Photo_of_JRO_Globe_ca_1960_west_of_Hawaii

Byers's Island is a

phantom island A phantom island is a purported island which was included on maps for a period of time, but was later found not to exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigati ...

(island that doesn't exist) reported by Captain Benjamin Morrell in his

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plan ...

book ''A Narrative of Four Voyages'.''

History

The island was first reported by Benjamin Morrell in his 1832 book ''A Narrative of Four Voyages,'' which recounts his various journeys across the high seas between 1822-1831. Morrell writes that he landed on an island he called "Byers's Island", on 12th July 1825. According to Morrell, this island was located at 28°32'N latitude, 177°4'E longitude, and is "about four miles in circumference", "moderately elevated", and features "some bushes and spots of vegetation".Benjamin Morrell: . New York 1832, p. 218 Following publication, the islands falsely appeared in various maps and atlases throughout the 1800s. Stielers Handatlas from 1891 depicts two islands, labeled ''Byer od. Patrocinio,'' and ''Morell,'' followed by question marks, suggesting that the island's existence was known to be dubious. A maritime manual in 1899 lists Byers's and Morell Island as doubtful. Some globes continued to display the island, along with other phantom islands in the Pacific, as late as the 1960s.

Source of the hoax

The origin of Byers's Island is unknown. While ''A Narrative of Four Voyages'' was published under Morell's name, it was potentially

ghostwritten ''Ghostwritten'' is the first novel published by English author David Mitchell. Published in 1999, it won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and was widely acclaimed. The story takes place mainly around East Asia, but also moves through Russia, B ...

by magazine editor Samuel Woodworth. Burton R. Pollin: ''Poe’s life reflected through the sources of ‘Pym’''. In: Richard Kopley (ed.): ''Poe’s ‘Pym’: critical explorations''. Durham & London 1992, pp. 95–103, p. 100 As a result, it is unclear whether Morrell or Woodworth was the originator of the hoax. The name of the island, "Byers", matches that of Morell's employer and ship owner, and as such this is the likely origin for the name.

Reference works

* Henry M. Stommel: ''Lost Islands.'' ''The Story of Islands That Have Vanished from Nautical Charts.'' University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver 1984, ISBN 978-0-7748-0210-9 .

References

{{Reflist Phantom islands Northwestern Hawaiian Islands