THE PLANT WORLD ' 165 



the most distinguished citizens of Guam. Don Silvestre Palomo is men- 

 tioned frequently in the archives of the island. He served as Ayudante 

 Mayor de la Dotacion, with the rank of captain, and was often of great 

 service to the governors. He knew the Spanish language better than any 

 other Chamorro on the island, and took pains that his son Jose should 

 receive a classical education. He was devoted to the interests of his 

 brother Chamorros and on many occasions he defended them from in- 

 justice on the part of the island authorities, many of whom were over- 

 bearing and avaricious and tried to take advantage of the simple islanders 

 for their own selfish ends. This gained for him the sobriquet of the 

 " Chamorro Cato," which was sometimes sarcastically applied to him by 

 the Spaniards. His wife was the daughter of the celebrated Sargento 

 Mayor Don Luis de Torres, the friend of Chamisso, Eschscholtz, Kotze- 

 bue, Freycinet, and Gaudichaud, all of whom have borne testimony of 

 esteem and friendship for him in their published works. This lady was a 

 woman of unusual education and accomplishments, but at the same time 

 was a thrifty housekeeper. She was a devoted mother, but was very 

 firm and unrelenting in dealing with her son Jose. Father Palomo has 

 told me how he used to rise every morning at four o'clock to go with his 

 mother to church. She impressed upon him the importance of saying his 

 prayers every night before retiring, and was very careful as to his associates. 

 She spoke English well and French pretty well. She even knew mathe- 

 matics and " could ascertain the Dominical Letter, Golden Number, and 

 Epact of each year." She also knew the cause of the tides and of the 

 changes of the moon. With all this ' ' she was adroit in all household tasks 

 and in handiwork of aggag (Pandanus) and coconut leaf weaving, for mak- 

 ing hats, mats and thatch, and was skilful in tailoring and seamstressy." 

 With such a woman for a mother it is not strange that Jose Palomo 

 should grow up to be a man of sterling character and good habits. 



Don Silvestre Palomo was a wide-awake business man. He made 

 several trips to Manila for the purpose of buying goods. On returning 

 from the last one in March, 1856, smallpox broke out on the schooner in 

 which he had taken passage. Don Silvestre came ashore but was soon 

 stricken with the disease and taken to a country house in a secluded spot 

 to the right of the road leading to Sinahaiia, where he died. The epi- 

 demic of smallpox which followed was terrible. It lasted until the fol- 

 lowing November and carried off more than two-fifths of the population. 



Both Don Juan de Torres and Father Palomo have been most kind in 

 giving me instruction in the Chamorro language. It is very interesting 

 to find that in its grammatical structure it has affinities with the lan- 

 guages of such remote islands as Madagascar and Java. This is especially 

 shown in the use of infixes. Thus from the imperative chule, " carry," 

 we derive the preterite chumule, by inserting the particle um before the 



