Why was the island never found?
Utopias are always (with some exceptions like the kingdom of Prester John) placed on an island. The island is perceived as unattainable Not- a place where you can only get there by accident and cannot return. And only on the island can an ideal society arise, known to us only from legends.
Although the ancient Greek civilization was scattered across the islands and the Greeks should have gotten used to them, only on the mysterious islands could Ulysses meet Circe, Polyphemus or Nausicaa. The Islands of the Blessed or the Islands of the Fortunate, which are described in the “Argonautica” of Apollonius of Rhodes, are the very islands where Saint Brendan landed during his journey; the island is home to Thomas More’s Utopia; unknown ideal societies, dreamed of in the 17th and 18th centuries, thrive on the islands centuries - from the Southern Land of Gabriel de Foigny to the Sevaramb Island of Veras. On the island, the rebels from the “Bounty” tried (unsuccessfully) to find the lost paradise, Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo lives on the island, the treasures of Stevenson and the Count of Monte Cristo rest on the island, and so on - right up to dystopias: from the island of monsters of Dr. Moreau to The island of Dr. No, which James Bond infiltrates.
What is the secret of the islands' charm? Not only that this place, as its very Italian name suggests (isola), isolated from the rest of the world. Places separated from the civilized world were discovered in the vast lands of Marco Polo and Giovanni Plano Carpini. The point is also that until the 18th century, when it became possible to determine longitude, the island could indeed be discovered by accident; one could also escape from it, like Ulysses, but not return. So from the time of St. Brendan to the time of Guido Gozzano, the island is always insula perdita, "lost island".
This explains the spread and fascination of books of such a genre as “isolaries”, that is, “books about islands”, incredibly popular in the 15th and 16th centuries - registers of all the islands of the world, both known and those about which there were only vague legends. These isolaries tried, in their own way, to be as geographically accurate as possible (in contrast to the stories of fabulous lands of previous centuries) and balanced between traditional tales and travel accounts. In some ways they were mistaken, assuming, for example, the existence of two islands - Taprobana and Ceylon, while in fact (as we now know) we are talking about the same island, but this is not important. They represented a geography of the unknown—or at least the little known.
Later, reports of travelers of the 18th century appear - Cook, Bougainville, La Perouse... They are also looking for islands, but what is more important to them is what they see with their own eyes, and not how much what they see corresponds to the established tradition. And this is a completely different story. But they also went in search of either a non-existent island, like the Southern Land (presumed by all atlases), or an island that someone had already discovered, but then could not find again.
So, we can say that our dreams of islands, right up to this day, are located between the myth of the “island that is not there” (the myth of absence), the myth of the “island that is too many” (the myth of redundancy), the myth of the “island that is impossible find" (the myth of uncertainty), and the myth of the "island to which it is impossible to return" (the myth of the "lost island"). But these are four different stories.
The first story is a fairy tale, and all tales about islands are divided into those in which we are asked to pretend that we believe in the existence of this island (forgetting for a while about skepticism) - such are the islands of Jules Verne and Stevenson and those that talk about the island , obviously non-existent, which only enhances the fairy-tale element in the story - this is the island of Peter Pan. So, an island that does not exist does not interest us now. For the simple reason that no one will now go to sea to look for him: neither children - to the island of Captain Hook, nor adults - to the island of Captain Nemo.
I will also omit the island, of which there are too many, because the phenomenon of redundancy is represented, as far as I know, by a single case of duplication - Ceylon and Taprobana. This story has already been told in detail in the work on isolaria by Tarcisio Lacioni, to which I refer you. Now I'm more interested in something else - unhappy love for a certain island that can no longer be found, while Taprobana was constantly found - even where they were not looking for, so, from an erotic point of view, it was not a story of hopeless love, but rather a story unbridled Don Juanism, which gave rise to truly “one thousand and three” Taprobans on the maps.
According to Pliny, Taprobana was discovered in the time of Alexander, was at first widely known as the "land of the Antichthons" and was considered "another world". Pliny's island could be identified as Ceylon based on Ptolemy's map, at least in 16th-century editions. Isidore of Seville also placed it south of India and limited himself to indicating that this land is full of stones and has two winters and two summers a year. In "Million" there is no mention of Taprobane, but it speaks of Seylam, that is, Ceylon.
The duplication of Ceylon or Taprobana is clearly visible in the travels of Mandeville, who treats them in two different chapters. About Ceylon it is not reported where exactly it is located, but it is specified that its circumference is a good eight hundred miles and that its territory
so rich in reptiles, dragons and crocodiles that no one dares to live there. Crocodiles are a species of reptiles, yellow and spiky along the spine, with four legs, short legs and huge claws, like claws or spurs. Some of them reach a length of five cubits, sometimes six, eight and even ten. When they pass through some place covered with sand, it seems as if a large tree was being dragged there. There are also many other wild animals here, including elephants. There is a great mountain on this island. In the middle of the mountain there is a huge lake, very pleasant to look at, and there is a lot of water in it. Local residents believe that it is true that Adam and Eve wept on this mountain for a hundred years, being expelled from paradise, and they claim that this water is from their tears: so much of it flowed that it filled the whole lake. At the bottom there are numerous precious stones and large pearls. Reeds and large reeds grow in abundance around, among which crocodiles, reptiles and huge leeches hide. Once a year, the king of that country gives permission to the poor to dive into the lake to collect precious stones and pearls. Because of the reptiles that live inside, they coat their forearms, thighs and legs with juice obtained from so-called lemons, a kind of fruit like small peas; and thanks to this they can not be afraid of crocodiles or other poisonous reptiles... And ducks with two heads also live there.
Taprobana, says Mandeville, lies within the borders of the kingdom of Prester John. Mandeville does not yet place this kingdom in Ethiopia, as will be done later, but places it within the boundaries of India, although this India of Prester John is often confused with the Far East, where the earthly paradise is located. In any case, within India (and the place where the Red Sea flows into the ocean is indicated) is Taprobana. As Isidore of Seville says, there are two winters and two summers on this island, and there rise two huge golden mountains, guarded by giant ants.
