OP THE GALAPAGOS AECHIPELAGO. 449 



eastern volcano of the same island emitted smoke, but no flame, during his visit in 

 1835. 



Owing doubtless to the severity of the volcanic action in the westernmost islands, the 

 vegetation is described as very scanty. Narborough appears to be quite barren, except 

 a few mangroves growing along its eastern shore. The northern end of Albemarle is 

 described by Darwin as miserably sterile ; but the southern side, exposed as it is to the 

 prevailing moisture-laden south-easterly wind, is thickly wooded, and very green. 

 Most of the other islands bear a scanty vegetation, some, such as James Island, having 

 trees two feet and even two feet nine inches in diameter. The contrast, however, between 

 the vegetation of the whole archipelago and that of the adjoining coast is very great. 



The climate of the Galapagos is described as mild for its situation under the equator, 

 the surrounding water being of low temperature from the influence of the south polar 

 current. Little rain falls, except during the months of November, December, and 

 January ; clouds, however, usually hang over the higher mountains, where the deposit of 

 moisture is far greater than on the sea-shore ; and consequently the vegetation of the 

 upper portion of most of the islands is more luxuriant. 



The ocean-currents which flow through the Galapagos are strong, varying from one mile 

 to three miles an hour. They appear, judging from the Admiralty chart, and allowing 

 for the obstruction opposed by the various islands, to be tolerably uniform in their 

 direction, trending to the north-west. As light winds and calms are frequently expe- 

 rienced, these currents make the navigation difficult to sailing ships, and we read of 

 vessels being days and even weeks in endeavouring to beat against their course. 



The position of the Galapagos Islands appears to have been first indicated in the 

 Spanish manuscript charts of the sixteenth century ; but no record of the date of their 

 discovery, nor yet of the discoverer, has been left. 



In the Latin edition (the first) of De Bry's ' Grands Voyages ' there is a map bearing 

 the date 1592, in the " Americse tertia Pars," where these islands are indicated a little 

 to the northward of the equator, and are called " Ys de los Galopegos." The map 

 itself is called "Americse pars magis cognita." This is the earliest published reference 

 I can find to the archipelago. 



In the following year Hawkins, the contemporary of Drake, mentions the islands 

 casually in his 'Observations in a Voiage into the South Seas, anno domini 1593.' In 

 mentioning Cape Passaos, on the west coast of South America, he says (p. 122), 

 "it lyeth directly under the Equiuoctiall line: some fourescore leagues to the west- 

 wards of this cape lyeth a heape of Hands, the Spaniards call Illas de los Galapagos ; 

 they are desert and beare no fruite." 



The Spaniards established themselves on the shores of the Pacific at Panama about 

 the year 1519; and in 1525 Pizzaro made his first expedition to Peru. It would be 

 probably soon after this that the islands were discovered and named, as their existence 

 appears to have been commonly known at the time of Hawkins's expedition. 



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