PACIFIC OCEAN. 213 



small, and therefore probably once contained a lagoon ; un- 

 coloured. — St. Augustin : from a chart and view of it, 

 given in the Atlas of the Coquille's Voyage, it appears to 

 be a small atoll, with its lagoon partly filled up ; coloured 

 blue. 



Gilbert Group. — The chart of this group, given in the 

 Atlas of the Coquille's Voyage, shows that it is composed of 

 ten well-characterized, but very irregularly shaped atolls. 

 In D'Urville and Lottin's chart, Sydenham is written with 

 a capital letter, signifying that it is high ; but this certainly 

 is not the case, for it is a perfectly characterized atoll, and a 

 sketch, showing how low it is, is given in the Coquille's Atlas. 

 Some narrow strip-like reefs project from the southern side of 

 Drummond atoll, and render it irregular. The southern island 

 of the group is called Chase (in some charts, Botches) ; of this 

 I can find no account, but Mr. F. D. Bennett discovered 

 (Geograph. Journ. vol. vii. p. 229) a low extensive island in 

 nearly the same latitude, about three degrees westward of the 

 longitude assigned to Eotches ; and this probably is the same 

 island. Mr. Bennett informs me that the man at the mast- 

 head reported an appearance of lagoon-water in the centre ; 

 and, therefore, considering its position, I have coloured it blue. 

 — Pitt Island, at the extreme northern point of the group, is 

 left uncoloured, as neither its exact position or nature is 

 known. — Byron Island, which lies a little to the eastward, does 

 not appear to have been visited since Commodore Byron's 

 Voyage, and it was then seen only from a distance of 18 

 miles ; it is said to be low ; uncoloured. 



Ocean, Pleasant, and Atlantic Islands all lie considerably 

 to the west of the Gilbert group : I have been unable to find 

 any distinct account of them. Ocean Island is written with 

 small letters in the French chart, but in Krusenstern's Memoir 

 it is said to be high. 



Marshall Group. — We are well acquainted with this 

 group from the excellent charts of the separate islands, made 