These ants are the size of a dog, and therefore no one dares to approach those mountains, lest they be torn to pieces and devoured by these insects in an instant. Only with great cunning can you get that gold. During periods of extreme heat, ants hide underground from morning until early afternoon. And then people from those regions saddle camels, dromedaries, horses and other animals, go there and snatch what they can; and then run away with their cattle as fast as they can before the ants come out of the ground. Sometimes, when it is not hot enough and the ants do not hide underground, residents resort to another trick to get gold. They take newly foaled mares and load two empty baskets on them, leaving them open so that they hang down to the ground. Then they send the mares to graze in those mountains, and the foals are locked up at home. As soon as the ants see these baskets, they climb up, and since by nature they cannot stand it when some container remains empty, they fill it with everything that can fit there. And so they fill the baskets with gold. When enough time has passed, the foals are released and forced to neigh to call their mothers. And they rush to the cubs with a golden cargo.
And from that moment on, Taprobana moves from one cartographer to another, flying like a shuttlecock throughout the Indian Ocean, sometimes on his own, sometimes with Ceylon. At a certain period it is identified with Sumatra, but sometimes we find it on maps between Sumatra and Indochina, near Borneo.
Tommaso Porcacci in The Most Glorious Islands of the World (1572) talks about Taprobana, full of treasures, its elephants and giant tortoises, not to mention the quality that Diodorus Sicilian endowed on its inhabitants - a kind of forked tongue (“forked and divided to the very root; with one part they speak to one person, and with the second part to another”).
Having recounted information obtained from a variety of traditional sources, Porkakki apologizes to readers for the fact that in none of them he was able to find an exact indication of the geographical location of the island, and summarizes:
Although many ancient and modern authors have told us about this place, I have not found one who would indicate its limits - so I, too, must be excused if I deviate from the usual order here.
Its identification with Ceylon also raises doubts:
Previously, this land (according to Ptolemy) was called Simondi, then Salice and finally Taprobana; but modern authors believe that we are talking about Sumatra, although there are also those who by no means consider Sumatra, but consider the island of Tseylam to be Taprobana.<…>Other modern authors claim that not a single one of the ancients correctly indicated the location of Taprobana; Moreover, they insist that no matter which island they take, not one of them is the one they are looking for.
So gradually Taprobana, from an island on which everything is over the edge, turns into an island that does not exist - and in this capacity Thomas More will write about it, “between Ceylon and America”, who placed his Utopia, and on Taprobana Campanella will erect his City of the Sun .
Thus, we move on to the islands, the very absence of which prompts a search, sometimes feverish, and causes nostalgia - which has not subsided to this day.
Of course, islands that either exist or don’t exist were already spoken of in ancient epics, and the islands visited during Odysseus’s travels gave rise to a whole scientific library designed to establish which real-life lands they correspond to. And one more study has still not been completed (judging by the magazines “about world mysteries” and television programs for simpletons) - it concerns the myth of Atlantis. But it was perceived rather as an entire continent, and the idea that it disappeared under water was immediately accepted. Perhaps the first time the search for islands was discussed was in The Voyage of St. Brendan.
Saint Brendan and his mysterious companions visited many islands: the island of birds, the hellish island (reduced to a lonely rock to which Judas is chained) and that imaginary island, the victim of which Sinbad had once been: Brendan's ship moored to it, and in the evening, when the rowers They lit a fire, the “island” became angry, and it became clear that this was not an island, but a sea monster named Jascontius.
But the island that aroused the imagination in the following centuries was the Island of the Blessed, a kind of earthly paradise, on which our travelers landed after seven years of wanderings, a certain
a land that is the best of all lands for its beauty, its wonders and delightful and pleasant things found on it, as well as beautiful, clean and delightful rivers with quiet, tasty and fresh water, and there were beautiful trees of different types with beautiful fruits, and many roses and lilies and other flowers and herbs, and each of them was fragrant and beautiful in its perfection. And there were charming songbirds of different breeds there, and they all sang sweetly in good agreement; it seemed that it was the most beautiful time of early spring. And there were roads and streets of skillful workmanship, paved with precious stones, and they were so beautiful that they greatly gladdened the hearts of all who were honored to see them with their own eyes; and there were domestic and wild animals of all kinds, and they walked and stood where they pleased of their own free will, and they all remained together in meekness, not wanting to cause each other any harm or grief; and the birds were all together in exactly the same way. And there were beautiful pergolas and vineyards, full of the best grapes, superior to any other in their beauty and taste..
The paradise island where Saint Brendan visited aroused desire - which cannot be said about Atlantis, Ogygia or the island of the Phaeacians. Throughout the Middle Ages and even into the Renaissance, its existence was firmly believed. It appears on all maps - for example, on the world map of Ebersdorf, and on the map made by Toscanelli for the king of Portugal, the island of St. Brendan appears in the middle of the sea halfway to that Japan, which can be reached by “seeking the east in the west,” that is, by the prophetic thus, where America would later end up.
Sometimes it is located at the latitude of Ireland, on more modern maps it is closer to the south, at the level of the Canary Islands or the Happy Islands, and often these Happy Islands are confused with the so-called St. Brendan's Island. Sometimes they are identified with the Madeira group of islands, and sometimes with another non-existent island, such as the legendary Antilia, as happens in the 16th century Arte del Navigar (Art of Navigation) by Pedro of Medina. On Behaim's globe in 1492 it is located much further west, close to the equator. And already appears as the Lost Island, Insula Perdita.
In his De Imagine Mundi, Honorius Augustodunnsky (12th century) describes it as the most pleasant of the islands, unknown to people, which, although once discovered, remains unvisited in the future. (“Est qua-edam Oceani insula dicta Perdita, amoenitate et fertilitate omnium rerum prae cunctis terris praestantissima, hominibus ignota. Quae aliquando casu inventa, postea quaesita non est inventa, et ideo dicitur Perdita.”) And in the 14th century, Pierre Bersuire described those in the same words as the Happy Islands.
