the existence of Solomon's Islands, and from this moment the difcovery of them became the reigning object of his wishes he returned fpeedily to Peru, prefented no lefs than eight memorials to the Viceroy, and employed his folicitations fo effectually, that at length he obtained his defire. When he left Callao, the port of Lima, on December 21, 1605, he appointed the island of Santa-Cruz as the place of rendezvous for the veffels with him, which fufficiently points out the object of his voyage. Knowing the distance of this ifland from the coast of Peru, and defirous to employ his intermediate way to the belt advantage, he did not take the direct courfe which he had gone with Mendana in his first voyage, but proceeded fouthwards as far as the 25th degree of latitude. Af. ter difcovering a long chain of fmall iflands, most of which have fince been re-discovered, he returned to the Jatitude of Santa-Cruz. At Taumage he learned from the inhabitants, that they knew of many islands in their neighbourhood; and advancing again to the fouthward, discovered the land which he named Tierra Auftral del Efpiritu Santo. When he left this illand he met with violent and contrary winds in the open fea, by which one of his fhips was feparated from him; he therefore refolved to steer up for the island of Santa-Cruz, where the rendezvous was appointed: but when he came into this latitude he was unable to find Santa Cruz, conftantly lofing way more and more, fays Figueroa, by the force of the wind. Seeing how difficult it was to make this island, and thinking it would be impoffible to beat back again, he gave up his defign, and steered for Mexico. Such are the principal confiderations which move us to believe the exiftence of Solomon's Islands. If we obferve further, that most of Mendana's and Quirus's difcoveries have been confirmed by modern navigators, we cannot well doubt of this. But if thefe iflands exift, why fo many voy

ages undertaken to find them? have thefe been fruitlefs? The anfwer to this objection will be found in that very fituation of the islands which it is my prefent object to ascertain. We may obferve, in the mean while, that Quiros could not find them because he could not make the island of Santa-Cruz, which he fought on the north-east of the Tierra Austral; whereas it is on the north-west of it, according to the obfervations of modern navigators. Carteret and Byron did not find them, because they made the fearch only in the places pointed out by modern charts. Byron ob ferves, that having advanced to ten degrees weft of the pofition affigned to them by the French chart of the South Sea, he thought it neceffary to abandon the fearch: he adds, that this fituation is not founded upon any authority: and that he much doubts whether the celebrated navigator who made the difcovery, has left fufficient information for them ever to be found again. Carteret, in like manner obferves, that he had advanced far be yond the fituation attributed to them; and that, having arrived at the island of Santa-Cruz, which he re-difcover. ed, he gave up the attempt.

If thefe navigators could have confulted the narratives of Mendana's voyages, it is probable they would not fo haitily have relinquified their refearches. Thefe accounts give us, in the first place, the latitudes of ma ny of the Islands of Solomon; and in this refpect we know, that the errors to be apprehended are very inconfiderable, feldom more than half a degree; they give us, fecondly, the distance of these islands, from the coaft of Peru, by comparing which with the time of their intermediate way, particularly in Mendana's fecond voyage, which was in a more direct courfe, and оп the fame parallel with these islands, we may deduce their longitude, at least within a very few degrees. Before we undertake to afcertain this point, we must enquire

why

why geographers are fo little agreed about the pofition of thefe iflands, and why there is the difference of more than a thousand leagues in the fituations affigned by them.

The firft charts which reprefent the Islands of Solomon all agree in placing them to the eaft of New Guinea, and at no great distance from it: they are thus fituated on a chart published by Theodore de Bry, in 1596, the fame year that Mendana arrived at Manilla, after his fecond expedition: the fame pofition appears in a chart published by Witfliet in 1597; in the charts belonging to Herrera's Hiftory of the Weft Indies; in an ancient Portuguese chart of the Eaft Indies, inferted in Thevenot's curious collection of voyages; in the charts of Ortelius publifhed in 1589: and, in general, in all the charts which preceded thofe of the Arcano del Mare, published by Robert Dudley in 1646.

