登陆注册
14816400000071

第71章

In the beginning of the last chapter I stated the principles on which the map is coloured. There only remains to be said, that it is an exact copy of one by M. C. Gressier, published by the Depot General de la Marine, in 1835. The names have been altered into English, and the longitude has been reduced to that of Greenwich. The colours were first laid down on accurate charts, on a large scale. The data, on which the volcanoes historically known to have been in action, have been marked with vermillion, were given in a note to the last chapter. I will commence my description on the eastern side of the map, and will describe each group of islands consecutively, proceeding westward across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but ending with the West Indies.

The WESTERN SHORES OF AMERICA appear to be entirely without coral-reefs; south of the equator the survey of the "Beagle", and north of it, the published charts show that this is the case. Even in the Bay of PANAMA, where corals flourish, there are no true coral-reefs, as I have been informed by Mr. Lloyd. There are no coral-reefs in the GALAPAGOS Archipelago, as I know from personal inspection; and I believe there are none on the COCOS, REVILLA-GIGEDO, and other neighbouring islands.

CLIPPERTON rock, 10 deg N., 109 deg W., has lately been surveyed by Captain Belcher; in form it is like the crater of a volcano. From a drawing appended to the MS. plan in the Admiralty, it evidently is not an atoll.

The eastern parts of the Pacific present an enormous area, without any islands, except EASTER, and SALA, and GOMEZ Islands, which do not appear to be surrounded by reefs.

THE LOW ARCHIPELAGO.

This group consists of about eighty atolls: it will be quite superfluous to refer to descriptions of each. In D'Urville and Lottin's chart, one island (WOLCHONSKY) is written with a capital letter, signifying, as explained in a former chapter, that it is a high island; but this must be a mistake, as the original chart by Bellinghausen shows that it is a true atoll. Captain Beechey says of the thirty-two groups which he examined (of the greater number of which I have seen beautiful MS. charts in the Admiralty), that twenty-nine now contain lagoons, and he believes the other three originally did. Bellinghausen (see an account of his Russian voyage, in the "Biblioth. des Voyages," 1834, page 443) says, that the seventeen islands which he discovered resembled each other in structure, and he has given charts on a large scale of all of them. Kotzebue has given plans of several; Cook and Bligh mention others; a few were seen during the voyage of the "Beagle"; and notices of other atolls are scattered through several publications. The ACTAEON group in this archipelago has lately been discovered ("Geographical Journal", volume vii., page 454); it consists of three small and low islets, one of which has a lagoon. Another lagoon-island has been discovered ("Naut. Mag." 1839, page 770), in 22 deg 4' S., and 136 deg 20' W. Towards the S.E. part of the group, there are some islands of different formation: ELIZABETH Island is described by Beechey (page 46, 4to edition) as fringed by reefs, at the distance of between two and three hundred yards; coloured red. PITCAIRN Island, in the immediate neighbourhood, according to the same authority, has no reefs of any kind, although numerous pieces of coral are thrown up on the beach; the sea close to its shore is very deep (see "Zool. of Beechey's Voyage," page 164); it is left uncoloured. GAMBIER Islands (see Plate I., Figure 8), are encircled by a barrier-reef; the greatest depth within is thirty-eight fathoms; coloured pale blue. AURORA Island, which lies N.E. of Tahiti close to the large space coloured dark blue in the map, has been already described in a note (page 71), on the authority of Mr. Couthouy; it is an upraised atoll, but as it does not appear to be fringed by living reefs, it is left uncoloured.