It was believed, however, that the Lost Island should one day be found - this is evidenced by the Treaty of Evora, according to which in June 1519 Manuel of Portugal renounced his rights to the Canary Islands in favor of Spain - and the Lost, or Secret, Island was clearly indicated in this document. In 1569, Gerhard Mercator also indicated a mysterious island on his map, and in 1721, researchers looked for its traces for the last time.
St. Brendan's Island is not an island that does not exist: something was there, but then it was lost because no one managed to return there again. Therefore, he can be talked about in terms of unsatisfied desire and his story appears as an allegory for any true love story - the story of Brief Encounter, the mystical Doctor Zhivago, who lost his Lara. Desperate love is not the kind of dream love that never happens in reality (an island that never happened, like a dream for teenagers in love with love itself), but the kind of love that, having visited us once, then disappears forever.
But why were the islands lost?
Since ancient times, the navigator had no other reference points than the stars. Using instruments like an astrolabe or a quadrant, he measured the height of the star above the horizon, calculated the distance to the zenith, and knowing the deviation (declination), since this zenith distance more or less made it possible to establish the latitude, he determined what parallel it was on, that is, how far to the north or south of a known point he climbed. But, of course, to return to the island (as well as to any other place), knowledge of latitude alone is not enough - longitude is also necessary. As we know, New York and Naples are at the same latitude - but we also know that they are not in the same place. They are at different longitudes. That is, at different degrees of the meridian.
It was because of this problem that seafarers experienced a crisis until almost the very end of the 18th century. There was no reliable means of determining longitude, that is, of telling how far west or east a ship was from a known point.
This is exactly what happened (here is the famous example of the “lost islands”) with the Solomon Islands. Alvaro da Saavedra set out in search of these legendary islands, where they hoped to find the gold of the king in whose honor they were named, back in 1528, but he passed between the Marshall Islands and the Admiralty Islands; in 1568 Alvaro de Mendaña got there and gave them a name, and then no one could discover them again, including Mendaña himself, when, almost thirty years later, he set out with Pedro de Quiros to rediscover them. They moved a hair's breadth to the southeast and landed on the island of Santa Cruz.
The same thing happened later. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch founded the East India Company, created the city of Batavia in Asia as a starting point for many eastern expeditions, and reached what they called New Holland, but did not find any Solomon Islands. Likewise, other lands, probably east of the Solomon Islands, were discovered by English pirates, whom St. James's Palace did not hesitate to ennoble. But no one else could find a trace of the Solomon Islands, so for a long time they remained a legend.
Mendaña reached them, but got the longitude wrong. And even if, by God's instigation, he had marked it properly, other navigators (including himself on his second voyage) who were looking for this longitude would not know exactly what longitude they themselves were at.
The great European naval powers struggled for several centuries to discover a method that would allow them to establish the “fixed point” - the very one that Cervantes sneered at - and were ready to give huge sums of money to anyone who offered a reliable method. Sailors, scientists and madmen resorted to the most incredible tricks; there was a method based on lunar eclipses, on changes in the position of the magnetic needle, the lag method, while Galileo proposed a method based on eclipses of Jupiter's satellites, so frequent that several of them can be observed every night.
But all these methods turned out to be unsatisfactory. A truly reliable method could be as follows: take on board a watch that would show the time of a known meridian, determine noon at place X at sea and, based on the fact that the globe has been divided since ancient times into three hundred and sixty degrees of longitude and the sun passes fifteen degrees in one hour, determine from the difference between actual half a day and half a day according to the clock the longitude of place X. In other words, if the clock on board indicates that, say, it is noon in Paris, and six in the evening in place X, multiplying each hour difference by fifteen degrees , we calculate that place X is ninety degrees of longitude from the Paris meridian.
There were no difficulties with determining the time “on the spot”; but to keep on board not only an hourglass or a water clock, the functioning of which requires a flat, stationary surface, but even a mechanical clock, so that after many months of exposure among the waves and winds it would show the correct time - this remained an insoluble task, despite all the accepted measures. And not just “correct”, but extremely accurate, because a discrepancy of four seconds creates an error of a degree of longitude.
The chronicles of that time spoke of another remedy - sympathetic powder. Sympathetic powder was a miraculous compound that, when placed on a blade that caused a wound, affected (almost at the atomic level) the blood particles in the wound, even if the wound and the blade were at a great distance from each other. Such a powder, if applied to a wound from time to time, was supposed to heal, but as an initial reaction it could cause irritation and pain.
Therefore, it was decided to inflict a wound on the dog, take him on board the ship setting off on a voyage, and treat the blade with a miraculous powder every day at a certain hour. The dog would yelp in pain - and so on board it would be possible to find out what time it is now at the place of departure.
I dealt with this story in my “The Island of the Day Before”. Let me quote here a fragment from the novel: after all, in such uncertain matters, my text is, in essence, the only document that allows us to imagine how it all happened:
One fine morning, taking advantage of the fact that the sailor fell from the top and cracked his skull and there was turmoil at the waist, and the doctors were hastily called to treat the victim, Robert managed to slide into the hold, ahead of Byrd. Almost by touch he found the right path. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe the unknown beast moaned louder than usual that very morning. Around the sternpost, there, as far as Robert observed and as far as a man who knew what Robert knew could guess, the dog had been wounded in London and Byrd was making every effort to ensure that his ulcer remained unhealed. In London, every day, at a certain agreed upon hour, someone did something either with a weapon that struck a blow, or with a rag soaked in blood, causing the animal, perhaps, relief, or perhaps extreme anxiety, because Dr. Bird once then he told Robert that the blade ointment, “Weapon Salve,” can be not only useful, but also harmful.
Thanks to this, the Amaryllid learned when a certain hour arrived in Europe. Knowing the time at the ship's location, they could determine the longitude!
Although the story of the dog is fantastic, in the same novel I brought to the stage a device suggested by Galileo in his letter of 1637 (to Lorenzo Realio). It seemed to Galileo that longitude could be determined by observing the positions of Jupiter's satellites. But the same problem arises: on a ship rocking among the waves, it is difficult to point the telescope with the required accuracy. To solve it, Galileo offers an incredible way. To appreciate its ludicrousness, there is no need to specifically emphasize the comic component, as in my text. It is enough just to read Galileo.
