PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 51

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Spain and tier Colonies. Several times lately Spain has been referred to in tbe telegrams. This, conpled with tbe fact that I have been reading several books dealing with tbat country, has led me to write on that land of contrasts to-day. In the sixteenth century Spain was tbe strongest and richest power in the world. Her position between the two greatest commercial seas of the world, and the inflow of wealth from the West Indieß, ought to have made her easily first in trade and commercs ; but the French and the English in tho West Indies, and the Dutch and English in the East Indief, overthrew her supremacy ; those again to fight — tbe English becoming the permanent force in the former and the Dutch in tbe latter. 01 all Spain's vast possessions in tbe Occident, Cuba and Porto Rico are her principal, if nob her only, possessions. Cuba has about a million and a-balf of people and about a thousand miles of railway. But this colony is of little ueo to Spain, for an army of about 25,000 is necessary to prevent open revolt., and a fleet oE 35 gunboats patrols ita waters. And why is ib in revolt ? I suppose because Spain treats her colonies as Britain treated tbe American colonies before they asserted their independence. When the Ea6b and West were opened up th« Earopaan mother countries looked upon ths colonies they established as existing purely for the good of the parent country. Spain treats her colonies in tbe same way. They have to admit Spanish goods free and tax tho goods of other nations ; and when exporting a tax has also to be paid. So, as Spain has persi&bently bled her colonies for the good of ber grandees, she has also blindly driven her colonies into revolt, and hss now but a barren remnant of what was the mightiest of empires. In the balmy days of Spain she was spoken if as " All tbe Spams," which was perfectly true, for she then consisted of 13 provinces, many of which were kingdom?, and most of them independent units. So much so was Ibis the case that one book I have been perudrjg, " The History of the Buccaneers of America," says that ib was Oasbile alone tbat claimed an exclusive right, to America (excepting Brazil, which tho Pope allotted to Portugal) and the Western Islands; that Ferdinand, King of Arragon, had refused to contribute towards Columbus's first voyage, which strengthened Oaßtile's claim to the new lands ; and that it was difficult for Spaniards nob Oastilians to participate in tbe voyage and tbe immense wealth opened up. Naturally, all Spaniards wanted a share of the treasure trove, and the result was Spanish buccaneers were ofben friendly with English and French corsairs, and against tbeir own countrymen. But I had another object in writing. It is now leaking out that natives are being massacred wholesale in the Congo State for what can be made out of them. What a shame ib is to Christian communities bo tolerate such arlrocities ! One would have thoughb that the humiliating history of Christian dealings with native race 3in the past had taught us to be mora humane. Bat doesn't it appear that- after all we are orily savages veneered with religion to hide our wretched natures? Hjw many of us would break out if we only dared ? And now let rao give you a slight idea of how the Spa&iar'de — good Roman Catholics they were, mind you, as we are good Catholic 3 and Protestants now — treated the poor natives whose lands and wealth they came to take possession of. Sometimes Columbus is pictured as humane, and sometimes as a merciless tyrant. lam inclined to think he was not naturally cruel ; but he bad raised high hopes by his discoveries. Immense wealth was expected, and not to disappoint these anticipations, I think he broke* faith with the natives and became cruel, so that there should not be a reaction against him' in Spain. When he landed Us was hospitably entertained. One of bis vessels was wrecked, and the natives gave every assistance In their power (owardg saving the crew and tbeir effecN. Shortly after this Columbia returned to Spain, leaving behind him about 40 sailors in a fort built, co they said, to enable them to protect the chief from his enemies. But their licentiousness and insolence caused natives to become hostile, and as it was clearly shown when Columbus returned that the Spaniards had come Ho stay, the natives seized the first favourable opportunity to rebel. Of course, they were easily subdued, for Colutnbus's men were armoured and armed ; and what was worse, they had with them acme score of

