第74章

CAROLINE Island (10 deg S., 150 deg W.) is described by Mr. F.D. Bennett ("Geographical Journal", volume vii., page 225) as containing a fine lagoon; coloured blue.--FLINT Island (11 deg S., 151 deg W.); Krusenstern believes that it is the same with Peregrino, which is described by Quiros (Burney's "Chron. Hist." volume ii., page 283) as "a cluster of small islands connected by a reef, and forming a lagoon in the middle;" coloured blue.--WOSTOCK is an island a little more than half a mile in diameter, and apparently quite flat and low, and was discovered by Bellinghausen; it is situated a little west of Caroline Island, but it is not placed on the French charts; I have not coloured it, although I entertain little doubt from the chart of Bellinghausen, that it originally contained a small lagoon.--PENRHYN Island (9 deg S., 158 deg W.); a plan of it in the "Atlas of the First Voyage" of Kotzebue, shows that it is an atoll; blue.--SLARBUCK Island (5 deg S., 156 deg W.) is described in Byron's "Voyage in the 'Blonde'" (page 206) as formed of a flat coral-rock, with no trees; the height not given; not coloured.--MALDEN Island (4 deg S., 154 deg W.); in the same voyage (page 205) this island is said to be of coral formation, and no part above forty feet high; I have not ventured to colour it, although, from being of coral-formation, it is probably fringed; in which case it should be red.--JARVIS, or BUNKER Island (0 deg 20' S., 160 deg W.) is described by Mr. F.D. Bennett ("Geographical Journal", volume vii., page 227) as a narrow, low strip of coral-formation; not coloured.--BROOK, is a small low island between the two latter; the position, and perhaps even the existence of it is doubtful; not coloured.--PESCADO and HUMPHREY Islands; I can find out nothing about these islands, except that the latter appears to be small and low; not coloured.--REARSON, or Grand Duke Alexander's (10 S., 161 deg W.); an atoll, of which a plan is given by Bellinghausen; blue.--SOUVOROFF Islands (13 deg S., 163 deg W.); Admiral Krusenstern, in the most obliging manner, obtained for me an account of these islands from Admiral Lazareff, who discovered them. They consist of five very low islands of coral-formation, two of which are connected by a reef, with deep water close to it. They do not surround a lagoon, but are so placed that a line drawn through them includes an oval space, part of which is shallow; these islets, therefore, probably once (as is the case with some of the islands in the Caroline Archipelago) formed a single atoll; but I have not coloured them.--DANGER Island (10 deg S., 166 deg W.); described as low by Commodore Byron, and more lately surveyed by Bellinghausen; it is a small atoll with three islets on it; blue.--CLARENCE Island (9 deg S., 172 deg W.); discovered in the "Pandora" (G. Hamilton's "Voyage," page 75): it is said, "in running along the land, we saw several canoes crossing the LAGOONS;" as this island is in the close vicinity of other low islands, and as it is said, that the natives make reservoirs of water in old cocoa-nut trees (which shows the nature of the land), I have no doubt it is an atoll, and have coloured it blue. YORK Island (8 deg S., 172 deg W.) is described by Commodore Byron (chapter x. of his "Voyage") as an atoll; blue.--SYDNEY Island (4 deg S., 172 deg W.) is about three miles in diameter, with its interior occupied by a lagoon (Captain Tromelin, "Annal. Marit." 1829, page 297); blue.--PHOENIX Island (4 deg S., 171 deg W.) is nearly circular, low, sandy, not more than two miles in diameter, and very steep outside (Tromelin, "Annal. Marit." 1829, page 297); it may be inferred that this island originally contained a lagoon, but I have not coloured it.--NEW

NANTUCKET (0 deg 15' N., 174 deg W.). From the French chart it must be a low island; I can find nothing more about it or about MARY Island; both uncoloured.--GARDNER Island (5 deg S., 174 deg W.) from its position is certainly the same as KEMIN Island described (Krusenstern, page 435, Appen. to Mem., published 1827) as having a lagoon in its centre; blue.

ISLANDS SOUTH OF THE SANDWICH ARCHIPELAGO.

CHRISTMAS Island (2 deg N., 157 deg W.). Captain Cook, in his "Third Voyage" (Volume ii., chapter x.), has given a detailed account of this atoll. The breadth of the islets on the reef is unusually great, and the sea near it does not deepen so suddenly as is generally the case. It has more lately been visited by Mr. F.D. Bennett ("Geographical Journal," volume vii., page 226); and he assures me that it is low and of coral-formation: I particularly mention this, because it is engraved with a capital letter, signifying a high island, in D'Urville and Lottin's chart.

Mr. Couthouy, also, has given some account of it ("Remarks," page 46) from the Hawaiian "Spectator"; he believes it has lately undergone a small elevation, but his evidence does not appear to me satisfactory; the deepest part of the lagoon is said to be only ten feet; nevertheless, I have coloured it blue.--FANNING Island (4 deg N., 158 deg W.) according to Captain Tromelin ("Ann. Maritim." 1829, page 283), is an atoll: his account as observed by Krusenstern, differs from that given in Fanning's "Voyage" (page 224), which, however, is far from clear; coloured blue.--WASHINGTON Island (4 deg N., 159 deg W.) is engraved as a low island in D'Urville's chart, but is described by Fanning (page 226) as having a much greater elevation than Fanning Island, and hence I presume it is not an atoll; not coloured.--PALMYRA Island (6 deg N., 162 deg W.) is an atoll divided into two parts (Krusenstern's "Mem. Suppl." page 50, also Fanning's "Voyage," page 233); blue.--SMYTH'S or Johnston's Islands (17 deg N., 170 deg W.). Captain Smyth, R.N., has had the kindness to inform me that they consist of two very low, small islands, with a dangerous reef off the east end of them. Captain Smyth does not recollect whether these islets, together with the reef, surrounded a lagoon; uncoloured.

SANDWICH ARCHIPELAGO.