Records in Spanish, German, Japanese, French, Russian and Latin, each excerpt shown in the original beside an English translation, with the fact it settles.
The team reached Spanish, German, Japanese, French, Russian and Latin sources, mainly through national archives, digitized books and Japan’s JACAR. They settle the 1922 start of civilian Japanese rule, the 1899 treaty, and the Pope’s 1885 role as mediator. They also correct details of the Pohnpei–Spain wars and the Sokehs sentences, and every translation is the research team’s unless marked.
Spanish
22 quoted passages
Original, in SpanishEnglish translation
The 1885 crisis and the Rome protocol
Gaceta de Madrid, no. 10, “Protocolo entre España y Alemania sobre las Carolinas y Palaos,” 10 January 1886, pp. 77–78, BOE PDF
ES
«PROPOSICIÓN HECHA POR SU SANTIDAD EL PAPA LEÓN XIII, COMO MEDIADOR»
“Proposal made by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII, as mediator.”
«Se afirma la soberanía de España sobre las islas Carolinas y Palaos.»
“Spain’s sovereignty over the Caroline and Palau islands is affirmed.”
«El Gobierno alemán reconoce la prioridad de la ocupación española de las islas denominadas Carolinas y Palaos»
“The German Government recognises the priority of the Spanish occupation of the islands called the Carolines and Palaus.”
«Hecho en Roma á 17 de Diciembre de 1885.»
“Done at Rome, 17 December 1885.”
What it settles: Leo XIII acted as mediator, not arbitrator. His proposal is dated 22 October 1885 in the section heading, and the protocol was signed in Rome on 17 December 1885. Its limits ran from the Equator to 11° N and from 133° to 164° E.
«El 21 de agosto y el 22, respectivamente, llegaron a Puerto Tomil (actual Yap) el San Quintín y el Manila.» … «fondeó el día 25, a las 5:20 de la tarde, el Iltis.»
“On 21 August and the 22nd, respectively, the San Quintín and the Manila arrived at Port Tomil (present-day Yap) … the Iltis anchored on the 25th, at 5:20 in the afternoon.”
What it settles: the arrival sequence supports 25 August 1885 for the German flag on Yap, not 2 August. This page gives no crowd size for the Madrid protests, so the “over 30,000” figure still rests on English Wikipedia.
Ambrosio de Valencina, Mi viaje a Oceanía (Sevilla, 1917 ed.), Internet Archive OCR
ES
«el día de San Pedro del mismo Junio de 1886»
“on Saint Peter’s day of that same June 1886.”
What it settles: Capuchins reached Yap on 29 June 1886. That is the same date the doc gives for Yap’s first Spanish governor, and MicSem agrees (MicSem).
Francisco J. de Moya, Nuestro ejército en las Carolinas, Memorial de Artillería (Madrid, 1891), Internet Archive OCR
ES
«que si el Gobernador era Gobernador, ellos eran allí los reyes, que podían más»
“that if the Governor was Governor, they were the kings there, who held more power.”
«sólo con 12 hombres, se batió cuerpo á cuerpo»
“with only 12 men, [he] fought hand to hand.”
«el bravo capitán Posadillo, herido mortalmente en el pecho con cuatro balazos … sucumbiendo al fin á los golpes de maza de los infieles»
“the brave captain Posadillo, mortally wounded in the chest by four bullets … finally succumbing to the club blows of the infidels.”
What it settles: the strike began on 30 June 1887 and alférez Martínez led 24 men toward Sokehs. Moya says 12 punishment-battalion soldiers went over to the attackers. He puts Posadillo’s death at dawn on 5 July, a day later than other sources.
Fernando González de Canales, “Un inexplicable (y subsanable) olvido,” Madrid, 2002, pp. 2–3, PDF
ES
«Dile a quien te manda, que si él es gobernador de la colonia yo soy [rey]…»
“Tell whoever sends you that if he is governor of the colony, I am [king]…”
What it settles: this Navy biography names the governor “Isidoro Posadillo y Posadillo,” not “Isidro.” It dates his death to the night of 3–4 July 1887. Its “1 September 1887” relief date is likely a mix-up with the 1890 expedition.
