to the Azores have never tired of contemplating their gentle beauty their soft foliage. their picturesaue mountains and their primi- Give, innocent hospitable natives
 The islands were discovered in 1422 and are nine in number-Ste. Mary's St. Mi- chaeIs, Terceira, St. George, Graciosa, Fayal, Pico, Flores and Corvo. They derive their name from the number of hawks with which they formerly aboun- ded Azores being the Portuguese name for those birds. Just weeks Journey from Boston or New York. the calling there of the ocean liners constitutes a pleasant break and delightful episode in the trans Atlantic voyage and induces many travellers to take the Mediterranean route to Europe.
 Flores is the most westerly of the group and owing to the schedule of the ships in leaving American ports Is usu- ally passed in the night time, thus rarely being seen on the trip. It was off Flores that two of Birmingham's charming soci- ety women were wrecked in the summer of 1909. But Pico, one of the most pie turesque of tie islands. is always in sight for at least half day. being thirty miles in length and approached quite closely by the steamers.
 All of the islands are of marine vol canic origin and each has some specific characteristic of peculiar interest. Snow 10 never seen in the Azores except upon tho summit of Pico which rises to the height of 7.2oo feet, and its glisteninS