GUN ISLAND. 149 



April 24. — In the morning the boats were des- 

 patched on their ordinary work, and Captain Wick- 

 hara and myself landed on the largest island, a 

 quarter of a mile long, forming the north-western 

 extreme of Pelsart Group, and which we named 

 Gun Island, from our finding on it a small brass four- 

 pounder of singular construction, now deposited in 

 the United Service Museum, (see the cut annexed) 



Dutch Four-pounder, with moveable chamber. 



with quantities of ornamental brass work for har- 

 ness, on which the gilding was in a wonderful state 

 of preservation ; a number of glass bottles and pipes, 

 and two Dutch doits, bearing date I707 and I72O. 

 This was a very interesting discovery, and left no 

 doubt that we had found the island on which the 

 crew of the Zeewyk were wrecked, in 1727? and where 

 they remained so long, whilst building, from the 

 fragments of their vessel, a sloop, in which they got 

 to sea by the passage between Easter and Pelsart 

 Groups, which has consequently been called 

 Zeewyk Passage. The scene of their disaster must 

 have been on the outer reef, a mile and three- 

 quarters south-west from Gun Island, along which 

 ran a white ridge of high breakers. 



The glass bottles I have mentioned were of a 