Santiago Cabello Berdún, “Las guerras Kanakas: Fin de la Oceanía española,” Guerra Colonial 13 (2023), pp. 52–66, PDF
ES
«El 31 de octubre, con intención de hacer un alarde [de] fuerza entre los nativos, regresó el San Quintín»
“On 31 October, intending to make a show of force among the natives, the San Quintín returned.”
What it settles: the 1887 relief came on 31 October, with new governor Luis Cadarso. This matches MicSem’s “end of October” (MicSem). Cabello calls the governor “José Posadillo,” a third variant; “Isidoro” has two sources and is better supported.
Queen Regent’s speech opening the Cortes, 1 December 1887, reprinted in Boletín Oficial de la Provincia de las Baleares, 8 December 1887, Prensa Histórica
ES
«para hacer respetar nuestra bandera en la isla de Ponapé»
“to make our flag respected on the island of Ponapé.”
What it settles: Spain’s crown treated the 1887 Pohnpei defeat as a national matter within months.
Cabello Berdún (2023), section “Segundo enfrentamiento,” PDF
ES
«El 25 de junio, rebeldes bajo las órdenes de los líderes tribales Krown Chapalap y Tok Herú de los Metalanim…»
“On 25 June, rebels under the orders of the tribal leaders Krown Chapalap and Tok Herú of the Metalanim [Madolenihmw]…”
«Después de tres años, desde 1887 a 1890, las revueltas kanakas habían causado 118 muertos y 87 heridos»
“After three years, from 1887 to 1890, the Kanaka revolts had caused 118 dead and 87 wounded.”
What it settles: the Ohwa attack fell on 25 June 1890 and killed 34 by Cabello’s itemized count. The 118 dead cover 1887–1890 together, not 1890 alone. Cabello also gives the cost as 14,110.82 pesos, with no period stated, against MicSem’s “nearly 200,000 pesos.”
«El teniente Porras, que mandaba el destacamento, y 27 individuos más de tropa, fueron sorprendidos … y asesinados bárbaramente por la tribu de Metalanim.»
“Lieutenant Porras, who commanded the detachment, and 27 more enlisted men were surprised … and barbarously murdered by the Metalanim tribe.”
«al mando del coronel de infantería don Isidro Pérez de Soto» … «El 1.º de septiembre llegaba la expedición á la isla de Ponapé»
“under the command of infantry colonel Don Isidro Pérez de Soto … On 1 September the expedition arrived at the island of Ponapé.”
What it settles: Moya counts 28 dead at Ohwa, against Cabello’s 34 and Habele’s 33. The “1 September” arrival belongs to the 1890 relief, not 1887. Moya’s colonel is “Pérez de Soto,” while most literature says Gutiérrez Soto.
Cabello Berdún (2023), section “Cuarto enfrentamiento: marzo de 1898,” citing AHN Ultramar 5353, exp. 7, PDF
ES
«en Atuak, quedaron solo veintisiete soldados al mando del segundo comandante del Villalobos»
“at Atuak only twenty-seven soldiers remained, under the command of the second-in-command of the Villalobos.”
What it settles: the Awak (“Atuak”) fighting began in March 1898. A 27-man Spanish garrison was besieged until German ships brought news of peace. Cabello says the “king of Not” (Net) wanted everyone converted to Catholicism.
Juan Escrigas Rodríguez, Revista General de Marina, November 2025, p. 933, PDF
ES
«En las Carolinas: los cañoneros Quirós…»
“In the Carolines: the gunboats Quirós…”
What it settles: the gunboat Quirós was on station in 1898, matching MicSem’s account that it saved the Awak mission (MicSem). The same article places Cadarso in the Western Carolines in 1887–1890, which conflicts with other sources.
The 1899 sale to Germany
Gaceta de Madrid, no. 164, 13 June 1899, p. 903, BOE PDF
ES
«El Imperio alemán indemnizará la cesión de los territorios supradichos mediante la suma de 25 millones de pesetas»
“The German Empire shall compensate the cession of the aforesaid territories by means of the sum of 25 million pesetas.”
What it settles: the price was 25 million pesetas. Habele’s 24 million is wrong.