Dudley then tranfpofed the islands of Solomon to the fituation of the Marquefas de Mendoza, marking but one group of the two fets of islands. On the chart where they appear, which is the 23d of Afia, he explains his opinion, and the authorities he confulted in the following note: "The Inlands of Solomon, difcovered by Alvarez de Mendana, in 1580, were found at 800 Spanish leagues weft from Lima; nevertheless the ordinary charts place them at 1800 leagues, but very falfely."

Dudley's opinion was adopted by many geographers; and among others, by Delifle, as appears in his first charts, and on his terrestrial globe, published in 1700. Delifle was certainly induced, rather by the reputation of its author than by any profound reflection, to embrace this opinion; we find him renouncing it in 1714, when he published his fouthern hemifphere he then placed the Islands of Solomon at 1635 Spanish leagues, and 205 degrees of longitude, eaft from the meridian of Ferro. Six

years after, when he published his Map of the World, and a Memoir+ on the Situation and Extent of dif ferent Parts of the Earth, he approach ed still nearer to the pofition indi cated in the early charts. He there places Solomon's Iflands in 190 de. grees of longitude; and in his Memoir he fays, that he has determined the fituation of the fouthern lands, and of the islands of the South Sea, by the journals of the discoveries, and by tracing their voyages. This method was the refult of reflection, and accordingly has been moit followed fince 1720.

M. Bellin had placed these islands. in 195 degrees of longitude, on his chart of the known parts of the globe, as well as on that of the South Sea, published in 1741; and in his obfervations on the construction of the latter chart, we find his motives for so doing.

In 1756, he corrected his chart of the South Sea; and then removed the Iflands of Solomon to 205 degrees, or ten degrees further eastward. His opinion was adopted by Mr Green in his great chart of America.

M. Danville had taken a mean between the pofitions adopted by other geographers, and had placed the Iflands of Solomon at 200 degrees; but when he established the new dif coveries in the South Sea, upon his Map of the World, he thought it neceffary to fupprefs the old ones, and the Ilands of Solomon no longer appear upon his map.

promotes the progrefs of geography and navigation, and for his labours in thofe branches of fcience, has particularly ftudied every thing that reJates to the Islands of Solomon, and has published a differtation on the fubject. He perceived that they ought to be placed near New Guinea, and a greater diftance from Peru than was indicated in any of the charts; but his patriotic zeal betrayed him into an error of another kind; he has tranf pofed the Islands of Solomon to the fituation of thofe known by the name of New Britain, and fituated between the 2d and the 6th degree of fouth latitude; whereas the obfervations made in Mendana's voyage place them between the 7th and the 12th degree.

By this fummary we perceive how much geographers have differed about the fituation of Solomon's Iflands, and how many fituations they have affigned for them. To attain the truth in a matter fo obfcure, the beft way is to examine the original authors who were confulted by thofe geographers; and I will therefore briefly report what the chief of thefe have written on the fubject.

Acofta, in his natural and moral Hiftory of the Indies (Book I. p. 6, and 15) fays, at firft, that the Inlands of Solomon are 800 leagues from Peru; and in two other paffages where he fpeaks again of thofe iflands, he fays, it is a well-founded opinion that they fhould be placed near New Guinea, or at leaft in the neighbour hood of a continent. He makes no mention of their latitude.

Herrera, in his defcription of the Weft Indies (ch. 27.) tells us, in like manner, that Solomon's Islands are 800 leagues from Peru; and further on he adds, that they are fituated between the 7th and the 12th degree of fouth latitude, and 1500 leagues from the City of Kings, or Lima: he fays, moreover, that they are probably contiguous to New Guinea.

Lopez Vaz (Purchas's Pilgrimes, Vol. IV. B. VII. Ch. II.) reports, that Mendana met with fome illands in 11 degrees of fouth latitude, and Soo leagues from Lima; and eleven large iflands between the 9th and 12th degree of fouth latitude.

