Nuhou, Volume II, Number 17, 23 September 1873 — The Discovery [ARTICLE]

The Discovery

Oi' this .Archipelago by Capt. James Cook, has become a subject of especial ioterest to us, because we have seen so mueh eaid about a prior discovery, fco whieh we eannol afctach anv credcnce whatever, and we must say that the attempt to degrade Capt. Cook's achievement to a mere redft'scovery is based upon certain imperfect stories of discovery in the Paeific, whieh have never been subject to a careful and critical esamination. All the WEiters on this Bubject ? who attempt to deny to the great Ēnglish navigator the full merit of this discovery, bring forward the elaims of an Italian navigator tiamed Julian Gaetano. in the employment of the Spanisii Governments who is said to have diseovered these islands about the year 1542, and as sole proof of this statement, there is a certain chart, said to have been prepared by Gaetano. This chart was preserved in the Archives of Simancas, and a copy of it was found on board the Spanish galleon Naestra Signora de m Cabadonga, captured by Commodore Anßon, and whieh was published with his account of the voyage of the Genturion. * This book is by Ledyard to have been found on board Capt. Cook*s ehip the ResohUion; and eonaequently he had by being in possession of Gaetano's chart, a knowledge of the esistence of these islauds; and according to his detractors deserves no great credit for yisiting old discovered lands f Wlien we were in Washington, and at\the Hydrographic Bureau in 1869, we had an opportuto procure a traced eopy of this map of Gaetano. Our interest in respeet to it was excited by the publication about that time of a ehart of these islands by the Bureau. compiled by Capt. Reynolds, onee in command of the Laekawana in Ilawaiian waters. This ehart stated in*the title, that thiß group had been diseovered by Gaetano, and re-discovered by Ca}:>tain Cook ; and as a eonMrmatory evidence T our Bird lsland situated to the N. W., of Kauai, is designated on this chart ae u lsla de Passaros, ,, or Bird tsland; and so claimed to be identical with an u lsla de Passaros ■" on the chart of Gaetano; and tlns is theonly evidence or apparent proof brought forward of the identification of the group of islands laid down by Gaet'ano with this Archipelago- ! Now let us examine this chart, and as we have no ineans of engraving at our command 3 we predent*to our readers a diagram m whieh the posi-| tion of the several islands in relation to eaeh other, and their relatioti to the port of Aeapuleo are m- ( dicated by asterisks. On the original ehavt, the islands named 4< Isla de Paßsaros, M £t lsla de San Franeisco," u Eos Mcyas, ~t4 La Ulva/' La' £t La Messa, M " Rosa Partidia, M and one not nanled, are all represented as being about.preeisely the same area, and show none of the great inequalities of area of the Ilawaiian group. There are nine large islands; but bethesc there are eight islets } or secen?em islands in all in the group diseovered by Gaetano. Thc nearest of thie group # not named, is plaeed ; about 500 miles to the westward of Aeapuleo, ! aud the most westerly named " Tsla de Sī\n Pranciseo is the easter!y one ofthc group by a distanee t!tree times that'of tho latter from the coast. In tact, this gh>up of Gaetano is represented as about 1500 railes !ong, aud ruuniog due east and west. The position of lala do &tu Fcaneiseo " would brmg it in the vleinity of our afelupelagō; but it is represented as an ato!I, with a eoral veef a!l iround it, and Mltuated wit!iin an Impenetrab!e Mkeone