Gaceta de Madrid, no. 180, 29 June 1899, p. 1151, BOE PDF
ES
«Dado en Palacio á veinticuatro de Junio de mil ochocientos noventa y nueve»
“Given at the Palace on the twenty-fourth of June, eighteen ninety-nine.”
What it settles: the law authorizing the sale is dated 24 June 1899 and was published on 29 June. It excludes Guam and guarantees Spanish missions and firms equal treatment.
Belén Pozuelo Mascaraque, “Los Estados Unidos, Alemania y el desmantelamiento colonial español en el Pacífico,” Anales de Historia Contemporánea 14 (1998), pp. 161–165, PDF
ES
«por veinticinco millones de pesetas»
“for twenty-five million pesetas.”
What it settles: a secret accord (10 December 1898) and a declaration (12 February 1899) came first. The treaty was signed in Madrid on 30 June 1899. Pohnpei was handed over on 12 October 1899, Yap was due on 3 November and Saipan followed on 17 November.
„Der Aufstand begann am 18. Oktober 1910 im Zuge von Wegebaumaßnahmen auf der Insel Dschokadsch.“
“The uprising began on 18 October 1910 in the course of road-building work on the island of Dschokadsch [Sokehs].”
„In einem „summarischen Gerichtsverfahren“ am 22. und 23. Februar 1911 wurden 15 Todesurteile ausgesprochen“
“In a ‘summary court proceeding’ on 22 and 23 February 1911, 15 death sentences were pronounced.”
„Die verbliebenen Jokoj – Männer, Frauen, Kinder – wurden über Yap nach Palau deportiert.“
“The remaining Jokoj [Sokehs people] – men, women, children – were deported via Yap to Palau.”
What it settles: 15 men were sentenced and shot on 24 February 1911. The leader appears as “Jomatau (Somadau en Sokehs),” and the archive admits its files say little about him. It gives no exile total, but says over 100 men worked Angaur’s mines and about 50 exiles died.
Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon (1920), vol. III, “Ponape,” p. 83 ff., UB Frankfurt
DE
„Dschokadsch (s. Tafel 162) besitzt einen Vasallenstaat Palikir; beide haben heute nur mehr topographische Bedeutung;“ „denn die Einwohner sind nach dem Aufstande 1910 nach den Palauinseln verbannt worden.“
“Dschokadsch possesses a vassal state, Palikir; both today have only topographical significance, for the inhabitants were banished to the Palau Islands after the uprising of 1910.”
„Mit Ausnahme Samoas ist P. in der deutschen Südsee die einzige Insel,“ „welche den Bestrebungen weißer Kulturträger mehrfach nachdrücklichen, bewaffneten Widerstand leistete“
“With the exception of Samoa, Ponape is the only island in the German South Seas that repeatedly offered emphatic armed resistance to the efforts of white bearers of culture.”
What it settles: a German source of the period confirms Palikir sided with Sokehs and was banished with it. Whether Palikir people are inside the 426 is not stated.
Thomas Morlang, Rebellion in der Südsee (Berlin, 2010), publisher’s description, Perlentaucher
DE
„17 Männer wurden zum Tode verurteilt“
“17 men were sentenced to death.”
What it settles: the “17 sentenced” figure is Morlang’s; the Bundesarchiv says 15. Both agree 15 were executed. Morlang also says only 242 Sokehs people were counted in 1947.
Kapitänleutnant Gartzke, account in Marine-Rundschau (June 1911), English translation by Ivan Tilgenkamp (1970), Digital Pasifik / NLA
Original not quoted here
Published translation (Tilgenkamp, not the research team):
“The shocking news of the death of Bezirksamtmann Boeder, two German administrative officers, and five natives…”
What it settles: the Navy count of the dead differs from the Bundesarchiv’s “Boeder plus three other Germans.” The title also names the survey ship Planet among the ships sent.
Gerhard Krebs, review in NOAG 152 (1992), pp. 177–179, PDF
DE
„der rebellische Stamm von ca. 500 Personen in das fast 3000km entfernte Yap zwangsumgesiedelt“
“the rebellious tribe of about 500 persons was forcibly resettled to Yap, almost 3,000 km away.”
What it settles: nothing; it is an outlier. Every other source gives 426 and Palau, via Yap.
