CHAPTER XII.

THE STORY OF A LOST ARCHIPELAGO.

A Pious Fraud--Drake’s appearance in the South Sea--Jealousy of the Spaniards--“It being considered better, as things were then, to let these Islands remain unknown”--“Omne ignotum pro magnifico” Mendana’s Expedition to form a Colony in St. Christoval--An unsolved Mystery of the Sea--A Colony formed at Santa Cruz--Mutiny and Disaster-- Abandonment--Unsuccessful Attempt to find the Solomon Islands--“All her sails set, and All her People Dead and Rotten”--Quiros leads another Expedition from Peru to reach these Islands--They elude his Search--Jealous Attitude of the Spaniards towards other Nations-- Suppression and Destruction of Journals and Documents--Confusion of Geographers--The Existence of the Solomon Islands treated as a Romance --Fabulous Accounts--After Two Centuries--Carteret--Bougainville-- Surville--Maurelle--Shortland--French and English Geographers-- Dentrecasteaux--Jacobs--D’Urville--Boyd--Denham--Melanesian Mission pp. 246-271

GEOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.

Gallego and Figueroa compared--Isle of Jesus--Candelaria Shoals-- Gallego’s Latitudes--Isle of Ramos--Islands between Cape Prieto and Guadalcanar--Islands of San Bartolomeo and San Francisco--List of Islands obtained by Quiros at Taumaco--Eddystone Rock, &c. pp. 272-279