f ,
m '
Si
i \
Or , The Adventures of j *
An Eton Boy. . . lkUi
OY JAMES GRANT.
CHAPTER XVI. ( Continued. )
Most of the houses tire built of good
Btono , but Imvc all their windows
Iron-barred without and barricaded
within , for the population ( of which
our Hliijinmto Antonio was a striking
npeclmen ) confllHtH of about thirty
thousand ollve-shlnncd SpanlardH and
double that number of Hlavca and frco
mulattocB , all loose , reckless , flory and
apt to use their knives on trivial oc
casions.
There wan not a ship lying there
for England , or any other craft by
which Wcston could have Kent mo
home. A Spanish steam-packet
on the eve of departing for Cadiz , but
being wearied by the monotony of my
long voyage , I was scarcely In a mood
for the sea again , and wished to spend
a little more time on shore Instead of
leaving with her.
However , I wrote to my family by
the Spanish mall , acquainting them of
my safety , with the Htrango Incident
which had eo suddenly torn mo from
them , and adding that I would loturn
by the first ship bound for any part of
England ; it possible , with the Eu-
gonlq , which would probably bo
freighted for London.
After the packet sailed with my letter -
tor In her capacious bags , I experi
enced an emotion of greater happiness
and contentment than I had over done
Hlnco leaving homo , for the sorrow
which I know all there must have suf
fered , and would still bo suffering ,
hung heavily on my heart.
As wo wore returning to the brig ,
which had now boon warped alongside
the mole , when passing through the
street which contains the great hospi
tal , we heard the sound of trumpets ,
and Raw the glittering of lances with
long streamers above the heads of a
dense crowd of people of all shades of
color black , yellow and brown and
wo had to doff our hats with duo ro-
ftpect as they passed , for In the midst ,
surrounded by a staff of olllcers , opau-
lettcd and algulcttcd , their breasts
sparkling with medals and crosses , and
each of them riding with a cocked hat
under his left arm , came the present
Captain General of Cuba , a marshal of
the Spanish army , Don Francisco Ser
rano do Domlngucz , attended by an
escort of mulatto lancers , all mounted
on Spanish horses.
Ho was a line-looking man , and al
though aged , had all the bearing of
what ho was , or , I should say , Is
a grandee of old Castile.
On returning to the Eugenie wo
found Arttonlo the Cuban working
among the crow as lustily 'and as ac
tively as any man on board. Weston
now offered him remuneration for the
time that ho had been with us , with
a hint that ho might find a berth else
where ; hut our castaway evinced the
greatest reluctance to leave the brig ,
and begged that Jio might bo permitted -
ted to remain on board , as three of
our best hands had boon sent ashore ,
sick , to the hospital.
So ahort-slghtcd Is man that Cap
tain Wcston , despite the dislike of the
crow and the advice of Marc HIslop ,
ordered that the name of Antonio be
entered on the ship's books as fore
mast man.
Three weeks after our arrival the
brig was careened to starboard , when
clear of all the cargo , and had her
copper scraped and cleaned , an op
eration which the constant rains of the
season greatly retarded.
There was much In Cuba to feed
an Imaginative mind , and mlno was
full of the voyages , the daring adven
tures and the vast discoveries of Co
lumbus , with the exploits of the buc
caneers , whoso haunts \\ero amid those
wild and , in those days , savage
shores.
I thought of the gaily plumed and
barbarously armed caciques whom Co
lumbus had met In their fleet pirogues ,
or had encountered In the dense fois
eats which clothe the Cuban moun-
talno forests , old , perhaps , as the
days of the deluge of the yellow-
skinned women with their long , flowIng -
Ing black hair and with plates of pol
ished gold hanging In their cars and
noses ; of the fierce warriors streaked
with sable war paint and armed with
cane arrows shod with teeth or poi
soned flsh bones , that fell harmless
from the Spanish coats of mall ; of the
wild Carlbs , who devoured their pris
oners with whom a battle was but a
precursor of a feast ; and of the fa
mous fighting women the terrible
Amazons of Guadaloupo.