of tīe Microne6lan lslaD(ls s c T4a dc Passaros ,4 1 claitiaed to be ldentical with our Bird Tslanl is j rep*esented as of the same size with <c La Meea,'* sāid to he identical with HawaiL " Los Mojas " and ! not " Los Moiijoas," assome write the name. is a minor group tbat eonßists of 6ve ißlands. and nofc of three, as some have Baid, who want to elam for Los Mojas an idcntity with Moloka», Laniai and Eahoolawe, whieli is a mcre ahsurd exercisc of !magination, La Mesa represents a group of three peninsulas somewhat shaped like the letter Y s and is not represented as any larger than any other of the grouj); and besides t ? nere are two others, as large as it, placed to the soiUJiwaM of this alledged Hawaii ofGaetano. one 1 of the two southerly islands on Gaetano*s' chart particularly arrests our attention, on āecount of its name " Roxa Partidia } % ' whieh we find 011 a French admiralty chart } published in 1851. m Carto Gcnerale de l'Oeean Pacificptfe dresse par C. A. Vincendon Dumoulin } ingenieur dē la Marine ? M and designated as one of the group named,Re?illagigedo s on the Mesican coa«t, and in the same position relatiye to other islands as indfcated on the Gaetano map. We are satisfied on further esamination that this group near the inoiith of the;Giilf of California 3 is identical \vith the islandß represented on the chart found on board the captured Spanish galleon publishbd with Anson's voyage, and eupposed to have aided Cook in effecting his ec rediscovery'' of the Hawaiian Islands, In respect to change |-of names,'wē know how islands everywhere in the Paeilie have had names ehanged by Ēuro- ! peans; from Mendana to Marquesas, from Society to Georgian, from Peuryhn to Hifephrev or Manaiki, and from Davis Land to Easter Island ; and 80, none of the names of Gaetano's real discovery havebeen retained eseept "Eoea Partida 5 * ,? but thoße now in use, are of tlie same religious character as used in Spanish geographical nomenclature ; and thus insteAd of u Isla de San Franeieeo," and ct La Disgraciada ;" or St. Franeis } l and Misfortune, we have now tc SDCorro " and I u Benedicto ? ,, Help and Blessing; and instead of " Las tres Mojas, ,? as named by some, we I have now " Las tres Marlas and all the lndications prove that these are the islands discovered by Gaetano. The account given hy Ramusio of Gaetano's voyage published at Venice iu 1563, fully proves thatnone other but the islands of the group Revillagigedo, are the ones diseovered by Gaetano and imperfectly represented on his ehart. The wovds of this ofd chronieler of voyages whieh we had an opportunity to study in the Astor Library iu 1869, are proeise, and are quoted in tnc Bibliographie Hawaiiene. [t speaks of his <fiscovery of islands about 50 leagues westwnrd of Costa Rica, and whieh he named 44 Le Giavdmi 3 M places them in 10 ° N. latitude. But as the Gaetano ehart pnblished with Anson's voyage, neither by name or any other indieation refers to fche " Le Giardini" group, it is assumed that tiiiß chart represents diseovery not deseribed by Ramusio; and very probabiy the Hawaiian .Archipelago; beeause one was named 44 L& Mesa " or the Table, whieh might have retercuee to th<? ,do?uc of Mauna Loo: nnd other eueh baseless smpposition are \ndulg.\l m; but ml om Jacr produccd to prove the identity. The endeavor to identify this aneient imperfeet Spanish diseovery neat the .\merienn eoast with thē Hawaiian Tstands |s ab?urd The assumption lvas not a pīuliele of evMenee to su3tnm it 5 nor a *ins>te f\ot for a foundation The nuln

