firmed by Capt. Stanikowitch, of the Imperial Russian navy, in 1827. It is a small, low, and very dangerous island, which, according to Capt. Stanikowitch, is in lat. 28° 27′ N., lon. 178° 23′ 30′′, which differs only 11' from the original position. At the distance of 4 miles from the West point a reef extends for more than 6 miles to the North.

*

It is probably the same as those described as Stavers, Ocean, and Massachusetts Islands of the Americans, and also the Dry Island, with an attached reef, of Capt. Joy.

KRUSENSTERN'S ROCK was discovered by Lisiansky, October 23, 1805. The bank around it appeared to stretch North and South about 2 miles, and the sea on it only broke in one place. Lat. 22° 15' N., lon. 175° 37′ W.†

PATROCINIO, or BYERS' ISLAND, was discovered in 1799 by Capt. Don M. Zipiani, commanding the Spanish vessel Senhora del Pilar. He states its extent to be 3 miles from N.N.E. to S.S.W., and is in lat. 28° 9′ N., lon. 175° 48′ E.; but the U.S. surveying vessel Peacock passed near this spot without seeing it. This renders it more probable that it is identical with Byer's Island of Capt. Morrell, of guano celebrity. This he places in lat. 28° 32′ N., lon. 177° 4' E., but it is very probable that this position cannot be depended on. Patrocinio, or Byers' Island, according to Morrell, July, 1825, is moderately elevated, and has some bushes and spots of vegetation. It is about four miles in circumference, and has good anchorage on the W.S.W. side, with 15 fathoms water, sand and coral bottom. There are no dangers around this island except on the S.E. side, where there is a coral reef running to the southward about 2 miles. Sea-birds, sea-elephants, and green turtles, resort to it, and plenty of fine fish may be caught on its shores with hook and line. Fresh water may be had here from the S. W. side of the island, which is of volcanic origin.‡

MORRELL ISLAND, so named by Krusenstern from its discoverer, by whom it is placed in lat. 29° 57' N., lon. 174° 31' E.

It is a small, low island, nearly level with the water, 4 miles in circumference; it was covered with sea-fowl, and its shores were lined with sea-elephants; green turtles were in abundance (July, 1825). It is apparently of volcanic origin.

On the West side of the island there is a reef which runs off about 15 miles; while that on the S.E. extends about 30 miles in the direction of S.S.E. These reefs are formed of coral, and afford good anchorage on the S.W. side; but on the East side the water is bold close to the reef.§

CRESPO ISLAND was discovered by Capt. Crespo, commanding the Spanish galleon El Rey Carlos, October 15, 1801, on his route from Manila to Acapulco. As he saw it more than 10 leagues off, it must be supposed that it is not low. It

* Krusenstern, vol. ii. p. 42; Supp., pp. 109, 162. + Lisiansky, Voyage, &c., pp. 257-8. Krusenstern, vol. ii. p. 43; Supplement, p. 114; Morrell, p. 218; and Wilkes, vol. v. p. 109. § Morrell, Narrative, &c., p. 218.

is in lat. 32° 46′ N., lon. 170° 10′ E. Admiral Krusenstern says, that as the Japanese believe in the existence of an island of silver, and one of gold, it is probable that Spaniards have applied these attractive names during their search for the precious metals in the South Seas. The navigator would make a loss of time in seeking the fabulous isles of Rica de Oro and Rica de Plata, the latter term sometimes being applied to this island.

LOT'S WIFE was seen by Capt. Meares April 9, 1788, and at first was taken for a sail; and the sight of such in those seas excited much surprise. The deception, however, was so complete, that it was approached within 2 leagues before its real character was discovered by the telescope, and one of the sailors was even convinced that he saw her colours.

By noon it bore E.N.E. 4 miles distant; lat. 29° 50′ N., lon. 142° 23′ E. Greenwich. The waves broke against its rugged front with a fury proportioned to the immense distance they had to roll before they were interrupted by it. It rose almost perpendicular to the height of near 350 feet. A small black rock appeared just above the water at about 40 or 50 yards from its western edge. There was a cavern on its S.E. side, into which the waters rolled with an awful and tremendous noise. It has been sometimes called Rica de Oro.

#

In all the space between this and the coasts of Japan and Formosa we have a great number of shoals and islands marked on the charts. As the existence, or at least the positions, assigned to many or most of these appear to be very doubtful, there is considerable difficulty in determining on the point. They would seem to have been inserted on the charts from the uncertain reckoning or observation kept on board whaling vessels, or others of that class, which, from the very nature of their pursuits, cannot be entitled to much confidence. Under these circumstances, it will perhaps be best to follow the decisions of Admiral Krusenstern, who, in the supplement to his great work, has included the greater part of them among the doubtful islands, and omitted them on his chart. We shall therefore only notice those whose existence is at all determined.