I thought of the story of Columbus
writing the narrative of his wonderful
discoveries , his perils and adventures ,
on a roll of parchment , which ho
wrapped In oilcloth covered over with
wax , Inclosed in a little cask , and then
cast Into the sea , with a prayer , and
the hope that If ho and his crow per
ished this record of their achieve
ments might bo cast by the ocean on
the shore of some Christian land.
As I sat by the Bounding sea that
rolled Into the bay of Mntanzas , what
would I not have given to h vo seen
the waves cast that old cask , covered
with weeds and barnacles , at my
feet !
But now the plodding steam tug and
the rusty merchant trade , ploughed
the waters of the bay jnstead of the
glided Spanish caravels , or the long
war pirogues of the Indian warriors ;
and whore they fought their bloodiest
battles on the wooded shore , or in the
green savanna , where the painted ca-
clquo and the mailed Casttllati met
hand to hand In mortal Htrlfo , the
smoke of the stuam mill , grinding cof-
fco or boiling sugar , darkrnrd the sky ,
and the songs of the negroes were
heard as they hoed In the plantations ,
or In gangs of forty trucked mahogany
logs , each drawn by eight sturdy oxen ,
to the Hua.
And , HO , In n crock of the bay the
Ktuiio place whore the Dutch Admiral
Hoyn sank the Spanish plato fleet I
\yas wont to sit dreamily for hours ,
with the murmur of the waves In my
ears , with the buzz of Insects and the
voice of the mocking-birds among the
palmettos , whllo watching the sails
that glided past the headlands of the
bay on their way to the Hahama Chan
nel or the great dnlf of Florida.
This was my favorite resort. A wooj
of cocoanut and other trees shaded the
place and made It so dark that I have
seen the flro-lllcs glance about at noon.
The cocoas are about the height of
Dutch poplars , and are covered with
oblong Iraves , which , when young , are
of a palo red. AH spring drew on , the
branches became covered with scarlet
and yellow Ilowcrs.
Over ( hose the vast corral tree
spread Its protecting foliage , whence
the Spaniards , In their beautiful lan
guage , name It La Madre del Cocoa , the
smallest of which has at times ft thou
sand lovely scarlet blossoms ,
CHAPTER XVII.
An Evil Spirit.
Wo sailed from the Bay of Matanzas
at 2 o'clock a. in. , on the 3d of April ,
bound for the Capo of Good Hope ,
which wo were fated never to roach.
The Eugenic had been freighted for
that colony with a rich cargo of mo
lasses , sugar , coffee , and tobacco , and
arrangements had boon made that from
Capo Town she would bo chartered for
London. Thus I had n fair prospect of
seeing nearly a half of this terrestrial
globe before I repassed my good old
father's threshold at Elsmcro.
I earnestly hoped that wo might
encounter no more waterspouts or tor
nadoes , as they were not at all to my
taste ; but from other causes than phe
nomena or the war of the elements It
was my fortune , or , rather , my mis
fortune , to undergo such peril and suf
fering as were far beyond my concep
tion or anticipation.
Dy 8 o'clock on the morning of our
departure the light on Pledrns Key
was bearing south by cast , sinking Into
the waves astern , and going out as wo
bade a long farewell to the lovely
shores of Cuba.
Three of our men had died of yel
low fever In hospital , so wo sailed from
Mntanzns with ten able-bodied hands ,
exclusive of three ship boys , the cap
tain , Hrst and second mates.
In the waters , after the rainy sea
son , the sky Is so cloudless In the fore
noon that the heat of the sun becomes
almost Insupportable ; thus wo wore
soon glad to resort to the use of wind-
sails rigged down the open skylight to
an awning over the quarter-deck for
coolness , and to skids for the preven
tion of blisters on the sides of the brig ;
but In. the starry night the land-wind
which comes off these fertile Isles ,
laden with the rich aroma of their
splco-growlng savannas. Is beyond de
scription grateful and delicious.
Without any Incident worth recordIng -
Ing , wo ran through the sea of the
Windward Isles , thence along the coast
of South America , and when wo approached
preached the calm latitudes , as that
tract of the ocean near the equator is
named , wo became sensible of the over
powering Increase of heat , whllo the
breezes were but "fanning ones , " as
the sailors term those which , under the
double Influence of the air and motion
of the hull , are Just sufficient to make
the lighter canvas collapse and swell
again.
