Wallace said in his autobiography that he was on the island of Ternate at the time; but historians have questioned this, saying that on the basis of the journal he kept at the time, he was on the island of Gilolo.
Wallace mengatakan dalam otobiografinya bahwa ia berada di Pulau Ternate pada saat itu; tetapi para sejarawan mempertanyakan hal ini, dengan mengatakan bahwa menurut jurnal yang ia simpan pada saat itu ia berada di Pulau Gilolo (Pulau Halmahera).