THE PACIFIC: THE MOST EXPLORED AND 

 LEAST KNOWN REGION OF THE GLOBE 



The Organization of the Pacific Scientific Institution 



at Honolulu 



By Leopold G. Blackman 

 Principal of Alluolani College, Honolulu 



AMONG the most important of the 

 great undertakings yet to be 

 accomplished by the modern in- 

 vestigator is a complete scientific explo- 

 ration of the Pacific Ocean. Although 

 some centuries have elapsed since the 

 first adventurers of western Europe 

 tempted the dangers of this vast region, 

 the Pacific offers today the largest area 

 on the globe for scientific investigation 

 and locks within its mighty shores in- 

 formation the acquisition of which would 

 be of more benefit to modern knowledge 

 than that to be derived from the prose- 

 cution of any similar undertaking. 



Foremost among the great benefac- 

 tors of our race have been numbered 

 many naturalists, and the names of Dar- 

 win, of Wallace, and of Dana will always 

 be associated with those who have con- 

 tributed much to the sum of modern 

 knowledge. The researches of such 

 workers have immeasurably extended the 

 horizon of human intelligence and have 

 helped our race to break away from the 

 narrow confines and set formulas of an- 

 cient habits of thought. 



The investigations of these great men 

 were conducted in this same ocean re- 

 gion to which the attention of the scien- 

 tific world is now being turned. Impor- 

 tant as was the result of their achieve- 

 ments, it has only made us vaguely ac- 

 quainted with the extent of the work yet 

 to be accomplished and of the perplexing 

 questions to which modern learning de- 

 mands answer. The scientific explora- 

 tion of the Pacific is fraught with so 

 much importance that it will immortalize 

 alike the patrons whose beneficence shall 



make its prosecution possible and the 

 workers who shall bring it to a success- 

 ful issue. 



From the time the first hardy mariners 

 of the old world entered the Pacific, ex- 

 peditions innumerable have visited this 

 immense ocean. In the early days of its 

 history the vessels of Holland and 

 Portugal entered from the west and 

 strove for possession of the coveted 

 Spice Islands ; the keels of Spain ven- 

 tured from the east in pursuit of the 

 elusive gold, of which they were to find 

 none, and have left only the empty name 

 of Islands of Solomon to recall to us 

 their vain hope; the English adventurer 

 haunted its wastes to prey upon the 

 weighted treasure-ships from Mexico 

 laden with Spanish gold. 



EARLY GOVERNMENT EXPLORATIONS 



In less remote times came the early 

 period of government expeditions to the 

 Pacific. Of these, the English were 

 foremost in enterprise and in the results 

 which were achieved, although the 

 French, Spanish, German, and Russian 

 governments also did good work. The 

 tragic fate which has befallen so many 

 Pacific explorers is proverbial and has 

 spread an atmosphere of mystery and 

 romance over the story of adventure and 

 discovery in this part of the world. 

 Cook, Magellan, Mendaha, and La Pe- 

 rouse are but a few of the illustrious roll 

 of voyagers whose lives have been sacri- 

 ficed in their endeavor to solve the mys- 

 teries of the Pacific. The narratives of 

 the early Pacific explorers afforded a 

 wealth of eagerly sought literature, 