Wo were soon aware of other an
noyances than more heat , for now It
seemed as If there was an evil spirit
on hoard the Eugenie , and that nothing
wont right within or nbout her.
The crow sulked and quarreled
among themselves as If the demon of
mischief lurked In the vessel , and dally
something unfortunate occurred. Hal
yards or braces gave way , by which the
yards wore thrown abackand ; In one
Instance the brig nearly lost her main
mast. Standing and running rigging
were found to bo mysteriously trotted ,
and oven cut , as If by a knife ; and
then the crow whispered together of
Antonio el Cubano that horrid , dark ,
myhterlous follow , whoso character
none of us could fathom.
Twice our compasses wont wrong ,
and remained so for days ! and before
the cause was discovered the Eugenie
had drifted far from her course.
This varying was Inexplicable , until
HIslop , who set himself to watch , and
frequently saw Antonio hovering near
the binnacle at night , unshipped the
compass box and found there were con
cealed near It an Iron niarllnsplho on
one side and a lump of tallow on the
othfr , either of which was sulllclent
to affect the magnetic needle.
After their rentoval the compass
worked as well as before. The crow
voro strictly questioned ; all vowed to
tal Ignorance of the transaction , find
Antonio summoned eve ry saint in the
Spanish calendar to attest his Inno
cence , hut none , however , appeared.
The crow now felt convinced that , in
spired by Homo emotion of malice or
mischief , ho alone was the culprit ; and
If not loud , their wrath was deep
against him.
These variations of our compass set
the hufiy brain of Marc HIslop to work ,
and In a day or two he declared that
ho had discovered a plan for prevent
ing the repetition of tricks BO danger
ous by Insulating the needle no as to
protect the compass from attractions
false or dangerous.
I am uncertain whether ho perfected
thin experiment , hut Antonio soon
went to work another way ; for one
day , when he was supposed to bo busy
In the maintop , ho shouted , "Stand
from under ! " and ere HIslop , who was
Just beneath , could glvo the usual re
sponse , "Let go ! " a heavy marllnsplke ,
the same which had been found In the
binnacle , slipped from the hand of An
tonio and fell crashing through the
topgratlng.
The Iron bar crashed Into the deck
at the feet of HIslop ; whether this oc
curred by Inadvertence or design wo
know not , but the Scotsman thought
the latter.
"That rascally Spanish picaroon will
work us some serious mischief before
wo overhaul our ground-tackle or see
the Capo , " said Western , who was en-
raped by this new Incident , and the
narrow escape of HIslop , for whom he
had n great regard.
"Aye , ho has a hang-dog look about
him that I never liked , " replied the
latter. "Ho seems to be always down
by the head , somehow. Wo should
have left him In his skiff , Just as we
found him , like a bear adrift on a grat
ing , or a pig In a washing tub. "
On another occasion ho Injured Will
White , one of the crew , by letting the
topmaul fall from the foretop , where
It usually lay , for driving homo the fid
of the mast.
His dreams again became a source of
annoyance to all In the forecastle
bunkH ; and on being closely and se
verely questioned by Captain Weston
and the men as to whether ho had
over killed any one , by accident or
otherwise , after being long badgered ,
ho drew his ugly knife from Us shark
skin sheath and replied sullenly :
"Only a Chinaman or so , when In
California. "
"Well , I wish you would clap a
stopper on your mouth when you go
to sleep , or turn In out of earshot In
a topgallant studding sail as far off
as you choose , and the further off the
better , " said old Roberts , sulkily , after
the ravings of the Cubano had kept
him awake for several nights.
"You seem to dream a great deal ,
Antonio , " said Weston , with a keen
glance , beneath which the Spaniard
quailed.
"SI , Scnor Capltano , " he stammered.
"How Is this ? "
"I am very fond of dreams , " ho re
plied , with a bitter smile on his lip
and a scowl In his dark eye.
"Havo you pleasant ones ? "
"I cannot say that they are always
so , but I should like to procure them. "
"Shall I tell you how to do so ? "
shipmate ? "
"If you please , senor , " growled the
Spaniard.
