Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-10-02
By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

BY JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN
A ALIFORNIA which this year is cele-
brating the seventy-ffth anniversary
of its admission to the Union, saw
a long succession of flags before the
A Flag was up to stay over old
II1S1nTN1H Monterey. And many an early romance
UWNllllHVU of peace and war enacted off its
II WIllN II coast in the waters of the mysterious
Ill 49, II '.Mer du Sud"
Columbus reached Spain in 1893
with the news of his discovery of the
West Indies Thereupon Pope Alexander vi issued
his Bull of Demarcation" dividing all lands to be
discovered between Spain and Portugal In 1899
Vasco da Cana doubled the Cape of Good Hope
and reached India In 1913 Balboa crossed the 18th
mus of Panama and took possession of the ocean
In 1921 Magellan sailed through the strait named
after him and named the ocean mare Pacihcum"
He also discovered the Philippines and his follow
ers completed the circumnavigation of the GLOBE
Thus was some of the mystery surrounding the
"South Sea- cleared up
Thereupon all Europe was possessed of desire to
reach the Indies by sailing through North Amer
ica Cortreal professed to have sailed through
strait north of Labrador in 1900 his vaunted dis
covery appears the earliest maps as 'Fretum
Anium" 1t was reported (1619) that Juan de
Fuca had sailed from the north Pacific to the At
lantic. And so on.
Cortes conquered Mexico 1922. He Immediate
~ made plans to send fleet to the Spice islands,
which he believed lay in the Pacific just beyond
the setting sun. He sailed away to Spain in 1910
never to return TO New Spain. Viceroy Mendoza
took up the work and sent Villalobos 1542) to
make conquest of the Philippines. He failed but
after seven years of fighting the Spaniards be-
came established in the islands
Thereupon the king of Spain set up traffic be-
tween America and the Philippines. Every year
"The Manila Galleon" set out from Acapulco
Mexico for the Philippines. 1t carried much silver
the staple product of Mexico. 1t was exchanged
for Oriental goods The west-bound gaeons were
carried directly across the Pacific by the prevail
ing Winds The return voyage had to be made far
to the northward. The round trip took the better
part of q year.
England, among other nations, paid not the
slightest attention to Pope Alexanders Bull of
Demarcation." Francis Drake, for example, after
footing towns and capturing treasure ships on the
Spanish Main went "adventuring" the Pacific.
He swooped down upon the American coast in the
Golden Hind, stuffed his hold with booty and
turned to England by way of the Philippines and
the Indies to divide his loot with Queen Elizabeth
and receive knighthood at her hands, In the very
year of the Spanish Armada Sir Thomas Caven-
dish ravaged the Pacific coast towns of Mexico and
even succeeded in capturing "The Manila Galleon."
In 1743 Commodore George Arson of the British
navy captured the manila Galleon" off the Philip
pines
Now Commodore Arson had quite interesting
time In capturing the galleon The histories barely
mention it, but fortunately Commodore Anson's
chaplain Richard Walter M. A.. had taste for
writing and left us fairly complete story Of the
voyage.
1t appears that the Manila commerce PRO
vded with three or four stout ships, that In case
of accident the trade might not he suspended"
"The Manila Galeon" set sail from Manila about
July and arrived at Acapulco in "the December,
January or February following" The return voy-
age took from March to June.
These Manila gaeons were large ships for the
times about the size of a first-rate British man.
ofwar. They were "of the burthen of twelve hun
bred tun and upward, and usually carried from
Y50 to 600 hands, passengers included, with fifty
odd guns" The gaeon captured by Arson was
The Nostra Signora de Cabadonga. She was COM
manded by Gen. Don Heronlmo de Montero She
was much larger than Anson's Centurion, having
$50 men and So large guns. The British vessel had
aboard PIT hands, "of which nearly 30 were boys;
show Arson, the battle and Acapulco
5 The Manila galleons were all the property of
the king of Spain. The commanding general car
ried the royal standard of Spain at the main top
gallant masthead The trade was mot laid open
70 all the inhabitants of Manila, but was confined
by very particular regulations"
The ships employed therein found by the
King of Spain, who paid the officers and crew;
and the tunnage was divided into certain num-
lber OF bales" all OF the same size. These were
distributed amongst the converts at Manila, but
principally the Jesuits. a donation for the
hppori OF their missions for the propagation
pc CafhoIick Faith; and these converts had