a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, so called from the Spanish Galapago, a land tortoise, from their abounding in that animal. They consist of six principal and seven smaller islands, lying between 1° N. and 2° S. Lat., and between 89° and 92° W. Long., about 700 miles from the continent of South America. The largest, Albermarle Island, is 60 miles in length, by about 15 in breadth. The highest part is 4000 feet above the sea. They are all of volcanic origin, and along their shores black dismal-looking heaps of broken lava everywhere meet the eye. In many places the lava cliffs are very high, while close to them the water is so deep that a ship cannot anchor even in a calm. In the interior are some valleys and plains of moderate extent and of great fertility. The land tortoises, called the great elephant tortoises, their feet being like those of a small elephant, are numerous, and grow to a great size, frequently weighing several hundred pounds. A small colony has been established on Charles Island, in a plain about 1000 feet above the sea. They cultivate bananas, sugar canes, sweet potatoes and Indian corn, and supply with these articles the whalers who resort to the island. The climate is healthy and the heat moderate, considering the geographical position of these islands.