"Go to sleep , If you can , with that
which Is better than the formula of
prayers , which at times you pay out
like the line running off a log reel. "
"And what Is It you mean , mlo cap-
itnno ? "
"A good conscience , " replied Weston ,
with a peculiar emphasis.
A black scowl came over the Span-
lard's swarthy visage , as ho touched
the rim of his hat , darted a furious
glance at his chief accuser , the whlte-
hnlred seaman Roberts , and to end
the examination walked forward ,
( To bo continued. )
How It Feels to llo Hanged.
In the Wide World Magazine. Rich
ard Hicks , an old-time actor , tells of
his narrow escape from being hanged
on the sUigo of the Queen's Theater ,
Dublin. Ho was playing the part of
Achmot , a particularly villainous
character , who , after a long career of
crime , Is , to the general satisfaction of
the audience , captured by two British
soldiers and promptly hanged. "One
night , whllo struggling with my cap
tors , the rope slipped from my shoul
ders and knotted Itself round my nock ,
Just as I was being hauled up , " sayn
Mr. Hicks. "Never shall I forgot that
awful moment. Directly I felt the tug
at my neck 1 gave a convulsive kick
and tried to shout 'Slop ! ' but the
word could not escape from my twitchIng -
Ing lips. I could only make a gurgling
noise. Frantically I kicked and strug
gled. Pain there was none , strangely
enough , beyond a choking , suffocating
sensation , and I could hear the tu
multuous applause of the nudlenco.who
wore hugely entertained with what
they Imagined was my realistic acting.
Then a terrible sensation , llko mollen
lead rushing down my spine , per
vaded my body , and I thought my logs
were bursting. I gave another mighty
struggle and strove ah ! how I strove
to scream. I seemed to behold a
mighty rush of green water , and my
ears were filled with the roar of a
cataract. I have a dim recollection of
seeing a great crimson sun shining
dimly from behind the waterfall , and
I ran remember falling Indefinitely
through space. Two days afterward I
recovered consciousness , and then I
suffered Indescribable agony. Tno suf
focating sensation still remained , but
It was accompanied by an unquencha
ble thirst , not to mention fearful palna
in my body and limbs. "
Colofiulo'i Mountain Poulm.
There are 110 mountains in Colorado
whoso peaks are over 12,000 feet above
the ocean level. ,
* \
The average amount of sickness In
human life is nine days out of the
year.
PRODUCTION OF COAL ,
IT KEEPS PACE WITH THE IN
DUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.
Tim Fnnl Output of the United Stilted
Him Inrrrnnecl Until Now It Amount *
tci Twi'nty-l'lvo 1'nr Cent. of tlio
World's Totnl rriiiluctloii.
The announcement that the rapid
Increase In exportation of coal from
the United States Is causing uneasi
ness among British coal producera and
exporters lends Interest to some fig
ures on the coal production of the
world and especially of the United
States , Just Issued by the treasury
bureau of statistics. From these It
appears that the coal production of
the United States Is now nearly five
times as much as In 1870 , that the ex
portation has In that time Increased
from a quarter of a million tons to
over four million tons , and that the
United States , which In 1870 supplied
but 17 per cent of the world's output ,
now furnishes about 25 per cent.
The palt played by coal In indus
trial productiveness explains the
phenomenal Increase of fuel output
noted in these statistics. Just as no
other country can match the Industrial
growth of the United States under the
policy of protection , so no other coun
try shows such a rapid Increase In
coal production as does the United
States. Great Britain's average annual
coal product , as shown by a recent and
widely quoted statistical publication of
the Swedish government , In the five-
amounted to 127-
year period , 1871-5 ,
000,000 tons , and In 1891-5 amounted
to 185,000,000 tons , an Increase of 45
per cent In the average annual output.