Ovalle, in his Hiftory of Chili, fays, that Solomon's Islands are about 7500 miles weft from Peru, and that they extend from the 7th to the 12th degree of latitude.

Quiros, in one of the memorials he prefented to the Viceroy of Peru, afferts that, according to the teftimony of Mendana, the Iflands of Solomon are 1500 leagues from the coaft of Lima, and extend from the 7th to the 12th degree of latitude.

According to Figueroa, who has given the most circumftantial account of Mendana's discoveries, the distance from Lima to Candlemas Shoals, whence the islands of Solomon were firft defcribed, is about 1610 leagues; their latitude, between 7 and 12 degrees: and that from Lima to the Ile of Santa Cruz, is 1850 leagues.

Laftly, in a manufcript belong, ing to the Viceroy of Peru, which Richard Hawkins profeffes to have feen, Solomon's Islands are placed on the fame parallel as Santa (9 degrees S.) and at the distance of about 2500 leagues weft.

To the authority of all thefe Spanish authors we will join also that of Cornelius Witfliet of Louvain, who, in 1603, publifhed a curious account of the Weft Indies. The expreffions of this author are remarkable, and teftify a confiderable accuracy of information; "on the right, and near Guinea, are the islands of Solomon, of vaft extent, and very numerous, discovered not long ago by Alvaro de Mendana. This navigator failed from the port of Lima in Peru, in fearch of new and unknown lands; and after a voyage of three months, with regular winds from the fouth-eaft, fell in with these Islands, which he

named

named the lands of Solomon, rather cafually and fancifully, than for any particular reafon." In fpeaking of the charts inferted in his work, Witfliet informs us that, for the known parts of the globe, he has followed the common maps, but for every thing elfe he has had recourfe to the newest charts and narratives.

Such are the principal authorities which can be cited to establish the pofition of Solomon's Iflands. We find enormous differences in thefe, as well as on the maps, in the diftance of thefe iflands from the coaft of Peru., There are even contradictions in the molt refpectable authors, as Acofta and Herrera; but by bringing thefe opinions together and comparing them with each other, it is eafy to perceive which are the belt founded and moft deferving of confidence.

It is evident that the diftance of 800 leagues, marked by Acofta, and adopted without examination by Herrera and Lopez Vaz, is a grofs error, by which we cannot fuffer ourfeives to be misled. Acofta publifhed his work in 1590, five years before Men dana's fecond voyage, and feems to be the first who mentioned the Islands of Solomon. The arrival of Admiral Drake in the South Sea, after the firft voyage of Mendang, occafioned the establishment of a ceny in thefe iflands to be fufpended for 28 years, left the English fhould gain information of them. It is therefore probable that when Acofta fpoke of them, he bad but a very vague idea of their fituation and it is worthy of remark, that he makes no mention of their latitude, which all the other authors have reported uniformly.

In a letter from Quiros to Don Antonio Morga, Lieutenant General of the Philippine Islands, it appears that, after having given him an account of Mendana's fecond voyage, he begged him to keep it fecret: "It is defireable fays Quiros, that thefe iflands fhould remain unknown, be

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caufe, as they lie between Peru, New Spain, and the Philippines,the English, if they were informed of them, might make fettlements, there of dangerous confequence to Spain." It is therefore further probable that Mendana's journals would be kept fecret a long time after his expeditions; and we may hence conclude that all the authors, except Quiros and Figueroa, poke of the Ilands of Solomon on very vague information or hearfay; which accounts for the differences and contradictions in their reports. Herrera, in particular, feems to have been ill informed, if we may judge by the immenfe extent he attributes to moft of thefe iflands. The fame may be' faid of Lopez Vaz, who places Guadalcanar in 18 degrees fouth latitude, and of the author confulted by Robert Dudley, who fays that these islands were difcovered in 1580, inlead of 1567.