As for the first difficulty, there is no doubt that the difficulty is the greatest, but which, I think, can be overcome. Namely: minor vibrations of the vessel; Moreover, here we are not talking about strong waves and storms, which for the most part not only obscure the face of the sun, but also other stars, making observations completely impossible, as well as other nautical activities. But as for minor fluctuations, I believe it is possible to reduce their impact on the one who is entrusted with the duty of making observations, and to bring his position to a favorable one and in all respects similar to what happens when the sea is calm and clear. In order to achieve this advantageous position, I propose to place the observer in a specially prepared place on the ship, which does not only tolerate vibrations from bow to stern, but also from side to side - and this is what my reasoning is based on. If the ship itself always remained in calm waters, without hesitating at all, then observation through a telescope would be no more difficult than on the terra firma. So, I want to establish observations in a small vessel placed in a large vessel, which small vessel will contain the amount of water required for what will be discussed below. First of all, let us assume that the water contained in a small vessel, even if the large vessel tilts or straightens to the right or left, forward or backward, always remains in equilibrium, not rising or falling in any of its parts, but always remains parallel horizon; so that if in this small vessel we place another, smallest one, floating in the contained water, we will find ourselves, as it were, in a calm sea, consequently free from all fluctuations; and this second, smallest vessel is the place where the observer should be placed. It is necessary, first of all, that the first vessel for water should be like a large basin of a hemispherical shape and that the second vessel should be similar to the first, only smaller, so that between its convexity and the concavity of the vessel containing it, there remains a gap no more than the size of a thumb; in this case, the smallest amount of water will be enough to support the inner vessel in the same way as if it were placed on the expanse of the ocean.<…>The size of these vessels must be such that the inner and smaller vessel can withstand, without the risk of drowning, the weight of the person appointed to carry out the observations, along with the seat and other devices necessary for telescopic observation. And since the contained vessel is always separated from the surface of the containing vessel, never touching it, and since it must not be shaken while the containing vessel is oscillating with the vessel, it is also desirable that on the inner concave surface of the containing vessel several springs should be placed, a total of eight or ten, which would prevent the two vessels from touching, but would not deprive the inner vessel of the possibility of being raised and lowered relative to the edges of the containing vessel; and if instead of water we pour in olive oil, it will serve much better, but you won’t need much of it, two or at most three barrels will be enough<…>
I have already prepared in rough form for use on our galleys a certain casing in the shape of a helmet, which, if placed on the observer's head and attached to it, is a telescope, fixed in such a way that it is always directed to the same place where the free eye is directed, and the object seen by the free eye would always be within the range of vision of the telescope. Such a machine could be improved so that it covers not only the head, but also the shoulders and chest of the beholder, remaining motionless, so that a telescope of a size suitable for properly distinguishing the stars of Jupiter could be inserted into it.
With all due respect to Galileo, no one dared to finance his extraordinary invention, and although there was no shortage of inventors of unusual methods for determining longitude, to solve the problem, we had to wait for the invention of Harrison's marine chronometer, or more precisely, the beginning of its practical application in the 70s of the XVIII century. century. From now on, even in a storm, the clock could accurately indicate the time of the departure point. Until that moment, the islands were lost - in the most fatal way.
Until then, the history of Pacific exploration had been a history of people discovering something other than what they were looking for. For example, Tasman in 1643, looking for the Solomon Islands, first arrived in Tasmania (by the way, 42 degrees to the south, note in parentheses), visited New Zealand, passed through the Tonga islands, and without landing, looked around Fiji, where he saw only a few small islands , and moved towards New Guinea, not noticing that within the wide arc he described, Australia remained, as if it did not exist at all. He moved like a billiard ball along the sides, and after him for many years, sailors found themselves two steps away from Australia, without noticing it.
In general, it was a feverish wandering between islets, coral reefs and continents without any idea of \u200b\u200bthe map - the map that we, poor fellows, could have given them after Cook - but at that time they, in essence, were all in the situation of Captain Bligh, who was sailing in a boat towards the Moluccas, and the main thing was again not to collide with the Bounty.
But the islands were lost even after the longitude problem was solved. This can be seen in the wanderings of Corto Maltese and Rasputin in The Ballad of the Salty Sea. The characters in this graphic novel read. At a certain moment, Pandora “enters the stage”, thoughtfully leaning on the complete collection of Melville, Kane reads Coleridge, the author of another ballad - about the Ancient Mariner, which she, curiously, finds on a German submarine under the command of Schlutter, and he leaves on Escondida on at his death also volumes of Rilke and Shelley. And finally, Kane quotes Euripides at the very end.
And even such an inveterate scoundrel as Rasputin reads at the very beginning “Voayage autour du monde par la fr?gate du rois La Boudeuse et la Fl?te L’Etoile.” I can testify that this is not the first edition of 1771, because there was no author's name on the title page and the text was not laid out in three columns.
The book is opened approximately halfway, and at this point - at least in the original edition, which had the same format - is the beginning of Chapter V, which bears the title: “Navigation depuis les grandes Cyclades; decouverte du golfe de la Louisiade... Rel?che... la nouvelle Bretagne.” Having taken measurements using the 1913 technique, Rasputin should have known that he was (as shown on the map provided by Pratt) at the 155th degree of the western meridian, but, trusting Bougainville, he may decide that he was on the problematic 180th meridian, on the date line. On the other hand, Bougainville speaks of “Isles Salomon dont l’existence et la position sont douteuses.”
When a Dutch merchant ship meets Rasputin's catamaran, the first thing both the officers and the sailor from Fiji notice is that this boat, being Fijian, has sailed quite far: it is more common to meet Fijians much further southeast. And, as we will see later, they will also have to move there, because far to the southeast lies Monk's Island.
