182. J. W. Redway—The First Landfall of Columbus. 
In his day, Las Casas says that the island which the natives 
called Guanahani and Columbus renamed San Salvador, was 
known by the name of Triango. After a diligent search, how- 
ever, I find no map bearing this name earlier than the third 
decade of the sixteenth century. This is the famous Weimar 
map, but unfortunately on this map the names both of Guana- 
hani and Triango appear, the latter an islet a little to the east- 
ward of Guanahani. Both names also appear on several other 
maps published during the next fifty years, and in the map of 
Sebastian Cabot (1544) an island, Triangulo, is found bearing the 
same relative position that Triango holds on the Weimar map. 
The name also appears on the maps of Gutierrez (1550) and 
Santa Cruz (1560). The name “ Triangulo ou Watling” occurs. 
on an anonymous map in the collection of R. and I. Ottens.* 
On this map Guanahani also occurs as a separate island. 
In 1856 Captain Becher, Royal Navy, discussed the question 
exhaustively, taking the ground that the present Watling 7 was 
the locus of the landfall. His researches forever put an end to 
any lingering belief that Cat island was the San Salvador of 
Columbus. His views have been ably supported by the late 
R. H. Major, Lieutenant Murdoch, United States Navy, and more 
recently by Captain William H. Parker, formerly of the United 
States Navy. Captain Parker combines the qualities of a trained 
seaman with those of a critical scholar. He spent many years 
in the West Indies and in Spain, and having had access to all 
papers and documents bearing upon the question, stands in the 
ranks of the foremost authorities. 
Mariguana or, more properly, Mayaguana island has been 
pointed out by Varnhagen as a probable site of the landfall. It 
lies in an east-and-west direction, and its shores are broken by 
spits and coves: but Varnhagen not only ignores the fact that 
on leaving Guanahani the squadron sailed to the southwest; he 
omits from his thesis the Admiral’s declaration that on the mor- 
row he should sail to the southwest. Varnhagen lays the course 
due west and anchors the squadron on the windward side of 
Acklin island (!) 
Tn 1880 Captain Gustavus V. Fox, United States Navy Gn 1861 
Assistant Secretary of the Navy), published a critical review of 
*Nova Tabula Exhibens Insulas Cuba et Hispanolani. Amsterdam. 
(I am unable to give the date. There is a copy in the British Museum.) 
t+ Named from a pirate of the seventeenth century. 
