is the same placed in a different position by the English vessel, the Minerva, on June 27th, in the same year, and named after the ship.* Clermont Tonnere, named after the French Minister of Marine, bears a very close resemblance to Hood's Island, but is inhabited and clothed with cocoa-nut trees. The natives, however, are a very inferior race to those of the Gambier Islands. The island is very narrow, particularly at the extremities, and when seen at a distance does not appear to be half a mile wide. It is of the same formation as Hood's Island, but more perfect. With the exception of a few breaks on the southern shore, by which the sea, when high, may at times communicate with the lagoon, it is altogether above water. At the extremities and angles the soil is more elevated than in any other parts, as if the influence of the sea had been more felt upon them, and heaped up the coral higher. They are also better provided with shrubs, and particularly cocoa-nut trees, the soil resting upon the debris being probably deeper. The lagoon has several small islets in it, and the shores all round are steep, and abound with fish, but Capt. Beechey did not see any sharks.† In the position given by Capt. Beechey (lat. 18° 33′ 42′′ S., lon. 136° 1′ 32′′ W.) there appears to be some error in the calculation, for it differs from that of Capt. Duperrey, which latter was confirmed by Capt. Wilkes, in the American Exploring Expedition, lat. 18° 33′ 42′′ S., lon. 136° 20′ W. This was the first coral island seen by that expedition (13th August, 1839), and naturally attracted much interest; we therefore quote the words of the commander :— "At first sight the island looked much like a fleet of vessels at anchor, nothing but the trees being seen in the distance, and as the ship rises and sinks with the swell of the ocean, these are alternately seen and lost sight of. On a nearer approach the whole white beach was distinctly seen, constituting a narrow belt of land, of a light clay colour, rising up out of the deep ocean, the surf breaking on its coral reefs, surrounding a lagoon of a beautiful tint, and perfectly smooth. This island was 12 feet above the level of the sea, and 600 feet wide to its lagoon, and is composed of coral, debris, and vegetable matter. The shrubs are few, and not more than 12 or 15 feet high, the cocoa-nut, palms, and pandanus showing conspicuously above them. We found it, by our survey, to be 10 miles long by 1 wide, lying in a W.N.W. and E.S.E. direction. The first sounding on the East side of the island, at 300 feet from the reef, was obtained in 90 fathoms (coral sand); at 180 feet, 85 fathoms (coral sand); at 130 feet, 7 fathoms (hard coral), being at the edge of a nearly perpendicular shelf; thence to the shore the bottom was uneven, decreasing to 4, 3, and 2 fathoms, until a second or upper coral shelf rose, over which the water flowed at high tide. This extended to where the beach is composed of broken coral and shells, and rose on a gentle declivity to 10 feet high. "The Peacock sounded within three-quarters of a mile from the southern point of the island; at 350 fathoms the lead brought up for a moment, and then again descended to 600 fathoms, without reaching bottom. When it was hauled up it had a small piece of white and another of red coral attached to it. The * Asiatic Journal, No. 92. Beechey, vol. i. pp. 147-8. West side of the island is a bare reef, over which the surf breaks violently. There is no opening or entrance to the lagoon.” The party endeavouring to land met with much opposition from the natives, a fine athletic race, much above the ordinary size, about 120 of whom were seen. The common house-fly was found in great numbers at the island.