MARSHALL ISLANDS (Los JARDINES ?). Two small islands were discovered, in 1788, by Capt. Marshall, of the ship Scarborough, whose name is given to the archipelago to the eastward. They have been stated to be the same as Los Buenos Jardines of Alvaro de Saavedra, in 1529. Another group, called Los Jardines, was also discovered by Villalobos in 1543, but the situation of both of these must be far away from this part, if even they could be identified. Perhaps it would be better to name them the Scarborough Islands. They are placed in lat. 21° 40', lon. 151° 35′ E.

MARGARET ISLANDS (Malabrigos), a group of three islands, discovered, in 1773, by Capt. Magee, in lat. 27° 20′, lon. 145° 45'. They have been considered to be the Malabrigos (bad shelter) of Bernard de Torres in 1543, but there is no possibility of deciding on the point.

GRAMPUS ISLANDS were discovered by Capt. Meares, April 4, 1788. They

Meares, p. 97.

consist of two islands close together, and a third to the S.W. of them. The position of them is not stated by Meares, but Krusenstern deduces it from his track as lat. 25° 40′, lon. 146° 40'.

FORFANA, an island said by Galvaom to have been discovered by the ship San Juan, in 1543. There cannot be any doubt of its existence, though the position may be open to question. It is said to be 30 leagues E. & N. of the Volcano Islands. This would give it lat. 25° 34′, lon. 143° 0′.

VOLCANO ISLANDS.-Three islands discovered, in 1543, by Bernardo de Torres, which received their name from the volcano on the central one. There can be no doubt of their being the same as the Sulphur Islands of Capt. King, in 1779. They were also seen by Capt. Krusenstern, in the Nadićjeda, iń 1805. On the Spanish charts the northern island is called San Alessandro; the centre, Sulphur Island; and the southern, San Angustino. Espinosa says, that the southernmost was seen in 1804, by the Spanish corvette La Concepcion, and named San Dionisio, a name by which, according to him, it has always been distinguished by the Spanish navigators.

SAN AUGUSTINO (or San Dionisio), the southernmost, is a single mountain of a square form, flat at the top, and 396 feet high. Admiral Krusenstern's observations, and he was near it for two days, place it in lat. 24° 14', lon. 141° 20′, which is 7' 30" South of that given by Capt. King; so that unless a fourth island lies in that latitude, a thing most improbable, we must suppose that the error arose from the distance at which it was seen in 1779.

SULPHUR ISLAND is the central one. It is about 5 miles long in a N.N.E. and S.S.W. direction. The South point is a high, barren hill, flattish at the top, and, when seen from the W.S.W., presents an evident volcanic crater; the soil of which its surface is composed exhibited various colours, a considerable part of which was conjectured to be sulphur, both from its appearance and the strong sulphureous smell perceived as the point was approached. Some on board the Discovery thought they saw steam rising from the top of the hill. A low, narrow neck of land connects this hill with the South end of the island, which spreads out into a circumference of 3 or 4 leagues, and is of moderate height. The part near the isthmus has some bushes on it, and has a green appearance, but that to the N.E. is very barren and full of large detached rocks, many of which were exceedingly white. Very dangerous breakers extend 2 miles to the East and 2 miles to the West, off the middle part of the island, on which the sea breaks with great violence. The position of Sulphur Island, according to Capt. King, identical with that of Admiral Krusenstern, is lat. 24° 48', lon. 141° 13'.

SAN ALESSANDRO, or the North Island, is also a single mountain of considerable height, like the southern one. It is peaked and of a conical shape, lat. 25° 14', lon. 141° 11'; variation, in 1779, 3° 30′ E.

The ARZOBISPO (or BONIN) ISLANDS were discovered by an English whaler in 1825, and were formally taken possession of for England by Capt. Beechey, in 1827. These clusters of islands correspond so well with a group named Ylas del Arzobispo in a work published many years ago in Manila, entitled,

"Navigacion Especulativa y Pratica," that the name has been retained in addition to that of Bonin Islands, for it is extremely doubtful, from the Japanese accounts of Bonin-sima, whether there are not other islands in the vicinity to which the name is not more applicable.*

This group had no signs of ever having been inhabited; there were neither buildings nor cultivated plants, which the Bonin-sima of the Japanese are stated to have. Besides the visit of H.M.S. Blossom, that of Capt. Lütke has given us many details.

The position of this group renders it exceedingly valuable; its proximity to Japan, the trade of which must some day become of immense value to Europe, and its contiguity to the great spermaceti whaling ground, on which 200 sail cruise during the summer months, make this manifest.

