I S L 
mandel, by the outer pnfTnge. In war-time, an excellent 
rendezvous might be fettled there, for fliips that wanted 
no other fupply but that of water. When circumftances 
require particular difpatch, it is practicable to come from 
England to Triftan d’ Acunha, without flopping in the 
way ; and afterwards to the end of the voyage to India 
or China. Thefe iflands are fituated in that part of the 
fouthern liemilphere in the neighbourhood of which a 
continent, to balance the quantity of land in the north¬ 
ern liemilphere, was once expected to be found; but 
where it has been fmee difeovered that there is none. Of 
what extent, however, the bales of thofe iflands are under 
the furface of the fea, cannot be afeertained ; or whether 
they may, or may not, be fufficient to make up for the 
defeft of land appearing above water. Navigators report, 
that to the eaflward of them are other fmall iflands, dif¬ 
fering not much in latitude, fuch as Gough and Alvarez 
iflands, and the Marfouines; as well as extenfive lhoals, 
lying due fouth of the molt foutherly point of Africa, 
and extending ealterly feveral degrees. That all thefe to¬ 
gether-form a chain, fome of fubaqueous and fome of 
fuperaqueous mountains, but all connected by then- 
roots, is, perhaps, a conjecture lefs improbable, than that 
they fliould leparately arile, like tall columns, from the 
vail abyfs. 
We have called thefe iflands uninhabited. A fettle- 
ment in Triftan d’ Acunha is known to have been twice 
in the contemplation of adventurers; but not to have 
been carried into execution. One bad the projeCt of ren¬ 
dering it-a mart for the.change oR the light manufactures 
of Hindooftan, fuited to hot climes, for the filver of 
the Spaniih fettlements in South America ; in the route 
between which places it is conveniently fituated. The 
other plan meant it only as a fuitable fpot, for drying and 
preparing the furs of fea-lions and leals, and for extract¬ 
ing the fpermaceti of the white or long-nofed whale, and 
the whalebone and oil of the black fpecies. 
We have juft heard of another, and a very Angular, at¬ 
tempt to make a fettlement, and indeed to claim a fove- 
reignty here, by a perfon named Jonathan Lambert. Mr. 
Lovell, an American captain, informs us, (in the Phila¬ 
delphia True American newfpaper,) that, having left 
the above-mentioned Jonathan Lambert, accompanied by 
two perfons from Rio de Janeiro, on Triftan d’ Acunha 
Ifland, about the ill of January, 1811, he proceeded on 
his voyage; and, on his return to the illand, after the 
fpace of thirty-four days, Mr, Lambert had cleared about 
fifty acres of land, and planted various kinds of feed, 
fome of whied), as well as the coffee-tree and fugar cane, 
were furnilhed him by the American minilter at Rio de 
Janeiro. The above feeds had fprungup, and looked very 
promifing. Mr. Lambert has now let forth the following 
Declaration, or Manifefto, which h£ gave to Lovell to be 
inferted in the True American : 
“Know all men by thefe prefents, that I, Jonathan 
Lambert, lateof Salem, in the ftateof Maflachufetts, United 
States of America, mariner, and citizen thereof, have this 
4th day of February, in the year of our Lord 1811, taken 
abfolute pofleffion of the Iflands of Triftan d’ Acunha, lb 
called, viz. the Great Illand, and the other two, known 
by the names of Inacceflible and Nightingale Iflands, 
folely for myfelf and my heirs for ever, with the right of 
conveying the whole, or any part thereof, to one or more 
perfons, by deed of fale, free gift, or otherwife, as I or 
they (my heirs) may hereafter think fitting or proper. 
“ And, as no European, or other power whatever, has 
hitherto publicly claimed the faid iflands, by right of dif- 
covery or aCt of pofleffion; therefore be it known to all 
nations, tongues, and languages, that from and ever afttr 
the date of this public inftrument, I conftitute my indi¬ 
vidual felf the foie proprietor of the above-mentioned 
iflands, grounding my right and claim on the rational 
and fure principles of abfolute occupancy , and, as fuch, 
holding and poffeffing all the rights, titles, and irnmu- 
I S L 407 
nities, properly belonging to proprietors by the ufage of 
nations. 
