GEOGRArmCAL APPENDIX. 273 



memorial addressed to Philip III. of Spain, says that Mendana discovered San Christoval in 

 1565 ; but his account is both short and confused, and was evidently not derived from 

 original sources. . . , Notwithstanding the conflicting character of the dates, the probable 

 dates would appear to be as follows. — The ships left Peru on November 19th, 15GG, dis- 

 covered the Isles of Salomon on February 7th, 1507, and arrived at Peru on June 19th, 1508. 



NOTE III. (Page 199.) 



The Isle of Jesus.— Burney ^ estimated the longitude of this island to be 172° 30' East 

 of Greenwicli ; Krusenstern,- on surer grounds, fixed it at 171' 30' ; but both estimates were 

 based on an erroneous longitude of the Candelaria Shoals. . . . I have shown in note iv. that 

 these shoals are probably identical, not with the Koncador Eeef as is implied in the present 

 charts, but with the islands of Ontong .Java, to the northward; however, this correction 

 affects but little the question of longitude. Taking the longitude of the centre of Ontong 

 Java at about 159° 30' E. (in lat. 5° 25' S.), the longitude of the Isle of Jesus, 167 Spanish 

 leagues to the eastward (in lat. 6° 45' S.), would be about 169° E. The only island shown on 

 the present charts in the vicinity of this position is Kennedy Island, also called ^Motuiti, the 

 existence of which is stated to be doubtful. Its position, as determined by the " Nautilus " 

 in 1801, was 8° 36' S. 167' 50' E.3 However, in 1883, the German war-vessel " Carola " failed 

 to find it in this position in the chart, and the initals E. D. are there attached to the name. 

 The difficult}' may, I think, be explained by the existence in this region of some atoll of no 

 ^eat size, the position of which has been never correctly determined. It would appear that 

 a similar view is held by Captain "Wharton, the present Hydrograi^her. since in the Sailing 

 Directions for these seas issued in 1885, the island is still given prominent mention. ■• Not 

 improbably the missing island will be found between the Gth and 7th parallels, and near the 

 liosition assigned to the Isle of Jesus. 



Herrera gives the name of another island, " El Nombre de Dios," which is said by him to 

 lie in 7° S. lat., and to be 50 leagues distant from Santa Anna; Gallegodoes not refer to any 

 island with this name ; and since Herrera makes no reference to the Isle of Jesus, it is 

 possible that this isle may be here alluded to, as its latitude corresponds somewhat witli that 

 of "El Nombre de Dios." M. Fleurieu^ identifies this island, however, not with the Isle of 

 Jesus, but with an island off the north end of 3Ialaita wliich was named Gower I. by Captain 

 Carteret in 17G7, and Inattendue I. by I\I. Surville, in 1709. 



NOTE IV. (Page 199,) 



The Candelaria Shoals. — The shoals were identified by Fleurieu with the Eoncador 

 Eeef discovered by Maurelle in li'81 ; and Krus2nstern subsequently confirmed this opinion. 

 Gallego, however, describes shoals trending N.E. and S.AV. for more than fifteen leagues, 

 which cannot possibly be the Eoncador Eeef of the present chart, which is not more than 

 six miles across. These Candelaria Shoals, on the other hand, correspond in their size with 

 the large atoll of Ontong Java lying about 35 miles to the north of tlie Eoncador Eeef, and. 

 being about 50 miles in width. The apparent difference in latitude between Ontong Java, 

 which lies in about 5' 25' S., and the Candelaria Shoals of Gallogo, wliich were placed by him 

 in G° 15' S., may be explained by the circumstance that the majority of Gallego 's observa- 

 tions of latitude in the Solomon Group were about two-thirds of a degree in excess of the 

 true latitude.6 By making this correction, the latitude of Ontong Java and of the Can- 

 delaria Shoals will be found to closely approximate. The bearing and distance of the Can- 

 delaria Shoals from the west end of Malaita (as given by Gallego on p. 202) and from Estrella 

 Harbour (as given on p. 205) go to support my view that the Candelaria Shoals of Gallego and 

 the Ontong Java of Tasman are one and the same. 



1 "Chronological History of Vovages and Discoveries in the South Sea." Vol. I. p. 2S9. London, 

 1803. 



- " Recueil de Memoires Hydrographiques." St. Petersburg, 1824. 



3 Fiudlay's '• Directory of the Pacitic Ocean." Part II 99!). (London, 1S51.) 



4 " Pacific Islands." Vol. I. p. 50. (Western Groups.) 1SS5. 



•' " Discoveries of tlie Frencli, 17GS-1769, to tlie S. E. of New Guinea," p. lol. (London, 1791), 

 <> Vide Note V. of Geographical Appendix. 



S 



