Caroline Islands

a group in the Western Pacific, lying between the Marshall and Pelew islands, with an area of about 270 square miles, and a population of some 22,000; but the Pelew group is now generally included in the Caroline Archipelago (area, 560 square miles; population 36,000), which thus stretches acro 32° of lon. and 9° of lat. There are some 500 small atolls in the archipelago, but three-fourths of both area and population are included in the five volcanic islands of Babelthouap Yap, Rouk, Ponape (Ascension), and Kusari (Strong Island); these are all fertile and well watered, and many of the low-lying lagoons, though le so, are well wooded and to some extent inhabited. The climate is moist, but not unhealthy, and is tempered by cooling breezes. The people belong to the brown Polynesian stock. The islands were discovered in 1527 by the Portuguese, and called Sequeira; in 1686 they were annexed and rechristened in honor of Charles II. by the Spaniards, who, however, shortly changed the name to New Philippines. After the failure of several mi ionary attempts in the 18th century, Spain took little active interest in the group until August, 1885, when the German flag was hoisted on Yap. The sharp dispute which followed was submitted to the Pope as arbitrator, who decided in favor of Spain, but reserved to Germany special trade privileges. In 1887 disturbances broke out at Ponape, in which the governor, who had arrested one of the American Protestant mi ionaries, was killed by the natives; but _the rising was_ shortly put down. In February, 1899, Germany purchased from Spain the Caroline and Pelew islands, and all of the Ladrones excepting Guam, which had been ceded to the United States in the treaty of peace.