of the Bahama Islands. 313 



Salt Key Bank. — This Bank lies in the triangular interval west of the 

 Great Bank, between it, Florida and Cuba. Its area is about 1,430 square 

 miles ; there are no inhabited Keys upon it. 



Elbow Key, on its west side is about 50 miles distant from Sombrero 

 Key (Florida Keys), and the greatest depth of water between them is 500 

 fathoms (3,000 feet). Salt Key, on the southwest of the Bank, is about 30 

 miles from Bahia de Cadiz (Kej's north of Cuba), with depth between 

 them of 534 fathoms (3,204 feet). The distance and depth of the Santaren 

 Channel, between Auguilla Island (Salt Key Bank) and the Great Bank, 

 have been already stated. 



Islands east of, and betioeen, the Great Bank and the Caicos Bank. — To the 

 eastward of the Great Bank, and separated from it and from each other 

 by deep water, are Watling's Island (40 miles east of the south end of 

 San Salvador), Eum Key (24 miles from the northeast end of Long 

 Island) and Conception Island, which is between San Salvador and Rum 

 Key. 



Southeast of Long Island the chain of islands is continued to the south- 

 east and south, as follows: — On a distinct Bank, separated from Long 

 Island on the Great Bank by the Crooked Island Passage (25 miles in 

 width), are Crooked Island, Ackliu's Island, with Castle Island, of small 

 size, at its southern exti-emity, and Fortune Island or Long Key. 



To the northeast of Crooked Island lies Samana or Atwood Key (unin- 

 habited), and to the east of Ackliu's Island there is a cluster of small 

 islets, called Plana, or French Keys. To the southeast, about 45 miles 

 from Ackliu's Island, is Mayaguana. 



Caicos and Txirk Islands Banks. — In the same southeasterly direction is 

 the Caicos Bank (on which are several islands), separated from Maya- 

 guana by the Caicos Channel, about 30 miles in width, and at a short 

 distance to the southeast, on another Bank, with the Turk Passage 

 between it and the Caicos Bank, lie the Turk Islands. 



Mouchoir Carre, Silver and Navidad Banks. — Tliese three Banks of 

 coral and sand, separated by deep water channels of 30 to 40 miles in 

 width, extend the Bahama chain of islands to the southeast, about 100 

 miles, viz., Mouchoir Carre, Silver Bank, which is about 36 miles north of 

 Cape Viejo Frances (San Domingo) and Navidad Bank, the southeast end 

 of which lies north-northeast about 32 miles from Cape Cabron, the 

 nearest part of San Domingo. 



Great and Little Inagua, or Henearjua. — Detached 'from all the other 

 islands, from 60 to 70 miles south of Ackliu's Island and Mayaguana, 

 nearly in the latitude of the Turk Islands, are Great and Little Inagua, 

 standing, I believe, on one Bank. Great Inagua (area 530 square miles) 

 is one of the largest and finest of the Bahama group. Thes£ islands, 

 north of, and opposite the Windward Passage, between Cuba and San 

 Domingo, are about 65 miles from the northwestern extremity of the 

 latter and about 50 miles from Point Maysi the northwestern end of the 

 former. 



