A New Voyage Round the World, in the years 1823, 24, 25, and 26, Vol. 2Kotzebue, Otto von
History
A New Voyage Round the World, in the years 1823, 24, 25, and 26, Vol. 2
Kotzebue, Otto von
Discoveries in geography; Predpriiatie (Ship); Voyages around the world; Zoology
According to accurate astronomical observations, the middle of this
group lies under 11 deg. 19' 21" latitude, and 192 deg. 25' 3" longitude.
In comparing the situation of the Pescadores, as given by Captain Wallis,
their discoverer, with this observation, it is scarcely possible to
believe in the identity of the groups. I have, however, left them the
name of Pescadores, because the two observations nearly correspond.
After having sailed round the whole group, we came, at four o'clock in
the afternoon, so close to their north-western point, that every
movement on land might have been distinctly seen with the naked eye; yet
even here there was nothing to indicate the presence of man, though
Wallis communicated with the inhabitants, if, indeed, these islands be
really the Pescadores. If so, these people must have become extinct long
ago, as no monument of their former existence is now visible. When we
had completed our survey, we again proceeded westward, and, within half
an hour, the watch again announced land in sight. The evening was now so
far advanced, that we determined to lay-to, in order to avoid the danger
of too near an approach to the coral reefs during the night, and
deferred our survey till the following morning. At break of day we saw
the islands which we have called the Pescadores, lying six miles to the
eastward; whilst those which had risen on our horizon the preceding
evening had wholly disappeared. We had diverged from them in the night;
but, with a brisk trade-wind, we regained the sight of them in an hour.
At eight o'clock in the morning we came within three miles of the
nearest island, and running parallel with the land, began our
examination. It was another group of coral islands connected by reefs
round a basin. Here also vegetation was luxuriant, and the cocoa-trees
rose to a towering height, but not a trace of man could be discerned;
and we therefore concluded they were uninhabited, as we were near enough
to distinguish any object with the naked eye. Favoured by a fresh
breeze, we sailed westward along the islands, till nightfall, without
reaching the end of this long group. During the night we had much
difficulty in keeping our position, owing to a tolerably smart gale,
which, in these unknown waters, would have been attended by no
inconsiderable danger, but that the land lay to windward of us; and were
therefore well pleased in the morning to find that the different
landmarks by which we had been guided overnight, were still visible, so
that we were enabled to pursue our observations without interruption.
The greatest length of this group, which I named, after our second
lieutenant, Rimski-Korsakoff, is from east-north-east to
west-south-west, in which direction it is, fifty-four miles long. Its
greatest breadth is ten miles. As we were sailing along the islands to
windward of us, we could plainly distinguish from the mast-head those
which lay at the other side of the basin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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