The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1861-11-28
Remarks upon the AtoII of Ebon, in Mi.
cTOnesia.
BY REV. E. T. DOANE.

WE will begin our remarks upon the Atol
Of Ebon by referring in a general way, first
TO that section of Micronesia which embra.
ces it, known as the Marshall Islands. The
name is that given by Krusensten in honor
of Capt. Marshall who made the first dis.
%coveries there in company with Capt. Gill
bert. The discoveries date back seventy.
two years; the first island was seen in 17SS,
the last being discovered only in 1924.
The whole group lies within the longi.
tudes l66 and 172o cast, and &c 39'
and l2o north latitude. Of the atolls of
the group, some are large, measuring forty,
fifty, and sixty miles in circumference, while
others are mere bank-reefs, two or three
miles in circumference. Of the large islands,
we may mention Jaluit or Bonham's, Rimski
Korsakof, or Rong.rik and Rong-Lab, and
Mile or the Mulgrave Islands. OF the mere
bank-reefs, we may mention KA or Hunters
and Lib or Princess Island. And we would
here remark, perhaps no group of the Pa
cifc presents n more tangled mass in the
Marshall Islands, and especially the Ralik
range. Some of the terms We have given
above may perplex the reader as he attempts
to trace them out on ordinary charts.
The Marshall Islands are divided by a
deep sea about one hundred and fifty miles
wide-into two chains-the Eastern or Ra-
dak, and the western or Ralik. Their gen.
eral bearing is NV. and Sc. The Eas-
tern chain possesses thirteen atolls and the
western sixteen. The general features of
these atolls are similar TO those of most CO.
raj Islands. They are low-the reef-rock in
none probably measuring more than ten or
twelve inches in elevation. In form, low.
ever, there is much diversity. Mile or Null
grave island is nearly a parallelogram-
Majuro or Arrowsmith, is oval /; E6on circu-
lar-while Jaluih or Bonham's Island and
ArlineL6-hb or Elmore Islands, and many
others, are without any definite forms.
The atolls vary in fertility. Those south
of 50 north latitude possess, from all ma
tive accounts, the most fertile islets and the
most available soil. Their fertility may be
accounted for from the fact, that more rain
the equatorial belt of constant precipita-
ton which is ever oscillating backwards
and forwards over them. Dead leaves and
wood rapidly decay.
1t is an interesting fact, anomalous to the
general features of coral islands, vide Dana's
Coral Island p. 24-that the leeaoard side of
these islands possesses the largest body of
land. Indeed the windward side of many
of these islands is entirely destitute of land
possesses it only in small islets. On
Mile or MMgrare Islands and MQjuro, Ar
roacsmith, Jaiuith, Bonham's Islands aud EJon
Islands, which the writer has visited, this is
emphatically true. The windward side of
Majuro is possessed only of small islets,
while the leeward side is one continuous
strip of land, twenty. five miles long. Jaiuih
is much like this; perhaps, however, it has
not SO continuous a piece of land on the
leeward side-though there is here the most
fertile soil. On E6on this is likewise true.
An explanation of this fact may perhaps be
found in the strong winds-the an. E.
trades" sweeping with all their force for one
half the year over these reefs. These strong
winds and the heavy sea they raise, tend to
sweep off the material which might accumu-
the lagoon to the leeward side is there lodged,
and helps forward most rapidly the accumu-
lation of the &" beach formation"
The fact has been stated, that the northern
atolls of the Marshall Islands are rather SUBJ
siding than otherwise vide Dana's Coral Is,
p. 134. 1t may be asked, is this not rather
apparent than real2 May not the small
amount of wooded LAND found therefor this
Is the basis of this statement-be owing
rather to the heavy seas and winds which
there prevail The natives ever speak Of
the heavy winds of that latitude, IL N.
Islands have been desolated by them. We
feel disposed to offer this as a solution of the
fact.
Another fact, we would state as common
TO the whole groups the existence of large
ship channels on almost every side of the
lagoon. Mile possesses four large ones
three Of them, and one, the largest of all,
the windward side. Jaluith has its reef
pierced by as maryland much in the same
position. While Majuro has its channel on
the windward side only, and EJon on the
leeward; we cannot speak of more from per-
sonal observation-disclosures the natives say
the other islands possess many channels and
In much the same position OF those above
mentioned.
lures of the Marshall Islands. we proceed to
remark upon the atoll Of Ebon.
The position OF this atoll is 4o SO north
latitude, les 40 30' east longitude. This
is the position, from the anchorage of the
Morning Star in the Lagoon. The atoll is
the most southern one of the Ralik range.
1t was discovered May 25th, 1924, by Capt.
Ray, who named it Boston Island.
In 1894 Capt. Covel thought it a new dis
coyery, when it took his name, by which it
Is often called. The atoll is nearly circular
and measures some twenty-five miles in
circumference Except the passage on the
west side of the reef, there is no other, not
even a boat passage, in the whole circum-
ference of the atoll. The reef, however, at
tide, can be crossed by native craft.
There is a tradition that once 4 passage ex-
listed, of sufficient capacity to admit ships,
on the NE. side, and that it was destroyed
by some powerful spirit, in his rage,
and the present passage opened.
The natives possess also an interesting
concerning the existence of a high
island as haring once occupied the most Of the
1t is said that tall hills, covered with
and cocoanut, reared themselves
where nnNU the fats Ii the lannnn erISt