one upon whieh Capt Reyno!d« apparent!y r * was thc name " Isla de Passaro= M on theSpan:3' chart s aod assumed to be identieal with our 1 Is!and. But it must borne in mīnd that > * Bird īsland did not receive its name ti!l after f discovery of Cook, and'was ca!led Moku Maror Bird ĪB!and, hy kan?ika? on shr (webelieve) whothen ! saw it for the first tinr and it- was evidentlv an uninhabited is!and. ur knowii to aneient HaWaiiane. not being visiV - from the cearest of Hawaiian group. Heil* this elaim of identity ! between our Bird Is! r tr ? and the " Is!a de Passaros " of Gaetano is utter\, ridiculous. The relatfve positions of the sever.-' is!ands bf what we will name tbe Gaetano gto bear not;the slightest i J esembloncc to the Haw -" ian group. The mosi ignorant sailor who Ir ' obtained a slight passiiig glanee could have glv. 6dme elight approximation to a representati>n ' difference of area and ; but t?iis group' ■ f : Gaetanb might be said to resemble the Micro*. • sian isles in some very remote degree. !>ut d " the Hawaiian group in the slightest partīo«iiV and a chart of plaeed more than a th: eand miles to the eastwar«l of Capt, Cook"s tion eould not havebeen mueh of a hiot to n r ? in his discovery of this ! Archipelagir 1 But the 4< re-discov(iry writers alledge ot!»< evidences of priority clf discovery and visitat : s by Spamards, They speak of the esisten.y' iron in the is!ands be(c[re t!je arrlvul of Cx>k> f the wreck of two Spiinish ships, and the sett*. ment of some §panisti people wlio vbluntari\: landed from a ehip*s boat 5 and other evidenec'- *• language, features and eo!or of hair s of the intei !cburse of foreteners 4ith Hawaiians before f\.I ' A? ■■ - j i Discoverer came : I>nt there is not a shred r lproof. or any distinet.'tradition to support any f ' ; these statements. Tliough Capt, Cook supp ( ; t tiiat the people who 1 eshibited such wondcr jseeing wlvite men for tjhe first time 4 knew the i.? of iron ; yet he never saw a pīeee in their hae,!before his arrival, nor īs thevc any authentieated rellc of|iroo in esistenee to pie- - the statement that cjur natives real!y knew before he eame. All these stor!es of \UU> r Spanisli ships by or ot!ierwi>e 4 and settfcmeot of Spanīards ai|e myths not sustaīned by , partiele of evīdenee } |either in re!ies of instv; or orimments, ir hy any īndieation in u- : /. guage> or feature. The reddish browo hair ' some ean be seen iu pther people of Oeeanlo - well as oa thi?? &roup. There is nothiog in faet to pro?e the eifetenor obeemtions of Europeans in tt\is priot to the arrival of Cook* and we must dcm v;, 1 proof to accompany! farther assetUon ;a tfiN point. We will admit that it is a most reasor. ble thing tosuppose that Bivmis!i vesse!s ' have touchc<! here, considering the * Spaaish commereial yoyages for tuore ttu\n or tiuiKlred years betwqea Aeapukv and Mauil! aod it is also reasonafyle to supjvse that irou w known hers before C*ok eame, eousidctiu£ th in our linae, a log of wood ftotu America V..eome aahote with a pieee of irou attaeheJ[, N lfeere ceminty no evldenee that auythiu£ * Ihe kind happened bc|fore the The evi(knces of a discovory of Anienea l; Scaodinavians prior to Co!umbus far piaueibie aihl better substuutiated tluu ,to invalidate the [auie . Cook as īv dīseoverer 1 Tlue grcat ra\ī^at^: here without guide , it īs true iu pur?v of auother o\kct be>īdes v V T lsUud* « • -! - :: t --

he 'm carry|ng out hie mstructions ae a fcrustcd .iplorcr by his eougbt by vigilant ,bservation to maīe bis voyages not only valuable m respect to tbe specific object fbr whieh ordered, l 3iit in every particular wherein he could serve tbe interests of his countryj and to promote the general enlightenment of mankind, This fact of l m faithful devotion to the cause of general kaow]edge was eo highly appreciated by other besides his own, that thosc at war hie day, and with his country, France and America gave orders, that his vessels should be iempt from attack as neutrals ; and his yērsoD ] iqtected as a friend of humanity. ' Therefore let not Hawaiians diminish ihe'hono? >i their discoverer s even if in eonsēquence of sad mistakes their forefathers slew him. And by the s vay, we have the evidence in his death of the fatal ODsequences of a hasty shot fired at exeited Ha;vaiians. He represents the heroes of enterprise <vhose Janguage they now leam to epeak. He Ikl his duty with jßdelity; and in the pursuit of t, he discovered a country, of whieh we may 6ay, •s he does in his last recorded words, that it is a liscovery, t£ in many respects 3 the most iraportant -.h?x Europeanß have māde in all the vast estent :f the Paeific Oeean/' and he is entitled to all - ne honor»