28 THE PI.ANT WORLD 



danced a few waltzes, Don Jose's youngest son, Jesiis, was prevailed upon 

 to dance a fandango, which the little fellow did most gracefully. 



August 22. — The first day of good weather since our arrival. Com- 

 pany A of Marines were transferred from the Yosemite to Agana, taking 

 up their quarters in the recently built school house, the " Colegio de San 

 Juan de Letran." This building was constructed from an endowment 

 fund bestowed on these islands in 1673 by Maria Ana of Austria (after 

 whom the Marianne Islands were named), the second wife of Philip IV. 

 It is interesting to note that the benefits from it were enjoyed by the 

 natives down to the time of the American occupation. Captain Ingate, 

 of the Marine Corps, took up his residence in Agaiia ; brought with him 

 his zither ; we passed the evening very pleasantly at my quarters playing 

 zither duets. 



The Governor has issued the following order, dated yesterdaj^ : " For 

 the protection of Government interests and as a safeguard for the resi- 

 dents of Guam against the machinations, devices, and schemes of specu- 

 lators and adventurers, it is hereby ordered that all persons who claim 

 ownership of land in this island or its dependencies are prohibited from 

 selling or transferring any portion of such property without first obtain- 

 ing the consent of the Government. Violation of this order may be 

 punished by fine or imprisonment, or both." 



Thursday, Aiigust 24. — Good weather; no rain. To Lake Matan- 

 hanom, the source of the Agaiia River, to plant the blue water-lily seeds, 

 which have sprouted ; enclosed them in balls of soft mud and sunk them 

 in the lake ; saw a number of fish in the lake ; near by, a plantation of 

 cacao and a patch of Manila hemp i^Musa textilis^ growing rankly with- 

 out care ; these planted here several years ago by an agricultural society ; 

 the Musa, here called " Abakd " as in the Philippines, not utilized by the 

 natives, who have very good textiles for their ordinary needs in Hibiscus 

 bark and Pandanus leaves ; not far from lake patches of pineapples, 

 apparently perennial ; the swamp through which the river oozes ap- 

 parently a former lagoon ; hillocks now rise from it like islets on which 

 grow coconut and betel-nut palms ; noticed a fine mango tree on the border 

 of swamp ; natives had built fires under it and had hacked the trunk 

 and larger limbs, for the pm-pose, they said, of making it bear. The 

 mangos do not bear well here ; some years the crop is a failure ; mangos 

 more highly prized than any other fruit. 



Saturday , Aicgust 26 . — No rain. Up at dawn. From my window 

 I saw a procession pass. The priest, carried in a sedan chair, was going to 

 administer the sacrament to some dying person. All the natives are 

 Catholics. I was struck with the perfect assurance they seem to feel 

 that those who die enter into a future life, and that for their ultimate 

 happiness they need simply a good confession and the last rites of the 