Germany's average annual coal prod
uct In the period 1871-5 was 45,000,000
tons , and In the five-year period 1891-5
was 97,000,000 tons , an Increase of 115
per cent. The average annual coal
production of France in the period
1871-5 was 16,000,000 tons , and In the
term 1891-5 , 27,000,000 tons , an In
crease of 70 per cent. The average an
nual coal production of the United
States In the period 1871-5 was 45,000.-
000 tons , and in the period 1891-5 , ac
cording to our own figures , was 132-
000,000 tons , an Increase of 193 per
cent. The average annual output of
"other countries" not Individually spe
cified was in 1871-5 , 31,000,000 tons ,
and in 1891-5 , 79,000,000 tons , an In
crease of 132 per cent. The total aver
age annual output of the world In
1871-5 was In round numbers 266,000-
000 tons , and In 1S91-5 520,000,000 tons ,
an Increase of 95 per cent. Omitting
the United States , the annual output in
1871-5 averaged 221,000,000 tons , and
the average In 1891-5 was 388,000,000
tons , an Increase of 75 per cent.
Comparing the growth of coal pro
duction of the United States with other
parts of the world In the periods
named , the record stands as follows ;
Growth of coal production of leading
countries , comparing average annual
output In the period 1871-5 with that
of period 1891-5.
Increase ,
1871-5 to 1891-5.
Per cent.
Great Britain 15
Franco 70
Germany 115
Other countries ( omitting United
States ) 132
World ( omitting United States ) . . . 75
World ( Including United States ) , . 95
United States 193
Both the area of coal production and
quantity produced have Increased
greatly In the United States. In 1870
the number of state in which coal was
produced was but 20 , while in 1897 the
number was 32. In 1870 the produc
tion of anthracite coal was reported
only from Pennsylvania , whllo the
census of 1880 reports production In
Pennsylvania , Ilhode Island and Vir
ginia , and more recent reports show a
production of anthracite coal In Colorado
rado and Now Mexico. In the south
the Increase has been especially rapid.
Alabama in 1870 mined but 11,000 tons
of coal , and In 1897 , 5,262,000 tons.
Kentucky , which In 1870 mined but
150,000 tons of coal , produced In 1897 ,
3,216,000 tons. Tennessee Increased her
output from 133,000 tons In 1870 to
2.GOO.OOO tons in 1897 , and Virginia ,
which produced but 62,000 tons in
1870 , produced 1,305,000 tons In 1897.
The following tables show the coal
production of the United States and
prices In the Philadelphia and Balti
more markets at five-year periods fiom
1870 to 1898 ; also the exportation of
coal from the United States during the
same period :
Quantity of coal produced In the
United States , 1870 to 1897 :
Anthracite Bituminous Total
tons. tons. tons.
1870 . .15.001,275 17,199,415 32,863,690
1880 . .28,621.371 41,860,055 70,181,420
1885 . .31,023,529 70.501,021 102,121,553
1890 . .30.017,012 78.011,224 111,028,266
1895 . .46,511,177 91,899,19fi 111.410,973
1897 . .11.037,861 100,222516 117,860,380
Average annual price per ton of an-
thraclto ( at Philadelphia ) and of bitu
minous ( at Baltimore ) coal , 1870 to
1898 : Anthracite , Bituminous ,
dollars. dollars.
1870 4.39 4.72
1880 4.53 3.75
1885 . . . ' 4.10 2.25
1890 3.93 2.60
1895 3.50 2.00
189S 3.50 1.00
Exportation of coal from the United
States , 1870 tp 1897 :
Anthracite Bituminous Total
tons. , tons. tons.
1870 . . 121,098 100,820 , 227,918
1880 . . 392,626 222,034 615,260
1885 . . 588,461 683.481 1,271,912
1890 . . 795,753 1,130.068 1.931.821
1895 . , 1,397,204 2,374,988 3,772,192
1898 . . 1,320,582 2,682,414 4,008,996
3OO.OOO AFFECTED.
Continue.1 ; Incroimn of the Unto of Wncc
Throughout the United Htnlea.
One of the surest as well as one of
the most satisfactory evidences of re
turned prosperity Is the general ad
vance of wages. The Increase Is not
confined to any one section of the coun
try or to any one branch of Industry.
From the New England states , from
Pennsylvania. Illinois , New York ,
Michigan , Ohio , Tennessee , Alabama
and other states comes the same story
of advancing wages. Cotton opera
tives , Iron and steel workers , minors ,
employes of tin plate companies and
other classes of workmen all have
pioflted from an advance of wages.
