160 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Guam was sighted the morning of the 21st of February, and after 

 coasting the eastern, northern, and part of the western shores the 

 ship came to anchor in the harbor of San Luis d'Apra. The coast of 

 the northern part of the island resembles that of Makatea and Nine, 

 with limestone cliffs in places several hundred feet in height, but the 

 southern part is volcanic, and near Agana contacts were found which 

 indicated that the igneous rocks had burst through the preexisting 

 limestone, though there is reason to believe that some of the elevated 

 calcareous rocks farther south are more recent than the igneous rocks 

 with which they are in contact. The northern part of the island is 

 flat-topped, although considerably eroded, while the southern half is 

 rolling and hilly. 



The harbor of San Luis d'Apra is well sheltered, in part by high 

 land and in part by a long stretch of reef with a narrow opening, and 

 since the occupation of the island by the United States it has been 

 thoroughly surveyed by the naval officers stationed there. There is 

 only a small village at the harbor, but a good road leads to the popu- 

 lous town of Agana, the capital, several miles distant, and a telephone 

 line now connects the two places. Agana lies on the seacoast, but a 

 reef with but very shallow passes makes it useless as a harbor, except 

 for very small craft. It is built partly in the Spanish style, partly 

 native, and partly a mixture of the two, and under the energetic 

 administration of Governor Leary many of its unsanitary features 

 have been corrected and it presents a clean and orderly appearance. 

 Its principal buildings are the palace and the offices of administration, 

 the barracks, and the hospital, all built by the Spaniards, and which 

 either face or immediately adjoin the parade or plaza in the center of 

 the town. The population is said to number over 6,000. 



The island is about 27 miles long and 7 or 8 miles wide, and its gen- 

 eral topography has already been indicated. It has a moist climate, 

 not excessively hot, and is fairly well watered ; the streams, however, 

 are small and are said to be shrinking as a result of cultivation and the 

 clearing of the forests. Oranges, shaddocks, limes, bananas, bread- 

 fruit, and all the tropical fruits are found, and corn, rice, sugar, tobacco, 

 sweet-potatoes, and other imported plants are cultivated. 



The population is a mixed one, consisting of the natives or Chamor- 

 ros, with a few Filipinos and Caroline Islanders, and a mixture of the 

 first two with Spanish blood. The Americans complain of the extreme 

 indolence of the native population, a characteristic which their Span- 

 ish predecessors appear to have recognized, as they imported natives 

 of the Carolines for labor on some of the public works. A small vil- 

 lage of Caroline Islanders near Agana, left stranded by a contractor 

 who had imported them, still maintains in a measure the Caroline 

 manner of living. Most of the people speak Spanish, but some are 

 endeavoring to learn English since the cession of the island to the 

 United States. 



The Albatross left Guam on February 25^ and after coasting Rota, 



