A FRENCH ISLAND.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 28 March 1922, Page 5

A FRENCH ISLAND.

! »_ 7 JSAMED AFTER ENGLISH PIRATE.

In a lecture in January in Paris, b»ione .the French Geographical Society, which -.sounded like a page from on© of Hohert Louis Stevenson's stories of adventure, M. Grosididier, Secretary. General of the Society, pointed out th» .growing importance, both scientific and | political, of Clipperton Island, a French possession in the Pacific Ocean. The rarest land is the Mexican port of Acapulco. Clipperton Island is uninhabited except by sea birds, and human beings ©lily set foot on the soil when from time iko ttime a vessel calls for possible castaways. The island has an area of less than^two square miles, and Its highest point is about 150 ft. above the sea l&v.el. There is no drinking water and no vegetation. It was 'discovered in 1527 by the Spanish navigator Saavedra; about 1711 two JFuench sailors, Dubocage and Cfoassiron, commanding the frigates La I Princesse and La Decouverte, landed ami planted the French flag on the islaM, ; and in the middle of the 18th century the English pirate Clipperton landed on the rock in the course of a thrilling >run across the Pacific Finally, towards the middle of the 19th. century, a well-known French naval officer, Captain Coat de Kerguelen, definitely claimed ;the island for France. : As the result of its situation, in the path of vessels leaving the Panama Cana?, Oipperton Island is growing in importance. Some years ago a group of Mexicans landed on the island to work the gwa.no deposits-; the captain of a French vessel which happened to pass pointed out to them that the rock was , French territory, and asked them to reembark. This incident gave rise to much discussion between France and Mexico, and finally the King of Italy was asked to settle the matter by arbitration. M. Grosididier regards Clipperton j Island as of real importance from a , scientific point of view, since it is situated at the meeting- point of two great Pacific currents and* would provide a unique position for meteorological obj servations. Not only would *it be of ) interest to establish a scientific station I there, but the island might make a ; supply station on the route from Cenj tral America to China and Japan. But, jas the French press yjoints out, only ; Robinson Crusoe woufd be content to live in such a deserted spot.