* SERLE ISLAND, or Apucarua,† was discovered in the missionary voyage of the Duff, by Capt. Wilson, 28th May, 1797, who named it after the author of the Hora Solitariæ. Krusenstern says:-"It is the highest island of all this archipelago; two hills mark its N.W. and S.E. extremes, and a third marks the centre of the island. These distinctive marks will serve as points of recognisance to vessels approaching this archipelago from the eastward." Capt. Beechey says that in this Krusenstern has been misled by some navigator who mistook the trees for hills, and over-estimated the height of them, as the tallest does not exceed 50 feet. When it is approached from the eastward, it appears to be a low strip of land, with a hillock (of trees) at each extreme. The island is 7 miles in length in a N.W. direction, and 24 miles in width in its broadest part. It is of coral formation, and very similar to Clermont Tonnere. Its windward side is the most perfect; the southern side of the chain, however, differs in being wider, and having a barren flat, full an eighth of a mile wide, outside the trees. On this account it is necessary for a ship to be cautious in approaching it during the night, as it is so low that the breakers would be the first warning of their situation. The lagoon is very narrow, and apparently shallow, with several islands in the middle. There is not the smallest opening into it, even for a canoe. There is no mother-of-pearl in it. Besides clumps of trees at the extremities of the island, which at a distance have the appearance of banyan trees, there are several clusters of palms; a distinction recommended by Capt. Beechey to the attention of commanders of vessels, as, besides assisting them in identifying the islands, it will enable them to estimate their distance from them with tolerable precision.|| There are but few inhabitants on it. Its S.E. extreme is in lat. 18° 22′ 39′′, lon. 136° 55′ 3′′;¶ by Wilkes, lat. 18° 21' 10", lon. 137° 4′ 10′′.** EGMONT ISLAND, or Tatakoto, was discovered by Wallis, 1767.++ It is of coral, and the reef is so low toward the centre, that in high tides there can be no communication with the extremities. The island is steep, like all the other coral islands, and well wooded with cocoa-nut and pandanus trees, and has one of the large clumps at its N.W. extremity. Capt. Beechey found that no boat * Narrative of the United States' Exploring Expedition, vol. i. p. 312. + Or Apoucaroua (M. Armand Mauruc).-Bull. Soc. Géog., 1848, p. 74. Capt. Wilson named two clumps that stood at a little distance from each other, on the S.E. part, the Turk's Cap and Friar's Hood.-P. 118. Krusenstern, vol. i. p. 276. Capt. Wilson landed at low water on the island, and to his trouble, that this was the only period when it was possible to do so, as it was with great difficulty that he regained his boat on the following day, at the same period of tide.-Voyage of the Duff, pp. 120-122. The distance between Serle Island and Clermont Tonnere was found by Capt. Wilkes to be 26% miles, and no sign of any island existing between the two; thus deciding as to the meridional differences between Duperrey and Beechey.-American Exploring Expedition, vol. i. pp. 315–357. Beechey, vol. i. p. 150. + This island was discovered by Wallis from following the direction taken by the natives of Lagoon Island, who deserted it for this. They are many miles out of sight of each other. could land on the windward island, nor on any other part of the island; to leeward the S.W. swell rolled even more heavily upon the shore than that occasioned by the trade wind on the opposite side. He saw about fifty inhabitants on the beach. North extreme, lat. 19° 22′ 59′′, lon. 139° 12′ 3′′.* TRES COCOTIERS, or Three Cocoa-Nut Trees Island, is first described by M. Armand Mauruc. He saw it from near Egmont Island, and places it in lat. 19° 8' S., and 10' W. from Egmont (139° 22′). It is very low and very small. If it is not always inhabited, it is so occasionally. He thought that it did not enclose a lagoon.+ BYAM MARTIN ISLAND, or Nganaiti (or Letho?), was discovered by Capt. Beechey, February, 1826, and named after the comptroller of the navy. The island is nearly of an oval form, of 3 miles diameter. It is of coral formation, and has a lagoon and productions very similar to the other islands recently described. One species of coral not noticed before was seen in the lagoon, growing above water; it was a millepore, extending itself in vertical plates, parallel to the shore. From the pemphis Capt. Beechey procured a large supply of firewood, to which use it is well adapted, as it burns a long time, gives great heat, is as hard as lignum vitæ, and equally good for tools. On the island Capt. Beechey found a party of natives who had reached this island from Chain Island with dreadful suffering and privation, and were here wrecked. They had set out from Chain Island for Tahiti, and were drifted to Barrow Island, and then came on to here. Byam Martin Island is in lat. 19° 40′ 22′′, lon. 148° 22' 28" W.