The west shore., December 01, 1884, Page 379, Image 9

THE WEST SHORE.
370
The time was the month of Juno, and yet he states that
suow covered the hills, and the weiithor was bo cold that
meat froze upon being taken from tho fire. One familiar
with the fact that snow is a rarity there even in winter,
and that at no time does it become cold enough to freeze
meat that hns never been near a fire, has his confidence
in the veracity of tho chroniolor terribly shaken.
While lying in the harbor Drake landed and txk
possession of the country in the name of his sovereign,
christening it "New Albion" in honor of his native land
Fletcher's narrative states that the natives at first mis
took them for gods and offered sacrifices to fliom, and
tlmt they removed this impression by themselves pub
licly offering up their devotions to the Creator. Of the
incidents of their landing the .nnrrativo says: "Our
necossarie business being ended, our General, with Iiih
companie, travailed up into the countrey to their villiages,
where we found heardos of doore by 1,000 in a companie,
being most large and fat of Ixxlie. We found the whole
countrey to be a warren of strange kiude of Connies;
thoir bodies in bigness as be the Barbarie connics, their
heads as the heads of ours, the feet of a Want mole
and the taile of a rat, being of great length; under her
chinne on either side a bagge, into which Hhe gathered
her meato, when she hath filled her Ixulie abroad Tho
people do eat their bodies, nnd make accompt for their
skinnes, for their King's coat was made out of them.
Our General called this countrey Nova Albion, and that
for two causes: the one in respect to tho white bankos
and cliffes which lie toward the sea; and the othor bo
cause it might have some aflinitie with our countrey in
name, which sometimes was bo called There is no part
of earth here to be taken up, wherein thero is not a
reumnahh quanliHe of yohl or silirr. llofore sailing
away, our General sot up a monumont of our being there,
as nlso of her majestie's right and title to the game, viz.:
a plate nailed upon a faire great txmto, whereupon was
engraved her majestie's name, the day and yoare of our
arrival there, with the free giving up of the province and
people into her majestie's hands, together with her lugn
ness' picture nnd nrins, in a piece of five xmce of current
English money undor the plate, whereunder was also
written the name of our General."
"What the worthy Chaplain considered a "reasonable
(piantitie" of the precious metals it is ImjioHsihle to con
jecture; but the probabilities are that ho manufactured
tl.m HM..,.if. fr,.,n wlmlft cloth. The earliest authentic
accounts of the Indians of California do not sjioak of
Himn iwrtaMin.r nnv cold or silver, and it was many
years after the Spaniards took possession ' tlie r5u,u'
More gold was discovered and mined At that time the
natives were completely ignorant of the chnracter and
value of tho sulmtanco, and had no traditions on the sup
ject; from which may reasonably 1 coi.cIu.I.hI ha
Fltelu.r dclilxirately lied when he mado that
assertion, the more so that even to the present tune no
gold has boon discovered in the locality of which he
BIx,ke, It will be remeraWed that a few years U-fore
when America was first discovered it was the general
belief that it wns spookled with (mid and silver mid
glislonod with gums. These extravagant ideas had lie
como modified in Drako's time, though by no means
abandoned. The Spaniards had been searching a few
years before in this direction for wealthy nations whose
existence was reported to them by tho Indiana of Mexico,
hut without success. They still entertained the belief
that pearls and tho precious mcUls could lie found in
abundance in this region; and Fletcher was simply mi im
plying a "long-felt want" when he wrote that a "reason
able quantitie of gold or silver" existed in every handful
of dirt that might lie taken up at random ou the Califor
nia coast. His other statement are probably correct,
since ground squirrels exist in such abundance there, Mid
nro so destructive to crops, that the Ktate grants a bounty
for their extermination, and the early pioneers speak of
immense bands of antelope nnd elk that roamed the
valley and foothills.
Having abandoned the hope of finding a passage into
the Atlantic, and fearing to attempt to return by the
Straits of Magellan, Drake undertook tho loiiy voyage
across the Pacific, and reached England by weathering
the Cnw of Good Hojsi. His return with his vessel
loaded with tho plundered riches ol tho Npaiilanls was
hailed with joy by his countrymen. Tho Interest of
Spain and England wero hostile. Tho latter looked with
jealousy and fear ukiii tho power of tho Castilian throne,
sustained by tho enormous revenue derived irom America
and tho Indies, and Queen Eliwdsitli knighted the daring
roblier for his services to his country in striking such a
severe blow at the resources of her rival Ten years
Inter, when tho proud Philip sent that wonderful Spanish
Armada, which was lilted out by revenues derived from
this same commerce, and was to crush England at a blow,
ono of tho gallant licet which met nnd defeated It was
commanded by Sir Francis Drakn. Other English free.
Ixx.ters, encouraged by tho brilliant success of Drake,
entered tho Pacific by tho samo route and preyed ixm
the Spanish shipping. Tho most successful of these was
Thomas Cavendish, who ravaged tho coast of Chile, pern
nnd Mexico in 15H7, sank or burins! ulneUten vesscln, nnd
captured the galloon Hinta Anna off tho const of Cali
fornia. Tho next year ho returned to England by tho
Cnjxi of Good Hoie, having accomplished the third cir
cumnavigation of tho glolst, Magellan hung tho first and
Drake tho second to make that then wonderful voyage.
It is sai.l that when the "hip arrive! in England the crew
were dross.! in silks, tlw sails were mado of damask, and
the topmast was covered with cloth of gold
Ihniir I Wki.ix
m i
Faxb am! fortune await the discoverer of an efllcient
method of consuming 1 that none of it constituent
nnd combustible articlea can cnH, Into the atmosphere
of largo cities, with tho twofold result of preventing
is-cuniary loss and sanitnry dcgrivlntioii of the nir. It is
estimated by competent nprta tlmt buvU nlono !.
every winter twenty-five million dollars through im'r.
foctly burned oonL