Land reform on Ponape
Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon (1920), vol. III, “Ponape,” UB Frankfurt
DE
„1909/1910 ist diese Lehnsherrschaft, die oft zu großen Unzuträglichkeiten führte, aufgehoben;“
“In 1909/1910 this feudal lordship, which often led to great abuses, was abolished.”
What it settles: the reform took legal effect in 1909–1910, not 1907. Trust Territory courts later dated the printed German land deeds to 1912, in German and Pohnpeian (Kilara v. Alexander, 1951). No German text found states the 15-day labor rule.
The 1899 treaty
Fitzner, Deutsches Kolonial-Handbuch, vol. II, 2nd ed. (1901), pp. 3, 5, SuUB Bremen PDF
DE
„Zwischen dem Deutschen Reich und Spanien wurde am 30. Juni 1899 nachstehender Vertrag geschlossen“
“Between the German Reich and Spain the following treaty was concluded on 30 June 1899.”
What it settles: German and Spanish sources agree the treaty was signed on 30 June 1899.
Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon (1920), vol. II, “Karolinen,” UB Frankfurt
DE
„gegen eine Entschädigung von 25 Mill. Pesetas = 16 3/4 Mill. M an das Deutsche Reich ab“
“[Spain ceded the islands] to the German Reich for compensation of 25 million pesetas = 16¾ million marks.”
What it settles: the mark figure is 16.75 million, not “about 17 million.” This entry dates the joint declaration to 8 February 1899, while Spanish scholarship gives 12 February (Pozuelo). The Spanish date rests on archival citations and is better supported.
German Wikipedia (mirror), “Karolinenfrage,” citing Boelcke, So kam das Meer zu uns (1981), dewiki
DE
„Als am Abend des 25. August 1885 das deutsche Kanonenboot Iltis in den Hafen von Yap einlief“ … „Dennoch ließ Hofmeier die deutsche Flagge hissen“
“When on the evening of 25 August 1885 the German gunboat Iltis entered Yap harbour … Nevertheless Hofmeier had the German flag hoisted.”
What it settles: German sources confirm 25 August 1885. The Iltis was ordered on 31 July 1885, which may explain the stray “2 August.”
Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon (1920), vol. II, “Karolinen,” UB Frankfurt
DE
„Die Entscheidung darüber, wem die Inseln gehören sollten, wurde dem Papst als Schiedsrichter überwiesen“
“The decision as to whom the islands should belong to was referred to the Pope as arbitrator.”
What it settles: German usage called the Pope an arbitrator. The signed Spanish text says mediator, and the official text is better evidence (Gaceta).
The Hamburg South Seas Expedition
Elisabeth Krämer-Bannow, Bei kunstsinnigen Kannibalen der Südsee (Berlin, 1916), preface, SuUB Bremen PDF
DE
„Im September 1910 zurückgekehrt, liegt nun ein ungeheures Material von den Karolinen zur Ausarbeitung vor“
“Having returned in September 1910, an enormous body of material from the Carolines now lies ready to be worked up.”
What it settles: Augustin Krämer led the Micronesian (second) year, which ended in September 1910. A modern article puts the whole expedition’s haul at “mehr als 12.000 Objekte” (over 12,000 objects), with no per-island count (Tiefgang).
Island populations, 1909–1913
Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon (1920), vol. III, “Truk,” p. 544 ff., UB Frankfurt
DE
„Gezählt sind im ganzen 8449 Menschen auf den Inseln Udot, Eot, Ojal, Eten, Wola, [...]“
“In all, 8,449 people have been counted on the islands of Udot, Eot, Ojal, Eten, Wola, [...]”
What it settles: this is the only German count, as opposed to estimate, for Chuuk (Amtsblatt, 1 December 1913). The same work estimates about 11,000 in total.
„Die Eingeborenenbevölkerung der Insel wird auf rund 4000 Seelen geschätzt.“
“The native population of the island [Ponape] is estimated at around 4,000 souls.”
„Die Gesundheit der Eingeborenen bessert sich von Jahr zu Jahr“
“The health of the natives [of Kusaie] is improving year by year.”
What it settles: Ponape had about 4,000 people and Yap 8,000–9,000. Kosrae gets no number, only signs of recovery, so German sources cannot settle Kosrae’s low point.