Explain to me why Cortot should meet Schlutter's submarine under the western tip of New Pomerania, that is, on the way to the west, if he set off from the Empress Islands, while the submarine's target was Escondida, and Escondida Monk (19 degrees south latitude and 169 degrees West) should be south of the Solomon Islands and west of Fiji? One of the officers of the German submarine, which is heading towards New Guinea on the way to Escondida, says (literally): “Soon we will reach Escondida” (while it is at least 20 degrees along the meridian) - probably he dreams of being caught in the net of Rasputin, who is shifting the boundaries of space. But in general, Rasputin, or Pratt, or both of them are also trying to shift the limits of time.
Kane and Pandora were captured by Rasputin on November 1, 1913, but they all end up on Escondida after August 4, 1914 (the Monk tells them that the war began on this day), by and large: somewhere in September - the last ten days of October, when The British appear. Two pages of Coleridge, two discussions with Schlutter - and a year passed, during which the submarine scoured in incomprehensible ways, with incomprehensible carelessness, as if trying to repeat the mistakes of the 18th century buccaneers, the Ancient Mariner and Captain Ahab.
All the characters in "The Ballad..." move, as in the times of Bougainville, if not Medagna - they travel through an archipelago of uncertainty.
This is the charm of the islands - that they get lost. Woe to the one who finds it immediately, as if sailing on a miserable ferry that goes from Civitavecchia to Sardinia. The eternal charm of the islands will forever remain as Guido Gozzano sang it:
But there is no land more beautiful than the Undiscovered Island, -
to the Spanish ruler from kindred bounties
a neighboring lord's famous gift,
sealed by a papal bull on such and such a day and year.
The Infant soon set sail for an unknown kingdom,
he saw Fortunata, he saw every island
checked in Sargasso, and also in the Dismal Sea,
but, alas, I could not find the Portuguese gift.
The pot-bellied frigates vainly fastened the gear,
in vain the caravels sought after the mystery:
the Portuguese were looking for - happiness did not smile,
The Spaniards searched - no island and no.
But between Tenerife and Palma at times
it appears, surrounded by a mysterious haze.
"How? Undiscovered Island? Yes, here he is, in front of you,”
a guide shows it from the top of Teide.
It is on old maps, it was familiar to the corsairs...
How? Undiscovered Island?.. What? Pilgrim Island?..
He doesn’t stand still – and it’s not without reason that the sailors
they do not know in advance where they will meet him.
Scent yourself like a noble lady,
he gives it away. He is nearby, given by fate...
And suddenly he disappears - beautiful, incomprehensible,
no longer distinguishable from the distance blue.
I don't think Gozzano had any 18th-century sailing charts at hand, but this very idea of an island that "disappears - beautiful, incomprehensible, blue no longer distinguishable from the distance" makes us think about the times before the decision problems of longitude, when, in order to recognize the island, it was necessary to turn to drawings that captured its outlines as they were seen for the first time. The island approaching from afar (the shape of which was not shown on any map) was recognizable due to its silhouette, the “skyline”, as we now say in relation to American cities. And what if the silhouettes of the two islands turned out to be very similar, like the skylines of two cities, each with its own Empire State Building and (had) its own Twin Towers at the southern tip? You would land on this island, mistaking it for another, and who knows how many times this actually happened.
After all, the island silhouette changes depending on the color of the sky, the density of the fog, the time of day, and even the season, which changes the density of the green cover. Sometimes the island, painted in blue tones from a distance, can disappear into the night or in the haze, low clouds can envelop the outlines of the mountains. There is nothing more elusive than an island known only by its silhouette. Getting to an uncharted island whose coordinates you don’t have is like moving, like Abbott’s character, through some kind of flat Flatland, in which objects are visible only from the front, in the form of lines without thickness, that is, without height and without depth , - not to mention the fact that only a creature that goes beyond the boundaries of the flat world invented by Abbott is able to look at it from above.
And indeed: they said that the inhabitants of the islands of Madeira, Palma, Gomera and Hierro, confused by the fog or the ghosts of Fata Morgana, sometimes saw a “lost island” - in the west, between heaven and earth.
In the same way, an island that does not exist could nestle between the glare of the waves, or you could confuse two islands that exist and never meet the one you wanted to find.
This is how islands get lost.
And that's why they are never found. As Pliny said (II, 96), some islands always wander from place to place.
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There are many mysterious secrets about treasures, especially those lost at sea during shipwrecks. Many people dream of finding treasure, whether they believe in it or not. Most of the legendary treasures are associated with pirates whose ships were wrecked during battles or strong storms. How many sunken ships are there that contain enormous wealth? The imagination paints endless pictures of incredible treasures, and many enthusiasts actually spend a lot of time searching for them. Some claim that these are just fairy tales and legends, but others truly believe that there are chests of gold waiting in the wings at the bottom of the ocean. Luckily, there are plenty of people willing to help unearth the biggest mysteries on the planet. This collection contains a list of 10 legendary ocean treasures that have not yet been discovered.
Blackbeard's Treasures
In 1966, off the coast of North Carolina, archaeologists discovered the remains of a shipwreck, linking it with the ship of the famous pirate nicknamed Blackbeard. But the catch is that not a single ounce of treasure was found anywhere around the ship. Blackbeard is the most notorious of all pirates, amassing vast amounts of gold and other riches. Many speculate that the treasure still lies somewhere off the coast of the Carolinas, but it is very difficult to determine its location. Even Beard himself once said that “only me and the devil know” where it is. According to rough estimates, the value of gold could be about $2.5 million.
Fortune by Jean Lafitte
French pirate Jean Lafitte made his fortune by attacking merchant ships in the Gulf of Mexico and then selling the stolen goods in one of the many ports he owned. Lafitte's accomplice was his brother Pierre. These two were so good at theft and robbery that they accumulated a lot of wealth and jewelry. As a result, the brothers had to hide their treasures somewhere, which gave rise to many secrets and legends. They had over 50 ships under their command, suggesting just how large the fortune was. After Lafitte's death in 1830, legends about his treasures began to spread throughout the world. It was said that part of his treasure was buried in “Lake Bourne,” on the coast of New Orleans. Another was said to be a possible site about three miles east of the “Old Spanish Trail,” on the Sabine River. To date, no one has discovered the wealth, estimated at approximately $2 million.