The commercial agencies estimate that
the advances already reported affect
fully 175,000 workers.
During the last campaign , President
McKlnley said In one of his speeches
that what the country wanted was not
open mints but open mills for the em
ployment of American labor. That
was what he proposed to see accom
plished If he were elected. That Is
what has been accomplished , thanks to
the prompt measures taken by the
president to secure the American mar
ket to American producers by the reenactment -
enactment of a protective tariff law.
American mills have been opened and
American labor employed , and now
comes the Inevitable sequence of an
Increased demand for labor , the In
crease of wages. And , as the wages
of partial free trade become more and
more repaired under protection , wages
will probably advance more and more ,
until they reach high water mark In
all Industries. American workmen will
not be likely to consent to any repeti
tion of the folly of 1892 which resulted
In the paralysis of American Indus
tries and In the Idleness of the Amer
ican people.
Will Not Ho Aiirll-Faoletl.
Uncle Sam knows from experience
there Is nothing In it.
Interdependent I'rosuorlty.
The railroad news of 1898 and 1899
under the Dlngley law offers a strik
ing contrast to the sort of railroad
news which was all too common in
the years of tariff reform and the
Wilson-Gorman law. Then the reg
ulation railroad news was the going of
one road after another into the hands
of a receiver. Now nearly 3very week
brings the report of the Incorporation
of one or more new railroad companies.
The published reports of the roads al
ready In existence show Increased
earnings and a growing volume of
business.
The general prosperity of the rail
roads goes to make a part of the mass
of evidence , easily obtainable , which
proves that the prosperity which re
sults from a protective tariff Is by no
means limited to those persons who
are engaged In Industries , the products
of which are subjected to tariff duties.
Protection means prosperity for the
whole country. The Industrial system
Is one of Interdependence and the pros-
.pcrity of one branch of Industry means
the prosperity of many others.
Panics mill I'unlcH ,
Trade reports from all over the
country continue to tell of remarkable
business activity , with prices strong
and steady , collections good and an
Increasing demand In all lines of trade.
One correspondent to a trade paper
sized up the situation ns a "buyers'
panic. " That Is the kind of a "panic"
that a protective tarlfl always brings
about. In 1S93 , under the free trade
administration of Mr. Cleveland , with
Its tariff reform. Wilson-Gorman law
wo had another kind of a panic , the
kind that has always followed upon
every experiment made with free trade
or any approach to It by this country ;
a panic when banks failed , factories
closed , business men went to the wall
and Idle workmen walked the streets.
It Is safe to say that the people of the
country piefer the "buyers' panic" of
1899 under protection to the sort of
panic wo had In 1893 under partial
fieo trade.
Notlro.ilily Silent.
The wages of employes In the vari
ous tin plato factories of the country
have been raised recently , and since
then free trade papers have been no
ticeably silent nbout the "ridiculous
Idea of making tin plato In this coun
try. " New York Press.
It Ii n Hciiltliy Adtiince.
Besides the present wage Increases
In mills , mines , Iron and steel works ,
the cheap skyiocketlng antics of Wall
Street operators are Insignificant , since
they create no values save purely fic
tional ones. Wages are the bottom
gauge to wealth and prosperity. Bos
ton Globe.
THE THING TO DO.
rreiervo the Ainerlcnu BInrlcot for the
llcncfH of Americans.
The future fiscal course of the United
States In Its newly-acquired posses
sions Is a question of absorbing Inter
est outaldo our own country. Great
Britain Is particularly concerned to
know to what extent , If any , the eco
nomic policy which has made America
the most envied among the nations of
the earth Is going to bo modified In
reference to new territorial condi
tions , and now trade possibilities ; In
short , how wide the "open door" Is
to be. In a recent issue the Newcastle
Journal deals with the question at
considerable length In Its relation to
British prospects and probabilities.