Not reached
Bundesarchiv files R 1001/3009–3010 on the revolt, including the court record at R 1001/3010 fol. 26, in the invenio online reading room (gallery).
Navy files RM 2/1869 and RM 5/5666, and the 1899 handover files R 1001/2998–2999 (same gallery).
Amtsblatt für das Schutzgebiet Deutsch-Neuguinea 1911, which should name the 15 executed men (NLA; its online copy could not be opened for this site).
Deutsches Kolonialblatt 1911, Reichstag papers and annual Denkschriften.
Georg Fritz, Ad majorem Dei gloriam! (1912), his own account of the reform (Digital Pasifik).
Hempenstall’s Ponape chapters (ANU Press), cut off in the PDF consulted for this site.
Japanese
13 quoted passages
Original, in JapaneseEnglish translation
When civilian rule began
JACAR glossary, “臨時南洋防備隊” (Provisional South Seas Defense Force), citing 勅令第107号 of 31 March 1922 (『官報』第2896号), JACAR
JA
「1914年12月28日、臨時南洋群島防備隊条例を発布し、軍政を開始。」
“On 28 December 1914 the Provisional South Seas Defense Force Regulations were issued and military government began.”
「1922年3月31日「南洋庁官制」発布により、臨時南洋防備隊条例を廃止して軍隊を撤去。」
“With the promulgation of the ‘Nan’yō-chō Organization Ordinance’ on 31 March 1922, the Provisional South Seas Defense Force regulations were abolished and the troops withdrawn.”
What it settles: the civilian Nan’yō-chō dates from 1922, operating from 1 April. Military government formally began on 28 December 1914.
“Japan concludes with the League Council the mandate terms for the former German islands north of the Equator; Japan’s Class C mandate is decided.”
What it settles: 1920 (December) is the mandate year, not the start of civilian rule. TIGHAR’s “1920” likely merges the two. This page is a better source for “Class C” than the APIC lecture the doc cites.
“On 5 November 1943 the Truk, Ponape and Jaluit branches were merged into the Nan’yō-chō Eastern Branch, and the Ponape Branch became the Eastern Branch’s Ponape sub-office.”
What it settles: the branches inside today’s FSM were Yap, Truk and Ponape. Kosrae was run from the Ponape branch and was never a branch seat (JACAR overview). The Truk branch sat on Natsushima (Dublon, now Tonoas), not on Weno.
JACAR record B13080464900, Foreign Ministry file on the 1920 island census, JACAR
JA
「二四 南洋群島ノ総人口 五万二千二百二十二人」
“24. Total population of the South Sea Islands: 52,222 persons.”
What it settles: in 1920 the whole mandate held about 48,500 islanders and 3,403 Japanese. By 1942 the count was 86,810 Japanese to 51,951 islanders (Miyauchi 2018).
“By 1937 [Okinawans] had risen sharply to 1,145, making up 30% of resident Japanese, and seem to have worked mainly in fisheries and farming.”
What it settles: Pohnpei had roughly 3,800 Japanese residents in 1937, by the team’s arithmetic. That does not confirm the doc’s 1,500 fishery workers on Pohnpei.
“At the end of the war about 5,600 Japanese were resident…”
What it settles: the official archive gives about 5,600 Japanese on Pohnpei in 1945. Japanese Wikipedia’s uncited “over 13,000” and the tourism site’s 14,000 are weaker (ja.wikipedia).
“…katsuobushi (dried bonito) production and sugar manufacturing, introduced with technical guidance during Japanese rule, are the main industries.”
What it settles: Japanese-era fisheries and sugar shaped Pohnpei’s later economy. A Nan’yō-chō experiment station on Pohnpei dates from June 1922 (JACAR).
Schools for islanders
橋本正志 (Hashimoto Masashi), study of Nan’yō language readers, Ritsumeikan, pp. 1–2, PDF
JA
「公学校の修業年限は３年で」
“The course length of the public schools was three years.”
What it settles: the three-year course is confirmed. A two-year supplementary course ran at branch seats, including Truk, Yap and Kolonia. A Japanese list counts about 26 schools across the mandate, against Hezel’s 24.
“Japanese vessels sunk in the two days’ raids came to 10 naval vessels and 33 merchant ships, with 12 more damaged.”