同类推荐
  • 世说新语

    世说新语

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • More Bab Ballads

    More Bab Ballads

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 湿门

    湿门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 女科撮要

    女科撮要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 论画十则

    论画十则

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 特工皇妃1:有凤来仪

    特工皇妃1:有凤来仪

    她是国家安全局第九行动处A级特工,无亲无故、冷血薄情。一朝穿越,适逢大婚,洞房内杀死太子夫君之后仓皇出逃。本以为新的生命得以轻松惬意,却不想,宫廷朝野同样硝烟弥漫,她的人生,依旧是一片血雨腥风……
  • 倾世盛宠:闷骚神尊拐妻计

    倾世盛宠:闷骚神尊拐妻计

    她沉鱼落雁,倾城温婉,最吸引人的却是一双总是温柔的冰蓝色凤眸。她温柔似水,却能让四界谈及变色,一袭蓝衣行四界,她是外人眼中“温柔似水”的杀神冥王!他如冰山上顶上的一朵不可高攀的雪莲,冷酷而无情,却能让四界的女子为他神魂颠倒,白衣倾城,他是四界人人皆知的创世神言殇!当他遇见她……高冷和理智立刻离家出走!(以上介绍属于男主和女主第一世,男主女主十世情缘)
  • 蒙马

    蒙马

    每个男人的心中都有过仗剑天涯,美人相伴的江湖梦想吧!小时候的被视作绝世神剑的木棍,你可曾再次执起?被当做恶人强盗的无名草木,你是否还嫉恶如仇的看过一眼?一跃而下的土丘,你可曾故地重游?生活的压迫,是否已令这梦想在心底瑟瑟发抖,支离破碎?现在,你们的梦由我来实现,我,叫无昼,我已经拿起了剑,你们呢?
  • 倾世虞妃

    倾世虞妃

    在遥远的世界里,似乎有一个低沉的声音在召唤她。热血在鼎中被煮沸,人在荒野中渐渐糜烂。她来到了一个异世界,从此告别过去,永不回头。天地悠悠,何处才是她的故乡?他为帝王,不愿舍弃自己的江山,但愿倾天下,封她为妃。
  • 不见或许才是缘起

    不见或许才是缘起

    “盛萧真是愈发没用了,这样的人也能入了他的眼,哦,对了,你回去告诉他,我要你。”他退开贴在她耳边的唇,淡淡抬眼“滚蛋。”
  • 闪亮名模:权少撩上瘾

    闪亮名模:权少撩上瘾

    一夜之间,他“死”于车祸,不告而别,她未婚先孕,离家出国。三年后,他失去记忆,成为杀手,她华丽回国,成为名模。他因为任务刻意接近,狂撩佳人,她因为想念放下戒备,却发现这不过是一场骗局。于是这一次,她决定先离开。他霸道挡住她的去路:“你是我花重金钦定的人,没有我的准许你不能离开!”“我又不是签了卖身契,凭什么你不准走就不准走?”男人霸气回应:“就凭你怀了我的孩子!”
  • 逆天的宠爱:宝贝,要乖乖听话噢

    逆天的宠爱:宝贝,要乖乖听话噢

    他,英俊帅气,霸道冷漠,引得无数美女扑怀,可他的温柔,却只留给她;第一世,他原本是天上的无名神仙,她却是万人追捧的仙子,后又为何双双自剔仙骨?第二世,二人成为阴间的情侣,他因第一世怨气太重,成为鬼王,曾经无限的宠爱,又为何变成猜疑,变成不愿想见,他后悔知错,却也为时已晚,她宁投胎做人离开阴间,这一世,她不再记得他,可骨子里爱却不能减去,他在阴间独守千年,只为找到她再续前缘,他为她四肢撑地被当成大马骑,他心甘情愿,他为她洗脚穿衣,为她放弃王位,他说他喜欢他的儿子不是因为是他的后代,而是因为这是他最爱的女人为他生的,看这一世,他如何唤醒她的记忆,如何再续前两世的遗憾!
  • EXO之完美的爱

    EXO之完美的爱

    女主鹿兰遇上了12位男主,会发生什么呢?看文!
  • 武皇之大陆

    武皇之大陆

    一个少年从一个小村庄走出走向他的强者之路
  • 不夜大陆

    不夜大陆

    不夜大陆,十年前的一次灾难,让其陷入了无尽的黑暗。十年后,曙光已是冉冉升起。