Show ISLANDS OWNED BY UNITED STATES washington post distributed over the mid pacific in the neighborhood of the equator are quite a number of small islands that belong to the united states most of them are from 1000 to 2000 miles to the south and southwest of hawaii some go of them are near the gilbert me so pelago and there is a considerable cluster just about the lesser distance mentioned and directly south of the hawaiian group including aleica and other islands of large size christmas atmas island is about thirty five miles long it got its name originally from the tact fact that the famous captain cook stopped there on christ nw mae day for the purpose of observing an eclipse it is an atol or ring or coral formation inclosing a lagoon ot of water that has become so salty through evaporation as to be a veritable t brine fishes thrown over the reef by storms are pickled in it and remain perfectly preserved and good to eat for months these isles of the pacific belong to uncle mide sam bain and number sixty in all they have all been annexed to the united states under an act of con greess which became a law august 18 ISM the law which remains in die today declares that whenever A ansy citizen of the united states shall a deposit of guano on any island rock or key not within the lawful jurisdiction of any other government ern ment he shall be at lib erity to take peaceable possession thereof and such id rock or key may at the dist Orb klon of the president be considered pertaining to the united states is required to give due notice to the department of state with affidavits describing the island and showing that possession of the same has been taken in the name of this country he is obliged at the same time to give a bond which is filed in the treasury the discoverer at the pleasure of congress enjoys the exclusive right to occupy his land for the purpose of obtaining guano and for this product he is allowed to charge only a certain fixed price namely 8 a ton for guano delivered at the ships side or 4 a ton for the privilege of digging it where it lies furthermore he gives guarantee by his bond to deliver the guano only to citizens of the united states and to be used in the united states the law also provides curiously enough that all of fences and crimes on such islands by persons who may land thereon or in waters adjacent shall be deemed as committed on the high seas on board a merchant ship of the united states and shall be punished accordingly the president is authorized to use the land and naval forces of the united states to protect the rights of the discoverer or his heirs but uncle sams ocean empire in eludes a great many islands of far greater importance than the guano isles referred to in bering sea there are several very large islands besides the little ov group to which the fur seals resort this country owns the entire chain of aleutian islands which separate bering sea from the north pacific the inhabitants of these island aleuts aleuns are particularly intelligent much more civilized than the eskimo and bear a close resemblance physically to japanese off the coast of southern alaska is a group of islands of great size on some of which live the t indi indians these indians are the most artistic savages in the world being skillful wood carvers oft off the coast of southern california is the santa barbara group comprising a number of large islands |