What it settles: Japanese tallies broadly match NHHC. Via Japanese Wikipedia’s 戦史叢書 citations, they count three light cruisers, including Agano, sunk by a US submarine (ja.wikipedia).
戦史叢書 (Senshi Sōsho) volumes read directly; the defense-ministry search site could not be searched for this site (NIDS).
Island-level tables in 『南洋庁統計年鑑』, 『南洋群島要覧』 and the 1935 and 1940 island censuses.
Yanaihara, 『南洋群島の研究』 (1935), on-site only at the National Diet Library (NDL).
Any Japanese record of the Sokehs exiles’ return, 1917–1927.
Per-island October 1914 landing dates, and any Japanese record of Kosrae’s garrison.
French and Russian
14 quoted passages
Original, in French, Russian and LatinEnglish translation
Duperrey’s Coquille at Kosrae and Chuuk, 1824
René-Primevère Lesson, Voyage autour du monde… sur la corvette La Coquille (Paris, 1838–39), Internet Archive scan pp. 802–865, search-inside
FR
«Cette terre haute est l'île de Oualan.»
“This high land is the island of Oualan.”
«Pendant les dix jours que nous passâmes au havre de [la Coquille]»
“During the ten days we spent at the harbour of [la Coquille].”
«en estimant à 1200 personnes, au plus, la totalité de la population»
“estimating the whole population at 1,200 persons at most.”
«L'hospitalité est un caractère distinctif des habitants de Oualan»
“Hospitality is a distinctive trait of the inhabitants of Oualan.”
What it settles: the Coquille sighted Kosrae on 3 June 1824, entered harbor on 5 June and left on 15 June. Lesson counted about 100 chiefs under a paramount titled “Urosse toll” on Lelu. His 1,200 ceiling sits far below Hezel’s 3,000 for 1838.
Dumont d’Urville at Chuuk, 1838
Francis X. Hezel, “The Beginnings of Foreign Contact in Truk,” citing Dumont d’Urville, Voyage au Pôle sud (1841–46), vol. V, MicSem
Original not quoted here
Published translation (Hezel, not the research team):
“The reputation of the Carolines has been tarnished, for we have found here treacherous and wicked people.”
What it settles: the Astrolabe and Zélée entered Chuuk Lagoon on 22 December 1838. A clash between Fefan and Dublon ended with the French “killing ten or twelve natives.” This violence predates the 1844 Cheyne attack behind the “Dreaded Hogoleu” label.
Fyodor Lütke, Voyage autour du monde… sur la corvette Le Séniavine, French ed. tr. F. Boyé (Paris, 1835–36), vol. I, Internet Archive p. 374, search-inside
FR
«on peut porter la population entière d'Ualan à huit cents âmes»
“the entire population of Ualan may be put at eight hundred souls.”
What it settles: Lütke counted about 800 Kosraean adults, excluding children. He reached Kosrae in early December 1827 and left about 3 January 1828, by the Gregorian calendar.
Lütke, Russian edition (St Petersburg, 1834–36), part I, pp. 285–286, quoted in Vinogradova, Страны и народы Востока XXIV (1982), PDF
RU
«Покойная гавань, хороший климат, добрый народ, изобилие пресной воды и плодов…»
“A calm harbour, a good climate, a kind people, an abundance of fresh water and fruit…”
What it settles: the Russian original matches the French picture of a peaceful Kosrae. Russian sources use Julian dates, 12 days earlier than the French edition.
«ce ne fut qu'avec beaucoup de peine que je pus en décider un seul à monter à bord»
“it was only with great difficulty that I could persuade a single one to come aboard.”
«plutôt que d'acheter cette satisfaction au prix du sang»
“rather than buy this satisfaction at the price of blood.”
«le nom de la grande île est, en effet, Pouynipète»
“the name of the large island is indeed Pouynipète.”
What it settles: about forty canoes met the ship at Pohnpei from 14 January 1828, but only one man came aboard. Lütke refused to force a landing and named the “Port of Bad Reception.” Canoe men gave place names; no Pohnpeian word list was found.
Lütke, French ed., vol. II, Internet Archive pp. 65, 339, search-inside
FR
«avaient certainement été faits à Pouynipète»
“had certainly been made on Pouynipète.”
