First. There is no objection to Samana in respect to size, position orshape. That it is a little island, lying east and west, is in its favor. Theerosion at the east end, by which islets have been formed, recalls theassertion of Columbus that there it could be cut off in two days and madeinto an island.
The Nassau vessels still find a snug anchorage here during thenortheast trades. These blew half a gale of wind at the time of the landfall;yet Navarette, Varnhagen, and Captain Becher anchored the squadron onthe windward sides of the coral reefs of their respective islands, a "leeshore."The absence of permanent lagoons at Samana I have tried to explain.
Second. The course from Samana to Crooked is to the southwest,which is the direction that the Admiral said be should steer "tomorrowevening." The distance given by him corresponds with the chart.
Third. The second island, Santa Maria, is described as having twosides which made a right angle, and the length of each is given. Thispoints directly to Crooked and Acklin. Both form one island, so fitted tothe words of the journal as cannot be done with any other land of theBahamas.
Fourth. The course and distance from Crooked to Long Island is thatwhich the Admiral gives from Santa Maria to Fernandina.
Fifth. Long Island, the third, is accurately described. The trend of theshores, "north-northwest and south-southeast;" the "marvelous port" andthe "coast which runs east [and] west," can nowhere be found except at thesoutheast part of Long Island.
Sixth. The journal is obscure in regard to the fourth island. The bestway to find it is to "plot" the courses FORWARD from the third island andthe courses and distances BACKWARD from the fifth. These lead toFortune for the fourth.
Seventh. The Ragged Islands are the fifth. These he named las islas deArena--Sand Islands.
They lie west-southwest from the fourth, and this is the course the Admiral adhered to. He did not "log" all the run made between theseislands; in consequence the "log" falls short of the true distance, as itought to. These "seven or eight islands, all extending from north to south,"and having shoal water "six leagues to the south" of them, are seen on thechart at a glance.
Eighth. The course and distance from these to Port Padre, in Cuba, isreasonable. The westerly current, the depth of water at the entrance ofPadre, and the general description, are free of difficulties. The truedistance is greater than the "logged," because Columbus again omits partof his run. It would be awkward if the true distances from the fourth to thefifth islands, and from the latter to Padre, had fallen short of the "log,"since it would make the unexplainable situation which occurs in Irving'scourse and distance from Mucaras Reef to Boca de Caravela.
From end to end of the Samana track there are but three discrepancies.
At the third island, two leagues ought to be two miles. At the fourth islandtwelve leagues ought to be twelve miles. The bearing between the thirdand fourth islands is not quite as the chart has it, nor does it agree with thecourses he steered. These three are fairly explained, and I think that noothers can be mustered to disturb the concord between this track and thejournal. -------Rev. Mr. Cronan, in his recent voyage, discovered a cave at Watling'sisland, where were many skeletons of the natives. It is thought that a studyof the bones in these skeletons will give some new ethnologicalinformation as to the race which Columbus found, which is now, thanks toSpanish cruelty, entirely extinct.