Captain Kidd's Wealth
Late 17th century pirate William "Captain" Kyd is the origin of many myths about lost treasure. Kyd began plundering in 1698, attacking ships and amassing great wealth. But when he himself began to be hunted, Kidd decided to protect his treasures and began hiding them on various North American islands. Captain Kidd was eventually captured and hanged, with his treasure still buried in an unknown location. To add some reality to this myth, in the 1920s, four treasure maps hidden by “Captain” Kidd were found in pieces of furniture believed to have belonged to him.
Oak Island Money Pit
The Money Pit, located in Nova Scotia, Canada, has spawned one of the longest running treasure hunts in the world. For hundreds of years, hunters have come to Nova Scotia to try to find the treasure, only to return empty-handed. In 1795, teenager Daniel McGinnis found a strange place on Oak Island where all the trees had been uprooted. Interested, he began excavation work in secret from the rest of the treasure seekers. He managed to find a message with an encrypted message that two million pounds were buried in this place, at a depth of 40 feet. Unfortunately, due to many obstacles and strong water flows, no treasure was found. There are several popular theories that are associated with the “Money Pit”: The pit contains pirate treasures, or the missing priceless jewels of Marie Antoinette. There is also a theory that English professor Francis Bacon used the pit to hide documents proving that he was the author of Shakespeare's plays.
Treasures of Lima
During the Peruvian revolt against Spain in 1820, the captain of a large British ship was tasked with delivering treasure that belonged to the city of Lima. The cargo was estimated to be worth $60 million and included two life-size statues of the Holy Virgin, made in solid gold, and 273 bejeweled swords and candlesticks. Captain Thomas was quite greedy and killed all the passengers, after which he sailed to Cocos Island and hid the treasure in a cave, hoping to keep it all for himself. On his deathbed, he spoke a little about the location of his treasure, which had never been found.
Treasures of John the Landless
In 1216 King John the Landless, also known as “The Bad,” was heading to Lynn in Norfolk. Along the way he contracted dysentery and decided that he must return to his Newark Castle. He decided to follow the route around Walsh, with its dangerous mud traps and swamps. King John and his soldiers were making their way through the marshes with carts full of his royal regalia when they fell into a deadly swamp. Carts full of an estimated $70 million worth of treasure, including jewelry, gold cups, swords and coins, were lost and never found.
Nuestra Señora de Atocha
In 1622, the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha was returning to Spain, full of gold, precious stones and rare silver, when it was overtaken by a hurricane. The impact of the storm was so severe that the galleon was thrown onto a coral reef and it instantly sank under the weight of the treasure. An immediate attempt was made to salvage the treasure, which included 17 tons of silver bars, 27 kilograms of emeralds, 35 boxes of gold and 128,000 coins. Other ships were sent to the place where Nuestra Señora de Atocha sank. Unfortunately, a second hurricane struck and ruined any attempts to salvage the treasure. The crash site was never found again, until recently. In 1985, treasure hunter Mel Fisher found part of the $500 million treasure less than 100 miles off the coast of Key West. However, experts believe that approximately $200 million worth of treasure still lies somewhere at the bottom.
Legend of the Golden Man
There has long been a myth surrounding Lake Guatavita in the Colombian Andes. It spoke of Inca gold hidden at the bottom. The most popular theory is that the Golden Man, known as “El Dorado,” once dove into a sacred lake and his followers brought gold and jewelry there as a show of devotion. As a result, many visited the area in attempts to discover the treasure. Since the arrival of the Spaniards in 1536, 100 kilograms of gold artifacts have been mined from the muddy bottom of Lake Guatavita. In 1968, a gold bar was discovered in a cave, once again resurrecting the legend of El Dorado, or the “Golden Man.”
Treasures of San Miguel
In 1715, Spain assembled a fleet of ships filled to the brim with pearls, silver, gold and jewelry worth an estimated $2 billion. The ships were sent from Cuba just before hurricane season to prevent attempted hijacking by pirates. This turned out to be a bad idea, as the entire fleet of 11 ships was sunk just six days after setting sail. As a result, $2 billion is still buried at the bottom of the sea. After this catastrophic event, 7 of the ships were discovered, but only a small amount of valuable treasure was recovered. It is believed that the Treasure of San Miguel may be near the eastern shores of Florida.
Gold Flor de Mar
A 400-ton Portuguese ship called Flor De Mar (Flower of the Sea) was caught by surprise in a violent storm in 1511. She was shipwrecked on the reefs of Sumatra, split in two, and all the treasure was lost at sea. The story goes that Flor De Mar was carrying around 60 tons of gold, which is the largest treasure ever collected in the history of the Portuguese navy. It's no surprise that Flor De Mar has become one of the most wanted treasures in history.
The 20-year-old commander of a torpedo squad from the Sverdlovsk region posthumously received the Order of Courage.
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A AAlevtina Nefedkova has a small test tube in her hands. It contains water from the Barents Sea. The blue label states the exact location of the pick-up: “69 degrees 40 minutes north latitude and 37 degrees 35 minutes east longitude.” It was there exactly 15 years ago that the Kursk submarine sank. It was there that Alevtina Leonidovna lost her only son, Ivan.
There is no grave, nothing,” the sailor’s mother sighs bitterly. - The parents of the other boys who died on the Kursk remember their children at their graves, but we cannot. Vanya's body was never found.
Alevtina Leonidovna carefully returns the test tube with water to the shelf with other relics. Here, under the Russian tricolor and St. Andrew's flag, rests the uniform of a Northern Fleet sailor. A 20-year-old commander of a torpedo squad looks at us from a framed photograph, and next to him lies the Order of Courage, which he was awarded posthumously. This is only a small part of what remains of Alevtina Nefedkova’s son.
“I’LL SERVE, AND THEN I’LL FINISH STUDY”
In the 90s, Ivan Nefedkov lived with his mother, stepfather and younger sister in the village of Krasnaya Gora near Verkhoturye. He loved his native land, but always dreamed of moving to a big city. Not only because of my own ambitions. I had to teach my sister and help my parents. It was easier to do this from the city.