“ In confequence of this right and title by me thus af- 
fumed and eftablilhed, I do further declare, that the faid 
iflands fhall for the future be denominated the I/lands of 
Refreftment, the Great Ifland bearing that name in parti¬ 
cular, and the landing-place on the north fide, a little to 
the ealt of the Cafcade, to be called Reception, and which 
fhall be the place of my refldence. The ifle formerly 
called Inacceflible fhall henceforth be called PintardIfland ; 
and that known by the name of Nightingale Ifle fhall now 
be called Lovel Ifland. 
“And I do-further declare, that the caufe of the laid 
act fet forth in this inftrument, originated in the defire 
and determination of preparing for myfelf and family a 
home, where I can enjoy life without the embarraflinents 
which have hitherto conftantly attended me, and procure 
for us an intereft and property, by means of which a 
competence may be ever fecured, and remain, if poffible, 
far removed beyond the reach of chicanery and or dinary 
misfortune. 
“ Fqr the above purpofe, I intend paying the ftridteft 
attention to hufbandry, prefuming, when it is known to 
the world that ref re fitments may be obtained at my refl¬ 
dence, all vefftls of whatever defeription, and belonging 
to whatever nation, will vifit me for that purpofe, and by 
a fair and open traffic fupply themfelves with thofe arti¬ 
cles of which they may be in need. And 1 do hereby 
invite all thofe who may want refrefhments to come to 
Reception, where, by lying oppofite the Cafcade, they 
will be immediately vifited by a boat from the fhore, and 
fpeedily fupplied witlt fuch things as the iflands may pro¬ 
duce, at a cheap rate. 
“And be it further known, that by virtue of the afore- 
faid right and authority above-mentioned, I have adopted 
a flag, which fhall for ever be the known and acknow¬ 
ledged ltandard-flag of thefe iflands. This flag is formed 
of five diamonds, tranfverfely from qorner to corner, and 
four half-diamonds, placed on the centre of the top, bot¬ 
tom, and both fides. The two upper and lower diamonds 
are blue next the ftaff, or halliard, and red on the utter- 
moft fide; the centre white; the four half-diamonds bear 
the letter W. And a white flag fhall be the known and 
conlidered as the common flag for any veflel, or veflels, 
in the merchant-fervice, which may now, or hereafter, 
belong to any inhabitants of thefe iflands. 
“ And laltly be it known, that 1 hold myfelf and my 
people, in the courfe of our traffic and intercourfe with 
any other people, to be bound by the principles of hof- 
pitality and good fellowfhip, and the laws of nations (if 
any there are), as eftablifhed by the belt writers on that 
fubjeft ; and by no other laws whatever, until time may 
produce particular contracts, or other engagements. 
Witnefs, Andrew Millet, r J. Lambert.” 
I'SLAS ESTO'LAS, a clufter of fmall iflands in the 
Atlantic, near the coalt of Spain. Lat. 42. 12. N. Ion. 8. 
55- W. 
I'SLAS ME'DAS, three fmall iflands in the Mediter¬ 
ranean, near the coalt of Spain. Lat. 42. 3. N. Ion. 3. 
4. E. 
I'SLAS O'SAS, rocky ifles in the Atlantic, near the 
coaft of Spain. Lat.42. 17. N Ion. 8. 56. W. 
I'SLAS de SEY'AS. See Bayona Islands, vol. ii. 
I'SLAS de SISAR'GA, a clufter of fmall iflands in the 
Atlantic, near the coaft of Spain. Lat. 43. 23. N. Ion. 8. 
50. W. 
ISLE,/. [Fr. from infula, Lat.] An illand; a country 
furrounded by water : 
The dreadful fight 
Betwixt a nation and two whales I write; 
Seas ftain’d with gore I fing, advent’rous toil, 
And how thefe monllers did difann an ifle. Waller. 
[Written corruptly for a He ; from aile, Fr. of ala, Lato 
the 
