94 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
APPENDIX A.—( Continued. 
Explanation of Chart. 
As the accompanying statistical chart of the Pacific Islands is the first of the kind 
attempted, I trust that every allowance will be made for inaccuracies. I have found it 
very difficult to obtain any reliable information ; even the missionary accounts vary con- 
siderably. 
Notice has been taken only of the principal groups, although scattered amongst them 
are numerous solitary islands of much value. For example—Savage Island, or Nive, 
population 5,000, discovered by Cook 1773; Wallis Island, population 3,000, the resi- 
dence of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Oceania; Ocean Island, population 2,000 ; 
Pleasant Island, population 1,400, so named from its beauty; Gambier Island, population 
1,500, under French protection ; Easter Island, Fanning Island, and many others. 
The names of the various groups are somewhat confusing ; in many instances I have 
the two groups, generally called the Society Islands. Captain Wallis, I believe, named 
them the Georgian Islands, in honour of George III. Cook ealled them the Society 
Islands, in honour of the Royal Society. Ellis calls the Eastern Group (Tahiti) the 
Georgian Islands, and the Western Group, the Society Islands. think that Tahiti 
should be called the Society Islands, as it was there that Cook made his observations. 
With regard to the number of islands which each group is stated to contain, it is 
necessary to explain that most of them are mere rocks, or chains of islets upon one great 
reef, or numerous islands enclosed by one reef. There are very few large voleanie islands 
in any partieular group. Fiji, for example, stated to contain 200, has only three or four 
large islands and six or seven small óhes, whilst the remainder are mere spots, containing 
from two to a thousand acres each. The Island of Hogolue, commonly so called, in the 
Caroline Group, is an immense atoll, or coral reef, enclosing a vast lagoon, having a cir- 
cumference of some 300 miles. Within the lagoon are four great islands, each from 20 to 
25 miles in eireumference, and more than 20 smaller uninhabited cays, covered with cocoa- 
nut and other trees. 
The difference between the voleanic and coral islands it is important to distinguish, 
as the former are more suited for the growth of coffee, cotton, sugar, tobacco, ete., than 
ihe latter. 
Exclusive of New Guinea, the area of the islands may be about 98,000 square miles, 
or five times as great as our West Indian possessions, excluding, of course, British Guiana. 
The gross area of any group is only an approximation, and eannot be relied on. By 
reducing kilometres into miles I have been enabled to arrive at some idea of the super- 
ficial area of the French possessions: 
A further survey of the Pacific is sadly needed. Since the “ Herald” and Commo- 
dore Wilkes expedition, but little has been added to the Admiralty charts. I am, 
however, somewhat uncertain whether the Imperial Government has not lately directed 
a few necessary surveys to be undertaken. 
The population of any group marked with an asterisk is purely conjectural. One 
writer supposes the New Hebrides, for instance, to contain 200,000 natives, another 
60,000. I prefer to under-rate, rather than over-rate, the native population. The total of 
the numbers given in the chart amounts to 843,612, to which must be added the popula- 
tion of the Phenix, Santa Cruz, New Ireland, New Britain, Louisade, and Admiralty 
groups, and also the inhabitants of the numerous solitary islands before referred to. 