He sometimes asked: “Mom, why did you go so far?”, and I didn’t know what to answer,” recalls Alevtina Nefedkova. - As a result, in 1996 he went to Yekaterinburg to study. I passed all the standards and entered the sports college. True, my son was not able to study there. Life in Yekaterinburg turned out to be too expensive for a poor student, and Vanya took the documents.
Then Nefedkov tried to find himself in art. He moved to the village of Bobrovka, where he entered art school.
Vanya was a comprehensively developed person. He carved wood beautifully and drew very well,” recalls Alevtina Nefedkova with a smile. - But he didn’t finish his studies again. There was no money, I had to constantly walk to school. Tired. I decided: “First I’ll serve, and then I’ll finish my studies.” We dreamed of our son serving in the navy. I told him: “Vanya, put on a cap, wide trousers and go. All the girls will look around at how handsome the guy is.”
I DECIDED TO GET MARRIED IN ST. PETERSBURG
In the apartment on the outskirts of Yekaterinburg, where Ivan Nefedkov’s family now lives, almost every wall reminds of him. Photographs of the Kursk submarine are replaced by a collage with portraits of dead sailors. And behind him come the paintings that Ivan painted before joining the army. Among them, the portrait of Kate Winslet from the film “Titanic” stands out. Ivan sent another drawing of her to his mother after returning from service.
My son really loved the movie Titanic. In general, if he liked something, he would immediately sit down and draw,” recalls the sailor’s mother.
You are once again convinced of this when you look at the mountain of letters that Ivan sent home. On one envelope, a white shark bites the stamp, on the other, a submarine emerges under the index. The letters themselves were also not left without illustrations: temples, Christmas tree decorations and a self-portrait made over a copy of the text of the soldier’s oath.
From the collection point in Yegorshino, Vanya ended up in a training unit in St. Petersburg. There he met his cousin Anton. We served together. Vanya wrote to us every week. Letters from the post office were brought in whole piles. He told us what a galley, gangway, deck, latrine were... We villagers didn’t know anything,” recalls Alevtina Nefedkova. - Once on Maslenitsa he was given a dismissal. Vanya and his friends went to the city for holiday festivities, climbed onto a pole and took all the prizes from it that they could. He liked it in St. Petersburg. And one day he made me happy: “Mom, there are so many girls here! Everyone is so beautiful, it’s amazing! I'll probably get married." I told him: “Wait, you’ll have time”...
MILITARY ID SMELLS OF THE SEA
Ivan Nefedkov told about everything in letters. I just didn’t have time to report that after the training he was sent to serve on the Kursk submarine. On August 10, 2000, the ship set off for exercises. A team of 118 people was supposed to attack a detachment of warships with a training torpedo. In addition, it was necessary to launch a cruise missile. In total, the submarine carried 24 cruise missiles and 24 torpedoes.
The exercises started successfully. But on August 12, at 11.28, the hydroacoustic on the cruiser "Peter the Great" heard a pop coming from under the water - after which the "Kursk" stopped communicating.
I learned about Vanya’s death, like everyone else, from the news on TV. The announcer named his son's name among the dead. But I didn’t even suspect that he was serving on the Kursk! - says Alevtina Nefedkova. - Somehow I managed to get on the phone with Vanya’s cousin, Anton. He said that they both wanted to go on a submarine. But only Ivan was taken. I kept thinking, should I go or not go to the Murmansk region? I wanted to rush there right away, but there was no money. This is such a distance - consider it the edge of the world! I was wondering how I would get from my village to Vidyaevo (the base of the Russian Northern Fleet - Ed.)? We had to wait until November. Only when the military registration and enlistment office transferred a small amount of money did I go. The other parents and I were taken in a crowd around the barracks. All the beds that our children had previously occupied were made, and each one had a uniform on it. I asked to take one home. They also gave me the military ID that my son had on the Kursk. Only he was found. It smells like the sea.
According to the official version, the Kursk submarine sank due to an explosion in torpedo tube No. 4. It was caused by a leak of one of the fuel components. The fire that followed led to the detonation of ammunition in the first compartment - exactly where Ivan Nefedkov was located.
I PUT A MONUMENT TO MYSELF
A couple of years after the tragedy, the Northern Fleet allocated a three-room apartment in Yekaterinburg to the family of the deceased sailor. His younger sister has already grown up, trained as a lawyer and now works in her specialty. And Ivan also gave birth to a niece.
The child has grown up, looks at Vanya’s photographs, and asks who is this? I start to explain. And then she asks: “Do you feel sorry for him?” - Alevtina Nefedkova sighs. - Life goes on. We remember and we live. Before joining the army, my son installed new gates at our house in his native village. He was businesslike. He could do everything. It turns out that he erected a monument to himself.
Paradoxically, high art gives rise not only to admiration for beauty, but also to greed. The cost of the creations of great masters is estimated at millions of dollars, which is why they disappear with enviable regularity. Some valuable exhibits can be found and returned to museums and private collections. Many are still listed as missing, and substantial rewards have been promised for information about them. Here are 10 missing works of art that would make you fabulously rich, if only you knew where to find them.
"Charing Cross Bridge, London", Claude Monet
The painting was stolen in the fall of 2012. One of the thieves convicted of theft claimed that he burned it in his mother's oven. However, no convincing evidence confirming the words of the criminal was ever found, and the famous painting by Monet is still considered missing.
8 Faberge eggs
Carl Fabergé's firm produced 52 eggs for the Russian imperial court. The art objects once belonged to Alexander III and Nicholas II. In 1918, when the reign of the Romanov dynasty came to an end and its last representatives were killed, the collection of Faberge eggs was confiscated. However, 8 of them disappeared without a trace. The loss of valuable jewelry, of course, did not go unnoticed. Now each missing Faberge egg is valued at more than $1 million.
"Christ during a storm on the Sea of Galilee", Rembrandt
The famous Dutch artist's only seascape painting was stolen in 1990. In 2013, FBI officials believed they had identified her abductors. However, the location of the painting has not yet been determined. Anyone with information about the painting will receive a reward of $5 million.
