Torres* 'Gogoan, Mangls; a little gèoUpel* Assomption* Qracas
ça* tirai, a desert island, Farallon de *Ba^f?M|*a‘gr©ape; of
rocks.
According to the'geological observations of M. Gaudiéhaud
arid M^dé^Fféyciiïèt^Jetèral of thfeVMatian Islands have been
originally formed by ih re ©tiWiOf %bbmarine vdlcaiiOi* which,
having elevateAthebnttOm of the sea, have a f length raised
mountains arid plains4 above" its surfaces: The proofs of this
theory are the madfepirde^ shells and siUeious 'utsiffes? which
are discovered Ofi the suinmrtS’Of the trioUntainedn th e ’islands
of this chain. The%èàrhas;Sribseqüèntly accumulated a t the
base^ofi’ihëie1 mountains calcareous5’'-bids mixed!twith -the
detritus^of 5madrd|SOresi ” Aa soOrins' cheumstanees ‘favourable
to organic life »"existed, vegetation became -first developed.
FeW Countries in the World now produce W giôiïter abuhdancp
and vnlriety5 Of^ plants (SerticeaMe to t Mankind, .ï Th:ëPè' 5are
many species: o f ; breadfruit 'treep • of palms^ of bananas,
ighamas,5 as well as rice and maize, the eoco-nub * and
Wfeeàthut treèô,*' and the cyçar, a pâlm pJodûCïdgiaà S c e lle n t
fèculai. The’déigdog and the rima'bearing delicious fruits are
likewise rmSoiig th e indigenous stock, to which thedSpaniards
hade added many erotics, the orange* citron, the marigo*': the
^guava, and the grape.
■ Animalshkewise^tiaVe multiplied in these islands, but Ihe
original stock comprehended no large quadruped. Thd &pa-
niardsj soon after their settlement, introduced idle stag,; the
!hogl'the ^Oati; the'horse* and the ' ass, which have rim wild
in the woods,1 While tame herds are fed on the pastures of rthe
colonists. ' The dbg 'called galago by the natives, which means
“ foreign5 animal*^' is* also of' exotic1extraction.^ Dogs4 run
wild in the forests, as well as cats*' called by the islanders
gheto from the Spanish gèto. Rats and mice are said to have
been the only quadrupeds of whose introduction from without
xiè';br£â^^ca&f'ihO'i>ê)ündj''>iaÉlds these as elsewhere were ‘Very
numerous and troublesome. A species ‘of gallinaceous bird
named sesrûÿet was domesticated by the native inhabitants. La
Pérouse termed it megapode fçr its long feet. The European
gallinaceous fowls are found in the Marian Islands. Their
nameV^whlch is aoTagala wprdr indicates ; importation
from the Philippines;*
Secti O the | Marian
n r andi QarQlwe\^sJjanh^ir6
.•■The Spanish;- writeiSfitiescribeyitheypeople ofothe-M-arian
flslandibfswAowlyi'tQ > thais g#E^qah'iasebMbariapSi'whp wc®-
ahipped-ihethon^f gofotbeiif ? ahe^ters*! keeping ithemyin jtheir
hftufe^>;a»d?.anointing thorn with, doeosnut jbil./n; The islands
are siftdfto:. hajve aboundedeafe this tiiietspithi tigodandcrfntnW:
rich quadrupeds wererte be:?se^vAnr/the~rn*nithefcfitaihe ;©rfW»ld.
The InMbitants -s^eAWcmderfully; expertxin swimming*, and
passCdtrio much time in the?wa.1|ericthatfifhe^.ieenaed; to he
almost; amphibious. According|to>Gaspaf. and* Grijalva their
houses«iwere lofty, and whole
raisedna-.story firhm , the earthyandrsuppotted tpai\plter#<f|f
Stone*»-“ fundadas .sobre Taertesqrilaras: de>pi^ia*’H?{Besides
%rh^iare3^ftoe%ihailt
likewisedin; large pillars., ofi.stone^ope of which.,was eatable
of lioldina:; four of the largest, carioesmj hT^Sriflgistok $ .is fully
confirmed by the massive;; and almost«gf^^lbraPWrigu^f
buildings! which have.jbeen!.found jnu^^iW^ftdsi^jTiilian
and Rofa.'t'j» j
The people remained independentiof the %ainard#rfiil mSEl>
When F.rSarivitores, a? Jesuit, was inspired withi^he dfsji^pf
converting; them to. the- Catholicfre^iemiidHegObtainodi for
this obj ect Ahe .patronage*of. th e ,. qneenH ■pf^paipi. thebconsort
of Philip IY.* and;a mission*was .ca^l^shefo;in gthe;/Marian
Islands* ;,and a chiiineh^^fo^ in * - .p r in e ip ll 4fWlh hThe
missionaries a t first were* successful\ and feaptisedomany j of
the chiefs, but a t length obstacles arose which had not been
expected. The. el|iefo.whchadf^^^<;hap#smif)V^«eiii|idig-
, * M. de.Jmapttfc Y<a• a j # ! $ j
" Fray .Caspar. Conquista 'PepOppral Mas Phdipinfis,
and F ra y iTu^’de Gri/alvA, cried oy'Captain barney, Ilislory’of the Discovery
in th'e 'South’ Sfek* ’VbTv i., p*. !$&.-' Aft ion’s’Yoyi|e' roun'drlie World,
and Dumont d’Urville, Voy. Pittoresque, vol. ii.