12 I- Gustav Eisen: 



and San Miguel islands) very populous, and these people, and all 

 these of the eoast passed by, lived by fishing, and make beads 

 frorn the bones of fishes, to trade with the people of the main land." 



San Miguel Island. Called by Cabrillo „Isla de Posesion", but 

 after the death of Cabrillo the island was named by Ferrelo, his 

 pilot, after the admirai: „Isla de Juan Rodriguez". On the chart 

 of Viscaino the island is marked down as „Isla de Baxos". Accord- 

 ing to Cabrillo and Ferrelo the island was known by the natives 

 as: „Ciquimuymu". In Bancroft we read that the island was called 

 „Twocan", but by what authority is not quoted. 



The island i s 7 a / 2 miles long and about 700 feet high. For- 

 merly the island was very fertile, perhaps the most fertile of all the 

 Channel islands, but at présent it is little more than a barren sandy 

 waste. There is now a rather land-locked harbor, known as Cuyler's 

 harbor, but even this has deteriorated on acconnt of a land slide or 

 earthquake taking place about five years ago. The island was once 

 thickly populated by Indians. Cabrillo tells us „In the island of Po- 

 sesion there are two villages: „Zaco" and „Nimollollo". „They were 

 well treated by the Indians, every one going naked, and they have 

 their faces painted in the manner of a chess-board. To this port they 

 gave the name of Posesion." 



According to Vancouver this island was also marked down on 

 the spanish charts as „Isla de San Bernardo". 



Santa Barbara Island. The island is thus named oa the chart 

 of Viscaino. The island is only about 7 milles long and only 547 feet 

 high. It can be seen at a distance of 27 miles. Neither Cabrillo nor 

 Viscaino visited the island. We know however from the Iudian 

 remains found that the island was once densely populated. 



San Nicolas Island. So named on the chart of Viscaino. It is 

 tlie one most distant from the mainland and one of the least fertile, 

 poorest of the islands. It is 890 feet high and can be seen 34 miles 

 away. The island is about 8 to 20 miles long. 



This island is interesting, because on it lived the last remnant 

 of the Indians belonging to the island tribes, itideed the only Indián 

 of whom we have a detailed account. The island was like the others 

 once thickly populated, but- little by little the number of inhabitants 

 became less. The reason is not fully known. But it is by some be- 

 lieved that the natives were partly exterminated by Indians from 

 Alaska who had been brought down to these islands to hunt sea- 

 otter. Any how it is known that already in 1811 a ship from Boston 



