Appendix A

　　[The following passages, from Admiral Fox's report, give his reasonsfor believing that Samana, or Atwood's Key, is the island where Columbusfirst touched land. The interest which attaches to this subject at themoment of the centennial, when many voyages will be made by personsfollowing Columbus, induces me to copy Admiral Fox's reasonings indetail. I believe his conclusion to be correct.]

　　This method of applying Columbus's words in detail to refute each ofthe alleged¹ tracks, and the study that I gave to the subject in the winter of1878-79 in the Bahamas, which has been familiar cruising ground to me,has resulted in the selection of Samana or Atwood's Key for the firstlanding place.

　　It is a little island 8.8 miles east and west; 1.6 extreme breadth, andaveraging 1.2 north and south. It has 8.6 square miles. The east end is inlatitude 23 degrees 5' N.; longitude² 73 degrees 37' west of Greenwich. Thereef on which it lies is 15 by 2 1/2 miles.

　　On the southeast this reef stretches half a mile from the land, on theeast four miles, on the west two, along the north shore one-quarter to one-half mile, and on the southwest scarcely one-quarter. Turk is smaller thanSamana, and Cat very much larger.

　　The selection of two so unlike in size show that dimension has notbeen considered essential in choosing an island for the first landfall.[*]

　　[*] I am indebted to T. J. McLain, Esq., United States consul³ at Nassau,for the following information given to him by the captains of this port,who visit Samana or Atwood's Key. The sub-sketch on this chart issubstantially correct: Good water is only obtained by sinking wells. Thetwo keys to the east are covered with guano; white boobies hold the largerone, and black boobies the other; neither intermingles.

　　The island is now uninhabited, but arrow heads and stone hatchets⁴ aresometimes found; and in places there are piles of stones supposed to havebeen made by the aborigines. Most of the growth is scrubby, with a fewscattered trees.

　　The Nassau vessels⁵ enter an opening through the reef on the south sideof the island and find a very comfortable little harbor with from two to twoand a half fathoms⁶ of water. From here they send their boats on shore to"strip" guano, and cut satin, dye woods and bark.

　　When Columbus discovered Guanahani, the journal called it a "littleisland." After landing he speaks of it as "bien grande," "very large," whichsome translate, tolerably, or pretty large. November 20, 1492 (Navarette,first edition, p. 61), the journal refers to Isabella, a larger island thanGuanahani, as "little island," and the fifth of January following (p. 125)San Salvador is again called "little island."The Bahamas have an area of about 37,000 square miles, six per centof which may be land, enumerated⁷ as 36 islands, 687 keys, and 2,414rocks. The submarine bank upon which these rest underlies⁸ Florida also.

　　But this peninsula is wave-formed upon living corals, whose growth andgradual stretch toward the south has been made known by Agassiz.

　　I had an unsuccessful search for a similar story of the Bahamas, tolearn whether there were any probable changes within so recent a periodas four hundred years.

　　The common mind can see that all the rock there is coral, none ofwhich is in position. The surface, the caves, the chinks, and the numerouspot-holes are compact limestone⁹, often quite crystalline, while beneath it isoolitic, either friable¹⁰ or hard enough to be used for buildings. The hills aresand-blown, not upheaved. On a majority of the maps of the sixteenthcentury there were islands on Mouchoir, and on Silver Banks, where noware rocks "awash;" and the Dutch and the Severn Shoals, which lay to theeast, have disappeared.

　　It is difficult to resist the impression that the shoal banks, and the reefsof the Bahamas, were formerly¹¹ covered with land; and that for ageological age waste has been going on, and, perhaps, subsidence. Thecoral polyp seems to be doing only desultory¹² work, and that mostly on thenortheast or Atlantic side of the islands; everywhere else it has abandonedthe field to the erosive action of the waves.

　　Columbus said that Guanahani had abundance of water and a verylarge lagoon¹³ in the middle of it. He used the word laguna--lagoon, not lago--lake. His arrival in the Bahamas was at the height of the rainy season.

　　Governor Rawson's Report on the Bahamas, 1864, page 92, Appendix 4,gives the annual rainfall at Nassau for ten years, 1855--'64, as sixty-fourinches. From May 1, to November 1 is the wet season, during which 44.7inches fall; the other six months 19.3 only. The most is in October, 8.5inches.

