Geographic Nomenclature. 275 
When Champlain sailed along the heel of Cape Cod and discoy- 
ered the extensive shoals which vex the navigation in those 
waters, he put upon his chart the statement mal barre, and a 
number of later maps applied this name to the southernmost point 
of the heel of Cape Cod as Malabar, and so it stood for 100 years 
or more as Malabar and may even be found upon some current 
publications. In the Coast Survey publications it is uniformly 
called Monomoy. 
Again on the north shore of Martha’s Vineyard is a place for- 
merly known by the Indian word Kiphiggon. On the modern 
maps this place is called Cape Higgon. Shall we in this case adopt 
the practice of the purists and restore the earlier form? In this 
same locality are four small harbors, called by the sailors Holes ; 
namely Holmes’ Hole, Wood’s Hole, Robinson’s Hole, and Quick’s 
Hole. In current usage, except among seamen, Holmes’ Hole has 
disappeared and been replaced by Vineyard Haven. Wood’s hole 
has been converted into Wood’s Holl, though still pronounced 
hole ; while Robinson and Quick still remain holes. In this case 
shall we attempt to be consistent, or in other words to be uni- 
form ? ; 
In the vicinity of New Haven there is a hill occupied many 
years ago by Coast Survey parties, and called in their records 
Rabbit Rock. Surveying parties last year in searching for this 
station inquired diligently in the vicinity and failed to find any 
information respecting it for some time. The place, however, is 
well known to all the people for many miles around as Peter’s 
Rock, and this name appears on the county atlas of New Haven, 
published in 1856. I suppose the name Rabbit Rock has found 
earlier publication on Coast Survey charts or in its reports, 
‘though I have not verified this supposition. But assuming that 
it has been so published, shall we now call that hill Rabbit Rock 
or Peter’s Rock ? 
Allegany County, New York, is spelled Allegany. <A post of- 
fice in Sierra County, California, is spelled Alleghany ; the city 
of Allegheny near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, is spelled Allegheny. 
Shall these names be allowed to stand unchanged, or should an 
attempt be made to reduce them all to one form ? 
In the last century, the place we now know as Sitka was known 
to the English as Norfolk Sound, to the French as Tchinkitane ° 
Bay, and to the Russians as New Archangel. The earliest of 
these names being Norfolk Sound. Is there any doubt in this 
case as to the advisability of retaining the name Sitka ? 