Quiros reckons 1500 leagues from the coaft of Peru to Solomon's Islands : Figueroa, from the first of Mendana's voyages, makes it 1610, and 1580 to the Island of Santa-Cruz, from the fecond voyage. We may now perceive the reafon of thefe different refults. M. de Bougainville has obferved, in the narrative of his voyage round the world, that all the navigators who have croffed the South Sea have fallen in with New Guinea, much fooner than they ought by their reckoning; and that, confequently, they have given this fea a much smaller extent from east to west than in truth it has this error he attributes to the effect of favourable winds and currents in that ocean, not taken into their account. Thus Mendana, in his first voyage, being as yet unacquainted with this effect of currents and winds, which bore him away perpetually to the weft, must have eftimated his way at much less than the truth and his diftance, computed at 1610 leagues, must be much less than it really was. The fame may

be

be faid of the distance given by Qui ros, who had croffed this fea but once when he drew up his memorials. The distance of 1850 leagues reckon ed in Mendana's fecond voyage feems to be preferable, becaufe the navigator was more experienced, his courfe was more direct, and the distance, moreover, perfectly agrees with that reported by Richard Hawkins, from a manufcript of the Viceroy of Peru. Thefe 1850 leagues, reckoned at the proportion of 15 to a degree, as we find them in the memoirs of the early Spanish navigators, anfver exactly to 2500 English leagues of 20 to a de

gree.

By adopting this distance, Solomon's Iflands recover the place near New Guinea affigned to them by Acofta, Herrera, Witfliet, and all the old charts; and this new agreement is a ftrong prefumption in favour of the exactnefs of this pofition. If we confider next the tracks of the the navigators who fought for these islands, we fhall perceive that they must have been to the weft of the island SantaCruz, and confequently near New Guinea. Figueroa informs us, that when Mendana was returning to these inlands, in 1595, to found a colony, he failed on exactly between the parallels wherein he knew them to be fituated; that he carefully reconnoit red every land that he found in his way and that he arrived at the island of Santa-Cruz without having fallen in with those which were the object of his voyage. Having put in at Santa Cruz, he declared, from the colour of the natives, that these were of the nation he was feeking; and his widow, when he left this ifland, fteered W. S W. to feek for that of St. Chriftopher. Thus, in the opi nion of Mendana, the Archipelago difcovered by him in his firft voyage, was weft of Santa-Cruz. This was alfo the idea of Quiros, who, in 1606, when he fet out in fearch of the fame Archipelago, appointed Santa-Cruz

as the place of rendezvous for his veffels, in cafe of feparation. The fame confequence is deducible from the tracks of Byron and Carteret, who fought thefe iflands in vain to the eaft of Santa Cruz: the latter explored the 10th and 11th parallels for more than 700 leagues, and arrived at the island of Santa-Cruz without having difcovered them.

From Carteret's route, the island of Santa-Cruz may be fixed at the longitude of 162 20' east of the meridian of Paris; and the extreme point of New Guinea was determined, by M. de Bougainville, to be 149° 52'. There remain, therefore, about 12 degrees and a half, or 247 leagues, between the island of Santa-Cruz and New Guinea; and as the Inlands of Solomon form rather an extensive Archipelago, we may take the middle of this fpace, and fix 156 degrees of longitude for the middle of this Archipelago. In this fituation we shalt find that we are juft 2400 French marine leagues from the coaft of Peru, the exact diftance affigned by Richard Hawkins and Figueroa. In this fpace, and at this longitude, there is actually a group of iflands, feen by MM. de Borgainville, in 1768, and Surville, in 1769, which appear to have all the characters of thofe of Solomon. M. de Bougainville faw the western part of them, in feven degrees fouth latitude; and what he reports of the inhabitants of Choiseul Bay, agrees with the defcription given by Mendana of the natives of the Archipelago difcovered by him. M. de Surville was in fight of these lands for the fpace of 130 leagues, and from he 7th to the 11th degree of latitude : not finding them fet down in any chart, he named them "The Lands of the Arfacides," from the barbarous character of the people in Port Praflin, where he had put in and what he relates of them is equally conformable to the recital of Mendana. In the fame fea, Carteret, in 1767, had dif

covered