FROM CORDOVA TWO VGA A YS

‘where was the island he first landed upon? Irving, as we know, fixed upon
Cat Island, which for many years bore the name of San Salvador, bestowed by
Columbus upon the first island upon which he landed. With his conclusions,
also, the great Humboldt coincided, ably defending the opinion that Cat Island
was the first landfall. A Spanish writer of authority, Sefor Navarate, claimed
that it was Turk’s Island, near the southern extremity of the Bahamas, and an
exhaustive paper was prepared, some fifty years ago, by Mr. Gibbs, a resident of
Grand Turk, in support of this idea.

One thing is certain; the first landfall of Columbus was an island in the
Bahamas, although opinions vary as to which one, claimants having arisen for
several others besides those mentioned. But although the islands claimed extend
over a distance of some three hundred miles, we may be justified in going a
little farther and saying that not only was the first island one of the Bahama
group, but situated somewhere about midway in the chain. Since the time of
Irving and Humboldt several writers of distinction have given attention to this
question, and though not all coming to the same conclusions, most of them
agree upon Watling’s Island as the place where the Europeans first set foot
upon the soil of the New World.

Whichever island it may have been, I myself can claim that I have seen it,
as I have traversed the entire chain from Turk’s to Cat, and have studied the
group carefully with a view to giving an opinion on this vexed question. Years
ago it was my good fortune to bisect the group on my way to the south coast of
Cuba, when I saw Watling’s Island rising like a cloud, or rather a blue mound,
above the horizon. But it was not until July, 1892, that I had the opportunity
for visiting it. Being then in the West Indies, as Commissioner for the World’s
Columbian Exposition, I received orders from the executive to investigate this
question of the landfall, and visit the islands in person.

I was then in Hayti, the Black Republic, and the first opportunity did not
occur until a month after receiving my commands. Leaving the port of Cape
Haytien early one morning on a steamer of the Clyde Line called the Ozama, in
a few hours we sighted the island of Tortuga. The day before, from another
port on the Haytian coast, we had scanned the leeward shore of this famous
haunt of the buccaneers in times gone by, and were now on the bleak, iron-
bound coast of the inward side.

Finally the turtle-back Tortuga faded out of sight, and the next land, or
rather indication of land, was the southwest point of Inagua, merely a shadowy
semblance of terra firma, emphasized a few hours later by thé flashing out of its
revolving light from a high white tower.

Next morning at daylight we passed the light of Castle Island, and at ten
o'clock were abreast the flashing surf of Long Cay, and could see the little set-
tlement there that formed the only one on Fortune Island. Signals were set:
“ Passengers aboard; send off a boat,” and shortly after we could see a move-