dogs— bloodhounds, that tore the entrails oufi of those they were let loose upon. Daring the processional march of Oclumbus, thousands of the islanders were slaughtered, and hundreds were shipped to Spain as slaves. To Isabel's credit., they were immediately released and returned, with strict injunctions that slavery was not to bo permitted ; but her commands were not obeyed. After Columbus bad quelled the rebellion he parcelled cut tbe island — I am Epeaking of Hayti— amotg five governors, and ordered all natives above 14 to bring as a yearly tribute either 25 b of cotton or a certain quantity of gold — I have read somewhere it was equal to an ordinary thimbleful— and to prevent fraud tokens were given as receipts. Rebels, of course, bad to pay extra. The wretched natives found it impossible to pay the tax and naturally hostilities broke out, the inhabitants fleeing to the forests to escape the meicllessness of their oppressors. Famine, however, drove them again into tha open, where they were ag&im massacred wholesale, the bloodhounds again being brought into use.

The natives seem then to have been made over In bands to the mine owners and plantation proprietors. The mining was specially abhored by the natives, but they had to knuckle under. I have neither the lime noi the space to fu'ly describe the crublties perpetrated at that time, but you may fortrywmfl idea of the severity of Spanish rule, or, properly, misrule, when I gay that ib is calculated thab within three, or at the most four, years of tho discovery of the West Indies, Hayti, which at tho lowest had a population of over a million, showed a death roll of about four hundred thousand ! But thiß is not all. In 15 rears the original inhabitants had been reduced to 60,000. bo tha*-, allowing for natural increase, the annual slaughter could not have fallen far short of 100,000. But the Spaniards, in their insatiable ihirfct to got rich, did not allow a few nativts' lives to stand in the way. Shiya were sent to the neighbouiing island*, and natives were inveigled on board by the foulest hypocrisy and treachery. The Spaniards, among other artifice.?, pretended that they came from a delicious country where rested the soula of the nativoa' deceased fathers, kinsmen, and friends. The innocent islanders, so seduced, were taken to Havti to swell bha numbar of victims, and in this way whole islands were depopulated. It must bave been a great source of consolation to the poor wretches to be baptised and instructed in tbe principles of the boly faith. r Tho desire to save the souls of the dark races was a good inspiration, for when the labourers cf the Indies were exhausted the Spaniards btcame aware that they were called upon by Grod to convert the negroes of Africa. In this way the slave trade commenced which was so profitable to many English captains, who, when running cargoes of " black ivory " across, praised God for favouting winde, and pitched the least marketable negroes overboard in a calm or when provisions ran short. Bafc I gave you a. good id»a of the clave trade some time ago, when I wrote you the gist of the first four lectures of Amhony Froude on Elizabethan seamen. The complete lectures are now published, and to a boy of a romantic mind, with a dash of daring ia him and a taste for reading, I can recommend no bettor volume. Balrt Hill Plat. Will my correspondenb kindly forward me his name and exact address. lam not quite certain of it. Perhaps you have mistaken what I wrote on cranks. All of ue who pursue hobbles are designated cranks by someone. I know some think me a crank when, witb more enthusiasm possibly than discretion, I advocate the lantern aa a leaching aid and co-operation in distribution and production. By tho way, wouldn't it ba better for the Government to grant tbo farmers a million to make efficient arrangements for the producer here and consumer at Hrrne to come into direct contact than to let Nilson Bros, or anyone else get a monopoly of tbe f reeziug and shipping ? That's a long "by the way." But I was going to say that mo3t of the woild's advances have been made by men with one idea — a hobby on 8 large ecale. So to be called a crank doei -not necessarily mean tbat one is a fool. And as you say, so I think — that when men and women have botbies to fill "up their idle time, they are the better of it, if y in carryirg out their bobby they do not annoy others. J LJL— '. , '„., ' . '■■.'■"l'iiT. — A tenth of the world is still unexplored. — The daily income of the principal" rulei a is said to be: Km per or of Russia, £6000; Snltan of Tuikey, £4000 ; Emperor of Austria, £2500; Emperor of Girmany, £2000 ; King of Italy, £1600 ; Quetn Victoria, £1600 ; King of Belgium, £400 ; French President, £1200 ; President of the United States, £35.