Its climate is excellent, the soil productive, and it was without inhabitants. In 1830 it was colonized by two white men from the Sandwich Islands, Mr. Matteo Mazarro and M. Millichamp. The latter has returned to England, but they hoisted the British flag at Port Lloyd, and landed their Sandwich Island native settlers, live stock, &c. The settlement has been repeatedly visited since that by whaling-ships, and also by one of the Chinese squadron. In the autumn of 1842 Mr. Mazarro returned to the Sandwich Islands to get more settlers, but was prevented in this. He described his little settlement as flourishing; that he had abundance of hogs, goats, and a few cattle; that he raised Indian corn and many vegetables; and that he had all kinds of tropical fruits. In fact, he could supply fresh provisions and vegetables to forty vessels annually.†

The following is Capt. Beechey's account of them :

The group consists of three clusters of islands lying nearly N. by E., and extending from the latitude of 27° 44′ 35′′ N. to 26° 30′ and beyond, but that was the utmost limit of our view to the southward. The northern cluster consists of small islands and pointed rocks, and has much broken ground about it, which renders caution necessary in approaching it. I distinguished it by the name of Parry's Group, in compliment to the late hydrographer. The middle cluster consists of three islands, of which Peel's Island, 4 miles in length, is the largest. This group is 9 miles in length, and is divided by two channels so narrow that they can only be seen when abreast of them. Neither of them are navigable for shipping; the northern on account of rocks, which render it impassable even by boats, and the other on account of rapid tides and eddies, which, as there is no anchoring ground, would most likely drift a ship on the rocks. The northern island I named Stapleton, and the centre Buckland, in compliment to the professor of geology at Oxford. At the S.W. angle of Buckland Island there is a sandy bay, in which ships will find good anchorage, but they must be careful in bringing up to avoid being carried out of soundings by the current. It is named Walker's Bay, after Mr. Walker of the Hydrographical Office. The southern cluster is evidently that in which a whale-ship, commanded by Mr. Coffin,

Mémoire sur la Chine, par M. Klaproth ; and M. Abel Remusat, in the Journal des Savans, September, 1817.

+ The Sandwich Islands; Progress of Events, &c., by Alexander Simpson, late H.B.M. Acting Consul, 1843, p. 124.

anchored in 1823, who was the first to communicate its position to this country, and who bestowed his name upon the port. As the cluster was, however, left without any distinguishing appellation, I named it after Francis Bailey, Esq., late president of the Astronomical Society.

PEEL ISLAND is the principal of the group, and on it are two bays, one to the S.E., which is clear and deep, except towards the head, where anchorage may be had; but of course it is open to the prevailing winds. Its head runs nearly up to that of Port Lloyd, which is on the N.W. side of the island, and facing the West.

PORT LLOYD.-Directions for Entering.-Having ascertained the situation of the port, steer boldly in for the southern head, taking care not to bring it to the northward of N. 47° E., true, or to shut it in with two paps on the N.E. side of the harbour, which will be seen nearly in one with it on this bearing. In this position they are a safe leading mark. To the southward of this line there is broken ground.

If the wind be from the southward, which is generally the case in the summer time, round the south bluff at the distance of 200 yards, close to a sunken rock, which may be distinctly seen in clear weather. Keep fresh way upon the ship, in order that she may shoot on end through the eddy winds, which baffle under the lee of the head;* and to prevent her coming round against the helm, which would be dangerous. The winds will at first break the ship off, but she will presently come up again; if she does not, be ready to go about, as you will be close upon the reefs to the northward, and put the helm down before the South end of the island, off the port to the westward, comes on with the high square rock at the North of the entrance.

If she comes up, steer for a high Castle Rock at the East end of the harbour, until a pointed rock on the sandy neck to the eastward of the South headland comes in one with a high sugar-loaf shaped grassy hill to the southward of it. After which you may bear away for the anchorage, taking care not to open the sugar-loaf again to the westward of the pointed rock. The best anchorage, Ten Fathom Hole excepted, which it is necessary to warp into, is at the northern part of the harbour, where the anchor is marked on the Admiralty plan.

In bringing up, take care of a spit which extends off the South end of the small island, near Ten Fathom Hole, and not to shoot so far over to the western reef as to bring a rock at the outer foot of the South bluff in one with some black rocks, which will be seen near you to the south-westward. The depth of water will be from 18 to 20 fathoms, clay and sand. If the wind be from the northward, beat between the line of the before-mentioned Sugar-loaf and Pointed Rock westward, and a North and South line from the Castle Rock to the eastward. This rock, on the western side, as well as the bluff to the northward of it, may be shaved, if necessary. The hand-leads are of very little use in beating in here, as the general depth is 20 or 24 fathoms.

The best watering place is in Ten Fathom Hole. It is necessary to be cautious

Keep the top-gallant clewlines in hand.

+ This rock is white on the top with birds' dung, and looks like an island.