"The Righteous Judges", Jan van Eyck
The “Righteous Judges” panel was part of the famous “Ghent Altarpiece”. In 1934 she was kidnapped. One of the residents of Ghent confessed to its theft, but he was dying and refused to reveal the secret of its whereabouts. The kidnapper said that he would take her with him to the grave. The thief probably did just that. There are suggestions that the sash was destroyed, but the search for it continues to this day.
"Concert", Jan Vermeer
The reason for the disappearance of Vermeer's painting was the same theft that forever hid van Eyck's "Righteous Judges" from human eyes. The canvas costs approximately $200 million. That's probably why it was stolen.
"Girl at the Open Window", Paul Gauguin
The painting, painted by Gauguin in 1888, was stolen in Rotterdam in 2012. In addition to her, the thieves took with them 6 more paintings with a total value of 18 million euros. Although the two men responsible for the theft were caught, the 7 paintings they stole have still not been found.
"Dove with Green Peas", Pablo Picasso
All the creations of the Spanish artist are valued extremely highly, which is why they become objects of attention for thieves. “Dove with Green Peas” was among 5 Picasso paintings stolen in 2010 from the Paris Museum of Modern Art. The total value of the missing works by Picasso was 100 million euros. The thief was caught. During interrogation, he claimed that he threw the paintings in the trash because he panicked. A very dubious story. Perhaps that is why the paintings are still listed as missing.
Stradivarius violin
Like Picasso's works, Stradivari's instruments are very expensive. Thus, a violin made by a master in 1727 and stolen in 1995 is valued at $3 million. Where she is is still unknown, and this is an extremely depressing fact. After all, there are only 650 original Stradivarius instruments left in the world.
"The Congregation Leaves the Reform Church in Newnen" and "View of the Sea at Scheveningen", Vincent Van Gogh
Both paintings were stolen in 2002. Now their total value is about 30 million euros. Of course, for information about the paintings of the great artist, the Amsterdam Vincent Van Gogh Museum offered an impressive sum. If you had information about them, you would be 100 thousand euros richer. 
However, at the beginning of 2017, information appeared in the media that the paintings, among other valuables, were found in a mafia hideout in Naples. It is not yet known when they will return to Holland.
Treasures are not only for pirates. Perhaps these stories of undiscovered riches will inspire you to launch your own expedition to find treasures that have not yet been found. But they exist!
? 2000 year old menorah
Almost 1950 years ago, in 70 AD, the Romans sacked the Temple of Jerusalem and made off with a valuable menorah. They brought it to Rome because the menorah is depicted on the Triumphal Arch of Titus. It is believed that it was installed in the Roman Temple of Peace, which burned down in 191, after which the fate of the relic is no longer known.
? Imperial Seal of China
The Imperial Seal, also known as the Hereditary Seal of the Throne, was made of jade in 221 BC. It passed from dynasty to dynasty until the 10th century AD, and then information about it disappeared.
? Royal Jewels of England
King John (13th century) was so despised by people that since then no monarch has given this name to his heirs. After the signing of Magna Carta, John fled from his enemies, taking with him the crown jewels of England. On the way, the king fell ill and his luggage was lost. It is possible that the jewelry drowned in the waters of the Wash.
? Scepter of Dagobert
The scepter was made of solid gold in the 7th century and was intended for the coronation of King Dagobert. Until 1795, the scepter was kept in the Basilica of Saint-Denis, and then disappeared without a trace.
? Florentine diamond
The Medici family's large yellow diamond originally came from India and was rumored to be 137.27 carats. At the end of the 17th century, when the last of the Medicis died, the Florentine diamond began to belong to the imperial family of Austria. At that time it was valued at $750 thousand. During World War I, the family took the diamond with them into exile in Switzerland. Since then his whereabouts have been unknown.
? Treasure of San Miguel
The San Miguel was a Spanish ship carrying precious metals and stones that the Spanish king hoped to sell to finance his war of succession. In 1715, a ship with cargo sank near Cuba, and its cargo continues to be searched to this day.
? Thomas Bale code
In 1816, Thomas Bale and his companions stumbled upon a large amount of gold and silver while fishing in the Rocky Mountains. They carefully hid the treasure, and Bale wrote an alphabetic code hinting where exactly it could be found. He then put the letter in a box and gave it to the owner of a hotel in Virginia. Bail never returned for it, and so far no one can decipher the note.
? Lost Gold Mine
Back in the 1840s, prospectors found a gold mine in the Superstition Mountains (Arizona). Its location was soon lost, and only several decades later the mine was allegedly found by German immigrant Jacob Waltz. It is said that on his deathbed he described the route to the mine to his neighbor, however, it was never found.
? Confederate Gold
After the end of the Civil War in 1865, millions of dollars in gold were found to be missing and have been the subject of speculation by historians and treasure hunters ever since. Some believe that the Confederates hid part of the treasury, awaiting the revival of the South. And others put forward the theory that part of the treasure - about 140 million dollars - lies at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
? Faberge eggs
Beginning in 1885, the Russian Tsar presented family members with precious eggs made by the jeweler Faberge. There were 50 eggs in total, all of which were confiscated by the new government in 1917. However, seven eggs literally disappeared into thin air. By the way, in 2012, one of them was discovered by an American scrap metal dealer standing on a shelf in his home.
? Leon Trabuco's Gold
In the early 1930s, Mexican millionaire Leon Trabuco organized several mysterious flights into the New Mexico desert. There were rumors that he and his partners hid gold there. Soon they all passed away under mysterious circumstances, and the secret of the hidden gold died with them.
? Royal box
This large wooden box contained 73 precious relics that once belonged to Polish monarchs. At the beginning of World War II, the box was taken to the city of Siniawa in southeastern Poland and hidden. Since then, neither the box nor its contents have ever been seen again.
? The Lost Treasure of Forrest Fenn
In 1988, Vietnam veteran and treasure hunter Forrest Fenn was dying of cancer, so he put all his wealth in a chest, intending to hide it somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. He defeated the disease, and then published a poem containing all the keys necessary to discover the chest. Fenn, now 87, estimates that about 65,000 people have already been to the mountains, but no one has yet found anything.
