CHAP. cession o f ledges being b ro u g h t to th e surface, wiiile, by th e same pro-
Feb.
1826.
cess, th e lagoon will gradually become more shallow an d contracted.
The ridges are particularly favourable to the formation of a soil,
by retaining within them whatever may he there deposited until it
decays, and by protecting the tender shrubs during their early growth.
Near our observatory the soil had attained a depth of about eight inches
before vve came to broken coral.
“ In the central and sheltered parts of the plain between the ridges
the pandanus spreads its divergent roots and rears its fruitful branches;
the pemphis also takes root in the same situation. The loose dry
stones of the first ridge are penetrated by the hard roots of the tefano,
which expands its branches into a tall spreading tree, and is attended by
the fragrant suriana, and the sweet-scented tonrnefortia, in the shelter of
whose foliage the tender achyrantlius and lepidium seem to thrive the
best. Beyond the first high and stony ridge the hardy scmvola extends
its creeping roots and procumbent verdure towards the sea, throwing
its succulent leaves round the sharp coral stones.”
“ On the windward side, wherever the pandanus was devoid of the
protection of the more hardy trees, the brown and decayed leaves
showed it had advanced beyond its proper boundary*.”
YY"e quitted Bow Island on the 20th of Fehruary, and continued
the survey of the archipelago, until the period had arrived when it
was necessary to proceed direct to Otaheite, to prepare the ship for her
voyage to the northward. We were greatly retarded toward the close
of our operations by the rainy season, which was attended with calms,
and hot, sultry, wet weather, and perhaps, had we continued at sea,
vv'ould have prevented any thing more being done. The dysentery about
this time began to make its appearance among the ship’s company,
owing no doubt to the rains and closeness of the atmosphere, combined
with the harassing duty arising from the navigation of a sea so
thickly strewed with islands, and to the men having been a long time
on a reduced allowance of salt provisions.
The islands which were visited between Bow Island and Otaheite
* Mr. Collie’s Journa l.
were all of the same nature and formation as those already described, CHAP.
and furnished us with no additional information beyond the correct
determination of their size and position; which, with some remarks
that may be useful to navigation, will be given in the appendix.
Among the number there were two wliich were previously unknown ;
the largest ofthese, which w-as also the most extensive of our discoveries
in the archipelago, I named Melville Island, in honour of the first lord
of the Admiralty; and the other, Croker Island, in compliment to the
right honourable secretary.
The discoveries of Cook and Wallis in this track are relatively
correctly placed ; but those of the latter are as much as forty miles in
error in longitude, and several miles in latitude, w-hich has occasioned
two of them to he mistaken for each other by Bellinghausen, and one
to be considered as a new discovery by Captain Duperrey. It w-ould
not have been easy to detect these errors, had w-e not visited the discoveries
of YVallis in succession, beginning with YVhitsunday and Queen
Charlotte’s Islands, which are so situated that no mistake in them could
possibly occur. Moreover, we always searched the vicinity narrowly for
the existence of other islands.
The mistakes have arisen from placing too much confidence in
the longitude of the early navigator. The true place of Cumberland
Island lying much nearer the alleged position of YVallis’s Prince YVilham-
Henry Island than any other, has occasioned Bellinghausen’s mistake;
and the true position of Prince YVilliam-Henry being so remote from any
of YY"a)lis’s discoveries, as placed by himself, has made Captain Duperrey
think tlie one which he saw could not possibly be one of them, and lie
in consequence bestowed upon it the new name of L’Ostange.
Tliere can be no doubt that the island which I consider Prince
YYTlliam-Henry Island is the L’Ostange of Captain Duperrey, as we
had an opportunity of comparing longitudes with him at Moller Island ;
and it is equally certain that tliis island is the same with that discovered
liy YVallis, as its distance from Queen Charlotte’s Island and ins other
discoveries to the eastward, each of w-liich we visited, exactly coincides.
YVallis has certainly erred ten miles in latitude, but it should be recollected
that the position of the island was fixed by reckoning from noon.
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