PACIFIC OCEAN. 
217 
once contained a lagoon; uncoloured. 1 — St. Augustin'. 
from a chart and view of it, given in the atlas of the 
Coquille’s Voyage, it appears to he a small atoll, with its 
lagoon partly filled up ; coloured blue. 
Gilbert Group. — The chart of this group, given in the 
atlas of the Goquille'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 south- 
ern 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. Ben- 
nett 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 Botches ; 
and this probably is the same island. Mr. Bennett informs 
me that the man at the masthead reported an appearance 
of lagoon-water in the centre ; and, therefore, considering its 
position, I have coloured it blue. — Pitt Island, at the ex- 
treme northern point of the group, is left uncoloured, as 
neither its exact position nor 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 
1 [‘ Grand Cocal was searched for in vain by H.M.S. Basilisk, and as 
all the local traders deny its existence, I cannot think it exists. It 
has long been marked ‘ doubtful ’ on the Admiralty charts, and the 
description leads me to suppose the island reported to have been St. 
Augustin.’— Lieut. Chas. Smith, H.M.S. Fawn.] 