«D'après sa grandeur, on peut l'estimer à mille individus»
“Judging by its size, one may estimate it at a thousand individuals.”
What it settles: Mortlockese mistook the ship’s mahogany furniture for Pohnpeian work and feared Pohnpeian warriors. Lütke spent about a day off Chuuk (“Roug”) on 14–15 February 1828 and only guessed its population. The iron tools and Spanish words he noted were in the Mortlocks and Namonuito.
Maigret on Pohnpei, 1837–1838
Jean Charlot, “Introduction au Journal de Louis Désiré Maigret,” Journal de la Société des Océanistes 25 (1969), Charlot Foundation
FR
«ermite malgré lui sur l'île de Ponapé»
“a hermit in spite of himself on the island of Ponape.”
«je m'en vais, disait-il, je m'en vais»
“‘I’m leaving,’ he said, ‘I’m leaving’.”
What it settles: Charlot’s diary transcription dates the stay from mid-December 1837 to 29 July 1838. That is about seven and a half months, supporting “seven months” (Charlot English text). MicSem’s page says six months, so the diary is the better source.
The papal settlement in Latin, 1885
Leo XIII, letter Cum de Carolinis to Prince Otto von Bismarck, 31 December 1885, vatican.va
LA
«Te per has Litteras renuntiamus Equitem Ordinis militiae Christi.»
“By this Letter We proclaim you a Knight of the Order of the Militia of Christ.”
What it settles: the Pope thanked Bismarck for proposing the mediation and knighted him two weeks after the Rome protocol. Spain’s minister in Washington also described the deal as concluded “by the mediation” of Leo XIII (FRUS 1886).
Not reached
Dumont d’Urville’s French text of the 1838 Chuuk visit; Gallica’s copy could not be opened for this site.
Maigret’s letters in the Annales de la Propagation de la Foi.
The full Russian text of Lütke (1834–36) and any Pohnpeian or Kosraean vocabulary in vol. III.
Kittlitz’s German narrative, Denkwürdigkeiten einer Reise (1858) (Deutsche Biographie).
Duperrey’s official Histoire du voyage and his 1827 Mémoire, cited only through Hezel.
Where to request more
Bundesarchiv, R 1001/3009 and R 1001/3010: the Reichskolonialamt files on the Sokehs revolt, including the court record that should settle 15 versus 17 and name the executed (gallery with links).
Bundesarchiv, RM 2/1869, RM 5/5666 and R 1001/2998–2999: Navy telegrams, photos and maps of the Sokehs position, and the 1899 handover protocol (same gallery).
AHN Madrid, Ultramar 5353, exp. 7: the Pohnpei governor’s 1898 report on Awak (cited in Cabello).
Cabeza Pereiro, Estudios sobre Carolinas: la isla de Ponapé (1895): request from the Biblioteca Víctor Balaguer or BNE (catalogue); a partial English translation is at UH (ScholarSpace).
Sánchez Díaz, “España en el Pacífico: la isla de Ponapé” (1974): page images at the Spanish defense library (record).
Lévesque, History of Micronesia, vols. 31 and 41: English translations of Spanish 1885–87 reports and German-era documents (HOM 31; HOM 41).
Ergebnisse der Südsee-Expedition 1908–1910, series II B: Kusae (vol. 4) at Bremen and vol. 5 (likely Truk) at Hamburg; Hambruch’s Ponape is vol. 7 (Bremen Kusae; DDB; D-PLACE).
JACAR records: A03021377500 (Nan’yō-chō ordinance), D15020026000 (Yap branch handbook, 1933) and the brigade demobilization files (1920 census record; 52nd Brigade).
『南洋庁公報』 vol. 24 (June 1942 「現住戸口」 table): the last island-level count of islanders and Japanese (cited in Miyauchi).
Ponape District Court land-case list (Yanaihara collection) and Nakayama (1989): likely sources on Sokehs land after the exiles’ return (Ryukyu; Minpaku).
Tokyo University of the Arts, Koizumi archive: 1978 field recordings from Pohnpei and Yap (archive).
Hanlon, Upon a Stone Altar, chapters 6–7: open access on Manifold, covering the Spanish wars from a Pohnpeian vantage (Manifold).