　　Andros, the largest island, 1,600 square miles, is the only one that hasa stream of water. The subdivision of the land into so many islands andkeys, the absence of mountains, the showery characteristic of the rainfall,the porosity¹⁴ of the rock, and the great heat reflected from the white coral,are the chief causes for the want of running water. During the rainy seasonthe "abundance of water" collects in the low places, making ponds andlagoons, that afterward¹⁶ are soaked up by the rock and evaporated by thesun.

　　Turk and Watling have lagoons¹⁵ of a more permanent condition,because they are maintained from the ocean by permeation¹⁷. The lagoonwhich Columbus found at Guanahani had certainly undrinkable water, orhe would have gotten some for his vessels, instead of putting it off until hereached the third island.

　　There is nothing in the journal to indicate that the lagoon at Guanahaniwas aught but the flooding of the low grounds by excessive rains; andeven if it was one communicating with the ocean, its absence now may bereferred to the effect of those agencies which are working incessantly¹⁸ toreshape the soft structure of the Bahamas.

　　Samana has a range of hills on the southwest side about one hundredfeet high, and on the northeast another, lower. Between them, and alsoalong the north shore, the land is low, and during the season of rains thereis a row of ponds parallel to the shore. On the south side a conspicuouswhite bluff¹⁹ looks to the southward and eastward²⁰.

　　The two keys, lying respectively half a mile and three miles east of theisland, and possibly the outer breaker, which is four miles, all might havebeen connected with each other, and with the island, four hundred yearsago. In that event the most convenient place for Columbus to anchor in thestrong northeast trade-wind, was where I have put an anchor on the subsketch of Samana.

　　[In a subsequent passage Admiral Fox says:--]

　　There is a common belief that the first landing place is settled by oneor another of the authors cited here. Nevertheless, I trust to have shown,paragraph by paragraph, wherein their several tracks are contrary to thejournal, inconsistent with the true cartography of the neighborhood, and tothe discredit²¹, measurably, both of Columbus and of Las Casas. Theobscurity and the carelessness which appear in part of the diary throughthe Bahamas offer no obstacle to this demonstration²², provided that they donot extend to the "log," or nautical²³ part.

　　Columbus went to sea when he was fourteen years of age, and servedthere almost continuously for twenty-three years. The strain of a sea-faringlife, from so tender an age, is not conducive²⁴ to literary exactness. Still, forthe very reason of this sea experience, the "log" should be correct.

　　This is composed of the courses steered²⁵, distances sailed over,bearings of islands from one another, trend of shores, etc. The recording²⁶ ofthese is the daily business of seamen²⁷, and here the entries were byColumbus himself, chiefly to enable him, on his return to Spain, toconstruct that nautical map, which is promised in the prologue²⁸ of the firstvoyage.

　　In crossing the Atlantic the Admiral understated to the crew each day'srun, so that they should not know how far they had gone into an unknownocean. Las Casas was aware of this counterfeit²⁹ "log," but his abridgment³⁰ isfrom that one which Columbus kept for his own use.

　　If the complicated courses and distances in this were originally wrong,or if the copy of them is false, it is obvious that they cannot be "plotted "upon a correct chart. Conversely, if they ARE made to conform to asuccession of islands among which he is known to have sailed, it isevident that this is a genuine transcript³¹ of the authentic³² "log" of Columbus,and, reciprocally, that we have the true track, the beginning of which is theeventful landfall of October 12, 1492.

　　The student or critical reader, and the seaman³³, will have to determinewhether the writer has established this conformity³⁴. The public, probably,desires to have the question settled, but it will hardly take any interest in a discussion that has no practical bearing, and which, for its elucidation,leans so much upon the jargon³⁵ or the sea.

　　It is not flattering to the English or Spanish speaking peoples that thefour hundredth anniversary of this great event draws nigh, and is likely tocatch us still floundering, touching³⁶ the first landing place.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 longitude   

n.经线，经度

参考例句：

• The city is at longitude 21°east.这个城市位于东经21度。
• He noted the latitude and longitude,then made a mark on the admiralty chart.他记下纬度和经度，然后在航海图上做了个标记。

3 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

4 hatchets   

n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 )；恶毒攻击；诽谤；休战

参考例句：

• Hatchets, knives, bayonets, swords, all brought to be sharpened, were all red with it. 他们带来磨利的战斧、短刀、刺刀、战刀也全都有殷红的血。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets. 圣所中一切雕刻的、们现在用斧子锤子打坏了。 来自互联网

