108 A NEW ISLAND DISCOVERED. 
plainly distinguished a very low, thickly wood- 
ed island. Since no navigator, to my know- 
ledge, had ever been here before, and the new- 
est charts described nothing but empty space, 
we conceived we had a right to consider our- 
selves the first discoverers, and named the island, 
after our ship, Predpriatie: we now tacked to 
stand out to sea for the night, and at break of 
day again made towards the island, under 
feelings of strong excitement. The many tele- 
scopes which our eager curiosity pointed to- 
wards its object, seemed each endued with the 
magical power of conveying different images 
to the sight. Some of us saw what others 
saw not, till these delusions of the imagina- 
tion vanished before the conviction produced 
by rising columns of smoke visible to all, that 
the island was inhabited. We could soon af- 
terwards, from the mast-head, perceive its 
entire extent. The dazzling whiteness of the 
coral shore fringed a bright green ground 
upon which rose a forest of palms; and we 
distinguished canoes moving upon a large lake 
in the centre of the island. By rapid degrees, 
we approached so near that every object be- 
