The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-04-07
Where Columbus Landed.
Boston Traveller.

The subject of the landing of Co., lumbus is one that has remained be- clouded in the historico- oratorical mistiness with which writers upon the subject have surrounded it; but it now appears that modern research has taken hold of it, and that the exact spot at which Columbus and his crew landed from his wretched caravels can finally be pointed out with gratify- ing degree of historic certainty.
 Governor Blake, of Newfoundland, recently gave lecture before the Atheneum of St Johns upon the subject of the landing place of Co., lumbus, to which he had given great deal of attention while governor of the Bahamas, from which section he was transferred to Newfoundland.
 His excellency made several voya- ges with this object in view, and, with the diary of Columbus in his hand, sailed over his courses, noting what he noted, and comparing his de- scription with the lakes and woods and beautiful capes and everlasting verdure of these islands.
 Columbus, according to the results of Governor Blake's investigations, started for the unknown new world in three vessels-the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina-three crazy car- avels, only one of which had a deck. His crew consisted of 12O men, nearly all of whom had been forced into the enterprise and hated it, and were ever ready to mutiny.
 The difficulty of determining the exact location has arisen, to a large extent, from the fact that the Lucay- ans, the aboriginal inhabitants of these islands, were carried of by the Spaniards to work the gold mines of Hispanola, and through cruelty and hard toll, all perlshed miserably.
 For hundred years afterward the islands were left uninhabited, SO that no vestige of 8 tradition remained to guide to the spot on which Colum- bus landed. The islands have been variously identified by writers who have never visited the spot or made personal examination of them. His excellency has gone carefully over the whole of these islands and compared their appearance with the account of Columbus, so that his conclusions carry with them great weight. He was led by an irresistible weight of the evidence thus accumulated to the conclusion that the island upon which he landed was Watling's island.
 He showed, by process of exhaus- tion, comparing each island in turn with his description, that Watling's island alone corresponded with the account contained in his diary, and that the correspondence, in its case, was perfect, while all the others en- tirely failed to present any features to warrant Identification. Watling's island is thirteen miles long, about eight miles wide, one-third of its area being occupied by lake or lagoon of brackish water; it is very fertile and beautiful; it is almost entirely sur- rounded by coral reef, except at Graham's harbor, formed by great sweep of the reef, and about seven miles long and four miles wide, with narrow entrance and promontory close by.
 Every one of these features is men, tioned in Columbus diary, SO that the question may be regarded as settled, for there is no escaping from his ex- celGency's conclusion. As the centen- ary of Columbus discovery is to be observed in 1892, and it is said Spain will invite the European nations to send each flag ship to the spot for some celebration on a grand scale, the question in regard to the exact scene of his landing is likely to be hotly de- bated. Governor Blake has now made most important contribution to the settlement of the question.