1880.A Forbidden Land: Voyages to the Corea

A Forbidden Land: Voyages to the Corea (1880)
Ernst Jacob Oppert , Ernst Oppert


Dagelet Description;
(P16-P20)
http://archive.org/stream/aforbiddenlandv02oppegoog#page/n58/mode/2up/search/Dagelet
The third of the large islands lies on the east coast, about forty-five miles distant from the main land, under the 37-25 north lat, and 133-16 long. East, and is called Ollon-to by the natives. On several charts it is erroneously put down as belonging to Japan, which is not the case; generally it is marked Matsushima, while the French give it the name of Dagelet, and the Russians Dagette. It is nearly round, is about twenty-five miles in circumference, but of its interior very little is know to us on account of its steep and rocky approaches and inaccessible shores. Ollon-to is very celebrated in Corea for its great fertility; it is said to produce everything of excellent quality, and of a size so uncommonly large and almost gigantic, that the natives on the continent have finally concluded, and state it as their positive conviction, that and island rearing produce so extraordinary cannot be inhabited by common human beings, but must necessarily be peopled by a race of similarly gigantic size. To compare the farco, the goverment has actually issued a stringent prohibition against people from the mainland settling on the island, to avert any danger which might arise to the mother-coutry from the proximity of such a giant race! An official, with and escort, is indeed sent to Ollon-to from time to time, to see that this order is not violated, and to bring back as much of the produce as can be collected during his short stay there. Coreans of a sceptical turn of mind, however, affirm, and with some show of reason, that there are a good many settlers there in spite of the prohibition, who hide themselves in the woods on the approach of the commission of inspection, which, on its part, does not venture to pursue and capture the fugitives on account of the rumours prevailing.


*Notice "37-25 north lat, and 133-16 long " is french longtitude and calculate for U.K GMT to 37-25 north lat, and 130.56 long on GMT (-2°20' difference between Grinidge and paris)