‡ CUMBERLAND ISLAND, or Manuwangi, was discovered by Wallis in 1767, who describes it to be 6 miles long, and 14 miles broad. It is in lat. 19° 13′, lon. 141° 11' W. GLOUCESTER ISLAND, Hariri, or Toué-toué, was discovered by Capt. Wallis in 1767. "Its appearance has been accurately described by its discoverer, but its present form and extent differ materially. At the S.E. angle of the island we noticed a morai built of stones, but there were no inhabitants upon the shore. In passing to windward of the island, the current sets so unexpectedly strong upon it, that the ship was, for a considerable time, in imminent danger of being thrown upon the rocks, and her escape is entirely attributable to the rapid descent of the coral reef, which was at times almost under her bottom. She, however, fortunately cleared the reef, and was immediately in safety.§ Lat. 19° 8', lon. 140° 37'." LANCIERS or THRUM CAP ISLAND, or Pukerua, discovered by Bougainville in 1768, and seen by Cook in 1769, is of coral, three-quarters of a mile in length, well wooded, and steep all round. No bottom was found at a mile distant with 400 fathoms of line. Some slabs placed erect, and a hut, showed it had once been inhabited. M. Bougainville gave the name of Des Lanciers to it prior to Cook's visit in 1768, in consequence of the people on it being armed with long spears. Lat. 18° 30′ 8′′, lon. 139° 8′ 0′′. Beechey, vol. i. p. 157. + Bull. de la Soc. de Géog. par. 1848, p. 76. QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S ISLAND, or Aki-Aki, was discovered by Wallis in 1767. Capt. Beechey says that it is of coral formation, so grown up that we could not see any lagoon in its centre, as we had done in all the others to the eastward. Several huts and sheds, similar to those on Whit-Sunday Island, occur in a bay on its northern shore, but there were no inhabitants. When Wallis visited this island the natives took to their canoes, and fled to the next island to the westward; whether they did so on the present occasion we could not determine, but in all probability we should have seen them if they had done so. This island afforded Capt. Wallis a plentiful supply of cocoa-nuts, but at present not a tree of that description is to be seen. The shore is more steep than either Clermont Tonnere or Whit-Sunday Islands, and the huts more numerous.* Lat. of East extreme, 19° 17′ 40′′, lon. 138° 42′ 28′′ W. FOUR FACARDINS, or LAGOON ISLAND, called Teay by the natives, was discovered by Bougainville in 1768, and Capt. Cook in his first voyage in 1769. It is 3 miles in length in a W. by S. direction, and 14 miles in width. Its general figure has been accurately described by Cook; the southern side is still the low reef of breakers which he saw, and the three shallow openings on the North shore still exist, though one of them has nearly disappeared. Two cocoa-nut trees on the centre of the island, which Cook observes had the appearance of flags, are still waving; "the tower" at the western end is also there, but has increased to a large clump of cocoa-nut trees; a similar clump has sprung up at the eastern end. The lagoon is, in some parts, very shallow and contracted, and has many dry islets upon it. The shore is steep, as at the other coral islands, excepting on the South side, which should not be approached within a quarter of a mile. Capt. Beechey speaks highly of the natives for integrity and good nature. He purchased a quantity of cocoa-nuts. The North extreme is in lat. 18° 42′ 26′′; the East extreme in lon, 138° 43′ 12".† NARCISSUS or CLERKE ISLAND, or Puka Puka, or Tatacoto, was discovered by Bonecheo in 1774. It is described to be 4 miles in length and 1 mile broad; it is very low, and encloses a lagoon. The northern part is wooded; cocoa-nut trees are abundant; the southern part is only formed by a reef. M. Mauruc says that the inhabitants endeavoured to cut off (in 1839) the boats of a ship sent to communicate with them. Lat. 17° 20′, lon. 138° 23′. ANONYMOUS ISLAND, according to M. Mauruc, from native information, lies in about lat. 17° S., lon. 138° 40' W. It is said to be low and thinly inhabited.