The writer Is duly Impressed with the
magnitude of the events of the past
year , and Is moved to say that
"Tho rapid extension of the trade of
the United States of late years , and
the prodigious acceleration of Its rate
of progress during and since the na
val war with Spain , are most extra
ordinary facts In the modern history
of the world's trade. Like all similar
facts , they have naturally excited feel
ings of pride and exultation In the
United States. "
The determination of the United
States to enter upon a career of trade
conquest has not been misunderstood
by the commercial Interests of the Old
World. They evidently appreciate the
fact that a new era of vast Import
ance is at hand. They see the full
significance of the fact that the wat
erway connecting the two oceans is to
bo absolutely under the control of the
United States. On this point the New
castle Journal remarks :
"A committee of the Senate has de
cided that the flag of the states shall
wave over the canal when It is fin
ished , and the new waterway will add
enormously to the prestige and power ,
as well as to the trade and commerce ,
that are certain to follow the annex
ation of Hawaii and the Philippines.
The United States will then enter into
direct rivalry with Great Britain ,
Russia , Germany , France , China and
Japan in the Far East , In the vast Pa
cific area estimated by Levasseur in
1886 to contain at least a population
of 1,500,000,000 ; while on the shores
washed by the waters to be connect
ed with the Atlantic by the Nicaragua
Canal there Is a population of about
878,000,000 less than half of which
dwells in China , and more than a
quarter of which Is occupied by the
Indian dependencies of Great Britain.
. . . If the passage from the At
lantic to the Pacific were controlled
Jointly by Great Britain and the Unit
ed States , the British Empire and the
colonies , especially our Australasian
colonies , who are watching the on
ward progress of the United States
with the deepest interest , would no
doubt share largely the benefits of the
trade certain to be developed In the
Far East. But if the Nicaragua Canal
Is to bo a monopoly of the United
States fortified on tits sides and at
both ends , and patrolled by United
States war vessels ; and If Hawaii and
the Philippines are to he shut to our
trade , like Cuba and Porto Rico , by
high tariffs , the prospect will be very
different for the future of our trade
In the Pacific and In Its seaboard. "
On the whole , the outlook Is not
cheering from the British view-point.
Our English friends are not encourag
ed to hope for a veiy largo share in
the commercial round-up. They are
afraid that , once having tasted the
fruits of a tremendous prosperity , the
American people will not take kindly
to a diet made up of the moldy chest
nuts of free trade. The Journal says :
"There is no symptom of any ten
dency , in Congress or the Senate , to
change the fiscal policy of the United
States ; and as far as can bo guessed
from the language of the American
press and of American public men , the
'boom' that has followed the new tar
iff , after a brief spurt of free trade in
the Wilson tariff of the Cleveland re
gime , has confirmed the opinion held
in many Influential quarters that from
1813 to 1898 a free-trade policy has
generally resulted In 'lean' years , while
the various returns to protection in
1813 , 1842-40 , 1860-02 , and 1896 to 1898 ,
have been mostly marked by extraor
dinary advances In the volume and
value of American trade. "
If anything were needed to confirm
the people of the United States In
thelr determination to adhere firmly to Q
the policy which brings the "fat" years ,
and to take to themselves every benefit -
fit of that policy which shall be In- I'/
volved In the enlarged horizon of pos
sibilities now opened to view , the
fears and dreads of foreign competi
tors furnish that confirmation. A
safe economic rule for this country In
the future as In the past is to do the
thing which foreigners are most afraid
wo shall do preserve America for
Americans. It Is only when we have
departed from that rule that the "lean"
years have come.
No Fiither Meddling Wanted.
Nothing is more certain than that
the people have had enough of Demo
cratic tariff reform to last them for .
more than a generation. Whllo the
remembrance of the panic years from
1893 to 1S97 lasts , none but theorists
and others who have nothing to lose
Will consent to further meddling with
the protective tariff policy. Few oth
ers will care for more experiments
with silver. Good gold money has become -
come plenty enough since Its standard
was established and it Is rapidly he-
coming plentlor. The gold mines of
the world are now turning out moro > . v
value each year than mines of both
a
gold and silver produced together sev
en years ago. Their output is in
creasing. Even the advocates of fiat
money can now get as much gold aa
they will work for. Tacoma Ledger
A first-rate collection of insects con
tains about 25,000 distinct-species.