5 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 fathoms   

英寻( fathom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The harbour is four fathoms deep. 港深为四英寻。
• One bait was down forty fathoms. 有个鱼饵下沉到四十英寻的深处。

7 enumerated   

v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A spokesperson enumerated the strikers' demands. 发言人列数罢工者的要求。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enumerated the capitals of the 50 states. 他列举了50个州的首府。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 underlies   

v.位于或存在于（某物）之下( underlie的第三人称单数 )；构成…的基础（或起因），引起

参考例句：

• I think a lack of confidence underlies his manner. 我认为他表现出的态度是因为他缺乏信心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Try to figure out what feeling underlies your anger. 努力找出你的愤怒之下潜藏的情感。 来自辞典例句

9 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

10 friable   

adj.易碎的

参考例句：

• The friable boxes arrived intact.这些易碎的箱子完整无损地运到了。
• The friable china survived the bumpy journey safe and sound.那批易碎的瓷器经过颠簸的旅途仍完好无损。

11 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

12 desultory   

adj.散漫的，无方法的

参考例句：

• Do not let the discussion fragment into a desultory conversation with no clear direction.不要让讨论变得支离破碎，成为没有明确方向的漫谈。
• The constables made a desultory attempt to keep them away from the barn.警察漫不经心地拦着不让他们靠近谷仓。

13 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

14 porosity   

n.多孔性，有孔性

参考例句：

• Commonly the dolomite crytals form a framework with evenly distributed porosity. 通常白云石晶体构成格架，它有均匀分布的孔隙。 来自辞典例句
• Seismic velocity can occasionally be affected by porosity and temperature. 孔隙率和温度有时也能影响地震波速。 来自辞典例句

15 lagoons   

n.污水池( lagoon的名词复数 )；潟湖；（大湖或江河附近的）小而浅的淡水湖；温泉形成的池塘

参考例句：

• The Islands are by shallow crystal clear lagoons enclosed by coral reefs. 该群岛包围由珊瑚礁封闭的浅水清澈泻湖。 来自互联网
• It is deposited in low-energy environments in lakes, estuaries and lagoons. 它沉淀于湖泊、河口和礁湖的低能量环境中，也可于沉淀于深海环境。 来自互联网

16 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

17 permeation   

渗入，透过

参考例句：

• The permeation constant of gases through metals is negligible except for hydrogen through palladium or iron. 除了氢气能穿过钯和铁之外，气体穿过金属的透气常数是可以略而不计的。
• Aim To study the cutaneous permeation kinetics and pharmacodynamics of lidocaine gel. 目的研究利多卡因凝胶的经皮吸收动力学以及药效学。

18 incessantly   

ad.不停地

参考例句：

• The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight. 机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。
• It rained incessantly for the whole two weeks. 雨不间断地下了整整两个星期。

19 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

20 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

21 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

22 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

23 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

24 conducive   

adj.有益的，有助的

参考例句：

• This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
• Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。

25 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

27 seamen   

n.海员

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather. 有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• In the storm, many seamen wished they were on shore. 在暴风雨中，许多海员想，要是他们在陆地上就好了。

28 prologue   

n.开场白，序言；开端，序幕

参考例句：

• A poor wedding is a prologue to misery.不幸的婚姻是痛苦的开始。
• The prologue to the novel is written in the form of a newspaper account.这本小说的序言是以报纸报道的形式写的。

29 counterfeit   

vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的

参考例句：

• It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
• The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。

30 abridgment   

n.删节，节本

参考例句：

• An abridgment of the book has been published for young readers.他们为年轻读者出版了这本书的节本。
• This abridgment provides a concise presentation of this masterpiece of Buddhist literature.这个删节本提供了简明介绍佛教文学的杰作。

31 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

32 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

33 seaman   

n.海员，水手，水兵

参考例句：

• That young man is a experienced seaman.那个年轻人是一个经验丰富的水手。
• The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。

34 conformity   

n.一致，遵从，顺从

参考例句：

• Was his action in conformity with the law?他的行动是否合法？
• The plan was made in conformity with his views.计划仍按他的意见制定。

35 jargon   

n.术语，行话

参考例句：

• They will not hear critics with their horrible jargon.他们不愿意听到评论家们那些可怕的行话。
• It is important not to be overawed by the mathematical jargon.要紧的是不要被数学的术语所吓倒.

36 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。