‡ MOLLER ISLAND, or Amanu, was discovered by Capt. Bellingshausen in 1829. According to him it tends N.E. by E. and S.W. by W., 17 miles in length, and is 7 miles broad. Its N.E. point is in lat. 17° 43′, lon. 140° 37′ W. HARPE or BOW ISLAND, Heyou (Beechey), or Ocheou (Belcher), or Eaoo, was discovered by Bougainville in 1768, and was visited in the following year by Capt. Cook, who gave it its second name from the appearance of its shape, although the survey of it gives it a very irregular figure. For several reasons it is an interesting island. It was minutely surveyed and examined by Capt. Bull. Soc. Géog. 1848, p. 75. Beechey, vol. i. p. 152. t Ibid. vol. i. p. 154. Beechey, in the Blossom, in 1826, and was selected for the experiments on the nature of coral structures by Sir Edward Belcher. By Capt. Beechey's trigonometrical survey, Bow Island is 30 miles long by an average of 5 miles broad. It is similar to other coral islands, confining within a narrow band of coral a spacious lagoon, and having its windward side higher and more wooded than the other; which, indeed, with the exception of a few clusters of trees and heaps of sand, is little better than a reef. The sea in many places washes into the lagoon, but there is no passage for a boat except that by which the ship entered, which is sometimes dangerous to boats in consequence of the overfalls from the lagoon, especially a little after the time of high water. It lies at the North side of the island, and may be known by two straggling cocoa-nut trees near it on the western side, and a clump of trees on the other. The strip of low land enclosing the lagoon is nearly 70 miles in extent, and the part that is dry is about a quarter of a mile in extent. Capt. Beechey gives a minute description of the lagoon, the coral shelf, and the productions of this island. The lagoon produces abundance of shell-fish, and at that time great quantities of pearl oysters; and a vessel, the Dart, belonging to the Australian Pearl Company, was anchored in the lagoon and engaged in a successful fishery.* Capt. Beechey gives a sad picture of the degraded inhabitants, but Capt. Sir E. Belcher, in his visit in 1840, found them almost the reverse of this picture, and thinks that they may have been Chain Islanders. Capt. Sir E. Belcher's later observations subjoined will be useful to the navigator in visiting this island. "At the period of the Blossom's visit the wind and current on his entrance as well as exit favoured him, but no sound conclusion or direction for navigators could be deduced therefrom. A fair wind out would be foul weather wind inside. In both cases, on reference to the Blossom and Sulphur, the winds at entrance and exit ranged from East to E.N.E., or leading winds. "We found the time of exit or entry depended also on the time of high or slack water, and that it was necessary to watch this at the entrance, as the velocity of the ebb, when much water had been forced into the lagoon, prevented the ship from steering. It is at all times a difficult place to enter with a vessel drawing over 15 feet. It cannot be entered against the ebb without a breeze which would command 6 knots at least, as the current, which has 1 foot fall, runs above 4 knots. "Approaching from seaward the state of the current can generally be pretty fairly estimated by the tail race,' which sweeps to sea about three-quarters of a mile. The instant this slackens or ceases the entrance may be approached. The starboard side close to the breaker is the boldest, but a rock near the inner point, Harpe or Bow Island, says M. Mauruc, has some mother-of-pearl. He fished for it six different times since 1831. Its eastern part is more wooded than the opposite. In about its N.W. part is a very narrow channel, in which 4 fathoms may be found at high water, and by which you may communicate with the lagoon. The current in it is sometimes so violent that there is the greatest danger in encountering the ebb tide. At least, if the breeze is not fresh, and the wind does not set well in, you ought to wait for the flood to enter. For want of this precaution M. Mauruc had to anchor twice in the passage, and then work in in the night by the aid of fires on either side. The inhabitants of this and of Moller Island are very friendly, and much united together.-Bull. Soc. Géog., 1848, pp. 79, 80. |