368
APPENDIX.
it : whereas the distance from Turk's Island to the Gran Caico, supposed by Navarrete to be the Concepcion of Columbus, is nearly double, and the current sets constantly to the W . N . W . among these islands, which would be favorable in going from Turk's Island to the Caicos. From Concepcion Columbus went next to an island which he saw nine leagues off in a westerly direction, to which he gave the name of Fernandina.
This Navarrete takes to be Little Inagua, distant no less
than twenty-two leagues from Gran Caico.
Besides, in going to Little
Inagua, it would be necessary to pass quite close to three islands, each larger than Turk's Island, none of which are mentioned in the journal. Columbus describes Fernandina as stretching twenty-eight leagues S. E . and N . W . : whereas Little Inagua has its greatest length of four leagues in a S. W . direction.
In a word, the description of Fernandina has
nothing in common with Little Inagua.
From Fernandina Columbus
sailed S . E . to Isabella, which Navarrete takes to be Great Inagua : whereas this latter bears S. W . from Little Inagua, a course differing 9 0 ° from the one followed by Columbus.
Again : Columbus, on the 20th of No
vember, takes occasion to say that Guanahani was distant eight leagues from Isabella : whereas Turk's Island is thirty-five leagues from Great Inagua. Leaving Isabella, Columbus stood W . S. W . for the island of Cuba, and fell in with the Islas Arenas.
This course drawn from Great Inagua,
would meet the coast of Cuba about Port Nipe : whereas Navarrete supposes that Columbus next fell in with the keys south of the Jumentos, and which bear W . N . W . from Inagua : a course differing 4 5 ° from the one steered by the ships.
After sailing for some time in the neighborhood
of Cuba, Columbus finds himself, on the 14th of November, in the sea of Nuestra Sefiora, surrounded by so many islands that it was impossible to count them : whereas, on the same day, Navarrete places him off Cape Moa, where there is but one small island, and more than fifty leagues distant from any group that can possibly answer the description. Columbus informs us that San Salvador was distant from Port Principe forty-five
leagues : whereas
Turk's Island is
distant from the point,
supposed by Navarrete to be the same, eighty leagues. O n taking leave of Cuba, Columbus remarks that he had followed its coast for an extent of 120 leagues.
Deducting twenty leagues for his
having followed its windings, there still remain 1 0 0 . only supposes
him to have coasted this island
N o w , Navarrete
an extent of
seventy
leagues. Such are the most important difficulties which the theory of Navarrete