Q Art. Vir. — A. Mfitsumura : 



are not inhabited. The investigations made in January, 1916, 

 place the population of the natives at only 4,880. 



The Palau Islands were discovered by the Spaniards in 1543 

 (it is claimed that the discovery was made by Drake in 1579). 

 It appears that Palau was not a native word and that the Spaniards 

 originally vaguely applied this name to the whole of the islands 

 lying east of Mindanao. According to Captain Henry Wilson,^ 

 they received the name of Palos from the Spaniards in the Phihp- 

 pino Islands. This meant " mast " in Spanish, because, it is said, 

 the coconut trees growing wild upon the islands appeared^ when 

 looked at from far away, as if they were a cluster of masts. The 

 Palau Islands are sometimes distinguished from the Carolines as 

 an independent group of islands, and are occasionally also called 

 the West Caroline Islands. 



Yap (Eap, Giiap, Jap, Oyap, Uap) is situated roughly between 

 9^ 25' and 0' 36' N. lat., and 138-^ and 138° 8' E. long. It lies 

 240 miles north-east of Palau, consisting of ten odd islands sur- 

 rounded by fringing reefs. The area is no more than 79 square 

 miles. Though thei-e are hardly any rivulets, swamps are found 

 here mvl there, so the islands are probably suited to the cultiva- 

 tion of certain plants. The population was 5,790, according to 

 investigations made in December, 1915. Yap w^as discovered in 

 1543 by a Spaniard, Ruy Lopez de A^illalobos.^ In the native 

 language, the name signifies the " land." 



Truk (Piuck, Rug, Ptuk) comprises scores of islets and islands 

 lying roughly between 7^ and 7° 40' N. lat., and 151° 20' and 



1 G. Keate, " An Account of Pelew IsLmds, sitiiati-d in the Western part of the Piicific 

 Ocean. Composed from the Journals and Communications of Captain Henry Wilson, and.... " 

 2nd ed., London, 1788, p. ix. 



- W. H. Furness mentions tliat " they (Vaj)) have heen known to the civilized world 

 since 1527, when they were discovereil by the Portuguese." See "The Island of Stone Money," 

 Philadelphia, 1912, p. 16. 



